text stringlengths 65 123k | url stringlengths 25 420 | crawl_date timestamp[us, tz=UTC]date 2022-04-01 01:00:57 2022-09-19 04:34:04 |
|---|---|---|
Miss. man who sexually assaulted young kids gets life in prison
GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - A Mississippi man convicted of sexual battery will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Darryl Anthony Parnell, 37, was sentenced to life in prison after the jury returned a guilty verdict in his trial for sexual battery, WLOX reports.
Officials say a victim who testified about his horrifying assault was just 3 or 4 years old when it happened. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only victim.
During the course of that investigation, it was discovered that Parnell had sexually assaulted other victims, all in Jackson County.
“The jury heard testimony from those four other children that Parnell had sexually assaulted them when they were approximately 5 to 10 years old,” said Assistant District Attorney Haley Broom, who prosecuted the case along with ADA Jason Josef.
The trial lasted three days, but it only took the jury about an hour to return a guilty verdict.
Circuit Court Judge Larry Bourgeois then sentenced Parnell to life in prison. The judge told Parnell he took the victims’ “innocence and childhood” and described the crime as “a despicable act.”
“We commend these victims for courageously coming forward to disclose and testify about the sexual abuse they suffered. Although there is no sentence that can give back to those victims that which was taken by this defendant, we hope this conviction and sentence will help in the healing process,” said District Attorney Crosby Parker.
Copyright 2022 WLOX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/miss-man-who-sexually-assaulted-young-kids-gets-life-prison/ | 2022-08-29T11:22:21Z |
Most will stay dry today, but more rain and storms are on the way
A cold front will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to the region on Tuesday
A mix of sun and clouds is expected today with temperatures remaining on the warmer side. Highs will climb up into the 80s for most this afternoon but when you factor in the humidity it’ll feel even warmer. A stray shower cannot be ruled out this afternoon, but most will stay dry.
We’ll see partly cloudy skies tonight, but a stray shower cannot be ruled out. Lows tonight will be in the 60s for most.
A cold front will slide through our area tomorrow bringing scattered showers and thunderstorms with it. Some storms may contain heavy rainfall which could lead to some localized flooding issues. Temperatures will top off in the upper 70s and low-mid 80s.
The cold front will quickly move out of our area allowing high pressure to build in. That should keep us dry with mainly sunny skies throughout the remainder of the week. Temperatures will be in the 70s and 80s Wednesday-Friday.
A few spotty showers are possible as we head into our Labor Day weekend but most look to stay dry. Make sure to stay tuned and catch the latest on WVVA.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/most-will-stay-dry-today-more-rain-storms-are-way/ | 2022-08-29T11:22:30Z |
SEATTLE — When the U.S. homicide rate jumped nearly 30% in 2020, experts hoped it was a temporary blip — a fleeting symptom of pandemic pressures and civil unrest.
"I lost a couple of people around that time, due to gun violence," says LaMaria Pope, who works for a youth outreach program in the Seattle area called "Choose 180."
Three summers later, she says that violence persists, and young people are more likely to be armed with a gun.
"Sixteen, and 17, 18 and up — they only feel safe if they have one. It's becoming a jacket — they can't leave the house without one," she says.
Hopes for a rapid decline in the pandemic murder spike are fading. National statistics for 2022 aren't yet available, but you can get a sneak peak from an informal year-to-date tally of murders in major cities compiled by data analyst Jeff Asher. The total count in those cities has dipped slightly lower than last year, but it's still well above pre-pandemic levels. And in 40% of the cities listed, homicides are trending higher.
Some of the worst trouble spots are cities such as Philadelphia and Baltimore, where year-to-date homicides are rivaling the high tallies of 2020 and 2021.
In Portland, Ore., the mayor has declared an "emergency" over gun violence, as the city struggles to reel in an annual murder count that shot up to 88 in 2021, from 36 in 2019.
Even some smaller cities, such as Little Rock, Ark., are in danger of eclipsing last year's murder numbers.
"This is definitely not the '90s"
But it's not just that the numbers remain high. The nature of the gun violence itself has changed, according to those who watch these crimes closely.
"This is definitely not the '90s, what we're seeing," says Elyne Vaught, a prosecutor in King County, Wash. He's part of a program called "Shots Fired," which counts and categorizes illegal shootings in a county that includes Seattle. The program seeks to identify people at risk of getting involved in the violence, and intervene by offering social services delivered by non-profits.
"The '90s was more gang-oriented, there was much more organized, sort of targeted shootings," Vaught says. "Today, it's petty offenses, petty conflicts, reckless shootings."
Vaught says you can see the "rise in reckless-type shootings" in the county statistics, where the number of shots fired has more than doubled, compared to the same period in 2019, and with more shots fired per victim.
Police around the country have noticed this trend. A new report from the Major Cities Chiefs Association points to "incidents of individuals indiscriminately shooting into large crowds while discharging massive amounts of ammunition," such as the April mass shooting in downtown Sacramento.
