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NEW ORLEANS, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until May 2, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson ("Ericsson" or the "Company") (NasdaqGS: ERIC), if they purchased the Company's securities between April 27, 2017 and February 25, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Get Help
Ericsson investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nasdaq-eric-2/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.
About the Lawsuit
Ericsson and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.
On February 16, 2022, the Company disclosed "serious breaches of compliance rules" involving dealings in Iraq dating back to 2018 including payments made "for road transport through areas controlled by terrorist organisations, including IS." Then, on February 27, 2022, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists ("ICIJ") reported on the Company's alleged dealings with ISIS in Iraq, originating from an internal report by the Company that revealed it had reportedly made "tens of millions of dollars in suspicious payments" over nearly a decade to maintain business in the country and that "a spreadsheet lists company probes into possible bribery, money laundering and embezzlement by employees in Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brazil, China, Croatia, Libya, Morocco, the United States and South Africa[,]" which "have not been previously disclosed."
On this news, the price of Ericsson's ADS fell $0.84 per ADS, or 8.3%, from its closing price on February 25, 2022, to close at $9.28 per ADS on February 28, 2022, the next trading day.
The case is Nyy v. Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson, et al., 22-cv-01167.
About ClaimsFiler
ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.
To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.
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| 2022-04-09T06:24:26Z
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NEW YORK, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Gatos Silver, Inc. (NYSE: GATO): (a) pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statement issued in connection with the Company's initial public offering (the "IPO" or "Offering") conducted on or about October 28, 2020; and/or (b) between October 28, 2020 and January 25, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important April 25, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.
SO WHAT: If you purchased Gatos Silver securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Gatos Silver class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=3100 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 25, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) the technical report for Gatos Silver's primary mine, the Cerro Los Gatos deposit, contained certain errors; (2) among other things, the mineral reserves had been overestimated by as much as 50%; and (3) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about Gatos Silver's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the Gatos Silver class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=3100 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact Information:
Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
lrosen@rosenlegal.com
pkim@rosenlegal.com
cases@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com
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| 2022-04-09T06:24:33Z
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NEW ORLEANS, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until April 25, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Gatos Silver, Inc. (NYSE: GATO), if they purchased the Company's securities between October 28, 2020 and January 25, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period") and/or purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's shares pursuant to the Company's October 2020 initial public offering (the "IPO"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.
Get Help
Gatos Silver investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-gato or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.
About the Lawsuit
Gatos Silver and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period and/or in the Registration Statement and Prospectus issued in conjunction with the initial public offering, violating federal securities laws.
On January 25, 2022, post-market, the Company revealed "errors in the technical report entitled 'Los Gatos Project, Chihuahua, Mexico' with an effective date of July 1, 2020 . . . , as well as indications that there is an overestimation in the existing resource model" and that on a preliminary basis, the Company estimated a potential reduction of the metal content of its CLG's mineral reserve ranging from 30% to 50% of the metal content remaining after depletion.
On this news, shares of Gatos Silver fell $7.02 per share, or approximately 68.9%, to close at $3.17 per share on January 26, 2022.
The case is Bilinsky v. Gatos Silver, Inc., et al., No. 22-cv-453.
About ClaimsFiler
ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.
To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.
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| 2022-04-09T06:24:40Z
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NEW ORLEANS, La., April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until May 16, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Grab Holdings Limited (NasdaqGS: GRAB, GRABW), if they purchased the Company's securities between November 12, 2021 and March 3, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Get Help
Grab investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nasdaq-grab/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.
About the Lawsuit
Grab and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.
On March 3, 2022, the Company announced its 4Q2021 results, disclosing "a 44% decline YoY" in revenue and a $1.1 billion loss for the quarter due to "invest[ing] heavily" in driver incentives and that it would take one or two quarters "to get that equilibrium between drivers and riders, between supply and demand."
On this news, shares of Grab fell $2.04, or 37.3%, to close at $3.28 per share on March 3, 2022, on unusually heavy trading volume.
The case is Peccarino v. Grab Holdings Limited, et al., No. 22-cv-2189.
About ClaimsFiler
ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.
To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.
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| 2022-04-09T06:24:46Z
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NEW ORLEANS, La., April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until May 6, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in securities class action lawsuits against Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NasdaqGS: RIVN), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's shares between November 10, 2021 and March 10, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period") and/or pursuant or traceable to its November 2021 initial public stock offering (the "IPO"). These actions are pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Get Help
Rivian investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nasdaq-rivn/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.
About the Lawsuits
Rivian and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period and/or in the Registration Statement and Prospectus issued in conjunction with the initial public offering, violating federal securities laws.
The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that the Company's R1T electric pickup truck and R1S electric SUV products were underpriced to such a degree that the Company would have to raise prices shortly after the IPO, which could tarnish its reputation as a trustworthy and transparent company and potentially jeopardize sales for the existing backlog of 55,400 preorders as well as future preorders. As a result, the price of the Company's shares was artificially and materially inflated at the time of the Offering and declined when the truth was subsequently revealed.
The first-filed case is Crews, Jr. v. Rivian Automotive Inc., et al., No. 22-cv- 1524.
About ClaimsFiler
ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.
To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.
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| 2022-04-09T06:24:53Z
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TORONTO, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Spin Master Corp. (TSX: TOY) (www.spinmaster.com), a leading global children's entertainment company, has won The Golden Screen Award for Feature Film, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, for its box office hit PAW Patrol: The Movie. The Golden Screen Award recognizes the Canadian film that grossed the highest domestic box office over the time period of Jan 1, 2021 to Feb 24, 2022. The first feature film for Spin Master Entertainment, in association with Nickelodeon Movies and distributed by Elevation Pictures in Canada (Paramount Pictures in rest of world), PAW Patrol: The Movie grossed over $7.5 million in Canadian box office sales and $152 million to date globally.
Now in its ninth year, preschoolers in over 190 countries have gone on countless adventures in over 30 languages with the PAW Patrol pups – all produced right here in Canada. PAW Patrol: The Movie stayed true to these roots with more than 90% of the production being completed in Canada. The movie was directed by Canadian animation veteran Cal Bunker; written by Bunker and his writing partner Bob Barlen, animated by Montreal based Mikros Studio and brought to life with Canadian voice actors from the original series. As a nod to its heritage, the opening scene involves Chase rescuing truck driver Gus from a conundrum while transporting maple syrup.
"When setting out to tell a deeper PAW Patrol story we were passionate about working with the best Canadian talent to create our first theatrical," said Jennifer Dodge, Spin Master's President of Entertainment. "Winning the Golden Screen Award is a powerful tribute to the exceptional team of Canadian writers, voice actors, animators and producers who worked tirelessly to bring PAW Patrol: The Movie to the big screen. Thanks to the Academy for this recognition and to all the kids and families, who enjoyed this film, here in Canada and abroad."
PAW Patrol continues to be on a roll with a second feature film, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie™, greenlit for an exclusive theatrical release, distributed by Elevation Pictures in Canada, on October 13, 2023. A new PAW Patrol television series spin-off for Rubble, one of the main pups, is also set to debut in the same year.
In addition to receiving The Golden Screen Award, Spin Master's PAW Patrol won Best Pre-School Program/Series and PAW Patrol Moto Pups: Pups vs the Ruff-Ruff Pack won Best Sound, Animation. PAW Patrol: The Movie was also nominated for Canadian Screen Awards in the categories of Achievement in Sound Editing and Achievement in Sound Mixing.
About Spin Master
Spin Master Corp. (TSX:TOY) is a leading global children's entertainment company, creating exceptional play experiences through its three creative centres: Toys, Entertainment and Digital Games. With distribution in over 100 countries, Spin Master is best known for award-winning brands PAW Patrol®, Bakugan®, Kinetic Sand®, Air Hogs®, Hatchimals®, Rubik's Cube® and GUND®, and is the global toy licensee for other popular properties. Spin Master Entertainment creates and produces compelling multiplatform content, through its in-house studio and partnerships with outside creators, including the preschool franchise PAW Patrol and numerous other original shows, short-form series and feature films. The Company has an established presence in digital games, anchored by the Toca Boca® and Sago Mini® brands, offering open-ended and creative game and educational play in digital environments. Through Spin Master Ventures, the Company makes minority investments globally in emerging companies and start-ups. With over 30 offices in close to 20 countries, Spin Master employs more than 2,000 team members globally. For more information visit spinmaster.com or follow-on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @spinmaster.
About Elevation Pictures
Founded in 2013 with finance partner Teddy Schwarzman of Black Bear Pictures, Elevation Pictures has become one of Canada's leading entertainment companies specializing in distribution and production. Elevation is known for releasing award-winning films such as The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch; Room starring Brie Larson; The Father starring Anthony Hopkins; and Moonlight, winner of three Academy Awards including Best Picture. The company has also been prolific in production, including recently wrapped Alice Darling starring Anna Kendrick, and Infinity Pool directed by Brandon Cronenberg. For more information, please visit elevationpictures.com
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| 2022-04-09T06:25:00Z
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NEW ORLEANS, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until April 18, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against SunPower Corporation (NasdaqGS: SPWR), if they purchased the Company's securities between August 3, 2021 and January 20, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
Get Help
SunPower investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nasdaq-spwr-1/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.
About the Lawsuit
SunPower and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.
On January 20, 2022, the Company disclosed that it had "identified a cracking issue that developed over time in certain factory-installed connectors" and that replacement of the connectors would cause the Company to incur "approximately $27 million of supplier-quality related charges in fourth quarter 2021 and approximately $4 million in the first quarter of 2022."
On this news, shares of SunPower fell $3.22 per share, or 16.9%, to close at $15.80 per share on January 21, 2022, on unusually heavy trading volume.
The case is Jaszczyszyn v. SunPower Corporation, et al., No. 22-cv-956.
About ClaimsFiler
ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.
To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.
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| 2022-04-09T06:25:07Z
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NEW YORK, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vicky Press Public Relations is proud to announce its expansion into the Influencer and Optimization branding market. In todays digital era, it has never been more important to build a brand online.We will use our expertise in publicity and photoshoot productions to create expertly produced StoryBrands that best represents our clients online presence. Victoria is a successful model agent with NYC top agencies. Her connections in the modeling industry with well know photographers, stylist, and editors gives her the upper hand.
Knowing the current state of the industry, Female entrepreneur and businesswoman Victoria Talbot of Vicky Press Public Relations has launched a division that ties publicity to influencers likeness to offer brands product placement plugs to gain more exposure. In today's competitive digital landscape, building a strong brand image is no longer a choice it's a necessity. To keep up with a changing World we must adapt ourselves, but one universal truth remains: your brand is the hallmark of your quality. It's the most effective way to share your passion. A strong brand enables you to maintain a congruent identity across multiple platforms, establish your authority and spark a connection with your audience.
Victoria CEO of Vicky Press Public Relations has made a name of her own in the entertainment and media fields, becoming one of the industries prominent brand managers and publicity agents. She has an iconic history for discovering talent and building careers through creating powerful content and brokering groundbreaking talent and brand deals. This all while finding balance between a life of pleasure and business. This is the exact mission she is driving forward as a business. Her high profile connections, industry experience, and mission to better her clients personal lives and careers through an authentic focus on personal development has the company positioned in a great place to make things happen for her clients.
For more info on Vicky Press go to her website: www.vickypresspr.com
Instagram: @vickypressnyc Twitter: @vickypress2
contact: vickypresspr@gmail.com
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| 2022-04-09T06:25:14Z
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GRAPHIC: Ukraine seeks tough reply after missile kills 52 at station
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants a tough global response to Russia after its forces fired a missile at a crowded train station, killing at least 52 people.
Zelenskyy’s voice rose in anger during his nightly address late Friday, when he said the strike on the Kramatorsk train station, where 4,000 people were trying to flee a looming Russian offensive in the east, amounted to another war crime.
Russia denied it was responsible for the strike. Among those killed were children, and dozens of people were severely injured.
Photos taken after the attack showed corpses covered with tarpaulins, and the remnants of a rocket painted with the words “For the children” in Russian. The Russian phrasing seemed to suggest the missile was sent to avenge the loss or subjugation of children, although its exact meaning remained unclear.
WARNING: Videos may contain graphic content.
The strike seemed to shock world leaders.
“There are almost no words for it,” European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters during a visit to Ukraine. “The cynical behavior (by Russia) has almost no benchmark anymore.”
The attack came as workers elsewhere in the country unearthed bodies from a mass grave in Bucha, a town near Kyiv, where graphic evidence of dozens of killings emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces.
“Like the massacres in Bucha, like many other Russian war crimes, the missile attack on Kramatorsk should be one of the charges at the tribunal that must be held,” Zelenskyy said.
He said efforts would be taken “to establish every minute of who did what, who gave what orders, where the missile came from, who transported it, who gave the command and how this strike was agreed to.”
After failing to take Kyiv in the face of stiff resistance, Russian forces have now set their sights on the eastern Donbas region, the mostly Russian-speaking, industrial area where Moscow-backed rebels have been fighting Ukrainian forces for eight years and control some places.
Although the train station is in Ukrainian government-controlled territory in the Donbas, Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack. So did the region’s Moscow-backed separatists, who work closely with Russian troops.
Western experts, however, dismissed Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov’s assertion that Russian forces “do not use” that type of missile. A Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence, said Russia’s forces have used the missile — and that given the strike’s location and impact, it was likely Russia’s.
Justin Bronk, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, added that only Russia would have reason to target railway infrastructure in the Donbas, as it is critical for the Ukrainian military’s efforts to reinforce its units.
Bronk pointed to other occasions when Russian authorities have tried to deflect blame by claiming their forces no longer use an older weapon “to kind of muddy the waters and try and create doubt.” He suggested Russia specifically chose the missile type because Ukraine also possesses them.
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace denounced the attack as a war crime, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it “completely unacceptable.”
Ukrainian authorities and Western officials have repeatedly accused Russian forces of atrocities in the war that began with a Feb. 24 invasion. More than 4 million Ukrainians have fled the country, and millions more have been displaced. Some of the grisliest evidence has been found in towns around Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, from which Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops pulled back in recent days.
In Bucha, Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk has said investigators found at least three sites of mass shootings of civilians and were still finding bodies in yards, parks and city squares — 90% of whom were shot.
Russia has falsely claimed that the scenes in Bucha were staged.
On Friday, workers pulled corpses from a mass grave near a church under spitting rain, lining up black body bags in rows in the mud. About 67 people were buried there, according to a statement from Prosecutor-General Iryna Venediktova’s office.
Zelenskyy cited communications intercepted by the Ukrainian security service as evidence of Russian war crimes, in an excerpted interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Friday.
“There are (Russian) soldiers talking with their parents about what they stole and who they abducted. There are recordings of (Russian) prisoners of war who admitted to killing people,” he said. “There are pilots in prison who had maps with civilian targets to bomb. There are also investigations being conducted based on the remains of the dead.”
Zelenskyy’s comments echo reporting from German news magazine Der Spiegel saying Germany’s foreign intelligence agency had intercepted Russian military radio traffic in which soldiers may have discussed civilian killings in Bucha. The weekly also reported that the recordings indicated the Russian mercenary Wagner Group was involved in atrocities there.
German government officials would not confirm or deny the report, but two former German ministers filed a war crimes complaint Thursday. Russia has denied that its military was involved in war crimes.
Elsewhere, in anticipation of intensified attacks by Russian forces, hundreds of Ukrainians fled villages that were either under fire or occupied in the southern regions of Mykolaiv and Kherson.
Ukrainian officials have almost daily pleaded with Western powers to send more arms, and to further punish Russia with sanctions, exclusion of Russian banks from the global financial system and a total EU embargo on Russian gas and oil.
NATO nations agreed Thursday to increase their supply of weapons, and Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced on a trip to Ukraine on Friday that his country has donated its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system to Ukraine. Zelenskyy had appealed for S-300s to help the country “close the skies” to Russian warplanes and missiles.
A senior U.S. defense official said Friday that the Pentagon believes some of Russia’s retreating units were so badly damaged they are “for all intents and purposes eradicated.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal military assessments.
The official said the U.S. believes Russia has lost between 15% and 20% of its combat power overall since the war began. While some combat units are withdrawing to be resupplied in Russia, Moscow has added thousands of troops around Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, he said.
In Kharkiv, Lidiya Mezhiritska stood in the wreckage of her home after overnight missile strikes turned it to rubble.
“The ‘Russian world,’ they say,” she said, wryly invoking Putin’s nationalist justification for invading Ukraine. “People, children, old people, women are dying. I don’t have a machine gun. I would definitely go (fight), regardless of age.”
___
Anna reported from Bucha, Ukraine. Robert Burns in Washington, Jill Lawless and Danica Kirka in London and Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraineCopyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/09/graphic-ukraine-seeks-tough-reply-after-missile-kills-52-station/
| 2022-04-09T06:57:23Z
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St. Clair County workforce inching back to pre-pandemic levels; employers still facing challenges
While employers are still facing challenges filling positions, data is showing St. Clair County's workforce inching closer to pre-pandemic numbers.
"There are many job openings in the county that are going unfilled. Nearly every manufacturer or health care related company that we talk to is reporting problems finding workforce," Dan Casey, Economic Development Alliance of St. Clair County CEO, said in an email. "Attendance at job fairs is still low."
But Casey said there has been an increase in the labor force month over month.
"In the past two months, the labor force has increased by about 1,000 workers to just under 75,500 people. Pre-pandemic, the labor force was 76,000 people," he said.
Why the labor force has seen growth isn't immediately apparent.
"I can only speculate on the uptick in the labor force," Casey said. "Unemployment benefits have run out for some people. But I also think that rising inflation is having an impact. The cost of everything is going up for a variety of reasons. It simply costs more for people to live. That may be driving some people back to work."
And there are plenty of jobs out there for those looking.
St. Clair County ranked 30th in the state with an unemployment rate of 5.5% in February.
"EDA also tracks the number of job postings on a monthly basis," Casey said. "In last month’s report, there were nearly 1,500 jobs posted on jobs boards like Indeed or Looking Glass. Of course, companies in manufacturing and retail do not always post their job openings. They rely on word-of-mouth. Therefore, I believe that open positions in the county exceeds 1,500 positions. Currently, we have about 4,000 people on the unemployment roll."
Casey said the next step has to be in attracting labor to the county, as it appears the county's demand for labor has exceeded the available pool.
"EDA is trying to accomplish that by marketing employment opportunities to people willing to commute into the county," he said. "We also are working on a long-term plan to ensure we have sufficient housing, including starter homes, in order to attract new families and college graduates to the area. Population growth may be the key to St. Clair County’s future."
Other factors are also creating challenges in attracting new workers.
"There are several partner agencies working to increase day care capacity, including opening new facilities," Casey said. "Public transportation is limited by the routes and times served. In other words, public transportation is not always available when and where it is needed."
Public sector also feeling the squeeze
The city of Port Huron has several positions posted online, including in the police and fire departments. And City Manager James Freed said staffing hasn't gotten any easier.
"Last summer we hardly had enough staff to keep the grass cut and the beaches open. This year the staffing shortage has only gotten worse," he said in an email. "We are now having meetings about what programming we might need to cut due to worker shortage. We have raised our part-time and seasonal wages significantly, but still struggling. We even took out radio ads to encourage folks to apply. Hiring police and firefighters is becoming a real challenge as well."
Freed said the part-time and seasonal rates were increased from $11 or $12 an hour, to $16 to $18 an hour.
Karry Hepting, St. Clair County's administrator, echoed the struggle.
"The county is having similar challenges as all other employers in filling positions. We are receiving far fewer applicants than previous years for all positions," she said. "Many postings remain open longer than our standard two weeks in order to fill."
Port Huron Schools has also made changes to attract and retain employees.
"Our HR personnel have been attending and hosting job fairs. We have been successful in hiring for several new educator, custodial, secretarial and food service positions," said Keely Baribuea, the district's director of community relations and marketing. "Our district currently offers the highest base salary in the region for teachers. Increasing wages and providing on the job training and supports for our new hires have been part of our strategy to not just attract new talent but to also retain them."
Contact Liz Shepard at (810) 989-6273 or lshepard@gannett.com.
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https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2022/04/09/st-clair-county-workforce-inching-back-pre-pandemic-levels/9460225002/
| 2022-04-09T08:05:22Z
|
Accused shooter in Lady Gaga dog theft mistakenly freed
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A gunman accused of shooting and seriously wounding Lady Gaga’s dog walker and stealing her two French bulldogs was mistakenly released from jail and is being sought, authorities said Friday.
James Howard Jackson, 19, was facing an attempted murder charge when he was released from Los Angeles County’s jail on Wednesday “due to a clerical error,” the county Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
The Major Crimes Bureau is working on finding him, the statement said.
Jackson is one of five people arrested in connection with the Feb. 24, 2021, attack in Hollywood. Prosecutors said Jackson and two other alleged gang members had driven around looking for expensive French bulldogs to steal, then spotted, tailed and robbed Ryan Fischer as he walked Lady Gaga’s dogs near Sunset Boulevard.
During a violent struggle, Fischer was hit, choked and then shot in an attack captured by the doorbell camera of a nearby home.
The camera recorded the dog walker screaming “Oh, my God! I’ve been shot!” and “Help me!” and “I’m bleeding out from my chest!”
Fischer lost part of a lung.
“While I’m deeply concerned at the events that led to his release, I’m confident law enforcement will rectify the error,” Fischer said in a statement obtained by KABC-TV. “I ask for Mr. Jackson to turn himself over to the authorities, so resolution to the crime committed against me runs its course, whatever the courts determine that outcome to be.”
The pop star’s dogs were returned two days later by a woman who claimed she had found them tied to a pole and asked about Lady Gaga’s offer of a $500,000 reward if the dogs were returned “no questions asked.” The singer was in Rome at the time filming a movie.
She’s charged with receiving stolen property and the father of another suspect is charged with helping him avoid arrest.
Jackson already had been charged in the attack and had pleaded not guilty when the county district attorney’s office filed a superceding indictment Tuesday charging him with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit a robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
The move was done “to speed up the legal process” and Jackson was arraigned Wednesday under a new case number, the DA’s office said in a statement.
“Mr. Jackson was subsequently released from custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. We are unsure as to why they did so,” the statement said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/09/accused-shooter-lady-gaga-dog-theft-mistakenly-freed/
| 2022-04-09T08:27:37Z
|
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS 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) -- Peter Choi's waited more than six months for building permits to remodel a deteriorating home his family bought in August 2020.
According to builders that's fast for the city's beleaguered Department of Planning and Permitting.
The Chois had planned to move into their new East Oahu home about a year ago. And the delays mean their budget is shrinking.
"My property is idling while I had to pay rent and mortgage so that is the heavy burden," he said. "Every month it's got to be like over $10-plus thousand I'm depleting my bank account."
Meanwhile, building costs are skyrocketing.
"Most of our reserves is gone and a lot of stuff we need to do we have to hold back you know like landscaping, rain gutter, we don't have enough money to do it anymore," Choi said.
There's a current backlog of more than 3,200 building permit applications, according to DPP. A spokesman said people are waiting on average four to five months.
But contractors said it's actually much longer.
Atlas Construction has 28 applications in the pipeline. The contractor does almost 60 projects a year and said building costs are escalating at about 6% by the time permits are issued.
"It's about nine months what we're averaging on our building permits," said Rodney Kim, vice president of Atlas Construction. "They're operating at 30% capacity and it's just because there's been a big overturn attrition rate in that position."
Delays in processing have been a problem for years. The department came under scrutiny last year when six people were charged with taking bribes to expedite permits.
The city's in the process of overhauling the building permit system by the end of the year. In the meantime DPP Director Dean Uchida told KITV in a statement the department is still trying to figure out how to improve processing times as contractors continue to wait.
Kristen joined KITV4 in March 2021 after working for the past two decades as a newspaper reporter. Kristen's goal is to produce meaningful journalism that educates, enlightens and inspires to affect positive change in society.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/building-permit-delays-cost-oahu-homeowners-big-money/article_6451d7b0-b7b7-11ec-8226-430a162ea69a.html
| 2022-04-09T09:15:48Z
|
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS 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) -- Day four of the drug trafficking trial for the brother of Katherine Kealoha had the prosecution revealing years of evidence obtained by the FBI on the big island doctor.
One of the witnesses the prosecution called to the stand was a pharmacist who filled prescriptions for Christopher McKinney, Dr. Puana's close friend.
In his testimony, he verified records that showed dozens of prescriptions issued by the Puana Pain Clinic to McKinney between 2015 and 2017 that totaled thousands of oxycodone pills
Prosecutors also called to the stand several FBI agents who testified that they collected years of evidence on Puana and McKinney that included 20-thousand pages of phone and text logs. The focus was on 2015 where the logs showed several instances where McKinney made a call to an accused drug dealer, followed by a call to Puana shortly later.
Agents also presented documents of four years of Dr. Puana's travel flight history, showing he made trips to Honolulu on the same day he issued prescriptions for McKinney.
The trial is scheduled to resume on Monday with more witnesses from the prosecution.
As someone who grew up in foster care, the only thing that mattered to me was finding love and belonging. Being able to connect with the community as a reporter in Hawaii is why I do what I do.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/crime/day-four-of-the-trial-for-brother-of-kathrine-kealoha-brings-out-years-of-fbi/article_0d248a4c-b7b1-11ec-ba25-bfb355712ee3.html
| 2022-04-09T09:15:54Z
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HONOLULU (KITV4) -- Hawaii has been popular visitor destination for more than a century and since the pandemic has become a victim of its own success as one-percenters buy homes in Hawaii.
One percenters are those who are at the Top One Percent of the Wealthy.
Some residents and state lawmakers want to ensure that housing is available for all locals. A recent, one percenter purchase, was the sale of the Leeward Oahu oceanfront estate of Konishiki, the Hawaii-born champion sumo wrestler, who sold his home to an executive of Meta, formerly known as Facebook, for about 3-point-9 million dollars, according to public records.
More than 600 homes sold for $3 million or above in the first three quarters of 2021, double the number of a previous record set in 2017.
Dolores Bediones is a luxury homes realtor “It’s easy to be a sellers agent because everything sells within a week. We’ve had multiple offers, like this one came on the market last Monday, we’ve been showing 5 to 6 times a day an offer came in today and we will have more tonight.Sunday Multiple offers put into escrow on Monday. It’s been happening 6 7 months a listing for 2.9 will sell for 3.1 a listing for 2.6 will sell for 2.9 , 4 and a half million Diamond Head sells for 5 million plus, 6.9 Million beachfront had multiple offers. Had 8 offers and ended up selling 8 plus million, vibrant market. Substantial buyers.“
Bediones says even some buyers are looking at homes through FaceTime and making their million dollar offers. State Senator Stanley Chang says, he is concerned that any new housing developments are being snapped up by wealthy overseas investors, so he crafted legislation that will create housing for Hawaii residents, owner occupants and those who do not own any other real property.
Sen. Stanley Chang (D) Chair Housing Committee “Our proposal is called, Aloha Homes, which stands for affordable locally owned homes for all. And in this proposal the state would take existing state owned lands near the rail stations build high density mixed use. Sell condos to Hawaii residents. Be owner occupants and own no other real property. Sell 99 year leases, at below market price. That would cover the cost of construction. Without large subsidies. And basically build enough to meet demand.
Senator Chang says, A state study last year showed, the Aloha Homes, could be built for 400-thousand dollars - which he says, is affordable for a working class family of 4 who makes 70-thousand-500-dollars a year. This proposal is making its way through the State Legislature.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/a-solution-to-hawaiis-housing-crisis/article_0ea39584-b7c0-11ec-a773-43e053e0f484.html
| 2022-04-09T09:16:00Z
|
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS 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.
&&
FILE - People arrive for work at the Amazon distribution center in the Staten Island borough of New York, on Oct. 25, 2021. Amazon plans to file objections to the union election on Staten Island, N.Y., that resulted in the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the company’s history. The e-commerce giant stated its plans in a legal filing to the National Labor Relations Board made public Thursday, April 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)
AP -- Amazon is seeking to overturn the historic union victory at one of its New York City warehouses.
The e-commerce giant listed 25 objections in a legal filing obtained by The Associated Press on Friday.
The retailer said the federal labor board must order a re-do election. The company says the National Labor Relations Board acted in a way that tainted the results.
It accused organizers with the nascent Amazon Labor Union of intimidating workers to vote for the union. An attorney representing the union has called the claim “patently absurd.” The company also accused the labor board of improper influence.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/amazon-seeks-to-overturn-union-win-says-vote-was-tainted/article_20b7e160-b7cc-11ec-a799-772caa336fc0.html
| 2022-04-09T09:16:06Z
|
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS 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.
