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Paul Rhynard has joined to drive explosive BreadBot deployment
WALLA WALLA, Wash., April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilkinson Baking Company, creator of the world's first fully-automated commercial bread baking robot, announced Monday the appointment of Paul Rhynard as Chief Executive Officer. Rhynard will lead the company through an explosive phase of growth, set the strategy and execution plan for the company, and work closely with investment partners and clients. Based in Seattle, Rhynard brings significant experience driving strategy and growth for clients while at McKinsey & Co., Joshua Green Corporation, and, most recently, as Chief Strategy Officer at Russell Investments.
"I couldn't be more excited than to hand the reins over to Paul," said Randall Wilkinson, Chairman and former CEO of Wilkinson Baking. "He brings tremendous experience crafting strategies and driving growth for companies both large and small. His drive and focus will help Wilkinson revolutionize the bread industry."
After over 10 years of development, Wilkinson Baking has perfected a commercial version of the BreadBot. The first five units are manufactured and will be deployed into the market during the summer of 2022. Rhynard was hired to execute a vision to make fresh bread ubiquitous in grocery stores around the world. Having spent his career focused on growth strategy and execution, his mindset and experience is tailored to drive tremendous growth for the company.
Rhynard said, "Wilkinson has developed an incredible product and is poised to become a world-class bread and robotics company. The BreadBot is a highly disruptive solution that changes the nature of bread production bringing truly fresh bread to consumers."
At McKinsey and Joshua Green, Rhynard worked with companies large and small to develop strategic growth initiatives. At Russell Investments, he led the firm's corporate strategy function including corporate development and partnerships. Rhynard's work spanned multiple countries, which will be critically important as Wilkinson looks to extend its bread-making technology to international markets.
About Wilkinson Bread Company
At its inception, the Wilkinson Bread Company ("WBC") set out to create the world's first and only commercial bread baking robot. Starting in Walla Walla, WA, WBC has spent over a decade perfecting a commercially viable robot named the BreadBot. With over 120 months of in market experience across seven grocery stores, WBC was able to refine and improve the BreadBot, which will launch in stores the summer of 2022. For more information, visit wilkinsonbaking.com.
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SOURCE Wilkinson Baking Company | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/27/wilkinson-baking-company-hires-new-ceo-lead-growth-pivot/ | 2022-04-27T21:00:30Z |
LOS ANGELES, April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Winc, Inc. ("Winc" or the "Company") (NYSE American: WBEV), one of the fastest-growing at-scale beverage companies in the United States, today announced that it will report financial results for the first quarter 2022 on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 after market close. The Company will host a conference call and webcast to discuss these results at 5:00 p.m. ET on the same day.
Investors interested in listening to the conference call may do so by dialing (877) 704-4453 or for international callers by dialing (201) 389-0920, The live audio webcast will be accessible in the "News & Events" section of the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.winc.com/ or directly here. An archived replay of the webcast will be available on the Company's website shortly after the live event has concluded for at least 30 days.
About Winc
Winc is a differentiated platform for growing alcoholic beverages brands, fueled by the joint capabilities of a data-driven brand development strategy paired with a true omni-channel distribution network. Winc's mission is to become the leading brand builder within the alcoholic beverages industry through an omni-channel growth platform.
Winc's common stock trades under the ticker symbol "WBEV" on the NYSE American.
Matt Thelen
Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel
invest@winc.com
424-353-1767
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SOURCE Winc | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/27/winc-report-first-quarter-2022-financial-results-may-11-2022/ | 2022-04-27T21:00:36Z |
NEW YORK and CHICAGO, April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP, a preeminent national consumer rights law firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of patients whose health care providers use Adaptive Health Integrations whose information may be have stolen in a recent data breach in October 2021.
Adaptive Health Integrations is notifying about 500,000 patients that their personal information, including names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security Numbers may have been stolen as part of a recent hack.
If you have received a recent notice of the data breach, it is possible that your personal medical information was compromised and is being offered for sale on the dark web.
If you wish to discuss this litigation, or if you have any questions regarding your rights and interests in this matter, please immediately contact Wolf Haldenstein by telephone at (800) 575-0735, via e-mail at gstone@whafh.com, or visit our website at www.whafh.com.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT CONTACT FORM
Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP has extensive experience in the prosecution of consumer rights litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. The firm has attorneys in various practice areas and offices in New York, Chicago and San Diego. Courts have repeatedly recognized the reputation and expertise of this firm and have appointed it to major positions in complex consolidated litigation.
Contact:
Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP
Gregory Stone, Director of Case and Financial Analysis
Carl Malmstrom, Esq., Partner
Email: gstone@whafh.com or malmstrom@whafh.com
Tel: (800) 575-0735 or (619) 239-4599
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome.
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SOURCE Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/27/wolf-haldenstein-adler-freeman-amp-herz-llp-adaptive-health-integrations-data-breach-alert/ | 2022-04-27T21:00:46Z |
NEW YORK and CHICAGO, April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP, a preeminent national consumer rights law firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf claims on behalf of patients of Illinois Gastroenterology Group whose information may be have stolen in a recent data breach in October 2021.
If you have received a recent notice of the data breach, it is possible that your personal medical information was compromised and is being offered for sale on the dark web.
If you wish to discuss this litigation, or if you have any questions regarding your rights and interests in this matter, please immediately contact Wolf Haldenstein by telephone at (800) 575-0735, via e-mail at gstone@whafh.com, or visit our website at www.whafh.com.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT CONTACT FORM
Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP has extensive experience in the prosecution of consumer rights litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. The firm has attorneys in various practice areas and offices in New York, Chicago and San Diego. Courts have repeatedly recognized the reputation and expertise of this firm and have appointed it to major positions in complex consolidated litigation.
Contact:
Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP
Gregory Stone, Director of Case and Financial Analysis
Carl Malmstrom, Esq., Partner
Email: gstone@whafh.com or malmstrom@whafh.com
Tel: (800) 575-0735 or (619) 239-4599
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome.
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SOURCE Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/27/wolf-haldenstein-adler-freeman-amp-herz-llp-illinois-gastroenterology-group-data-breach-alert/ | 2022-04-27T21:00:52Z |
Gladstone scientists show that reducing levels of the protein tau soon after birth can prevent these conditions in an experimental model
SAN FRANCISCO, April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Children with Dravet syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy that begins in infancy, experience seizures, usually for their entire life. They are at high risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and can also develop intellectual disability and autism. Available treatments typically fail to improve these symptoms.
Now, a group of scientists at Gladstone Institutes led by Lennart Mucke, MD, reports new findings in the journal Science Translational Medicine that could guide the development of better therapeutic strategies for Dravet syndrome and related conditions.
The researchers previously discovered, in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome, that genetically removing the protein tau from the entire body during embryonic development reduces epilepsy, SUDEP, and autism-like behaviors. In the new study, they pinpoint the key cell type in the brain in which tau levels must be reduced to avoid these problems. They also show that lowering tau is still effective in mice when the intervention is delayed until after their birth.
"Our findings provide new insights into the cellular mechanisms by which tau reduction prevents abnormal overexcitation in the brain," says Mucke, director of the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease. "They are also encouraging from a therapeutic perspective, since in humans, initiating treatment after birth is still more feasible than treating embryos in the womb."
Tau is a promising therapeutic target not only for Dravet syndrome, but also for a variety of other conditions, including different types of epilepsy and some forms of autism, as well as Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders.
Pinpointing the Crucial Brain Cells
A well-functioning brain depends on the correct balance between the activity of excitatory and inhibitory neurons—the former stimulate the activity of other neurons, while the latter suppress it. Dravet syndrome causes an imbalance between these types of cells, resulting in abnormally high and synchronized activity in brain networks that can manifest as seizures and other symptoms.
Mucke and his colleagues recently showed that removing tau from the entire brain changes the activities of both excitatory and inhibitory neurons, although in different ways. The current study aimed to determine whether it is more important to reduce tau in excitatory or inhibitory neurons.
For this purpose, the scientists used genetic tools to eliminate tau selectively from one or the other cell type in the Dravet mouse model. They found that removing tau from excitatory neurons reduced disease manifestations, whereas removing tau from inhibitory neurons did not.
"This means that tau production in excitatory neurons sets the stage for all these abnormalities to occur, including autistic behaviors, epilepsy, and sudden unexpected death," says Mucke, who is also the Joseph B. Martin Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and a professor of neurology at UC San Francisco.
Initiating Treatment after Birth
While the genetic approaches the scientists used to remove tau from specific cell types are effective and precise, they are not yet easy to use as a therapeutic intervention in humans. So, the team turned to a more practical option: global tau reduction in the brain with DNA fragments known as antisense oligonucleotides, or ASOs. The scientists delivered an anti-tau ASO into the brain of mice 10 days after birth and found that most symptoms of Dravet syndrome were gone 4 months later.
"We observed a robust reduction of SUDEP, seizure activity, and repetitive behaviors," says Eric Shao, PhD, a scientist in Mucke's lab and first author of the study.
In addition, the ASO treatment had no obvious side effects.
"We are excited about these findings, especially since another anti-tau ASO has already undergone a Phase I clinical trial in people with Alzheimer's disease," says Mucke. "It could be useful to consider this strategy also for Dravet syndrome and related conditions. However, defining the optimal timing for treatment initiation will be key, as the window of opportunity might be quite narrow."
Although Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, and autism have diverse causes, they all seem to be associated with abnormally high ratios between excitatory and inhibitory neuronal activities—and this abnormality could potentially be fixed by tau-lowering therapeutics.
Still, a treatment based on anti-tau ASOs would involve repeated spinal taps, a procedure most people would rather avoid. Therefore, Mucke is partnering with Takeda Pharmaceuticals to develop small molecules that could reduce brain tau levels when administered as a pill.
About the Research Project
The paper "Tau ablation in excitatory neurons and postnatal tau knockdown reduce epilepsy, SUDEP, and autism behaviors in a Dravet syndrome model" was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine on April 27, 2022.
Additional authors include co-first author Che-Wei Chang, Xinxing Yu, Kaitlyn Ho, Michelle Zhang, Xin Wang, Jeffrey Simms, Iris Lo, Jessica Speckart, Julia Holtzman, and Gui-Qiu Yu from Gladstone, as well as Zhiyong Li and Erik D. Roberson from UC San Francisco.
This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grants R01 MH115679, P01 AG073082, and R01 NS075487), the BrightFocus Foundation, and the Alzheimer's Association.
About Gladstone Institutes
To ensure our work does the greatest good, Gladstone Institutes focuses on conditions with profound medical, economic, and social impact—unsolved diseases. Gladstone is an independent, nonprofit life science research organization that uses visionary science and technology to overcome disease. It has an academic affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco.
Media Contact: Julie Langelier | Associate Director, Communications | julie.langelier@gladstone.org | 415.734.5000
1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA 94158 | gladstone.org | @GladstoneInst
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SOURCE Gladstone Institutes | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/27/zeroing-new-treatment-autism-epilepsy/ | 2022-04-27T21:00:59Z |
14-year-old held on $1 million bond in murder of girl, 10, in Wisconsin
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WEAU/Gray News) - Cash bond has been set at $1 million for a teenage homicide suspect in the death of a 10-year-old girl.
Iliana Peters,10, was found dead near the Duncan Creek Trail in Chippewa Falls Monday morning after being reported missing Sunday evening.
The 14-year-old suspect, who is not being named, was taken into custody Monday night. He is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree sexual assault resulting in great bodily harm and first-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 resulting in great bodily harm.
WEAU reports as a condition of his bond, the suspect is not allowed any contact with children, cannot possess dangerous weapons, and can have supervised contact with siblings.
Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell asked for the $1 million bond, which was granted, based on what the suspect told investigators and what he said was a need to protect the community. The suspect’s defense requested a $100,000 cash bond.
Newell said in court that the statement the suspect made to law enforcement was that he intended to rape and kill the victim from the start when he left the house with her. Newell said that the suspect told investigators he hit Peters with a stick before strangling the victim to death and then sexually assaulting her.
Newell said after the court appearance that he has seen cases like this before and detailed the process of leading to the charges, saying “a lot of people have been involved in this.”
Two of the three charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. The 14-year-old is being tried in adult court.
The suspect will appear in court next on May 5 for a status conference to determine his representation in court. He is being held in the Eau Claire Juvenile Detention Center.
Chippewa Falls residents are remembering Peters with makeshift memorials in the city, while churches held vigils Monday night.
Copyright 2022 WEAU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/14-year-old-held-1-million-bond-murder-girl-10-wisconsin/ | 2022-04-27T21:03:08Z |
74-year-old Alabama man charged with murder in 1988 cold case investigation
CULLMAN, Ala. (WAFF/Gray News) - Investigators with a north Alabama sheriff’s office arrested a 74-year-old man in connection to a cold case murder investigation beginning over 30 years ago.
WAFF reported that on Tuesday, Marvin McClendon, 74, was arrested by the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office and charged with a murder that he allegedly committed in 1988 in Essex County, Massachusetts.
According to the Essex County District Attorney, McClendon is suspected of murdering 11-year-old Melissa Anne Tremblay in September 1988.
“I want to thank everyone involved in this investigation from beginning to end,” Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said. “Their tireless pursuit of justice for Melissa has brought us to this moment. We never forgot about Melissa, nor did we give up on holding her killer accountable.”
According to the release from the district attorney, Melissa was last seen playing in the neighborhoods of Lawrence, Massachusetts, while her mother and her mother’s boyfriend were at a nearby social club on Sept. 11, 1988.
After searching for her to no avail, her mother reported her missing to the police.
Her body was later found in the old Boston & Maine Railway Yard. She had been stabbed to death.
The release stated that since then countless witnesses, suspects and persons of interest have been interviewed in connection to Melissa’s death.
Evidence recovered from her body was instrumental to solving the case.
McClendon lived in nearby Chelmsford, Massachusetts, at the time of Melissa’s death and had known connections to Lawrence, according to the release.
At this time, McClendon is being held in the Cullman County Detention Center until he can be extradited to Massachusetts.
Copyright 2022 WAFF via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/74-year-old-alabama-man-charged-with-murder-1988-cold-case-investigation/ | 2022-04-27T21:03:14Z |
After a chilly night tonight, temps slowly but surely warm up through late-week
Freezing temps are expected overnight-early Thursday
High pressure will remain in control of our weather pattern this evening, but with it centered off to our northwest, cold northwesterly winds will keep the cooler air streaming in overnight. The winds themselves should gradually weaken, becoming less gusty overnight-Thursday. Crank the heat though! With mainly clear skies overnight, temps will drop into the upper 20s-mid 30s overnight-early Thurs.
If you’ve got any sensitive plants, make sure to cover them up or bring them indoors!
Thursday looks dry, still a bit breezy, but a tad warmer (if only by a few degrees). High temps for most Thursday afternoon should reach the upper 50s-mid 60s for most. Thursday night be partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 30s-mid 40s for most.
Friday looks a bit more seasonable, with highs in the 60s across the board. As a frontal system slowly approaches from our southwest, we’ll see a bit more cloud cover, and a very slim chance for a few isolated showers as we wrap up the workweek.
High temps will continue to climb into the mid-upper 60s this weekend, gradually pushing into the 70s early next week. We look unsettled, however, with scattered showers & perhaps a few t-storms in the mix beginning Sunday PM and remaining on and off into next week...
Stay tuned!
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) -
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/after-chilly-night-tonight-temps-slowly-surely-warm-up-through-late-week/ | 2022-04-27T21:03:21Z |
Democratic lawmaker: Biden suggests he’ll ease student loan burden
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signaled he might forgive some student loan debt and further extend the federal moratorium on repayments, a lawmaker who discussed the issue with him said Wednesday.
The White House was notably more measured about Biden’s stance, but such moves would be a boon to many of the 43 million Americans carrying student loans worth $1.6 trillion, according to federal figures. It would also be a win for Democratic and progressive leaders who have long pressed Biden to carry through on a 2020 campaign promise that as president he would “immediately” cancel up to $10,000 in debt per student.
Biden’s remarks came during a wide-ranging Monday meeting at the White House with seven members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, according to Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., who was among them. He said in an interview Wednesday that he asked Biden to extend the moratorium on debt payments through this year, instead of letting it expire Aug. 31.
“He immediately smiled and said, “I’ve extended in the past, and you’re going to like what I do next,’” Cardenas said. “So I said, ‘Okay, wonderful. Next question.’”
Cardenas said he then asked about forgiving at least $10,000 in debt for each student, which he said the caucus believes Biden can do using executive powers. That would preclude the need for legislation from Congress, where there is Republican opposition.
“He said, ‘Yes, I’m exploring doing something on that front,’” said Cardenas. “And he also smiled and said, ‘You’re going to like what I do on that as well.’”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sounded a similar note of optimism Wednesday. “I think the president is moving in our direction. My talks with him and his staff have been very fruitful over the last little while,” Schumer said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that during the meeting, “what he reiterated is that he will make a decision before” the current repayment suspension ends Aug. 31. She said Biden “is looking at other executive authority options he has to bring relief to people who have student loans.”
Sweeping student loan forgiveness is anathema for many Republicans and others concerned about its costs to the government at a time of huge federal deficits.
“Desperate polls call for desperate measures: Dems consider forgiving trillions in student loans,” Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, tweeted mockingly Wednesday. “Other bribe suggestions: Forgive auto loans? Forgive credit card debt? Forgive mortgages? And put a wealth tax on the super-rich to pay for it all. What could possibly go wrong?”
Cardenas said Biden didn’t specify when he would take action or detail what he would do, beyond saying, “Soon.”
“I got the strong feeling, and so did my colleagues, that he enjoyed answering those questions with his body language, with his words, with the smile on his face, and encouraging us that we’re going to like what he’s going to do,” Cardenas said.
Cardenas said the question of whether debt forgiveness should be curbed for higher-income students, which could curb the costs of the proposal, did not come up during the White House meeting. He also said when Biden asked if forgiveness should apply to borrowers who attended private and public schools, he and other lawmakers said they wanted students from both types of institutions to be eligible.
Some Democrats fear providing loan relief to students who attended expensive private universities would provide an easy campaign target for Republicans in this fall’s elections for control of Congress.
Even so, remarks by several Democrats suggest a broad effort to ease student debt could help the party with minority voters.
Cardenas said he told Biden that Hispanic students with college debt typically face higher long-term debt burdens than white students. “We’re trying to help all former students, but Hispanic households and people trying to get back on their feet, it’s affecting Hispanics at a higher level,” Cardenas said.
Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., chair of the caucus, said in a separate statement Wednesday that Hispanic students “disproportionately carry the burden of student debt in our nation.” He said the caucus would continue working with Biden “to make sure our students have a seat at the table when it comes to their financial health and well-being.”
Schumer sounded the same theme, saying that Black, Hispanic and other minority voters tend to carry more debt deeper into their lives. “This isn’t just the right thing to do for our economy. It’s the right thing to do for racial equity,” he said.
The pandemic prompted then-President Donald Trump and Congress to begin providing student loan relief in March 2020.
After initially letting borrowers choose to suspend payments for at least 60 days, the moratorium was made automatic and eventually extended several times by Trump and later Biden. Interest rates during the suspension have been 0%.
Also at Monday’s White House meeting, Rep. Nanette Barragan, D-Calif., said she told Biden he should let Trump-era restrictions letting authorities quickly expel migrants crossing from the Mexican border expire as planned on May 23. Other participants at that meeting said Biden expressed opposition to the restrictions but did not specifically say what he would do.
Many Democrats oppose those curbs, which let the government cite fears about spreading COVID-19 to reject asylum seekers. Republicans and significant numbers of Democrats want the procedures left in place, and letting them lapse is seen as a political vulnerability for Democrats among moderate voters.
___
AP reporters Kevin Freking and Chris Megerian contributed.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/democratic-lawmaker-biden-suggests-hell-ease-student-loan-burden/ | 2022-04-27T21:03:31Z |
Heroes of Boston Marathon bombing recognized in DC
Three of the first responders answered questions before an audience on the police response to the attack.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Three heroes of the Boston Marathon bombing spoke at the National Law Enforcement Museum as they were recognized in Washington, D.C. Tuesday.
Former Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, retired Watertown Police Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese, and former FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers attended the event titled ‘Patriots Day: Cinematic Reflections on a Post-9/11 World.’
“People lost their lives, people were injured and have to live with those injuries for the rest of their lives,” said Davis.
The Boston Marathon bombing is featured in an exhibit called ‘Post 9/11- The Evolution of American Law Enforcement.’ The exhibit details the lessons learned in the fight against terror. It displays items from the marathon tragedy including the handcuffs that restrained one of the Boston Marathon bombers.
“It just became a big team and a brotherhood to get these bad people off the street,” said Pugliese of the multiple law enforcement agencies that assisted in the manhunt.
DesLauriers added, “I think the investigation the week of the Boston Marathon Bombings showed what law enforcement can do under immense pressure.”
At the event, the men took questions from the audience about the marathon attack and the movie ‘Patriot’s Day.’ That movie is based on the Boston bombing.
The heroes called the Boston Marathon bombings one of the most traumatic events and intense manhunts in US history.
The Boston Marathon Bombings occurred on April 15, 2013. Three bystanders were killed and more than 250 others were hospitalized.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) -
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/heroes-boston-marathon-bombing-recognized-dc/ | 2022-04-27T21:03:37Z |
Officers: No injuries on Amber Heard after fight with Johnny Depp
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — May 27, 2016, was the day that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s marriage went from private misery to public, career-killing spectacle.
Heard, who had just filed for divorce, arrived at a Los Angeles courthouse that day to seek a temporary restraining order, showing up with a clear mark on her face, which she says Depp inflicted during a fight six days prior. Photographers captured the scene, and the allegations became tabloid fodder across the globe.
Depp says he never hit her, and now he’s suing Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court. On Wednesday, jurors in the case heard from police officers who responded to the couple’s penthouse immediately after the fight. None of the officers saw the red mark that was so prominent six days later.
Officer Tyler Hadden, one of the officers who responded to the couple’s penthouse apartment on May 21, 2016, said Heard refused to talk to officers and had no signs of an injury, although he acknowledged she’d been crying and was red-faced.
“Just because I see a female with pink cheeks and pink eyes doesn’t mean something happened,” he said in a recorded deposition played for jurors Wednesday.
Depp had already left the penthouse by the time officers arrived. Officers said they had no idea who Heard was, or that she was married to Depp. He said neither Heard nor anyone at the penthouse complex was willing to tell him or the other officers who Heard’s husband was.
Jurors heard similar testimony Tuesday from an officer who accompanied Hadden to the penthouse.
An officer who made a follow-up visit that night, William Gatlin, testified Wednesday that he saw no injuries either, though he acknowledged that his visit was brief and he got no closer than 10 feet from Heard. He said his check was a perfunctory one because it appeared that the call was just a duplicate to the one that Hadden had already responded to.
The jury saw bodycam video of Gatlin’s response, which was less than two minutes. Heard could only be seen at a distance.
Heard’s lawyers, in their questions, have suggested that Heard could have covered her injuries with makeup, because at that point she still wanted to protect Depp. They also asked officers why they didn’t investigate a potential case of domestic violence more thoroughly.
The officers’ testimony is some of Depp’s best evidence that Heard contrived the allegations against her ex-husband. It complements earlier testimony from witnesses who say they saw Heard and her sister practicing fake punches in the days after the attack.
It’s far from definitive, though. Heard’s lawyers have yet to put on their case, and some of her friends say they were at the penthouse when Depp allegedly attacked her.
And even if jurors were to conclude that Depp never assaulted his wife on May 21, they have heard evidence of other alleged assaults before and during the couple’s brief marriage.
Depp sued Heard for libel after she wrote an op-ed piece piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” The article doesn’t mention Depp by name, but his lawyers say the article defames him nevertheless because it’s a clear reference to the highly publicized allegations Heard made when she filed for divorce in 2016 and obtained a temporary restraining order as well.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/officers-no-injuries-amber-heard-after-fight-with-johnny-depp/ | 2022-04-27T21:03:44Z |
Police: Woman helped plan kidnapping of baby in California
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Police say a woman arrested in the kidnapping of a 3-month-old baby from his San Francisco Bay Area home is a friend of the family and was present when a man abducted the baby while his grandmother unloaded groceries.
San Jose Police Sgt. Christian Camarillo said Wednesday that Yesenia Ramirez had driven the child and his grandmother on a shopping trip and communicated with Jose Portillo before he entered the San Jose apartment and took the baby Monday.
He says surveillance video shows Portillo walking toward the apartment with a car seat and a small blanket.
The baby was found unharmed Tuesday inside a home where Portillo lived.
Camarillo says a motive is still under investigation.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/police-woman-helped-plan-kidnapping-baby-california/ | 2022-04-27T21:03:50Z |
Raleigh County housing market shifts from buyer’s favor to seller’s
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - The price of homes and rental properties in the area are going up and realtors say there are a number of factors driving the rise.
