text stringlengths 65 123k | url stringlengths 25 420 | crawl_date timestamp[us, tz=UTC]date 2022-04-01 01:00:57 2022-09-19 04:34:04 |
|---|---|---|
The judge in an upcoming corner-crossing criminal trespass trial decided Thursday to limit the use of, but not bar entirely, a body-cam video that shows law officers discussing with a ranch manager potential charges against four Missouri hunters.
Prosecutors sought to prohibit playing the video for the jury, saying the officers were discussing aspects and interpretations of trespassing laws that are the province of the court alone. Carbon County Circuit Court Judge Susan Stipe agreed to part of that request.
Four Missouri hunters have pleaded not guilty to the trespass charges and contend they stepped from one piece of public land to another — at the intersection of two public and two private sections — without setting foot on private property. The case involves the checkerboard pattern of land ownership in parts of Carbon County where private and public land are interspersed.
The cases hinge on whether a person passing through the airspace above a private piece of land is trespassing, and their outcomes may impact public access to millions of acres of public land in the West.
Stipe agreed Thursday that playing the entire 16-minute video would not be allowed and that the discussion on it “would likely not be useful to the jurors.” But portions of it could be used by defense attorneys, Stipe said, if they want to employ it to challenge witness statements given by law-enforcement.
Essentially, if the video contradicts what officers testify to in court, defense attorneys could play relevant portions of it to challenge the officers’ statements in front of the jury.
The video is “not going to be played unless certain portions are necessary in impeachment,” Stipe said during a two-hour motions hearing in Rawlins.
Attorneys will confer again Monday regarding jury instructions and other unsettled elements of the case before it is presented at a trial scheduled to begin Wednesday. Lawyers at Thursday’s motions hearing did not discuss any potential delay of the trial. The judge had mulled a delay last week saying she worried that a related civil suit in federal court might undermine the criminal trespass case before her.
The trial against Phillip G. Yeomans, Bradly H. Cape, John W. Slowensky and Zachary M. Smith is scheduled to begin in Rawlins starting Wednesday. The case is based on an incident in 2021. Three might face an alternative charge of trespassing to hunt involving a similar alleged corner-crossing incident in 2020.
The court has set aside two days for the matter. Criminal trespass carries a penalty of up to $750 and six months in jail upon conviction.
The men are charged with trespassing on the ranch owned by Iron Bar Holdings and Fred Eshelman, a North Carolina resident, businessman, conservationist, philanthropist and donor to conservative political causes who made millions in the pharmaceutical business. Eshelman is listed as a potential witness, according to discussion at Thursday’s hearing.
He could testify to ownership of the Elk Mountain Ranch, a legal element that Stipe called “hurdle number-one” in the prosecution’s case against the hunters. But establishing that ownership typically requires testimony from someone other than the owner himself, Stipe said.
She agreed to allow Eshelman’s attorney, Gregory Weisz, to present evidence of ownership, boundaries and easements if he limits his testimony to those topics and not interpretations of trespass laws. Weisz also represents Eshelman in the parallel civil suit in federal court.
All the attorneys involved could instead agree to stipulate that Iron Bar and Eshelman own the property in question, Stipe said.
Attorneys debated several other aspects of the trial, including whether the jury would be considering a specific incident of alleged trespassing or the defendants’ numerous actions over a period of days — perhaps even over two years — and at different locations. Defense attorney Patrick Lewallen said the prosecution’s quest to allege trespass across a broad geographic range and expansive period was a “shotgun approach” that would allow “a potential of 280 combinations” of circumstances to reach a potential conviction.
Stipe told prosecutors they had to limit their case, at this time, to one incident.
Attorneys also sparred over what’s known as Rule 404(b) — the use of a defendant’s previous “crimes, wrongs or acts” — to establish the defendant’s character. Prosecutors could bring up, for example, allegations that three of the four defendants corner-crossed in the same area in 2020.
Stipe and the attorneys did not resolve all the issues Thursday. Some of the many machinations could play out at the conference Monday. Many could be settled only during the trial as they may arise, the judge indicated. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/judge-limits-use-of-body-cam-video-in-corner-crossing-trial/article_f5641dc3-5fd7-584e-895c-0a2ee27c70a8.html | 2022-04-27T13:34:29Z |
During a lengthy hearing Monday, there were signs that a legislative stalemate could be broken, or at least that discussions could advance, on how to help digital currency miners get more electricity and at lower rates.
Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle and stakeholders who testified Monday in Casper showed some openness to creating ways to serve the power-hungry cryptocurrency industry.
At this interim work session held by the Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, there appeared to be more acceptance of the idea that some changes might be needed to interest Wyoming crypto companies in using scores of computers to virtually make these financial assets.
By contrast, when the bill up for discussion, Senate File 71, previously came up at Senate Minerals Committee hearings during the Legislature’s regular session earlier this year, the reception was more negative.
Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, was the only lawmaker to vote yes on SF 71. It would have created deregulated industrial power zones so that high-technology companies and others could strike alternative power deals that do not necessarily involve the incumbent utility.
About 99% of the time, “our regulatory structure is great,” Rothfuss said near the start of Monday’s hearing.
While his bill may not be the answer, the Laramie lawmaker said that “if we leave our current system in place, I cannot imagine any company (that needs a lot of power) coming to Wyoming.”
Prospects to revive the same bill did not appear likely. All witnesses and legislators who spoke agreed they did not necessarily want to pursue total deregulation of the state’s power industry. Some suggested this could be a backstop to keep in mind if the utilities can’t work out some new approach to get crypto miners the electricity they want.
Statewide energy deregulation could take years, many testified. That could be too long for power-hungry virtual miners who say they each want dozens, if not hundreds, of megawatts of power quickly, sometimes approaching the amount some of the state’s largest cities such as Cheyenne consume.
For wide-scale deregulation, “if you could do that in five years, I think that is pretty optimistic,” said Wyoming Public Service Commission Chief Counsel John Burbridge. “I would imagine that it would be a pretty (extensive) endeavor. It is not something that could happen overnight.”
Stakeholders are searching for ways to proceed that do not involve such dramatic changes.
A way forward?
The difference between now and earlier this year when SF 71 died in the Senate committee without getting a House-side hearing is that lawmakers Monday cleared the way for a process to try to resolve crypto-utility differences.
The way forward this time is for an informal subcommittee or panel from the bicameral Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee to split off as a smaller group with a keen interest in the issue, the joint committee’s members told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
Typically when such a panel is appointed, it has a few members from each chamber, said Rep. Mike Greear, R-Worland. He helped run the hearing and is chairman of the House Minerals, Business and Natural Resources Committee.
“A couple legislators who are passionate about it” might be named to help helm the discussions, Greear said. With stakeholders, they could “spend a day on it,” and not merely a few hours such as at this hearing.
The crypto portion began a little late and ended close to 90 minutes beyond its appointed time.
Under the auspices of such a forthcoming panel, this is “where can we find common ground” and attempt to get the sides to “hash it out,” Greear said. “And then bring some recommendations back” to the full joint committee.
One potential member is Rep. Danny Eyre, R-Lyman. His name came up because before retiring and eventually elected, he worked at the Bridger Valley Electric co-operative for about 35 years, including serving as general manager. That utility expertise could give him a useful perspective.
Asked after the meeting if he would serve on the panel if asked, Eyre said yes, though he did not seek to put himself forward for it.
Given his lengthy involvement in the state’s power industry, he said there have long been discussions about carving out certain entities from the regulated power system. The new flavor is that crypto wants a piece of the pie.
Deregulation regrets elsewhere
Eyre said that of about 15 states that have enacted some form of energy industry deregulation, several may regret it while others that did not might be thankful they sat this previous trend out. He wondered aloud whether the issue could be addressed without deregulation.
“It’s very difficult to carve out industrial users without creating adverse impact for other ratepayers,” Eyre said. “We need to be very careful that we don’t have negative impact on residential customers.”
Another potential ad hoc panel member is Rothfuss. He is a proponent of attracting crypto to Wyoming, which he said the state is doing a good job on except for when it comes to energy.
As one GOP member of the joint minerals panel was heard remarking after the hearing, it’s interesting that Rothfuss as a Democrat is helping to lead the push for deregulation. Usually, it’s Republicans who carry that banner.
Regardless of who ultimately ends up on the energy group, it would aim to convene a meeting with all sides of the issue, lawmakers said. The goal would be for something to be discussed in time for the June 27-28 gathering in Casper of the full Minerals Committee.
During the hearing, a PSC staffer suggested that his agency could help provide a venue for getting stakeholders together. Under what lawmakers envision, it is more likely that the PSC could participate like any other party in the stakeholder meeting, rather than acting as the convening authority, Greear said.
One local legislator spoke as a witness advocating for ways to help satisfy virtual miners’ sizable appetites for power.
“The deregulated concept could work quite well for the large industrial users,” said Rep. Pat Sweeney, R-Casper.
He acknowledged concerns that crypto mining may not stick around in any area very long and stakeholders said mobile operations can easily move.
“Whether cryptocurrency lasts, I hope it does,” he said. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/lawmakers-target-stalemate-on-power-for-crypto-miners/article_62d73494-77bf-536d-bf6d-2c997735647a.html | 2022-04-27T13:34:35Z |
The following calls were included in the Albany County Sheriff’s Office responses:
FRIDAY, APRIL 22
• 4:45 p.m., 4700 block of E. Skyline Dr., fighting
SATURDAY, APRIL 23
• 8:30 a.m., Interstate 80, accident
• 10:42 a.m., Interstate 80, accident
• 10:26 p.m., 100 block of Hunt Rd., accident
• 11:08 p.m., Interstate 80, accident
• 11:51 p.m., Albany County Area, hit and run
SUNDAY, APRIL 24
• 6:51 p.m., Albany County Area, accident
The following calls were included in the Laramie Police Department responses:
FRIDAY, APRIL 22
• 1:22 a.m., 1400 block of Renshaw St., emergency
• 3:38 a.m., 1100 block of N. McCue St., emergency
• 4:09 a.m., 1700 block of E. Grand Ave., burglary
• 9:12 a.m., intersection of S. 15th St. and E. Spring Creek Dr., accident
• 9:27 a.m., intersection of W. Curtis St. and McCue St., accident
• 11:01 a.m., 900 block of N. 3rd St., trespassing
• 1:20 p.m., 600 block of S. 30th St., hit and run
• 1:58 p.m., 2900 block of E. Grand Ave., theft
• 2:11 p.m., 1400 block of N. 4th St., accident
• 3:41 p.m., Albany County Area, wildlife
• 4:40 p.m., 100 block of N. 5th St., vandalism
• 5:54 p.m., intersection of N. 11th St. and E. Gibbon St., animal bite
• 6:37 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., shoplifting
• 8 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., shoplifting
• 8:08 p.m., 1500 block of N. McCue St., possible possession of controlled substance
• 11:30 p.m., 200 block of N. 2nd St., animal bite
SATURDAY, APRIL 23
• 12:50 a.m., 2100 block of Harrison St., possible domestic disturbance
• 1:16 a.m., 600 block of N. 13th St., emergency
• 1:59 a.m., intersection of Wister Dr. and E. Grand ave., accident
• 8:23 a.m., 2200 block of Wyoming Ave., emergency
• 10:44 a.m., 1400 block of E. Kearney St., hit and run
• 11:30 a.m., 1700 block of Boulder Dr., disturbance/harassment-threats
• 12:20 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., shoplifting
• 4:18 p.m., intersection of N. 9th St. and E. Bradley St., theft/unauthorized use of vehicle
• 4:49 p.m., 1700 block of N. McCue St., possible domestic disturbance
• 4:50 p.m., 2000 block of W. Snowy Range Rd., theft
• 6:28 p.m., 1800 block of W. Curtis St., possible domestic disturbance
• 9:40 p.m., 2400 block of Jackson St., possible impaired driving
• 11:29 p.m., 1000 block of E. Curtis St., possible impaired driving
SUNDAY, APRIL 24
• 1:01 a.m., 200 block of S. 2nd St., disorderly conduct
• 11:45 a.m., 800 block of E. Mitchell St., animal bite
• 12:31 p.m., intersection of E. Mitchell St. and N. 15th St., accident
• 12:46 p.m., 1800 block of W. Curtis St., accident
• 7:24 p.m., 300 block of N. Cedar St., emergency
• 9:03 p.m., 4200 block of Foothills St., possible domestic disturbance | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local_news/arrest_record_and_police_calls/april-27-on-the-record/article_e3ced334-0c6e-5218-b559-149952b61237.html | 2022-04-27T13:34:41Z |
...Elevated to Near-Critical Fire Weather Today...
This is a special weather statement from the National Weather
Service Office in Cheyenne.
* WHAT...Elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions with
low humidity in the teens to low 20s, elevated sustained winds
of 10 to 25 mph with occasional gusts at 20 to 25 mph possible.
Fuels remain dry in many areas, especially grasses.
* WHERE...High Plains of Southeast Wyoming, southern Nebraska
Panhandle, Laramie Valley, and Carbon County.
* WHEN...12pm through 8pm tonight.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Fires starts and spreadibility could be
increased under these weather conditions. Outdoor burning is
discouraged, especially during the afternoon.
Four new Laramie police officers were sworn in Monday. They are, in no particular order, Jose Acevedo, Seth Meyer, Carson Schift and Clara Shaw.
The Laramie Police Department has added four new officers to its ranks.
Officers Jose Acevedo, Seth Meyer, Carson Schift and Clara Shaw were worn in Monday after completing written and physical testing, oral boards, a rigorous background investigation, polygraph examination and psychiatric and medical evaluations.
They will go through several weeks of in-house training then attend the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy of 605 hours of training in Douglas. After graduation, the officers will have eight more weeks of in-house training before 14 weeks of field training.
They’ll be on their own and assigned to the LPD Patrol Division after the field training with mandatory rotations through three shift schedules. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local_news/lpd-bolsters-force-with-4-new-officers/article_3078f16f-2646-5ab6-8922-d91123b5b69e.html | 2022-04-27T13:34:47Z |
...Elevated to Near-Critical Fire Weather Today...
This is a special weather statement from the National Weather
Service Office in Cheyenne.
* WHAT...Elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions with
low humidity in the teens to low 20s, elevated sustained winds
of 10 to 25 mph with occasional gusts at 20 to 25 mph possible.
Fuels remain dry in many areas, especially grasses.
* WHERE...High Plains of Southeast Wyoming, southern Nebraska
Panhandle, Laramie Valley, and Carbon County.
* WHEN...12pm through 8pm tonight.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Fires starts and spreadibility could be
increased under these weather conditions. Outdoor burning is
discouraged, especially during the afternoon.
A pair of Laramie women are in jail on suspicion of felony theft, the Laramie Police Department reports.
Kimberly A. Brizuela, 53, and Robyne D. Miller, 39, were arrested after officers responded to a report of shoplifting in the 4300 block of Grand Avenue.
The call came in at 4:06 p.m. and a short time after responding to the scene, police located a suspect vehicle in the 700 block of South 3rd Street, according to an LPD press release.
The women were arrested after an investigation. Brizuela also is facing several driving-related misdemeanor charges.
If convicted of felony theft, the women could face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000 or both. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local_news/shoplifting-call-leads-to-pair-of-felony-theft-arrests/article_322d65de-8079-55bc-bc1a-8b246514bf09.html | 2022-04-27T13:34:54Z |
POWELL — Rain and loose rocks led to a dangerous situation in the Wind River Canyon on Saturday night, as a rock slide blocked traffic in both directions.
The Powell High School boys’ soccer team was heading home from a long road trip to Pinedale and arrived just after the slide occurred.
“We were one of the first vehicles there, and we had some parents on the other side of it that saw it happen in their rearview mirrors,” Panther boys’ Head Coach David Gilliatt said.
At the scene, the Panthers were hesitant to check out the slide, as they were unsure if there were more rocks sliding down. But knowing that the Wyoming Department of Transportation was unlikely to arrive for an extended period of time, the Panthers sprung into action.
“I think we all just agreed after looking at it that we could get the rocks out of the road on the far left side and at least give it a try to see if other vehicles and our bus could get through,” Gilliatt said.
Facing the incident head on, Gilliatt and the team had a plan of action, as they had people watching the cliffside in case more rocks fell down. They also planned where they would run should more rocks fall down the canyon.
The team worked quickly and moved enough rocks within seven minutes so that a semi – as well as other vehicles – could fit through the gap.
Gilliatt said that the team relayed the message beyond the canyon to parents and PHS Athletic Director Scott McKenzie that it was going to be late because of the incident.
The only injury reported in the incident was one player’s minor cut, which was treated with a Band-Aid. The bus did lose a latch for one of the storage compartments underneath, but it was able to squeeze through in a tight gap.
“I don’t think we thought about it being some big thing,” Gilliatt said. “We just kind of decided ‘Let’s see if we can tackle this ourselves.’ Many hands made quick work of it.”
Just behind the Panther boys team was Michele O’Brien-Hampton, the mother of PHS girls team players Jaedyn and Sarah Hampton. The girls team made it through the canyon 45 minutes prior, and O’Brien-Hampton was just minutes behind the boys’ bus after she finished watching their game in Pinedale.
When she arrived, she was also just behind the Worland boys soccer team bus.
She was told that there was a rock slide up ahead. She, along with the Warriors’ coaches, went up to see what had happened. The Worland boys hopped out to help clear the road, but the Panthers already cleared the path enough for vehicles to pass through.
“You can see they truly are a team in every sense of the word,” O’Brien-Hampton said. “That comes from great coaching too.”
As she was passing through, law enforcement had arrived to take control of guiding traffic. When she drove through the cleared opening, it struck her as a point of pride that it was “our soccer team” who sprung into action to help clear the road. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/powell-high-school-soccer-team-helps-clear-rock-slide/article_a9fab842-cc8b-5545-9a3e-b9b7f30244f5.html | 2022-04-27T13:35:00Z |
When University of Wyoming students return to campus next fall, operations of the College of Arts and Sciences will seem a bit different.
Administrators are re-imagining the college’s purpose and has begun a process of consolidating similar subject areas.
By the time the changes are complete, the physical, mathematical and biological sciences, with the exception of psychology, will move from the College of Arts and Sciences to other colleges on campus.
The transition will start in July when the division of mathematics and statistics moves to the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Later on, the physical sciences such as chemistry and physics will end up in the College of Engineering and Applied Science as well. And the biological sciences such as botany and zoology will move to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
While the changes call for a heavy lift from staff and administrators, life for students should remain relatively similar, said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Camellia Okpodu. Aside from some changes to general education requirements that are being considered at the university-wide level, degree tracks and programs shouldn’t change.
While administrative-level changes announced last year are part of a plan to save money during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the reasoning behind re-imagining the College of Arts and Sciences is more practical than financial.
“(There are) some savings in terms of fewer department heads, but it’s not really just a budget reduction exercise,” said UW spokesperson Chad Baldwin. “It’s more about organizing ourselves and schools in the most appropriate way for a modern university.”
These changes could help put the university in a more competitive position when it comes to seeking federal research money, he said.
The plan came as a surprise to Okpodu, who started her position at UW in last July. Since there wasn’t much guidance available about restructuring an entire college, Okpodu has been working with associate deans and staff to brainstorm the best way to implement the changes.
“The College of Arts and Sciences will continue to be the heartbeat of the university,” Okpodu said, adding that she will continue to push for excellence.
This year’s UW Class of 2022 graduating class has 171 honors students. Of those, 67 are from the College of Arts and Sciences. Only six would be considered part of a different college once the changes are complete.
Still, the task of switching so many degree programs is one to navigate carefully. There are 17 systems that the changes will have to work across, and it will take special care to make sure students aren’t frustrated with administrative problems, Okpodu said.
The college held a symposium last week as a way to take scholarly opinions and brainstorm a future vision for the college, which will be focused on the arts, humanities and social sciences.
“People come here to get education for a lifetime,” Okpodu said.
She described a desire for the college to act like a “C-4 explosive” in producing creative, compassionate, curious and critically thinking global leaders.
In addition to meeting student concerns and satisfaction, Okpodu hopes to retain the faculty members who are currently with the university.
The re-imagining process is still in the beginning stages. The next steps are deciding on a new name for the college and seeking input on the changes from students and alumni. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/re-imagining-higher-ed-uw-college-of-arts-sciences-to-see-new-structure/article_799a4a2b-c251-5434-b66b-bc118b75a681.html | 2022-04-27T13:35:06Z |
GILLETTE — Just about every day at about 5 p.m., Kennedy Wainaina waits on a phone call.
Ever since his sister, Irene Wairimu Gakwa, went missing from Gillette in February or March, he has stayed in close contact with the Gillette police detectives working to solve his sister’s disappearance.
After Wainaina talks with detectives each night, he calls his mother and father in Kenya, who also have grown accustomed to waiting by the phone.
“They’re in rough shape, especially my mom,” he said. “My dad maybe hides it well but my mom, I can tell she’s definitely having a hard time. (Irene) used to talk to them almost every other day.”
Gakwa, 32, was reported missing on March 20 and last heard from March 4. Since then, officers have asked the public in help finding any information that could be related to Gakwa’s disappearance.
The investigation so far has suggested that Gakwa went missing under suspicious circumstances. She was last seen Feb. 24 on a video call with her parents, who live in Kenya.
Last week, the police department announced in a press release that it has a lead in the investigation. One tip indicated that Gakwa may have been taken in a passenger car to a rural area, mine site or oil and gas location between Feb. 24 and March 20.
This week, Police Deputy Chief Brent Wasson said that detectives are continuing to follow up on leads and the information they have. There is no new information to release to the public at this time, and the investigation remains ongoing, he said.
The department has confirmed that Gakwa lived with a man in Gillette up until her disappearance. He is considered a person of interest and has not made himself available to detectives looking to resolve questions that exist in the investigation, Wasson said.
Detectives have executed about two dozen search warrants in their search and interviewed Gakwa’s friends and associates. Digital evidence, such as location data, has been analyzed and provided positive leads, the press release said.
Gakwa is a Black woman who is 5-foot-1 and about 100 pounds.
Wainaina said the public has been helpful and supportive throughout the process, helping his family do what they can to spread awareness of their sister’s disappearance.
“I’m amazed at how much strangers are doing to help us,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
Wainaina and his brother, Chris Gakwa, 38, both live in Boise, Idaho. They made the 800-mile drive to Gillette early into their sister’s disappearance and continue to follow it from afar.
Almost two months since they last saw their sister, the reality of their family’s situation is still hard to grasp.
In this day and age when so many digital records through cellphones and credit cards make it hard for anyone to slip off the grid, Wainaina said it’s hard to fathom how his sister vanished with so little trace.
“Sometimes you feel like maybe you’re just dreaming,” he said. “Like especially at night. Sometimes I’ll go to bed, sleep, and wake up and be like, ‘Was I dreaming, was she missing?
“‘Was I dreaming or was it real life?’” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/search-continues-for-missing-gillette-woman/article_8513876c-9bd2-5162-95e6-bde6b8019fe9.html | 2022-04-27T13:35:12Z |
Life may seem back to normal for residents in Rawlins and Sinclair after a critical failure of the local water system, but the problem is far from being solved.
It began March 3 when the system failed and people were notified the area’s water tanks were at “critical levels” and asked to limit their water use. Even so, the tanks were depleted, causing a low-pressure event that led to a boil-water advisory.
According to a city of Rawlins “Water Infrastructure and 2022 Critical Water Event Report” released March 30, it’s estimated it will take three to five years to make all of the necessary repairs to the water infrastructure.
The report states the communities use about 900 gallons of water a minute during the winter, about 1 million gallons a day.
During the summer, the report states that even with conservation, customers will use 2,800-4,000 gallons a minute, or 4-6 million gallons a day.
“As of late March, without the repairs made in the Sage Creek Basin to the 10,000 feet of woodstave pipeline, we are averaging 1,500 gallons of flow between 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.”
It goes on to forewarn potential shortages for summer.
“The reduced flow will be more problematic in 2022 as our reservoirs are not full, due to our repairs this winter,” according to the report.
Public Works Director Cody Dill said replacing the old wooden pipeline is critical to not only addressing the recent failure, but upgrading the system for future use.
“We are anxiously awaiting the completion of the new 10,000-foot water line at the Sage Creek Basin,” he said. “We are hopeful that by replacing the woodstave with PVC we will be able to bring more water into our treatment plant so we can have a little more irrigation this summer.
“However, this project won’t be completed until (late) June, so we need to be extra cautious until then.”
Regarding the safety of the city’s water, the report also states that it is safe, the treatment plant is working and people can drink the water “without concern.”
That doesn’t mean the city is out of the woods. People also should expect water restrictions, and the current water restriction ordinance is being reviewed and will likely be updated.
“If we don’t follow these restrictions while repairs are being made, we will not be able to meet water demand,” the report says. “In that case, the EPA will likely require that we build a $10-plus million chemical-heavy water treatment plant, which would be prohibitively costly.”
According to the report, residents have since December been restricted to well and reservoir water during the time repairs are made to the 32-mile transmission line.
“The city’s water treatment plant was barely making enough water to meet the city of Rawlins and town of Sinclair’s daily water supply needs,” the report cites as one factor that contributed to the failure. “As a result, storage was depleted in the tanks.”
Since last summer, Rawlins has been “discovering and sharing information on the fragile state of our infrastructure which brings water from our springs and wells into our water treatment plant. The resulting reduction in water supply caused both the March boil water advisory and the summer 2021 water restrictions.”
Rawlins began and funded the recent emergency repairs and applied for $11 million in grants, along with revamping its maintenance and operating plans.
Water and Utilities Superintendent Bud Dimick said getting through five days of the boil order was a community effort. That’s needed going forward as well.
“We really appreciate anything and everything our community can do to help conserve water,” he said. “Although we are filling our reservoirs, at this point we are not close to supporting reduced watering without having turbidity notices or boil-water advisories. Please take water conservation extra seriously through June.”
Concerning the repairs that will be done to the water infrastructure, the city has begun the phased process that includes emergency repairs.
Other items of focus included in the report:
- Repairs to the city’s 32-mile pipeline to the water treatment plant, including key repairs to blow-offs, air release valves and cathodic protection. This could include the replacement of large sections of pipe.
- Replacement of the springs collection infrastructure in the Sage Creek Basin, including wood-stave pipelines throughout the basin, spring boxes and other upgrades.
- Create a comprehensive and understandable operations and maintenance manual for the water system, then perform and track the necessary processes.
- Develop better protocols for handling water breaks and other complications when tank levels are low.
- Bring the pre-treatment plant online, which includes operations and maintenance planning, training and buying necessary supplies and equipment.
- Design and build a new raw river water line to the cemetery with capacity for possible future expansion.
- Update the water treatment SCADA system, which gathers and analyzes data to ensure processes are working correctly and issues are resolved.
- Replace the ductile iron water main that runs from the water treatment plant to Rawlins.
- Evaluate and repair/replace tanks in the city’s tank farm.
- Review and amend applicable city ordinances pertaining to water use and restrictions.
- Assess and prioritize any in-town infrastructure repairs.
- Research potential funding and incentive programs for reduced water use by homes and businesses. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/water-emergency-past-but-still-far-from-resolved/article_ffe9223d-9f81-5b7e-a500-5c779e74a5c3.html | 2022-04-27T13:35:18Z |
“This is absolutely the last dog we’re ever going to have,” my wife proclaims on a pretty regular basis. “And I mean it!”
I don’t know what Mitch did this time: tore up his dog bed to hide a bone or chased the cat across the living room.
When someone’s at the door, Mitch’s bark could wake the dead.
Mitch is a black Labrador retriever, and I can’t tell you how old he is or what his name used to be. That’s because he was on the lam from Mitchell, Nebraska, four years ago and crossed the state line into Wyoming (no doubt at a dead run).
He ended up in the Torrington pound, where they called him Mitchell. So we do, too.
He’s not like the other Labs we’ve had — Jake, Woody, Sam, Jack; their ashes arrayed in containers on a shelf in my den — that were overweight. After four years, you can still count Mitch’s ribs, and his vet says it’s a pleasure to see a dog without a weight problem.
Mitch and I go for walks every morning and afternoon. It’s good for both of us, and he chases rabbits. He loves patrolling the prairie behind our house.
Then he leans up against my leg as I sit on an old bench watching the trains go by and begs for biscuits.
Black Labs run in the family. When I was a kid, my college-aged brother brought home a black Lab puppy from his summer job at the company where our father worked. We already had a Boston terrier, and our mother figured one dog was enough. But Labrador pups are irresistible.
The guy who gave the puppy to my brother was one of our dad’s bosses, a guy named Cecil.
“As far as I’m concerned,” my mother announced, “that dog’s name is Cecil!”
It stuck. And our dad took some ribbing at work for having a dog named after one of the vice presidents. But he loved that dog, and 12 years later when they had to put Cecil to sleep it was the only time my mother saw my father cry.
My wife and I had Cleo, a svelte black Lab/border collie mix from the Laramie pound, a great dog with feathery hair that loved to go cross-country skiing with me in the Snowy Range, bounding through the powdery snow.
Then there was Jake, born on Casper Mountain, whose mournful howls saved two lives one night when a propane lantern consumed all the oxygen in a rain-soaked tent. We got out of the tent in time, and Jake shook it off in about an hour, a hero.
Woody was a handful, eating part of a couch and only graduating from obedience school on his second try.
Sam had lived on the streets in Cheyenne and knew how to open our storm door and to tip over garbage cans to get a snack. He died at the vet’s office the night before he was to have a splenectomy.
Jack’s elderly owner died and the family, having heard about Sam’s death, kindly let us have him. One Friday afternoon he was chasing rabbits, and the next morning he couldn’t get up from his bed. He was riddled with cancer, and we had to put him down that Saturday morning.
I figure Mitch has some pretty good miles left in him, despite some gray on his jowls.
I’m not worried about my wife’s vow that this is our last dog. We’ve noticed that friends our age, going through serious health challenges, get a lot of support and unconditional love from their dogs.
And if a dog outlives us — a consideration in your 70s — well, that’s why God gave us a daughter. A daughter with some Wyoming prairie of her own.
So I’m pretty sure I can beat back this “last dog” business. I’d do some serious pouting if she ever tried to make good on that threat.
Those morning and afternoon walks just wouldn’t be the same without the latest in a long line of black Labs at my side giving the rabbits a run for their money. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/contributed_columns/our-last-dog-that-jurys-still-out/article_711c1314-562b-5b8f-ab6d-6341c6af5fdb.html | 2022-04-27T13:35:25Z |
Just like that, tyranny has descended on Florida.
The state legislature, with the support of Gov. Ron DeSantis, voted to repeal the “special independent district” enjoyed by Disney for half a century.
This is a sign, we are told, of the advent of an American authoritarianism that brooks no dissent — Disney criticizes a measure supported by the Florida GOP, the so-called Don’t Say Gay bill, and immediately gets targeted.
There’s a reason this fight escalated to this point, though. Disney was the aggressor in the battle over the education bill, lied about it, and pledged to work to repeal it.
Even though the bill had nothing to do with Disney whatsoever — nothing to do with its product, its business model, or its employees. The company got pushed into its stance based on pressure from a woke segment of its employees and from progressives on the outside.
Disney’s case against the bill relied on the smear that the legislation somehow threatened gay or trans people. In fact, the law merely seeks to exclude inappropriate material from being taught to young children in the classroom — an objective that once would have been considered utterly banal.
“Classroom instruction,” the law says, “by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Based on that, Disney went to the mattresses. And it did so, not to serve its shareholders, enhance its profitability, protect its intellectual property, or align itself with its vast and politically diverse customer base.
This was, shockingly, an iconic American brand making itself into a free-floating weapon of woke cultural politics in response to the social and political influence of a small number of vocal progressives.
Like so many companies before, Disney calculated the risk/reward of gratuitously taking up a left-wing political and cultural fight and considered it all reward, no risk. The Florida legislature decided to convince it that it was wrong.
Republicans have fantasized about exacting revenge on woke corporations before, but to no effect. Disney’s problem is that it had a glaring vulnerability in the form of an arrangement that can easily be portrayed as a special favor.
The provisions allowing Disney to govern itself in its special independent district are so extensive that one analyst refers to the so-called Reedy Creek Improvement District as “the Vatican with mouse ears.”
