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TORRINGTON — “I mean this in the best way possible, but I don’t ever want to see you again.”
Drew Aldridge addressed a group of incarcerated people who have just earned their high school equivalency diplomas and are preparing to reenter society.
Aldridge works as the Academic Manager at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Facility in Torrington, the primary intake center for all inmates not sentenced to death, and home to the top education programs for inmates in the state. From welding to braille, incarcerated people there can choose a program and earn their certification in that skill.
Those without high school diplomas are required to earn their equivalency diplomas, and all these education opportunities open new doors once they reenter society. Approximately 96% of incarcerated individuals do reenter society.
“They’re going to be your neighbor,” Aldridge said. “[Through education,] they’re able to kind of change that [harmful] mindset.”
Studies have shown the link between education and recidivism — the likelihood those who have served their time will reoffend. WDOC works with local institutions such as Eastern Wyoming College to provide education opportunities for incarcerated persons in hopes of keeping the local recidivism rate as low as possible.
The partnership between WDOC and EWC began nearly two decades ago.
“Our commitment is to help provide [incarcerated individuals] with educational opportunities,” EWC Vice President of Academic Services Roger Humphrey said.
EWC teaches classes in the prisons within its service area, including WMCI in Torrington and the Wyoming Women’s Center in Lusk.
The Second Chance Pell Grant, which EWC has applied for through the Department of Education, would provide more opportunities for the school to teach new classes and expand its available programs.
“If this is approved, it provides access to qualifying incarcerated people to be able to access funds to be able to take more courses,” Humphrey said. “For example, it could look like us going in and teaching an English class or a math class. [The grant] will allow the incarcerated individuals to be able to potentially access more courses and programs.”
The Department of Education has yet to announce a decision on EWC’s application for the Second Chance Pell Grant.
Reentering society after years spent in prison can be difficult. A gap on a resume labeled “prison” isn’t exactly what many employers are looking for.
Research has shown that formerly incarcerated individuals who exit the system with a certificate or something else proving their expanded skill set tend to have a more positive experience in finding employment.
That employment is key in lowering rates of recidivism. Studies have shown how employment and a solid support system are important factors in formerly incarcerated people’s decisions to change their harmful behaviors.
The Prison Policy Initiative reports that 27% of formerly incarcerated individuals were unemployed in 2008, the latest year data is available.
For reference, the general unemployment rate in America during the Great Depression was 25%. Even with the housing market crash in 2008, the general unemployment rate was only 5.8%, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The current rate is about 3.8%.
Even in specific demographics, the rates of unemployment among those who have formerly been incarcerated and those who have not are exponentially different. Education has shown itself to be a significant factor in employability.
Humphrey said attending the graduation ceremonies for incarcerated people and seeing the things they’ve accomplished is both “personally and professionally very rewarding.”
Stephen Hyatt and Robert Pedro have both graduated from programs at WMCI.
Hyatt even tutors other incarcerated individuals in the welding program.
“When I came and they brought me [to WMCI] on the bus, I’d seen welding students out there,” Pedro said about his first experience with the welding program. “I never thought I was going to be a student… So, when I got accepted, I was pretty excited.”
Both Hyatt and Pedro said they have enjoyed their time in the welding program and the other education opportunities they have had while at WMCI.
“It’s like a taste of freedom,” Hyatt said. “You get to use a lot of tools and build things that the average prisoner doesn’t really get to experience.”
The welding program has added another “tool in the tool bag” for Hyatt and Pedro, hopefully opening up a brighter future than what others in their shoes have experienced.
Along with welding, braille and other specialty classes, incarcerated individuals without a high school diploma or the equivalent are required to complete the Adult Basic Education program.
From there, they have the chance to apply for the other classes.
Most jobs and employers require a high school diploma or the equivalent. By completing the ABE program, graduates have numerous doors opened to them.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/inmates-offered-education-opportunities/article_f71e5a45-35b1-5166-9304-ab4e5ebb8f43.html
| 2022-04-02T12:40:08Z
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Albany County Detention Center
Editor’s note: Those listed under Albany County Detention Center have been arrested. They are innocent until proven guilty. The following are included in the ACDC arrest record (arrests on warrants not included). To request an update on charge/arrest disposition, email news@boomerang.com and include documentation of the update.
MONDAY, MARCH 28
• Dexter Candelaria, 37, Laramie, was arrested for possible disorderly conduct, drunk
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30
• Alexandria Wood, 28, Colorado, was arrested for possible possession of controlled substance, interference
The following calls were included in the Albany County Sheriff’s Office responses:
MONDAY, MARCH 28
• 2:05 a.m., intersection of W. Curtis St. and N. Cedar St., possible impaired driving
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30
• 11:12 p.m., Interstate 80, possible possession of controlled substance
THURSDAY, MARCH 31
• 8:26 p.m., 900 block of N. McCue St., possible domestic disturbance
The following calls were included in the Laramie Police Department responses:
MONDAY, MARCH 28
• 9:24 a.m., 600 block of S. Hayes St., possible domestic disturbance
• 10:14 a.m., 3600 block of E. Grand Ave., theft
• 1:44 p.m., 600 block of N. 3rd St., trespassing
• 2 p.m., 900 block of S. 11th St., possible domestic disturbance
• 2:43 p.m., intersection of N. 12th St. and E. Harney St., accident
• 2:52 p.m., 500 block of S. Johnson St., emergency
• 2:56 p.m., 900 block of N. 30th St., traffic hazard
• 3:01 p.m., 900 block of S. 11th St., possible domestic disturbance
• 5:35 p.m., 600 block of S. Hayes St., fighting
• 9:23 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., shoplifting
• 10:20 p.m., 1300 block of S. 3rd St., disorderly conduct
TUESDAY, MARCH 29
• 9:53 a.m., 500 block of N. 9th St., burglary
• 10:09 a.m., 900 block of N. 3rd St., theft
• 10:12 a.m., 1300 block of S. 3rd St., theft
• 4:55 p.m., 1300 block of E. Spring Creek Dr., animal bite
• 8:03 p.m., 1200 block of N. 3rd St., vandalism
• 9:05 p.m., 2100 block of Wyoming Ave, possible domestic disturbance
• 11:43 p.m., 2100 block of Wyoming Ave, possible domestic disturbance
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30
• 2:03 p.m., intersection of S. 2nd St. and E. Garfield St., accident
• 2:52 p.m., 600 block of S. Hayes St., disturbance/harassment-threats
• 3:57 p.m., 600 block of N. 3rd St., burglary
• 5:40 p.m., 3700 block of E. Grand Ave., accident
• 8:23 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., shoplifting
• 10:16 p.m., 2600 block of Jackson St., emergency
• 11:12 p.m., Interstate 80, possible possession of controlled substance
THURSDAY, MARCH 31
• 12:04 a.m., 2500 block of Kennedy Ave., possible child abuse
• 9:26 a.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., shoplifting
• 12:06 p.m., 500 block of E. University Ave., accident
• 6:03 p.m., 1200 block of S. 17th St., possible possession of controlled substance
• 8:26 p.m., 900 block of N. McCue St., possible domestic disturbance
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local_news/arrest_record_and_police_calls/april-2-on-the-record/article_8fed67f2-2378-5d9e-a84f-b9e988a38ea6.html
| 2022-04-02T12:40:14Z
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Prescribed burns planned for Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests
In the coming weeks, USDA Forest Service fire staff will look for windows of opportunity to conduct prescribed burns in four areas of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests.
Daily decisions to burn will be dependent on fuel and weather condition alignment.
If conditions are favorable, burning could happen at multiple locations this spring. Planned burn operation locations include the Pole Mountain and Divide Peak areas in Wyoming and Slack-Weiss and Steamboat Springs areas in Colorado.
For the most up-to-date information pertaining to exact dates, times and locations, follow official social media pages @FS_MBRTB on Twitter or @FSMBRTB on Facebook.
In general, burn areas will vary in size consisting of anywhere from a couple acres to few hundred acres at a time. Cumulative acres planned to be burned this spring will total about 2,300 across the four operations.
Dispersed recreation in the burn areas may be impacted. Staff will be making personal contact with recreationists regarding any temporary closures. Signs will be placed on adjacent roads notifying the public of the burns as necessary. Fire staff from the Forest Service will continue to monitor the burned areas following the operations.
Staff will primarily use drip torches to carry out the burning. For safety and effectiveness, operations will not be initialized if weather conditions are unfavorable. Necessary smoke permits will be obtained through state entities and adhered to throughout the project.
Prescribed burning is a versatile forest management tool that can mimic historically natural fire disturbances, reduce hazardous fuels buildup, and improve habitat for a variety of wildlife. Minimal and managed smoke from prescribed fires now helps prevent the potential for more unpredictable and hazardous wildfire smoke in the future.
Application period open for elk shed antler hunt
JACKSON (WNE) — An application process has been added for those interested in participating in this year’s antler hunt on the National Elk Refuge.
The application period begins runs through April 15 for people who would like to search for shed antlers at the event beginning May 1.
“As in years past, participants will be placed in sequential order and led, via motorcade, by the JPD to the Elk Refuge Road,” a town of Jackson press release said. “Shed antler collection and the refuge road will remain closed until 6 a.m. on May 1 when the hunt begins.”
Jackson Police Chief Michelle Weber told the Jackson Hole Daily that the new application process is just another layer of organization added to help the antler hunt run smoothly.
For years, Weber pointed out, people would park and camp out along Broadway Avenue in East Jackson for days leading up to the event, “and then you had to worry about people going to the restroom and garbage being left in people’s yards, and ... parking complaints all night long.”
“And so that was kind of how, a couple years ago, that’s what led us to go, ‘OK, let’s consolidate everybody at least in the fairgrounds,’ ” she added.
Having vehicles line up in a queue at the Teton County Fairgrounds the past couple of years has helped, Weber said, but this new system will prevent them from arriving on the grounds days ahead of time, a drain on JPD resources.
Now, they will arrive April 30 and line up according to their assigned numbers — with 1 to 50 in the first group, 51 to 100 in the second, and so on — before being led to the refuge the next morning.
For more information, visit JacksonWY.gov/civicalerts.
Statewide program asks gardeners to ‘grow a little extra’
SHERIDAN (WNE) — First Lady Jennie Gordon’s Wyoming Hunger Initiative will partner with University of Wyoming Extension for a second year to encourage Wyomingites to “grow a little extra” for their neighbors in need of access to fresh produce around the state.
Last year’s campaign yielded over 10,000 pounds of fresh garden produce donated for distribution around the state to local anti-hunger organizations. Fresh produce is difficult and costly for the food pantry system to procure, and this project encourages people from across the state to participate in this Wyoming solution to hunger.
The Grow a Little Extra campaign will target three groups in Wyoming: home gardeners who can “grow a little extra” to share with local food pantries, existing community gardens who can dedicate one or two sections to growing food specifically for local food distribution agencies, and churches or community organizations that want to start a new garden to grow food for the community.
“The Cent$ible Nutrition Program and UW Extension values the partnership with the First Lady’s Wyoming Hunger Initiative to increase access to locally grown fresh produce to people in need,” said Cent$ible Nutrition State Director Mindy Meuli.
Wyoming residents are encouraged to grow an extra row or two and donate the produce to their local extension office, where it will be weighed and distributed to local anti-hunger organizations.
Wyoming Hunger Initiative has also distributed seed packets to all 23 counties and the Wind River Indian Reservation for those interested in picking them up free at their local extension office.
Lastly, infrastructure grants are available from Wyoming Hunger Initiative for organizations wishing to expand an existing community garden or start a new one to grow produce specifically for sharing with families and organizations in need.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/outdoors/out-and-about/article_536e6498-3032-56df-b6fd-4286facb777a.html
| 2022-04-02T12:40:20Z
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POWELL — Owls were to blame for the sage grouse carcasses that littered the grassy flight pen floors some mornings.
At night the birds of prey would perch atop the pens. With an innate fear of raptors, their netted-in quarry would flee. The captive grouse raised by the Diamond Wings Upland Game Birds are forceful fliers, and the ensuing collisions with their fenced boundaries often proved fatal.
Diamond Wings Manager Karl Bear, who’s dedicated the last year to collecting eggs, hatching and raising the iconic grouse of the high desert, hasn’t kept a precise collision-killed bird headcount. But until troubleshooting solved the problem, strikes were the largest factor that trimmed his flock from 114 healthy, hatched chicks down to the 51 yearling adults that remained alive in mid-March, he said.
“They have powerful wings, and they would get a lot of momentum,” Bear said. “They maintain their wild [instincts] and they’d fly up and hit their heads. That was pretty difficult.”
But at least, he added, the grouse weren’t getting decapitated. That happens. An owl or hawk learns to land on the pens and the panicked farmed game birds fly up into the netting, which is only large enough to admit their heads. Deadly talons await.
“They flush them, and pull their heads off,” Bear said. “So there’s 10 chukars laying there headless, because they snip them off.”
Bear didn’t want to chance raptors decapitating his prized sage grouse, so he went with inch-wide netting instead of two. That worked to keep sage grouse intact. He solved the collision deaths, too, using a two-part strategy: fitting solar-powered, blinking Nite Guard lights to the pens that deterred owls and installing cloth windscreens that discouraged the grouse from hard flushing.
“Little things you learn, you know,” Bear said. “Just trial and error.”
While small adjustments have helped Bear bring successful sage-grouse farming arguably within sight, plenty of controversy and attention still circle his endeavor, which is partly bankrolled by the oil and gas industry.
During the Wyoming Legislature’s recent budget session, several conservation and hunter advocacy groups made contesting Senate File 61 – Sage grouse game bird farms-extending certification expiration-2 — a bill that would keep grouse farming legal — a top priority. State wildlife officials have stayed neutral, but numerous unaffiliated biologists contend that farming sage grouse to augment wild populations — the ultimate goal — is a bad idea that’s been tried before, does not work and does not address the actual habitat-related root cause of the species’ decline. Still, the proposal to allow Bear to keep grouse farming for another five years sailed through the statehouse and was signed into law by Gov. Mark Gordon on March 15.
So more than 50 domestic, yet still majestic, sage grouse remain in the 300-foot-long flight pens rising off the prairie between Ralston and Powell — as does the one optimistic aviculturist who’s doing everything he can to help them stay alive and mate.
“Our hurdle is just breeding right now,” Bear said. “And the next step is to raise them [with wild instincts].”
The greater sage grouse is a trickier species than most to raise in captivity. While some breeding operations pump out popular game birds like pheasants by the millions, there have only been a few efforts to compel the sagebrush-dependent, chicken-sized birds to live and breed in captivity.
Thirty-seven years ago, one of those efforts unfolded in the high plains south of Laramie at the University of Wyoming’s Red Buttes Environmental Biology Laboratory. Cheyenne biologist Greg Johnson headed that effort in 1985 and ‘86 for his graduate studies. After gathering 142 eggs and 73 chicks from the wild, he was able to establish a functional population. Johnson achieved solid survival: 84% of the hatched and captured chicks survived until they could move to outdoor pens, then 91% of those birds survived the flight pens. But it wasn’t easy.
“They’re very difficult to raise in captivity,” Johnson said. “You never see sage grouse in a zoo, and there’s a reason for that.”
Keeping the captive birds healthy and alive was a labor-intensive puzzle, he said. Johnson cut truckloads of sagebrush in the winter to feed them. He’d collect insects to emulate chicks’ natural diets. Cleaning their pens took a ton of time, he said.
The effort was rooted in scientific inquiry: Johnson was investigating how a pesticide, widely applied aerially at the time to kill grasshoppers, was affecting sage grouse chicks, which depend on bugs. But in the process he pioneered domestic sage-grouse rearing techniques.
“I think I was the first one that successfully produced chicks,” Johnson said. “Other people were trying, and they just had very little success at all.”
Johnson and his advisor, former University of Wyoming professor Mark Boyce, even got them to breed, a task complicated by sage grouses’ elaborate displays and need for open lekking grounds. In all, eight of the sage hens laid clutches. But of 41 eggs, only 13 hatched and 11 of those chicks died within a few days, he said — most succumbed to a bacterial disease. Just two survived.
Producing captive-raised sage grouse that can survive in the wild is another challenge. The track record isn’t good. Boyce, who’s since moved on to become an ecology professor at the University of Alberta, relayed the results of the Calgary Zoo’s captive breeding program, which has released 187 sage grouse so far.
“They release the birds in the wild, and they just die,” Boyce said. “They have had very, very low success: One bird that made it to breeding season and laid a clutch.
“It just doesn’t work,” he added.
Even facing that dismal track record, Bear, a 25-year game-bird-industry veteran, has hope that he can instill sage grouse chicks with the predator-avoidance savvy and other life skills they’ll need to stay alive.
“Our goal is to raise a good, healthy, wild bird,” he said. “We’re probably not there yet, but I think we’ve improved with every year.”
But Boyce, Johnson and other biologists who testified in Cheyenne this legislative session all made the point that releasing birds doesn’t address the underlying cause of the species’ decline.
“The bottom line is you’ve got to have good habitat,” Boyce said. “People just don’t seem to appreciate sagebrush habitat. It’s been under assault forever. Sage grouse, they depend on it, they have to have it, so it’s not surprising that we’re losing sage grouse in many areas.”
University of Wyoming postdoctoral researcher Chris Kirol, who studies sage grouse, testified that grouse farming was a “distraction” from habitat issues and a waste of resources.
“The odds of these females surviving in the wild are extremely low,” he said, “and then the odds of them actually being able to raise chicks, even lower, because they have nobody to learn from.”
Experts estimate between 200,000 and 500,000 birds remain in sage grouse’s 11-state range. Wyoming holds the largest chunk of those. There’s been an 81% decline over the past 53 years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and past petitions to federally classify the bird as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Brian Nesvik, who maintained a neutral stance on the grouse farming bill, told a legislative committee mid-session that the state has maintained a “healthy sage grouse population” that is at “the bottom of a trough” — the low point of a naturally occurring cycle.
But former Game and Fish sage grouse biologist Leslie Schreiber has expressed more concern. She told WyoFile in January that ratios of hens to chicks sage grouse hunters shot last fall suggest the population has not necessarily bottomed out, and that numbers have charted into concerning territory.
“Based on the data in hand, Wyoming sage grouse populations are heading back to mid-1990s levels, which is alarming,” Schreiber said. “This is particularly concerning because it does not follow the historic patterns of population cycles in the state.”
Schreiber, who resigned in the weeks after making that statement, declined an interview for this story. But her predecessor, Tom Christiansen, testified in opposition to the grouse farming extension, detailing numerous concerns.
Habitat protection has been the centerpiece of Wyoming’s sage grouse conservation policy.
An Endangered Species Act listing, which could further restrict extractive industries’ use of core grouse habitat, could have “devastating” implications for Wyoming’s economy and the state’s revenue streams, Diamond Wings Upland Game Birds’ former owner, Diemer True, said.
True, a former oil industry executive, created a nonprofit, the Western States Sage Grouse Recovery Foundation, that is underwriting the grouse farming effort. The endeavor had cost $550,000 as of mid-March, money that’s been sunk into GPS-equipped tracking backpacks to aid in finding eggs, pen improvements, food and other expenses. Diamond Wings and the Foundation, True said, don’t expect to recoup the cash via the commercialization of sage grouse.
“It’s never going to pencil out,” he said. “This is a philanthropic effort and a research effort, but there’s no way the foundation gets reimbursed.”
True said his interest in supporting grouse farming is not related to his industry ties, but out of concern for Wyoming’s general wellbeing. “I’m no longer a part of the oil industry,” he said, “and I’ve moved on from that.”
The Sage Grouse Recovery Foundation is guided by a board of four who all have energy-industry ties. The Petroleum Association of Wyoming and other land-use industry groups, like the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, supported the grouse-farming permit extension. Such range-reliant sectors stand to be the most directly impacted by an Endangered Species Act listing or a habitat-focused conservation regime. Donations to the foundation are not listed on its IRS 990 form. True described donors as people he knows: “They’re not all oil and gas,” he said.
Gov. Gordon’s office was “generally supportive” of continuing grouse farming, Chief Energy Advisor Randall Luthi testified in Cheyenne. That’s a departure from the stance of former Gov. Matt Mead, who let the initial 2017 sage grouse farming bill become law without his signature due to “considerable reservations,” according to a letter he released at the time.
“This is a job half done,” Luthi told members of the House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee. “There’s a chance to get more science, more of what we learn, more of what might be possible.”
True and Diamond Wings’ current owner, petroleum engineer Dennis Brabec, have sought out scientists who could conduct bona fide research at the facility.
“We’ve reached out to a number of other foundations, the University [of Wyoming] and Northwest Community College, and none of them have wanted to take it on,” True said.
NWC President Lisa Watson recently told the Powell Tribune the grouse farming effort was “irrelevant” to her school’s coursework.
University of Wyoming professor Jeff Beck, who has been studying sage grouse in Wyoming since 2007, said his research focuses on wild sage grouse and sage grouse habitat in wildland settings.
“The work they’re doing, who does that kind of work?” Beck said. “Well, it’s really more in the realm of zoo biology.”
Advocacy organizations like the Wyoming Wildlife Federation, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Wyoming Outdoor Council and others pushed hard against SF 61 in Cheyenne during the Legislature’s budget session. Their pleas captured national media attention.
“The frustration was that it was perceived that there was an anti-industry push behind this bill,” Wyoming Wildlife Federation Advocacy Coordinator Jessi Johnson said. “Our problem with this bill was that it was incredibly broad, and had very little to do with the one farm that actually got up and running.”
One silver lining, she said, was that the Legislature agreed to only extend grouse farming’s legality for five years — initially there was no sunset.
Ultimately, the phalanx of conservationists, standing shoulder to shoulder with wildlife scientists, could not sway legislators voting on an issue being pushed by True, a former Wyoming Senate president with well-established connections.
In its final vote in the Senate, only four senators opposed it: Cale Case (R-Lander), Mike Gierau (D-Jackson), Chris Rothfuss (D-Laramie) and Tim Salazar (R-Riverton). Three-quarters of the House voted to let Diamond Wings continue its work following pleas from the floor for reconsideration.
“We’ve got a new [presidential] administration in there now,” Rep. Chuck Gray (R-Casper) said from the House floor. “I do think this policy makes it more likely for listing than not, because it allows them to say that we’re doing something out of line or experimental. I could see the current atmosphere in our nation’s capital leading to that.”
Gray’s sentiment matches anti-grouse-farming rhetoric that’s come from the Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“If we would have to farm a species in order to keep it alive, that tells me we’re failing,” BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning recently told High Country News.
Outside of Powell, Bear now has until 2027 to get his 51 remaining sage grouse to breed in captivity. In recent weeks some of his birds half-heartedly displayed, but it has fallen short of full-fledged mating dances, he said, which could be because of the birds’ suboptimal yearling age.
“More and more the males are strutting,” he said, “but they don’t have the prominent white chest [plumage] of the ones out in the field.”
Bear has gone to watch wild sage grouse court hens on a Bighorn Basin lek more than once this spring. His last time out there were 25 or so males puffing their yellow chest air sacs and strutting flamboyantly. At one point a raven flew over the top of the lek and started “crowing like crazy.” Unlike in the flight pens, the flock of grouse had an easy escape route: the open air.
“The whole bunch of them took off, other than three birds,” Bear recalled. “They just disappeared.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/sage-grouse-farming-flies-forward-hoping-to-dodge-a-crash/article_2584056e-b7de-5213-9ee3-981533111b9e.html
| 2022-04-02T12:40:26Z
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The annual migration is coming. This isn’t movement of mule deer or pronghorn, but of a critter much smaller and harder to detect: the tiger salamander.
These amphibians measure about 6 inches long with a mottled body of dark green or black with yellow splotches. They lack scales; instead, their skin is smooth and moist.
It’s that time of year when tiger salamanders emerge from their winter holes underground, often in cracks of house foundations, in window wells and even basements. They tend to dig deep enough to escape the frostline before going into hibernation.
As spring arrives, they dig themselves out and head for shallow ponds, preferably ones lacking fish since the fish tend to feed on their eggs. Such conditions are found at Stink Lake, the informal name given to the pond in the middle of LaBonte Park.
Mason Lee, senior project coordinator of the Biodiversity Institute, said the annual migration is fraught with danger for the animals since it often involves crossing busy city streets. They move at night, making it difficult for motorists to see them.
Because the migration tends to be triggered by specific conditions, humans can lend a hand it getting the salamanders out of the street and safely to Stink Lake.
“Rain is the big trigger,” Lee said. “When rain falls through the afternoon and into the evening with a temperature above freezing, that’s when the salamanders are likely to move.”
This isn’t movement of one or two salamanders in a night, Lee points out, but can be more than 100 in just a few hours.
“Last year we moved 250 salamanders off the road in two different nights,” Lee said. “They tend to move until it gets too cold and the rain turns to snow.”
This year volunteers can sign up on the University of Wyoming Biodiversity Institute website to get an email notice when the migration is imminent. Notifications will be sent one to two hours before movement is expected and those who are available can meet at LaBonte Park just before dark.
“We’ll provide safety training on how to handle the salamanders and talk about the importance of watching for traffic,” Lee said. “Everyone wears a safety vest and gloves that we provide. We’ll have buckets where the salamanders can be placed to get them over to Stink Lake.”
The response has been quite high, with more than 200 people already signed up for the notification.
New this year is another event celebrating the annual migration: Salamander Saturday. The event, held at the Berry Center on the University of Wyoming campus from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. next Saturday.
“We’ll have events geared toward adults, as well as others for children of all ages,” Lee said. “We’ll even have our two salamanders, Tim and Tad, there so everyone can see what they look like.”
In addition to story time featuring books about salamanders, biologists present a seminar about the animals. Then there’s a little competition, geared for adults, on salamander trivia.
“If you think you know your tiger salamander, this will test your knowledge,” Lee said. “Participants might want to study ahead of time if they really want to win our special prize of salamander chopsticks.”
Lee reminds residents to be on the lookout in their window wells for salamanders that might get trapped and unable to migrate. The Biodiversity Institute also has a site where such observations can be reported so more can be discovered about these amphibians not only in Laramie, but in all urban areas of Wyoming.
“Observations can be made throughout the year,” Lee said. “If you find a salamander that is trapped, they are fine to pick up and move. The animals are harmless and it’s fine to touch them.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/salamander-migration-around-stink-lake-expected-soon/article_f8e723af-2eb6-5806-9ab7-29bd0663b20f.html
| 2022-04-02T12:40:33Z
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As COVID-19 cases continue to plummet in Wyoming, the administration of second booster doses here promises to be easier than previous vaccine rollouts.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week authorized second booster doses for people 50 years and older and for certain immunocompromised individuals.
The FDA only approved the mRNA Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for these second booster doses. Data suggests that these boosters are more effective at preventing severe illness in those at high risk compared with the Janssen booster shot.
All three vaccines are authorized for the first booster.
Evidence suggests that a second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines is safe and improves protection from severe illness, according to the FDA.
People must wait at least four months after their first booster dose before getting a second one. Some people younger than 50 could qualify for a second booster if they are at least 12 years old and immunocompromised.
The second booster is exactly the same as the first, according to Wyoming State Epidemiologist Alexia Harrist.
Wyoming residents can get a second booster at any location where first boosters are already administered.
Individuals who are immunocompromised have to check with their health care provider to see if they qualify for the second booster. Anyone over the age of 50 can get the second booster, although Harrist said she still recommends consulting with a medical professional before getting the second dose.
The health department doesn’t yet have data on the number of individuals who have gotten a second booster, Harrist said.
The authorization comes amid falling COVID cases in Wyoming. There were 55 confirmed active cases in Wyoming as of the health department’s latest update on Tuesday. That’s down by 206 cases from about a month ago.
The omicron subvariant BA.2 is currently responsible for about 55% of cases in the U.S., according to the CDC. In the region including Wyoming and surrounding states, about 37% of cases are caused by the subvariant. That percentage was around 21% in an update earlier this week.
But numbers overall in Wyoming are still declining even though the subvariant is responsible for a greater percentage of cases.
Harrist said she recommends that everyone who is eligible get at least the first booster shot.
“These vaccines have really shown to be quite effective against severe illness and death,” she said. “Data says the same about the vaccine against (the omicron subvariant) BA.2.”
Those with booster shots were 21 times less likely to die from COVID during the last surge compared to unvaccinated individuals, according to the CDC.
According to the health department’s latest update on Thursday, 112,324 Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna booster shots combined have been administered in the state so far. By comparison, just 1,554 Janssen booster shots have been administered in the state.
The authorization of second booster doses may point toward the transition to routine vaccination against COVID.
Immunity from COVID vaccines generally wanes after several months, according to the CDC. While some say this is reason for regular boosting, experts disagree on whether frequent boosters are really helpful in counteracting declining immunity, according to Kaiser Health News.
Some are also concerned about the potential financial incentives pharma companies have in pushing regular boosting.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/second-covid-19-boosters-authorized/article_d33f26d3-dffd-5ddc-9aeb-2954c51298d8.html
| 2022-04-02T12:40:39Z
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Barrasso leads legislation to establish national strategic uranium reserve
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, has joined three other senators in introducing the National Opportunity to Restore Uranium Supply Services In America (NO RUSSIA) Act of 2022.
Co-sponsors of the NO RUSSIA Act include Sens. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota.
The legislation would authorize the Department of Energy to establish a national strategic uranium reserve, according to a Thursday news release from Barrasso’s office. It would also increase domestic uranium production, conversion and enrichment to ensure existing U.S. nuclear reactors have sufficient fuel to continue operating.
“Having access to American produced uranium is critical to both our energy and national security,” Barrasso said in the release. “We cannot be reliant on our adversaries for fuel we have here at home. My legislation will jumpstart America’s nuclear fuel supply chain. It will increase demand for Wyoming uranium and ensure America will always have the fuel it needs to power our nuclear reactors.”
Barrasso’s office expects that a House version of this bill could be introduced next week, according to a spokesperson. “This bill was developed with broad industry stakeholder support, including from the Uranium Producers of America,” she wrote in an email to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Barrasso “looks forward to working with industry and members in both chambers to make this a bipartisan effort.”
The bill number is S-3978. Read the text of the bill online at https://tinyurl.com/uranium-reserve-bill.
This new legislation is connected to Barrasso’s bill, S-3856, according to his spokesperson. That earlier proposal would bar importing to the U.S. uranium from the Russian federation.
Alzheimer’s Association to expand rural outreach
The Alzheimer’s Association of Wyoming has received a $25,000 grant from the Daniels Fund to expand the association’s outreach efforts in rural Wyoming.
The one-year grant will provide the association with resources to reach into underserved communities across the state. Community forums will be one tool to meet with local residents to raise awareness of the programs and services provided at no charge to Wyoming families.
The association also will be looking to increase the involvement of volunteers across the state to deliver educational programs and to expand support groups.
“This grant will enable us to better serve the 10,000 Wyomingites living with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as the more than 16,000 loved ones who provide care and support for them,” said Quique Girones, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association of Wyoming, in a news release. “We are very grateful to the Daniels Fund for these much-needed resources.”
Established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, the Daniels Fund is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program and ethics initiative.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/worth-noting/article_097c5898-2a32-5d97-9c56-3b3390e15939.html
| 2022-04-02T12:40:45Z
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Clarence Thomas is, by far, our most abused Supreme Court justice.
His confirmation hearings in 1991 were, as he memorably put it, a high-tech lynching. Once on the Court, he was allegedly incapable of thinking for himself and was Antonin Scalia’s “lawn jockey,” as Emerge magazine shamefully put it. He rarely participated in oral arguments, supposedly because, in the words of an attorney at the Georgetown Law Center, he “either does not care about the cases or can’t compete intellectually with his colleagues.”
Your sensitivity meter doesn’t have to be in overdrive to detect the racial condescension in these depictions of Thomas. Fair-minded legal analysts long ago abandoned this slighting view and have acknowledged the originality, consistency and influence of Thomas’s work. But here come the media and the Democrats to tell us that his intellectually courageous jurisprudence is all about serving the narrow interests of his political activist wife, Ginni.
In the aftermath of the 2020 election, she sent hair-on-fire texts to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows urging him to fight what she believed was a stolen election. This proves, we are told, that Clarence Thomas’ work on the Court is corrupt, and he either has to recuse himself from election- or Jan. 6-related cases or be impeached.
The recusal argument is absurd. Ginni Thomas wasn’t party to any election-related litigation. She didn’t write an amicus brief in any of the litigation. She didn’t even give Meadows any legal advice, besides to keep Sidney Powell front and center (a bad idea that wasn’t acted on).
Ultimately, Ginni Thomas didn’t have any more or any less interest in election-related litigation than any other Republican who believed Trump’s claims of fraud, and there were countless millions of them.
Critics of Thomas point out that he dissented when the Court turned away a meritless challenge by the state of Texas of election practices in other states. Yes, but the dissent reflected Thomas’ well-considered view that the Court shouldn’t summarily dismiss so-called original jurisdiction cases, and he was joined by Justice Samuel Alito, who shares his view. Both Thomas and Alito also dissented when the Court turned away a suit filed by Nebraska and Oklahoma to prevent Colorado from legalizing marijuana, and in another such case, Arizona v. California.
Thomas dissented, too, from the Court’s rejection of Trump’s emergency application to block the release of White House records regarding Jan. 6. In this, Thomas was alone. We can’t know his reasoning because he didn’t explain himself. Thomas has a robust view of presidential power, though, and it’s not unusual for him to go his own way.
In the 2020-21 term, Thomas authored more concurrences and dissents than any other justice, including more solo concurrences and solo dissents.
As Nina Totenberg of NPR put it not too long ago, in a passage dripping with disapproval, “He is the only justice willing to allow states to establish an official religion; the only justice who believes teenagers have no free speech rights at all; the only justice who believes that it’s unconstitutional to require campaign funders to disclose their identity; he’s the only justice who voted to strike down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act; and the only justice to say that the court should invalidate a wide range of laws regulating business conduct and working conditions.”
But we are supposed to believe that his unexplained sole dissent in the Trump records case must be corrupt.
A while ago, the respected Supreme Court watcher Tom Goldstein wrote that if “the measure of a Justice’s greatness is his contribution of new and thoughtful perspectives that enlarge the debate, then Justice Thomas is now our greatest Justice.”
