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Tweaked COVID boosters close but how much will they help?
COVID-19 vaccines tweaked to better match today’s omicron threat are expected to roll out in a few weeks but still up in the air is how much benefit the booster shots will offer, who should get one -- and how soon.
Pfizer and rival Moderna both asked U.S. regulators this week to authorize modified versions of their booster vaccine — shots that are half the original recipe and half protection against BA.4 and BA.5, the newest versions of omicron.
The Food and Drug Administration ordered that recipe at the end of June, and now has to decide if this combination -- what scientists call a “bivalent vaccine” -- is ready.
The Biden administration hopes updated boosters could help blunt a winter COVID-19 surge in a population weary of the virus — and of vaccinations. But while the first-ever modification to these vaccines is momentous, it’s more of an expected next step — like how flu vaccines get updated every year — than a true next-generation shot.
“We need to give a clear, forward-looking set of expectations,” said University of Pennsylvania immunologist E. John Wherry, who compares vaccine tweaks to periodically updating your computer software.
WHY DID FDA ORDER COMBO SHOTS?
BA.5 currently is causing nearly all COVID-19 infections in the U.S. and much of the world. Current COVID-19 vaccines match the coronavirus strain that circulated in early 2020. And while those vaccinations still offer strong protection against serious illness or death from COVID-19, there’s little effectiveness against infection from the wildly mutated omicron family.
The gamble is that BA.5, or something similar, still will be circulating when cold weather hits so the combo shots will be a good match. (Vaccines target the spike protein that coat the coronavirus, and the BA.4 and BA.5 spikes are identical although those strains vary in other ways.)
HOW WERE THE MODIFIED SHOTS TESTED?
Pfizer and Moderna both studied an earlier tweak to their vaccines that targets the original omicron, called BA.1, that hit last winter, plus even earlier variants.
FDA will use data from human testing of the BA.1-tweaked doses plus mice tests of the BA.5-targeted version to decide if the newest update spurs virus-fighting antibodies enough to warrant another shot.
But data on the newest tweak will come later in the year, to help assess the value of modified shots. Moderna has started a human study of its BA.5 combo shot; Pfizer and its partner BioNTech expect to open a similar study soon.
WILL THEY WORK BETTER?
No one knows. Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and an FDA vaccine adviser, said the antibody jump from that earlier BA.1-tweaked candidate was “underwhelming.”
“What the administration is asking us to do is to accept this bivalent vaccine as significantly better” than another dose of today’s vaccine, he said. “It would be nice if there were data to support that.”
Plus, antibodies wane over time. That’s why protection against infection doesn’t last as long as protection against serious illness, which depends on a different part of the immune system, its “memory” cells.
Still, current shots are so outdated that an update makes sense, said Dr. Walter Orenstein of Emory University, a former vaccine director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While he’d like to see more data, he plans to get the new booster.
WHO SHOULD GET AN UPDATED SHOT?
That’s up to the CDC, which called a meeting of its influential vaccine advisers next Thursday and Friday to help decide.
Pfizer wants to open its updated boosters to everyone 12 and older who’s already had a primary series of today’s vaccine, while Moderna has applied only for adult use. CDC will determine if people at highest risk should go first.
A government rollout plan anticipates that people who’ve already gotten their initial vaccinations would qualify for one of the new combination shots, regardless of how many boosters they’ve already had.
WHEN SHOULD THOSE ELIGIBLE GET THE NEW BOOSTER?
Again, the CDC will weigh in, after considering how many doses will be available in early September versus later in the fall. The Biden administration has purchased more than 170 million doses.
But immunologists caution not to race out for a new shot if you recently had a dose of the original vaccine or an infection. That’s because if you still have a lot of antibodies in your bloodstream, they’ll recognize and attack the brand new antibodies that vaccine dose is supposed to produce.
So if you already got a booster in July or August and then seek the new combo shot in September, “you’ll receive very little additional boosting from that,” Wherry said. He recommends waiting four to six months.
WILL PEOPLE ROLL UP THEIR SLEEVES AGAIN?
Americans have been reluctant to keep up with COVID-19 vaccinations. While three-quarters of Americans 12 and older have gotten their initial vaccinations, only half got a first booster shot -- deemed crucial for the best protection against variants. And just a third of people 50 and older who were advised to get a second booster when omicron arrived did so.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/tweaked-covid-boosters-close-how-much-will-they-help/ | 2022-08-25T19:36:18Z |
USDA issues alert for frozen chicken tenders that may contain plastic pieces
(CNN) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a public health alert for a frozen chicken product that may contain foreign material.
The USDA issued the alert for Perdue’s frozen ready-to-eat chicken breast tenders labeled gluten-free.
The agency says the product may contain small pieces of clear plastic and blue dye.
The 42-ounce plastic bags of chicken tenders were produced on July 12 and have a “best if used by” date of July 12, 2023, establishment number “P-33944,” and a lot number of 2193.
They were shipped to BJ’s Wholesale Clubs nationwide, and while the stores no longer sell them, some people could already have the product in their homes.
There have been no reports of injuries, but the USDA says you should not eat the tenders.
Instead, the bag should be thrown away or returned to the store.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/usda-issues-alert-frozen-chicken-tenders-that-may-contain-plastic-pieces/ | 2022-08-25T19:36:24Z |
A jury in Oregon has ordered Walmart to pay $4.4 million in damages to a Black man who filed a lawsuit saying he was racially profiled and harassed by an employee while shopping.
In a lawsuit filed against the retail giant last year, Michael Mangum alleges that he was followed around a Walmart in Wood Village, Ore., back in March 2020 by one of the store's asset protection associates.
"Mr. Mangum was not acting violently, did not seem drunk or high, and told the [911] operator, 'he just keeps checking me out,' " according to the criminal complaint.
Mangum, in the amended complaint obtained by NPR, says he was asked to leave once he confronted the security associate — identified in the complaint as Joe Williams. During the altercation, Williams threatened to call authorities if Mangum did not leave the store.
Mangum, who works as a counselor for at-risk youth in the Portland area, refused to leave.
Mangum's lawyer Greg Kafoury told NPR Walmart should use the verdict to assess its security practices and who is hired to carry out those duties.
"They don't have a role in their community. They don't care about the rights of their customers," he said.
Randy Hargrove, Walmart's senior director for national media relations told NPR in a statement, that the company believes the verdict is "excessive" and is "not supported by the evidence."
"We do not tolerate discrimination. We believe the verdict is excessive and is not supported by the evidence," Randy Hargrove said.
"Mr. Mangum was never stopped by Walmart's Asset Protection. He interfered with our associates as they were surveilling and then stopped confirmed shoplifters, and then refused to leave despite being asked to repeatedly by our staff and Multnomah County, Ore., deputies," he added.
Hargrove said the retail giant is reviewing its options, including post-trial motions.
Williams no longer works for Walmart, Hargrove said. The company did not go into detail as to why or when Williams left his position.
According to The Associated Press, the store and Walmart corporate officials kept Williams employed for several more months following the incident — eventually terminating him in July 2020 for "mishandling $35 of Walmart property."
Kafoury said the company's reaction over the lawsuit is disappointing, and it should have taken more responsibility for Williams.
"Walmart's response to this verdict shows that they have no policy — or at least no policy they're willing to enforce — to ensure the honesty and integrity of their loss prevention [associates]," Kafoury said. "They don't learn. They don't listen."
The retail giant has found itself facing similar accusations of racial discrimination from customers.
Last year, two Black men in Texas filed a lawsuit against Walmart alleging they were wrongfully accused of shoplifting when they tried to return a TV. The men, Dennis Stewart and Terence Richardson, are asking for a jury trial in addition to compensatory and punitive damages, according to NBC News.
Earlier this year, a Black man in Georgia also filed a lawsuit after being handcuffed and accused of shoplifting by a loss prevention officer at a Walmart in Fayetteville, according to The Washington Post.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/a-man-is-awarded-a-4-4-million-settlement-after-being-racially-profiled-in-walmart | 2022-08-25T19:54:48Z |
LOS ANGELES — California air regulators will vote Thursday on a historic plan to address climate change and harmful pollution by moving the nation's largest auto market away from the internal combustion engine.
California LOS ANGELES — California air regulators will vote Thursday on a historic plan to address climate change and harmful pollution by moving the nation's largest auto market away from the internal combustion
If approved, the regulation would phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered cars, trucks and SUVs in the nation's most-populous state, culminating in a total ban of new sales of the vehicles by 2035. The ban would not prevent people from using gas-powered vehicles or affect the used car market, but California officials say it will dramatically cut the state's climate-warming emissions and famously dirty air by speeding the transition to electric vehicles.
"California now has a groundbreaking, world-leading plan to achieve 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035," said the state's governor, Gavin Newsom. "It's ambitious, it's innovative, it's the action we must take if we're serious about leaving the planet better off for future generations."
The regulation, which is expected to be approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in a Thursday vote, could have massive repercussions for the country's auto-manufacturing industry and the broader fight against climate change.
Transportation is the largest source of climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions in the country, and scientists have said in increasingly dire language that drastic cuts to those emissions are crucial to providing a liveable future on the planet.
President Joe Biden has set a goal of making half of the nation's new sales zero-emission by 2030. The recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act aims to move consumers that way by providing tax credits to people looking to buy new or used electric vehicles, but there are so many caveats — on everything from the buyers' income level to which models can qualify — that many electric vehicles may not be eligible for the benefit.
Auto industry analysts say the unprecedented move by California could help push the auto market to achieving that goal. Thirteen other states, including Oregon, New York and Colorado, typically follow California's auto emissions standards, which are already the most stringent in the country. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday that his state will set a similar goal of banning new gas-powered car sales by 2035.
"I think, for automakers, they will probably look at this and think this is kind of what they're going to target for most of the country," said Jessica Caldwell, the executive director of insight at the car data company Edmunds.
Auto makers want uniformity, Caldwell said. They don't want to be selling one type of car in one state and others in another. But the transition to electric vehicles, which have been on the market for decades, has been slow.
Electric vehicles account for just 5.6 percent of new-car sales between April and July, according to the latest quarterly report from Cox Automotive, an industry consulting firm. That was a record pace, the report noted, spurred by high gas prices, but supply issues remain.
Reaching 100 percent emission-free new vehicle sales by 2035 will be "extremely challenging," said John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents large automakers.
"Whether or not these requirements are realistic or achievable is directly linked to external factors like inflation, charging and fuel infrastructure, supply chains, labor, critical mineral availability and pricing, and the ongoing semiconductor shortage," he said in a statement. "These are complex, intertwined and global issues well beyond the control of either CARB or the auto industry."
A nationwide shift to electric vehicles would have major health benefits beyond its impacts on global climate change. More than 4-in-10 Americans live with unhealthy air, according to the American Lung Association. And research finds that the negative effects are disproportionately borne by people of color, regardless of income.
A report by the American Lung Association earlier this year found that a nationwide shift to zero-emission vehicles by 2035, as California is seeking, would generate more than $1.2 trillion in public health benefits between 2020 and 2050 and avoid up to 110,000 premature deaths.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/california-is-set-to-ban-sales-of-new-gasoline-powered-cars-by-2035 | 2022-08-25T19:54:55Z |
The University of Wyoming Postal Services manager recently received the Presidential Award from the National Association of College and University Mail Services. According to a press release, Bob Trumbull was the lone recipient of the top award. The Presidential Award is in recognition of long-standing leadership, dedication and commitment to the goals and vision of the organization and to "honor members who have made significant contributions to the association, industry and their individual institutions."
Janet Thorne of Gillette competed in the Onewheel Race for the Rail world championship in Nevada last weekend. According to the Gillette News Record, Thorne was one of 12 women from across the country to qualify for the sport's top race. She claimed 7th place.
Grand Teton National Park is celebrating 50 years of the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway this year. According to the Buckrail, this stretch of land between Yellowstone and Grand Teton was created by congress in 1972 to honor his contributions in support of the National Park Service.
And two utility boxes in Laramie are the first to receive new box wraps designed by local artists for a new public art project. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/thursday-august-25 | 2022-08-25T19:55:01Z |
Shoppers are making fewer purchases and fewer trips to stores. But when they do check out at the register, they often spend more, revealing the impact of inflation. Many lower-income shoppers are cutting back on non-essentials like home decor and spending big at discount dollar stores.
These are some of the takeaways from a spate of mid-year financial report cards released by America's leading retailers, including Walmart, Macy's and Dollar Tree. They reflect a deep uncertainty that has set into the U.S. economy, with inflation running at the highest rate in decades.
Department store chains Macy's and Nordstrom, as well as Victoria's Secret this week joined a growing list of retailers cutting their forecasts for the rest of year. Companies are flagging fewer visits from shoppers compared to a year ago, though some retailers, including home goods seller Williams-Sonoma on Wednesday and Home Depot last week, continued to report growing sales despite slower store traffic.
At Dollar General and Dollar Tree, inflation had the result of boosting sales, the companies reported Thursday, as shoppers sought cheaper groceries, smaller packages and more deals on essentials.
Some retailers seeing a dip in sales have blamed their race to discount and sell off unwanted inventory: an unexpected glut of things like pajamas and kitchen appliances that were hot in the pandemic until suddenly shoppers became more interested in travel and outings to restaurants.
People are still shopping
All this comes against a backdrop of a massive, record-blasting shopping spree that marked 2020 and 2021. This year, as pandemic restrictions lifted, people turned back toward experiences rather than things. And then, as prices for gas and food boosted inflation, more shoppers began to switch to private brands or skip discretionary items.
In surveys, people say they feel extremely anxious about finances. Still, in July, retail sales, when adjusted for inflation, edged up both compared to June and to July 2021 as prices somewhat eased.
"Every metric I see is that the economy is pretty resilient," said Sucharita Kodali, an analyst with Forrester, pointing to higher wages, low unemployment, decent savings levels and retail spending remaining above pre-pandemic levels. "Retail spend, even in spite of inflation, is at a record high."
Shoppers are "under pressure"
This week, Macy's, the largest U.S. department store chain, scaled back its forecast for the full year. The company said its shoppers are not switching to less expensive brands, as other retailers have seen, but rather seeking out discounts and prioritizing purchases such as office clothes as more people return to the workplace in person.
The consumer "is actually still healthy, but they're under pressure. Wage rate is not keeping up with the pace of inflation," CEO Jeff Gennette told Bloomberg on Tuesday, suggesting that upscale shoppers were less affected and luxury goods were selling well.
Kodali points out that many retailers – particularly department stores – had wobbled long before the pandemic, particularly as many malls declined and big brands raced to sell directly to shoppers online.
Economists at Wells Fargo are warning that back-to-school shopping was a major factor boosting retail spending in recent months.
"Once the kids return to school and the bills come due, households will begin to tighten their belts," the company wrote in a report last week. "Even as inflation is showing signs of moderating, it will do so only slowly."
Meanwhile, Walmart – whose vast footprint and low prices make it much more of an economic bellwether – has done an about-face from warnings about the rest of the year to signal better times ahead.
In July, the company alerted Wall Street to slumping profits, as people's high grocery bills made products in other aisles less appealing. But last week, Walmart improved its forecast, noting that its stores were drawing more middle-income and higher-income shoppers.
Walmart's biggest rival Amazon, for its part, last month said it had seen no inflation impact on demand at all, with the company's shoppers continuing to spend more.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/what-our-shopping-choices-say-about-the-u-s-economy | 2022-08-25T19:55:07Z |
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HONOLULU, O'ahu (KITV4) -- Chaminade University has been selected to lead a groundbreaking project to bolster diversity and inclusion in scientific leadership, innovation, and discovery.
The National Science Foundation selected Chaminade University for the $10-million, five-year grant project to create new leadership pathways into data science careers for students and working professionals across Hawai'i and the Pacific region.
“Chaminade University is honored to lead this important initiative charged with empowering STEM leaders for tomorrow from across Hawaii and the Pacific, equipping them with the cutting-edge data analytics skills they need to drive sustainable development,” said Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington.
The grant is part of a comprehensive $39-million effort to establish four new NSF INCLUDES Alliances nationwide designed to bolster diversity and inclusion in scientific leadership, innovation and discovery.
With the help of the transformative funding, Chaminade University’s new United Nations sustainability center, CIFAL Honolulu, and Data Science program will spearhead the launch of the university’s new Alliance Supporting Pacific Impact through Computational Excellence (ALL-SPICE). Working with a consortium of partners, ALL-SPICE will focus on the application of data analytics to solve critical sustainability issues and promote sustainable development across the Pacific region. The program will also focus on workforce development, providing opportunities for skills building in data science to meet employer needs in this high-demand field.
CIFAL Honolulu Executive Director Dr. Gail Grabowsky said ALL-SPICE will be “laser-focused” on data science as critical to helping Hawaii and Pacific region communities meet their sustainable development goals, including bolstering renewable energy, reducing inequality and forming sustainable communities.
The ALL-SPICE Alliance will have three central functions:
Offering training and education programs;
Conducting data science research on sustainable development;
And building capacity for data analytics, including with cyberinfrastructure.
“This project is about putting Pacific data in Pacific hands to effect regional change and develop the capacity for data-driven decision support,” said Grabowsky. “Our communities are facing big challenges and so this alliance is about helping tomorrow’s Hawaii and Pacific leaders to find big solutions.”
The first Alliance programming will begin this September.
Dr. Helen Turner, research director of Chaminade’s CIFAL Honolulu Centre, is the principal investigator for ALL-SPICE along with Data Science Director Dr. Rylan Chong. She said the Data Science program at Chaminade has taken a community-focused approach from the start.
“Our data science faculty has a portfolio approach to data science education that meets students, working professionals and community members where they are to offer academic, training and informal learning programs,” she said. “NSF recognized the potential of applying this strategy across our Pacific region with a focus on using data analytics to promote sustainable development goals.”
The Chaminade University-led consortium includes the University of Hawaii, East-West Center and the Texas Advanced Computing Center.
Chaminade Universityof Honolulu believes in the power of education to drive positive change, broaden perspectives, and deepen our understanding of one another. With an emphasis on transformative service-learning experiences, we prepare students to serve as tomorrow’s leaders, inspiring and challenging them to use their minds and their hearts to help build stronger and more just communities. We are proud to serve as Hawai‘i’s only Marianist university and rely on these values to guide us in delivering a high-quality education with an individualized approach and a focus on excellence, innovation, and change. Established in 1955, we offer more than 30 undergraduate and graduate programs, including doctoral degrees in education, psychology, and nursing practice.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
After nearly 10-years away, this local girl is home! In November 2021, Lia started at KITV as the weekend GMH anchor and a weekday reporter. The 2011 Kamehameha Kapālama graduate worked all across the country and even overseas before finding her way home. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/chaminade-university-receives-10-million-grant-for-united-nations-sustainability-center/article_aafa1fbe-24af-11ed-aa8c-f3cb5e15ae77.html | 2022-08-25T20:36:45Z |
HILO, Hawaii (KITV4) -- "Put the knife down," the officer warned, but the man approached.
"I will shoot you if you don't put the knife down," the officer continued to yell.
But the man continued.
Two shots were fired and the man fell to the ground screaming as several additional officers arrived at the scene.
The suspect would later be immobilized by an electric gun.
But should have the police officer deployed his electric gun first? A firearms training expert weighed in.
"That gentleman had a knife in his hand and was charging after the officers. That is deadly force. They cannot respond with anything less at that moment. When they had other officers there, and they had officers with their firearms out, at that point, because it was safer, they could then utilize the taser," Raymond Craig told KITV4.
Craig, a retired law enforcement officer who now runs Smartraining Hawaii, says the video shows officers working in step to disarm the suspect.
"Taser, Taser," one called out.
Police Chief Paul Ferreira said in a statement, "The suspect is identified as Jordan Cacatian, male, 41, who has had numerous police contacts prior to this incident."
Ferreira described the suspect as having lacerations to wrists and having shattered a bone in the lower part of his leg from the gunshot wounds.
"The suspect was fortunate to be alive, in stable condition, following surgery. But was the intent to shoot the suspect in the leg? Not per training," Craig said. "It's never to go for that. It's always to go for center mass of the largest area which would be here (torso), that needs to stop the person and get them the help that they need."
So why the shot to the legs?
"Because he's moving backward, a little less control. So he was able to maintain control and still be accurate. I commend that restraint. But it did hit the leg, which worked. Nothing wrong with that at all. I commend their training," Craig concluded.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
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/local/firearms-training-expert-weighs-in-on-big-island-police-shooting-tactics/article_7798f306-245b-11ed-afea-1fb87ada16cf.html | 2022-08-25T20:36:56Z |
KAILUA, Hawaii (KITV4) -- New details have been revealed after an ambulance caught fire and reportedly exploded in the driveway of Adventist Health Castle in Kailua, Wednesday night.
According to an officials with Honolulu Emergency Medical Services (EMS), a 91-year-old patient was killed and a paramedic suffered critical injuries when the ambulance caught fire at the hospital. Both the patient and paramedic were riding in the back of the ambulance at the time of the incident.
"We had an ambulance tonight for reasons we don't understand catch on fire, possibly explode, prior to entering the hospital," said EMS Director Dr. Jim Ireland. “We're all just very concerned about our team and the patient that lost their life.”
The patient was being taken to the emergency room when the fire broke out just after 8 p.m. That person died at the scene.
The injured paramedic was first treated by staff at Adventist before being taken to a secondary emergency room at the Straub Burn Unit, officials said. That paramedic has been with Honolulu EMS for eight years.
“Please keep our Paramedic in your thoughts. We are praying he makes a full recovery and know he’s in the best care with the talented team at the Straub Burn Unit,” Ireland said.
The Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) who was driving the ambulance was uninjured in the fire. The EMS crew and ambulance was stationed out of Kaneohe.
“All our paramedics, EMTs and dispatchers are all treasured members of our staff and or family, they save lives every day, and it's just very hard to be in a situation where our team is the ones who are injured. I'll just leave it at that. Please pray for him," Ireland said.
Honolulu Firefighters responded quickly to the scene and had the fire under control within 11 minutes of their arrival, officials said. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. This incident remains under investigation.
Adventist Health Castle is located in the 600 block of Ulukahiki Street in Kailua.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
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/honolulu-ems-crew-en-route-to-er-at-adventist-health-castle-before-deadly-fire-explosion/article_b0ea66d0-24a6-11ed-9b84-bb325c7f1315.html | 2022-08-25T20:36:56Z |
Large trucks have hit the Gulick Avenue overpass in Kalihi many times, causing damage and snarling traffic. But this overpass is about to get some major work on it. Thanks to federal money -- to make it high enough so that oversized trucks won't hit it anymore.
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- Hawaii is expected to receive about $2.5 billion from the Federal Infrastructure Act that will spread out over the next five years. The largest share, about $1.2 billion, will go to improvements on state highways.