“Never before or since has such outlandish dominion been given to a private corporation,” Florida writer Carl Hiaasen notes in his book “Team Rodent.” “Disney owns its own utilities. It administers its own planning and zoning. It composes its own building codes and employs its own inspectors. It maintains its own fire department. It even has the authority to levy taxes.”
For good measure, it can build its own airport and nuclear power plant.
Now, that’s all scheduled to go away in a year’s time. Obviously, it is not a good practice for government to retaliate against a business, even a business enjoying a special status.
This fight could have welcome effects, though, if it convinces Disney that it made a mistake by allowing itself to get bullied and cajoled into becoming a combatant in the culture war, or if it convinces other corporations that there’s a potential price to be paid for joining woke mobs.
Republicans don’t want corporations to become tools in advancing their agenda; they just want them to exit the culture wars and focus, once again, on their business, an outcome that would lower the temperature in the country’s cultural fights at least a little.
Ideally, Disney and the Florida legislature work out a renewal of the company’s special district before it is set to expire, and the house of mouse — and other corporations seduced into making themselves de facto left-wing pressure groups — resolves to stick to its core competency and mission. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/let-disney-be-an-example/article_39ad2ac5-7234-5efb-82f5-ca1c6854c37d.html | 2022-04-27T13:35:31Z |
CHEYENNE – Less than two weeks after being rescued from what’s been described as a hoarding situation, the Cheyenne Animal Shelter says the more than 60 dogs are doing well.
Several have already been adopted, with more being fostered or awaiting assessment for adoption. And the community – having stepped up with donations, volunteering and foster homes – has made a difficult situation more manageable, shelter CEO Britney Tennant told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Tuesday.
On April 16, animal control officers responded to a call about 20 large-breed dogs running loose on the south side of Cheyenne, according to a Saturday news release from the city. With help from the city’s Compliance Department, the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office and community members, animal control officers rounded up 23 dogs and transported them to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, along with “a handful more over the next few days.”
The city’s Compliance Department took charge of animal control services for both the city and county Sept. 1.
“Upon contacting the dog owner, animal control quickly became aware of the gravity of the situation the dogs and their owner were in,” the news release said. “The owner accepted an offer to surrender all animals so they could receive medical care and more adequate housing.”
Tennant said it was her understanding that animal control officers had not issued the former owner a citation because the owner surrendered the animals. She said the shelter supported the decision because this type of case is typically difficult to prosecute, and animals must be held as evidence during the duration of the criminal proceeding, which puts strain on both the shelter and the animals themselves.
An animal control supervisor could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
A total of 64 dogs, 13 birds and “a handful” of cats – nine, Tennant estimated – were taken from the situation. The dog breeds included Saint Bernards, English Mastiffs, Bullmastiffs, Catahoula Leopard Dogs and Great Pyrenees, according to an email newsletter from the animal shelter.
The birds were of miscellaneous types. Although the shelter was originally told there were about 100 birds, that number later went down to 40, and 13 were ultimately surrendered from the home. Tennant said she was unsure what caused such a big discrepancy in the bird numbers.
Dog population doubled
Within about 48 hours, the shelter’s dog population doubled, Tennant said in an interview.
Thirteen puppies have been born since the dogs’ rescue, with one more mother waiting to give birth.
For the first days they were in the shelter, the dogs were “pretty shut down and fearful,” Tennant said. In an April 19 newsletter, she described them as “under-socialized, unaccustomed to living as house pets, filthy, and generally unwilling or unable to walk on leashes.”
The shelter added in a later email newsletter that it decided to label it a hoarding situation because the animals were “covered in their own waste, were permitted to breed indiscriminately, had no medical records or established relationship with a veterinarian, and have untreated illnesses and injuries,” though they were minor.
“Where we can, we’ve doubled them up in kennels so they can enjoy some companionship and we can make the best use of our available space,” Tennant wrote. “But, at 150 pounds or more, most of the adults cannot share space. There are so many that we have been forced to take all of our other shelter dogs and condense them into just two adoption rooms. The available space per dog is less than half our usual allotment.”
One of the shelter’s adoption rooms is currently shut down, Tennant said, to house some of the biggest dogs in the group that still need “significant” grooming care. These dogs need to have matted fur removed before they can be examined for medical issues, she said.
Last Thursday, less than a week after the huge influx of dogs, the shelter said in a newsletter that the dogs were already improving. Shelter staff were “working diligently” to care for the animals, the newsletter said, and each were provided daily enrichment and time out of their kennels. Veterinary staff were working through ill and injured dogs, and they were on appropriate medication. The shelter had partnered with “numerous” rescue groups and were met with a lot of community members interested for fostering and adopting.
In the days since then, all of the dogs from the hoarding situation have begun walking on leashes, with some taking to it well, Tennant said in the interview. The dogs are eating, and most have come out of their shells.
“Every day, we see improvements,” she said. “There’s a couple of new dogs every day that have been hiding in the back of their kennel until this new day, and now all of a sudden they’re at the front of their kennel, wagging their tail, looking for attention and interaction from people. So, I think they’re settling in really well.”
The shelter CEO also described them as “the nicest dogs from a hoarding situation that we’ve ever seen.”
Community response
As of Tuesday evening, 36 dogs appeared on the shelter’s website as available to adopt. Tennant said all but about 10 of the dogs currently available were surrendered from the hoarding situation.
The week these dogs came to the shelter, the CEO said, 13 dogs not from that situation that had been available at the shelter “for quite some time” were adopted.
“(The hoarding) case brought attention not only to these dogs, but to lots of dogs in the shelters, so we saw a pretty marked increase in adoptions over the last two weeks from what we’ve had since early in the year,” Tennant said.
Even so, the shelter is still way over its typical 125- to 140-animal capacity. Tennant said the shelter was housing 212 animals as of Tuesday afternoon, and the situation is only tenable because such a large number of people have taken in foster animals.
Being so overwhelmed with animals needing a high level of care has put a strain on shelter workers, Tennant said – physically, mentally and emotionally – with many working 12- to 15-hour shifts.
The large influx of dogs also came during the shelter’s busiest week of the year, when it was preparing for its annual Fur Ball gala fundraiser.
The shelter is always in need of monetary donations, especially because of the large amount of overtime it must pay employees at the moment, said Niki Harrison, the shelter’s director of annual campaign and branding, in an interview with the WTE.
But Harrison and Tennant said that what will really help the shelter out and get it back to normalcy is more adoptions.
People can now simply show up for an adoption appointment, rather than make one beforehand, Harrison said, although the wait can sometimes be up to an hour.
Through the end of the week, all adult dogs – those seven months and older – available for adoption will have a fee of just $50.
And while the impact on staff has been real and challenging, the situation has been largely positive, Tennant said. Donations of dog food and other supplies have flooded in, both from companies and individuals. Veterinary clinics and groomers have donated their services. Supply drives have been organized, and mental health care services for staff have been donated. Black Dog Animal Rescue took in five of the animals, including a pregnant dog.
So many people have asked to volunteer that a fast-track onboarding process has been created for those who want to walk dogs, spend time with cats, clean kennels, do laundry and dishes or otherwise keep the shelter space clean.
Because of publicity given to the case and the huge community response, Tennant said, “these animals are going to be in a really good spot in a pretty short amount of time.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/animal-shelter-making-progress-with-dogs-from-hoarding-situation/article_b7543a5d-5847-514b-aad4-b9c12ab1e078.html | 2022-04-27T13:35:37Z |
Recently arrested by the Cheyenne Police Department:
Gregory G. Snyder, 59, transient, for misdemeanor public intoxication at 10:15 p.m. Monday in the 200 block of West 24th Street.
Deven E. Rabago, 18, transient, on misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear and failure to comply at 10:15 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Morrie Avenue and East Sixth Street.
Troy L. Samsel, 46, of Eighth Street for misdemeanor driving under the influence (alcohol, first in 10 years) at 5:10 p.m. Monday in the 200 block of East Lincolnway.
Kathleen L. Gley, 32, of Windmill Road for misdemeanor red light violation, duty to stop, no registration and no liability insurance at 2:45 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Taft Avenue and East Pershing Boulevard.
Brandyn M. Farley, 31, transient, on a misdemeanor warrant for failure to appear at 11:21 a.m. Monday at the Laramie County jail, 1910 Pioneer Ave.
Danny R. Duran, 57, of Laramie Street for misdemeanor DUI (alcohol, first in 10 years) and failure to maintain lane/unsafe lane change at 10:19 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Central Avenue and Yellowstone Road.
Sarah E. Glover, 31, transient, on a misdemeanor warrant for failure to appear at 5:40 p.m. Sunday at the Laramie County jail.
Jason R. Hellings, 41, transient, for misdemeanor unlawful entry onto property, take/carry away and possession/use of a controlled substance at 1:45 p.m. Sunday in the 800 block of West Lincolnway.
Holly M. Whitermore, 35, of Oxford Drive on a misdemeanor warrant for failure to pay at 1:50 a.m. Sunday in the 1600 block of East 19th Street.
Zachary E. Gunn, 19, of Shenandoah Street on a misdemeanor warrant for violation of a protection order at 12:44 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of Evans Avenue and East Lincolnway.
Courtney R. Sheffer, 26, of South Greeley Highway for misdemeanor DUI (alcohol, second in 10 years) and failure to yield when entering or crossing roadway at 12:30 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of Ridge Road and Nationway.
Jennifer A. Hood, 38, of Hot Springs Avenue on a misdemeanor warrant for theft (less than $1,000) at 8:48 p.m. Saturday in the 2000 block of Dell Range Boulevard.
Mark A. Sisco, 57, transient, for misdemeanor public intoxication at 1 p.m. Saturday in the 1100 block of West Lincolnway.
Michael Miller, 33, transient, on a felony warrant out of an unknown, out-of-state location for probation violation at noon Saturday in the 1700 block of Taft Avenue.
Byron A. Gamble, 35, of West 19th Street on two misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear at 12:18 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Big Horn Avenue and East 16th Street.
Tyson R. Gutierrez, 26, of Lincoln, Nebraska, for felony DUI (fourth or greater in 10 years), misdemeanor interference with a peace officer without injury, careless driving and driving with a suspended license at 10:41 p.m. Friday in the 3600 block of Everton Drive.
Aisha F. Duarte-Tucke, 19, of McGovern Avenue for misdemeanor public intoxication and interfering/obstructing at 2:32 a.m. Friday in the 100 block of West Sixth Street.
Delia J. Sanchez, 39, of Rainbow Road for felony possession of marijuana, misdemeanor DUI (combination drugs and alcohol), interference with a peace officer without injury and speeding at 1:30 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Snyder Avenue and Randall Avenue.
Susan L. Woolum, 57, of East Seventh Street on a misdemeanor warrant for possession of methamphetamine at 8:19 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of U.S. Highway 30 and Van Buren Avenue.
Ricky J. Scott, 49, transient, for misdemeanor DUI (alcohol, second in 10 years), brake light violation and driving under a canceled, suspended or revoked license (first offense) at 7:45 p.m. Thursday in the 3500 block of East Lincolnway.
Daylan T. Medley, 41, transient, on two misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear at 5:22 p.m. Thursday in the 200 block of East 23rd Street.
Brian A. Charpentier, 20, of West Third Avenue on misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear and failure to pay at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of House Avenue and East Lincolnway.
Daniel R. Green, 44, of West Lincolnway for misdemeanor domestic assault at 12:46 a.m. Thursday in the 1100 block of West Lincolnway.
Andre T. McNeill, 25, of West Ninth Street on misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear and failure to pay at 12:08 a.m. Thursday at the intersection of Walterscheid Boulevard and Deming Drive. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/police_blotter/police-blotter-4-27-22/article_2b5e09d6-988a-5cc0-bc64-af076a6ecb02.html | 2022-04-27T13:35:43Z |
For the past two months, it would appear the Cheyenne City Council has dealt with nothing but liquor licenses. From new applicants and transfers to Wyoming Association of Municipalities calls and elected officials dinners, the topic of state statutes and liquor licenses have been a front-burner item.
In my case, it started with a conversation with Judy Johnstone, a town councilperson from Burns. She had a solid piece of advice for me: “Richard, don’t forget the small towns! We have a big voice!” I took her words to heart and followed her advice in drafting what may be the first multi-municipality resolution in Laramie County history. Instead of paraphrasing, I would like you all to read it.
WHEREAS, the municipalities of Laramie County recognize the need for improvement of quality of life throughout Laramie County through existing residents, as well as prospective new residents. This would include, but not be limited to, our workforce development strategy to encourage the residents who reside in Laramie County to stay here for quality of life and not seeking entertainment in other locales, and
WHEREAS, due to recent census data and the current structure of state statutes on liquor licenses, it has been determined by the municipalities of Laramie County that the state statutes are stifling economic growth in not only large, but smaller communities, and
WHEREAS, the municipalities of Laramie County recognize that tourism is the number two industry in Wyoming. The modifications to state statutes on issuance of liquor licenses for new development will create an atmosphere of community and not as a pass-through to other locales, and
WHEREAS, the municipalities of Laramie County have recognized the entrepreneurial spirit of license applicants, causing the governing bodies to be placed in a precarious situation of picking “winners and losers” amongst a variety of qualified candidates. The municipalities of Laramie County believe this is detrimental to a free-market economy, and
WHEREAS, the municipalities of Laramie County have recognized the necessity of local control regarding liquor licenses, as it is the municipality who administers the emergency services and law enforcement, and
WHEREAS, the municipalities of Laramie County have recognized the nationwide trend that most new liquor establishments are locating to former industrial, historical and warehouse districts in dilapidated areas, revitalizing many blighted areas throughout the municipalities, and
WHEREAS, the municipalities of Laramie County have requested the Wyoming Association of Municipalities to draft a similar resolution on this topic to address, but not limited to, licenses regarding grocery store/convenience store sales, entertainment venues, gaming facilities and removal of the census requirements, and
WHEREAS, the municipalities of Laramie County request that upon passage of the modifications to state statutes that they become effective immediately and not July 1, 2023.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GOVERNING BODIES OF LARAMIE COUNTY, WYOMING, that the municipalities of Laramie County hereby request the state legislative committees and state Legislature review, consider and adopt modifications to current state statutes regarding the issuance of liquor licenses in the municipalities of all Wyoming communities.
As many of you may have read, the Legislature has agreed to review this topic in the interim to discuss at the 2023 General Session. I am aware that I have several friends that hold these coveted liquor licenses, and I am sure they will not be pleased to read this resolution or potential change to the prohibition structure of our state statutes.
I was personally shocked when I was told by the mayor of Lingle that two prospective business wanted to relocate, but requested a full retail liquor license before moving there. Lingle has 403 people. Can you imagine what two new businesses would bring to their town? Pine Bluffs followed suit, stating that they had four prospective businesses wanting to relocate there under the same pretense as Lingle.
I am not diminishing the negative effects of the abuse of alcohol in our community. I am cognizant that the regulation of the sale of alcoholic beverages is viewed as a legal necessity, and some may not view it as a quality of life.
I really hope that all of you that read this know someone in any of Wyoming’s 99 local governments. Please contact them and ask them to copy and paste my resolution and approve at their local levels. The more municipalities that sign on, the better chance we have with the Legislature.
If you believe this endeavor has merit or is detrimental to the city, please email me at rjohnson@cheyennecity.org. You can also direct any municipalities in Wyoming to this email address. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/johnson-liquor-license-resolution-may-be-a-first-for-laramie-county/article_358d3668-07a6-5e2f-8c7a-f4e4c8c03d40.html | 2022-04-27T13:35:49Z |
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 | https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/city-needs-to-prioritize-getting-bus-system-operational-again/article_b4d6be46-c92a-5abb-871a-1bfc2caaa993.html | 2022-04-27T13:35:56Z |
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 | https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/kudos-to-erin-madson-for-her-courageous-letter-to-the-editor/article_0ff839b7-cfb1-5b4b-b819-34018ffc4cc6.html | 2022-04-27T13:36:02Z |
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 | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/announcements/birth-announcement/article_7df5f35c-e421-5c30-b23d-5995640e7ecd.html | 2022-04-27T13:36:08Z |
CHEYENNE — Lawyers for Alec Baldwin are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of defaming the family of a Wyoming Marine killed in Afghanistan, recent court filings show.
According to a motion for dismissal, Baldwin says he was expressing his constitutionally protected political opinion about the Jan. 6 riots, rather than defaming the Marine’s sister and widow as their complaint alleges. The actor’s lawyer also argues the case does not have standing in Wyoming, since Baldwin has no connection to the state.
Baldwin donated $5,000 to one of Rylee McCollum’s sisters after the 20-year-old Marine from Bondurant was killed in a Kabul airport bombing in August, according to the initial complaint.
In January, when Roice McCollum posted a photo from a Jan. 6, 2021, demonstration in Washington, D.C., Baldwin commented to confi rm she was the one who received his donation.
They exchanged private messages, court filings state, in which Baldwin accused her of being a “January 6th rioter” and said her actions resulted in property destruction and the death of an officer. McCollum told him she was protesting legally and had already met with the FBI.
Baldwin reposted her photo to his own account, which had 2.4 million followers at the time, according to court documents. He called claims of non-violent protests on Jan. 6 were “bulls” and indicated he would remove the post the following day. The photo, as well as his comment on her original post, have been deleted.
McCollum received hundreds of “hostile, aggressive, hateful” messages frozm Baldwin’s followers after that, according to the complaint, causing her and the other plaintiff s in the case distress, anxiety and fear.
While McCollum’s counsel argues Baldwin acted maliciously in reposting the photo, alleging he knew it would bring them harassment, the actor’s motion says the act could not be malicious because there were no known factual inaccuracies in his caption.
It also argues Baldwin shouldn’t be held accountable for messages sent by other people.
“Would this case exist if Baldwin weren’t a well-known actor? Would Plaintiff s be asking for $25 million? No, clearly not,” the motion reads. “This is a political dispute masquerading as a lawsuit, motivated further by money. The public square—not this Court—is the proper place to debate Alec Baldwin’s opinion.”
In a response filed this week, lawyers for the McCollums said Baldwin’s comment calling Roice an “insurrectionist” was accusing her of criminal activity and therefore defaming her “by implication.” They also say that Baldwin’s actions were more serious because of his large following.
“As evidenced by the followers’ responses to Baldwin’s publication, the implication in this false statement is that Plaintiffs are rioters, traitors, racists, Nazis, or white supremacists who sought to overthrow the United States democracy,” their response states.
Baldwin’s motion argues “insurrection” is not a criminal charge, and is rather an expression of his opinion of the events of Jan. 6.
“This case is not about whether you’re a Democrat, whether you’re a Republican,” said Luke Nikas, one of Baldwin’s longtime lawyers. “It’s about whether you believe in the first amendment and in the U.S. and Wyoming constitutions and freedom of speech.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/actor-baldwin-seeks-dismissal-of-wyoming-lawsuit/article_8032a8f0-c7a7-5964-a5f5-07fe52aa9923.html | 2022-04-27T13:36:14Z |
There’s a reason for the saying “busy as a bee.” That’s because these members of the insect world keep very active in their quest to collect pollen and create the next generation of bees.
An opportunity to learn much more about bees is offered by a collaboration of the Biodiversity Institute at the University of Wyoming, the Albany County Public Library and Wyoming PBS. The Bee Jubilee is scheduled for 1 p.m. May 1 at the Berry Center on the UW campus.
Dorothy Tuthill, assistant director of the Biodiversity Institute, said this is the first time for this event that features a viewing of the PBS film “My Garden of a Thousand Bees.”
“The film is stunning, and watching it on the large screen at the Berry Center will really enhance the experience,” Tuthill said. “The photography is fabulous.”
Most people likely picture honey bees when thinking of bees. Honey bees are non-native and were brought to the Americas by early European settlers for their beeswax and honey. They are very social and live in hives.
By contrast, our “wild” bees tend to live solitary lives and create nests in holes. These can be on the ground, in old wood or even in rock. Discovering the habits and world of bees is no easy feat since they tend to fly off when researchers get too close.
It took acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Martin Dohrn considerable effort and adaptation to figure out how to film bees going about their normal lives. He had the time, though, and no place to go except his own yard in Bristol, England. It was the lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of traveling around the globe to film wildlife, he headed to his own urban backyard.
In his rather wild-looking garden, Dohrn found it difficult to get close to the bees. They seemed particularly alert and wary of his approaches. So, he forged unique lenses at his kitchen table.
Once he figured out how to film them, he catalogued more than 60 bee species just in his own garden. These ranged from large bumblebees to mosquito-sized scissor bees.
With his attention to detail, Dohrn named a few distinctive individual bees. He even became somewhat attached to a leafcutter bee he named Nicky (because of a nick in her wing).
Not only is the photography in the film amazing, it also goes into the life of bees. It will keep the interest of viewers of all ages; even youngsters will be enthralled.
After the film, a panel of bee experts will take questions from the audience. Tuthill said the panelists are UW graduate students with two focused on native bees and one on the non-native honey bee.
Moderator is Laramie High School student Tresize Tronstad, daughter ofLusha Tronstad, invertebrate zoology program manager for the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database.
“Bring all your bee questions,” Tuthill said. “The three bee specialists offer a wealth of knowledge and are ready to answer your questions.”
Following the panel, participants can enjoy bee-related activities. One likely to attract all ages is the construction of a bee hotel. Tuthill explains this type of “hotel” is a series of holes in recycled lumber.
“Holes are a big thing with bees,” Dohrn says in the film. “They can’t seem to pass one by without having to check it out.”
Another activity that goes through the summer is the planting of wildflowers to attract bees. While the seeds can be planted in an individual’s yard, there is also the opportunity to plant them in a garden at the Albany County Public Library. Journals will be given out to those who want to keep a record of the plants’ progress through the summer.
Members of the Laramie Garden Club will be on hand to provide recommendations on what to grow to attract pollinators. There will even be insects on display where the various species of bees can be viewed without the risk of getting stung.
This is a great opportunity for residents of all ages to learn about and appreciate these insects that buzz from flower to flower all summer.
If you go:
What: Bee Jubilee
When: 1 p.m. May 1
Where: University of Wyoming Berry Center on Campus
Cost: Free
Event schedule
1 p.m.: Film screening of “My Garden of a Thousand Bees”
2 p.m.: Q&A with University of Wyoming graduate students specializing in bumble bees, honey bees and pollination
Learning stations and crafts | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/all-abuzz-about-bees/article_0edb05b1-ead1-545b-9290-99738d23c2bd.html | 2022-04-27T13:36:20Z |
Man gets 74-100 years on 58 child porn charges
GREEN RIVER (WNE) — A 49-year-old Wamsutter resident will be spending the rest of his life in prison following a sentencing hearing where he plead guilty to 58 criminal charges.
Russell Jay Byrne was sentenced Monday to a prison sentence of 74-100 years by Third Judicial District Court Judge Suzannah Robinson for charges including the possession, manufacture and distribution of child pornography, as well as the sexual abuse of three children.
According to the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office, a joint investigation involving the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force started nearly two years ago after receiving tips about Byrne’s activity. Investigators and a team consisting of members from the Green River Police Department, Wyoming Department of Family Services, DCI’s southwest enforcement team and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigation team conducted an operation in November that led to Byrne being detained and serving multiple search warrants to secure various electronic devices and forensic evidence that also led to shutting down Byrne’s production and distribution operation.
Sweetwater County Attorney Dan Erramouspe said the goal of this case was to ensure Byrne never saw the outside of a prison wall again and the plea agreement offered to Byrne was long enough to accomplish that.
“The fact that we accomplished that goal without having to do a trial and putting our victims through that difficult process is a good thing,” Erramouspe said.
Flaming Gorge to be drawn down
CASPER (WNE) — The Southwest is turning to upstream reservoirs as the water level in Lake Powell continues to fall.
Regulators plan to release an extra 500,000 acre-feet of water from Wyoming’s Flaming Gorge Reservoir between May of this year and April of next year to prevent Lake Powell, a reservoir on the Colorado River that’s a major source of both water and electricity, from becoming so depleted that it stops generating hydropower.
Prolonged drought and high temperatures fueled by climate change have shrunk the water level in Lake Powell, which sits on both sides of the Utah-Arizona border, to about one-quarter of capacity. The first-ever planned effort to ease the effects of drought at the reservoir comes less than a year after regulators announced an emergency release of 125,000 acre-feet from Flaming Gorge — about 4 feet in elevation loss — for the same purpose last summer.
If approved by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the additional release is expected to lower the water level at Flaming Gorge by 10 feet from its current elevation — including a 6-foot drop by August — and by about 15 feet compared with the estimated water level without any drought response.
Historically, there’s been less demand for water from Flaming Gorge than other upper-basin reservoirs. The lower demand kept its water level high, which in turn kept it popular for recreation — an important factor affecting decisions about releasing some of that water.
Jackson reinstates ‘Old West’ parade
JACKSON (WNE) — In a surprising reversal, the Old West Days committee of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce has decided to plan a Memorial Day parade, even without hitting its target number of participants.
Chamber president and CEO Anna Olson let a late Friday press release do the talking. A story in this week’s News&Guide spelled out the primary issue with hosting an Old West Parade: not enough participation.
On a News&Guide social media post for the story, one commenter wrote: “A [community’s] soul and traditions are created and sustained by its residents. Lack of interest or passion is why communities change over time. In so many aspects we have all been witnessing the Hole lose its soul for decades now.”
But the Old West Days committee decided that dying day has not come yet for the parade.
“Despite still not meeting the criteria of 30 entrants, (only 20 confirmed at time of release) there was agreement and recognition the community wants to see a parade,” members wrote in a media release.
One of those members, Vicki Garnick, owner of the Jackson Hole Playhouse, said specifically: “We recognize this was hard for the community and decided to revisit by encouraging those who wanted to participate to reach out.”
Olson explained further: “During the past 10 days we have seen some sparks of community support, so in the ‘Ride for the Brand’ spirit let’s ignite those sparks and anticipate others.”
Man dies in Cheyenne motorcycle crash
CHEYENNE (WNE) — A man died in a motorcycle crash in Cheyenne earlier this month, according to a Wyoming Highway Patrol crash report summary.
Joseph Sharp, 56, of Wyoming died after being thrown from the motorcycle at around 10 p.m. April 9.
Sharp was riding southbound on Powderhouse Road near milepost 3.78 when he failed to negotiate a curve after cresting a hill, the report summary said. His motorcycle crossed into the northbound lane, and he then left the roadway.
After attempting to get the motorcycle back onto the road, it began to slide, the report said. The motorcycle flipped several times, and Sharp was thrown from the bike.
Sharp was not wearing a helmet.
No contributing factors were listed. The weather was described in the report summary as clear, and the roadway as dry. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/around-wyoming/article_17c84679-9fe1-5ce4-ba26-f422f33ee471.html | 2022-04-27T13:36:27Z |
JACKSON — Members of the Grizzly 399 fan club had been staking out Pilgrim Creek for weeks, waiting for the celebrity bear to make her first appearance.
Among them, Jill Hall had guessed that the famous mom would emerge April 1. Instead, she showed herself more than two weeks later, a span that saw Hall, 59, camping out in the snow, hoping to be near the action.
Watching Grizzly 399 is “almost a spiritual experience,” said Hall, who doesn’t normally camp in the snow.
As snow once again started to fall Saturday, the grizzly and her brood emerged in the afternoon to 15 to 20 carloads of spectators. An entourage of roughly 100 vehicles soon coalesced around the famous fivesome as the bears promenaded down along Pilgrim Creek, crossed the road to Willow Flats and forded the Snake River before continuing south in Grand Teton National Park.
“It left us all really speechless,” said wildlife photographer Tiffany Taxis. “Everyone was just overjoyed to see all five.”
Hall admired how the mother grizzly led her cubs, turning her head to keep an eye on them, especially one cub that tends to lag behind the others.
“She’s still definitely in charge for a mom her age,” Hall said.
But that will soon change as her roughly 2-year-old cubs strike out on their own. Her and her cubs’ actions last season — when they traveled through southern Jackson Hole, getting into human-related foods and moving through downtown Jackson — have her followers on high alert.
And she’s continuing to move south in the park. On Tuesday evening, Grand Teton Chief of Staff Jeremy Barnum said 399 and her cubs had been spotted near the Chapel of Transfiguration near Moose. He said that wasn’t necessarily cause for alarm and that her trajectory was “part of a movement pattern that we’ve seen before.”
Still, he cautioned: “The farther south she goes, the more we all need to pay attention and be vigilant.”
At 26, 399 is relatively old for a grizzly. Bear watchers wondered what condition she would be in and whether she would emerge at all.
“I was starting to worry about her,” said Tom Mangelsen, a Jackson Hole wildlife photographer who’s followed 399 around the valley for years.
The mother griz is one of the most well-known animals in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, if not the most well-known. But she is also a bear that’s gotten into conflicts and become habituated to human presence.
In 2007, she and her three yearling cubs made a name for themselves as they foraged along the roads between Colter Bay and Oxbow Bend in Teton Park. They also became notorious that year after 399 attacked a hiker who stumbled across her and her cubs feeding on an elk carcass near Jackson Lake Lodge. She bit the hiker on the buttocks.
The hiker survived, and 399’s actions were classified as “defensive.” Officials didn’t take further management actions.
399 has since mothered a number of cubs and raised them along park roads, delighting tourists, wildlife photographers and wildlife watchers alike. From 2012 to 2019, her presence attracted thousands of bear watchers. She’s inspired stickers and her own Facebook group, and birthed other sows, like Grizzly 610, who went on to be successful, semi-famous bears of their own.
People are now passionate about 399’s survival.
“Depending who you talk to, that’s the most important bear that’s ever been in the GYE,” Wyoming Game and Fish Large Carnivore Supervisor Dan Thompson said at an early April press conference largely focused on 399 and her four cubs.
Wildlife managers expect that the cubs will separate from their mother sometime this season.
For the past two years, 399 has led her cubs into the valley’s developed southern reaches where they’ve gotten into livestock feed, garbage and beehives: Human-related foods that can be deadly for grizzlies and other bears.
After getting food rewards, bears can get used to a food source — and become aggressive in trying to reach it, potentially posing a danger to humans. When that happens, wildlife officials consider hazing, relocating or removing bears, either by euthanasia or placement in a zoo or other animal rescue facility.
All of those options are on the table for dealing with 399 and her cubs, wildlife managers have said.
To prevent any of those steps, wildlife officials are putting the onus on people.
They’re asking residents to store garbage in bear-resistant containers, secure livestock feed, pet food, compost, and beehives, and hang bird feeders to make them inaccessible to bears. Teton County will require all of that as part of a recently-approved update to its land development regulations. But that update won’t go into effect until July 1.
Compliance in the meantime is voluntary but encouraged by local, state and federal wildlife officials.
“We want people to be able to see bears in their natural habitat,” Thompson said in April. “With that comes great responsibility, I think. If that gets abused, things can go awry extremely quickly.”
Mangelsen said the path 399 and her cubs are on is fairly typical.
“I’ve seen her go as far as the airport right after she comes out of the den,” said Mangelsen, who spoke with the News&Guide before Grizzly 399 was spotted near Moose.
Teton Park’s branch manager of fish and wildlife, Kate Wilmot, said 399’s path over the weekend, which took her to the Signal Mountain area, was “totally normal for her within her home range.”
Barnum said Tuesday night that she’s moved as far south as she had by then “in years past.”
Wilmot said where Grizzly 399 and her cubs go will depend, in part, on what foods she’s able to find, which will depend on weather and moisture over the next few weeks.
“Bears are opportunistic omnivores so they have an opportunity to diet switch when their natural foods aren’t in season for whatever reason,” Wilmot said. “We just have to see what Mother Nature gives us.”
If 399 does head farther south, she could once again enter developed areas where she’s encountered human foods in the past. There’s concern that the young bears have learned that behavior from their mother.
Hilary Cooley, grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, came to Jackson last fall to manage 399’s foray into developed areas.
“We’re probably going to have to deal with at least one of the cubs in some shape or form,” Cooley previously told the News&Guide.