At the end of the day, this latest controversy won’t dent Thomas’ formidable reputation as a jurist, but it’s another mark against his perfervid critics who have no decency or scruple.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/clarence-thomas-is-better-than-his-critics/article_a65b93e8-d191-5a0e-a8e2-ba937d07135f.html
| 2022-04-02T12:40:51Z
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President Joe Biden signed The Emmett Till Antilynching Act into law on Tuesday, culminating efforts to make lynching a federal crime that started over a century ago. Michelle Duster, the great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells, the legendary anti-lynching activist and pioneering African American journalist, said at the signing ceremony:
“Since my great-grandmother’s visit to the White House 124 years ago, there have been over 200 attempts to get legislation enacted. But we finally stand here today, generations later, to witness this historic moment.”
Emmett Till should be alive today. Born on July 25, 1941, he would be 80 years old. Perhaps he would still be joking the way he did throughout his childhood. “For Emmett, life was laughter and laughter was life-giving,” his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley wrote of him. “There was so much joy in his carefree world that he just wanted to share with everyone around him.” Emmett Till, an African American boy, was brutally murdered on August 28, 1955, at the age of 14. He had been accused of “wolf whistling” at Carolyn Bryant, a white woman, then dragged out of his great-uncle’s home in Money, Mississippi, where his mother had sent him from Chicago for the summer. Several days later, his brutally beaten, disfigured body, weighted down with a 75-pound cotton gin fan tied to his body with barbed wire, was pulled out of the Tallahatchie River.
The Leflore County sheriff attempted to force the immediate burial of Emmett Till, but Mamie intervened and paid almost a year’s salary for his body to be shipped back to Chicago. There, the funeral director refused to open the box for her to view her son’s corpse. “Give me a hammer,” she demanded. He relented and allowed Mamie to view Emmett’s mutilated remains. By then, the murder had sparked outrage across the nation. Mamie Till-Mobley insisted that Emmett receive an open-casket funeral. “Let the world see what I’ve seen,” she said.
One hundred thousand mourners lined up to pay respects. Jet Magazine put a picture of Emmett in his casket, his head distended and deformed by violence, on the magazine’s cover. The image went global and forced the people of the United States to witness the ravages of racism, the brutality of bigotry.
Two suspects, Roy Bryant, the husband of the woman who claimed she had been whistled at, and his half-brother, J.W. Milam, were arrested for the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till. Two brave activists from the Mississippi NAACP, Medgar Evers and Amzie Moore, had been involved since Till was reported missing, first looking for the lost boy then seeking eyewitnesses to the murder. Despite the eyewitnesses they produced, an all-white, all-male jury acquitted the suspects. One member of the jury said that they had reached their decision within minutes but waited an hour to appear as if they had actually deliberated. Medgar Evers himself was later assassinated in the driveway of his home on June 12, 1963.
After the acquittal, Bryant and Milam sold their story to Look Magazine for $4,000 — about the same amount that Mamie Till-Mobley had paid to ship her son home and equivalent to over $40,000 in 2022. Despite their confession to the magazine that they murdered Till, they couldn’t be prosecuted due to constitutional “double jeopardy” protections. Had a federal anti-lynching law existed at the time, they could have been charged.
Emmett Till’s murder galvanized the civil rights movement. Months later, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. When asked why she refused to go to the rear of the bus, she said, “I thought of Emmett Till and I just couldn’t go back.”
A. Philip Randolph, the renowned African American labor organizer and civil rights activist, chose the 8th anniversary of Till’s death, August 28, 1963, for the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
In 2004, the FBI reopened the Emmett Till case, and conducted interviews with surviving eyewitnesses, leading to the identification of several other still living suspects. In 2017, historian Timothy Tyson published a book on the case which included a 2007 interview he conducted with Carolyn Bryant. In it, Tyson reports, she recanted part of her 1955 court testimony that Till touched her and made lewd comments, a revelation that could have led to her being charged with lying to the FBI.
She denied Tyson’s account. In December 2021, the Department of Justice formally closed the Emmett Till case.
“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them,” Ida B. Wells wrote. While Emmett Till’s murderers escaped justice, his short life and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley’s tireless activism charted the path forward for us all to permanently reject racist terror.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/the-long-overdue-emmett-till-anti-lynching-law/article_f13b28b6-54ba-5157-8b26-2a769ff37a52.html
| 2022-04-02T12:40:57Z
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Alexandra, 14, is a great teen to know. An active child, she enjoys staying busy with soccer, swimming and dancing, all being top contenders for her attention.
Alexandra has a huge appetite for reading. If she needs some relaxation time, she may just turn to watch YouTube videos. Alexandra loves having people around her and having attention showered on her; she is known for her fantastic sense of humor and loves trying new things, and can “roll with the punches.”
Cooking class and reading are well-liked aspects of her eighth-grade year.
If your family can provide Alexandra with the support, understanding, love and guidance she deserves, you are urged to inquire. She hopes to have pets in her placement, and would like her home to be fluent in Spanish, if possible.
Alexandra has significant connections she will need to maintain following placement. Financial assistance may be available for adoption-related services. Alexandra lives in Utah. Child ID: 327950
This is a legal risk adoptive placement. Placement can only occur with an approved pre-adoptive foster family who intends to adopt the child if reunification is not possible and adoption becomes necessary. In legal risk placements, the rights of the child’s birth parents have not yet been voluntarily or involuntarily terminated.
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-4-2-22/article_a4b55ed5-ee3f-5f8f-a46b-4fcc243d1120.html
| 2022-04-02T12:41:03Z
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CHEYENNE – The most recent winner of the Laramie County Retired Education Personnel Citizenship Award has a passion for art, and she wants to channel it into teaching.
Keely Kidd, a senior at Central High School, is the fourth Citizenship Award recipient this school year.
In a nomination letter, April Petty, Kidd’s career counselor at Central, described the student as “a driven, hardworking and passionate young woman.”
“I have seen her advocate for herself, as well as pursue her goals with grit and resilience,” the counselor wrote.
Kidd, who turns 18 on Sunday, said she wants to go to school to be an art teacher, with an emphasis in ceramics.
Though she originally wanted to teach sign language, Kidd said it’s been difficult to find a program for it.
“I figured, why not just switch to teaching art, and it just felt right – it felt like it was what I was supposed to do,” she said in an interview with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
Kidd is also interested in making jewelry, and she wants to take courses on metalsmithing.
When asked for her reaction to winning the award, Kidd said Petty asked her to read the nomination letter before she submitted it.
“I’ve been working with Ms. Petty for a while about getting scholarships and working on applying for colleges and stuff, and so the fact that she thought of me really meant a lot to me,” Kidd said.
The high school senior is on track to graduate from the AP Capstone program at Central, and has received an academic letter every year. To receive an academic letter, students must achieve an unweighted, cumulative grade point average of at least 3.75 at the end of each school year.
Kidd moved to Wyoming with her family following her freshman year of high school. Before their move, Kidd had a teacher in northern Virginia who she said inspired her. The teacher ran a business alongside her day job, which Kidd said is something she might want to do.
Kidd is also the president of the school’s National Art Honor Society. Petty wrote that Kidd led the group in organizing its Valentine’s Day fundraiser, with the goal of raising money to paint recycling bins in downtown Cheyenne this spring.
“Her ability to interact with people in a kind and genuine way makes her the type of leader others respect,” the counselor said in her letter.
Petty added that Kidd was also inducted into the school’s National Honor Society her junior year and “is an integral part of that group.”
As part of her AP Research class, Kidd said she’s working on a research project about students with chronic illnesses, and how their illnesses affect them in school.
The topic is personal for Kidd. She lives with a connective tissue disorder, which she said mainly causes issues in her joints and digestive system. The disorder causes chronic pain in her joints, which often come out of place. Some days, it hurts to walk, and her jaw sometimes dislocates if she talks too much, she said.
While she’s dealt with the disorder since she was 12 or 13, it’s become more prominent in her life over the past year, Kidd said.
Petty wrote that Kidd has never let her chronic illness stop her.
“She realizes her limitations, and has adapted to them with grace and perseverance,” Petty wrote.
On a day-to-day basis, Kidd said, that means getting up and going to school or doing what she needs to do, even if she’s in pain.
“There’s definitely some days where I would rather just lay on the bed all day ‘cause I’m so sore, but I have to go to school. I have to keep my grades up. So, it can sometimes be, like, a daily battle,” Kidd said.
Kidd’s mother, April, said Keely has always been a helpful kid who puts people first. She said she never has to worry whether Keely is on top of her education.
“Her love for art is amazing. She’s always just been super talented at it,” April Kidd added. “I put her in art classes, and she would pretty much perfect the class pretty quickly. ... She’s overall just a really caring person, and goes above and beyond with a majority of the things that she does.”
Keely Kidd’s father, Sam, is in the Air Force, meaning Keely has lived in a lot of different places throughout her life.
“She’s always just been really resilient with the change and the challenges of going into a new school and meeting new people, and she’s alway built really good relationships with teachers and friends, and found ways to serve and try to help make her school community better,” Sam Kidd said.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/in_our_schools/citizenship-award-winner-wants-to-pursue-career-in-art-education/article_afc252dc-c229-5348-b4dd-b686f0496340.html
| 2022-04-02T12:41:10Z
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Casper Star-Tribune
CASPER – As COVID-19 cases continue to plummet in Wyoming, the administration of second booster doses here promises to be easier than previous vaccine rollouts.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized second booster doses for individuals 50 years and older and for certain immunocompromised individuals.
The FDA only approved the mRNA Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for these second booster doses. Data suggests that these boosters are more effective at preventing severe illness in those at high risk compared with the Janssen booster shot.
All three vaccines are authorized for the first booster.
Evidence suggests that a second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines is safe and improves protection from severe illness, according to the FDA.
Individuals must wait at least four months after their first booster dose before getting their second one. Some people under 50 could qualify for a second booster if they are at least 12 years old and immunocompromised.
The second booster is exactly the same as the first, according to Wyoming State Epidemiologist Dr. Alexia Harrist.
Wyoming residents can get a second booster at any location where first boosters are already administered.
Individuals who are immunocompromised have to check with their health care provider to see if they qualify for the second booster. Anyone over the age of 50 can get the second booster, although Harrist said she still recommends consulting with a medical professional before getting the second dose.
The health department doesn’t yet have data on the number of individuals who have gotten a second booster, Harrist said.
The authorization comes amid falling COVID cases in Wyoming. There were 55 confirmed active cases in Wyoming as of the health department’s latest update on Tuesday. That’s down by 206 cases from about a month ago.
The omicron subvariant BA.2 is currently responsible for about 55% of cases in the U.S., according to the CDC. In the region including Wyoming and surrounding states, about 37% of cases are caused by the subvariant. That percentage was around 21% in an update earlier this week.
But numbers overall in Wyoming are still declining, even though the subvariant is responsible for a greater percentage of cases.
Harrist said she recommends that everyone who is eligible get at least the first booster shot.
“These vaccines have really shown to be quite effective against severe illness and death,” she said. “Data says the same about the vaccine against (the omicron subvariant) BA.2.”
Those with booster shots were 21 times less likely to die from COVID during the last surge compared to unvaccinated individuals, according to the CDC.
According to the health department’s latest update on Thursday, 112,324 Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna booster shots combined have been administered in the state so far. By comparison, just 1,554 Janssen booster shots have been administered in the state.
The authorization of second booster doses may point toward the transition to routine vaccination against COVID.
Immunity from COVID vaccines generally wanes after several months, according to the CDC. While some say this is reason for regular boosting, experts disagree on whether frequent boosters are really helpful in counteracting declining immunity, according to Kaiser Health News.
Some are also concerned about the potential financial incentives pharma companies have in pushing regular boosting.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/second-covid-19-booster-rollout-begins/article_ba69130d-7e03-55c8-ba20-fce14f600c6e.html
| 2022-04-02T12:41:16Z
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I bought one ticket.
I bought the large popcorn and drink combo.
I sat in the last row. Middle seat.
I had never done this before.
There is something about seeing movies in a theater. The big screen mesmerizes me. The sound swallows me. The popcorn tastes like it could be the last gourmet meal of my life – to me, it’s that good. I love going to a movie theater, but I had never in my life gone alone.
There was a movie I wanted to see. The timing wasn’t right. No one wanted to see it with me, so I thought I would have to wait until it was out as a rental.
The movie chased around in my thoughts. It was about someone who had lost a child, like I have. Of course, that is what drew me to it. The common thread. The curiosity. I wondered if the movie would portray my thoughts and feelings. I wondered if I would learn something I didn’t already know about grief. It followed me around, pulling my heart along, not allowing me to push it away. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to see the movie.
Driving an hour to the shopping area, my whole body smiled. The entire day was mine. A day of “me” time. After a little shopping and lunch at my favorite place, the movie flashed in my mind. I quickly looked on my phone. It was playing at a budget theater nearby, and I had just enough time to make it there.
But … I had never done this before – gone to a movie alone. Is that weird? Is it weird that I am kind of afraid to do this? Is it strange that this movie has such a grasp on me, constantly taking space in my thoughts? My fear played ping-pong with the movie.
The movie won.
The back row wasn’t bad. It felt safe. No one could see me – or the giant bucket of popcorn I balanced on my lap. At 1 o'clock in the afternoon on a weekday, there were six other people there to share my theater. None of them came alone. Except me.
I shut off my phone. Two hours went quickly. The movie was amazing. I cried. I hurt. At times, I wanted to shout at the screen. There were moments I wanted to pray. I understood why I needed to see the movie. The message was for me.
I sat in my seat until the last credit rolled, the lights were bright and the workers came in to clean up any abandoned popcorn buckets.
A few things became very clear.
It was clear to me that I would not have received the message the movie brought to me if I hadn’t listened to my heart pushing me to see it.
It was clear to me that although going to a movie alone may seem like a silly fear to some, it was real to me. Walking into that theater was empowering. It was clear I had missed opportunities in my life when I allowed fear to win.
It was clear to me that I did need to see the movie. I needed to see it alone. I needed to be able to cry alone. I needed to absorb the meaning of the movie’s message – alone.
Life is magical how it manipulates us, bringing us messages we need to hear, putting us in places we need to be, pushing us to do things that we are afraid to do. All of it is done with the intent of giving us clarity.
And yes, I ate the entire bucket of popcorn.
Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Listen when life is pulling, pushing and prodding you to do something that stirs fear. Until you walk into it, you will never fully gain understanding, clarity and strength.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/hunt-what-i-learned-in-a-dark-movie-theater/article_f6537159-0def-5479-9f2c-1203733816be.html
| 2022-04-02T12:41:22Z
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I enjoy our relationships with the military here in Cheyenne. We get to meet so many great people. One of those is Maj. Gen. Fred Stoss. He was assigned to serve in Cheyenne three times over his career. His last duty was the Commander of the 20th Air Force. He retired last Thursday, and I traveled with a fun group to his ceremony. Fred’s last job was Director, Plans and Policy for USSTRATCOM at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. I appreciate his service and wish him great happiness in his retirement.
We have not updated our employee handbook for many years. Our HR team has spent parts of the past couple of years revising it. I had no idea how involved this effort would be. So many people spent time giving feedback, and now we have a great product. It is important to keep current, and I appreciate the effort and results.
Our chief building official (CBO) stopped by to talk about growth and how we need to make sure we are keeping up with hiring of inspectors. The building community expects good customer service, and our CBO is committed to making sure his department provides it. We will need to add some staff as building intensity increases.
Visit Cheyenne hosted a great conference of travel planners; 300 folks came to Cheyenne, and it gave us a chance to show off our beautiful city. I was pleased to welcome and thank them for coming. I hope they will help us fill our hotel rooms in the future. I always enjoy the energy and enthusiasm these travel groups bring.
I have no artistic ability, but really do appreciate those that do. I also appreciate those who have artistic ideas. Arts Cheyenne has the idea of painting designs in some crosswalks in the West Edge. They showed me some designs from other cities, and they were brilliant. The plan is to have our high schools design and paint crosswalks. It has been shown to slow down traffic and is really a way to beautify our city. June 4 will be a fun day to watch it happen.
We listened to the last four applicants for our newest retail liquor license. I was again impressed by these entrepreneurs and their proposed plans. We have now listened to 10 proposals, and it is going to be a very tough decision for the Committee of the Whole next Wednesday evening. I wish state law would allow us to reward all these applications. Sigh!
We are working on the budget, and the hardest part is projecting what revenues will be for the next fiscal year. Our treasurer, Robin Lockman, does a great job in handling our finances. We spent a couple of hours working through the inputs and determined our revenues will be $58,368,852. With all the requests from departments, we are $6,114,071 in the negative. We have a lot of work to do, but we will have a balanced budget by the end of the process.
Tim Bradshaw is our new airport manager. I really appreciate his efforts in reaching out to the community to introduce himself and talk about the future of the airport. He is bullish on our city and how the airport can contribute. We had lunch and discussed the future of the old terminal, the upcoming runway construction, economic development potential on the airport and the future of air service. It is great to welcome Tim to our city team!
The chair of the Mayor’s Youth Council (MYC) is a senior at East High School. Zoey stopped by my office to share her DECA presentation that she will take to nationals at the end of April. Her team has been working on the effects, both positive and negative, of social media. I was impressed by the amount of work that went into the presentation and wish them well. Our whole Mayor’s Youth Council is an impressive group.
A bit of sad news for our city team. Teresa Moore is the director of our Community Recreation and Events Department. She has decided to retire and spend time with family, ride her bike, create her beautiful art, spend time with friends and volunteer. She has been such a great member of our team, and her shoes will be very hard to fill. Her last day will be July 5, and I hope you will thank her for her service to Cheyenne when you see her. You will find her and her granddaughter on the water, paddling their kayaks.
We are working very hard to get the construction of our three new fire stations underway. We met with a landowner to continue discussions on siting the western-most station on his property. He is not interested is selling, but will trade for like lands. We have spent time finding the right property, getting it appraised and designing how a station would fit on his property. Good news is we have a good fit for trading and are close to getting it done. I so appreciate him for being willing to make this happen. His location is so important in getting the proper spacing of stations that will let our fire department meet the four-minute response time. Thanks again to our sixth-penny sales tax voters for their support of public safety in Cheyenne.
Our city hires many seasonal employees that are essential to meeting the mission of the city. Mowing grass in our parks, trimming around monuments in the cemetery and many more work so hard to keep our city beautiful. We have worked to make the wages attractive and write their paychecks twice a month to make the job more appealing. Shameless plug, the city is a great place to work for a summer job. Pass the word. We met to make sure we are doing everything we can to make the city an employer of choice for summer work and a career.
Our first department budget meeting was with Vicki Nemecek, our Public Works director. Vicki has a vast department with sanitation, landfill, transit, street and alley, traffic and facilities. With the largest number of employees, it takes a good manager to balance all the diverse responsibilities and personalities. I enjoy the opportunity to discuss upcoming needs and priorities. One thing I am going to need to remember is, as the city grows, we will need more snowplow drivers, pothole fillers, sanitation drivers, etc. We are growing and can’t forget to keep up with the necessary staffing. Vicki also discussed our upcoming computer software purchase and the need to inventory all our buildings and their conditions to populate the software. This new program will help our facilities crew with projecting when maintenance needs to be done. I can’t wait to have these tools.
Last bit of good news. In October, we were forced to close the Municipal Building due to a bad boiler that was putting carbon monoxide into the building. The plan to remedy the situation was to fix the boiler and change the way we vent the boilers outside. We finally got the parts to fix the boiler, but the piping to vent them took months due to supply chain problems. Great news: We finally finished the necessary repairs and got permission to move back into the building starting April 1. It will take a bit to get everyone moved back, so the building will reopen to the public on April 11. Our facility team, chief building official and others have worked so hard to make sure our building is safe for our employees, and I want to express my thanks for their hard work and dedication.
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-its-time-to-start-working-on-the-city-budget/article_80291aa4-8568-588e-a3ba-afa9dd93ffd6.html
| 2022-04-02T12:41:28Z
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Guy Doud became a hero, of sorts, to many teachers across the nation when he was honored by President Reagan in 1987 as “Teacher of the Year.”
He says his meeting with the president in the Oval Office became especially significant when Reagan pulled a worn piece of paper out of his pocket and read to him what was essentially a tribute to the teaching profession.
These are the words that were read from that piece of paper:
You are the molders of their dreams,
the gods who build or crush their young beliefs …
of right and wrong.
You are the spark that sets aflame the poet’s hand
or lights the flame of some great singer’s song,
you are the god of the young …
the very young.
You are the guardian of a million dreams,
Your every smile or frown can heal …
or pierce the heart.
Yours are a hundred lives …
a thousand lives,
yours the pride of loving them …
and the sorrow, too.
Your patient work,
your touch, make you the gods of hope,
who fill their souls with dreams …
to make those dreams come true.
By the end of the poem, Doud says he and the president were both visibly choked up – easy to see why.
But while this dramatizes the romantic side of teaching, most teachers would be quick to point out that it is rare to experience this kind of pedagogical magic on a regular basis. Moreover, education loses some very fine people who too often have been soured on the whole experience.
“If this is what it means to be a teacher,” they groan, “it’s not for me.”
Others are more poignant when they look at the whole classroom learning thing and cry, “This is for the birds!”
In fact, before I became a classroom teacher, I had little respect for this profession.
As a child, I honestly could not figure out why anyone would want to be a teacher. To me, it appeared to be the most boring job on the face of the Earth, no exaggeration. Sports was the only thing I could find to validate what I perceived to be a very confining, insulting, necessary evil in my childhood world.
In elementary school, I can actually remember sitting in my desk, psychoanalyzing my teachers, trying to figure out what made them tick – or not tick, as I saw it. It was beyond me what motivated them. I really did think they were a whole different breed of cat.
And I could not, for the life of me, understand why any of them would feel called (or condemned) to such a repressive vocation – most teachers seemed so mean and unhappy to me.
Consequently, I was passionately set against ever considering this for my life’s work.
But as we all know, things change, people change … I changed. And when everything came full circle, my friends couldn’t believe it when they heard I had moved to California and was teaching seventh grade!
That first day in the classroom hooked me, for I knew I was becoming a part of something that was huge – monumentally significant and irreversibly life-changing. One way or the other, for better or for worse, this experience would mark kids for life.
“This,” I thought, “is where children live or die. This is where their minds breathe or are suffocated.”
And literally, overnight, I fell in love with teaching and the teaching profession.
I had always believed it was better to build children than to repair adults, but now for the first time, I realized that one of the best places to do this was in the daily classroom setting.
For the first time, I realized the classroom was a hallowed place, and that I had a sacred work to do. I was the spark that lit the flame. I was the god of the young, one of the gods of hope who filled their souls with dreams – I was the molder of their dreams.
And so is every teacher in Wyoming. Here’s to all of you! You are truly amazing, and we sincerely thank you for all you’ve done for our children.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/schroeder-heres-to-our-teachers-the-molders-of-dreams/article_1d219840-496f-588c-9f3e-1c59d5b7f986.html
| 2022-04-02T12:41:34Z
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If you were a “Dallas” fan (the series, not the Cowboys) in the ‘80s, you might remember a song by Hank Williams Jr. titled “This Ain’t Dallas.” I think it’s an appropriate song as we reflect on this year’s legislative session.
If you listened to much of this year’s Legislature, you would think the primary worry of Wyomingites was abortion or guns or some federal regulation! Back here on Earth, our folks are worried about real life. They are worried about the success of their businesses, about finding employees, about their existing employees, about inflation and supply chain challenges.
They are worried about family, community, friends and schools. They are worried about the things that matter, but they spend very little time worried about the issues that some of our elected officials bloviate about.
Don’t misunderstand, we have some wonderful elected officials from Wyoming. Unfortunately, the litmus test, populist crowd continues to push the crazy train down the track, farther and farther away from reality.
You will find your Chamber of Commerce is paying more and more attention to this situation. To those elected officials who appreciate our heritage and want us to innovate while keeping the best of our past, thank you. You will find businesses from ranchers to accountants supporting you. However, if your idea of Wyoming heritage is paying more attention to D.C. than local schools, you need to know that it might be time to move along.
This ain’t “Dallas”! We are proud of our roots and our boots! We are proud of a place where neighbors help one another without caring about what political party you’re a member of or what your view on any national issue might be. Our judgment of people is based on the fruit of their labor, not the blathering of their mouth.
Wyoming, we should be proud, but we should also be paying close attention to the “snake oil” salesmen who want to turn us into their political petri dish.
Stay awesome, Wyoming! Stay steadfast in defending what has always made us special, and we will be just fine. Remember, while much of the ruckus may be great political theater, the line from the song says it all: “Now honey, don’t you know all of that is on TV?”
Let’s just turn it off and remember our priorities back here on Earth.
Dale Steenbergen is the president and chief executive officer of the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/steenbergen-dont-you-know-all-of-that-is-on-tv/article_ab0e5ce4-a108-5a2c-84a7-7ba58a4fa1f6.html
| 2022-04-02T12:41:41Z
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A few years ago, I was waiting in the checkout line at one of our local box stores. A young boy, who appeared to be approximately 3 years old, and his father were in front of me. The boy stared at me while sitting in a shopping cart. I smiled and said, “Hello.” The boy quickly turned his head and began looking toward the cashier. I surmised that he was a bit shy toward strangers.
About a minute later, I began to unload my shopping cart onto the small conveyer belt. When I grabbed the big box of waffle mix, I heard the boy shout to his father, “Waffles! He’s getting waffles!” A large smile appeared upon his father’s face.
A few seconds later, I picked up a large and clear plastic container which was filled with fresh strawberries. The boy then said, “And strawberries! Waffles and strawberries!” The boy’s father again smiled as he placed his bagged groceries into his shopping cart. As I watched them depart, I suspected that they would, in the very near future, together enjoy a breakfast of waffles and strawberries.
As I now reflect upon this experience, I am reminded of the words that Jesus Christ spoke so many years ago about the importance of children: “For of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Our little ones are precious and pure. Children are, indeed, our greatest treasure. We must love, cherish and nurture them.
Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, also taught us, in no uncertain terms, about the consequences for those who harm children:
“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
“And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
“Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” (Matthew 18:4-7 KJV)
A few weeks ago, I was watching the morning news when I saw a video of some very sad Ukrainian children’s faces. The little Ukrainian children were overflowing with sorrow because they were forced to say goodbye to their fathers. Tears welled up in my eyes. As I have written before, family isn’t everything, family is the only thing.
A few days later, I read a news story about the many Ukrainian children who have recently been killed by the Russian military. Within this story was a photograph of 109 empty strollers, with flowers lovingly placed where little ones are supposed to be seated.
No one can dispute the fact that Vladimir Putin has “offended” millions of God’s precious little ones. Mortal minds cannot comprehend the full nature and magnitude of the horrific and everlasting consequences that the baby killer named Putin will inevitably experience. Yes, Putin is one of Satan’s many servants, but I am compelled to wonder if the Devil himself now hangs his head in shame over Putin’s many egregious atrocities?
I know that the vast majority of the informed inhabitants of our world, which includes millions of Russian citizens, do not condone Putin’s ideology or his despicable conduct. How then, are the likes of Putin allowed to gain leadership and power in our mortal world?
It is my fervent hope and prayer that, in the not too distant future, the wicked will fail and the righteous will prevail, and Ukrainian families will be permitted to safely reunite. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of God’s choice little ones were allowed to regularly enjoy, with their family, a breakfast of waffles with strawberries?
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/walker-vladimir-putin-ask-not-for-whom-the-bell-tolls/article_5ccc6811-ecbd-54c9-9476-8181c11b5150.html
| 2022-04-02T12:41:47Z
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USDA confirms avian influenza in Wyoming
GILLETTE (WNE) — A case of bird flu has been found in Johnson County, prompting a warning to people who have chickens, turkeys or other birds to take steps to protect their birds.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza — HPAI or also called avian influenza or bird flu — is a highly contagious viral disease that can infect chickens, turkeys and other birds and can cause severe illness and/or sudden death in infected birds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The bird flu was found in a non-commercial mixed-species backyard flock (non-poultry) in Johnson County.
“Anyone involved with poultry production from the small backyard chicken owner to the large commercial producer should review their biosecurity activities to assure the health of their birds,” according to a press release.
Health officials say they don’t know of any people who have caught the bird flu in the U.S., and the disease doesn’t present an immediate public health concern. The virus can spread from infected birds to people, but such infections are rare and haven’t led to sustained outbreaks among humans, an Associated Press report said.
The USDA encourages poultry owners to attentively monitor their birds for symptoms of HPAI, which include coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge and other signs of respiratory distress. Other signs include lack of energy and appetite and decreased water consumption and egg production along with soft-shelled or misshapen eggs. They also might show signs of incoordination and diarrhea.
If people see those symptoms in their birds, they should immediately contact their veterinarian. They also can contact the Wyoming Livestock Board at 307.777.8720 or 307.777.6440.
Chemicals in sewer result in downtown Powell evacuation
POWELL (WNE) – Multiple businesses along Clark Street and Powell City Hall were forced to evacuate early Wednesday afternoon due to fumes coming from the sewer system.
The Powell Volunteer Fire Department was paged to the area shortly before 12:30 p.m. for a report of something that smelled like natural gas, coming from an unknown source.
Around 1 p.m., employees at city hall began smelling the odor, which they thought at first to be natural gas. City hall was evacuated while the source was investigated.
City Administrator Zack Thorington said he was told by police and fire department officials that some chemical, possibly kerosene, was dumped into the city sewers.
“We evacuated and closed city hall for 30 minutes to fumigate, so our staff didn’t have to inhale it,” said Thorington.
All the doors and windows to the building were opened, and Thorington added water to the floor drains in case the traps were dry, to prevent more fumes getting into the building. City hall was then able to reopen, and city staffers returned to work.
“I would like to express my concern with this sort of behavior,” Thorington said, “and remind businesses and the public that it is illegal to dump chemicals, such as fuels (into the sewer).”
Weston County sees uptick in sexual assault reports
NEWCASTLE (WNE) — On the heels of one sentencing in a sexual assault case on Feb. 28, the Weston County Attorney’s Office is preparing to take another case to a jury trial in April. Reports of sexual abuse in the community also continue to roll in.
“It looks like we have six cases, where we are at some point in the case process, in the last few months,” Deputy County Attorney Jeani Stone told the Weston County commissioners on March 15.
Stone later told the News Letter Journal that these six most recent cases involve 10 different victims.
“(In) a couple of our cases, the sexual abuse happened years ago,” Stone said.
She noted that new victims can surface when feelings are reignited if an individual is accused by someone else.
According to Sheriff Bryan Colvard, Weston County has seen an increase in sexual abuse reports over the past year, most of which are old incidents that people are now reporting.
Wyoming has no statute of limitation on sexual abuse charges, according to both Colvard and Stone, meaning that perpetrators can be charged with the crime at any time.
Stone said a majority of the cases involve individuals the victims know.
“Sexual abuse is not a stranger crime. Statistically, one in five girls are going to be sexually abused, and one in 10 boys will be,” she said.
“Everyone is supposed to step forward if they suspect child abuse, that includes sexual assault,” Stone said.
Signs that a child may have been abused include acting sexualized, bed wetting, nightmares, drawing sexual images and acting out sexually, among other symptoms. A full list of symptoms can be found at wyomingcac.org/prevent-child-abuse/signs-of-child-abuse.
Application period opens Friday for elk shed antler hunt
JACKSON (WNE) — An application process has been added for those interested in participating in this year’s antler hunt on the National Elk Refuge.
The application period begins Friday and runs through April 15 for people who would like to search for shed antlers at the event beginning May 1.
“As in years past, participants will be placed in sequential order and led, via motorcade, by the JPD to the Elk Refuge Road,” a town of Jackson press release said. “Shed antler collection and the refuge road will remain closed until 6 a.m. on May 1 when the hunt begins.”
Jackson Police Chief Michelle Weber told the Jackson Hole Daily that the new application process is just another layer of organization added to help the antler hunt run smoothly.
For years, Weber pointed out, people would park and camp out along Broadway Avenue in East Jackson for days leading up to the event, “and then you had to worry about people going to the restroom and garbage being left in people’s yards, and ... parking complaints all night long.”
“And so that was kind of how, a couple years ago, that’s what led us to go, ‘OK, let’s consolidate everybody at least in the fairgrounds,’ ” she added.
Having vehicles line up in a queue at the Teton County Fairgrounds the past couple of years has helped, Weber said, but this new system will prevent them from arriving on the grounds days ahead of time, a drain on JPD resources.
Now, they will arrive April 30 and line up according to their assigned numbers — with 1 to 50 in the first group, 51 to 100 in the second, and so on — before being led to the refuge the next morning.
For more information, visit JacksonWY.gov/civicalerts.
Police seek help finding missing woman
GILLETTE (WNE) — Police are looking for Irene Wairimu Gakwa, a 32-year-old woman who is missing from Gillette, according to the City of Gillette Facebook page.
Her brother, 38, reported her missing on March 20 when he told police that she had not been in contact with family for the past 14 days, said Police Deputy Chief Brent Wasson.
Her phone is no longer pinging on the network, and she was last heard from on March 4, according to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation website.
Gakwa is a Black woman who is 5-foot-1 and about 100 pounds.
Anyone with information on her is asked to call the Gillette Police Department at 307-686-5250 or Wyoming DCI at 307-777-7181.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/around-wyoming/article_1aa1acd1-7160-5765-97e9-fea3408e7c69.html
| 2022-04-02T12:41:53Z
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Four hunters charged with trespassing in Carbon County seek a federal court where their case could resolve the legality of corner crossing to access 1.6 million acres of public land across the West.
An attorney for the four Missouri men filed a petition in U.S. District Court for Wyoming on March 22 asking that judges move a civil case against his clients from Wyoming’s Carbon County District Court to the federal venue. Iron Bar Holdings LLC, which owns Elk Mountain Ranch and is managed by North Carolina mega-millionaire Fred Eshelman, filed the civil case earlier this year.
It alleges that the hunters trespassed by corner crossing — stepping from one piece of public land to another where the public parcels share a four-way corner with two private parcels in a checkerboard pattern.