According to realtor Tim Berry, the market shift from buyer’s favor to sellers happened during the Pandemic.
“We’re certainly in a seller’s market right now as opposed to three years ago. The market has certainly changed. Our inventory is low and we’re looking for more listings to sell because we have so many buyers ready to purchase.”
What’s driving the rise?
According to Bethany Serdoz, a realtor and broker with Bass Sinko Realty, the shortage of supply combined with an increased demand is a driving factor.
“The housing market is on fire right now. Properties are selling at a record pace. And it’s not pragmatic for builders to build due to construction costs.”
Berry said the rising construction costs with inflation are halting the construction of new homes. And it is a problem that he said is affecting renters as well. With landlords having to spend more money on upkeep, that cost is getting transferred to customers.
“If you own it and rent it out, you have a responsibility to maintain it structurally, flooring and what not and it’s all gone up in cost. So eventually they have to transfer that to their tenants.”
The good news? Those who do decide to sell could make more money on their home.
But Serdoz recommends laying the necessary groundwork first.
“I would suggest focusing on the first impression of your property. Start with your landscaping, making sure your yard looks neat with the shrubbery. It’s also a good idea to de-clutter the property as well.”
Curb appeal is critical, she said, as most buyers have made up their mind before they ever step foot through the door.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/raleigh-county-housing-climate-shifts-buyers-market-sellers/ | 2022-04-27T21:03:57Z |
‘She looked worried’: Store clerk saves 85-year-old woman from phone scam, police say
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) - A quick-thinking store clerk in Iowa saved an 85-year-old woman from an expensive phone scam.
Winterset Police Department Chief Ken Burk said the woman was a customer at a Dollar General Store. She came in Monday to buy a $500 gift card but she was on the phone during her visit and that seemed suspicious.
Turns out there was a scammer on the other end of the line.
“It was a typical scam that we hear too frequently,” Burk said. “They actually instructed her to not tell anyone, to not let them know she was on the phone.”
Store manager Allysa Taylor said the woman looked worried and she checked on her.
“I asked her if this was for somebody on the phone and she whispered yes. And I said do you know this person, and she said no, but I’m not supposed to tell you,” Taylor said.
Police said the woman had been on the phone with the scammer for two hours. He told her she needed to send him $500 to collect a $2.5 million prize.
Taylor got on the customer’s phone and he hung up.
Burk said he eventually called the crook himself and he answered.
“I told him, ‘You’re ripping off old people. Doesn’t that feel crappy?’” Burk said.
According to Burk, the scammer responded by saying the woman was going to die with her money and he needed the woman’s money to build a house and take care of his family.
“Incredible that they say something like that and can be so cold and callous to the people that are losing their hard-earned money,” Burk said.
The police chief praised Taylor for her quick thinking.
“She did a great thing. She is definitely a hero for us,” Burk said
Taylor said it was just part of the job.
“It finally came about that my training was necessary. And I’m grateful that I was able to help her,” Taylor said.
Police say the caller was likely overseas and to never give money to someone who wants you to pay to collect an alleged prize.
Copyright 2022 KCCI via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/she-looked-worried-store-clerk-saves-85-year-old-woman-phone-scam-police-say/ | 2022-04-27T21:04:03Z |
WATCH: Mountain lion scared off by automatic doors
Published: Apr. 27, 2022 at 4:27 PM EDT|Updated: 35 minutes ago
TUCSON, Ariz. (Gray News) – A mountain lion in Arizona was apparently not ready to indulge in the resort treatment.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department released a video of the mountain lion on social media walking outside of the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson Monday. The animal quickly changes its mind when it passes by the automatic doors, which open and scare the feline, causing it to run away.
The department said the mountain lion was probably young and learning its way around the area due to the way it reacted to the doors.
The department said that, although mountain lions are common in the Sabino Canyon area, they have only received a few reports of incidents with them.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/watch-mountain-lion-scared-off-by-automatic-doors/ | 2022-04-27T21:04:14Z |
Auditions are coming up for the community production of "Once Upon a Mattress" at the Ross Ragland Theater this summer.
Auditions are scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 3 at the Ross Ragland Cultural Center. Callbacks are set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4.
Once Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Barer.
It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway. The play was written as a humorous adaptation of the 1835 Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea."
A fictional medieval kingdom is ruled by the devious Queen Aggravain and the mute King Sextimus. An unjust law has been levied by Queen Aggravain: “Throughout the land no one may wed, ’till Dauntless shares his wedding bed.”
However, every petitioning princess is sent away after failing unfair tests devised by the queen. It seems that no one is good enough to marry Prince Dauntless.
Cast requirements include nine lead roles (six male, three female) and approximately six to 11 supporting roles.
High school students are welcome to audition, with limited roles available.
Auditions will include vocal and dance segments as well as reading parts for various characters.
Performances are scheduled for July 8–10 and July 15–17, with Sunday matinees.
For more information, contact the theater at (541) 884-5483. | https://www.heraldandnews.com/klamath/auditions-upcoming-for-once-upon-a-mattress/article_dca137b1-836f-57bd-8dc7-b05d94196f63.html | 2022-04-27T21:08:29Z |
ASHLAND – Mention the name Lin-Manuel Miranda and most people associate him with the Broadway mega-smash “Hamilton.”
But Miranda is also the person who created the music for “Encanto Moana” and for “In the Heights,” the 2008 Tony winner for best musical. Written by Quiara Alegría Hudes, “In the Heights” tells the story of the closely knit community in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights. Beginning next week, the musical will be featured on the stage of the Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland.
In the musical, Bodega owner Usnavi is dating Vanessa, who works in a beauty salon. He dreams of opening a bar in his home country, the Dominican Republic. Nina loves Benny, a shy young man who has worked for Nina's parents for years, but her father opposes their union because he wants Nina to finish her college education at Stanford University. Nina doesn't want her father to bankrupt himself paying for the expensive tuition, but her father is prepared to sell his car-service business.
Michel Alejandro Castillo makes his Cabaret debut as Usnavi, and is joined by several other Cabaret newcomers, including Kristopher Stanley Ward, Amanda Lopez, Jianzi Colo-Soto, Edlyn Gonzalez, Adriel Garcia, Natalie Mara, Josh Ditto, Corey Simmons and Cheyenne Omani. Cabaret veteran Alina Cenal returns as Abuela Claudia and is joined by two performers who previously worked at the Cabaret as understudies, Alysia Beltran and Ernesto Rosales.
The show’s director, Maria Torres O’Connor, brings her own level of expertise. O’Connor has starred as the "girl in red: and the Tony-nominated Broadway musical “Swing.” She also performed at the “Radio City Spring Extravaganza,” “The Skin of Our Teeth,” and featured in the film “Dance with Me.” As a choreographer, her work can be seen in the Off-Broadway hit “The Donkey Show,” in the Enrigue Iglesias video “Ballamos,” in John Leguiszamo's international Budweiser commercial, in Segram's Latin Rock Show, and in “Four Guys Named Jose” in New York City. O’Connor has been nominated for the Off-Broadway Lucille Lortel Award for Best Choreographer for “Four Guys Named Jose.”
The “In the Heights” design team includes set designer José Diaz-Soto, lighting designer Christopher Wood, props designer James Paul Xavier, sound designer Kimberly Carbone, and costume designer Kristie Mattson. If it were a movie, “In the Heights” would be rated PG-13 for coarse language, adult situations, and alcohol use.
Because of relaxed COVID-19 safety protocol, the Cabaret is resuming table sharing and seating the front row, no longer requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test and not requiring, but recommending wearing masks. If COVID cases rise dramatically the Cabaret reserves the right to require masks and/or proof of vaccination or negative COVID test.
“In the Heights” runs through Sunday, June 19. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday matinees begin at 1 p.m. with evening performances at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Monday and select Wednesday nights.
Reservations are required for pre-show dinner or brunch. Appetizers, cocktails, beverages and desserts are available without reservations. Tickets are $43 for A level seating with limited $39 B level seating and $29 C level seating. The Cabaret offers a 15% ticket discount for groups of 12 or more for select ticket types and performances. $15 student rush tickets can be purchased 30 minutes before curtain with a valid student ID, subject to availability.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, call the Oregon Cabaret Theatre box office at 541-488-2902 or visit oregoncabaret.com. | https://www.heraldandnews.com/klamath/in-the-heights-opens-at-the-cabaret-theatre/article_b6df476c-895d-5c4b-9de8-5b059caeff39.html | 2022-04-27T21:08:35Z |
ASHLAND – Love doesn’t win in the usual way in “Once on This Island,” but the sacrifices of a peasant girl who offers, gives and genuinely lives love are requitted in a more enduring manner.
“Island” is a briskly paced, one-act musical based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” and the novel, “My Love, My Love,” by Rosa Guy. It’s being sumptuously staged at the Angus Bowmer Theater at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.
It’s a story of a tumble of emotions - love, pain, faith, hope, grief and dreams. After a young orphan girl survives a thunderous flood because the island’s gods take pity on her and place her in a tree above the flooding waves, she is told the story of Ti Moune. In the tale, much as in Andersen’s “Little Mermaid,” an older Ti Moune rescues a handsome, entitled young man, Daniel. While helping him recover she falls in love and believes that he, too, loves her.
But Ti Moune lives on the poor side of Haiti, where the peasants are “black as night.” Daniel and those on the other side of the island are lighter skinned descendants of the French Beauxhommes who intermingled with other Haitians. The two subcultures, Ti Moune is told, live separate lives.
Enamored with love for Daniel, a “grand homme,” she defies the rules, crossing to the forbidden side of the island where she nurses him back to health and, through her dancing, wins the friendship of the other-side islanders. But when she learns that Daniel is engaged in an arranged marriage, a commitment he will honor, she is devastated. Throughout the play, much of the narrative is told and expressed through music and dance. As Daniel tries to explains to Ti Moune in the song, “Some Girls,” “some girls you marry, some you love.”
Song and dance, along with staging, are among the many strengths of “Island.” More than 20 musical numbers tell and move the story that, like Greek tragedies, is spiced and complicated by the dealings and manipulations of the gods. In “Island” there are four - Asaka, Mother of Earth; Eruzulie, Goddess of Love; Agwe, God of Water; and Papa Ge, Demon of Death.
In some musicals the songs are temporary diversions. In “Island,” they are paramount. And delightful, with such mood-varying examples as “One Small Girl,” “Discovering Daniel,” “Forever Yours,” “Waiting for Life,” “Some Say,” “When We are Wed,” “Forever Yours” and two finales that express the longer lasting virtues of Ti Moune’s love, “A Part of Us” and “Why We Tell the Story.”
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown with book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty, “Island” features an all-Black cast. While the acting is uniformly excellent, young Ayvah Johnson, whose youthful exuberance is evident in her singing and dancing, is especially endearing as Little Ti Moune. Likewise, Ciera Dawn visually and vocally displays the varying moods of older Ti Moune.
A single criticism, one I later learned was shared by others, involves the sound. With the sometimes overpoweringly loud music, trying to understand words being spoken and sung was challenging and occasionally impossible. It’s a problem that can and hopefully will be rectified.
In “Island,” Ti Moune’s love for Daniel is not consummated. But the gods take pity when she offers her life in exchange for his and, because she loves him so completely, not using the knife given to her by Papa Ge to murder Daniel. Instead, they allow her to drown peacefully and, more ever lastingly, transform her into a tree, a place where a peasant girl and Daniel’s son play together and the legend of Ti Moune's endearing and enduring love lives on.
“Once on this Island” is, ultimately, a story about of the power of love. | https://www.heraldandnews.com/klamath/once-on-this-island-is-a-story-of-love-pain-faith-hope-grief-and-dreams/article_5783b20f-ba6a-5eef-8d42-8e8485f3878e.html | 2022-04-27T21:08:41Z |
...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.
Memorial ceremony set for lunchtime today to honor fallen workers
CHEYENNE – On Workers' Memorial Day, Thursday, April 28, community members will gather on the steps of the Wyoming State Capitol to honor workers who lost their lives and livelihoods due to workplace injury or illness.
The Workers’ Memorial Day Remembrance will begin at noon with comments from leaders speaking to raise awareness about workplace safety and other issues facing Wyoming workers and their families. At approximately 12:20 p.m., the bells of St. Mary’s Cathedral will toll for each worker who died on the job in 2020.
In 2020, Wyoming suffered 35 workplace fatalities. While slightly lower than the state’s 2014 record of 37 deaths, this number has remained consistently high, giving Wyoming one of the worst workplace fatality rates in the country, the highest in 2020, with a rate of 13 deaths per 100,000 workers.
Families, community members, state leaders, policymakers, union members and workers are invited to gather and join in remembering the workers lost and reinvigorating a statewide commitment to improving workplace safety across Wyoming.
The event is sponsored by the Wyoming State AFL-CIO and the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/memorial-ceremony-set-for-lunchtime-today-to-honor-fallen-workers/article_cd24ae4c-ef54-5cd4-a5e0-1f9858a3c74f.html | 2022-04-27T21:50:34Z |
CHEYENNE – If you drive along southern Wyoming’s main east-west interstate highway in the winter, especially if you’re in a big rig, you may experience some relief in the way of more parking and other enhancements when you need to pull off the road. That in turn may lead to a safer drive for all users of the road as well as a slightly easier trip.
If all goes as expected – which is not guaranteed when it comes to construction projects in a time of supply-chain issues – vehicles could benefit starting this coming winter on I-80 between Rawlins and Laramie. That is due to what the Wyoming Department of Transportation calls its I-80 winter freight roadwork project.
This week, WYDOT announced that work on the project was resuming on Wednesday. If all goes as planned, the work could wrap up around Oct. 31, a WYDOT spokesperson told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle by phone Tuesday. She noted that weather, supply chain kinks and other issues could play a role in the timing, however.
As the agency noted in a Monday release, the project “is expected to be complete in October 2022.” The overall project first began in 2020, and the $20 million initiative is funded by a federal grant called Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, according to WYDOT.
Once all the work is complete, there will be more parking spaces for semi-trucks, WYDOT has said. And there will be additional lanes for vehicles that need some extra time and distance to gather momentum to climb up what WYDOT described as steep grades.
“Climbing lanes help with traffic flow, especially on (such) inclines,” Tim Morton, who was WYDOT District 1 construction engineer at the time of his October 2020 remarks, has said about the project. “They also help prevent secondary crashes when I-80 reopens after an extended road closure.”
Truckers
Truckers say they are eager for the upgrades that WYDOT is in the final stages of building.
Short of rerouting the road, a much more expensive idea that some have floated in recent years, the currently planned enhancements are a way to ease some of the winter traffic and weather issues.
When big-rig drivers have to pull off the road, often because of closures or other restrictions, having adequate parking is key.
"Truck parking is a huge issue, not just in Wyoming, but nationwide," said Wyoming Trucking Association Managing Director Sheila Foertsch. "WYDOT has been proactive" on this issue, she said by phone Wednesday. "They recognize that it is absolutely so essential that truck drivers have safe parking areas."
Adding climbing lanes, as the state is additionally doing, also aims to help with safety. A positive side-effect is that non-commercial drivers may benefit, too, by not being slowed down on their journeys by trucks that can't go up hills as quickly as passenger vehicles.
"It just adds a measure of safety to the traveling public, improves the flow of traffic, improves just the attitude or drivers" who may get upset when they are stuck behind a slow-moving truck, Foertsch said.
Individual trucking companies doing business in the state did not comment Wednesday.
Construction resumes
Construction crews have recently been gearing up to resume the road work project, WYDOT just announced.
The highway department said Simon Contractors has started work building almost 100 new semi-truck parking spaces in both the Fort Steele Rest Area (at mile marker 228) east of Rawlins and the Quealy Dome truck parking area (mile marker 290) west of Laramie. That would add a total of almost 200 new parking spaces.
In many things involving construction, there may be some short-term pain in exchange for longer-term gain.
A short-term hassles is that the “Fort Steele Rest Area, including parking areas, will remain closed during construction.” And watch for flaggers directing traffic, reminded WYDOT. It advised not parking on the “on- and off-ramps in the Fort Steele interchange.”
As always, the state agency also reminded, you should “watch for lane closures, reduced speed limits and other traffic changes” during the project. And, of course, you should “avoid distractions like cellphones when driving through work zones.”
The good news when it comes to motorists on the highway itself is that, in the words of the state agency, “traffic on I-80 will see minimal impacts as crews start structure work and begin building climbing lanes on I-80.” Still, WYDOT warned of the potential for “short lane closures in the eastbound lanes over Halleck Ridge (mile markers 250.5-252.5) west of Elk Mountain and westbound lanes between Cooper Cove and Quealy Dome (mile markers 279.5-281.5).” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/wydots-i-80-freight-road-work-may-come-to-fruition-before-next-winter/article_d3dba64a-32db-5613-a562-83d842689249.html | 2022-04-27T21:50:40Z |
...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.
Details about a Friday, April 29, 1-3 p.m. event, titled "An Introduction to Islam."
CHEYENNE – A new statewide program about religious faith is starting, the Wyoming Interfaith Network and the Cheyenne Interfaith Council have recently announced.
The WIN and CIC organizations said that the program is launching here in Cheyenne at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 1908 Central Ave. The event is 1-3 p.m. Friday.
The first focus is on Islam. The program was described as a presentation related to leadership for people of faith in Wyoming.
"Our old colleague, (Imam) Mohamed Salih, will be returning to Cheyenne from Denver to offer the presentation," wrote the Rev. Rick Veit of Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in an email Friday. An imam is a religious leader in the Muslim religion.
You do not need to register ahead of time for this program, and it is free and open to the public. Details also are online at wyointerfaith.org.
This website describes itself as being about Wyoming's "interfaith justice movement." | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/wyoming-program-on-religious-faith-starts-with-friday-event-in-cheyenne-on-islam/article_86e78327-023b-5772-a9bb-15089ea55bdd.html | 2022-04-27T21:50:46Z |
CHEYENNE – If you drive along southern Wyoming's main east-west interstate highway in the winter, especially if you're in a big rig, you may experience some relief in the way of more parking and other enhancements when you need to pull off the road. And that may lead to a safer drive for all users of the road.
If all goes as expected – which is not guaranteed when it comes to construction projects in a time of supply-chain issues – vehicles could benefit starting this coming winter on I-80 between Rawlins and Laramie. That is due to what the Wyoming Department of Transportation calls its I-80 winter freight roadwork project.
This week, WYDOT announced that work on the project was set to have resumed on Wednesday. If all goes as planned, the work could wrap up around Oct. 31, a WYDOT spokesperson told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle by phone Tuesday. She noted that weather, supply chain kinks and other issues could play a role in the timing, however.
As the agency noted in a Monday release, the project "is expected to be complete in October 2022." The overall project first began in 2020, and the $20 million initiative is funded by a federal grant called Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, according to WYDOT.
Once all the work is complete, there will be more parking spaces for semi-trucks, WYDOT has said. And there will be additional lanes for vehicles that need some extra time and distance to gather momentum to climb up what WYDOT described as steep grades.
“Climbing lanes help with traffic flow, especially on (such) inclines,” Tim Morton, who was WYDOT District 1 construction engineer at the time of his October 2020 remarks, has said about the project. “They also help prevent secondary crashes when I-80 reopens after an extended road closure.”
Construction crews have recently been gearing up to resume the road work project, the agency just announced.
The highway department said Simon Contractors has started work building almost 100 new semi-truck parking spaces in both the Fort Steele Rest Area (at mile marker 228) east of Rawlins and the Quealy Dome truck parking area (mile marker 290) west of Laramie. That would add a total of almost 200 new parking spaces.
In many things involving construction, there may be some short-term pain in exchange for longer-term gain.
The short-term hassles include that the "Fort Steele Rest Area, including parking areas, will remain closed during construction." And watch for flaggers directing traffic, reminded WYDOT. It advised not parking on the "on- and off-ramps in the Fort Steele interchange."
As always, the state agency also reminded, you should "watch for lane closures, reduced speed limits and other traffic changes" during the project. And, of course, you should "avoid distractions like cellphones when driving through work zones."
The good news when it comes to motorists on the highway itself is that, in the words of the state agency, "traffic on I-80 will see minimal impacts as crews start structure work and begin building climbing lanes on I-80." Still, WYDOT warned of the potential for "short lane closures in the eastbound lanes over Halleck Ridge (mile markers 250.5-252.5) west of Elk Mountain and westbound lanes between Cooper Cove and Quealy Dome (mile markers 279.5-281.5)." | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/construction/wydots-i-80-winter-freight-road-work-resumes/article_6022989c-c661-11ec-a80c-bbb4477194d1.html | 2022-04-27T21:50:52Z |
CHEYENNE – The Cheyenne City Council gave its final approval Monday night to Get Bent, LLC, awarding it the city’s only available retail liquor license.
The governing body, including Mayor Patrick Collins, voted 7-2 on the recommendation the Committee of the Whole made the week prior. An amendment to the motion was also added, which requires the applicant to provide proof of a full certificate of occupancy by Dec. 31 or else the license reverts back to the city.
While the mayor did not specify a reason for his “no” vote, council member Tom Segrave said he didn’t vote with the majority because he felt the developer’s project did not align with the parameters set for the retail liquor license.
Qualifications included using all aspects of the license, restoring an area or building that is blighted and working under a faster-paced timeline. Segrave said although The Railspur met the timing criteria, and it would be located on the Reed Avenue Rail Corridor, it was not taking on the challenge of revitalizing an historic building.
Other council members said the recipients were providing just what residents desired.
“When I saw the presentation by Get Bent, I was reverted back to things I constantly hear from families in Cheyenne: ‘What are we doing for younger people?’” council member Ken Esquibel said. “And this concept appeared to me that it was one that was really going to bring younger people back down to downtown Cheyenne.”
Owners of Get Bent plan on using the license to transform the West Edge Collective building at 707 W. Lincolnway into a modern coffee house by day turned high-energy bar at night. The Railspur project will feature handcrafted cuisine from local food trucks, a package liquor store, and an outdoor space for events and music.
They were one of nine applicants left in the running for the license after Town and Country Supermarket Liquors and Billy Jack’s Pizza Pub withdrew from consideration. City Council members continually expressed how difficult it was to decide on just one proposal as entrepreneurs introduced their vision for breweries, entertainment spaces and boutiques – but just one could get the license.
This was due to the restrictions set by state law, which are based on population. The city of Cheyenne only saw its population increase enough to receive one additional retail liquor license this year.
Applicants, governing officials and community members all shared their frustrations with the stipulation, and said it wouldn’t be ignored. The City Council referred a resolution to the Finance Committee through its consent agenda that declared the municipalities of Laramie County agreed the current state statutes regarding the designation of liquor licenses are stifling economic growth. It further requests the Wyoming Legislature and its committees review, consider and adopt modifications to the laws.
A few entrepreneurs hoping to receive the license shared their support, but so did the developers of The Railspur.
“We will continue to stand with our colleagues in support for reform of these licenses moving forward,” Get Bent Manager Chad Willett said. “And I do applaud the council for the resolution, and really fighting that good fight.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/economy_and_labor/city-council-finalizes-award-of-retail-liquor-license/article_41387686-c661-11ec-992f-07bb04d94113.html | 2022-04-27T21:50:58Z |
A new report by a digital mapping company puts the acreage of public land in Wyoming that’s “corner-locked” at 2.44 million acres, far more than earlier estimates of 404,000 acres.
The April 8 report by onX, estimates 8.3 million acres of public land from the Rockies to the Pacific are inaccessible to the public unless reached by corner crossing. The digital mapping company, whose Global Positioning System app is used by hunters, examined land records from 11 Western states to compile its report.
Corner crossing involves stepping from one parcel of public land to another over a four-corner checkerboard-like intersection with two private parcels — without touching private land. Many believe the law is unsettled as to whether passing through the airspace above private property — a necessity in corner crossing — constitutes trespass.
Corner crossing is in “a legal gray area,” onX states. That makes most of the public fearful of violating trespass laws, said Joel Webster, the vice president of Western conservation at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
“There’s not legal clarity and as a result, most people don’t do it,” he said of corner crossing.
A criminal trespass case in Carbon County however, is challenging that uneasy status quo.
A trial set to begin in Carbon County tomorrow could settle whether four Missouri hunters are guilty under Wyoming trespass laws for corner crossing at the Elk Mountain Ranch in 2021. The case will unfold in front of a circuit court jury in Rawlins over two days.
After cataloging the corner-locked acreage and reviewing state and federal law and legal cases surrounding the conflict between private property rights and public access to public lands, onX believes the issue won’t be easily remedied.
“Whatever comes next, this legal gray area could very well remain clear as fog for decades to come,” its report concludes.
The onX report updates a widely used earlier estimate assembled almost a decade ago by the Center for Western Priorities that reviewed the issue across six western states. OnX began working on the corner-locked project shortly before the hunters were charged in Wyoming, said Lisa Nichols, access advocacy manager for the mapping company.