In the meantime, park officials are planning to manage 399 and other bears the way they typically do: Managing crowds and traffic around roadside bears and trying to prevent conflict.
But they also have a bit of an advantage this year when it comes to 399, at least until the cubs are kicked off. Two of the cubs were radio collared last year, and park officials are watching that tracking data.
“We’re monitoring their movement pretty closely,” Barnum said.
The park’s wildlife brigade, a team of roughly 30 park volunteers and three park staff who manage bear jams, is also up and running.
All of that comes as bears emerge, and 399 in particular captures the hearts of her fans like wildlife photographer Joe Stone.
“I’m more worried about people than I am anything else,” Stone said. “I’m just hoping our community can do the right thing.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/famous-fivesome-offers-surprise-for-watchers/article_c2461052-1fdb-562c-b920-86548be11302.html | 2022-04-27T13:36:33Z |
JACKSON — Grizzly 399 and her four cubs have left Grand Teton National Park, taking a southern tack much earlier than officials and wildlife watchers expected.
“As far as we know, this is the farthest south she’s been this early in the year ever, and that does have us concerned,” Chief of Staff Jeremy Barnum said.
That “increases the imperative that she not get food rewards,” he said.
“The hope would be if she and the subadults don’t get food rewards, they’ll instead focus on natural food sources, which hopefully would lead them back up into the park,” he said.
Dan Thompson, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s large carnivore supervisor, confirmed this is the earliest 399 has left the park: less than a week after emerging from the den.
In the past two years, 399 and her cubs have ventured down into the southern part of Jackson Hole later in the year, getting into human-related foods two falls in a row.
The grizzlies’ more recent movements had wildlife managers and watchers concerned. Bears that repeatedly access human-related foods can get aggressive in trying to get to them, presenting a safety hazard for humans and thus increasing the potential for more invasive management actions: hazing, relocation, and live or lethal removal.
Wildlife managers are currently focusing on conflict prevention, asking people in Teton County to lock up attractants like trash, beehives, compost and chicken coops.
But they have said more severe management options are on the table this year for the famous fivesome. That’s particularly true for 399’s cubs, which are expected to separate from their mother sometime this spring and have a history of accessing human-related food.
“Those offspring haven’t been taught how to forage naturally,” Thompson said.
399’s current southern foray comes a few months before July 1, when Teton County’s new wildlife feeding ordinance goes into effect.
It will require bear-resistant trash cans, and residents in areas outside of the town of Jackson will have to lock up other attractants. In the meantime, compliance is encouraged, but voluntary.
Kristin Combs, executive director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, worries the county is not ready for grizzly season.
“Absolutely not,” she said. “Not prepared at all.”
Nonprofits like hers, meanwhile, are trying to move the needle on locking up attractants. It has raised $200,000 to purchase 280 bear-resistant cans and offer some to residents at reduced costs. Thompson said the county is also in a state of “hyper awareness” given 399’s recent history.
“I think that’s a good thing,” he said, also pointing to relatively low tourism in the valley as a positive.
Game and Fish is responsible for managing 399, her cubs and other bears outside the park. Last year, Game and Fish officials called in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help them manage 399 and her brood.
But state and federal wildlife managers have said they plan to have the state agency manage the 399 situation this year, with feds as backup if necessary.
With the celebrity bear outside Grand Teton, Thompson said, there haven’t been any issues so far. The bears have largely stuck to a Snake River drainage.
“They’re not in a bad spot right now,” he said.
But members of the public have been tailing the bears, and Game and Fish officials are on the ground monitoring the bears’ movement.
Thompson asked the public to not be “selfish or ignorant about these bears or any wildlife.”
“Give these bears space, give the wildlife space, give the people on the ground space,” Thompson said. “Don’t put yourself in a position that’s going to be bad for you or bears.”
To confirm 399’s location, Barnum cited data Thursday from the radio collars placed on two of the cubs last season. There’s a lag in that information — Barnum referenced data from the day prior — so it’s not clear where, exactly, 399 was at press time Thursday. But Barnum said the bears made their way out of the park along the Snake River bottom.
Grizzly photographer and advocate Tom Mangelsen said he had spotted them Wednesday evening east of Teton Village and had heard reports they had been spotted farther north Thursday.
“Hopefully she’s going north,” Mangelsen said.
The photographer also admitted he was a bit flummoxed by how quickly the bears had moved south.
“I didn’t really think she’d go far south,” said Mangelsen, who predicted otherwise. “The airport was about as far south as she’d ever gone that I’m aware of at this time of year.”
Thompson asked the public to continue to relay information to Game and Fish so the department can “act appropriately.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/grizzly-399-cubs-leave-grand-teton/article_60a4b488-520e-5d6b-b8e3-0ffd537222f1.html | 2022-04-27T13:36:39Z |
The judge in an upcoming corner-crossing criminal trespass trial decided Thursday to limit the use of, but not bar entirely, a body-cam video that shows law officers discussing with a ranch manager potential charges against four Missouri hunters.
Prosecutors sought to prohibit playing the video for the jury, saying the officers were discussing aspects and interpretations of trespassing laws that are the province of the court alone. Carbon County Circuit Court Judge Susan Stipe agreed to part of that request.
Four Missouri hunters have pleaded not guilty to the trespass charges and contend they stepped from one piece of public land to another — at the intersection of two public and two private sections — without setting foot on private property. The case involves the checkerboard pattern of land ownership in parts of Carbon County where private and public land are interspersed.
The cases hinge on whether a person passing through the airspace above a private piece of land is trespassing, and their outcomes may impact public access to millions of acres of public land in the West.
Stipe agreed Thursday that playing the entire 16-minute video would not be allowed and that the discussion on it “would likely not be useful to the jurors.” But portions of it could be used by defense attorneys, Stipe said, if they want to employ it to challenge witness statements given by law-enforcement.
Essentially, if the video contradicts what officers testify to in court, defense attorneys could play relevant portions of it to challenge the officers’ statements in front of the jury.
The video is “not going to be played unless certain portions are necessary in impeachment,” Stipe said during a two-hour motions hearing in Rawlins.
Attorneys will confer again Monday regarding jury instructions and other unsettled elements of the case before it is presented at a trial scheduled to begin Wednesday. Lawyers at Thursday’s motions hearing did not discuss any potential delay of the trial. The judge had mulled a delay last week saying she worried that a related civil suit in federal court might undermine the criminal trespass case before her.
The trial against Phillip G. Yeomans, Bradly H. Cape, John W. Slowensky and Zachary M. Smith is scheduled to begin in Rawlins starting Wednesday. The case is based on an incident in 2021. Three might face an alternative charge of trespassing to hunt involving a similar alleged corner-crossing incident in 2020.
The court has set aside two days for the matter. Criminal trespass carries a penalty of up to $750 and six months in jail upon conviction.
The men are charged with trespassing on the ranch owned by Iron Bar Holdings and Fred Eshelman, a North Carolina resident, businessman, conservationist, philanthropist and donor to conservative political causes who made millions in the pharmaceutical business. Eshelman is listed as a potential witness, according to discussion at Thursday’s hearing.
He could testify to ownership of the Elk Mountain Ranch, a legal element that Stipe called “hurdle number-one” in the prosecution’s case against the hunters. But establishing that ownership typically requires testimony from someone other than the owner himself, Stipe said.
She agreed to allow Eshelman’s attorney, Gregory Weisz, to present evidence of ownership, boundaries and easements if he limits his testimony to those topics and not interpretations of trespass laws. Weisz also represents Eshelman in the parallel civil suit in federal court.
All the attorneys involved could instead agree to stipulate that Iron Bar and Eshelman own the property in question, Stipe said.
Attorneys debated several other aspects of the trial, including whether the jury would be considering a specific incident of alleged trespassing or the defendants’ numerous actions over a period of days — perhaps even over two years — and at different locations. Defense attorney Patrick Lewallen said the prosecution’s quest to allege trespass across a broad geographic range and expansive period was a “shotgun approach” that would allow “a potential of 280 combinations” of circumstances to reach a potential conviction.
Stipe told prosecutors they had to limit their case, at this time, to one incident.
Attorneys also sparred over what’s known as Rule 404(b) — the use of a defendant’s previous “crimes, wrongs or acts” — to establish the defendant’s character. Prosecutors could bring up, for example, allegations that three of the four defendants corner-crossed in the same area in 2020.
Stipe and the attorneys did not resolve all the issues Thursday. Some of the many machinations could play out at the conference Monday. Many could be settled only during the trial as they may arise, the judge indicated. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/judge-limits-use-of-body-cam-video-in-corner-crossing-trial/article_62d5d7d8-f7d4-5586-90f6-9f755ad53f56.html | 2022-04-27T13:36:45Z |
...Elevated to Near-Critical Fire Weather Today...
This is a special weather statement from the National Weather
Service Office in Cheyenne.
* WHAT...Elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions with
low humidity in the teens to low 20s, elevated sustained winds
of 10 to 25 mph with occasional gusts at 20 to 25 mph possible.
Fuels remain dry in many areas, especially grasses.
* WHERE...High Plains of Southeast Wyoming, southern Nebraska
Panhandle, Laramie Valley, and Carbon County.
* WHEN...12pm through 8pm tonight.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Fires starts and spreadibility could be
increased under these weather conditions. Outdoor burning is
discouraged, especially during the afternoon.
A local restauranteur has been recognized as the Wyoming Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Lena Dirck, owner of The Aspen House Restaurant in Rawlins, has been selected the 2022 winner ahead of National Small Business Week.
The SBA Wyoming District Office has partnered with the Wyoming Small Business Development Center Network for an awards ceremony at The Aspen House from 2-3 p.m. May 5, according to a press release announcing the award.
Rawlins Mayor Terry Weickum is scheduled to attend with an open house following with samples of the restaurant’s food.
Dirck also will be part of the National Small Business Week Virtual Summit, which will be held May 2-5.
“It’s an honor to be selected as Small Business Person of the Year, and I’m very thankful for the SBA, the SBDC, my husband and our wonderful team here,” Dirck said. “We’ve been through a lot over the past few years, but we continue to work hard and are proud to have the support of the Rawlins community and patrons from across the country.”
Along with the virtual summit, National Small Business Week will include a free online conference featuring educational workshops and networking opportunities for participants. For more information about what’s available through the conference, visit sba.gov/nsbw.
The Wyoming District Office also will host free learning events throughout the week, including tips for starting your own business and veteran-focused resources. For more information, visit sba.gov/wy. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/local/aspen-house-owner-named-states-small-business-person-of-the-year/article_c72b02c6-ac9f-5492-96bb-25cda459d31d.html | 2022-04-27T13:36:51Z |
Dave Throgmorton, former executive director for the Carbon County Higher Education Center and longtime local Democratic leader, has been chosen as the new chairman of Carbon County Democrats.
He also chose Saturday’s local spring convention in Rawlins on Saturday to say he intends to run as a Democrat for Wyoming superintendent of public instructions.
The convention was held in-person and via Zoom because of an April snowstorm that dumped more than 3 inches of snow across the county.
The party platform also was discussed and adopted. Most of the positions in the platform were adopted from the national party platform with only a couple of changes.
The election of the party’s county officers was discussed and held. The new Carbon County Democratic Party officers are Throgmorton as chairman; Barbara Parsons as vice-chair; Sandy Mehle-Hanson will continue as treasurer; and Lee Ann Stevenson is the woman state precinct person. Two seats remain open, party secretary and male state precinct person.
The Wyoming Democratic Convention will be held in Rock Springs on June 11-12 and the Carbon County officers were encouraged to attend.
Candidate announcements
Lee Ann Stevenson of Riverside informed those attending the convention that she’s preparing to announce her candidacy for state House of Representative seat for District 47. The seat will be open as incumbent Rep. Jerry Paxton does not plan to run again, Stevenson said.
Stevenson’s official announcement will come in May at a public event to be held in Riverside at the Beartrap Restaurant.
Throgmorton also said that he’s considering running for state superintendent of public instruction. His final decision will be made soon.
This position is now held by Cody Republican Brian Schroeder, who was appointed by Gov. Mark Gordon in February after the sudden resignation of Jillian Balow, who left her elected position in January take a similar job in Virginia. Schroeder has already announced his intention to seek election.
Wyoming in general, and Carbon County in particular, has historically been a challenge for Democrats. But it has become more difficult in the last decade with Democratic registrations having declined about 10% since 2012, while Republican registrations have increased by a similar number.
According to the website Best Places Liberal/Conservative Liberal Index 21.4% of registered voters in the county voted Democrat in the last presidential election, while 75.2% voted Republican and 3.3% as independents.
Republicans also have a decided advantage over Democrats in fundraising. Stevenson discussed state party funding sources that would be available this year.
Potential campaigning activities for the 2022 election cycle were also discussed. It was decided to have a party booth at the Carbon County Fair this year. Throgmorton suggested and offered to host a giant yard sale in Rawlins as a way to clean out his garage and “raise some money for the party coffers.”
Cindy Bloomquist offered the use of The Yard, a Saratoga Music venue, as a campaign site for any candidates this season. Participation in the local parades and appearances at senior centers and other activities around the county also were discussed. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/local/carbon-county-dems-outline-plan-for-election-season/article_bc7b57af-1fca-5634-8427-ca3a14ada130.html | 2022-04-27T13:36:59Z |
...Elevated to Near-Critical Fire Weather Today...
This is a special weather statement from the National Weather
Service Office in Cheyenne.
* WHAT...Elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions with
low humidity in the teens to low 20s, elevated sustained winds
of 10 to 25 mph with occasional gusts at 20 to 25 mph possible.
Fuels remain dry in many areas, especially grasses.
* WHERE...High Plains of Southeast Wyoming, southern Nebraska
Panhandle, Laramie Valley, and Carbon County.
* WHEN...12pm through 8pm tonight.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Fires starts and spreadibility could be
increased under these weather conditions. Outdoor burning is
discouraged, especially during the afternoon.
Rawlins Mayor Terry Weickum has signed a proclamation recognizing Friday as Arbor Day.
Arbor Day is an annual celebration held in the spring to commemorate the city’s re-certification as a Tree City USA and promote the importance of trees in the community.
It is the 27th year of the city has earned a Tree City USA designation.
This year, Arbor Day will be celebrated from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday along East Daley Street.
“Seedling trees are donated by the SER Conservation District to be given away, free of charge, to the community members during this celebration,” according to the agenda of last week’s City Council meeting. “Trees are also purchased from a wholesale nursery and are sold to the public for cost at the city of Rawlins Parks Shop, 1524 E. Daley St.”
Any trees left over from the sale will be planted by city staff in parks, green belts, the downtown area and in the cemetery.
By offering the trees to local residents, the city hopes to encourage planting more to benefit the area aesthetically and economically.
Some of the examples of the value trees bring include energy savings through shading and wind protection; reduction of air pollution through carbon dioxide consumption; control of soil erosion; improved human comfort; and increased property value.
“Trees can be a solution to combating climate change by reducing the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, cutting heating and cooling costs, moderating the temperature, cleaning the air, producing life-giving oxygen and providing habitat for wildlife,” according to the agenda. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/local/rawlins-values-trees-with-proclamation/article_c87c8215-7641-5b5d-9719-2f0a6a04597b.html | 2022-04-27T13:37:05Z |
Parents who say their daughters were victims in a blackmail case involving a Burns High School student say the school district has been slow to respond to the incident, keeping the student in classes and in extracurricular activities with some of the alleged victims for months.
Two parents of a pair of underage students spoke to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and asked that their names not be used.
The parents and an attorney connected to the case said an investigation by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation revealed the student had altered photos of female classmates to make them appear nude. He apparently threatened to send the doctored photos to colleges, teachers, student activity leaders and parents if the female students did not send him genuine photos that were sexually explicit.
One of the parents said they became aware of the case in September after the suspect threatened their daughter, and that the DCI investigation began the same week. The other parent said they were notified by DCI their daughter was a victim in the case sometime in February.
“Several” of the victims have switched to online schooling because of the stress associated with having to face the alleged perpetrator, one parent said.
This parent said there had been “absolute inaction” thus far on the part of the school district and school administrators, other than no longer allowing the accused student to participate in large school gatherings.
“The key to this is the school district not having a policy,” the parent said. “Girls continue to be victimized (at school).”
The parent referenced school activities that require participants to sign a code of conduct. A discipline matrix on the LCSD2 and Burns High websites lists potential consequences for things like harassment and “sexually-based behaviors,” including referral to law enforcement and/or expulsion.
Another parent said their daughter had changed her own schedule to avoid being in class with the accused student. The parent said her daughter was told by Burns High’s administration that the accused student was leaving classes early so the alleged victims wouldn’t have to see him in the hallway.
That’s not enough, the parent said.
“There’s no possible way, without physically removing him from the building, that you can keep the girls and him out of each other’s line of sight (consistently),” the parent said. “My daughter is at a point with the school that she feels like they’re protecting him more than her.”
Insufficient response
An LCSD2 student also brought up the issue at a March 14 meeting of the district’s board of trustees. Speaking during the public comment period, the student asserted that “right now, we have a very big problem in our school system.”
“I am moving to suggest a policy that would remove charged felons from the general student body,” the student said, according to a recording of the meeting.
There were more than 30 victims at Burns “who are having to look a charged felon in the eyes within a general classroom,” the student said, adding that the proposed policy would put the accused student “in isolation” in an effort to protect not only the alleged victims, but others who attend the Burns school, as well.
A trustee told her that although the board would not respond that evening, “we will certainly, at some point, address those kinds of things.”
This student’s family said that, as of Thursday, they had not received a response from the school board.
DCI Director Forrest Williams confirmed in an email to the WTE that the agency had investigated the case and that the student had been charged. The WTE could not confirm what charges had been filed against the student or the current status of the case, however.
Laramie County assistant district attorney Jeff O’Holleran, identified by parents and an LCSD2 attorney as the prosecutor in the case, declined to comment on any juvenile matter. That’s because juvenile cases are kept confidential, except in some specific circumstances, according to Wyoming statute.
LCSD2 Superintendent Justin Pierantoni and Burns Junior-Senior High School Principal Bobby Dishman did not respond to the WTE’s phone and email queries. LCSD2 board Chair Julianne Randall and Vice Chair Mike Olson did not respond to emails.
“The school district is aware of concerns that some students and their families have raised,” said Scott Kolpitcke, an attorney for LCSD2, in a phone interview with the WTE. “They have responded and addressed those within the scope of the law.”
In response to another email invitation for comment Thursday, Kolpitcke wrote, “Laramie County School District #2 is aware of concerns raised by some students and parents regarding the incidents you described. As with any complaint about student conduct, LCSD#2 takes appropriate steps, within the scope of the law, to investigate complaints, and to protect students. LCSD#2 cannot comment on specific details of actions it may have taken, or any investigations conducted, because state and federal laws protect the confidentiality and privacy of student information. The School District has policies in place to address student conduct, including, but not limited to policies which address alleged sexual harassment under Title IX. The School District has complied with its policies, and with the applicable laws, and will continue to do so in the best interests of its students.”
Coincidentally, family members of a Natrona County School District 1 student spoke before that school board about a similar issue, also on March 14.
According to reporting by the Casper Star-Tribune, family members of a girl attending a Casper high school said a student had committed sexual battery against her. They asked the board why the student was still allowed to play sports for his high school, despite having been convicted and sentenced to probation lasting until August.
The newspaper later reported that, according to a letter from Chadron State College in Nebraska, the accused high school student was no longer planning to attend following the accusations becoming public. It was unclear whether the college had revoked the student’s admission or if he’d decided not to attend. It was also unclear when the decision was made.
At an April board meeting, a Natrona County trustee said that, after hearing the family’s story, he believed the student code of conduct needed to be “’revised to better clarify its intent and to better ensure its consistent application’ among students,” the Star-Tribune reported.
Lawyer: Burns principal dismissive
In a March 18 letter to Superintendent Pierantoni, an attorney for one of the juvenile victims, Bruce Moats, argued on behalf of the victim’s mother that the district should “take remedial action to protect the safety of her daughter and the other female students as required by law.”
Moats is a Cheyenne public access attorney who has represented many news outlets, including the WTE.
Such a request to Dishman, the school’s principal, was “dismissed with what might be described as disdain,” Moats wrote.
“The principal made several excuses, including that he did not know whether the electronic messages occurred on campus,” the attorney continued, later adding that Dishman had “indicated he knew that the messages were not sent at school or on a school activity.”
Moats wrote that “at the very least, the messages traveled onto campus, which is sufficient under law to grant the district jurisdiction to act.”
“It is clear that the district has an obligation to maintain a safe learning environment for all students. That includes an environment free of sexual harassment pursuant to Title IX,” Moats wrote. “It is clear that this situation has affected the learning environment of the female students, as it has caused them to miss school because they do not feel safe.”
Title IX is a federal civil rights law prohibiting discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal funding.
Citing case law, Moats argued in his letter that there are legal grounds to separate a student charged with a crime from his alleged victims at school and during activities.
“This is not a case where the school is faced with conduct that it cannot remedy,” he wrote. “The school district has the ability to keep the parties separated and not require the female students to have to attend school with the alleged harasser. Your own Title IX policy requires you to take action.”
Moats requested in the letter, on behalf of his client, that the matter be referred to the district’s Title IX coordinator.
Both parents of alleged victims said they had either filed or were in the process of filing Title IX complaints related to the case. One of these complaints is currently being investigated, according to a parent.
Both said they also were in the process of filing complaints with the Office of Civil Rights, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/parents-school-district-fails-to-protect-blackmail-victims/article_3de40d8a-1b73-5b37-b834-e43b7f8400b6.html | 2022-04-27T13:37:11Z |
PINEDALE — After being outed for apparently replying to an undercover online sting April 7, David Shaw, Sublette County School District No. 1’s director of special services was terminated April 14.
The SCSD No.1 Board of Trustees called an extra executive session at its April 14 public meeting and unanimously, without conversation, voted to dismiss the administrator.
School officials and the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office were informed by phone and email April 11 that Shaw was allegedly shown on video in Ocean Beach, Calif., after making plans on the adult social network Grindr to meet someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy.
The amateur sting was carried out by a 30-year-old California man with a cellphone and camera who responds to men looking for sex contacts, then tells them he is younger than 15 and arranges to meet them somewhere public.
In this case, as Shaw waited outside a San Diego business, a man walked up to him and announced he was the 14-year-old boy Shaw had planned to meet that night.
The man told Shaw he was the one who texted with him for a live YouTube sting titled “People v. Preds.”
Recording the entire time, the man followed Shaw through the streets, screaming insults and questions. Shaw denied the Grindr meetup, but the man showed him Shaw’s profile picture and texts between them, including Shaw’s online name “Teacher of All.”
Shaw called the San Diego Police Department and eventually was taken away in a patrol car.
“We received the video on the afternoon of (April 11) from ‘People vs. Predators,’” Sheriff KC Lehr said.
As of the writing of this story, the San Diego Police Department had not responded to the sheriff’s request for more information, and it is not known if Shaw was charged in that jurisdiction.
“We are aware of it and the YouTube video was sent to us, as well,” the sheriff said. “The school district has been made aware.”
The next day, April 15, Sgt. Travis Bingham sent out a joint press release.
“On Monday, April 11, 2022, SCSD No.1 Superintendent Shannon Harris, and SCSO School Resource Officers Lyndy Guenther and Ryan Day, received a voicemail message from an unidentified male caller alleging misconduct by an SCSD No. 1 employee,” the release says. “After contact was made with the caller, that individual sent an email which included a video of the SCSD No.1 employee in question.”
The SCSD No.1 employee was immediately placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
At the school board meeting, a reporter showed officials two photos taken from the video, asking if it was a Pinedale teacher named David Shaw and whether they were aware of the allegation that Shaw attempted to procure sex from a 14-year-old boy.
“This is a very sensitive personnel matter and we have nothing further to say,” said board chairperson Jamison Ziegler.
Later, the board amended its agenda, went into a new executive session and returned to vote unanimously to dismiss Shaw “on the recommendation of the superintendent (Harris) — effective immediately.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/school-administrator-fired-after-caught-in-online-sting/article_95790711-1217-5403-9bb0-353e2cc861cd.html | 2022-04-27T13:37:17Z |
GILLETTE — Just about every day at about 5 p.m., Kennedy Wainaina waits on a phone call.
Ever since his sister, Irene Wairimu Gakwa, went missing from Gillette in February or March, he has stayed in close contact with the Gillette police detectives working to solve his sister’s disappearance.
After Wainaina talks with detectives each night, he calls his mother and father in Kenya, who also have grown accustomed to waiting by the phone.
“They’re in rough shape, especially my mom,” he said. “My dad maybe hides it well but my mom, I can tell she’s definitely having a hard time. (Irene) used to talk to them almost every other day.”
Gakwa, 32, was reported missing on March 20 and last heard from March 4. Since then, officers have asked the public in help finding any information that could be related to Gakwa’s disappearance.
The investigation so far has suggested that Gakwa went missing under suspicious circumstances. She was last seen Feb. 24 on a video call with her parents, who live in Kenya.
Last week, the police department announced in a press release that it has a lead in the investigation. One tip indicated that Gakwa may have been taken in a passenger car to a rural area, mine site or oil and gas location between Feb. 24 and March 20.
This week, Police Deputy Chief Brent Wasson said that detectives are continuing to follow up on leads and the information they have. There is no new information to release to the public at this time, and the investigation remains ongoing, he said.
The department has confirmed that Gakwa lived with a man in Gillette up until her disappearance. He is considered a person of interest and has not made himself available to detectives looking to resolve questions that exist in the investigation, Wasson said.
Detectives have executed about two dozen search warrants in their search and interviewed Gakwa’s friends and associates. Digital evidence, such as location data, has been analyzed and provided positive leads, the press release said.
Gakwa is a Black woman who is 5-foot-1 and about 100 pounds.
Wainaina said the public has been helpful and supportive throughout the process, helping his family do what they can to spread awareness of their sister’s disappearance.
“I’m amazed at how much strangers are doing to help us,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
Wainaina and his brother, Chris Gakwa, 38, both live in Boise, Idaho. They made the 800-mile drive to Gillette early into their sister’s disappearance and continue to follow it from afar.
Almost two months since they last saw their sister, the reality of their family’s situation is still hard to grasp.
In this day and age when so many digital records through cellphones and credit cards make it hard for anyone to slip off the grid, Wainaina said it’s hard to fathom how his sister vanished with so little trace.
“Sometimes you feel like maybe you’re just dreaming,” he said. “Like especially at night. Sometimes I’ll go to bed, sleep, and wake up and be like, ‘Was I dreaming, was she missing?
“‘Was I dreaming or was it real life?’” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/search-continues-for-missing-gillette-woman/article_c0cad4a9-f62f-5b2a-9c26-d767bdaeb81b.html | 2022-04-27T13:37:24Z |
A new analysis of archaeological sites in the Americas challenges relatively new theories that the earliest human inhabitants of North America arrived before the migration of people from Asia across the Bering Strait.
Conducted by University of Wyoming Professor Todd Surovell and colleagues from UW and five other institutions, the analysis suggests that misinterpretation of archaeological evidence at certain sites in North and South America might be responsible for theories that humans arrived long before 13,000-14,200 years ago.
Their findings were announced this past week in PLOS One, a journal published by the Public Library of Science.
The paper is the latest development in the debate over the peopling of the Americas, in which some are now questioning the long-held consensus that the first Americans were hunter-gatherers who entered North America from Asia via the Beringia land bridge up to 14,200 years ago, and then dispersed southward between two large glaciers that covered much of the continent.
The conclusions of Surovell and colleagues are based on an analysis of buried archaeological deposits using a new statistic they developed called the Apparent Stratigraphic Integrity Index.
While the stratigraphic integrity of early archaeological sites in Alaska is high — producing strong evidence in support of unambiguous human occupation — the sites in more southern locations pointing to possible earlier human occupation show signs of artifact mixing among multiple time periods.
“If humans managed to breach the continental ice sheets significantly before 13,000 years ago, there should be clear evidence for it in the form of at least some stratigraphically discrete archeological components with a relatively high artifact count. So far, no such evidence exists,” Surovell and colleagues wrote. “(Our) findings support the hypothesis that the first human arrival to the New World occurred by at least 14,200 years ago in Beringia and by approximately 13,000 years ago in the temperate latitudes of North America.
“Strong evidence for human presence before those dates has yet to be identified in the archaeological record.”
Specifically, the new analysis compared the stratigraphic integrity of three sites argued to contain evidence of earlier human occupation, two in Texas and one in Idaho, with the integrity of sites in Alaska, Wyoming and Pennsylvania. The three sites claimed to be older than 13,000 years ago all showed patterns of significant mixing while the others did not.
The researchers were unable to obtain detailed information about some other sites in North and South America purported to contain evidence of human occupation before 13,000 years ago.
“Sites claimed to be older than 13,000 years ago are few, and data supporting their status as sites have been poorly disseminated,” Surovell and colleagues wrote. “Given the status of available data regarding these sites, we must question whether there are any sites in the Americas south of the ice sheets that exhibit an unambiguous and stratigraphically discrete cultural occupation with sufficient numbers of artifacts of clear human manufacture.”
The paper doesn’t completely rule out the possibility that humans colonized the Americas at an earlier date.
“But if they did, they should have produced stratigraphically discrete occupation surfaces, some of which would be expected to have large numbers of artifacts,” according to their findings.
“That they did so in Beringia but failed to do so south of the continental glaciers suggests that either there was something fundamentally different about pre-Clovis human behavior and/or geomorphology south of the ice sheets or that the evidence indicating the presence of humans south of the ice sheets has been misinterpreted,” the researchers wrote. “At a minimum, it shows that, when stratigraphically discrete occupations are not present, additional studies must be performed to demonstrate that stratigraphic integrity of association between artifacts and dated strata exist.”
Joining Surovell in the research were UW colleagues Sarah Allaun, Robert Kelly, Marcel Kornfeld and Mary Lou Larson; Wyoming State Archaeologist Spencer Pelton; Barbara Crass and Charles Holmes of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks; Joseph Gingerich of Ohio University and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History; Kelly Graf of Texas A&M University; and Kathryn Krasinski and Brian Wygal, both of Adelphi University. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/uw-led-study-challenges-theories-of-human-arrival-in-americas/article_213d2f40-0f2c-5920-83b5-0bcd62dbbc9c.html | 2022-04-27T13:37:30Z |
...Elevated to Near-Critical Fire Weather Today...
This is a special weather statement from the National Weather
Service Office in Cheyenne.
* WHAT...Elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions with
low humidity in the teens to low 20s, elevated sustained winds
of 10 to 25 mph with occasional gusts at 20 to 25 mph possible.
Fuels remain dry in many areas, especially grasses.
* WHERE...High Plains of Southeast Wyoming, southern Nebraska
Panhandle, Laramie Valley, and Carbon County.
* WHEN...12pm through 8pm tonight.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Fires starts and spreadibility could be
increased under these weather conditions. Outdoor burning is
discouraged, especially during the afternoon.
To commemorate this year’s 150th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park, APG of the Rockies is producing a special commemorative magazine that will be included as a premium for subscribers in June.
In addition to stories about and photos of the nation’s first national park prepared by skilled journalists, we want to include you in this once-in-a-lifetime publication.
We want to hear your favorite Yellowstone memory, as well as your “must-see” feature of the park. Do you have a place you have to visit each time you visit the northwest corner of the state? Tell us about it so we can share it with other readers.
Send your Yellowstone memories and favorite places, including photos, by May 10 to Wyoming Tribune Eagle Managing Editor Brian Martin at bmartin@wyomingnews.com. We’ll include as many as we can in this special magazine. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/wanted-your-yellowstone-memories/article_d5c01d33-41d5-5b83-9a5d-4e40aff635c7.html | 2022-04-27T13:37:36Z |
A water call has been placed on the North Platte River and the North Platte Basin by the state of Nebraska, which could impact resources in Wyoming and Colorado.
A notice from the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office was received at Saratoga Town Hall on April 7 with a follow-up phone call April 15. Mayor Creed James asked Saratoga Public Works Director Jon Winter to handle this issue.
At a council meeting last week, Winter said that after looking into the situation, he and the mayor met “to discuss our options and what we could do.”