A transfer to federal court could bring the issue of corner crossing into a realm where federal access laws hold more sway.
Along with the transfer of the case, the petition to the federal court also asks for a jury trial.
The hunters also face counts of criminal trespass and trespassing to hunt brought by the county attorney in Carbon County Circuit Court. They have pleaded not guilty to those charges, asked that their cases be dismissed and complained that the ranch manager harassed them illegally while they were hunting on public land.
But the separate civil trespass issue falls under the jurisdiction of the federal court because of the national interests at stake, among other reasons, a 35-page petition filed by the hunters’ attorney Ryan Semerad states.
A federal court should hear the matter because it grows from “the basic property claim made by private landowners across the United States that impedes both the federal government and the general public from accessing, using, and enjoying an enormous public asset,” Semerad’s petition states.
“A federal rule of decision is necessary to protect and preserve the limitation on private landowners’ ability to control or restrict access to federally owned public lands,” the defendants’ “petition for removal” states.
At issue is access to 404,000 acres in Wyoming and another 1.2 million acres in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico and Utah for a total of almost 1.6 million acres across the West. That’s the area “landlocked” by any interpretation that corner crossing is illegal and a trespass.
Much of the public land in question is part of a checkerboard pattern of private-public ownership originating in the era of land grants given as part of railroad construction.
Both the civil and criminal cases against the hunters, who traveled from Missouri to Carbon County last fall, allege that the men trespassed even if they did not set foot on private property. The theory behind the court actions holds that the hunters’ intrusion into airspace above the private Elk Mountain Ranch constitutes trespass.
Iron Bar Holdings has “a right to exclusive control, use and enjoyment of its Property, which includes the airspace at the corner, above the Property,” the civil suit states.
But the hunters’ quest for a federal forum could bring a longstanding range law to the foreground — the Unlawful Inclosures Act of 1885. Passed by Congress, it generally prohibits landowners from blocking access to public lands.
“It is assumed [by the hunters] that the federal court will be more sensitive to the federal issues at stake,” Sam Kalen, an associate professor at the University of Wyoming’s College of Law, wrote in an email.
The civil case qualifies for federal jurisdiction even though Iron Bar and Eshelman filed the suit based only on Wyoming laws, attorney Semerad wrote. In fact, Iron Bar specifically sought to avoid the federal question, the hunters claim.
The civil suit is “artfully pleaded to avoid or conceal the federal nature of the issues contained therein,” Semerad wrote.
Regardless of that so-called artful pleading, “Congress provided an exclusive federal remedy for the [Iron Bar] claims,” Semerad wrote. Congress “intended for claims of this nature to be addressed solely in federal court.”
The Wyoming civil suit is “completely preempted by federal law,” the hunters claim.
WyoFile did not receive a comment on the issue from an Iron Bar attorney, and court records don’t appear to show any response filed in the U.S. court by Monday morning either.
The civil case should be moved to federal court because the suit has federal law as its foundation, the hunters assert. Iron Bar’s claims “hinge entirely on … federal laws concerning public lands,” Semerad wrote.
Iron Bar’s claims “run against the express terms of the [Unlawful Enclosures Act], which prohibit private landowners from excluding others from the public domain, as well as federal caselaw…” the hunters’ petition states. The UIA grows from the U.S. Constitution’s Property Clause, which takes precedence over state law, Semerad argues.
“[S]tate legislatures, state executives, and state judiciaries may not grant rights, privileges, or powers to private parties … that would conflict with federal legislation enacted by Congress…” the petition reads.
The civil suit also should be transferred because it meets other legal tests including that it involves more than $75,000 in value and entangles parties from different states. The hunters base the different states’ argument on their being from Missouri, Eshelman and Iron Bar being from North Carolina and the Elk Mountain Ranch being in Wyoming.
The hunters propose that the value of the issue at stake exceeds $75,000 in part because of a $30 million mortgage secured by Iron Bar and Eshelman in 2017 from Bank of America.
Resolution of the hunters’ case could reverberate across the West, law professor Kalen opined.
“The defendants are seeking to establish a precedent that, at the very least, the UIA does not allow the type of barrier to access to the public lands [a pair of fence posts] that the landowner here employed,” he wrote.
If the case is transferred to and decided in federal court, it would “serve as precedent for any similar disputes occurring within that district court,” Kalen wrote. “And if it gets appealed and affirmed it would be precedential for any similar dispute in [the] region governed by the 10th Circuit.”
Iron Bar brought the original civil suit that asks a District Court judge to simply declare that the four men trespassed and order a jury trial to only determine the amount of damages they should pay. Iron Bar seeks repayment “to the fullest extent of the law,” for attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses incurred in the litigation.
The Elk Mountain Ranch covers more than 20,000-acres around Elk Mountain just south of Interstate 80. The Missouri men claim they were hunting on public land and said in court filings that they never set foot on private property. Instead, they used a fence ladder to climb over two posts erected at the corner in question.
Iron Bar has stated that it “fenced or otherwise marked the common corner in a manner intended to prevent others from accessing the public land…” the hunters’ petition states.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/corner-crossers-reach-for-federal-court-access-to-1-6m-acres/article_89d3574b-47d0-5a4c-a793-b2916427dbe5.html
| 2022-04-02T12:41:59Z
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A critical failure of the city of Rawlins water system that created an emergency that saw much of Rawlins and Sinclair without potable water for nearly a week in early March will take years to fully fix.
“We estimate it will take three to five years to make all the necessary repairs to our water infrastructure,” the city says in its “Water Infrastructure and 2022 Critical Water Even Report” released this week.
Customers were asked to limit their water usage to help recharge the city’s water tanks and reservoirs, while the low-pressure event resulted in a boil water advisory and plea for people to keep their water usage as low as possible. While the emergency has been contained, the city is asking residents to continue to practice water conservation for the foreseeable future.
“By pulling together, our community made it through the critical event, but we must stick together by conserving water for the long haul if we are to make it through the underlying problems,” the report says.
The city also thanks the many residents, volunteers and nonprofit groups that worked to help others during the crisis.
As city staff continue to search for answers and solutions to Rawlins’ water infrastructure problems, “We have heard from our community and we empathize with you as we navigate this frustrating and disappointing situation,” the report says.
It also says that pointing fingers won’t help fix the situation.
“It doesn’t matter who is at fault, knowing that wouldn’t help fix one leak,” Mayor Terry Weickum says in the report. “However, I do know that it is our responsibility to fix it.”
The Rawlins City Council and staff “are doing everything in our power to repair our springs collection system in the Sage Creek Basin and the 32-mile pipeline which brings our water into town,” according to the report.
Wintertime water use by customers in Rawlins and Sinclair averages about 900 gallons a minute, or about 1 million gallons a day. During summertime, even when conserving water, the communities consume about 2,800 to 4,000 gallons a minute, or 4 million to 6 million gallons a day.
That means the upcoming summer season will see demand on the city’s water system increase by at least four times.
As of now without repairs on the Sage Creek Basin’s 10,000 feet of woodstave pipeline, the city averages 1,500 gallons of flow between the springs and wells, the report says.
“Although flow will increase with the wood pipeline replacement and with the spring thaw, you can see that we are currently significantly short of meeting our lowest typical summer demands,” according to the report. “The reduced flow will be more problematic (later this year) as our reservoirs are not full due to our repairs this winter.”
Until the underlying infrastructure failures are addressed, Rawlins and Sinclair residents can expect their water supply will continue to be impacted. This also is likely to prompt the City Council to enact ordnance changes to require conservation.
Those rules could include water restrictions.
For the upcoming summer, the city says it’s important to know its water is safe and that the treatment plant is working.
“You can drink your water without concerns,” the report says, adding that “you can likely expect water restrictions this summer.”
The city reports a consequence of residents not following any restrictions imposed to curtail water usage while the system is being repaired would be the EPA “will likely require we build a $10-plus million chemical-heavy water treatment plant, which would be prohibitively costly.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/critical-response-water-failure-could-take-years-to-fix-city-says-to-expect-restrictions/article_33acc1f6-98a4-58c6-8cff-998617762477.html
| 2022-04-02T12:42:06Z
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JACKSON — The Federal Aviation Administration is again investigating complaints of overflights and low-level flights over Grand Teton National Park by Tony Chambers and his Wind River Air scenic helicopter tour company, following additional allegations reported to the federal agency.
An email from Derek Smith, principal operations inspector with the FAA, to the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance dated Feb. 10 states, in part: “This letter is in response to your complaint on February 2, 2022, regarding the low flying helicopter near Grand Tetons [sic] National Park. The matter is being investigated by the office and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.”
Caroline Daley, public lands community organizer for the Conservation Alliance, said the complaint was based on information shared by Flat Creek Ranch owner Joe Albright to the Jackson Hole Airport Board.
Albright has written two letters to the airport board — one in early December and the most recent in early March — that document 19 park overflights and/or low-level flights by Chambers and Wind River Air. Airport Director Jim Elwood has told the News&Guide that the board passes any such complaints on to the FAA, and that once an aircraft leaves the airport, it is under the purview of the FAA, not the airport.
The March 3 letter alleged 11 newly discovered flights violated the terms of “a voluntary agreement with three federal agencies which declared that his helicopter ‘will not overfly Grand Teton National Park, or within a half mile outside the boundary of the Park, except for the purposes of takeoff and landing,’ ” Albright wrote, referring to a November 2020 Voluntary Commercial Air Tour Management Agreement for Public Lands in Teton County, Wyoming, which Chambers signed.
Based on records obtained through the Wyoming Public Records Act, Albright wrote that most or all of the 11 flights were paid scenic air tours, and not “positioning flights” or ferrying flights, as Chambers has said in the past and reiterated in a Tuesday interview.
Most egregious of those, according to Albright’s letter, was a scenic tour that “flew within half a mile of Oxbow Bend, one of the Park’s most iconic sites, at an altitude of 882 feet above the ground.”
In his December letter, Albright, whose dude ranch is in the Gros Ventre Range near helicopter flight paths, stated that Chambers on several occasions has flown at altitudes below “the FAA airspace advisory of 2,000 feet above ground level.” Such low-level flights, Albright wrote, violate a 1983 use agreement negotiated between the airport and national park.
Albright in that letter cited eight specific flights when Chambers’ Robinson R44 helicopter flew below the 2,000-foot floor, the lowest at 616.5 feet above ground nearly four miles away from the airport. He said those flights were just “the tip of the iceberg” of a persistent problem of low-level flights by Wind River Air over noise-sensitive areas of the park, potentially disturbing wildlife.
But Chambers said on Tuesday, as he has said previously, “That 2,000-foot advisory, that is not a law or regulation, that is a request. So there are no violations. ... Basically every one of those flights is completely per the code of regulations. There was nothing wrong with any of those flights.”
However, Teton Park Chief of Staff Jeremy Barnum, while acknowledging the 2,000-foot floor is not a hard-and-fast rule, said, “We would absolutely ask all operators to abide by that 2,000-foot FAA advisory. I think it’s better for residents, it’s better for visitors, and it’s certainly better for the wildlife that draws people from around the world to this ecosystem.”
Barnum added, “Common sense would suggest that something like a helicopter, the closer it is, the more disturbing it is to wildlife and others.”
Smith, the FAA operations inspector, and Luke Collison, principal operations director with the FAA’s Denver office, could not be reached for comment on the status of the FAA’s investigation or potential sanctions that could arise, if any.
Chambers was cleared of wrongdoing after an FAA investigation into claims of park overflights last spring and said Tuesday that he has not been contacted by the FAA regarding an ongoing investigation.
Barnum and Daley noted, too, that Chambers’ Wind River Air isn’t the only operation accused of low-level park overflights. Daley cited “operators that aren’t originating out of the Jackson Hole Airport and are coming in from Montana.”
“This is a much larger issue than just Wind River Air and Tony Chambers,” Daley said.
Albright, the ranch owner and retired journalist, said Tuesday he intends to submit additional data and information about low-level flights over public lands by mid-April directly to the FAA.
Daley said the Conservation Alliance’s goal is pretty clear cut.
“Ultimately, the Alliance would like to see a permanent ban of scenic helicopter tours over Grand Teton National Park,” she said. “And you see movement towards that in a lot of other national parks that are now backtracking and backpedaling a little bit about how they manage scenic helicopter tours, including parks out in Hawaii. And you see this in Glacier [National Park] as well.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/faa-investigating-park-overflights-after-more-complaints/article_a7876267-d22d-50fd-a6c6-eb32318092cd.html
| 2022-04-02T12:42:12Z
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Editor’s note: This story contains allegations that include racial slurs and sexist comments.
Former Albany County Sheriff’s Office patrol sergeant Christian Handley has moved to dismiss a lawsuit alleging acts of racial discrimination against a coworker.
The lawsuit was filed in January by Jamin Johnson, a Black former sheriff’s deputy. Johnson alleges that throughout their shared time at the Sheriff’s Office starting in 2011, Handley continuously referred to him with racial slurs and used his supervisory position to subject Johnson to a “sham” disciplinary process.
This discrimination culminated in 2017, the lawsuit claims, when Handley convinced then-Sheriff David O’Malley to force Johnson to choose between two options: accept a suspension and demotion or resign his position at the Sheriff’s Office altogether. While Johnson maintains the disciplinary process was unfounded, he chose to resign because of “intolerable” working conditions.
Handley is represented by Mark Klaassen and Timothy Miller of the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office. In his motion to dismiss filed March 21, Handley’s legal team argues that the lawsuit reaches beyond the four-year statute of limitations for the his alleged behavior and should be dismissed with prejudice.
A memorandum his legal team filed in support of the motion argues that the only relevant instances of alleged discrimination must fall within a four-year filing period.
Any incidents that are within the four-year statute of limitations lack evidence to proceed, the filings say.
“The only timely allegations regarding issuance of the ultimatum, and Handley’s alleged role in persuading O’Malley to take such an action, are devoid of factual detail necessary to suggest the intent to discriminate based on race or otherwise state a plausible claim for relief,” the memorandum says.
Handley argues that the alleged disciplinary process is the only incident that falls within this time period and that it alone is not enough to prove a pattern of discrimination.
Coming forward
“When I left the Sheriff’s Office I had been defeated,” Johnson said of his 2017 resignation during an interview with the Boomerang in February. “I just felt destroyed by what I endured. I didn’t feel like I had the energy to even speak or fight what had happened.”
He began to speak out about Handley’s alleged discrimination in 2021, after being contacted by the Sheriff’s Office as it conducted an investigation into the sergeant’s conduct. Handley was fired as a result of the investigation.
“With the change in leadership at the Sheriff’s Office and in the county, I felt my story would actually be heard and taken seriously,” Johnson said.
The investigation took place shortly after Sheriff Aaron Appelhans replaced O’Malley, who resigned in the face of a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit brought against the county regarding the police killing of Robbie Ramirez.
The allegations
The pair worked together as patrol deputies from 2011-14, during which time “Mr. Handley began to engage in overt and abhorrent racism against Mr. Johnson, the only Black officer at the ACSO,” the lawsuit says. That includes “routinely” being called the n-word and a “jigaboo,” something Handley also allegedly did toward other Black people in the community.
While Johnson wasn’t promoted to that position until he’d been with the department for four years, Handley was promoted immediately.
By 2016, Handley had moved up the ranks to become a patrol sergeant, giving him more seniority and disciplinary power over Johnson than he’d had in other supervisory positions.
The complaint details one instance when Handley allegedly walked into a common area at the department and asked Johnson if he had ever had sex with a Black woman, following up with the comment, “because that would be nasty. That is like having sex with a dog.”
Another time, Handley described an arrest he made at UW by saying, “I stopped a car full of (n-words) … some Black people are just (n-words).”
One day Handley drove past Johnson’s house and shouted “mother f---ing (n-word)!” as Johnson was walking out of it with his family, according to the complaint.
Handley also wrote a performance evaluation of Johnson accusing him of various instances of misconduct that never happened. When Johnson consulted a colleague about creating a rebuttal to the review — which is allowed under Sheriff Office policy — Handley “disciplined Mr. Johnson for insubordination and dissension,” the complaint says.
Johnson said he hopes coming forward about his situation will be an example for others who want to speak out about their experiences with discrimination.
“I hope this allows for the internal culture at the Sheriff’s Office to change to allow for more people to grow and flourish there, and that it will be a safe place to work,” Johnson said in February. “I think that’s the most important thing — that people who are doing a job that’s hand-down hard enough don’t have to endure additional hardship to do their jobs well.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/former-acso-sergeant-wants-dismissal-of-lawsuit/article_1bcd3ed9-d4dc-5022-887d-eede9882dbfd.html
| 2022-04-02T12:42:18Z
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CASPER — Even as Rep. Liz Cheney breaks fundraising records in the midst of her toughest reelection campaign yet, some Wyoming-based megadonors who supported her in previous races are now pouring their fortunes into her challenger.
The Donald Trump-endorsed candidate Harriet Hageman, a Cheyenne and D.C. based lawyer, has emerged as Cheney’s main challenger in a crowded field. The Trump-backed challenge comes as Cheney has angered many hard-line conservatives after she voted to impeach the former president and has rebuked him since.
She said last year that he’s “at war with the rule of law.”
In response, she has been censured and “unrecognized” as a Republican by the Wyoming GOP, censured by the Republican National Committee and lost her House Republican leadership position.
The list of wealthy Cheney-defects includes Jay and Karen Kemmerer, the owners of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort; Lynn Friess, the widow of the longtime GOP megadonor Foster Friess; Maggie Scarlett, one of Cheney family’s oldest friends and others, according to federal election filings.
What’s more, most of the megadonors who have abandoned the incumbent congresswoman hail from Jackson, the longtime home of the Cheney family.
Hageman herself has donated a total of $2,000 to Cheney in the past — $1,500 in 2016 and $500 in 2013 to her Senate campaign that got cut short when she withdrew from the race for family reasons.
Hageman was also an adviser to Cheney on that same campaign.
“Harriet, like most Wyoming voters, at one time supported Liz Cheney,” Hageman’s campaign manager Carly Miller said in a statement. “But that was before Cheney abandoned Wyoming and launched her personal war with President Trump.”
In this race, these two candidates offer donors three pots into which they can put their money: a campaign fund, a joint fundraising committee and a leadership political action committee (PAC).
Money donated directly to candidates’ campaign funds have caps at $5,800 per individual.
Wealthier people are able to donate beyond the typical maximums through the alternative committees called joint fundraising committees and leadership PACs. These committees traditionally serve two main purposes: They make contributions easier for donors while providing the politician a pot of money in addition to campaign funds. Campaign funds are only legally allowed to only be spent on campaign expenses (salaries, travel, consulting, advertising and expenditures like that). Money raised via a leadership PAC can never be spent on the campaign. Candidates can, for example, spend leadership money on personal expenses and donations to like-minded candidates.
Joint fundraising committees are a little different. These committees make it easier for donors to write one huge check that a candidate’s staff splits between the campaign, the leadership PAC or other politicians’ campaigns.
The Cheney camp has had a leadership PAC and a joint fundraising committee on the books for some time. The Hageman campaign opened its own versions of these two committees in early January.
Primary challengers in the U.S. and Wyoming rarely establish a leadership PAC and a joint fundraising committee, but this race is not normal.
Because Hageman set up her leadership PAC and joint fundraising committee during the current fundraising quarter, the numbers have not been reported yet. It’s likely the big time donors supporting Hageman will pour even more money into those coffers.
Jay Kemmerer, the co-owner of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, and his wife Karen Kemmerer, a retired realtor, donated just shy of $50,000 to Cheney’s campaigns up until September 2020.
The bulk of this cash came from a $25,000 donation to Cheney’s joint fundraising committee, meaning that not all of this money went to Cheney’s efforts specifically.
Outside of Cheney, the Kemmerers donated more than $1 million to Trump, some Republican candidates and various GOP entities over a roughly two year period.
If that spending is any indication, Hageman’s other fundraising committees are likely to see big infusions of cash from the Kemmerers.
The director of communications for the resort said he was “unable” to share the Star-Tribune’s request for comment with Jay Kemmerer, nor did he provide contact information for the owner. It’s unclear why.
The Kemmerers co-hosted an August fundraiser in Jackson Hole for the House Freedom Caucus, the group of some of the farthest-right House Republicans. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, were some of the big names in attendance. The price of admission was $2,000 per couple, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reported.
Greene has a history of spouting QAnon conspiracies, including calling George Soros a Nazi. Soros, a Holocaust survivor and Democratic megadonor, is a frequent target of anti-semitic conspiracies. Greene has also vehemently rejected Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. Most recently, she attended a fringe right-wing conference with ties to white nationalists.
“Liz will always be faithful to the Oath she swore under God to the Constitution,” said Jeremy Adler, a Cheney spokesperson.
“The beauty of our system is that every Wyoming citizen can choose whether to embrace that or reject our Constitution in favor of a negative campaign spreading un-American lies and conspiracy theories,” Adler said.
Foster Friess, who died nearly a year ago at the age of 81 from a form of bone marrow cancer, gave over $500 million in his lifetime, according to a press release from his family office.
He was a major donor to Republican political action committees, state republican parties and Republican candidates like Trump, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and at one point, Cheney.
Between Friess and his wife Lynn Friess, they donated $16,300 to Cheney’s efforts. Two other members of the Friess family are also Cheney donors, contributing $6,400 to her campaigns.
But now, Lynn Friess, who lives in Teton County, is taking the family fortune to Hageman’s effort. She has so far donated the maximum amount of $5,800 to Hageman’s campaign.
“Harriet Hageman has Wyoming in her DNA, and as our representative, she will always reflect the views and values of Wyomingites,” Lynn Friess said in a statement. “I’m excited to support Harriet, and I will be grateful to call her the Congresswoman from Wyoming in November.”
Longtime Cheney family friends have also jumped ship.
Maggie Scarlett, one of Liz Cheney’s mother’s oldest friends and a former Cheney adviser during her brief Senate campaign, gave the maximum amount of $5,800 to Hageman.
Scarlett and Lynne Cheney met at the Wyoming Girls State conference in the late 1950s. Maggie’s husband Dick Scarlett, a Jackson banker, used to hang out with Dick Cheney on his vacations back west during his time as vice president. Neither Scarlett responded to requests for comment.
“I do think she has burned bridges with some of her Jackson supporters,” said Mary Martin, chairwoman of the Teton County GOP. “It’s a lot of long time friends. They’re just so, so disappointed. I think they feel that Wyoming isn’t represented.”
Martin said she did not vote to censure Cheney when the state GOP central committee voted to do so following the congresswoman’s vote to impeach Trump.
“Our state doesn’t allow us to remove a public official, so I felt it was just a vote to humiliate her,” she said.
Another Jackson resident, former investment banker Nancy Donovan, gave $5,600 to Cheney in 2019. Less than a week after Hageman entered the race in mid-September, Donovan donated $23,200 to the lawyer’s effort (the money that exceeds the maximum of $5,800 will either be reallocated to other Hageman funds or refunded to Donovan).
“She was a Cheney and she was Republican and she talked a good game,” Donovan said. “For me, it was a default. I thought she was a good Republican, but all of the sudden she got this Trump derangement syndrome.”
A repeated complaint that Wyoming voters have told the Star-Tribune is that Cheney is too focused on fighting Trump and therefore is ignoring Wyoming issues.
“She shot herself in the foot,” Martin said.
Another Teton County-based couple, Dan and Carleen Brophy, have a similar donation history.
Both Brophys gave $2,600 to Cheney’s Senate race in 2013.
They have not donated to Cheney since, according to federal election filings. The couple is now taking their commodities trading fortune and putting it toward Hageman.
Carleen and Dan Brophy have each maxed out at $5,800, bringing the total donation to Hageman to $11,600.
The Brophys, like the Kemmerers, were one of the other couples who co-hosted the summer fundraiser for the House Freedom Caucus.
Brophy told the Jackson Hole News & Guide that labeling QAnon a conspiracy theory “is another label, with the flavor of a libel.” He also claimed that he did not know Greene’s stance on the conspiracy theory, “Nor do I care,” he added in an email to the Jackson news outlet.
One of the all-time top donors to President Trump’s reelection is Saratoga resident Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon banking fortune and chairman of Pan Am Systems, a transportation and freight holding company.
Before Trump came on the scene, he was a relatively minor political donor. Unlike the other wealthy Wyomingites, Timothy and his wife Patricia Mellon did not donate to Cheney in the past, but now the couple appears split over where to funnel their massive fortune.
Timothy Mellon donated $2,900 to candidate and state Sen. Anthony Bouchard, R-Burns, before Hageman entered the race and $2,900 to Hageman in late September.
Patricia Mellon, on the other hand, donated $515 to Cheney’s reelection after Hageman had already entered the race.
In a self-published autobiography, he wrote that Black Americans are “unwilling to pitch in to improve their own situations” and called people who receive government benefits “slaves of a new Master, Uncle Sam,” according to The Washington Post.
Dan Brophy and Timothy Mellon did not respond to requests for comment.
Influence Experts say that it should not be shocking that many of the state’s Republican megadonors are from Jackson or the equally wealthy surrounding towns. Teton County is home to the country’s highest per-capita income from assets, according to the Economic Innovation Group.
“It’s not surprising that the people who have the financial resources to give max donations are found in Teton County,” said Dr. Jim King, a professor of political science at the University of Wyoming.
While wealthy Republican political donors seem to be concentrated more or less in Teton County, it is the bluest county in the state, voting 67% for Joe Biden. The next bluest county is Albany, where Biden only beat out Trump by less than three points. The rest of the state overwhelmingly voted for Trump.
With so many of the big time donors being from Teton County, this may give the region outsize influence, said Michael Beckel, the research director for Issue One, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that aims to increase public awareness of the campaign finance system.
“When you’ve got high profile individuals weighing in on a race, that can make ripple effects across the field to rank and file voters,” he said. “These donors with deep pockets are able to share their concerns with politicians. Their staff is going to answer and listen to what they want to say. Money coming from a particular area of a state can distort what issues are given more attention and research shows that wealthy donors have different concerns.”
But Martin, the Teton County GOP chairwoman, doesn’t see the county’s wealth as “being an influential political force in Wyoming politics.”
King also rejected the idea of outsized influence.
“Certainly candidates know where they get their money, but they also know where they get their votes,” King said.
Even as Hageman attracts big time Wyoming donors, she still majorly trails Cheney in overall fundraising.
Repeatedly rebuking Trump continues to have consequences for Cheney, but it has also raised her profile nationally, and she’s received huge monetary support from critics of the former president.
The final fundraising quarter of 2021 was the highest yet for the Cheney campaign. It raked in $2.05 million in the quarter, compared with $1.5 million, $1.9 million and $1.7 million in each of the preceding quarters of the year.
At the end of 2021, the campaign had $4.7 million left to spend.
These numbers dwarf Hageman’s fundraising. Hageman brought in about $745,000 from the time of her campaign launch in September through the end of 2021. Roughly $443,000 came during the fourth quarter and at the end of 2021, Hageman had roughly $381,000 in the bank.
The in-state contributions, however, flip the script.
In the fourth fundraising quarter of 2021, only 32 of Cheney’s itemized donations were from Wyoming residents which totaled to $25,830. For Hageman, residents contributed $188,850 via 150 individual donors.
Put differently, Hageman raised $7 from Wyoming residents for every $1 Cheney took in, WyoFile reported.
“Money alone doesn’t guarantee electoral success,” Beckel said. “Voters are the ones who determine who wins and loses at the ballot box.”
These few wealthy donors make up a fraction of the 196,269 currently registered Republicans in Wyoming, but “in politics, money often talks,” Beckel said.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/former-cheney-donors-send-hageman-support/article_f646c585-1236-5b09-810d-967f92703587.html
| 2022-04-02T12:42:24Z
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Rawlins will host a meeting about access to public resources at 1 p.m. April 22 at the Rawlins Music Academy, 412 4th St., to explain and discus WYO Help’s action plan for Carbon County and seek input about housing, access to health services and food insecurity.
The community action agency’s mission is to be a hub for communities it serves by helping identify and fill gaps in needed services. If there’s a need, WYO Help can facilitate:
• Employment: Vocational training, on –the-job experience, internships, career coaching, job search assistance and employment supplies like boots, clothes and tools.
• Education: Preschool support, financial literacy classes, college readiness, school supplies, before or after school activities, summer youth recreational activities, summer education programs, behavior improvement programs, mentoring, leadership training, adult literacy classes, leadership training, parenting supports, college application assistance, textbooks and scholarships.
• Asset building: Financial coaching, financial management, first time homebuyer counseling, foreclosure prevention counseling, small business set up and development, assistance obtaining health insurance, SSI payments, veteran’s benefits, TANF benefits, snap benefits, savings accounts set up, tax prep help, micro loans, business incubator, business development loans and auto repair.
• Health: Physicals, vision screening and services, prescription payments, doctor visit payments, in home care, mental health support, dental screening and services and food support.
• Case management: Assistance developing a plan to become self-sufficient.
This forum is free and open to the public. The information gathered will be used to help with plans for future allocation of resources for the county.
To partner with with WYO HELP in providing services or volunteer, contact carolyn@wyohelp.com.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/local/wyo-help-wants-input-on-how-it-can-meet-local-needs/article_61010442-8d1f-56ea-a2b3-c573012e2990.html
| 2022-04-02T12:42:30Z
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JACKSON — A Utah man is facing federal charges for holding an unauthorized dirt bike race along Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park. The incident occurred in 2020 although investigators believe Jacob “Jake” Hobbs had been hosting the race annually inside the park, starting as early as 2011.
According to court documents filed in U.S. District Court earlier this month, Hobbs is being charged with five counts for destruction of plants, property damage, failure to report an incident, injury to a historic monument and operating a motor vehicle off-road.
The court filing states Hobbs unlawfully operated a motor vehicle in an area that was not a park road, not in a parking area and not on routes designated for off-road motor vehicle use.
All told, Hobbs is facing up to 27 months imprisonment, a fine of up to $25,000 and up to five years probation.
Witnesses who saw dirt bikes on July 18, 2020, south of the Moulton Barn also recorded a video of the event as they drove south on Mormon Row, according to court documents.
The video showed a group of approximately 30 to 40 people who appeared to be breaking down a race course, folding up chairs and moving dirt bikes toward nearby vehicles. Several juvenile riders were seen, as well as a professional photographer.
Hobbs was identified in the video in the middle of the course speaking into a handheld microphone attached to a bullhorn. The video, as well as other videos and photos of the event, showed people holding race flags as they guided motorcycle riders. Footage also showed white track markers in the ground identifying the course.
Supervisory Park Ranger Alec Chapman, who is assigned to Teton Park, provided a sworn statement alongside the filing. Rangers received a call from dispatch at 8:44 p.m. the day of the race but were unable to locate the group that evening, according to Chapman. He later determined, however, that this was an organized event among friends who were staying at the Gros Ventre Campground as part of an annual party.
Noreen Travers, the attorney representing Hobbs, stated that Hobbs believed Mormon Row was on Bureau of Land Management property, his group stayed for one hour and no formal race was held.
Chapman described it as a formal race where at least two awards were given out for Most Improved Rider and Run What Ya Brung.
Mormon Row is of special significance to the Jackson Hole area. Not only are its iconic turn-of-the-century buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but it’s also the site of a multiyear natural resource restoration project that’s working to remove non-native invasive grasses and restore the area to a native sagebrush steppe ecosystem.
The Grand Teton National Park Foundation has been supporting this restoration project since 2016 alongside the National Park Service. Maddy Johnson, communications director for the association, said $500,000 has been spent to restore the native sagebrush habitat.
“This area is an important habitat for elk, bison, pronghorn, moose, sage grouse, and a variety of other wildlife, which all depend on sagebrush steppe habitat,” stated a July 22, 2020, park press release. “The area that was damaged by the dirt bikes was reseeded in 2019 as the result of a collaborative effort between the National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Teton Conservation District.”
Chapman said damage caused by the event was estimated to be over 4,000 square feet and the assessment and restoration costs were $3,690.96.
Chapman confirmed that a group site at the Gros Ventre Campground had been reserved by Jake Hobbs from Salt Lake City for July 16-20, although Hobbs possesses an Arizona driver’s license. His reservation stated he had been camping there for 11 years.
Luckily for Chapman, the social media tracks left by the group were as stark as those left by their motorbikes. Chapman identified Instagram posts showing a pit bike race along Mormon Row accompanied by the hashtag #boltsbday11.
Chapman believed the hashtag referenced the 11 years that Hobbs’ company, BoltsAction LLC, had been in business, and the race was held to celebrate the company’s birthday.
Chapman also found more pictures on Instagram from previous years, showing that the event had been occurring in the park since at least 2013 but likely even earlier.
He said in the court filing that “there are photos in the Park dating back to 2011 based upon social media and blog postings.”
Chapman also found that Hobbs’ company BoltsAction made a commercial in 2015 for Lifeproof, a company that makes cases for electronic devices. Chapman suspected this commercial was made during the annual race, as it showed bikes being driven on the wrong side of road with the Tetons in the background, motorcyclists standing on the seat of their moving motorcycles and machetes being thrown into trees in the Gros Ventre Campground.
When asked why the 2020 incident was the first to receive attention despite evidence that the race had been held since 2011, the park’s chief of staff, Jeremy Barnum, said “the 2020 incident was the first about which we had specific knowledge and information.”
“It took some time for the National Park Service to investigate the tips and information provided by the public,” Barnum said.
Barnum referred the News&Guide to the attorney general’s office for more information on its timeline filing charges. The attorney general’s office did not respond to the News&Guide’s request for comment.
Annie Band, a wildlife biologist and board member for the nonprofit Grand Teton Association, said the case is part of a bigger issue.
“I think it relates to the dramatically increasing usage, not just of the park but the national forest is also taking a huge brunt of the over-visitation of the area,” Band said. “I think we’re having issues with damage and a lack of understanding around the impact even of less aggressive use.”
Barnum said the park is responding to increased visitation with an emphasis on increased communication about how to recreate responsibly on public lands.
“We’re trying to elevate the conversation about conservation,” Barnum said. “We are using our communication tools, including social media and online platforms, along with cooperation with partners in the community to encourage visitors to plan ahead, recreate responsibly and help ensure this iconic landscape may be enjoyed by future generations.”