Large trucks have hit the Gulick Avenue overpass in Kalihi many times, causing damage and snarling traffic. But this overpass is about to get some major work, thanks to that federal money, to make it high enough so that oversized trucks won't hit it anymore.
It's all part of a $3.6-million project to rehab the H-1 Freeway, from Salt Lake Boulevard to the Airport Viaduct.
Some residents, however, say they are concerned about traffic and a pedestrian walk way planned for the overpass.
“Now its going to be a concern for us have all these pedestrians crossing over this private property driveway. And that is our concern is it going to increase the problems from this big wide bridge to this narrow pedestrian bridge. And then the traffic right. How is the traffic going to be flowing with the school,” said Cheryl, a Kalihi resident who said she has lived in the area for 36 years.
“It is a good thing for the Kalihi side, for our school we are near the bridge. It's for the safety of our keiki and our community,” said Afioifo Pula-Faavale, who's worked at Kalihi Waena Elementary School for 20 years.
The Gulick Avenue overpass will be raised by six inches making it higher than the Kalihi Interchange Bridges, which never gets hit.
"When we start adjusting the length of this gulick overpass it allows us with these structural improvements to increase the height of this structure as well. At this time is about 14 feet 3 inches. And because of that the bottom inch or two of this bridge gets hit weekly by trucks that are a little bit high that are going through this area," said Ed Sniffen with the Transportation Department.
The next step is the DOT has to advertise for bids. Once a contractor is selected, the construction should take up to six months to complete. During that building, Gulick avenue will be closed for three months.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to Cyip@kitv.com
Cynthia is an award-winning journalist who returned to Hawaii as an Anchor/Reporter/MMJ from Houston. She is a graduate of the University of Hawaii with a B.A. and M.B.A. DM her on IG @CynthiaYipTV to share stories. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/plan-in-the-works-to-repair-h-1-freeway-overpass-plagued-by-accidents/article_31e517ca-2430-11ed-b8af-a7e569e14d3a.html | 2022-08-25T20:36:58Z |
The Justice Department must release a redacted version of the Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit by noon on Friday, a federal judge ruled.
The affidavit lays out why investigators believe there was probable cause that crimes had been committed. The warrant authorized the FBI to search former President Donald Trump's home and private club earlier this month.
Earlier Thursday, the DOJ submitted its proposed redactions to US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who issued the order for the public release.
Justice Department Spokesman Anthony Coley said: "The United States has filed a submission under seal per the Court's order of Aug. 22. The Justice Department respectfully declines further comment as the Court considers the matter."
Justice Department prosecutors have emphasized that they need continued secrecy as to not disrupt the ongoing criminal investigation -- especially as they keep confidential grand jury activity and protect witnesses who have or could share information.
In his order, Reinhart said the Justice Department convinced him that portions of the affidavit should remain sealed because "disclosure would reveal (1) the identities of witnesses, law enforcement agents, and uncharged parties, (2) the investigation's strategy, direction, scope, sources, and methods, and (3) grand jury information."
He concluded that DOJ had met "its burden of showing that its proposed redactions are narrowly tailored to serve the Government's legitimate interest in the integrity of the ongoing investigation and are the least onerous alternative to sealing the entire Affidavit."
News outlets ask judge to unseal DOJ brief addressing redactions
Not long after the DOJ's sealed filings about the redactions were submitted, a conglomeration of media companies, including CNN, filed a request with the judge asking to unseal the Justice Department brief addressing the redactions.
The media outlets said the brief should be made public with any redactions necessary to protect the ongoing investigation. Additionally, the media companies asked for the judge to order that, going forward, any documents the Justice Department files under seal in the transparency dispute also be filed publicly with the appropriate redactions.
"As this Court has also recognized, there is little interest in maintaining secrecy with respect to facts about the investigation that the government has already publicly confirmed to be accurate," the news outlets' request said.
At the minimum, the media organizations argued, "any portions of the Brief that recite those facts about the investigation, without revealing additional ones not yet publicly available -- in addition to any other portions that pose no threat to the investigation -- should be unsealed."
"If and when additional facts come to light and are confirmed to be accurate, or certain facts no longer pose a threat to the investigation for any other reason, there is no justification for maintaining them under seal either," the news outlets wrote. "Furthermore, any legal arguments in the government's filings should be made public, even if some of the facts the government recounts remain under seal."
This story has been updated with additional details. | https://www.kitv.com/news/national/justice-department-ordered-to-release-redacted-mar-a-lago-search-warrant-affidavit/article_33df287f-8eb4-5ef1-9433-512e03feda69.html | 2022-08-25T20:36:59Z |
NASA is gearing up for its most consequential launch in decades, launching a rocket built to carry humans on an uncrewed test flight around the moon. It's the first major step for the space agency's Artemis program that aims to one day return astronauts to the lunar surface.
To commemorate the inaugural moon rocket mission, called Artemis I, watch parties — official and unofficial — are popping up all over the country.
It follows how space fans have commemorated other major launches, including the recent return of astronaut launches brought to you by Elon Musk's SpaceX. To be clear, those trips have taken astronauts to and from the International Space Station, which orbits just about 200 miles above ground.
NASA's new spacecraft, on the other hand, will be making a 239,000-mile trek to the moon. It's all a test run for Artemis II, which will have people on board and could mark the first time since the mid-century Apollo program that humans have traveled so deep into our solar system. (Thee are separate plans for a private SpaceX mission around the moon slated for later this year. SpaceX will also be part of the Artemis effort, with plans to build the vehicle that will land astronauts on the lunar surface during the Artemis III mission.)
The big event, which will see NASA's Orion crew capsule launch atop a gargantuan new rocket called the Space Launch System, or SLS, is expected to kick off on August 29 between 8:33 a.m. ET and 10:33 a.m. ET. After liftoff, it'll be a few days before the capsule reaches its path around the moon, but there should be plenty of updates to follow during the spacecraft's 42-day mission.
NASA will be airing the whole thing online and will host a virtual watch party along with several other online rendezvous put on by space-focused organizations. But if you'd rather get decked out in your space-themed paraphernalia, pop some popcorn, and join in on the in-person festivities, we've got a state-by-state rundown of the major events across the country that you can attend. (Just keep in mind, there's still a pandemic going on.)
NASA allowed various groups and organizations to sign up to host official watch parties and offered up educational information for teachers.
As of Wednesday night, there were over 4,000 registered private watch parties — including events slated to take place in family homes, classrooms, schools and universities. And there were nearly 2,500 registered public watch parties slated to kick off at museums, NASA Visitor Centers, planetariums, and more, according to Patricia Moore, an Artemis outreach strategist.
NASA and others within the US government are hoping the event and the hype surrounding it will inspire a new generation of aerospace aficionados.
"The Artemis mission's goal of putting the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon represents a once-in-a-generation chance to inspire our young people to see themselves in space and in science, technology, engineering, and math learning," said Cindy Marten, US Department of Education Deputy Secretary, in a statement. "We're going to need the full spectrum of skill sets to meet the needs and challenges of the future—from physicists to welders. There is room for everyone in space."
Alabama
US Space & Rocket Center • Huntsville, Alabama
Starting at 6:30 am ET, the US Space and Rocket Center will host space fans on its campus for an Artemis launch viewing. One big perk? The center is home to a Saturn V rocket — NASA's original moon rocket that powered the Apollo program. They'll air the Artemis I launch broadcast on a 34.5-foot-screen, and food will be available for purchase on site. Space costumes are encouraged.
Arkansas
University of Arkansas • Fayetteville, Arkansas
The university's science and tech club, better known as UARK STAAR, will be hosting a free watch party — with free breakfast — at the Greek Theater on campus from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. CT. The event is open to the public, though the free food is for students only.
Florida
Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Complex • Merritt Island, Florida
Long a favored watch site for rocket launches, members of the public can try to snag a ticket to watch the SLS rocket and Orion capsule take off in person at NASA's launch site in Florida. The website says tickets, which run from $99 to $250, are already sold out. But if you're in the vicinity of the Space Coast, take note that crowds of thousands have been known to flock to the public beaches — no tickets required — to catch a glimpse of major launches.
Mississippi
Infinity Science Center • Pearlington, Mississippi
Stennis Space Center, a major NASA campus in Mississippi, is hosting a watch party at the nearby Infinity Science Center, and there will be an array of crafty activities. Doors open at 7 a.m. CT.
Missouri
Creative Learning Alliance Lab • Joplin, Missouri
The venue will start its youth-focused party at 6:30 pm local time at a cost of $5 per kid. For homeschooled students, the lab will also be hosting a live watch party starting at 7:30 a.m. local time.
Kentucky
Morehead State University • Morehead, Kentucky
Students will gather at the Space Science Center at the Star Theater in the Space Science Center, and doors will open at 7:30 a.m. ET. Note: That's not open to members of the public.
But Morehead has another option at the university's student center. There are 150 seats, and attendance will be free. The doors open at 7:30 a.m. ET.
Pro tip: Students at Morehead State University helped build a satellite that will actually be on the Artemis mission. It'll detach from the rocket and go on to spend about a year orbiting the moon evaluating how to transport water ice. Students will be gathered at Morehead to watch the NASA livestream of the launch.
Texas
Space Center Houston • Houston, Texas
Doors open at 5:15 a.m. CT. There will be giveaways and other activities. Pro tip: If you stick around after the show, the Space Center has an Artemis exhibit, and it's home to the newly refurbished Apollo mission control. Houston is, after all, home base for overseeing all of NASA's astronaut missions.
Utah
Evermore Park • Pleasant Grove, Utah
Hutchings Museum Institute is hosting one of the official NASA watch parties, complete with prizes and swag bags. It's free with registration. The event will run from 6 to 8:30 pm local time.
Virginia
Interstellar Dreams Space Center • Reston, Virginia
Kicking off at 8 a.m. ET, the event will be hosted at Wiehle Reston Station. Up to 100 people can RSVP, and registration is still open on Eventbrite.
Washington
Spark Central • Spokane, Washington
Spark Central, a nonprofit based in Spokane, will host a watch party will take place from 12 to 3 pm PT.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.kitv.com/news/national/nasa-watch-parties-for-the-artemis-1-mission-are-popping-up-across-the-country/article_e898088f-fefb-50a7-a544-ce261817bb7b.html | 2022-08-25T20:37:20Z |
US military and intelligence officials are stepping up their efforts to defend the electoral process from foreign hacking and disinformation as the November midterms approach, officials said on August 25.
US military and intelligence officials are stepping up their efforts to defend the electoral process from foreign hacking and disinformation as the November midterms approach, officials said Thursday.
Officials are "actively defending against foreign interference and influence operations in U.S. elections," US Cyber Command and the National Security Agency said in a statement, "specifically by focusing on how adversaries seek to undermine U.S. interests and prosperity, the will to vote of the populace, as well as their belief in the sanctity and security of their elections."
US intelligence officials are warning that Russia, China and Iran may seek to interfere in the US voting process or shape voters' perceptions, according to the command.
Asked last month whether the war in Ukraine may distract Russia from interfering in the US midterm elections, FBI Director Christopher Wray said he was "quite confident the Russians can walk and chew gum" and that US officials were preparing accordingly.
US officials also "have to be concerned about hybrid threats," Wray said at a cybersecurity conference at Fordham University in New York. That includes a situation in which foreign operatives might use an "unremarkable cyber incident" to sow "panic or lack of confidence in our election infrastructure," Wray said.
In a separate intelligence bulletin sent to state and local officials this week, the Department of Homeland Security said Russia will likely continue to use its hacking and information operation capabilities to undercut trust in US public institutions and sow discord in the US.
The DHS analysis, obtained by CNN, focuses on Russia's broader cyber activity against various sectors and not specifically on elections.
"Moscow will continue to seek new methods of circumventing US social media companies' anti-disinformation activities to further expand its narratives globally," the memo says.
Facing a rise in violent threats, election officials are under intense pressure as the midterm vote approaches. In addition to any foreign interference, election officials will have to contend with extensive mis- and disinformation about election integrity spread by Americans, many who falsely claim that President Joe Biden was not legitimately elected.
Cyber Command is the US military's offensive and defense cyber unit that has since 2018 increasingly focused on protecting elections from foreign meddling. The command and the NSA, the US signals intelligence agency, again formed an election-security focused team to be on the hunt for foreign threats, as they did in 2020.
Cyber Command did not go into detail in its statement Thursday on recent operations it has conducted to defend US elections, but its past work has included knocking offline a Russian troll farm spouting disinformation during the 2018 election.
US military and intelligence officials have gotten more involved, along with the Department of Homeland Security, in trying to thwart foreign hacking and influence operations following the 2016 presidential election. That year, Russian military intelligence operatives hacked and leaked emails belonging to the Democratic party in an effort to undermine Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, according to US intelligence reports.
Federal and state and local officials now regularly drill for hacking and information operations that could interfere with the vote. Last week, officials from across the country held one such drill involving an array of hypothetical threats to election operations.
"The nation's election officials face a range of challenges, including cyber and physical risks to their infrastructure, and false election information that weaken voters' trust in the process," US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly and other federal and state officials said in a joint statement after the exercise. | https://www.kitv.com/news/national/us-actively-defending-against-foreign-interference-and-influence-in-midterms-cyber-command-says/article_43bb7cc1-b79a-5d92-a0e9-2763be2ac7bd.html | 2022-08-25T20:37:26Z |
Amber Alert: 3-year-old girl from N.D. missing, in danger
MANDAREE, N.D. (KVLY/Gray News) - An Amber Alert has been issued in North Dakota for a missing 3-year-old girl believed to be in danger.
The Three Affiliated Tribes Law Enforcement Services says Amirae Driver was taken from her home in Mandaree by her father, Myron Johnson. Authorities say she was taken Wednesday, and their direction of travel is unknown.
Amirae is described as about 3 feet tall and 40 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Johnson is described as a 45 year old man, 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds with short black hair and brown eyes.
Authorities say he is likely driving a 2014 white Chrysler Town & Country van with ND plates 983-BBG. The van has front end damage and damage to the rear lift gate.
Copyright 2022 KVLY via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/amber-alert-3-year-old-girl-nd-missing-danger/ | 2022-08-25T20:55:13Z |
Deputy elections clerk in Colorado to testify against boss
DENVER (AP) — A woman has struck a plea deal to testify against her boss, a Colorado clerk who became a hero to election conspiracy theorists after she was charged with breaking into her county’s voting system.
Belinda Knisley, who has long been on administrative leave from her role as chief deputy to Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, appeared in district court in Grand Junction on Thursday and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of trespass, official misconduct and violation of duty. She was sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation.
“You engaged in concrete acts to undermine the integrity of our democratic process under the guise of protecting it. In doing so, you abdicated your role as a clerk, you violated your oath and you betrayed your duty,” Judge Matthew Barrett told Knisley during the hearing.
Peters and Knisley were being prosecuted on allegations they allowed a copy of a hard drive to be made during an update of election equipment in May 2021.
Peters is awaiting trial on several felony charges for her alleged role in allowing unauthorized people to break into her county’s election system in search of proof of conspiracy theories spun by former President Donald Trump after his 2020 election loss.
She denies she did anything illegal and contends the charges are politically motivated. She has issued reports purporting to show suspicious activity within voting systems, but those have been debunked by various officials and experts.
Knisley, who had previously denied wrongdoing, said Thursday she was a “rule follower” who was acting at the behest of Peters — an assertion that did not sit well with Judge Barrett.
“Every time you acknowledged what you did, you prefaced it with, ‘I was told to do this. I was told to do that,’ as if you did not know exactly what you were doing and as if you did not know the harm you were engaging in,” the judge said. He added that Knisley’s crimes were “worthy of incarceration,” but he did not want to throw out the plea deal, which did not call for jail time.
State election officials learned of a security breach last summer when a photo and video of confidential voting system passwords were posted on social media and a conservative website.
A judge prohibited Peters from overseeing last year’s and this year’s local elections in Mesa County, a western region of the state that is largely rural and heavily Republican.
Also facing charges is Sandra Brown, a former elections manager in Peters’ office. Brown was charged in July with attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation and conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation.
Peters lost a bid to become the GOP candidate for Colorado secretary of state in June. She came to national attention when she spoke last year at a conference hosted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, one of the most prominent election conspiracy theorists in the country.
Peters is charged with three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation, two counts of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, one count of identity theft, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty and failing to comply with the secretary of state.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/deputy-elections-clerk-colorado-testify-against-boss/ | 2022-08-25T20:55:20Z |
EndZone Game of the Week Preview: Spotswood vs. East Rockingham
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Rockingham County rivals meet in the WHSV EndZone Game of the Week.
Spotswood and East Rockingham are preparing to square off in week one of the high school football season Friday night in Elkton. It will be the first meeting between the two teams in the fall since 2019. Last year’s game was called off due to COVID-19 issues after the teams played in front of a reduced crowd during the 2021 spring season due to COVID-19 policies.
“We have been waiting for it for a while,” said East Rockingham senior running back/linebacker Benjamin Dinkel. “Spotswood is a big one for us.”
Friday night’s matchup marks the debut for East Rockingham head coach Drew Spitzer.
“What this rivalry means to this area, it’s important to play the game and it’s a great game to start the year off with,” said Spitzer, who’s in his first season as head coach at East Rock. “Our guys are excited and I know their kids are excited.”
East Rockingham is looking to build off a 4-6 record last season that ended with a blowout loss in the first round of the Region 2B Playoffs. Spotswood, meanwhile, is hoping the season opener can provide an opportunity to start the 2022 campaign strong after winning just three games combined between the spring and fall seasons in 2021.
“We won both of our scrimmages so we are on a good roll right now and I think we are going to keep that up,” said Spotswood senior tight end/linebacker Nicholas Sheets.
Spotswood head coach Dale Shifflett added: “It’s been nice having the whole preseason normal and we’ve had two scrimmages. First time we have had two scrimmages since 2019.”
Kickoff between the Trailblazers and Eagles is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday night at East Rockingham High School.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/endzone-game-week-preview-spotswood-vs-east-rockingham/ | 2022-08-25T20:55:27Z |
EndZone Week 1 Preview with Cody Elliott
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The high school football season kicks off this week.
WHSV sports director TJ Eck chats with Cody Elliott of the Daily News-Record about some of the top storylines in local high school football heading into week one of the season.
TJ Eck’s ShenValley 7 Ballot - Entering Week 1
1. Riverheads (0-0 Record - This Week: at Waynesboro)
2. Stuarts Draft (0-0 Record - This Week: at William Monroe)
3. Turner Ashby (0-0 Record - This Week: vs. Fort Defiance)
4. Clarke County (0-0 Record - This Week: vs. Warren County)
5. Harrisonburg (0-0 Record - This Week: vs. Albemarle - Thursday night)
6. Central (0-0 Record - This Week: vs. Page County)
7. Waynesboro (0-0 Record - This Week: vs. Riverheads)
To see the full ShenValley 7 Poll from the Daily News-Record, click here.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/endzone-week-1-preview-with-cody-elliott/ | 2022-08-25T20:55:33Z |
Father charged with murder after beating ex-wife in front of their children, authorities say
WARREN, Minn. (KVLY/Gray News) - A 31-year-old mother has died after a brutal attack, with her ex-husband being the main suspect in the assault.
KVLY reports the incident happened Tuesday night when police were called to a home with reports of a domestic dispute.
Authorities said Carissa Odegaard was reportedly attacked that evening by her ex-husband Anders Odegaard, 31, inside the home with their five children witnessing the incident.
According to court documents, a deputy at the scene spotted a man, later identified as Anders Odegaard, walking out of the kitchen with what looked to be blood smeared on his left eyebrow and blood in his hair. The deputy said he saw a woman’s body, later identified as Carissa Odegaard, near the front doorway suffering from severe head trauma.
Court documents said the couple’s children were at home when the attack happened, and Carissa Odegaard was holding their 2-year-old child.
Authorities shared that the couple’s 9-year-old child told investigators his parents got into an argument that evening. He believed his father grabbed a knife or a spatula and hit his mother. The 9-year-old told deputies his father has hit his mother before, but usually with his hand.
The child said his father told him to get out of the house and that’s when he ran to the highway to get help.
Carissa Odegaard was taken to a hospital for her injuries, but her family said she was pronounced dead Wednesday night.
According to court records, the couple separated in July 2020, and their divorce became final in October 2021 after being married for nearly 10 years. Several debts were also outlined in the couple’s court filings, most of which were from Anders Odegaard.
Authorities said Anders Odegaard was charged with one count of second-degree murder from Tuesday’s incident as their investigation continues.
Copyright 2022 KVLY via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/father-charged-with-murder-after-beating-ex-wife-front-their-children-authorities-say/ | 2022-08-25T20:55:40Z |
Following the extension of student loan moratorium, expert says to plan ahead for upcoming payments
$10,000 in debt cancelled for those making under $125,000 yearly
InvestigateTV - President Biden on Wednesday extended the moratorium on student loan payments and canceled $10,000 in debt for borrowers making $125,000 a year or less.
This extension gives borrowers more time to plan for the different loan forgiveness programs and repayment options available.
Robert Farrington, CEO of The College Investor, said about half of all student loan borrowers have had their loan service change over the last two years. “This extra extension will allow borrowers to get organized, figure out who owns their loans these days, where they should be making their payments and ensuring that they have enough time to prepare for when payments do restart,” Farrington said.
Farrington advised borrowers to go to their loan servicer’s website and to ensure their information is correct, including updating addresses, phone numbers, or anything else that has changed.
If you are unsure who your loan servicer is, you can go to studentaid.gov and enter your information to find out. Farrington suggested creating a new budget setting aside money now for when payments resume.
To apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), go to studentaid.gov before October 31. 2022.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/following-extension-student-loan-moratorium-expert-says-plan-ahead-upcoming-payments/ | 2022-08-25T20:55:46Z |
Insulin cap for Medicare patients signals hope for others
WASHINGTON (AP) — Years before he came to the Senate, Raphael Warnock spent time bedside with Georgia residents suffering from the long-term effects of diabetes, a condition made worse by limited access to life-saving drugs like insulin.
“I’ve seen the human face of this up close as a pastor. I’ve been there and witnessed what happens when diabetes goes on untreated,” Warnock said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I’ve been there with families when they received the news that a loved one will have to receive an amputation.”
That work as a pastor helped the freshman senator push Congress to take its first step in limiting the high cost of insulin for millions of Americans.
The passage of the expansive climate change and health care bill this month delivered key Democratic priorities to voters months before the midterm elections, including provisions to lower health care costs.
As a result, by 2026, Medicare will gain the power to start negotiating costs for pharmaceuticals and its beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket prescription costs will be limited to $2,000 starting in 2025.