&&
MAUI COUNTY, Hawaii (KITV4) – A quarantine order has been issued on Molokai to restrict the movement of all ungulates – animals with hooves – except horses due to detection of bovine tuberculosis on Friday.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) issued the quarantine orders after six infected herds prompted quarantines in the Central and West End of Molokai between June 2021 and March 2022. The orders are also necessary to stop the spread of the disease on the island and to control the rest of the state.
Friday’s orders expand the quarantine and requires approval and a permit from the State Veterinarian’s office before any movement of live ungulates, other than horses from premises on the entire island, HDOA said.
This includes cattle, sheep, goats, swine, deer and antelope. The approval and permit are also required for ungulates, other than horses, transported into Molokai.
“The department’s Animal Disease Control Branch has been working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prevent the further spread of bovine tuberculosis on Molokai,” said Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, chairperson of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture. “However, with recent detections, this quarantine is necessary to help protect uninfected herds on Molokai and also livestock across the state.”
The quarantine order does not regulate the hunting of feral and wild deer, antelope, pigs, sheep and goats on Molokai. The order also does not prohibit the slaughter, harvest, sale or transportation of meat from livestock, feral or wild deer, antelope, pigs, sheep and goats from the Molokai, according to state agriculture officials.
HDOA will be holding a public informational meeting for livestock producers, hunters and other interested individuals on Monday, April 18, 2022, 6 p.m. at the Lanikeha Community Center, Hoolehua Molokai.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/hawaii-ag-officials-issued-quarantine-of-hooved-animals-on-molokai-to-prevent-bovine-tuberculosis-spread/article_ab4165ca-b7ab-11ec-9955-4f67a979929d.html
| 2022-04-09T09:16:12Z
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(CNN) -- On a beach vacation, a venomous sea slug probably isn't high on your must-see list.
That's exactly what San Antonio resident Erick Yanta came across on his trip to Mustang Island, an 18-mile-wide stretch of land in the Gulf of Mexico near Corpus Christi, Texas.
While strolling along the beach, Yanta and his wife, Anna, spotted a tiny blue and white creature no longer than an inch clinging to a rock. He scooped it up to take a closer look and filmed it before carefully placing it back into the water.
Yanta didn't know it at the time, but they had encountered the venomous Glaucus atlanticus, also known as the "blue dragon."
"We've seen plenty of jellyfish like the Portuguese man-of-war, but never this animal," Yanta said. The Portuguese man-of-war is a siphonophore, a species closely related to jellyfish, according to the National Ocean Service.
As soon as he captured the video, Yanta hopped onto Reddit so users could help him identify the animal.
They adapt to avoid predators
The blue dragon normally lives on the surface of the open ocean, said David Hicks, professor and director of the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg.
The slugs have a bright blue underbelly and a softer silvery tone on their back, he said. Blue dragons float on their back so the blue on their underside can blend in with the water while the gray blends in with the sea surface, Hicks said.
This is called countershading, an evolutionary trait that helps animals avoid predators, he said.
The sea slugs can be found at nearly any beach in the tropical and subtropical latitudes, but their small size means most beachgoers don't see them, he said.
"They are also soft-bodied, so they are often broken apart by the time they get through the surf zone and deposited on the shore," Hicks said.
A venomous sting
Despite their small size, blue dragons pack quite a punch with their sting.
The animal eats creatures like the venomous Portuguese man-of-war and stores its prey's stinging cells, called cnidocytes, in sacs, Hicks said. Blue dragons will use the cells to protect them from predators, and humans sometimes get caught in the crossfire.
The pain of being stung feels similar to a man-of-war sting, which can be quite painful and, in rare instances, life-threatening, Hicks said. Symptoms following a sting can include nausea and vomiting, according to American Oceans.
If you are stung by a blue dragon, it is best to go to a hospital for treatment, according to Ocean Info.
Yanta did not know that the blue dragon he found was venomous and later laughed when he realized what he had held. He said that knowing ahead of time wouldn't have made a difference though.
"I would've done the same thing," Yanta said. "I would've still scooped it up, filmed it and put it back in the water."
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/man-caught-a-venomous-blue-dragon-sea-slug-along-the-texas-coast/article_3d666eda-b7ae-11ec-bc64-5f420e563c76.html
| 2022-04-09T09:16:18Z
|
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS 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) -- The death of 32-year-old Jason Gardellis from Indiana who fell to his death at Olomana is a reminder of just how dangerous Oahu trails can be.
"No matter how safe, how experienced you are accidents can happen, we've all had the little slips here and there," says Lena Haapala, the president of the Kokonut Koalition.
Haapala says she sees a lot of close calls, especially when people aren't aware of their limits.
"It looks like they're going into something that they were definitely unsure of and they didn't to their research and they think it's not as hard as it is," Haapala says.
Recently, rescues have been on the rise. So far in 2022, the Honolulu Fire Department has reported a total of 119 land and water rescues.
And they don't discriminate - there was able an equal number of locals and visitors who needed rescue.
As it stands right now, rescues are already included in HFD's budget, and they spend about $2.8 million a year in helicopter operations.
Some have been arguing that people who are rescued should have to pay. Currently, that's not what happens. HFD says they support keeping the system the way it is now, because they're concerned that by charging people for services, it would discourage them from calling 911 if they really it.
But some state lawmakers are pushing a bill that would allow rescue crews to charge in certain situations, such as if people are hiking on an illegal trail.
"There are some trails that are known especially in the tourist community that are dangerous and off limits, and knowingly they still go on these trails," Branco says.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
Tom anchors Good Morning Hawaii weekends and reports for KITV4. He comes to Hawaii after reporting in Nevada, Oklahoma and Georgia. Tom is a proud Terp, graduating from the University of Maryland in 2012.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/recent-oahu-trail-rescues-spark-debate-over-charging-to-be-rescued/article_d4d91788-b7b6-11ec-83fe-b389ba04150c.html
| 2022-04-09T09:16:24Z
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Accused shooter in Lady Gaga dog theft mistakenly freed
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A gunman accused of shooting and seriously wounding Lady Gaga’s dog walker and stealing her two French bulldogs was mistakenly released from jail and is being sought, authorities said Friday.
James Howard Jackson, 19, was facing an attempted murder charge when he was released from Los Angeles County’s jail on Wednesday “due to a clerical error,” the county Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
The Major Crimes Bureau is working on finding him, the statement said.
Jackson is one of five people arrested in connection with the Feb. 24, 2021, attack in Hollywood. Prosecutors said Jackson and two other alleged gang members had driven around looking for expensive French bulldogs to steal, then spotted, tailed and robbed Ryan Fischer as he walked Lady Gaga’s dogs near Sunset Boulevard.
During a violent struggle, Fischer was hit, choked and then shot in an attack captured by the doorbell camera of a nearby home.
The camera recorded the dog walker screaming “Oh, my God! I’ve been shot!” and “Help me!” and “I’m bleeding out from my chest!”
Fischer lost part of a lung.
“While I’m deeply concerned at the events that led to his release, I’m confident law enforcement will rectify the error,” Fischer said in a statement obtained by KABC-TV. “I ask for Mr. Jackson to turn himself over to the authorities, so resolution to the crime committed against me runs its course, whatever the courts determine that outcome to be.”
The pop star’s dogs were returned two days later by a woman who claimed she had found them tied to a pole and asked about Lady Gaga’s offer of a $500,000 reward if the dogs were returned “no questions asked.” The singer was in Rome at the time filming a movie.
She’s charged with receiving stolen property and the father of another suspect is charged with helping him avoid arrest.
Jackson already had been charged in the attack and had pleaded not guilty when the county district attorney’s office filed a superceding indictment Tuesday charging him with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit a robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
The move was done “to speed up the legal process” and Jackson was arraigned Wednesday under a new case number, the DA’s office said in a statement.
“Mr. Jackson was subsequently released from custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. We are unsure as to why they did so,” the statement said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/09/accused-shooter-lady-gaga-dog-theft-mistakenly-freed/
| 2022-04-09T10:51:41Z
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GRAPHIC: Ukraine seeks tough reply after missile kills 52 at station
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants a tough global response after a missile struck a train station packed with civilians trying to escape an imminent Russian offensive, killing at least 52 people.
Zelenskyy’s voice rose in anger during his nightly address late Friday, when he said the strike on the Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine amounted to another war crime for an international tribunal to consider. Five children were among the dead, and dozens of people were severely injured, Ukrainian officials said.
“All world efforts will be directed to establish every minute of who did what, who gave what orders, where the missile came from, who transported it, who gave the command and how this strike was agreed,” the president said.
Russia denied it was responsible for the strike and accused Ukraine’s military of firing the missile as a false-flag operation so Moscow would be blamed for civilian slayings. A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman detailed the missile’s trajectory and Ukrainian troop positions to bolster the argument.
WARNING: Videos may contain graphic content.
Ukraine’s state railway company said in a statement that residents of the country’s contested Donbas region, where Russia has refocused its forces after failing to take over the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, could flee through other train stations on Saturday.
“The railways do not stop the task of taking everyone to safety,” the statement on the messaging app Telegram said.
Photos taken after Friday’s missile strike showed corpses covered with tarpaulins, and the remnants of a rocket painted with the words “For the children” in Russian. The phrasing seemed to suggest the missile was sent to avenge the loss or subjugation of children, although its exact meaning remained unclear.
The attack came as workers elsewhere in the country unearthed at least 67 bodies from a mass grave near a church in Bucha, a town near Kyiv, where graphic evidence of dozens of killings emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces. Russia has falsely claimed that the scenes in Bucha were staged.
Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk has said investigators found at least three sites of mass shootings of civilians and were still finding bodies in yards, parks and city squares — 90% of which were victims who had been shot.
After failing to occupy Kyiv in the face of stiff resistance, Russian forces have set their sights on the Donbas, the mostly Russian-speaking, industrial region where Moscow-backed rebels have been fighting Ukrainian forces for eight years and control some of the area.
Although the Kramatorsk train station is in Ukrainian government-controlled territory in the Donbas, the separatists, who work closely with Russian troops, blamed Ukraine for the attack.
Western experts, however, dismissed Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov’s assertion that Russian forces “do not use” Tochka-U missiles, the type that hit the station. A Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence, said Russian forces have used the missile — and that given the strike’s location and impact, it was likely Russia’s.
Justin Bronk, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, pointed to other occasions when Russian authorities have tried to deflect blame by claiming their forces no longer use an older weapon “to kind of muddy the waters and try and create doubt.” He suggested Russia specifically chose the Tochka-U because Ukraine also possesses them.
Ukrainian authorities and Western officials have repeatedly accused Russian forces of commiting atrocities in the war that began with Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. A total of 176 children have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, while 324 more have been wounded, the country’s Prosecutor General’s Office said Saturday.
Ukrainian authorities have warned they expect to find evidence of more mass killings once they reach the southern port city of Mariupol, which is also in the Donbas and has been subjected to a monthlong Russian blockade.
Some of the grisliest evidence so far has been found in Bucha and other towns around Kyiv, from which Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops pulled back in recent days. An international organization formed to identify the dead and missing from the 1990s Balkans conflicts is sending a team of forensics experts to Ukraine to help put names to bodies that might otherwise remain anonymous amid the fog of war.
On Friday, workers pulled corpses from a mass grave near a church under spitting rain, lining up black body bags in rows in the mud. About 67 people were buried there, according to a statement from Prosecutor-General Iryna Venediktova’s office.
Zelenskyy cited communications intercepted by the Ukrainian security service as evidence of Russian war crimes, in an excerpted interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Friday.
In an excerpted interview with American broadcaster CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Friday, Zelenskyy cited communications intercepted by the Ukrainian security service as evidence of Russian war crimes.
“There are (Russian) soldiers talking with their parents about what they stole and who they abducted. There are recordings of (Russian) prisoners of war who admitted to killing people,” he said. “There are pilots in prison who had maps with civilian targets to bomb. There are also investigations being conducted based on the remains of the dead.”
Zelenskyy’s comments echoed reporting from German news magazine Der Spiegel saying Germany’s foreign intelligence agency had intercepted Russian military radio traffic in which soldiers may have discussed civilian killings in Bucha. The weekly also reported that the recordings indicated the Russian mercenary Wagner Group was involved in atrocities there.
German government officials would not confirm or deny the report, but two former German ministers filed a war crimes complaint Thursday. Russia has denied that its military was involved in war crimes.
A senior U.S. defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal military assessments said Friday that the Pentagon believes Russia has lost between 15% and 20% of its combat power overall since the war began. While some combat units are withdrawing to be resupplied in Russia, Moscow has added thousands of troops around Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, in the country’s east, the official said.
Ukrainian officials have almost daily pleaded with Western powers to send more arms, and to further punish Russia with sanctions, including the exclusion of Russian banks from the global financial system and a total European Union embargo on Russian gas and oil.
In Kharkiv, Lidiya Mezhiritska stood in the wreckage of her home after overnight missile strikes turned it to rubble.
“The ‘Russian world,’ they say,” she said, wryly invoking Putin’s nationalist justification for invading Ukraine. “People, children, old people, women are dying. I don’t have a machine gun. I would definitely go (fight), regardless of age.”
___
Anna reported from Bucha, Ukraine. Robert Burns in Washington, Jill Lawless and Danica Kirka in London and Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/09/graphic-ukraine-seeks-tough-reply-after-missile-kills-52-station/
| 2022-04-09T10:51:48Z
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/09/this-is-test-please-disregard/
| 2022-04-09T10:51:55Z
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HONOLULU (KITV4) -- How did this happen? Who dropped the ball? Those are some of the questions being asked after the arrest of Marte Martinez -- the head of training for the Hawaii Department of Public Safety (PSD).
Martinez is accused of lying to the Hawaii Labor Relations Board and lying about her educational background to get promoted. She's now charged with 14 counts including perjury, which is a felony.
PSD said it closed its internal investigation into Martinez three years ago, but the criminal investigation stayed open. Despite that, Martinez remained on the job.
Investigators with the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General arrested Martinez at her office in Iwilei on Thursday morning.
The arrest came as a surprise, according to Martinez's attorney Myles Breiner.
But Sen. Clarence Nishihara said he wasn't surprised. He's the chair of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs.
"It was long time in coming," Nishihara said.
Nishihara blames it on the past leadership at PSD, specifically former director Nolan Espinda.
"Personally I think the one who dropped the ball is if the department in this case was under Nolan, it's kind of hard to go to the department and get him to do the right thing when the head of, the director was not doing the right thing anyway," Nishihara said.
Nishihara said he raised concerns to PSD about Martinez back in 2019.
"And I asked did you check on it and I was assured that the person in charge of checking it did that, and I seriously doubted that they did that because they kind of did a whitewash on the whole thing," Nishihara said.
KITV4 asked PSD who's responsible to vet the credentials of the training staff?
PSD spokesperson Toni Schwartz replied: "It depends on how the recruitment is posted. If it is external recruitment, then the Department of Human Resources and Development vet the applications. If it is internal recruitment, then the vetting of applications falls under PSD."
KITV4 asked PSD how many people has Martinez trained at PSD and what happens now that it appears she was not qualified to train?
Schwartz replied: "Martinez is qualified to train in firearms based on her trainings and work experience."
"That does leave it open for discussion whether or not if she improperly was hired and improperly given the authority and did the training and all of that the people who received the training could make the argument that they were improperly trained," Nishihara said.
KITV4 asked PSD how will this affect pending civil cases regarding use of force?
Schwartz replied: "PSD, in coordination with its legal counsel, will review civil cases on a case-by-case basis."
Nishihara said he is worried that there could be lawsuits that come out of this that could cost taxpayers big bucks.
"You take the money away then it's monies that won't go to education, that won't go to other kinds of things, and services that they should probably go to," Nishihara said.
When asked what they as lawmakers can do to try to prevent this from happening again, Nishihara replied: "Well I think like everything in life you got to have good people sitting in the positions where they have the authority or responsibility to do the right thing, and if they don't there's very little you can do."
When asked what changes PSD has been made so this won’t happen again, Schwartz replied: "The Department reserves comment until the outcome of the pending criminal investigation and possible legal proceedings have concluded."
Martinez was released after posting $11,000 bail. She's scheduled to be in court next Thursday, April 14.
Breiner said his client will plead not guilty. He also said Martinez is now on paid leave.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/crime/senator-said-arrest-of-head-trainer-at-psd-was-long-time-in-coming/article_9ebedcac-b7dc-11ec-b622-6f69d563c882.html
| 2022-04-09T12:31:12Z
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United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/american-idol-returns-to-disneys-aulani/article_6c1153ca-b7d7-11ec-8634-1fe9a6b7b372.html
| 2022-04-09T12:31:19Z
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(CNN) -- The Indonesian and United States militaries are expanding their annual bilateral exercises to 14 participating countries, the Indonesian Army said in a news release Thursday.
Troops from the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Canada will be among those joining the Garuda Shield 2022 exercises from August 1 to 14, the army said. The 16th edition of the war games will include live-fire exercises, special operations and aviation components among other disciplines, it added.
The expansion of the exercises comes at a time of simmering tension in the region, with analysts saying the move signals Indonesia has moved closer to the US than China in military cooperation.
Last year's Garuda Shield involved two US Army divisions -- about 1,000 soldiers -- as well as their Indonesian counterparts in what the US Army said was the largest edition of the war games to date.
"The two-week Garuda Shield joint-exercise continues to solidify the U.S. -- Indonesia Major Defense Partnership and advances cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region," a US Army statement said in advance of last year's exercises.
Indonesia did not give an estimation of how many troops from each of the 14 countries would participate in this year's Garuda Shield.
The US military and US Embassy in Jakarta had no immediate comment on the exercises.
South China Sea disputes
Indonesia sits on the southern edges of the South China Sea, which has been a hotbed of military activity over the past few years as China has militarized disputed islands there and the US and its partners have challenged those claims.
In March, China's state-run Global Times tabloid accused US Adm. John Aquilino, the head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, of attempting to copy the Ukraine crisis in the Asia-Pacific, rallying allies, partners and other countries in the region to confront China.
The Global Times comments came after Aquilino took journalists on a flight over the South China Sea to highlight Beijing's militarization of the disputed islands.
Analysts say Indonesia has long tried to avoid taking sides in the US-China dispute in the South China Sea.
But they note that in the past year Beijing has been assertive in pushing its claims near the Natuna Islands in an area inside Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone but also inside China's "nine-dash line," under which Beijing claims control over almost all of the South China Sea.
Col. Frega Wenas Inkiriwang, North Jakarta Military District commander and lecturer at the Indonesian Defense University, said China's current behavior is increasing the risk of conflict in the region as nations boost their military presence, including Indonesia, which has strengthened its forces around the Natuna Islands.
But don't expect Jakarta to call out Beijing directly, said Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
Indonesia "may avoid megaphone diplomacy and directly confronting ... China over the South China Sea issues, but it'll undertake actions that subtly signal to Beijing -- and back home to the domestic audience -- its desire to safeguard its national interests," Koh said.
He called the expansion of the Garuda Shield war games "especially noteworthy" as "Indonesia is always cautious about signaling where it comes to sensitivities surrounding the South China Sea issues" and its ties with the United States and China.
"Clearly Indonesia wishes to engage in external balancing in the South China Sea, while using this as a platform to project its stature and influence in terms of multilateral defense diplomacy," Koh said.
Frega noted that Indonesia and China once held joint military exercises called "Sharp Knife," but the last iteration of those was in 2014.
Now, he said, in terms of military cooperation Indonesia is clearly closer to the US than China.
Frega also said Indonesia has long maintained close military ties with Japan and Australia, so their inclusion in Garuda Shield 2022 should not be surprising.
But he said, because Japan and Australia like the US have been highly critical of China's actions in the South China Sea, the news of the August exercises could be expected to be "received uncomfortably" in Beijing.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/joint-us-indonesia-war-games-to-expand-to-14-nations-as-tensions-simmer-in-indo/article_9380a7d6-b7d6-11ec-82a1-ef97a9dcdeb6.html
| 2022-04-09T12:31:25Z
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(CNN) -- Prosecutors told a judge Friday that they still don't know a motive for two men charged with impersonating federal agents, whether they are connected to any foreign government or whether they received anything from the federal agents they allegedly duped.
"This investigation is less than two weeks old, and every day it gets worse and worse as more and more evidence comes forward, and more and more witnesses come forward," prosecutor Josh Rothstein told a federal judge on Friday.
The Justice Department is arguing that Haider Ali and Arian Taherzadeh should stay behind bars while the investigation continues. Judge Michael Harvey peppered prosecutors with questions, many of which they couldn't answer.
The hearing will continue Monday, and the two men will remain behind bars over the weekend. Neither Taherzadeh nor Ali has entered a formal plea.
The two men spent more than two years impersonating Homeland Security agents, currying favor with federal law enforcement officers, some of whom lived in a swanky DC complex where they had apartments, and amassing a small arsenal of weapons and surveillance equipment, according to court documents.
Federal investigators are trying to unravel how the men paid for five apartments in a high-rent Washington neighborhood, as well as weapons and other equipment, a US law enforcement official said.
Among the questions for investigators is whether the money could have come from a foreign government, though they have noted that the effort didn't appear to have the sophistication expected of trained foreign intelligence services.
Rothstein noted that one of the men, Ali, has citizenship status in Pakistan while also being a naturalized US citizen. Ali had traveled to Iran in the months before the scheme began, Rothstein said, and took five other trips abroad, including to Iraq and Pakistan.
Rothstein told Harvey during the detention hearing that they haven't determined the source of their funding or whether they had been able to fully cover the rent.
The men, before their arrest, had been in the process of being evicted from the building, where they allowed members of the Secret Service to live for free in two of the apartments they rented, Rothstein said. The prosecutor added that the landlord could have "subsidized their corruption, unwittingly."
Another outstanding question, prosecutors said, is whether any of the weapons or surveillance equipment was left over from Taherzadeh's alleged time as a deputized special officer with the DC police.
The apartment complex also did not have Taherzadeh's company listed as providing security, Rothstein said, and that still wouldn't explain the amount of weaponry and ammunition, as well as the battering ram, drone and other surveillance equipment that were found in their apartments.
"You don't need almost 100 rounds of ammunition to be a special police officer in the lobby of a building," Rothstein said.
The Justice Department also said it does not know how Ali and Taherzadeh acquired a list of everyone in their apartment building, a code to open the door to any unit and access to the building's security cameras.
The amount of evidence acquired from the five apartments is extensive, Rothstein said, noting that investigators filled up an entire moving truck with seized assets. Rothstein also said that the Secret Service is investigating whether anything found in the apartments was government-issued equipment.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/many-questions-remain-in-impersonation-plot-that-duped-federal-agents-prosecutors-say/article_195da0e4-b7d6-11ec-a760-6b4d50fa7850.html
| 2022-04-09T12:31:31Z
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HONOLULU (KITV)- After acing Hawaii regionals, Maui High School's robotics team has earned itself a spot on the international stage. The team is now hoping to head to the Robotics Competition in Houston. Team 2-4-4-3, Blue Thunder robotics team needs to raise $35,000 to get there. They're halfway to their financial goal and hoping for some help from the community to help them get enough money to let them compete against some of the best in their field.
The announcement came over the speakers, "The final scores are going up to the screen and the champions are the Blue Thunders." Maui High School Team 2443 Blue Thunder's robotics team cheered as they became Hawaii's regional champs. Now they're off to the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology World Robotics Competition as Hawaiian champs, for the first time in 13 years.
The event's title spells out the word FIRST, but in15 years they've only won regionals twice and been runner-ups twice. The most recent second place finish in 2019, hurt. "When we lost in 2019, we lost by a big margin. I guess at that point it was just embarrassing and it just sucked. I guess it brought our moral down," said Blue Thunder Captain Keithjan Derick Quilal-lan.
FIRST Robotics competitions are not like those you've seen on TV. The students not only design and build robots, they program them to work on their own. Blue Thunder is one of the smaller groups in competition: 29 students, two teachers, an electrical enginer, engineer, and 2 programmers to mentor the students. Robots have a 125 pound weight limit, but no there's no cost lmit. This works against smaller squad. Win or lose, the students learn skills they can use in a career, and practice those skills as they work toward competition. "I am responsible for finding out about different types of machines and manufacturing some of the more specialized pieces that we need on the robot," said team member Cailyn Omuro. "I went into robotics, just wanted to try it out. After awhile you just get used to how the engineering process works. You have an idea, and you come up with a solution," said Quilal-lan.
The students work sometimes up to 40 hours a week perfecting their robot. Competitive spirit is also something they get out of it. There are 400 clubs competing at the Worlds. "We want to take these giants out," said Quilal-lan.
Team 2443: Blue Thunder is only half way to their goal of $35,000 that they'll need for an entry fee, travel, and lodging. To donate you can drop off a check at Maui High School or donate online at the Maui School Foundation website.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/maui-high-school-robotics-team-raising-money-to-go-to-international-competition/article_f4bd6a82-b7dd-11ec-805b-d77e7220ed80.html
| 2022-04-09T12:31:37Z
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...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS 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.
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Public input sought for US Army draft for Pōhakuloa Training Area
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- The public can now weigh in on how much state-owned land on the Big Island should go towards continued military training.
Native Hawaiian organizations, federal, state, and local agencies and officials, and other interested organizations and individuals are encouraged to provide comments on the Draft EIS during the 60-day public comment period that will run form April 8 through June 7.
The Draft EIS evaluates the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of a range of reasonable alternatives.
These alternatives are:
1) full retention (of approximately 23,000 acres)
2) modified retention (of approximately 19,700 acres)
3) minimum retention and access (of approximately 10,100 acres and 11 miles of roads and training trails)
4) no-action alternative (under which the lease lapses and the Army loses access to the land).
To provide information on the Draft EIS and to enhance the opportunity for public input, two in-person public meetings are currently scheduled to take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in two locations:
• April 25 at ʻImiloa Astronomy Center; 600 ʻImiloa Place, Hilo, HI 96720
• April 26 at Waimea District Park; Ala Ohia Road, Waimea, HI 96743
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/public-input-sought-for-us-army-draft-for-p-hakuloa-training-area/article_2cd32ab0-b7d9-11ec-884d-43af8271afaf.html
| 2022-04-09T12:31:43Z
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https://www.kitv.com/weather/forecast/saturday-weather-forecast/article_97a0cdaa-b7ea-11ec-898f-ab29c87f5986.html
| 2022-04-09T12:31:49Z
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Virginia partners with other states for I-95 safety initiative
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Virginia will be among 15 states to participate in a two-day traffic safety initiative along the entire Interstate 95 corridor.
“Drive to Save Lives” will take place April 8-9, and Virginia State Police will add additional patrols to I-95 for traffic enforcement.
“With April being Distracted Driving Awareness Month and traffic crashes in Virginia on the rise, this enhanced, multi-agency enforcement initiative along the East Coast couldn’t come at a better time,” said Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police. “This time of year people are on the road for Spring Break, vacations and outdoor adventuring. Keeping your eyes on the road, buckling up, complying with posted speed limits and never driving intoxicated, will help ensure your spring travels are safe – no matter what state you may be traveling I-95.”
Troopers from Maine to Florida will be participating in the campaign.
There were 5,350 traffic crashes along I-95 in Virginia in 2021. The crashes ranged from a minor fender-bender to the loss of life.
With the increased patrols, drivers are also reminded of the state “Move Over” law, which requires drivers to move over when approaching emergency vehicles along the road. The law also applies to workers in vehicles with amber lights.
Copyright 2022 WWBT. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/07/virginia-partners-with-other-states-i-95-safety-initiative/
| 2022-04-09T13:19:16Z
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3 killed in Georgia gun range shooting; suspects not in custody
COWETA COUNTY, Ga. (WGCL/Gray News) – Three members of the same family were killed during a robbery at their family shooting range in Grantville, Georgia.
The robbery took place at the Lock Stock & Barrel shooting range sometime after 5:30 p.m. Friday, according to Grantville Police Department.
WGCL reported when police arrived, they found the range’s owner, his wife, and their grandson had been killed.
Police have identified the owner as Richard Hawk.
“Let’s keep Richard Hawk and Family in our prayers,” Grantville Police said in a Facebook post Saturday morning.
Grantville Police said approximately 40 guns and the security camera DVR were taken from the scene.
Both the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the ATF were called to help investigate the case. The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office is also assisting in the investigation.
Police are asking for the community’s help in gathering any information about the incident. They said anyone in the area who may have driven by the range between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Friday may have seen vehicles other than a white Ford dually truck and a black Ford Expedition.
Copyright 2022 WGCL via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/09/3-killed-georgia-gun-range-shooting-suspects-not-custody/
| 2022-04-09T13:47:09Z
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Bob Odenkirk may be saying goodbye to Saul Goodman, but he’s not done just yet.