Barnum said the park will be putting out more planning and stewardship tips for this summer season.
“National parks like Grand Teton belong to us all, and it’s up to all of us to preserve and protect them,” Barnum said.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/man-faces-charges-in-mormon-row-dirt-bike-race/article_f6dbe52f-24b3-5adc-b8d4-93ac80ba33b9.html
| 2022-04-02T12:42:36Z
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CHEYENNE — This past session of the Legislature was a mostly productive time for Wyoming’s burgeoning digital money industry.
These organizations use massive amounts of computing power – along with correspondingly large portions of electricity – to rapidly perform calculations in order to virtually mint digital currency. They scored some legislative wins at the state Capitol in this past session, which wrapped up earlier this month.
As detailed in a recent article in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, these virtual miners got some changes to state law that they say will make it even easier for them to register their operations in this state. And legislators also passed Senate File 106, the Wyoming Stable Token Act.
Industry did not get all it wanted, however.
Just this past Friday, Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed the stable coin bill. He said that the state treasurer’s office was busy with other obligations besides potentially dealing with the currency.
During the Legislature’s budget session, efforts fizzled to allow for the creation of deregulated energy zones, if a county commission successfully petitioned the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners for one on state land. Senate File 71 died in the Senate Minerals Committee, following testimony from many stakeholders over a few days. Utilities generally opposed the bill, as did most others.
The failure of the bill doesn’t mean that the issue is dead, a wide array of stakeholders agreed in recent interviews. Crypto companies still want power, and many would ideally like to locate at least some operations in Wyoming.
The issue remains that digital currency miners contend that they need a lot more electricity to expand their operations in the state to the extent that they would like. On the other side are utilities, which often cannot deliver as much power, as quickly and at as low a cost as the virtual financiers desire.
Frustration over the failure to pass his bill was evident in comments from its backer, Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie. Speaking as the bill was voted down by all other members of the Minerals Committee who took part, he was upset that the issue was being punted to the interim legislative work session later this year.
“We have done a tremendous job over the years of wasting opportunities and not providing an appropriate regulatory framework for anybody to do anything at a large scale in the state” that is new and innovative, such as with the cryptocurrency operations, Rothfuss said last month.
“We can push the pause button. It is what we have done before” on other issues in the committee, he added. “That tends to be the end-game mantra. And a lot of the time, it comes from industry, because we are changing things in a disruptive way.”
This was seemingly acknowledged by the legislative panel’s chairman, Sen. Jim Anderson, R-Casper. In a tense exchange with Rothfuss, Anderson seemed to agree with him that even though the issue of deregulated power zones for crypto companies might come up in the interim session, it might not advance further.
Neither lawmaker responded to numerous recent requests for comment.
On April 8, the Legislature’s Management Council will meet to discuss what topics should be addressed in the interim session. Those on all sides of the issue expect that the panel will at least consider whether something like SF 71 should be a legislative topic. Many expect that the issue of electricity deregulation could come up more generally.
“There could be a larger utility discussion as a whole, and this will be part of it,” said Shawn Taylor, executive director of the Wyoming Rural Electric Association.
Utility officials, speaking in recent days, said they’re interested in entering into contracts with crypto miners. It’s just that there seem to be differences in the expectations of this technology industry in how quickly and at what cost power can be provided, and the reality of needing to carefully connect those operations to the grid in a way that does not create financial shockwaves if these new companies later change plans.
Rural electric cooperatives, which cover most of the state’s geographic territory and serve about a quarter of Wyoming’s electric customers, want to reach commercial agreements with crypto firms. “We recognize the advantage if we can make it work” that virtual currency mining would bring to the electric grid and other customers of these member-owned co-ops, said Taylor.
A change in the law is necessary to get virtual currency miners the power they want, said Sean Murphy, a local digital mining expert. The situation is “something that is not going to change unless the law changes,” said Murphy.
Murphy’s cryptocurrency consulting company has some clients who are interested in potentially moving to Wyoming. It “has been frustrating for companies that want to come to Wyoming and just can’t get the power,” he said. He said that Black Hills Energy stands out for its request for proposals to solicit expressions of interest from such miners.
During the hearing, and in follow-up communications with the WTE, utilities, including Black Hills, noted that they have sought requests, such as through RFPs. Some deals are in the works.
Utilities respond that they want to sell more power, since that is their business. They need to make sure that if they agree to serve a miner, that the customer won’t suddenly change plans and leave the power provider with a stranded investment that might need to be paid for by other customers who had nothing to do with the minting of new virtual tokens.
Speaking at the Feb. 24 hearing, Black Hills lobbyist David Bush said, “We have been working with crypto miners here in Cheyenne.” The company’s Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power subsidiary has more than 43,000 customers in the Cheyenne area. Its RFP sought expressions of interest for at least 10 megawatts for at least two years, with service interruption provisions.
Black Hills officials noted that they got requests to purchase about 1.9 gigawatts of electricity, a staggering seven times the peak power load of all of Cheyenne. The RFP “helps illustrate our due diligence efforts in order to protect our current customers,” a company spokesperson said by email.
During the Feb. 24 hearing, a representative of Rocky Mountain Power noted that it, too, had issued an RFP. The company has been analyzing responses to see what it could viably deliver, said the official. He noted, like others, that Wyoming is a net exporter of electricity to other states, and that all companies’ electric rates in Wyoming are low compared with elsewhere. (A hearing was also held on Feb. 23.)
“Rocky Mountain Power will provide the electrical service requested by residential, business and industrial customers in our service territory, including those in the blockchain technology industry,” a company spokesperson wrote in an email. It is owned by PacifiCorp.
Rocky Mountain Power is an example of a utility that must plan ahead when it comes to power distribution, because it operates in several states and not just Wyoming, said Shannon Anderson, a staff attorney at environmental group Powder River Basin Resource Council. “There is not extra power, per se, because they have built the system for that load” that is already being used, she said.
“Utilities like long-term planning,” she said. “It’s not something that you can just do when someone says, ‘Hey, we need this power tomorrow.’ And it doesn’t work like that anywhere in the country.”
Montana-Dakota Utilities “has received inquiries to serve crypto miners, but does not have any signed agreements,” according to its spokesperson, noting that some would-be power buyers want 100 megawatts. (That is just under half of the power that Cheyenne typically consumes.) “We are interested in serving these types of loads,” the representative wrote in an email. “Once we explain projected costs to secure additional power and upgrade our infrastructure to handle such a load, the interested entities have not pursued further discussions.”
Likewise at Black Hills, its spokesperson noted of the retail tariff rate under which miners could buy power that it “does not provide the desired rate for the miners.”
Some blamed the defeat of SF 71, in part, on the process for drafting the legislation, which may not have fully included all stakeholders.
Before the 2022 budget session, there was discussion of the bill in the Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology and Digital Innovation Technology, experts noted.
While some got a chance to participate in such discussion of the then-draft legislation, others said they did not. Now, they are looking ahead to the interim session so that they can fully take part in any further process.
“I think the unfortunate part is that neither I nor any commissioner that I am aware of was ever contacted or alerted to the fact that this legislation existed and the fact that commissioners would play a critical role in the process. Had that occurred, we certainly would have brought our concerns (up) earlier,” said Jerimiah Rieman, executive director of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association. (There are 23 counties in the state, and each has several commissioners.)
“Commissioners are not generally involved in blockchain legislation, nor would the title of the bill have given away that commissioners would play such a seminal role,” said Rieman, who acknowledged that he missed it, too. Although the association’s members generally want to see more businesses start up in their counties, the legislation envisioned an unusual role for them in the industrial land zone siting process, he said.
These local officials “were opposed to the way that the specific legislation was structured, which put them in what felt like an untenable situation where commissioners are making decisions for the state relative to these industrial power users without the benefit of much of the information” that would be needed for them to make an educated decision, according to Rieman.
For now, experts predict that more smaller power deals will be worked out, including for operations that can rely on alternative setups that don’t involve connecting to the grid.
“I think there is power out there” at lower amounts, such as several megawatts, instead of dozens or more, said Wyoming lawyer Will Reese. He is also co-founder of Highwire Energy Partners, which mines virtual currency using energy from gas that would otherwise be flared from wells.
If something like SF 71 does eventually pass the Legislature, “I think it could be very good,” Reese said. “In theory, it could allow you to unlock some power that is not being unlocked” as “every megawatt of power burned within the state” is better than getting it from elsewhere, he added. “Any encouragement to utilize power within our borders, I think, is for the best.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/session-sees-some-wins-for-blockchain/article_16a60bce-ab22-5e89-97ea-8f7b56704e62.html
| 2022-04-02T12:42:43Z
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I bought one ticket, the large popcorn and drink combo and sat in the last row — the middle seat. I had never done this before.
There is something about seeing movies in a theater. The big screen mesmerizes me. The sound swallows me. The popcorn tastes like it could be the last gourmet meal of my life, it’s that good.
I love going to a movie theater, but I had never in my life gone alone.
There was a movie I wanted to see. The timing wasn’t right. No one wanted to see it with me, so I thought I would have to wait until it was out as a rental.
The movie chased around in my thoughts. It was about someone who had lost a child like I have. Of course, that is what drew me to it, that common thread, the curiosity. I wondered if the movie would portray my thoughts and feelings. I wondered if I would learn something I didn’t already know about grief.
It followed me around pulling my heart along, not allowing me to push it away. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to see the movie.
Driving an hour to the shopping area, my whole body smiled. The entire day was mine. A day of “me” time. After a little shopping and lunch at my favorite place, the movie flashed in my mind. I quickly looked on my phone. It was playing at a budget theater nearby and I had just enough time to make it there.
But I had never gone to a movie alone. Is that weird? Is it weird that I was kind of afraid to do this? Is it strange that this movie has such a grasp on me, constantly taking space in my thoughts? My fear played pingpong with the thought.
The movie won.
The back row wasn’t bad. It felt safe. No one could see me — or the giant bucket of popcorn I balanced on my lap. At 1 in the afternoon on a weekday there were six other people there to share the theater. None of them came alone. Just me.
I shut off my phone. Two hours went quickly, and the movie was amazing. I cried. I hurt. At times I wanted to shout at the screen. There were moments I wanted to pray. I understood why I needed to see the movie. Its message was for me.
I sat in my seat until the last credit rolled, the lights brightened and the workers came in to clean up any abandoned popcorn buckets.
A few things became very clear.
It was clear that I would not have received the message the movie brought if I hadn’t listened to my heart pushing me to see it.
It was clear that although going to a movie alone may seem a silly fear to some, it was real for me. Walking into that theater was empowering. It was clear I had missed opportunities in my life when I allowed fear to win.
It was clear that I did need to see the movie, and I needed to see it alone. I needed to be able to cry alone. I needed to absorb the meaning of the movie’s message — alone.
Life is magical in how it manipulates us, bringing messages we need to hear, putting us in places we need to be, pushing us to do things that we are afraid to do. All of it is done with the intent of giving us clarity.
And yes, I ate the entire bucket of popcorn.
Pennie’s Life Lesson: Listen when life is pulling, pushing and prodding you to do something that stirs fear. Until you walk into it, you will never fully gain understanding, clarity and strength.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/guest_column/what-i-learned-in-a-dark-movie-theater/article_26fac702-f778-5f23-9093-20368e86f042.html
| 2022-04-02T12:42:47Z
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On a visit with family in Denver not too long ago, I found myself in front of a one-person firing squad, convicted of being a “sexist” and “perpetuating a chauvinistic culture.”
My crime?
Holding the door open for a woman at a retail store.
Apparently, something I was always raised to consider as simply being polite and thoughtful is actually a deeply ingrained male conspiracy to send messages that women are inferior and need men to perform even the most simple of tasks for them, like opening a door.
I also was taught never, ever, under any circumstances, physically assault a female. Don’t hit girls is one of the cannon rules most boys are taught growing up (although anyone in the local court system could tell you too many of us ignore this lesson).
What this woman couldn’t understand was that while I was instilled with what some may deem sexist and outdated values, I don’t practice them that way. Truth be told, it’s habit to hold the door open for anyone — man, woman or child — who’s approaching while I’m nearby. The same goes for the checkout line at the grocery store. If I have full cart and you have just a couple of items, I’ll offer to let you go first.
Guess we’ve finally come to the point where normal politeness isn’t acceptable anymore. A study by a group of feminist psychologists reported by The Daily Mail in the UK says men like myself are guilty of practicing “benevolent sexism.” It extends to helping women choose their technology purchases, shopping for cars or talking to a mechanic.
I also learned that the general reference to a group of people, men and women, in general as “guys” also is frowned upon.
Well dang, what’s a guy to do when all I’d thought of being is a friendly, polite neighbor?
Should I break my habit of holding doors open for people and stop calling people “guys?” What other habits do I have that can be so offensive and off-putting?
I also was taught that when living in a mixed household to always put the seat down. As dad put it, not so much because it’s polite, but because that’s just an argument I’m not going to win.
If holding doors open is sexist, then I guess that makes me sexist because in the end, it’s better to practice good manners than “perpetuating a chauvinistic culture.”
ON ANOTHER NOTE, while it’s apparent some gender-centric values are changing, there’s no mistaking the callous — even hostile — attitude consumers have to endure at many businesses these days.
This same visit saw myself and my brother, Jay, waiting in the lobby of an auto service, detail and carwash shop. It’s a place I’ve done business at for more than 20 years, and when I get back to the Front Range I make sure to get a service and wash.
While waiting, a frail older gentleman pushing an oxygen tank ambled up and sat down, followed by his wife with her walker. They plopped into their chairs, a little worn out from the 100-yard hike between the lube shop and lobby.
A couple minutes later, an employee at the lube shop came up and told them they needed to walk all the way back to fill out some paperwork and pay for their oil change. I could tell that would be difficult for them, so interjected.
Surely you could bring the paperwork to them and take their payment here? After an ambiguous check with the manager, another person came back to say no, they had to go back.
There were plenty of apologies and the excuse from staff that they “can’t” do it that way. It was the same thing I was told at a restaurant when I wanted to swap one side dish for another. Sorry, that “can’t” be done.
In both cases, they clearly could, but wouldn’t.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/staff_editorials/apparently-i-m-a-benevolent-sexist/article_05e9cc56-ae57-573e-9d2c-00c6006bc220.html
| 2022-04-02T12:42:53Z
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Imagine if you learned tomorrow that hunger threatened every single person who lives in Sheridan. Consider the state response if all 18,000 residents there suddenly lacked reliable access to food. There would be public calls to send aid and donations their way. Nonprofit groups would mobilize. Politicians and citizens alike would take to social media to share their outrage.
But according to one study published in 2020, there are roughly 19,370 children in Wyoming who don’t have reliable access to enough food. That’s about 14.4% of all kids in the state. The consequences of childhood hunger are myriad and distressing. Studies have found that children who consistently don’t get enough to eat are more likely to experience academic difficulties, have higher rates of absenteeism and are at greater risk to develop health issues later in life, from cardiovascular disease to depression.
Intuitively, we know kids do better when their bellies are full. Think about the last time you tried to concentrate on a task while hunger gnawed at you. How easily were you able to concentrate? How long could you stay focused?
It’s for that reason that schools in Wyoming and across the country provide free and reduced meals to students who come from families with low incomes. Until the pandemic, eligibility for the program was based on income, with about a third of Wyoming students qualifying for the program. (A family of three would qualify if they earned less than $30,000 annually.)
When the pandemic hit, our economy cratered. The federal government stepped in to offer aid of many types. That included making school breakfast and lunch universally free to all children. But with the pandemic winding down, that expanded eligibility will end this summer.
However, that sort of program doesn’t have to end. What if the state of Wyoming stepped in to keep it or something like it going? What if the state, currently flush with revenue thanks to relief aid and higher fossil fuel prices, used some of its windfall to invest in our children?
“That’s a bridge too far,” you might respond. “We can’t just give away food.” But we already provide an education for all Wyoming students who want it. We provide them with books, materials, teachers and a safe building to learn. We don’t call that a giveaway. We call it an investment in the state’s future. Why would providing the food that allows these students to concentrate and engage in the learning process be any different?
“But hold on,” you might counter. “That’s all well and good, but we don’t have the money for it.” You’d be correct that such a system would come with a sizable price tag. But remember that the Wyoming Legislature and Gov. Mark Gordon just approved a tax break on the coal industry that will cost the state $10 million annually. If we can invest that kind of money to help the coal industry, we certainly have the money to feed our children.
There is precedent here, too. In 2015, the Nevada Legislature passed a bill that provides school breakfast to all children in that state. That measure prompted a notable increase in the number of kids who participated in the school breakfast program. It also enjoyed a sizable return on its investment. That state’s $1 million annual investment returned $8 million in federal funds to Nevada, according to No Kid Hungry, a national nonprofit group working to address hunger issues.
Wyoming is home to great programs that address hunger, including First Lady Jennie Gordon’s Wyoming Hunger Initiative. They deserve our praise and our thanks. But they can’t do it all. Why not, when we have the means, invest money in the well-being of an entire generation of Wyoming children? We already pay for their books, teachers and schools. Why not spend the money to increase the likelihood that our investment in their education will pay off?
Casper Star-Tribune
March 27
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/staff_editorials/we-can-invest-in-our-kids-by-working-to-address-youth-hunger/article_d1395b42-f157-5881-8e02-2f99ed492e45.html
| 2022-04-02T12:42:59Z
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While growing up in Africa, Rawlins High School boys’ soccer head coach Laidry Nguimbi only knew one sport: soccer.
“I have been around soccer my entire life and that was the only sport I played when I was a kid,” Nguimbi said.
It is the sport every kid played growing up and many of his own games were played in the street, a common practice.
Nguimbi moved to the United States in 2006 and attended Penn State University. After graduating with a petroleum engineering degree, he got a job with BP and move to Rawlins. Nguimbi has lives in Rawlins since 2013 and is now a financial advisor.
The native of the Republic of Congo, Nguimbi wants to build the foundation for a program that will last for years to come.
“The main goal is to truly get better, truly build something that will get kids excited to join but also improve game by game,” he said. We want to “build a foundation this year and build a program to last a very long time.”
There are three main points to Nguimbi’s philosophy for the RHS program: defend as a unit, pass efficiently and finish on target. Those three aspects of the game are going to be the focus for this season and the bedrock of the program, he said.
Nguimbi has been assisting with the program since 2019 and is now learning what it means to be the head coach.
“After work I would just head to the field, so I was not aware of all the administrative stuff behind the scenes,” Nguimbi said of his new role. “Now I have to learn everything behind the scenes. That is what the first year is going to teach me.”
The Outlaws have consistent players throughout the field, Nguimbi said. The focus is on passing efficiently to the different levels of players and placing the ball in position to help the team maintain possession.
“It is up to me as a coach to bring the best out of them,” Nguimbi said.
Efficient passing is needed to the clear the ball out of the defensive side of the field and push the ball into scoring position. Once the ball is in position, Rawlins needs to capitalize on opportunities.
The Outlaws played in the Pinnacle Cup in Worland this past weekend. Rawlins went 2-2 in the tournament, beating Lyman 3-1 in the first game before falling to Torrington 3-0 in the second. Rawlins then lost to Douglas 7-0 but bounced back to beat Lyman for a second time, 3-0.
Nguimbi said he saw a lot of improvement over the weekend. The team was disappointed with the loss to Douglas, but the handled it with grace and was ready for the next game later that day.
The Outlaws looked efficient passing the ball when the game was slow and the opponent was not aggressive, the coach said. Once the game sped up and Rawlins faced an aggressive opponent, mistakes were made that led to the Outlaws’ defeat.
Before Rawlins faces Douglas again in their next game, the Outlaws will be drilling to handle a faster-paced game better and to make quick decisions while under pressure.
Rawlins will retake the pitch at 5 p.m. Friday at Douglas.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/the-nguimbi-era-begins-defense-effecting-passing-accuracy-key-for-outlaws/article_c3637d85-d8f1-53e8-834f-36ad1e238362.html
| 2022-04-02T12:43:05Z
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Five University of Wyoming student-athletes showcased their skills for NFL scouts Tuesday morning during the Cowboys’ annual pro day.
Linebacker Chad Muma, running back Trey Smith, safety Esaias Gandy, offensive lineman Logan Harris and defensive end Garrett Crall took part in physical tests such as the 225-pound bench press, vertical jump, 40-yard dash, broad jump, 3-cone test and shuttle, as well as position-specific drills.
Representatives from more than 20 NFL teams were in attendance. Among these were the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans.
“The nerves didn’t really hit me until I started filling out the paperwork,” Smith said. “It was just a different atmosphere. It was like, ‘The time is now. You have to put on a show, and whatever happens, happens.’ I was happy with it, regardless, because I’m just blessed to be in this position.”
Gandy recorded the highest vertical and broad jump of the group at 33 inches and 10 feet, 1 inch, respectively, while hitting 15 reps on bench press. Harris had a team-high 25 reps on bench press, posting a broad jump of 8’3” and vertical of 26 inches. Crall had 16 bench press reps, a 9’11” broad jump and 31½-inch vertical, while Smith recorded a 9’7” broad jump, 30½-inch vertical and 20 bench press reps.
Muma did not participate in the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical or broad jump, but he did record better unofficial times in the 20-yard shuttle and 3-cone test than he did at the NFL combine earlier this month. Muma ran a 4.25 in the 20-yard shuttle and 6.91 in the 3-cone drill, both of which would have tied for the fastest time by a linebacker at the combine.
Crall’s unofficial 4.70 40-yard dash would’ve tied for 10th among defensive ends and edge rushers that were tested at the combine.
Several of Wyoming’s NFL hopefuls have been training in Laramie over the past couple months, with Crall crediting director of sports performance Eric Donoval, sports performance coach Gavin Rush and cornerbacks coach Benny Boyd, in particular, for their help preparing him for Tuesday’s pro day.
“It was a long time of training,” Crall said. “I’ve been training for almost 12 weeks, and I’ve improved so much since I got back. Coach E and Coach Rush in strength and conditioning have worked with me every day, and they’re phenomenal at what they do. (They) helped me so much.
“Coach Boyd (also) came out here and worked my tail off for a couple days and got me ready to go for some of that. Even today, if I was looking at something, he would be in the background saying, ‘Shorten this, do that,’ so I’m lucky. I could’ve gone somewhere else and trained, but why train somewhere else if you already know these guys? I trust them, and they helped me put together a pretty good showing today.”
Getting back to full strength
Wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt did not participate in any drills or strength tests, as he works his way back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered Oct. 30 at San Jose State. However, he did get measured for height and weight, and also “snuck in a little warm-up” while his teammates were participating in drills at the Indoor Practice Facility.
Eberhardt’s target date to be cleared medically is April 24.
“I’m pretty athletic for not being 100% with an ACL right now,” he said. “I wanted to prove that I’m still moving around and haven’t been sitting on my butt for the last six months. I’ve been in the training room working out every day with Coach E, Tiffany (Heeren) and (David Kerns). We’ve been getting after it, and I’ve been making great progress.”
Support system
A handful of former and current Cowboys showed up to provide support for their teammates, including Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson.
Wilson has been a resource for Muma throughout the draft process, providing advice as the 2021 Butkus Award Finalist participated in the Senior Bowl and NFL combine.
“It’s great to have that kind of support,” Muma said. “Logan has been a huge help, because he did both the combine and the Senior Bowl. I would text him beforehand and ask him for some tips, and he was always very available. Even when he was going to the Super Bowl, he was always there to help me.”
Muma says NFL teams frequently compare him to Wilson, something he doesn’t have a problem with.
“All the time,” Muma said. “They make that comparison, but it’s a great comparison to have, being compared to Logan Wilson – especially because of the year he just had.”
Harris, meanwhile, says he and his teammates have sought out tips and pointers from Muma about his experience dealing with NFL teams.
“He did the combine before this, and when he came back last week, we were all asking him about it,” Harris said. “That definitely helped out, just knowing what to expect. It’s just awesome having him around. He brings a really good aspect to a competitive atmosphere. He’s really encouraging and challenges you, so it was good to have him back and good to see him.”
Making their case
While Muma is projected as a second- or third-round pick by most scouting services, the rest of the Cowboys hope a strong pro day showing will boost their chances of landing on an NFL roster or securing a training camp invitation.
When asked to make their case on what they bring to a pro team, Crall and Smith point to their versatility and willingness to play any role.
“I can help you in any aspect you want,” Smith said. “I’ll put my body in any type of situation or predicament to help out the team. I’ll play center, I’ll play left guard, I’ll play punter, it doesn’t matter. I just want to help out the team and make a living out of it, and I’m going to work my butt off from day one.”
Added Crall: “You’re going to get the hardest worker in the room, a guy that’s a leader, a very football-smart player and someone that’s 6-foot-4, 240 pounds and can run. That’s hard to come by, especially with the physicality in the trenches. If you put me out in space, I can come even faster. I’m just ready for someone to let me unleash the talent I’ve got.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/townnews/american_football/cowboys-participate-in-pro-day/article_2c1dc03d-0f3c-55f9-84ce-9f8866f53437.html
| 2022-04-02T12:43:07Z
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The six newest members of the University of Wyoming football team took the field for the first time with the Cowboys on Tuesday afternoon as spring practice got underway.
Several of these additions expressed excitement about getting to work with the Pokes, including Ole Miss transfer Jakorey Hawkins.
Hawkins, who last season was a part of a Rebels squad that posted its second-highest finish in the Associated Press poll since the 1960s, knows a thing or two about teams with the potential to be special. He says he can see some of that in this group, while noting there’s a long way to go between where they are and what they want to accomplish.
“I was happy to get out there and play football again,” Hawkins said. “This is a special group here. I had fun (Tuesday), but we all have to work to get better to reach the goals we want to reach this year.”
Hawkins is one of three Power Five transfers the Cowboys added, along fellow senior cornerback Deron Harrell from Wisconsin and sophomore linebacker Cole DeMarzo, who comes to UW from Michigan State.
Harrell has one season of eligibility remaining, while Hawkins has two years left. The pair will have large shoes to fill, replacing a veteran duo in C.J. Coldon and Azizi Hearn, who helped UW lead the Mountain West in passing defense last year. However, Hawkins doesn’t lack confidence when it comes to his ability to step in and make a significant impact.
“My goal is to be the best corner in the nation,” he said. “I have high hopes for myself, but I can accomplish it.”
DeMarzo, meanwhile, will likely compete for the starting weakside linebacker job next to Easton Gibbs, who moved over to the Mike spot following Chad Muma’s departure this offseason.
The former three-star prospect out of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, points to the success of Muma and current Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson, both of whom were Butkus Award finalists and All-Americans at UW, as the biggest factor that led him to choose the Pokes.
“Following guys like Logan and Chad really drove my decision to come to Wyoming,” DeMarzo said. “Whenever you step in here, you have that expectation to follow. Following guys like that, you know there’s a platform to put your skills out there and get to the next level, so I felt like this was the best fit for me.”
Gibbs expects his new teammate to fit right in with the Cowboys.
“He’s a smart kid,” Gibbs said. “He also came from (former Wyoming assistant Scottie) Hazelton (who is now the defensive coordinator) at Michigan State, which helps a lot. We kind of run the same defensive scheme, so he fits in well with us.
“We all get along, and it makes it a lot easier to play with a guy who you like.”
Unfortunately, Wyoming’s other addition on the defensive side of the ball — freshman safety TJ Urban, who comes to UW after one season as a quarterback at the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School — suffered what coach Craig Bohl said he thinks is “a pretty significant knee injury” early on the first day of practice.
“It is (difficult),” Bohl said. “TJ was an excellent quarterback we felt like was going to be a great safety candidate, and I played college football with his high school coach. We’re going to keep our fingers crossed that it’s not something significant. ... Sometimes our initial diagnosis is a little more critical than what it turns out to be. We’re in hopes that’s going to be the case, but he’s going to get an MRI, and we’ll see where it goes from here.”
The Cowboys’ two incoming transfers on offense, Evan Svoboda from Snow College and Andrew Peasley from Utah State, will join returners Gavin Beerup, Jayden Clemons and Hank Gibbs in what is expected to be a wide-open battle for the starting quarterback job.
“That’s why I left,” Peasley said. “All I wanted was an opportunity to work for something and earn it.”
Bohl spent the majority of Tuesday’s practice paying attention to the offense, in particular the quarterbacks.
He admits there will be a learning curve for his two newcomers at the position. So far, though, he’s liked what he’s seen.
“We’re all happy with them, but it’s a whole different system for both of them,” Bohl said. “Managing a pro-style offense, being under center and play calls that are long and all those things, that’s a different idea for them.
“I thought they did well (Tuesday), particularly for a first day, and we had good competition at the quarterback position. It’s going to be a whole, long process as we go, but for the first day, I was happy.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/townnews/sport/newcomers-get-first-taste-of-wyoming-football/article_e05731a5-836f-58eb-8a5c-bb89a97c1798.html
| 2022-04-02T12:43:13Z
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/burns/all-laramie-county-girls-second-team/article_0aaebff0-795a-5e2a-a2d2-67a50f2c799f.html
| 2022-04-02T12:43:19Z
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CHEYENNE — Taliah Morris placed first in the girls 100-meter dash with a time of 12.46 seconds and was first in long jump (18-9½) for Cheyenne East on Friday at the Wheatland Invite.
Emma Smith was second in the 3200-meter run (1:50.69) while Cadence Eicholtz tied for second in pole vault (9-1) and Abbie Mickelson was second in shot put (33-6¼).
Reeannicca Grays, Boden Liljedahl, Bailey Haley and Morris were first in the 4x100 (50.93) for East.
Marik Cummings clocked in first in the boys 100 (10.87) and Jude Guevara finished first in long jump (20-2½). Arthur Carrillo was third in shot put (42-9).
Connor Parks placed third in the 3200 (10:48.79) and the team of Garcia, Cummings, Garet Schlabs, and Caleb Ruff took first in the 1600 sprint medley (3:51.82) and first in the 4x100 (43.23).
Rylee Ward placed first in the 100 meter hurdles (17.35) and tied second in pole vault (9-1) for the Burns girls. Emma Gonzalez timed in third in the 400 (1:04.33) while Emma Norris finished first in high jump (4-11).
Ethan Norris took second in the 110 hurdles (17.79) and second in the 300 hurdles (45.95) for the Burns boys.
Joel Morales, Conor Manlove, Jackson Kirkbride and Mason Medley finished second in the 1600 (4:01.83) and Cooper Sanchez, Cody Piasecki, Spencer Smith and Dylan Ashworth were first in the 4x800 (9:28.96).
Darby Downham was second in the 400 (1:03.47) for the Cheyenne South girls. Lleyton Valdez was second in the boys 200 (23.23) and Jakub Randles was third in the 400 (54.18) for the Bison. Paxton Piasecki finished third in pole vault (12-0).
Gabriel Hernandez, Jakub Randles, Valdez and Matt Rivera were second in the 4x100 (45.03).
The East boys placed third with 79 points while Burns was fifth (58.50) and South was sixth (41.50). The East girls were third (86.08) while Burns placed fifth (52.50) and South was 12th (17.75).
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/burns/prep-track-east-girls-boys-place-third-in-wheatland/article_134f8f79-d12b-5627-a9b9-3411ef95b455.html
| 2022-04-02T12:43:25Z
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CHEYENNE – It didn’t take long for Cheyenne Central to find success at the plate Friday afternoon.
Behind a six-hit first inning, the Lady Indians took a 10-1 lead into the second frame. They quickly turned it into a 26-1 victory over Cheyenne South in the conference portion of the doubleheader. It was the first meeting of the season between the teams, and the game ended after five innings because of a 15-run mercy rule.
“It was really important that we came out with intensity, and we came out really aggressive,” Central coach Carrie Barker said. “We talked about attacking the game more than playing back on it, so it was big we started that way.”
Fourth-ranked Central strung together four doubles in the top of the first, including a two-run double from Brogan Allen down the third-base line the second time through Central’s lineup. It was Allen’s second double of the inning.
“We didn’t do too hot last weekend against the Gillette schools, so coming back and beating a crosstown rival was good,” Allen said. “I thought we did a really good job of waiting on the ball. … We did a good job of waiting on pitches and driving it to opposite field.”
South responded in the bottom of the frame when Alyssa Albaugh sent a leadoff triple to center field and was driven home after Jaylen Wunder put the first pitch she saw to deep right field. However, that was the most offensive production the Bison could put together.
Following a four-run second inning, the Indians stretched their lead to 24-1 in a third frame that featured just three hits. Two of those hits were triples – one from Ashley Bunch and one from Drue Mirich. But the Indians were able to do their most damage in the inning by remaining disciplined at the plate and forcing seven walks.
“We’re not going to throw the ball by anybody, so we have to be good at location and getting those strikes early and getting ahead in the count,” South coach Curtis Quigley said. “And I think that was what hurt us, was not getting ahead early in counts. But that’s a team that took second at state last year. They’re on a mission, they’re focused, and their attention to detail shows.”
Allen notched her fourth hit of the game when she sent a payoff pitch over the left center field fence. She also closed out the game by throwing 17 pitches in the final two innings – including six pitches in the bottom of the fourth frame.
“Against slower pitches, I’ve been focused on driving it to opposite field because I know if I try and hit inside pitch to left side of the field, I’m not going to be as successful as I want,” said Allen, who went 4 for 5 with six RBI, three doubles and a home run. “So, if I just wait back, go opposite field and drive my hands through, I think I can be successful that way.”
Kaitlyn Ackerman was 2 for 3 with three RBI, and Mirich was 2 for 2 with two RBI and three runs for the Indians. Nine different Central players knocked in at least one run.
Central hosts second-ranked and undefeated Laramie at 10 a.m. today.
“We just have to take that momentum of hitting and intensity into (today) and know that we’re going to see some different speed,” Barker said. “We’re going to have to jump on that, be ready to go, and not get too inside ourselves.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/central-tops-lady-bison-behind-offense/article_2925eb12-1a95-5ec1-906f-01a9f92ada56.html
| 2022-04-02T12:43:27Z
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/cheyenne-swimmers-compete-at-sectionals/article_6f9c4493-1373-52de-b19b-988e3a8c4ebd.html
| 2022-04-02T12:43:33Z
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Jordan Jones didn’t expect to be wearing a Cheyenne East uniform this season.