But the most immediate relief will take effect in January when the cost of insulin for patients on Medicare will be capped at $35 a month.
The provision, a longstanding priority for Democrats, will bring relief to an estimated nearly 2 million people across the country who currently pay an average of $572 annually out-of-pocket for insulin, according to a recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
In Warnock’s state, the annual average is higher, coming in at $591 for more than 50,000 Georgia residents whose lives are dependent on the drug.
Around 7 million Americans require insulin daily and 14% of them are spending nearly half of their income after food and housing costs on the medicine, according to a Yale University study.
“It’s devastating for a family to have to make those choices,” Lisa Murdock, chief advocacy officer for the American Diabetes Association, told the AP. “This is a life-saving medication. You can’t live without it, and we shouldn’t have people in this country who are having to choose to do that.”
The issue of insulin pricing is more pronounced in the U.S. than in other nations, and it has gotten worse over the past two decades. According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, between 2002 and 2013, the price of insulin tripled. And between 2012 and 2016, prices continued to climb, nearly doubling, a congressional report released in March found.
The issue has been a perennial one in Congress, with a broad bipartisan consensus recognizing the problem, but little agreement on a solution. That is why organizations like the American Diabetes Association have sought to fight the battle for affordable insulin in the states, starting in 2019 when Colorado became the first state to institute a cap on copays for insulin.
“From there, we just ran with it,” Murdock said. “We currently have 22 states and the District of Columbia with a monthly copay cap in place and we will continue to work on that as long as we need to raise the conversation.”
While several states passed legislation that capped the price for Medicare and private insurance, the new federal law doesn’t go as far. The legislation introduced by Warnock had initially included the monthly cap both for Medicare recipients and those privately insured.
But during an hourslong voting series, Republicans stripped out the portion that would have included private insurance, which is used by the majority of those in need of insulin. Some of the GOP senators who voted for it to be removed represent states with some of the highest mortality rates for diabetes, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At the time, Republicans who voted against the provision said it violated Senate budget rules, but Democrats intentionally did not drop it, daring their colleagues across the aisle to vote on the Senate floor to strip it out.
“In reality, the Dems wanted to break Senate rules to pass insulin pricing cap instead of going through regular order,” Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, tweeted after the vote. Johnson added that he had previously “voted for an amendment, that Dems blocked, to provide insulin at cost to low-income Americans.”
But Warnock said the quarrel over procedural rules meant failing on substance.
“The blocking of a provision that would have provided the same cap for folks on private insurance is yet another example of why people hate politics and, and what’s wrong with Washington,” he said.
The provision did however get seven Republicans on board. And while it wasn’t enough to pass the broader cap, it was more support than for any previous effort to cap insulin prices in Congress. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated that expanding affordable access to insulin will be a priority for the chamber in September.
Advocates say a potential legislative response to address the gaps in coverage could come in the form of the Insulin Act, a bipartisan proposal introduced last month by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, and Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, that would include a cap on the private marketplace. The legislation also has mechanisms in place that would lower the list price for insulin, providing relief for diabetes patients without insurance.
“We are grateful for the step forward in the Inflation Reduction Act, but now we’re focused and really urging Congress to bring up the Insulin Act as soon as possible,” said Campbell Hutton, vice president of regulatory and health policy at JDRF, a New York-based nonprofit that funds type 1 diabetes research.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/insulin-cap-medicare-patients-signals-hope-others/ | 2022-08-25T20:55:52Z |
Letter: School shooter fixated on guns, dreamed of killing
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Four years before Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 people at a Florida high school, therapists at another school wrote a letter to his psychiatrist saying he was fixated on guns and dreamed of killing others and being covered in blood, testimony at his penalty trial showed Thursday.
Dr. Brett Negin, testifying for the defense, said he never received it.
Negin and another psychiatrist who treated Cruz in the decade leading up to the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School testified during Thursday’s abbreviated court session about the various medications he was given for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other issues. Both said under cross-examination by prosecutors they never saw anything that would have led them to believe he was capable of mass murder.
But Negin, who treated Cruz from 2012 into August 2017, was then shown by the defense a June 2014 letter written to him by a psychiatrist and therapist at Cross Creek School, a campus attended by students with emotional and behavioral problems.
Dr. Nyrma N. Ortiz and therapist Rona O’Connor Kelly’s two-page letter addressed to Negin says Cruz, then 15, was experiencing extreme mood swings, adding, “He is usually very irritable and reactive.” They said he is “inappropriately” obsessed with guns and the military, defiant, verbally aggressive toward his teachers, paranoid and places the blame on others for the problems he creates.
“At home, he continues to be aggressive and destructive with minimal provocation,” the two wrote. He destroyed a television after losing a video game, punched holes in walls and used sharp objects to cut up the furniture and carve holes in the bathroom. He had a hatchet that he used to chop a dead tree in the back yard, but his mother reported she could no longer find it.
Cruz shared at school “he dreams of killing others and is covered in blood.”
The two said he had been assessed for hospitalization, but that never happened. They said they were writing Negin so he could adjust Cruz’s medication.
Negin testified Thursday he never received the letter and no one followed up with him when he didn’t respond. He said Cross Creek’s typical procedure if the staff was having problems with one of his patients was to have a counselor come to his office with the student and parents to discuss the issue.
“This did not happen one time with Mr. Cruz,” Negin said.
Negin also testified that in 2013 he wrote a letter for Cruz’s mother supporting his voluntary hospitalization. That also never happened.
Office and home numbers for Ortiz were disconnected. O’Connor Kelly did not immediately respond to an email Thursday seeking comment.
The defense is trying to show that Cruz, 23, had a long history of mental health issues that were never fully treated. He pleaded guilty in October to the murders — the trial is only to decide whether he is sentenced to death or life without parole.
The defense is trying to overcome the prosecution’s case, which ended earlier this month. It featured surveillance video of Cruz, then 19, mowing down students and staff with an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle as he stalked a three-story building for seven minutes, photos of the aftermath and a jury visit to the building.
For Cruz to receive a death sentence, the seven-man, five-woman jury must be unanimous. If one juror votes for life, that will be his sentence.
__
Associated Press writer Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/letter-school-shooter-fixated-guns-dreamed-killing/ | 2022-08-25T20:56:01Z |
Oscar Mayer is selling frozen wiener pops
Published: Aug. 25, 2022 at 4:12 PM EDT|Updated: 43 minutes ago
(CNN) – Hot dogs and popsicles are often considered summer staples, but what about popsicles that taste like hot dogs?
For some reason, it’s a thing.
Oscar Mayer has launched “Cold Dogs” – a frozen pop that tastes like a hot dog with “both refreshing and smokey umami notes.”
It even comes complete with a mustard swirl.
The box says it all with a label reading, “stupid or genius?”
The answer is up to the people who want to pay $2 at the small number of locations where the cold dogs are sold.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/oscar-meyer-is-selling-frozen-wiener-pops/ | 2022-08-25T20:56:07Z |
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle adopt dog rescued from breeding facility
Published: Aug. 25, 2022 at 4:36 PM EDT|Updated: 19 minutes ago
(CNN) - Meet the newest addition to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex adopted a 7-year-old beagle named Momma Mia.
The couple reportedly met Momma Mia during a visit to the headquarters of the Beagle Freedom Project in Los Angeles earlier this month.
The 7-year-old was one of the thousands of beagles removed from a breeding facility in Virginia. The Beagle Freedom Project rescued her and 26 others.
The nonprofit said it hopes to welcome even more pups who need forever homes soon.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/prince-harry-meghan-markle-adopt-dog-rescued-breeding-facility/ | 2022-08-25T20:56:14Z |
Suspect in alleged shooting plot pleads guilty to illegal re-entry
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A man that Richmond Police said was involved in an alleged shooting plot pleaded guilty Thursday to one felony count of illegal re-entry into the U.S.
Rolman Balacarcel-Bavagas now faces a maximum of two years in prison with one year of supervised release.
According to court records, Balcarcel-Bavargas was deported from the United States on two separate occasions in 2013 and 2014 before returning to the U.S. The documents detail that police found him at a Columbia Street residence in July in Richmond.
Richmond police said in July that Balcarcel-Bavargas and another man, Julio Alvarado Dubon, were planning a mass shooting on July 4.
Prosecutors, however, have not yet filed any charges directly linking either man to an alleged mass shooting plot.
When police searched the Columbia Street residence, they found three firearms, including one assault rifle. The documents show that Dubon claimed to have purchased it at a yard sale.
Court records indicate that the Richmond Police Department reached out to ICE agents to determine Balcarcel-Bavargas’ legal status. An agent determined that he had been removed from the U.S. on two separate occasions and did not obtain legal re-entry.
Balacarcel-Bavagas will be sentenced later this year.
Copyright 2022 WWBT. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/suspect-alleged-shooting-plot-pleads-guilty-illegal-re-entry/ | 2022-08-25T20:56:21Z |
VIDEO: Suspect leading police chase attempts to flee on foot, gets hit by police vehicle
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. (Gray News) – Police in Florida arrested a man who they say stole a box truck and led them on a pursuit earlier this week.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said 33-year-old Brandon J. Baker was charged with multiple felony charges, with more charges pending from the Tampa Police Department.
The chase took place Tuesday morning after the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said they received a request for support from the Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers were pursuing a suspect driving a box truck they said he had stolen out of the Tampa area and driven onto a nearby highway. Police said the suspect had also been involved in an armed carjacking before stealing the truck.
Captured on police dashcam video, the officers chased the suspect on the highway and through a store plaza. When the truck moved back onto the road, police maneuvered their vehicles to stop the truck, causing the suspect to jump out of the vehicle and take off running. Before he could get anywhere, a police vehicle knocked him down and officers jumped out to arrest him.
While being arrested, the man said he wasn’t angry with the police because they were “just doing their jobs.”
Police said Baker was transported to the Alachua County Jail.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/video-suspect-leading-police-chase-attempts-flee-foot-gets-hit-by-police-vehicle/ | 2022-08-25T20:56:27Z |
WATCH: Bald eagle seen going through airport security
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Gray News/TMX) – Transportation Security Administration agents saw a non-traditional traveler go through airport security Monday - an apparent bald eagle.
Elijah Burke shared a video on Twitter of a traveler in Charlotte Douglas International Airport holding the large bird of prey.
The raptor is perched on the arm of a man wearing what looks like a falconry glove or gauntlet and flaps its wings.
“It was my girlfriend, Karleen, who pointed the eagle out to me,” Burke said.
TSA allows small pets, including birds, through security checkpoints, but their travel accommodations are set by each airline.
Some airlines allow small pets to accompany their owners in the cabin of the plane if their travel carrier meets size requirements, while other animals must travel in the cargo hold.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. TMX contributed to this report. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/watch-bald-eagle-seen-going-through-airport-security/ | 2022-08-25T20:56:34Z |
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
When Roe v. Wade was overturned, Indiana became one of the first states to pass a near-total ban on abortion. Medical providers say this is bad news for patients, and it could hurt Indiana's ability to recruit and retain health care workers. WFYI's Farah Yousry spoke with young doctors there who are now reevaluating their future options.
FARAH YOUSRY, BYLINE: It's 7:30 in the morning at Indiana's largest teaching hospital. OB-GYN residents meet with their boss, Dr. Nicole Scott.
NICOLE SCOTT: All right, we'll go ahead and get started.
YOUSRY: Normally, they use these meetings to catch up and discuss the latest journal article. But top of mind today is what happened to one of their colleagues.
SCOTT: Any other abortion care questions? I know this is hard on everyone.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: How's Dr. Bernard doing?
SCOTT: Bernard is actually in really good spirits - I mean, relatively. She has 24/7 security. She has her own lawyer. She has...
YOUSRY: Dr. Caitlin Bernard is an Indiana OB-GYN. She became the target of an onslaught of false accusations from TV pundits and political leaders after she revealed that she provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim who crossed state lines from Ohio to Indiana. Bernard has been a mentor to most of the residents here, like Dr. Beatrice Soderholm.
BEATRICE SODERHOLM: Watching what she went through was scary. I think that was part of the point for those who were putting her through that - was to scare other people out of doing the work that she does.
YOUSRY: Indiana's abortion ban has limited exceptions for rape and incest, fetal abnormalities and if the patient's life is at risk. Medical providers could lose their license and even risk facing up to six years in prison if they don't follow the law. Scott tells her residents there will be 24/7 legal counsel for them. But that's little consolation for most, like chief resident Soderholm.
SODERHOLM: Have you ever made a phone call at 2 a.m.? Even if we have consulting services available, my worry is that you might not get the best advice or the most timely advice. And some of these situations go poorly very quickly.
YOUSRY: That worries Dr. Wendy Tian. She's got a year left in her OB training. She's been open to practicing in Indiana, but that's changed.
WENDY TIAN: I always thought I wanted to do family planning. I'm now thinking about doing, like, something else. But I, for sure, like, don't know if I would be able to stay in Indiana post-graduation.
YOUSRY: A survey of residents and fellows across all specialties at the hospital found that 80% of the doctors said they are less likely to stay and practice in Indiana with the abortion ban. Scott says last year, more than half of them stayed.
SCOTT: I mean, our residents are devastated. I mean, they signed up to provide - I'm sorry - they signed up to provide comprehensive health care to women. And they are being told that they can't do that. And I think it will deeply impact how we recruit and retain people to our state.
YOUSRY: That could be trouble for patients in states like Indiana that already have a shortage of providers. One study suggests that nearly half of all rural counties in the U.S. do not have a single hospital with obstetric services. Dr. Scott says it'll also restrict the hands-on training she can offer doctors in abortion and managing miscarriages. Some programs may send residents to states without abortion restrictions, but that could be a logistical nightmare. All of this has given Beatrice Soderholm a lot to think about. Soderholm was certain she wanted to practice in Indiana. But lately, family in Minnesota have asked why she would stay.
SODERHOLM: I've had to think about it. There's been hesitation in that decision. But it's hard to leave. Sorry.
YOUSRY: She feels a strong connection to her underserved patients in Indianapolis and decided she'll probably stay. Other young doctors may choose to leave. For NPR News, I'm Farah Yousry.
SUMMERS: This story is a part of a partnership that includes Side Effects Public Media, NPR and Kaiser Health News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-15/their-mentor-was-attacked-now-young-ob-gyns-may-leave-indiana | 2022-08-25T20:57:41Z |
Clear bag policy in place for Beaver-Graham game
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) - Mitchell Stadium has been quiet in recent weeks. On Friday night the stadium will be one of the rowdiest places you’ll ever see. With that being said police and school officials want to make sure the environment is not only competitive but also safe.
“Don’t come intoxicated. Don’t try and sneak alcohol into the game. This is a high school football game. This is not a college game where that’s allowed, this is not a professional game where that’s allowed. This is our children and what type of example do you set for your children if you’re showing up intoxicated,” said Bluefield, West Virginia’s Chief of Police, Dennis Dillow.
Since Graham is the home team this year, the game falls under Tazewell County School’s rules.
This year they’re implementing a new clear bag policy. Meaning if you bring in any bag that is not see through it will have to be searched before being allowed into the stadium. The policy also applies to baby strollers as well.
“This policy is not just to protect the participants in the event but also the spectators. We want everyone to come enjoy our athletic events, our other school events and we want them to know we’re doing everything in our power to make it a safe event,” said Tazewell County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Chris Stacy.
Another change coming to the game is the way parking will work. The lots will be closed off until 4:30 p.m. then Bluefield police will be directing drivers where to park.
“I would ask if you’re dropping children off to the game and not staying if you would drop them off at the auditorium and let them walk in from that side it’ll make things a whole lot easier for not necessarily for us but for you to get in and get out,” said Dillow.
Dillow also says people should lock their vehicle to help ensure valuables aren’t easily stolen, though he adds this hasn’t been a problem in years past.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/clear-bag-policy-place-beaver-graham-game/ | 2022-08-25T21:07:02Z |
Deputy elections clerk in Colorado to testify against boss
DENVER (AP) — A woman has struck a plea deal to testify against her boss, a Colorado clerk who became a hero to election conspiracy theorists after she was charged with breaking into her county’s voting system.
Belinda Knisley, who has long been on administrative leave from her role as chief deputy to Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, appeared in district court in Grand Junction on Thursday and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of trespass, official misconduct and violation of duty. She was sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation.
“You engaged in concrete acts to undermine the integrity of our democratic process under the guise of protecting it. In doing so, you abdicated your role as a clerk, you violated your oath and you betrayed your duty,” Judge Matthew Barrett told Knisley during the hearing.
Peters and Knisley were being prosecuted on allegations they allowed a copy of a hard drive to be made during an update of election equipment in May 2021.
Peters is awaiting trial on several felony charges for her alleged role in allowing unauthorized people to break into her county’s election system in search of proof of conspiracy theories spun by former President Donald Trump after his 2020 election loss.
She denies she did anything illegal and contends the charges are politically motivated. She has issued reports purporting to show suspicious activity within voting systems, but those have been debunked by various officials and experts.
Knisley, who had previously denied wrongdoing, said Thursday she was a “rule follower” who was acting at the behest of Peters — an assertion that did not sit well with Judge Barrett.
“Every time you acknowledged what you did, you prefaced it with, ‘I was told to do this. I was told to do that,’ as if you did not know exactly what you were doing and as if you did not know the harm you were engaging in,” the judge said. He added that Knisley’s crimes were “worthy of incarceration,” but he did not want to throw out the plea deal, which did not call for jail time.
State election officials learned of a security breach last summer when a photo and video of confidential voting system passwords were posted on social media and a conservative website.
A judge prohibited Peters from overseeing last year’s and this year’s local elections in Mesa County, a western region of the state that is largely rural and heavily Republican.
Also facing charges is Sandra Brown, a former elections manager in Peters’ office. Brown was charged in July with attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation and conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation.
Peters lost a bid to become the GOP candidate for Colorado secretary of state in June. She came to national attention when she spoke last year at a conference hosted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, one of the most prominent election conspiracy theorists in the country.
Peters is charged with three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation, two counts of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, one count of identity theft, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty and failing to comply with the secretary of state.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/deputy-elections-clerk-colorado-testify-against-boss/ | 2022-08-25T21:07:08Z |
Father charged with murder after beating ex-wife in front of their children, authorities say
WARREN, Minn. (KVLY/Gray News) - A 31-year-old mother has died after a brutal attack, with her ex-husband being the main suspect in the assault.
KVLY reports the incident happened Tuesday night when police were called to a home with reports of a domestic dispute.
Authorities said Carissa Odegaard was reportedly attacked that evening by her ex-husband Anders Odegaard, 31, inside the home with their five children witnessing the incident.
According to court documents, a deputy at the scene spotted a man, later identified as Anders Odegaard, walking out of the kitchen with what looked to be blood smeared on his left eyebrow and blood in his hair. The deputy said he saw a woman’s body, later identified as Carissa Odegaard, near the front doorway suffering from severe head trauma.
Court documents said the couple’s children were at home when the attack happened, and Carissa Odegaard was holding their 2-year-old child.
Authorities shared that the couple’s 9-year-old child told investigators his parents got into an argument that evening. He believed his father grabbed a knife or a spatula and hit his mother. The 9-year-old told deputies his father has hit his mother before, but usually with his hand.
The child said his father told him to get out of the house and that’s when he ran to the highway to get help.
Carissa Odegaard was taken to a hospital for her injuries, but her family said she was pronounced dead Wednesday night.
According to court records, the couple separated in July 2020, and their divorce became final in October 2021 after being married for nearly 10 years. Several debts were also outlined in the couple’s court filings, most of which were from Anders Odegaard.
Authorities said Anders Odegaard was charged with one count of second-degree murder from Tuesday’s incident as their investigation continues.
Copyright 2022 KVLY via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/father-charged-with-murder-after-beating-ex-wife-front-their-children-authorities-say/ | 2022-08-25T21:07:15Z |
Following the extension of student loan moratorium, expert says to plan ahead for upcoming payments
$10,000 in debt cancelled for those making under $125,000 yearly
InvestigateTV - President Biden on Wednesday extended the moratorium on student loan payments and canceled $10,000 in debt for borrowers making $125,000 a year or less.
This extension gives borrowers more time to plan for the different loan forgiveness programs and repayment options available.
Robert Farrington, CEO of The College Investor, said about half of all student loan borrowers have had their loan service change over the last two years. “This extra extension will allow borrowers to get organized, figure out who owns their loans these days, where they should be making their payments and ensuring that they have enough time to prepare for when payments do restart,” Farrington said.
Farrington advised borrowers to go to their loan servicer’s website and to ensure their information is correct, including updating addresses, phone numbers, or anything else that has changed.
If you are unsure who your loan servicer is, you can go to studentaid.gov and enter your information to find out. Farrington suggested creating a new budget setting aside money now for when payments resume.
To apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), go to studentaid.gov before October 31. 2022.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/following-extension-student-loan-moratorium-expert-says-plan-ahead-upcoming-payments/ | 2022-08-25T21:07:22Z |
Insulin cap for Medicare patients signals hope for others
WASHINGTON (AP) — Years before he came to the Senate, Raphael Warnock spent time bedside with Georgia residents suffering from the long-term effects of diabetes, a condition made worse by limited access to life-saving drugs like insulin.
“I’ve seen the human face of this up close as a pastor. I’ve been there and witnessed what happens when diabetes goes on untreated,” Warnock said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I’ve been there with families when they received the news that a loved one will have to receive an amputation.”
That work as a pastor helped the freshman senator push Congress to take its first step in limiting the high cost of insulin for millions of Americans.
The passage of the expansive climate change and health care bill this month delivered key Democratic priorities to voters months before the midterm elections, including provisions to lower health care costs.
As a result, by 2026, Medicare will gain the power to start negotiating costs for pharmaceuticals and its beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket prescription costs will be limited to $2,000 starting in 2025.
But the most immediate relief will take effect in January when the cost of insulin for patients on Medicare will be capped at $35 a month.
The provision, a longstanding priority for Democrats, will bring relief to an estimated nearly 2 million people across the country who currently pay an average of $572 annually out-of-pocket for insulin, according to a recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
In Warnock’s state, the annual average is higher, coming in at $591 for more than 50,000 Georgia residents whose lives are dependent on the drug.
Around 7 million Americans require insulin daily and 14% of them are spending nearly half of their income after food and housing costs on the medicine, according to a Yale University study.
“It’s devastating for a family to have to make those choices,” Lisa Murdock, chief advocacy officer for the American Diabetes Association, told the AP. “This is a life-saving medication. You can’t live without it, and we shouldn’t have people in this country who are having to choose to do that.”