The state of Nebraska put the call on the North Platte for April in accordance with a water compact with Wyoming and Colorado. The state took the measure to ensure senior water rights holders are protected.
Just who has those senior rights goes back to 1904 when Pathfinder Reservoir was built. Any rights prior to then are senior and protected under the water call. All rights issued after 1904 are junior.
Saratoga’s five water wells are more than 100 years junior to Pathfinder since they were permitted in July 2007 and began being used in 2009.
Even though the town’s five water wells tap into a large aquifer about 5 miles east of Saratoga, the call includes all the water in the entire Platte Basin, which includes those wells.
The town normally takes more water from the wells than it returns to the river through the sewer lagoon.
“Our depletion (loss) rate is about 13-acre feet (of water),” Winter said, giving the Town Council an example of what needs to be replaced.
If Saratoga pumps 8 million gallons of water from its wells and sends it into town to be used, but only returns 4 million gallons to the river from its waste disposal lagoons north of town, it’s on the hook to make up the difference somehow, Winter said.
In outlying Saratoga’s options, the letter from the state of Wyoming says the town can either reduce its water use, which the state can require but seldom does, or it can buy enough water from the Wyoming Water Development Commission to replace the lost water. The WWDC has water available in Pathfinder that is set aside specifically to help communities replace water in the case of a senior rights call.
Winter discussed this possible solution with the council.
“We can get a contract with them (the state) for the month of April to cover this shortfall,” he said. “We can purchase this 13 acre feet or more (as needed). The cost is $30 per acre foot. Our cost would be about $750 for 25 acre feet.”
He said the money would be due when the State Engineers Office calculates “what our (water) production versus our depletions are to determine the cost which will be due at the end of April.”
The council also discussed the possibility of joining the Wyoming Water Development Commission’s water bank program to protect the town from future water calls.
In response to a question from Councilwoman DeRon Campbell about summer water restrictions, Winter said summer water won’t be affected because Nebraska’s call concerns only the first three months of the year. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/water-call-on-north-platte-could-have-local-impacts/article_94232116-bded-5370-b1b1-b9accc5cace8.html | 2022-04-27T13:37:42Z |
CODY — After years of decline, the regional moose population is starting to show a small comeback in numbers, Game and Fish officials reported recently.
G&F Wildlife Biologist Bart Kroger said in the Worland District, which includes the Meeteetse area, there is a higher prevalence for moose than 10 years ago, with about 25% growth over the last decade.
“Things are looking better for moose in Cody and Meeteetse country,” Kroger said, citing an even cow to calf ratio over the last few years and “lots of calves being born.”
Kroger said moose numbers started to decline about 30 years ago and have remained at lower levels ever since.
In many ways moose are a testament to the fragility of environmental pressures.
Kroger attributed the increased presence of wolves – one of moose’s biggest threats – to part of their decline. But he and Tony Mong, wildlife biologist for the Cody region, said there are a variety of other factors that can lead to their demise — like disease. Kroger said moose populations were already declining before the re-introduction of the wolf to the Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Park County commissioner Lee Livingston said a “trifecta” of the 1988 Yellowstone fires, wolves and grizzly bears — a species he has lobbied for removal from Endangered Species protection for many years — has caused some of the most harm to moose.
“People want to blame a bad neighbor (wolves) but an even worse neighbor moved in (grizzly bears),” he said.
He said the 1988 fires were also detrimental for moose due to the loss of the old growth trees whose moss is a food source for moose.
But a different fire may have led to improved habitat for other moose, as Kroger said the Little Venus Fire that hit the Washakie Wilderness in 2006 spurred willow growth in some of the fire-burned areas. Willow is the most significant part of the moose diet.
G&F is currently running a Meeteetse Moose Project to better analyze this herd, collaring 31 moose in Hunt Area 9 (Greybull-Owl Creek area).
“Getting some good information on those, documenting survival, habitat use, the movements of those collared moose across the landscape,” Kroger said.
Kroger said they have documented more calves and better calf survival in this hunt area. Of the moose that were collared, only three have died: one from vehicle strike, one by malnutrition/predator attack and the other by hunter harvest.
“That’s a pretty good survival rate,” he said.
He said the collared cows have video cameras on their collars that have provided a valuable insight into their daily routines. One moose was spotted spending the entire summer in the area south of Burlington before heading over to the Meeteetse Creek for winter. He has also identified two different sets of moose twins living in the Wood River and Greybull River drainages.
There will be three total moose tags given out in the Greybull-Owl Creek area, five tags for Absaroka (Hunt Area 11) and no tags once again for the Yellowstone Thorofare (Hunt Area 8).
Moose hunting is much more prevalent in the southwestern and southern regions of the state with 39 tags offered in Lincoln County and 47 tags in the Big Piney area outside of National Forest lands.
Kroger said moose hunter success has been running at 100% in his district with the median age of harvested bulls 5-years old.
County Commissioner Joe Tilden, a former hunting guide, said there was a time when 48 moose tags were given out in Hunt Area 8, a location he said was considered at one time one of the strongest moose areas in the state. Tilden said G&F started cutting these tags in half until eventually there were none.
Mong said moose populations are “slightly increasing” in the North Fork area as well. He said the species has benefited from increased management of wolves over the past five years.
The most significant change Game and Fish is proposing for moose hunting statewide this year is to increase tags in southern Wyoming and offer a limited number of antlerless moose licenses for Moose Hunt Area 26 in Lincoln County, in response to chronic moose damage reported on multiple ranches.
Proposed moose archery seasons this year will run from Sept. 1 to mid-late September, while most regular moose seasons will run from Oct. 1-Oct. 31 with a few exceptions. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/wyomings-moose-population-growing/article_40702e17-9f94-58ad-b049-72e4378833da.html | 2022-04-27T13:37:48Z |
...Elevated to Near-Critical Fire Weather Today...
This is a special weather statement from the National Weather
Service Office in Cheyenne.
* WHAT...Elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions with
low humidity in the teens to low 20s, elevated sustained winds
of 10 to 25 mph with occasional gusts at 20 to 25 mph possible.
Fuels remain dry in many areas, especially grasses.
* WHERE...High Plains of Southeast Wyoming, southern Nebraska
Panhandle, Laramie Valley, and Carbon County.
* WHEN...12pm through 8pm tonight.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Fires starts and spreadibility could be
increased under these weather conditions. Outdoor burning is
discouraged, especially during the afternoon.
My grandson drew a picture with a caption that read: “Peace feels like sitting in a warm chair.”
At 6 years old, he understands his place of peace. It is a place where he feels safe, loved, centered and warm. His place of peace is in the safety of a chair with the sun warming his heart and looking into the magical wonders of the ocean.
At a time when the news is filled with the opposite of peace, our children — and all of us — need the security of knowing what peace feels like. We need to know what peace sounds like. We need to know what peace looks like. We all need to know where our place of peace is.
When I saw my grandson’s drawing, it reminded me of my meditation chair. It is growing old and tattered and with the wisdom of age. It has become softer, safer and stronger. It has held me for years of long hours of meditations, journaling and prayers. The spirit of these practices layer into every aging wrinkle of the chair’s fabric. I feel a sacred sense of love and kindness every morning as I sink into its safe arms — settling into my place of peace.
What does peace feel like to you? Where do you feel safe, loved, centered and warm? How often do you visit this sacred space to relax your heart and center your soul? If nothing comes to mind, it is time to find your sacred space. It is time to find your place of peace.
Find a place you can nestle into like a baby bird into a feather-lined nest. It may be a space in your home or backyard. It may be your favorite coffee shop. It may be a park or library. It may be the top of a mountain after a long hike or floating down a river in a kayak. Or it may be a beach chair with the sun on your face as you look into the wonders of the ocean.
You may be one of the lucky ones who has honed the ability to close your eyes and shut out the outside noise to find your place of peace within, anytime and anyplace.
Everyone has a different idea of peace. It doesn’t matter where your place of peace is. What matters is that you have one and visit it often. It is in this quiet, reflective space that you rejuvenate your ability to live in the moment you are given, to relax into the humanness you were meant to experience and tune into the inner calmness without the distraction of the world outside of us.
For me, I agree with the wisdom of a 6-year-old. Peace makes me feel loved, centered and warm.
“Peace feels like sitting in a warm chair.”
Pennie’s Life Lesson: Find your place of peace, and visit often.
Pennie Hunt is a Wyoming-based author, blogger and speaker. Contact her atpenniehunt@gmail.com. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/guest_column/peace-feels-like-sitting-in-a-warm-chair/article_a460a609-4b30-5933-821d-911bbb15ffc1.html | 2022-04-27T13:37:55Z |
...Elevated to Near-Critical Fire Weather Today...
This is a special weather statement from the National Weather
Service Office in Cheyenne.
* WHAT...Elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions with
low humidity in the teens to low 20s, elevated sustained winds
of 10 to 25 mph with occasional gusts at 20 to 25 mph possible.
Fuels remain dry in many areas, especially grasses.
* WHERE...High Plains of Southeast Wyoming, southern Nebraska
Panhandle, Laramie Valley, and Carbon County.
* WHEN...12pm through 8pm tonight.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Fires starts and spreadibility could be
increased under these weather conditions. Outdoor burning is
discouraged, especially during the afternoon.
I wish to comment on the criminal court case against the four hunters who crossed corners to hunt.
The issue before the court is did the hunters violate private property law by crossing airspace at the corners, which private property owners say is theirs.
The real issue in my eyes is whether entering or crossing private property to access public lands for any lawful purpose is illegal. People and lawyers argue all day on the issue, and they have made it a confusing issue while sidestepping the actual law.
In 1885, the Congress of the United States passed a law stating specifically that none shall hinder the free lawful access to all public land (i.e. Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service. State land does not apply since the federal government gave that land to the states to make their own rules on.
All congressional commentary on the same, and all Supreme Court rulings and commentary on the same law, specifically state that crossing private land to access public land is not an illegal act. Legal scholars agree that the context at the time that the law was made is what carries the most weight.
Well, the above is the context in that none shall keep another from crossing private land to access public land beyond. As important as this issue is the federal rule that no state shall make a law contrary to federal law where the federal law is already in effect.
So the bottom line issue should be in this court case and generally is whether the Wyoming trespass law is illegal. The obvious answer is yes.
All the states that have made it illegal to cross corners, or private property, to access public land have written an illegal law.
More importantly, the federal law states that for any law or verdict that is made that contradicts an already-existing law, it is the court’s duty to overturn the law that contradicts an already existing federal law. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/letters_to_editor/law-is-clear-in-corner-crossing-case/article_a4f33f6b-3050-5396-8030-96a31ffcd384.html | 2022-04-27T13:38:01Z |
...Elevated to Near-Critical Fire Weather Today...
This is a special weather statement from the National Weather
Service Office in Cheyenne.
* WHAT...Elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions with
low humidity in the teens to low 20s, elevated sustained winds
of 10 to 25 mph with occasional gusts at 20 to 25 mph possible.
Fuels remain dry in many areas, especially grasses.
* WHERE...High Plains of Southeast Wyoming, southern Nebraska
Panhandle, Laramie Valley, and Carbon County.
* WHEN...12pm through 8pm tonight.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Fires starts and spreadibility could be
increased under these weather conditions. Outdoor burning is
discouraged, especially during the afternoon.
The Rawlins mayor recently said, "We shouldn't point fingers at who is responsible" for the city of Rawlins and Sinclair residences, businesses and travelers who went without water for a week in March.
However, some fingers should be pointed for not having the pretreatment plant operating.
For those of us who have been around long enough to remember, construction (on the pretreatment plan) began in 1999. It was designed and has been used to treat 8 million gallons of water a day and to run through all four diatomaceous earth filters.
In 2002, this plant treated between 5 and 6 million gallons of water day to provide 1,200 gallons a minute for the seedlings at the new golf course to take root. At the time, the piping for secondary water to the golf course wasn't complete, forcing Rawlins to send treated water.
The pretreatment plant has operated as needed over the years. The last time it was operated was in 2020.
Since then, false claims have been made that the plant is no longer in working order. Is this so the city can get emergency funding from the state? | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/letters_to_editor/why-hasnt-city-used-pretreatment-plant/article_b57ee98c-fd8b-5d26-bd30-9a017b5e7ef4.html | 2022-04-27T13:38:07Z |
Another week filled with outrage, unsupported conspiracies and murmurs of sedition may seem normal to some after more than two years of pandemic-induced paranoia.
But dang it all if what seems at times a hopeless chore of finding conscientious compromise at any level of political discourse — local, state or national — it’s exhausting to the point of wanting to cry uncle (or perhaps just cry).
The kettle was already simmering when the COVID-19 pandemic became not only a health crisis, but a political one as well. And the stress of virus-induced public health orders became the impetus for the intersection of impatience and intolerance.
It’s escalated since the 2020 presidential election with former President Trump’s delusional, incessant and thoroughly debunked claims of a “stolen” election and the investigation into his culpability in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection.
And we still have the mid-term election cycle to look forward to, which in Wyoming will be dominated by the Republican brawl between incumbent U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and Trump-backed Harriet Hageman. Add pressure at all levels to change election laws and impact voter turnout, and there’s plenty of political insanity ahead.
People have deep, personal beliefs that are reflected (or not) by their elected representatives. Add on social media platforms and it’s easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of nonstop, emotional rhetoric.
An essay titled “The Crossroads of Mental Health and Politics” published by Vantage Point Behavior Health and Trauma Healing (vantagepointrecovery.com) sums up what this does to us.
“You log on, you feel your heart rate increase, you can feel yourself getting defensive and your mind starts racing trying to find the right response to that so-called friend who just insulted your favorite politician. The comment was made on social media and your first instinct is to unfriend that person right away.”
After allowing those feelings to roil all day, by the time you finally unwind many hours later, “you realize you have been stressed out all day over a comment someone posted online. You feel almost embarrassed that you let your emotions control your day.”
Familiar?
No matter your politics, whether you’re Republican or Democrat, it’s apparent we’re at our wit’s end when it comes to local and national politics. We no longer have any patience for opinions other that those that align with our own, and those who aren’t in lockstep with our beliefs deserve an aggressive response.
Pre-pandemic, if I’d heard someone use the term “political exhaustion,” I would have dismissed that out of hand as a cop-out. Instead of facing a problem or an opposing view, claiming you can’t mentally deal with it is not the way to go through life or solve anything. So I thought.
Political exhaustion makes us more susceptible to emotions that, under normal circumstances, we would handle much better. Fear, anger and what Vantage Point calls “voter emotions” can “incite people to act out of irrational thoughts. This can be dangerous.”
Something the essay doesn’t address, however, is how political saturation in our everyday lives contributes to this exhaustion. At a basic level, it makes sense that too much exposure to a thing can ultimately be destructive. As with anything else in life, sometimes you just need a break.
But more than two years into COVID-19 there has been no break. Not only do we have emotionally charged and contentious local and national elections, the pandemic itself quickly evolved into its own political hot-button issue.
But what do we do about it, and how do we handle our own political exhaustion? My limit came recently when I realized my routine has evolved (devolved?) into some level of political saturation from the time I wake up until I go to sleep.
We need break. Like casual Fridays are a way to let your hair down a little in the workplace, I propose “Politics Free Fridays” — one day where we make it our mission in life to get away from it altogether.
If you can’t look at Facebook without getting drawn in, then no Facebook. Don’t read about it, talk about it over the backyard fence or listen to political talk radio. Surely the nonstop, 24/7 cycle of rhetoric can do without your participation for one day.
And don’t delude yourself — taking your voice and attention out of the mix for a day isn’t going to turn the tide one way or another. It also probably won’t do much to plug the political vitriol threatening to break through at any time.
But it could help your own sanity, having that one day to recharge and be more mentally prepared for another week of political overload. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/staff_editorials/politics-free-fridays-could-be-just-the-ticket/article_32c258c5-0078-52d0-803e-25f7cf04e363.html | 2022-04-27T13:38:13Z |
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 | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/burns/prep-track-kirkbride-serrano-second-at-best-in-the-west/article_250b627d-3a23-59fd-a65a-27ef500f4e9d.html | 2022-04-27T13:38:19Z |
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 | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/centrals-georges-finishes-first-in-laramie/article_882f315b-0b3c-543f-ac69-d873a2f79861.html | 2022-04-27T13:38:26Z |
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 | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_east/east-splits-doubleheader-with-laramie/article_7c04f88f-0724-596a-bad6-d0ace28ec85a.html | 2022-04-27T13:38:32Z |
LARAMIE — Laramie High senior Jackson McClaren wasn’t going to be denied playing in his final tournament on his home course.
The Plainsmen and Lady Plainsmen hosted a one-day spring invitational Tuesday at the University of Wyoming Jacoby Golf Course.
McClaren, a three-time all-state and 2020 state champion golfer, carded an even-par 71 for the individual win. He was three strokes ahead of Kelly Walsh junior Tanner Warren and four strokes better than Cheyenne Central’s Caden Cunningham and Calvin Halvorsen, who tied for third place.
Also placing in the top-20 for the Plainsmen was Colter Harvey (ninth, 83), James Trask (tied for 10th, 84), Caden McFate (tied for 13th, 87) and Colin Suloff (tied for 16th, 89).
The Lady Plainsmen were paced by junior Grace Kordon, who finished ninth with a round of 99.
The next three in the top-20 for the LHS girls were Emma Welniak (tied for 10th, 104), Heidi Welniak (17th, 111) and Emma Master (tied for 20th, 117).
The Plainsmen were third with Cheyenne Central winning the team title. Kelly Walsh won for the girls with the Lady Plainsmen in fourth place.
Central’s Barrett Georges won the girls individual title with a scorecard of 80, two strokes better than Kelly Walsh’s Carli Kalus and Natrona County’s Sofie Spiva.
The Laramie teams are next scheduled to compete Friday at Little America hosted by Cheyenne South.
SOFTBALL
The Lady Plainsmen softball team improved to 11-6 overall and 5-3 in the East Conference after a 7-2 win against Cheyenne East Tuesday at the Aragon Softball Complex.
The first game of the doubleheader counted as a conference contest with the second game not completed before press time for the Boomerang.
Down 1-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth inning in the first game, Laramie rallied for three runs in the fourth and two runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings.
Janey Adair went the distance for the win in the pitching circle for the Lady Plainsmen. She allowed six hits, two runs (one unearned) with a walk and 13 strikeouts against 28 batters.
Laramie connected for 11 hits against East (7-7 overall, 3-5 East) with a home run for Izabella Pacheco and a double for Brooklyn McKinney, who was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Emilee Sirdoreus was 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and a run.
The Lady Plainsmen are next scheduled to host Cheyenne South at 4 p.m. Thursday for the first game of a doubleheader.
SOCCER
The Plainsmen soccer team had a rare kickoff time last Saturday night when its game against Campbell County was moved to the University of Wyoming Indoor Practice Facility.
Since the Camels weren’t going anywhere anytime soon because of closed roads to the north, the 1-0 Plainsmen win was a rare Saturday night game when the indoor venue because available.
The game-winning goal for LHS (10-1 overall, 8-0 East Conference) was in the 62nd minute when a header went in from Cameron Hoberg on a free kick sent in by Landon Whisenant. Hoberg led the Plainsmen with 12 shots.
The Plainsmen fired off 29 shots with 23 of those on frame, but Camels goalkeeper Brady Tompkins kept Campbell County (3-7, 3-4-0-1) within striking distance by making 22 saves LHS coach Anne Moore said in an email.
“Campbell County had a few scary moments at the end of the game with several corner kicks and a free kick from the edge of the (penalty) box in the final minutes of the game,” Moore said. “Laramie’s defensive line and keeper, Talon Luckie, held them off for the win.”
The Plainsmen are next scheduled to host Thunder Basin at 6 p.m. Friday at Deti Stadium. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/laramie_high/lhs-mcclaren-wins-tourney-on-home-course/article_688fd303-1041-5606-8c38-9d11ac461215.html | 2022-04-27T13:38:38Z |
CHEYENNE – Madisyn Baillie is quite literally competing with herself.
The Cheyenne Central junior set the school record in high jump last spring, and has been trying to reset that mark ever since. She got it during Friday’s Scottsbluff (Nebraska) Twilight, clearing 5 feet, 5 inches to win the meet and then made her second attempt at 5-5½ to rewrite the record book.
“I’ve tried going up to 5-6 a couple times, but I haven’t been able to get it,” said Baillie, who stands 5-foot-6 herself. “My calf has been a problem lately, and I keep clipping the bar with my calf because I’m not kicking my feet early enough.
“I decided to try 5-5½ and got it. That felt amazing. I want to keep improving that height as I go.”
Baillie’s success in Scottsbluff wasn’t limited to a single event. She also placed second in the 100-meter hurdles (15.18 seconds) and 300 hurdles (48.22) to earn Prep Athlete of the Week honors from WyoSports’ Cheyenne staff.
Central high jump coach Fred Pillivant said getting Baillie even higher is nearly equal parts mental and physical. She started the year slowly as she transitioned from the demands of basketball to those of track. Baillie is coming out of the lull she experienced as her body adapted, Pillivant said.
“Basketball is more short sprinting, starting and stopping, where she comes out here and runs multiple 300s. That takes some getting used to,” Pillivant said. “She is on her uphill climb right now. She just has to trust the process and what we’re asking her to do as coaches.
“We think she’ll be where she needs to be by state.”
Baillie was second in the 100 hurdles by one-hundredth of a second Friday. Her time of 15.18 seconds in Scottsbluff’s finals is far faster than her time of 15.70 seconds that she posted during the preliminaries at last spring’s Class 4A state meet. Baillie had the fastest qualifying time in that event, but placed eighth after she hit a hurdle and tumbled to the track.
She ran the 300 hurdles later that day and placed sixth. She also placed third in high jump.
“That was really sad and frustrating, and I was kind of nervous to go over some hurdles again this year,” Baillie said. “I got over that in my first race of the season. Now, I’m working on getting my knee and foot parallel on my trail leg.”
Indians hurdles coach Brick Cegelski describes Baillie as resilient.
“One little thing like falling at state isn’t going to mess with her mind,” he said. “She bounces right up and is ready to compete again. Stuff happens, and you can get mad about it or think about what else you could do about it.
“Anything can happen in the hurdles. You can get hit by an arm or hook a hurdle and go down. Anything. She’s really attacking them right now and doing some great things.”
The only thing that continues to bother Baillie about last season is missing the podium photo after the 100 hurdles. Her teammates and coaches consoled her after immediately after the race, and she never heard the public address announcer calling for her to go to the middle of the field at Harry Geldien Stadium.
“I was with Cegelski when they were getting their medals and doing the picture and never heard them calling my name,” Baillie said. “I feel bad about that because I don’t want people thinking I’m so competitive that I’m a bad sport.”
The good news for Baillie is she’ll get at least three more cracks at the podium next month.
According to Athletic.net, Baillie has the top 100 hurdles time in 4A, the second-best high jump mark and third-best 300 hurdles time.
“I’m really driven to put last year in the past,” Baillie said. “This season has been really fun so far.”
Others recognized for their efforts include:
– Brogan Allen, Katie Hinz and Taryn Potts, softball, Central: Allen, a senior, went 5 for 11 with three doubles and five RBI to help the Lady Indians go 3-1 last week.
Hinz, a sophomore, posted a 1-1 record in the pitcher’s circle, striking out 22 hitters and posting a 2.92 earned-run average in 12 innings of work. She had 13 strikeouts in a seven-inning complete game victory at Laramie.
Potts, a freshman, was 2-0 in the circle with 15 strikeouts and a 2.70 ERA in 13 innings pitched.
– Brenden Bohlmann and Connor Fisbeck, boys soccer, Cheyenne East: Bohlmann, a junior, scored four goals and dished out one assist to help the Thunderbirds go 1-1-1 on the week.
Fisbeck, a senior, stopped 24 shots across those three matches.
– Aleah Brooks, Ella Neider and Gracie Oswald, softball, East: Brooks, a freshman, went 5 for 11 with a triple and three RBI to help the Lady Thunderbirds go 1-2 on the week.
Neider, a senior, was 11 for 12 with two doubles, a triple and six RBI.
Oswald, a sophomore, went 5 of 10 with a double, a triple and four RBI.
– Nash Coleman, boys golf, East: The freshman fired a 74 to win the Torrington Invitational on Friday.
– Marik Cummings, boys track, East: The junior won the 100-meter dash in 10.62 seconds at the Scottsbluff (Nebraska) Twilight. The time broke the Thunderbirds’ record that Lee Vaughn set in 1993. Cummings also helped East win the 4x100 relay (42.81 seconds) in Scottsbluff.
– Emma Gonzalez and Rylee Jo Ward, girls track and field, Burns: Gonzalez, a senior, won the 400-meter dash (1 minute, 3.85 seconds) and 1,600-meter run (6:08.75) at the Kendra Roeder Invitational on Friday in Pine Bluffs.
Ward, also a senior, won the 100 hurdles (17.48) and pole vault (8 feet, 5 inches). She also was second in the 300 hurdles (51.49).
– Taliah Morris, girls track and field, East: The sophomore won the 100-meter dash (12.16 seconds) and long jump (18 feet 4.5 inches) at the Scottsbluff Twilight.
– Richard Prescott and TaVion Taylor-Bird, boys track and field, Central: Prescott, a junior, won the 110-meter hurdles (15.30 seconds), 300 hurdles (41.15) and long jump (20 feet, 10 inches) at the Scottsbluff Twilight.
Taylor-Bird, a sophomore, won triple jump (42-9) and took second in high jump (6-0).
– Carson Rabou, boys track and field, Pine Bluffs: The senior won the 110-meter hurdles (17.20), placed second in the 300 hurdles (44.37) and was third in pole vault (10-10) at the Kendra Roeder Invitational on Friday in Pine Bluffs. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/prep_athlete/centrals-madisyn-baillie-reaching-new-heights-breaking-own-record/article_84dbe2ea-fb8d-5a86-a902-e86731f752e5.html | 2022-04-27T13:38:44Z |
Regional Overview
Temperatures finally increase today and Thursday, but there’s still a good chance for rain and snow Friday and into the weekend. Saturday could be more unsettled with some breezes, cooler temperatures and precipitation. In typical late April fashion, it is a time of year when conditions aren’t great for either skiing or fishing. Adapting and selecting the outdoor activity becomes a daily decision thanks to the fickle weather. On the plus side, phlox is blooming on the prairies in southeast Wyoming and pasque flowers are popping up on Pole Mountain. Those two plants are true harbingers of the changing season.
Fishing Conditions
Fishing reports are skimpy thanks to the cold and gale force winds last weekend. The runoff is just beginning, but is slow to start due to the colder temperatures. That means tossing a line in open rivers is a good option yet before waters rise. The ice is off lakes and ponds, not counting the higher elevations where the ice remains for a while yet. That means those lower elevation lakes are good choices, too. Both the Laramie and North Platte rivers have decent angling, although the cold water temperatures make the catching on the slow side.
Ranking Categories
H (One fish) – to ensure fish dinner, go to the local grocery store
HHHHH (Five fish) – toss a line and get a fish; the fish aren’t picky
Granite, Crystal and North Crow reservoirs
HHH
The buzz: The angling is fair to good at Granite and Crystal reservoirs. One angler suggests moving around the lakes to find the fish. Once he was able to find them, the fishing was good. Most of the fish are in the 10- to 12-inch range, but can be larger in Granite Reservoir. North Crow is slower, but the fish are bigger with quite a few rainbow trout reported in the 16 to 24-inch range. The biking and hiking trails are clearing, with the best conditions on the east side, especially the Middle Kingdom and Canyons trails. The west side trails need a little more time and warm weather to clear.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Nightcrawlers
Salmon eggs
Powerbait
Various spinners (gold, silver colors)
Bead head hare’s ear
Muskrat nymph
Hornberg
Woolly buggers (with a crystal flash tail)
Pole Mountain
H½
The buzz: The snow comes and goes across Pole Mountain. There’s still a good bit of slogging on the hiking trails. Mountain biking on these trails is a ways off, but pedaling along some of the gravel roads that are currently closed to motorized travel is a nice option as temperatures warm. The beaver ponds should be opening up with some lively brook trout for those anglers willing to hike to them. Roads will open up gradually as conditions allow.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Worms
Bead head pheasant tails
Nilla buggers
Egg patterns
Laramie Plains lakes
HH
The buzz: The fishing remains on the slow side across the Laramie Basin. Warmer weather is needed to pick up the action. Anglers have to be patient at Lake Hattie, but the lake is known to give up some real lunkers this time of year. For those willing to take a longer drive, Diamond Lake is fishing well.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Nightcrawlers
Rapalas
Panther martins
Chironomids
Woolly buggers
Bead head prince nymphs
Laramie River
HH
The buzz: The fishing is on the slow side but anglers are having some luck from Woods Landing into Laramie. One angler reported catching a really nice brown trout close to Laramie.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Red copper Johns
Red San Juan worms
Gold spitfires
Hare’s ears
Bead head prince nymphs
Orange blossom specials
Beldar buggers
North Platte River and Encampment River – Saratoga Valley
HH
The buzz: The runoff is picking up, but has not yet gained real steam. The river is flowing at 733 cubic feet per second at North Gate, near the Colorado-Wyoming state line. That higher flow means the water could be cloudy, while the water remains quite cold. That means the fish are down deep and less inclined to move around that much. The Encampment River is at 217 cfs at the mouth near the town of Encampment.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Panther martins
Rapalas
Baetis duns
Copper Johns
Stonefly nymphs
Wooly buggers
Thin mints
North Platte River – Grey Reef
HHH
The buzz: The fishing is good when the wind is at bay, but the water could be off-colored with the snowfall last weekend. With the flow around 510 cubic feet per second there is decent fishing both from a drift boat and from the bank.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Pine squirrel leeches
Sparkle worms
Flossy worms
UV leeches
Amber scuds
Olive scuds
Purple Q-tips
North Platte River – Miracle Mile
HH½
The buzz: The Mile is fishing fair to good. Anglers report they aren’t catching huge numbers of fish, but are compensated by hooking some big ones. The flow is at 1,508 cubic feet per second.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Red rock worms
Red San Juan worms
Leech patterns
Vanilla buggers
Rubber legs
Flossy worm
Amber scud
Goldies
Wheatland Reservoir No. 3
HH
The buzz: The fishing action is gradually picking up with the ice off this large reservoir. While the action is slow, the size of fish in this reservoir makes the wait worth it. There’s the added treat that the reservoir has many different fish species, making the catching more interesting.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Bead head prince nymphs
Black or olive woolly buggers
Squirrel leeches
San Juan worms
Glendo
HH½
The buzz: The walleye action is good, especially for this time of year when the water remains quite nippy. Anglers also report some fair to good catfish action. For those looking for some trail running or mountain bike riding, the 40-plus miles of trail in this state park are in great shape and, due to the lower elevation, allow access earlier than many other trail systems.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Leeches
Nightcrawlers on worm harnesses (gold and silver blades)
Rapala spinners (perch, minnow and rainbow patterns)
Jigs with minnows
Sucker meat (catfish)
Grayrocks Reservoir
HH½
The buzz: The fishing is slow for both bass and walleye, but anglers report catching a few both from boats and off the bank. It should improve as the water warms up.
Suggest bait, lures and flies:
Leeches
Nightcrawlers with worm harnesses (gold blades)
Rapala spinners (perch and minnow patterns)
Snow Report
For those with a continuing urge to enjoy the waning snow season, there are still a few options for downhill skiing and snowboarding. Winter Park/Mary Jane saw 13 inches of new snow this past week, but should have mostly blue skies until the weekend when they’ll end the season with an inch or two of new snow. The season continues on the Mary Jane side with their closing day yet to be decided, depending on snow conditions.
Grooming of the Nordic ski trails at the Happy Jack Recreation Area ended last week. Snow comes and goes with skiing certainly possible for the short term when snows falls, but expect typical spring conditions and expanding bare patches.
Snow fell last weekend in the Medicine Bow Mountains, but the gale force winds made conditions less than delightful. According to the Open Snow website, the Snowy Range is at 92% of average for this time of year, a 2% decrease from last week.
At Keystone, near Rob Roy Reservoir, as of Tuesday there was a total of 222 inches of snow so far this season according to Don Day Jr. at www.dayweather.com. This is a 14-inch increase from last week, but still lagging behind the 257 inches reported by this time last year.