The senior wing thought she’d spend her second winter pulling the red and white jersey of Regis Jesuit over her head. Jones, and her mother, Andy, moved to metro Denver during the summer of 2021, thinking that playing for a prestigious school in Colorado’s largest classification would open more doors for Jordan, both academically and athletically.
Jones only spent a handful of hours per week on Regis’ Aurora, Colorado, campus during her junior year, because the school mostly employed virtual learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She hardly had an idea of what it was truly like to attend the private school. Jones got the full Regis experience this fall, though, and found the academic and social expectations – and the accompanying demerit disciplinary system – difficult to manage as someone who grew up with the freedom of public schools. She didn’t have any disciplinary issues, but felt like she was walking on egg shells.
“I felt like the staff wasted energy on little things students did,” she said. “There were a lot of girls who got marks on their demerit cards for being just a little out of dress code, or doing something little wrong.
“There were a lot of passive-aggressive people there, and it started to wear on my mental health. They also were weird and super secretive when they fired (coach Carl Mattei). That was kind of the last straw.”
Mattei had been Regis’ only girls basketball coach since it added the sport in the early 2000s. He was fired in late August, only a few days before the Colorado High School Activities Association’s transfer deadline. The school still hasn’t commented on what led to Mattei’s dismissal.
Jones liked Jordan Kelley – a former Campbell County and University of Wyoming standout – who was hired to replace Mattei, but decided it was best for her to finish out the volleyball season at Regis and return to Cheyenne. Andy moved her family from California to Cheyenne when Jordan was a fifth-grader. Jordan spent the first two seasons of her high school career at Cheyenne Central, earning all-conference honors as a sophomore.
“I was back and forth all fall,” Jones said. “I was going to try and stick it out for basketball season, because I love the girls and they’re all my friends, but I just couldn’t do it. There was a day I hit my breaking point.”
Jordan eventually enrolled at East and did half her classes on campus and half virtually, something she grew to like while at Regis.
The move was a boon for both Jones and East.
The 6-footer ranked tied for fourth in Class 4A in scoring average (14.9 points per game), was tied for ninth in rebounding (6.2 rpg), and tied for seventh in both assists (2.7 apg) and steals (2.7 spg) to help the Lady Thunderbirds go 28-0 and repeat as state champions.
She was named Wyoming’s girls basketball player of the year by Gatorade, and verbally committed to NCAA Division I University of Denver last week.
Jones also has been named Laramie County’s girls basketball player of the year by WyoSports’ Cheyenne staff.
The versatility Jones showed by ranking in the top 10 in four different statistical categories made her invaluable for East.
“She’s an elite player who is a Swiss Army knife kind of kid, who is good at adjusting and figuring out what’s best for our team,” T-Birds coach Eric Westling said. “(Jones is) tremendous on the glass, which might not be what everybody thinks about first. She goes up and high-points the ball. There aren’t many kids in the state who can get that high.
“She has the ability to drive to the basket and read the defense. Her passing is also something that’s sometimes underrated. When you can get to the bucket just about whenever you want, that also helps.”
Jones’ skillset also helped her adapt to East’s scheme and quickly develop chemistry with her new teammates. It also helped that Jones played with senior center Darcy Jardine both with Cheyenne Central and the Wyoming Beasts club team, and senior forward Kiera Walsh with Beasts.
“I got adjusted to their system pretty quick,” Jones said. “It’s a motion system, and I picked up the basics of it pretty quickly.
“The girls also were really welcoming and sweet. They accepted me with open arms.”
Junior guard Boden Lildjedahl played against Jones during the 2019-20 campaign. She expected to have her hands full, and maybe even hear a little trash talk, whenever she lined up across from Jones.
“I was so excited when I saw her walking the halls,” East junior guard Boden Liljedahl said. “I thought, ‘Yes, another big who is also a guard.’ We connected really well.
“Playing against her is different than when you’re on her team and you actually get to know her. I learned that she’s so nice, but that trash talking is her competitive side coming out.”
Jones is incredibly coachable, Westling said.
“Because we coached against her, we were able to tell her, ‘Here’s what we saw from you (as opponents),” the coach said. “She listened to that stuff and really took it to heart and understands it so she can improve.”
Basketball is in Jones’ blood.
Her late father, Willie Jones, played for the University of Wyoming and was part of the Cowboys’ run to the Sweet 16 of the 1987 NCAA Tournament. Her older brother, also Willie, was a standout at Central before signing with Laramie County Community College. Her older sister, Jayla, currently plays at Ottawa University in Arizona after starring at Central.
“My family is the whole reason I got into basketball,” Jones said. “I decided to try my hand at it when I was 5 or 6, playing in rec leagues back in California, or playing at the park with my family.
“I fell in love with it, and my love just grew from there.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_east/jordan-jones-stellar-season-with-east-almost-never-happened/article_e81affe0-0560-54d8-b53c-2ad1629fe839.html
| 2022-04-02T12:43:39Z
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LARAMIE — The wondering is now over, and an early-season result has been determined after two of the top Class 4A girls soccer teams went head-to-head.
The battle of undefeated squads was decided with top-ranked Thunder Basin relying on a dominant first half to beat fifth-ranked Laramie 3-0 during a cool, breezy Friday early evening at Deti Stadium. The WyoPreps.com Coaches and Media Poll are released weekly each Thursday during the regular season.
“Our girls played well and we got to kind of work on a few things we wanted to this week from practice,” Thunder Basin coach Lyle Foster said.
The Lady Bolts (4-0 overall, 3-0 East) didn’t waste any time by starting the contest with pressure on the Lady Plainsmen’s defense, forcing several corner kicks and dictating most of the possession on Laramie’s side of the field.
The constant ball control paid off for Thunder Basin in the 18th minute when sophomore Attie Westbrook corralled a loose ball that wasn’t immediately cleared and shot high and left into the netting. Junior Brooke Dunham was credited with the assist after the initial pass.
The Bolts, runner-up to Rock Springs at last season’s state tournament, made it a two-goal difference in the 26th minute on a corner kick sent in by senior Alex Michael from the right of the box to Dunham, who was on the far side and in position to finish the play.
The third Thunder Basin goal was a bit of a surprise for everyone when sophomore Cena Carlson let loose a more than 30-yard arching shot that snuck just inside the upper-right corner for an unassisted score. The ball took a quick, funny bounce off an inner post but after a chat between the field and sideline officials, it was ruled the ball in fact went inside the frame in the 35th minute for a 3-0 lead.
Thunder Basin nearly scored again in the final minute of the first half when junior Eagan Clark was taken down in the 18-yard box. The Bolts were awarded a penalty kick and Laramie sophomore Sienna Osborne was awarded a yellow card. But the low penalty shot from Carlson was wide of the right post.
When the action broke for the break, the Bolts had tallied 11 shots, seven on goal with six corner kicks and two fouls. Laramie had no shots or corners and five fouls.
“We struggled a bit with (Thunder Basin’s) set pieces in the first half,” Laramie coach Justine Tydings said. “It’s unfortunate because we definitely talked about it and worked on it this week. Seeing it live is always a new and interesting wrinkle.
“But I’m really proud of the effort we put forth in the second half. We played a bit more of our style of soccer, calmed down and connected on passes.”
The adjustments Tydings relayed to her team worked.
In the first 15 minutes of the second half, Laramie (5-1, 2-1) pushed the ball into Thunder Basin’s side of the field and recorded four shots, the third being the first on goal during the Lady Plainsmen’s second corner kick of the game. The ball came from the right side to sophomore Kierra Osborne, who thumped a shot near post. Thunder Basin senior goalkeeper Kendra Michael recovered just in time for one of her two saves of the game.
Laramie sophomore keeper Mckenna Barham notched nine saves, including a point-blank rejection in the 66th minute on a close, laser shot from Thunder Basin junior Rachel Cole.
“(Defensively), it was hard and a challenge for sure,” Laramie junior defender Libby Goodspeed said. “But I’m really proud of our team and the way we stepped up, especially in the second half after making the adjustments we were given by our coach.
“We need to focus on connecting in the middle and making good passes instead of just trying to get the ball of your foot. Everyone needs to be accountable for handling the ball instead of making it someone else’s.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/laramie_high/lady-plainsmen-suffer-first-loss-to-undefeated-thunder-basin/article_36d531c7-9663-5b89-8ac7-91d3952d9312.html
| 2022-04-02T12:43:45Z
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/other_sports/lccc/lcccs-tonita-takes-first-in-bull-riding-in-torrington/article_69cf04d0-3480-5481-84b1-8d87eebe6244.html
| 2022-04-02T12:43:47Z
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LARAMIE – Several key departures on the offensive line and the loss of the program’s second-leading rusher hasn’t shaken the University of Wyoming’s confidence when it comes to a rushing attack that has ranked second in the Mountain West for the past three seasons.
Three-time all-MW selection Xazavian Valladay is now in the Arizona State backfield, while big men Keegan Cryder, Logan Harris, Rudy Stofer and Alonzo Velazquez exhausted their eligibility, retired or are trying their hand at the next level. Despite having a handful of holes to fill, though, veteran offensive tackle Frank Crum has no doubt the Cowboys will pick up right where they left off.
“All those guys can run the rock, and they all have different aspects to them in how they do it,” Crum said of UW’s running backs. “It fits really well with our offense, so I’m excited to see how all those guys mesh in our run game. There isn’t going to be any letdown as far as that goes, I guarantee that. I’m excited for that room to do what they do, and it’s our job to set them up.”
While the starting five on the offensive line will be determined throughout spring practice and fall camp, it’s no secret who the headliner of the backfield is set to be.
Titus Swen – who ranked second in the MW with 5.9 yards per carry as the Pokes’ No. 2 back, while rushing for 785 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns during his junior campaign – is excited about the chance to be Wyoming’s workhorse next season.
“I feel good,” Swen said. “Everybody comes into college dreaming of getting the starting position. I’ve got it, so I have to do something with it now. It’s not all about you starting, it’s what you can do with that starting position.”
Having been at UW throughout Swen’s entire college career, Crum’s face lights up when asked about the team’s new starting running back.
“The one word I would use to describe him is he’s a dog,” Crum said. “That dude will not go down. He drives his knees, he’s physical, and he’s not afraid of contact. He’ll run through a dude twice his size. He doesn’t care.”
In addition to this physicality, Swen showcased his explosiveness on numerous occasions last season. The most apparent instances were in rivalry wins over Colorado State and Utah State, during which he rushed for a combined 335 yards and two touchdowns, with runs 87 and 98 yards.
Offensive coordinator Tim Polasek indicates Swen has taken strides in his daily approach, as well.
“He’s gotten better,” Polasek said. “He’s improved, not only physically with another year of training, but I think he’s really improved in the mental aspect. You can see him sharpening the detail it takes to be a really high-quality running back. I know he has aspirations to play at the highest level possible, and he’s working hard to be a good practice player.”
Added Swen: “(I’ve improved at) trusting my blocks. Usually, when you go in as the second-string back, you just have to try to go in and make something pop as soon as you get in. Now, being that starter, you aren’t going to get the home-run ball every time. You just have to keep working to it.”
Dawaiian McNeely is another player who provides optimism for the Pokes, after rushing for 113 yards and a touchdown with an average of 6.6 yards per carry in limited action last season. He is expected to miss the bulk of, if not the entire spring, as he recovers from a minor hip injury.
D.Q. James, Jordon Vaughn, Jeremy Hollingsworth and Joseph Braasch could also be in line to make their first notable impacts for the UW offense.
“The young guys are an interesting group,” Polasek said. “Dawaiian, I thought, was on a pace to have a great winter and camp again, and he’s run into a minor injury. My anticipation is when he gets back, he’ll be in position to compete. D.Q. is talented, quick and fast. He’s still in the process of learning the what to do, instead of us focusing on the how with him.
“Until a kid can learn the paper, we’re really not playing football. It’s all about how we do things and how we can apply our rules and principles to best apply to the concept or scheme. Jordon is a big back, and he’s doing a good job. He’s just still young. Then, the two guys that are pretty solid are Joey and Jeremy. They’re both on the right track to be contributors – not only special teams, but offensively.”
Crum and Eric Abojei are the most seasoned returners for the Cowboys up front, with each having significant experience at offensive tackle. UW also anticipates Latrell Bible, who is listed as a center, but has seen action at each spot on the offensive line, will play a key role.
As for the rest of the group, Polasek says the Pokes are “going to move the pieces around to find the best eight” over the next few months. He also expects the tight ends and fullbacks to play a pivotal part in their success on the ground.
“People don’t ever bring up the tight ends, but they’re a major part of it,” Polasek said. “I’ve seen a lot of growth from a leadership standpoint, and I’ve seen a lot of quality off-seasons. Not only improvement in the speed area, but strength and conditioning, as well.
“(Fullback) Caleb (Driskill) is going to have an impact in the run game, and he’s going to be a much better player. In fact, I would put him up as an early candidate for most improved guy going into next year, so that will benefit our run game, as well.”
With Wyoming’s 41.8 rush attempts per game last season ranking 13th among non-service academy schools, the Cowboys make no secret that their offense is centered around running the football. As a result, they’ve spent the off-season and early stages of spring practice focused on getting leaner and working on maintaining low pad-level.
Abojei, who has lost approximately 50 pounds since the end of the 2020 season, is a prime example of the Pokes’ emphasis on athleticism in the trenches.
“You have to be able to move,” Crum said. “We hammer the zone (run) concept here, so you have to be moving. You have to be lean and agile, and that good footwork comes into play. Leaning out only helps us. A great example of that is Big E. That guy transformed his body last year, and you can see it transfer over on the field. It’s awesome to see.”
With three all-conference honorees among Wyoming’s running back and offensive line departures, there’s no denying the Cowboys have some sizable shoes to fill. They also aren’t afraid of the challenge, something evidenced by Swen’s response when asked to gauge the confidence of the groups.
“Through the roof,” he remarked. “That’s all I have to say.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/football/uw-s-new-look-run-game-ready-to-carry-torch/article_69ae2b8b-b838-5dd5-907e-7ed427392e7d.html
| 2022-04-02T12:43:53Z
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LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming’s two transfer cornerbacks haven’t wasted time making an impression on Cowboys coach Craig Bohl.
While Thursday’s practice – the second of the spring – wasn’t as clean as Bohl would have preferred, seniors Jakorey Hawkins and Deron Harrell impressed their new coach.
Hawkins comes to Laramie from Ole Miss, while Harrell had been at Wisconsin since 2018. This Power Five experience, as well as some familiarity with UW’s scheme, have enabled them to step seamlessly into the Pokes’ defense.
“We’re making some real progress with the two corners that came in,” Bohl said. “Both Jakorey and Deron, in a short amount of time, they’ve grasped our concepts. Some of that has to do with some of the places they came from, and some of the similarities with their coaches, but we’re pleased with their progress. It’s going to be important that they continue to make improvements.”
Spring practice is still in its early stages, but Bohl has also been pleased with the athleticism he’s seen from the entire defensive end group. With five-year contributor Garrett Crall having exhausted his eligibility, there will be ample opportunities for new faces to take on key roles on the edge.
“I don’t know if they can really get anchored in there and play a six-technique and root out a guy, but they can sure move, and they’ve shown excellent speed and quickness,” Bohl said. “That’s probably been the thing that’s impressed me the most. ... The guys that are 250 pounds that are just kind of sluggos, we don’t want to have those guys. We have some lightning-quick guys.”
With only five returning starters on each side of the ball, plenty of starting spots are up for grabs this spring. Running back doesn’t appear to be one of them, however.
Xazavian Valladay, the second-leading rusher in program history, transferred to Arizona State during the offseason. This opens the door for Titus Swen to play the workhorse role for the Wyoming backfield, as he looks to build off a junior campaign in which he rushed for 785 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns.
Swen expressed excitement with the energy he’s seen from the team through two practices.
“Everybody has been flying around to the ball, so that’s been good,” Swen said. “Usually, we’re a little lackadaisical the first couple days, just trying to get into it. This time, everybody is hitting it hard, so I feel good.”
Quarterback is a position with a little more uncertainty, with 2021 starters Levi Williams and Sean Chambers also transferring out.
Utah State transfer Andrew Peasley and Snow College product Evan Svoboda have both shown promising traits in their early days with the program, but Bohl also noted that returners Hank Gibbs and Jayden Clemons shouldn’t be counted out of the mix, either.
Bohl said the quarterbacks were more decisive in their decision-making than they were in Tuesday’s practice, “but the accuracy was not where it needed to be” on Thursday. He indicated the Pokes would likely not make a decision on a starter during the spring.
“Hank Gibbs has done some really good things, so we’re looking at him,” Bohl said. “Jayden has done some good things, as well. I will say Andrew is more polished than Evan. Evan has a ton of ability, but it’s pretty raw right now. Some things fundamentally, his footwork isn’t great on some of his errant throws, but the ‘want to’ is there.
“The other thing is just processing our calls. We run a pro-style system, so our verbiage can be challenging for some quarterbacks when they come in. When you’re in a pro-style system, that verbiage sometimes makes it more cumbersome, but I think Andrew is a pretty bright guy and has caught on faster than I may have thought he would.”
On the injury front, the Cowboys lost sophomore fullback Caleb Driskill to a pulled hamstring that Bohl said “may be a couple-week deal.” Freshman safety TJ Urban, who exited Tuesday’s practice early, has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will undergo surgery.
After taking the field in shoulder pads and helmets Tuesday and Thursday, the Cowboys will have their first full-pads – although not full-contact – practice on Saturday.
Junior Frank Crum says he and his fellow offensive linemen can’t wait.
“It’s almost a holiday when you put the pads on,” Crum said. “Being in these spiders and half-rack stuff, it is physical, but it’s just different when you have the pads on. It gets way more physical, and guys are excited for it. It’s a big day.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/new-cornerbacks-impress-in-uw-s-second-spring-practice/article_e91ea792-d345-5e11-8c53-091ed447afec.html
| 2022-04-02T12:43:59Z
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Learn more about effort to suppress next invasive moth outbreak at these workshops
Three workshops are set in April for residents looking to learn more about an aerial spray suppression effort slated for this spring to evade another destructive season with invasive moths.
After hundreds of residents reported heavy tree defoliation and other nuisances in 2021 because of moth caterpillars — renamed spongy moths in place of the more common but derogatory “gypsy” label — St. Clair County is funding up to $550,000 to spray a deterrent over thousands of acres.
The areas affected by moths last year were identified through the Friends of the St. Clair River, which conducted egg mass surveys to see where caterpillars may hatch starting in late April and early May.
In a statement this week, Friends field technician Lydia Nicholas said the suppression program will use “a biological insecticide called Bacillus Thuringiensis” that’s a “naturally occurring bacterium found in the soil and is not harmful to pets, birds, beneficial insects, or humans.”
Meetings to cover details surrounding moth outbreaks and management options are set for 6:30 p.m. on April 5 at St. Clair Township hall, 6 p.m. on April 6 at Clyde Township hall, and 6:30 p.m. on April 14 at Columbus Township hall.
An egg mass scraping party is also set for 10 a.m. April 9 at Greig Park in St. Clair.
Friends officials told county commissioners in early March that over 5,000 acres could be affected this year based on last year’s surveys.
Clyde Township at the most at over 2,300 acres, distantly followed by St. Clair, Columbus, Kenockee, Grant, and Emmett townships with 606, 574, 325, 277, and 260 acres, respectively.
Property owners will be able to opt-out of the spray program if they’re notified they’re in a spray block.
St. Clair County Commissioner Jorja Baldwin, who spearheaded much of the response for the county board last fall, said those who aren’t in a spray block but want to address their own moth issue may also be able to learn more on management.
The spray program does not eliminate the spongy moth pest entirely but will reduce the number of caterpillars and the leafy trees they consume. The workshops are expected to also address the process for monitoring and reporting caterpillars, provide an overview of the spray blocks, and take other questions.
For more information, contact gypsymoth@stclaircounty.org or (810) 294-4965 or visit www.stclaircounty.org/caterpillars.
Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com.
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https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2022/04/02/learn-more-effort-suppress-next-invasive-moth-outbreak-these-workshops/7196159001/
| 2022-04-02T13:46:01Z
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Recreational bowling: Lashbrook takes over season high series; trio of perfect games
Kristie Lashbrook was phenomenal in the Don McIvor Memorial league at Port Huron Lanes with games of 247, 280, and 214 to finish with a Port Huron Bowling Association season-high 741 series. Sarah Teschler was second in series and games with 693 and 257 in the Friday Mixed league at Strikers Entertainment Center. Alicia Vennettilli matched her with a 257 of her own in the McIvor league, finishing with a strong third place series of 665, and also added a 573 with a 232 game in Every Other Friday Misfits at Bowl O Drome.
Casey Donnenworth kicked off his Cowboys & Indians league session with a 300 game and continued on for a 769 league-leading series. This was Donnenworth’s sixth perfect game. Chuck Ouellette fired his third 300 game of the season, giving him 27 and second-most in Port Huron Bowling Association history, just two behind all-time leader Cliff Crawford. Ouellette ended with a 726 series in his McIvor league session. Jeff Dettloff rounds out the perfectos, getting his second 300 game, this time in the PHL Early 4 Man league.
Steve McCoy captured high series of the week with a 783 in Blue Water Men at St. Clair River Lanes. Kris Brunelle had an outstanding week with a 764 in Saturday Nite Bridge and 754 in the McIvor league. Three bowlers rolled 749 series including Michael Ganhs in the Juanita Peter Memorial league, Troy Brast in Cowboys & Indians, and Ed Crampton in Blue Water Men. Crampton would also throw a 746 series that included a 289 game in Monday Big 12 at St. Clair. Ganhs doubled up the 700 series as well with a 715 in Friday Wanna Bees at Port Huron Lanes.
Ray Randall and Dan Hawley Jr both put together 744 series. In Tuesday Classic at Strikers Mike Vansteenkiste led the way with 738 while Adam Digon was close behind at 736. Bob Pihaylic led Sunday Outcast at Port Huron Lanes with 738. Dennis Burns paced Saturday Night Out at Bowl O Drome with 731. Other top series included John Essenmacher 729, Brandon Varney 728, Don Cooper Jr 727, Jon Dean 726, TJ Rogers 721, Lenny McIntyre Sr 720, Scott Badley 715, Doug Ultsch 714, Tim Langolf 711, Cory Smith 710, and Cliff Crawford 710.
Jerry Beery pitched a 289 game in Cowboys & Indians. Other top games were Jose Ganhs 279 & 277, Ed Crampton 279, Ray Randall 279, Ray LaVere 279, Mike Gossman 279, Brandon Varney 279, Kris Brunelle 279, Mike Vansteenkiste 279, Jon Dean 279, Kyle Gest 279, Scott Badley 278, Bill Wonner 277, Gordon Harvey 276, and John Durcan 275.
Jenny Klein heads up the rest of the strong series with a 656 in Saturday Nite Bridge. Steph Palmateer had 626 in Saturday Night Out. Lindsay Klein rolled 619 in Friday Wanna Bees. Peg Vanantwerp rounds out the 600s with a 606 in Sunday Strikers. They were followed by Kate Hodgins 597, Rosann Brachel 584, Theresa Smith 582, Irene Simmons 582, Rochelle Essenmacher 577, Nikki Hollis 577, Jessica Badley 576, Heather Bombard 574, and Kelly Larsen 572.
Peg Vanantwerp’s 247 game tops the remainder of the leaderboard. Kate Hodgins had 230 in the Teachers league at Bowl O Drome. Other strong games were Jenny Klein 225, Irene Smith 225, Donna Toutant 224, and Jessica Badley 224.
Upcoming Tournaments: Match Game Singles will be at Port Huron Lanes April 23 and 24 with five games of qualifying on Saturday and the top ten advancing to round robin finals consisting of ten games on Sunday. Entry forms are at bowling centers or online entries can be submitted at phba.net.
Splits: 2-7: Nancy Mullins; 3-6-7-10: Mike Mullins; 3-10: Tammy Johnston, Phil Johnson, Marvin Warren; 4-7-9: Maggie Heaslip; 2-4-10: Rylee Pihaylic
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https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/sports/2022/04/02/recreational-bowling-lashbrook-takes-over-season-high-series-trio-perfect-games/7253401001/
| 2022-04-02T13:46:07Z
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It isn’t often that one can see, hear and taste art simultaneously.
“Art for Art,” hosted by The Lincoln Theatre, is an art charity effort that plans to do just that.
On April 29, The Lincoln will be transformed into an art show that will prop up and give back to local artists and the Cheyenne art community. The executive staff at The Lincoln have the unprecedented goal of making the event an immersive, multi-sensory experience.
This event looks a bit different than it did in its maiden installment in 2019. That first year, The Lincoln’s owners turned the proceeds from the event into funds for renovating the newly acquired building into the space it is today.
Now, the proceeds raised through “Art for Art” from ticket sales, and at least half the funds acquired through the main event of a silent art auction, will be donated to Arts Cheyenne for future community projects.
“Everything that we do here is all based around art. It’s something that’s super important to us,” said Renee Jelinek, co-owner of The Lincoln Theatre. “It’s what makes for a vibrant community, featuring artists in every way possible.”
The show will feature local artists, many of whose work has been a staple of the community. Already confirmed in the lineup are Bria Hammock, Steve Knox, work donated from Harvey Deselms collection, James Overstreet and Desiree Brothe.
Then there’s the immersion aspect of the night, where five pieces out of an estimated 50 submissions will be paired with an alcoholic-beverage spirit and song during a presentation segment. The selection group is looking for art among the submissions that stand out.
Every song is meant to match the emotion captured in the work, as decided by a team of Lincoln Theatre staff and volunteers. The spirit, specially concocted and paired with the art, is meant to do the same.
Artists will only learn that they’ve been selected as one of the five finalists upon their arrival that evening. The Lincoln’s staff is still in the process of receiving and assessing submissions. Artists have the chance to register for the show until April 15.
“The entire event is around supporting artists, the individual artists that will be having their work shown at this and possibly being shown to people who haven’t seen their work before,” Jelinek said. “Giving artists an opportunity to show their work and to sell a couple of pieces of their work is great.”
What’s new this year is the presentation of this sensory experience. Now, each piece will get a moment in the spotlight, where the audience will receive their drinks free of additional charge and the selected song will play over the theater sound system.
In their first year, the selections ranged from classical music to a song from Wu-Tang Clan original member rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
“It’s a discussion among our team of, ‘What does this piece mean to you?’” Jelinek said. “Just trying to find the thing that resonates with most of us and then being able to present that to everyone.
“It’s not a serious thing. We make it very, very fun.”
A popular feature returning from the last installment is the “mystery art sale,” where for $25 to $50, attendees can purchase local art that is wrapped up and vaguely described on the outside of the packaging. Only upon unwrapping the purchase does one find out what they’ve bought.
There are 200 tickets still available, priced at $35 each.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/art-for-art-to-offer-immersive-evening-of-art/article_0350a65b-e03e-5bb0-8190-fd23ba2b665f.html
| 2022-04-02T14:53:59Z
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Shooting leaves two injured in Mercer County
MERCER COUNTY, W.Va. (WVVA) - A Friday night shooting has left two people injured in Mercer County. Chief Deputy Alan Christian with the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department says the shooting happened at approximately 9pm on Ember Circle in Brushfork.
One victim was unresponsive and the other is refusing to cooperate according to Chief Deputy Christian. One victim was taken to Bluefield’s Emergency Department where they were later sent to a Roanoke hospital. The other victim was taken to Princeton Community Hospital where they were treated for non-life threatening injuries before being released.
He adds they are currently in the process of obtaining search warrants and tracking down possible witnesses at this time.
Details are limited but stay with WVVA as we learn more.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/shooting-leaves-two-injured-mercer-county/
| 2022-04-02T15:53:11Z
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US investigators fly to China to aid in plane crash probe
BEIJING (AP) — U.S. accident investigators arrived in China on Saturday to help authorities look for clues into what caused last month’s crash of a Boeing jetliner with 132 people aboard.
The seven-member team from the National Transportation Safety Board will participate in the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s investigation of the March 21 crash of a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 because the aircraft was manufactured in the U.S.
As part of that assistance, the plane’s cockpit voice recorder is being downloaded and analyzed at a U.S. lab in Washington, federal officials said Friday.
Investigators hope the recording will explain why the plane went into a nosedive from about 8,800 meters (29,000 feet) over a mountainous region in southeastern China.
Chinese officials have said that air traffic controllers were unable to get a response from the pilots while the plane was descending.
The cockpit voice recorder would pick up voices and other sounds from microphones worn by the pilots and another stationed over their heads.
Searchers also recovered the plane’s flight-data recorder, which constantly captures speed, altitude, heading and other information and the performance of key systems on the aircraft, but that recorder was not being evaluated in Washington on Friday.
The NTSB said its investigators will limit contact with people outside the investigation so that they can start their work immediately without going through a quarantine period.
The plane that crashed was not a 737 Max, a newer model that was temporarily grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
The impact caused by the crash in China created a 20-meter- (65-foot-) deep crater, set off a fire in the surrounding forest and smashed the plane into small parts scattered over a wide area, some of them buried underground. More than 49,000 pieces of debris have been recovered, along with some human remains and personal items.
A Chinese aviation safety official said a preliminary investigation report would be completed within 30 days of the crash.
Flight MU5735 with 123 passengers and nine crew members was headed from the southwestern city of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, to Guangzhou, a major city and export manufacturing hub near Hong Kong in southeastern China.
The 737-800 has an excellent safety record and the Chinese airline industry has had relatively few mishaps in recent years.
Before last month’s accident, the last fatal crash of a Chinese airliner occurred in August 2010, when an Embraer ERJ 190-100 operated by Henan Airlines hit the ground short of the runway in the northeastern city of Yichun and caught fire, killing 44 people. Investigators blamed pilot error.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/us-investigators-fly-china-aid-plane-crash-probe/
| 2022-04-02T15:53:18Z
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That piece of scrap on the side of the road isn’t trash.
A T-shirt with plenty of rips and tears, old severed lengths of rope, and weathered, worn leather, still have value. For one artist, reusing discarded materials like these isn’t necessarily about conservation, but rather finding beauty in imperfection.
That’s what Houston-based artist Emma Balder wants to represent in her new exhibit, “Eclectic Motion,” now on display in the Esther and John Clay Fine Art Gallery at Laramie County Community College.
Balder, a Denver native now living in Houston, collects and incorporates whatever she can in this series, using unconventional techniques to put a clever spin on seemingly straightforward artworks.
“The fact (is) that they’re just these fragmented imperfections,” Balder said. “I’m thinking about a piece of fiber just kind of billowing out, feathering out the way that it’s so unexpected. I think that contributes to its beauty.”
It’s difficult to describe the work that Balder compiled for “Eclectic Motion.” Half of the gallery consists of three-dimensional wall art made of different materials patched together, similar to a quilt.
For these “sculptural paintings,” she begins with a blank, unprimed canvas, on which she paints something colorful and abstract. Only when she reaches the point that she couldn’t bear to destroy the painting, she cuts the canvas into flowing and uneven shapes.
“I am creating these abstract paintings and then cutting them up,” she said. “Sometimes in life we’re really satisfied, and we’re comfortable, and then something just comes in and boom, we’re forced to change.”
Balder doesn’t appreciate when discarded items are referred to as “scraps.” The word implies an inherent loss of value, an opinion that Balder doesn’t share.
She collects different fabrics, from rope to simple cotton cloth, sometimes found in the street, sometimes found on hikes or given to her by makers all over the world. With the patches of cut-up canvas and miscellaneous textile waste, she creates a sort of sewn tapestry. In “Eclectic Motion,” these pieces are also stuffed and lined with foam obtained from old mattresses.
It’s an intuitive process, adding different patches until she feels the piece is complete. While she sees something personal in every creation, she realizes that her work invokes a sense of pareidolia that draws a different interpretation from each viewer.
Pareidolia
“I think it really relates to this element of pareidolia, which I talk about a lot in my work,” she said. “It’s really prevalent. It’s the idea that it’s like a Rorschach test. Seeing something recognizable in something that’s abstract, like seeing a face in the clouds.”
Pareidolia is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern.”
The rest of the gallery is made up of “fiber paintings,” which, on the surface, seem like tracings, but there’s more to the process than it appears.
Balder takes different strands of fiber, like small pieces of twine, and then drags those fibers through different colors of acrylic paint, creating what looks like frayed strands of unwound cloth.
With some of the strands still stuck to the painting, Balder then uses a 3mm pencil to accentuate some of the lines. The paintings are like river channels of color splaying out on white canvas.
Slightly different from these other two mediums are her “wind paintings,” which are deceptively similar to the “fiber paintings.” For these, she stood in an open, windy space, and let the large sheet of paper blow against her pencil, creating long, spontaneous lines and shapes. They are then covered in color.
There is, however, a common strand that runs through Balder’s artistic inspiration. Everything presented is abstract, colorful, subdued and rooted in her original childhood passion.
“I actually wanted to make my own clothes, I wanted to be in fashion design,” Balder said. “I had taken the course when I was in high school and was going to go to college for fashion where you’d make a couple of dresses and things.
“I was always like cutting up my clothes as a kid. And so it really all kind of came full circle.”
Dynamic art classes in her youth taught her that painting was more than just putting paint on canvas. She could experiment, and Balder knew that her heart wasn’t in fashion, but in painting something that “wasn’t just painting.”
In the case of the sculptures, they are creatures to her – eclectic communities that exist as microcosms of various influences and personal meaning. She stuffs them in order to give them a body, life and existence.
This ongoing experiment represents a turning point where she wants to branch out in untraversed artistic directions.
“They do have to be dimensional, and they have to occupy space in order for other things to live within them,” she said.
The exhibit opened Friday, but the opening event will be held Monday at 1:30 p.m. Balder will then give a free talk in the Surbrugg/Prentice Auditorium at 2 p.m.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/eclectic-motion-finds-experimental-beauty-in-the-damaged-goods/article_5a47b838-8a07-5048-aecf-7893312544b2.html
| 2022-04-02T17:00:08Z
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CHEYENNE – In preparation for Passover, the holiday of liberation, Rabbi Allen Secher of Whitefish, Montana, will speak via computer at Shabbat services at 7 p.m. Friday, April 8, at Mt. Sinai Congregation of Cheyenne.