The issue of insulin pricing is more pronounced in the U.S. than in other nations, and it has gotten worse over the past two decades. According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, between 2002 and 2013, the price of insulin tripled. And between 2012 and 2016, prices continued to climb, nearly doubling, a congressional report released in March found.
The issue has been a perennial one in Congress, with a broad bipartisan consensus recognizing the problem, but little agreement on a solution. That is why organizations like the American Diabetes Association have sought to fight the battle for affordable insulin in the states, starting in 2019 when Colorado became the first state to institute a cap on copays for insulin.
“From there, we just ran with it,” Murdock said. “We currently have 22 states and the District of Columbia with a monthly copay cap in place and we will continue to work on that as long as we need to raise the conversation.”
While several states passed legislation that capped the price for Medicare and private insurance, the new federal law doesn’t go as far. The legislation introduced by Warnock had initially included the monthly cap both for Medicare recipients and those privately insured.
But during an hourslong voting series, Republicans stripped out the portion that would have included private insurance, which is used by the majority of those in need of insulin. Some of the GOP senators who voted for it to be removed represent states with some of the highest mortality rates for diabetes, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At the time, Republicans who voted against the provision said it violated Senate budget rules, but Democrats intentionally did not drop it, daring their colleagues across the aisle to vote on the Senate floor to strip it out.
“In reality, the Dems wanted to break Senate rules to pass insulin pricing cap instead of going through regular order,” Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, tweeted after the vote. Johnson added that he had previously “voted for an amendment, that Dems blocked, to provide insulin at cost to low-income Americans.”
But Warnock said the quarrel over procedural rules meant failing on substance.
“The blocking of a provision that would have provided the same cap for folks on private insurance is yet another example of why people hate politics and, and what’s wrong with Washington,” he said.
The provision did however get seven Republicans on board. And while it wasn’t enough to pass the broader cap, it was more support than for any previous effort to cap insulin prices in Congress. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated that expanding affordable access to insulin will be a priority for the chamber in September.
Advocates say a potential legislative response to address the gaps in coverage could come in the form of the Insulin Act, a bipartisan proposal introduced last month by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, and Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, that would include a cap on the private marketplace. The legislation also has mechanisms in place that would lower the list price for insulin, providing relief for diabetes patients without insurance.
“We are grateful for the step forward in the Inflation Reduction Act, but now we’re focused and really urging Congress to bring up the Insulin Act as soon as possible,” said Campbell Hutton, vice president of regulatory and health policy at JDRF, a New York-based nonprofit that funds type 1 diabetes research.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/insulin-cap-medicare-patients-signals-hope-others/ | 2022-08-25T21:07:31Z |
Oscar Mayer is selling frozen wiener pops
Published: Aug. 25, 2022 at 4:12 PM EDT|Updated: 55 minutes ago
(CNN) – Hot dogs and popsicles are often considered summer staples, but what about popsicles that taste like hot dogs?
For some reason, it’s a thing.
Oscar Mayer has launched “Cold Dogs” – a frozen pop that tastes like a hot dog with “both refreshing and smokey umami notes.”
It even comes complete with a mustard swirl.
The box says it all with a label reading, “stupid or genius?”
The answer is up to the people who want to pay $2 at the small number of locations where the cold dogs are sold.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/oscar-meyer-is-selling-frozen-wiener-pops/ | 2022-08-25T21:07:38Z |
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle adopt dog rescued from breeding facility
Published: Aug. 25, 2022 at 4:36 PM EDT|Updated: 31 minutes ago
(CNN) - Meet the newest addition to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex adopted a 7-year-old beagle named Momma Mia.
The couple reportedly met Momma Mia during a visit to the headquarters of the Beagle Freedom Project in Los Angeles earlier this month.
The 7-year-old was one of the thousands of beagles removed from a breeding facility in Virginia. The Beagle Freedom Project rescued her and 26 others.
The nonprofit said it hopes to welcome even more pups who need forever homes soon.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/prince-harry-meghan-markle-adopt-dog-rescued-breeding-facility/ | 2022-08-25T21:07:45Z |
Test Football Poll
Published: Aug. 25, 2022 at 3:47 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) - Here’s a test poll.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) - Here’s a test poll.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/test-football-poll/ | 2022-08-25T21:07:51Z |
VIDEO: Suspect leading police chase attempts to flee on foot, gets hit by police vehicle
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. (Gray News) – Police in Florida arrested a man who they say stole a box truck and led them on a pursuit earlier this week.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said 33-year-old Brandon J. Baker was charged with multiple felony charges, with more charges pending from the Tampa Police Department.
The chase took place Tuesday morning after the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said they received a request for support from the Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers were pursuing a suspect driving a box truck they said he had stolen out of the Tampa area and driven onto a nearby highway. Police said the suspect had also been involved in an armed carjacking before stealing the truck.
Captured on police dashcam video, the officers chased the suspect on the highway and through a store plaza. When the truck moved back onto the road, police maneuvered their vehicles to stop the truck, causing the suspect to jump out of the vehicle and take off running. Before he could get anywhere, a police vehicle knocked him down and officers jumped out to arrest him.
While being arrested, the man said he wasn’t angry with the police because they were “just doing their jobs.”
Police said Baker was transported to the Alachua County Jail.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/video-suspect-leading-police-chase-attempts-flee-foot-gets-hit-by-police-vehicle/ | 2022-08-25T21:07:57Z |
WATCH: Bald eagle seen going through airport security
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Gray News/TMX) – Transportation Security Administration agents saw a non-traditional traveler go through airport security Monday - an apparent bald eagle.
Elijah Burke shared a video on Twitter of a traveler in Charlotte Douglas International Airport holding the large bird of prey.
The raptor is perched on the arm of a man wearing what looks like a falconry glove or gauntlet and flaps its wings.
“It was my girlfriend, Karleen, who pointed the eagle out to me,” Burke said.
TSA allows small pets, including birds, through security checkpoints, but their travel accommodations are set by each airline.
Some airlines allow small pets to accompany their owners in the cabin of the plane if their travel carrier meets size requirements, while other animals must travel in the cargo hold.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. TMX contributed to this report. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/watch-bald-eagle-seen-going-through-airport-security/ | 2022-08-25T21:08:04Z |
Age: 33
Political Party: Democrat
Education: Associate Degree
Prior Political Experience: None
Why Did You Decide To Run For This Position: As a parent, I work hard to teach my four boys the power of standing up for our values and working to make a difference in our community. I am running to set an example for them of our obligation to care for one another and fight for the people and places that we love. Honest, civil discourse, and a free exchange of ideas is essential to our democracy. The current political climate characterized by party ideology does not accurately reflect our shared Wyoming values. We need leaders who will work hard to solve the State’s problems by listening and responding to the voices of their community. I love our Equality State, and believe in the promise of our Magic City of the Plains. I will work hard to Champion the issues that matter most to the people of Senate District 7.
What Makes You Qualified For This Elected Office: Politics is a public service. I have been serving the people of Cheyenne for over a decade professionally in the service industry as well as volunteer and advocacy work with churches and organizations like Healthy Wyoming and Habitat for Humanity.
Less than 7 years ago I was a struggling waitress on food stamps and a rent voucher. That support, coupled with hard-work and determination, enabled me to become a top producer in a successful real estate brokerage, a homeowner, and a business owner managing my own rental properties. I know the struggles folks from many different walks of life face in our communities. I will use my experiences and work ethic to advocate for all Wyomingites. I will always fight to hold our leaders responsible to fulfill Wyoming's promise of peace, safety and happiness for all its people. The way forward requires showing up, working hard, and listening to all stakeholders. I am committed to carrying these voices to the Legislature as the next Senator for Wyoming’s 7th District.
How Do You Believe You Differ From Your Opponents: The people of Senate District 7 know that everyone benefits when we can work together towards common-sense, bipartisan legislation. The representative for this district has the opportunity to be the voice of steady, grounded, Wyoming-centered leadership - but we have to show up. My opponent, while a kind man, has an abysmal attendance record. He has missed many committee meetings and important votes. He missed the entire special session, while instead, he was traveling abroad. While I love to travel as much as the next person, when it's time to show up for Wyoming, we need you here. I show up for my constituency. I will continue to show up and fight for the people of Wyoming.
What Are Your Priorities Should You Be Elected Discuss Your Platform: Education: A strong public education system empowers Wyoming’s next generation to power our economy. Wyoming educators have been on the front lines of our State’s battles against budget cuts for over a decade. This must end. My plan for Wyoming’s students, educators, and parents includes fighting for competitive salaries, revisiting assessment requirements to reduce standardized testing, and Investments in internship and job training opportunities.
Housing: As a Realtor, I’ve seen firsthand the struggle that Wyomingites face with the ballooning costs of housing. As your Senator, I will work to take decisive action to address this worsening crisis through establishing and fully funding a housing state trust fund, continuing support of the WCDA, streamline the building permit process by reducing red-tape and loosening zoning restrictions
Healthcare: I spent the last two years working with Healthy Wyoming to bring the voices of Wyoming citizens to the Legislature and expand Medicaid. Our work has shown that this is not a partisan issue. The majority of Wyomingites want the State to expand Medicaid coverage and provide affordable healthcare access to all of our neighbors. Unfortunately, your current leaders aren’t listening. In the Legislature, I will champion the cause so we can finally make this a reality.
Do You Believe The State Government Is Adequately Funded If Not What New Ways To Generate Revenue Do You Support: No. We’ve known since the 1970’s that basing our economy on fossil fuels exposes our state’s revenue to boom and bust cycles. The legislature’s failure to diversify our economic opportunities and develop steady streams of income continues to leave us at the mercy of volatile energy markets. Unfortunately, this puts a strain on our first responders, dedicated public servants, and families throughout the state that struggle when energy jobs dry up. Today, Wyoming has real opportunity to be a leader in renewable energy development, carbon capture, and other 21st century jobs. We should capitalize on what makes Wyoming great by promoting our tourism industry. I’m also interested in pursuing proposals to incentivise Wyoming film production. Shows about Wyoming should be filmed in Wyoming!
Do You Think The States K-12 Schools Are Adequately Funded If Not How Would You Generate More Funding For Them: No. Wyoming’s constitution makes quality education a fundamental right of every child in our state. Yet our legislators continued inaction towards diversifying revenue streams leaves our schools at the mercy of volatile energy markets. Instead of solutions, we demand our education system to do more with less. This puts undue strain on our educators and violates the rights of Wyoming citizens. The citizens of Wyoming are frustrated watching educators struggle to educate our children with the limited resources at hand. The legislature must act to diversify school funding so that the constitutional rights of our children are ensured. It begins with advocating for sound tax policy that is justified, equitable, stable, and transparent as a basis to support a growing population and enable us to invest in alternative revenue streams for education and our state as whole.
Do You Support The Expansion Of Wyomings Medicaid Program Why Or Why Not: YES! I have spent the last two years working with coalitions and grassroot advocacy groups throughout the state to help bring the voices of Wyoming citizens to the Legislature to finally expand the Wyoming Medicaid health insurance program. These efforts demonstrated that every corner of Wyoming overwhelmingly supports this common sense legislation. We understand that expanding Wyoming’s Medicaid Health Insurance program will improve access to healthcare in Wyoming for all of its citizens. This includes directly providing healthcare coverage for 24,000 Wyomingites who continue to go without care due to the inaction of our current Legislature. Expansion will also provide needed revenue to rural hospitals, which will create jobs, expand healthcare opportunities across the state, and lower premiums for private health insurance plans. When a proposal benefits so many it should be a priority for everyone serving in public office. The time for Medicaid Expansion is now. It’s time to elect leaders to get the job done.
What Is Your Stance On Abortion: Abortion is healthcare. I’m aware that the circumstances that push individuals to seek abortions are too varied for a one size fits all perspective. I know that my constituents have varying beliefs about the procedure. Unfortunately, "the abortion debate" has politicized a procedure that has saved the lives of countless women. Our efforts should prioritize working together so families have the support they need to raise children in Wyoming. That way no one feels forced to seek an abortion due to a lack of resources. I support access to contraceptive measures for all and the right to the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare, including maternity care, and pre/post-natal care. We need to have more honest conversations about this topic and get the government out of the lives of families making this decision.
Do You Support Protecting The Rights Of Lgbtq Residents If So How Would You Go About Doing So: LGBTQ+ citizens are our equals in all respects. The Wyoming Constitution guarantees that “all members of the human race are equal,” and that political rights and privilages shall be guaranteed “without distinction of race, color, sex, or any circumstance or condition whatsoever.” The United States Supreme Court agreed that the federal constitution carries these same guarantees. Nevertheless, many of our state laws are outdated and do not reflect this common understanding. When elected, I will work with my colleagues in the legislature to correct this oversight so that our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors will see themselves reflected in our laws.
Do You Agree That More Resources Need To Be Put Into Mental Health Services And Suicide Prevention If So How Would You Address These Issues: Recent efforts to expand the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline in Wyoming should be applauded. Sadly, Wyoming’s suicide rate is nearly double the national average. We clearly aren’t doing enough. Expanding Medicaid will provide additional resources and mental health services to the nearly 24,000 citizens who are currently denied this opportunity. Beyond that, I will use my experience working with and listening to healthcare providers across the state to find additional proven methods to bring quality mental health services to the state.
How Can We Enhance The States Energy Industry While Also Addressing The Impacts Of Climate Change What Is The Legislatures Role In This Issue: Wyoming has provided the energy that drives America for generations. This should be as true with clean and renewable technologies as it has been for fossil fuels. In fact, we should use our proven track record of economic incentives, tax credits, state investment, and conservation to lead America into its clean energy future. In the legislature I will support efforts to take Wyoming into the 21st Century as an energy leader for generations to come.
How Do You Plan To Balance The Needs Of The Constituents In Your District With The Needs Of The State As A Whole: All of Wyoming benefits when we can work together towards common-sense, bipartisan legislation. All of our children deserve quality education. Everyone deserves access to high quality, affordable healthcare. Inadequate housing inventory and housing unaffordability is hurting neighborhoods in Campbell County and Laramie County. Most often the issues my constituents are facing are affecting citizens across the state. The adage that Wyoming is one big neighborhood with a long street is accurate! As the representative for Senate District 7 I will advocate for the needs of my constituents and in doing so, improve the lives of all Wyoming citizens.
What Other Information Would You Like Voters To Know About You: My entire life is here in Cheyenne. Senate District 7 is my home. I live here, work here, and play here. My children attend our incredible schools and my husband works for the local hospital. Everything I love is here in Wyoming so the stakes are high and my intentions are pure: I believe Wyoming is the most incredible place to raise a family, start a business and realize the American dream. I want to ensure this promise is preserved for my children and all future generations. The best way to do that is together. If you’re tired of politics as usual, join us in building something better. Visit kindredforwyoming.com for more information and to get involved. For our families. For our communities. For Wyoming. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/elections/election_2022/marcie-kindred/article_61b4f0a0-24b3-11ed-9ae8-7f6fa544b097.html | 2022-08-25T21:19:26Z |
GREEN RIVER — The 17th Annual Art on the Green was held Aug. 19 and 20, 2022. The event was well received by the community. Forty-Five artists from Utah and Wyoming competed in the 2D and 3D Art competition for 24 hours straight. The weekend began with a bang at 11 a.m. on Friday. All competitors began the creative process in a variety of mediums including, watercolor, oil, clay, airbrush and more. The following are the results from this weekend’s Art on the Green event.
Artists’ Choice:
(Professional 2D)
1st place — Jill Hartley
2nd place: Tyrell Jasperson
3rd place: Michael Parker
Semi-Professional 2D:
1st place — Mary Parker
2nd place — Ben Nathan
3rd place — Bryce Castillon
Professional 3D:
1st place — Jeff Rudolph
2nd place — Mont Crosland
3rd place — Mary Shaw
Non-Professional 3D:
1st place — Wayne Kertz
2nd place — Aiden Shultz
Mayor’s Choice Awards:
Mia Rosas
Bryce Castillon
Andrew Kneeland
People’s Choice:
2D — Jamie Green
3D — Mary Shaw
Judges’ Choice Results
High School 2D:
1st place — Tyler Castillon
2nd place — Natalie Parker
High School 3D:
1st place — Maya Wiekhorst
2nd place — Mia Rosas
Amateur 2D:
1st place — Brooke Andreasen
2nd place — Mariah McDowell
Semi-Professional 2D:
1st place — Ben Nathan
2nd place — Amanda Romero
3rd place — Bryce Castillon
Non-Professional 3D:
1st place — Aiden Schultz
2nd place — Wayne Kertz
Professional 2D:
1st place — Michael Parker
2nd place — Jill Hartley
3rd place — Scott Blume
Professional 3D:
1st place — Mary Shaw
2nd place — Mont Crosland
3rd place — Jeff Rudolph
Rudy Gunter Memorial Award:
Chad Spalding
Other associated events included the 7th Annual Battle on the Green competition which kicked off on Friday at 4:30 p.m. with nine competitors painting head to head. A theme for each battle round was drawn by a member of the Green River Arts Council and competitors had only five minutes to prepare. After the five minutes of preparation, they had 30 minutes to create a work of art that was then judged by the community and a panel of judges. The judges’ choice for Battle on the Green was Brooke Andreasen and the People’s Choice went to Andrew Kneeland. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/advertising_and_marketing/art-on-the-green-competitors-drum-up-masterpieces-in-24-hours/article_53f24f72-249e-11ed-9c61-03619a23111a.html | 2022-08-25T21:19:32Z |
With several projects catching the attention of Laramie City Council, the city continues a handful of improvement projects to local roads and signals.
City Council has given the go-ahead for a professional services agreement with Loveland, Colorado-based Altitude Signal to create a network outline for more than half the city’s traffic signals.
“Near each traffic signal we have a cabinet that houses the controllers and camera detection equipment,” Laramie Public Works Director Brooks Webb told the council during a meeting last week. “Basically, there’s a computer inside these cabinets that operates the traffic signals. This project wirelessly networks 13 of our 22 traffic signals.”
Creating a network to connect the 13 traffic signals would allow for remote repairs during late nights or in cases of severe weather where technicians may be in danger on the job. Council member Andrea Summerville said she’s concerned about cyber safety with the online network.
“(Cybersecurity) is definitely something we’ve talked about and we’re working with the city’s IT folks on firewalls and all the security. They’re aware of the system and have no concerns at this time,” said Webb.
A recent cybersecurity threat in downtown Laramie punctuates the point that in the virtual world, there isn’t anyplace too rural or off the beaten path to be a target.
A June 21 “swatting” incident closed several streets and prompted an evacuation of an area of downtown for more than two hours. Someone called the local dispatch center claiming to be armed with a rifle and threatening to shoot people at a business.
The male suspect also claimed he had planted an explosive device in a vehicle in the area.
Although the threats were ultimately determined to be unfounded, an investigation showed the suspect made the threat from afar after viewing a part of downtown through a public webcam.
City Council was unanimous in its approval of the road and signal work.
Additionally, the council heard the second public reading of a vacation notice between 14th and 15th streets on Lewis Street. Council member Bryan Shuster proposed an amendment on this agenda item, which would require the Willett entrance to the University of Wyoming Lab School to be at least 45 feet wide for parents to safely drop their children off.
Summerville seconded this amendment, but Mayor Paul Weaver said the council may not be the appropriate venue to propose traffic-related changes.
“I would advise against trying to amend an ordinance with details of changes that UW would agree to and that the council might like. I think that’s a very awkward way to do things,” said City Attorney Bob Southard.
He encouraged the council to speak to representatives from UW about those details.
Vice Mayor Jayne Pearce added that the area Shuster proposed the effort for does not belong to the city, and confirmed that UW representatives would be the necessary group to make these arrangements with. Summerville said that UW representatives had recommended a co-written letter instead of this amendment which would be signed by UW and the city.
Additionally, Summerville brought attention to the transportation needs of the UW Lab School and would bring more info to the council this week.
With these two projects, the city also posted an update on its construction project on 9th Street from Harney to Shield streets. Work in the neighborhood is expected to be completed sometime in mid to late September after reconstruction of the roadway, concrete improvements and limited utility adjustments are completed. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/construction/laramie-moves-ahead-with-road-improvements/article_12e3680e-249e-11ed-aa4a-4b67aeebfc9b.html | 2022-08-25T21:19:38Z |
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
CHEYENNE – Legislators hope to provide state funding to the Wyoming Guard for future recruitment and retention efforts.
The Wyoming Military Department has reiterated its need for support in the wake of being seven percentage points below the strength goal of 102% in 2021, which members of the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee heard Wednesday. Without funding for incentives from the state, it could be nearly a decade before the department meets the 100% threshold.
Even with this year being a large success in terms of accessions, officials said they are bracing for the impacts of COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Many are waiting for their religious accommodations, or other aspects of the process, and will no longer be able to serve if not approved.
“We anticipate that number may go down to as low as 85% of our end strength,” said Maj. Karen Hinkle. “So, you’ll see a pretty significant dip.”
In response to these concerns, leaders of the Transportation Committee asked the Legislative Service Office to draft two bills before its next meeting in early November. One is designed to temporarily fund incentive payments for successful referrals to the Guard, which would include a starting appropriation of $350,000 per biennium, and another bill would enhance existing state education and tuition benefits for Guard members.
The two bills are based on proposals put forward by a working group that identifies and studies opportunities to address recruiting and retention goals. Hinkle said the department has discovered it is a more complex issue than a lack of desire from candidates.
In fiscal year 2019, the Department of Defense as a whole attracted 565 candidates from Wyoming, and in 2022, it decreased to only 241 applicants.
“The Wyoming Army National Guard has captured 41% of the market of all new people in Wyoming who are joining in military service. The only thing that’s been kept out of that number is the Air National Guard,” said Hinkle, who didn’t clarify why the Air Guard number wasn’t included. “So, our recruiting team is doing a fantastic job when it comes to attracting applicants. The problem is the applicant pool has shrunk significantly.”
Other factors leading to a decline in accessions has been a lack of qualified applicant pool; low test scores; increased medical issues, criminal records and disqualifying mental health conditions; and deterrence due to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Wyoming military data also shows a decrease in retention. The top reasons for leaving include retirement, members rendered ineligible to serve due to medical issues, declining to re-enlist because of political concerns of benefits being used up and interstate transfer. They often stay for incentives, quality of life, military education and a sense of community.
Incentivizing service
Tapping into incentives is key for both military officials and lawmakers.
One of the more direct paths is providing a cash bonus of $500 to Guard members who make a successful referral. The appropriation would be included in an individual bill. Since it was recommended as a three-year program, the department would likely receive $525,000 from the Legislature. Several other states have adopted a similar program, and Hinkle said the department believes it will maximize peer-to-peer recruiting.