AMC has greenlit and fast-tracked a new series, “Straight Man,” starring Odenkirk to premiere next year, the network announced Wednesday. He played fan favorite Goodman in “Breaking Bad” before starring as the protagonist of its spin-off “Better Call Saul.”
Based on the novel of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo, “Straight Man” is “a mid-life crisis tale set at Railton College, told in the first person by William Henry Devereaux, Jr. (Odenkirk), the unlikely chairman of the English department in a badly underfunded college in the Pennsylvania rust belt,” according to the logline.
Aaron Zelman and Paul Lieberstein will serve as co-showrunners and Peter Farrelly has signed on to direct.
“I loved Paul and Aaron’s take on Richard’s excellent, entertaining novel,” Odenkirk said in a statement.
“Once again a project with AMC with a focus on character depth and sensitivity. This milieu (academia) seems very pertinent to the conversations we’re all having. I am drawn to the tone of humanity and humor in the novel and I look forward to playing this role — something lighter than my recent projects but still closely observed and smart.”
This marks Odenkirk’s third straight show at AMC, following “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” which begins its sixth and final season on April 18. It’s also the 59-year-old actor’s first new project since he suffered a heart attack while filming in New Mexico in July.
“Straight Man” joins a growing list of AMC shows set for 2023, including the newly announced “Orphan Black” sequel series “Echoes,” “The Driver,” starring “Breaking Bad” alum Giancarlo Esposito, two “Walking Dead” spinoffs, “Demascus,” about an “ordinary Black man who who goes on a journey of self-discovery using an innovative new technology that allows him to experience different versions of his own life,” and “Invitation to a Bonfire,” a psychological thriller set in the 1930s at an all-girls boarding school in New Jersey.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/bob-odenkirk-books-new-amc-show-as-better-call-saul-comes-to-an-end/article_433f3800-cc5e-5f95-867f-dfc0307d8814.html
| 2022-04-09T13:58:35Z
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Kevin Phillips is still getting used to his mustache.
For the most part, he can hardly grow a beard. It comes in thick around his jawline, but he points and laughs at how not a follicle will appear on his cheeks.
After a year of perseverance, the hair above his lip is sculpted with classic, maniacal handlebars that curl up next to his nose. His inspiration was one of his earliest influences, Salvador Dali, who grew his own mustache out to where its ends nearly reached his eyes.
“Everybody is gonna be a brand in the future,” he said over coffee. “It’s like, ‘How do I differentiate myself from them?” In the last month and a half, I’ve decided to go full on with a mustache, and I’m gonna go Salvador Dali with it.”
Phillips is a Front Range artist. He grew up in Nebraska, moved to Cheyenne when he was 16, and now lives in Fort Collins. It was here that he pursued a degree in fine art at Laramie County Community College, and where he learned to really critique his own work, refine it and, only after mastering the technicalities, break all the rules.
Phillips has taken on an unexpected new endeavor in the past year, one that’s growing more and more prevalent in the life of a professional artist. He’s sharing his work, critiquing others and creating a community more than he ever expected.
“My brother was the one that convinced me to get a TikTok a couple years ago, and it was like within the first month, my first viral post went crazy.” Phillips said about being “moderately famous” on the popular video sharing app. “Two million views … Hanging art in a coffee shop is nice, and people see it, but $300 to $400 worth of sales isn’t paying the bills when a 15-second clip on TikTok makes thousands of dollars.”
His popularity on TikTok escalated quickly. He’d spent years marketing his artwork on other social media platforms, like Instagram, but had failed to gain a following.
He now has about 55,000 followers that he consistently interacts with. One of his earliest videos reached more than 2 million views, several others are in the hundreds of thousands, while others fail to gain any traction.
“It’s like, that’s Cheyenne,” he said, comparing his number of followers to the city’s population. “Minus the military base, that’s Cheyenne. It’s like, holy smokes, what if everybody in Cheyenne just knew about me? How would I be perceived around here?”
Developing his own style, persona
Phillips has a unique art style. He’s influenced by Dali, but then there’s the famous street artists Banksy and Shepard Fairey, and Alyssa Monks, an American figurative painter who creates abstract, hyperrealistic portraits.
For so long, Phillips was absorbing the work of artists like these, incorporating abstract elements and street art techniques to create colorful multimedia projects of pop art and psychedelic oddities.
Phillips mentions the quote ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’ in reference to the most unexpected experience he’s had online. Recently, he’s been tagged in videos of people recreating some of his original artwork as he did in his tutorials.
“It’s kind of come to a full circle, where I’m seeing people that are recreating pieces that I’ve done. It’s weird,” he said.
But it hasn’t come without a good deal of change – like growing a mustache, for instance. It’s a product of the realization that to build a fanbase, he first must build a persona.
Always the introvert, Phillips now has to work to be a more approachable character. In a sense, the person in his videos is different than himself – he needs to smile, crack jokes and keep energy high. Growing his presence on the popular app has forced him to reconsider how people perceive him.
His image dictates how people interact with him and his content, which makes all the difference in whether his art is selling. Already, he’s started making a small amount of money through some viral videos, and the rest through traffic to his website, all while continuing to gain a following on the app.
It’s a precarious position to be in. On one end, he has to please viewers and structure videos so that the mysterious TikTok algorithm curates them into everyone’s feed. Serve the viewers too much, though, and he’ll lose sight of his craft.
“I’m doing it for the craft,” he said. “I’m putting a lot more thought into the stories that my artwork is telling now. I used to want the artwork to speak for itself. Now, I need to speak for the artwork a little bit more.”
About a year ago, he leaned a little too far into his pop art style with the intent of attracting views on TikTok, sticking mainly to recreating celebrities’ likenesses in colorful portraits. Thanks to this approach, he had a good three- to four-month period where he was questioning his passion for art.
Then he had a realization. Phillips was letting the social media algorithms control him, and there was something to that concept that he wanted to explore.
Merging art and artificial intelligence
Combining his fine art experience – including a fascination with color theory – and his talent for multimedia street art, he chased the concept of humanity’s increasing interaction with artificial intelligence.
It’s possible that humans and AI programs aren’t so different in their actions. Phillips came across a growing movement of artwork created by AI, where programmers create algorithms that instruct AI to learn a specific aesthetic to create an image, similar to the inner workings of the human brain.
The result is a new kind of art, one that is the accumulation of thousands of codes. This is what his “Glitch” series is about, along with much of his work since – finding the parallel between AI and how humans interact with one another electronically.
“I wanted to tell a story and put forth the narrative that things are chaotic, but very structured,” he said about his “glitch art.” “That’s kind of an AI type of thing. They create these really crazy looking images, but AI is extremely structured.
“Line by line, you could tell it what it’s doing and why it’s doing it. I’m trying to replicate that, but in a more human way.”
Out of his catalogue, this concept heavily applies to his personal “Last Supper,” titled “Rebirth.”
The painting conceptualizes time as a cyclical entity, creating a chaotic and multifaceted image of color and abstract symbolism, detailed and eclectic, that comes together as one image, similar to the thousands of digital coded dots laid in place by a computer program.
The big difference is that all of Phillips’ work is painted, not digitally designed.
“I’m definitely putting my own twist on it,” he said of his AI-inspired art. “I’m making a reference to how AI interacts with humans and how humans interact with AI. Humans really are being affected by social media and things like it.”
There’s more work to be done in the field of AI art, and Phillips’ ability to forge his own style becomes more evident as he continues to paint. He’s identified a connection between his TikTok presence and his artwork, and his most recent series draws a connection between the hidden algorithms of the popular app and the controlled chaos of AI art.
Visit the online forum Reddit, and search the subreddit called “place.” It’s both a forum and an art movement where thousands of people contribute to one moving image, one pixel at a time. Somehow, complex images comes together in the end, though they’re constantly changing over a span of five minutes.
Phillips remembers watching one of these come together. Then, as the timer wound down, there was a coordinated attack on the final product, anonymous participants sabotaging the image with white pixels.
“It blanked out the whole thing,” Phillips said. “But it was really strange to me how it looked like an AI was doing it. It made me think that AI might be more like us than we think.
“If you told somebody that an AI did that, they would believe it with the way it was branching out.”
Both on the canvas and online, Phillips is learning think in algorithms.
A body of Phillips work will be hanging in Freedom’s Edge Brewing Co. beginning Thursday as a part of the final installment of the second-Thursday Cheyenne Artwalk. His work is also online at https://linktr.ee/KAPGallery.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/enter-the-artificially-intelligent-void-with-front-range-artist-kevin-phillips/article_0f44ad05-39c8-51fb-a458-a5be800b4c88.html
| 2022-04-09T13:58:41Z
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Based on the enduring Sega video game franchise about a speedy blue creature, “Sonic the Hedgehog” raced into theaters in early 2020.
A mix of live-action and digital animation, “Sonic” was a reasonably fun family-friendly adventure that benefited from a wonderful voice performance from Ben Schwartz as the heroic Sonic and generally enjoyable cartoonish shenanigans from Jim Carrey as his nemesis, the villainous Dr. Robotnik.
With “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” – in theaters this week – we get a sequel that is, of course, bigger. And, unfortunately, looonnnngeeerrrrr.
Did we mention it’s longer?
To be fair, the sequel clocks in at only 20 or so minutes more than its predecessor. However, when we’re talking about a flick that’s ultimately for kids, that can feel like an eternity – both for squirmy little ones and the adults who must sit through it with them.
To be clear, though, “Sonic” the Second isn’t all bad. The always-hilarious Schwartz is as appealing as ever, and there’s plenty here for the little ones to enjoy. That said, Carrey’s over-the-top antics don’t feel so fresh this time around, and the story is weighed down by all its moving parts.
First, we catch up with Robotnik, stranded for nearly 250 days on a mushroom planet far from Earth, where he’s having a tough time perfecting a mushroom coffee as he plans an exodus that will lead to him kicking “buttocus.”
His way off the “shitake planet” and back to earth comes thanks to a visit from Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba of “Zootopia”), the last of a tribe of warriors known as the Echidna. Knuckles is searching for something powerful on earth known as the Master Emerald, believing Sonic may be the key to finding it. In exchange for a ride to earth, Robotnik promises to help him get it, all the while scheming to obtain the giant jewel for himself.
Back on Earth, young Sonic is yearning for adventure. At night, he’s been sneaking out of his room in the home of the Wachowskis, Tom (James Marsden, “The Boss Baby: Family Business”) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter, “The Nomads”), in sleepy Green Hills to fight crime in the big city as Blue Justice. His work as a superhero leads to, shall we say, mixed results.
Tom knows what’s up and isn’t happy that Sonic, however well-intentioned, has been damaging city property and putting innocent folks in danger while trying to stop the bad guys.
“You’re supposed to be my friend,” a defiant Sonic tells him. “Stop trying to be my dad.”
But more dad-ing Tom does, telling his pseudo son that his moment will come.
Sonic promises to stay around the house and behave as Tom and Maddie travel to Hawaii for the wedding of her sister, Rachel (Natasha Rothwell, “The White Lotus”). However, he’s visited by a faraway superfan with a knack for invention in Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), a two-tailed fox, who warns him about Knuckles.
Sonic and Tails, who can use his tales to fly like a helicopter, go on the run from Knuckles and Robotnik – now sans the hair on top of his head but more mustachioed than ever – while Tom tries to win over Rachel following the events of the previous adventure.
Alliances change (and Tom may, in fact, help ruin a certain wedding) as the bloated romp rolls along to its seemingly endless climactic battle with a powered-up Robotnik in Green Hills.
Given that Paramount Pictures brought the filmmaking band back together, it’s disappointing that director Jeff Fowler and writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who share the story-by credit, and John Whittington can’t quite recapture their winning formula from the first effort. For an adventure with an incredibly fast protagonist, “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” moves pretty slowly at times.
To be sure, though, it has its moments, many in the form of wonderfully delivered quips by Schwartz (“The Afterparty,” “Space Force”). Schwartz somehow makes Sonic cocky and endearing at the same time.
Plus, the friendship Sonic builds with Tails – voiced nicely by O’Shaughnessey, reprising her role from the game series – is appealing, as is the bond that eventually develops with the rough-around-the-edges Knuckles.
And regardless of how obligatory it is, the exploration of the father-son dynamic between Sonic and the man he still calls “Donut Lord” is fairly heartwarming stuff.
In the movie’s production notes, producer Toby Ascher speaks of efforts to create “a Sonic cinematic universe,” because, we can only assume, the world has too few cinematic universes at this point.
Well, guys, if we are to see more of Blue Justice and his buddies, a little less may prove to be a bit more next time.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/movie-review-sonic-the-hedgehog-2-follows-the-sequel-tradition-of-going-bigger-but-not/article_cb32e65d-e738-58bc-b2e9-e769ec9aaada.html
| 2022-04-09T13:58:47Z
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It’s a matter of degrees when you are in charge of raising thousands of ring-necked pheasants.
Ben Milner, bird farm coordinator for Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Downar Bird Farm near Yoder, is also scrupulous about cleanliness, especially with the storm clouds of avian flu gathering on the eastern horizon.
Ben gave the Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Society a tour in mid-March, before the eggs start rolling in. Before we could enter the facility, we had to step onto a soapy mat and squelch around a bit to kill any germs. Inside, it looked clean enough to perform surgery.
Each year, 18,000 pheasants are produced here, and another 16,000 at Game and Fish’s bird farm in Sheridan. Sheridan started in 1938, and Downar in 1963.
Each fall, Ben holds back 135 roosters and 1,350 hens for breeding, while the rest are released for hunting. The breeders make their home in nine acres of enormous pens secured against predators.
When the spring breeding season kicks in, each hen would normally stop laying after filling a nest with 12 to 15 eggs. But because employees go out every day to collect eggs, and hens have access to nutritious food, each averages 40 to 50.
The eggs are sorted, cleaned and stored in racks sized for pheasant eggs, smaller than chicken eggs, at 55 degrees, which suspends development of the embryos. When there are 6,700 eggs, they move to the giant incubator and 99.7 degrees. The racks tip every one to three hours to imitate the hen turning the eggs in her nest, keeping the embryos from sticking to the shells.
After 19 days, the eggs are placed in the hatcher, in chick-sized trays, where they can hatch. After that, chicks move into brooder houses, where heaters set at 100 degrees substitute for brooding hens. They are soon pecking at waterers and feed.
After two weeks, the chicks are allowed to walk in and out of small outside pens, and then eventually into the larger pens. These pens are so large that they are farmed. The crop is kochia – an invasive weed in everyone’s garden, but it provides good cover and food in addition to the purchased feed.
The old brood stock is released in May at Springer and Table Mountain Wildlife Habitat Management Areas, as well as several walk-in areas.
Wyoming has not allowed raising exotic or native game animals privately, except exotic birds. At Downar, Game and Fish settled on ring-necked pheasants, natives of Asian jungles. Private bird farms order eggs and raise pheasants and other exotic game-bird species. Very few escape and reproduce because they are hunted by sportspeople and predatory animals.
Why does Game and Fish continue to produce an artificial population of pheasants, basically for put-and-take hunting? Ben sees pheasants as a way to introduce hunting to kids and adults, including women, who have traditionally made up a small percentage of hunters. Game and Fish sponsors three kids-only hunt days each season on the Springer Wildlife Habitat Management Area and four in November at Glendo State Park to help recruit the next generation of sportsmen and women.
Historically, it was hunters who raised funds through licenses and tags and lobbied for wildlife so that it wouldn’t be extirpated by other interests, such as farming, ranching, mining and energy extraction. So, thank those early hunters when you enjoy watching Wyoming wildlife.
Unfortunately, a few developers, alarmed by decreasing populations, think the bird farm method will make up for the loss of sage grouse habitat due to development. I’m discouraged that somehow influential people were able to convince the Wyoming Legislature that this could be done by a private company.
Legislation gave Diamond Wings Upland Game Birds five years to give it a try, but this session, they had to ask for and received another five, despite a large turnout against.
It turns out raising sage grouse is not like raising chickens – or pheasants.
First, there are no captive flocks to gather eggs from. Diamond Wings is allowed to steal up to 250 eggs per year from hens in the wild. So much for calling this captive “breeding.” Sage grouse hens do not lay more eggs when they lose them, like the pheasants do. Plus, sage grouse chicks apparently need more instruction from the hens to succeed, unlike the pheasants.
Studies in Utah and Colorado concluded that captive breeding is not a viable way to increase sage grouse populations. Wildlife biologists say protecting sagebrush habitat is best. And what’s good for sage grouse is good for other sagebrush-dependent wildlife.
People from many areas of expertise agreed on a Wyoming sage grouse management plan back in 2015 to keep them from being listed as threatened or endangered, avoiding a host of public land use restrictions.
For an update on sage grouse, please join Cheyenne Audubon on April 19 at 7 p.m. in the Cottonwood Room of the Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. A Zoom link will be available at www.CheyenneAudubon.org close to the date.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/outdoors/wgfd-bird-farm-pheasants-recruit-hunters-sage-grouse-farming-appeases-developers/article_c34f914e-9464-56b2-b873-1a4ad2284edc.html
| 2022-04-09T13:58:54Z
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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
Desert Diamond at Terry Bison Ranch
– April 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
{span}VFW Craft and Flea Market Show{/span}
– 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 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
Yoga Together
– April 23, 10:15-10:45 a.m. 18 months to 5 years old. 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 SaturD&D
– April 23, 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/.
Fur Ball presents Jurassic Bark
– April 23, 5-10 p.m. $110. The Fur Ball is Cheyenne’s pet-friendly gala, which raises money in support of the animals and programs at the Cheyenne Animal Shelter. Little America Hotel and Resort, 2800 W. Lincolnway. 307-278-6195
CSO presents “A Time to Transcend”
– April 23, 7:30 p.m. $10-$50 for in person, $15 per household for livestream. This Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra concert will feature Jennifer Higdon’s “Blue Cathedral” and Brahms’ German Requiem to close the 2021-22 season. This evening will feature vocal soloists Jennifer Bird-Arvidsson and Rhys Lloyd Talbot, plus a large local choir. Cheyenne Civic Center, 510 W. 20th St. 307-778-8561
Wyo Music Showcase
– April 23, doors at 7 p.m. $5, free entry 11 and under. A local rap showcase hosted by Wyoming Wave Recording Studio featuring Trey Wrks, 2une Godi, Compass, Alienation and more. There will also be a raffle. The Louise Event Venue, 110 E. 17th Street. 307-220-1474
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
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
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/saturday-calendar-4-9-22/article_63fbd746-97aa-5147-bbf7-e19c88af8d17.html
| 2022-04-09T13:59:00Z
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Two downtown galleries are going all out for this upcoming Cheyenne Artwalk.
Beginning Thursday, Blue Door Arts will feature “For the Love of Animals” by Lander artist Susan Grinels, who really just wants to work with animals in any way that she can.
This isn’t surprising when you look at her upbringing. When she was just 6 years old, she watched as a new shopping mall was built on top of a pony pasture. As a promotion, the mall would hold a contest and randomly give away 19 ponies.
Grinels walked away with the last remaining horse.
She grew up with this pony, though she lived in the suburbs and had to stable the animal out in the country. In the late 1980s, she migrated to Wyoming to work as a horse-packer for the National Outdoor Leadership School, riding horses carrying rations out to groups training between Lander and Boulder.
“I was riding one horse, I had three horses packed, and we hardly ever stayed where the horses were staying, because if the grass wasn’t good, then the feed for the horses wasn’t good,” she said. “One of the instructors said, ‘Aren’t you afraid of being out there by yourself?’
“And I thought, ‘Oh, no. I’ve got the horses.’”
Grinels jokes that she prefers working with animals to working with humans. For her career, she worked as a veterinarian tech for 15 years, eventually attending art school in her free time.
She was most comfortable with pastels when she started out, and that’s what she mainly works with today. In the collection to hang in Blue Door, there’s the faces of dogs, horses and foxes, among other popular Wyoming wildlife.
However, she does prefer to know the animals personally before she recreates their likeness. One of her most personal bought home her most recent art show win at the Sheridan Artists Guild’s annual art show.
“Walters, the one I won at the SAGE thing, he was a horse I used to ride years ago in Virginia,” she said. “Some of them are my niece’s dogs. Some of them are my dogs.
“My husband’s like, ‘All the pictures that we have on the wall, they’re all gone.’ The pictures are just a bunch of dead animals,” Grinels said with a laugh.
One of her most acclaimed works is actually a “torn paper” collage – created with acrylic printed paper that’s torn up and glued down – of a sheepdog creeping up on a herd. It was created as one third of a series and submitted to the art show featured at the 2014 Meeker Sheepdog Trials in Meeker, Colorado.
The collage won Best in Show, and was used as the poster for the 2015 Trials. But that seems like small potatoes compared to her pastel painting of her niece’s pet mastiff, which won Best in Show at the American Kennel Club art show in Wichita, Kansas.
To her surprise, that painting was shipped off to be a permanent display in the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog in New York City.
“For the Love of Animals” will conclude with a closing reception on May 6.
In the Garden
A couple blocks over, an Artwalk annual favorite will be bringing a little warmth to Clay Paper Scissors Gallery & Studio over the next month.
“In the Garden” is an infrequent call-for-entry show loosely based around transforming co-owners Camelia El-Antably and Mark Vinich’s gallery into a space of green leaves, pottery and other garden amenities.
Nineteen artists from Cheyenne and the surrounding region will be featured in the show, with artwork ranging from abstract paintings to statues.
“We interpret ‘garden’ loosely,” El-Antably said. “It sometimes includes things that are more like the Garden of Eden or animals that might be in the wild. We’re looking for things that fit the theme, maybe something different than what we’ve seen before or brings a different dimension to the show.”
Clay Paper Scissors also wasn’t particularly selective when it came to the submissions, even taking chances on things the owners aren’t exactly sold on. But sometimes, those oddities end up being their favorite pieces in the show.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/two-shows-to-catch-in-the-upcoming-artwalk/article_d1d9e843-fff2-5517-af03-7727349ba776.html
| 2022-04-09T13:59:06Z
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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/former-state-education-official-to-run-for-superintendent/article_81bb5996-0dd6-500d-94f8-30696a22c102.html
| 2022-04-09T13:59:12Z
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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.
Salamander Saturday: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Berry Center at 10th and Lewis streets on the UW campus. Salamander story time, a biology seminar, trivia contest, games and crafts.
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.
SUNDAY
Friends of the Albany County Library book sale: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the library, 310 S. 8th St.
New Life Easter Carnival: 10 a.m. (after service), Albany County Fairgrounds.
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.
Albany County Genealogical Society meets: 7 p.m. Relief Society Room at the LDS church, 3311 Hayford Ave.
WEDNESDAY
UW Board of Trustees meet: 8:30 a.m., online at wyolinks.uwyo.edu/trusteesapr22.
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.
Albany County Planning and Zoning Commission meets: 5 p.m., Albany County Courthouse, 525 E. Grand Ave., or via Zoom. More information at co.albany.wy.us.
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.
PFLAG Laramie meets: 6:30 p.m., St. Paul’s United Church of Christ,, 602 E. Garfield.
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.
FRIDAY
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.
Peeps and Paws puppy event by Laramie Animal Welfare Society: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1889 Venture Dr. It’s an Easter puppy party!
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.
Cinco de Mayo at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site: 5:30-7:30 p.m., Horse Barn Theater at the site. Free to public.
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_59e776b2-3f04-5f0d-a9fb-3686c2caefd4.html
| 2022-04-09T13:59:18Z
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Wyoming botanist Trevor Bloom spotted his first springtime blooms of the year on March 28. Bloom, while tracing the footsteps of famed ecologist Frank Craighead at Blacktail Butte in Grand Teton National Park, saw the orogenia linearifolia, or snowdrop, wildflower.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wildflower, besides a dandelion, flowering in March,” Bloom said.
The snowdrop bloom was nearly a month earlier than Craighead had recorded in the 1970s.
“It means we’re probably going to have a very early spring this year. It probably means that we’re going to have very low water levels, and we’re probably going to have an increased risk of wildfire this year.”
The prognostication isn’t merely a gut feeling. Bloom and co-authors Donal S. O’Leary and Corinna Riginos recently published the study “Flowering Time Advances Since The 1970s In A Sagebrush Steppe Community” in the journal Ecological Applications. The study — a project of The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming — shows that early blooms of wildflowers correlate with warming average temperatures and a host of potential ecological responses.
The team began measuring plant behavior in 2016, in the exact locations where Craighead documented seasonal rhythms and relationships between plants, insects, birds and animals — the basis for his 1994 book “For Everything There Is A Season.” Bloom and his co-authors wanted to learn how closely the ecological relationships that Craighead observed track with what’s happening decades later.
They learned the seasons themselves are changing — particularly springtime, which is arriving sooner in Wyoming and potentially driving a cascade of ecological changes.
“We found that early flowering species had the greatest shift, moving up to three weeks earlier,” Bloom said. “Mid-summer flowers, like lupines, are flowering on average about 10 days earlier, and then late-summer flowers — like fireweed and goldenrod — have actually not changed significantly at all.”
Early flowering and earlier production of fruits correlate with warming average temperatures in Wyoming and throughout North America, Bloom said. Wyoming’s annual mean temperature increased 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit from 1920 to 2020, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data. One of the most significant responses to warming average temperatures in Wyoming is early snowmelt and spring runoff.
Wyoming’s warming springtime, and ecological responses to it, have major implications for all manner of vegetation and wildlife — from whether migrating hummingbirds might find nectar at their annual stops to when bears go into and emerge from hibernation.
“This is just a very tangible example of climate change,” Bloom said.
Bloom grew up in Jackson idolizing brothers Frank and John Craighead — famed naturalists and conservationists credited for groundbreaking methods for studying grizzlies and other wildlife in and around Yellowstone National Park.
“I was inspired by them as these ecologists who were also adventurers and mountain climbers and just really inspirational people,” said Bloom, who serves as community ecologist for The Nature Conservancy.
“Frank Craighead became very interested in phenology, which is the seasonal timing of ecological events,” Bloom said. “It’s [studying] when snow melts, when flowers bloom, when they go to seed and the interaction of animals; when the elk begin to migrate, what they’re feeding on at what times, when bears emerge from hibernation, when birds migrate from the south. Those are all examples of phenology.”
The Craighead family homestead near Blacktail Butte, just outside the Grand Teton National Park boundary, served as an intriguing landscape to document the rhythms and interactions of a complex sagebrush steppe ecosystem. For several years in the 1970s and 80s, Frank Craighead recorded weekly observations along a 1.7-mile route from the base of Blacktail Butte toward its summit, documenting hundreds of plant, insect, bird and animal species.
Many professional and amateur ecologists refer to “For Everything There Is A Season” as a field guide to learn about seasonal interactions in the region. Corinna Riginos, director of science for The Nature Conservancy, used to ask students at the Teton Science School whether their own observations matched those described in the book. She began to notice seasonal events that Craighead described weren’t quite in sync.
A passage from Craighead’s book came to mind: “If the event occurs earlier or later than anticipated from the base data provided in the book, you can try to determine the influencing factors — for everything there is a reason.”
Riginos proposed continuing Craighead’s work to identify potential trends from the 1970s to today, factoring in changing climate conditions. The Nature Conservancy team consulted with Craighead’s widow and son to confirm his route and the plots where he’d made his observations. They were even given access to hundreds of pages of Craighead’s handwritten notes.
“Some of them are in cursive and in journals, and some of them have burned edges and are smoke-stained because his cabin in Grand Teton National Park burned down,” Bloom said.
The notes added a new dimension to “For Everything There Is A Season,” establishing a critical baseline to inform The Nature Conservancy’s research.
The greatest degree of change was measured among wildflowers known to bloom just as spring snowmelt begins, such as the snowdrop and hooded phlox. Those and other early spring flowers bloomed an average 17 days earlier compared to Craighead’s data from the 1970s and 80s, according to the study. Some bloomed 36 days earlier, based on the study’s 2016-19 data.
Mid-summer flowers bloomed an average 10 days earlier, and berry-producing shrubs five days earlier.
While early blooms are a logical, natural response to a warming climate and changing hydrological conditions, they pose significant challenges for wildlife that depend on them. Hummingbirds, for example, base their migratory habits on the length of daylight, which means they might arrive at annual stopover sites after flowers have lost their nectar.
“The flowers might be all dried up and gone,” Bloom said, adding that the phenomenon also threatens to extend the wildfire season.
If bushes continue to produce berries earlier in the season, it could result in food scarcity for bears in the fall. “There’s a direct correlation between the size and the abundance of a berry crop and bear-human conflicts,” Bloom said.
Better understanding these types of “phenological mismatches” is critical to inform land and wildlife managers about how to help mitigate potential threats, Bloom said. Preserving large, intact landscapes is especially critical for sagebrush ecosystems.