“We first started talking about it a month or two before this information started coming to light in Wyoming,” she said. Company employees saw the issue in the news and “wanted to provide [others with] the information at our fingertips.”
The company has a crew that scours land records regularly to update ownership status and easements depicted in its products.
It found 27,120 property corners in the West where “two parcels of public land meet on opposite sides of a point, with private land adjacent, effectively in between them.
“Beyond these corners lie 8.3 million acres of federal and state land that are inaccessible to the general public because the legality of corner-crossing remains unclear,” the report states. OnX and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership in 2019 found that the public is blocked from 15.8 million acres of public land across the West. Some of it is completely surrounded by private land, some only “corner-locked.”
“[M]ore than half of all the landlocked public land in the Western U.S. would be unlocked if corner-crossing was legalized,” the report states.
Wyoming has the most corner-locked public land among the states surveyed, the report says. Its 2.44 million acres surpasses second place Nevada — 1.93 million acres — and Arizona — 1.33 million acres — the onX report states.
Across the West, about 5.9 million acres are corner-locked in a checkerboard land ownership pattern, much of that the result of federal land grants given to facilitate railroad construction.
All told, the 27,120 property corners onX identified could provide access to public lands.
The report does not advocate corner crossing and underscores the knotty legal history surrounding the issue. It provides a landowner perspective, including complaints about disrespectful public land users and promotes a dialogue between landowners and hunters.
Among the tools that could help resolve conflicts are land swaps, easements and programs like Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Access Yes initiative that opens private lands to limited hunting, according to the company.
“We wanted to basically provide a little more context than maybe the average hunter might be aware of,” Nichols said. “The legal backstory, it just feels so confusing.
“That’s why we wanted to offer up a couple more viewpoints,” she said, to help guide those who believe their take on the issue is the only interpretation. After reading the report, such believers may decide “maybe it’s not that easy,” she said.
Securing 16,102 easements from 11,000 private landowners could provide certain access to the 8.3 million acres, the report states. At least 19% of the corners at issue are shared by oil, gas, energy, timber, or mining companies — not ranchers or farmers, the report states.
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership focuses on voluntary programs and financial incentives that make more land accessible, Vice President Webster said. Although the conservation group has worked with onX on other public land issues, it was not directly involved with the corner crossing report. It is also not involved in the Carbon County litigation but agrees “more clarity on this issue would be beneficial,” he said.
Webster called corner crossing “an unsettled access dispute.”
Even if corner crossing is found to be legal, that wouldn’t solve all the issues, Webster said. With GPS tools, “you would need to rely on corners being surveyed,” and survey markers in place, he said. That’s because GPS devices alone are not accurate enough to guarantee one is not trespassing.
“This issue is not going to be fully resolved in the courts,” Webster said. “It’s going to require cooperating with landowners to make most of these lands accessible.”
“Focusing all the attention on a criminal case may make that harder,” he said of obtaining access agreements. “I recognize the importance of this [Carbon County] issue and am not downplaying that. But solving our larger access disputes is going to require working cooperatively with landowners.
“This stuff’s not simple and these challenges are not going to be solved by fighting,” he said.
Public access to public land may become easier with passage of the Modernizing Access to our Public Lands Act. It awaits President Joe Biden’s signature.
The act calls for public lands agencies to publish data “used to depict locations at which recreation uses are available to the public.” The act excludes from mapping “flowage easements” that are available to boaters on navigable waters.
“The federal and county road easement information is imperfect,” Webster said. “We realized 50,000 [Bureau of Land Management] and Forest Service easements recorded in law are still sitting in dusty filing cabinets.”
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso was “super helpful” with the legislation, Webster said. Barrasso wrote in an op-ed published in the Casper Star-Tribune that the mapping “will clearly tell the public which road or trail to use to access public lands.”
The legislation does not address corner crossing. Nevertheless, the mapping will “highlight the boundaries of where recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting are permitted,” Barrasso wrote.
WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/legal_and_courts/corner-crossing-report-inaccessible-public-acres-now-8-3m/article_6cde94b4-c661-11ec-8fe9-2bc4b4945524.html | 2022-04-27T21:51:05Z |
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- A class action lawsuit dating back more than two decades is finally headed for a multimillion dollar settlement.
A vote by legislators has approved the figure of $328-million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought about by Native Hawaiians left on the waitlist between the years 1958 and 1988 for a housing lease.
Approximately 2,700 plaintiffs who filed decades ago stand to benefit from the settlement against the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), which failed to deliver on the promise of leased homes for the Native Hawaiians participating in the class action.
Attorney for the plaintiffs, Carl Varady, credits current goodwill in the legislature and governor's office.
"I think the big thing that changed was the Supreme Court's opinion at the end of 2020 ," Varady told KITV4. "Avenues the State had for appeal were exhausted and I think the hand writing was on the wall."
Rep. Sylvia Luke noted, "We have had unprecedented revenues this year and that prompted a discussion between the state and claimants to come to a resolution."
DHHL oversees 203,000 acres of land. The class-action suit has been known as the "Kalima case" after plaintiff Leona Kalima. There are currently over 20,000 people of Native Hawaiian descent on the DHHL wait list.
Varady said calculations as to what claimants will receive cannot be made at this time, as each recipient will receive an amount for damages based on the length of time they were kept on the waitlist rather than offered housing.
Jeremy Lee joined KITV after over a decade & a half in broadcast news from coast to coast on the mainland. Jeremy most recently traveled the country documenting protests & civil unrest. | https://www.kitv.com/news/328-million-settlement-approved-in-hawaiian-home-lands-lawsuit/article_4aad9a24-c608-11ec-9250-8fa502899d1b.html | 2022-04-27T22:06:45Z |
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- Gov. David Ige and state health officials are set to announce the next steps in dealing with COVID-19 as Hawaii transitions from emergency response to public health management.
Ige will be joined by Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble, and Department of Education Interim-Superintendent Keith Hyashi.
The press conference is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the State Capitol.
The transition announcement comes as the state released its latest weekly COVID-19 update, showing case numbers continuing to rise. In the latest numbers, the DOH recorded 11 new deaths and 3,370 new infections over the last seven days. Statewide test positivity has also ballooned back up to 9.1%.
Even as cases around the US rise, Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci on PBS NewsHour Tuesday, said the country has moved out of the pandemic phase in the fight against COVID-19.
"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," Fauci said.
This is a developing story. Check back with KITV4 for more information.
Matthew has been the digital content manager for KITV4 since September 2021. Matthew is a prolific writer, editor, and self-described "newsie" who's worked in television markets in Oklahoma, California, and Hawaii. | https://www.kitv.com/news/business/gov-ige-state-health-officials-to-announce-covid-19-transition-plan/article_c6510660-c672-11ec-a31a-ff11e7530592.html | 2022-04-27T22:06:51Z |
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- Brace yourselves for higher airfares, as airlines across the country, including here in Hawaii, start to see higher fuel costs.
On Tuesday, Hawaiian Airlines said in its first-quarter earnings report that fuel costs were up 216% in the first three months of 2022 when compared to the same timeframe last year.
The major cost hike is mainly due to the effects of the Ukraine-Russia war. Air travel demand also is at a much higher level.
Fuel is the second-biggest expense to airlines - just after labor. Typically, the industry tries to offset fuel costs with higher fares.
With air travel demand up because of the loosening of COVID restrictions, the airline industry hopes higher costs won't temper that demand.
Overall, Hawaiian Airlines reported a net loss of $130-million in the first quarter.
In a statement, Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram said:
"Strong demand for leisure to Hawaii is poised to propel our domestic revenue to record levels as the effects of the pandemic are more muted now than at any point in the past two years. Based on these trends, we anticipate a resurgence of international demand as restrictive travel policies continue to loosen."
Duane Shimogawa has more than 15 years of experience in the media industry with stints as a reporter/anchor at several TV and radio stations, as well as newspapers such as Pacific Business News, Hawaii News Now, KNDU/KNDO-TV, and more. | https://www.kitv.com/news/business/higher-fuel-costs-could-mean-higher-airfares/article_0d81e532-c5af-11ec-8e12-33e000115a53.html | 2022-04-27T22:06:57Z |
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- The Hawaii State Department of Health Hawaii (DOH) reported 11 new deaths related to COVID-19 and 3,370 new infections over the last seven days in Hawaii. The total number of deaths stands at 1,418.
Although this week’s numbers appear alarmingly high, the DOH says they include both confirmed and probable cases. DOH says the list also includes reported cases, removed cases, and cases that have been re-categorized to other counties.
This week’s numbers include 116 cases that were the result of a backlog in cases diagnosed out of state from December 2020 to March 2022. It also includes another 575 cases caused by a backlog from a laboratory reporting issue between April 6 and April 25, the DOH said.
The statewide test positivity rate is 9.1%. -- the positivity rate in Honolulu County is 9.4%; on the Big Island it's 8.6%; in Maui County it's 9.2%; and on Kauai it is 16.9%. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 248,405 total infections to date.
The new infections on each island stands as follows:
Oahu: 2,170
Hawaii Island: 491
Maui: 390
Kauai: 191
Molokai: 6
Lanai: 7
There were 178 new cases reported from Hawaii residents who were diagnosed out-of-state.
— Hawaii State Department of Health (@HawaiiDOH) April 27, 2022
There have been 4,488 COVID cases reported in the last 14 days and 8,650 cumulative hospitalizations. There are 36 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 – 77.2% of the population is fully vaccinated and 84.4% of state residents have had at least one dose. More than 563,000 residents have also received their COVID-19 booster shot – 55.1% of the eligible population.
The percentage of completed vaccinations per county stands as follows: | https://www.kitv.com/news/coronavirus/11-new-covid-related-deaths-3-370-new-infections-recorded-in-hawaii-doh-reports/article_123093e8-c65a-11ec-b1d1-a3250888a516.html | 2022-04-27T22:07:03Z |
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HONOLULU (KITV4) – Were you or someone you know a victim of a Western Union scam?
The Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Office or Consumer Protection (OCP) wants to remind Hawaii residents that refunds are still available to those who were tricked into wiring money to scammers through Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017.
“I urge anyone who believes that they became a victim of fraud after wiring funds through Western Union to immediately file for restitution. The July 1st deadline will soon be upon us and defrauded Hawaii consumers must act now”, said Stephen Levins, executive director of the State of Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection.
Those that haven’t submitted a claim or filed a refund yet have until July 1 to file. The refunds are part of a $586 million settlement Western Union reached with the FTC and Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2017.
People can submit claims through mailed prefilled forms showing eligible dollar loss amounts, based on the report(s) filed with Western Union, or can file new claims online at westernunionremissionphase2.com.
Questions about the claims process, including disagreements about the loss amount printed on the claim form, are also addressed on the Western Union Remission Phase 2 website.
More information on consumer protection is available at the Office of Consumer Protection’s website: https://cca.hawaii.gov/ocp/. Or for more information about eligibility and the claims process go to ftc.gov/wu. | https://www.kitv.com/news/crime/hawaii-residents-victimized-by-western-union-wire-scams-have-until-july-1-to-get-refund/article_c09f7eea-c668-11ec-bc98-9b6d36a07511.html | 2022-04-27T22:07:15Z |
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Melissa Wong, a teacher at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 gives a lesson to her masked students in their classroom on September 27, 2021 in New York City. As states roll back masking requirements for students, a new study shows that masks helped cut Covid-19 infections in public K-12 schools that required them in the fall.
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- Hawaii's long-standing effort to establish a universal no-cost pre-kindergarten program is closer to becoming a reality.
The State Legislature has passed Senate Resolution 7, which requests the Legislative Bureau to conduct a study on the feasibility of establishing such a program. The study will include research on other states that have plans to or are in the process of implementing universal pre-K programs.
It will also examine how such a program in the state may include appropriate school staffing, fair teacher compensation, adequate credentialing requirements and staff professional development or continuing education.
The report is scheduled to be sent to the Legislature for its review before the end of the 2023 Legislative Session.
Duane Shimogawa has more than 15 years of experience in the media industry with stints as a reporter/anchor at several TV and radio stations, as well as newspapers such as Pacific Business News, Hawaii News Now, KNDU/KNDO-TV, and more. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/hawaii-lawmakers-pass-feasibility-study-into-statewide-universal-pre-k-program/article_52b0852c-c669-11ec-81af-fba38febffa0.html | 2022-04-27T22:07:34Z |
ACROSS THE SEA: 61-year-old man to row solo from US to France
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WTKR) – A North Carolina grandfather has big plans that span the north Atlantic as he plans to row from Virginia to France nonstop. He will also be going solo.
Peter Harley plans to start the 4,000-mile trek from the Lynnhaven Marina in Virginia Beach, Virginia, next week, depending on the weather.
The 61-year-old isn’t taking a standard rowboat. He said he fortunately does not get seasick and isn’t worried about being lonely at sea.
“I’m rowing a boat that should really be rowed by two people,” Harley said. “It’s just who I am. I just do it the hard way.”
The rowboat has a camping setup, complete with sleeping quarters. It also had plenty of storage for his protein shakes, energy bars and occasional pasta.
“I’ve eaten only expedition food for nine months to test it out and get used to it,” Harley said.
The boat even converts salt water into drinking water and has waste accommodations, of a sort.
Harley is originally from South Africa and now lives in North Carolina. He’s a thrill-seeker who’s no stranger to the ocean.
“No hesitations whatsoever, absolutely zero,” he said. “I know what’s coming, and I’m happy to take it on. And I’m prepared. I’m prepared mentally and physically for it.”
His daughter, Bonnie Evans, will stay in the U.S. keeping in contact with her father through satellite communication. She plans to celebrate with him in France.
“It didn’t surprise me and I was all in, ready to support him in every way shape or form,” she said. “And yeah, just really, really excited and beyond proud.”
They’ve decided to make the event a fundraiser for several charities.
Harley said none of this is about fame.
“There are a few records that will come but that’s not the motivation at all,” he said. “The motivation is the physical and mental challenge.”
Harley said he will enjoy the time alone and the possibility of being greeted by sea life along the way.
“I’m sure I’ll see a lot of dolphins, a lot of birds,” he said. “Sharks, I’ll probably see sharks.”
The trek is expected to take up to four months. It all started for Harley after he watched a competition on TV.
“I think a lot of these events do start as dreams and crazy ideas,” Harley said. “It’s now or never. Do it now or don’t do it.”
Harley’s boat will have live-tracking capabilities, so you can send a message of support to Harley on his journey or make a donation.
Copyright 2022 WTKR via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/across-sea-61-year-old-man-row-solo-us-france/ | 2022-04-27T22:19:51Z |
Biden pardons former Secret Service agent and 2 others
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has granted the first three pardons of his term, providing clemency to a Kennedy-era Secret Service agent convicted of federal bribery charges that he tried to sell a copy of an agency file and to two people who were convicted on drug-related charges but went on to become pillars in their communities.
The Democratic president also commuted the sentences of 75 others for nonviolent, drug-related convictions. The White House announced the clemencies Tuesday as it launched a series of job training and reentry programs for those in prison or recently released.
Many of those who received commutations have been serving their sentences on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several were serving lengthy sentences and would have received lesser terms had they been convicted today for the same offenses as a result of the 2018 bipartisan sentencing reform ushered into law by the Trump administration.
“America is a nation of laws and second chances, redemption, and rehabilitation,” Biden said in a statement announcing the clemencies. “Elected officials on both sides of the aisle, faith leaders, civil rights advocates, and law enforcement leaders agree that our criminal justice system can and should reflect these core values that enable safer and stronger communities.”
Those granted pardons are:
— Abraham Bolden Sr., 86, the first Black Secret Service agent to serve on a presidential detail. In 1964, Bolden, who served on President John F. Kennedy’s detail, faced federal bribery charges that he attempted to sell a copy of a Secret Service file. His first trial ended in a hung jury.
Following his conviction in a second trial, key witnesses admitted lying at the prosecutor’s request, according to the White House. Bolden, of Chicago, was denied a retrial and served three years, nine months in federal prison. Bolden has maintained his innocence and wrote a book in which he argued he was targeted for speaking out against racist and unprofessional behavior in the Secret Service.
Bolden in an interview said he believed Biden “sympathized” with him and “saw a need to honor due process in my case.” The pardon came nearly 61 years after he joined the Kennedy detail. He said he asked off of the detail after enduring racial slurs from fellow agents and small nooses were left around his workplace.
“I met President Kennedy on April 28, 1961 and on April 25 I got word of the presidential pardon,” said Bolden, who first petitioned the White House for a pardon during the Nixon administration. “That’s pretty close.”
— Betty Jo Bogans, 51, was convicted in 1998 of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in Texas after attempting to transport drugs for her boyfriend and his accomplice. Bogans, a single mother with no prior record, received a seven-year sentence. In the years since her release from prison, Bogans has held consistent employment, even while undergoing cancer treatment, and has raised a son.
— Dexter Jackson , 52, of Athens, Georgia, was convicted in 2002 for using his pool hall to facilitate the trafficking of marijuana. Jackson pleaded guilty and acknowledged he allowed his business to be used by marijuana dealers.
After Jackson was released from prison, he converted his business into a cellphone repair service that employs local high school students through a program that provides young adults with work experience. Jackson has built and renovated homes in his community, which has a shortage of affordable housing.
Civil rights and criminal justice reform groups have pushed the White House to commute sentences and work harder to reduce disparities in the criminal justice system. Biden’s grants of clemency also come as the administration has faced congressional scrutiny over misconduct and the treatment of inmates in the beleaguered federal Bureau of Prisons, which is responsible for inmates serving sentences of home confinement.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden in his first commutations of his presidency focused on petitions from individuals who had less than four years to serve.
Biden, as head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, helped shepherd through the 1994 crime bill that many criminal justice experts say contributed to harsh sentences and mass incarceration of Black people.
During his 2020 White House run, Biden vowed to reduce the number of people incarcerated in the U.S. and called for nonviolent drug offenders to be diverted to drug courts and treatment.
He also has pushed for better training for law enforcement and called for criminal justice system changes to address disparities that have led to minorities and the poor making up a disproportionate share of the nation’s incarcerated population.
Inimai Chettiar, federal director of the criminal justice reform advocacy group Justice Action Network, called Biden’s first pardons and commutations “just modest steps” and urged Biden “to meet the urgency of the moment.”
“President Biden ran on a promise to help end mass incarceration, and he has broad public support for that promise,” Chettiar added.
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, granted 144 pardons and clemency to 238 during his four years in office.
Some criminal justice advocates are pressing for Biden to act with more haste, calling on the president to establish a permanent clemency review board. More than 18,000 clemency petitions are pending, according to the Justice Department.
White House counsel Dana Remus, at a virtual roundtable discussion on Tuesday with formerly incarcerated people hosted by the Biden administration, said that the pardons and commutations are “just the beginning.”
“The President will continue to review clemency petitions over the coming months,” Remus said. “And we will continue all of this critically important work in supporting formerly incarcerated persons in creating second chances and ensuring that our criminal justice system is more just and more equal.”
Trump sought the advice of prison reform advocate Alice Johnson, a Black woman whose life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense he commuted in 2018. He was also lobbied by celebrity Kim Kardashian as well as advisers inside the White House, including daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, as he weighed applications for clemency.
The Republican used his pardon authority to help several political friends and allies, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Republican operative Roger Stone and Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of Ivanka Trump.
Among Trump’s final acts as president was pardoning his former chief strategist Steve Bannon and Al Pirro, the ex-husband of Fox News host and Trump ally Jeanine Pirro.
Prosecutors alleged that Bannon, who had yet to stand trial when he was pardoned, had duped thousands of donors who believed their money would be used to fulfill Trump’s chief campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border. Instead, Bannon allegedly diverted more than $1 million, paying a salary to one campaign official and personal expenses for himself. Pirro was convicted in 2000 on tax charges.
With the slate of pardons and commutations announced Tuesday, Biden has issued more grants of clemency than any of the previous five presidents at this point in their terms, according to the White House.
In addition to the grants of clemency, Biden announced several new initiatives that are meant to help formerly incarcerated people gain employment — an issue that his administration is driving home as key to lowering crime rates and preventing recidivism.
The Labor Department is directing $140 million toward programs that offer job training, pre-apprenticeship programs, digital literacy training and pre-release and post-release career counseling and more for youth and incarcerated adults.
The $1 trillion infrastructure bill passed by Congress last year includes a trio of grant programs that the administration says promote hiring of formerly incarcerated individuals. And the Labor and Justice Departments announced on Tuesday a collaborative plan to provide $145 million over the next year on job skills training as well as individualized employment and reentry plans for people serving time in the Bureau of Prisons.
Biden said the new initiatives are vital to helping the more than 600,000 people released from prison each year get on stable ground.
“Helping those who served their time return to their families and become contributing members of their communities is one of the most effective ways to reduce recidivism and decrease crime,” Biden said.
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Babwin reported from Chicago. Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/biden-pardons-former-secret-service-agent-2-others/ | 2022-04-27T22:19:58Z |
Cat rescued from Ukraine reunited with owner in Arkansas
ARKANSAS (Gray News) – Humane Society International has been working on the ground in Poland, Romania, Germany and Italy helping people with pets of people fleeing the war when they learned about a cat in Ukraine that was separated from her owner.
Persik’s owner, Larysa, was in the United States when the war in Ukraine started, while her cat was staying with her cousin in Odessa.
According to Humane Society International, Larysa’s cousin managed to evacuate Persik, which means “Peach” in Ukrainian, with a friend who fled to Warsaw.
Persik was fully vaccinated, had a pet passport and was microchipped.
Kelly Donithan, director of animal disaster response for Humane Society International, got special approval to carry the cat with her as she flew home to the U.S.
She was able to connect with Larysa in Arkansas and reunite Persik with its mom.
“This single story of one cat, Persik, is emblematic of what Humane Society International has seen through the chaos and trauma of this war: strangers and communities coming together to help one another however they can, including beloved animals,” Donithan said.
After nearly losing hope, Larysa said she was overcome with gratitude for those who helped save her cat from Ukraine.
“I had to make a lot of efforts in order to find a person in difficult circumstances during the hostilities in Ukraine who agreed to take the cat out of Ukraine, and now, by the grace of God, the cat is in my home with love and care,” Larysa said.
“It is a painful and horrific time, but all of these small acts of kindness are keeping and bringing families together when they need it most,” Donithan said. “Even during the darkest times, it is clear how much pets mean to their families.”
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/cat-rescued-ukraine-reunited-with-owner-arkansas/ | 2022-04-27T22:20:05Z |
CDC estimates 3 in 4 kids have had coronavirus infections
NEW YORK (AP) — Three out of every four U.S. children have been infected with the coronavirus and more than half of all Americans had signs of previous infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers estimated in a report Tuesday.
The researchers examined blood samples from more than 200,000 Americans and looked for virus-fighting antibodies made from infections, not vaccines. They found that signs of past infection rose dramatically between December and February, when the more contagious omicron variant surged through the U.S.
For Americans of all ages, about 34% had signs of prior infection in December. Just two months later, 58% did.
“I did expect it to increase. I did not expect it to increase quite this much,” said Dr. Kristie Clarke, co-leader of a CDC team that tracks the extent of coronavirus infections.
The news came as Pfizer sought permission to offer a booster dose to kids ages 5 to 11, just like people 12 and older can get.
In the CDC report, the most striking increase was in children. The percentage of those 17 and under with antibodies rose from about 45% in December to about 75% in February.
The older people were, the less likely they had evidence of past infections. That may be because older adults have higher vaccination rates and they may be more likely to take other COVID-19 precautions, such as wearing masks and avoiding crowds, Clarke said.
Reported COVID-19 cases had a huge surge in December and January, then fell almost as dramatically as they had risen. But daily case counts have been trending up again in recent weeks.
The case numbers are believed to be an undercount, but officials do think recent increases reflect a true rise in infections. Many COVID-19 infections are mild enough that patients do not seek care or confirmatory lab tests. CDC officials say they plan to release a study soon that estimates that in recent months there were three infections for every reported case.
Another recent trend: U.S. health officials say they have seen two weeks of increases in COVID-19 hospitalizations, though the numbers remain relatively low. Hospital admissions number about 1,600 per day, a 9% increase in the prior week, the CDC reported.
Available evidence nevertheless offers reason to be hopeful about how the pandemic is going, officials suggested.
“We are not anticipating more severe disease from some of these subvariants, but we are actively studying them,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday.
The tests that showed how many people had previous infections can detect antibodies for one to two years after infection, and possibly longer. Studies have shown previous infection can protect some people against severe disease and hospitalization, but CDC officials stressed that the previously infected should still get COVID-19 vaccines.
The study looked for any detectable level of antibodies; it did not distinguish how many people had antibody levels that might be protective. Scientists are still trying to understand what role these kinds of antibodies play in protection from future virus exposures.
Officials continue to urge Americans to get vaccines and boosters, which offer additional protection against COVID-19 for all, including those who were previously infected.