The second piece of legislation that will be considered at the next Transportation Committee meeting covers additions to the Wyoming National Guard tuition assistance program. It currently limits participation to one program for a degree, requires a six-year service commitment, and there is no option to transfer the benefit to spouse or dependents, unlike the GI Bill.
Hinkle said with additional funding from the state, the Wyoming Military Department could put it toward authorizing the transfer of unused benefit to a spouse or dependent, and authorize funding for individuals to obtain a second degree from the state. They would have to commit to additional years in the Guard in exchange.
“The goal here is to really incentivize them to stay past that first term of service,” she said.
Committee members also discussed other recruitment and retention measures that will not be developed into draft bills yet, but target members to relocate to Wyoming or incentivize out-of-state members to join Wyoming Guard units. Some of those included reduction in vehicle registration rates, property tax exemptions, as well as reduced costs for hunting, fishing and camping permits, preferential treatment for hunting tag draws and admission to state recreational facilities.
The working group made up of legislators and military recruitment officials will continue to deliberate on those topics, as well as returning the Combat Vets Tuition Program to its original benefit level.
Jasmine Hall is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s state government reporter. She can be reached by email at jhall@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3167. Follow her on Twitter @jasminerhphotos and on Instagram @jhrose25. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/economy_and_labor/legislators-hope-to-provide-support-to-wyoming-guard-for-recruitment/article_3860caae-249e-11ed-856d-ef235d35f985.html | 2022-08-25T21:19:45Z |
Parts of Boston's subway system, known as the "T," have been shut down for repairs. Just about everyone agrees the fixes are necessary, but commuters are now dealing with delays and confusion.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Parts of Boston's subway system, known as the "T," have been shut down for repairs. Just about everyone agrees the fixes are necessary, but commuters are now dealing with delays and confusion.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/boston-t-riders-lament-over-the-subway-shutdowns-for-repairs | 2022-08-25T21:25:27Z |
Updated August 25, 2022 at 4:58 PM ET
LOS ANGELES — California air regulators voted Thursday on a historic plan to address climate change and harmful pollution by moving the nation's largest auto market away from the internal combustion engine.
The regulation will phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered cars, trucks and SUVs in the nation's most-populous state, culminating in a total ban of new sales of the vehicles by 2035. The ban will not prevent people from using gas-powered vehicles or apply to the used car market, but California officials say it will dramatically cut the state's climate-warming emissions and famously dirty air by speeding the transition to electric vehicles.
"California now has a groundbreaking, world-leading plan to achieve 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035," said the state's governor, Gavin Newsom. "It's ambitious, it's innovative, it's the action we must take if we're serious about leaving the planet better off for future generations."
The regulation, which was approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in a Thursday vote, could have massive repercussions for the country's auto-manufacturing industry and the broader fight against climate change.
Transportation is the largest source of climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions in the country, and scientists have said in increasingly dire language that drastic cuts to those emissions are crucial to providing a livable future on the planet.
President Joe Biden has set a goal of making half of the nation's new sales zero-emission by 2030. The recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act aims to move consumers that way by providing tax credits to people looking to buy new or used electric vehicles, but there are so many caveats — on everything from the buyers' income level to which models can qualify — that many electric vehicles may not be eligible for the benefit.
Auto industry analysts say the unprecedented move by California could help push the auto market to achieving that goal. Thirteen other states, including Oregon, New York and Colorado, typically follow California's auto emissions standards, which are already the most stringent in the country. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday that his state will set a similar goal of banning new gas-powered car sales by 2035.
"I think, for automakers, they will probably look at this and think this is kind of what they're going to target for most of the country," said Jessica Caldwell, the executive director of insight at the car data company Edmunds.
Auto makers want uniformity, Caldwell said. They don't want to be selling one type of car in one state and others in another. But the transition to electric vehicles, which have been on the market for decades, has been slow.
Electric vehicles account for just 5.6 percent of new-car sales between April and July, according to the latest quarterly report from Cox Automotive, an industry consulting firm. That was a record pace, the report noted, spurred by high gas prices, but supply issues remain.
Reaching 100 percent emission-free new vehicle sales by 2035 will be "extremely challenging," said John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents large automakers.
"Whether or not these requirements are realistic or achievable is directly linked to external factors like inflation, charging and fuel infrastructure, supply chains, labor, critical mineral availability and pricing, and the ongoing semiconductor shortage," he said in a statement. "These are complex, intertwined and global issues well beyond the control of either CARB or the auto industry."
A nationwide shift to electric vehicles would have major health benefits beyond its impacts on global climate change. More than 4-in-10 Americans live with unhealthy air, according to the American Lung Association. And research finds that the negative effects are disproportionately borne by people of color, regardless of income.
A report by the American Lung Association earlier this year found that a nationwide shift to zero-emission vehicles by 2035, as California is seeking, would generate more than $1.2 trillion in public health benefits between 2020 and 2050 and avoid up to 110,000 premature deaths.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/california-bans-sales-of-new-gasoline-powered-cars-by-2035 | 2022-08-25T21:25:33Z |
Unripe watermelons are cooked over flames are a summer delicacy available only for a short time. The dish is made in the southern part of Gaza, traditionally associated with Bedouin desert culture.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Unripe watermelons are cooked over flames are a summer delicacy available only for a short time. The dish is made in the southern part of Gaza, traditionally associated with Bedouin desert culture.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/for-some-in-the-gaza-strip-summer-tastes-like-a-baby-watermelon-cooked-over-flames | 2022-08-25T21:25:40Z |
An Islamabad court extended former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's bail period on Thursday, as he faces terrorism charges. Efforts to punish him only seem to boost his popularity in the country.
Copyright 2022 NPR
An Islamabad court extended former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's bail period on Thursday, as he faces terrorism charges. Efforts to punish him only seem to boost his popularity in the country.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/former-pakistan-leader-sees-legal-action-that-may-impact-future-political-involvement | 2022-08-25T21:25:46Z |
A controversial new Japanese government campaign is urging young people to drink more alcohol to boost the economy. It comes as young Japanese people are turning away from drinking.
Copyright 2022 NPR
A controversial new Japanese government campaign is urging young people to drink more alcohol to boost the economy. It comes as young Japanese people are turning away from drinking.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/japan-is-urging-its-youth-to-drink-more-alcohol | 2022-08-25T21:25:53Z |
A vulnerable Kansas Democrat, Rep. Sharice Davids, is hitting her Republican challenger over abortion rights after Kansans soundly rejected an anti-abortion ballot issue.
Copyright 2022 NPR
A vulnerable Kansas Democrat, Rep. Sharice Davids, is hitting her Republican challenger over abortion rights after Kansans soundly rejected an anti-abortion ballot issue.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/rep-davids-is-using-kansas-vote-against-anti-abortion-measure-to-defend-her-seat | 2022-08-25T21:25:59Z |
President Biden's plan to erase up to $20,000 in college debt for tens of millions of borrowers is drawing praise and criticism. Some welcome relief, but others say he should address tuition costs.
Copyright 2022 NPR
President Biden's plan to erase up to $20,000 in college debt for tens of millions of borrowers is drawing praise and criticism. Some welcome relief, but others say he should address tuition costs.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/the-economic-arguments-for-and-against-bidens-student-debt-relief-plans | 2022-08-25T21:26:05Z |
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Mary Ziegler, professor of law at UC Davis, to discuss the impact of the trigger laws banning abortion in Tennessee, Idaho, Texas and North Dakota.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Mary Ziegler, professor of law at UC Davis, to discuss the impact of the trigger laws banning abortion in Tennessee, Idaho, Texas and North Dakota.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/trigger-laws-in-now-14-states-place-further-restrictions-and-punishments-on-abortion | 2022-08-25T21:26:11Z |
In Uvalde, Texas, the community is still grieving three months after a deadly shooting at Robb Elementary, and are now responding to school district police chief Pete Arredondo's firing.
Copyright 2022 NPR
In Uvalde, Texas, the community is still grieving three months after a deadly shooting at Robb Elementary, and are now responding to school district police chief Pete Arredondo's firing.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/uvalde-families-are-grappling-with-1st-school-year-since-deadly-shooting | 2022-08-25T21:26:17Z |
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks to Stephen Grey, the host of Who Killed Daphne. The podcast investigates the 2017 death of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a car bomb in Malta.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks to Stephen Grey, the host of Who Killed Daphne. The podcast investigates the 2017 death of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a car bomb in Malta.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/who-killed-daphne-podcast-seeks-answers-and-justice-for-daphne-caruana-galizia | 2022-08-25T21:26:23Z |
Six months into the war in Ukraine, why should the U.S. continue to care and spend billions of dollars on the war when Europe is so ambivalent? And what do U.S. officials see as the end game?
Copyright 2022 NPR
Six months into the war in Ukraine, why should the U.S. continue to care and spend billions of dollars on the war when Europe is so ambivalent? And what do U.S. officials see as the end game?
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/why-the-u-s-cares-about-the-war-in-ukraine | 2022-08-25T21:26:30Z |
Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country.
The hurricane caused billions of dollars of damage to the city, and killed thousands. Many thousands more were displaced, and forced to leave everything they had ever known behind.
For filmmaker Edward Buckles, Jr. this experience is still something that he is trying to heal from. Buckles Jr. experienced the tragedy firsthand when he was only 13 years old, and his new documentary Katrina Babies questions the response that many children, like himself, were left waiting for.
He joined All Things Considered to discuss the project, and how it is the first step towards healing for so many who have not gotten to share their stories.
This interview was lightly edited for length and clarity.
Interview Highlights
On how the storm impacted his own family and community
I've been speaking to my cousins way more now, and we've been gathering and planning family trips, and we've been in a group chat, just really rebuilding what we lost from Hurricane Katrina.
My cousin Quentin lost belief that his life mattered. At that moment, at 11 years old. And when he said that, I learned so much about my cousin and so much about how Katrina impacted what he was putting out into the world.
So, yes. At age 11 years old, he decided, "I would never fight for his country." And that speaks volumes, because, that doesn't just mean that he doesn't want to join the army or something. That means that he doesn't have trust in his country.
I have to say that that line, "I would never fight for his country" was followed by him saying, "We wasn't in here for a day. We was locked in our attics for three days." And that line was followed by his mom saying, "When everybody else in the world thought that New Orleans was good, we were still in our attics."
So what does that do to trust? What does that do to one's belief in their lives mattering? And just to be honest, I don't think that he's the only person that feels that way. They may not articulate it the exact same way, but a lot of us are dealing with trust issues when it comes to America.
On how to begin healing from trauma that is so compounded
I didn't go into this film trying to find healing, honestly, because I didn't know that it was possible. I didn't know that simply having conversations and starting to tell our stories would be healing.
Miesha is one of my best friends and she is a subject in the film. She is the first person that breaks down in this film and says, "No one ever asks me about my story." And I realized that we weren't just dealing with people telling their stories. We were dealing with people healing.
This film is not going to heal everybody. This film has not healed me. But it has opened up a door for me to figure out, "Okay, what does that journey to healing look like?" Because we are not just healing from Hurricane Katrina, we are healing from everything else that we have experienced before the storm and after the storm. And I just want us to know that we can start that journey.
On the lack of infrastructure and support for children impacted by Katrina
It's a question that I have been asking myself during this whole process. I don't know the answer, but I am only led to assume, and God, I hope that I'm wrong. But it is the lack of empathy. It is the lack of care. And it is the lack of respect for Black people in this country. Specifically speaking from experience, Black children in this country,
I proposed this idea in the film of the double-edged sword of Black resilience. Yes, we are resilient. Yes, we take pride in our strength. But on the other side of that, is us being viewed as not needing the same help that other people need, because of the fact that we are so strong and we are so resilient. I think that people will like to look at them, "Oh they're good, they're bouncing back. New Orleans is rebuilt. New Orleans is coming back. They don't need anything. Look at that."
And I think because of that way of thinking, we always miss out on our opportunity for wellness and healing and our opportunity for proper help and assistance once we experience something traumatic.
On what New Orleans was like before Katrina
At the end of the film, I say that New Orleans is not rebuilt. And some people will look at [New Orleans] like, "What do you mean? Businesses are thriving, y'all doing great down there?" And what I mean is that they are not the New Orleans that we knew. The real New Orleans.
The New Orleans that was filled with families, the New Orleans, where all you really saw was Black people. We were in our neighborhoods, and we owned our neighborhoods, and we took pride in our neighborhoods. I just want people to know that when they're coming through to New Orleans and when they are experiencing all of this great culture and all of this great magic and beauty, that it comes from us. It comes from all of the people who were here before the storm, some of us who are still there after the storm. That's what I want people to know, is that everything that you love about New Orleans comes from us.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/years-after-hurricane-katrina-a-new-documentary-asks-what-happened-to-the-children | 2022-08-25T21:26:36Z |
By the early 1970s, the Greenwich Village folk scene had faded, and a new sound was wafting up from the street. New York Dolls frontman David Johansen says it found a home just north of Bleecker Street and east of Washington Square. "I was friends with Eric Emerson, who had a band called Magic Tramps, and he said that he was going to do a gig at this new place, Mercer Arts Center, and would my band want to come and open for him?"
By the summer of 1972, that gig turned into a weekly engagement, with the Dolls sharing the stage with guests including Jayne (then performing as Wayne) County and Ruby and the Rednecks. "A scene started kind of coming around us," Johansen explains. "And it was beautiful, a lot of people who would see each other on the street, and this gave them a chance to be in the same kind of place."
At the time, Chris Stein was a student at the School of Visual Arts. He saw the Dolls perform at Mercer Arts and befriended Emerson, who became his roommate and sometime bandmate. Debbie Harry performed in a band called the Stilettos that featured three female vocalists and a male backing band, eventually including Stein on guitar.
In August of 1973, Mercer Arts literally collapsed. But a few months later, CBGB opened blocks away, and that's where Stein and Harry's new band Blondie played its first gig in the spring of 1974. Roberta Bayley remembers working the door: "I would say for the first year of Blondie, you know, they were kind of looked at, quite frankly, as the band least likely to succeed. Everybody liked the people in the band, but they hadn't coalesced as a group really until [drummer] Clem Burke joined, then he brought in [bassist] Gary Valentine."
Bayley started taking photos of the bands that played at CBGB and soon became the chief photographer of a new magazine called Punk, named as much for an attitude as an emerging music scene. Blondie added Jimmy Destri on keys and got signed to a small label called Private Stock.
The band's self-titled 1976 debut album featured '60s pop sounds, such as girl groups and surf rock, filtered through a prism of glitter and grit. Blondie's look matched that sound. The guys wore shades, thrift store suits and skinny ties. Debbie Harry bleached her hair but let her dark roots show — putting a downtown spin on old Hollywood glam. "I was very fascinated by these women that had this kind of glowing image on film," Harry explains. "It seemed like something that I could do."
Despite these nods to the past, Blondie was always looking ahead, reinterpreting a vast catalog of influences. After parting ways with Private Stock and signing with Chrysalis Records in 1977, the band released its sophomore album Plastic Letters and toured extensively to promote it.
Blondie's gender-flipping cover of the 1963 doo-wop novelty song "Denise" by Randy & the Rainbows yielded a No. 2 hit on the British charts. But Chris Stein says American audiences were slower to warm to music that was neither strictly punk nor pop. "When we first went to the U.K. and everybody started flinging themselves around, it was kind of enlightening because in New York it just wasn't happening yet."
So for Blondie's next effort, producer Mike Chapman worked the band hard, squeezing hits from its eclectic influences as he had done for others such as Sweet and Suzi Quatro. As they were wrapping up their recording sessions, Stein and Harry shared a song with a funky groove that they had started sketching as early as 1974 — sometimes called "Once I Had a Love" and other times simply "The Disco Song."
Jimmy Destri's idea to bring in a Roland CompuRhythm CR-78 drum machine gave the song an entirely new vibe. Tucked away on the B-side of the 1978 album Parallel Lines, "Heart of Glass" became Blondie's first American No.1 hit.
Despite some pushback from the anti-disco crowd, the album spawned several other singles. Blondie became a global sensation with plenty of fans back home, such as Gretchen Green, then a stage manager at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.
Green was in the midst of a divorce when she and her 3-year-old daughter moved from the suburbs to a sprawling loft around the corner from CBGB. She says there was very little furniture, but she did have skates and her daughter had a scooter. They also had a turntable, she recalls. "So we put on Blondie and we would just carry on like we were at a roller-skating rink!"
Blondie put out three more studio records before taking an extended hiatus in 1982, each reflecting the adventurous spirit that had defined the band since its inception. Among its highest charting efforts was the 1980 single "Rapture," which combined new wave, disco, hip-hop and rap.
Stein and Harry had been introduced to the emerging hip-hop scene in 1978 by Fab 5 Freddy. He's featured in the now iconic music video for the song, which also includes cameos from visual artists Lee Quiñones and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and choreographer William Barnes, who appears as the top-hatted "man from Mars" referenced in the song's lyrics.
After Blondie re-formed in the late 1990s, the band scored a hit with the power pop single "Maria." Following its 2006 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Blondie's 2017 album Pollinator introduced a new generation of fans to its music, with collaborations from artists including Charli XCX and Dev Hynes.
Now, as the band works on its next studio album, it's also dropping Against The Odds: 1974-1982, a massive archival box set including unreleased music, ephemera and track-by-track commentary. A paperback edition of Debbie Harry's 2019 memoir Face It is planned for fall, and Chris Stein, who's already published two photo books, says he'll release his memoir in 2023.
Though Blondie's lineup has changed over the years, to date the band has sold more than 40 million records worldwide, making it the most commercially successful export of New York's 1970s underground scene. Roberta Bayley says what ultimately set the band apart was its open musical mind: "They didn't have rules for their sound. They were willing to experiment."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/against-the-odds-how-blondie-shattered-the-conventions-of-punk-and-pop | 2022-08-25T21:46:12Z |
BOISE, Idaho — Lunchtime on the first day of school at Mountain View Elementary earlier this month brought the familiar bustle of students scurrying to find their assigned table in the cafeteria while administrators checked trays and lunch bags to make sure everyone had something to eat.
Many brought their own sack lunches this school year, because unlike the last two, not every child is eligible for free meals provided by the school.
During the pandemic, schools were able to provide meals for free to kids regardless of income as a part of COVID-19 assistance passed by Congress to reduce food insecurity. This meant that nationally, an estimated 10 million kids who would have previously paid for school meals were able to get them free. But Congress did not agree to provide universal free lunches for a third school year.
About 30% of the student population here qualifies for free or reduced lunch, mirroring data from the whole Boise School District system. But the other 70% are now responsible for paying their own way for breakfast and lunch.
"The biggest challenge is going to be on the children," said Christy Smith, supervisor of the Food and Nutrition Services at the Boise School District. "Regardless of income, there are children who are hungry because children face obstacles to accessing nourishing food at home and those are the kids that are going to suffer the most."
Nationwide, families across all income levels are feeling the strain of high food, gas, housing and utility costs. And Congress' decision to not extend a pandemic benefit that provided free meals to all students regardless of need will soon hit the pocketbooks of parents and provide new challenges for schools still grappling to return to normal.
"We are not on the edge, but our grocery budget could not afford $7.50 a day [for her kids' school lunches] five days a week," said Vanessa Gamma, a mother of three attending Mountain View. "It would just be not something that even not on the edge we could afford."
School meal prices challenge parents and educators
The Boise School District, like others across the country, is preparing to raise the prices of meals in its elementary schools by 10 cents this academic year in order to combat rising food and labor costs.
"Our families in Boise can't afford even a modest price increase," Smith said. "Boise's become a very expensive place to live and even 10 cents sounds modest, but that's a lot of money to families who can't pay their bills right now and don't qualify for free or reduced-price meals."
Across the country, school meals can cost parents upwards of $5 per meal.
In nearby West Ada — Idaho's largest school district, where only 14% of the student population fully qualifies for free and reduced-price meals — prices will increase by 30 cents.
Shannon McCarthy Beasley, West Ada's school nutrition supervisor, is on a mission to get as many kids as possible to buy the schools' hot, fresh and, most importantly she says, nutritious, meals.
"I have this challenge of convincing families my meals are better. My meals are better than what you can pack," said McCarthy Beasley. "And I am up for that challenge."
Advocates like McCarthy Beasley say school meals are often some of the healthiest that many students have access to because of the nutrition requirements behind every dish served. In order to streamline the process, West Ada has created a QR code families can scan and use to fill out the applications to see if they qualify for free or reduced-price meals. But that final bill is still a challenge.
"A mom and dad making $15 an hour with a family of three — they don't qualify," McCarthy Beasley said.
The challenges to pivot back to a pre-pandemic system are felt across the country as schools work to reach all parents, hire additional staff members to collect meal money in lunch lines and prepare to return to tracking the finances of each child.
"As much as we all would like to go back to normal into a pre-COVID world, we're just not there," said Lisa Davis, senior vice president of Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign. "Staffing shortages are impacting school nutrition departments across the country and the supply chain continues to be a mess. Food price inflation is increasing significantly, and so school meal programs continue to have to continue to face a lot of challenges and juggle a lot of different dynamics."
Federal rules add to the challenges
When Congress created the ability for schools to give universal free meals, it did so by allowing the Agriculture Department, the federal agency that governs what and how is served at school, to waive certain federal requirements. Lawmakers waived requirements for schools to provide free lunch based on need, nutrition requirements for the food served and requirements that meals needed to be served in congregate settings, like cafeterias.
All of those waivers were set to expire on June 30.
Two of them were recently extended. But Senate Republicans balked at the cost of providing universal free meals for another year, and as part of the final compromise, Democrats agreed to drop it from the package.
This means all schools will go back to requiring that families pay the full price for each meal if they do not qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
In order to qualify, families must meet income requirements that are the same across the country. For the 2022-2023 school year a family of four must make less than $51,338 to qualify for reduced-price meals and $36,075 to qualify for free meals.
But each school district sets its own school meal prices, and those can significantly vary, as can the cost of living — not just within states but from state to state, which the income requirements don't account for.
"I've already received an unprecedented number of requests from families to reconsider their denial for meal benefits after they submitted an application," said Smith of the Boise School District. "And of course, that's not something that we have control over. It is heart-wrenching."
In Colorado, some schools are raising their meal prices by 50 cents. For families with multiple kids, it adds up.
Sarah Kremmerling is a mother of two in Boulder, Colo., and her family has qualified for free lunches on and off over the years. For both kids, her monthly bill could total upwards of $200 if they were to eat at school every day.
"I fill out the application every year, but the only time I've been able to qualify for them is usually when I'm working like almost less than part-time — like I really can't be working at all to qualify for them," Kremmerling said. "I just think that's kind of crazy when you look at, like, the price of living."
Mary Rochelle, who works as the program, events and grant coordinator at the Food Services Department of the Boulder Valley School District, said her district is scrambling to hire employees to help students purchase the meals as opposed to just being able to hand them a tray for food.