“You want to preserve as much biodiversity of plants as possible,” Bloom said. When restoring disturbed surfaces, it’s important to tailor a seed mix to include both early and late-blooming wildflowers. Bloom and The Nature Conservancy are consulting with Grand Teton National Park officials on such an effort at the Kelly hayfields, he said.
The study also highlights the need to maintain connectivity and corridors between seasonal habitats. Pronghorn, deer and other migrating wildlife must adapt to changing seasonal patterns to take advantage of vegetation as it “greens up” — a message underscored by the work of the Wyoming Migration Initiative.
Bloom said he’s excited to continue the wildflower research and to trace the footsteps of Craighead. The Nature Conservancy plans to expand its phenology research to other areas of the state. The work is bolstered by the organization’s Wildflower Watch initiative, which taps citizen volunteers to contribute phenology observations in northwest Wyoming. Some 700 volunteers have contributed to the program.
“Our goal is to increase people’s understanding of native plants, increase their understanding of invasive plants and form personal connections with climate change in Wyoming,” Bloom said.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/its-bloomin-warm-study-shows-early-wildflower-activity-a-sign-of-changing-climate/article_0b2bdce0-369f-5715-96c1-2ae6437e6f07.html
| 2022-04-09T13:59:24Z
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Ten years ago, Nate Storey was completing a Ph.D. in agronomy from the University of Wyoming while working to develop a new company with a bold objective of revolutionizing the way produce is cultivated and sold.
He and a partner had just won the UW College of Business entrepreneurship competition, receiving $12,500 to help start their company and one year of free business counseling services and space at UW’s business incubator.
Today, Storey is chief science officer for Silicon Valley startup Plenty Inc., which acquired his company, Bright Agrotech, in 2017. Plenty soon will open the world’s highest-output, vertical, indoor farm in Compton, Calif. It’s a major step for a new industry that is gaining increasing attention for its ability to supply high-quality produce year-round using relatively small amounts of water and land, and without the use of pesticides.
Walmart recently announced it has taken a stake in Plenty, becoming the first large U.S. retailer to significantly invest in indoor vertical farming as a way to deliver fresher produce to its stores.
It has been an eventful decade-long journey for Storey, who still lives with his family in Laramie while traveling frequently to California for his job. He says his success shows that a good idea, early stage support, intense effort, persistence and a willingness to learn and adapt make it possible for UW graduates to achieve their ambitions.
“When we competed in the first $10K (competition), we didn’t even really have a business at that point, just a concept with some work behind it,” Storey said. “Over the next couple of years, we built a business and got a crash course in how businesses work, how you set things up, how you manage people, taxes, overhead and compliance — all of the work that comes with starting a business. Since then, a lot has happened.”
Off the ground
Bright Agrotech emerged from UW’s business incubator in 2015 and established an indoor farm in Laramie, using vertical towers and other technology Storey developed and patented under license with the university.
The company grew quickly, generating several million dollars in annual revenue and employing dozens of people.
“I started to realize that Bright Agrotech was incapable of having the impact I’d hoped for on the food supply,” Storey said. “I was thinking about that problem when I ran into some guys from California who said they had the same idea for a food production business and liked our technology. They said, ‘Why not join us?’”
So, Storey joined Matt Barnard and Jack Oslan to co-found Plenty, handing off Bright Agrotech to partner Chris Michael. Subsequently, Plenty’s acquisition of Bright Agrotech folded in Storey’s patents and original equipment “to consolidate that technology.”
The Laramie operation remains and serves as Plenty’s research and development farm, employing about 80 people. Michael is now Plenty’s senior internal communications manager.
It has taken much more work in Laramie and at Plenty’s flagship farm in South San Francisco to take Bright Agrotech’s technology and develop it for large-scale application.
“We’ve gotten great traction with Plenty, but we have had hard technical problems to solve, and it’s complex from a business standpoint also,” Storey said. “No one in the world had a vision for these things. Developing that vision has required contact with the laws of physics, markets and customers.”
Steep learning curve
Storey describes the last 10 years as exhausting, “a decade of no sleep, of 100-hour work weeks, of selling and pitching.”
Plenty has raised nearly $1 billion for its next steps, and the first is monumental: opening its 95,000-square-foot indoor farm in Compton, which is expected to deliver its first produce in October to Walmart stores in California.
“This is the largest, most automated indoor farm in the world, by a long shot,” Storey said. “It contains a lot of the technology that we’ve worked really hard to develop at Plenty, a lot of the technology that represents the first steps to creating an entirely new form of agriculture.
“It’s something we’re all very excited about, even as we’re still in the rush and chaos of building it. It represents a lot of incredible work by a lot of incredible people.”
Plenty says its vertical farming towers are designed to grow multiple crops on one platform in a building the size of a big-box retail store.
Its systems feature vertical plant towers, LED lighting and robots to plant, feed and harvest crops using 1% of the land an outdoor farm requires while delivering anywhere from 150 to 350 times more food per acre.
The vertical farms are intended to supplement, but not replace, traditional farming practices while helping increase the food supply in a sustainable way.
“Plenty is going to be building many of these farms. These farms are very sophisticated assets that bring jobs to communities,” Storey said. “We are going to grow pretty meaningfully over the next few years to become a global ag production and technology business. As we grow, add new crops and invest in improving technology, we will see growth in our science team in Laramie as well.”
Storey’s success is exactly what UW had in mind when it launched the Wyoming Technology Business Center, now IMPACT 307, said Fred Schmechel, the incubator program’s interim director.
The university is augmenting its efforts to boost business startups with the launch of the Wyoming Innovation Partnership and the Wyoming Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, in conjunction with the state’s community colleges, the Wyoming Business Council and others.
Plans call for establishment of IMPACT 307 incubators in communities around the state, in addition to the existing ones in Laramie, Casper, Cheyenne and Sheridan.
“Nate’s story is a great example of how the university helps students and faculty develop ideas and then take them to the marketplace,” Schmechel said. “His story is particularly impressive, but a number of our incubator clients have gone on to become successful businesses in the state and beyond as well.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/laramie-man-living-a-true-success-storey/article_763ac01e-f307-57f6-afe0-5cc21ecbba72.html
| 2022-04-09T13:59:31Z
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We’ve had it all the past two weeks: winds clocking in at 60 mph with gusts hitting hurricane velocity, snow blowing horizontally, nippy winter-like wind chills and even balmy spring-like bring-out-the-shorts weather.
Such is April in Wyoming.
In a poem, T.S. Eliot wrote, “April is the cruelest month.”
While his poem “The Waste Land” wasn’t actually referring to the weather, the saying is apropos for Wyoming conditions this time of year. The calendar indicates spring arrived a couple weeks ago, but the weather often tells us otherwise.
I recall a time years ago when I was driving home from Cheyenne about this time of year. The sky was clear and blue, but there was a 50 mph breeze making a significant wind chill. A man was waving, trying to get someone to stop while standing next to his car. He was just in shirt sleeves on a day where a parka was in order.
He was panicked and, since vehicles ahead of me drove on by, I pulled over. As it turned out the man, a visitor from Kentucky, had gotten out of his rental car to take a photo. The view was really quite stunning. Unfortunately, his car door slammed shut and locked while the keys remained in the ignition. The man had accidentally locked himself out.
Being pre-cellphone days, he needed a lift to get help to unlock his car door. I drove him to the nearest public phone so he could call a locksmith for help.
Riding in my truck, I turned the heat on full-blast and he finally stopped shivering.
“Does the wind always blow like this?” he asked.
With a laugh, I explained to him that the breeze is our population control mechanism.
“I bet it works,” he said, not cracking a smile and staring seriously at the road ahead.
Likely it is one factor that turns potential newcomers away, since spring in Wyoming is not for the faint of heart. The change of season from winter to spring is a stutter start here, offering pleasant and mild days, sandwiched between those that are certainly less than delightful.
As a Wyoming native, I know spring is our most trying season. We would rejoice if the prediction from Punxsutawney Phil was true where we would have a mere six more weeks of winter after Groundhog Day. In early February, we know we’re up for a good three months of snow and cold yet.
Two years ago we got a 6-inch dump of heavy, wet snow on June 9. Last year, we had a major blizzard hit Laramie on March 14. There’s one thing about our spring weather: it isn’t boring.
Two weeks ago temperatures soared, getting into the 70s in some parts of the state. It certainly gave me an attack of Spring Fever.
I celebrated the first day of spring this year by combining two activities: hiking and skiing. Dobby, my Australian shepherd, and I enjoyed the overlapping seasons in the Blair area of Pole Mountain.
For those who enjoy non-motorized activities, it’s a great time of year on Pole Mountain when gravel roads are closed to motorized travel. It’s a hiker, cross-country skier, dog-walker and mountain biker’s haven, especially during one of our rare warm spells.
On our outing, I hiked the bare areas, carrying my skis in my pack and skied when the route was covered by snow and significant drifts. I ended up skiing more than I hiked.
I spied bluebirds and chickadees. I noted fresh critter tracks, possibly one set from a passing bobcat, and another from a wandering coyote. I even spotted two moose in the woods. Luckily I saw them first and got Dobby on leash before they caught his interest. We passed without incident, the moose hardly giving us the time of day.
The key to enjoying spring in Wyoming is to remain flexible. There’s opportunity for skiing, cycling and hiking, all in the same week and sometimes in the same day.
Relish the peace when the wind stops, the sun comes out and skies turn blue. Such bouts can be fleeting, but one thing is for certain: The nice weather stretches will gradually outnumber the crummy days.
This is spring in Wyoming.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local_news/april-weather-in-wyoming-at-least-it-s-not-boring/article_8887450f-16d0-5162-931b-0e6290d3d121.html
| 2022-04-09T13:59:37Z
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The following calls were included in the Albany County Sheriff’s Office responses:
MONDAY, APRIL 4• 10 a.m., Albany County Area, report of death
• 4:25 p.m., Wyoming Highway 230, animal bite
TUESDAY, APRIL 5• 8:06 a.m., Interstate 80, accident
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6
• 1:12 p.m., 500 block of E. University Ave., possible domestic disturbance
• 3:02 p.m., intersection of S. 3rd St. and Soldier Springs Rd., possible impaired driving
THURSDAY, APRIL 7
• 1:55 p.m., Albany County Area, emergency
• 3:54 p.m., 700 block of Rampart Rd., emergency
• 5:47 p.m., Albany County Area, accident
• 7:20 p.m., Albany County Area, accident
The following calls were included in the Laramie Police Department responses:
MONDAY, APRIL 4
• 12:21 p.m., intersection of S. 13th St. and E. Sheridan St., animal bite
• 12:58 p.m., 1300 block of E. Fetterman Dr., theft
• 1:11 p.m., 500 block of S. Grant St., emergency
• 3:42 p.m., 1800 block of Skyline Rd., disturbance/harassment-threats
• 4:06 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., shoplifting
• 4:45 p.m., intersection of W. Snowy Range Rd. and S. Adams St., traffic hazard
• 9:03 p.m., 900 block of N. 3rd St., disturbance/harassment-threats
TUESDAY, APRIL 5
• 7:44 a.m., 1300 block of N. 22nd St., theft
• 8:57 a.m., 1700 block of Boulder Dr., fighting
• 9:55 a.m., 3800 block of E. Grand Ave., possible impaired driving
• 10:59 a.m., 3100 block of E. Grand Ave., hit and run
• 11 a.m., 1300 block of N. 22nd St., possible sexual offense
• 12:03 p.m., intersection of S. 21st St. and E. Garfield St., accident
• 12:56 p.m., intersection of S. 9th St. and E. Grand Ave., accident
• 2:23 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., shoplifting
• 3:16 p.m., intersection of S. 4th St. and E. Ord St., wildlife
• 3:52 p.m., 2000 block of Binford St., accident
• 3:58 p.m., 200 block of S. 3rd St., theft
• 4 p.m., intersection of S. 12th St. and E. Grand Ave., traffic hazard
• 5:02 p.m., 4000 block of Bobolink Ln., assault and battery
• 5:29 p.m., 1800 block of E. Steele St., vandalism
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6
• 1:12 p.m., 500 block of E. University Ave., possible domestic disturbance
• 1:18 p.m., intersection of N. 11th St. and E. Flint St., hit and run
• 1:52 p.m., 1000 block of N. McCue St., possible child abuse
• 3:02 p.m., intersection of S. 3rd St. and Soldier Springs Rd., possible impaired driving
• 7:29 p.m., 1700 block of E. Palmer Dr., theft/unauthorized use of vehicle
• 9:52 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., shoplifting
THURSDAY, APRIL 7
• 1:39 p.m., 1500 block of Whitman St., emergency
• 2:40 p.m., 200 block of N. Taylor St., theft
• 3:48 p.m., 400 block of N. 3rd St., disorderly conduct
• 4:56 p.m., 1400 block of N. Cedar St., disturbance/harassment-threats
• 6:07 p.m., 2100 block of Wyoming Ave., burglary
• 6:32 p.m., 1500 block of N. McCue St., possible impaired driving
• 7:33 p.m., 900 block of Boulder Dr., disturbance/harassment-threats
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local_news/arrest_record_and_police_calls/april-9-on-the-record/article_ad89834d-1d20-5b39-af48-dbc24be6699c.html
| 2022-04-09T13:59:43Z
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There is perhaps nothing more evocative of the American West than herds of elk, mule deer or pronghorn moving freely across the landscape. And a new series of detailed maps reveals their migration pathways thanks to a team of state, federal and tribal scientists.
The second volume in a series, the detailed maps will help wildlife managers conserve the big-game migrations that support herd abundance and provide cultural significance and economic benefits to regional communities.
“Many ungulate herds have to migrate to thrive on the strongly seasonal landscapes of the American West. These corridor maps make it possible to manage those critical movements,” said Matthew Kauffman, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Wyoming, who is the report’s lead author.
Each spring and fall, ungulates move throughout the western United States in sync with critical food resources. But, as the human footprint in West expands, these species increasingly face obstacles such as new subdivisions, energy development, impermeable fences and high-traffic roads on their long journeys.
These barriers can increase mortality from vehicle collisions and disrupt the historical routes used by ungulates, threatening the long-term persistence of existing migrations. Detailed mapping from GPS collar data, like that provided in the “Western Migrations” report series, helps scientists pinpoint those barriers.
State and tribal wildlife agencies manage most of the migratory herds in the western United States. Biologists have long tracked animal movements as a cornerstone of state monitoring and management, but extracting the most biologically meaningful migration corridors from the tangle of individual animal tracks has been technically complex.
To meet the challenge, a partnership known as the Corridor Mapping Team was established in 2018, leveraging expertise from state wildlife agencies, tribes and the USGS. The Corridor Mapping Team consists of analysts from many Western states and tribes and is led by researchers at the USGS Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at UW. The team has been key to developing standard techniques for mapping the corridors and making them available to the public.
The team’s creation and dissemination of Migration Mapper software facilitated the production of maps for Volumes 1 and 2 of “Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States.” These mapping approaches, implemented in collaboration with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and other state wildlife agencies, have gained traction among western land and wildlife managers.
“The big-game corridor mapping program is strongly supported by western fish and wildlife agencies and serves as a model of how empirical science facilitates collaborative, landscape-level conservation efforts through state and federal cooperation,” said Zachary Lowe, executive director of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “I am hard-pressed to think of many other successful landscape conservation efforts that have garnered such broad support from these diverse stakeholders so quickly.”
Unique from the first volume, the second report in the series includes maps of two mule deer populations that migrate across the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, which are primarily managed by the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Department of Fish and Game.
Other new maps delineate migrations that span state boundaries, such as the Sheldon-Hart Mountain pronghorn that move between Nevada and Oregon and the Paunsaugunt mule deer that migrate between Utah and Arizona.
“This atlas of ungulate migrations is an incredible resource for anyone who cares about the West’s big-game herds and the challenges they face,” said Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
Many agencies and conservation groups have developed collaborative programs to sustain migrations by building road underpasses or overpasses to mitigate wildlife-vehicle collisions; removing obsolete and impassable fences; and protecting agricultural lands from development.
“This migration research comes at a pivotal time as we tackle the threats of nature loss and climate change,” said Jamie Williams, president of The Wilderness Society. “We commend the Department of the Interior for its commitment to strong collaboration with state and tribal wildlife agencies. This report makes the science clear and, with these maps in hand, local communities can work with state and federal land managers to sustain the vital habitats these herds require to move and thrive across the West.”
To explore migration routes and ranges, visit the interactive WesternMigrations.net portal.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local_news/report-maps-western-big-game-migrations/article_b9a815e2-ec92-56e5-afdd-48668ebe3709.html
| 2022-04-09T13:59:49Z
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CHEYENNE — Laramie County District Attorney Leigh Anne Manlove could owe the state’s attorney oversight board more than $91,000.
An “Affidavit of Costs and Expenses” was filed with the Wyoming Supreme Court March 11. That was the same day a panel chosen from the Wyoming State Bar’s full Board of Professional Responsibility filed its official recommendation with the court to disbar Manlove.
That official report reiterated the recommendation the hearing panel issued Feb. 11, following the conclusion of a seven-day disciplinary hearing. It found Manlove had violated six rules of professional conduct for attorneys in the state.
The list of costs, accompanied by copies of invoices and receipts, was submitted to the Supreme Court “for review for purposes of determining assessment of costs, if any, in the proceeding,” the affidavit said. It totals $91,196.96.
The affidavit articulating these costs was made public following the Supreme Court’s approval Monday of a motion by the DA. The motion sought to make certain documents filed with them in the case part of the public record.
At $64,635.75, the largest set of costs were those associated with the hearing taking place at Little America Hotel & Resort: lodging, meals, meeting space and use of audio/visual equipment. The Wyoming Room, the ballroom in which the disciplinary hearing was held, cost $1,200 each day – except for the two Fridays the ballroom was used, when the price increased to $2,600.
Other costs included $12,882.75 in expenses for transcription services, and $2,803.18 in additional mileage, lodging and meal expenses for the three members of the hearing panel.
Also listed was $9,332.28 in investigation and hearing expenses incurred by Special Bar Counsel Weston W. Reeves, who represented the Bar in the case.
Invoices for Reeves’ Park Street Law Office in Casper, related to formal complaints filed with the Bar against Manlove, were submitted dating back to March 4, 2021.
Most of the line items were redacted.
Manlove’s attorney in the case, Stephen Melchior, said Thursday that Manlove’s response to the hearing panel’s recommendation would address the cost and expense claims.
The district attorney has until May 2 to file a formal response to the panel’s recommendation, following an extension recently granted to her by the Supreme Court.
The state Supreme Court will ultimately decide what disciplinary action is taken against Manlove, including how much of the more than $91,000 she may ultimately owe.
This process will likely take several months.
Formal charges filed by the Office of Bar Counsel last year with the State Bar alleged Manlove had mishandled the prosecution of cases in Laramie County and inappropriately dismissed certain cases and that she created a hostile work environment for employees of the district attorney’s office, among other accusations.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/manlove-could-owe-91k-in-hearing-costs/article_2d8cddbe-a17b-5165-ad6f-2cbd10298499.html
| 2022-04-09T13:59:55Z
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USDA Forest Service is hiring, including in WyomingThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is hiring hundreds of positions in recreation and archaeology across the nation. Some of those jobs are in Wyoming.
Jobs are open April 6-19, the agency announced in an email Wednesday. The spots “are available in a variety of exciting and rewarding locations, including the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland.”
Medicine Bow-Routt is located in Colorado and the central and northeastern parts of Wyoming. Thunder Basin is in northeastern Wyoming.
“We are looking for talented, diverse applicants to help us manage the recreation and archaeology of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland,” said Russ Bacon, a forest supervisor. “If you’re interested in working outdoors, stewarding public lands and serving our local communities, I encourage you to apply.”
Applications are only accepted via usajobs.gov. Another website to check out is fs.usda.gov/fsjobs.
The agency listed several contacts for Wyoming. For Laramie, it listed Frank Romero, whose email address is frank.e.romero@usda.gov.
Senate passes act to expand public land mappingThe U.S. Senate has passed the Modernizing Access to our Public Land Act, according to the office of one of its co-sponsors. The proposal is designed to improve public land mapping.
The office of Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who was among the legislators sponsoring this bill, said Friday that now that his fellow senators have approved this legislation that is known as the MAP Land Act, it “will now go to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.” Fellow Wyoming Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis also is a backer of the bill.
According to Senate Bill 904’s official summary, it “directs the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to jointly develop and adopt interagency standards to ensure compatibility and interoperability among federal databases for the collection and dissemination of outdoor recreation data related to federal lands.” Those agencies would need to “digitize and publish geographic information system mapping data” covering things like when trails and roads are open and closed, boundaries of some hunting areas and details on certain bodies of water.
This “will allow America’s sportsmen and women easy access to digital maps of our public lands and waters,” said Barrasso in a written statement. “The bill will help fishermen, hunters, and hikers to easily plan their adventures. The people of Wyoming understand the importance of promoting outdoor access while ensuring private property rights are protected.”
Among the lawmakers from both parties who also sponsored the bill are, from nearby states, Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; Steve Daines, R-Mont.; Jon Tester, D-Mont; and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.
Reinstatement of EPA water rule reduces uncertainty
Gov. Mark Gordon is applauding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate the Trump-era Clean Water Act Section 401 permitting rule, pending the outcome of litigation in the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
The Court overturned an earlier ruling from a lower bench and put back into place an Environmental Protection Agency rule that prohibits consideration of issues not directly related to water quality when permitting pipelines, dams and other federally approved projects.
Wyoming is part of a coalition of states that petitioned the Supreme Court to reinstate the rule.
“It is clear that the congressional purpose of the Clean Water Act is to protect and maintain water quality,” Gordon said. “Wyoming has been adversely impacted by other states’ misapplication of Section 401 of the Clean Water Act in their attempts to block new pipelines and coal export terminals. I have long advocated for a modernized approach that ties the scope of Section 401 review back to water quality-related impacts. The Trump rule did just that. As one of the states who sought and obtained this stay from the U.S. Supreme Court, we look forward to a favorable outcome from the appeal.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/outdoors/out-and-about/article_6c97c335-7a13-57b1-ab3f-45267070ba58.html
| 2022-04-09T14:00:02Z
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On Ukraine, the neo-isolationists of the right are fighting the last war.
They warn of a return to the belligerent mood that led to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 — never mind that they are warning the wrong country.
If the U.S. launched a large-scale military intervention 20 years ago without adequately calculating the risks or understanding the political and culture contours of the country it would occupy, it is the Russians, not the Ukrainians, the Europeans or us, who are now replicating that mistake.
Giving the Ukrainians Javelin missiles to fire at armored columns encircling their cities is a far cry from taking over a large Middle Eastern country with no clear exit plan.
The idea that the U.S. national mood is disturbingly akin to that of 2003 leaves out something extremely important — September 11.
We wouldn’t have invaded Afghanistan or Iraq if it hadn’t been for the shock of one of the most brazen and destructive attacks on the homeland in American history. It’s not possible for any overseas event playing out on our TV screens to equal the rawness and emotional power of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Still, the neo-isolationists, who call themselves realists or “restrainers,” want to believe that we are on the verge of a dangerous escalation in Ukraine. While there have been prominent voices who have called for a no-fly zone that would constitute such an escalation, President Joe Biden has been resolutely against it and the balance of opinion on left and right is opposed as well. Absent a truly game-changing event on the ground in Ukraine, it is simply not a viable option.
What we are talking about, realistically, is ramping up material support to Ukrainians and further sanctions on Russia. Both should be undertaken with care, but neither is tantamount to starting World War III.
As Jacob Heilbrunn noted in a dispatch for Politico from an “emergency” conference held by restrainers in Washington, D.C., their preferred policy approach is basically to allow the Ukrainians to get conquered by the Russians as soon as possible for their own good — that way, the Russians will stop rocketing their cities to rubble.
The citizens of Bucha might find this a very odd form of solicitude. One can only imagine what the restrainer advice would have been to the Greek city states resisting the advances of the Persian empire in the 5th century B.C., to the Carthaginians during the Punic wars, or to the Russians during Napoleon’s invasion.
Submit to your foreign overlords, who seek to occupy or dismember your country and destroy your democratically elected government, is not counsel many nations are ever eager to take.
Indeed, for writers and analysts who style themselves as realists, the restrainers display a profound lack of awareness of how motivated people feel, even when badly outgunned, to defend their culture and their homeland when an invader comes seeking to impose foreign rule.
It is certainly true that Bush administration foreign policy became much too idealistic, bordering on otherworldly, over time. That doesn’t mean that, in reaction, we need to jettison all moral discernment in foreign affairs. Yes, Ukraine is a corrupt and ramshackle democracy, but there can be no doubt about its superiority to Vladimir Putin’s venal dictatorship, or about Russia’s culpability for launching a hideous war of aggression.
To say otherwise is to ignore all the relevant distinctions in this conflict — between who is the aggressor and who is the defender, who hates the West and who wants to join it, who gave up their nukes decades ago and who is making nuclear threats, and by the way, who has been winning against the odds and whose vaunted military machine has been repeatedly embarrassed.
In seeking to avoid the mistake of 2003, the restrainers are making their own mistake of 2022.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/its-not-2003-again/article_c94d175a-603c-598d-901d-e8d761f2223c.html
| 2022-04-09T14:00:08Z
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In early April, shocking video surfaced revealing the brutal murder of civilians by an occupying army. The year was 2010, however, not 2022, in Iraq, not Ukraine, and the soldiers were American, not Russian.
On April 5, 2010, Wikileaks, the whistleblower website, released a classified U.S. military video it called “Collateral Murder.” The video was recorded on July 12, 2007, aboard a U.S. Army Apache helicopter gunship as it fired on a crowd in Baghdad. Two Reuters employees were killed, along with at least 8 others, and two children were seriously injured. The video includes audio of U.S soldiers laughing and swearing as they kill, as well as radio transmissions authorizing the attacks from their chain of command. Ultimately, only one U.S. soldier was prosecuted: Army Private Chelsea Manning was court martialed, not for participating in that attack on civilians, but for revealing it to the world.
“Collateral Murder” and the trove of documents Manning uploaded to Wikileaks, the Iraq War Logs and the Afghan War Logs, documented numerous atrocities committed by the U.S. in cold, military jargon.
In the 12 years since the video was released, military conflicts and the inevitable crimes that accompany them have raged around the world, from Congo to Sudan, Ethiopia and Tigray to Libya, from Yemen to Burma to West Papua, to name just a few. In Ukraine, the level of video and photographic documentation, satellite imagery and drone footage published instantaneously and shared globally is unprecedented.
Images of dead civilians littering the streets of Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, many executed with their hands bound behind their backs, have shocked the world. Hospitals have been bombed across the country, as have civilian shelters. Russia is also accused of deploying a new type of antipersonnel landmine, which explodes not only when stepped on but merely when a person walks near them. War crimes have reportedly been committed by Ukrainian defenders as well, against Russian prisoners of war and suspected collaborators.
So-called “rules of engagement” are regularly ignored in the all-consuming violence and barbarism of war. U.S. and coalition troops were guilty of this in Afghanistan, as documented by Manning’s disclosures to Wikileaks and often corroborated by journalists and human rights investigators. Few, if any, of those who committed atrocities will ever be held accountable.
“Unfortunately, the U.S. would not allow the International Criminal Court to even investigate potential U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan, and there were many of them,” Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the peace group CodePink, said this week on the Democracy Now! news hour, shortly after returning from a U.S. women’s delegation to Afghanistan. “The U.S. is not even a party to the International Criminal Court. It would be nice to have a judgment against those who took us into this war in Afghanistan.”
President Biden recently doubled down on his accusation that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a war criminal. Many world leaders are following suit. The traditional venue for investigation and prosecution of war crimes, since its founding in the 1990s, is the International Criminal Court (ICC), created by the Rome Statute, currently ratified by 123 nations. The United States has consistently rejected formal ratification, as has Russia. Ukraine as well is not a signatory to the ICC but has granted the body limited jurisdiction over events in its territory since late 2013, when Ukraine was consumed by the Maidan protests, the overturning of its pro-Russian government, followed by Russia’s annexation of Crimea, ongoing military conflict in the Donbas region, and the current invasion.
Biden’s escalating rhetoric against Putin will continue to ring hollow as long as the U.S. rejects the ICC. In June 2020, Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump went so far as to sanction senior ICC figures, blocking them from entering the U.S. Then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo referred to the ICC as a “thoroughly broken and corrupted institution.” What triggered the Trump administration was the ICC’s investigation of possible U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. Biden, to his credit, removed these absurd sanctions. But he still refuses to submit to the authority of the ICC, while at the same time promoting a war crimes prosecution of Putin.