Currently the U.S. offers a booster dose starting at age 12 but Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday asked the Food and Drug Administration to allow healthy elementary-age kids to also get one -- about six months after their last shot. The companies cited a small study showing the extra shot for kids ages 5 to 11 revved up antibodies capable of fighting the super-contagious omicron variant. Pfizer’s kid-size shots are a third of the dose given to anyone 12 or older.
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AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard in Washington contributed to this report.
___
The Associated Press Health & 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/2022/04/26/cdc-estimates-3-4-kids-have-had-coronavirus-infections/ | 2022-04-27T22:20:12Z |
Dominion Energy reporting outages due to storm
Published: Apr. 26, 2022 at 3:15 PM EDT
WAYNESBORO, Va. (WHSV) - Dominion Energy is reporting outages due to a storm in the Staunton, Augusta County, and Waynesboro area.
Augusta: 571
Rockingham: 209
Staunton: 54
Waynesboro: 1,464
To report an outage in your area, click here.
Send us your photos of storm damage here.
The Waynesboro Police Department is asking everyone to stay away from downed power lines.
In working with the Waynesboro Fire and Police Departments it has been decided to delay the dismissal of schools in Waynesboro until road conditions improve.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/dominion-energy-reporting-outages-due-storm/ | 2022-04-27T22:20:24Z |
‘Encanto’ goes on tour with sing-along film concert this summer
(Gray News) – We all know “we don’t talk about Bruno,” but we can talk about Disney Concerts taking “Encanto” on tour this summer.
“Encanto: The Sing-along Film Concert” will be featured in 32 cities across the U.S. from July 18 to Aug. 28.
The film comes to life in the concert event and features the entire film on a huge screen, accompanied by an on-stage band playing hit songs from the soundtrack.
Live characters, however, do not appear as part of this event.
Tickets go on sale Friday, April 29 at 10 a.m. through Live Nation.
The full list of tour dates includes:
Jul 18 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
Jul 19 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
Jul 21 – Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion
Jul 23 – Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
Jul 24 – San Diego, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Jul 26 – El Paso, TX – Plaza Theatre
Jul 27 – Lubbock, TX – The Buddy Holly Hall*
Jul 28 – Houston, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Jul 29 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
Jul 30 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP*
Jul 31 – St. Louis, MO – Stifel Theatre
Aug 02 – Brandon, MS – Brandon Amphitheater
Aug 03 – Pelham, AL – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
Aug 05 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Aug 06 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Aug 07 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Aug 09 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
Aug 10 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Aug 11 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap
Aug 12 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
Aug 13 – Greensboro, NC – White Oak Amphitheatre at Greensboro Coliseum Complex
Aug 14 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Aug 16 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann
Aug 18 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Aug 19 – Hartford, CT – XFINITY Theatre
Aug 20 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
Aug 21 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug 23 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Aug 25 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
Aug 26 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
Aug 27 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
Aug 28 – Chicago, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/encanto-goes-tour-with-sing-along-film-concert-this-summer/ | 2022-04-27T22:20:32Z |
Jury hears opening statements, testimony during day 2 of lawsuit against Huguely
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Tuesday, April 26, marks the second day of the civil suit in Charlottesville Circuit Court against convicted murdered George Huguely.
The jury heard opening statements from attorneys for Huguely and the family of Yeardley Love, as well as testimony.
Love was found dead in her 14th Street apartment in 2010, and Huguely was later convicted of second-degree murder charges. Both played lacrosse for the University of Virginia and had been in an on-again-off-again relationship.
Attorneys representing Love’s family today stressed Huguely’s responsibility for her death.
His attorney underlined the unintended nature of what caused Love to die.
Tuesday, the court heard from a team physician, several police officers, as well as Love’s former roommate, who discovered her body.
The lawsuit is seeking more than $30 million in damages against Huguely.
Copyright 2022 WVIR. All rights reserved.
Do you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/jury-hears-opening-statements-testimony-during-day-2-lawsuit-against-huguely/ | 2022-04-27T22:20:44Z |
High court could free Biden to end Trump asylum policy
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned lower-court orders that have blocked the Biden administration from ending a controversial Trump-era immigration program for asylum-seekers.
Questions from conservative and liberal justices during nearly two hours of arguments suggested that the court could free the administration to end the “Remain in Mexico” policy that forces some people seeking asylum in the U.S. to wait in Mexico for their hearings.
President Joe Biden suspended the program on his first day in office. After Texas and Missouri sued, lower courts required immigration officials to reinstate it, though the current administration has sent far fewer people back to Mexico than its predecessor.
The heart of the legal fight is whether, with far less detention capacity than needed, immigration authorities must send people to Mexico or have the discretion under federal law to release asylum-seekers into the United States while they await their hearings.
Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, Biden’s top Supreme Court lawyer, told the justices the law does not contain a provision requiring migrants to be returned to Mexico and that there is a “significant public benefit” to releasing migrants who pass criminal background and other checks into the U.S., keeping detention beds free for more dangerous people.
Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, at least one of whom the administration needs to win the case, suggested that the administration had a better argument than the states.
“You lose, right, if the government is right about what significant public interest is,” Barrett said in an exchange with Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone II.
Several justices also picked up on Prelogar’s point that no administration, including Trump’s, fully complied with the requirement to make migrants wait in Mexico.
If the states are reading the law correctly, Justice Clarence Thomas asked, “Wouldn’t it be odd for Congress to leave in place a statute that’s impossible to comply with?”
Justice Elena Kagan was among members of the court who wondered whether the lower courts were dipping impermissibly into international relations since reinstating the program depends on Mexico’s willingness to accept the migrants and close coordination between the countries.
“What are we supposed to do, drive truckloads of people to Mexico and leave them in Mexico?” Kagan asked Stone.
Justice Samuel Alito appeared to be the strongest voice on the states’ side, questioning the administration’s assertion that it assesses migrants on a case-by-case basis before releasing them.
Border agents stopped migrants 221,000 times in March 2022 and nearly 66,000 migrants were released in the United States, according to a government court filing.
Alito said the situation seemed akin to people waiting to get into a Washington Nationals game. If they have a ticket and no alcohol or guns, they’re admitted, Alito said.
“That’s basically what you’re doing. You’ve got a little checklist and you go, boom, boom, boom,” Alito said.
About 70,000 people were enrolled in the program, formally known as Migrant Protection Protocols, after President Donald Trump launched it in 2019 and made it a centerpiece of efforts to deter asylum-seekers.
After Biden’s suspension of the program, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas ended it in June 2021. In October, DHS produced additional justifications for the policy’s demise, to no avail in the courts.
The program resumed in December, but barely 3,000 migrants had enrolled by the end of March, during a period when authorities stopped migrants about 700,000 times at the border.
The high court pondered what to make of the limited nature of the challenged program. Chief Justice John Roberts said he was sympathetic with the administration’s position that it can’t detain everyone or possibly comply with the law. “But where does that leave us?” he asked.
Those being forced to wait in Mexico widely say they are terrified in dangerous Mexican border cities and find it very hard to find lawyers to handle their asylum hearings.
Democratic-led states and progressive groups are on the administration’s side. Republican-led states and conservative groups have sided with Texas and Missouri. Those include the America First Legal Foundation, led by former Trump aides Stephen Miller and Mark Meadows.
As the court is weighing the asylum policy, the administration is expected to end another key Trump-era border policy that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. It allows authorities to expel migrants without a chance to seek asylum. The decision to end Title 42 authority, named for a 1944 public health law, on May 23 is being legally challenged by 22 states and faces growing division within Biden’s Democratic Party.
A decision in Biden v. Texas, 21-954, is expected by late June.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/justices-hear-fight-over-asylum-seekers-waiting-mexico/ | 2022-04-27T22:20:50Z |
Mom charged after baby nearly dies from starvation, sheriff’s office says
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Gray News) – A 21-year-old mother in Florida is facing charges after her baby nearly died from starvation because she found feeding the child “annoying,” according to officials.
The Baker County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that Haylee Kent was charged with multiple counts of child neglect with and without great bodily harm.
The investigation began when Kent’s grandmother took the baby to the hospital April 6 after she noticed that he was severely underweight. Medical staff notified the sheriff’s office that the child was “gravely ill due to life-threatening starvation.”
Hospital staff said the 8-month-old child was the average weight of a 2-month-old. The baby also had a skull fracture.
According to the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, Kent did not visit her baby at the hospital, and she did not cooperate with authorities during their investigation.
Several days later, Kent agreed to meet with detectives. They said Kent admitted that she felt the way her child needed to be fed was “sometimes annoying,” so she opted not to feed him.
Detectives said they discovered the child had suffered a pattern of neglect since the day he was born, including a lack of necessary medical attention, malnourishment and failure to provide a safe home environment. Kent was arrested April 19.
The sheriff’s office said despite the sad circumstances, the child is now recovering, gaining weight and has been placed in foster care.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/mom-charged-after-baby-nearly-dies-starvation-sheriffs-office-says/ | 2022-04-27T22:20:57Z |
Nevada senator joins healthcare advocates in call for drug pricing reform
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) helped launch the “Push for Lower Prescription Prices” campaign.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - On Tuesday, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined healthcare advocates calling for drug pricing reform.
It was for the launch of the “Push for Lower Prescription Prices” campaign.
Cortez Masto along with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) are asking their colleagues in the Senate to pass a reconciliation package before Memorial Day that includes provisions to drive down drug costs.
David Mitchell, a cancer patient, and founder of Patients for Affordable Drugs Now, led the campaign launch. “We’re here to advance historic legislation to lower the prices of prescription drugs and change the trajectory of drug pricing policy in America,” he said.
Cortez Masto said Americans are having to make difficult choices when it comes to prescription drugs.
“No one should have to ration life saving medication or choose between paying for food and affording medicine,” Cortez Masto told the crowd from behind a podium near the Capitol steps.
“It is time to force these pharmaceutical companies to really negotiate the cost of these prescription drugs and lower them, and it’s time to give Medicare that authority to do that with these pharmaceutical companies.”
The senator’s office said Cortez Masto has co-sponsored multiple pieces of legislation dating back several years to address drug pricing concerns.
Senators and advocates said a reconciliation package should include drug pricing provisions already passed by the House.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/nevada-senator-joins-healthcare-advocates-call-drug-pricing-reform/ | 2022-04-27T22:21:03Z |
Officer’s job offer with police department revoked due to HIV diagnosis, DOJ says
CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (Gray News) – The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against a town in Indiana for discriminating against a police officer diagnosed with HIV.
According to the Department of Justice, the lawsuit alleges the police department in the town of Clarksville revoked a job officer to a qualified person based on his diagnosis.
The DOJ said the officer had been successfully working for the police department as a volunteer for over a year and was fully qualified for the position.
“Every day, we depend on law enforcement officers who put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana. “Those who are qualified and seek to serve their communities should not be subjected to unlawful discrimination.”
Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits employers from discriminating against anyone skilled for the position on the basis of disability.
“No qualified individual should lose a hard-earned career opportunity because of misguided views about their disability that are not supported by medicine or science,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit reflects the Justice Department’s firm commitment to protecting qualified workers, including those with HIV, from unlawful employment discrimination.”
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/officers-job-offer-with-police-department-revoked-due-hiv-diagnosis-doj-says/ | 2022-04-27T22:21:14Z |
EXPLAINER: What’s known about sudden liver disease in kids
(AP) – A puzzling outbreak of sudden liver disease in nearly 200 children has health authorities in Europe and the U.S. racing to find answers.
The illnesses have no known connection, although a possible link with a virus that can cause colds is being investigated. At least one child died and several others have required liver transplants.
What’s known so far:
THE BASICS
Previously healthy children are suddenly developing hepatitis, or liver inflammation often caused by viruses. Jaundice, diarrhea and abdominal pain are among reported symptoms. Children aged 1 month to 16 years have been affected.
Most cases have occurred in Europe. The first U.K. cases were recorded in January. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a nationwide health alert last week that the first U.S. cases were identified in October in Alabama.
THE DISEASE
Hepatitis is usually caused by one of several contagious hepatitis viruses that have not been found in the affected children. Sometimes the disease is mild and requires no specific treatment. But severe cases require hospitalization and can lead to liver failure.
THE CAUSE
Authorities are uncertain about what is causing the outbreak. Nine children in the Alabama cluster tested positive for adenovirus. Some types of the virus can cause colds but authorities are also looking at a version that can cause digestive problems. It is unknown whether that virus is a cause or is somehow contributing to the outbreak.
LOCATIONS
Cases have been reported in at least a dozen countries, including Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, cases have also occurred in Illinois and North Carolina.
The CDC says all physicians should be on the lookout for symptoms and report any suspected case of what’s called hepatitis of unknown origin.
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Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner at @LindseyTanner.
___
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/2022/04/26/officials-nearly-200-cases-mystery-liver-disease/ | 2022-04-27T22:21:22Z |
Ohio makes case to US Supreme Court on transporting death row inmate with bullet in his brain
In Twyford v. Shoop, lawyers suggest bullet fragments could impact Raymond Twyford’s competency and want the inmate tested in a hospital.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The State of Ohio is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule lower courts that said a death row inmate needs to be taken to a hospital for brain scans.
Raymond Twyford’s lawyers said Twyford attempted suicide he was 13, and it left him with bullet fragments in his brain. They want to know whether the fragments impact Twyford’s competency, something they said was never investigated during the original trial.
Twyford was convicted of murder in 1993, and lower courts have ruled that Ohio needs to transport him to a hospital for the neurological testing.
During Tuesday’s oral arguments to the U.S. Supreme Court, Ohio Solicitor General Benjamin Flowers said that the lower court rulings step on state’s rights and puts the public in danger.
Flowers argued, “The injury we’re suffering is the sovereign interference with our safe operation of our prisons. That we cannot remedy on appeal, plus the threat to public safety. Once we transport him, we have sustained all of those harms. There’s no unringing that bell after the fact.”
Raymond Tyword’s attorneys said that Twyford has been transported between the prison he’s being housed at, and the prison-style medical facility where the brain scan would be done, 16 times without incident. They also said the jury that convicted Twyford may not have had all the evidence.
Justice Clarence Thomas was the first to question Twyford attorney David O’Neil.
Justice Thomas asked, “Do you know whether you’re going to use whatever it is you find from the scan in a Habeas proceeding?”
O’Neil said, “The jury never heard any evidence about the effect of a point blank gunshot wound on Mr. Twyford’s cognition and therefore his culpability. They didn’t hear anything about that because counsel never bothered to investigate it.”
George Washington law professor Paul Schiff Berman said the Supreme Court’s conservative makeup may be the biggest factor in an eventual ruling. He said, “This may be yet another case that makes it harder and harder and harder for inmates to be able to challenge what they deem to be an unconstitutional conviction.”
The court is expected to rule on the case later this summer.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/ohio-makes-case-us-supreme-court-transporting-death-row-inmate-with-bullet-his-brain/ | 2022-04-27T22:21:28Z |
Parents out on bond after being charged in deaths of 2 young children
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WITN/Gray News) – Two parents charged in the deaths of their two young children were released on bond Monday after appearing in court.
Rocky Mount police said the mother, 21-year-old Zharia Noel, and her boyfriend, 21-year-old Ahmene Butler, were arrested Saturday and each charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter due to negligence and two counts of felony child abuse because of the children sustaining bodily injuries.
Saturday morning, the Rocky Mount Police Department responded to a call where they located a 3-month-old boy, Kamryn Noel, and his 14-month-old sister, Amariah Noel, unresponsive inside a parked car.
The children were taken to UNC Nash Health Care, where they were both pronounced dead. Saturday evening, the investigation was upgraded from suspicious death to a homicide.
Noel and Butler each received a $100,000 unsecured bond by the magistrate and were released from custody. The parents had their first court appearances Monday morning.
Police said they will continue to investigate the deaths. Further charges await reports from the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s office.
Copyright 2022 WITN via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/parents-out-bond-after-being-charged-deaths-2-young-children/ | 2022-04-27T22:21:35Z |
Pilots speak after mid-air plane swap stunt goes wrong in Arizona
ELOY, Ariz. (KTVK/KPHO/Gray News) - A Red Bull plane crashed in Arizona over the weekend during a stunt attempt called the “first of its kind.”
Two pilots tried to swap planes at 14,000 feet Sunday. Both pilots landed safely, one by plane and the other by parachute.
The planned stunt featured two skydivers, Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington. According to the Red Bull website, the two are cousins who have flown together several times.
Red Bull shared a video of the flight Monday, which shows both planes in the nosedive position. Video from Luke Aikin’s viewpoint shows him grabbing onto the aircraft, pulling himself inside, and landing safely.
“I mean, we proved that it was possible,” Aikin said. “We’re pushing boundaries out here, and what’s great is I jumped from one, I got in the other one, we landed, I landed safely.”
The stunt quickly went wrong when, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, one of the two single-engine planes spun out of control.
Farrington was forced to deploy a parachute in order to land safely.
“Yeah, I mean, we’re there. All the numbers matched up and everything like that. Everything should’ve been good to go,” Farrington said. “For some reason, it wasn’t that way, but at the end of the day, we’re both here. We’re both good to go, everybody’s safe and sound, and I guess that’s the important part.”
The FAA said in a statement it denied Red Bull’s request for a safety exemption.
According to Red Bull, the pilots had been training in California but decided the actual challenge would take place in Arizona.
The company also mentioned heat can affect the density of the air and could cause the aircraft to fall quicker, though it’s still unclear what caused the stunt to go wrong.
The FAA says it continues to investigate the crash.
Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/pilots-speak-after-mid-air-plane-swap-stunt-goes-wrong-arizona/ | 2022-04-27T22:21:45Z |
Police: Man charged in crash after running red light, killing pregnant woman, unborn baby
TULSA, Okla. (Gray News) - Police in Oklahoma are investigating a tragic crash that took the life of a woman and her unborn child earlier this year.
The Tulsa Police Department reports a Buick was speeding and ran a red light in the east part of town on Jan. 15. It slammed into a pickup truck at the intersection.
The driver of the pickup truck, identified by police as Michelle Rubalcava, was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Police said she was nine months pregnant at the time of the crash.
Emergency surgery was performed, but Rubalcava and her unborn baby died from their injuries, according to Tulsa police.
Investigators report the driver of the Buick, Steven Johnson, was later found at fault for the crash with evidence of him being impaired by drugs at the time of the collision.
Tulsa police said Johnson recovered from his crash injuries and was charged on April 25 with two counts of first-degree manslaughter, causing a fatality accident without a valid driver’s license, driving under the influence of drugs and failure to stop at a red light.
Authorities also said their hearts go out to the family affected by the devasting crash.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/police-man-charged-crash-after-running-red-light-killing-pregnant-woman-unborn-baby/ | 2022-04-27T22:21:52Z |
Psychologist hired by Depp testifies about Heard’s health
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A forensic psychologist testified Tuesday that actor Amber Heard suffers from borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder, as the civil lawsuit between her and ex-husband Johnny Depp continues to wallow in the couple’s personal issues.
Depp is suing Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post referring to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” The article doesn’t mention Depp by name, but his lawyers say the article contains “defamation by implication” because it clearly refers to allegations of domestic abuse made by heard when she filed for divorce in 2016.
The psychologist, Shannon Curry, was hired by Depp’s legal team. She said she reached her diagnosis during 12 hours of interviews with Heard, as well as from reviewing her mental-health records.
Curry also testified that Heard does not suffer post-traumatic stress disorder from her relationship with Depp, as Heard has claimed.
Depp’s team hopes Curry’s testimony bolsters their contention that Heard was the aggressor in the couple’s troubled relationship. Depp just concluded four days on the witness stand and testified about Heard’s “need for conflict” and her tendency to hound and pursue him during arguments when he tried to walk away and disengage.
The two personality disorders are similar, Curry said. Borderline personality is a disease of instability, she said “driven by an underlying fear of abandonment.” She said people with the disorder “will make desperate attempts to prevent that from happening.”
Evidence introduced earlier at the trial includes audio clips of Heard begging Depp not to leave, and to stay with her after he indicated a desire to break up or separate.
She also said that borderline personality disorder “seems to be a predictive factor for women who implement violence against their partner.” Depp has said he is the one who was a victim of domestic violence, and that Heard hit him on multiple occasions and threw items like paint cans and vodka bottles at him.
Histrionic personality disorder, Curry said, is associated with “drama and shallowness,” and a need to be the center of attention.
She said there’s a correlation in the disorder with people who are physically attractive and “utilize their looks to get that attention.”
On cross-examination, Heard’s lawyers questioned Curry for potential bias, noting that she had dinner and drinks with Depp and his lawyers at Depp’s house before she was hired. Curry said it was just part of the interview process.
And Heard’s lawyers called attention to evidence that Heard reported abuse contemporaneously to her therapist and to the couple’s marriage counselor.
While the libel lawsuit is supposed to center on whether Depp was defamed in the article, most of the trial has focused on ugly details of the couple’s brief marriage. Depp has denied ever striking Heard. Heard’s attorneys say Depp physically and sexually abused her and that Depp’s denials lack merit because he was often drunk and high to the point of blacking out.
Earlier Tuesday, jurors heard testimony from Tara Roberts, who managed Depp’s private island in the Bahamas. She testified that she never saw Heard with any kind of bruises. Her testimony also provided another window into some of the extravagances of Depp’s lifestyle.
She said she was paid $120,000 to manage the island, where Depp tooled around on a John Deere utility vehicle. The island had a four-person staff, including Roberts, though Depp was only there a few times a year. One section of shoreline on the island was dubbed Brando Beach, for the actor with whom Depp had collaborated in the past.
Roberts also testified about an incident that occurred when Depp and his family had a final excursion on a yacht before it was to be sold to author J.K. Rowling. On cross-examination, Roberts acknowledged that Depp passed out face-first in the sand, and that she arranged for a helicopter to take some passengers away after the yacht trip turned unpleasant.
Earlier testimony has centered on activities that occurred in the five penthouses Depp owned atop the Eastern Columbia Building in Los Angeles.
The final witness Tuesday, Los Angeles police officer Melissa Saenz, testified about her visit to the building in May 2016, just days before Heard filed for divorce and showed up at a courthouse to seek a restraining order with a large mark on her face that she says came from a fight with Depp that night.
The officer, testifying through a recorded deposition, said she saw that Heard had been crying but saw no evidence of an injury — Depp’s lawyers say Saenz’s testimony is evidence that Heard faked her injury to damage Depp’s reputation.
Saenz could not recall many details of her interactions with Heard that night, but she did “remember being impressed by the penthouse, how big and beautiful it was.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/psychologist-hired-by-depp-testifies-about-heards-health/ | 2022-04-27T22:21:59Z |
Real estate expert weighs in on Shenandoah Valley housing market
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The real estate market has seen many changes throughout the pandemic, including people relocating from major cities to smaller communities, lack of inventory and changing interest rates.
“It is still a seller’s market,” explained Brent Loope, President-elect of the Harrisonburg Rockingham Association of Realtors. “It will be interesting to see over the next few six to eight months how that changes, if interest rates continue to sit about five percent or if they even slip a little bit higher. I would say, right now with buyer demand being so high it is still very much a seller’s market.”
Loope says even with new homes being built, supply is not keeping up with demand. He adds it could be a few years for new developments to ease demand.
“You’ve got a combination of it is going to take a long time for new housing to really make an impact because it is costly right now for a lot of people. The supply chain still feels limited,” Loope said. “The demand outweighs the supply so heavily in our area right now. Unless there is a massive shift economically, I don’t see anything changing in the next six to 12 months.”
If you’re not looking to buy and would rather rent, things are not much easier.
“Renters are feeling the brunt of the increase just as much as home buyers are in terms of pricing and rent rates,” Loope explained. “If you are in a position financially where purchasing a home is a possibility, it may be in your best interest. You are paying so much in rent right now [and] the availability of rental properties is very minimal as well.”
For first-time home buyers, there is a lot to learn.
“When you see a house hit the market, it is pretty much expected with offers coming in in the first 24-48 hours, you can anticipate a possible competitive situation where you may be forced to put in an offer over the asking price. You may be waiving certain contingencies on a contract that you may not otherwise waive in order to be more competitive,” Loope added.
Even for those who have entered the market before, Loope says some things are different.
“You’re the first-time homebuyer but they purchased three or four years ago, what they went through, their experience is going to be very different than the experience of a first-time homebuyer in 2022 is going to be like,” Loope said. “It is not a situation where you are going to be taken advantage of but a situation where you are going to have to navigate carefully to make sure you are comfortable making one of the biggest purchases of your life.”
Experts say reach out to those knowledgeable in the industry because the market is constantly changing. For more information on the Harrisonburg Rockingham Association of Realtors, click here.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/real-estate-expert-weighs-shenandoah-valley-housing-market/ | 2022-04-27T22:22:06Z |
Supreme Court considers Trump immigration policy reversal
The Biden v. Texas case involves a policy that made asylum-seekers wait in Mexico until their claims are heard.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Immigration was front and center at the Supreme Court Tuesday. The case surrounded a Trump-era policy that the Biden administration immediately tried to reverse. The nine justices heard oral arguments in Biden v. Texas. The high-profile case has to do with a Trump policy that made asylum-seekers wait in Mexico until their asylum claims are heard.