A few flurries are in the forecast Friday “up top” in the Snowy Range. Those could bring up to 12 inches of snow at the highest elevations by the end of the weekend. Additional snow will be around 6 inches at the lower elevations, turning to possible rain Sunday as temperatures warm up.
Reports on conditions for the various trails off of Highway 130 are limited. Expect excellent crust skiing up high. The best conditions for that type of skiing is when the previous day warms up, but temperatures drop below freezing overnight. Such circumstances provide excellent ski opportunities from Green Rock on up into the Libby Flats area early in the day.
The lower elevation trails at Barber Lake and Corner Mountain could be marginal for skiing, but not bad for snowshoeing.
Similar conditions are likely on the Chimney Park trails, located nine miles west of Woods Landing off of Highway 230. With the warmer temperatures in the forecast, get out early before conditions turn sticky and slushy.
Personnel at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center report the avalanche danger for the southern Wyoming and northern Colorado mountains is rated “moderate” at all elevations. Look out for areas where new snow measures eight or more inches. Avalanches can easily be triggered in such areas on steep terrain. As the day warms and conditions turn soft, chances of causing a loose wet avalanche increase.
As of Tuesday morning, the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service snow measuring station reports 60 inches at Brooklyn Lake, a 3-inch decrease from last week. The report showed 47 inches of snow at Cinnabar Park, a 1-inch decrease from last week. The report at Sand Lake on the north end of the Medicine Bow Mountains is 80 inches, a 2-inch decrease from last week. The measuring station at Medicine Bow Peak, at an elevation of 10,500 feet, reports 96 inches, a 2-inch increase from last week. At North French Creek, on the western side of the Medicine Bow Mountains, the reported snow depth is 70 inches, a 2-inch decrease from last week. The Crow Creek station on Pole Mountain shows 1 inch of snow, an 8-inch decrease from last week.
Quick numbers
All Wyoming ski areas are closed for the season.
Selected Colorado downhill areas still open:
Arapahoe Basin: 72-inch base; 9 lifts, 117 trails and 81% of terrain open.
Breckenridge: 72-inch base; 7 lifts, 51 trails and 48% of terrain open.
Loveland: 60-inch base; 7 lifts, 85 trails and 90% of terrain open.
Vail: 62-inch base; 8 lifts, 73 trails and 27% of terrain open.
Winter Park: 78-inch base; 4 lifts, 58 trails and 35% of terrain open. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/other_sports/community/outdoor-conditions-report-for-april-27-2022/article_4a9e50d9-d6ac-52bf-8790-2914de3682b7.html | 2022-04-27T13:38:50Z |
LARAMIE – To say Chad Muma’s journey as he attempts to become the latest University of Wyoming linebacker to go from college standout to impact player in the NFL has been hectic might be an understatement.
Whether it’s been training in Southern California, traveling to the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine or visiting pro facilities, it’s been a whirlwind process leading up to the NFL draft for the past four-plus months. The 2021 Butkus Award finalist wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Muma said. “It’s been very strenuous going through everything, whether it’s going to the Senior Bowl or the combine, but it’s all things I always dreamed of having the opportunity to be a part of. There’s been a lot of work put into it, but I would never want to take it back. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of experience.
“I’ve been able to grow a lot as a player, and also understanding ways I can improve my game and how to really be a pro. I’ve taken a lot from the coaches, scouts and everything of that nature.”
After having conversations with all 32 NFL organizations at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, all but three teams were in attendance for Muma’s performance at Wyoming’s pro day last month. He’s since had further discussions with roughly a dozen franchises, while taking in-person visits to the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Things have slowed down somewhat over the past week and a half, allowing Muma to reflect and appreciate the experience. However, he says he won’t be able to fully take it all in until he hears his name called in the draft, which is set to start Thursday in Las Vegas.
“It’s been a pretty hectic process,” Muma said. “(Last week), with it being a little calmer, I’ve been able to reflect on it. I went and did the Senior Bowl, I went to the combine, I had my university pro day, so I’ve kind of realized how cool it has been and how blessed I’ve been. But I don’t think I’ll really be able to take it all in until that draft night happens.”
Muma trained for the combine in Southern California, but he’s been back in Laramie for most of the past month, working with the same strength staff that helped him grow from a little-known high school signee to one of this year’s top linebacker prospects.
“I’m just really grateful for them,” Muma said. “They’ve always helped me and projected me to be in the position I am today. They’re very knowledgeable and always know what works best for me. There’s no one I would trust more.”
Sales pitch
Muma’s résumé isn’t short on on-field accomplishments.
In addition to being one of just six Butkus Award finalists, he also was a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award – which honors the nation’s most outstanding defensive player – and secured his second consecutive first team All-Mountain West nod in his final season with the Cowboys. He ranked third in the nation in solo tackles and fourth in total tackles per game, with his 142 tackles in 2021 marking the fourth-highest single-season total in school history.
When selling himself to NFL teams, though, Muma says he emphasizes his intangible and off-the-field traits.
“There are a couple things,” Muma said. “The first is just my football knowledge and football IQ. I’ve been able to really showcase that and demonstrate my knowledge, not only just my position, but every position on the field.
“I think I can also differ from guys by just showing them that I’m not going to have any off-the-field issues, and that I’m always going to be putting my best foot forward – whether it’s a small drill or making a play in the game. Everything is going to have that same attention to detail and effort.”
Hometown team
While Muma will be thrilled to play for any NFL franchise, there is one destination in particular his family is hoping for.
A native of Lone Tree, Colorado, located in the south suburbs of Denver, Muma grew up a fan of the Broncos. His favorite player was Eddie Royal, and just like the playmaking receiver, he wore No. 19 during his youth football days.
Muma admits it was a surreal experience touring the facilities and meeting with the team in-person earlier this month. He’s currently rated as a second or third-round pick by the majority of draft projections, with Denver holding the No. 64 overall pick in the second round and No. 75 and No. 96 selections in the third.
“I was always a big fan of all Colorado sports teams,” Muma said. “After my visit with the Broncos, I was like, ‘Man, I was just in the Broncos’ facilities, and able to see all they had to offer and meet with the coaches.’ I took in that moment a little bit and was able to enjoy that.
“It’s all really cool. If it were the Broncos, it would be nice for my family. They’re all still in Colorado, so it would be close to home for them. That’s what they’re rooting for, but we’ll see.”
Using his voice
Muma, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in seventh grade, has been a source of inspiration for kids dealing with the same struggles.
In high school, he participated in a peer diabetic group that mentored middle-schoolers. Last summer, he spent a day speaking and hanging out with kids at Camp Hope – a program dedicated to helping Type 1 diabetic children between ages 7-18.
During the leadup to the NFL draft, he’s gained an even larger audience. Muma has inspired hope and spread his message in recent weeks through national outlets such as NFL Network and The Athletic, as well as at the NFL Combine.
“Having those interviews and being able to showcase that on a national level has been huge,” Muma said. “Now I’m getting reached out to by maybe a younger athlete or family with a kid that has diabetes, and it’s great to be able to hear those different stories – and maybe how my (experience with) diabetes helps them. That’s been the main goal, to be able to help other people with diabetes.”
Muma isn’t sure of the exact vehicle he’d like to use to spread his message as an NFL athlete, whether it be a foundation of his own or some other type of charitable contribution. He does know, however, that he wants to use his new platform to help others like him.
“The NFL has a really great platform to do those type of nonprofit things,” Muma said. “That’s definitely a goal for my career later on, to be able to create one of those and help other athletes. I’m not quite sure what it will be right now, but it’s definitely on my mind to do something like that.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/nfl-draft-process-has-been-once-in-a-lifetime-process-for-wyomings-chad-muma/article_5d3e2eb2-6920-5c67-91a0-35b063fc8b33.html | 2022-04-27T13:38:57Z |
Anheuser-Busch to brew a Ukrainian beer in the US
Published: Apr. 27, 2022 at 9:47 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
(CNN) - Anheuser-Busch is bringing Ukraine’s most popular beer to the United States.
Starting in May, Chernigivske, pronounced churnee-iskay, will be brewed in New Jersey. The beer will be sold on draft in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix.
The beer sales will go to Ukrainian relief efforts, and the company will also donate at least $5 million to humanitarian aid and organizations.
The pale golden lager is named after the hard hit Ukrainian city of Chernihiv and has been brewed there since 1988.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/anheuser-busch-brew-ukrainian-beer-us/ | 2022-04-27T14:55:25Z |
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Fight breaks out between parents, referees at youth basketball tournament
NORTHGLENN, Colo. (KUSA) - A youth basketball tournament in Colorado turned to chaos as parents and the referees got into a physical fight.
It happened in early April in Northglenn, Colorado, and now a few of the people involved are talking about what happened.
Jeff Davis and his 15-year-old son Jai Davis were officiating a basketball tournament when some in the crowd didn’t agree with their calls.
Jai Davis gave him a technical foul which meant he had to leave the game.
“Instead of leaving the game he comes up to me, walks up to me, and gets in my face,” he said. “I took two steps back and then it broke out a fight”.
Jai Davis believes he was protecting himself when he swung at the parent, identified as Jamil Taylor. Taylor said he was doing the same.
“He started walking towards me as like you’re about to do something to me or we’re about to have some words,” Taylor said. “So, I got down and I approached that, and we were saying some words and he swung on me.”
Jeff Davis got involved in the fight to protect his son and landed a punch that left Taylor with four stitches on his lip.
Jai Davis walked away with a few cuts on his face.
And Jeff Davis still sits with an array of emotions.
“Hurt. There’s more than one but I’m hurt. I’m really upset about the situation” he said.
Taylor admitted that he should have acted differently.
“I should have went about it a better way instead of yelling and voicing my opinion because I did come off a little aggressive but still it doesn’t give any right to come and swing on me,” he said.
Both Davises, Taylor and another parent were all cited for disorderly conduct for the brawl.
Dozens of kids watched the altercation and for family psychologist Dr. Sheryl Ziegler, that may be the biggest blow.
“What it’s showing kids is that when there’s conflict, one of the ways to resolve it is either verbal abuse or actually physically becoming violent and this is exactly what we’re trying to teach kids not to do,” Ziegler said. “I think there’s huge repercussions all the way around and somehow the system has to change that gives parents the clear message that it will not be tolerated.”
One of the parents involved hopes the league reconsiders having young referees officiate basketball games.
The organization that hosted the tournament has refused to comment.
Copyright 2022 KUSA via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/caught-camera-fight-breaks-out-between-parents-referees-youth-basketball-tournament/ | 2022-04-27T14:55:32Z |
Earth, Wind and Fire saxophonist Woolfolk dies
(Gray News) - Andrew Woolfolk, the saxophone player for Earth, Wind and Fire, died at 71.
Fellow band member Philip Bailey posted about Woolfolk’s passing on Instagram, with a photo of the two of them. Woolfolk is seen on the right.
Bailey described his bandmate, who he met in high school, as a “great talent. Funny. Competitive. Quick witted. And always styling.”
Woolfolk was ill for more than six years, though Bailey didn’t go into details.
He joined Earth, Wind and Fire in the 1970s, staying with the band on and off until 1993, the band said.
Woolfolk’s saxophone is heard in many of the band’s smash hits, such as “September,” “Shining Star” and “Let’s Groove.”
He also recorded with Phil Collins and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with his fellow original Earth, Wind and Fire members, in 2000.
Woolfolk grew up in Denver, and he and two bandmates were inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2017.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/earth-wind-fire-saxophonist-woolfolk-dies/ | 2022-04-27T14:55:39Z |
What you need to know about early voting in WV
(WVVA) - Early voting lasts ten days in West Virginia. From April 27th until May 7th, registered voters in The Mountain State can cast their ballot in the primary of this mid-term election year.
Early voting isn’t the only option outside a voting booth on election day this May. Voters can request an absentee ballot, but note those mail-in ballots are different from the 2020 election when pandemic protocols eased mail-in voting requirements.
There are more ways to vote for West Virginians. Warner says that the Military, First Responders, overseas citizens, and disabled persons can utilize online voting. Warner says every method of voting in West Virginia is secure.
Warner is also introducing a new way for voters to report election violations to his office by texting “WV” to 45995.
For more voting information and sample ballots, you can visit GoVoteWV.com.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/what-you-need-know-about-early-voting-wv/ | 2022-04-27T14:55:46Z |
WWII vet celebrates 105th birthday, says coffee is the key to longevity
PIGEON FALLS, Wis. (WEAU) – Coffee, balloons and friends set the scene as people gathered to celebrate a WWII veteran’s 105th birthday.
Reynolds Tomter is the only surviving member of the Pigeon Falls Lions Club, according to WEAU, and is an avid Packers fan.
Tomter was excited to celebrate his birthday at his favorite local restaurant, My Second Home Bar & Grill.
“It is something I’ll never ever forget,” Tomter said. “It’s unreal. This is what you call a small-town gathering.”
Tomter is enjoying his old age and the perks that come with it.
“Everybody waits on me and comes and greets me with good things to say,” he explained. “So, don’t be afraid, anyone, to get to be real old.”
His daughter, Julie Warner, said Tomter is always finding ways to stay active and busy.
“He said, when my mom passed, he could have been depressed, but he just made up his mind to get out, go to his car every day,” Warner said. “He didn’t know where he was going, but he’d go somewhere for coffee.”
Tomter says the secret to reaching his age is being with friends and drinking lots of coffee.
“I enjoy every day and I am out and about every day,” Tomter said. “And I started out here at this restaurant every morning, that’s seven days a week, I’m here at 7:30 in the morning with the guys and that makes life a lot of fun.”
He encourages the younger generation to get active in the community to help make the world a pleasant place to live.
His family says he is known in the community for his involvement and his positive attitude.
“I always say he is absolutely positive about everything - unless the Packers are losing, that’s the only time I ever hear him say anything negative,” Warner said.
Tomter is looking forward to seeing everyone next year for another birthday celebration.
Copyright 2022 WEAU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/wwii-vet-celebrates-105th-birthday-says-coffee-is-key-longevity/ | 2022-04-27T14:55:52Z |
Alzheimer’s Community Forum Offers Place for Sharing About Memory Loss
NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana Alzheimer’s Association and PACE Greater New Orleans are hosting a free, virtual forum from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on May 3.
The forum connects people to share their experiences, needs and thoughts about resources to help people suffering from memory-impaired conditions and the people who care for them. PACE GNO (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly in the Greater New Orleans Area), a ministry of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, is a comprehensive healthcare program for low-income elderly adults. Many of PACE’s clients, who all still live at home or with family members, experience memory and cognitive difficulties.
According to the 2022 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report from the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 92,000 Louisianians are living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2025, that number is expected to rise to 110,000.
Registration is required for the virtual forum at https://bit.ly/3Mx2KRb or by calling 800-272-3900. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/alzheimers-community-forum-offers-place-for-sharing-about-memory-loss/ | 2022-04-27T14:56:44Z |
Entergy Reports First Quarter Earnings
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) reported first quarter 2022 earnings per share of $1.36 on an as-reported basis and $1.32 on an adjusted basis (non-GAAP).
“We had a strong start for 2022 and continued to make important operational, strategic, and financial progress across the business,” said Leo Denault, Entergy chairman and CEO. “With favorable weather and higher-than-planned retail sales, we are ahead of schedule and solidly on track to achieve our 2022 objectives.”
Business highlights included the following:
- E-LA completed an $86M transmission upgrade in Lafourche Parish, improving the resilience and reliability of the local power grid.
- E-LA completed a $100M transmission improvement project in north Louisiana that will increase resilience and reliability and provide economic benefits.
- E-TX selected several resources from its 2021 solar RFP totaling at least 400 megawatts of capacity.
- E-AR filed for approval of a new 250-megawatt solar facility, Driver Solar.
- E-AR and E-LA announced their intent to issue RFPs totaling 2,000 megawatts of renewable resources.
- E-TX issued securitization bonds, completing recovery of its 2020 storm costs.
- The LPSC approved cost recovery and financing for E-LA’s 2020 storms, including a $290 million storm reserve as well as $1 billion escrow designated for Hurricane Ida costs.
- E-NO submitted a filing seeking approval to issue $150M in securitized bonds to replenish its storm escrow.
- E-MS filed its annual FRP.
Calculations may differ due to rounding
Consolidated results
For first quarter 2022, the company reported earnings of $276 million, or $1.36 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $269 million, or $1.32 per share, on an adjusted basis. This compared to first quarter 2021 earnings of $335 million, or $1.66 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $297 million, or $1.47 per share, on an adjusted basis.
Summary discussions by business are below. Additional details, including information on OCF by business, are provided in Appendix A. An analysis of quarterly variances by business is provided in Appendix B.
Business segment results
Utility
For first quarter 2022, the Utility business reported earnings attributable to Entergy Corporation of $340 million, or $1.67 per share, on both an as-reported and an adjusted basis. This compared to first quarter 2021 earnings of $357 million, or $1.77 per share, on both an as-reported and an adjusted basis. Drivers for the quarter included:
- the first quarter 2021 reversal of a regulatory provision at E-AR for its 2019 netting adjustment;
- higher operating expenses including other O&M, taxes other than income taxes, and depreciation expense; and
- higher interest expense.
These drivers were partially offset by the net effect of regulatory actions across the operating companies.
On a per share basis, first quarter 2022 results reflected higher common shares outstanding.
Appendix C contains additional details on Utility operating and financial measures.
Parent & Other
For first quarter 2022, Parent & Other reported a loss attributable to Entergy Corporation of $(71 million), or (35) cents per share, on both an as-reported and an adjusted basis. This compared to a first quarter 2021 loss of $(60 million), or (30) cents per share, on both an as-reported and an adjusted basis. No individual drivers were significant contributors to the change.
Entergy Wholesale Commodities
For first quarter 2022, EWC reported earnings attributable to Entergy Corporation of $7 million, or
4 cents per share, on an as-reported basis. This compared to a first quarter 2021 earnings attributable to Entergy Corporation of $38 million, or 19 cents per share, on an as-reported basis. Drivers for the quarter included:
- lower revenue primarily due to the shutdown of Indian Point 3, and
- the absence of earnings from NDTs as a result of the sale of Indian Point.
These drivers were partially offset by:
- lower other O&M due primarily to the shutdown of Indian Point 3, and
- lower decommissioning expenses primarily due to the sale of Indian Point.
Appendix D contains additional details on EWC operating and financial measures, including reconciliation for non-GAAP EWC adjusted EBITDA.
Earnings per share guidance
Entergy affirmed its 2022 adjusted EPS guidance range of $6.15 to $6.45. See webcast presentation for additional details.
The company has provided 2022 earnings guidance with regard to the non-GAAP measure of Entergy adjusted EPS. This measure excludes from the corresponding GAAP financial measure the effect of adjustments as described below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.” The company has not provided a reconciliation of such non-GAAP guidance to guidance presented on a GAAP basis because it cannot predict and quantify with a reasonable degree of confidence all of the adjustments that may occur during the period. One such adjustment will be the exclusion of EWC earnings from Entergy adjusted EPS. We currently estimate that the contribution of EWC to Entergy’s as-reported EPS will be approximately 20 cents in 2022. This estimate is subject to substantial uncertainty due to, among other things, the potential effects of exiting the EWC business.
Earnings teleconference
A teleconference will be held at 10:00 a.m. Central Time on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, to discuss Entergy’s quarterly earnings announcement and the company’s financial performance. The teleconference may be accessed by visiting Entergy’s website at www.entergy.com or by dialing 844-309-6569, conference ID 7789889, no more than 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. The webcast presentation is also being posted to Entergy’s website concurrent with this news release. A replay of the teleconference will be available on Entergy’s website at www.entergy.com and by telephone. The telephone replay will be available through May 4, 2022, by dialing 855-859-2056, conference ID 7789889.
Entergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in New Orleans, powers life for 3 million customers through its operating companies across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Entergy is creating a cleaner, more resilient energy future for everyone with our diverse power generation portfolio, including increasingly carbon-free energy sources. With roots in the Gulf South region for more than a century, Entergy is a recognized leader in corporate citizenship, delivering more than $100 million in economic benefits to local communities through philanthropy and advocacy efforts annually over the last several years. Our approximately 12,500 employees are dedicated to powering life today and for future generations.
Entergy Corporation’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and NYSE Chicago under the symbol “ETR”.
Details regarding Entergy’s results of operations, regulatory proceedings, and other matters are available in this earnings release, a copy of which will be filed with the SEC, and the webcast presentation. Both documents are available on Entergy’s Investor Relations website at www.entergy.com/investor_relations.
Entergy maintains a web page as part of its Investor Relations website, entitled Regulatory and Other Information, which provides investors with key updates on certain regulatory proceedings and important milestones on the execution of its strategy. While some of this information may be considered material information, investors should not rely exclusively on this page for all relevant company information.
For definitions of certain operating measures, as well as GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures and abbreviations and acronyms used in the earnings release materials, see Appendix F.
Non-GAAP financial measures
This news release contains non-GAAP financial measures, which are generally numerical measures of a company’s performance, financial position, or cash flows that either exclude or include amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Entergy has provided quantitative reconciliations within this news release of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.
Entergy reports earnings using the non-GAAP measure of Entergy adjusted earnings, which excludes the effect of certain “adjustments,” including the removal of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment in light of the company’s exit from the merchant power business. Adjustments are unusual or non-recurring items or events or other items or events that management believes do not reflect the ongoing business of Entergy, such as the results of the EWC segment, significant tax items, and other items such as certain costs, expenses, or other specified items. In addition to reporting GAAP consolidated earnings on a per share basis, Entergy reports its adjusted earnings on a per share basis. These per share measures represent the applicable earnings amount divided by the diluted average number of common shares outstanding for the period.
Management uses the non-GAAP financial measures of adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per share for, among other things, financial planning and analysis; reporting financial results to the board of directors, employees, stockholders, analysts, and investors; and internal evaluation of financial performance. Entergy believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors in evaluating the ongoing results of Entergy’s business, comparing period to period results, and comparing Entergy’s financial performance to the financial performance of other companies in the utility sector.
Other non-GAAP measures, including adjusted EBITDA; adjusted ROE; adjusted ROE, excluding affiliate preferred; gross liquidity; net liquidity; net liquidity, including storm escrows; debt to capital, excluding securitization debt; net debt to net capital, excluding securitization debt; parent debt to total debt, excluding securitization debt; FFO to debt, excluding securitization debt; and FFO to debt, excluding securitization debt, return of unprotected excess ADIT, and severance and retention payments associated with exit of EWC, are measures Entergy uses internally for management and board discussions and to gauge the overall strength of its business. Entergy believes the above data provides useful information to investors in evaluating Entergy’s ongoing financial results and flexibility, and assists investors in comparing Entergy’s credit and liquidity to the credit and liquidity of others in the utility sector. In addition, ROE is included on both an adjusted and an as-reported basis. Metrics defined as “adjusted” (other than EWC’s adjusted EBITDA) exclude the effect of adjustments as defined above. EWC’s adjusted EBITDA represents EWC’s earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization, and also excludes decommissioning expense.
These non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of Entergy’s operations that, when viewed with Entergy’s GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliations to corresponding GAAP financial measures, provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting Entergy’s business. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be used to the exclusion of GAAP financial measures. Investors are strongly encouraged to review Entergy’s consolidated financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. Although certain of these measures are intended to assist investors in comparing Entergy’s performance to other companies in the utility sector, non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized; therefore, it might not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies’ non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names.
Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements
In this news release, and from time to time, Entergy Corporation makes certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding Entergy’s 2022 earnings guidance; its current financial and operational outlooks; and other statements of Entergy’s plans, beliefs, or expectations included in this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, Entergy undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, including (a) those factors discussed elsewhere in this news release and in Entergy’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Entergy’s other reports and filings made under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; (b) uncertainties associated with (1) rate proceedings, formula rate plans, and other cost recovery mechanisms, including the risk that costs may not be recoverable to the extent or on the timeline anticipated by the utilities and (2) implementation of the ratemaking effects of changes in law; (c) uncertainties associated with efforts to remediate the effects of major storms and recover related restoration costs; (d) risks associated with operating nuclear facilities, including plant relicensing, operating, and regulatory costs and risks; (e) changes in decommissioning trust fund values or earnings or in the timing or cost of decommissioning Entergy’s nuclear plant sites; (f) legislative and regulatory actions and risks and uncertainties associated with claims or litigation by or against Entergy and its subsidiaries; (g) risks and uncertainties associated with executing on business strategies, including strategic transactions that Entergy or its subsidiaries may undertake and the risk that any such transaction may not be completed as and when expected and the risk that the anticipated benefits of the transaction may not be realized; (h) effects of changes in federal, state, or local laws and regulations and other governmental actions or policies, including changes in monetary, fiscal, tax, environmental, or energy policies; (i) the effects of changes in commodity markets, capital markets, or economic conditions; (j) impacts from a terrorist attack, cybersecurity threats, data security breaches, or other attempts to disrupt Entergy’s business or operations, and/or other catastrophic events; (k) the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Entergy and its customers; and (l) the effects of technological change, including the costs, pace of development and commercialization of new and emerging technologies. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/entergy-reports-first-quarter-earnings/ | 2022-04-27T14:56:50Z |
Gifted Healthcare Promotes Kim Dixon, Nicole Pierpoint
NEW ORLEANS – From Gifted Healthcare:
Gifted Healthcare, a workforce solution partner for healthcare facilities across the U.S., announced the promotion of Kim Dixon to vice president of sales and Nicole Pierpoint to vice president of operations.
Dixon and Pierpoint join the senior leadership team after a combined 17 years of service with Gifted. Dixon will lead the sales strategy and continue to build strong client relationships. Pierpoint will oversee the continued growth and expansion of Gifted’s multiple service lines for clinicians. Both will collaborate closely with the executive team to create sales strategies, manage client relationships, and develop Gifted’s growing service line in per diem and local healthcare staffing contracts.
“These two career advancements increase the strength of Gifted’s leadership team and our ongoing commitment to develop top talent within the company,” said Mary Kay Molbert, the company’s COO. “Both Kim and Nicole have made substantial contributions to our company’s growth, and we look forward to their continued success.”
“Gifted’s deeply ingrained values of resilience and bold innovation keep us adaptable within this dynamic industry,” said Dixon. “Our focus remains on outcome based, high-quality workforce solutions for our healthcare partners across the country. I look forward to scaling our unique and effective client solutions.”
“After seven years of driving growth within Gifted Healthcare, I am honored to join the senior leadership team and continue to expand our brand and service lines,” said Pierpoint. “Gifted is grounded in its values, strength, and service to clinicians and clients, and we will continue to scale with the same ferocity and integrity. There is no limit to the future success of Gifted with the incredible teams we have in place.”
Dixon joined Gifted in 2011 and quickly rose to the director of sales. Her solution-based approach to servicing hospitals has led to comprehensive, creative, and diverse workforce solution plans that greatly enhance client service levels. She has cemented her relationships through a consultative approach to partnerships rooted in beneficial client and patient outcomes. Pierpoint began her career with Gifted in 2015 as director of talent acquisition, building the company’s first recruitment team to specialize in local clinician contracts. Previous experience in management through Fortune 500 companies enabled her to spearhead process improvements at Gifted, yielding expansion of service lines and geographic growth.
“Kim has added immeasurable value to our company through her sales strategy and talent in managing client relationships,” added Mullady Voelker, president of growth and strategy. “Nicole has built a phenomenal per diem and local contract team that continues to capitalize on the wide array of opportunities in the marketplace. We know they will be major contributors to Gifted’s bright future.” | https://www.bizneworleans.com/gifted-healthcare-promotes-kim-dixon-nicole-pierpoint/ | 2022-04-27T14:56:56Z |
La. House Commerce Committee Approves Occupational Licensing Reforms
BATON ROUGE (The Center Square) — The House Commerce Committee approved occupational licensing reforms designed to help previously incarcerated individuals and improve the licensing process.
Committee members unanimously approved House bills 597 and 639 to change aspects of the state’s occupational licensing system to provide more clarity for felons regarding eligibility and streamlining the licensing process for all applicants.
The bills passed the committee on Monday.
HB 639, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport, would allow previously incarcerated individuals the opportunity to petition licensing boards before attending school or training to determine if a past conviction disqualifies them from obtaining a license.
“Basically what it does is it provides an opportunity for those individuals to be to request prior to getting education whether or not their prior conviction would disqualify them from getting that occupational license,” Pressly said. “I think that’s important when you look at Louisiana and look at the student debt crisis in particular.
“We’ve got to figure out ways to not burden people with tremendous amounts of educational debt … with unknown whether or not they’d be able to qualify for the license.”
HB 639 would require an individual making a request to provide any identifying information requested by the licensing entity and details of the individual’s criminal conviction, including any relevant information.
The bill would give the licensing entity 45 days to make a determination, and also allows the individual making the request to seek a criminal background check to help make the determination.
“A determination made … is binding upon a licensing authority unless, at the time a full application for a license is submitted, the applicant has been subsequently convicted of a crime, has pending criminal charges, or has previously undisclosed criminal convictions,” HB 639 states.
The bill also provides a means to appeal a determination, and requires licensing entities to publish on its website whether criminal convictions may be used as a basis for denial, and the factors considered.
Supporters of the bill include The Pelican Institute, GNO, Inc., the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, the Louisiana Budget Project, Louisiana Progress Action, Louisiana Family Forum, the Justice Accountability Center, Right On Crime, NFIB Louisiana, the ACLU, Smart on Crime, and others.
The Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board expressed concerns about language in the bill, but did not oppose. Representatives from the Louisiana Engineering Society and Louisiana Realtors submitted cards in opposition but did not speak at the committee hearing.
HB 597, sponsored by Rep. Aimee Adatto Freeman, D-New Orleans, would provide a means for individuals to request a review of a regulation from an occupational licensing board, to ensure the regulation is the least restrictive method of regulating the occupation.
The bill would also include language to ensure regulations “fulfill a legitimate fiduciary, public health, safety, or welfare objective.”
Testimony in committee featured Daltonio Elaire, a Lafayette barber who was shut down by the state licensing board after launching a mobile barbershop in 2020, despite securing the proper permits from the city. Elaire attempted to work with the board to make it right, but the board rejected his efforts to legitimize his business.
“I really didn’t get an opportunity to appeal,” he said. “Basically, the phone call I received was the end all, be all of it, saying I was shut down and I couldn’t work.”
Freeman shared a story of a cosmetologist in her district who faced similar issues, and argued the problem extends to the state’s 77 other licensed professions.
Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, R-Metairie, argued that those experiencing issues with their occupational license could work with lawmakers to change the laws or bring legal action, but Freeman argued both of those options are burdensome and cost prohibitive for small entrepreneurs.
“If you have to have a legislator intervene to move you forward in your business, that’s defeating the purpose of entrepreneurialism, in my opinion,” Freeman said.
Freeman stressed that HB 597 would force occupational licensing boards to justify the legitimate fiduciary, public health, safety or welfare objection of restrictive regulations.
Pelican Institute CEO Daniel Erspamer, who testified in favor of the bills, lauded their approval by the committee on Monday.
“Countless Louisianans face a maze of arbitrary regulations just to find work. Louisiana should be making it easier for people to get jobs and follow their dreams, not putting gup unnecessary roadblocks,” he said. “We applaud the House Commerce Committee for passing House Bills 597 and 639 which would open up pathways to opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs in the Pelican State.”
Both bills are now before the full House for consideration. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/la-house-commerce-committee-approves-occupational-licensing-reforms/ | 2022-04-27T14:57:02Z |
LPIC’s Candace Weber Selected for CABL’s 2022 Leadership Louisiana Class
BATON ROUGE (press release) — The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children — a nonprofit organization focused on high-quality early education for all — has announced that Candace Weber, director of partnerships, was selected to participate in the Council for a Better Louisiana’s 2022 Leadership Louisiana Class.
As a member of the 2022 class, Weber will participate in learning sessions throughout the state that cover topics ranging from education and workforce training to criminal justice and healthcare. Through diverse geographical and cultural experiences at each session, Weber will gain in-depth strategic information about critical issues and insight into the people, places, and history that influence public policies.