We need a uniform standard of justice to hold accountable perpetrators of war crimes, wherever they may occur. The U.S. should join the majority of the world, ratify the Rome Statute, and respect the authority and jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/we-need-a-uniform-standard-of-justice-from-ukraine-to-afghanistan/article_3f35d9a9-4bfd-5167-9bd5-a782c8b388f1.html
| 2022-04-09T14:00:14Z
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Get to know more about the charming and charismatic Matthew, 11. As much as he is charming, he is equally known for his kind demeanor and love of sharks. Blue is his favorite color, and he is said to be a skilled artist.
Matthew loves to play football and watch YouTube videos in his free time. He is even known to pick up a controller and play video games. Matthew idolizes Superman, and if able to choose powers, flying would be the ultimate choice. Chicken and pizza are a frequent ask when it comes to mealtime. He does well with younger-aged peers. Matthew dreams of spending the day on the beach and going to Disneyland.
He is now in the sixth grade. Matthew is always excited to learn science.
Matthew would do best in a family living in a more urban area, in which he is the youngest child in the home; however, his caseworker will consider all family types. He will need to remain in contact with his sister following placement. Financial assistance may be available for adoption-related services. Matthew lives in Nevada. Child ID: 214495
Child profiles are provided by Raise the Future at www.raisethefuture.org. For more information about waiting children, contact Raise the Future at 800-451-5246.
An approved adoption home study is required to be considered for placement of a child. Children can be placed across state lines, so Wyoming families are encouraged to inquire, regardless of the child’s current state of residence.
For information about becoming an adoptive parent, contact Wyoming Children’s Society at 307-632-7619 or visit www.wyomingcs.org.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/a_child_waits/a-child-waits-4-9-22/article_4b54c54d-cce4-58d4-b92c-de1725e716d1.html
| 2022-04-09T14:00:20Z
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CHEYENNE – The Cheyenne Artwalk, which has traditionally been held every second Thursday of the month, is being rebranded into a first Friday event beginning May 6.
Arts Cheyenne is introducing the new format in an effort to attract a larger crowd and more newcomers to the event with a “party-like” atmosphere, one venue at a time. Every month, a different Artwalk venue around town will be highlighted, featuring food, drinks, artist workshops and live music to accompany the featured exhibit.
“Over the course of time, we've made adjustments, we've made changes, we've tried to do different things within the context of Artwalk,” said Bill Lindstrom, executive director of Arts Cheyenne. “Those have been moderately successful in respect to being an interesting thing for people to come out and see and to connect with the arts in that sort of ad-hoc fashion.
“The new version of this is absolutely to attach a Friday night environment to the Artwalk, which has always been an attractive night for people to come out, in general.”
First Fridays are a known entity around the country. Denver has a large and established celebration in locations like River North, referred to as the RiNo district, Tennyson Street Cultural District and the Art District on Santa Fe, the city's largest Artwalk.
Renee Jelinek, co-owner of The Lincoln Theatre and Paramount Cafe, was also the Arts Cheyenne board member who introduced the idea to the rest of the board.
“I think sometimes people can feel a little bit intimidated to walk into a gallery, and the Artwalk makes it just feel like a much more casual thing,” Jelinek said.
“With rebranding it, we wanted to create more of a community event, making it something that is more of an occasion to get people to come out and perhaps go to a different venue than they would normally go to."
The first venue to be featured will be a neutral location – the Cheyenne Depot – to accompany the second annual Fine Art Exchange. By next week, the board will have solidified the schedule of venues to be featured in the coming year.
With the ArtHaus slated for completion in early May, Arts Cheyenne also plans to park the mobile gallery outside any featured venue to expand the available space.
The idea has been floating around Arts Cheyenne for some years now. After COVID-19 slowed in-person interaction, it pushed the board to find a way to revitalize the Artwalk.
Mixed views
It is Jelinek’s opinion that this will attract people to come downtown on Friday night to eat, drink and visit different galleries in a way that they haven’t been incentivized to do before.
But gallery owners around downtown have mixed opinions about Arts Cheyenne’s approach to changing Artwalk. Despite some hesitancy, they’re hoping that the change will attract some interest to the monthly event after interest has dwindled in recent years.
“At this point, I'm interested to see if their ideas and assumptions are true,” Camelia El-Antably, co-owner of Clay Paper Scissors Art Gallery, said about creating a “party atmosphere.” “If they are, great. I’m willing to do what I can to make it good.
“I'm not convinced that it will, but I'm also open to trying it and seeing what happens, and I’m hopeful that it will make a difference.”
Georgia Rowswell, co-owner of Blue Door Arts, has also heard mixed responses from the community. She said some felt like Thursday night was specially reserved for the local arts, while others are excited that Arts Cheyenne is trying something new.
Rowswell shares an opinion with the latter – she’s happy to see that the organization is seeking new ways to interact with the community. Her main reservation, however, in the hope that the change continues to prop up the visual arts, rather than turning all attention to the celebration around them.
“Our initial concerns with some of the venues were that it'll be great for whoever's having the party, but does that just sort of monopolize the crowd from the other events?” Rowswell said.
For more than 10 years now, the Artwalk has been the only event centered around the visual arts to be regularly held downtown, and there’s a push to maintain its focus on the arts.
Lindstrom and Arts Cheyenne anticipate that creating a single “hub” for people to flock to during the Artwalk will only encourage them to branch out to other participants downtown. He calls it the “Cheyenne Frontier Days phenomenon,” where one event can drive business to anything within a certain radius.
"We feel that they won't lose anything,” Lindstrom said. “If anything, they will attract more people to the equation. At least that's our hope, that the sheer numbers are going to increase the overall attendance at all the other venues.”
Arts Cheyenne is set to announce the schedule and full list of participants by the end of next week, as well as unveil an all new Artwalk webpage where residents can check in on activities and culinary features.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/cheyenne-artwalk-moving-to-first-friday-starting-in-may/article_742cae66-e132-54a4-90de-ce4a2e8f79f9.html
| 2022-04-09T14:00:26Z
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/silent_witness/silent-witness-4-9-22/article_b0ddcfc8-4acc-5f33-95cb-f9b82d275fe9.html
| 2022-04-09T14:00:33Z
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Vladimir Putin is savagely attacking Ukraine. Innocent people are dying as Putin continues his murderous march.
There’s a different kind of war going on at home, and it’s directly related to Russia. It is President Biden’s war on American energy. Putin’s invasion has further exposed the failures of the administration’s radical anti-American energy policies.
The president recently claimed, “It’s simply not true that my administration or policies are holding back domestic energy production.” This is simply false.
Since day one, this president’s focus has been on ending the production and use of American oil, natural gas and coal. He killed the Keystone XL pipeline. Then he froze oil and gas leasing on federal lands. His administration has made it virtually impossible to build new natural gas pipelines and storage facilities.
The president’s policies, nominees and rhetoric have worsened market uncertainty and frightened off would-be investors in our oil and gas sector. Now we’re seeing the results. Energy prices are skyrocketing. Gasoline has nearly doubled in price since the president’s inauguration. There’s pain at the pump, and expensive utility bills brought tough choices for families across Wyoming this winter.
The president’s decision to waive sanctions on Putin’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline was another mistake. Our policy should be to make Europe less reliant on Russian energy, not more. To do that, we need to replace Russian energy with more American energy.
We need a new approach that embraces Wyoming and the rest of the nation’s energy abundance. American energy is not just good for our economy and international competitiveness. Making America energy dominant will increase our nation’s and our allies’ security.
The White House is out of ideas. When recently asked about what he can do to lower gasoline prices for Americans, President Biden responded with, “They’re going to go up. Can’t do much right now.” We need a better approach.
We need to act. Earlier this month, we, along with every Republican on the Senate Energy Committee, sent a letter to President Biden outlining these 10 sensible steps to spur greater American energy production and deny Putin cash for his war machine.
The Interior Department must hold new oil and natural gas lease sales on federal lands and waters, where about a quarter of our oil comes from. We have to use the energy we have here in Wyoming and across the country.
Financial regulators need to stop regulatory mandates that raise the cost of financing and make it more difficult for energy companies to raise capital. That means less production and more inflation.
The White House can’t even agree to speed up all the pending approvals for liquefied natural gas exports to our allies. Congress should pass legislation doing just that. It will make them and us more secure.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has to stop restricting new natural gas pipeline approvals. Making more American natural gas available to Americans and our allies cannot happen without additional infrastructure.
Internationally, we should finance natural gas and coal power plants. Denying U.S. support for these projects will drive developing countries to China for financing.
We should start buying American-mined uranium for a strategic reserve. More than 90% of the uranium we use is imported, including from Russia. Nuclear power is the largest source of carbon-free energy and is key to our national security. It’s time to ban imports of Russian uranium and use the vast uranium resources we have in Wyoming.
We need to update and streamline our permitting process. Vital energy projects shouldn’t get tied up in years of red tape.
The president should withdraw the executive order cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline. This will send a massive signal that we are open for business.
We should work with the E.U. to develop their shale resources through hydraulic fracturing technologies. Putin has been financing campaigns throughout Europe to scare people about this technology. They have worked. We need to counter these myths.
Finally, we have critical minerals here at home that the Democrats won’t let us mine. We should approve these mines right away. That’s how we secure our supply chain and get away from minerals from Russia and China.
Last month, the president said he would “work like the devil” to protect American families and businesses from rising energy prices and inflation. If he’s serious about helping American families, and our Ukrainian allies, he’ll implement these 10 policies – and start today.
America is the world’s energy superpower. It is time we started acting like it again.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/barrasso-and-lummis-how-to-restore-americas-energy-dominance/article_f4fef749-5a83-5e9c-bc50-6aa584d04100.html
| 2022-04-09T14:00:39Z
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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 this 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. He needs a quiet respite to rest, relax and regenerate. He needs to do this alone.
For me, when I need recharging, 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 occurs, 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 us. It can always be another reason that someone needs time alone. It isn’t always about us.
Here’s 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, your bathroom mirror or your car visor. Look at them often, and when something happens in life that sets off your internal blame game, remember to Q-tip it!
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 Hunt is a Cheyenne-based author, blogger and speaker who teaches how to “Love Your Life ... NO MATTER WHAT!” Email: penniehunt@gmail.com.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/hunt-dont-take-it-personally-q-tip-it/article_ba5226ce-a47d-5e97-b2da-80d528f03aa2.html
| 2022-04-09T14:00:45Z
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I think this is the busiest week I have had since being elected mayor. I counted 43 meetings this week. This is the week we meet with our treasurer and every city department to go over their budget requests. I love the opportunity to meet with them and learn their priorities and needs for the next fiscal year.
This week, the base is hosting the Global Strike Senior Leader Conference. The leadership of the 8th Air Force and 20th Air Force are all here. I am a Global Strike Civic Leader, and this means I get a chance to attend the meetings and learn all that is happening in our nuclear Air Force.
Last Saturday saw a couple of amazing opportunities. It is prom season, and it costs a lot to attend. Jean Richardson started to collect prom dresses to give out to ladies who needed them 15 years ago. It has become a mission to make prom dresses available to every girl in our city that needs one. ANB Bank donated a showroom so Jean could get the dresses out of her basement. It felt like a boutique when I walked in. A half dozen ladies were there to help the girls find the perfect dress from the almost 400 in inventory. It was great to see the excitement on the faces of the girls getting ready for the big dance.
Later that day, I joined Alf and Ms. Sallee at Lowes, where they were selling raffle tickets to benefit local veterans. Lowes had donated a riding lawn mower and BBQ grill, and Budweiser donated some fun sports equipment. These two folks spend so much time working to help veterans, I can’t say enough about their efforts. All the money goes to their veterans’ projects. (Big disappointment in not winning the riding lawn mower!)
Our Community Recreation and Events (CRE) department consists of our parks, forestry, recreation, facilities, aquatics, golf, Botanic Gardens and cemetery. Teresa Moore and Jason Sanchez are the folks who help direct this huge department. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, their department took some hits to the budget. With the school district stopping grade school sports programs, their sports participation has skyrocketed. The challenge is to find the resources to help them keep up with the demand of the public to get outdoors and enjoy our programs and facilities. Inflation is not helping.
The City Clerk’s Office is another department that is asking for help to bridge the gap from the old way of doing business to the new way, where everything is online and saved to the cloud. Kris Jones started out as the administrative assistant for the City Council back in my time, and she has been the clerk for a few years now. The big ask is for help in getting the computer software and help to get everything updated and online. We are definitely making progress.
Human Resources’ ask for next year is for software to help with performance appraisals and feedback. With this many full-time employees, using technology is making everyone’s job easier. Darrin Hass, our HR director, is also working to implement Cheyenne U. It is a training program to help our employees get the skills needed to advance their careers and make their current jobs easier. Twenty-five courses, taught by our staff and others, can make a world of difference. In this environment, finding and hiring good employees is a challenge. Our HR department is working hard to make a difference.
Chief Kopper from our fire department shared his priorities for the future. Our city is growing, and this makes meeting our response standards a challenge. Your support of the sixth-penny sales tax will make a huge difference with the three new stations. Replacing Marsha Connour in the office after 40 years of service is going to be the biggest challenge in the next couple of years. Our plan is to hire her replacement early so she can pass on the vast knowledge. Our 91 firefighters are dedicated to the safety of our residents.
Our police department is struggling with the cost of inflation and supply chain shortages. Getting things like ammo and other supplies is getting harder and more expensive. With the growth of the city, “business is getting busier” in police speak. Getting them the needed help, both on the street and in the back office, is the biggest ask. We have 110 officers that work to make our streets safe. Chief Francisco is new to Cheyenne and tells everyone how much he loves our department and city. I gave him back the Kansas City Chiefs jersey – won’t need it anymore, as the Denver Broncos have a new quarterback, and it is time for the blue and orange to win.
Stefanie Boster is our city attorney. She is our newest director and came to us with City Council experience in Casper. The biggest need in our attorney’s office is to hire a new deputy city attorney. The city is growing, and that means too many contracts, MOUs, professional services agreements, resolutions, ordinances and general questions for one attorney. We are looking for an experienced attorney to take the load off Stefanie. Hoping someone out there can fill the bill. I promise, it is a great place to work.
Our planning department is charged with making sure our current development meets our codes, and that we are planning for the way the city will grow in the future. Charles Bloom gave us the outline for his budget needs for the next year, and he gave us a glimpse of what it will take for the planning department to meet the future. One thing I took note of is the need to do a parks and recreation master plan. It was 2006 when our last one was done.
We are blessed to have Tom Cobb as our city engineer. His needs for the next year revolve around hiring the staff needed to keep up with the growth of the city. We want to provide timely customer service, and that will take more help in the near future. We also discussed some of the drainage issues we have targeted over the past year. Good news is we are making progress in this arena.
Our municipal court moved into their new building a few years ago. It is such a nice addition to our downtown. Judge Tony Ross is our senior judge, and he shared that the court is getting busier and busier. The challenge is to add the help to keep up with the volume. It is sad that business is this good.
I think one of the hardest departments to run is our compliance department. Compliance is responsible for nuisance complaints, animal control, our building inspectors and risk management. It is hard to take complaints from the community and get them worked out. Eric Fountain is the director, and he always has a positive attitude and gets the job done.
The last budget meeting of the week was with our IT department. My biggest concern is computer attacks. We are making the investments to make sure our system is safe. Tyler and Dustin make me feel comfortable that they have things under control. One thing they suggested is ongoing cybersecurity training for our staff to make sure we don’t fall prey to a scam.
The Global Strike Senior Leader Conference has been a blast this week. We have been blessed to hear from an expert on China that opened my eyes. A couple of folks who give the command advice on Russia educated the group on Russian history and how it influences today’s leaders. The Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Brown gave us an update on the state of the Air Force, and challenged us to help the airmen living in our community successfully integrate into our communities.
General Cotton is the commander of this diverse command, and I really enjoyed hearing his vision and understanding what the troops he commands do to protect our nation. Cheyenne is blessed to have F.E. Warren Air Force Base, and I ask our community to look for ways to help make their airmen feel welcomed here.
If you have a question for me, send it to media@cheyennecity.org. I’ll continue to answer them in my future Mayor’s Minute columns.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/mayor-s-minute-budget-requests-means-43-meetings-in-one-week/article_ff5da992-c33b-58fd-b5fe-b60c84b3bd5c.html
| 2022-04-09T14:00:51Z
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UP to local government officials for working to control costs on sixth-penny sales tax projects by self-funding some of the larger ones until this tax money has been collected.
After voters approved $128 million worth of projects last fall, inflation skyrocketed, sending the prices of building materials through the roof. That’s why it makes sense for Laramie County to get going now on its new senior center, Emergency Management Agency storage building and a sewer connection to Archer, and Cheyenne to start construction as soon as possible on three new fire stations, the cemetery irrigation project and buying replacement fire trucks.
In some cases, reserve funds are being used temporarily and will be replenished by the sales tax money as it comes in. With a few projects, bonds may be issued to borrow enough money to get things going.
Either way, this is good stewardship by our public officials, both those in elected office and those who work behind the scenes in local treasurer’s offices. We appreciate this work, and know we’ll all be better off for it as these funds are stretched farther than they otherwise would have been.
DOWN to President Joe Biden for trying to convince Americans that releasing a record amount of oil from the country’s strategic reserves is going to significantly reduce the price motorists pay at the pump. Industry experts know that’s not the case, which makes such actions little more than election year posturing as Democrats hope they can hold on to control of both houses of Congress.
It would be better for the president to spend time looking for other solutions, including developing a less muddled strategy within his own administration for domestic energy production.
At the same time, we also give a DOWN to our congressional delegation, led by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., for trying to convince us that restricting lease sales for drilling on federal land is the main problem. It’s true that the Biden administration’s actions have thrown some uncertainty into the market, but the reality is oil companies are already sitting on more leases than they can drill in the near future.
This and other similar GOP attacks are simply convenient talking points. They don’t get to the heart of the matter in any meaningful way.
Both political parties need to spend less time blaming the other side and more time working on long-term solutions to this issue – for the benefit of our pocketbooks and our national security.
UP to the city of Cheyenne for shutting down public access to a portion of the East Cheyenne Community Open Space until July 15 to protect wildlife.
The area around the large pond is home to a variety of waterfowl, which are nesting and raising their offspring this time of year, as well as other types of wildlife. People walking their dogs in this area during this time would be too disruptive, causing some birds to abandon their nests or causing stress to young birds that can’t fly yet.
Long-term plans call for this area to become a multi-use park, with amenities similar to those found in Lions Park in north-central Cheyenne. As that transition takes place, we hope city officials will continue to find ways to preserve as much of the natural habitat as possible.
In the meantime, it’s up to all of us to respect the reasons for this closure and refrain from violating it. That means not only staying out of the closed area, but also keeping pets on a leash and not allowing them to harass the wildlife and livestock.
UP to local business owner Maurice “Maury” Brown for withdrawing his application for a retail liquor license in order to allow others a chance to secure the only one the city has to offer at this time.
Mr. Brown, the owner of Town and Country Supermarket Liquors on South Greeley Highway, had planned to open a second location in north Cheyenne.
“At this time, due to questions around our desired location, and Maury wanting to give the smaller entrepreneurs an opportunity to begin a successful business in Cheyenne, we are withdrawing our application,” said a letter read to City Council members by City Clerk Kris Jones. “We wish everyone the best of luck and prosperity in their future ventures.”
Mr. Brown has a long history of philanthropy, and this action is just the latest example. Although he faced stiff competition from 10 other applicants, someone thinking only of themself might have stayed in the running, even if it meant holding onto the license until the property was ready for development.
That’s simply not who Mr. Brown is, though, and we applaud him for making this latest gesture of community support.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/staff_editorials/wte-offers-thumbs-up-and-down-4-9-22/article_8c358a83-53a4-5440-bd28-36c7b8c4094f.html
| 2022-04-09T14:00:57Z
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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/rawlinstimes/news/all-the-buzz-sheep-shearing-class-passes-technique-to-new-generation/article_fe025dbf-50f7-5ef5-b548-474b62967276.html
| 2022-04-09T14:01:04Z
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We’ve had it all the past two weeks: winds clocking in at 60 mph with gusts hitting hurricane velocity, snow blowing horizontally, nippy winter-like wind chills and even balmy spring-like bring-out-the-shorts weather.
Such is April in Wyoming.
In a poem, T.S. Eliot wrote, “April is the cruelest month.”
While his poem “The Waste Land” wasn’t actually referring to the weather, the saying is apropos for Wyoming conditions this time of year. The calendar indicates spring arrived a couple weeks ago, but the weather often tells us otherwise.
I recall a time years ago when I was driving home from Cheyenne about this time of year. The sky was clear and blue, but there was a 50 mph breeze making a significant wind chill. A man was waving, trying to get someone to stop while standing next to his car. He was just in shirt sleeves on a day where a parka was in order.
He was panicked and, since vehicles ahead of me drove on by, I pulled over. As it turned out the man, a visitor from Kentucky, had gotten out of his rental car to take a photo. The view was really quite stunning. Unfortunately, his car door slammed shut and locked while the keys remained in the ignition. The man had accidentally locked himself out.
Being pre-cellphone days, he needed a lift to get help to unlock his car door. I drove him to the nearest public phone so he could call a locksmith for help.
Riding in my truck, I turned the heat on full-blast and he finally stopped shivering.
“Does the wind always blow like this?” he asked.
With a laugh, I explained to him that the breeze is our population control mechanism.
“I bet it works,” he said, not cracking a smile and staring seriously at the road ahead.
Likely it is one factor that turns potential newcomers away, since spring in Wyoming is not for the faint of heart. The change of season from winter to spring is a stutter start here, offering pleasant and mild days, sandwiched between those that are certainly less than delightful.
As a Wyoming native, I know spring is our most trying season. We would rejoice if the prediction from Punxsutawney Phil was true where we would have a mere six more weeks of winter after Groundhog Day. In early February, we know we’re up for a good three months of snow and cold yet.
Two years ago we got a 6-inch dump of heavy, wet snow on June 9. Last year, we had a major blizzard hit Laramie on March 14. There’s one thing about our spring weather: it isn’t boring.
Two weeks ago temperatures soared, getting into the 70s in some parts of the state. It certainly gave me an attack of Spring Fever.
I celebrated the first day of spring this year by combining two activities: hiking and skiing. Dobby, my Australian shepherd, and I enjoyed the overlapping seasons in the Blair area of Pole Mountain.
For those who enjoy non-motorized activities, it’s a great time of year on Pole Mountain when gravel roads are closed to motorized travel. It’s a hiker, cross-country skier, dog-walker and mountain biker’s haven, especially during one of our rare warm spells.
On our outing, I hiked the bare areas, carrying my skis in my pack and skied when the route was covered by snow and significant drifts. I ended up skiing more than I hiked.
I spied bluebirds and chickadees. I noted fresh critter tracks, possibly one set from a passing bobcat, and another from a wandering coyote. I even spotted two moose in the woods. Luckily I saw them first and got Dobby on leash before they caught his interest. We passed without incident, the moose hardly giving us the time of day.
The key to enjoying spring in Wyoming is to remain flexible. There’s opportunity for skiing, cycling and hiking, all in the same week and sometimes in the same day.
Relish the peace when the wind stops, the sun comes out and skies turn blue. Such bouts can be fleeting, but one thing is for certain: The nice weather stretches will gradually outnumber the crummy days.
This is spring in Wyoming.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/april-weather-in-wyoming-at-least-it-s-not-boring/article_f45a6e74-3b90-5b1c-8b3f-3f246f2c0d17.html
| 2022-04-09T14:01:10Z
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Woman acquitted at trial faces new felony charges
CODY (WNE) — A Cody woman who was recently found not guilty in a jury trial and is now facing four new felonies was recently bonded out of jail after being in custody for more than a year.
Chelsea Velker was assessed a $25,000 unsecured bond by Hot Springs County Judge Bobbi Overfield on March 11.
She was first arrested by authorities in January 2021 on charges of allowing a child in the presence of meth. Within minutes of being found not guilty by a jury in December, the Park County Attorney’s Office filed new charges against her for burglary, theft, forgery and conspiracy to commit theft.
Authorities allege Velker and Travis Dawe stole checks from the Caleco Foundry and Sunlight Photographics and also from other individuals. They are also accusing the couple of stealing antique cameras, radio equipment and a computer.
Dawe is facing the same four charges as Velker but no hearings have been scheduled on his case. He was found guilty in the same jury trial as Velker.
In a letter sent to the court on March 2, Velker said she would participate in the Ezekiel 37 Ministries sober living program (in which she said she is already participating) and participate in Park County Drug Court.
During her jury trial, Velker had claimed throughout that she was not a frequent drug user.
“I’m asking to be released so I can move forward,” she wrote.
If found guilty on all charges, Velker could face up to 50 years in prison.
Enrollment now open for Wyoming Connections Academy
LOVELL (WNE) – Open enrollment has begun for Wyoming Connections Academy, giving parents the option of enrolling their students in a virtual school. Wyoming Connections Academy is a statewide online learning outfit that resides in Big Horn School District No. 1.
The academy currently has just over 600 students, principal Shannon Siebert said.
The service ballooned during the height of the pandemic, with Connections Academy reporting its enrollment as 1,200 in 2020.
The enrollment has calmed as brick and mortar schools have returned to their normal functions, but Connections Academy still has significant growth compared to where it stood before the pandemic. Siebert said its highest enrollment before 2020 was 456 students.
The deadline for parents to enroll their K-10 students into Connections Academy is November 14 while grades 11-12 have their cut-off date on October 14. Students who miss those deadlines may still enroll for the winter semester, with that deadline being February 3. Parents can find information and resources on the school’s website: https://www.connectionsacademy. com/wyoming- virtual-school/.
They can also enroll their students on the website. If the necessary documents are at the ready, Siebert said the process only takes three to five days.
Siebert said Connections Academy has been working on updating its core curriculum, making it more interactive and engaging for students.
Siebert said a huge misconception within Wyoming is that students who enroll in Wyoming Connections Academy are unable to join local sports teams.
“They can get involved in local sports activities like football, volleyball, wrestling and golf. They can still do that and attend Wyoming Connections Academy,” Siebert said.
Siebert said the family only needs to become members of the Wyoming High School Activities Association to participate.
Children located safely after Amber Alert
BUFFALO (WNE) — Two Buffalo children have been safely recovered after the Buffalo Police Department issued an Amber Alert on Sunday, a rare occurrence in Johnson County. Less than 24 hours after the Amber Alert was issued, the children were located in Texas.
According to the Amber Alert, issued Sunday night, 4-year old Aspen Roth and 2-year old Serenity Naslaund were taken by their non-custodial mother, Alexis Roth, also of Buffalo. Roth was also traveling with a 3-month old child that she had custody of.
The Buffalo Police Department received a report that the children had been taken at about 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Chief of Police Sean Bissett said. Roth had taken the children from their legal guardians, their grandparents, without their permission and without telling them, he said.
The police department determined that the children could be in danger and decided to issue the Amber Alert.
Amber Alerts, designed to better coordinate state and local resources in the case of missing children, are issued through the Wyoming Highway Patrol in Wyoming.
The alert was broadcast across Wyoming and surrounding states and later, once officers found information indicating Roth might be heading south, it was expanded to New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
Using electronic surveillance and investigatory work, police were able to locate Roth near Amarillo, Texas, and at around 11 a.m. on Monday, Texas law enforcement officers made contact with Roth and the children, Bissett said.
Roth was arrested and has been charged with kidnapping and interference with custody, according to Bissett. Both are felonies. Roth is being held in Texas.
Registration opens for 2022 Heart Mountain Pilgrimage
POWELL (WNE) — Emerging from the challenges of the pandemic, the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation will host its first full in-person pilgrimage in two years.
The 2022 Heart Mountain Pilgrimage will take place July 28-30 and feature workshops, film screenings, educational sessions and a groundbreaking on the Mineta-Simpson Institute at Heart Mountain.
Registration for the event is now open to the general public.
Each year hundreds of visitors make a pilgrimage to the Heart Mountain National Historic Landmark Site, where 14,000 people of Japanese Ancestry — two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens — were incarcerated during World War II.
The journey is taken by former incarcerees, their descendants, friends, and members of the public who “seek to understand this dark and poignant history and its impact on us today.”