Trump instituted the Remain in Mexico program or Migrant Protection Protocol in 2019. President Biden tried to reverse the policy on his first day in office, with immigration advocates saying the policy put asylum-seekers in dangerous situations. Texas and Missouri sued, arguing the reversal by the Biden administration was illegal. Lower courts agreed. The case made its way to the Supreme Court.
“We’re arguing that the Biden administration, just like the rest of us, have to follow federal law. They either have to detain them or send them back to their country of origin,” said Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-Texas).
Justices badgered Paxton’s team on terminology in immigration law with the two sides sparring over whether the administration is legally obligated to send asylum-seekers to Mexico.
Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) said the Biden administration created a crisis at the border.
“We had a secure border. And the Migrant Protection Protocols and the Remain in Mexico Policy was a big part of that,” said Schmitt.
The Biden administration argued without the capacity to detain every asylum-seeker, releasing those considered not to be a threat into the U.S. on parole is a better option than sending them to dangerous conditions in Mexico.
Attorney Moses Silverman filed a brief to the court in support of the Biden administration conducting its own foreign policy.
“Not letting them in is easy but sending them back is a major diplomatic issue,” said Silverman.
Silverman said the policy requires buy-in from Mexico and that the U.S. cannot simply drop off immigrants there.
He argued this case will not solve immigration policy in the U.S., but it will have ramifications for executive branch policy-making and tens of thousands of immigrants impacted by the policy in question.
“We certainly are at the vanguard of a country that was created by bringing people from all over the world together and creating a national identity,” said Silverman.
An opinion from the court is not expected until late spring or early summer.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/supreme-court-considers-trump-immigration-policy-reversal/ | 2022-04-27T22:22:12Z |
WATCH: Suspect drags two officers on highway during arrest
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WSMV/Gray News) - Two Tennessee police officers suffered injuries after being dragged behind a car when the suspect of a traffic stop fled the scene over the weekend.
Franklin police said Officer Dustyn Stevens stopped 26-year-old Roy Nicholson while traveling on the Interstate 65 on Sunday morning, WSMV reported.
Police said that when Stevens asked Nicholson to step out of the vehicle, he noticed a gun in the car and smelled marijuana. Outside of the vehicle, police said Nicholson began actively resisting Stevens.
Police released a dashcam video that shows “Nicholson break away from the officer” before getting back into the car. The video then shows the car driving off with Stevens and assisting officer Matt Lamarr being dragged behind. Lamarr had run over to assist Stevens.
Witnesses who saw the incident followed the car. With their statements, investigators immediately located Nicholson outside the Franklin Walmart. Police charged Nicholson with two counts of aggravated assault against a first responder and felony evading. Police are expected to charge Nicholson with additional charges.
EMS took Stevens to Vanderbilt Medical Center, where police said he was treated and released. The injuries for Lamarr did not require immediate medical treatment.
Nicholson was released on a $40,000 bond. He is due in court June 9.
Copyright 2022 WSMV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/watch-suspect-drags-two-officers-highway-during-arrest/ | 2022-04-27T22:22:21Z |
CUTE: Police use snacks to lure pig off of highway
PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) - Police in Oregon want to know if anyone is missing a pet pig.
The Portland Police Bureau is searching for the owner of a pig that was found in traffic early Tuesday morning, according to KPTV.
Just after midnight, an officer was driving when she saw traffic slowing in front of her and appearing to drive around something in the road. The officer then saw the object was a pig.
Other officers came to help and animal control was called. Police said officers worked to contain the pig and keep him safe from passing vehicles.
There were a few short foot pursuits while officers tried to contain the pig. Officers used snacks, including Goldfish crackers and cookies, to keep him calm and contained. Police said the pig was not a fan of nacho cheese Doritos.
Once staff from the On Call Community Rescue for Animals arrived, police said it took several attempts and seven people to safely coral the pig into a crate.
Police are trying to track down the owner of the pig, who will be known as John Doe. If you are the owner or may know who the owner is, please call the shelter directly.
Copyright 2022 KPTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/cute-police-use-snacks-lure-pig-off-highway/ | 2022-04-27T22:34:44Z |
Disney government in dark about effect of law dissolving it
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — At the first meeting of Walt Disney World’s private government since Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a measure to dissolve it next year, officials said Wednesday they were still confused about what the new legislation meant, even as some ripple effects were starting to be felt.
The administrator of the government, called the Reedy Creek Improvement District, said the expansion of a solar power project could be delayed because of financing challenges linked to the legislation, and the union for the district’s firefighters expressed concerns about what the dissolution might mean for members’ lifetime benefits.
After the meeting, Donald Greer, who has been a member of Reedy Creek’s board of supervisors since 1975, said the board could not provide clear answers on those issues because “we don’t know where we are going.”
“The district may have a response as soon as we know what it means, but I don’t know if anybody knows what it means. I don’t think anyone has deciphered it,” Greer said.
The dissolution measure was passed quickly in the Republican-controlled statehouse without public study of its impact and was hastily signed into law by DeSantis. The move came in a GOP push to punish Disney over its opposition to another new law barring instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in early grade school, which critics call “Don’t Say Gay.”
For the governor, the feud was the latest front in a culture war he has waged over policies involving race, gender and the coronavirus, battles DeSantis has harnessed to make himself one of the most popular Republicans in the country and a likely 2024 presidential candidate.
A day before DeSantis signed the bill into law, the Reedy Creek Improvement District sent a statement to investors that said it would continue its financial operations as usual. The district wrote that its agreement with the state forbids Florida from limiting or altering the district’s ability to collect taxes or fulfill its bond obligations.
Critics of the dissolution bill have warned that taxpayers in neighboring counties could end up shouldering about $1 billion in debts from the district. DeSantis has dismissed those concerns and said additional legislation would be drafted to clarify the future of such special districts in the state.
At the Reedy Creek meeting Wednesday, district administrator John Classe said a developer has experienced challenges financing a planned expansion of a solar power program, meaning it could be delayed.
Jon Shirey, the head of the union for Reedy Creek’s firefighters, who make up around half of the private government’s 400 employees, asked supervisors to give his members reassurances that their jobs and benefits would be preserved since they have been kept in the dark about what the effect is going to be. The firefighters, particularly retirees, are worried about losing their guaranteed lifetime health insurance, he said.
“We have been told to stay quiet, don’t talk to the media, don’t engage with current events,” Shirey told supervisors. “We have been told the leadership of the district will tell the story. They will be the ones putting out the message. I ask you, ‘What is that message?’”
The supervisors did not respond, and in fact spent little time devoted to the legislation which poses an existential threat to the 55-year-old Reedy Creek Improvement District. Classe told supervisors its workers would continue to function with the same “high standards and professionalism they always have done as we learn what this legally means.”
Backers of the dissolution of Reedy Creek have argued it removes an unfair advantage the entertainment giant has over other theme parks, including allowing it to issue bonds and set its own zoning standards.
At an event Monday, the governor assured a cheering crowd that Disney’s bond debts won’t be dumped on taxpayers.
“Under no circumstances will Disney be able to not pay its debts, we will make sure of that,” DeSantis said.
Credit rating agency Fitch Ratings has put Reedy Creek on a “negative watch” list, indicating that the private government’s ratings could stay the same or potentially be downgraded. A downgrade would make borrowing more difficult for Reedy Creek.
Another ratings agency, S&P Global Ratings, said that among the questions left unanswered by the new law was whether Reedy Creek would reconstitute after it’s dissolved next year, how utility operations and debt would be transferred to the neighboring governments if it came to that and how the neighboring governments would raise taxes to secure Reedy Creek’s debt.
Under the law, Reedy Creek would expire by June 2023. The lack of public answers from Reedy Creek leaders about the new law may come from fear “the governor will find their statements unfriendly and that will complicate things,” said Shirey, who added he is optimistic lawmakers will look after the interests of the district’s first responders.
“We have 14 months, and a lot can change between now and then,” Shirey said.
___
Izaguirre reported from Tallahassee, Florida
___
Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/disney-government-dark-about-effect-law-dissolving-it/ | 2022-04-27T22:34:50Z |
Dogwood Festival begins in Mullens
Published: Apr. 27, 2022 at 5:52 PM EDT|Updated: 42 minutes ago
MULLENS, W.Va. (WVVA) - The Dogwood Festival returned to Mullens on Wednesday.
The 42nd annual event will feature rides, entertainment and competitions for children.
Festival President Susan England said the occasion serves as a homecoming for many in the community.
“The Dogwood Festival is a time for people that have lived in Mullens to come back home,” England said. “It seems like it’s a reunion time of year. [...] it is so special to me that I come back.”
A full schedule of events can be found on the Dogwood Festival’s Facebook page. The final day of this year’s festival is Saturday.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/dogwood-festival-begins-mullens/ | 2022-04-27T22:35:00Z |
High schools have college and military signing day for seniors
MERCER COUNTY, W.Va. (WVVA) - The events began at Pikeview High School where the school took some time out of their day to acknowledge students going into higher education and the military. This was all part of their military signing and college decision day.
“It’s awesome, I’m sure the students really loved seeing all these people here to support them and it’s something they didn’t usually get to do in years past,” said Dylan Blake who will be attending Bluefield State College.
“The kids were so nervous, they said we have to go on stage? Oh my goodness. I was like well you guys haven’t had awards day in three years. You guys haven’t had a big event like this. So I understand that you’re nervous. We’re getting back to normal. We’re rolling along and I think they’re pretty excited and I know everybody is excited for them,” said Communities in Schools Site Coordinator, Holly Woods.
At Princeton Senior High School it was military signing day for those entering the Army and Air Force. The school had four seniors going into the Army and one going into the Air Force to become an Aerospace Medical Technician.
“My family being in the military, almost every man was. So I knew that’s why I wanted to join the military. The Air Force specifically was because people in the army and the other branches of the military came and told me if they were to do it again, it would be Air Force,” said Josiah Buckner.
“It’s pretty important to recognize those who have joined so they get the pat on the back and recognition and congratulations that college students get they get their admissions letter,” said Staff Sgt. Johnny Bond.
Those with both schools say they weren’t able to have events like this for the past two years due to coronavirus and say they’re glad to bring the events back this year.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/high-schools-have-college-military-signing-day-seniors/ | 2022-04-27T22:35:07Z |
Sponsors sought for Pineville military tribute banners
Published: Apr. 27, 2022 at 5:43 PM EDT|Updated: 51 minutes ago
PINEVILLE, W.Va. (WVVA) - Banners honoring those who have served in the armed forces will be installed in Pineville on Memorial Day.
The public tributes will be on display until Veterans Day, according to the city.
The cost to sponsor a banner is $99. More information can be found at Military Tribute Banners under the ‘Banner Programs’ tab. You can also contact City Manager Kathy Bradford at (304) 732-6255 ext. 4.
Oceana, Hinton and Welch also participate in the banner program.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/sponsors-sought-pineville-military-tribute-banners/ | 2022-04-27T22:35:13Z |
Study: Millennials are ahead of their parents in retirement savings
(CNN) - A new study from investment firm Charles Schwab shows the younger generation is already stashing cash away in their mid-20s.
The younger generation also has higher balances in their 401(k)s than Gen Xers did at the same age.
The study says younger people are saving more because they don’t expect to get pension plans.
In 1981, 84% of full-time workers at large companies had pensions; by 2020, that number dropped to 28%.
Researchers found that millennials are worse off in nearly all aspects of their financial well-being.
They graduated into the great recession, dealt with the COVID and a second recession. They’re also gearing up for what financial analysts predict will be another recession paired with high inflation levels.
But there is one thing millennials are focused on and that is cryptocurrency.
The study found that 25% of millennials plan to invest in digital currencies, compared with about 5% of baby boomers.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/study-millennials-are-ahead-their-parents-retirement-savings/ | 2022-04-27T22:35:20Z |
VIDEO: Woman refuses police commands, steals patrol car while in handcuffs
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) - Police in Tennessee had their work cut out for them earlier this week as they tried to pull a woman over for DUI, but she refused in more ways than one.
Deputies with the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office said the incident started when they noticed a taillight out on a car 27-year-old Jennifer Cunningham was driving during the overnight hours on Monday.
When they attempted to stop the vehicle, the woman took off.
“Cunningham turned around, took out a mailbox, and took out her tire in the process,” said Jennifer Caruthers, with the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office.
After a short pursuit, Cunningham was taken into custody for DUI and other charges. Deputies said they handcuffed her and sat her in the back of a patrol car, but she wouldn’t stay there for long.
Authorities said the 27-year-old managed to get her handcuffed wrists from behind to the front and then slide through a small window in a glass partition.
“My first reaction was how did she fit through the partitions so easily. I mean, that window is pretty small,” Caruthers said.
But Cunningham wasn’t done yet. Deputies said she managed to get drive off in one of their police cars before crashing into another deputy’s cruiser.
“Had the other vehicle not been sitting there, she could have easily hit one of our deputies,” Caruthers said. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a case like this before.”
Eventually, Cunningham was taken into police custody, and the sheriff’s office said she is facing more than 20 charges.
“Hopefully, this will be a final lesson learned for this young lady. She’s got a lot of life ahead of her if she can get her life together and learn from this incident,” Caruthers said.
Copyright 2022 WTVF via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/video-woman-refuses-police-commands-steals-patrol-car-while-handcuffs/ | 2022-04-27T22:35:26Z |
Wyoming judge, clerk candidates give final pitches ahead of primaries
WYOMING COUNTY, W.Va. (WVVA) - Candidates for circuit court judge and county clerk in Wyoming County talked on Wednesday about their motivations for seeking their respective seats.
“I believe in the public service aspect of it, from treating all aspects of the law. From the civil side to the children’s prospective in abuse and neglect, and from the criminal aspect of it, I believe based on my background, which I believe is well rounded, I believe I’m the proper one to do this job.”, said Mike Cochran, the incumbent judge.
“I want this job because I think people want change in Wyoming County. I think they are ready for change. A lot of people have lost faith in the justice system and the back load of cases and being treated fairly, and the law actually being followed. So I want this job to restore that. To restore faith in the judicial system.”, said Lindsay Thompson, who’s running for Cochran’s seat.
“It’s just something I’ve always been interested in. I look at myself as a leader. I’ve always been in those types of positions, whether it’s been in sports, in business, whatever I’ve done... I feel like I’m leading something. And this is just something else I can lead the county, at least the judicial side of the county going forward.”, said Thomas H. Evans III, also in the running.
“Because I enjoy working for the people. I’ve done it since I was 26 years old. That’s been a long time, but I’ve enjoyed doing it.”, said Mike Goode a candidate for county clerk.
“I truly care about this office. I care about the work that we do. I’m proud of the work that we do. And I care about the people that we serve.”, said Jewell Aguilar, the incumbent county clerk.
Early voting started April 27th and goes until May 7th. The May primaries are set for May 10th.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/wyoming-judge-clerk-candidates-give-final-pitches-ahead-primaries/ | 2022-04-27T22:35:33Z |
Federal judge halts preparations for end of US asylum limit
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge ordered a two-week halt Wednesday on the phasing out of pandemic-related restrictions on seeking asylum — and raised doubts about the Biden administration’s plan to fully lift those restrictions on May 23.
For now, the decision is only a temporary setback for the administration. But the judge staked out a position that is highly sympathetic with Louisiana, Arizona and 19 other states that sued to preserve so-called Title 42 authority, which denies migrants a chance at asylum on tge grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
“(The states) have established a substantial threat of immediate and irreparable injury resulting from the early implementation of Title 42, including unrecoverable costs on healthcare, law enforcement, detention, education, and other services for migrants,” wrote U.S. District Judge Robert Summerhays in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Summerhays, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, said states were likely to succeed with their argument that the administration failed to adhere to federal procedures when it announced April 1 that it was ending Title 42 authority.
The judge has scheduled a critical hearing on May 13 in Lafayette to hear arguments on whether to block Title 42 from ending as planned 10 days later.
Texas filed a similar lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Victoria, Texas.
The decision to end Title 42 authority was made by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has come under growing criticism from elected officials in Biden’s Democratic Party who contend the administration is unprepared for an anticipated increase in asylum-seekers.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the order but the administration has said it will comply, while contending it will hamper preparations for Title 42 to end on May 23.
About 14% of single adults from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were processed under immigration laws during a seven-day period ending last Thursday. That’s up from only 5% in March, according to government figures.
Summerhays’ order requires the Homeland Security Department to “return to policies and practices in place” before it announced plans to end Title 42 and to submit weekly reports that demonstrate it is acting “in good faith.”
Migrants have been expelled more than 1.8 million times under the rule invoked in March 2020 by the Trump administration. Migrants were stopped more than 221,000 times at the Mexico border in March, a 22-year-high that has raised concerns about the government’s ability to handle even larger numbers when Title 42 is lifted.
Advocates for asylum-seekers say the restrictions endanger people fleeing persecution back home and violates rights to seek protection under U.S. law and international treaty. As the CDC acknowledged, the public health justification for the order has weakened as the threat of COVID-19 has waned.
At two often-contentious hearings Wednesday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas sought to defend the administration’s handling of an increase of migrants at the Southwest border and its plans to deal with the prospect of more with the potential end of Title 42.
Mayorkas sought to push back on Republican accusations that the Biden administration has encouraged irregular migration by allowing some people to seek asylum, blaming economic and political turmoil and violence throughout Latin America and the world.
“Some of the causes of irregular migration have only been heightened by years of distress preceding this administration,” he said.
Mayorkas testified one day after Homeland Security released a plan with more details about how it was preparing for the end of Title 42 authority.
___
Associated Press reporter Ben Fox in Washington contributed to this story.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/federal-judge-halts-preparations-end-us-asylum-limit/ | 2022-04-28T00:06:22Z |
Florida school shooting judge reverses herself; confusion follows
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The judge overseeing the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz reversed herself Wednesday and said she is not dismissing more than 200 potential jurors who survived a first round of screening earlier this month.
In the latest confusing turn since jury selection began three weeks ago, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer overturned her Monday decision to start jury selection anew because of a possible mistake she made. She had said then that she would throw out 243 potential jurors who said they could serve from June to September, the expected length of the trial.
Now, she said, she will order 11 potential jurors she dismissed on April 5 without questioning to be brought back to court this Monday to be queried by the attorneys. Referring to the 243 potential jurors that had faced dismissal, she said, the first 40 would now be brought back for the start of the second round.
The decision left attorneys from both sides confused, including the lead prosecutor Mike Satz, who served as the Broward County state attorney for 44 years before leaving office last year. He is now working for his successor on a special assignment to lead the Cruz prosecution team. At one point Satz interrupted Scherer to ask her what exactly her plan was.
Scherer has been a judge for 10 years, but is overseeing her first death penalty case. She was appointed shortly after Cruz, 23, murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018. She was selected using the random method used in Florida.
Cruz pleaded guilty in October. Scherer, the prosecutors and defense attorneys are picking 12 jurors and eight alternates in a three-step process. Those selected will decide if the former Stoneman Douglas student is sentenced to death or life in prison without parole.
The issue at the core of the dispute arose April 5, the second day of jury selection, over Scherer’s handling of a group of 60 potential jurors. It was the fifth such panel to appear in court.
With every other group, Scherer only asked if the potential jurors had any hardships that would make it impossible for them to serve from June through September. Those who say they could serve are being told to return next month for further questioning.
With the fifth group, however, Scherer asked if any would not follow the law if chosen — a question that wasn’t supposed to be asked until the second or third phase. Twelve hands went up.
Scherer dismissed them without further questioning, drawing an objection from both prosecutors and Cruz’s attorneys. They wanted to make sure they were not simply trying to avoid jury service. Florida jury candidates are always questioned before dismissal.
Scherer tried to have the jurors returned, but all except one had left the courthouse. She said the Broward County Sheriff’s Office would deliver summonses to the other 11 to come back to court this past Monday, but that was not done for unexplained reasons.
She originally said they would be told to return next week, but prosecutors convinced her over defense objections to start the process anew and dismiss all 243 jurors who had been selected to that point. The prosecution argued that Scherer’s error was so great that if Cruz gets a death sentence, an appellate court could overturn it and order a retrial. The defense wanted her to suspend proceedings until the 11 could be brought in next week.
That led the defense to file a motion Wednesday alleging that Cruz’s constitutional rights to due process and against double jeopardy had been violated. They accused Scherer and prosecutors of acting in “bad faith” and wanted her to immediately sentence Cruz to life, throwing out the death penalty. Prosecutors angrily called that accusation “baseless.”
Scherer called the defense’s motion “a stretch” and dismissed it, but that’s when she reversed herself.
Scherer then told both sides to work together over the next few days to devise how they want to proceed starting Monday. It remained unclear what will happen with 155 jurors who passed the first round this week and whether they will be brought back next month. If they are still in play, that would give the lawyers a pool of nearly 400 to winnow through.
The jurors eventually selected will decide whether aggravating factors — the multiple deaths, Cruz’s planning and his cruelty — outweigh mitigating factors such as the defendant’s lifelong mental and emotional problems, possible sexual abuse and the death of his parents.
For Cruz to receive the death penalty, the jury must vote unanimously for that option. If one or more jurors vote against it, he will be sentenced to life without parole.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/27/florida-school-shooting-judge-reverses-herself-confusion-follows/ | 2022-04-28T00:06:30Z |
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The Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board is pushing back on proposed rate increases from the largest natural gas utility in the state, saying NW Natural is prioritizing shareholder profits over the best interests of Oregonians.
Last November, rates went up 13% for residential customers, and the proposed increase would add 12% by November, raising natural gas prices for those customers 25% over the course of one year. In its latest annual report to shareholders, NW Natural reported an 11% increase in profits in 2021 – up $8 million for a total of nearly $79 million in profits.
The citizens’ board, made up of 15 members – three from each of Oregon’s five congressional districts – was established by Oregon voters in 1984 to represent the interests of non-industrial utility customers.
The utility also is proposing a 10% increase for small commercial customers, who received a 17% rate increase last November.
The rate increases must be approved by the Public Utilities Commission, a governor-appointed group of three who regulate the rates charged by private electric and natural gas utilities, including NW Natural.
The PUC is expected to consider the rate increase over the next five to six months.
The average residential NW Natural customer would see their gas bill go up about $7.50 per month and the average small commercial customer would see their bill go up about $25 per month if the rate increase is approved, according to the citizens’ board and the utilities commission. Increases would go into effect in November.
In a statement, NW Natural said it needs the additional money for increased operating and inflationary costs and investing in technology and its distribution system.
NW Natural supplies 80% of the natural gas delivered in Oregon, and serves 627,000 homes and about 60,000 small businesses, according to the citizens’ board.
The citizens’ board presented the utilities commission with their opposition to the rate increases at a meeting April 22. In it, the board’s executive director, Bob Jenks, wrote that in the face of climate change, “the era of cheap gas is passing” and that natural gas is on its way out.
“Natural gas’s technological edge has changed with the introduction of heat pumps. Heat pump technology for both space heating and water heating has entered the market and is more efficient,” he wrote. “A trend away from furnaces and towards heat pumps has begun.”
In a statement, the board claimed NW Natural was increasing rates to support shareholder and executive benefits. Instead, the citizens’ board proposed cutting the company’s shareholder profits by $2 million per year to cover costs.
Among other costs NW Natural hopes to recover with higher customer rates is its investment in a renewable natural gas project, according to the PUC. NW Natural co-owns a subsidiary company that is turning methane gas from a Tyson meat-packing plant in Lexington, Nebraska, into natural gas sold in the midwest. Natural gas is 80% methane. The Lexington project is considered “renewable natural gas” because it’s being generated from existing processes, according to the citizens’ board.
NW Natural can buy “thermal credits” from its subsidiary company, to offset some of its emissions in Oregon and meet mandates set by the state’s Climate Protection Program. The new rules require gas utilities operating in the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 90% by 2050. NW Natural and two other private natural gas companies are challenging the authority of the state Department of Environmental Quality to regulate greenhouse gasses under the Climate Protection Program.