He will reflect on his experiences as one of the last living members of the rabbis who were arrested as “Freedom Riders” in 1962 in Albany, Georgia, and again in 1964 in St. Augustine, Florida.
Rabbi Secher was ordained by Hebrew Union College in 1962 and has served congregations in New York, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Montana. He has also had a long and distinguished career as a media, radio and TV personality for Armed Forces Radio, NPR and even had some acting appearances.
After co-founding Makom Shalom in Chicago, Rabbi Secher and his wife, Ina, moved to Whitefish in 2000 to retire, only to discover that (at that time) he was the only rabbi in the state. In addition to serving Bozeman’s Temple Beth Shalom congregation until 2008 (driving 800 miles each way) and performing many life-cycle events, he and other rabbis actively opposed neo-Nazi activity in Whitefish and other towns in 2016-17.
In August 1962, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. invited clergy to support the civil rights movement at prayer pilgrimage in Albany, Georgia. Just out of rabbinical school, Secher joined other clergy who held a prayer service in front of the Albany City Hall on Aug. 28, 1962. All 75 clergy members, including 10 rabbis, were arrested and jailed for a week. Two years later, Dr. King sent a telegram from the St. Augustine Jail to the late Rabbi Israel (Sy) Dresner, urging him to recruit rabbis from a Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) to take part in demonstrations in St. Augustine, Florida. This time, Secher joined 15 other rabbis, who demonstrated to integrate local facilities, most notably a whites-only pool and restaurant at the Monson Motor Lodge on June 18, 1964, for which the protesters and rabbis were again arrested.
While in a segregated holding cell, the rabbis wrote a group letter titled "Why We Went: A Joint Letter from the Rabbis Arrested in St. Augustine." Shortly after the demonstration, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Allen served as executive producer for TV for the Jewish Federation of Chicago from 1980-90, where he created award-winning religious and ecumenical programming, children’s shows, documentaries and talk shows. Among his Emmy-winning documentaries was the PBS special "Choosing One’s Way: Resistance in Auschwitz-Birkenau,” featuring Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn as the narrator. In 2014, he presented a TED Talk titled “The Joy of Failure.”
At age 88, Allen continues to write, broadcast and speak publicly, as well as his interfaith organizing work.
Individuals or organizations are welcome to join Mt. Sinai in person or virtually for this event via a Zoom link, which will be posted at www.mtsinaicheyenne.org.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/civil-rights-veteran-rabbi-allen-secher-to-speak-at-mt-sinai-congregation/article_548c2639-3392-5173-bf79-0a59149158fd.html
| 2022-04-02T17:00:14Z
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GRAPHIC: Man admits to killing spree including father, girlfriend in jailhouse interview
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WTKR) - A Virginia man openly admitted to going on a killing spree that left his father, cousin and girlfriend dead.
Cole Beale is accused of murder and is currently booked into the Virginia Beach jail.
He sat down for about a 30-minute jailhouse interview earlier this week and explained what led up to the shooting of his girlfriend, Czavier Hill, and others.
“I had a breaking point. When her mom kept calling, and she was crying, what was I going to do?” Beale said.
The 30-year-old said he was fed up with Hill’s parents interfering in their relationship, and her attitude changed. So, he snapped inside her Virginia Beach home on March 22.
“I pulled the dog into the room. I was going to set the dog on fire, and she told me, ‘No, don’t do anything to the dog. You can take me and do whatever but not to the dog.’ So, I did that. I shot her in the head,” Beale said.
Police said they discovered Hill’s body two days later.
“When you snap, you don’t think about remorse; you just snap,” Beale said.
Beale said he then headed to another house, where his 73-year-old adopted father, Clifton Baxter, lived about 12 hours later.
“When I killed him, I found $20,000,” Beale said.
Beale said he had some bad blood with Baxter for not helping him financially. His cousin, Downing Mclean, then got into a fight with him in the home during this incident.
“I got fed up with him. He kept talking, saying I was not going to do anything, and I was like, I just killed two people. Do you think I’m not ready to shoot again? So, I went into the kitchen and shot him in the head and again in his back, " Beale said.
Beale said he then went to Hampton, Virginia, with his cousin’s girlfriend as his hostage. He said he wanted to take it easy at an Airbnb as he watched the search for him on the news.
Beale said while at the Airbnb, he was plotting who to kill next.
“I was definitely looking for more people but choosing my people wisely,” Beale said.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals eventually caught Beale one week after he said he started the killing spree.
“I don’t feel any remorse at all. I don’t think about remorse. It’s not something that comes to your mind when you’re snapping,” Beale said.
According to police records, Beale has previously served prison time for armed robbery and sexual assault on a child.
His court case continues in Virginia.
Copyright 2022 WTKR via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/graphic-man-admits-killing-spree-including-father-girlfriend-jailhouse-interview/
| 2022-04-02T17:46:14Z
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Missing hiker’s body found 2-plus weeks later with dog by his side
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A hiker who went missing more than two weeks ago was found dead in Griffith Park with his dog by his side, authorities said.
Oscar Alejandro Hernandez, 29, was reported missing on March 16. His body was found Thursday night in a remote area of the sprawling urban park. His dog, King, was alive but emaciated.
He apparently hadn’t left Hernandez’s side for two weeks, a relative told KNBC-TV. The family was there when the body was found, said Sgt. Ruben Arellano, a watch commander at the station in charge of Griffith Park.
Hernandez was last seen near the park merry-go-round’s hiking trails, according to a missing person flier posted by his family.
There was no immediate word on the cause of his death. There is no reason to believe foul play was involved, Arellano said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/missing-hikers-body-found-2-plus-weeks-later-with-dog-by-his-side/
| 2022-04-02T17:46:21Z
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Russian space chief: Sanctions could imperil space station
MOSCOW (AP) — The head of Russia’s space program said Saturday that the future of the International Space Station hangs in the balance after the United States, the European Union, and Canadian space agencies missed a deadline to meet Russian demands for lifting sanctions on Russian enterprises and hardware.
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, told reporters that the state agency is preparing a report on the prospects of international cooperation at the station, to be presented to federal authorities “after Roscosmos has completed its analysis.”
Rogozin implied on Russian state TV that the Western sanctions, some of which predate Russia’s current military operations in Ukraine, could disrupt the operation of Russian spacecraft servicing the ISS with cargo flights. Russia also sends manned missions to the space station.
He stressed that the Western partners need the space station and “cannot manage without Russia, because no one but us can deliver fuel to the station.”
Rogozin added that “only the engines of our cargo craft are able to correct the ISS’s orbit, keeping it safe from space debris.”
Rogozin later Saturday wrote on his Telegram channel that he received responses from his Western counterparts vowing to promote “further cooperation on the ISS and its operations.”
He reiterated his view that “the restoration of normal relations between partners in the ISS and other joint (space) projects is possible only with the complete and unconditional lifting” of sanctions, which he referred to as illegal.
Space is one of the last remaining areas of cooperation between Moscow and Western nations. U.S.-Russian negotiations on the resumption of joint flights to the space station were underway when Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine last month, prompting unprecedented sanctions on Russian state-linked entities.
So far the U.S. and Russia are still cooperating in space. A NASA astronaut caught a Russian ride back to Earth on Wednesday after a U.S. record 355 days at the International Space Station, returning with two cosmonauts.
Mark Vande Hei landed in a Soyuz capsule in Kazakhstan alongside the Russian Space Agency’s Pyotr Dubrov, who also spent the past year in space, and Anton Shkaplerov. Wind blew the capsule onto its side following touchdown, and the trio emerged into the late afternoon sun one by one.
Vande Hei’s return followed customary procedures. A small NASA team of doctors and other staff was on hand for the touchdown and returned home immediately with the 55-year-old astronaut.
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Follow all AP stories on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/russian-space-chief-sanctions-could-imperil-space-station/
| 2022-04-02T17:46:27Z
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Biden says sub he commissioned will enhance US security
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — In a public ceremony delayed two years by the pandemic, President Joe Biden on Saturday commissioned the USS Delaware, a nuclear attack submarine, saying it would enhance national security, though he made no reference to the global turmoil from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“As the commander in chief. I believe it is our sacred obligation as a nation to prepare and equip those troops that we send into harm’s way and to care for them and their families when they return home,’’ he told a crowd of invited guests and dignitaries assembled on a sunny but chilly spring day on a restricted part of the dock in Wilmington.
This latest Navy ship to carry the Delaware name, the president said in brief remarks, “is part of a long tradition of serving our nation proudly and strengthening our nation’s security ... not just us, but our allies and partners around the world as well. In fact, it’s already been doing that for some time.’’
In April 2020, with the coronavirus pandemic spreading across the United States, the Delaware was commissioned while underwater, a first for a Navy vessel. Since then it has been in training.
After the ceremony, the president took a private tour of the Delaware. He did not respond to questions from reporters about Ukraine.
First lady Jill Biden is the submarine’s sponsor, a role meant to bring a vessel luck. During her remarks, she exclaimed: “Officers and crew of the USS Delaware, man our ship and bring her to life.” The crew responded, “Aye aye, ma’am” and, as she applauded, sailors in dress uniforms ran behind the crowd, then down onto the submarine and lined up on the deck
Saturday’s commissioning comes amid the war in Ukraine and after Biden announced a budget blueprint that proposes spending $795 billion on defense, which would mean an increase for the Pentagon.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the proposal would at best “leave our armed forces simply treading water” because of inflation. But some progressive Democrats complained that was too much funding after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan last summer.
With a crew of 136 sailors, the Delaware is the 18th Virginia-class fast attack submarine, which is designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships, and can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Navy says.
The ship is 377 feet long, can dive to depths greater than 800 feet and operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots submerged. The submarine is also designed to operate for more than three decades without needing to refuel, according to a Defense Department news release.
This is the first time a century the name “Delaware” has been used for a Navy vessel, according to a Defense Department statement, and marks the seventh naval ship named after the state which Biden represented in the Senate for 36 years before his tenures as vice president and president.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/biden-says-sub-he-commissioned-will-enhance-us-security/
| 2022-04-02T19:34:54Z
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FDA: Recall alert for ‘The Mandalorian,’ Mickey Mouse hand sanitizers
(Gray News) - Select hand sanitizers marketed with Mickey Mouse and “The Mandalorian” are being recalled due to possibly hazardous chemicals being detected.
On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that Best Brands Consumer Products, Inc. issued a voluntary recall of the two products.
The FDA reports it found the presence of benzene in “The Mandalorian” hand sanitizer product and methanol in the Mickey Mouse hand sanitizer.
According to the FDA, benzene is classified as a human carcinogen, and substantial exposure may result in cancers, including leukemia and blood disorders, which can be life-threatening.
And the agency said substantial exposure to methanol can result in nausea, vomiting, blurred vision and possible death.
According to the FDA, Best Brands imported these products, which were produced by a third-party manufacturer.
Upon being notified of the testing results by FDA in late February, the agency reports Best Brands promptly investigated and determined that the hand sanitizers were produced during April and May 2020. The company confirmed that the affected lots were already removed from sale in April 2021 for unrelated commercial reasons.
Currently, Best Brands informed the FDA that it has not received any reports of adverse events related to these voluntarily recalled lots.
The Mickey Mouse sanitizer comes in blue-colored, 2.11-ounce bottles with lot number 20E201, NDC number 74530-012-02 and an expiration date of Sept. 30, 2022.
“The Mandalorian” sanitizer also comes in a 2.11-ounce bottle with green or blue liquid. It features the “Star Wars” logo and characters such as Baby Yoda. The product has lot number 20D21, NDC number 74530-013-02 and an expiration date of June 30, 2022.
The FDA advised consumers to contact Best Brands with questions regarding this recall or request a refund by contacting Quality@BestBrandsintl.com and their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/fda-recall-alert-mandalorian-mickey-mouse-hand-sanitizers/
| 2022-04-02T19:35:02Z
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Defense rests in trial of men accused of plotting to kidnap Whitmer
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Defense attorneys quickly rested their case Thursday after one of four men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer repeatedly said “absolutely not” when asked if he had agreed to abduct her before the 2020 election.
Daniel Harris was the only defendant to speak to jurors on the 14th day of trial. It was a risky, dramatic shift following days of testimony from undercover FBI agents, a gutsy informant and two men who have pleaded guilty and pointed fingers at the rest.
Closing arguments were planned for Friday.
Harris, Adam Fox, Barry Croft Jr., and Brandon Caserta are accused of conspiring to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home in northern Michigan because of their disgust with government and her tough COVID-19 restrictions.
Only Harris’ lawyer offered a few witnesses Wednesday after prosecutors finished presenting their evidence that same day.
Harris, 24, a former Marine, said he wanted to maintain his infantry skills when he joined a militia, the Wolverine Watchmen, not snatch Whitmer or blow up a nearby bridge.
But after friendly questions from a defense lawyer, the atmosphere in court turned tense as a prosecutor confronted Harris with his chat messages about posing as a pizza deliveryman and killing Whitmer at the door. He also reminded Harris that he worked with explosives while training with the group.
Harris and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Roth sometimes talked over each other. At one point, Harris snapped, “Next question.”
“Everyone can take it down a notch,” U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said later.
Soon after swearing to tell the truth, Harris repeatedly rejected claims that he was involved in crimes. He said “America was on fire” in 2020 over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, protests over police treatment of Black people and a pandemic that shut down parts of the economy.
A key part of the government’s case is a firearms training weekend at Luther, Michigan, in September 2020 with a “shoot house” that was intended to replicate Whitmer’s second home. Harris admitted that he brought materials but said he didn’t build it with her house in mind.
“Did you agree to kidnap the governor of Michigan?” defense attorney Julia Kelly asked many times.
“Absolutely not,” Harris replied.
He didn’t participate in an evening ride to Elk Rapids, Michigan, to scout Whitmer’s second home and a bridge during that same training weekend. Harris said he had purchased $200 of cheap beer and cigarettes so he could return to the camp and “get wasted” with others.
“I had assumed they went to a strip club or a bar,” Harris said of Fox and Croft.
The men were arrested in October 2020 amid talk of raising $4,000 for an explosive that could blow up a bridge and hold back police from responding to a kidnapping, according to trial testimony.
Defense attorneys claim the men simply were engaged in a lot of wild talk fueled by agents and informants but no conspiracy.
The prosecutor covered much ground during Harris’ cross-examination, often referring to recordings or text messages to challenge testimony. Roth noted that Harris had said the Founding Fathers would have approved of killing certain officials.
“Tyrants,” Harris told Roth.
“Was Gov. Whitmer a tyrant?” the prosecutor asked.
“Not really. She was just a governor to me,” Harris said, adding that she performed “poorly.”
Prosecutors played a conversation of Croft talking about militias overthrowing governments in various states and “breaking a few eggs.”
“When this man talks to you at a diner about killing people, you don’t stand up and walk out, do you sir?” Roth asked. “You don’t say, ‘This group is not for me,’ do you sir?”
“No,” Harris answered.
Two more men, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, pleaded guilty and cooperated with investigators. Garbin last week said the group acted willingly and hoped to strike before the election, cause national chaos and prevent Joe Biden from winning the presidency.
Michael Rataj, a Detroit-area defense lawyer not involved in the case, said sometimes bringing in a pack of witnesses for the defense doesn’t always fit. He said attorneys for the four men will peck away at the government’s evidence during closing arguments — “the textbook way to do it.”
As for Harris testifying, Rataj said it can be dicey.
“The FBI has recorded them, and for him to say anything different than what’s recorded makes it look like he’s lying,” Rataj said. “It’s foolishness.”
Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely talks publicly about the kidnapping plot, though she referred to “surprises” during her term that seemed like “something out of fiction” when she filed for reelection on March 17.
She has blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case. Whitmer has said Trump was complicit in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
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Find AP’s full coverage of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial
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White reported from Detroit. AP reporter Michael Tarm contributed from Chicago.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/03/31/4-gov-whitmer-kidnapping-plot-trial-decide-whether-testify/
| 2022-04-02T20:51:59Z
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White House hosts transgender ‘Jeopardy!’ star Amy Schneider
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden marked Transgender Day of Visibility on Thursday by denouncing “hateful bills” being passed at the state level as the White House played host to “Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider, the first openly transgender winner on the popular quiz show.
Schneider met with second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who joined Rachel Levine, the assistant health secretary and the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate, for a conversation with transgender kids and their parents.
Schneider used the moment in the Washington spotlight to speak out against bills affecting transgender people.
“They’re really scary and some of them in particular that are denying medical services to trans youth, those are, those are lifesaving medical treatments,” Schneider told reporters. “These bills will cause the deaths of children and that’s really sad to me and it’s really frightening.”
Biden, in a brief video message, said that “the onslaught of anti-transgender state laws attacking you and your families is simply wrong.” The president said his administration “is standing up for you against all these hateful bills. And we’re committed to advancing transgender equality in the classroom, on the playing field, at work, in our military and our housing and health care systems.”
The administration announced several actions to make the federal government more inclusive for transgender people and said the Health and Human Services Department will be the first agency to fly a trans pride flag.. The steps come as Republican leaders have advanced state measures targeting transgender people as part of a broader push to stoke culture wars heading into a critical election season.
The administration said the federal government will become more inclusive for transgender people, including through the use of a new “X” gender marker on U.S. passport applications, beginning on April 11, and new Transportation Security Administration scanners that are gender-neutral.
It is working to expand the availability of the “X” gender marker to airlines and federal travel programs and will make it easier for transgender people to change their gender information in Social Security Administration records.
Visitors to the White House complex soon will also be able to choose an “X” gender marker option in the White House Worker and Visitor Entry System, which is used to conduct screening background checks.
At airports, changes will be made to screening scanners along with the introduction of the use of an “X” for travelers going through Precheck who do not identify as male or female. Transportation Security Administration agents will receive new instructions on how to make screening procedures less invasive and will work with airlines to promote acceptance of the “X” gender marker.
“Jeopardy!” star Schneider spoke of “being a trans person out there that isn’t monstrous and isn’t threatening and is just a normal person, like we all are,” and said “the more that people like me can be seen, the harder it is to sustain the myths that are ... kind of driving a lot of this hate and fear.”
In his video, Biden said there is work still to be done to end “the epidemic of violence against transgender women of color and girls of color” and to ensure that transgender seniors “can age with dignity.” He called anew on Congress to pass the Equality Act to help transgender people around the world “live free from discrimination and violence.”
Biden tried to reassure any transgender person who is struggling, telling them to remember that “you’re not alone.”
“You’re so brave. You belong. And we have your back,” Biden said.
The administration’s actions follow recent steps at the state level to limit activity by transgender people. At least 10 states have banned transgender athletes from participating in sports at all levels in a way that is consistent with their gender identity.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking reelection, has ordered the state’s child welfare agency to probe reports of gender-confirming care for kids as abuse.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is running for reelection and considering a 2024 presidential bid, on Monday signed into law a measure that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. The law has drawn intense national scrutiny from critics who argue it marginalizes LGBTQ people. Republicans and advocates of the law argue that discussion of these topics should be between parents and their children.
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Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, and Colleen Long and Ben Fox contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/03/31/biden-mark-transgender-day-visibility-with-new-actions/
| 2022-04-02T20:52:00Z
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Biden oil move aims to cut gas prices ‘fairly significantly’
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve for six months, a bid to control energy prices that have spiked after the United States and allies imposed steep sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The president said it was not known how much gasoline prices could decline as a result of his move, but he suggested it might be “anything from 10 cents to 35 cents a gallon.” Gas is averaging about $4.23 a gallon, compared with $2.87 a year ago, according to AAA.
“The bottom line is if we want lower gas prices we need to have more oil supply right now,” Biden said. “This is a moment of consequence and peril for the world, and pain at the pump for American families.”
The president also wants Congress to impose financial penalties on oil and gas companies that lease public lands but are not producing. He said he will invoke the Defense Production Act to encourage the mining of critical minerals for batteries in electric vehicles, part of a broader push to shift toward cleaner energy sources and reduce the use of fossil fuels.
The actions show that oil remains a vulnerability for the U.S. Higher prices have hurt Biden’s approval domestically and added billions of oil-export dollars to the Russian government as it wages war on Ukraine.
Tapping the stockpile would create pressures that could reduce oil prices, though Biden has twice ordered releases from the reserves without causing a meaningful shift in oil markets. Biden said Thursday he expects gasoline prices could drop “fairly significantly.”
Part of Biden’s concern is that high prices have not so far coaxed a meaningful jump in oil production. The planned release is a way to increase supplies as a bridge until oil companies ramp up their own production, with administration officials estimating that domestic production will grow by 1 million barrels daily this year and an additional 700,000 barrels daily in 2023.
The markets reacted quickly with crude oil prices dropping about 6% in Thursday trading to roughly $101 a barrel. Still, oil is up from roughly $60 a year ago, with supplies failing to keep up with demand as the world economy has begun to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic. That inflationary problem was compounded by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which created new uncertainties about oil and natural gas supplies and led to retaliatory sanctions from the U.S. and its allies.
Stewart Glickman, an oil analyst for CFRA Research, said the release would bring short-term relief on prices and would be akin to “taking some Advil for a headache.” But markets would ultimately look to see whether, after the releases stop, the underlying problems that led to Biden’s decisions remain.
“The root cause of the headache is probably still going to be there after the medicine wears off,” Glickman said.
Biden has been in talks with allies and partners to join in additional releases of oil, such that the world market will get more than the 180 million barrels total being pledged by the U.S.
Americans on average use about 21 million barrels of oil daily, with about 40% of that devoted to gasoline, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That total accounts for about one-fifth of total global consumption of oil.
Domestic oil production is equal to more than half of U.S. usage, but high prices have not led companies to return to their pre-pandemic levels of output. The U.S. is producing on average 11.7 million barrels daily, down from 13 million barrels in early 2020.
Republican lawmakers have said the problem results from the administration being hostile to oil permits and the construction of new pipelines such as the Keystone XL. Democrats say the country needs to move to renewable energy such as wind and solar that could reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and Putin’s leverage.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., blasted Biden’s action to tap the reserve without first taking steps to increase American energy production, calling it “a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.″
Daines called Biden’s actions “desperate moves″ that avoid what he called the real solution: “investing in American energy production,″ and getting “oil and gas leases going again.”
The administration says increasing oil output is a gradual process and the release would provide time to ramp up production. It also wants to incentivize greater production by putting fees on unused leases on government lands, something that would require congressional approval.
Oil producers have been more focused on meeting the needs of investors than consumers, according to a survey released last week by the Dallas Federal Reserve. About 59% of the executives surveyed said investor pressure to preserve “capital discipline” amid high prices was the reason they weren’t pumping more, while fewer than 10% blamed government regulation.
In his remarks Thursday, Biden tried to shame oil companies that he said are focused on profits instead of putting out more barrels, saying that adding to the oil supply was a patriotic obligation.
“This is not the time to sit on record profits: It’s time to step up for the good of your country,” the president said.
The steady release from the reserves would be a meaningful sum and come near to closing the domestic production gap relative to February 2020, before the coronavirus caused a steep decline in oil output.
Still, the politics of oil are complicated with industry advocates and environmentalists both criticizing the planned release. Groups such as the American Petroleum Institute want to make drilling easier, while environmental organizations say energy companies should be forced to pay a special tax on windfall profits instead.
The administration in November announced the release of 50 million barrels from the strategic reserve in coordination with other countries. And after the Russia-Ukraine war began, the U.S. and 30 other countries agreed to an additional release of 60 million barrels from reserves, with half of the total coming from the U.S.
According to the Department of Energy, which manages it, more than 568 million barrels of oil were held in the reserve as of March 25. After the release, the government would begin to replenish the reserve once prices have sufficiently fallen.
News of the administration’s planning was first reported by Bloomberg.
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Associated Press writers Alex Veiga, Darlene Superville, Matthew Daly and Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/03/31/biden-planning-tap-oil-reserve-control-gas-prices-2/
| 2022-04-02T20:52:03Z
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Charges pending after pursuit, crash in Augusta County
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - On March 30, 2022, the Skyline Drug Task Force, with the assistance of the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, was conducting an ongoing criminal investigation and had encountered a 37-year-old Waynesboro man when he drove off in his 2011 Ford Fusion.
This occurred at approximately 7:42 p.m. in a hotel parking lot on Foursquare Lane in Fishersville. When the Ford Fusion reportedly refused to stop for law enforcement, a pursuit ensued.
The pursuit ended when the Ford Fusion struck a 2016 Dodge truck that was turning into a restaurant parking lot on Draft Ave. in Stuarts Draft. Authorities say the Ford Fusion then struck a telephone pole and overturned. The utility pole was knocked down and struck an unoccupied GMC SUV parked in the lot.
The Waynesboro man was transported to UVA Medical Center, and is still being treated for serious injuries. A female passenger was treated and released from Augusta Health. The driver of the Dodge truck was not injured in the crash, according to investigators.
At the request of the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, the traffic crash is being investigated by the Virginia State Police. The crash remains under investigation.
Multiple charges are pending against the Ford Fusion’s driver. The task force investigation remains ongoing at this time.
The Skyline Drug Task Force is composed of investigators from the Staunton Police Department, Augusta County Sheriff’s Department and Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Appomattox Field Office.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/03/31/charges-pending-after-pursuit-crash-augusta-county/
| 2022-04-02T20:52:10Z
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Bargainers: Bipartisan deal near on trimmed $10B COVID bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers moved to the brink Thursday of shaking hands on a scaled-back bipartisan compromise providing a fresh $10 billion to combat COVID-19, a deal that could set up final congressional approval next week.
The price tag was down from an earlier $15.6 billion agreement between the two parties that collapsed weeks ago after House Democrats rejected cutting unused pandemic aid to states to help pay for it. President Joe Biden requested $22.5 billion in early March. With leaders hoping to move the package through Congress quickly, the lowered cost seemed to reflect both parties’ calculations that agreeing soon to additional savings would be too hard.
The effort, which would finance steps like vaccines, treatments and tests, comes as Biden and other Democrats have warned the government is running out of money to counter the pandemic. At the same time, the more transmissible omicron variant BA.2 has been spreading quickly in the U.S. and abroad.
“We’ve reached an agreement in principle on all the spending and all of the offsets,” Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, the lead Republican bargainer, told reporters, using Washington-speak for savings. “It’s entirely balanced by offsets.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and others were more circumspect.
“We are getting close to a final agreement that would garner bipartisan support,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. He said lawmakers were still finalizing the bill’s components and language, and awaiting a cost estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chair of the Senate health committee and another bargainer, said, “I’m hoping,” when asked about Romney’s assessment.
Once clinched, an agreement would represent a semblance of bipartisan cooperation in battling the pandemic that dissolved a year ago, when a far larger, $1.9 trillion measure proposed by the new president cleared Congress with only Democratic votes. That bill was laden with spending to help struggling families, businesses and communities, while this one would be aimed exclusively at public health.
Many Republicans have been willing to go along with the new expenditures but have insisted on paying for them with unspent funds from previous bills Congress has enacted to address the pandemic.
Half the new measure’s $10 billion would be used for treatments, said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who has helped negotiate the agreement. He said top federal health officials would be given wide discretion on spending the rest of it but it would include research and other steps for battling the disease, which has killed around 975,000 Americans and millions across the world.
Romney and others said savings the two parties had agreed to for the new bill would not include the cuts in state assistance that House Democrats opposed. He said some unused funds would be culled from another pandemic program that gives state and local governments funds for grants to local businesses.
Blunt said both sides had also agreed to savings that include pulling back an unspent $2.2 billion for aiding entertainment venues closed during the pandemic and more than $2 billion still available for assisting aviation manufacturing.
Romney said the $10 billion might include $1 billion for vaccines, treatments and other support for countries overseas. Blunt said that figure seemed unresolved. One third of the earlier, $15.6 billion measure had been slated to go abroad.
The lowered figure for assisting other countries encountered opposition in the House, where some Democrats wanted to boost the figure. Epidemiologists have cited the need to vaccinate more people around the world and reduce the virus’ opportunities for spinning off new variants.
“It’s a problem,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters. “It’s a shame.”
Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director, said officials were “very hopeful” an agreement would be reached and prodded lawmakers to include funds to help other countries cope with the disease.
“We’re not going to be able to put this pandemic behind us until we stop the spread and proliferation of new variants globally,” Bedingfield said.
Leaders hope Congress can approve the legislation before lawmakers leave for a spring recess after next week.
Republicans have leverage in the Democratic-controlled, 50-50 Senate because 60 votes are needed to pass most major bills. Romney and Blunt both said they believed a finalized package they described would attract significantly more than the 10 GOP votes needed.
Since the pandemic began, Congress has approved more than $5 trillion to address the economic and health crises it produced. Only a small fraction of that has been for public health programs like vaccines.
In an interview earlier Thursday with Punchbowl News, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the measure’s price tag seemed to have fallen to $10 billion because Democrats weren’t agreeing to additional savings.
Minutes later, Schumer took to the Senate floor and mentioned no figures but suggested its size could fall.
“I’m pleading with my Republican colleagues, join us,” Schumer said. “We want more than you do, but we have to get something done. We have to get something done.”
Asked if he thought an agreement could be reached before lawmakers’ recess, McConnell said, “We’ll see. Hope so.”
___
Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/03/31/covid-19-package-could-shrink-10-billion-talks-continue/
| 2022-04-02T20:52:16Z
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COVID pandemic’s end may bring turbulence for US health care
WASHINGTON (AP) — When the end of the COVID-19 pandemic comes, it could create major disruptions for a cumbersome U.S. health care system made more generous, flexible and up-to-date technologically through a raft of temporary emergency measures.
Winding down those policies could begin as early as the summer. That could force an estimated 15 million Medicaid recipients to find new sources of coverage, require congressional action to preserve broad telehealth access for Medicare enrollees, and scramble special COVID-19 rules and payment policies for hospitals, doctors and insurers. There are also questions about how emergency use approvals for COVID-19 treatments will be handled.
The array of issues is tied to the coronavirus public health emergency first declared more than two years ago and periodically renewed since then. It’s set to end April 16 and the expectation is that the Biden administration will extend it through mid-July. Some would like a longer off-ramp.
Transitions don’t bode well for the complex U.S. health care system, with its mix of private and government insurance and its labyrinth of policies and procedures. Health care chaos, if it breaks out, could create midterm election headaches for Democrats and Republicans alike.
“The flexibilities granted through the public health emergency have helped people stay covered and get access to care, so moving forward the key question is how to build on what has been a success and not lose ground,” said Juliette Cubanski, a Medicare expert with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, who has been researching potential consequences of winding down the pandemic emergency.
MEDICAID CHURN
Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for low-income people, is covering about 79 million people, a record partly due to the pandemic.
But the nonpartisan Urban Institute think tank estimates that about 15 million people could lose Medicaid when the public health emergency ends, at a rate of at least 1 million per month.
Congress increased federal Medicaid payments to states because of COVID-19, but it also required states to keep people on the rolls during the health emergency. In normal times states routinely disenroll Medicaid recipients whose incomes rise beyond certain levels, or for other life changes affecting eligibility. That process will switch on again when the emergency ends, and some states are eager to move forward.
Virtually all of those losing Medicaid are expected to be eligible for some other source of coverage, either through employers, the Affordable Care Act or — for kids — the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
But that’s not going to happen automatically, said Matthew Buettgens, lead researcher on the Urban Institute study. Cost and lack of awareness about options could get in the way.
People dropped from Medicaid may not realize they can pick up taxpayer-subsidized ACA coverage. Medicaid is usually free, so people offered workplace insurance could find the premiums too high.
“This is an unprecedented situation,” said Buettgens. “The uncertainty is real.”
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, is advising states to take it slow and connect Medicaid recipients who are disenrolled with other potential coverage. The agency will keep an eye on states’ accuracy in making eligibility decisions. Biden officials want coverage shifts, not losses.
“We are focused on making sure we hold on to the gains in coverage we have made under the Biden-Harris administration,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “We are at the strongest point in our history and we are going make sure that we hold on to the coverage gains.”
ACA coverage — or “Obamacare” — is an option for many who would lose Medicaid. But it will be less affordable if congressional Democrats fail to extend generous financial assistance called for in President Joe Biden’s social legislation. Democrats stalling the bill would face blame.
Republicans in mostly Southern states that have refused to expand Medicaid are also vulnerable. In those states, it can be very difficult for low-income adults to get coverage and more people could wind up uninsured.
State Medicaid officials don’t want to be the scapegoats. “Medicaid has done its job,” said Matt Salo, head of the National Association of Medicaid Directors. “We have looked out for physical, mental and behavioral health needs. As we come out of this emergency, we are supposed to right-size the program.”
TELEHEALTH STATIC
Millions of Americans discovered telehealth in 2020 when coronavirus shutdowns led to the suspension of routine medical consultations. In-person visits are again the norm, but telehealth has shown its usefulness and gained broader acceptance.
The end of the public health emergency would jeopardize telehealth access for millions enrolled in traditional Medicare. Restrictions predating COVID-19 limit telehealth mainly to rural residents, in part to mitigate against health care fraud. Congress has given itself 151 days after the end of the public health emergency to come up with new rules.
“If there are no changes to the law after that, most Medicare beneficiaries will lose access to coverage for telehealth,” the Kaiser Foundation’s Cubanski said.
A major exception applies to enrollees in private Medicare Advantage plans, which generally do cover telehealth. However, nearly 6 in 10 Medicare enrollees are in the traditional fee-for-service program.
TESTS, VACCINES, TREATMENTS, PAYMENTS & PROCEDURES
Widespread access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments rests on legal authority connected to the public health emergency.
One example is the Biden administration’s requirement for insurers to cover up to eight free at-home COVID-19 tests per month.
An area that’s particularly murky is what happens to tests, treatments and vaccines covered under emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
Some experts say emergency use approvals last only through the duration of the public health emergency. Others say it’s not as simple as that, because a different federal emergency statute also applies to vaccines, tests and treatments. There’s no clear direction yet from health officials.