“Attendees tell us time and again that the Pilgrimage is a transformational experience, and that they come away feeling deeply connected to this community,” said Heart Mountain Interpretive Center Executive Director Dakota Russell. “I think after the past two years, we all want to feel a little more connected. That’s why it is so exciting to be returning to an in-person event.” For more information, call the center at 307-754-8000 or email info@heartmountain. org.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/around-wyoming/article_0ab3067e-e3af-5c04-9c21-da5f1e0d0bdc.html
| 2022-04-09T14:01:16Z
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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/rawlinstimes/news/chicks-may-be-cute-but-can-spread-ugly-disease/article_3a8cb7be-d93c-5689-afcd-a8970443ff5e.html
| 2022-04-09T14:01:22Z
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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/rawlinstimes/news/councilman-apologizes-for-illegal-group-texts/article_0e1f34f9-c2aa-571f-a7de-f50a6032823e.html
| 2022-04-09T14:01:28Z
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CASPER — Gov. Mark Gordon announced his reelection bid Monday, offering an upbeat message after a first term dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic challenges.
“I do believe that Wyoming is the best place on the Earth bar none, and I believe Wyoming’s best days are ahead of it,” said Gordon, a moderate Republican. “And that’s because of you: the people of Wyoming.”
Gordon’s time in office has been challenging, and he’s faced criticism from his party’s right wing.
He angered many Wyomingites with a statewide mask mandate enacted during a COVID spike in December 2020. He lifted it four months later.
Midway through 2021, as COVID was surging in the state, Gordon said Wyoming would not implement another statewide mask order or require vaccines. That promise held true.
Despite criticism from Gordon’s right flank, there is not a well-known, hard-line conservative challenging him. Challenging an incumbent is already tough, but time is starting to run out for a formidable candidate to raise money and spread awareness about his or her candidacy.
“It’s way too late,” said Bill Novotny, a county commissioner and political consultant. The primary is in August.
Scott Madsen, a Buffalo City Council member and Gordon supporter who attended Monday’s announcement, said opinions of Gordon in the northern Wyoming town are “fairly positive.” Politicians often have strong support in their hometowns (Gordon grew up on a ranch near Kaycee), but the measures the governor’s office took to combat COVID-19 angered people across the board.
“He wasn’t very well liked during the state of emergency and the mandates,” Madsen said. “He wasn’t fully responsible. I think he was getting bad advice.”
Most recently, Gordon successfully pushed for pay raises for state workers because state agencies are experiencing difficulty hiring and retaining workers.
Gordon’s 2018 primary race was crowded with candidates, and he came out on top with 33.4% of the vote. He beat out five other Republican candidates including the late GOP megadonor Foster Friess and natural resources lawyer Harriet Hageman.
Hageman is now the Donald Trump-endorsed candidate running against Rep. Liz Cheney for Wyoming’s lone House seat.
Gordon coasted to victory in the general election, defeating Democrat Mary Throne.
The 2018 gubernatorial primary sparked calls for changes in Wyoming’s electoral system. Some on the far right pushed for a runoff system so that candidates would need majority support to win, though that effort was ultimately unsuccessful.
Friess also blamed his loss on what’s called “crossover voting,” the practice of Democrats and independents changing their affiliation on primary day, typically to vote for more moderate Republicans. The data does not back up Friess’ claim, but the issue has remained a concern for some with the upcoming midterms.
While Wyoming is a deeply red state with the most Republican legislature in the nation, three of the last six governors were Democrats.
The state Democratic Party has not yet announced a candidate.
Gordon was appointed to serve as Wyoming’s treasurer in 2012 after the death of then-treasurer Joseph Meyer. Two years later, Gordon was elected to the post. He’s also a small businessman and rancher.
The governor was born in New York City and attended college in Vermont. Since moving to Wyoming early in his life, he has predominantly lived in Johnson County.
Most of the crowd in attendance at Gordon’s campaign announcement were supporters and longtime friends of the Gordon family. The entrance to the event was surrounded by Gordon yard signs that read, “Wyoming Right.”
The slogan can be interpreted a number of ways, but it’s meant to send a positive message about the state.
“It’s just Wyoming gets everything right. We do,” said Tom Wiblemo, Gordon’s campaign coordinator.
The slogan matches the message the incumbent delivered Monday. It was positive, hopeful and complimentary of the state’s residents.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/governor-gordon-says-hell-seek-second-term/article_ab786f92-82f1-5c86-b68d-fd54652910be.html
| 2022-04-09T14:01:35Z
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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/rawlinstimes/news/group-pushes-to-hand-count-election-results/article_b70c0fa5-eb89-576f-b52c-fc3c2d85263a.html
| 2022-04-09T14:01:41Z
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CHEYENNE — A jury on Monday found a Cheyenne day care worker guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Kristina Eileen Croy was charged in Laramie County District Court following the September 2019 death of an 8-month-old girl who was in her care at the time.
Croy pleaded not guilty to the charge in July 2020. Croy was accused of placing the infant in a too-small swaddling device against her mother’s wishes and against state guidelines. She was also accused of directing an employee of her day care to lie to police following the incident and of changing her story about the incident.
The infant, who was referred to during the trial and in court documents as “M.G.,” was identified by family members as Malia Gavagan.
Involuntary manslaughter, a felony, carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
The jury came back with the guilty verdict around 4:30 p.m. Monday, following about five hours of deliberation. The trial began March 28, and closing arguments took place Monday morning.
Marcia Bean, the county and prosecuting attorney for Big Horn County, was appointed to prosecute the case.
The victim’s grandmother, Eileen Gavagan, worked for former Laramie County District Attorney Scott Homar and maintains a connection with current Laramie County DA Leigh Anne Manlove, who worked as a prosecutor in Homar’s administration.
Bean said Tuesday that the trial, which she said was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and filings by the defendant, was a long time coming. The prosecutor said she was “very happy” that the case was close to a resolution.
“I’m glad for the Gavagans, and I believe that it was an appropriate verdict. The jury worked hard, and so I’m satisfied with how it all came out,” Bean said in an interview.
Eileen Gavagan told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Tuesday that “it was very difficult to remain quiet and emotionless” during the roughly five-day trial.
But as the jury’s guilty verdict was read, “finally we could breathe,” she said.
“The family members and those that loved Malia Gavagan are so grateful for the hard work of the prosecution team,” Eileen Gavagan wrote in an email. “We appreciated the jury’s attentiveness in the trial despite the very difficult circumstances and the emotions that arise when hearing about a child’s death, and seeing videos and photos of a deceased child.
“We are grateful that we had this precious child for 8 months (and) 21 days, and we will forever miss her,” she continued. “We hope for healing and peace and look forward to the sentencing hearing.”
Croy’s attorney, Dion Custis, gave a short statement to the WTE on Tuesday.
“It was an incredibly sad case — a very tough case for anyone to consider, including the jury,” he said.
In his opening argument in the trial, Custis called Malia’s death a “tragic accident,” and said Croy had not done anything criminal. Custis said Croy likely wouldn’t have taken the child into her care if she’d known about Malia’s “health issues,” which he said included being born premature and her mother’s use of marijuana while she was pregnant.
Croy’s attorney said the child was taking medication for acid reflux, but that Croy did not know this. He also referred to Malia as having “breathing issues” and “chronic lung disease.”
Custis said there was documentation that the child could not roll over on her own, meaning it would not have been unsafe to place her in a swaddling device, he said.
Regarding the accusation that Croy had changed her version of events, Custis said the day care worker had been “in a frantic state of mind” following the incident.
In Bean’s opening argument, she said Malia’s mother, Julianne Gavagan, stopped using marijuana when she found out she was pregnant.
Bean characterized the infant as “active” and “healthy” immediately before her death.
Croy remains free on bond pending sentencing.
Eileen and Julianne Gavagan also filed a wrongful death lawsuit in May 2021 in Laramie County District Court. The suit, which names Croy and her day care as defendants, has a scheduling conference set for May 9.
The criminal charge stemmed from a Sept. 25, 2019, incident.
The Cheyenne Police Department responded to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center that afternoon, following the report of a deceased infant, according to a probable cause affidavit written by CPD Detective Allison Baca.
Malia Gavagan had been in Croy’s care. Croy operated the day care “It’s a Child’s World They Matter,” which was licensed by the Wyoming Department of Family Services, the affidavit said.
Croy told law enforcement that she’d found Malia at about 1:20 p.m. that day face down on the living room floor. The child was not breathing and had no heartbeat.
Croy said she yelled for her then-18-year-old daughter to call 911.
Croy said that, at about 12:30 p.m., she’d put Malia in a “little sleeper,” which is described in the affidavit as a swaddling device that zips up to the neck with Velcro flaps, restraining a child’s arms. Croy told police she had to use the “swaddler” for prevention of sudden infant death syndrome.
The Mayo Clinic describes SIDS as “the unexplained death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old.”
Croy said Malia’s mother knew she used the swaddling device, a version of events the parent contradicted.
After putting Malia in the device, Croy put the child on the floor on her back. She described looking over “a couple times” and seeing the infant had “dozed off.”
In at least one instance, Malia had rolled over, which Croy said she didn’t like, so she rolled the child onto her back. When she checked on the child again, Croy said Malia was lying face down and not breathing.
She said another day care employee stayed with the other children – 11 additional small children and infants – as her daughter called 911 and Croy began CPR. At this time, Croy said she heard Malia gurgling and noticed her lips were turning purple.
Croy said that, at the time of the incident, she was in the kitchen cleaning and doing paperwork, moving between the rooms.
Both Croy’s daughter and the second day care employee later contradicted Croy’s account in interviews with law enforcement, according to the affidavit. They said the second day care employee had been at lunch during the incident.
Croy’s daughter said a neighbor had come over to help watch the children while waiting for the employee to return.
The day care employee “immediately reported (in the police interview) that Croy had asked her to lie and say she was there at the time of the incident,” the affidavit said.
Croy contacted a Department of Family Services employee after the incident and asked her to come to the hospital. Croy initially gave the DFS worker similar information to what she provided to law enforcement, though she did not tell the DFS worker she’d found Malia face down, as she’d apparently told law enforcement.
Croy added that, although her home day care had cameras, she did not know if they’d been recording. Croy said she’d noticed the night before that the camera in the living room, where Malia had been at the time of the incident, was pointed toward the ceiling.
In an interview with the DFS worker about a month later, Croy changed her story, according to the affidavit.
She told the DFS worker that Malia could not roll over independently, and when she checked on Malia at one point, the infant’s head was “turned,” and she was not breathing.
Malia’s mother, Julianne Gavagan, told police the infant had no health problems and was not sick on the day she died.
Julianne added that Malia could sit up and “frequently rolled from her back to her stomach,” and had “on occasion” rolled from her stomach to her back, but that it was difficult for her, the affidavit said.
The swaddling device Malia was wearing the day she died had a sewn-in tag indicating it was for babies three to six months old and between 13-18 pounds. It measured 22.5 inches long. Also on the tag were the words: “STOP swaddling when your baby shows signs of rolling over or breaking out of the swaddle.”
At the time of her autopsy, the 8-month-old weighed 19 pounds and was 25 inches long.
An autopsy report concluded Malia died of positional asphyxia, meaning the infant’s position had prevented her from breathing properly.
The DFS worker provided Detective Baca with documentation that showed Croy had been trained in “safe sleep practices,” including that babies should not be swaddled “without a written statement and instructions from physician.”
Wyoming Child Care Licensing Rules say: “Sleeping infants shall not be swaddled without a licensed healthcare professional statement, including instructions and a time frame for swaddling an infant, on file. Swaddling is prohibited for infants that have the ability to roll over independently.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/jury-finds-day-care-worker-guilty-of-manslaughter/article_8ef32450-06ec-5c45-b0a0-89c185eecc08.html
| 2022-04-09T14:01:47Z
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/local/cchec-appoints-new-executive-director/article_778ec954-033a-584e-aae3-e9eeadb07543.html
| 2022-04-09T14:01:53Z
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The Rawlins City Council worked through a busy agenda at its regular meeting this week, which included a number of proclamation signings and announcements of community awards.
One of the proclamations inked by Mayor Terry Weickum puts a spotlight on April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Carbon County COVE Executive Director Jennifer Evans and Shelby Oliver were present for the reading of the proclamation.
The National Violence Against Women Prevention Center estimates that one in five adult Wyoming women has been raped at least once.
“Sexual violence seriously affects our youth, with one out of three girls and one out of every six boys being sexually assaulted before the age of 18,” according to the agenda. “Carbon County COVE requests public support and assistance as it works toward a society where all people can live in peace, free from violence and exploitations.”
A portion of the proclamation states, “Continued commitment is needed to ensure that all victims and survivors of sexual violence are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. To prevent future violation of our citizens, it is important that we foster greater public awareness of the causes and effects of sexual violence and commit to addressing this problem on every civic level.
“No one person, organization, agency, or community can eliminate sexual assault on their own — all must work together in eliminating perpetration of rape and sexual assault.”
Carbon County COVE will hold a community night event from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, at the fairgrounds. The community is invited to decorate T-shirts that will be displayed during a “Clothesline Project” event April 21.
Community Builder Award for county
The Community Builder Award for April was presented to Carbon County government during the Rawlins City Council meeting on Tuesday.
The award is presented to “individuals, businesses, and organizations for their volunteer service, sponsorship, promotion of programs and events, outstanding service in the interest of the city and for other contributions significant to Rawlins’ quality of life,” according to the city.
The volunteer committee presented this month’s award.
City Manager Shawn Metcalf submitted the nomination stating, “Carbon County, C4 staff and commissioners were instrumental in helping the city of Rawlins through the recent water crisis. I want to give a special thank you to Lenny Layman, emergency manager, for his professionalism and assistance throughout the event. Carbon County is very deserving of this award. Thank you for being such great community partners!”
During the meeting, Metcalf further expressed the city’s gratitude for the county.
“We’re super grateful for the county, for all of their help that they provided to us through the water crisis,” he said. “It would have been a different outcome if we didn’t have them.”
National Volunteer Week proclaimed
A proclamation declaring April 17-23 as National Volunteer Week in the city of Rawlins was signed by the mayor this week.
According to the proclamation, National Volunteer Week was first recognized by President Richard Nixon in 1974. It is celebrated throughout the country to “focus national, state and local attention on the vital role of citizens serving as volunteers and being an integral part of the fabric of our community.”
Rawlins DDA/Main Street Executive Director Pam Thayer, as well as Rawlins Parks Superintendent Tyrell Perry, were present for the reading of the proclamation.
“Our DDA has 51 awesome volunteers that have volunteered their hours, their time and their expertise,” Thayer said. “It has been valued at almost $100,000 in 2020.”
Thayer said the volunteers will be honored April 20 at the Rawlins Music Academy.
Public safety
In another move, next week has been recognized by the city as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week
“Public safety communicators are the first and most critical contact our citizens have with emergency services,” according to the council meeting agenda. “Public safety telecommunicators are the single vital link for our police officers and firefighters by monitoring their activities by radio, providing them with information and ensuring their safety.”
A portion of the proclamation states, “Public safety telecommunicators are the single vital link for our police officers and firefighters by monitoring their activities by radio, providing them with information and ensuring their safety.
“Public safety telecommunicators of the Rawlins Police Department have contributed substantially to the apprehension of criminals, suppression of fires and treatment of patients. Each dispatcher has exhibited compassion, understanding and professionalism during the performance of their job in the past year.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/local/rawlins-council-works-through-busy-agenda/article_223c3d8e-c554-5c53-a6b9-df599c24d579.html
| 2022-04-09T14:01:59Z
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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/rawlinstimes/news/miles-long-tribune-parade-of-equipment-honors-farmers/article_304cef7a-f710-5fbe-9e07-404fbffeae89.html
| 2022-04-09T14:02:06Z
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GILLETTE — A district judge has ruled that Campbell County Commissioners exceeded their authority when they passed a resolution last year revoking previous resolutions that approved off-track betting operations.
In April 2021, the commission passed a resolution that gives the live horse racing operator control over off-track betting and simulcasting in the county.
No specific company was named in the resolution, but 307 Horse Racing had signed an exclusive five-year contract with Cam-plex to do live horse racing. When the resolution passed, 307 Horse Racing became the only operator that could provide off-track betting in Campbell County.
It meant Wyoming Horse Racing and Wyoming Downs had to close down its off-track betting locations in Gillette.
The resolution led to three separate lawsuits. In two of them, the county was sued by Wyoming Horse Racing and Wyoming Downs. In the third, Wyoming Horse Racing sued 307 Horse Racing.
In September, 307 Horse Racing opened an off-track betting location in Boot Hill Nightclub.
In November, District Judge F. Scott Peasley of Douglas ruled that the enactment of the commissioners’ resolution should be delayed until the lawsuits were complete. This allowed Wyoming Downs and Wyoming Horse Racing to reopen its Gillette locations.
In late March, Peasley ruled that the commissioners exceeded their authority by passing the resolution, and that the resolution should be “set aside,” or canceled.
Eugene Joyce, manager of Wyoming Horse Racing, said he’s “thankful” for the judge’s ruling, calling it the “right decision.”
The ruling is great not only for Wyoming Downs and Wyoming Horse Racing, Joyce said, but for communities around the state that could face a similar situation down the road.
“This line of thinking” by the commissioners “created a lot of havoc,” Joyce said.
Employees were laid off, the county and city lost out on tax revenue and the horse racing industry didn’t receive money it otherwise would’ve gotten.
“Hopefully it’s behind us now,” Joyce said.
He said the commissioners moved on this issue too quickly and that they should’ve “considered a lot of things” before they passed the resolution.
“I think that the county commissioners got way over their skis on this,” he said. “I don’t fault them for wanting a good outcome, but for some reason, I was made the bad guy in all of this. I just quite didn’t get it.”
The county commission has the ability under state law to authorize off-track betting. The disagreement is about whether the commission can revoke prior approval, which it did when it passed this resolution.
The commissioners argued that they were exercising local control over off-track betting, and that this authority is “expressly and impliedly delegated to the commissioners” in state law.
Additionally, they said that when the state Legislature and Wyoming Gaming Commission granted commissioners the authority to approve off-track betting, it also granted them “the implied power to revoke” that approval.
Peasley disagreed, saying that the authority to revoke lies solely with the Wyoming Gaming Commission.
“There is not specific statutory authority for a county to ‘enforce’ or to regulate those applicants approved by the Gaming Commission,” Peasley wrote.
The county has the authority to issue permits, but it “would be incongruent to find that a County has the additional authority to revoke prior approvals, including those resolutions that approved simulcasting outside live horse race-track premises.”
Wyoming law doesn’t specifically give counties the authority to revoke prior approvals, “nor can the court find that such authority is implied.”
Peasley wrote that “a plain reading” of state law shows that once the county approves a permit by resolution, the terms of the permit “are governed exclusively by the Gaming Commission.”
“The court finds that the Commissioners lacked the implied authority to revoke the prior resolutions, and doing so exceeded the power available to them under these circumstances,” Peasley wrote. “As a result, the court finds that Resolution 2077 must be set aside.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/ruling-commissioners-lacked-authority-for-horse-racing-resolution/article_6c92bed1-58ff-59be-88b1-a6ba458d8072.html
| 2022-04-09T14:02:12Z
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Harmful algae season is months away, but 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, the agency 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, surface water quality standards supervisor at the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, 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, but 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 (EPA) reiterated its commitment to supporting states’ nutrient pollution mitigation efforts in a 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.
The 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.
But 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 the 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/rawlinstimes/news/state-officials-warn-of-more-algae-blooms/article_43b35d89-3853-5081-82c2-0f028b73a2ae.html
| 2022-04-09T14:02:18Z
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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/rawlinstimes/news/statewide-school-testing-returns-to-normal/article_576522b1-ad7e-54fa-8cb7-f850d0932b7e.html
| 2022-04-09T14:02:24Z
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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/rawlinstimes/news/teton-juggler-takes-flight/article_02a65d3e-9bc3-58c9-89ff-5d4d1997f024.html
| 2022-04-09T14:02:30Z
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Because of excessive abuse, the city of Rawlins is removing the recycling drop-off bins near the intersection of Railroad and Wahsington streets. Unaccepted materials like mechanical parts, construction equipment, mattresses and household trash have cost the city thousands of dollars and much staff time. In the first three months of the year along, 12 tons of trash was left in and around the bins.
A rash of rubbish recklessness from some in Rawlins has prompted a removal of recycling receptacles.
Because of what the city calls “excessive misuse,” the recycling bins near the intersection of Railroad and Washington streets are being removed.
Since installing a the large dumpsters designed to accept recyclables, people instead dump all kinds of trash in and around them to the point of turning the area into an eyesore and taking up excessive staff time dealing with the garbage.
“In the three months of 2022 along, the drop-off bins had 12 tons of trash placed in the recycling bins,” the city says in a statement announcing the removal of the bins. “This more than doubles the workload for our small recycling crew with sorting, bagging and hauling the trash to the landfill.”
The makeshift dump area also has cost local residents thousands of dollars in revenue for the landfill.
“Items that have been found in the recycling bins include diapers, mattresses, dead animals, construction materials and general household trash,” the city reports.
Along with misuse of the recycling bins, the trash left in and around them also causes problems when the wind picks up and blows it around.
Instead of the drop-off areas around the area, the city will expand its drop-off yard near Daley and Knootz, which will remain available 24-hours a day with on-site surveillance.
“The improved drop-off yard will include separate bins for each product, making both drop-off and sorting more efficient,” according to the city. “Any blow-off will be contained within the fenced area and cleaned regularly by city staff.”
The Rawlins Recycling Center remains open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays. Assistance is available for unloading.
For more information on recycling in Rawlins, visit rawlinswy.org/recycle or call 307-328-4569.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/trash-talk-abuse-prompts-removal-of-city-recycling-bins/article_b72817e1-2f59-5a6c-bc89-c1360fb4b9f3.html
| 2022-04-09T14:02:37Z
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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/rawlinstimes/news/wind-operator-to-pay-8m-in-pact-over-killing-eagles/article_7d66f3d7-c9f0-55a6-bd27-1572242c9ce8.html
| 2022-04-09T14:02:43Z
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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/rawlinstimes/news/yellowstone-wildlife-guides-not-concerned-about-congestion/article_f9a2ec7a-0ed1-5128-bc87-c757da2a142b.html
| 2022-04-09T14:02:49Z
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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.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/guest_column/drake-to-prevent-wyo-suicides-cowboy-up-isn-t-an-answer/article_de074438-9d13-5820-b22b-d1487e67e77f.html
| 2022-04-09T14:02:55Z
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The good news this week is that our paper in Cheyenne has given the Wyoming Legislature a failing grade for the budget session that ended last month.
And not just a failing grade – a whoppingly failing grade. (Failing grades begin to whop at 50 points or fewer out of 100.)
Our lawmakers didn’t come anywhere close to a passing grade, according to an editorial that reported the body scoring just 35.5 points of a possible 100. As an old publisher I once worked for used to say when the fertilizer hit the fan, “Uh-oh!”
When it came to judging the session, the paper told us how the cow ate the cabbage, as my Oklahoma wife likes to say when someone really gives someone else the dickens.
Our state lawmakers took it in the seat of the pants for their stubborn, continued failure to raise taxes; for their stubborn, continued refusal to cash in on free Medicaid expansion money; for not spending as much American Rescue Plan Act money as humanly possible on all kinds of stuff having little to do with COVID; and for wasting time talking about silly issues like prohibiting guys from competing on girls’ athletic teams and parents butting into what teachers teach.
They also got their knuckles rapped for a general inability to play well with others, and didn’t even get credit for kicking my state senator — the allegedly unrepentant scoundrel Anthony Bouchard — off all his committee assignments.
“But wait, Dave,” you’re thinking, “why is it good news that the Cheyenne paper gave the Legislature a mere 35.5 points out of 100?”
Because, Grasshopper (obscure “Kung Fu” reference), I worked in newsrooms for the best part of four decades, and I can tell you that the last thing Wyoming needs is a Legislature that passes everything editorial writers want.
No, no, no.
I can count the conservative journalists I’ve worked with over 40 years on one hand with a middle finger left over. Editors and reporters are almost always for higher taxes, more regulations, new powers for government, for tough mask and vaccine mandates, for any candidate with a “D” behind his or her name and for cracking down on evil private industry.
At one paper I worked at (not our Cheyenne paper; I never worked there), plans proposed by anyone in private industry were met in the newsroom with deep suspicion. Such plans were no doubt crackpot schemes ginned up by greedy shysters. What jobs they provided were dismissed as low-paid “nickel-95 jobs.”
A woman who went on to write editorials for a major newspaper once told me I was naive for putting money into an individual retirement account because, she explained, any idiot could see that inflation would far outstrip any money you could accumulate in an IRA. (I’m glad I was naive enough to salt money away in my IRA. And I wonder what her retirement looks like, if she took her own advice.)
The editor of a weekly paper once explained to me that President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua was an inspired leader, a great man, far more intelligent than the amiable dunce (Tip O’Neill’s term) Ronald Reagan.
In one newsroom, they just about fell over laughing when I said labor unions had a lot in common with political action committees. No, Dave. Unions good. PACs evil. Case closed.
For years I wrote columns for a paper in Illinois. I wrote one about investing in shares of Caterpillar stock and cited the impressive growth anyone with a few bucks to invest could have realized. That was such a ridiculous idea that the editor read it aloud in the newsroom so everyone could get a belly laugh at the notion of a journalist investing in stocks.
They thought, “He’s kidding, right?”
An editor in Nebraska liked to introduce me to friends because they considered a conservative journalist such a rarity, a freak of nature, a two-headed calf.
So, let’s not lose sleep over our Legislature’s failing grade on the editorial page.
Far from it. I think our failing grade is a badge of courage, and the editorial is suitable for display on our refrigerator doors.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/guest_column/good-news-legislature-gets-an-f/article_ed1dc19e-2bf2-5f32-8ed4-4951d56a1115.html
| 2022-04-09T14:03:01Z
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CHEYENNE – Cheyenne Central was forced to play the ball out of the air more often than it would have liked Friday evening.
The Indians found themselves battling with a much bigger Sheridan team for 50-50 balls, and Sheridan seemed to win every one of those battles. The Broncs turned those small victories into a 2-0 win at Riske Field.
“The flavor of the game was the ball was in the air too much, and they were winning those balls like they traditionally enjoy doing,” Central coach Tim Denisson said. “They’re good about that part of the game, and we have to be a much-improved team to respond to that and put the ball on the pitch and just start possessing it.”
Dane Steel broke a scoreless tie in the 58th minute after taking advantage of a ball that had ricocheted in the air. Central goalkeeper Jackson Cook met Steel near the top of the penalty area, and the outcome was the the ball flying toward the Sheridan goal, where Steel found an empty net and headed it in.
Sheridan (5-1 overall, 3-1 Class 4A East Conference) controlled possession for most of the first half, and the contest.
“We made a lot of adjustments as a team, but I think we were reacting too much to their play and not playing our game and our possession,” Central sophomore Sam Smith said. “They’re bigger than us, they have a lot of size and speed on us, so for us to just calm down and let the ball do the work is key. When we don’t do that, we’re going to get outbodied and outran on every ball.”
Despite not finding much offensive rhythm for most of the match, the Indians started the contest with a pair of quality looks. Caden Smith sent an open shot just left of the frame in the sixth minute, and Sam Smith also found a decent look from the left side of the penalty box shortly after, but Sheridan goalkeeper Chris Larson stretched out to make a save at the top left corner of the frame. Those were the Indians’ only two shots of the first half.
“We had some very nice opportunities when we had the ball on the ground, and we were connecting with each other, but that got away from us,” Denisson said. “We connected well getting the ball behind the defense, but we didn’t have players in position to take advantage of it.”
Like the Indians, the Broncs couldn’t put together much of an attack early in the first half, but went into the break with six shots and two shots on goal. In the 26th, Reed Rabon set up for a free kick 19 yards out directly in front of the goal, but sent the shot high. That was Sheridan’s first shot of the match.
They continued to apply pressure, but didn’t have anything to show for at the half. Their best look came when Steel had point blank look in front of the net, but sailed it over the top crossbar.
The Broncs rolled that pressure into the second half, where they saw four shots in the first 15 minutes. Sheridan’s second score came with three seconds remaining in the match, when Colson Coon found Rabon in front of the net for the goal.
Sheridan outshot Central 12-7 and 7-3 on goal. The Broncs also had eight corner kicks to the Indians’ one.
Central (3-2, 2-1) hosts Campbell County at noon today.
“We just have to play our positions better and play more as a unit,” Sam Smith said. “We just have to come back stronger next time. That was a winnable game for us.”
SHERIDAN 2, CENTRAL 0
Halftime: 0-0
Goals: Sheridan, Steel (unassisted), 58. Sheridan, Rabon (Coon), 80.
Shots: SH 12; CC 7. Shots on goal: SH 7; CC 3. Saves: SH 3 (Larson); CC 5 (Cook).