“As a member of Leadership Louisiana class of 2020, I am excited to announce Candace’s selection for the program,” said Libbie Sonnier, PhD, executive director of LPIC. “Her work with Louisiana Policy Institute for Children is critically important and we cannot wait to see how her participation in this cohort translates into real differences for Louisiana’s youngest learners.”
Weber was selected after undergoing a highly competitive process and will join 54 current and emerging leaders from across the state who were also chosen to participate in this year’s cohorts. This year will be the 34th year of the Leadership Louisiana class, which boasts more than 1,400 alumni from a variety of sectors including civic, business, government, university, professional, cultural and more.
“I am honored to join CABL’s 2022 Leadership Louisiana class,” said Candace. “My work with Louisiana Policy Institute for Children has been a rewarding experience thus far as we continue our mission to ensure the future of Louisiana’s youngest learners is bright. I am looking forward to bringing my background and expertise to the group as we work to make a real difference for our state, together!”
As LPIC’s director of partnerships, Weber works diligently to foster and grow the organization’s strategic relationships with other organizations, businesses and government agencies that work in the early education sector. Weber also oversees efforts to engage current and prospective partners and educate them on policy issues on an ongoing basis.
Weber is an alumna of Pepperdine University, where she received her Masters of business administration, and The Broad Center – now merged with the Yale School of Management – where she obtained a Masters in Educational Leadership. Weber began her accomplished academic career at Xavier University of Louisiana where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration. Previously at the Louisiana Department of Education, Weber joined LPIC with strong leadership and communication skills and experience across a wide range of industries.
In addition to her role at LPIC, Weber is pursuing a doctorate in public policy with a concentration in early education policy at the Nelson Mandela College of Government and Social Sciences at Southern University. She is a proud wife and a mother of two. As an active member of her community, she has served in regional and local leadership positions for Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc., and is a long-standing member of the Business Advisory Council at Xavier University of Louisiana.
To view the official CABL 2022 Leadership Class announcement click here. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/lpics-candace-weber-selected-for-cabls-2022-leadership-louisiana-class/ | 2022-04-27T14:57:08Z |
N.O. Area Habitat for Humanity’s ‘Women Build’ Event Begins May 13
NEW ORLEANS — From the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity:
The fourth NOAHH Women Build begins May 13 at 2310 St. Maurice Street in the Lower 9th Ward.
Women Build brings together teams of women who will plan, fund and build a home for Sandra Favors, a Volunteers of America employee who is also a self-employed sitter. The build dates will be held May 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21.
“I’ve always dreamed of owning a home,” said Favors, who previously lived in an unsafe apartment complex with her two grandsons in a one-bedroom apartment. “To have a secure place to live is a wish come true.”
Habitat doesn’t charge interest on the home loans it offers program participants. That means monthly mortgages for a new, three-bedroom home are often less than rent.
When Favors first applied to become a homeowner with Habitat, her income was too low to qualify for the program. She took on a second job and waited seven months to reapply successfully,
“It has been a great journey even though we had to live through the pandemic and the storms,” she said. “I thank God for all the people at NOAHH working on my home and behind the scenes. Habitat made my dream come true.”
Like all Habitat homebuyers (called partner families), Favors will work 250 hours helping others become homeowners by volunteering in the Habitat ReStore or on building sites. She also took classes through New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity in financial literacy and home maintenance to prepare for the realities and responsibilities of homeownership. She will also be on site in May building along with the Women Build volunteers.
Each Women Build team is responsible for raising at least $5,000 each, which is necessary to pay for the average $150,000 base cost to build a Habitat home.
New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity is an independent 501(c) 3 nonprofit affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Its mission is to “responsibly build communities where families can thrive, in homes they can afford.” | https://www.bizneworleans.com/n-o-area-habitat-for-humanitys-women-build-event-begins-may-13/ | 2022-04-27T14:57:15Z |
Registration Opens for Residential Contractors Seminar
BATON ROUGE — From Louisiana Economic Development:
Registration is now open for the Louisiana Contractors Accreditation Institute’s Residential Contractors seminar. The 10-week course is a key component of Louisiana’s nationally recognized training institute for construction professionals, providing foundational technical knowledge essential to maximize business opportunities in the residential sector.
The virtual course will take place via Zoom June 13 through Aug. 17, consisting of two-hour sessions twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. Registration deadline is June 1. A $350 fee covers the cost of the course and materials. To register, visit OpportunityLouisiana.com/LCAI-RC and click the “Apply Now” button.
The Residential Contractors seminar is one of three LCAI programs and is designed for small and emerging construction businesses. Topics to be covered include:
- Print reading
- Building calculations
- Site work, demolition and construction
- Foundations, formwork and retaining walls
- Finishes
- Roof structures
- Structural loads
- Wood framing construction
- Related trades
- Special construction and equipment
- Safety codes
Since 2016, more than 1,300 participants have graduated from LCAI seminars, which are offered by Louisiana Economic Development, the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System to meet the needs of the state’s growing construction industry. The next contractor accreditation course, focusing on business and law, is scheduled Oct. 3 through Nov. 9.
For more information, contact Camille Campbell at 225.342.5534 or camille.campbell@la.gov. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/registration-opens-for-residential-contractors-seminar/ | 2022-04-27T14:57:21Z |
Ryan Gootee General Contractors Announces New Hires
METAIRIE — Ryan Gootee General Contractors has recently hired Kevin Haslauer as a senior project manager, Lee Cooper as a project manager, William Phillips as a project engineer, John Boyd as a project superintendent and Ron Garic as a project superintendent. Ryan Gootee General Contractors is a licensed commercial general contractor specializing in new construction, renovation and historical restoration with experience in public and private projects. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/ryan-gootee-general-contractors-announces-new-hires/ | 2022-04-27T14:57:27Z |
Todd McDonald Named President of Liberty Bank
NEW ORLEANS — The board of directors of Liberty Bank and Trust Company have announced that Todd O. McDonald has been named the bank’s president effective May 2. Current Liberty President and CEO Alden J. McDonald Jr., Todd’s father, will continue to lead the Liberty Financial Holding Company.
The younger McDonald, who is 41 years old, takes the reins of an iconic financial institution with more than $1 billion in assets. He joined Liberty in 2003 after earning an undergraduate degree from Morehouse College. He received an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2013.
McDonald has held numerous executive positions at Liberty Bank and was selected to serve on the bank’s board of directors in 2017. Most recently, he served as executive vice president of corporate strategy. The board said his accomplishments include forging national partnerships that have produced several new revenue streams, helping raise $30 million in “tier 1” capital, and refining existing initiatives around the bank and within the Liberty Financial Holding Company.
“I am excited about the opportunity to continue to serve Liberty’s community focused mission and the legacy of helping people build generational wealth,” Todd McDonald said in a press release. “I’ve been singularly driven to build solid stakeholder partnerships and evolve financial products which meet the financial needs of an ever-changing world. This next 50 years will be extraordinary as we reshape our culture, talent and organizational capabilities which will make us more agile, more competitive, and more effective in our efforts to close the wealth gap in underserved communities across the country.”
“Todd has the leadership skills, vision, and drive that the Bank needs in these unprecedented times,” said Alden McDonald. “I’m excited to see him continue to build a culture and team committed to pushing the bank to new levels. I know that our amazing staff, friends, and family will allow him to enjoy the same levels of support and dedication to which I have been privileged for the last fifty years.” | https://www.bizneworleans.com/todd-mcdonald-named-president-of-liberty-bank/ | 2022-04-27T14:57:33Z |
Arby’s employee throws hot grease on customer, resulting in hospitalization, police say
HUEYTOWN, Ala. (WBRC/Gray News) – An employee at an Arby’s in Alabama was arrested after police said she threw hot grease on a customer in the drive-thru Saturday.
Hueytown Police Chief Mike Yarbrough said the Arby’s employee “just snapped” when the interaction with a customer escalated.
Authorities responded to calls of an altercation between an employee and a customer. Police said the employee threw grease on the customer in the drive thru.
Yarbrough said the victim, a female customer in her early 30s, was in her car and had two children with her at the time.
The woman has secondary burns on a large portion of her body and is recovering at an area hospital, according to Yarbrough.
Officers arrested 50-year-old Shea Denise Peoples for first-degree assault. She was taken to the Jefferson County Jail on a $30,000 bond.
An Arby’s spokesperson said in a statement, “The actions of the former employee in Hueytown, AL, were reprehensible. We immediately terminated the offender, and we are cooperating with the local authorities in their investigation. Our heart goes out to the guest, and we are working to help support their recovery.”
Yarbrough stressed investigators are still working the case, but justice is a long way away.
“We are still collecting evidence. We have requested the video footage from Arby’s. We except to get that. We will have a district court hearing, then we will have circuit after that, between the two will come grand jury, then circuit court and depending on how backed up the court system is that could take eight months, that could take two years. We don’t know,” Yarbrough said.
Ryan Canon with Morris Bart confirmed the firm is representing the victim in the case. Canon said they filed a lawsuit in Jefferson County.
“We’re shocked by what happened and the outrageous conduct of Arby’s and the manager and employee. It’s certainly unfortunate,” Canon said.
Canon says they are now trying to get to the bottom of what happened in the drive thru. He tells us the victim will need additional medical treatment.
“We want to make sure and get the full story and hold those responsible for what happened responsible and to get full justice in this situation,” he said.
Copyright 2022 WBRC via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/25/arbys-employee-throws-hot-grease-customer-resulting-hospitalization-police-say/ | 2022-04-27T15:10:19Z |
McCarthy downplays remarks about Trump in secret recording
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday downplayed secretly recorded remarks he made about Donald Trump shortly after last year’s attack on the Capitol. He also said he never told the then-president that he should resign — something news organizations have not reported.
McCarthy’s comments were his first public remarks since The New York Times reported last week that on a Jan. 10, 2021, phone call with fellow Republicans, he said he was “seriously thinking” about telling Trump “he should resign.” McCarthy initially called that report “totally false and wrong.” The newspaper later released a recording of him making those remarks and it was played on Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show.
The Times and others have not reported that McCarthy ever followed through and called Trump to urge him to step down. Critics have said the recordings and his denial of what he said show McCarthy to be a liar.
Trump was impeached by the House for encouraging a mob of his supporters who violently stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, trying to disrupt Congress’ counting of the Electoral College votes in his November 2020 reelection defeat. He was exonerated by the Senate even though seven Republicans voted to convict him, the most ever to find a president of their own party guilty in an impeachment trial.
McCarthy, R-Calif., said Monday that a reporter — one of two Times reporters who have written a book that includes the recorded conversation — called him “the night before he released the book.”
“My understanding is he was saying, ‘Did I ask President Trump to resign?’ No, I never did, and that’s what I was answering,” McCarthy told reporters Monday in Eagle Pass, Texas, after touring the border with other Republicans.
Reports have not said that McCarthy definitively told Republicans that he would urge Trump to step down, only that he was thinking seriously about it.
McCarthy also said Monday that “I never did” tell GOP colleagues “that we’re going to ask” Trump to resign. The Times article last week included a comment from McCarthy spokesman Mark Bednar saying, “McCarthy never said he’d call Trump to say he should resign.”
Before he took the question Monday about the audio, McCarthy and his GOP colleagues spent 30 minutes describing what they said are dangerous conditions at the border and blaming President Joe Biden for them.
“After all this, that’s what you want to ask?” he said when the reporter asked about the recording. He said people care more about border security and other issues.
He called the phone call “something that happened 15 months ago on a private conversation with about four other people.” If true, that suggests that Republicans trying to figure out who leaked the recording might have a small circle of suspects to investigate.
McCarthy was asked directly in an interview earlier Monday with Fox News Channel whether he had lied when he said, before the audio’s release, that the Times’ reporting was false.
“No,” he said, saying he’d been asked if he’d called Trump and told him to resign.
He also told Fox he believes the episode won’t have “any impact at all” on his hopes of becoming speaker if, as seems likely, Republicans win House control in November’s elections.
So far McCarthy’s bid to become speaker seems on track. Trump, whose influence over the GOP is unrivaled, said after the audio’s release that he still likes McCarthy.
While most House Republicans have said little so far about whether they would back McCarthy for speaker, those who’ve spoken out have said they still support him.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/25/mccarthy-downplays-remarks-about-trump-secret-recording/ | 2022-04-27T15:10:26Z |
Rich trio back on Earth after charter trip to International Space Station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Three rich businessmen returned from the International Space Station with their astronaut escort Monday, wrapping up a pricey trip that marked NASA’s debut as a B&B host.
Flying back in a SpaceX capsule, they splashed down in the Atlantic off the Florida coast to close out a 17-day tour that cost them $55 million apiece.
The trip was supposed to last a little over a week, but dicey weather kept the visitors in orbit almost twice as long as intended.
“Welcome back to planet Earth,” radioed SpaceX Mission Control from Southern California. “We hope you enjoyed the extra few days in space.”
“Amazing mission,” said real estate tycoon Larry Connor.
Before departing the space station Sunday night, the group thanked their seven hosts, including three NASA astronauts whose own mission is nearing an end.
It was the first time NASA opened its space hatches to tourists after shunning the practice perfected over the decades by Russia. Last fall, a Russian film crew flew up, followed by a Japanese fashion mogul and his assistant. In each case, an active-duty cosmonaut traveled with them.
The latest guests were accompanied by a former NASA astronaut now working for Axiom Space, the Houston company in charge of the flight, making it the first fully private trip to the space station.
After hosting longer than expected, NASA was itching to make room for the next crew. SpaceX will attempt to launch three NASA astronauts and one Italian to the space station as soon as Wednesday. They’ll replace the three Americans and a German up there since November who will head back to Earth in their own SpaceX capsule.
The pace is blazingly fast by NASA standards. SpaceX’s Benji Reed said the company launched its first passengers — a pair of NASA test pilots — two years ago and just completed its first private flight to the space station using the same capsule.
Axiom handled the logistics for the trip for its three paying customers: Connor from Dayton, Ohio; Canadian private equity CEO Mark Pathy; and Israeli investor Eytan Stibbe of Tel Aviv. Their chaperone was Michael Lopez-Alegria, an Axiom vice president who flew to space four times while a NASA astronaut.
It was an “amazing adventure that we’ve had, even longer and more exciting than we thought,” Lopez-Alegria said after departing the space station.
Axiom teamed up with SpaceX for the journey that began with an April 8 liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. It was SpaceX’s second private flight, coming just months after a billionaire’s orbital jaunt with contest winners.
While in space, the visitors did experiments and peered back at Earth.
“It’s been eye-opening in so many ways,” Pathy said, “that I think will have such a lasting impact on my life.”
The experience was especially personal for Stibbe. He served as a fighter pilot under Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut who died aboard space shuttle Columbia in 2003.
Stibbe flew copies of the surviving pages of Ramon’s space diary, as well as artwork and music created by Ramon’s children. He celebrated Passover with matzah bread he took up and gefilte fish offered by the station’s Russians.
Axiom’s second flight is set for next spring as the company looks ahead to having its own space station by 2030.
“There were a lot of eyes on this mission just to see if it was practical,” Derek Hassmann, Axiom’s operations director, said after the splashdown. “Everybody understood it was possible,” but wondered if amateurs could pull this off with abbreviated training, without disturbing the space station crew.
“I think we proved we could do that,” Hassmann said.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/25/rich-trio-back-earth-after-charter-trip-international-space-station/ | 2022-04-27T15:10:33Z |
Gunfire interrupts youth baseball game in South Carolina
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/Gray News) - A parent’s video shows children ducking for cover Monday night as gunfire erupted during a youth baseball game in North Charleston.
North Charleston Police say they are actively investigating the shooting. Police spokesman Harve Jacobs said police responded to Pepperhill Park in the 7600 block of Brandywine Road where gunshots had been reported.
WARNING: This video may contain disturbing content.
“Witnesses indicated that multiple vehicles pulled into the parking lot, where a physical altercation took place, followed by dozens of gunshots,” Jacobs said. “Several youth baseball games were underway when this incident occurred. This incident tonight had nothing to do with the Park, youth athletes, parents or coaches. Thankfully no injuries were reported.”
Blake Ferguson was recording the game as his son was on the pitching mound at Pepperhill Ball Field at approximately 8:45 p.m, WCSC reports. His video captured the sound of multiple shots, sending children and officials running for cover. He said he heard between 50 to 75 shots and believes the gunfire happened in the parking lot.
Lori Ferguson said she heard the booms and initially thought someone was setting off fireworks.
“And then all of a sudden, boom, boom, and ‘Get down, everybody, get down!’ And you’re at a park. My kids are not with me directly and you just see everybody scattering,” she said. “And my son’s on the pitcher mound by himself and it was just the most traumatic thing as a mother, as a citizen of this city, that you just feel helpless. I felt completely helpless.”
After the shooting ended, Blake Ferguson said multiple parents’ vehicles had been struck by gunfire.
North Charleston Police promised to investigate the incident “to the fullest extent of the law and will do everything in their power to locate and arrest the individuals involved in this heinous and reckless act.”
“We will leave no stone unturned in bringing these suspects to justice,” Jacobs said.
Assistant Chief Greg Gomes is shocked by the video and horrified at the events that took place, he said.
“He vehemently denounces this violence and is outraged at those responsible for putting so many innocent lives in danger,” Jacobs said.
Mayor Keith Summey also watched the video of the children on the field during this incident, and was “appalled by what he heard and saw,” Jacobs said.
Lori Ferguson said that police responded to the park to investigate where the shooting occurred, but said officers did not come onto the ball field to check on the families or escort them off the field.
“But nobody ever came and checked like, ‘Hey, are these kids okay?’” she said.
The incident, she said, left her children shaken, even after they were back home.
“Now, I understand we could walk down the street, something could happen. We could be at church, something can happen. One-hundred percent understand that,” she said. “My kids asked me where the police were to protect them. They didn’t want to take a shower, in our own home, because now they’re traumatized by what happened tonight.”
Police planned to meet Tuesday morning with city recreation staff to formulate a safety plan “to ensure that our city’s youth can feel safe when playing on our parks and playgrounds,” Jacobs said.
“We will also make arrangements for the children, parents, coaches, and volunteers who were affected by this event are provided with the resources necessary to assist them in dealing with such a traumatic incident,” Jacobs said.
He said the police department has spoken with the Dee Norton Children’s Advocacy Center to help provide those services.
Games scheduled at the field for Tuesday will be canceled while these plans are finalized.
Copyright 2022 WCSC via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/gunfire-interrupts-youth-baseball-game-south-carolina/ | 2022-04-27T15:10:40Z |
McDonnell settles into weekend role for Dukes
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Liam McDonnell has been the most consistent starting pitcher for James Madison this spring.
The left-handed hurler is sporting a 6-0 record to go along with a 2.06 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 43.2 innings pitched. He fired six innings and allowed just one earned run in a victory over William & Mary this past Saturday.
“The confidence has built for me over the years,” said McDonnell, who is a redshirt senior at JMU. “I’ve had my ups and downs for sure and this is my last year. So I came out with something to prove. I wanted to be a weekend starter and I am here.”
McDonnell began the 2022 season as a midweek starter but transitioned into the weekend rotation after Donovan Burke suffered an injury and the Dukes made adjustments to roles for other pitchers on the staff. The Dukes have won four of the five games he has started in CAA play.
“He’s just been consistent,” said JMU head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “That breaking ball is a really good pitch and he is throwing the changeup consistently and he spots his fastball. Nobody really thinks he throws that hard but his fastball is 87-89 miles per hour so it looks a lot harder after he throws that breaking ball and spots up the changeup and all the sudden he will sneak a fastball. And the one thing I love about Liam is he really doesn’t get hit hard.”
Teams are hitting just .216 against McDonnell and he’s registered an impressive 1.12 WHIP. His next start is expected to come this weekend when the Dukes visit Presbyterian for a three-game, non-conference series.
James Madison (23-17 overall, 9-6 CAA) returns to action Wednesday night when the Dukes visit No. 7 Virginia Tech for an in-state matchup in Blacksburg.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/mcdonnell-settles-into-weekend-role-dukes/ | 2022-04-27T15:10:48Z |
Parents sue after death of teen from Florida drop-tower ride
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The parents of a 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from a 430-foot (131-meter) drop-tower ride in central Florida’s tourist district sued its owner, manufacturer and landlord on Monday, claiming they were negligent and failed to provide a safe amusement ride.
The parents of Tyre Sampson said in the lawsuit filed in state court in Orlando that the defendants failed to warn their 6-foot-2-inch (188-centimeter), 380-pound (172-kilogram) son about the risks of someone of his size going on the ride and didn’t provide an appropriate restraint system on the ride.
While most free-fall rides have a shoulder harness and a seatbelt, the Orlando Free Fall ride had only an over-the-shoulder harness. Adding seatbelts to the ride’s 30 seats would have cost $660, the lawsuit said.
At the time of the accident last month, Sampson was on spring break, visiting from the St. Louis area.
“The defendants in Tyre’s case showed negligence in a multitude of ways,” said attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing Sampson’s family. “From the ride and seat manufacturers and the installer to the owners and operators, the defendants had more than enough chances to enact safeguards, such as seatbelts, that could have prevented Tyre’s death.”
An attorney for the ride’s owner, Orlando Slingshot, said the company was continuing to cooperate with state investigators into what happened. “We reiterate that all protocols, procedures and safety measures provided by the manufacturer of the ride were followed,” attorney Trevor Arnold said in an emailed statement.
A spokesman for the landlord, ICON Park, didn’t comment immediately on the lawsuit.
Last week, an initial report by outside engineers hired by the Florida Department of Agriculture said that sensors on the ride had been adjusted manually to double the size of the opening for restraints on two seats, resulting in Sampson not being properly secured before he slipped out and fell to his death.
The Orlando Free Fall ride, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty, didn’t experience any electrical or mechanical failures, the report said.
The report said there were many other “potential contributions” to the accident and that a full review of the ride’s design and operations was needed.
___
Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/parents-sue-after-death-teen-florida-drop-tower-ride/ | 2022-04-27T15:10:56Z |
Adolescent suicides increased in 2020, study finds
Published: Apr. 27, 2022 at 11:30 AM EDT|Updated: 56 minutes ago
(CNN) – A new study shows an alarming trend in adolescent suicide for some parts of the country during the pandemic.
Researchers from Harvard University, Boston Children’s Hospital and MIT looked at data from 14 state health departments.
They found there was a marked increase in the proportion of suicides in adolescents in 2020 compared to the years before the pandemic.
Authors noted interventions such as counseling and more readily available suicide risk assessment solutions could help teens at risk.
The study was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/adolescent-suicides-increased-2020-study-finds/ | 2022-04-27T16:26:41Z |
Deputies arrest mom for repeatedly calling 911 after son brought home girlfriend
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WHNS/Gray News) - Deputies said a mother in South Carolina was arrested after repeatedly calling 911 on her son early Wednesday morning.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to a home in Inman just before midnight on Tuesday, WHNS reports.
Upon arrival, deputies found the mother, who seemed to be heavily intoxicated, arguing with her son. The mother told deputies her son brought his girlfriend home after she told him not to.
The son said he and his girlfriend only needed to stay there for the night before returning to New York in the morning, according to deputies. Deputies explained to the mother that due to her son living at the home, he had the right to have guests over.
Deputies said they left the scene but were called back to the same house at 12:20 a.m. and 4:12 a.m. in reference to the mother calling 911 on her son. She left the home before deputies arrived the third time.
The mother was placed into custody after returning home a little more than one hour after the final 911 call, the sheriff’s office said.
She was charged with the misuse of 911 and was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/deputies-arrest-mom-repeatedly-calling-911-after-son-brought-home-girlfriend/ | 2022-04-27T16:26:49Z |
Elon Musk quest to scrap deal over 2018 tweets is rejected
DETROIT (AP) — Elon Musk’s request to scrap a settlement with securities regulators over 2018 tweets claiming he had the funding to take Tesla private was denied by a federal judge in New York.
Judge Lewis Liman on Wednesday also denied a motion to nullify subpoenas of Musk seeking information about possible violations of his settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Musk had asked the court to throw out the settlement, which required that his tweets be approved by a Tesla attorney. The SEC is investigating whether the Tesla CEO violated the settlement with tweets last November asking Twitter followers if he should sell 10% of his Tesla stock.
The whole dispute stems from an October 2018 agreement with the SEC in which Musk and Tesla each agreed to pay $20 million in civil fines over Musk’s tweets about having the money to take Tesla private at $420 per share.
The funding was far from secured and the electric vehicle company remains public, but Tesla’s stock price jumped. The settlement specified governance changes, including Musk’s ouster as board chairman, as well as pre-approval of his tweets.
Musk attorney Alex Spiro contended in court motions that the SEC was trampling on Musk’s right to free speech.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/elon-musk-quest-scrap-deal-over-2018-tweets-is-rejected/ | 2022-04-27T16:26:55Z |
Entire third grade class shocked with full-ride college scholarships during assembly
PHOENIX (KPNX) – Parents at an elementary school in Arizona were in for the surprise of their lives when what was thought to be a standard assembly turned into so much more.
During the assembly Monday, school district officials announced that every third grader at Bernard Black Elementary will be receiving a full-ride scholarship to the college of their choice in the future.
Those full rides, provided to 63 students, include tuition, books, and room and board – all completely paid for by the Rosztoczy Foundation and their College Promise program.
“The goal, through the generous officer of this family, is that finances will not be the barrier, that college is an option for every third grader right here at Bernard Black,” Roosevelt School District Superintendent Quintin Boyce said.
Parents in the audience couldn’t contain their cheers and tears of joy at the generous surprise.
“I just couldn’t hold it back because it just means for sure my son is going to college. I don’t have to think about it. He’s going,” Brandon Gailliard said of his son Noah.
Even siblings were in shock.
“My little sister, a 9-year-old, already has four years of college paid off. That’s just shocking,” Aaliyah Warner’s older brother said.
While the third graders still have quite some time before graduating high school, the future is already bright and promising.
This isn’t the first time the Rosztoczy Foundation guaranteed a college future for students in the Phoenix area. In 2012, about 80 third graders at Michael Anderson School in Avondale were gifted the same promise.
Copyright 2022 KPNX via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/entire-third-grade-class-shocked-with-full-ride-college-scholarships-during-assembly/ | 2022-04-27T16:27:01Z |
Older people fret less about aging in place: AP-NORC Poll
WASHINGTON (AP) — The older you are, the less you fret about aging in your own home or community.
That’s a key insight from a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, which found that U.S. adults ages 65 or older feel much better prepared to “age in place” than those 50-64, who are mostly still in the final stretches of their working years.
The poll also documented greater insecurity around aging in place for older Black and Latino Americans, the likely result of a deep-rooted wealth gap that markedly favors white people.
Aging in one’s own home, or with family or a close friend, is a widely held aspiration, with 88% of adults 50 and older saying it’s their goal in an earlier AP-NORC poll.
The outlook among those 65 or older is upbeat, with nearly 8 in 10 saying they’re extremely or very prepared to stay in their current home as long as possible.
But doubts creep in for those ages 50-64. Among that group, the majority who rate themselves as extremely or very prepared shrinks to about 6 in 10, according to the poll.
This relatively younger group is especially likely to say their financial situation is the main reason they don’t feel very prepared to age in place. And they’re also more likely to feel anxious about being able to stay in their communities, get care from medical providers and receive backup from family members or close friends, the poll found.
Part of it may be due to fear of the unknown among people who’ve relied on a paycheck all their lives.
“When you’ve never done it before, and you are only going to do it once, you’re sort of flying by the seat of your pants,” said Leigh Gerstenberger, in his late 60s and retired from a career in financial services. “I spent a lot of time talking to people ahead of me in the journey,” says the Pittsburgh-area resident.
Also, people approaching their 60s may question if Social Security and Medicare will truly be there for them. Stacy Wiggins, an addiction medicine nurse who lives near Detroit, figures she’ll probably work at least another 10 years into her late 60s — and maybe part-time after that. Older friends are already collecting Social Security.
“In my group, you wonder if it’s going to be available,” Wiggins said of government programs that support older people. “Maybe it’s not. You will find people who are less apt to have a traditional pension. Those are things that leave you with a lot of trepidation toward the future.”
Some people now in their 50s and early 60s may still be dealing with the overhang of the 2007-09 recession, when unemployment peaked at 10% and foreclosures soared, said Sarah Szanton, dean of the Johns Hopkins University nursing school. For an aging society, the U.S. does relatively little to prepare older adults to navigate the transition to retirement, she observed.
“As Americans, we’ve always idolized youth and we’re notoriously underprepared for thinking about aging,” Szanton said. “It often comes as a surprise to people.” Her involvement with aging-in-place issues started early in her career, when she made house calls to older people.
In the poll, people 50 and older reported that their communities do an uneven job of meeting basic needs. While access to health care, healthy food and high-speed internet were generally rated highly, only 36% said their community does a good job providing affordable housing. Just 44% were satisfied with access to transportation and to services that support older people in their homes.
Kym Harrelson-Pattishall is hoping that as more people retire to her coastal North Carolina community, health care facilities and other services will follow. As it stands now, a major medical issue can involve a car trip of up to an hour to the hospital.
A real estate agent in her early 50s, Pattishall shares the goal of aging at home, but her confidence level is not very high. “I think it would just eat away what savings I have,” she said.
It’s all about adjusting, says another small-town resident, about 20 years older than Pattishall. Shirley Hayden lives in Texas, near the Louisiana border and on the track of hurricanes from the Gulf of Mexico. She says she has no investments and only modest savings, but she rates herself as very prepared to continue aging in place.
“You have to learn to live within your means,” Hayden said. “I don’t charge things I can’t afford to pay for.
“My biggest thing I have to work around as far as expenses is insurance,” she added. “I don’t really need any new clothes. In Texas, you live in jeans and T-shirts and they don’t go out of style. Yeah, your shoes wear out, but how often do you buy a pair of shoes?”
Not so easy to work around is the well-documented racial wealth gap that constrains older Black people in particular. A Federal Reserve report notes that on average Black and Latino households own 15% to 20% as much net wealth as white households.
In the poll, 67% of Black Americans and 59% of Latino Americans ages 50 and older said they felt extremely or very prepared to stay in their homes as long as possible, compared with the 73% share of white Americans saying they feel confident.
Wiggins, the Detroit area nurse, is Black and says it’s a pattern she’s familiar with. “Part of it is generational wealth,” she said. “I have friends who are white, whose dad died and left them settled. I have friends who are Black whose parents died, and they left enough to bury them, but nothing substantial.”
___
AP Director of Public Opinion Research Emily Swanson and Polling Reporter Hannah Fingerhut contributed to this report.
___
The AP-NORC poll of 1,762 adults age 50 and older was conducted between February 24 - March 1 with funding from The SCAN Foundation. It used a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based Foresight 50+ Panel of adults age 50 or older, which is designed to represent the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/older-people-fret-less-about-aging-place-ap-norc-poll/ | 2022-04-27T16:27:08Z |
One-fifth of reptiles worldwide face risk of extinction
WASHINGTON (AP) — Even the king cobra is “vulnerable.” More than 1 in 5 species of reptiles worldwide are threatened with extinction, according to a comprehensive new assessment of thousands of species published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Of 10,196 reptile species analyzed, 21% percent were classified as endangered, critically endangered or vulnerable to extinction — including the iconic hooded snakes of South and Southeast Asia.
“This work is a very significant achievement — it adds to our knowledge of where threatened species are, and where we must work to protect them,” said Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm, who was not involved in the study.
Similar prior assessments had been conducted for mammals, birds and amphibians, informing government decisions about how to draw boundaries of national parks and allocate environmental funds.
Work on the reptile study – which involved nearly 1,000 scientists and 52 co-authors – started in 2005. The project was slowed by challenges in fundraising, said co-author Bruce Young, a zoologist at the nonprofit science organization NatureServe.
“There’s a lot more focus on furrier, feathery species of vertebrates for conservation,” Young said, lamenting the perceived charisma gap. But reptiles are also fascinating and essential to ecosystems, he said.