The proposed increase from NW Natural will be reviewed by the utilities commission over the next five to six months, with input from the citizens’ board and the Alliance of Western Energy Consumers, which represents the utilities’ industrial customers. | https://www.heraldandnews.com/klamath/citizens-utility-board-opposes-higher-rates-from-state-s-largest-natural-gas-company/article_791858af-fc26-545f-831b-1dd9e060e1d4.html | 2022-04-28T00:19:11Z |
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top story Oregon girl missing for almost a month By Mike Sunnucks Herald & News Apr 27, 2022 53 min ago Comments Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Tags Teen Girl Oregon Missing Missing Girl Missile Police Trending Now 'Execution-style' killer of teen girl released from prison Police: Man on run for alleged cop assault nabbed in Nevada Two men arrested after child porn tips Cops seize Bentley, Maserati, BMX X6 and Range Rover in marijuana raid Cops: Bottles, cans thrown at police breaking up massive party before Oregon spring football game Latest e-Edition Klamath Falls Herald and News Read the latest edition of the Klamath Falls Herald and News. Local Survey As mask mandates come to an end in Oregon, how will you use them in future? You voted: Will never wear one again Will wear masks in busy places, like airports and stadiums Will wear if experiencing symptoms Will wear if requested by friend/store/municipality Vote View Results Back | https://www.heraldandnews.com/news/oregon/oregon-girl-missing-for-almost-a-month/article_b627b0b1-23f0-58b7-a622-d7c7d8790172.html | 2022-04-28T00:19:23Z |
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(CNN) -- Approximately $7 billion of military equipment the US transferred to the Afghan government over the course of 16 years was left behind in Afghanistan after the US completed its withdrawal from the country in August, according to a congressionally mandated report from the US Department of Defense viewed by CNN.
This equipment is now in a country that is controlled by the very enemy the US was trying to drive out over the past two decades: the Taliban. The Defense Department has no plans to return to Afghanistan to "retrieve or destroy" the equipment, reads the report, which has been provided to Congress.
The US gave a total of $18.6 billion of equipment to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) from 2005 to August 2021, according to the report. Of that total, equipment worth $7.12 billion remained in Afghanistan after the US withdrawal was completed on August 30, 2021. It included aircraft, air-to-ground munitions, military vehicles, weapons, communications equipment and other materials, according to the DoD report.
The huge value of the hardware left behind will serve to refocus attention on the chaotic and hasty Afghanistan withdrawal that has been heavily criticized by lawmakers from both parties.
"Much of the remaining equipment" left in Afghanistan requires "specialized maintenance that DoD contractors previously provided" to Afghan forces "in the form of technical knowledge and support," the report states.
The Department of Defense was required to submit a report to Congress "regarding the disposition of United States property, equipment and supplies provided to" Afghan forces that "were destroyed, taken out of" or "remain in Afghanistan," states the report, which is dated March 2022.
From Afghanistan to Ukraine
The report also says that five Mi-17 helicopters that had been in Afghanistan were officially transferred to Ukraine in 2022, though they were already in Ukraine for maintenance before the US left Afghanistan. The Department of Defense notified Congress of its intent to transfer the helicopters in January 2022, before Russia's invasion of the country had begun, and Ukraine signed a letter of acceptance on March 11, 2022.
"These five helicopters were in Ukraine undergoing overhaul maintenance when the Afghan government collapsed, and have remained there since," the report states.
Of other materials the US had previously procured for Afghanistan but not sent to the country, the US has given some "non-standard munitions" to Ukraine, including about 37,000 122mm howitzer rounds, the report states.
The US has also transferred over 15 million rounds of Ball rifle ammunition, over 99,000 40mm high-explosive/fragmentation grenade cartridges, and about 119,000 82mm high-explosive mortar rounds to Ukraine from material that was previously procured for Afghanistan, the report states.
These munitions have been transferred to Ukraine under presidential drawdown authority, the report states.
US military equipment and weapons left behind
Aircraft worth $923.3 million remained in Afghanistan. The US left 78 aircraft procured for the government of Afghanistan at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul before the end of the withdrawal. These aircraft were demilitarized and rendered inoperable before the US military left, the report states. The US military conducted its non-combatant evacuation from Afghanistan in August, primarily through that airport.
A total of 9,524 air-to-ground munitions, valued at $6.54 million, remained in Afghanistan at the conclusion of the US military withdrawal. The "significant majority" of the "remaining aircraft munitions stock are non-precision munitions," the report states.
Over 40,000 of the total 96,000 military vehicles the US gave to Afghan forces remained in Afghanistan at the time of the US withdrawal, including 12,000 military Humvees, the report states. "The operational condition of the remaining vehicles" in Afghanistan is "unknown," the report states.
More than 300,000 of the total 427,300 weapons the US gave to Afghan forces remained in Afghanistan at the time of the US military withdrawal, according to the report. Less than 1,537,000 of the "specialty munitions" and "common small arms ammunition," valued at a total of $48 million, are still in the country, the report states.
"Nearly all" of the communications equipment that the US gave to Afghan forces, including base-station, mobile, man-portable and hand-held commercial and military radio systems, and associated transmitters and encryption devices also remained in Afghanistan at the time of the withdrawal, the report states.
"Nearly all" night vision, surveillance, "biometric and positioning equipment" totaling nearly 42,000 pieces of specialized equipment remained in the country, the report adds.
And "nearly all," of the explosive ordinance disposal and demining equipment, including 17,500 "pieces of explosive detection, electronic countermeasure, disposal and personal protective equipment" also remained in Afghanistan, according to the report.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/us-left-behind-7-billion-of-military-equipment-in-afghanistan-after-2021-withdrawal-pentagon-report/article_d1b6b9ec-c676-11ec-9bfd-636248042720.html | 2022-04-28T00:38:00Z |
Judge denies motion for mistrial in Dustin Tucker's trial
A loved one of a woman who was killed in May 2021 described discovering her charred body in her Port Huron home during Dustin Tucker's jury trial Wednesday morning.
Justin Thomas, the father of Danielle Smith's child, said he arrived at Smith's home on May 29 shortly after 8:15 a.m. to find her front door locked, which was unusual since it was usually unlocked.
He went through the backdoor, which was unlocked, to find smoke in the home and the smoke detectors going off. After searching the upstairs, he found what he thought at first was a burned mannequin in the basement.
"As I got closer and pulled out my phone and shined the light on, I discovered that it was the mother of my child," Thomas said.
Earlier Wednesday morning, St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge Dan Damman denied a motion for a mistrial from Tucker's attorney, David Heyboer.
Heyboer said two statements made by St. Clair County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Sparling shifted the burden of proof from the prosecutor to Tucker.
During the course of his opening arguments, Sparling asked the jury to check off elements of first-degree murder as the evidence is presented to see if the prosecution has satisfied it beyond a reasonable doubt.
Sparling also told the jury to listen to the information, which is vital to seeking the truth in the case and rendering a correct verdict and "check it off in (the jury's) heads as they go through."
"To tell the jury, as you start hearing things, to check the elements off in your head, there is no question in my personal opinion that that has shifted the burden of proof to my client," Heyboer said.
Sparling said he never shifted the burden of proof to Tucker or asked the jury to give up their presumption of innocence. He simply asked the jury to remember the evidence presented by the prosecution to help find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
"It was asking for them to have that memory. I wasn't saying that's the verdict form, that's it, go right now, you're done, you're deliberating the case. I didn't ask them to deliberate," Sparling said. "I asked them to absorb this evidence and remember that I have proved it beyond a reasonable doubt."
Damman denied the motion because he said Sparling's comments did not rise to the level of shifting the burden of proof. However, he said he was going to read jury instructions about the presumption of innocence and keeping an open mind to remedy the issue.
The trial was still underway Wednesday morning.
Tucker is accused of killing Smith in her Port Huron home on May 28, 2021.
Tucker is charged with open murder, second-degree arson and unlawful imprisonment.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Smith, 28, was found dead on May 29, 2021, following a fire in a home in the 1800 block of Division Street.
Police later executed a search warrant at a home in Port Huron Township where Tucker lived before his arrest.
The St. Clair County medical examiner ruled the death of homicide, stating Smith most likely died by strangulation.
Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com. | https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2022/04/27/loved-one-slain-woman-describes-finding-body-dustin-tuckers-jury-trial/9551467002/ | 2022-04-28T00:50:43Z |
Traffic delays expected in Port Huron while sand is transported to Lakeside Beach
Laura Fitzgerald
Port Huron Times Herald
Contractors from the city of Port Huron will begin hauling sand from the Black River canal entrance to Lakeside Beach beginning Thursday.
The contractor will use Gratiot and Holland avenues when transporting the sand, which was dredged from the Black River canal entrance, according to the city.
The city said there will be intermittent slowed, and stop and go traffic in the area. The public should avoid the south end of the park during transportation, the city said.
Residents with further questions should contact the Department of Public Works at (810) 984-9730. | https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2022/04/27/officials-ask-residents-avoid-south-end-lakeside-beach-thursday/9557465002/ | 2022-04-28T00:50:49Z |
Take a look: Kimball planning commission signs off on ALDI plans
Kimball Township planning commissioners got a little preview of what the new ALDI grocery store proposed for Gratiot and Range would look like this week.
The location would be just over 20,600 square feet in size on a 2.77-acre site in the 4500 block of Gratiot west of a neighboring CVS Pharmacy.
Much of the building itself would be typical of corporate-required details seen commonly on other ALDI stores — marked by its masonry exterior with a Chesapeake-blend brick, cedar-finished fiber cement board, and aluminum-paneled entrance vestibule on a single-story, single-frame structure.
But according to site plans, approved by commissioners Tuesday, the project’s design would also allow the store to expand down the road.
“There is an expansion area shown right here. This is 1,957 square feet,” said Chris Grzenkowicz, who represented ALDI from the Brighton-based engineering and surveying firm Desine Inc. He pointed to an area on the design’s north side.
“We’re not asking for approval of the expansion area. We’re not proposing a phased project. We just want you to be aware that we’ve designed this in order to accommodate an expansion if it becomes warranted,” he said. “That’s all going to be dictated by the local market. How this store performs will determine whether or not we expand it.
“Could be two years down the road, could be 10 years, it could be never. It all depends on performance. We’ve learned in the past trying to expand the store that was not designed for it is very difficult, so we now design that right into there.”
In addition to the building, the site plan includes a detention basin, also designed to accommodate an expansion, and parking on the southern and eastern sides with 103 spaces, as well as four curbside pickup spaces along the southern wall and traffic access off of Gratiot.
Grzenkowicz said the project would extend a right-hand turn lane already in place for CVS farther north to aid incoming traffic.
They’re also working with CVS on access through that property’s existing lot, he said, adding, “Everything looks favorable at this point, and we are moving forward.”
Planning commissioners, however, included constructing a driveway toward the property line with the CVS lot in its approved site plan instructions, regardless of whether that agreement comes through.
Commissioner Tod Tuttle asked if it’d be “a driveway to possibly nowhere.” Commissioner Brad Barrett said he thought it’d help make sure the access is constructed with the pharmacy and avoid potential parking issues if the ALDI does expand.
“It’s better to have something physically there to encourage conversations and get it done versus, if nothing is there,” Barrett said. “Then, it’s like, ‘Well, it wasn’t required in the approval, so we’re not going to do it.’”
Planning commissioners also approved special use exceptions with 75-square-foot wall signs and 29-foot light poles, including a four-foot base and a requirement there will be some turned-down security feature at night.
Grzenkowicz said the store would close at 8 p.m. daily, under normal ALDI hours.
He told the township construction would likely last six months start to finish, and that “at this point, we are looking at breaking ground this year.”
Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith. | https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2022/04/27/take-look-kimball-planning-commission-signs-off-aldi-plans/9552712002/ | 2022-04-28T00:50:55Z |
Richmond competitive cheer coach Kelli Matthes elected to CCCAM Hall of Fame
In 2006, Kelli Matthes thought she was ready to retire from coaching high school competitive cheer. She had just led Macomb L'Anse Creuse North to a state championship — the first of her career.
But retirement would have to wait. Two years later, she took over as coach at Richmond. And the rest is history.
Matthes was invited to join the Competitive Cheer Coaches Association of Michigan (CCCAM) Hall of Fame on Sunday. She will be enshrined during the CCCAM Summit in October.
"It's very humbling," Matthes said. "I'm extremely honored ... I'm still really speechless about the whole thing. You don't coach for yourself or for individual accolades. You coach for your kids, your teams and your schools. So when something big like this happens it's pretty amazing."
The list of accomplishments is long for Matthes, whose coaching career spans 32 years. But it's her past 14 in Richmond that've produced a dynasty.
The Blue Devils have won six state championships in Division 3 during her tenure, including the last four. That also includes eight district titles, nine regional titles and 14 consecutive BWAC titles. They've finished as runner-up five times and have never placed lower than fourth in a state tournament.
"A lot of (our success) comes from the community where we're at," Matthes said. "From the time I started at Richmond, everybody has bought in. The kids listen and they follow the lead. We stay extremely focused on ourselves and what the task is at hand ... the culture that I've been able to build here has made a huge difference."
In addition to the CCCAM Hall of Fame, Matthes was named Coach of the Year for Division 3 and District 15.
"Everybody has got to be on the same page and doing the same thing," Matthes said. "It's not just me, but it's administrators, the athletic director, coaching staff, athletes and parents.
"It takes a village to do what we've been able to do. And I'm just very fortunate that they're my village."
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper. | https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/sports/2022/04/27/richmond-competitive-cheer-coach-kelli-matthes-elected-hall-fame/9544082002/ | 2022-04-28T00:51:01Z |
‘No one is immune or exempt’: Sheriff arrests his own daughter for meth trafficking
EASTPOINT, Fla. (Gray News) – A recent drug bust for one Florida sheriff is more personal than usual.
“Methamphetamine does not discriminate and neither do we,” Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith wrote in a post on the department’s Facebook page. “It does not matter who you are, no one is immune or exempt.”
The sheriff’s office conducted a narcotics investigation which led to the arrest of 38-year-old Kristen Kent and 25-year-old Bailey Adaire Lee on April 18.
The sheriff’s office charged Kent with trafficking methamphetamine 14 grams or over, drug equipment possession and/or use and cocaine possession. Lee was charged with two counts of trafficking methamphetamine 14 grams or over.
Smith later confirmed to The Miami Herald that Kent is his daughter.
“When you work in law enforcement, do not take things personally,” the sheriff wrote in a Facebook post a few days later. “There will be many challenging situations that you will face and you must rise above.”
The sheriff is known for cracking down on meth trafficking in his jurisdiction, and the sheriff’s department operates with the motto “We don’t meth around.”
The sheriff said he learned his daughter was involved in the trafficking when asked who sold the drugs.
Although he doesn’t take things personally as a part of his job, Smith told the Herald this news was “gut-wrenching.”
“Our hearts break over the grief meth causes all,” the sheriff’s Facebook post reads. “Whether you use it, sell it or love someone who is involved with it. If you want to break free from this lifestyle, we want to help you. Call Shannon at 850-653-5775.”
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/26/no-one-is-immune-or-exempt-sheriff-arrests-his-own-daughter-meth-trafficking/ | 2022-04-28T01:14:48Z |
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...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
To plant a tree in memory of Ramon Rios as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
Ramon Higine- Rios 1951-2022 Ramon Higine-Rios, 71, of Cheyenne passed away April 25, 2022 at University of Colorado Medical Center in Aurora with his family by his side. He was born April 25, 1951 in San Miguel de Temeche, Mexico to Julian and Angelina (Rios) Higine. He married Frances Anaya and was employed by the Union Pacific Railroad. He was a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife, Frances Anaya Higine of Cheyenne; children, Alejandro (Karen) Herrera of Midland, TX, Antonio (Michelle) Anaya of Cheyenne, Maudie Anaya of Cheyenne, Janice Anaya of Maricopa, AZ and Arianna Anaya of Cheyenne; siblings, Lola, Antonia, Rafa, Pepe, Nena and Armando; special family, Alonso Hijine, Angelo Hijine, Joleeciana Anaya and Antonio C. Anaya; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Juan, Arnoldo and Raul. Those who wish, may contribute to St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Visitation will be Monday, May 2, 4:00-8:00 p.m. in Schrader, Aragon and Jacoby Funeral Home. A Vigil for the Deceased will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 3, followed immediately by a Funeral Liturgy in the Lakeview Chapel at Schrader, Aragon and Jacoby Funeral Home. Condolences may be offered at www.schradercares.com.
To plant a tree in memory of Ramon Rios as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/milestones/obituaries/rios-ramon-higine/article_df932cfe-53ab-5ae2-a576-e5513d363c1c.html | 2022-04-28T01:15:25Z |
April is typically when thousands of irrigators on the North Platte River — particularly along its tributaries — begin to divert spring runoff onto hayfields and crops, kicking off what they hope will be a productive growing season. Today, however, those with junior water rights are under new orders to curtail those critical early springtime diversions — a rare scenario that could prove costly for many farmers and ranchers in the state.
“When the water is coming, you’ve got one shot at it,” Upper North Platte Water Users Association Chairman Chris Williams said. Watching spring runoff flow downstream without tapping it is counterintuitive and frustrating for any ag producer, he added. “It has the potential to dry acres up.”
The “call,” or order, to restrict water diversions among North Platte River users with junior rights was initiated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation during the first week of April. The order, which is enforced by the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office, is set to expire at the end of the month. Water rights are prioritized based on a “first in time, first in right” doctrine. Those who gain rights to use water first have “senior” rights over those who gain water rights after them.
It’s unlikely the BOR will recommend extending the call, even if hydrological conditions and forecasts for the seven-reservoir North Platte River water storage system do not improve, according to Lyle Myler, acting manager for the Wyoming Area Office of the Bureau of Reclamation.
“Our hope is that the curtailment of [junior] water rights will allow us to receive our share that’s allotted to us under our 1904 water rights, or as much as we can get,” Myler said.
Water users with junior rights on the Tongue River and its tributaries in northeast Wyoming are also on notice for similar, legally enforceable water conservation measures, following a call from Montana. Though no actual water diversion curtailment orders have resulted so far, those users will remain on notice until Montana officials remove the call, according to the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office.
A call on a river or drainage system is a legal mechanism to order water conservation actions to help ensure minimum, legally required flows to users with senior rights to divert water — typically for irrigation. It can also apply to groundwater wells that pump from a drainage for municipal or industrial uses. In the event of a potential water shortage, those with junior rights can be ordered to forgo diverting water to help ensure that senior rights holders downstream get their full allotment.
The BOR and water management authorities in Wyoming and Montana all cited low snowpack, persistent drought conditions and forecasts for lower-than-average precipitation for initiating the water conservation measures and notices.
“The Tongue River Basin has been experiencing drought conditions over the past year, with below-average winter snowpack and streamflow conditions,” according to an April 7 statement from the Wyoming SEO. “The North Platte River system has experienced multiple years of drought resulting in low reservoir storage carryover.”
The conditions are consistent with climate trends that have pushed the statewide annual mean temperature upward by 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit from 1920 to 2020, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data. The climate trend is also altering hydrological conditions in the state, such as lower snowpack and an earlier spring runoff season.
Despite current conditions and forecasts for lower-than-normal precipitation, however, it’s too early to know what spring may have in store, Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart said. If heavy spring snow and rain events do materialize, it could negate the need to curtail water diversions, he added.
The climate conditions contributing to the calls in Wyoming are likely to continue to force water managers to cooperate on conservation measures throughout the West, according to Utah Rivers Council Executive Director Zachary Frankel.
“As our precipitation shifts from snow to rain, it is causing havoc on our water supplies, and that’s going to continue in coming years and decades,” Frankel said. “Although some climate model runs show increased precipitation — meaning more rain — it’s not likely to increase our total water supplies because of additional challenges from decreased soil moisture and a range of other challenges on the water demand side.”
The BOR initiated the call on the North Platte River during the first week of April based on measurements and forecasts that indicate the seven-reservoir storage system might fill to only 950,000 acre-feet of water during this year’s “water season.” That’s below the Modified North Platte Decree’s call-triggering minimum of 1.1 million acre feet. The order applies to those with post 1904 water rights from the Wyoming-Colorado border to Guernsey Reservoir.
In a separate action, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation issued a call on the Tongue River and its tributaries in Wyoming on April 1. The call is necessary to ensure that the Tongue River Reservoir in Montana fills this summer, and to otherwise hold Wyoming to account for legal obligations under the Yellowstone River Compact, according to Montana NRC Commissioner Anna Pakenham Stevenson.
Gebhart responded by notifying those with post-1950 water rights — junior rights — on the Tongue River and its tributaries that they may be ordered to curtail diversions at some point this summer. However, Gebhart and the agency’s Division II management that oversees the Tongue River drainage took issue with Montana’s initial assertions regarding forecasts for flows in the Tongue River.
Although both states acknowledged critical “data gaps,” the water storage and snowpack assessments initially cited by Montana should never have resulted in a call on the Tongue River, according to Gebhart. At the time, snowpack measurements for the drainage area measured more than 90% of the annual average. On April 19, it increased to 99%, according to a Natural Resources Conservation Service report.
Montana issued similar calls on the Tongue River in 2015 and 2016 based on more dire assessments than those cited this year, Gebhart said. But no orders to limit water diversions were necessary in response to either of those calls.
For now, both Wyoming and Montana continue to measure snowpack, water volumes and forecasts in the Tongue and greater Yellowstone River systems — hopeful that it might not be necessary to order irrigators to curtail normal irrigation practices, Gebhart said.
WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/from_the_wire/two-wyo-rivers-under-restrictions-due-to-low-snowpack-drought/article_5a4242b8-c32e-5e86-bfd1-de28cc3bb2e7.html | 2022-04-28T01:15:31Z |
...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.
Barrasso, Marshall introduce bill to enhance research security at labs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., introduced a bill to prohibit Russian and Belarusian foreign nationals from working in Department of Energy research facilities for as long as Russian troops, or their allies, remain on Ukrainian soil.
“Our legislation will prevent these foreign nationals from working at DOE research labs until Russia ends its brutal war in Ukraine,” Barrasso said in a release. “It will help protect American innovation from theft by Russia and its primary ally in the war. It is more important than ever to ensure that our sensitive research does not fall into the hands of our adversaries.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/barrasso-marshall-introduce-bill-to-enhance-research-security-at-labs/article_ec5df1d0-19bf-53e2-afa6-0fadb5495745.html | 2022-04-28T01:15:37Z |
JACKSON – A digital mapping company has found the acreage of public land in Wyoming that’s “corner-locked” is 2.44 million acres, far more than earlier estimates of 404,000 acres.
The April 8 report by onX, estimates 8.3 million acres of public land from the Rockies to the Pacific are inaccessible to the public unless reached by corner crossing. The digital mapping company, whose Global Positioning System app is used by hunters, examined land records from 11 Western states.
Corner crossing involves stepping from one parcel of public land to another over a four-corner checkerboard-like intersection with two private parcels – without touching private land. Many believe the law is unsettled as to whether passing through the airspace above private property – a necessity in corner crossing – constitutes trespass.
It is in “a legal gray area,” onX stated.
That makes most of the public fearful of violating trespass laws, said Joel Webster, the vice president of Western conservation at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “There’s not legal clarity and as a result, most people don’t do it.”
A criminal trespass case in Carbon County is challenging that uneasy status quo.
Corner crossing trial
A trial set to have begun in Carbon County Wednesday could settle whether four Missouri hunters are guilty under Wyoming trespass laws for corner crossing at the Elk Mountain Ranch in 2021. The case will unfold in front of a circuit court jury in Rawlins over two days.
After cataloging the corner-locked acreage and reviewing state and federal law and legal cases surrounding the conflict between private property rights and public access to public lands, onX believes the issue won’t be easily remedied.
“Whatever comes next, this legal gray area could very well remain clear as fog for decades to come,” its report concluded.
OnX began working on the corner-locked project shortly before the hunters were charged in Wyoming, said Lisa Nichols, access advocacy manager for the mapping company.
“We first started talking about it a month or two before this information started coming to light in Wyoming,” she said. Company employees saw the issue in the news and “wanted to provide [others with] the information at our fingertips.”
The company found 27,120 property corners in the West where “two parcels of public land meet on opposite sides of a point, with private land adjacent, effectively in between them.
“Beyond these corners lie 8.3 million acres of federal and state land that are inaccessible to the general public because the legality of corner-crossing remains unclear,” the report stated. OnX and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership in 2019 found that the public is blocked from 15.8 million acres of public land across the West. Some of it is completely surrounded by private land, some only “corner-locked.”
“More than half of all the landlocked public land in the Western U.S. would be unlocked if corner-crossing was legalized,” the report said.
Wyoming
Wyoming has the most corner-locked public land among the states surveyed, the report says. Its 2.44 million acres surpasses second place Nevada – 1.93 million acres – and Arizona at 1.33 million acres.
Across the West, about 5.9 million acres are corner-locked in a checkerboard land ownership pattern, much of that the result of federal land grants given to facilitate railroad construction.
All told, the 27,120 property corners onX identified could provide access to public lands.
Among the tools that could help resolve conflicts are land swaps, easements and programs like Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Access Yes initiative that opens private lands to limited hunting, according to the company.
“We wanted to basically provide a little more context than maybe the average hunter might be aware of,” Nichols said. “The legal backstory, it just feels so confusing.
“That’s why we wanted to offer up a couple more viewpoints,” she said, to help guide those who believe their take on the issue is the only interpretation. After reading the report, such believers may decide “maybe it’s not that easy,” she said.