Corner kicks: SH 8, CC 1. Offsides: SH 1, CC 3. Fouls: SH 11; CC 6. Yellow cards: CC 1 (bench), 40.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/indians-cant-keep-pace-with-sheridan/article_73f5e28f-6381-5a73-9a2d-6970f085517e.html
| 2022-04-09T14:03:08Z
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/prep-golf-centrals-miller-cunningham-tie-for-second/article_2e24251c-bc6b-5026-a311-87ca6a7c0f3e.html
| 2022-04-09T14:03:14Z
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CHEYENNE – Early goals and a stingy defense helped Campbell County pick up a 3-1 victory at Cheyenne East on Friday.
The Camels got two goals in the first eight minutes of the match, and held East to 11 shots overall (six on goal).
“That’s been the case all too often recently, if I’m being honest,” East coach Ryan Cameron said of his team’s offensive struggles. “We have to figure out a way to find the ‘kill button,’ and we just haven’t yet. We do a pretty nice job of a build up, but we can’t find that final product and put the ball in the back of the net.
“We work really hard on patterns of play stuff and runs our forwards can make, but there’s got to be a mindset change. They have to be determined to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Campbell County senior Joey Von Aschwege was a thorn in East’s side throughout the match, but especially early. He gained a step on a Thunderbirds defender in the first minute, but he mis-hit his shot with backspin and East starting goalkeeper Connor Fisbeck was able to make the save.
Von Aschwege gave Campbell County a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute when Aldo Baeza’s direct kick hit Fisbeck in the chest and rebounded back into play. The ball went straight to Von Aschwege, who scored easily for a 1-0 lead.
Ever Leyva made it 2-0 Gillette with an eighth minute tally.
“(Von Aschwege) did some things to disrupt us, but we have to figure out a better way to defend him,” Cameron said. “We’ll have to take a huge look at ourselves and see if what we’re doing is good.
“We have to make sure that what we’re doing defensively is the right thing, because we’re surrendering too many goals we shouldn’t be surrendering.”
Von Aschwege stretched the lead to 3-0 with a goal in the 70th.
“A goal against you is frustrating, but you always have to come back with a better mindset and see what you can do better with the next opportunity,” East senior Brian Mead said.
The T-Birds got one goal back in the 77th when Mead’s shot hit off Camels goalkeeper Brady Tompkins and then the crossbar. The ball found the feet of Carlos Moreno, who struck it into the goal before running in to retrieve it and hustling it back to midfield to restart the match and give East more time to work with late.
“Overall, we have to put in more effort and communicate better if we’re going to be dangerous,” Moreno said. “We’re thinking out there too much and second-guessing things instead of being decisive and being dangerous.
“If you’re indecisive, you’re not going to get anywhere. You never know whether you could have gotten to a ball, or what could have happened. You could have scored or gotten more chances.”
East hosts Sheridan at noon today at Okie Blanchard Stadium.
CAMPBELL CO. 3, EAST 1
Halftime: 2-0.
Goals: CC, Von Aschwege (Baeza), 7. CC, Leyva (unassisted), 8. CC, Von Aschwege (unassisted), 70. CE, Moreno (Mead), 77.
Shots: CC 15, CE 11. Shots on goal: CC 6, CE 6. Saves: CC 5 (Thompkins); CE 3 (Fisbeck 1, Wheeler 2).
Corner kicks: CC 4, CE 5. Offsides: CC 1, CE 2. Fouls: CC 3, CE 8.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_east/east-struggles-offensively-in-loss-to-camels/article_8390d004-af09-53d3-bb98-0a10fdde3dc5.html
| 2022-04-09T14:03:20Z
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CHEYENNE – Southeast’s Ryan Clapper and Wheatland’s Rodee Brow were neck-and-neck with Cheyenne East junior Marik Cummings during the 100-meter dash at Friday’s Okie Blanchard Invitational.
Brow even appeared to hold a slight lead on Cummings at one point. However, Cummings pulled away over the final few meters and won in 10.79 seconds. Clapper was second (10.83) and Brow third (10.92).
That Cummings was able to win the race late surprised neither him nor East coach Jesse Blunn. Cummings is a notoriously strong finisher, which has had the Thunderbirds coaches excited about his potential since he arrived on campus.
Getting stronger at the start should help Cummings move into the upper echelon of sprinters in Class 4A. It also could help him take down East’s school record of 10.74 seconds.
“At the end of last season, we knew his first and second steps out of the blocks needed to be better,” Blunn said. “We worked on him pushing the track behind him instead of casting his leg out. That’s paid dividends for him, so we’re able to move on to the next thing, which is pushing off both blocks.
“He’s a great finisher, which is why we have to perfect his block starts. If we can get him out of the blocks faster than everybody, he’ll be finishing ahead of everybody.”
Cummings competed in the 100 and 200 at last spring’s state meet. He wasn’t able to make it out of the preliminaries in the 100, but placed eighth in the 200. Cummings also was part of a fourth-place 4x100 relay team and a fifth-place 4x400 squad.
On Friday, Cummings also won the 200 in 22.48 seconds.
He has finished no worse than second in the 100 in any of East’s three meets this season. He also won the 200 the only other time he ran that event this spring. He had the fastest 100 time in 4A entering Friday’s home meet, and improved upon that, despite a slow start.
The T-Birds also have won two of the three relays he has been a part of.
Cummings started working with Blunn on the position of his blocks and fully driving out of them over the summer. They have continued those efforts since the outdoor track season started last month.
Cummings puts his left leg in front of his right in the blocks. He wants to get more push from his right leg.
“It was a little rough at first, but it’s getting better,” Cummings said. “I’ve already seen improvement. I know as long as I keep working hard, I’ll be able to take time off the clock by starting faster. Blunn wants me to jump out with more power.
“During the indoor season, I felt everything Blunn and I worked on was working really well. It showed me that if I keep listening to him, I’m going to get where I want to be at state.”
There is potential for Cummings to move up the podium at May’s state meet. Four of the sprinters who placed ahead of him in the 200 graduated. So did nine sprinters who posted faster 100-meter qualifying times.
Blunn is confident Cummings’ work ethic will carry him to new heights.
“He is one of those kids who never takes reps off,” the coach said. “He does everything full speed. Whatever you tell him to do, he does. He’s earned everything he’s achieving right now.
“He’s a track guy. He loves being out here and getting better, and he does it by outworking everybody. He sets the bar pretty high for our team. Everyone on our team knows he’s our fastest guy, but he is so humble and hard-working.”
Central sweeps Okie Invite titles
The Cheyenne Central girls and boys both won team championships at Friday’s Okie Blanchard Invitational.
Nigeria Wiley-Ramierz won the 100-meter hurdles (15.49 seconds), placed second in the 300 hurdles (51.16) and third in triple jump (34 feet, 5½ inches). She also joined Katie Thomson, Joslyn Siedenburg and Madisyn Baillie on the winning 4x100 relay team (51.37).
Thomson was runner-up in triple jump (34-11) and third in long jump (16-9¾). Baillie took second in the 100 hurdles (16.07) and third in high jump (5-2).
Junior Brinkley Lewis cleared 10-2 to win pole vault, while freshman Karson Tempel won triple jump (35-9¾). Sophomore Emma Hofmeister also placed second in the 1,600 (5 minutes, 45.94 seconds).
The Cheyenne East girls were third, thanks, in part, to wins in the 100, 200 and long jump from sophomore Taliah Morris. She finished the 100 in 12.32, the 200 in 25.48 and posted a long jump mark of 19-2. Morris also joined Nadia Burdett, Bailey Haley and Hannah Romero on the runner-up 4x100 squad (51.83).
The Lady T-Birds 1,600 sprint medley relay team of Romero, Elysiana Fonseca, Ynes Ronnau and Emma Smith won in 4:36.80.
Caydence Eicholtz cleared 9-8 to win pole vault, while Abbie Mickelson was third in shot put (34-4).
Cheyenne South’s quartet of Kaycia Groth, Lexi Taylor, Darby Downham and Rachel Hedum finished second in the girls sprint medley relay (4:53.19).
Burns senior Emma Gonzalez won the 1,600 (5:40.17) and placed second in the 800 (2:30.37).
Central’s boys got wins from junior Richard Prescott in the 110 hurdles (15.28), 300 hurdles (41.59), long jump (21-9¼) and triple jump (44-9½).
The Indians’ quartet of Dylan Teasley, Jacob Silvas, Eric Ross and Bridger Brokaw won the 4x400 (3:35.32). Brokaw joined Will Barrington, Tucker Martino and Zan Read on the winning 4x800 relay team (8:57.16).
Teasley also placed second in the 400 (53.81), while TaVion Taylor-Byrd (high jump) and Hadyn Fleming (discus) also captured second in events.
The East boys placed second. In addition to Cummings’ two wins, the T-Birds had Garet Schlabs win the 400 (53.39) and Connor Parks take first in the 3,200 (11:04.77). Jacob Olson was second in the 3,200 (11:18.98).
Arthur Carrillo heaved the shot put 44-11 to take second.
The Burns boys had senior Jackson Kirkbride take second in triple jump (42-5¼). Kirkbride also joined Jaspur Nusbaum, Spencer Smith and Cooper Lakin on the runner-up 4x400 team (3:43.34). Kirkbride, Lakin, Smith and Conor Manlove took second in the 1,600 sprint medley relay (3:52.37).
The Broncs’ 4x800 team of Dylan Ashworth, Cody Piasecki, Mason Medley and Carter David placed second with a time of 10:07.37.
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| 2022-04-09T14:03:26Z
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| 2022-04-09T14:03:32Z
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CHEYENNE — Aleah Brooks drove home five runs on two home runs to lift Cheyenne East to 10-5 win over Wheatland during the conference portion of Friday’s doubleheader.
Brooks put East ahead 3-1 in the bottom of the second with a three-run homer that scored Ella Neider and Gracie Oswald. Wheatland responded by tying the game before Emily Schlagel knocked in a run and Brooks’ second homer in the bottom of the fifth scored two. The T-Birds pulled away in the bottom of the sixth.
Brooks also picked up the win in the circle, pitching three innings with zero earned runs and fanning six batters.
East 12 Wheatland 1
Seven batters tallied an RBI as East picked up a 12-1 win in the backend of the twinbill in a four-inning contest.
Brooks was 2 for 2 with 3 RBI and Neider and Rylee Stephenson both drove home two runs. Oswald, Lillian Vallejo, Schlagel, and Bailey Earley all had one RBI. The T-Birds drew four walks and had four hits in the bottom of the third to score six runs and eventually end the game early.
South drops two to Campbell County
Campbell County’s pitchers kept Cheyenne South off-balance as the Camels didn’t allow a hit in a 25-0 win in the first contest of Friday’s doubleheader.
Alyssa Albaugh and Charleigh Mellish split time in the circle for the Bison.
South dropped its second game 30-0 in a four-inning affair. The Camels combined to drive in 23 of those runs while South could only get one hit on the day from Kaelin VanTassell.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_east/prep-softball-east-takes-twinbill-over-wheatland/article_a0e264a1-1b1a-56d8-b4b3-822476a4b6e1.html
| 2022-04-09T14:03:38Z
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LARAMIE – As the only returning wide receiver on the University of Wyoming’s roster that amassed more than 100 yards last year, it’s no secret Joshua Cobbs is expected to step into a significant on-field role for the Cowboys next season.
While he’s eager for the chance to earn a larger part in the offense, though, the sophomore is also enthused about helping his team from an off-the-field standpoint.
“I’m pretty excited about being able to step into a leadership role and do what I can to help not only me succeed, but some of the younger dudes, as well,” Cobbs said. “I can’t complain. Being able to step into a role of leadership is always great.”
UW receivers coach Mike Grant has noticed growth from Cobbs in the leadership department, as well.
Some of this involves speaking up more frequently, but that’s not the only aspect. With upperclassmen like Wyatt Wieland and Gunner Gentry also in the receivers room, Grant says learning how to accept leadership from coaches and fellow players has been a pivotal part of Cobbs’ development.
“He’s gotten a little bit more vocal,” Grant said. “He knows he’s trying to accept that role and do some leadership things. We have some older guys in there, and one thing I try to teach him is not only to be a leader, but also be able to take leadership.
“Sometimes somebody barks something at you, and you want to swell up, and we haven’t had that. We talked a lot about that in the winter, and just understanding a leader has to help the leaders lead by accepting that leadership. That’s been big in that room.”
Cobbs’ teammates and coaches note that he’s displayed the dedication necessary to fulfill the Pokes’ No. 1 receiver spot throughout the offseason, both on the practice field and in the weight room. Sometimes he’s hard on himself in his pursuit of greatness, but UW coach Craig Bohl prefers this trait to the alternative.
“He’s certainly the most experienced guy that’s out there,” Bohl said. “He’s a vocal leader. His miles per hour, we track everything off GPS, is good. He’s had a good offseason, and he has an understanding. He’s a harsh critic of himself, though. Some guys are.
“When something doesn’t go right, if, for some reason, he doesn’t make a great contested catch, we have to pump him up a little bit. But I’d rather see that than a guy that would just blow it off. He’s a great team player, and we’re going to ask a lot of him next year. That part of our team needs to collectively raise the bar.”
Cobbs understands as well as anyone that he has some major shoes to fill, with his close friend and former teammate Isaiah Neyor transferring to the University of Texas in January.
Despite playing in a run-heavy offense, Neyor led the Mountain West and was tied for eighth nationally with 12 receiving touchdowns last season, while his 20 yards per catch were the sixth-most in the country. Seeing this production excites Cobbs – who had 25 catches for 245 yards and a touchdown in 2021 – about what he could do in a leading role.
“It’s one of those things where there’s a level of respect,” Cobbs said. “I know he made some big plays, but I have my own game, and he has his own game. I just use it as motivation to make plays in my own way.”
Cobbs showcased his playmaking ability in a rivalry win over Utah State last year, hauling in a career-high six catches for 76 yards and a score, as the Cowboys boat-raced the MW champion Aggies 44-17. He’s since placed an emphasis on improving his ability to make contested catches, in hopes that performances like the one that happened in Logan, Utah, will become commonplace in the future.
“It’s just understanding it’s a 50-50 ball, and what exactly does that mean,” Grant said. “We have to get 50% of our share of them, but ideally for us, we want it to be 70-30. The key is having a rapport with the new quarterbacks that are out there. Now you can feel when they’re going to throw you back shoulder.
“You look at Josh (Allen) and (Stefon) Diggs now, and they’re on point. Or (Aaron) Rodgers with his guy. Those guys are always on-point in knowing how he’s going to try to get you those 50-50 balls. Once they get that rapport with a quarterback, then you can rely on the fundamentals of it all.”
Added Cobbs: “Some people would say strong hands, and I think I do a pretty good job of that, but I think the most important part is confidence. (You have to) know you’re going to make that play.”
Cobbs has always had belief in himself, but acknowledges that another year in the program has helped boost his confidence heading into what could be a breakout season.
Now, he looks to continue a solid offseason and translate it to the fall, hoping the work he’s put in will allow success to come naturally.
“My confidence is definitely higher now, just because I’m a little older and understand everything a lot better,” Cobbs said. “I did a lot of good work this offseason, and I feel like I’m bringing the confidence from what I did in the offseason into now. That allows you to have confidence, knowing you’ve worked on it, so it doesn’t come as a surprise.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/cobbs-embraces-leadership-role-as-uw-s-top-returning-receiver/article_4260c8c4-e984-5aa7-ad20-d14faf035a16.html
| 2022-04-09T14:03:45Z
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| 2022-04-09T14:03:51Z
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3 killed in Georgia gun range shooting; suspects not in custody
COWETA COUNTY, Ga. (WGCL/Gray News) – Three members of the same family were killed during a robbery at their family shooting range in Grantville, Georgia.
The robbery took place at the Lock Stock & Barrel shooting range sometime after 5:30 p.m. Friday, according to Grantville Police Department.
WGCL reported when police arrived, they found the range’s owner, his wife, and their grandson had been killed.
Police have identified the owner as Richard Hawk.
“Let’s keep Richard Hawk and Family in our prayers,” Grantville Police said in a Facebook post Saturday morning.
Grantville Police said approximately 40 guns and the security camera DVR were taken from the scene.
Both the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the ATF were called to help investigate the case. The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office is also assisting in the investigation.
Police are asking for the community’s help in gathering any information about the incident. They said anyone in the area who may have driven by the range between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Friday may have seen vehicles other than a white Ford dually truck and a black Ford Expedition.
Copyright 2022 WGCL via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-09T14:47:16Z
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Acquisition to increase Club Car presence in Europe, diversify product portfolio in growing consumer and utility markets
Expanded portfolio of zero-emission vehicles to help meet increasing global demand for sustainable transportation options
AUGUSTA, Ga., April 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Club Car today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Garia A/S ("Garia"), a Denmark-based manufacturer of electric low-speed vehicles for the utility, consumer and golf markets, from Lars Larsen Group. Financial terms were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter.
Garia, founded in 2005, is best known as an innovator of luxury golf and leisure cars that feature elevated performance and distinctive Scandanavian design. The company launched Garia Utility in 2015, a growing line of compact vehicles for utility applications, including: public sector (municipalities, hospitals, universities, parks), facility management (industrial sites, hotels, resorts), leisure and outdoor (zoos, amusement parks, forestry and agriculture), and last-mile delivery (mail, packages, food delivery).
The acquisition also includes Melex, which Garia acquired in November 2021 to accelerate its growth in the utility space. Melex is a manufacturer of lightweight utility vehicles based in Poland and offers an array of street and non-street legal products, including multi-passenger and compact cargo utility vehicles.
"We have great respect for Garia and Melex, which design and build some of the most impressive electric golf, leisure and compact utility vehicles in the world," said Mark Wagner, president of Club Car. "We are excited to welcome their teams to the Club Car family.
"Our product lines complement each other nicely with very little overlap," he added. "Which is great news for our dealers and customers in Europe and the United States who will have access to a wider range of zero-emission, on and off-road vehicles at a greater variety of price points."
Garia's golf and consumer cars are primarily luxury products geared toward the high end of their respective markets. Garia and Melex's utility products are mostly model types that Club Car doesn't currently manufacture.
"Club Car is the perfect partner and will immediately open new opportunities for growth across our entire product portfolio," said Garia CEO Jakob Holstein. "Club Car's extensive dealer network, combined with the operational benefits we can achieve with substantially increased scale, will help us take our brands to a new level."
Club Car is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity, which acquired the business in 2021.
"Around the world demand for sustainable transportation solutions continues to grow," said Platinum Equity Partner Jacob Kotzubei. "The addition of Garia and Melex's all-electric fleets will strenthen Club Car's ability to meet that demand globally, and in the European utility market in particular, where governments and businesses are modernizing and electrifying their vehicle fleets."
The Garia and Melex transaction is Club Car's first add-on acquisition under Platinum Equity's ownership.
"A big part of our ambition for Club Car is to expand its addressable market geographically and into new product categories," said Platinum Equity Managing Director Matthew Louie. "This acquisition is an important step in delivering on that strategy. We will continue seeking more opportunities to grow the business organically and through additional acquisitions."
Morgan Lewis, Bech-Bruun, and Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak are serving as legal counsel and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is providing debt financing counsel to Club Car and Platinum Equity on the Garia acquisition. Goldman Sachs is leading the debt financing on the transaction.
With over 60 years of experience of innovation and design in producing small-wheel vehicles, Club Car is a leading manufacturer of gas and electric golf, utility and personal transportation vehicles. Founded in 1958, the Club Car product portfolio has grown to include much more than golf cars, now encompassing vehicles for commercial and consumer markets, built with an uncompromised desire for superior performance. As an industry leader in electrification and sustainability, Club Car is proud to be on the forefront of environmentally responsible Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) technologies. For more information, visit www.clubcar.com.
Garia was founded in 2005 by Anders Lynge with the vision of introducing a paradigm shift for golf and leisure vehicles by producing the world's first premium vehicles in their segments. In 2014, with almost ten years of experience in the luxury electric vehicle market, Garia embarked on an entirely new journey: the Garia Utility. A compact electric utility vehicle that combines reliability, ergonomics and zero emissions with comfort, functionality and thoughtful design. Made of high-quality European components, the Garia Utility is one of a kind. Garia is privately held by Lars Larsen Group and headquartered in Denmark with a subsidiary in the U.S. Learn more about the Garia Utility at gariautility.com.
Melex was founded in 1970 as a manufacturer of electric golf and lightweight utility vehicles in Mielec, Poland. Melex is a versatile manufacturer of electric vehicles and offers over 100 different models for almost any niche in the segment. From 250kg and up to 1,6 tons of cargo, or 2-8 passengers as service vehicles for factories, logistic centers, supermarkets, municipalities, tourism, airports etc., there is a Melex for any usage. Learn more about Melex at melex.com.pl
Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with more than $25 billion of assets under management and a portfolio of approximately 50 operating companies that serve customers around the world. The firm is currently investing from Platinum Equity Capital Partners V, a $10 billion global buyout fund, and Platinum Equity Small Cap Fund, a $1.5 billion buyout fund focused on investment opportunities in the lower middle market. Platinum Equity specializes in mergers, acquisitions and operations – a trademarked strategy it calls M&A&O® – acquiring and operating companies in a broad range of business markets, including manufacturing, distribution, transportation and logistics, equipment rental, metals services, media and entertainment, technology, telecommunications and other industries. Over the past 26 years Platinum Equity has completed more than 300 acquisitions.
Dan Whelan, Platinum Equity
(310) 282-9202
dwhelan@platinumequity.com
Tammy Cillo, Club Car
(908) 256-4586
tamatha.cillo@irco.com
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SOURCE Platinum Equity
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| 2022-04-09T14:47:23Z
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BEIJING, April 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- RLX Technology Inc. ("RLX Technology" or the "Company") (NYSE: RLX), a leading branded e-vapor company in China, today announced that Ms. Ying (Kate) Wang has resigned as a member and the chairperson of the compensation committee (the "Compensation Committee") and the nominating and corporate governance committee (the "Nominating Committee ") of the Company's board of directors to help the Company comply with the relevant New York Stock Exchange's listing requirements on board committees' independence. Going forward, the Compensation Committee and Nominating Committee will be composed entirely of independent directors, namely Ms. Zhenjing Zhu and Mr. Youmin Xi. Concurrent with Ms. Ying (Kate) Wang's resignation from the Compensation Committee and the Nominating Committee, Mr. Youmin Xi was appointed as the chairperson of the Nominating Committee and the chairperson of the Compensation Committee.
About RLX Technology Inc.
RLX Technology Inc. (NYSE: RLX) is a leading branded e-vapor company in China. The Company leverages its strong in-house technology and product development capabilities and in-depth insights into adult smokers' needs to develop superior e-vapor products. RLX Technology Inc. sells its products through an integrated offline distribution and "branded store plus" retail model tailored to China's e-vapor market.
For more information, please visit: http://ir.relxtech.com.
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 "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "is/are likely to," "potential," "continue" and similar statements. Among other things, business outlook contains forward-looking statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports 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. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the Company's growth strategies; its future business development, results of operations and financial condition; trends and competition in China's e-vapor market; changes in its revenues and certain cost or expense items; PRC governmental policies, laws and regulations relating to the Company's industry, and general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is current as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
For more information, please contact:
In China:
RLX Technology Inc.
Head of Investor Relations
Sam Tsang
Email: ir@relxtech.com
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Jenny Cai
Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
Email: RLX@tpg-ir.com
In the United States:
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
Email: RLX@tpg-ir.com
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SOURCE RLX Technology Inc.
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| 2022-04-09T14:47:33Z
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People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
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https://www.heraldandnews.com/morning-shooting-on-interstate-5/article_cfe2fa7b-a48f-56e3-9109-63242b1a20b4.html
| 2022-04-09T15:14:23Z
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Students brave cold to watch St. Clair girls top Marysville in girls soccer
MARYSVILLE — The clouds emptied 10 minutes before kickoff between the St. Clair and Marysville girls soccer teams. But Devin Colgan wasn't about to run for cover. He remained standing through the downpour.
"It doesn't really bug me," said Colgan, a student at Marysville High School. "It's cold but it's not that bad. "I'm not gonna leave. I feel like I'm doing my part to support my school and my teams."
Rain and frigid temperatures didn't deter fans at Walt Braun Viking Stadium on Thursday night. The Saints topped the Vikings, 6-1, in front of two bustling student sections.
"What I liked about it is that both sides brought the fan support," Marysville coach Scott Parker said. "To see girls soccer start to get recognized — it's pretty nice for the girls and very exciting."
"Scott Parker and I both worked on trying to get fans here to watch these girls play," St. Clair coach Cliff Freeland said. "Playing in front of your peers is awesome. We had boys lacrosse, boys baseball — players from both teams (in attendance). I really think it's a better environment. Kids love to play in front of their friends."
While the precipitation eventually gave way to sunshine, the cold air was a constant fixture. Umbrellas were put away and blankets were spread out. The bleachers were wet and cold to the touch. Yet the crowd never thinned.
"I didn't think to leave," said Falisha May, a student at St. Clair. "Because I know some of my friends on the team — it's a really big thing for them."
One of May's friends is Saints' midfielder Mya Freeland, who scored a goal in the victory.
"I definitely think the fans brought up the intensity to the game," Mya Freeland said. "I know last year we didn't have very many fans. The people that were cheering us on (today) helped us a lot. It was a good atmosphere. I liked having them here."
"It was motivation for us," St. Clair defender Tara Malone said. "Which helps us push through everything."
The Saints maneuvered their way to an early 2-0 lead. Kennedy Hollerbach (two goals) opened the scoring at 35:52 and Gwen Jalosky (two goals) followed with another strike at 31:36.
"I thought for the first 15 to 20 minutes we played St. Clair soccer," Cliff Freeland said. "Which is kind of pass-and-move. And I thought we established that early. Then I thought we kind of got away from it ... the last 60 minutes wasn't the soccer that we're used to playing."
The Vikings battled but couldn't keep up on offense. Marysville's lone goal came from Olivia Pratt with 33:05 left in the second half.
"We didn't get the result we wanted," Parker said. "But we knew going in with St. Clair that they're tough. They're a talented, top-to-bottom team. But I'm proud as heck of our girls. They battled."
The teams lined up to shake hands right after the game ended. But before huddling up to discuss the match, they both walked over to their respective student sections. And their classmates met them halfway.
"I feel like that's kind of been a theme this year," Marysville student Brock DenUyl said. "We tried to bring in a lot of the student body to a lot of athletic events ... just so people show support and hopefully grow a culture."
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
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https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/sports/2022/04/09/students-cold-weather-st-clair-marysville-girls-soccer/9514986002/
| 2022-04-09T15:20:04Z
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Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins killed in auto accident
(AP) - Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins was killed in an auto accident Saturday in Florida.
Haskins’ agent, Cedric Saunders, told ESPN about the quarterback’s death, and the Steelers released a statement extending their condolences.
“I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community. Dwayne was a great teammate, but even more so a tremendous friend to so many. I am truly heartbroken.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Kalabrya, and his entire family during this difficult time.”
The 24-year-old Haskins was a first-round draft choice of Washington in 2019 and started seven games, going 2-5 as a rookie. The former Ohio State star was 1-5 in six starts the next season for the team, then was released.
The Steelers gave Haskins a chance to resurrect his career in January 2021 when they signed him a month after being released by Washington. Humbled by the decision, Haskins stressed he was eager to work hard and absorb as much as he could from Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph. He made the roster as the third-stringer but only dressed once, serving as the backup in a tie with Detroit after Roethlisberger was placed into the COVID-19 protocol the night before the game.
Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert both praised Haskins for his improvement since joining the team, and the Steelers re-signed him to a one-year deal as a restricted free agent in March. He was expected to compete with Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky for a spot.
“We’re excited to see what Dwayne can provide, either from competition, or maybe he evolves as a starter,” Colbert said in January.
Haskins appeared to be working in South Florida this week with several teammates, including Trubisky and other skill position players, including running back Najee Harris and tight end Pat Freiermuth.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://apnews.com/hub/pro-32 and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/09/reports-pittsburgh-steelers-quarterback-struck-by-car-killed-florida/
| 2022-04-09T15:57:30Z
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2nd time the charm? Jennifer Lopez announces engagement to Ben Affleck
Published: Apr. 9, 2022 at 1:43 PM EDT|Updated: 15 minutes ago
(Gray News) - Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are engaged for a second time.
The actress made the announcement in her newsletter Friday night along with a video post on Twitter.
“So I have a really exciting and special story to share,” Lopez said in the video. “It is my inner circle where I share my more personal things and this one’s definitely on the JLo.”
According to People, Lopez’s message included a clip of her admiring a large, green diamond on a silver band on her ring finger. The image was also shared by her sister on social media.