Lawmakers waited until just days before all the waivers expired on June 30 to pass the bill that extended some waivers but left free school meals out. Congressional delay in extending, or not extending, pandemic school meal waivers also hindered schools' ability to plan.
"There was a lot of talk and a lot of hope that the universal meals would be extended and we weren't really sure how much we should tell parents free meals are definitely ending because we felt like we weren't given a clear answer until June and our school year ends the end of May," Rochelle said.
The universal school meal debate resumes
Even before the pandemic, progressives, food and nutrition advocates were pushing for a universal school meal system that would offer school meals to students regardless of income. Advocates said the existing system of having three categories of pricing results in burdensome application processes, stigmatizes students who receive free meals and can cause families to carry lunch debt.
"We also have seen kids who were eligible for free school meals kind of slipped through the cracks and not get certified either because they were missed in direct certification or there were literacy or language barriers to the school meal application," said Crystal FitzSimons, director of school and out of school time programs at the Food Research and Action Center.
Some states have taken their own action. California, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada and Vermont have passed legislation or rules to allow all students in their states to receive free meals this upcoming school year. Others have legislation pending in statehouses.
"There's a lot of innovation happening in communities and at the state level. I think where the conversation gets stuck is at the federal level," said Davis. "And a big part of that is because the discussions again are all around price tags and offsets through that very narrow lens."
On the Hill, Democrats and Republicans are still divided. Some progressives have introduced legislation that would provide free meals, but GOP members argue the price tag would be too high and that free meals is an assistance program that should be targeted.
"Congress never intended to provide universal free breakfast and lunches to all K-12 students regardless of need," said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., during a floor speech debating the waiver extensions in June. She favored the bill because the free meals would be extended by only one year, not longer. "By returning these programs back to normal we can return our responsibility to taxpayers and the principle that aid should be targeted and temporary."
Many education, hunger and nutrition groups have asked the White House to recommend that Congress implement universal school meals as a part of the broader list of recommendations expected to come out of the conference on hunger, nutrition and health next month. But until then, schools will need to adjust for the foreseeable future — whether or not they or families are ready.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/as-students-go-back-to-school-many-face-a-lunch-bill-for-the-first-time-in-2-years | 2022-08-25T21:46:18Z |
Parts of Boston's subway system, known as the "T," have been shut down for repairs. Just about everyone agrees the fixes are necessary, but commuters are now dealing with delays and confusion.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Parts of Boston's subway system, known as the "T," have been shut down for repairs. Just about everyone agrees the fixes are necessary, but commuters are now dealing with delays and confusion.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/boston-t-riders-lament-over-the-subway-shutdowns-for-repairs | 2022-08-25T21:46:24Z |
California officials have approved a plan to phase out new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. The state is the country's largest auto market and could set e standard for other states to follow.
Copyright 2022 KQED
California officials have approved a plan to phase out new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. The state is the country's largest auto market and could set e standard for other states to follow.
Copyright 2022 KQED | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/by-2035-you-wont-be-able-to-buy-a-new-gas-powered-car-in-california | 2022-08-25T21:46:30Z |
Death row inmates failed to convince a federal judge that Oklahoma's lethal injection method is cruel and unusual punishment. It will resume executions at a pace of about one a month through 2024.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Death row inmates failed to convince a federal judge that Oklahoma's lethal injection method is cruel and unusual punishment. It will resume executions at a pace of about one a month through 2024.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/executions-resume-in-oklahoma-as-judge-deems-lethal-injection-protocol-constitutional | 2022-08-25T21:46:36Z |
Unripe watermelons are cooked over flames are a summer delicacy available only for a short time. The dish is made in the southern part of Gaza, traditionally associated with Bedouin desert culture.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Unripe watermelons are cooked over flames are a summer delicacy available only for a short time. The dish is made in the southern part of Gaza, traditionally associated with Bedouin desert culture.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/for-some-in-the-gaza-strip-summer-tastes-like-a-baby-watermelon-cooked-over-flames | 2022-08-25T21:46:42Z |
An Islamabad court extended former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's bail period on Thursday, as he faces terrorism charges. Efforts to punish him only seem to boost his popularity in the country.
Copyright 2022 NPR
An Islamabad court extended former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's bail period on Thursday, as he faces terrorism charges. Efforts to punish him only seem to boost his popularity in the country.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/former-pakistan-leader-sees-legal-action-that-may-impact-future-political-involvement | 2022-08-25T21:46:49Z |
A controversial new Japanese government campaign is urging young people to drink more alcohol to boost the economy. It comes as young Japanese people are turning away from drinking.
Copyright 2022 NPR
A controversial new Japanese government campaign is urging young people to drink more alcohol to boost the economy. It comes as young Japanese people are turning away from drinking.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/japan-is-urging-its-youth-to-drink-more-alcohol | 2022-08-25T21:46:55Z |
A vulnerable Kansas Democrat, Rep. Sharice Davids, is hitting her Republican challenger over abortion rights after Kansans soundly rejected an anti-abortion ballot issue.
Copyright 2022 NPR
A vulnerable Kansas Democrat, Rep. Sharice Davids, is hitting her Republican challenger over abortion rights after Kansans soundly rejected an anti-abortion ballot issue.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/rep-davids-is-using-kansas-vote-against-anti-abortion-measure-to-defend-her-seat | 2022-08-25T21:47:01Z |
Lauren Hodges is an associate producer for All Things Considered. She joined the show in 2018 after seven years in the NPR newsroom as a producer and editor. She doesn't mind that you used her pens, she just likes them a certain way and asks that you put them back the way you found them, thanks. Despite years working on interviews with notable politicians, public figures, and celebrities for NPR, Hodges completely lost her cool when she heard RuPaul's voice and was told to sit quietly in a corner during the rest of the interview. She promises to do better next time. | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/student-loan-forgiveness-gives-borrowers-some-financial-breathing-room | 2022-08-25T21:47:07Z |
President Biden's plan to erase up to $20,000 in college debt for tens of millions of borrowers is drawing praise and criticism. Some welcome relief, but others say he should address tuition costs.
Copyright 2022 NPR
President Biden's plan to erase up to $20,000 in college debt for tens of millions of borrowers is drawing praise and criticism. Some welcome relief, but others say he should address tuition costs.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/the-economic-arguments-for-and-against-bidens-student-debt-relief-plans | 2022-08-25T21:47:13Z |
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Mary Ziegler, professor of law at UC Davis, to discuss the impact of the trigger laws banning abortion in Tennessee, Idaho, Texas and North Dakota.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Mary Ziegler, professor of law at UC Davis, to discuss the impact of the trigger laws banning abortion in Tennessee, Idaho, Texas and North Dakota.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/trigger-laws-in-now-14-states-place-further-restrictions-and-punishments-on-abortion | 2022-08-25T21:47:20Z |
In Uvalde, Texas, the community is still grieving three months after a deadly shooting at Robb Elementary, and are now responding to school district police chief Pete Arredondo's firing.
Copyright 2022 NPR
In Uvalde, Texas, the community is still grieving three months after a deadly shooting at Robb Elementary, and are now responding to school district police chief Pete Arredondo's firing.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/uvalde-families-are-grappling-with-1st-school-year-since-deadly-shooting | 2022-08-25T21:47:26Z |
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks to Stephen Grey, the host of Who Killed Daphne. The podcast investigates the 2017 death of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a car bomb in Malta.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks to Stephen Grey, the host of Who Killed Daphne. The podcast investigates the 2017 death of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a car bomb in Malta.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/who-killed-daphne-podcast-seeks-answers-and-justice-for-daphne-caruana-galizia | 2022-08-25T21:47:32Z |
Six months into the war in Ukraine, why should the U.S. continue to care and spend billions of dollars on the war when Europe is so ambivalent? And what do U.S. officials see as the end game?
Copyright 2022 NPR
Six months into the war in Ukraine, why should the U.S. continue to care and spend billions of dollars on the war when Europe is so ambivalent? And what do U.S. officials see as the end game?
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/why-the-u-s-cares-about-the-war-in-ukraine | 2022-08-25T21:47:38Z |
Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country.
The hurricane caused billions of dollars of damage to the city, and killed thousands. Many thousands more were displaced, and forced to leave everything they had ever known behind.
For filmmaker Edward Buckles, Jr. this experience is still something that he is trying to heal from. Buckles Jr. experienced the tragedy firsthand when he was only 13 years old, and his new documentary Katrina Babies questions the response that many children, like himself, were left waiting for.
He joined All Things Considered to discuss the project, and how it is the first step towards healing for so many who have not gotten to share their stories.
This interview was lightly edited for length and clarity.
Interview Highlights
On how the storm impacted his own family and community
I've been speaking to my cousins way more now, and we've been gathering and planning family trips, and we've been in a group chat, just really rebuilding what we lost from Hurricane Katrina.
My cousin Quentin lost belief that his life mattered. At that moment, at 11 years old. And when he said that, I learned so much about my cousin and so much about how Katrina impacted what he was putting out into the world.
So, yes. At age 11 years old, he decided, "I would never fight for his country." And that speaks volumes, because, that doesn't just mean that he doesn't want to join the army or something. That means that he doesn't have trust in his country.
I have to say that that line, "I would never fight for his country" was followed by him saying, "We wasn't in here for a day. We was locked in our attics for three days." And that line was followed by his mom saying, "When everybody else in the world thought that New Orleans was good, we were still in our attics."
So what does that do to trust? What does that do to one's belief in their lives mattering? And just to be honest, I don't think that he's the only person that feels that way. They may not articulate it the exact same way, but a lot of us are dealing with trust issues when it comes to America.
On how to begin healing from trauma that is so compounded
I didn't go into this film trying to find healing, honestly, because I didn't know that it was possible. I didn't know that simply having conversations and starting to tell our stories would be healing.
Miesha is one of my best friends and she is a subject in the film. She is the first person that breaks down in this film and says, "No one ever asks me about my story." And I realized that we weren't just dealing with people telling their stories. We were dealing with people healing.
This film is not going to heal everybody. This film has not healed me. But it has opened up a door for me to figure out, "Okay, what does that journey to healing look like?" Because we are not just healing from Hurricane Katrina, we are healing from everything else that we have experienced before the storm and after the storm. And I just want us to know that we can start that journey.
On the lack of infrastructure and support for children impacted by Katrina
It's a question that I have been asking myself during this whole process. I don't know the answer, but I am only led to assume, and God, I hope that I'm wrong. But it is the lack of empathy. It is the lack of care. And it is the lack of respect for Black people in this country. Specifically speaking from experience, Black children in this country,
I proposed this idea in the film of the double-edged sword of Black resilience. Yes, we are resilient. Yes, we take pride in our strength. But on the other side of that, is us being viewed as not needing the same help that other people need, because of the fact that we are so strong and we are so resilient. I think that people will like to look at them, "Oh they're good, they're bouncing back. New Orleans is rebuilt. New Orleans is coming back. They don't need anything. Look at that."
And I think because of that way of thinking, we always miss out on our opportunity for wellness and healing and our opportunity for proper help and assistance once we experience something traumatic.
On what New Orleans was like before Katrina
At the end of the film, I say that New Orleans is not rebuilt. And some people will look at [New Orleans] like, "What do you mean? Businesses are thriving, y'all doing great down there?" And what I mean is that they are not the New Orleans that we knew. The real New Orleans.
The New Orleans that was filled with families, the New Orleans, where all you really saw was Black people. We were in our neighborhoods, and we owned our neighborhoods, and we took pride in our neighborhoods. I just want people to know that when they're coming through to New Orleans and when they are experiencing all of this great culture and all of this great magic and beauty, that it comes from us. It comes from all of the people who were here before the storm, some of us who are still there after the storm. That's what I want people to know, is that everything that you love about New Orleans comes from us.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-25/years-after-hurricane-katrina-a-new-documentary-asks-what-happened-to-the-children | 2022-08-25T21:47:44Z |
Wherever you go, the price of rent is going up. Earlier this summer, the median monthly rent in the U.S. passed $2,000 for the first time ever.
That’s a problem for most renters, but particularly when you have a fixed housing benefit from your employer – as members of the military do. The housing allowance that branches of the U.S. military give to their members has not kept pace with the cost of rent.
R.J. Rico, housing reporter for the Associated Press, spoke to the Texas Standard about the hardships that some military families have experienced because of the sharp rise in rent.
This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:
Texas Standard: Some members of the military live in housing provided by the Army or the Air Force or what have you, but those who don’t receive a basic allowance for housing off-base. Can you give us some examples of how much more some families are having to pay for housing lately beyond their basic allowance?
R.J. Rico: Yeah, absolutely. So military families, they’re moving often. They are expecting, when they move to a place, to have their basic allowance covering their housing expenses, 95%. But they’re greeted with the reality that that’s not really going to cut it for where they want to live, for the school districts that they think are suitable for their kids. So they’re either really having to go deep into their pockets, pay $600, $700, $800 more a month, or I’ve heard stories of families who go for RVs. The service member may live in an RV and the family lives in another house. Or they go to a place that’s more affordable, but it’s an hour, hour and a half drive from their post. So you’re dealing with really long traffic.
You mentioned 95% – is that what the housing allowance is supposed to pay for, 95% of one’s rent? Where does that figure come from?
Yes; that comes from the Department of Defense. When they calculate their housing allowance, they say that it will cover 95% of your living costs. So that’s both of rent and utilities, supposedly.
“Supposedly,” I guess is the operative word here. Where are they getting the 95% figure from – 95% of what, especially with rents rising everywhere?
So the DOD, they are not especially transparent about how they do this. They have a very detailed PDF about all these factors, and they hire contractors every year to go point by point to get this figure. However, they don’t really tell you what comps they’re using. So housing activists fear that they’re really looking at maybe someplace off-base that isn’t a great area and then calculating that as the rental price, when really military families aren’t trying to live there.
Is there any indication that these officials who operate without so much transparency, as you describe it, might actually increase the housing allowance, given what some of these families are going through?
They do increase the the allowance every year. The issue is just rents have skyrocketed so much that it’s not been enough. They only do this once a year, but last fall, they did a three-month increase – October, November, December – because they recognized how out of control the discrepancy was. But they have not reinstituted that since then, and rents have only continued to rise.
What might the military be thinking of long-term – are they thinking of raising the ceiling permanently? Have you heard anything like that? What about other models the military could use to house service members and their families?
The military has not said what their long-term changes are. One issue is on-base housing is so in high demand; there are huge waitlists. So there definitely is an interest for them to build more units on base. That takes a few years, of course, so that is not an immediate solution. Members of Congress have really pushed for them to change how they do their calculations. Does it really make sense for them only to be calculating housing allowances once a year when the data is out there that rents each month are changing? And also, they want more transparency for how the military is calculating neighborhood costs. | https://www.keranews.org/business-economy/2022-08-25/cost-of-rent-outpaces-housing-allowance-for-military-families | 2022-08-25T21:47:50Z |
20-Yard Dash: Petersburg
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Petersburg is hoping to start 2022 the way it ended the 2021 season.
Petersburg won two of its final three games after a 1-5 start last season.
“I think those last couple games they built momentum for this year,” said Petersburg senior quarterback/defensive back “Bumby” Van Meter. “Built them into the summer practices. We had some clean, smooth summer practices.”
The Vikings are led by third-year head coach Donny Evans who says there’s been an emphasis on improved defense after Petersburg surrendered 35 points or more four times last season.
“I think our defense is going to be a lot better this year,” said Evans. “That’s one thing we have kind of been stressing in the offseason...but I also believe some of our strength is some of our offensive guys as well. Because we have some nice skill guys that can get out in space and make some plays for us.”
Petersburg Football - 2022 Schedule
8/26 - at Berkeley Springs
9/2 - at Buffalo
9/9 - vs. Pendleton County
9/16 - at Pocahontas County
9/23 - at Moorefield
10/7 - vs. Northern Garrett (MD)
10/14 - vs. Mountain View (VA)
10/21 - vs. Clear Spring (MD)
10/28 - vs. Tucker County
11/4 - at East Hardy
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/20-yard-dash-petersburg/ | 2022-08-25T22:27:17Z |
Class sizes are down, Waynesboro City School officials say
WAYNESBORO, Va. (WHSV) - While many school districts struggle to keep their schools staffed, Waynesboro City School leaders said they’re only hiring for a few positions.
Dr. Ryan Barber, Assistant Superintendent, said he’d like to have more bus drivers, and they’re hiring math teachers. However, he said they’re in a good place with staffing. One factor helping them stay fully staffed, Barber said, is their partnership with local universities.
“We have some folks who aren’t fully licensed who are in classrooms for us right now, but they’re close to licensure. They’re completing student teaching in their own classrooms this fall,” Barber said.
Traditionally, student teachers cannot be paid, so this program allows teachers to make money and finish school simultaneously.
Because they’re fully staffed, Waynesboro has been able to reduce class sizes, especially for lower grades, down sometimes to 12 or 15 students.
“With the needs that we know the community has related to coming out of the pandemic and all the pandemic brought and maybe interrupted preschool experiences and opportunities for kindergarten students especially, we really are proud that we were able to recruit staff to lower those numbers,” Barber said.
Barber said celebrating new staff has been wonderful, but he noted Waynesboro has also retained almost 300 staff members.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/class-sizes-are-down-waynesboro-city-school-officials-say/ | 2022-08-25T22:27:23Z |
LOOK: This dapper mail carrier is turning heads and melting hearts
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow/Gray News) - A Hawaii native is delivering more than just mail in Chicago. His love for fashion and postal service history is bringing joy to nostalgic neighbors.
Every morning, Kalani Han irons creases into his U.S. Postal Service uniform and shines his shoes.
The finishing touch is the skinny tie.
With his black gloves and dapper appearance, the Chicago letter carrier may be the most stylish mailman you’ll ever see.
“I’ve got the Club Master sunglasses and the hair done up in a pompadour, I’ve got the pencil mustache,” he said.
When Han delivers the mail on the city’s Northwest side, it’s like he stepped out of the 1950s or ‘60s.
And households love it.
“Folks always stop me on the street. I think the No. 1 thing I always hear is, ‘I can’t remember the last time I saw a mail carrier wear a tie.’”
The 31-year-old insists his throwback fashion statement isn’t a gimmick.
He’s intrigued by vintage attire and postal service history.
“I’ve always been very into fashion and history,” he said.
To ensure he looked authentic, he studied photographs of old post office attire, and he wears patches, buttons and coats that he collected from retired mailmen.
“I have this cap, I don’t wear it myself. Can’t mess up the hair. But I do have this on my belt and I wear it as an accessory,” he said.
Han was born in Hawaii, but he’s lived on the mainland most of his life.
He still keeps his connection to the 50th state, though.
“Almost every shirt that’s hanging up in my closet, every button-down shirt, is an aloha shirt. Got to represent Hawaii every day,” he said.
He’s also trying to bring positive attention to the postal service. He takes that role very seriously.
“The folks that I interact with on a daily basis, the folks that I work with, they’re the best part about the job. They make my day every day,” he said.
Han says being a letter carrier is tailor made for him ― and he definitely looks the part.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/look-this-dapper-mail-carrier-is-turning-heads-melting-hearts/ | 2022-08-25T22:27:29Z |
US: Strikes kill 4 Iranian-backed militia members in Syria
WASHINGTON (AP) — Four Iranian-backed militia members were killed in U.S. strikes in Syria on Wednesday in response to attacks by the group in recent weeks, the U.S. military said Thursday.
In a statement, U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces also destroyed seven enemy rocket launchers on Wednesday hours after militia fighters fired rockets at two U.S. military installations in northeast Syria. Central Command provided additional details about the strikes on Thursday, saying they were done with Apache helicopters, AC-130 gunships and M777 Howitzers.
The latest spike in attacks came after militias backed by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard targeted U.S. troops on Aug. 15 at the al-Tanf Garrison in the south. There were no casualties or damage in that attack. But, in response, the U.S. struck bunkers and facilities used by the militias.
At the Pentagon on Thursday, Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said it would be premature to say if these strikes represent a broader escalation of violence in Syria.
“Certainly time will tell,” said Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary. “Based on the strikes that we have taken, we’ve sent a very loud and clear message, and a proportional message, that any threat against our forces who are operating in Syria or anywhere will not be tolerated. My hope would be that these groups would have received the message loud and clear and that we will not see similar behavior in future.”
President Joe Biden informed Congress of his decision to approve the initial U.S. strikes on the bunker facility, saying the goal was to disrupt the ongoing series of attacks and “to deter the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iran-backed militia groups from conducting or supporting further attacks on United States personnel and facilities.”
The opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the U.S. airstrikes on the bunkers targeted the Ayash Camp run by the Fatimiyoun group made up of Shiite fighters from Afghanistan and that at least six Syrian and foreign militants were killed.
Within hours after the U.S. strikes, militia rocket attacks hit Green Village and the Conoco gas field in Deir el-Zour, where U.S. troops are stationed. According to U.S. Central Command, at least three servicemembers were treated or evaluated for minor injuries. U.S. forces retaliated by targeting the rocket launchers.
“We will respond appropriately and proportionally to attacks on our servicemembers,” said Gen. Erik Kurilla, who heads U.S. Central Command. “No group will strike at our troops with impunity.”
Deir el-Zour is a strategic province that borders Iraq and contains oil fields. Iran-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control the area and had often been the target of Israeli war planes in previous strikes.
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has denied that Iran had any link to those targeted. Iran routinely denies arming militia groups that target U.S. forces in the region, despite weaponry linking back to them.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of Syria at https://apnews.com/hub/syria.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/us-strikes-kill-4-iranian-backed-militia-members-syria/ | 2022-08-25T22:27:36Z |
Woman helps save sergeant’s life with EpiPen after he was stung by bees, police say
CLEVELAND (WOIO/Gray News) - Cleveland police are thanking a woman who helped save a sergeant’s life at a community event last weekend.
The Cleveland Police Fourth District said it was part of a back-to-school event on Aug. 20, where Sgt. Ray O’Connor was playing football with kids.
WOIO reports that O’Connor then told his partner, Officer Brooklyn Barnes, that he had been stung by two bees and was deathly allergic to them. O’Connor also said he didn’t bring his EpiPen.
According to police, within minutes, O’Connor fell to the ground and became unconscious. Barnes and another officer carried O’Connor to a nearby police cruiser and started rendering first aid.
Authorities said Tomika Johnson, a Cleveland resident, saw what was happening and ran home to grab her 10-year-old son’s EpiPen.
Barnes quickly took the EpiPen and administered it to O’Connor before transporting him to the nearest hospital.
Medical staff at the St. Vincent Hospital said the EpiPen and quick response by everyone saved the sergeant’s life.