The FDA has granted full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for those 16 and older and Moderna’s for those 18 and older, so their continued use would not be affected.
But hospitals could take a financial hit. Currently Medicare pays them 20% more for the care of COVID-19 patients. That’s only for the duration of the emergency.
And Medicare enrollees would have more hoops to jump through to be approved for rehab in a nursing home. A suspended Medicare rule requiring a prior three-day hospital stay would come back into effect.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra recently told The Associated Press that his department is committed to giving “ample notice” when it ends the public health emergency.
“We want to make sure we’re not putting in a detrimental position Americans who still need our help,” Becerra said. “The one that people are really worried about is Medicaid.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/03/31/covid-pandemics-end-may-bring-turbulence-us-health-care/
| 2022-04-02T20:52:18Z
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Driver escapes after car riddled with bullets in California drive-by shooting
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. (KOVR) – Authorities in a small California community are investigating after they say a driver was forced to pull over, then shot several times while still in the vehicle.
Neighbor Connie Ternes in the small town of Hood said the incident was shocking.
“I can’t even fathom that that would happen out here,” she said. “This is pretty quiet of an area, somewhat isolated from things like that.”
Locals Darcy and Lance Seppi live on a property nearby and heard the gunfire.
“I started hearing shots, ‘Boom, boom, boom,’” Darcy Seppi said.
Investigators with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said the driver of a Land Rover was forced off the main road by another driver who then started shooting.
The Land Rover ended up riddled with more than 20 bullet holes.
“It is stunning that the victim walked away to see another day,” Sgt. Rodney Grassmann said.
The victim crawled to the passenger side and escaped into an open field to call police, taking shots to the stomach and back.
Investigators are working to determine if the individuals knew each other.
“There could be many things,” Grassmann said. “Perhaps there was an unknown road rage incident where that driver had done something that offended the other driver. I don’t think the public has to worry about some crazed person randomly shooting at people.”
The neighbors say the shooting is unusual in the small town of around 300 people, and they are left questioning the motive.
“I can’t wrap my head around it,” Ternes said. “Who would do that? What is the reason in the middle of the night, shooting at someone so many times?”
Investigators say they do not believe the incident was gang-related.
Copyright 2022 KOVR via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/03/31/driver-escapes-after-car-riddled-with-bullets-california-drive-by-shooting/
| 2022-04-02T20:52:26Z
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History teacher removed after hanging Black doll in classroom
CHICAGO (WLS) - A heated exchange between two teachers at a Chicago high school is being investigated after one of the teachers hung a Black doll from a cord in a classroom.
It took place in front of students, and a picture of the incident circulated on social media.
On Wednesday, the school day ended at Whitney Young Magnet High School with a special listening session after the apparent racial incident.
“He [the teacher] definitely should have thought about it because that could be really sensitive, especially with it being an African American doll and something that could cause suicidal thoughts,” said high school sophomore William Schetz.
According to a letter from the school’s principal Joyce Kenner to parents, a teacher hung a small stuffed African American football doll by a pull-down string from a projector screen in their classroom. The teacher indicated he found the doll in his room and wanted the students to see if someone would claim it.
When another teacher confronted that teacher about the hanging doll, the two reportedly got into a fight.
Kenner said Chicago Public School officials have taken over the investigation of the incident and removed the history teacher.
“I believe he should be removed from the school, and his teaching degree should be taken away,” said Michelle Donegan, a student’s parent.
A spokeswoman for the Chicago Teachers Union said practices that mitigate the harm of racial biases must be ongoing and consistent in our schools.
“He knows what lynching is. He knows what hanging the doll would represent,” Donegan said.
Copyright 2022 WLS via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/03/31/history-teacher-removed-after-hanging-black-doll-classroom/
| 2022-04-02T20:52:33Z
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Man used dating apps to target single moms to get to their children, police say
(Gray News) - A man in Texas used dating apps to target single moms in order to get close to their children, officials say.
According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Epifanio Adolfo Jimenez asked women he met on dating apps to spend time with them and their children. He used the alias of “Harley” for his dating profile.
Officials did not specify which dating apps Jimenez used.
The sheriff’s office conducted an investigation for aggravated sexual assault of a child, and ultimately, Jimenez was taken into custody.
Investigators believe there may be additional victims out there. They are asking anyone who may have met with Jimenez or allowed him to have contact with their children to call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 936-760-5800.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/03/31/man-used-dating-apps-target-single-moms-get-their-children-police-say/
| 2022-04-02T20:52:42Z
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Search intensifies for Florida mom missing since Sunday
Published: Mar. 31, 2022 at 4:54 PM EDT
PENSACOLA, Fla. (Gray News) - A mom in Florida has been missing since Sunday night.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office said that Cassie Carli, 37, was last seen on Navarre Beach in Pensacola on Sunday evening near a restaurant called Juana’s.
Detectives confirmed that her daughter, 4-year-old Saylor, is safe.
Carli’s vehicle was also recovered Tuesday, but she is still missing.
Carli is 5′5″ and approximately 150 pounds with blonde hair.
A missing persons poster reads, “There is grave concern for Cassie’s safety.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office at 850-983-1190.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/03/31/search-intensifies-florida-mom-missing-since-sunday/
| 2022-04-02T20:52:49Z
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U.S. Navy plane crashes in Eastern Shore; 1 dead, 2 injured
OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) — Two crewmembers rescued from the midweek crash of a U.S. Navy aircraft in Eastern Shore waters near the Virginia-Maryland line have non-life-threatening injuries and remain hospitalized, authorities said Thursday.
The third crewmember died in the crash Wednesday evening of the Navy E2-D Advanced Hawkeye.
Lt. Cmdr. Rob Myers, a spokesman for Naval Air Force Atlantic, told The Associated Press the aircraft was conducting routine flight operations near Wallops Island, Virginia, when it went down.
Two crewmembers were rescued and taken for treatment at a local hospital, according to a Naval Air Force Atlantic news release.
Divers and first responders helped recover the body of a third crewmember, who was found dead in the aircraft, officials said.
“This is a tremendous loss for both our squadron and for the family and friends of our fallen service member,” said Cmdr. Martin Fentress Jr., Commanding Officer of VAW-120. “We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss and are committed to determining the cause of this incident.”
Officials declined to immediately release the injured crewmembers’ names, citing privacy concerns. They added that tje name of the deceased crewmember won’t be released until next of kin are notified.
Authorities said a salvage plan for the aircraft is being developed.
The advanced tactical airborne early warning aircraft was attached to the Airborne Command and Control Squadron 120 at Naval Station Norfolk and the crash remains under investigation, officials said. Reports indicate that the plane’s fuel tanks remain intact, with no concerns for public health.
Ryan Whittington, a spokesman for Maryland’s Ocean City Fire Department, told AP late Wednesday that his agency and several others responded after the plane went down in Chincoteague Bay, helping to remove the crewmembers.
The crash site is about 150 miles (240 kilometers) east-southeast of Washington, D.C.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/03/31/us-navy-plane-crashes-eastern-shore-1-dead-2-injured/
| 2022-04-02T20:52:56Z
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Country
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
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.wyomingnews.com/news/silent_witness/silent-witness-4-2-22/article_33753b77-8852-5aea-94a6-d48b2ff86c94.html
| 2022-04-02T20:55:02Z
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...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST SUNDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 25 knots, and seas up to 12 feet.
* WHERE...Big Island Windward Waters, Maui County Leeward
Waters, Kauai Leeward Waters, Kauai Channel, Kauai Northwest
Waters, Kauai Windward Waters, Kaiwi Channel, Maui County
Windward Waters, Oahu Windward Waters and Oahu Leeward Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM HST Sunday.
* 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) -- Trade winds will continue to increase and become gusty through the weekend in the 15-25 mph range.
Showers will favor windward slopes and, aside from afternoon showers over the Kona slopes of the Big Island, leeward areas should see little rainfall.
Looking ahead, increasing moisture could enhance shower coverage early next week as another disturbance moves into the area.
A long-period northwest swell will spread down the island chain and peak early Saturda morning at advisory levels along exposed north and west facing shores of the smaller islands.
This swell will gradually lower from late Saturday night through early next week.
The strengthening trade winds will cause surf to become elevated and rough along east facing shores this weekend. By early next week, the weakening trade winds will cause the surf to gradually lower along east facing shores.
Background south swell energy will maintain small. Near seasonal surf heights along most south facing shores.
North: 12-16'
West: 8-12'
South: 1-3'
East: 5-7'
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
Weekend Meteorologist and Maui County correspondent
Malika has been at KITV since July 2020. She graduated from the University of Hawaii and attended Mississippi State University for her certification in Broadcast Meteorology. Malika started her career in the Hawaii news industry in 2007.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/saturday-forecast-gusty-winds-rainbow-weather-nw-swell-peaks/article_a55272e4-b2a1-11ec-b798-1f4177c1c431.html
| 2022-04-02T20:58:39Z
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NY mobster who killed 3 escapes federal custody in Florida
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A New York mobster who killed three people and attempted to kill two others has escaped from federal custody after recently being moved to a halfway house, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
Dominic Taddeo, a hit man from a Rochester-area crime family, escaped on March 28, according to the Bureau of Prisons website.
Taddeo, 64, had been imprisoned at a medium-security lockup in Florida before being transferred to a residential halfway house, also in Florida, in February.
Taddeo failed to return from an authorized medical appointment and “was placed on escape status” on Monday, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said.
Taddeo pleaded guilty in 1992 to racketeering charges that included the killings of three men during mob wars in the 1980s.
A federal judge in western New York denied Taddeo’s request for compassionate release last year, rejecting his claim that health problems including hypertension and obesity put him at risk for serious complications from COVID-19. Prosecutors said medical records did not show that Taddeo was particularly unhealthy.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/ny-mobster-who-killed-3-escapes-federal-custody-florida/
| 2022-04-02T21:15:28Z
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One person in critical condition after McDowell County shooting
Published: Apr. 2, 2022 at 4:08 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
AVONDALE, W.Va. (WVVA) - The McDowell County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting that happened early Saturday morning. The department says it happened at approximately 2AM on Mountaineer Highway in Avondale. One person was shot and was airlifted to an area hospital where they are in critical condition.
The shooting is an active investigation and details are limited.
Stay with WVVA as we learn more about this shooting.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/one-person-critical-condition-after-mcdowell-county-shooting/
| 2022-04-02T21:15:35Z
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Seasonal temperatures overnight will lead to a cooler day tomorrow.
Temperatures will drop right around 40 tonight.
Published: Apr. 2, 2022 at 4:32 PM EDT|Updated: 42 minutes ago
After a warm day today, things will start to cool off leading to a chillier day tomorrow. Tonight we will remain mostly cloudy with temperatures right around average for this time of year, sitting at just below 40 degrees. We could see some gusty winds overnight, though nothing like last weekend.
Tomorrow some of us will start the day with a stray rain or snow shower, though those will quickly move out of the area before lunchtime. Temperatures will in the low 50s through the day, and winds will be a little stronger at 10-20 MPH.
The rest of the week is looking to be pretty wet with rain moving in on Tuesday afternoon. We could see off and on rain showers through the rest of the week.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/seasonal-temperatures-overnight-will-lead-cooler-day-tomorrow/
| 2022-04-02T21:15:42Z
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LARAMIE — For a group of Laramie High School students, a trip to the landfill could be the key to passing Algebra 1.
As part of a new beta test with the virtual reality company Prisms, students can do this and much more without ever leaving the classroom.
The class, led by educators Jenny Taufa and Kerry O’Dea, has completed three of five modules included in the beta test, which entails using a VR headset and hand controls to teach students aspects of math. The modules tackle situations where math can be used to solve problems and improve the world.
The moment students put on their headsets, they are immersed in a tranquil world in which they become the advising experts and decision-makers. Teachers can monitor the students from a computer and help them through problems as necessary.
In one module, students are air traffic controllers and must write equations to keep planes from crashing. In another, they are confronted with a melting glacier and have to calculate how long it will take for the city of Miami to become submerged in the ocean.
Using technology like VR has potential as an education tool that goes beyond teaching algebra, said Andrea Burrows, University of Wyoming College of Education associate dean.
“There’s been a lot of research in the area of virtual reality,” Burrows said. “It’s often used to increase intrinsic motivation in students. A lot of times that intrinsic motivation is connected to collaborative spaces.”
Such VR technology can mimic hands-on, real-world experiences for students, which can increase their understanding of the subject material.
In the landfill module, students learn the impact that waste management has on natural spaces as they watch piles of trash build up around them.
“It was sad. I had to throw away french fries,” said LHS student Jarod Whisler about an exercise that involved sorting trash into appropriate receptacles.
To predict how population increases will impact waste production at a park, students plot points and draw a line of best fit on a graph. In the three-dimensional virtual space, the students are not looking at a graph in front of them, but standing in the middle of it.
“With virtual reality you’re going to have a lot of engagement because it’s new and novel,” Burrows said. “It’s usually something we haven’t seen or thought about in a certain way that excites us.”
Education gap
For Taufa, the program fills a gap in real life applications to math that she didn’t have the time to plan before.
“Virtual reality is going to be a part of our lives more and more. To be exposed to that is important,” Taufa said. “I also think it’s important that students see math in many different ways.”
Burrows explained that because each student learns differently, VR can be a better option for some who may be more visual or hands-on thinkers, while other students may not be as receptive to the approach. The application also depends on the subject area and how well it lends itself to this type of hands-on learning.
“There is no one thing that’s going to save us, because not every person in your class is the same,” Burrows said. “That’s the beauty of teaching, that everyone is different.”
Only about 10% of the VR technology in education is used in secondary schools, and research surrounding its use in mathematics is even less, Burrows said.
There are some universal drawbacks to the use of virtual reality in classrooms, such as barriers to accessibility because of cost and teacher time needed to learn to operate the technology.
“On the first day, only about five minutes was actually doing the VR,” Taufa said of the beta testing experience. “The rest of the time was trying to figure out how to do it.”
Some of the students expressed frustration with unclear directions and lack of user friendliness in the technology, as well as some disinterest in the concept — no matter how flashy the technology, it’s still math class.
To Taufa, these challenges also can provide unexpected benefits.
“In life it’s not always going to be spelled out. You’re in this world where it’s OK if you push the wrong button and you have to start over,” Taufa said. “It’s a very safe world to maybe try those things that make us uncomfortable.”
UW
Whether it’s crashing planes or simply logging in to the program, students have opportunities to problem solve and help one another. Taufa’s class is the only one at LHS using the headsets, meaning that one day these students could be responsible for helping their peers learn how to use the technology, building leadership skills and confidence along the way.
Just down the street, the UW College of Education and College of Engineering and Applied Science are working to expand access to virtual reality in schools.
The university has been working for a few years on recruiting schools and educators to conduct tests and research on the topic.
The university offers grants and professional development opportunities for schools to implement virtual reality. It also has a program where teachers can get paid to work in a VR research lab for six weeks over the summer.
“The College of Education is willing to work with districts to implement some of these things,” Burrows said. “Everything we do is to serve the state of Wyoming.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/from_the_wire/students-use-virtual-reality-to-connect-with-algebra/article_0498c89e-796b-506b-8775-c8df852ec8b1.html
| 2022-04-02T22:43:47Z
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Police: Drug dealer arrested with enough fentanyl to kill 625K people
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Gray News) - Police in North Carolina said a tip helped lead them to their biggest drug bust in Buncombe County’s history.
The Asheville Police Department reported it arrested Jonathan Maurice Logan, Jr., 33, on Thursday and seized 2.76 pounds of suspected fentanyl.
Authorities said that amount of fentanyl equates to more than 625,000 lethal doses of the highly potent drug.
Officers also took nearly 400 grams of methamphetamine and almost $11,000 in Logan’s arrest.
“After receiving information about Logan’s involvement in drug sales in Asheville, including tips from the Tip411 app, our officers were able to use that information to make the arrest,” said Asheville Police Department Chief David Zack. “This is a significant drug arrest which removes a large amount of this deadly drug from our streets, much in thanks to the support we receive from the community sharing your tips.”
In addition to the drugs and cash seized, APD officers also recovered a brick press, vacuum sealer and blender.
The police department said one kilogram of fentanyl potentially could kill 500,000 people, according to the DEA, and Thursday’s drug bust produced 1.25 kilograms of the suspected drug.
Logan faces several charges in the arrest that include possession with intent to sell or deliver fentanyl and methamphetamine and tracking in opium or heroin by possession.
The 33-year-old was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/police-drug-dealer-arrested-with-enough-fentanyl-kill-625k-people/
| 2022-04-02T22:59:43Z
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...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST SUNDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 25 knots, and seas up to 12 feet.
* WHERE...Big Island Windward Waters, Maui County Leeward
Waters, Kauai Leeward Waters, Kauai Channel, Kauai Northwest
Waters, Kauai Windward Waters, Kaiwi Channel, Maui County
Windward Waters, Oahu Windward Waters and Oahu Leeward Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM HST Sunday.
* 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) -- Hiring is up and not just for adults. Several organizations tell KITV4 they are just starting their summer job recruitment for teens and young college students.
Summer is right around the corner. teens and college students are excited about hitting the job market.
"I can have the money. Yup. I want to have my own car, help my mom out, and pay rent," said high school job-seeker Vincent Demaya. "It's a big deal because it give me real life experience," said college-age YMCA lifeguard Hayato Shigihara.
The YMCA says it realizes it's a competitive market out there. It's offering some additional incentives for their lifeguards and swim aides.
"A $250 hiring bonus and we will pay for their life saving course. If they complete it and end of working for us. So they can actually get certified through the YMCA to be a lifeguard," said YMCA Executive Director of Talent Management, Cassidy Inama.
The city of Honolulu's Summer Fun Program is also hiring 16 and 17 year old swim aides as well. There's no hiring bonus there, but their pay rates have increased. There are other advantages as well.
"They learn situations of customer service. There's a lot of problem solving. It is really going to prepare them for other professions," said Inama.
"They learn decision making, customer service, and building relationships," said Manoa Valley District Park Recreation Director Marc Koga.
Both places are also hiring college-age young adults to become student aides at their summer camps. Honolulu's Park and Recreation Department is also hiring college-age recreational aides at their gyms.
"In high school, you don't really know what the world has to offer. Through this experience they see more progression and start to wonder if this relates to a profession if they could choose as adults," said Koga.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/business/honolulu-employers-kicking-off-summer-recruitment-with-jobs-for-teens-young-college-students/article_b4a58f12-b24a-11ec-8c44-b72180b192b5.html
| 2022-04-02T23:35:18Z
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Fewer people are hospitalized with Covid-19 in the United States now than at any other point in the pandemic, but hospitals and staff continue to feel the strain.
As of Friday, there are 16,138 people in the hospital with Covid-19 -- fewer than there have ever been since the US Department of Health and Human Services first started tracking in July 2020. Just 2% of hospital beds are currently in use for Covid-19 patients.
Previously, the lowest point was in late June 2021, just before Delta became the dominant variant in the country. Covid-19 hospitalizations reached a peak in January 2022 amid the Omicron surge, when more than 160,000 people were hospitalized with Covid-19 at one time.
While the strain on the US hospital system directly related to treating Covid-19 patients has been significantly reduced, experts say that many hospitals are still burdened by staffing shortages and other patients who are coming in sicker after postponing care during the height of the pandemic.
"I can't hear that (data on Covid-19 hospitalizations) without shouting 'hallelujah' because the stress and strain of the last two years has been so enormous," Nancy Foster, vice president for quality and patient safety policy at the American Hospital Association, told CNN. "But there are a number of things going on now that continue to make hospitals and their staff very busy."
She says hospitals expected an influx of patients who had delayed care, either by choice or because the hospital system couldn't accommodate them.
"But I think it is that combination of having more people needing care than we had anticipated and having more staffing issues than we had anticipated that is really the biggest challenge right now," she said.
The broader snapshot of hospital capacity offers a stark contrast to the CDC's "COVID-19 Community Levels" map, which tracks new hospital admissions and beds in use specifically for Covid-19 patients.
The CDC map is nearly all green, with 95% of US counties considered to have a "low" community level of Covid-19.
But HHS data shows that more than three-quarters of inpatient beds are currently in use in hospitals across the country, and there are nine states where more than 80% of all beds in the state are occupied.
Experts say it's important to monitor both broader hospital capacity and the burden specifically from Covid-19.
"From an endemic Covid monitoring perspective -- at least that's where we hope we're heading -- we need to be able to tell whether we're in a state that requires public health measures," Dr. Stephen Parodi, national infectious disease leader for Kaiser Permanente, told CNN.
But the pandemic has dramatically shifted the way hospitals operate. Pre-pandemic, there was typically seasonal variation in how many beds were filled, with more patients expected during flu season in the winter and a lighter volume over the summer.
"What's different now, since the pandemic, is essentially we're running full all the time," Parodi said. "That calculation of a plan -- when it comes to staffing those beds, having the workforce available, the doctors, nurses, the support services like laboratory and radiology -- it's changing our thinking about what we need to plan for an entire year as opposed to just one particular season."
Parodi and others expect the continued strain on capacity to persist at least through the end of the year.
Overall since August 2020, there have been about 4.6 million total hospital admissions for Covid-19 in the US, according to data from the CDC. More than a third of hospital admissions have been among seniors age 70 and older.
Black and Hispanic people have been hospitalized with Covid-19 at more than twice the rate of White people, and American Indians have been more than three times as likely to be hospitalized.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/coronavirus/covid-19-hospitalizations-hit-a-pandemic-low-in-the-us-but-strain-on-hospitals-persists/article_8744e826-ef66-50d2-8dc0-1f94b7c33730.html
| 2022-04-02T23:35:24Z
|
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST SUNDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 25 knots, and seas up to 12 feet.
* WHERE...Big Island Windward Waters, Maui County Leeward
Waters, Kauai Leeward Waters, Kauai Channel, Kauai Northwest
Waters, Kauai Windward Waters, Kaiwi Channel, Maui County
Windward Waters, Oahu Windward Waters and Oahu Leeward Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM HST Sunday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
"And his most famous statue was Duke Kahanamoku on Waikiki. He's the reason I knew Duke's story. I had to know Duke's story, knowing my uncle," Halasima said.
Like others who treasure a connection to the Kahanamoku legacy, Halasima maintains his, through his uncle.
"Every time I come to Hawaii, I go to the statue and I tap the foot where his signature is and say ‘Hi’ to my uncle. And then I can enjoy Hawaii. But I always gotta say hi to my uncle before I can," he said.
Halasima's uncle suggested the documentary before he died -- a film that would show Duke's contributions as surfer, lifeguard, swimmer, and icon.
Halasima says what surprised him most was that the legends held true.
“It's people who care about duke telling stories about duke and we see how the stories line up," Halasima said.
Back in Waikiki, this beach boy has a story of his own.
"My dad ask Duke, ‘Hey, so why don't you get pissed off when people cut you off?’ [Duke told him, ‘Doc, there will always be another wave,’" Moses said.
And stories become legend.
Following its opening weekend, the film is scheduled to play at consolidated theaters in Hawaii through the first week of May.
Jeremy Lee joined KITV after over a decade & a half in broadcast news from coast to coast on the mainland. Jeremy most recently traveled the country documenting protests & civil unrest.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/duke-kahanamoku-documentary-waterman-opens-in-hawaii-theaters/article_0b6d5ce0-b25e-11ec-a1fa-9358ec48dff3.html
| 2022-04-02T23:35:30Z
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WAIANAE, Hawaii (KITV4) -- U.S. VETS - Waianae is celebrating it's 15th anniversary of providing shelter, workforce development and comprehensive services to homeless families and veterans in Hawaii.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S.VETS kept our doors open to provide services to homeless families on O’ahu,” explains Tanya Brown, Executive Director for U.S.VETS-Wai’anae. “As restrictions begin to be lifted, and the need for help by those affected by the pandemic increases, we look to expand our services, including introducing a new talent center to help our community return to work.”
WATCH: Full interview with Tanya Brown, executive director for U.S. VETS Wai'ane
To highlight the work of U.S.VETS-Wai’anae over the past 15 years, a video series featuring former residents of the shelter sharing their journey from homelessness to living under a roof of their own is available on U.S.VETS social media platforms:
- Instagram (Minute clip): https://www.instagram.com/usvetshi/
- Facebook (2–4-minute clip): https://www.facebook.com/usvetswaianae
- YouTube (Full clip): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3crLhdFq94qsVTHE3l0wPg/featured
One such story includes Shoni, a former business owner who found herself homeless and living on the beach, but eventually entering the Wai’anae shelter for safety and support. Working with U.S.VETS’ case managers, and through her own perseverance, Shoni has now become one of the first residents of the new Kama’oku Kauhale in Kalaeloa, a tiny homes community spearheaded by Lt. Gov. Dr. Josh Green, HomeAid Hawai’i and U.S.VETS.
From now until the end of the year, U.S.VETS is encouraging the community to visit https://usvets.org/donate/waianae/, where supporters can donate $15 or more to recognize the work of U.S.VETS for the past 15 years, and also support their continued work for the next 15 years.
About U.S.VETS: U.S.VETS is the largest non-profit organization with boots on the ground to combat America’s veteran homeless crisis head-on. Their comprehensive approach provides housing, counseling, career, and supportive services to help our veterans rebuild and thrive. Today in the United States 38,000 veterans experience homelessness, accounting for approximately 9% of all homeless adults. With thirty-two sites across eleven regional locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, Texas, and Washington D.C., U.S.VETS is uniquely positioned to offer temporary and permanent housing solutions and comprehensive services to veterans and their families nationwide. To learn more about U.S.VETS visit usvets.org.
About U.S.VETS-Hawai’i: U.S.VETS-Hawai’i operates two shelters on the island of O’ahu, one situated in Barber’s Point, home to transitional housing units and the Kama’oku Kauhale tiny homes project, and the other at the Wai’anae Civic Center. In Hawai’i, U.S.VETS programs extend beyond veterans and now serves civilian families located on the Wai’anae Coast.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/u-s-vets-waianae-celebrates-15-years-serving-local-homeless-families/article_c94f67b6-b2c8-11ec-8def-571dd1cd2282.html
| 2022-04-02T23:35:36Z
|
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST SUNDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 25 knots, and seas up to 12 feet.
* WHERE...Big Island Windward Waters, Maui County Leeward
Waters, Kauai Leeward Waters, Kauai Channel, Kauai Northwest
Waters, Kauai Windward Waters, Kaiwi Channel, Maui County
Windward Waters, Oahu Windward Waters and Oahu Leeward Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM HST Sunday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
Hand sanitizers featuring "baby Yoda" from Disney's The Mandalorian were recalled due to the presence of benzene, a carcinogen.
Two lots of Disney-branded hand sanitizer featuring Mickey Mouse and baby Yoda from The Mandalorian have been voluntarily recalled by Best Brands Consumer Products, according to a company statement shared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
FDA testing detected the presence of benzene in The Mandalorian branded product and methanol in the Mickey Mouse version. The company was notified of the results in late February.
Benzene is a carcinogen, and substantial exposure can cause leukemia, blood cancer of the bone marrow, and life-threatening blood disorders, the FDA said.
Substantial exposure to methanol can cause serious health problems, including nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, coma, seizures, permanent blindness, permanent damage to the central nervous system, or death. The FDA noted "young children who accidentally ingest these products, and adolescents and adults who drink these products as an alcohol (ethanol) substitute, are most at risk for methanol poisoning."
The affected lots of hand sanitizer had already been taken off the market for "unrelated commercial reasons" and the company has received no complaints from customers about the Disney-themed products, according to Best Brands. Both lots were produced by a third-party manufacturer, according to the company statement.
The company warned customers to stop using and discard any items they have from lot 20E21, with an expiration date of September 30, 2022, of The Mandalorian hand sanitizer, that contains 68% ethyl alcohol and is available in green and blue 2.11 fl oz bottles.
The Mickey Mouse hand sanitizer from lot 20D21, with a June, 30, 2022, expiry, in blue, 2.11 fl oz bottles should also be discarded.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/national/disney-branded-hand-sanitizers-recalled-after-fda-detected-carcinogen-benzene-and-methanol/article_f4781f08-45d6-563d-81b8-7c73bee4c1f9.html
| 2022-04-02T23:35:42Z
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The Rappahannock Tribe, a Native Tribe in Virginia, has reacquired 465 acres of sacred land at Fones Cliff.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams celebrated the tribe's reacquisiton of the land Friday, according to a press release from the Department of the Interior.
"We have worked for many years to restore this sacred place to the Tribe," said Rappahannock Tribe Chief Anne Richardson, according to the Chesapeake Conservancy. "With eagles being prayer messengers, this area where they gather has always been a place of natural, cultural and spiritual importance."
Fones Cliff is the ancestral home of the tribe, located on the eastern side of the Rappahannock River in Virginia. The area, located inside the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, will be publicly accessible and placed in trust with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Tribe plans to educate the public about their history by constructing a replica 16th-century village and expand their "Return to the River" program, which trains Tribal youth in traditional river knowledge and practices.
"The Department is honored to join the Rappahannock Tribe in co-stewardship of this portion of their ancestral homeland. We look forward to drawing upon Tribal expertise and Indigenous knowledge in helping manage the area's wildlife and habitat," Secretary Haaland said in the statement. "This historic reacquisition underscores how Tribes, private landowners, and other stakeholders all play a central role in this Administration's work to ensure our conservation efforts are locally led and support communities' health and well-being."
The cliffs play a central part in the history of the tribe. In 1608, the tribe first encountered and defended their homeland against English settler Captain John Smith, who played an important role in the first permanent English settlement in America at Jamestown, Virginia. In the 1660s, the tribe began to be forcefully displaced from their homeland on the Rappahannock River by the English, according to the Chesapeake Conservancy.
In addition to their cultural and historical importance to the tribe, the cliffs are also crucial to wildlife: The site is home to one of the largest nesting populations of bald eagles on the Atlantic coast, according to the Department of the Interior..
The tribe's reacquisition of its land was made possible by the family of William Dodge Angle, who provided the funds necessary for the Chesapeake Conservancy to purchase the 465 acres and donate the fee title to the Rappahannock Tribe. Additional funding also came from a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through Walmart's Acres for America Program, according to the conservancy.
The acquisition follows a growing movement of Indigenous people fighting to reclaim their land.
In 2019, the Wiyot tribe successfully reclaimed their ancestral homeland of Duluwat Island on the northern coast of California after over a century of displacement. And earlier this year, more than 500 acres of California forests were returned to a group of Native American tribes.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/national/native-american-tribe-gets-its-land-back-after-being-displaced-nearly-400-years-ago/article_e5f18fb0-7e91-5e80-b2a2-d6e153b22057.html
| 2022-04-02T23:35:48Z
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DETROIT – New vehicles sold in the U.S. will have to average at least 40 miles per gallon of gasoline in 2026, up from about 28 mpg, under new federal rules unveiled Friday that undo a rollback of standards enacted under President Donald Trump.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said its new fuel economy requirements are the strongest to date and the maximum the industry can achieve over the time period. The NHTSA’s mandates will reduce gasoline consumption by more than 220 billion gallons over the life of vehicles, compared with the Trump standards.
They’re expected to decrease carbon dioxide emissions – but not as much as some environmentalists want – and raise new vehicle prices in an industry already pressed by inflation and supply chain issues.
For the current model year, standards enacted under Trump require the fleet of new vehicles to get just under 28 miles per gallon in real-world driving. The new requirements increase gas mileage by 8% per year for model years 2024 and 2025 and 10% in the 2026 model year.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose department includes NHTSA, said the rules also will help strengthen national security by making the country less dependent on foreign oil and less vulnerable to volatile gasoline prices. Gasoline nationwide has spiked to an average of more than $4.22 per gallon, with much of the increase coming since Russia, a major oil producer, invaded Ukraine in late February. It cost $2.88 per gallon just a year ago, according to AAA.
Gas prices also have helped to fuel inflation to a 40-year high, eating up household budgets and hitting President Joe Biden’s approval ratings.
“Transportation is the second-largest cost for American families, only behind housing,” Buttigieg said. The new standards, he said, will help keep the U.S. more secure and preserve “the freedom of our country to chart its future without being subject to other countries and to the decisions that are being made in the boardrooms of energy companies.”
But auto dealers say more stringent requirements drive up prices and push people out of an already expensive new-car market. NHTSA projects that the new rules will raise the price of a new vehicle in the 2029 model year by $1,087.
Trump’s administration rolled back fuel economy standards, allowing them to rise 1.5% per year. The standards had been rising about 5% per year previously.
But the new standards won’t immediately match those adopted through 2025 under President Barack Obama. NHTSA officials said they will equal the Obama standards by 2025 and slightly exceed them for the 2026 model year.
The Obama-era standards automatically adjusted for changes in the type of vehicles people are buying. When they were enacted in 2012, 51% of new vehicle sales were cars and 49% SUVs and trucks. Last year, 77% of new vehicle sales were SUVs and trucks, which generally are less efficient than cars.
Some environmental groups said the brand new requirements don’t go far enough. Others supported the new standards as a big step toward reducing emissions, with the American Lung Association calling for even stronger standards to drive a transition to all new vehicles having zero-emissions by 2035.
“Climate change has gotten much worse, but these rules only require automakers to reduce gas-guzzling slightly more than they agreed to cut nine years ago,” said Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Center at the Center for Biological Diversity.
Officials said that under the new standards, owners would save about $1,400 in gasoline costs during the lifetime of a 2029 model year vehicle.
Automakers are investing billions of dollars to develop and build electric vehicles but say government support is needed to get people to buy them. The companies want government tax credits to reduce prices as well as more money for EV charging stations to ease anxiety over running out of juice.
John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a large industry trade group, said increased regulations will require supportive government policies. Regulators should consider safety, consumer buying preferences, improved fuel economy and the transition to electric vehicles, he said in a statement.
NHTSA sets fuel economy requirements, while the Environmental Protection Agency develops limits on greenhouse gas emissions. NHTSA officials said their requirements nearly match rules adopted in December by the EPA, so automakers don’t have to comply with two rules.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/from_the_wire/new-vehicles-must-average-40-miles-per-gallon-by-2026-up-from-28-mpg/article_90d6c60f-2cb2-523d-9cf3-2be5993fec2e.html
| 2022-04-03T00:28:12Z
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TORRINGTON – “I mean this in the best way possible, but I don’t ever want to see you again.”