The Galapagos marine iguana, the world’s only lizard adapted to marine life, is classified as “vulnerable” to extinction, said co-author Blair Hedges, a biologist at Temple University. It took 5 million years for the lizard to adapt to foraging in the sea, he said, lamenting “how much evolutionary history can be lost if this single species” goes extinct.
Six of the world’s species of sea turtles are threatened. The seventh is likely also in trouble, but scientists lack data to make a classification.
Worldwide, the greatest threat to reptile life is habitat destruction. Hunting, invasive species and climate change also pose threats, said co-author Neil Cox, a manager at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s biodiversity assessment unit.
Reptiles that live in forest areas, such as the king cobra, are more likely to be threatened with extinction than desert-dwellers, in part because forests face greater human disruptions, the study found.
___
Follow Christina Larson on Twitter: @larsonchristina
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/one-fifth-reptiles-worldwide-face-risk-extinction/ | 2022-04-27T16:27:15Z |
Raleigh County Prosecutor and Board of Health Chairman passes away
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - The Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was mourning the loss of one of their own on Wednesday.
Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hatfield said he got word around midnight that his Assistant Prosecutor, Thomas MacAulay, had passed away after battling an illness.
MacAulay was an instrumental member of his team, he said, trying a variety of cases throughout his career. He said MacAulay was also the go-to expert for felony driving offenses.
Hatfield said MacAulay was one of the longest serving members of the office, starting work as a prosecutor in 1990.
“You never heard a cross word from Tom MacAulay. He was always a positive, infectious personality in the office. If you needed someone to boost morale or lift someone up when they were down, Tom MacAulay was that kind of guy.”
MacAulay also served as Chairman of the Raleigh County Board of Health, where he helped guide that department through the region’s Coronavirus response.
He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/raleigh-county-prosecutor-board-health-chairman-passes-away/ | 2022-04-27T16:27:22Z |
Post-Floyd probe finds discrimination by Minneapolis police
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A state investigation launched after George Floyd’s killing in the custody of four Minneapolis police officers has determined that the department engages in a pattern of race discrimination.
Minnesota’s Department of Human Rights announced the finding of the nearly two-year probe on Wednesday. The department has the power to enforce the state’s Human Rights Act, which makes it illegal for police departments to discriminate against someone due to their race.
The state launched its investigation barely a week after Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020. Then-Officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to pin the Black man to the pavement for 9 1/2 minutes in a case that sparked protests around the world against police racism and brutality. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted last spring of murder. Three other officers — Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng — were convicted this year of violating Floyd’s civil rights in a federal trial and they face a state trial starting in June.
Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero said then that the state hoped to use the investigation to find long-term solutions for systemic change. She said the goal was to negotiate a consent decree with the city that courts could enforce with injunctions and financial penalties, citing such agreements in over a dozen other cities including Chicago, where the U.S. Justice Department found a long history of racial bias and excessive use of force by police.
The department quickly won a court order in which the city agreed to make immediate changes, including banning chokeholds and requiring officers to intervene when they see another officer using inappropriate force.
Since then, state investigators have been reviewing a decade’s worth of information, including data on traffic stops, searches, arrests and uses of force, and examined policies and training. They also invited citizens to submit their own stories of encounters with Minneapolis police.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights is the state’s civil rights enforcement agency. Its duties include enforcing the Minnesota Human Rights Act which, among other things, makes it illegal for a police department to discriminate against someone because of their race.
The department has come under pressure from multiple directions since Floyd’s death. The U.S. Department of Justice is also investigating Minneapolis policing practices, though it is not thought to be close to a conclusion.
Several City Council members and residents have pushed to replace the department with a new public safety unit that they argue could take a more comprehensive public health approach to policing, including dropping a required minimum number of police officers. Voters rejected the idea last year.
Mayor Jacob Frey and Chief Medaria Arradondo, before his retirement in January, also made a range of changes in department policies and practices, including requiring officers to document their attempts to de-escalate situations, and no longer stopping motorists for minor traffic violations.
But community anger at police flared anew in February when police officers serving a no-knock warrant shot and killed Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man who was staying on a couch in his cousin’s apartment. Prosecutors declined to charge the officer who shot Locke, saying body camera video showed him pointing a gun at the officer, a claim his family disputed. The city has since banned no-knock warrants except in the most extreme circumstances, such as a hostage situation.
___
Find AP’s full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
___
Ibrahim is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/state-wraps-probe-minneapolis-police-after-floyd-killing/ | 2022-04-27T16:27:28Z |
Veteran groups urge Senate to move on burn pit legislation
President Biden also calls for legislation to pass
The U.S. military disposed of a wide range of materials in Iraq and Afghanistan in burn pits. Today, veterans exposed to those burn pits are coming down with a wide range of diseases, some of which are proving fatal.
This week, the Biden administration added nine types of cancers to the list of illnesses eligible for veterans’ health care benefit, linking them back to burn pit exposure. Still, the administration is calling on Congress to deliver legislation that will allow more veterans exposed to burn pits to receive better healthcare from Veterans Affairs hospitals.
Pat Murray, the legislative director for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said, “We know that breathing in toxins are bad. Burn pits are illegal in the United States. You try to burn all your trash in your backyard, you’re going to get a call from the cops right away.”
Murray said veterans in their twenties and thirties were exposed to burn pits overseas and are coming down with rare cancers and other serious illnesses. He said, “It’s very unfortunate that we’re asking the men and women to then prove to VA that their illness is because of what our government put them through.”
Murray says veterans are waiting on the Senate to pass the PACT Act, which has already passed the House. He said the legislative package would increase care options and expand the list of illnesses veterans can get treatment for. The VFW is just one of the dozens of Veterans Service Organizations urging the Senate to pass the legislation and send it to President Joe Biden’s desk.
The groups are hoping that former Daily Show Host Jon Stewart can help rally support with events like these in different cities. In an interview with Gray Television’s Kansas City station, Stewart urged the Senate to move faster.
Stewart said, “These guys are trying to nitpick this thing to make it perfect. It’s never going to be perfect, but millions of veterans need the help.”
The VFW’s Murray said he expects support from all 50 Senate democrats, but still needs at least 10 republican senators. Some lawmakers expressed concern over cost and overwhelming the VA and lowering the standard of care across the board.
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio said in a statement, “These heroes did not hesitate to answer the call to serve their nation, and the least we can do is ensure they are taken care of following their service. I will not stop until our veterans can receive the care they earned.”
In a hearing last month, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough told a Senate committee that if the PACT Act is passed, he expects up to two-and-a-half million new claims to be filed in the next three years. He said the VA will need to hire more staff.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) -
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/veteran-groups-urge-senate-move-burn-pit-legislation/ | 2022-04-27T16:27:35Z |
3 dead in Biloxi hotel shooting; police in standoff with suspect
BILOXI/GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Three people are dead at a Mississippi hotel, and police believe they have the suspect surrounded at a business in Gulfport. That standoff with police is still underway, WLOX reported.
According to Gulfport police, the man is inside the business and surrounded by officers. Streets near 28th Street and Canal are now closed to the public, and everyone is asked to avoid the area.
The shooting in Biloxi happened around 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Broadway Inn on Walmart Lane near Hwy 90. Police said three people were killed at the hotel. A witness at the hotel described a chaotic scene with people fleeing the area.
Police believe the gunman left the hotel and then assaulted another victim in Gulfport near Rio Grande Street before police caught up with him on 28th Street. That’s where the standoff is right now.
Copyright 2022 WLOX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/3-dead-biloxi-hotel-shooting-police-standoff-with-suspect/ | 2022-04-27T17:56:56Z |
6-year-old suffers severe burns in what family calls a case of bullying
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) – A child in Connecticut was taken to the hospital after suffering severe burns in a situation that his family describes as bullying.
Officials in Bridgeport said crews responded to the report of a child burned on Sunday afternoon.
The child, whom organizers of a fundraising effort identified as 6-year-old Dominick, was transported to the burn unit at Bridgeport Hospital.
“Preliminary reports indicate that up to four unattended children were seen playing with gasoline and lighting objects on fire,” Bridgeport officials said.
A GoFundMe page was started to help cover Dominick’s medical costs. In it, the organizers described the incident as a case of bullying.
“My little brother Dom has been bullied for a while by the tenants downstairs,” wrote Kayla Deegan and Toni Gauger on the website. “It escalated to a deadly intent.”
Deegan and Gauger said one the children covered a ball in gasoline, lit it on fire and threw it at Dominick.
“Dom has second- and third-degree burns on his face and leg,” they wrote. “He’s going to be scarred for life mentally and physically.”
The situation remains under investigation.
Copyright 2022 WFSB via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/6-year-old-suffers-severe-burns-what-family-calls-case-bullying/ | 2022-04-27T17:57:03Z |
Couple stranded in Spain after testing positive for COVID on cruise
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow/Gray News) - After two years of warning people about the risks of getting infected on cruise ships, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted its advisory last month.
To bring travelers back, the cruise industry is promoting new health services and cheap fares.
One couple, however, told Hawaii News Now their experience wasn’t as safe or supportive as was advertised.
The pair said they’ve been stranded in Barcelona since Saturday, after contracting COVID-19 while on a cruise in Europe. Travelers returning to the U.S. must test negative for COVID-19.
Craig Visitacion said the 10-day Mediterranean cruise on the Norwegian Star was a much-needed vacation for he and his wife after working on the frontlines during the pandemic.
The hospital medical technician said he trusted Norwegian Cruise Line to have safety protocols in place, but had concerns when he saw passengers clustered together without masks or distancing.
“From the time we stepped on the ship, we kind of noticed, felt kind of funny about it. But you know I’m not at work, I’m on vacation, so I kind of put it to the side and just try to focus on having a good time,” Visitacion said.
The day before the cruise was scheduled to end in Barcelona, Visitacion took a required COVID-19 test and his result came back positive.
He quarantined in his cabin and said crew members told him Norwegian representatives would help when they disembarked.
“We went out. no vans, no NCL personnel, no one,” he said. “To say that they’re going to house us and bus us to a certain hotel, to tell you to the truth, I don’t even know if there was any shuttles because nobody was there.”
Unable to fly back to the United States, Visitacion said he and other cruise passengers who tested positive felt abandoned.
“We stayed overnight in the airport, not knowing what to do and where to go because we didn’t have a hotel situated at the time,” Visitacion said.
He said he was able to find a hotel for two nights but had to move to another one due to unavailability. He added that he called Norwegian for four days but couldn’t get any help.
Visitacion said he was finally contacted by a Norwegian representative who told him his travel insurance would cover 150% of his expenses.
“I think they waited too long to reach out. I had my sisters at home in Hawaii trying to help us out, because in a foreign land with people, the locals seldom speaking English, it’s very hard to communicate with them,” he said.
His sister, Charleen Karimoto, said she took two days off from work to focus on getting her brother home and making sure he can refill his medical prescriptions in Barcelona.
She says she spoke to a manager from Norwegian over the phone but was hung up on.
Visitacion shelled out thousands of dollars on hotels and booked new flights to get back to Hawaii, hoping he tests negative in the next few days.
HNN reached out to Norwegian Cruise Line for information on how positive COVID-19 cases are handled but did not receive a response.
The company’s website says its health and safety program ensures “ultimate safety” but did not list guidance for infected passengers.
Copyright 2022 HawaiiNewsNow via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/couple-stranded-spain-after-testing-positive-covid-cruise/ | 2022-04-27T17:57:09Z |
Fauci: US moving to endemic phase of COVID
(AP) – Dr. Anthony Fauci has given an upbeat assessment of the current state of the coronavirus in the United States, saying the country is “out of the pandemic phase” when it comes to new infections, hospitalizations and deaths, but that it appears to be making a transition to COVID-19 becoming an endemic disease — occurring regularly in certain areas.
Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said on the PBS “NewsHour” on Tuesday that the coronavirus remains a pandemic for much of the world, but the threat is not over for the United States, adding that he was speaking about the worst phase of the pandemic.
“Namely, we don’t have 900,000 new infections a day and tens and tens and tens of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths. We are at a low level right now,” he said.
In comments Wednesday to The Washington Post, however, Fauci seemed to clarify his earlier remarks, saying that unlike the “full-blown explosive pandemic phase” during the brutal winter omicron surge, he was describing what appears to be a period of transition toward the coronavirus becoming an endemic disease.
“The world is still in a pandemic. There’s no doubt about that. Don’t anybody get any misinterpretation of that. We are still experiencing a pandemic,” Fauci told the Post.
His comments come as health authorities wrestle with how to keep COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations manageable and learn to live with what’s still a mutating and unpredictable virus. The Biden administration has stressed that the nation has more tools — vaccinations, booster shots and medications — to better handle infections than earlier in the pandemic.
U.S. cases are far lower than they were in recent months. But health officials are keeping a close eye as highly contagious variants continue to spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cases have risen about 25% in the past week.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/fauci-us-moving-endemic-phase-covid/ | 2022-04-27T17:57:15Z |
McCarthy defends 1/6 audio, House GOP backs ‘next speaker’
WASHINGTON (AP) — House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy told colleagues Wednesday he never asked then-President Donald Trump to resign over the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol as he defended private conversations around the siege that have spilled into the open and jeopardized his leadership.
That’s according to two Republicans in the room for the private morning meeting at GOP headquarters who were granted anonymity to discuss it. McCarthy, who is in line to become House speaker if Republicans win control in the fall midterm election, received a standing ovation.
One Republican in the room said the meeting was “cathartic” for lawmakers. Another voiced confidence that McCarthy would be the next speaker.
Yet amid the show of support, McCarthy was challenged by two of the party’s most hard-right lawmakers — Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia — who said they felt particularly singled out by the leadership team for their fiery comments around Jan. 6. Trump ally Rep. Scott Perry, R-Penn., who helped organize challenges to the 2020 election results, also rose to voice concerns, another Republican said.
But they appeared to be in a dwindling minority as rank-and-file lawmakers rallied around McCarthy, the man who recruited many of them to Congress and is now raising untold millions to help them win back the House majority.
“You guys obsess over January 6. Nobody cares,” Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., told a gaggle of reporters outside House GOP headquarters.
A California Republican long eyeing the speaker’s gavel, McCarthy is at a critical juncture as he works to ascend to the top leadership position. It will be his second try after a failed 2015 bid — but one now fully dependent on his volatile relationship with Trump, who still holds great influence over the party and can make and break careers.
New audio recordings released in recent days by the New York Times portray McCarthy as fed up with Trump in the aftermath of the Capitol attack, when the defeated president rallied his supporters to head to Congress and object to Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.
In the recordings, McCarthy is heard telling Republicans privately that he was considering asking Trump to resign. In another recording released late Tuesday, McCarthy warns that dangerous public commentary from Gaetz and others is “putting people in jeopardy” of potential violence.
McCarthy has denied The New York Times account of events, leading Democrats and others to call him a liar, as audio of the secretly recorded calls was released. The House committee investigating Jan. 6 is seeking an interview with him.
On Wednesday, McCarthy stood at party headquarters and defended his actions, suggesting he was merely running through possible scenarios as Democrats moved to impeach Trump in the aftermath of the violent siege.
In the GOP meeting, McCarthy clearly stated that he never asked the president to resign, said one of the Republicans granted anonymity to discuss the private call. He has also publicly said he did not do so. The Times didn’t report that he asked Trump to resign, only that he told members he would.
As president, Trump had affectionately referred to McCarthy as “My Kevin,” one of his earliest endorsers, but their relationship has frayed over time. McCarthy momentarily turned on Trump as his supporters stormed the Capitol that day to disrupt certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential win.
In the days after the riot, it seemed Republicans in Washington might part ways with Trump. McCarthy, along with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, gave blistering speeches against Trump, and McCarthy’s public and private conversations at that time show flashes of anger and the depth of angst over the shocking, devastating riot by Trump supporters.
But once Biden took office McCarthy quickly went to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida to patch things up with the defeated president.
Trump and McCarthy spoke last week, and the former president told the leader he was “not mad” about the disclosures.
To become speaker if Republicans win back the House, McCarthy would need to win at least 218 votes.
“President Trump said their relationship has never been stronger. That’s good enough for me,” said Roger Williams, R-Texas. “We’re totally supportive of Kevin McCarthy.”
“He’s got my support. He’s got everybody else’s support, too,” he said.
___
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Alan Fram and video journalist Rick Gentilo contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/mccarthy-defends-16-audio-house-gop-backs-next-speaker/ | 2022-04-27T17:57:22Z |
Mother left ‘unrecognizable’ after son beat her to death, police say
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow/Gray News) - Police in Hawaii arrested a 19-year-old man accused of beating his mother to the point of her being “unrecognizable.”
Honolulu police say Joshua McPeek punched and stomped on his 38-year-old mother, Michelle McPeek, in the middle of a highway after an argument on April 20, according to Hawaii News Now.
Court documents say the woman was found by police, lying lifeless on her back with her face completely smashed in. They said she was unrecognizable because of her injuries.
An officer said Joshua McPeek was located a short time later, about a mile from the crime scene, near Makaha Beach Park. Police said his hands and face were covered in blood.
Defense attorney Victor Bakke said it appeared the teen may have been suffering from a serious mental illness, drug addiction or both.
“Nobody just assaults somebody else like that and especially your mother,” he said.
The attorney added that intoxication is not a defense.
“But sometimes with long-term drug use you’ll see that it causes a brain injury so that the person actually becomes brain damaged so to speak,” Bakke said.
It’s still unknown what led up to the argument between Joshua McPeek and his mother.
However, witnesses did report seeing a second woman during the attack, crying and running up and down the road, but she vanished a short time later.
Authorities said there was a brief struggle before the teen was detained.
McPeek is charged with murder, and his bail remains at $1 million.
A vigil for Michelle McPeek was held on Monday, with a group of people meeting at a park and then releasing flowers into the ocean.
Kuulei Lincoln, who had known Michelle McPeek for 15 years, said she was a mom of seven.
“She was a very lovely person,” said Lincoln. “She loved her kids, she did everything for her kids.”
Copyright 2022 HawaiiNewsNow via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/mother-left-unrecognizable-after-son-beat-her-death-police-say/ | 2022-04-27T17:57:29Z |
PHOTOS: Zoo Knoxville welcomes baby chimp on Earth Day
Published: Apr. 27, 2022 at 12:27 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hours ago
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (CNN) - Zoo Knoxville is welcoming a baby chimpanzee.
On Friday, which happened to be Earth Day, 37-year-old Binti gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
The zoo says Binti had an undisclosed complication, but her caretakers and veterinary team stepped in and she’s now recovering well.
While Binti gets her strength back, the Great Apes team is caring for the baby around the clock.
A name hasn’t been announced yet.
The zoo said it’s working with 32 other zoos to ensure there is a healthy population of chimpanzees, which are an endangered species.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/photos-zoo-knoxville-welcomes-baby-chimp-earth-day/ | 2022-04-27T17:57:35Z |
Trump appeals New York contempt ruling, $10K per day fine
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has appealed a New York judge’s decision to hold him in contempt of court and fine him $10,000 per day for failing to adequately respond to a subpoena issued in the state attorney general’s civil investigation into his business dealings.
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, filed a notice of appeal Wednesday with the appellate division of the state’s trial court, making good on her pledge to challenge Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron’s ruling, issued Monday.
Habba questioned the legal basis for holding Trump in contempt, arguing in court papers that he responded properly to the subpoena and that the attorney general’s office had failed to show his conduct “was calculated to defeat, impair, impede, or prejudice” the investigation and refused to engage in “good-faith discussions” before seeking to have him fined.
“All documents responsive to the subpoena were produced to the attorney general months ago,” Habba said in a statement after Engoron’s ruling.
Engoron said a contempt finding was appropriate because Trump and his lawyers hadn’t shown they had conducted a proper search for records sought by the subpoena.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, had asked the court to hold Trump in contempt after he failed to produce any documents to satisfy a March 31 court-imposed deadline to meet the terms of the subpoena.
Trump, a Republican, has been fighting James in court over her investigation, which he has called a politically motivated “witch hunt.”
James has been conducting a lengthy investigation into the Trump Organization, the former president’s family company, centering around what she has claimed is a pattern of misleading banks and tax authorities about the value of his properties.
The contempt finding by the judge came despite a spirited argument by Habba, who insisted repeatedly that she went to great lengths to comply with the subpoena, even traveling to Florida to ask Trump specifically whether he had in his possession any documents that would be responsive to the demand.
Habba noted that Trump does not send emails or text messages and has no work computer “at home or anywhere else.” She described the search for documents as “diligent.”
Investigators for James have said in court filings that they uncovered evidence that Trump may have misstated the value of assets like golf courses and skyscrapers on his financial statements for more than a decade.
At the hearing, Assistant Attorney General Andrew Amer said the investigation was being hampered “because we don’t have evidence from the person at the top of this organization.”
And he said the failure to turn documents over in response to the subpoena was “effectively Mr. Trump thumbing his nose at this court’s order.”
A parallel criminal investigation is being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, also a Democrat.
___
Associated Press reporter Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/trump-appeals-new-york-contempt-ruling-10k-per-day-fine/ | 2022-04-27T17:57:42Z |
Less than two weeks after being rescued from what’s been described as a hoarding situation, the Cheyenne Animal Shelter says the more than 60 dogs are doing well.
Several have already been adopted, with more being fostered or awaiting assessment for adoption. And the community – having stepped up with donations, volunteering and foster homes – has made a difficult situation more manageable, shelter CEO Britney Tennant told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Tuesday.
On April 16, animal control officers responded to a call about 20 large-breed dogs running loose on the south side of Cheyenne, according to a Saturday news release from the city. With help from the city’s Compliance Department, the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office and community members, animal control officers rounded up 23 dogs and transported them to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, along with “a handful more over the next few days.”
The city’s Compliance Department took charge of animal control services for both the city and county Sept. 1.
“Upon contacting the dog owner, animal control quickly became aware of the gravity of the situation the dogs and their owner were in,” the news release said. “The owner accepted an offer to surrender all animals so they could receive medical care and more adequate housing.”
Tennant said it was her understanding that animal control officers had not issued the former owner a citation because the owner surrendered the animals. She said the shelter supported the decision because this type of case is typically difficult to prosecute, and animals must be held as evidence during the duration of the criminal proceeding, which puts strain on both the shelter and the animals themselves.
An animal control supervisor could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
A total of 64 dogs, 13 birds and “a handful” of cats – nine, Tennant estimated – were taken from the situation. The dog breeds included Saint Bernards, English Mastiffs, Bullmastiffs, Catahoula Leopard Dogs and Great Pyrenees, according to an email newsletter from the animal shelter.
The birds were of miscellaneous types. Although the shelter was originally told there were about 100 birds, that number later went down to 40, and 13 were ultimately surrendered from the home. Tennant said she was unsure what caused such a big discrepancy in the bird numbers.
Dog population doubled
Within about 48 hours, the shelter’s dog population doubled, Tennant said in an interview.
Thirteen puppies have been born since the dogs’ rescue, with one more mother waiting to give birth.
For the first days they were in the shelter, the dogs were “pretty shut down and fearful,” Tennant said. In an April 19 newsletter, she described them as “under-socialized, unaccustomed to living as house pets, filthy, and generally unwilling or unable to walk on leashes.”
The shelter added in a later email newsletter that it decided to label it a hoarding situation because the animals were “covered in their own waste, were permitted to breed indiscriminately, had no medical records or established relationship with a veterinarian, and have untreated illnesses and injuries,” though they were minor.
“Where we can, we’ve doubled them up in kennels so they can enjoy some companionship and we can make the best use of our available space,” Tennant wrote. “But, at 150 pounds or more, most of the adults cannot share space. There are so many that we have been forced to take all of our other shelter dogs and condense them into just two adoption rooms. The available space per dog is less than half our usual allotment.”
One of the shelter’s adoption rooms is currently shut down, Tennant said, to house some of the biggest dogs in the group that still need “significant” grooming care. These dogs need to have matted fur removed before they can be examined for medical issues, she said.
Last Thursday, less than a week after the huge influx of dogs, the shelter said in a newsletter that the dogs were already improving. Shelter staff were “working diligently” to care for the animals, the newsletter said, and each were provided daily enrichment and time out of their kennels. Veterinary staff were working through ill and injured dogs, and they were on appropriate medication. The shelter had partnered with “numerous” rescue groups and were met with a lot of community members interested for fostering and adopting.
In the days since then, all of the dogs from the hoarding situation have begun walking on leashes, with some taking to it well, Tennant said in the interview. The dogs are eating, and most have come out of their shells.
“Every day, we see improvements,” she said. “There’s a couple of new dogs every day that have been hiding in the back of their kennel until this new day, and now all of a sudden they’re at the front of their kennel, wagging their tail, looking for attention and interaction from people. So, I think they’re settling in really well.”
The shelter CEO also described them as “the nicest dogs from a hoarding situation that we’ve ever seen.”
Community responseAs of Tuesday evening, 36 dogs appeared on the shelter’s website as available to adopt. Tennant said all but about 10 of the dogs currently available were surrendered from the hoarding situation.
The week these dogs came to the shelter, the CEO said, 13 dogs not from that situation that had been available at the shelter “for quite some time” were adopted.
“(The hoarding) case brought attention not only to these dogs, but to lots of dogs in the shelters, so we saw a pretty marked increase in adoptions over the last two weeks from what we’ve had since early in the year,” Tennant said.
Even so, the shelter is still way over its typical 125- to 140-animal capacity. Tennant said the shelter was housing 212 animals as of Tuesday afternoon, and the situation is only tenable because such a large number of people have taken in foster animals.
Being so overwhelmed with animals needing a high level of care has put a strain on shelter workers, Tennant said – physically, mentally and emotionally – with many working 12- to 15-hour shifts.
The large influx of dogs also came during the shelter’s busiest week of the year, when it was preparing for its annual Fur Ball gala fundraiser.
The shelter is always in need of monetary donations, especially because of the large amount of overtime it must pay employees at the moment, said Niki Harrison, the shelter’s director of annual campaign and branding, in an interview with the WTE.
But Harrison and Tennant said that what will really help the shelter out and get it back to normalcy is more adoptions.
People can now simply show up for an adoption appointment, rather than make one beforehand, Harrison said, although the wait can sometimes be up to an hour.
Through the end of the week, all adult dogs – those seven months and older – available for adoption will have a fee of just $50.
And while the impact on staff has been real and challenging, the situation has been largely positive, Tennant said. Donations of dog food and other supplies have flooded in, both from companies and individuals. Veterinary clinics and groomers have donated their services. Supply drives have been organized, and mental health care services for staff have been donated. Black Dog Animal Rescue took in five of the animals, including a pregnant dog.
So many people have asked to volunteer that a fast-track onboarding process has been created for those who want to walk dogs, spend time with cats, clean kennels, do laundry and dishes or otherwise keep the shelter space clean.
Because of publicity given to the case and the huge community response, Tennant said, “these animals are going to be in a really good spot in a pretty short amount of time.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/animal-shelter-making-progress-with-dogs-from-hoarding-situation/article_5b6b15d9-792f-52fe-8abc-e14a2db404d0.html | 2022-04-27T17:59:42Z |
...Elevated to Near-Critical Fire Weather Today...
This is a special weather statement from the National Weather
Service Office in Cheyenne.
* WHAT...Elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions with
low humidity in the teens to low 20s, elevated sustained winds
of 10 to 25 mph with occasional gusts at 20 to 25 mph possible.
Fuels remain dry in many areas, especially grasses.
* WHERE...High Plains of Southeast Wyoming, southern Nebraska
Panhandle, Laramie Valley, and Carbon County.
* WHEN...12pm through 8pm tonight.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Fires starts and spreadibility could be
increased under these weather conditions. Outdoor burning is
discouraged, especially during the afternoon.
1 of 2
Gov. Mark Gordon sits for a portrait on April 5, 2022, following his announcement he is seeking re-election. Jasmine Hall/Wyoming Tribune Eagle
CHEYENNE – Gov. Mark Gordon’s office has announced the launch of a new online dashboard that provides tools for job seekers, businesses and educators. The website is boots.wyo.gov.
The dashboard is designed to provide users a greater understanding of what jobs are available in Wyoming; pathways through education to be able to qualify for in-demand jobs; the value of education and training; labor supply and demand; as well as growth potential for Wyoming industries, both statewide and regionally.
The tools are intended to support the goals of the state, and are a piece of the solution to addressing the challenges that Wyoming faces related to post-secondary attainment and workforce.
“This is an incredibly important tool to help Wyoming people both find jobs and find new opportunities. It addresses some of the challenges Wyoming workers and employers face by connecting them in a common forum,” Gordon said in a news release. “The ultimate goal is to get information about new and emerging employment and enterprise opportunities in the hands of those seeking to advance their careers, or grow and expand their businesses.”
The dashboard, called BOOTS (Business occupational outlook tool sets), creates the ability to connect individuals to local education and job opportunities. The information and live data available is intended to help Wyoming businesses and workers address growing workforce challenges.
“For the people in Wyoming who are trying to figure out their career path and the businesses that are trying to hire the best employees possible, this dashboard is a vital resource to Wyoming and her people,” said Robin Cooley, director of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/governor-launches-new-tools-for-job-seekers-businesses-and-educators/article_63871e24-58a6-5ed2-b580-be8655b54224.html | 2022-04-27T17:59:48Z |
ROCK SPRINGS -- Rich and Marlene Kramer, the parents of the late Makayla “Mack” Kramer are proud to announce that Rock Springs High School senior Madison Blake is the recipient for the inaugural Mack Kramer Memorial Scholarship.
As part of the application process, Blake wrote an essay.
“I applied to this scholarship because I had many experiences with Mack growing up from band to AP class to softball,” said Blake. “I knew I would enjoy writing an essay reflecting on my memories of them.”
Blake noted that she and Mack both played the clarinet in Concert Band and the saxophone in Jazz Band.
She added, “I feel very honored to be chosen out of all the students that applied. Some of them obviously had different reasons for applying and may have had their own memories of Mack, but to know that the Sweetwater One Foundation and the Kramer family found a connection to my experiences with Mack is heart-warming.”
Blake will attend the University of Wyoming, majoring in Wildlife and Fishery Biology Management.
According to Mack’s parents, they were impressed with Blake’s essay.
“While there were several highly qualified applicates, Madison’s essay stood out as she described attributes of Mack that have influenced her, including Mack’s leadership skills and sense of humor,” Marlene explained. “Mack had the honor of being a drum major during senior year and leading the Rock Springs High School marching band.”
In the essay, Madison described how Mack’s leadership style was to make sure that others thrived and to always take input from others.
“She also described Mack’s sense of humor and how Mack could always lighten the mood and get a smile from others, especially when making band director, Mr. Redmond uncomfortable!” Marlene shared. “Most importantly, Madison also wrote about how Mack strove to overcome mental health struggles.
“This was a meaningful part for us, as this is exactly what we want this scholarship to do – to bring awareness that anyone can struggle from mental health, it is nothing to be ashamed of and to seek help from others if you are struggling.”
The Kramers will be offering the $2020 memorial scholarship for nineteen years, one year for each year of Mack’s life.
“We want to honor Mack and recognize their legacy in a way that will help others for years to come,” said Marlene.
Kramer was the valedictorian of the Rock Springs High School Class of 2020. They were an accomplished band student and member of the Speech and Debate Team.
Kramer was a University of Wyoming student when they passed away.
“This year’s pool of applicants is special to us, since many were friends or acquaintances of Mack, as they would have been sophomores during Mack’s senior year,” Marlene expressed. “We appreciate all of the applicants who applied for the Mack Kramer Memorial Scholarship. We also want to thank the Sweetwater One Foundation Board for helping us go through all of the applications.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/fulfilling-a-dream-blake-becomes-first-recipient-of-memorial-scholarship/article_11113557-9855-52d0-a640-48269e21f950.html | 2022-04-27T17:59:54Z |
CASPER – During a lengthy hearing here, there were signs that a legislative stalemate could be broken, or at least that discussions could advance, on how to help digital currency miners get more electricity and at lower rates.
Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle and stakeholders who testified Monday showed some openness to creating ways to serve the power-hungry cryptocurrency industry. At this interim work session held by the Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, there appeared to be more acceptance of the idea that some changes might be needed to interest Wyoming crypto companies in using scores of computers to virtually make these financial assets.