On Wednesday, O’Connor got to thank Johnson for helping save his life. Police said they learned about her son’s 10th birthday this week and brought them birthday gifts along with a $100 gift card.
The law enforcement agency said Johnson and her son would be recognized at Cleveland’s Fourth District Awards Ceremony on Oct. 6 in receiving the city’s Citizen Award for their actions that day.
Copyright 2022 WOIO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/woman-helps-save-sergeants-life-with-epipen-after-he-was-stung-by-bees-police-say/ | 2022-08-25T22:27:43Z |
Beckley City employees to receive hourly pay increase
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - More than 250 city workers in Beckley will be getting a slight bump in pay starting next month.
On Tuesday, the Common Council approved an increase of a dollar an hour. This will apply to all current and incoming employees.
Billie Trump, City of Beckley Recorder and Treasurer, says the goal of the increase is to attract workers to the area.
“Everybody is competing. I mean, especially in some of the more skilled things. You know, you have an obligation to the public to try to attract the best talent that you can so that all the dollars that they pay on their taxes and spent in the best way, and I think this helps us do that.”
This increase will cost the city roughly half-a-million dollars a year. Employees will see these changes on the next pay period, starting September 4.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/beckley-city-employees-receive-hourly-pay-increase/ | 2022-08-25T22:38:18Z |
LOOK: This dapper mail carrier is turning heads and melting hearts
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow/Gray News) - A Hawaii native is delivering more than just mail in Chicago. His love for fashion and postal service history is bringing joy to nostalgic neighbors.
Every morning, Kalani Han irons creases into his U.S. Postal Service uniform and shines his shoes.
The finishing touch is the skinny tie.
With his black gloves and dapper appearance, the Chicago letter carrier may be the most stylish mailman you’ll ever see.
“I’ve got the Club Master sunglasses and the hair done up in a pompadour, I’ve got the pencil mustache,” he said.
When Han delivers the mail on the city’s Northwest side, it’s like he stepped out of the 1950s or ‘60s.
And households love it.
“Folks always stop me on the street. I think the No. 1 thing I always hear is, ‘I can’t remember the last time I saw a mail carrier wear a tie.’”
The 31-year-old insists his throwback fashion statement isn’t a gimmick.
He’s intrigued by vintage attire and postal service history.
“I’ve always been very into fashion and history,” he said.
To ensure he looked authentic, he studied photographs of old post office attire, and he wears patches, buttons and coats that he collected from retired mailmen.
“I have this cap, I don’t wear it myself. Can’t mess up the hair. But I do have this on my belt and I wear it as an accessory,” he said.
Han was born in Hawaii, but he’s lived on the mainland most of his life.
He still keeps his connection to the 50th state, though.
“Almost every shirt that’s hanging up in my closet, every button-down shirt, is an aloha shirt. Got to represent Hawaii every day,” he said.
He’s also trying to bring positive attention to the postal service. He takes that role very seriously.
“The folks that I interact with on a daily basis, the folks that I work with, they’re the best part about the job. They make my day every day,” he said.
Han says being a letter carrier is tailor made for him ― and he definitely looks the part.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/look-this-dapper-mail-carrier-is-turning-heads-melting-hearts/ | 2022-08-25T22:38:24Z |
Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office announces employment opportunities
RALEIGH COUNTY, W.Va. (WVVA) - The Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office is looking to expand.
To get a glimpse of the life of local law enforcement, WVVA spent the morning on patrol with Deputy Jackson Shrewsbury. He says choosing the life of a first responder is a decision that should not be taken lightly.
“Just make sure that you’re ready mentally. As in, this is something that you truly want to do. You know, this isn’t a summer job. It’s not just a short time gig, you know?”
He says, despite the pressures of his job, he lives and works each day ready to serve the people of Raleigh County. And he hopes that future Sheriff’s Office employees will do the same.
“Every day, you wake up, put on the uniform and log on duty and it’s just- you never know what you are going to come across. You never know what situation you are going to be put in. It’s a very rewarding job. You see the effect you have on the community on a day-to-day basis.”
However, a strain has been placed on the agency. Since the time of his employment, Shrewsbury says they have struggled to find quality canidates.
“When I got hired, I think I tested with 60 something people,” he shared. “I think the last testing cycle we eneded up with nine. It’s getting harder and harder to find good, quality people that truly want to give up a part of their life to serve something greater.”
The Sheriff’s Office is now accepting applications, which can be picked up at the agency on Eisenhower Drive, at the Raleigh County Court House or the Raleigh County Clerk’s Office. Candidates must be 18 to 45 years old, have a high school diploma or GED, and pass both a written exam and a background check.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/raleigh-county-sheriffs-office-announces-employment-opportunities/ | 2022-08-25T22:38:31Z |
Two Keystone residents awarded for outstanding community service
KEYSTONE, W.Va. (WVVA) - Nate Smith and Vondelere Scott were given the John P. Stephenson Community Service Award today by the Brushy Fork Leadership Institute of Berea College. Scott and Smith are two of five people that traveled to the leadership institute in 1990 with the hopes of creating an after school program for kids in Keystone.
“We were interested in getting something for the kids. Around here it’s hard to find some kind of activity for them. I got a letter [while] my son was going to college down there [Berea] , and I got a letter from Bill Turner, and he told me they were having this sort of program, and he wanted me to get some people down to the workshop.” Scott said.
When the group returned from the workshop they began Black Mountain, a community service project that was able to give a safe place for kids after school. Since 1990, the organization has had several iterations. Today it exists as W.A.T.T, or We Are The Teachers. The program still helps children with after school activities and gives them a place where kids can be kids.
On the impact of his contribution Smith said, “If i could save one kid, maybe that kid could move on to save somebody else. And remember one thing that we taught them. "
Aside from the certificates, Smith and Scott received original oil paintings. The subject of the paintings were nature scenes iconic to West Virginia, with visual metaphors of their service. The two are the surviving members of the original five that attended the Brushy Fork Leadership Institute of Berea College in 1990. Typically the institute only awards one person annually, this year they made an exception.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/two-keystone-residents-awarded-outstanding-community-service/ | 2022-08-25T22:38:37Z |
US: Strikes kill 4 Iranian-backed militia members in Syria
WASHINGTON (AP) — Four Iranian-backed militia members were killed in U.S. strikes in Syria on Wednesday in response to attacks by the group in recent weeks, the U.S. military said Thursday.
In a statement, U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces also destroyed seven enemy rocket launchers on Wednesday hours after militia fighters fired rockets at two U.S. military installations in northeast Syria. Central Command provided additional details about the strikes on Thursday, saying they were done with Apache helicopters, AC-130 gunships and M777 Howitzers.
The latest spike in attacks came after militias backed by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard targeted U.S. troops on Aug. 15 at the al-Tanf Garrison in the south. There were no casualties or damage in that attack. But, in response, the U.S. struck bunkers and facilities used by the militias.
At the Pentagon on Thursday, Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said it would be premature to say if these strikes represent a broader escalation of violence in Syria.
“Certainly time will tell,” said Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary. “Based on the strikes that we have taken, we’ve sent a very loud and clear message, and a proportional message, that any threat against our forces who are operating in Syria or anywhere will not be tolerated. My hope would be that these groups would have received the message loud and clear and that we will not see similar behavior in future.”
President Joe Biden informed Congress of his decision to approve the initial U.S. strikes on the bunker facility, saying the goal was to disrupt the ongoing series of attacks and “to deter the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iran-backed militia groups from conducting or supporting further attacks on United States personnel and facilities.”
The opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the U.S. airstrikes on the bunkers targeted the Ayash Camp run by the Fatimiyoun group made up of Shiite fighters from Afghanistan and that at least six Syrian and foreign militants were killed.
Within hours after the U.S. strikes, militia rocket attacks hit Green Village and the Conoco gas field in Deir el-Zour, where U.S. troops are stationed. According to U.S. Central Command, at least three servicemembers were treated or evaluated for minor injuries. U.S. forces retaliated by targeting the rocket launchers.
“We will respond appropriately and proportionally to attacks on our servicemembers,” said Gen. Erik Kurilla, who heads U.S. Central Command. “No group will strike at our troops with impunity.”
Deir el-Zour is a strategic province that borders Iraq and contains oil fields. Iran-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control the area and had often been the target of Israeli war planes in previous strikes.
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has denied that Iran had any link to those targeted. Iran routinely denies arming militia groups that target U.S. forces in the region, despite weaponry linking back to them.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of Syria at https://apnews.com/hub/syria.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/us-strikes-kill-4-iranian-backed-militia-members-syria/ | 2022-08-25T22:38:43Z |
Woman helps save sergeant’s life with EpiPen after he was stung by bees, police say
CLEVELAND (WOIO/Gray News) - Cleveland police are thanking a woman who helped save a sergeant’s life at a community event last weekend.
The Cleveland Police Fourth District said it was part of a back-to-school event on Aug. 20, where Sgt. Ray O’Connor was playing football with kids.
WOIO reports that O’Connor then told his partner, Officer Brooklyn Barnes, that he had been stung by two bees and was deathly allergic to them. O’Connor also said he didn’t bring his EpiPen.
According to police, within minutes, O’Connor fell to the ground and became unconscious. Barnes and another officer carried O’Connor to a nearby police cruiser and started rendering first aid.
Authorities said Tomika Johnson, a Cleveland resident, saw what was happening and ran home to grab her 10-year-old son’s EpiPen.
Barnes quickly took the EpiPen and administered it to O’Connor before transporting him to the nearest hospital.
Medical staff at the St. Vincent Hospital said the EpiPen and quick response by everyone saved the sergeant’s life.
On Wednesday, O’Connor got to thank Johnson for helping save his life. Police said they learned about her son’s 10th birthday this week and brought them birthday gifts along with a $100 gift card.
The law enforcement agency said Johnson and her son would be recognized at Cleveland’s Fourth District Awards Ceremony on Oct. 6 in receiving the city’s Citizen Award for their actions that day.
Copyright 2022 WOIO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/woman-helps-save-sergeants-life-with-epipen-after-he-was-stung-by-bees-police-say/ | 2022-08-25T22:38:50Z |
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- After a two year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Pacific & Asian Affairs Council is excited to announce the return of its Global Leadership Program.
PAAC, a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit, is preparing the next generation of leaders for an increasingly interconnected world and the 2022 Global Leadership Program will offer one-of-a-kind experiences for a cohort of students in grades 9-12 throughout Hawaiʻi.
The program focuses on understanding the complex systems surrounding our most pressing global issues and spans 7-months of in-person and virtual sessions. Upon program completion, students are eligible for a $1,000 travel-scholarship with PAAC.
“Our goal is to develop youth leaders who are informed about global issues and are empowered to contribute to a more peaceful, sustainable, and just world,” said Niki Shishido, Executive Director of PAAC. “Students are exploring new ideas, building lasting relationships, and uncovering how they might make a real impact in a complex and connected world.”
The program focuses on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Students will explore global issues through multiple lenses, including systems, community, ethics, and leadership.
They will also discover the impact of those issues in Hawaiʻi and map the systems that need to be addressed to impact change or contribute to sustainable solutions.
In addition, this opportunity provides access to ongoing program offerings and networking opportunities including international travel.
"It really just opens a window to something they maybe haven't been expose to in class or talked about with their friends or families, so giving them opportunity might spark that interest in them," said Shishido.
The program is open to a cohort of 20 high school students from public, private, charter, and home schools. Applications are being accepted through Sept. 14, 2022, and sessions will kick off with a fall break Leadership Summit from Oct. 2-5, 2022, on Oʻahu.
Program expenses, including flights for neighbor-island students, are covered through a scholarship from PAAC. A $50 fee is required at the time of program acceptance, and fee waiver applications are available.
For a detailed schedule, program description, and application requirements, visit https://www.paachawaii.org/global-leadership-program. Contact Roya Maroufkhani Dennis, High School Global Education Program Director at PAAC, at 808-944-7759 or hs@paachawaii.org, with questions.
PAAC serves around 2,000 high school students a year statewide through a variety of programs, including the Global Leadership Program, international travel, after-school clubs and classes, dual-credit courses, conferences, and more.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
After nearly 10-years away, this local girl is home! In November 2021, Lia started at KITV as the weekend GMH anchor and a weekday reporter. The 2011 Kamehameha Kapālama graduate worked all across the country and even overseas before finding her way home. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/pacific-asian-affairs-council-launches-2022-global-leadership-program/article_310b488c-24b3-11ed-96b6-f73e4d2530ce.html | 2022-08-25T22:45:45Z |
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured the first clear evidence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, a planet outside our solar system.
The exoplanet, WASP-39b, is a hot gas giant orbiting a sunlike star that is 700 light-years from Earth and part of a larger Webb investigation that includes two other transiting planets, according to NASA. Understanding the atmospheric makeup of planets like WASP-39b is critical for knowing their origins and how they evolved, the agency noted in a news release.
"Carbon dioxide molecules are sensitive tracers of the story of planet formation," said Mike Line, an associate professor in Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration, in the news release. Line is a member of the JWST Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science team, which conducted the investigation.
The team made the carbon dioxide observation using the telescope's Near-Infrared Spectrograph -- one of Webb's four scientific instruments -- to observe WASP-39b's atmosphere. Their research is part of the Early Release Science Program, an initiative designed to provide data from the telescope to the exoplanet research community as soon as possible, guiding further scientific study and discovery.
This latest finding has been accepted for publication in the journal Nature.
"By measuring this carbon dioxide feature, we can determine how much solid versus how much gaseous material was used to form this gas giant planet," Line added. "In the coming decade, JWST will make this measurement for a variety of planets, providing insight into the details of how planets form and the uniqueness of our own solar system."
A new era in exoplanet research
The highly sensitive Webb telescope launched on Christmas Day 2021 toward its current orbit 1.5 million kilometers (nearly 932,000 miles) from Earth. By observing the universe with longer wavelengths of light than other space telescopes use, Webb can study the beginning of time more closely, hunt for unobserved formations among the first galaxies, and peer inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are currently forming.
In the captured spectrum of the planet's atmosphere, the researchers saw a small hill between 4.1 and 4.6 microns -- a "clear signal of carbon dioxide," said team leader Natalie Batalha, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California at Santa Cruz, in the release. (A micron is a unit of length equal to one millionth of a meter.)
"Depending on the atmosphere's composition, thickness, and cloudiness, it absorbs some colors of light more than others -- making the planet appear larger," said team member Munazza Alam, a postdoctoral fellow in the Earth & Planets Laboratory at the Carnegie Institution for Science. "We can analyze these miniscule differences in the size of the planet to reveal the atmosphere's chemical makeup."
Access to this part of the light spectrum -- which the Webb telescope makes possible -- is crucial for measuring abundances of gases such as methane and water, as well as carbon dioxide, which are thought to exist in many exoplanets, according to NASA. Because individual gases absorb different combinations of colors, researchers can examine "small differences in brightness of the transmitted light across a spectrum of wavelengths to determine exactly what an atmosphere is made of," according to NASA.
Previously, NASA's Hubble and Spitzer telescopes discovered water vapor, sodium and potassium in the planet's atmosphere. "Previous observations of this planet with Hubble and Spitzer had given us tantalizing hints that carbon dioxide could be present," Batalha said. "The data from JWST showed an unequivocal carbon dioxide feature that was so prominent it was practically shouting at us."
"As soon as the data appeared on my screen, the whopping carbon dioxide feature grabbed me," said team member Zafar Rustamkulov, a graduate student of in the Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, in a news release. "It was a special moment, crossing an important threshold in exoplanet sciences," he added.
Discovered in 2011, WASP-39b's mass is about the same as Saturn's and roughly a fourth of Jupiter's, while its diameter is 1.3 times greater than Jupiter's. Since the exoplanet orbits very close to its star, it completes one circuit in slightly over four Earth days. | https://www.kitv.com/news/national/nasas-webb-telescope-captures-first-evidence-of-carbon-dioxide-on-an-exoplanet/article_6e655d06-8bdc-5dde-9f64-e0de52985216.html | 2022-08-25T22:45:51Z |
The White House struggled to answer questions about President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, simultaneously claiming that the President waited for the plan to be "fiscally balanced" before unveiling it and that there was no way to know how much the plan would cost.
At a Thursday press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre continued to insist that the plan to cancel thousands of dollars in federal student loan debt for millions of Americans would "be fully paid for because of the because of the work that this President has done with the economy."
Asked specifically if the administration had a better idea about the total price tag for the program, Jean-Pierre began her answer by saying "the President's record on fiscal responsibility is second to none" before detailing a list of his economic accomplishments. But she never gave an estimate on how much the plan could cost.
"All of this when it comes to cost will also depend on how many of the loans canceled were actually expected to be repaid, it will depend on how many borrowers actually take up this opportunity before we have a real sense," she said.
Throughout the briefing, the press secretary was pressed on the numbers. She claimed the administration didn't believe the move would increase the deficit, because of "the $1.7 trillion ... we've done the work right to lower the deficit" -- referring to an administration projection of how much the federal deficit will shrink in fiscal year 2022 -- and the "$50 billion per year is going to go back" to the Treasury once student loan repayments start in December.
She claimed the Treasury "was getting zero for the last two years," as repayments were paused, but on Wednesday Deputy Director of the National Economic Council Bharat Ramamurti said that about $2 billion per month is still being repaid by borrowers during the pause, compared to $6 billion per month normally.
Asked if the administration would eventually release a cost estimate, Jean-Pierre said the "Department of Education is going to take the lead."
Asked why the President waited to so long to make his decision to cancel the debt, she said Biden "wanted to do it in a fiscally balanced way. And there was that legal review. ... We wanted to make sure the legal review was done."
But pressed on how it could be fiscally responsible with no public cost estimate and no specifics on how the plan would be paid for or who would pay for it, Jean-Pierre insisted the administration does "not see this as irresponsible."
"We do not see this as irresponsible," she said. "We see this as a fiscally responsible, balanced approach to doing this. I remember people have said, 'Why don't you do $50,000?' We don't want to do that because we want to make sure that we do this in a fiscally responsible way. Again, not pleasing everyone, but making sure that we keep that promise, but also do it in a smart, fiscally responsible way."
Ramamurti had offered more explanation to CNN's Phil Mattingly on Wednesday in the difficulty in providing a top-line number.
He said without knowing how many borrowers sign up, it would be difficult to know the total cost. "That plays a big role in what the cost is going to be," he said.
But beyond that, he said other factors made providing a firm number difficult. He said there are differing estimates of default rates, which would affect the total figure. He added that providing relief would also bring in additional tax revenue if those benefiting start small businesses or purchase homes. | https://www.kitv.com/news/national/white-house-struggles-to-answer-questions-on-costs-of-student-debt-plan/article_573d9ab2-2ca0-56d1-a32c-e4e88872eee3.html | 2022-08-25T22:45:57Z |
California officials have approved a plan to phase out new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. The state is the country's largest auto market and could set e standard for other states to follow.
Copyright 2022 KQED
California officials have approved a plan to phase out new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. The state is the country's largest auto market and could set e standard for other states to follow.
Copyright 2022 KQED | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/by-2035-you-wont-be-able-to-buy-a-new-gas-powered-car-in-california | 2022-08-25T22:55:46Z |
Updated August 25, 2022 at 4:58 PM ET
LOS ANGELES — California air regulators voted Thursday on a historic plan to address climate change and harmful pollution by moving the nation's largest auto market away from the internal combustion engine.
The regulation will phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered cars, trucks and SUVs in the nation's most-populous state, culminating in a total ban of new sales of the vehicles by 2035. The ban will not prevent people from using gas-powered vehicles or apply to the used car market, but California officials say it will dramatically cut the state's climate-warming emissions and famously dirty air by speeding the transition to electric vehicles.
"California now has a groundbreaking, world-leading plan to achieve 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035," said the state's governor, Gavin Newsom. "It's ambitious, it's innovative, it's the action we must take if we're serious about leaving the planet better off for future generations."
The regulation, which was approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in a Thursday vote, could have massive repercussions for the country's auto-manufacturing industry and the broader fight against climate change.
Transportation is the largest source of climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions in the country, and scientists have said in increasingly dire language that drastic cuts to those emissions are crucial to providing a livable future on the planet.
President Joe Biden has set a goal of making half of the nation's new sales zero-emission by 2030. The recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act aims to move consumers that way by providing tax credits to people looking to buy new or used electric vehicles, but there are so many caveats — on everything from the buyers' income level to which models can qualify — that many electric vehicles may not be eligible for the benefit.
Auto industry analysts say the unprecedented move by California could help push the auto market to achieving that goal. Thirteen other states, including Oregon, New York and Colorado, typically follow California's auto emissions standards, which are already the most stringent in the country. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday that his state will set a similar goal of banning new gas-powered car sales by 2035.
"I think, for automakers, they will probably look at this and think this is kind of what they're going to target for most of the country," said Jessica Caldwell, the executive director of insight at the car data company Edmunds.
Auto makers want uniformity, Caldwell said. They don't want to be selling one type of car in one state and others in another. But the transition to electric vehicles, which have been on the market for decades, has been slow.
Electric vehicles account for just 5.6 percent of new-car sales between April and July, according to the latest quarterly report from Cox Automotive, an industry consulting firm. That was a record pace, the report noted, spurred by high gas prices, but supply issues remain.
Reaching 100 percent emission-free new vehicle sales by 2035 will be "extremely challenging," said John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents large automakers.
"Whether or not these requirements are realistic or achievable is directly linked to external factors like inflation, charging and fuel infrastructure, supply chains, labor, critical mineral availability and pricing, and the ongoing semiconductor shortage," he said in a statement. "These are complex, intertwined and global issues well beyond the control of either CARB or the auto industry."
A nationwide shift to electric vehicles would have major health benefits beyond its impacts on global climate change. More than 4-in-10 Americans live with unhealthy air, according to the American Lung Association. And research finds that the negative effects are disproportionately borne by people of color, regardless of income.
A report by the American Lung Association earlier this year found that a nationwide shift to zero-emission vehicles by 2035, as California is seeking, would generate more than $1.2 trillion in public health benefits between 2020 and 2050 and avoid up to 110,000 premature deaths.