Drew Aldridge addresses a group of incarcerated people who have just earned their high school equivalency diplomas and are preparing to reenter society.
Aldridge works as the academic manager at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Facility in Torrington, the primary intake center for all inmates not sentenced to death, and home to the top education programs for inmates in the state.
From welding to Braille, incarcerated people there can choose a program and earn their certification in that skill. Those without high school diplomas are required to earn their equivalency diplomas, and all these education opportunities open new doors once they reenter society. Approximately 96% of incarcerated individuals do reenter society.
“They’re going to be your neighbor,” Aldridge said. “(Through education) they’re able to kind of change that (harmful) mindset.”
Studies have shown the link between additional education and reducing recidivism — the likelihood those who have served their time will reoffend.
The Wyoming Department of Corrections works with local institutions such as Eastern Wyoming College to provide education opportunities for incarcerated persons in hopes of keeping the local recidivism rate as low as possible. The partnership between WDOC and EWC began nearly two decades ago.
“Our commitment is to help provide (incarcerated individuals) with educational opportunities,” EWC Vice President of Academic Services Roger Humphrey said.
EWC teaches classes in the prisons within its service area, including WMCI in Torrington and the Wyoming Women’s Center in Lusk.
The Second Chance Pell Grant, which EWC has applied for through the Department of Education, would provide more opportunities for the school to teach new classes and expand its available programs.
“If this is approved, it provides access to qualifying incarcerated people to be able to access funds to be able to take more courses,” Humphrey said. “For example, it could look like us going in and teaching an English class or a math class. (The grant) will allow the incarcerated individuals to be able to potentially access more courses and programs.”
The Department of Education has yet to announce a decision on EWC’s application for the Second Chance Pell Grant.
Reentering society after years spent in prison can be difficult. A gap on a resume labeled “prison” isn’t exactly what many employers are looking for. Research has shown that formerly incarcerated individuals who exit the system with a certificate or something else proving their expanded skill set tend to have a more positive experience in finding employment.
Graduates
Humphrey said attending the graduation ceremonies for incarcerated people and seeing the things they’ve accomplished is both “personally and professionally very rewarding.”
Stephen Hyatt and Robert Pedro have both graduated from programs at WMCI. Hyatt even tutors other incarcerated individuals in the welding program.
“When I came and they brought me (to WMCI) on the bus, I’d seen welding students out there,” Pedro said about his first experience with the welding program. “I never thought I was going to be a student. ... So, when I got accepted, I was pretty excited.”
Both Hyatt and Pedro said they have enjoyed their time in the welding program and the other education opportunities they have had while at WMCI.
“It’s like a taste of freedom,” Hyatt said. “You get to use a lot of tools and build things that the average prisoner doesn’t really get to experience.”
The welding program has added another “tool in the tool bag” for Hyatt and Pedro.
Incarcerated individuals without a high school diploma or the equivalent are required to complete the Adult Basic Education program. From there, they have the chance to apply for the other classes.
In a recent ABE course, Aldridge had 120 ABE graduates. Of those, 59 have exited the prison system. Only one of them reoffended.
So Aldridge’s wish has mostly came true. He never saw those graduates ever again.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/wyoming-inmates-get-education-boost-through-program-with-eastern-wyoming-college/article_931d07ce-ee2d-514d-b4ba-cf32bbfab0ce.html
| 2022-04-03T00:28:18Z
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8-year-old boy dies after assault, possible strangulation by his mother, police say
SHEBOYGAN FALLS, Wis. (WBAY/Gray News) - An 8-year-old Wisconsin boy has died after being assaulted by his mother, according to police.
WBAY reports Oliver Hitchcock, 8, of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, died on Friday with his family by his side from injuries sustained in that assault, as reported by the Sheboygan Falls Police Department.
Police said the boy’s mother assaulted him at an apartment on Wednesday, with his cause of death suspected to be strangulation.
“On behalf of the City of Sheboygan Falls and its residents, we offer condolences and prayers to the family of Oliver Hitchcock. This tragedy is not anything any family should have to endure,” Police Chief Eric Miller said.
Police said the boy’s father was home when the assault happened and called 911. He also rendered aid, but first responders found Oliver unresponsive. The child was taken to St. Nicholas Hospital and later transported to a children’s hospital in Milwaukee.
Miller said Oliver’s mother, whose name will be released when she is formally charged, was also transported to the hospital with self-inflicted wounds from a weapon inside the home. She has since been discharged and taken into custody.
The boy’s mother initially faces two charges that include first-degree intentional homicide and attempted intentional homicide. Miller said the second count stems from information obtained by witnesses of a previously unreported incident.
Oliver attended Sheboygan Falls Elementary School, where school district officials are preparing to offer extra staff and counselors next week.
“We want to offer our condolences to the family. We want to offer our gratitude to the police department and the entire city and the work that they’ve done with us in the last few days. We have some tough days ahead for our families, students and staff,” said Sheboygan Falls School District Superintendent Sarah Annalee Bennin. “We’re very fortunate to have close connections with our community and districts in the county to offer additional support with their crisis-trained personnel.”
The Sheboygan Falls Police Department reports a criminal complaint with more details is scheduled to be released next week.
Additionally, an autopsy on Oliver is planned for next week, according to police.
Copyright 2022 WBAY via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/8-year-old-boy-dies-after-assault-possible-strangulation-by-his-mother-police-say/
| 2022-04-03T00:38:58Z
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Off-duty deputy killed in parking lot shootout, told wife to run
HOUSTON (AP) - An off-duty Texas deputy sheriff was killed in a shooting on the northern outskirts of Houston when he interrupted three men apparently trying to steal the catalytic converter from his vehicle, authorities said.
Deputy Darren Almendarez, 51, was fatally shot Thursday night in a grocery store parking lot, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Two of the suspects were shot and wounded during an exchange of gunfire with Almendarez and were hospitalized Friday in custody, Gonzalez said.
Joshua Stewart, 23, and Fredarius Clark, 19, are charged with capital murder, according to court documents. Clark remained hospitalized Friday in stable condition, while Stewart was discharged and booked into Harris County Jail, said Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland. It was unclear from court documents if they had attorneys.
A third person, believed to be a male teenager, fled the scene and was being sought.
Gonzalez said Almendarez had been shopping with his wife to buy groceries for a Friday cookout for Almendarez’s sister, whose birthday was Thursday.
“We’re tired that people aren’t even safe to go out to the grocery store. This is a cop. This is a cop that’s just out with his family. It could be any one of us — and it happened to be him,” Gonzalez told reporters.
Almendarez told his wife, who was not injured, to run away before he was shot, Gonzales said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott offered prayers for Almendarez’s family in a statement Friday.
“Deputy Darren Almendarez lost his life while answering the call to serve and protect his fellow Texans, and this tragedy is a heartbreaking reminder of the sacrifices our law enforcement officers make both on and off duty,” Abbott said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/02/off-duty-deputy-killed-shootout-told-wife-run-before-shooting/
| 2022-04-03T00:39:06Z
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Kansas cruises to 81-65 win over Villanova in Final Four
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — David McCormack muscled his way to 25 points, Ochai Agbaji was nearly perfect from the field and added 21 points, and hot-shooting Kansas raced to a big early lead before withstanding every Villanova run for a 81-65 victory Saturday night that sent the Jayhawks back to the national title game.
Christian Braun also had 10 points, including a key 3-pointer to ward off a comeback late in the game, as the Jayhawks (33-6) exacted a measure of revenge for a Final Four beatdown by the Wildcats four years ago in San Antonio.
Now, they hope to follow a familiar pattern against Duke or North Carolina on Monday night. The last three times that the Jayhawks and Wildcats have met in the tournament, the winner has gone on to cut down the nets.
Playing without injured guard Justin Moore, Villanova (31-7) watched the lone No. 1 seed to reach the semifinals score the game’s first 10 points and eventually build a 19-point cushion. And despite big nights from Collin Gillespie, Brandon Slater and Jermaine Samuels, the short-handed and undersized Wildcats never made it all the way back.
Gillespie, playing in his 156th game for the Wildcats, hit five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points, while Slater hit four 3s and had 16 points. Samuels finished with 13 points in the final game of his college career.
___
More AP college basketball: http://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/03/kansas-cruises-81-65-win-over-villanova-final-four/
| 2022-04-03T00:39:12Z
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Country
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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.kitv.com/news/crime/suspect-arrested-in-unprovoked-attack-on-elderly-man-in-kalihi/article_4b687a00-b2e5-11ec-b4cc-7ff5d27c581a.html
| 2022-04-03T02:00:35Z
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...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST SUNDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 25 knots, and seas up to 12 feet.
* WHERE...Big Island Windward Waters, Maui County Leeward
Waters, Kauai Leeward Waters, Kauai Channel, Kauai Northwest
Waters, Kauai Windward Waters, Kaiwi Channel, Maui County
Windward Waters, Oahu Windward Waters and Oahu Leeward Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM HST Sunday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
Hawaii Island police are investigating a rash of recent burglaries in the Hilo area that have resulted in the arrests of three men in connection to several crimes.
On Tuesday, March 8, 2022, 32-year-old George Akana Cruz Labrador, of Hilo was charged with burglary, theft and fraudulent use of personal information stemming from an incident in February. Police say Labrador stole electronics and other items from a Kinoole Street business.
Labrador was spotted breaking into a car in March, where he took an undisclosed amount of money and other personal information.
His bail is set at $60,000.
Labrador is also a suspect in the burglary of a restaurant on Pauahi Street in Hilo. Charges are still pending in this case.
On Wednesday, March 23, 30-year-old Antanacious Keoni Nau, of Hilo, was charged with stealing power tools from a Kalanikoa Street business and breaking into a closed Kinoole supermarket, causing property damage.
His total bail is set at $42,000.
On Wednesday, March 30, 37-year-old Alexander T. Keith of Hilo was charged with several counts of theft and burglary after police say he stole items from a Kilauea Avenue restaurant. When Keith was arrested, he was in possession of a stolen credit card and mail.
His total bail is set at $8,750.
In addition to these cases, police are investigating several other burglaries and thefts in the downtown Hilo area.
The public is urged to call the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311 if they have information relative to these cases or if they witness any other suspicious activity.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
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https://www.kitv.com/news/crime/three-arrests-made-after-police-investigate-a-rash-of-hilo-burglary-cases/article_356a82f4-b2e8-11ec-be8d-63bee2390b25.html
| 2022-04-03T02:00:41Z
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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
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.wyomingnews.com/milestones/obituaries/andrew-scott/article_128264f3-1905-5d4e-836d-114e098ae6aa.html
| 2022-04-03T02:04:14Z
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Bonnie Barbier 1965-2022 Bonnie Barbier, 56, of Aurora, CO went to heaven on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Bonnie was a fashionable woman who appreciated the fine things life had to offer as well watching the news and crime television. She was the daughter of Henry Moralez, Lupe and Ruben Perea. She was born on June 5, 1965 in Cheyenne, WY and graduated from Cheyenne Central High School. She worked as a pharmacy technician throughout her life. She married her beloved husband, Jay, on July 7, 2007 in Las Vegas. They enjoyed motorcycle riding, traveling and time with friends and family. She is survived by her sons, Daniel Bustos, Aurora, CO and Joshua Bustos, Cheyenne, WY; her sisters Teddy (Tony) Sanchez, Greeley, CO; Elizabeth "Hope" (Raul) Resendez, Lubbock, TX; Rachel (Zach) Meeker, Cheyenne, WY; and Amanda (Harley) Jacobs, Sturgis, SD; a brother, Phillip Moralez, Cheyenne, WY; brother in laws Stuart and David Barbier, Bay City, MI; and grandchildren James and Joshua Bustos; best friend Erin Fisher and Godmother Margaret Hernandez. As well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, her brother, Henry Jr. and sister, Lee Jane DeLaCruz, her grandson Juilian Bustos, and her Godson Alonso DeLaCruz.
To plant a tree in memory of Bonnie Barbier as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/milestones/obituaries/barbier-bonnie/article_eeb90aac-feee-5594-93ac-68e5fb957432.html
| 2022-04-03T02:04:20Z
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James D Elder 1950-2022 James (Jim) Dean Elder, 71, passed away March 29, 2022, in Cheyenne. He was born August 16, 1950, in Wichita, KS, to Marion Lee Elder and Frances Faye Elder Selby. Jim had a successful career as a meat cutter for over 50 years. Having graduated from Meat Cutting School in 1968; he took this experience to run all the Safeway meat Departments as well as the meat department at the commissary in F. E. Warren A.F.B. for many years. Most of his life was dedicated to Civil Service. He was also well experienced in Martial Arts and enjoyed teaching it to others. He also loved, more than anything, leaving town to go camping, fishing, hunting, 4-wheeling and everything else outdoors with his loved ones. These are memories that will never to be forgotten. Jim is survived by his wife of 53 years, Glenda; daughters, Kimberly Elder and her children Kevin Tharp and Brandan Gilfilian (Bayley and Brin), Tonia Mickle (Kevin) and her children, Dustin Mickle (Michelle) Britnie Mickle and Ashley Mickle (Jordan); stepson, John Combs and his children, Jaylene Oliver (Chris Zamora) Bailey Combs and Westen Combs; great grandson, Brody Mickle; siblings, Barbara Meadows (Don) and Bob (Mary) Elder; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; and stepfather, Richard Selby; and two brothers. Viewing will be Monday April 4, 2022, from 10-4pm at Wiederspahn-Radomsky Chapel. Funeral services will be Tuesday, April 5, 2022, at 10am at Wiederspahn-Radomsky Chapel. To send condolences please visit www.wrcfuneral.com
To plant a tree in memory of James Elder as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/milestones/obituaries/elder-james-d/article_af86f0dc-5e3a-50d5-8c59-74acaa789cbb.html
| 2022-04-03T02:04:26Z
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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.wyomingnews.com/milestones/obituaries/hendershot-steven-c/article_80af75fe-3517-567c-9e19-038f292added.html
| 2022-04-03T02:04:32Z
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James A Manley 1945-2022 Lieutenant Colonel (USAF Ret) James A. Manley, 76, passed away peacefully on March 21, 2022, at his home in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Born on July 20, 1945, in Barberton, Ohio to the late Dwight L. Sr. and Lennie M. (Hinds) Manley, he had been a resident of Cheyenne, WY since 2017 and recently Erie, CO from 2007. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his brother Dwight "Skip" Manley Jr., and his sisters-in-law Shirley (Skip) & Rosemary (George) Manley. Jim is survived by his loving wife, best friend, and partner of 46 years, Marilyn (Erickson); his brother George Manley of Ohio; his sisters-in-law Sue Ellen Sanborn and husband David of New Hampshire, Shirley Wilkes and husband William of North Carolina; his children Michelle Boughton of Colorado, Kevin and wife Lisa Boughton of Virginia, Jennifer and husband John Kline of Florida; nine grandchildren, Nicholas and wife Chelsea Boughton of Hawaii; Alexander and wife Brianna Boughton of Minnesota; Stephanie Wood and fiancé Derek LeBlanc of Colorado; Jessica Wood and her partner Bruce Perry of Kansas; Ryan Day, his step-sister Quinn, and their father Pat Day of Colorado; Gabrielle and Kaitlyn Kline of Florida & their step-siblings Jordan Kline and Jennifer Scott of Alabama; Great-Grandson Patrick Boughton of Hawaii; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. Jim was an enthusiastic alumnus of "The Ohio State University" and enjoyed playing pool, basketball, and racquetball with his children and grandchildren in his younger years. An amateur historian, military history buff, backyard astronomer, and a lifelong train enthusiast he was always ready to share a well-researched story or two. Jim enjoyed traveling and never missed an opportunity to visit museums and obscure historical sites across the United States and the world. He loved to tell his grandchildren about his many adventures and enjoyed including them in his travels. Jim joined the Air Force in 1967 right after graduation from college. During his 24 years of service, Jim held many essential and significant positions. In 1969, he provided Space Weather support to the Apollo 11 Moon landing from the Cheyenne Mountain Complex near Colorado Springs, CO. In the early 1970's he served at both the Air Force Solar Observatory in Teheran, Iran, and Athens, Greece. In 1983, he served as a site implementation director for the Over-The-Horizon-Backscatter (OTH-B) Radar system a critical Cold War early warning capability at March Air Force Base (AFB), CA. Jim completed his career at the Los Angeles AFB where he served as a space systems acquisition professional on the Milstar joint service satellite communications system that provides secure, jam-resistant, worldwide communications to meet essential wartime requirements for high priority military users. After retirement from the Air Force, he went on to have a long career in the government as a defense contractor and later as a manager and engineer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. In addition to his successful career, he enjoyed spending time mentoring colleagues, young professionals, and students. Visitation with the family will take place on Friday, April 8, 2022 from 4:00-6:00PM at the Lakeview Chapel at Schrader, Aragon & Jacoby Funeral Home, 2222 Russell Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82001. A funeral service will be held in Wyoming on Saturday, April 9, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at the St. Andrews Anglican Church, 3325 McCann Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82001 with the Rev. Dr. Timothy Davies officiating. Reception immediately following in the Church Hall. A funeral service and burial will be held in Ohio on Friday, April 15, 2022, at 11:30 at the Zak-Thacker & Monbarren Funeral Home, 132 N. Portage St., Doylestown, Ohio 44230. Burial to immediately follow at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. Calling hours will be held on Friday from 1030 a.m. until time of service. Immediately following the burial service a reception will be held at the Firestone VFW Hall, 690 W Waterloo Rd, Akron, OH 44314. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Air Force Aid Society, Inc., P.O. Box 2208 Arlington, VA 22202, https://afas.org and/or The National Kidney Foundation, 30 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016, https://www.kidney.org.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/milestones/obituaries/manley-james-a/article_76c270d8-763b-5f6e-baa3-a180fa1dba2c.html
| 2022-04-03T02:04:39Z
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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.wyomingnews.com/milestones/obituaries/roccabruna-gene-rocky-r/article_e2addd29-2bb8-558a-aca6-dbcf13dfff1a.html
| 2022-04-03T02:04:45Z
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Eleanor B (Wolf) Streit 1934-2022 Eleanor B. Streit, 87, of Cheyenne, passed away peacefully at home on March 29, 2022. She was born on September 8, 1934, near Grainfield, Kansas to Leo and Rose (Dreiling) Wolf. Eleanor was raised on a farm in northwestern Kansas. She married Duane Streit on October 15, 1951 in New Almelo, Kansas at the early age of 17. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary just months before her husband passed away. They made their home in Norton, Kansas prior to moving to Cheyenne in 1964 where they spent the remainder of their life. Eleanor was a homemaker and her house was always immaculate. She enjoyed reading, especially about the Monarchy, doing word puzzles, crocheting, shopping and watching the various species of animals that roamed the hills near their country home. She especially enjoyed traveling with her husband including trips to Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, London and various other places in the U.S. An especially enjoyable trip later in life was with her sister Tillie Keith when they took a thrilling helicopter tour of Kauai. Eleanor was a member of St. Mary's Cathedral. She is survived by two daughters, Sharon Garland and husband Wade Ettleman, Cheyenne, Kathy and husband Rick Sproul, Dumont, Colorado, one son, Tim Streit, Denver, Colorado; two sisters, Matilda Keith, Hill City, Kansas and Donna (Joe) Scott, Healy, Kansas; three grandchildren Andy (Kristina) Sproul, Annie (Nick) Carlson, and Chanda (Travis) Spears; six great-grandchildren Mya, Lily and Violet Sproul, Ellieanna Carlson, Kai and Kelland Spears; Brothers-in-law, Joe (Mary) Streit and Jim (Deanna) Streit, numerous nieces and nephews and special friends, Peggy Hennig and Jo Hessig. Eleanor was preceded in death by her parents, husband Duane Streit, brother Robert Wolf, sisters Jean Nickelson and Arlene Flagg, brothers-in-law Randy Nickelson, Vic Flagg, Everette Keith, Vic Streit, Adrian Streit and Eugene Streit, sisters-in-law Gwendolyn Bruggeman, Pat Streit and Gloria Streit. Visitation and Rosary will be held on Monday, April 4th at 6 pm at Wiederspahn-Radomsky Chapel. Funeral Liturgy will be held on Tuesday at 1:30 pm at St. Mary's Cathedral, Burial to take place at Olivet Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Heart Association, St. Mary's Catholic School, or charity of your choice.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/milestones/obituaries/streit-eleanor-b/article_7986a4c4-1552-540c-9575-d90353d78012.html
| 2022-04-03T02:04:51Z
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Ex-boyfriend of Cassie Carli, missing Florida mom, arrested in Tennessee
PENSACOLA, Fla. (Gray News) - Authorities have arrested the ex-boyfriend of missing mother Cassie Carli in Tennessee over the weekend.
On Saturday, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Marcus Spanevelo.
Authorities said Spanevelo was arrested by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations and the Tennessee Highway Patrol in Lebanon, Tennessee.
According to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, he is being held on charges that include tampering with evidence, giving false information concerning a missing persons investigation and destruction of evidence.
Officials said Spanevelo was arrested based on a Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office major crimes warrant, which a judge signed.
Previously, Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said Spanevelo was the last person to see Carli on March 27 before she went missing. Police said Carli was at a restaurant to meet Spanevelo, the father of their 4-year-old daughter, Saylor, to do a child exchange.
Spanevelo was then located in Birmingham, Alabama, on Wednesday with Saylor. Investigators interviewed him and said they planned to speak to him further. Saylor was taken into the custody of Alabama Protective Services, Johnson said.
Currently, the case remains an active investigation, and the sheriff’s office said it is cautious about the information released due to the sensitivity of the case.
The search efforts for Carli are ongoing, with the FBI assisting, and Saylor remains safe, according to police.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/03/ex-boyfriend-cassie-carli-missing-florida-mom-arrested-tennessee/
| 2022-04-03T02:15:53Z
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April is ‘National Donate Life’ month and West Virginia needs more donors
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - Mark your calendars April is ‘National Donate Life’ month.
A hundred thousand people are waiting for this gift of life in West Virginia and Pennsylvania Right now and West Virginia is low on the list.
“We are one of the lowest designated states. Only about 35% of our state is designated to give that gift of life”, said Jessica Wheeler, Professional Services Liaison & donor family support coordinator, Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE).
One person’s organ donation can extend the life or quality of life for 8 people and 1 person can heal 75 lives through tissue donation.
“It really kind of means the world. It means really what it says, is that we are donating life and the more we can do to educate our patients and our families and our teams about the opportunity to give life and to save a life even during critical times”, said Jill Berrybowen, Interim CEO, West Virginia Region for ARH.
There are a lot of stigmas around donation and the CORE team wants to break those.
“I was one of the people that believed in one of those misconceptions. Last year we had a 95-year-old organ donor being the nation’s oldest organ donor giving the gift of life”, said Wheeler.
To learn more about ‘Donate Life’ or how to sign up to be a donor visit Donate Life America: Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation Registration
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/03/april-is-national-donate-life-month-west-virginia-needs-more-donors/
| 2022-04-03T03:50:46Z
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Krzyzewski K-O’d: North Carolina takes down Duke 81-77
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s remarkable career came to thrilling and sudden close Saturday night after Caleb Love made a key 3-pointer and three late free throws to lift archrival North Carolina to a thrill-a-minute 81-77 victory over the Blue Devils.
This was the 258th, most consequential and maybe, just maybe, the very best meeting between these teams, whose arenas are separated by a scant 11 miles down in Tobacco Road.
The eighth-seeded Tar Heels (29-9), of all teams, pinned the 368th and final loss on the 75-year-old Coach K, exactly four weeks after they ruined the going-away party in his final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
That loss hurt. This one stopped the coach’s last-gasp, storybook run one win away from a title game and a chance at his sixth championship.
When it was over, after playing through the nip-and-tuck stretch run without a timeout, Krzyzewski walked calmly to halfcourt and shook the hand of Carolina’s rookie coach, Hubert Davis.
So, instead of Krzyzewski going for his sixth title, on Monday, Carolina will try to win its seventh. It will be Davis, Love, who led the Tar Heels with 28 points, and R.J. Davis, who scored 18, going against Kansas, which beat Villanova 81-65 earlier in the undercard.
“Dwelling on the two wins against Duke doesn’t help us against Kansas,” Hubert Davis said.
Maybe not, but what a game! It featured 18 lead changes and 12 ties.
It featured another breakout performance from Love, whose 28 points after an 0-for-4 start were one more than what he put up in the second half of a win last week against UCLA in the Sweet 16.
“It means everything to me,” Love said of his key 3 with 25 seconds left.
At around the 2-minute mark, the teams traded three straight 3s. Wendell Moore Jr.’s 3-pointer with 1:19 left ended the flurry and gave Duke a 74-73 lead. It was the last lead of Krzyzewski’s career.
R.J. Davis came back with two free throws, then after Duke’s Mark Williams, in foul trouble all night, missed a pair from the line, Carolina worked the ball around the perimeter.
Tar Heels guard Leaky Black set a pick -- make that threw a block -- on Trevor Keels to free up Love, who drained a 3 for a four-point lead and what felt like massive breathing room in this one.
Love made three more free throws down the stretch, and then it was over. Krzyzewski walked off the Superdome floor hand in hand with his wife, Mickie.
Hubert Davis was crying again, much as he did last weekend when North Carolina punched its ticket to its record 21st Final Four.
“I felt like over the last two or three years , North Carolina wasn’t relevant,” said Davis, who replaced the Hall of Famer Roy Williams. “North Carolina should never be irrelevant. It should be front and center with the spotlight on them.”
Freshman Paolo Banchero led the Blue Devils with 20 points and his classmate, Keels, had 19. Another freshman, A.J. Griffin, never really got untracked, finishing with only six points.
Chances are Griffin and Banchero will be following Krzyzewski out the door. They are the latest in his revolving door of “One and Done” players, though neither they nor Zion Williamson in 2019 could lead Duke back to the promised land.
___
More AP coverage of March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/03/krzyzewski-k-od-north-carolina-takes-down-duke-81-77/
| 2022-04-03T03:50:53Z
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Paranormal convention making its way to West Virginia for first time
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) -The Raleigh Playhouse and Theatre is hosting the first ever paranormal tourism convention in West Virginia.
The event is two days long and will kick off on April 8. Scott Worley is the Co-Founder of ‘The West Virginia Paranormal Tourism Group’ he says he is excited Beckley was picked for the convention.
“The paranormal industry is a 300-million-dollar industry and we are hoping to get the word out to everyone in West Virginia of all the different groups and such that are here. For Beckley to be chosen for the convention, the very first convention, we think that’s pretty exciting”, said Worley.
Key speaker Dr. Christi Summer will speak on Historic preservation and there will be three different levels for investigative, including one for the younger crowd.
For more information on the event, you can visit them on Facebook. WV Paranormal Tourism Group | Facebook
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/03/paranormal-convention-making-its-way-west-virginia-first-time/
| 2022-04-03T03:50:59Z
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Planting pinwheels to show solidarity for children
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - You may notice pinwheels if you’re on S. Kanawha St. in Beckley.
Beckley Mayor Rob Rappold and his office teamed up on April 1st, with ‘Just for Kids’ Advocacy Center to plant them there.
The pinwheels are meant to raise awareness for child abuse. The display also shows support for those who protect children including members of law enforcement.
“It’s wonderful and you know you see these uniformed officers here who do so much great work, a lot of it is behind the scenes, a lot of it necessarily is undercover investigation etc...but it’s a matter of protecting our children”, said Rappold.
April is child abuse prevention month and you show solidarity by planting blue pinwheels in your own yard.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/03/planting-pinwheels-show-solidarity-children/
| 2022-04-03T03:51:06Z
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West Virginia and Virginia compete on “American Song Contest”
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - You may be a fan of NBC’s newest show “American Song Contest” that airs on WVVA.
American Song Contest is based on a European show called “Eurovision Song Contest”.
Eurovision would put different countries together but the American version will force the singer song writers from different states and territories together.
The competition kicked off two weeks ago. Last week, Almira Zaky from Virginia performed.
“Honestly I felt amazing, it’s such a dream come true to perform on such a big stage, surrounded by such passionate, talented women and it being in my own vision with my own original song, it’s everything I could have imagined”, said Zaky.
Alexis Cunningham is West Virginia’s Contestant, she has yet to perform but the songwriter is eager to get on stage and show her hometown what she is made of.
She wants her time on the show to remind people back in the mountain state to follow their dreams.
“Keep working on yourself, keep believing in yourself, stay positive, and if you have a goal in mind just push yourself towards that and you can do it! Just continue to work on what you want and stay positive”, said Cunningham.
Voting is still underway for Almira Zaky and be sure to catch Alexis Cunningham in the next couple of weeks on NBC.
You can vote here Cast Your Vote - American Song Contest (nbc.com) or you can vote on NBC’s TikTok or on the NBC App.
Be sure to catch the show Monday nights at 8 p.m.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/03/west-virginia-virginia-compete-american-song-contest/
| 2022-04-03T03:51:12Z
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...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST SUNDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 25 knots, and seas up to 12 feet.
* WHERE...Big Island Windward Waters, Maui County Leeward
Waters, Kauai Leeward Waters, Kauai Channel, Kauai Northwest
Waters, Kauai Windward Waters, Kaiwi Channel, Maui County
Windward Waters, Oahu Windward Waters and Oahu Leeward Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM HST Sunday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
Southwest issued a "Operational Disruption Advisory" letter to its customers Saturday after hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled.
The company blamed 'weather challenges in Florida' impacting the airlines' system as well as intermittent technical issues.
Taking its apology to customers on Twitter, Southwest tweeted:
"We offer our heartfelt apologies for any inconvenience, and we will continue to work with Customers who experience a disruption in their travel plans."
For many customers, stuck in airports and on tarmacs across the U.S., the apology came too late.
In a tweet, a customer wrote: "On hold with SW Customer Service for 4+ hours. Then got an actual human on the phone… we discussed rebooking options and she says “let me put you on hold why I make those changes.” That was an HOUR ago. This is beyond ridiculous."
One family coming home from what is described as the 'Happiest Place on Earth' commented: "Not the magical ending we had hoped for on our family Disney World trip. Canceled direct flight and stranded three days with no hotel openings. A nightmare with four children, including twin toddlers."
According to FlightAware.com, 54% of Southwest's flights Saturday were delayed or canceled.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
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https://www.kitv.com/news/national/southwest-apologizes-for-delays-canceled-flights-saturday-blames-weather-technical-issues/article_467dda4e-b2f4-11ec-8369-83393ec1bb6b.html
| 2022-04-03T04:12:29Z
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Estelle Harris, ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Toy Story’ actor, dies at 93
NEW YORK (AP) - Estelle Harris, who hollered her way into TV history as George Costanza’s short-fused mother on “Seinfeld” and voiced Mrs. Potato Head in the “Toy Story” franchise, has died. She was 93.
As middle-class matron Estelle Costanza, Harris put a memorable stamp on her recurring role in the smash 1990s sitcom. With her high-pitched voice and humorously overbearing attitude, she was an archetype of maternal indignation.
Trading insults and absurdities with her on-screen husband, played by Jerry Stiller, Harris helped create a parental pair that would leave even a psychiatrist helpless to do anything but hope they’d move to Florida — as their son, played by Jason Alexander, fruitlessly encouraged them to do.
Harris’ agent Michael Eisenstadt confirmed the actor’s death in Palm Desert, California, on Saturday evening.
Viewers of all backgrounds would tell her she was just like their own mothers, Harris often said.
“She is the mother that everybody loves, even though she’s a pain in the neck,” she told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1998.
The career-defining role came after decades on stage and screen. Born April 22, 1928, in New York City, Harris grew up in the city and later in the Pittsburgh suburb of Tarentum, Pennsylvania, where her father owned a candy store. She started tapping her comedic talents in high school productions where she realized she “could make the audience get hysterical,” as she told People magazine in 1995.
After the nine-season run of “Seinfeld” ended in 1998, Harris continued to appear on stage and screen. She voiced Mrs. Potato Head in the 1999 animated blockbuster “Toy Story 2″ and played the recurring character Muriel in the popular Disney Channel sitcom “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” among other roles.
She had stopped pursuing show business when she married in the early 1950s but resumed acting in amateur groups, dinner theater and commercials as her three children grew (“I had to get out of diapers and bottles and blah-blah baby talk,” she told People). Eventually, she began appearing in guest roles on TV shows including the legal comedy “Night Court,” and in films including director Sergio Leone’s 1984 gangland epic “Once Upon a Time in America.”
Her “Seinfeld” debut came in one of the show’s most celebrated episodes: the Emmy Award-winning 1992 “The Contest,” in which the four central characters challenge each other to refrain from doing what is artfully described only as “that.”
Harris would go on to appear in dozens more episodes of the “show about nothing.” She seethed over snubbed paella, screeched about George’s hanky-panky in the parental bed and laid out the spread for screen husband Frank’s idiosyncratic holiday, Festivus.
“Estelle is a born performer,” Stiller told The Record of Bergen County, N.J., in 1998. “I just go with what I got, and she goes back at me the same way.”
Still, Harris saw a sympathetic undertone to her character, often saying Estelle fumed out frustration at her bumbling mate and scheming slacker of a son.
Viewers, she told an interviewer in 1998, “just look at her as being funny, cute and a loudmouth. But it’s not how I play her. I play her with misery underneath.”
She is survived by her three children, three grandsons, and a great grandson.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/03/estelle-harris-seinfeld-toy-story-actor-dies-93/
| 2022-04-03T05:23:39Z
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Woodrow Wilson and Bluefield notch blowout wins
Flying Eagles and Beavers build insurmountable early leads
Published: Apr. 3, 2022 at 12:22 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
BLUEFIELD, Va. (WVVA) -Woodrow Wilson and Bluefield both won their games by double digits.
The Flying Eagles beat the Greater Beckley Crusaders 14-0 and the Beavers defeated the Wyoming East Warriors 18-1.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/03/woodrow-wilson-bluefield-notch-blowout-wins/
| 2022-04-03T05:23:47Z
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