By contrast, when the bill up for discussion, Senate File 71, previously came up at Senate Minerals Committee during the Legislature’s budget session, the reception was more negative. Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, was the only lawmaker to vote yes on SF 71. It would have created deregulated industrial power zones so that high-technology companies and others could strike alternative power deals that do not necessarily involve the incumbent utility.
“Our regulatory structure is great” 99% of the time, just not for crypto, Rothfuss said near the start of Monday’s hearing. While his bill may not be the answer, he said that “if we leave our current system in place, I cannot imagine any company coming to Wyoming” and needing a lot of power.
Prospects for reviving the same bill did not appear likely. All witnesses and legislators who spoke agreed that they did not necessarily want to pursue total deregulation of the state’s power industry. Some did suggest this could be a backstop to keep in mind if the utilities can’t work out some new approach to get crypto miners the electricity they want.
Statewide energy deregulation could take years, many testified. That could be too long for power-hungry virtual miners who say they each want dozens, if not hundreds, of megawatts of power quickly, sometimes approaching the amount that some of the state’s largest cities, such as Cheyenne, consume.
For wide-scale deregulation, “if you could do that in five years, I think that is pretty optimistic,” said Wyoming Public Service Commission Chief Counsel John Burbridge. “I would imagine that it would be a pretty (extensive) endeavor. It is not something that could happen overnight.”
Stakeholders are searching for ways to proceed that do not involve such big changes.
A way forward?
The difference between now and earlier this year, when SF 71 died in the Senate committee without getting a House-side hearing, is that lawmakers late Monday afternoon cleared the way for a process to try to resolve crypto-utility differences.
The way forward, at least at this time, is for an informal subcommittee or panel of members from the bicameral Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee to split off as a smaller group of lawmakers who have a keen interest in the issue, the joint committee’s members told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
Typically, when such a panel is appointed, it has a few members from each chamber, said Rep. Mike Greear, R-Worland. He helped run the hearing and is chairman of the House Minerals, Business and Natural Resources Committee.
“A couple legislators who are passionate about it” might be named to help helm the discussions, Greear said in an interview. With stakeholders, they could “spend a day on it” and not merely a few hours, such as at this hearing, he added. The crypto portion began a little late and ended close to an hour and a half after its appointed start time.
Under the auspices of such a forthcoming panel, this is “where can we find common ground” and “try to get” the sides to “hash it out,” Greear said. “And then bring some recommendations back” to the full joint committee, which could be the next step, he added.
One potential member is Rep. Danny Eyre, R-Lyman. His name came up because before retiring and eventually getting elected, he worked at the Bridger Valley Electric co-operative for some 35 years, including serving as general manager. That utility expertise could give him a useful perspective.
Asked after the meeting if he would serve on the panel if asked, Eyre said yes; he did not seek to put himself forward for it. Given his lengthy involvement in the state’s power industry, he noted that there have long been discussions about carving out certain entities from the regulated power system. The new flavor is that crypto wants the carve out, he said.
Deregulation regrets elsewhere
Eyre said that of the approximately 15 states that enacted some form of energy industry deregulation, several may have regretted this, while other states that did not take part might be thankful they sat this previous trend out. He wondered aloud whether this issue could be addressed without deregulation.
“It’s very difficult to carve out industrial users without creating adverse impact for other ratepayers,” Eyre told the WTE. “We need to be very careful that we don’t have negative impact on residential customers.”
Another potential ad hoc panel member is Rothfuss. He is a proponent of attracting crypto to Wyoming, which he said the state was doing a good job on except for when it comes to energy. As one GOP member of the Joint Minerals panel could be heard remarking after the hearing, it’s interesting that Rothfuss, as a Democrat, is helping to lead the push for deregulation. Usually, it’s Republicans who take up the deregulatory mantle.
Regardless of who ultimately ends up on the energy group, it would aim to convene a meeting with all sides of the issue, lawmakers said in interviews and during the hearing. The goal would be for something to be discussed in time for the June 27-28 gathering in Casper of the full Minerals committee, which consists of state senators and representatives.
During the hearing, a PSC staffer suggested that his agency could help provide a venue for getting the stakeholders together. Under what lawmakers envision, it is more likely that the PSC could participate like any other party in the stakeholder meeting, rather than acting as the convening authority, Greear told the WTE.
One local legislator spoke as a witness, advocating for ways to help satisfy virtual miners’ sizable appetites for power. “The deregulated concept could work quite well for the large industrial users,” said Rep. Pat Sweeney, R-Casper. He acknowledged concerns that crypto mining may not stick around in any area very long, and stakeholders noted that these mobile operations can easily move. “Whether cryptocurrency lasts, I hope it does.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/banking_and_finance/legislative-stalemate-on-power-for-digital-currency-miners-could-be-addressed-via-panel-discussion/article_8d834642-c648-11ec-bed5-f7f51929cd56.html | 2022-04-27T18:00:00Z |
SWEETWATER COUNTY -- The Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition marks the week of May 9 to May 13, 2022, as the next Economic Development Week. During this week, communities across North America will celebrate and recognize the contributions made by professional economic developers to create more economically vibrant and livable communities.
Created in 2016 by International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the largest international professional trade association for economic developers, Economic Development Week aims to increase awareness for local programs that create jobs, advance career development opportunities and improve the quality of life in communities everywhere.
"Economic developers play essential roles in promoting the economic health and vitality of their communities — a fact that has only been proven further by the events of the past two years," said IEDC President & CEO Nathan Ohle. “The 2022 Economic Development Week will serve to recognize, honor and celebrate the ingenuity and leadership practitioners have shown in working to create a more equitable and prosperous future for everyone.”
“We have an exciting week planned for Economic Development Week; this week is all about educating and celebrating the business community of Sweetwater County. Our local business community is the heart and soul of our County. We have coordinated several free networking and educational opportunities to help them grow and sustain their businesses,” said Kayla McDonald, Economic Development Specialist for the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition.
Visit the Sweetwater Economic Coalition’s Facebook page and website for more information on the events and registration is available online https://bit.ly/3kkRM4Z. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/economic_development/sedc-to-celebrate-national-economic-development-week/article_d999b8e6-c647-11ec-bd64-d328a25f6dfc.html | 2022-04-27T18:00:07Z |
When University of Wyoming students return to campus next fall, operations of the College of Arts and Sciences will seem a bit different.
Administrators are re-imagining the college’s purpose and has begun a process of consolidating similar subject areas.
By the time the changes are complete, the physical, mathematical and biological sciences, with the exception of psychology, will move from the College of Arts and Sciences to other colleges on campus.
The transition will start in July when the division of mathematics and statistics moves to the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Later on, the physical sciences such as chemistry and physics will end up in the College of Engineering and Applied Science as well. And the biological sciences such as botany and zoology will move to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
While the changes call for a heavy lift from staff and administrators, life for students should remain relatively similar, said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Camellia Okpodu. Aside from some changes to general education requirements that are being considered at the university-wide level, degree tracks and programs shouldn’t change.
While administrative-level changes announced last year are part of a plan to save money during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the reasoning behind re-imagining the College of Arts and Sciences is more practical than financial.
“(There are) some savings in terms of fewer department heads, but it’s not really just a budget reduction exercise,” said UW spokesperson Chad Baldwin. “It’s more about organizing ourselves and schools in the most appropriate way for a modern university.”
These changes could help put the university in a more competitive position when it comes to seeking federal research money, he said.
The plan came as a surprise to Okpodu, who started her position at UW in last July. Since there wasn’t much guidance available about restructuring an entire college, Okpodu has been working with associate deans and staff to brainstorm the best way to implement the changes.
“The College of Arts and Sciences will continue to be the heartbeat of the university,” Okpodu said, adding that she will continue to push for excellence.
This year’s UW Class of 2022 graduating class has 171 honors students. Of those, 67 are from the College of Arts and Sciences. Only six would be considered part of a different college once the changes are complete.
Still, the task of switching so many degree programs is one to navigate carefully. There are 17 systems that the changes will have to work across, and it will take special care to make sure students aren’t frustrated with administrative problems, Okpodu said.
The college held a symposium last week as a way to take scholarly opinions and brainstorm a future vision for the college, which will be focused on the arts, humanities and social sciences.
“People come here to get education for a lifetime,” Okpodu said.
She described a desire for the college to act like a “C-4 explosive” in producing creative, compassionate, curious and critically thinking global leaders.
In addition to meeting student concerns and satisfaction, Okpodu hopes to retain the faculty members who are currently with the university.
The re-imagining process is still in the beginning stages. The next steps are deciding on a new name for the college and seeking input on the changes from students and alumni. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/education/re-imagining-higher-ed-uw-college-of-arts-sciences-to-see-new-structure/article_7c52da72-c648-11ec-aa19-47d33e04a089.html | 2022-04-27T18:00:13Z |
Report: National gas prices up again after a brief decrease
(Gray News) – Gas prices have risen again after a short dip nationwide.
According to a report from AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gas rose four cents over the past week to $4.12.
Fears that less Russian oil will enter the global market are countered by fears of a COVID-caused economic slowdown in China, which is the world’s leading oil consumer. These forces are opposed and causing the oil price to hover around $100 a barrel, according to the report.
The current national average for a gallon of gas, which sits at $4.12, is 12 cents less than it was a month ago. It’s $1.24 more than it was one year ago, at $2.88.
The states with the top three weekly increases are:
- Maryland, with a 13-cent increase
- Delaware, with a 12-cent increase
- Kansas, with an 11-cent increase
The top three least expensive states are:
- Georgia, where the price is $3.71
- Arkansas, where the price is $3.74
- Missouri, where the price is $3.75
You can learn what prices are at gas stations near you with the AAA app. More information can be found at AAA.com/mobile.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/25/report-national-gas-prices-up-again-after-brief-decrease/ | 2022-04-27T18:56:07Z |
Actor Cary Elwes bitten by rattlesnake
(Gray News) - Though it wasn’t a “Rodent of Unusual Size,” or ROUS, it still delivered a fearsome bite.
Actor Cary Elwes said he was hospitalized after he was bitten by rattlesnake, he revealed in an Instagram post showing his injured finger.
Warning: The wounded finger looks pretty nasty.
Elwes is best known for his work in the ‘80s movie “The Princess Bride,” which included the oversized rodents he referenced in his post.
Elwes said he was “grateful to the staff of Malibu Urgent Care, LA County Fire Dept. and the staff and medical professionals at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for their great care.”
The bite happened Saturday as Elwes was working in the yard of his Malibu home, KABC reported.
Elwes said he’s “recovering well.”
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/actor-cary-elwes-bitten-by-rattlesnake/ | 2022-04-27T18:56:16Z |
KKK flyers found in Atlanta neighborhood
ATLANTA (WGCL/Gray News) - The Atlanta Police Department is voicing concerns over some KKK flyers found by residents in a northwest Atlanta neighborhood.
Police said they were reportedly discovered in the Zone 1 area along Paul Avenue NW, Spink Street NW, and Edwards Drive NW.
The department said the flyers “appear to be distributed by a group or organization who depict themselves as the ‘Glory Knights of the Klu Klux Klan.’ The flyer appears to contain insensitive messaging.”
Police said they are investigating “to determine if this act was an attempt to intimidate the community.”
The Office of the Attorney General told WGCL that as soon as they were made aware of this matter on Sunday, they immediately contacted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to request that it investigate.
Copyright 2022 WGCL via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/kkk-flyers-found-atlanta-neighborhood/ | 2022-04-27T18:56:27Z |
Mom stabs, kills pit bull mauling her 1-year-old daughter
PICO RIVERA, Calif. (Gray News) - A 1-year-old girl from California is recovering after she was attacked by two family dogs. The girl’s mother fatally stabbed one of the dogs while trying to save her daughter.
Family members say the Sunday night attack on 1-year-old Ruby Ann Cervantes by two blue nose pit bulls lasted no more than three or four minutes, KNBC reports. The girl’s mother, grandmother and aunt were all injured trying to stop the attack.
“He [The dog] had her by the leg, and I had to get his teeth off of her,” said Margaret Morales, Ruby’s grandmother, as reported by KTLA. “He bit my hand, and my hand’s pretty severely cut open.”
Jaime Morales, Ruby’s mother, eventually grabbed a knife and fatally stabbed one of the dogs.
“It was either him or my daughter, so I chose my daughter. I did whatever I had to do to protect my daughter,” Jaime Morales told KNBC.
Ruby was bitten in the leg, ankle and shoulder, according to her grandmother. She received several stitches and underwent two surgeries, including one for a fractured hip. She was expected to be placed in the intensive care unit after the surgeries.
The other three victims all required stitches, as well, KCOP reports. Jaime Morales was bitten in the face and arm while protecting her daughter.
“I did what I had to do because he [the dog] wouldn’t let go,” she said. “I feel really bad, but I had to. I’m pretty sure anyone would have done it.”
The two pit bulls, both 3 years old, were owned by Margaret Morales, according to KNBC. They were normally outside dogs but were inside at the time of the attack after receiving baths. Family members say the dogs had not been aggressive prior to the incident.
The second dog involved in the attack was taken away by animal control and will be euthanized.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/mom-stabs-kills-pit-bull-mauling-her-1-year-old-daughter/ | 2022-04-27T18:56:35Z |
Teen gets house arrest after shooting stepdad in face with crossbow, attorneys say
CINCINNATI (WXIX/Gray News) – An Ohio teenager charged with intentionally shooting his stepfather in the face with a crossbow is out of jail just one day later, placed on house arrest.
The stepfather suffered injuries but is alive.
The 17-year-old’s mother and stepfather supported the request from his public defender during his arraignment Monday morning.
Attorney Luis Godines stressed that the teen, who is a high school junior, has never been in trouble with the law aside from a traffic issue until Springfield Township police responded to the family home Sunday night.
According to a recording of the 911 call released to WXIX, the teen’s mother asked dispatchers for an ambulance and said, “My son shot my husband with a crossbow.”
When the dispatcher asked if the shooting was intentional or accidental, the teen’s mother said, “It was intentional.”
She began to cry, telling her husband to sit back, repeating her request for first responders to “hurry.”
The arrow, she told the 911 operator, “went through his mouth and it’s coming out the back.”
She told her 55-year-old husband, who was unable to speak, not to pull out the arrow.
“Where is your son now?” the dispatcher asked her.
“He’s sitting out in the street,” she said.
“Does he still have the crossbow in his hand?” the dispatcher asked her.
“Yes, he still has it,” she said.
“And do you know why he did this?” the dispatcher asked her.
“Anger,” she responded.
Then the teen fled the scene in a vehicle, according to a recording of the call. Police went out with stop sticks used to deflate tires and stop fleeing drivers.
Her son was in custody shortly after and, in an interview with police, admitted to shooting his stepfather in anger during a physical and verbal dispute, his arrest report shows.
The assistant prosecutor requested the teen be held at the juvenile detention center because of the nature of the crime. The prosecutor also expressed concern that the teen had access to weapons.
Hamilton County Juvenile Court Magistrate Liz Igoe, however, agreed with his public defender.
“Do you have any concerns about him returning home for your safety?” she asked his stepfather, who was released from the hospital in time to attend the hearing remotely.
“Nope,” the man responded, sitting up to answer and visible on camera with a large white bandage on his head.
“Do you have any concerns that if he were released to you, he would not follow the rules and reappear in court?” Igoe asked.
“I mean, that’s something you will have to talk to him about because he’s got a problem, you see what I’m saying?” his stepfather told the magistrate.
“Mmhmm,” she responded.
“I don’t have no problem with it, but that’s something that you’ll have to drill to his head, to do what he need to do,” the man said.
The house arrest comes with conditions that the teen is only allowed outside of the home to go to school or must be with his parents at all times close enough to touch, Igoe ordered.
She also said he must undergo mental health counseling and is being given a guardian ad litem – a guardian that a court appoints to watch after someone during a case.
Copyright 2022 WXIX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/teen-gets-house-arrest-after-shooting-stepdad-face-with-crossbow-attorneys-say/ | 2022-04-27T18:56:42Z |
Vice President Kamala Harris tests positive for COVID-19
Harris has had no close contact with the president, per her office.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on both rapid and PCR tests, the White House reported Tuesday.
Vice President Harris is asymptomatic and planning to isolate and work from home, according to the statement from her office. The statement also said that she has had no close contact with President Biden or First Lady Jill Biden because of travel. Harris returned to Washington, D.C on Monday afternoon after spending the weekend in Los Angeles, California. She did not have any public events while in California.
The full statement reads:
Today, Vice President Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on rapid and PCR tests. She has exhibited no symptoms, will isolate and continue to work from the Vice President’s residence. She has not been a close contact to the President or First Lady due to their respective recent travel schedules. She will follow CDC guidelines and the advice of her physicians. The Vice President will return to the White House when she tests negative.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/vice-president-kamala-harris-tests-positive-covid-19/ | 2022-04-27T18:56:49Z |
Virginia COVID-19 cases rise by 1,327 Tuesday
13,413,244 total PCR tests have been run for the virus in Virginia, with 1,695,897 positive cases.
Due to the number of vaccinations across our region, we will no longer be updating the COVID-19 hotline.
As of Tuesday, April 26, Virginia has had 1,695,897 total cases of COVID-19, including confirmed lab tests and clinical diagnoses, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
The Virginia Department of Health reports an 8.3% 7-day positivity rate for total PCR testing encounters.
18 additional deaths were reported this Tuesday, leaving the death toll at 20,187.
For a comprehensive summary of COVID-19 cases and testing in Virginia, you can visit the Virginia Department of Health’s website and view their COVID-19 dashboard.
On Sunday, April 18, 2021, vaccine eligibility expanded to all individuals in the Commonwealth age 16 and above.
On Thursday, April 22, 2021, former Governor Northam announced an ease in some of the COVID-19 restrictions for social gatherings that began on Saturday, May 15:
- Social gatherings: The maximum number of individuals permitted in a social gathering will increase to 100 people for indoor settings and 250 people for outdoor settings. Social gatherings are currently limited to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.
- Entertainment venues: Indoor entertainment and public amusement venues will be able to operate at 50 percent capacity or 1,000 people, up from 30 percent capacity or 500 people. Outdoor venues will be able to operate at 50 percent capacity — up from 30 percent — with no specific cap on the number of attendees.
- Recreational sporting events: The number of spectators allowed at indoor recreational sporting events will increase from 100 to 250 spectators or 50 percent capacity, whichever is less. Outdoor recreational sporting events will increase from 500 to 1,000 people or 50 percent capacity, whichever is less.
- Alcohol sales: Restaurants may return to selling alcohol after midnight, and dining room closures will no longer be required between midnight and 5:00 a.m.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday, May 13, 2021, vaccinated individuals are no longer required to wear a mask in most circumstances. On Friday, May 14, 2021, Former governor Ralph Northam announced the mask mandate in Virginia would be lifted, and capacity and social distancing restrictions will end on May 28.
Statewide case totals and testing numbers as of April 26
By April 26, the Virginia Department of Health had received reports of 1,217,326 confirmed cases and 478,571 probable cases of COVID-19 across the commonwealth.
Those positive test results are out of 13,413,244 total PCR tests administered in Virginia.
At this point, 49,800 Virginians have been hospitalized due to the disease caused by the virus, and at least 20,187 have died of causes related to the disease.
Where are our local cases?
Here’s a breakdown of cases for our region as of 10:00 a.m. April 26.
Central Shenandoah Health District: 67,443 total cases
Beginning March 10, 2022, the Locality dashboard is no longer being published. Cases by report date and cases by date of illness can be viewed by locality on the Cases dashboard.
Total PCR tests: 429,615
Lord Fairfax Health District: 54,671 total cases
Total PCR tests: 366,672
Northwest Total Outbreaks: 1,011 reported, including 328 in long term care facilities, 90 in K-12 settings, 73 in healthcare settings, 42 in correctional facilities, 330 in congregate settings, 66 in colleges/universities, and 82 in child care settings.
Note: VDH has changed the way it tracks outbreaks. They are now grouped by regions instead of health districts.
COVID-19 Vaccine in Virginia
The Virginia Department of Health has launched a data dashboard showcasing the number of COVID-19 vaccines that have been distributed and administered throughout the commonwealth.
According to the data dashboard, as of April 26, 7,025,522 people have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 6,285,551 people are fully vaccinated.
18,884,925 total vaccine doses have been distributed throughout the state.
Recovery
The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association’s online dashboard indicates that, as of April 26, at least 108,006 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from the hospital.
Unlike the VDH data that reports cumulative hospitalizations, their data on hospitalizations reflects hospitalized patients confirmed positive for COVID-19, and that number is 185.
West Virginia updates
Here at WHSV, we cover Grant County, Hardy County and Pendleton County. The below information is the most recent data from each counties’ health department. You can find West Virginia’s COVID-19 dashboard here.
There are 500,444 total cases in West Virginia as of April 26.
Grant County: 3,782 total COVID-19 cases (+4 from Monday)
Hardy County: 4,185 total COVID-19 cases
Pendleton County: 1,968 total COVID-19 cases (+1 from Monday)
For the latest factual information on COVID-19, you’re encouraged to check both the Virginia Department of Health and the CDC.
Copyright 2021 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/virginia-covid-19-cases-rise-by-1327-tuesday/ | 2022-04-27T18:56:56Z |
WVDA issues warning about illegal hemp, marijuana products
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) has issued a consumer protection warning regarding illegal hemp products being sold in West Virginia retail stores.
The WVDA says it has become aware of illegal products containing non-naturally occurring cannabinoids, as well as counterfeit recreational marijuana.
The Department is urging consumers not to purchase these products as the WVDA works with law enforcement to immediately remove all illicit and counterfeit products.
“Other states have issued similar warnings about these illegal cannabis-infused edibles packaged as popular food and candy products. The actors we have seen in West Virginia are hiding marijuana labeling with stickers or claiming their products are Delta-8,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt. “The products are unsafe and present a risk to public health and safety. We hope to tackle this issue with the assistance of law enforcement.”
The WVDA regulates all hemp products and/or hemp derived cannabinoids entering West Virginia’s retail supply chain. Under West Virginia law, contaminant/potency testing, product registration and retail cooperation has been designed to ensure hemp products are safe for human consumption.
Children who may ingest these products could experience a variety of delayed symptoms upon ingesting cannabis edibles, including, but not limited to difficulty breathing, lethargy, dizziness, nausea and loss of coordination. Products found in West Virginia retail locations have affixed legal Delta-8-THC stickers over both the California recreational marijuana symbol and the controlled substance government warning.
“The WVDA issued a non-naturally occurring cannabinoid product notice in October 2021. The WVDA has great concern that the contents pose great risk to the consumer and urge the public to not purchase them,” said Amie Minor, the WVDA Director of Regulatory and Environmental Affairs.
The WVDA’s notice stated the Department had become aware of non-naturally occurring cannabinoid products entering the West Virginia retail supply chain. Products that contain non-naturally occurring cannabinoids, such as “Tetrahydrocannabinol acetate (THC-O, ATHC, THC-X, Delta 8-O)” are not under the regulatory authority of the WVDA and cannot be registered for sale with the WVDA. Any non-naturally occurring cannabinoid products must be removed from retail sale immediately and are considered a controlled substance.
For examples of illegal hemp products click here.
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/wvda-issues-warning-about-illegal-hemp-marijuana-products/ | 2022-04-27T18:57:03Z |
(CNN) -- American Trevor Reed, a US citizen and former Marine who had been detained in Russia since 2019, has been released in a prisoner swap.
The release ends a nearly three-year ordeal for Reed, who was sentenced to nine years in prison in July 2020 for endangering the "life and health" of Russian police officers in an altercation. Reed and his family have denied the charges against him.
Reed's release will not impact the US approach to the war in Ukraine, senior administration officials said.
His release comes after months of effort by the US government, officials said, and was particularly urgent given concerns about Reed's health. It was ultimately secured through a prisoner swap for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko.
The exchange took place in Turkey on Wednesday, Trevor's parents, Joey and Paula Reed, told CNN. The couple spoke to their son shortly after he was en route back home.
"Trevor quickly told us that they -- the American plane pulled up next to the Russian plane, and they walked both prisoners across at the same time like you see in the movies," Joey Reed said on CNN's "New Day."
The Reeds said they had also spoken to President Joe Biden on Wednesday and expressed their gratitude.
"I heard in the voices of Trevor's parents how much they've worried about his health and missed his presence," Biden said in a statement. "And I was delighted to be able to share with them the good news about Trevor's freedom."
'Months and months' of negotiations
Reed's release was the result of "months and months of hard careful work across the US government" on the matter, a senior administration official said, noting that "the conversations on this particular issue have accelerated recently to get us to this point."
One driving factor was concern for Reed's health. His family has expressed worry about his likely exposure to tuberculosis as well as lingering effects from having Covid-19.
The official, speaking to reporters on a background call Wednesday, said that "ultimately, those negotiations led the President to have to make a very hard decision with a decision to commute the sentence of Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian smuggler convicted of conspiring to import cocaine."
Yaroshenko is a Russian pilot who had been detained in Liberia by undercover US Drug Enforcement Agency agents on May 28, 2010, and brought to the US, according to Russian state news agency TASS. He was convicted of drug smuggling in 2011 and sentenced to 20 years in prison, which he had been serving at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. He has denied the charges against him.
Russia's Foreign Ministry had previously raised the possibility that Yaroshenko could be returned "in exchange for any American national" held in Russia.
The official did not provide details about how or why Yaroshenko was chosen for the swap, but noted that he had served the majority of his US sentence and is now in Russian custody.
"This is a tough call for a President. President Biden made it to bring home an American whose health was a source of an intense concern, and to deliver on his commitment to resolve these hard cases and reunite Americans with their loved ones," the official said.
Reed is now on his way back to his family in the United States.
"I'm going to try not to cry, because he doesn't want me to cry," Reed's mother, Paula, told CNN's Brianna Keilar on "New Day" Wednesday. "Obviously, I'm going to cry a little bit, give him a big hug, and just, you know, give him hugs, and it will be the four of us together again (for the first time) in a few years, so it's going to be great."
Reed's father previously told CNN he believed it was likely Reed was suffering from tuberculosis, that he was coughing up blood and also had a broken rib. He said Reed went to a prison hospital but did not receive treatment and was then sent back to solitary confinement.
As Reed started a second hunger strike in protest of his treatment by Russian authorities, Reed's parents went to protest outside of the White House in the hopes of securing a meeting with the President.
The Reeds ultimately did meet with the President at the White House for about a half hour last month.
2 other Americans still detained in Russia
Wednesday's release also brought renewed attention to the case of American Paul Whelan, a US citizen and former Marine who was detained at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 and arrested on espionage charges, which he has consistently and vehemently denied. He was convicted and sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years in prison in a trial US officials denounced as unfair.
Last June, he told CNN of the grim conditions of the remote labor camp where he works in a clothing factory he called a "sweatshop" and said obtaining medical care is "very difficult."
In his statement welcoming Reed's release, Biden said his administration "won't stop" until Whelan is home.
The Whelan family expressed happiness at Reed's release but said it was a day of "varied emotions" and questions for them.
"Unfortunately, time is not on Paul's side. Our parents are literally not getting any younger. Our hope remains that Paul will be home so they may see him once more. But each day that hope dims," his brother David Whelan said in a statement Wednesday.
Meanwhile, US basketball star Brittney Griner remains detained in Russia after she was arrested in February on allegations of drug smuggling. A Moscow court recently extended her detention until May 19, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
While her legal team has had access to her and was able to see her several times a week throughout her detention, a US official from the US embassy in Moscow was finally granted consular access to Griner in late March, and said they found her to be in "good condition."
Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, told CNN's Jim Sciutto on Wednesday that the cases remain top priorities for the US.
This story has been updated with additional background information and reaction.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/american-trevor-reed-released-from-russia-in-prisoner-swap/article_c3799e7a-c64f-11ec-aa8a-7bbc074ae7e2.html | 2022-04-27T19:22:20Z |
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 | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/stocks-regain-their-footing-a-day-after-big-tech-sell-off/article_b4c3d5e6-c63e-11ec-bbf3-9f00aecc7ac5.html | 2022-04-27T19:22:26Z |
(CNN) -- The United States is out of the Covid-19 pandemic phase, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
"We are certainly, right now, in this country, out of the pandemic phase," Fauci said on PBS NewsHour Tuesday.
"Namely, we don't have 900,000 new infections a day and tens and tens and tens of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths. We are at a low level right now. So, if you're saying are we out of the pandemic phase in this country? We are," he said.
Covid-19 cases in the US have tumbled dramatically over the past couple of months as the Omicron wave receded.
But daily cases are still two times higher than they were for most of last summer.
New cases are ticking back up in most states, and hospitalizations have started to rise over the past week too.
Fewer people are dying of Covid-19 now than during most of the pandemic, but with more than 400 deaths a day, the past two months of Covid-19 have been more deadly than most recent flu seasons.
Fauci said that while coronavirus won't be eradicated, the level of virus in society could be kept very low if people are intermittently vaccinated, possibly every year.
Currently, local health officials on the ground across the US are still working to get more people fully vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19.
The Covid-19 situation in the United States also doesn't necessarily reflect what's happening in the rest of the world, Fauci noted.
"Pandemic means a widespread, throughout the world infection that spreads rapidly among people," Fauci said. "So, if you look at the global situation, there is no doubt this pandemic is still ongoing."
Shifting out of the pandemic is not language that Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, has heard in conversations within local health departments, she said on Wednesday.
But there has been a subtle shift on the ground with local health officials now returning some focus to non-Covid areas, such as maternal health, childhood immunizations, tuberculosis, HIV and other public health concerns.
"I think there are subtle shifts being made at the local level health departments to normalize the pandemic response in a way that allows them to get back to the core work of their public health departments," Freeman said. "But those words that were used about the pandemic ending are not well circulated in the public health area right now."
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/the-us-is-out-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-phase-fauci-says/article_c55d29dc-c645-11ec-907c-e7390923410b.html | 2022-04-27T19:22:32Z |
HONOLULU (KITV) - Upper-level clouds move in from the west creating partly to mostly cloudy conditions across the state. Expect light scattered showers over windward and mauka spots. Highs 80 to 87. Trade winds 15 to 20 mph.
Moderate to breezy easterly trade winds will continue into the weekend, with light showers favoring windward and mauka locations overnight through the morning periods. Upper clouds approaching from the west will lead to periods with cloudy conditions over the next few days.
A transition to a wet pattern with strong trades is possible later in the weekend through early next week as an upper disturbance settles southward into the area and strong high pressure builds to the north. Drier trade wind conditions will return Tuesday through Wednesday of next week.
A small northwest swell arriving Thursday is expected to maintain small surf along most north and west facing shores of the smaller islands from Thursday through Friday. A slightly larger northwest swell arriving Saturday will likely produce a brief bump in surf along most north and west facing shores this weekend. Small south and southwest swells will maintain small surf along south facing shores into this weekend. A long-period south-southwest swell arriving Sunday is expected to increase surf along south facing shores through early next week. Expect a slight decrease in the moderate, choppy surf along east facing shores the next couple of days as the trade winds weaken. The rough surf will likely increase along east facing shores from this weekend through early next week due to the strengthening trade winds.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/wednesday-weather-light-showers-with-cloudy-condtions-trades-slow-down/article_304f7750-c63b-11ec-a7a8-f30593b092e9.html | 2022-04-27T19:22:38Z |
16-year-old girl arrested, charged with attempted murder after high school student stabbed
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA/Gray News) - Police have arrested a teenager and charged her with attempted murder following a stabbing Tuesday at an Alabama high school.
The 16-year-old suspect was found at the scene at Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, taken into custody and charged with attempted murder, Montgomery Police Department Capt. Saba Coleman said.
Police said officers were called to the location around 9:30 a.m. after a report that someone had been cut, WSFA reported. At the scene, medics and officers treated a female student, who had non-life-threatening injuries.
A spokesperson for Montgomery Public Schools confirmed the victim was a student at Lee High.
The school was placed on a soft lockdown following the incident, but it was later lifted.
It’s unclear what prompted the stabbing.
Copyright 2022 WSFA via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/16-year-old-girl-arrested-charged-with-attempted-murder-after-high-school-student-stabbed/ | 2022-04-27T19:29:52Z |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.