Securing 16,102 easements from 11,000 private landowners could provide certain access to the 8.3 million acres, the report found. At least 19% of the corners at issue are shared by oil, gas, energy, timber, or mining companies – not ranchers or farmers.
Government
“This issue is not going to be fully resolved in the courts,” Webster said. “It’s going to require cooperating with landowners to make most of these lands accessible.”
“Focusing all the attention on a criminal case may make that harder,” he said of obtaining access agreements. “I recognize the importance of this [Carbon County] issue and am not downplaying that. But solving our larger access disputes is going to require working cooperatively with landowners.
“This stuff’s not simple and these challenges are not going to be solved by fighting,” he said.
Public access to public land may become easier with passage of the Modernizing Access to our Public Lands Act. It awaits President Joe Biden’s signature.
The act calls for public lands agencies to publish data “used to depict locations at which recreation uses are available to the public.” The act excludes from mapping “flowage easements” that are available to boaters on navigable waters.
“The federal and county road easement information is imperfect,” Webster said. “We realized 50,000 [Bureau of Land Management] and Forest Service easements recorded in law are still sitting in dusty filing cabinets.”
WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/corner-crossing-report-inaccessible-public-acres-now-8-3m/article_4466a2b6-19e0-5a6d-8bb5-620c7b2f9609.html | 2022-04-28T01:15:44Z |
...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.
WYDOT maintenance crews to start paving in Laramie County
CHEYENNE — Maintenance crews with the Wyoming Department of Transportation are starting seasonal paving operations in various locations around Laramie County this month.
Weather permitting, work will begin Monday near Carpenter on Wyoming Highway 214 between mile markers 3.6 and 4.4. After crews wrap up there, work will begin on WYO 213 near Burns between mile markers 10.9-11.4, according to a WYDOT news release.
Other locations in Laramie County maintenance crews plan to pave this year include:
Interstate 80, west of Pine Bluffs
WYO 211/Horse Creek Road, various locations
U.S. Highway 30, east of Cheyenne
Interstate 80, west of Cheyenne; various locations, including I-80 on ramp exit 8B from I-25
Please note the above list is not necessarily in project order; crews may move between these locations based on weather conditions, material and equipment availability, or other factors.
Motorists should stay alert if driving through any of these areas in the coming weeks and expect potential delays, including due to lane closures, flaggers, reduced speeds or other traffic changes.
Delays are especially likely once crews begin work in the I-25/I-80 interchange; traffic should expect a detour during this portion of the project. Specific dates and detour routes for this portion of the project will be released once the schedule has been finalized.
This paving project is expected to be complete in about one month. All project scheduling is subject to change. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/wydot-maintenance-crews-to-start-paving-in-laramie-county/article_ed18a876-0ed8-551c-91be-ff7a1d3103ea.html | 2022-04-28T01:15:50Z |
ROCK SPRINGS – In this month’s Blast from the Past series, Rocket Miner looked back at headlines and stories from 1982, 1992 and 2002.
Some of the highlights include the new Family Recreation Center, an unforgettable Easter and the first women’s football team in the county.
1982:
The 4th annual spring recital was presented by 125 Kim Lopiccolo dance students at the East Junior High School auditorium. Featured in the recital were 93 students in a ballet performance and four- and five-year-old students in novelty song and dance presentations. The review will also include a variety of solos, duets, Jazz and tap dances.
Mike Bozner of Rock Springs and Greg Hall of Green River were named to the All-State AA basketball team by the Wyoming State Coaches Association.
Five Rock Springs high school students participated in the state welding competition at Northwest Community College and Powell. The students included Jeff Brubaker, Tim Forde, Mark Lyon. Jay Weidler and Todd Powell.
The City of Rock Springs unveiled the preliminary plans for a second indoor recreation center in the city. The plan was formulated by BRW Inc., a Cheyenne consulting firm.
Michelle Wistisen and Penny Dewey inaugurated the United States Gymnastics Federation on a local level in 1982. Despite the popularity of team sports and the cost of gymnastics equipment, they have attracted 125 youngsters to participate in the new program.
After spending almost three days in the wilderness with little food and no water, Ron and Karen Covey and their two children were safe. The family had planned a 3-hour Easter outing until their Chevy pickup truck got stuck in the Red Desert off State Highway 430. The family received no injuries. The family's vehicle got stuck in snow in a gulley about 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The family spent Sunday and Monday night inside the vehicle cab and survived on one sandwich, four Easter eggs, two soda pops, a sleeping bag and a slumber bag.
Time had expired for the city’s remaining parking meters after the Rock Springs City Council voted to eliminate parking meters in the downtown area. Residents who shop and work in the downtown area will no longer have to feed coins into parking meters.
More than 100 protesters with signs lined the entrance road to the Jim Bridger Power plant at 6 a.m. objecting to Pacific Power and Light's selection of a contractor who had hired more than 150 non-union out-of-state workers. The contractors out of state workers were revamping boilers at the Jim Bridger plant.
1992:
Russia and Ukraine called a truce in a war of words over the Black Sea fleet, suspending competing decrees claiming control of its warships and forming a Commission to settle the fight. The agreement was an important step forward to resolving the conflict, which has seriously strained Russian-Ukrainian relations and threatened the unity of the Commonwealth of independent States. Many of the former Soviet republics are setting up their own military forces. The truce was reached during two telephone conversations between Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk.
Johnny Trujillo of Rock Springs scored a second round knockout over Barry Carter of Laramie at the University of Wyoming Arena Auditorium before a crowd of over 3,500 recently. Trujillo was a freshman at the University of Wyoming. He was attending school on a music scholarship. Trujillo was majoring in music education.
Finishing in first place at the Casper Invitational Wrestling tournament for Rock Springs were Levi Gill, Jeremy Gomez, Kevin Kessner and Andy Best.
Brownie Troop #649, weaved Easter baskets out of construction paper and filled the baskets with Easter candy. They donated the baskets to the Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen. The large baskets were made for the kitchen help and the small baskets were donated to be placed on each food order to wish everyone eating at the soup kitchen a happy Easter.
The Rock Springs swim team placed first in Division III at the Wyoming State Winter Championships in Riverton.
2002:
A new postage stamp showcasing Wyoming contains no bucking bronco or hat waving cowboy, but state officials endorsed it nevertheless. During an unveiling ceremony at the State Capitol.
Visitors to Sweetwater County may have to pay a higher lodging tax if they stay in hotels and motels. The Sweetwater Joint Travel and Tourism Board will discuss. whether or not to raise the county lodging tax or keep it at the current 2% rate.
The Rock Springs High School Theatre Department presented “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in the high school theater.
Senator Craig Thomas recognized the local project “A Million Tears a Million Pennies” while he was in Rock Springs. Students from across the state, in conjunction with hospital auxillaries raised money for the September 11th fund through Ppnny drives at local schools and hospitals. The group raised more than $7,000.
The Rock Springs Outlaws, which was a part of the United Women's Football League, took the field for it’s first-ever game at the Tiger Stadium at Rock Springs High School. The local team was formed in late 2001 when enough local women tried out for the league.
A group of Green River residents protested the possible construction of an aquarium on the south side of the city. The protesters, who are southside residents of Green River and in fear of their homes being taken away in the event of an aquarium, carried signs and walked the perimeter of City Hall for about 45 minutes.
Pacific Power awarded $2,500 to the Master Gardeners Club at a meeting at the White Mountain Library. The organization educates the public on what trees, shrubs and plants to plant in the high desert area.
Formerly known as Alternative High School, Independence High School had an open house at the old Lowell Elementary school building. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/blast-from-the-past-a-look-back-on-historic-headlines-in-our-community/article_115cfcf9-0cf7-5bdc-b754-ca4fe1ad0a92.html | 2022-04-28T01:15:56Z |
CHEYENNE – Meadow King’s passion for wrestling was born in the stands and confirmed on the mat.
King was in junior high when she found herself taken aback by how worked up she got cheering for her older brother, Wyatt, during his matches.
“I had tried so many sports, but I hadn’t found one that gave me the feeling in my chest that wrestling did when I was watching my brother,” the Cheyenne Central sophomore said. “I thought, ‘If I get that feeling when I’m just watching, I can only imagine what it would be like if I was out there myself.
“I started going to practices, and it snowballed. It’s been amazing.”
King has been wrestling ever since. Not only does she wrestle for Central, she spends the off-season competing at national tournaments for various Wyoming Amateur Wrestling Association girls teams and training with the Bear Cave club in Greeley, Colorado.
King has earned All-American honors wrestling against girls, but knows her chances of winning a Wyoming state title were still quite slim as long as the only opportunity girls had to represent their schools was by competing against boys.
“I want a title, but I won’t get it unless we get a girls division,” King said. “I’ll be proud of what I accomplished, but I would have liked to see how far I could go in an all-girls bracket.”
King and her peers won't have to wait much longer. There are enough schools that have said they’ll sponsor girls wrestling that it was approved for sanctioning by the Wyoming High School Activities Association board of directors Wednesday.
The sport will start with the 2022-23 season. A committee will iron out the details about the format of the regular season and postseason, WHSAA associated commissioner Trevor Wilson confirmed in a text to WyoSports on Wednesday afternoon.
Now that Wyoming has joined 32 other states in sanctioning girls wrestling, those who have spent the better part of three decades championing girls in wrestling say the move is overdue, but no less welcomed.
“Better late than never,” said Don Tolin, who threatened to sue the WHSAA in 1998 if his daughter wasn’t allowed to wrestle at Casper’s Kelly Walsh High.
The trailblazer
Sarah Tolin grew up in a wrestling family. Her parents, Don and Vickie, coached, officiated and were heavily involved in Casper’s youth clubs. Her younger brothers, Josh and David, both wrestled. Her older sister, Cece, never showed much interest in getting on the mat herself, but felt at home at tournaments and in the wrestling room, and was willing to help any way she could.
Sarah regularly got on the mat and helped her brothers warm up during tournaments around the state, but had never expressed a desire to don a singlet herself. That changed in 1995.
The Tolins were driving home from Wheatland’s youth tournament when Sarah told her family she had been thinking about wrestling for quite some time and decided she wanted to give it a go. The Tolins talked it over during that 90-minute drive. Their first stop when they arrived in Casper was a sporting goods store, where they bought Sarah a pair of wrestling shoes.
Sarah wrestled for Centennial Junior High and eventually qualified for national tournaments. She had conversations after placing at one of those national events that charted a path for the future of the sport in the Cowboy State.
“Most of the girls she was competing against were still wrestling boys on their high school teams,” Don said. “They told her she couldn’t wait for the national tournaments to roll around and expect to do well. They told her she had to keep wrestling during the year.
“The only way to do that, at the time, was to wrestle against boys.”
The WHSAA didn’t have rules allowing co-ed participation at the time. Don had preliminary conversations with then-commissioner Larry Klaassen, who cautioned that the Tolins were likely to meet heavy resistance. On letterhead from Don’s law office dated Sept. 8, 1998, he laid out Sarah’s history in wrestling, her accomplishments and explained that she had the support of Kelly Walsh head coach Tim Wilcox, who had coached her in junior high.
Don wanted to make clear to Klaassen and the WHSAA that Sarah’s desire to wrestle wasn’t fleeting. The letter also threatened legal action if the WHSAA’s board didn’t sign off on Sarah wrestling that season.
“As parents, coaches and wrestling officials, we have probably heard most of the arguments why girls should not wrestle boys, but respectfully do not agree with their premises, and further believe the WHSAA’s gender-based prohibition is improper, discriminatory and clearly violates the laws and constitutions of Wyoming and the United States,” the letter reads. “We are hoping we don’t have to litigate this matter in court, as it will be extremely costly and time-consuming for everyone involved.
“However, we are confident the courts will fully support our position and award us attorneys’ fees and costs.”
The Tolins were invited to make a presentation in front of the WHSAA board. Eventually, the board said Sarah and other girls could petition to compete on boys teams. The petitions were decided on a case-by-base basis. Many people viewed girls wrestling as a passing fad, Don said.
“There were people who hoped it was like the hula hoop,” he said. “They hoped it would arrive in a flash and then disappear.”
At best, the response to Sarah wrestling was tepid. Despite her background, there were teammates and their parents who thought she didn’t belong or were worried she might supplant them on the varsity roster. There were opponents who refused to wrestle her for religious or moral reasons.
As expected, the Tolins had people ask how they could subject their daughter to the risk of injury or inappropriate touching.
“If someone touched her in a way that wasn’t natural for wrestling, she took care of it and they walked off the mat a little gingerly,” Don said. “She knew how to take care of herself. She never saw wrestling against the boys as a sexual thing or anything inappropriate.
“She wasn’t a ‘girl wrestler,’ she was a wrestler.”
Sarah – who died in 2005 – competed for Kelly Walsh as a junior and senior. She continued to wrestle after high school. Sarah spent a year at Casper College before transferring to Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas, where she wrestled for two seasons.
In 2002, Sarah was a silver-medalist at University Nationals and placed fifth at the University World Championships.
Slow growth
Jessica Brenton was a pioneer on her own side of Casper, becoming the first girl to crack Natrona County’s varsity roster. She encountered resistance, even a decade removed from Sarah Tolin’s fight to wrestle at the high school level.
“There were parents who made comments about how this was a boys’ sport and I shouldn’t be wrestling,” Brenton said. “I found support and people pushing me in the right direction, especially when I started going to national tournaments. (The Tolin family) always gave me support. … I want girls to have their own division so they don’t have to deal with what I did.”
Brenton, 29, is the Wyoming Amateur Wrestling Association’s women’s director. She took on that role shortly after wrapping up her collegiate career at the University of Winnipeg. Brenton wants to see women’s wrestling become as big in Wyoming as it is in Canada.
Only a few of the state’s high school coaches were receptive to a separate girls division when Brenton started emailing them to build support a handful of years ago. This year was different. A lot different.
“Most of the coaches I heard back from are all for a girls division,” Brenton said. “I didn’t expect that because there weren’t any schools that had expressed interest in sponsoring it when I talked to the WHSAA at the start of the school year.
“Now, we’ve got enough school boards that have OK'd it that it’s going in front of the WHSAA. Some of the biggest tournaments in the state had girls brackets. So many people have changed their minds about girls belonging on the wrestling mat.”
Moorcroft had girls brackets at its tournament the first weekend of this high school wrestling season. The following weekend, Cheyenne East’s Charlie Lake Invitational featured girls brackets. The Ron Thon Memorial Tournament in Riverton – which attracts nearly every school in Wyoming, regardless of classification – also added a girls division this winter.
The latter convinced Brenton momentum was firmly swinging in the direction of a girls division.
So did the inaugural Wyoming girls folkstyle state tournament, which was held Feb. 27 as part of the Casper Showdown in Memory of Sarah Tolin. That event featured 81 girls starting with the under-6 division.
There are 230 Wyoming girls registered with USA Wrestling.
Removing barriers
Central coach Kyle Brightman knows people will point to the limited number of girls wrestling in the state and say a separate division is unnecessary. However, he thinks the small number of girls wrestling in Wyoming is the reason a separate division is needed, and an important step toward the sport remaining strong in the state.
“We’ve seen in other states that have sanctioned girls wrestling that when women have their own division and only have to wrestle girls that they’re more apt to try it,” Brightman said. “There’s no awkwardness, there’s no biological differences. It’s more inclusive.”
Abby Vroman had no idea Brightman would convince her to wrestle when she approached him about being a team manager last fall. In fact, the freshman thought she had an easy out when Brightman broached the subject. She told him she never wanted to wrestle boys, and only stepped on the mat after Brightman assured her she wouldn’t have to if she didn’t want to.
“It’s not fair for girls to wrestle guys at the high school level,” Vroman said. “I was nervous for wrestling guys for that reason. It’s also weird for girls to wrestle guys.
“… A lot of girls I’ve talked to said they’re not wrestling because they don’t want to wrestle guys, and they don’t understand the sport. It’s male-dominated, so it’s hard to get girls involved and interested.”
Vroman – who also is a cheerleader at Central and has been a competitive gymnast – admits she didn’t expect to finish the season on the mat. Instead, she grew to love it so much that she had a change of heart and started wrestling boys in order to have more bouts. She has since competed in girls tournaments outside the high school season.
“Once you actually start wrestling, it’s not as awkward as I thought it was going to be,” Vroman said. “It’s all about the sport when you’re competing. I came to like the sport a lot more than I expected to when I started.”
Most girls who wrestle stop by the time they get to junior high. The ones who continue often crack the high school varsity lineup in the lowest weight classes. Middleweight wrestlers often languish down the depth chart because they’re unable to beat the boys on their team in those weight classes.
Senior Alleynah Ronnau spent her freshman season on East’s junior varsity squad before winning the varsity 106-pound spot as a sophomore and junior. She started wrestling when her family lived in Germany, and saw no reason to stop after moving to Cheyenne. Ronnau went 13-20 and reached the state tournament as a sophomore. During her junior campaign, Ronnau was 21-21, won the Southeast District title and qualified for state.
However, the muscle she put on through her dedication in the weight room vaulted her to the 120-pound weight class this season. She earned East’s No. 2 spot in that weight and again qualified for state, but finished the year with a 2-13 varsity record.
“I’m built differently than the guys I wrestle,” Ronnau said. “My muscle mass is spread out differently. Going up two weight classes this year was a big difference. It’s a big mental thing knowing you’re going up against guys who are a lot stronger than anyone you’ve wrestled before.”
Ronnau never backed down from the challenge, though. Instead, it served as a reminder of what attracted her to wrestling in the first place.
“I’ve always liked the challenge of the sport,” she said. “The challenge has kept me in this wrestling room for four years. It’s pushed me outside of the wrestling room, too.
“It’s helped me become a better student and learn how to manage my time a lot better. It’s something that will help me my entire life.”
Even though attitudes about girls wrestling have changed in the past 24 years, some parents still aren’t OK with their teenage sons wrestling girls and vice versa, Brenton said.
“Junior high is when everyone starts developing and guys turn into men and girls turn into women,” Brenton said. “A lot of parents don’t want their girls touched the way you have to touch someone when you wrestle them.
“And there are guys who don’t want to risk being beaten by a girl. It’s not a winning situation for anyone.”
Now that the WHSAA has signed off on girls wrestling, the season will most likely run alongside the boys, similar to girls and boys basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, tennis and track. East coach Thad Trujillo said that makes sense for the first few years as the girls division finds its footing.
That move also makes sense because school districts and the state have been cutting back on expenses due to the state’s budget being crunched by declining mineral tax revenues.
However, Trujillo thinks wrestling eventually needs to adopt a similar model to prep swimming, where the girls compete during the fall season, and the boys season is contested during the winter.
“Coaches I’ve talked to in other states said (girls wrestling) really took off when it became a standalone season,” Trujillo said. “They can still be closely tied together, but you’d see a lot more involvement if they’re having their own practices with just girls in the room.
“I think that’s important because it gives the girls teams their own identity and own season instead of having the perception that it’s an add-on to a sport we already have.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/whsaa-sanctioning-was-a-long-time-coming-for-girls-wrestling/article_eccc2509-4b63-51ac-9252-3613c54a0a42.html | 2022-04-28T01:16:02Z |
Biden going to SKorea, Japan in May to discuss China, NKorea
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will travel next month to South Korea and Japan, his first trip to Asia since taking office last year, to consult with allies on growing threats from China and North Korea.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced the May 20-24 trip Wednesday. Both allies host significant U.S. military contingents, and the trip comes as North Korea has escalated its nuclear missile testing and China has grown more assertive in the region.
Biden will meet separately with newly elected President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, Psaki said.
In Tokyo, Biden will also meet with the so-called “Quad” — which also includes Australia, Japan and India — as they aim to forge stronger partnerships to contain China in the Indo-Pacific.
It will be Biden’s fourth foreign trip as president. He traveled to Poland and Belgium in March following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/28/biden-going-skorea-japan-may-discuss-china-nkorea/ | 2022-04-28T01:36:57Z |
DA: Couple guilty of using fake vaccine cards to enter sporting event
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (Gray News) - Authorities in New York report a couple has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct charges after they used false vaccine cards to attend a sporting event earlier this year.
On Wednesday, Michael Naab, 34, and Amber Naab, 37, were also ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and to pay a $125 fine plus a $125 surcharge, according to Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn.
A case was brought against the couple after officials said they presented falsified COVID-19 vaccination cards to attend a Buffalo Bills game knowingly in violation of the vaccination policy at Highmark Stadium on Jan. 15.
As part of the plea, the two are prohibited from attending any Bills games at the current stadium or purchasing season tickets in their names.
The district attorney commended the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, Erie County Department of Health, New York State Department of Health and the Buffalo Bills for their work in the investigation.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/28/da-couple-guilty-using-fake-vaccine-cards-enter-sporting-event/ | 2022-04-28T01:37:04Z |
High school teacher under fire for letter refuting students’ gender identities
WATERTOWN, S.D. (KSFY/Gray News) - A South Dakota high school teacher is under scrutiny after dispersing a letter to students refuting their gender identities Monday.
“We did have a faculty member at the high school hand out a letter to four different students. That letter did discuss the students’ gender identity,” said Watertown School District Superintendent Dr. Jeff Danielson.
The superintendent says the school district does not support the actions taken by the Watertown High School teacher.
“Our response up until this point has been that the school district does not support those actions by the faculty member,” Danielson said. “We do not support discrimination of any kind for our students. We want to make sure that we create a safe learning environment for every child that comes through our doors.”
Amy Rambow is a parent of a student at the high school and the president and founder of LGBTQ+ group Watertown Love. She was able to share a copy of the letter one of the students had received with Dakota News Now.
“So the letter talks a lot about religion and their identities and their feelings, on how they can’t count on how they’re feeling. Very much transphobic,” Rambow said.
The letter also mentions a DVD that claims to explain things with “spiritual as well as the scientific facts.”
Danielson says the school district is investigating the matter and a text was sent out to parents informing them of the situation.
“As of this morning, we have been investigating the situation, trying to get a full picture of what happened yesterday, and some of the actions that were done on the part of the staff member,” Danielson said.
Rambow says she wants the situation addressed promptly.
“We’re just hoping that this is handled appropriately and swiftly and not swept under the rug,” Rambow said.
When asked if the teacher in question was still being allowed to teach Tuesday, Danielson said no action had been taken at that time.
“No actions are being taken until the investigation runs its course, which we hope to wrap that up very soon,” Danielson said Tuesday.
The superintendent said he expected the investigation to conclude by the end of the day Tuesday.
The results of the investigation are not yet known.
Copyright 2022 KSFY via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/28/high-school-teacher-under-fire-letter-refuting-students-gender-identities/ | 2022-04-28T01:37:11Z |
Montcalm High School becomes finalist in $25K grant competition
MONTCALM, W.Va. (WVVA) - Montcalm High School is a finalist for the state farm “Neighborhood Assist” grant. If they get enough votes to place in the top 100 schools, they will win $25,000. It’s the seed money for a greenhouse so students can grow their own, and take home fresh produce.
Teachers say the greenhouse will also serve as food for thought for those students interested in botany or agriculture as a career.
However, to receive the grant money Montcalm High School needs your help. It’s going to take votes, submitted with a QR code to propel them into the top 100 schools.
So time is running out to help these students live their “Green dream” and build their own greenhouse. You can vote by clicking here. You are able to vote 10 times per day until voting ends on May 6th.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/28/montcalm-high-school-becomes-finalist-25k-grant-competition/ | 2022-04-28T01:37:24Z |
Police: Customer arrested after stabbing Jimmy John’s employee over sandwich order
HIGH POINT, N.C. (Gray News) - Police in North Carolina are investigating a stabbing that occurred earlier this week at a local fast-food restaurant.
The High Point Police Department said officers were called to a Jimmy John’s location on Main Street Monday night with reports of an employee who was stabbed.
Police said customer Demetris Holeman, 45, came to the store to complain about her order that evening. She then threw several items at an employee and stabbed her with an edged weapon.
According to police, workers told them that Holeman was known to staff and had previously been refused service.
Authorities said the 16-year-old female employee was taken to Moses Cone Hospital for treatment.
High Point police said Holeman was later arrested at her home and is facing charges that include assault with a deadly weapon and injury to real property for the damages to the store.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/28/police-customer-arrested-after-stabbing-jimmy-johns-employee-over-sandwich-order/ | 2022-04-28T01:37:30Z |
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HONOLULU (KITV4) -- A Marine Corps private died after apparently drowning during a swim off North Beach near Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) over the weekend.
According to Marine Corps officials, Pfc. Isaac H. Romero, 22, was swimming off North Beach on Sunday, April 24. A friend who was with Romero, sitting on the beach at the time, grew concerned when they could no longer see Romero in the water. That friend called the installation provost marshal's office around 2 p.m. and rescuers soon arrived.
Crews with the Honolulu Fire Department, MCBH Water Front Operations, and local lifeguards started searching for Romero at the last place he was seen – about 60 meters offshore. He was found at approximately 2:47 p.m. under the surface in shallow water, authorities said.