Lopez and Affleck reportedly called off a previous engagement back in 2004.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/09/2nd-time-charm-jennifer-lopez-announces-engagement-ben-affleck/
| 2022-04-09T17:59:09Z
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Couple charged with child endangerment after police find ‘bags of feces’ inside home
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (KFVS/Gray News) - A Missouri couple was arrested after police discovered unsafe, unsanitary living conditions inside their home with their five children.
KFVS reports the Poplar Bluff Police Department was called to a home to follow up on information about drug activity at a residence.
Responding officers reported they noticed numerous trash bags that were full on the side and in front of the home. Trash was also scattered everywhere in the front yard and driveway.
Officers said they smelled an odor of bad personal hygiene and an extremely foul odor coming from the residence.
According to the PBPD, Aaron and Teyrsa Medley lived at the home with their five children from ages 1 to 9 years old. And the couple granted officers to enter their home.
Officers said they were immediately hit with what was described as a “pungent odor that made their stomachs churn” when entering the home.
Each room was covered with loose trash and large bags of trash, animal/human feces, urine and dirt.
A dark, hard substance coated the flooring and piles of dirty clothing, trash, used toilet paper and diapers covered the bathroom flooring, according to police.
Police Chief Danny Whiteley responded to the scene and said he had been inside hundreds of residences with the same foul odor. Those houses consisted of unsanitary, unhealthy and unsafe living conditions.
According to police, the inside of the refrigerator and freezer had several spills of unknown liquids and food with numerous dead roaches inside of them. A cooking dish had dead maggot larvae under the glass lid. Dozens of flies were present flying around.
With the assistance of the Butler County Juvenile Office, Butler County Children’s Division and Butler County Social Services, the five children were removed from the residence.
Police said Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kacey Proctor also responded to the home to examine it first-hand.
The couple was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child and booked into the Butler County Justice Center.
Copyright 2022 KFVS via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/09/couple-charged-with-child-endangerment-after-police-find-bags-feces-inside-home/
| 2022-04-09T17:59:16Z
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2nd time the charm? Jennifer Lopez announces engagement to Ben Affleck
Published: Apr. 9, 2022 at 1:43 PM EDT|Updated: 30 minutes ago
(Gray News) - Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are engaged for a second time.
The actress made the announcement in her newsletter Friday night along with a video post on Twitter.
“So I have a really exciting and special story to share,” Lopez said in the video. “It is my inner circle where I share my more personal things and this one’s definitely on the JLo.”
According to People, Lopez’s message included a clip of her admiring a large, green diamond on a silver band on her ring finger. The image was also shared by her sister on social media.
Lopez and Affleck reportedly called off a previous engagement back in 2004.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/09/2nd-time-charm-jennifer-lopez-announces-engagement-ben-affleck/
| 2022-04-09T18:14:07Z
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Couple charged with child endangerment after police find ‘bags of feces’ inside home
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (KFVS/Gray News) - A Missouri couple was arrested after police discovered unsafe, unsanitary living conditions inside their home with their five children.
KFVS reports the Poplar Bluff Police Department was called to a home to follow up on information about drug activity at a residence.
Responding officers reported they noticed numerous trash bags that were full on the side and in front of the home. Trash was also scattered everywhere in the front yard and driveway.
Officers said they smelled an odor of bad personal hygiene and an extremely foul odor coming from the residence.
According to the PBPD, Aaron and Teyrsa Medley lived at the home with their five children from ages 1 to 9 years old. And the couple granted officers to enter their home.
Officers said they were immediately hit with what was described as a “pungent odor that made their stomachs churn” when entering the home.
Each room was covered with loose trash and large bags of trash, animal/human feces, urine and dirt.
A dark, hard substance coated the flooring and piles of dirty clothing, trash, used toilet paper and diapers covered the bathroom flooring, according to police.
Police Chief Danny Whiteley responded to the scene and said he had been inside hundreds of residences with the same foul odor. Those houses consisted of unsanitary, unhealthy and unsafe living conditions.
According to police, the inside of the refrigerator and freezer had several spills of unknown liquids and food with numerous dead roaches inside of them. A cooking dish had dead maggot larvae under the glass lid. Dozens of flies were present flying around.
With the assistance of the Butler County Juvenile Office, Butler County Children’s Division and Butler County Social Services, the five children were removed from the residence.
Police said Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kacey Proctor also responded to the home to examine it first-hand.
The couple was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child and booked into the Butler County Justice Center.
Copyright 2022 KFVS via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/09/couple-charged-with-child-endangerment-after-police-find-bags-feces-inside-home/
| 2022-04-09T18:14:14Z
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Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins killed in auto accident
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins was killed Saturday when he was hit by a dump truck while he was walking on a South Florida highway.
Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Lt. Indiana Miranda confirmed the accident on westbound Interstate 595. Haskins was pronounced dead at the scene.
Miranda didn’t say why the 24-year-old Haskins was on the highway at the time. The accident caused the highway to be shut down for several hours.
“He was just walking on the highway and got hit,” Miranda told The Associated Press.
Haskins’ death sparked an outpouring of grief from multiple corners of the NFL, particularly with his former teammates with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders.
“I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community. Dwayne was a great teammate, but even more so a tremendous friend to so many. I am truly heartbroken.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Kalabrya, and his entire family during this difficult time.”
Haskins was selected by Washington in the first round of the 2019 draft out of Ohio State. He started seven games as a rookie, going 2-5. He was 1-5 in six starts the next season for the team, then was released.
Washington coach Ron Rivera said he was “absolutely heartbroken” to learn of Haskins’ death.
“Dwayne was a talented young man who had a long life ahead of him,” Rivera said in a release. “This is a very sad time and I am honestly at a loss for words. I know I speak for the rest of our team in saying he will be sorely missed. Our entire team is sending our heartfelt condolences and thoughts and prayers to the Haskins family at this time.”
Ohio State posted a photo of Haskins on its Twitter feed. It read: “Leader. Legend. Forever a Buckeye.”
The Steelers gave Haskins a chance to resurrect his career in January 2021 when they signed him a month after being released by Washington. Humbled by the decision, Haskins stressed he was eager to work hard and absorb as much as he could from Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph. He made the roster as the third-stringer but only dressed once, serving as the backup in a tie with Detroit after Roethlisberger was placed into the COVID-19 protocol the night before the game.
“The world lost a great person today,” Steelers star T.J. Watt posted on Twitter. “When Dwayne first walked into the locker room I could tell he was an upbeat guy. He was always making people smile, never taking life for granted.”
Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert both praised Haskins for his improvement since joining the team, and the Steelers re-signed him to a one-year deal as a restricted free agent in March. He was expected to compete with Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky for a spot.
“Dwayne meant so much to so many people,” Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward posted on Twitter. “His smile was infectious and he was a guy you wanted to be around. We are all in shock about losing him. We are going to miss the heck out of him as well. We lost you way too early. Luckily I got a chance to get to know you. RIP DH.”
ESPN was the first to report Haskins had died.
Haskins appeared to be working in South Florida this week with several teammates, including Trubisky, running back Najee Harris and tight end Pat Freiermuth.
“Devastated,” Rudolph said on social media.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://apnews.com/hub/pro-32 and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/09/reports-pittsburgh-steelers-quarterback-struck-by-car-killed-florida/
| 2022-04-09T18:14:20Z
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$4.6 billion (€ 4.1 billion) in grants and $5.5 billion (€ 5 billion) in loans will support refugee efforts in Ukraine and other European countries in providing accommodation and economic security, as well as support for grassroots organizations and UN agencies working with refugees and internally displaced people.
In using these funds, governments are called on not to cut other crucial development and humanitarian priorities around the world and pit vulnerable people against one another.
Commitments made to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine must not come at the expense of vulnerable populations around the world.
EPK LINK: https://publicity.gettyimages.com/event/global-citizen-stand-up-for-ukraine
WARSAW, Poland and OTTAWA, ON and NEW YORK, April 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, at the Stand Up for Ukraine pledging event, $4.6 billion in grants was pledged in new funding for humanitarian efforts being undertaken by Ukraine and other European countries, UN agencies and grassroots organizations to support all those impacted by the invasion. In addition, $5.5 billion in loans was newly announced to help Ukraine and neighboring countries cope with the crisis.
Convened by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in partnership with Global Citizen, with the participation of Andrzej Duda, President of Poland, and moderated by Isha Sesay, the "Stand Up for Ukraine" pledging event sought to raise billions of dollars to bolster efforts to assist the more than 4.4 million refugees who have fled Ukraine and the 6.5 million people displaced within the country.
The campaign also called for commitments to be new and additional, and not to result in cuts to existing development programs. Governments should not use existing ODA budgets to cover costs of welcoming refugees at home, which is unacceptable and counterproductive in the long term.
We must avoid pitting vulnerable groups against one another. This is especially important given the more than 80 million people who are currently displaced around the world. Governments must significantly increase development and humanitarian spending NOW to jointly address the multiple humanitarian, climate, and hunger crises across the world.
New Government and European Commission Pledges for Ukraine and Refugees in Europe
Pledges and in kind contributions made by leaders included:
- European Commission - $1.1B (€1B)
- Canada - $80M (€72M)
- Belgium - $904M (€813M)
- Croatia - $111M (€100M)
- Czech Republic - $222M (€200M)
- Estonia - $111K (€100K)
- Finland - $778M (€700M)
- Ireland - $58M (€53M)
- Italy - $400M (€360M)
- Malta - $55K (€50K)
- Slovakia - $595M (€535M)
- Sweden - $333M (€300M)
- Qatar - $5M (€4.4M)
Announcements of Loans
- Council of Europe Development Bank - $ 1.1B (€1B) in loans
- European Investment Bank - $4.4 (€4B) in loans, which still requires approval by the board of directors.
Additionally, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development confirmed it will allocate $1.1 billion (€ 1 billion) out of a previously announced package of $2.25 billion (€2 billion) on March 9, specifically for projects in municipalities impacted by the crisis.
New Corporate Financial Commitments
Global Citizen thanks the companies below for their generous contribution in support of humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine and around the world:
- Blue Bottle Coffee
- Bridgewater Associates
- Cisco
- The Coca-Cola Company
- Continental Development Corporation
- Crush Music
- CSL Behring
- DocuSign
- Farmamundi Foundation
- Nestlé
- Nespresso
- Verizon
- The Foundation at Sanofi
- Seadream Family Foundation
- Sun Life
Public donations from citizens were also made as part of the Stand Up for Ukraine. Over $500.000 was donated to GlobalGiving's Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund by almost 5000 people in 66 different countries.
A full breakdown of the impact from the "Stand Up for Ukraine" can be found in the impact report on Global Citizen's website.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said: "It's not only Ukraine fighting for its sovereignty and integrity, but they are also fighting for the question of whether humanity will prevail or whether heinous devastation will be the result. We want to rally the world for refugees, inside and outside Ukraine, to support them."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said, "Your voice, donations, and advocacy are making a real difference. You're helping provide food, water, shelter, and medical aid for refugees who had to flee their homes — so thank you. Together, let's keep working to mobilize governments around the world, private companies, and the people in our communities to support refugees from Ukraine and, indeed, support all Ukrainians." He added, "Everyone deserves to be safe. Let's all continue to Stand Up For Ukraine!"
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a special appeal for citizens around the world: "Convince your politicians. Stay with Ukraine. Stay with Freedom. Stay with Bravery."
The Stand Up for Ukraine Social Rally
Leading into the pledging event, on 8 April, artists, athletes, entertainers, advocates and citizens from around the world including, Adam Lambert, Aitana, Alec Benjamin, Alejandro Sanz, Alex Len, Alexandra Stan, Andy Cohen, Angélique Kidjo, Annie Lennox, Antytila, Arlo Parks, Ashlee Simpson Ross, Au/Ra, Barbra Streisand, Barenaked Ladies, Bastille, Becky Lynch, Billie Eilish, Billy Porter, Black Eyed Peas, Bobby Weir, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Springsteen, Carole King, Celine Dion, Chris Isaak, Chris Tomlin, Connie Britton, Dave Matthews, Daymond John, Dead & Company, Drew McIntyre, Dwane Casey, Dylan Dunlap, Ellen DeGeneres, Ellie Goulding, Elton John and David Furnish, Evan Ross, Fall Out Boy, Finn Bälor, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Gelila Assefa Puck, Gloria Steinem, Green Day, Herbert Grönemeyer, Hozier, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness, Isha Sesay, Ivar and Erik, Jamala, Jenna Dewan, Jennifer Lopez, Jesse McCartney, Jewel, Jill Vedder, Jim Kyte, Johnny Orlando, Jon Bon Jovi, Jonas Brothers, Juanes, Julian Lennon, Kacey Musgraves, Katie Couric, Katy Perry, Kerry Washington, KD Lang, Lennon Stella, Leon Bridges, Lilly Singh, Liv Morgan, Lola Lennox, Luis Fonsi, Luke Steele, Madonna, MÅNESKIN, Megan Morant, Metallica, Michael Bublé, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Miley Cyrus, Nicky Jam, Nigel Barker, Nikki A.S.H., Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Nuno Bettencourt, ONEREPUBLIC, Oprah Winfrey, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Padma Lakshmi, Panic! At The Disco, Pearl Jam, Pharrell Williams, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rita Ora, Rufus Wainwright, Sarsa, Seth 'Freakin' Rollins, Shayna Baszler, Shinsuke Nakamura, SOFI TUKKER, Stevie Nicks, Sviatoslav "Svi" Mykhailiuk, Tame Impala, Thalia, The Lumineers, Third Eye Blind, U2, Ukulele U, Usher, Vito Bambino, Weezer, Within Temptation, Young Leosia, Zucchero and 5 Seconds of Summer.
Hugh Evans, CEO and Co-Founder of Global Citizen, said, "Today, and into the future, the world must stand up not just for Ukraine, but for refugees and displaced people everywhere. Now is the time to double-down on our efforts to work together to fund these challenges, taking care of refugees while protecting overseas aid. We need leaders who understand that standing up for Ukraine must not be allowed to mean standing down on climate, extreme poverty or vaccine inequality. We know what's needed, we have the wallet, so the only question is, "do our leaders have the political will to act and act now?"
Highlighting Previous Support
As part of the Stand Up for Ukraine pledging event, many governments highlighted the humanitarian support they have already provided to Ukraine and neighboring countries.
Those reiterations of previous humanitarian pledges by governments included: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.
Accountability & Follow Through
Global Citizen advocates for all commitments pledged as part of "Stand Up for Ukraine" to be dedicated to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and neighboring countries, without discrimination on the basis of the nationalities of potential beneficiaries in the crisis-affected region. Given the evolving nature of the crisis, we are continuously working to ensure that this criteria is met immediately and throughout the months to come.
The Stand Up For Ukraine event saw a combination of pledges, including funds to Ukrainian authorities, UN Agencies, grassroot organizations, refugee resettlement costs as well as a number of loans and guarantees. Some commitments related to refugee resettlement include funds EU member states have allocated to welcome refugees and provide accommodation, economic opportunities, access to healthcare, and education. Their implementation and the final amount of funds spent will depend on the amount of refugees being resettled in their respective countries.
Funding to Ukraine, while absolutely necessary and desirable, must not lead to cuts to existing development programs, which are unacceptable and counterproductive in the long term. We also advocate for global solidarity with other communities across the globe that are still facing important challenges, from war to poverty, climate injustice and unbearable inequalities. Governments must significantly increase development spending including humanitarian spending now to jointly address the multiple humanitarian, climate, and hunger crises across the world.
Global Citizen believes it is fundamental responsibility for any organization giving a platform to governments, businesses, and decision makers to ensure that their promises are kept. That's why Global Citizen will monitor and track the pledges made during this campaign, reporting back on progress and calling for action when more needs to be done.
Thank You + Acknowledgements
Global Citizen would also like to acknowledge our many partners who supported the "Stand Up for Ukraine" campaign and social media rally, including: AEG, Bridgewater Associates, CAA, Captivate, Cisco, The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines, Dolphin Entertainment, Guy Oseary, GSTV, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness, iHeartMedia, Intersection, Link Media Outdoor, Live Nation, NBA, NBPA, NHL, NHL Alumni Association, NHLPA, OAAA, Oak View Group, the Recording Academy, The Door, TID Agency, Universal Music Group, Verizon, WWE as well as over 70 policy, NGO and civil society partners.
For more information about "Stand Up for Ukraine," visit www.forUkraine.com.
ABOUT GLOBAL CITIZEN:
Global Citizen is the world's largest movement of action takers and impact makers dedicated to ending extreme poverty NOW. We post, tweet, message, vote, sign, and call to inspire those who can make things happen — government leaders, businesses, philanthropists, artists, and citizens — together improving lives. By downloading our app, Global Citizens learn about the systemic causes of extreme poverty, take action on those issues, and earn rewards, which can be redeemed for tickets to concerts, events, and experiences all over the world. For more information, visit www.globalcitizen.org and follow @GlblCtzn.
CONTACT:
Global Citizen Inquiries: media@globalcitizen.org
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/09/101-billion-91-billion-pledged-new-grants-loans-part-stand-up-ukraine-event-support-those-who-have-had-flee-their-homes-ukraine/
| 2022-04-09T18:14:26Z
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NEW YORK, April 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR) between August 3, 2021 and January 20, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important April 18, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.
SO WHAT: If you purchased SunPower securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the SunPower class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=3135 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 18, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made 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, SunPower 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 SunPower's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the SunPower class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=3135 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact Information:
Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
lrosen@rosenlegal.com
pkim@rosenlegal.com
cases@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/09/rosen-top-ranked-firm-encourages-sunpower-corporation-investors-with-losses-secure-counsel-before-important-april-18-deadline-securities-class-action-spwr/
| 2022-04-09T18:14:34Z
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NEW YORK, April 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of FAT Brands Inc. (NASDAQ: FAT, FATBB, FATBP, FATBW) between December 4, 2017 and February 18, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important May 17, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline in the securities class action commenced by the Firm.
SO WHAT: If you purchased FAT Brands securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the FAT Brands class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=3635 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than May 17, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the Company and the Wiederhorns engaged in transactions "for no legitimate corporate purpose"; (2) the Company ignored warning signs relating to transactions with the Wiederhorns; (3) as a result, the Company was likely to face increased scrutiny, investigations, and other potential issues; (4) certain executives, who are touted as critical to the Company's success, were at great risk of scrutiny—potentially, at least in part, due to the Company's actions; (5) the Company's touted chief executive officer (CEO) and chief operating officer (COO) were under investigation regarding transactions with the Company; and (6) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the FAT Brands class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=3635 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact Information:
Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
lrosen@rosenlegal.com
pkim@rosenlegal.com
cases@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/09/top-ranked-rosen-law-firm-encourages-fat-brands-inc-investors-with-losses-secure-counsel-before-important-deadline-securities-class-action-commenced-by-firm-fat-fatbb-fatbp-fatbw/
| 2022-04-09T18:14:40Z
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NEW YORK — Nursing home residents are subjected to ineffective care and poor staffing, while facility finances are shrouded in secrecy and regulatory lapses go unenforced, according to a new report that called for wholesale changes in an industry whose failures have been spotlighted by the pandemic.
To anyone who saw the scourge of COVID-19 on the country’s most vulnerable, the findings of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine might may be sobering but unsurprising, as the long-term care system's inadequacies were made plain by more than 150,000 resident deaths. The authors of the 605-page report insist it could be an impetus to address issues that have gotten little more than lip service for decades.
“The public is so concerned about the quality of care that most people really fear their family having to be in a nursing home,” said Betty Ferrell, a nurse who chaired the report committee. “We’re very optimistic that our government officials will respond to what has really been a travesty.”
Wednesday's report covers a vast cross-section of long-term care, from granular details such as the way facilities are designed to foundational issues that would require massive political capital and investment to address. Among them: the authors advocate for creating a new national long-term care system that would exist outside of Medicaid, the program that is at the center of most long-term care financing.
The likelihood of such a proposal successfully winding its way through Congress seems low in the current political climate. The most recent federal attempt to reform long-term care financing was a voluntary long-term care insurance program known as the CLASS Act. It was included in the Affordable Care Act but later repealed when the Obama administration found it unworkable.
“It has been a long time since we as a country have been wanting to dig in and reform how we finance, pay, regulate and delivery nursing home services,” said David Grabowski, a nursing home expert and Harvard Medical School professor who served on the report committee.
The industry’s biggest lobbying groups insisted reforms must be met by increased government funding.
The American Health Care Association said “what we cannot support are unfunded mandates.”
Katie Smith Sloan, who leads LeadingAge, which represents nonprofit nursing homes, called the report “a piercing wake-up call” about an industry “in desperate need of an overhaul," but likewise said the success of remaking the system would depend on how funding issues are addressed.
“As policymakers consider how to enact the report’s recommendations, they must back their actions with sufficient funding to make changes a reality,” she said. “Without that, the committee’s work will be for naught.”
Staffing
On the issue of nursing home staffing, which advocates have repeatedly said is too low, too untrained and too underpaid, the report's authors called for facilities to have at least one registered nurse on duty at all times and for an infection prevention and control specialist and social worker to also be on staff.
More broadly, across all staffing in homes, including nurse aides who make up the bulk of front-line caregivers, the authors called for additional study on optimal staffing.
Industry lobbyists have fought against more stringent staffing requirements. Federal law only requires nursing homes to have sufficient staff to meet residents’ needs, but nearly all interpretation of what that means is left to states. President Joe Biden, too, has called for establishing national staffing minimums.
Among the more routine subjects in the report, but one that nonetheless impacts residents' everyday lives, the authors call for homes to prioritize private rooms and bathrooms instead of the communal ones that can fuel infections and underscore the institutional setting. And in a blunt reminder of how bleak life in nursing homes can be, the report notes most residents spend “little if any time outdoors," calling for facilities to make outside access more accessible.
The proposals, Grabowski said, have the potential to improve the days of residents who, even when they are having their basic medical needs met, are frequently lacking in other areas of their lives.
“I think the average nursing home resident has an OK quality of care but a poor quality of life,” Grabowski said.
Advocates for nursing home residents have long pleaded for attention on homes' shortcomings, and the pandemic gave them a media spotlight. But decades of inaction by politicians and resistance by the industry are difficult to overcome, and what the report might spark remains unclear.
A forerunner to the study, 1986′s “Improving the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes," was also a product of the National Academies. Some issues of that report were taken on in the sweeping 1987 Nursing Home Reform Act, which created the regulatory framework homes are still under today. Others remain unaddressed.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/from_the_wire/nursing-home-care-funding-system-need-overhaul-u-s-report-says/article_f7761129-2d22-5146-b885-2d17419ed5de.html
| 2022-04-09T18:19:10Z
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CHEYENNE – More than a month after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, a mother fleeing the country has been reunited with her daughter in Cheyenne.
Tamara Kochubei’s first week back in America since the COVID-19 pandemic started has been filled with mixed emotions. She braved the weeklong trek across Europe before departing from the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, last Friday, and accepted she might not have a home to return to.
She said coming to see her daughter, local paralegal Iryna Wiggam, was a rush of relief, but her heart is still with the people of Ukraine she left behind.
“She didn’t want to leave her home,” Wiggam translated for her mother. “She didn’t want to leave her job because she has lots of friends at work and colleagues, and even just people in her apartment complex. And she didn’t want to lock up her apartment and leave it, because who knows what happens later, and if she even has a home to go back to.”
Before she made the decision to leave, the Ukrainian citizen spent the entire first month of the invasion in her hometown of Cherkasy, a city in the central part of the former Soviet republic. She continued to work at the clinic as a family physician, interrupted by air raid sirens three to four times a shift. Although the city was at risk of bombing because it’s less than 130 miles south of Kyiv, it wasn’t actively under siege.
With things having been safer, she said this was one of the factors that impacted her decision to stay. Buses and trains were full of Ukrainians trying to leave the fighting zones, and Kochubei did not want to take the spot of someone in need.
“I’m not getting shot everyday, but people who are, they need to be able to leave,” she said.
It wasn’t until Wiggam arranged travel for her mother with family friends that she felt prepared to leave. If she didn’t take the opportunity to be with companions on the 13-hour shuttle to Poland, and then catch another daylong ride to Germany, she would have to do it alone in the future.
The ability to come to the U.S. was also made possible by the fact that Kochubei holds a tourist visa, which allows her to spend up to six months at a time here. Without it, she would not have been permitted to stay.
Wiggam said she was grateful this opportunity was available to them. She was always worried about her mother living alone after her father’s death, but the war exacerbated the feeling. There was no way to get to her if something went wrong.
“I can’t jump on the plane anymore because the airports in Ukraine are shut down,” she said.
Both agreed it was the best decision to come to Cheyenne, even with the feeling of grief following Kochubei’s departure. Now, they said, they have a sense of security.
“The best thing has probably been how quiet it is. Sirens are not going off, and you can actually sleep through the night without getting woken up by the siren that tells you that you have to get up and go to the shelter,” Kochubei said. “And just spending time with a kid with the grandkids and enjoying family has been the most favorite part.”
Another thing they both said they never expected to feel coming from the war was unity. It shines through one of the most difficult moments not only of their lives, but for all of the citizens of their nation. Wiggam said eastern and western Ukraine now realize they have more in common, which is the determination to be free from Russia. Whatever divisions or doubts were felt before have disappeared.
“In Ukraine, the new thing they say is ‘glory to Ukraine, glory to the heroes,’” she said.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/ukrainian-mother-and-daughter-reunited-in-cheyenne/article_121d716a-9e0c-5663-b624-8e14dea43b60.html
| 2022-04-09T18:19:16Z
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/usc-forward-max-agbonkpolo-commits-to-wyoming/article_9c150a0b-cb97-534f-b46a-0fb37153f716.html
| 2022-04-09T18:19:23Z
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Ballot measures asking rural Oregon voters if they would like to be part of more conservative Idaho will be on the May primary ballot in Klamath, Josephine and Douglas counties.
Voters in Wallowa County will be asked in November about a potential “leave Oregon for Idaho” related measure.
The group pushing for a so-called Greater Idaho is looking to get additional ballots throughout rural parts of Oregon including Morrow and Umatilla counties.
The measures are part of the Greater Idaho movement which would have rural and more conservative areas of Oregon join Idaho.
They are propelled by the notion that rural and conservative parts of the state have more in common with Idaho than Oregon which is politically progressive and Portland-dominated.
Mike McCarter, president of Citizens for a Greater Idaho, is optimistic about passage in southern Oregon counties. He said rural areas of the state are frustrated with progressive policies in Portland and the Democratic-dominated state capital.
“They passed the drug laws. They passed the homeless laws. They passed the taxes,” McCarter said.
The measures before local voters do not call for some kind of secession, but instead require counties to look at the issue.
Greater Idaho measures have been approved in 11 counties. McCarter said he wants to get Idaho measures approved in 19 of Oregon’s 32 counties. He said those 19 rural counties make up 79% of Oregon’s land but 21% of its population.
Wallowa County is also putting a “Greater Idaho” measure on the November ballot after the county approved petitions calling for a measure April 7. That measure would require county commissioners to be meet twice annually on whether rural parts of Oregon should become part of Idaho.
The measure on the Klamath County May 17 ballot would have the county create a new board focused on looking at the merits of leaving Oregon for Idaho.
Josephine County voters will be asked their opinion on a non-binding advisory measure. The question reads, “In your opinion, should Josephine County, along with other rural counties, separate from Oregon and become part of Idaho?”
In Douglas County, the Greater Idaho-backed measure would amend county rules to allow for advocacy in both states and for potential state measures.
McCarter said the local measures aim to build momentum to have rural Oregon’s interests taken to account more in Salem or for have those counties which would stretch to part of the coast look at joining neighboring Idaho.
“Idaho would have beachfront property,” he said of potential access to Coos Bay.
But McCarter also acknowledges any effort to have Oregon counties leave for Idaho would require various legislative measures and approvals from both states.
There are long histories of political rivalries and differences within states resulting in pushes for secession that never come to fruition.
Some of those rivalries, including in Illinois, are similar to Oregon’s Portland versus rural areas dynamic.
The push to leave Oregon for Idaho is centered around mostly conservative policy differences with the progressive policies in Salem. Those include fiscal issues such as taxes and social issues such as abortion, immigration and LGBTQ rights.
Idaho and Oregon are, for example, oceans apart on abortion. Idaho just passed a new restrictive law that bans most abortions after six weeks. Oregon lawmakers responded to that law by creating a $15 million fund to help women from Idaho and other states with abortion restrictions to travel to Oregon to terminate their pregnancies.
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https://www.heraldandnews.com/news/local_news/greater-idaho-measures-getting-on-more-local-ballots/article_a0724d78-3858-5c5c-8015-3bb14c594d2f.html
| 2022-04-09T19:00:19Z
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