Arezou Rezvani contributed reporting from Los Angeles.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/california-will-ban-sales-of-new-gasoline-powered-cars-by-2035 | 2022-08-25T22:55:52Z |
Death row inmates failed to convince a federal judge that Oklahoma's lethal injection method is cruel and unusual punishment. It will resume executions at a pace of about one a month through 2024.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Death row inmates failed to convince a federal judge that Oklahoma's lethal injection method is cruel and unusual punishment. It will resume executions at a pace of about one a month through 2024.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/executions-resume-in-oklahoma-as-judge-deems-lethal-injection-protocol-constitutional | 2022-08-25T22:55:59Z |
Lauren Hodges is an associate producer for All Things Considered. She joined the show in 2018 after seven years in the NPR newsroom as a producer and editor. She doesn't mind that you used her pens, she just likes them a certain way and asks that you put them back the way you found them, thanks. Despite years working on interviews with notable politicians, public figures, and celebrities for NPR, Hodges completely lost her cool when she heard RuPaul's voice and was told to sit quietly in a corner during the rest of the interview. She promises to do better next time. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/student-loan-forgiveness-gives-borrowers-some-financial-breathing-room | 2022-08-25T22:56:05Z |
Back in college, I had an embarrassing moment that's forever etched into my memory. A girlfriend borrowed my backpack for a weekend trip. And when she came back, she handed me the backpack and said something I'll never forget:
"Michaeleen, you must sweat a lot because your backpack stinks. The armstraps smell like onions. Ew."
I stood there in silence, feeling totally ashamed. I'm not sure how I responded. But I remember thinking to myself, "I don't eat many onions. Does my sweat really smell that bad?"
Now 25 years later, I've come to find out that my stinky sweat was actually a signal of something good on my skin – something that prevents skin problems, like eczema, and protects me from dangerous infections such as MRSA,, which is found in hospitals around the world and is the leading cause of skin infections in the U.S.
What creates your body's unique bouquet?
To figure out what I'm talking about, we need to step back and look at what actually creates body odor. It's not the sweat itself.
"No, I don't think your sweat by itself smells," says microbiologist Gavin Thomas at York University. "It certainly doesn't have these really stinky, odorous molecules."
Thomas studies how – and why– humans have a particular bouquet of scents. He says that sweat, immediately after it comes out of your pores, is essentially odorless.
"So most sweat is salty water," he says. That's the sweat that's secreted pretty much all over your body and cools you down when you're hot.
"But that's not what we're interested in," he explains. "We're interested in this other type of sweat, which is produced in our underarms and around the genitals."
This other type of sweat isn't just salty water but also contains a cornucopia of compounds, including oils, fats and proteins.
No one knows exactly why humans have this second type of sweat. But, Thomas says, one purpose likely has to do with the odors that it ends up emitting.
On its own, this second type of sweat isn't smelly. But something living on our skin – tiny creatures – takes that sweat and makes it stinky.
Yes, I'm talking about the bacteria on your skin.
"The human skin has almost 200 different species of bacteria living on it," says biologist Teruaki Nakatsuji at the University of California, San Diego. "And each person has different strains of these bacteria. So the skin microbiota is so diverse."
These bacteria are hungry. And some of them really enjoy eating the molecules in our sweat. They munch off a piece of the molecule and then spit out new molecular compounds, some of which are quite aromatic. For example, they can smell like cumin or goats, the American Society for Microbiology asserts.
And some of these molecules are downright stinky.
Back in 2020, Thomas and his colleagues found that one critter on the skin, called Staphylococcus hominis, produces an especially pungent odor: "We've had people describe it as kind of an onion smell or a cheesy onion smell," he says. "These types of compounds do smell pretty bad."
But wait! This critter – and your stinky sweat – is actually beneficial and even necessary.
So back in college, when my backpack smelled a bit stinky, it wasn't so much my sweat to blame but rather a little microbe called Staphylococcus hominins.
Which may make you want to go take shower stat. But wait! Before you go grab the antibacterial soap, there's something about this bacteria you need to know. Something that I didn't realize until recently: These bacteria – and their relatives – actually do something really good for you and your skin. In fact, you need these bacteria.
"Without S. hominins, you're in trouble," says dermatologist Richard Gallo at the University of California, San Diego.
Over the past five years, Gallo, Teruaki Nakatsuji and their colleagues have published a series of studies showing how S. hominins actually protects our skin from inflammatory problems, such as eczema, and dangerous infections, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.
The team has even developed a cream, made with the bacteria and tested in preliminary trials, as a treatment for eczema.
"S. hominins basically make a type of antibiotic, which specifically targets the bacteria that causes MRSA," Gallo says. "And it kills this bacteria by punching holes in its cell membrane."
But, Gallo says, this critter isn't the only part of your skin that produces antimicrobial agents. Twenty years ago, he and his colleagues found that your body itself also makes antimicrobial molecules and puts them inside your sweat.
"So sweat is almost like an antibiotic juice," Gallo says. "And as the water evaporates, those antibiotics actually increase in concentration. So it kind of leaves a little coating on your skin. So that's one of the ways our skin tries to fight the bad bacteria."
So the next time you're hot, sticky and maybe a bit stinky, before you hit the shower, take a moment to thank your sweat – and the bacteria that eat it – for helping to keep your skin healthy and safe.
Because even after you do take a shower, the protective critters will still be there to help you, Gallo says — even if you use antibacterial soap.
"When you wash your skin, you get rid of the material on its surface," he says. But these bacteria live deep inside your skin's pores, where detergents and antibiotics can't reach. "So within 10 minutes after washing, the bacteria grow back and populate your skin's surface.
"So in a way, your skin is smarter than you," he adds. It knows what it needs better than you do.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/why-stinky-sweat-is-good-for-you | 2022-08-25T22:56:12Z |
New pipe arrives at water transmission line break in northern St. Clair County
The Great Lakes Water Authority announced Thursday that new pipe to repair a water transmission line break north of Port Huron has begun to arrive at the site of the break.
On Aug. 13, a 120-inch water transmission main that distributes drinking water from the Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility to communities in the northern part of the authority's service area suffered a break, resulting in boil water advisories for Burtchville Township and several other southeastern Michigan communities, according to the Great Lakes Water Authority.
Nearly all the advisories were lifted Saturday, but new replacement pipe for the break is continuing to arrive. The first order of 120-inch pipe, a total of 16 feet, arrived on Aug. 14, while another 16-foot segment arrived Thursday, the authority said.
The authority expects necessary remaining 32 feet of pipe to arrive over the weekend. The authority will determine a repair timeline for the transmission line once all the new pipe arrives.
The water authority said while some water pressure was restored immediately after the water main break, customers in the affected areas should expect lower water pressures than normal. Areas affected by boil water advisories should limit outdoor water usage until the line is repaired.
The authority said workers are using the opportunity of having a open, unpressurized pipe to conduct inspections of the several miles of existing pipe on either side of the break.
Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com. | https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2022/08/25/new-pipe-arrives-at-water-line-break-in-northern-st-clair-county/65420358007/ | 2022-08-25T23:08:08Z |
Blue Water Area high school football scores for Week 1
The wait is over. Welcome to Week 1 of the 2022 MHSAA football season.
We'll be updating our scoreboard with up-to-the-minute scores from Blue Water Area games on Thursday and Friday night. Be sure to refresh this page and check back often.
WEEK 1 GAMES
Almont at Marysville — 7 p.m. Thursday
Caro at Marlette — 7 p.m. Thursday
Croswell-Lexington at Saginaw Swan Valley — 7 p.m. Thursday
Dearborn Heights Annapolis at Yale — 7 p.m. Thursday
Imlay City at Hazel Park — 7 p.m. Thursday
St. Clair at Richmond — 7 p.m. Thursday
St. Clair Shores Lake Shore at Port Huron Northern — 7 p.m. Thursday
PICKS:Blue Water Area football picks for Week 1
Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Port Huron —3:30 p.m. Friday
Armada at Marine City — 7 p.m. Friday
Burton Bentley at Memphis — 7 p.m. Friday
Sandusky at Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker — 7 p.m. Friday
Sterling Heights Parkway Christian at Cardinal Mooney — 7 p.m.
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper. | https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/sports/2022/08/25/blue-water-area-high-school-football-scores-week-1/65419150007/ | 2022-08-25T23:08:14Z |
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke condemned Texas’ “trigger law” on abortion — which took effect Thursday — during a visit to a Houston clinic that previously offered abortions.
During a press conference inside of Houston Women’s Reproductive Services, O’Rourke slammed Gov. Greg Abbott for creating “chaos” within the state and urged Texans to participate in the upcoming November election.
“Reproductive health care is under attack in this state more than it is anywhere else in this country, probably anywhere else in the developed world,” O’Rourke said. “There’s one person who is responsible for that, and that is Governor Greg Abbott.”
O’Rourke was joined by medical professionals and patients who shared their own experiences with the state’s continued effort to restrict access to abortions.
Among them was graduate student Elizabeth Weller, who said her water broke 18 weeks into her pregnancy. Weller said she was told that her baby would die as soon as it was birthed — regardless of whether or not the baby was carried to term.
She said the hospital sent her home because she “was not sick enough at the time” — effectively leaving her to incur an infection from her condition or wait for the baby die.
“I was lucky enough to have an ethics committee to rule in my favor within the four days, but other women will not have that luxury,” Weller said. “Other women are going to be put in a position, in a situation, where they will most likely die. This is the future for many women.”
This comes as the state’s trigger law — House Bill 1280 — goes into effect, effectively banning abortions through the threat of felony prosecutions for doctors who perform the procedure. The law was passed last year and designed to go into effect 30 days after the reversal of Roe v. Wade. The law was among several pieces of legislation sought by Republican lawmakers to curb access to abortions in Texas, including Senate Bill 8 — which bans the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy.
Lee Bar-Eli, a Harris County family physician, joined O’Rourke during Thursday’s press conference. She said the continuous push to outlaw abortion in Texas has hindered and confused healthcare professionals across the state.
“Are we going to let politicians with no healthcare experience make those decisions for us?,” she said. “I can’t believe that after everything we’ve gone through, we’re now being told how to practice medicine.”
In a recent poll from The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler, Abbott had a seven-percentage point lead over O’Rourke — with 46% of Texans in favor of the incumbent Abbott and 39% in favor of O'Rourke.
With early voting now two months away, both candidates have begun releasing TV advertisements, with two from O’Rourke focusing on abortion rights.
“We want to make sure that we trust the freedom, the will and the choices the women of this state make,” O’Rourke said during Thursday’s press conference. “Most of us — nearly all of us in Texas — regardless of our differences, can agree with that much. The only way though, to make sure that we can do that is to win this election in November.”
Copyright 2022 Houston Public Media News 88.7. To see more, visit Houston Public Media News 88.7. | https://www.keranews.org/2022-elections/2022-08-25/beto-orourke-blasts-gov-abbott-as-texas-abortion-trigger-law-takes-effect | 2022-08-25T23:17:31Z |
Mauzy residents thrilled after Board of Supervisors denies truck stop proposal
MAUZY, Va. (WHSV) - A number of people in Mauzy were celebrating on Thursday after the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors shot down a proposed truck stop on Wednesday night.
During the packed public hearing, supervisors voted unanimously to deny a truck stop proposal that a developer was hoping to build on 31 acres of land just off Exit 257 of Interstate 81 in Mauzy.
Over the last few months, people in Mauzy have been banding together to urge supervisors to deny the project and on Wednesday they got their wish.
“There was a lot of local people who worked on this to try to just make sure that everyone was appraised of the situation, so we’re very happy with the teamwork that came out of this neighborhood,” said Watt Bradshaw a Mauzy resident who lives near the property.
Bradshaw was thrilled to see the efforts of he and his neighbors were not in vain.
“Members of the community and other Rockingham County residents expressed their concerns to all of the supervisors and there was a sort of coming together of everybody in the neighborhood,” he said. “We are glad that inappropriate land use wasn’t put in the middle of our neighborhood that posed the risks and threats that it did.”
District 1 Supervisor Dewey Ritchie, who represents Mauzy, made the motion to deny the proposal. Like many of the concerned residents, he cited the lack of public water and sewer on the property as his primary concern.
“It’s the only interchange in Rockingham County that doesn’t have public water and sewer and more the size of this project. I just did not feel that that was a suitable fit there,” said Ritchie.
Ritchie said he considered both sides of the argument and acknowledges that there is a need for more truck stops on I-81 but that this property was not the place for one.
“There is an issue with places for truckers to get off the road but the fact that the stormwater there, the runoff, given where it was going to run into Smith Creek, even though it was treated I just wasn’t comfortable with that,” he said.
Ritchie said that many of his constituents contacted him over the last month asking him to vote no on the proposal. There were around 100 people in attendance at the hearing the vast majority of whom opposed the project.
“We absolutely hope that the protection of the water resource is something that goes beyond this particular project and Smith Creek. We feel like this has raised the awareness of people as to what the threats are and the supervisors seem to agree,” said Bradshaw.
Theresa Kehm who lives across from the property sent out the following statement in a thank you letter following the supervisors’ decision:
“My husband John and I are elated for ourselves, our neighbors, Mauzy, Rockingham County, The Shenandoah Valley, Smith Creek, and the Chesapeake Bay. All of which would have been negatively affected. We are so grateful for all the support and involvement from the community and multiple organizations, especially to DeeDee Sellers for rallying the troops and spearheading this battle. We also give a huge thank you to Planning Commission members Kevin Flint and Michael Harvey, and to Dewey Ritchie and the entire Board of Supervisors for seeing the little picture and the big picture and doing what is in the best interest of all of us. We are so grateful!”
The developer proposing the project, Gas City LLC in Leesburg still owns the property.
WHSV spoke briefly with owner Gurcharan Leil on Thursday. He said he is examining legal options to see if there is a way to move forward with the project. If that is not possible Leil said he would be open to selling the property to the County.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/mauzy-residents-thrilled-after-board-supervisors-denies-truck-stop-proposal/ | 2022-08-25T23:21:31Z |
Pendleton County Library and schools granted $2.3 million for broadband expansion
FRANKLIN, W. Va. (WHSV) -- In Pendleton County, West Virginia, the library and public school division have been awarded $2.3 million to go toward increasing internet access in the county.
The library and school division formed a consortium to apply for grant money from the American Rescue Plan Act’s Emergency Connectivity Fund. The consortium originally applied for the funding in 2021 but did not receive it.
The ECF money will be used on a reimbursement basis to allow the consortium to hire providers to install fiber optic internet cables to provide broadband connection to homes around the county.
“During the pandemic, we realized we had to go online to provide options for students and broadband is not a strong suit of this county. Certain areas have high speed but it’s a very slow bandwidth and students can not always sign on to access some of the programs and curriculum so we saw a need,” said J.P. Mowery, Pendleton County Public Schools Director of Finance.
Any home with a Pendleton County Public Schools student or faculty member or a patron of the library will be eligible to sign up for the broadband connection.
Mowery said that the majority of the connections will be in the southern parts of the county. He estimates over 100 addresses in the Sugar Grove area and around 80 addresses in the Fort Seybert area will be connected.
“It’s going to help out students have better access. It’s gonna help the community be a better place, have more access to broadband and maybe encourage more people to move to the county with higher speed connections if they want to telecommute, for example, so we see it as a partnership with the county,” said Mowery.
Once households have signed up there will be a six to seven-month period where the internet service will be paid for by the grant. Beyond that point, people will have to decide whether to pay for continued internet service.
Mowery said that Pendleton County Public Schools is excited about the program and the opportunities it will present to students.
“We do see it as helping our students learn, we do a lot more things online now than ever even though we’re back in session. So we think it will help our students and parents have access to programs and homework through the school system,” he said.
The library and school division have one year to use the ECF funds and plan to complete the fiber optic cable installations within that time frame.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/pendleton-county-library-schools-granted-23-million-broadband-expansion/ | 2022-08-25T23:21:37Z |
Valley higher education leaders and stakeholders talk accomplishments and changes
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Leaders for many of the Valley’s colleges and universities met Thursday to highlight changes and accomplishments from the last year at their institutions.
Many noted enrollment, graduation, renovations and sporting events as high points of their year. Each institution’s president said they are excited to get this school year going.
“Pre-pandemic, pandemic, endemic and beyond... Bring it on, we’ve learned to pivot, we’ve learned adaptation, we’ve learned resilience, and more,” said Eastern Mennonite University President Susan Schultz Huxman.
Huxman said EMU’s enrollment numbers are good, especially for its graduate programs, which are up 16%.
Each institution noted growth in enrollment, with many saying retention is up, too.
“We’re one of a small number of Virginia private colleges to meet or exceed enrollment targets for first-year students this year,” said Bridgewater College’s President David Bushman.
Blue Ridge Community College President John Downey said their enrollment is up this year, but he also noted that the institution served 1,556 students in noncredit workforce training last year.
James Madison University saw a 44% increase in applications, and its freshman class is over 4,800 students. President Jonathan Alger cracked a joke about recent traffic changes in Harrisonburg.
“Yes, you will see more traffic around time, but a reminder that that’s a really good thing, right? Their economic impact is tremendous on this community,” said Alger.
The “Great Resignation” came up, with many offering their wisdom on the role higher education must play in mending the workforce said it’s crucial to help students find passion at work.
“It’s important that we all work together to avoid young people from slipping through the cracks of the educational system and make sure that every one of them finds their passion in some sort of workforce initiative of the future,” Downey said.
Bushman ended his speech talking about the tragedy that struck Bridgewater College last year, and he spoke about the memorial they’re working on.
“That memorial is not simply to remember the heroism and sacrifice of our two campus police officers, but it is also to honor and celebrate the strength of the community, the resilience and bonds, and the care that the Bridgewater College community has for each other and our connections to this broader community,” Bushman said.
Each president thanked the other institutions, as well as the larger community, for partnership and cooperation.
The event was hosted by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce at the Spotswood Country Club.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/valley-higher-education-leaders-stakeholders-talk-accomplishments-changes/ | 2022-08-25T23:21:44Z |
Police: Man arrested after writing more than $150,000 in fake checks to buy new cars
MADISONVILLE, Texas (KBTX/Gray News) - A Texas man is accused of writing fraudulent checks to buy several vehicles totaling more than $150,000.
According to the Madisonville Police Department, 66-year-old Larry Allen Dodd went to a Ford dealership this past weekend to purchase a 2021 F-350 King Ranch truck. Dodd reportedly wrote a check for $89,562.44.
KBTX reports Dodd then went to a Dodge dealership on Monday to purchase a 2021 Jeep for a female companion, where he wrote a $64,494.11 check for the vehicle.
Authorities said the Henson Brand Dealerships were then alerted by the Hempstead Police Department regarding Dodd purchasing two other vehicles in the Houston area with fraudulent checks.
The dealership said it confirmed with the Woodforest National Bank that Dodd’s checks were fraudulent and that the funds weren’t available.
Madisonville police said officers were able to make contact with the 66-year-old as he was driving back to the Ford dealership on Tuesday to get new tires.
According to officers, Dodd provided false reasons for not having funds in the account while making made-up calls to the bank as they didn’t find any valid bank contacts on his cellphone.
The Madisonville Police Department said Dodd has been arrested and charged with theft between $150,000 and $300,000.
Copyright 2022 KBTX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/police-man-arrested-after-writing-more-than-150000-fake-checks-buy-new-cars/ | 2022-08-26T00:00:21Z |
WATCH: Porch pirates fill shopping cart with stolen packages as they walk through neighborhood
LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A group of porch pirates was caught on camera stealing packages and putting them in a shopping cart as they walked through a Las Vegas neighborhood.
KVVU reports it was almost as if they were shopping in a store.
Resident Hugo Organista said he had gotten a notification about a package he ordered being delivered to his home over the weekend. He said his partner asked if he wanted to have someone pick it up for them, but he declined.
“When we got home on Sunday night, we pulled into the driveway, and I was poking my head out, looking for the package because I was kind of excited to open it,” Organista said.
However, the package was nowhere to be found, so Organista watched the security video.
All of the cameras and the security system at Organista’s home didn’t deter the thieves; they just captured them in the act.
“I could have very easily called a neighbor or a friend or somebody to come to pick it up, but I honestly just didn’t think that this one time it would happen,” Organista said.
Organista said he would make sure deliveries are only scheduled when he is home from now on.
He filed a claim with the store where the package was purchased, but they denied it because they said it had been delivered. He also reached out to his credit card company and believes the purchase protection policy will cover him.
Copyright 2022 KVVU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/25/watch-porch-pirates-fill-shopping-cart-with-stolen-packages-they-walk-through-neighborhood/ | 2022-08-26T00:00:28Z |
Police: Man arrested after writing more than $150,000 in fake checks to buy new cars
MADISONVILLE, Texas (KBTX/Gray News) - A Texas man is accused of writing fraudulent checks to buy several vehicles totaling more than $150,000.
According to the Madisonville Police Department, 66-year-old Larry Allen Dodd went to a Ford dealership this past weekend to purchase a 2021 F-350 King Ranch truck. Dodd reportedly wrote a check for $89,562.44.
KBTX reports Dodd then went to a Dodge dealership on Monday to purchase a 2021 Jeep for a female companion, where he wrote a $64,494.11 check for the vehicle.
Authorities said the Henson Brand Dealerships were then alerted by the Hempstead Police Department regarding Dodd purchasing two other vehicles in the Houston area with fraudulent checks.
The dealership said it confirmed with the Woodforest National Bank that Dodd’s checks were fraudulent and that the funds weren’t available.
Madisonville police said officers were able to make contact with the 66-year-old as he was driving back to the Ford dealership on Tuesday to get new tires.
According to officers, Dodd provided false reasons for not having funds in the account while making made-up calls to the bank as they didn’t find any valid bank contacts on his cellphone.
The Madisonville Police Department said Dodd has been arrested and charged with theft between $150,000 and $300,000.
Copyright 2022 KBTX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/police-man-arrested-after-writing-more-than-150000-fake-checks-buy-new-cars/ | 2022-08-26T00:09:34Z |
WATCH: Porch pirates fill shopping cart with stolen packages as they walk through neighborhood
LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A group of porch pirates was caught on camera stealing packages and putting them in a shopping cart as they walked through a Las Vegas neighborhood.
KVVU reports it was almost as if they were shopping in a store.
Resident Hugo Organista said he had gotten a notification about a package he ordered being delivered to his home over the weekend. He said his partner asked if he wanted to have someone pick it up for them, but he declined.
“When we got home on Sunday night, we pulled into the driveway, and I was poking my head out, looking for the package because I was kind of excited to open it,” Organista said.
However, the package was nowhere to be found, so Organista watched the security video.
All of the cameras and the security system at Organista’s home didn’t deter the thieves; they just captured them in the act.
“I could have very easily called a neighbor or a friend or somebody to come to pick it up, but I honestly just didn’t think that this one time it would happen,” Organista said.
Organista said he would make sure deliveries are only scheduled when he is home from now on.
He filed a claim with the store where the package was purchased, but they denied it because they said it had been delivered. He also reached out to his credit card company and believes the purchase protection policy will cover him.
Copyright 2022 KVVU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/watch-porch-pirates-fill-shopping-cart-with-stolen-packages-they-walk-through-neighborhood/ | 2022-08-26T00:09:41Z |
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