Romero was brought back to shore where first responders attempted to revive him. He was then taken by ambulance to Castle Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
There were yellow flag surf conditions at the time Romero was swimming, according to the Marine Corps Community Services Water Safety Office, with 6-12 foot faces and east, northeast winds gusting up to 20 mph.
Commanding Officer of Marine Wing Support Squadron 174 Lt. Col. Gideon Grissett issued the following statement about this incident:
"Our heartfelt sympathies and deepest condolences go out to Isaac's family and friends, and we join them in remembering and mourning this Marine. His enthusiasm and devotion to duty inspired others with his positive, upbeat attitude. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to know him and be a part of our Marine Corps family."
The Commanding Officer of MCBH has ordered a temporary closure of several beaches at the installation in order to conduct a review of safety procedures and risk management practices, officials said. The beaches will remain closed until May 4.
Romero is the second service member to die on the eastern side of Oahu in April.
Lt. j.g. Aaron Fowler, 29, became unresponsive during the training event in Kaneohe Bay and was pronounced dead at the hospital on Sunday, April 17. That incident remains under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigation Service and local authorities, according to a press release.
Matthew has been the digital content manager for KITV4 since September 2021. Matthew is a prolific writer, editor, and self-described "newsie" who's worked in television markets in Oklahoma, California, and Hawaii. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/marine-dies-from-apparent-drowning-off-north-beach-near-mcbh/article_5a073398-c696-11ec-a482-1f347f0eace5.html | 2022-04-28T02:56:51Z |
Laying siege to the Castle was literally and physically an uphill battle.
Our siege wasn’t in the style of medieval warfare or a dastardly Russian invasion. Instead of armies, artillery and missiles we were armed only with hiking poles on our challenging 2.75-mile, step-by-step, 2,200-foot elevation gain hike to Castle Dome, where friends and I celebrated our personal victories from an overlook set within a confluence of geologic curiosities.
Reaching Castle Dome begins in Northern California’s Castle Crags State Park from the Vista Point Trailhead. The initial quarter-mile is deceptively easy, but a siege mentality begins soon after as the breathtaking, and breath-taking, trail winds relentlessly go up and up through a forest of Douglas fir and incense cedar past junctions with the Pacific Crest Trail and Indian Springs.
Shortly after the Indian Springs junction, 1,000 feet above the trailhead and still more than a mile from Castle Dome, the struggle intensifies. What begins as a well-graded trail transforms when it enters the Shasta-Trinity National Forest’s Castle Crags Wilderness Area, where it becomes more challenging, forcing huff-n-puff Castle hikers to occasionally step or shimmy over and around rocky obstacles. At times the poorly signed trail seemingly disappears.
There are challenges, but the rewards are many. Once above the tree line, the trail angles through a granite garden of erratic, sharply pitched Monolithic pillars and cliffs, with enticing glimpses of Mount Shasta, Castle Dome, nearby Mount Hubris and dramatic rock formations like Six Toe Rock.
The trail end is an open area with a view, or, more correctly, views. The Dome’s 4,996-foot summit is still another 500 feet higher, a challenging Class 4-plus climbing route. Years ago, with experienced climbers, I was part of a roped trio that shimmied our way to the summit then rappelled down its face.
Not this day.
The area at trail’s end offers sumptuous views of neighboring crags and, further off, snow-blanketed Shasta. Our view-thirsty crew paused before free-climbing easy holds and cracks to a higher bench. From there, as at other viewpoints, it’s easy to see why Wintu Indians called the region the “Abode of the Devil” and Spanish explorers dubbed it “Castle del Diablo,” or “Castle of the Devil.”
Castle Crags was also celebrated by Joaquin Miller, the self-described "Poet of the Sierras" who as a young man lived in the Shasta-Crags region. As he wrote about Castle Crags, "Great gnarled and knotty trees clung to the mountain side beyond, and a little to the left a long, thin cataract, which, from the valley far below, looked like a snowy plume, came pitching down through the tree tops. It had just been let loose from the hand of God - this sheen of shining water. Back and beyond all this, a peak of snow, a great pyramid and shining shaft of snow, with a crown of clouds, pierced heaven."
The area’s geology is heavenly fascinating. Unlike the Cascades, which were created by volcanic and sedimentary forces, Castle Crest and the Castle Crags are granite formations that were created more than 170 million years ago and are part of the Klamath Mountains. Over millennium, exfoliation has caused the Crags to crumble and peel, creating erratic rock pillars and round-topped Castle Crest. According to geologists, the Crags took shape as granitic magma slowly cooled underground then eventually burst skyward through the surface.
Hiking to Castle Dome is an experience to be appreciated, a hike for people who are determined but without the horrible form of Russia’s violent seize and conquer siege mentality. Atop and on the way to Castle Dome our group’s collective mentality was one of wonder, delight and appreciation. It is possible to climb to a summit, but no one “conquers” a mountain. | https://www.heraldandnews.com/klamath/castle-of-the-devil/article_b8e5bc05-4af1-5e3b-9d5d-d129171bce66.html | 2022-04-28T03:06:11Z |
Life-Saving Award: Officer recognized for saving teen suffering cardiac arrest at school
HASTINGS, Neb. (Gray News) - Police in Nebraska are honoring an officer for her life-saving actions when she helped save a teen who went into cardiac arrest.
The Hastings Police Department said Officer Emily Ostdiek jumped into action when she noticed an unresponsive student in the cafeteria at Hastings High School on March 14.
Ostdiek said she followed her training and applied an AED to the 15-year-old student. She delivered a shock to the student prior to medical assistance arriving.
The student was then transported to Mary Lanning Hospital and taken by helicopter to the Children’s Hospital.
Authorities said medical personnel found that the student was in cardiac arrest and the AED shock was life-saving for the 15-year-old.
On Wednesday, Officer Ostdiek earned the Hastings Police Department’s Live Saving Award for her heroic actions and saving a life.
Hastings police said if it was not for her response or actions, the situation could have had a tragic outcome.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/28/life-saving-award-officer-recognized-saving-teen-suffering-cardiac-arrest-school/ | 2022-04-28T03:06:11Z |
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The Biden administration wants to bring windmills and wind energy developments to the Oregon Coast.
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Wednesday the government is opening up preliminary processes, including soliciting public comments and gauging interest from the energy sector, for bringing offshore wind energy farms about 12 nautical miles from Coos Bay and Brookings.
The Oregon coastal areas comprise 1.16 million acres, according to the federal government.
The windmill push is part of renewable energy effort from the Biden administration and a marked change from President Donald Trump, a vehement and vocal opponent of windmills.
U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Amanda Lefton said the project will create “good-paying, union jobs deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030,” according to a release announcing the wind effort.
This is the first federal “call” for wind energy projects off the Oregon Coast, according to the U.S. Interior Department.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland also touted the administration renewable energy efforts.
“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to supporting a robust clean energy economy, and the upcoming steps taken toward possible leasing off the coast of Oregon and Central Atlantic provides another opportunity to strengthen the clean energy industry while creating good-paying union jobs,” “We will continue using every tool in our toolbox to tackle the climate crisis, reduce our emissions to reach President Biden’s bold goals, and advance environmental justice.”
The administration will open a 60-day public comment period starting April 29 seeking information and perspectives on potential new offshore windmills in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Energy companies will also be able to “nominate specific areas they would like to see offered for leasing,” according to the federal announcement.
The U.S. government is also looking to open up offshore wind energy developments across approximately 3.9 million acres in the Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.
The public comment period for wind energy off both coasts will run through June 28.
Wind energy has the backing of the Biden administration as well as climate change advocates looking to reduce carbon emissions.
But there have also been environmental concerns raised about windmills including their impacts on wildlife, marine life and existing ecosystems.
The federal process will have to go through environmental impact and other studies before a potential auction or bidding process for windmills in the oceans, BOEM officials said. | https://www.heraldandnews.com/news/local_news/environment/windmills-off-the-oregon-coast/article_c5ce8ed9-560d-532f-a400-0b04bfaf4311.html | 2022-04-28T03:06:24Z |
CHEYENNE – As a Wyoming Republican Party Convention decides whether to seat the Laramie County delegation at the state convention, county party leaders warn more than 20,000 party members could be disenfranchised.
The State Credentials Committee will announce its decision at a May 5 meeting, and make a recommendation to be discussed May 7 on the convention floor.
“Following Laramie County leadership’s admission of its failures to follow Bylaws in conducting the election, the State Republican Convention’s Credentials Committee will now review the matter and make a recommendation to the body as to how many delegates from Laramie County will be seated,” Chairman Frank Eathorne said in a new statement.
The motion was called for at the start of April after a complaint by Laramie County precinct committeeman and Central Committee member Ben Hornok. He questioned whether delegates set to attend the state convention had been properly nominated at the Laramie County Convention on March 12.
In his March 28 letter to the Laramie County GOP Executive Committee, he claimed voting procedures for delegates and alternates to serve at the state convention did not follow county and state GOP bylaws. His cited the form of secret ballot, additional delegates being allowed to be nominated from the floor, and the delegate and alternate ranking system.
Response
The State Executive Committee passed a motion requesting Laramie County Chairwoman Dani Olsen respond by April 1. She agreed the concerns were legitimate. She told committee members in a letter that the process used in years past, and in the recent county convention, did not fully follow the rules.
Upon reflection, the Laramie County Executive Committee will recommend a cleanup of some of the ambiguities in the delegate and alternate selection portion of the bylaws, she said.
The local party asked for grace on the error because, according to Robert’s Rules of Order, the election can only be contested by timely raising a point of order.
“We ask there to be assurance from the State Executive Committee that our delegates and alternates who attend the Convention in Sheridan will have the opportunity to participate, as they will be sacrificing time and financial resources to attend the Convention in May,” the letter ended.
Olsen told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle Wednesday the only flaw in the election process was how alternates were chosen. The nominating committee took the names and added the delegates to a list of people who were confirmed to attend, which was in accordance with local and state party regulations.
But since the state convention was only allowing 350 members to attend, the number of delegates allowed to go was lower. Thirty-seven spots were filled, and there were more than 40 individuals who expressed interest. Members of the nominating committee wanted as many as possible to have the opportunity, so they put the remaining individuals on the alternate list. The slate was presented and approved at the county convention.
The next step was filling the potential alternates. Following the bylaws, Olsen said they took nominations from the floor by voice vote, which is considered a form of secret ballot. The body approved the next slate of alternates, and the complainant Hornok was included.
Olsen said she recognized the issue was that the Laramie County GOP did not rank the alternates based on order of votes received, because they approved them as a whole. But at the time of the vote, she recalled, there were no objections. They instead put them in the order they were nominated.
Possible disenfranchisement
“Election integrity is a top issue among voters after the 2020 elections and has been the number one legislative priority for the Wyoming GOP for the last three years,” the state party said in a statement. “The Wyoming Republican Party is working hard to safeguard its internal activities and maintain the highest standards of transparency and integrity. No other complaints about county conventions have been brought before the State Executive Committee.”
While the Laramie County Republican Party said it is aware of at least eight other counties that have made similar infractions.
“We can only hope that the other counties will be able to hold themselves to the same high standard Laramie County has been held to, and they will come forward with their own admission of errors, as we have done,” the county GOP press release stated. “While Laramie County believes all counties should be seated, if the Credentials Committee does not look equally at violations of all counties, it will show bias and an unfair application of the rules.”
A larger concern shared by Olsen and other county party members is the motivation of the investigation, and the possible disenfranchisement of more than 20,000 Laramie County Republicans.
The county chairwoman said this would happen not only if Laramie County delegates were not allowed to attend and vote on state party leadership, as well as nominations, but in reducing the number of attendees overall. She said it was unprecedented that the number was lowered from 550 to 350, when historically there has always been a set amount, and the venue could accommodate a larger convention.
“It was unusual that they would even reduce their own income potential by having such a low number, but the only justification I could find was to reduce the vote of the larger counties,” she said.
Laramie County GOP member Mike Heath told the WTE he was also worried voices would be lost in the process, and not just in Laramie County. He highlighted the fact that the Natrona County GOP lost delegate representation at the state convention because it did not pay its full share of dues, which he said is difficult for members who fund their own expenses.
Olsen confirmed Natrona County was supposed to have 34 delegates, and was reduced to six.
Divisions in the ranks
The changes within the state convention representation and complaints have stirred Heath’s apprehension. He said he is concerned the divisiveness he is seeing within the party might destroy it, because even members of the local Republican Party have asked for their own delegates not to be seated.
In a letter sent by Laramie County Republican Party members Susan Graham and Fred Schlachter on April 9, they said they did not approve of the method for pre-nominating a slate of people as delegates and alternates.
“We request and support a decision by the Credentialing Committee to not seat this year’s delegates to the Wyoming GOP State Convention from Laramie County,” it stated. “Either we are a nation of laws, and all citizens are equal under the law, or we are not. Let us bring the Rule of Law back to Wyoming, starting with the Wyoming State GOP’s ruling to NOT seat Laramie County’s delegates.”
Graham and Schlachter are alleged to be members of a group called the Conservative Corner, along with Hornok, which has had previous disagreements with the Laramie County Republican Party. Although they remain members of the county delegation, Olsen said the group takes a more divisive approach to government, and is critical of the county party.
She said their largest frustration has been with members not being conservative enough, because the Laramie County GOP is more inclusive of all ranges of Republicanism.
“And because of the fact that we are inclusive, it does tend to cause tension among people who don’t believe we should be as inclusive as we are,” Olsen said.
While she recognized the division among the ranks, she did not confirm whether she thought this was the motivation behind the complaint. Her focus was on which bylaws the Laramie County GOP may have broken, and the possible repercussions. She said she wanted to protect the representation of county Republicans at the state convention moving forward, and disapproved of the process in which the state party made it public.
This was a sentiment shared in the final lines of the statement released by her fellow leadership. (The Wyoming GOP did not comment.)
“It is a shame that the Chairman of the State Party would use his position to spout falsehoods as a means of not seating the largest county in Wyoming, and thereby disenfranchising over 20,000 Republican voices in Laramie County,” it read. “It is further alarming that while the State Executive Committee is passing motions to ‘vigorously enforce Bylaws’ that it has consistently stopped its enforcement efforts with only two counties – Laramie and Natrona counties.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/laramie-county-gop-leadership-warns-of-disenfranchising-local-republicans/article_68bc8518-d488-516a-9661-5596ffbfb587.html | 2022-04-28T04:18:12Z |
CHEYENNE – Nearly four years after he shot two people, killing one, a local man was sentenced Wednesday in Laramie County District Court.
District Judge Thomas Campbell gave Frank John McHenry 14 to 20 years in prison for shooting and killing Joseph Steven Tortolito, 61, of Cheyenne, and shooting and injuring a woman in May 2018, along with other felonies.
An order from Campbell indicated McHenry appeared “pro se” at his sentencing, meaning he represented himself during the hearing. Up until the sentencing, McHenry had been represented by Cheyenne attorney Cody Jerabek.
In an email to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle after the sentencing, Jerabek said he was prepared to proceed, but that McHenry decided “immediately” before the hearing to represent himself. Jerabek said he sat behind McHenry in the courtroom with Wyoming State Public Defender Diane Lozano.
McHenry pleaded no contest in August to voluntary manslaughter, attempted voluntary manslaughter, two counts of aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon and four counts of interference with a peace officer with injury as part of a plea agreement.
The state, represented in the case by Laramie County District Attorney Leigh Anne Manlove, and McHenry had agreed to argue for a maximum sentence of 14 to 20 years in prison, according to a plea agreement filed Aug. 17.
“I am pleased that the judge determined that the plea agreement that we had previously negotiated was appropriate,” Jerabek told the WTE.
Campbell also ordered McHenry to pay $5,790.75 in restitution. He was given credit for the 1,448 days – close to four years – he spent in the Laramie County jail awaiting disposition, Manlove told the WTE.
The female victim in the case, along with her two sons, gave victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing, as did Tortolito’s sister, Manlove said.
Manlove declined to comment on McHenry’s sentence itself.
Sentencing
The sentencing came after months of controversy.
In November, Manlove challenged Laramie County District Judge Catherine Rogers’ setting of a closed hearing in the case she said had excluded her office. Rogers denied Manlove’s motion, providing no explanation for the decision in her order.
Later that month, the district attorney filed a petition with the Wyoming Supreme Court asking the court to require Rogers to turn over a transcript of the closed Nov. 12 hearing.
In her response to the filing, Rogers said no one from Manlove’s office responded to an email exchange scheduling the closed hearing in the four days before it took place. Copies of the email exchange included in court records show the emails were sent to Manlove’s address.
“Neither Manlove nor any other attorney in her office appeared or attempted to participate in the hearing,” the judge wrote. It was unclear whether Manlove’s office would have been allowed to participate had it attempted to do so.
Manlove’s petition was ultimately dismissed in January by Supreme Court Chief Justice Kate Fox.
Jail calls between McHenry and family members indicated the judge suggested that McHenry withdraw his plea, and that McHenry believed the hearing had stemmed from a conflict between Rogers and Jerabek.
McHenry allegedly told his mother that, if he withdrew his plea, the judge said she would appoint him new counsel from the Office of the State Public Defender, and offered to transfer his case to another judge.
In her response to Manlove’s petition to the Supreme Court, Rogers explained, at least in part, her reasoning for recommending McHenry appoint alternate counsel.
“Long before the events Manlove objects to, Judge Rogers had observed several concerning incidents involving Mr. Cody Jerabek, McHenry’s defense counsel,” she wrote. “Most notably, Mr. Jerabek had failed to address McHenry’s earlier plea of not guilty by reason of mental illness, as the court had ordered. Following a show cause hearing, Rogers found Mr. Jerabek in contempt and formally reprimanded him for this failure to adhere to the court’s orders.”
In a Nov. 18 letter to Rogers’ chambers, Jerabek notified the judge that McHenry had requested a public defender be appointed “as outside counsel to advise him on a temporary basis regarding his case and plea,” according to court documents. Jerabek wrote that public defender Brandon Booth was willing to accept the appointment.
Lawyers
A hearing was set Nov. 22 to address McHenry’s request, but Jerabek continued to represent McHenry through April.
On March 29, Rogers assigned the case to Campbell, according to court documents: “The ends of justice would be best served” by the reassignment.
In a Feb. 9 filing by Jerabek, McHenry asked to withdraw his no-contest plea and have his case set for jury trial. Campbell denied the motion April 14, saying Jerabek and McHenry failed to demonstrate appropriate justification for the request.
McHenry at several instances “reaffirmed his confidence in and desire to be represented” by Jerabek, despite informal meetings with public defenders, Campbell wrote in his April 14 order.
Campbell also wrote in the order that, following a review of the file and review of relevant transcripts, it was his impression that “suspicions or feelings that a judge was somehow ‘signaling’ a problem with the defendant, his plea agreement or even his representation are not supported anywhere in this record.”
A fair reading, Campbell wrote, would be that Rogers “was taking what she viewed as appropriate action to protect, or at least ensure the defendant’s rights were being honored.”
The crime
On May 11, 2018, deputies with the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 5000 block of South Greeley Highway after a man reported that his daughter had been shot in the hip. During a search of the area, a detective discovered the body of Joseph Steven Tortolito, 61, of Cheyenne hidden under several pallets.
Shortly after Tortolito’s body was found, a SWAT team made up of officers from the sheriff’s office and the Cheyenne Police Department saw a man, later identified as McHenry, running in and out of a nearby home holding a firearm, according to a later probable cause affidavit. McHenry rummaged through two vehicles before getting into a third and starting it, backing it down the driveway until he was stopped by the SWAT team, where he surrendered without incident.
McHenry was later found to have broken into two homes while armed, having taken a gun.
While being interviewed by law enforcement, McHenry was not cooperative, and at one point attempted to leave the interview room through the ceiling, according to the affidavit. He later injured a detective with a 3-foot piece of metal air duct.
After deputies attempted to restrain him, including with a Taser, McHenry tried to bite and kick them several times.
A pathologist confirmed during an autopsy on May 12, 2018, that Tortolito had died of multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was declared a homicide. The Wyoming State Crime Laboratory later found McHenry’s DNA on some of Tortolito’s clothing and several parts of the rifle, the affidavit said.
McHenry originally faced first-degree murder and attempted murder charges.
Jerabek said at the time of McHenry’s plea that his client would enter no-contest pleas because McHenry was under the influence of methamphetamine.
The state dismissed an additional charge of misdemeanor property destruction at the time of McHenry’s plea. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/mchenry-gets-14-20-years-in-prison-for-murder-other-crimes/article_c524affc-348a-5807-825e-43230392af00.html | 2022-04-28T04:18:18Z |
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ROCK SPRINGS -- The Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency is pleased to announce a call for new art for the Art Underground Gallery, which is designed to bring life, color and art to the pedestrian underpass in Downtown Rock Springs. The gallery is also meant encourage the community to get involved in adding color and creativity to our public spaces. Residents of all ages are invited to create an individual mural that will be displayed in the underpass for the coming 24 months.
The initial display was created in the fall of 2015. “We’re currently on our third round of artwork that will be retired and replaced with new pieces,” Rock Springs Main Street/URA board chairwoman Maria Mortensen said.
A limited number of primed canvases (2’ by 4’ plywood) are available for the community to pick up, free of charge. They can be picked up from the Rock Springs Main Street/URA office at 603 S Main Street in Downtown Rock Springs. Completed canvases should be returned to the Rock Springs Main Street/URA office by May 20, 2022. Because there are a limited number of canvases, they are available on a first come, first served basis. Once all canvases have been given out, we can no longer accept entries.
Guidelines for murals:
· All artwork must be the artist’s individual work in design and execution.
· Work must be able to withstand outdoor display; two coats of marine grade primer are highly recommended.
· Work must be suitable for all ages.
· Committee has the right to determine the suitability of work.
· All mediums and themes are welcome.
· Canvases will be displayed in the pedestrian underpass which can be somewhat dark so artists are encouraged to created pieces that are bright and colorful.
· We regret that bad weather and vandalism are risks of public displays such as this, and we cannot be held responsible for missing or ruined artwork.
· Specific placement locations cannot be guaranteed; pieces will be screwed into walls for display.
The installation will be unveiled after Memorial Day. Submissions will be photographed and posted on the Downtown Rock Springs Facebook page. For entry forms and more details call 307-352-1434.
Those with existing artwork in the Art Underground Gallery wishing to have it returned, may call the office by May 2. After that, those pieces will be recycled.
The Rock Springs Main Street/URA is charged with the redevelopment of Downtown Rock Springs. Further details about the Rock Springs Main Street/URA can be found at their website (DowntownRS.com) or by contacting them at 307-352-1434. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/artists-are-invited-to-add-beauty-to-underground-gallery/article_886b337f-9785-5141-aa3d-e3fcc0ce3754.html | 2022-04-28T04:18:31Z |
Rock Springs businesswoman Jennifer Herman shares her adventures as owner and operator of Cowboy Crepes and Cafe as she stirs the crepe batter in front of students in the Culinary I class at Rock Springs High School.
Rock Springs High School sophomore Breanna Powers watches as fellow culinary student Savannah McCloskey squeezes whipped cream on a crepe.
Rocket Miner Photo by Trina Brittain
Rock Springs businesswoman Jennifer Herman shares her adventures as owner and operator of Cowboy Crepes and Cafe as she stirs the crepe batter in front of students in the Culinary I class at Rock Springs High School.
ROCK SPRINGS – Jennifer Herman, owner of Cowboy Crepes and Café was a guest demonstrator in Mesa Weidle’s Culinary I class at Rock Springs High School on Wednesday morning.
“I felt like there was a ‘culinary hole’ here,” Herman shared with the students. “I wanted to offer something fresh and flavorful to the community so I set out to start my business.”
She pointed out how important it is to have a business plan, to test run products on a small scale, do the research and be a problem solver.
“When the obstacle comes, you have to believe in a solution,” Herman mentioned. “You can’t think that the dream is over.
"Don’t let anything be a ‘no.’”
According to Herman, Cowboy Crepes and Café was originally in downtown Rock Springs but since more space was needed, the business moved to Dewar Drive.
Sophomores Jenday Coletti and Breanna Powers are students in Weidle’s class.
“I took this class to enhance my cooking skills,” said Coletti. “It’s important to take this class so students don’t have to rely on take-out food when they’re on their own.”
She added, “Cooking for yourself is a good way to save money and you can have fun with it.”
They noted that since Culinary I is their first class of the day, it can be too early to cook and sample certain foods such as soup.
“I’ve learned how to make a grilled cheese sandwich,” Powers shared. “It’s my favorite thing to eat!”
At first, it was tricky for students to handle the whipped cream dispenser and flip the crepe over on the griddle.
Eventually, they gained confidence as they cooked and decorated strawberry-banana crepes before going to their second class. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/culinary-students-taste-success-during-class/article_0eb5caf4-3c0d-5f9e-b2ca-5faeb68e08a7.html | 2022-04-28T04:18:37Z |
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