The chiefs point to the availability of extended ammunition magazines, as well as the growing popularity of "auto sear" switches, small after-market devices that turn semi-automatic Glock pistols into illegal automatics, capable of spraying bullets. (Similar attachments are also exist for AR-15-style rifles, but police worry more about handguns, which are used far more often in crimes.)
Post-pandemic "gunplay"
Anecdotally, gunfire has become a more common sound in many urban and suburban areas. Jimmy Hung, chief deputy for the juvenile division of the King County Prosecutor's Office, says he's noticed the change.
"I live in West Seattle and I've never felt, like, leaving my house, I was in danger of being shot — I still don't," Hung says. "But having lived there now for nearly 20 years, I can confidently say that when I sleep at night and I have my window open, I certainly hear more gunshots today than I did when I first moved into the neighborhood."
Hung wonders if those shots are connected to a rise in the "demonstrative" use of guns by young men.
A 16-year-old we're calling "G" recalls being at a party in the same neighborhood — West Seattle — and observing exactly that. (We're withholding his name, given his age and the topic.)
"All we hear is 'pop-pop-pop,' " he says, describing the incident.
He says it started with a dispute between two groups of young people, and took an ominous turn when some came back holding backpacks in front of them, one hand concealed inside.
"That only means, usually, two things," he says. "Either they're having a hard time finding something. Or — it's usually just them holding a gun, ready to pull it out and fire."
Gun violence often starts online
"G" says he doesn't have a gun, and most of the guns he sees in the hands of acquaintances are on social media.
"Mostly Snapchat," he says. "[The videos are] them usually smoking in a car and then holding out a gun, flashing the laser sight. Just saying, 'Hey, I have this, don't mess with me. Be scared of me, basically.' "
When the guns come out in person, he says it's often after warnings online. For instance, someone will post the video of a fistfight, which in turn will prompt others to promise to avenge the loser.
"One of the friends might say, 'Oh, I'm gonna slide for you. I'm going to slide real quick with a pole on me,' " G says, where the term "pole" is slang for gun.
"That usually means, 'Hey, we don't care that you lost, but we're gonna go get the deed done,' " he says.
Temple University criminologist Jason Gravel, who studies how young people acquire and use guns, says the role of social media may be the biggest change of the last few recent years.
"It might look like some random shooting on the street, but if that was preceded by a bunch of verbal threats online or in social media, you don't see the first part of the conflict, you just see the end result," Gravel says.
More guns, more shootings?
At the "Choose 180" program in suburban Seattle, Lemaria Pope thinks the year-long closure of in-person schooling in the region led to many kids discovering guns.
"Kids were finding their parents' guns, because they're in the house, no school, no work. I definitely think during that pandemic, it just opened up a window," Pope says.
There may have been more guns around for kids to find. Firearms dealers reported record sales during the pandemic, and a recent article in the Annals of Internal Medicine estimates that 2.9% of U.S. adults became new gun owners. By extension, the authors estimate 5 million children were "newly exposed" to firearms in their households.
At the prosecuting attorney's office, Hung believes irresponsible gun owners are part of the problem.
"I don't believe that we have emphasized or prioritized enough the secure storage of guns or the responsible ownership of guns," he says. "And so kids are gaining access to guns either through, you know, theft or people misplacing them and them just getting in the wrong hands."
Less risk of getting caught
Others reject this explanation for heightened gun violence, saying people who want guns have always found ways to get them.
Anthony Branch, 26, got into trouble for carrying a gun when he was a teen. Watching the gun culture in his neighborhood, he thinks more minors and felons are carrying guns illegally now for one simple reason: "Defund the police," as he puts it.
"They're only going to search for priorities," he says of the Seattle Police Department, which lost hundreds of officers after the protests that followed the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
At the same time, he acknowledges the violence itself may also be a deciding factor.
"What are you gonna do when you win the fight, and somebody shoots you? Or you have a beef that's so bad that you lose the fight, and they still shoot you?" he asks. "So that's why you have all these young people — and older cats too — want to carry so much. Because of the uncertainty of it."
Criminologist Gravel says society should take seriously the fact that people in certain communities feel so unsafe, they want to carry guns.
"When you look at the rates of violence, if you lived in that community, I don't know if I would blame you if you wanted to carry a gun for protection," he says. "It's not entirely irrational to do so, even if it puts them more at risk."
As to the question of whether the pandemic-era violence is here to stay, Gravel says the jury is still out.
"There's a lot of research that suggests that violence is kind of operates like a contagion," he says. "It's going to take a while until the chain of conflicts that started in 2020 ends — and it might never end! It might take a while for it to die down on its own if we don't intervene and try to stop these conflicts before they happen."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-29/shootings-spiked-during-the-pandemic-the-spike-now-looks-like-a-new-normal | 2022-08-29T11:33:00Z |
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS:
Why did you study the pandemic’s second year?
We wanted to look at what the impact of the prolonged pandemic was for people with obesity.
We found that:
- On average, people gained about 4.3% of their body weight during the pandemic,
- Nearly a third of people gained more than 5% of their weight
- One in seven gained more than 10% of their body weight during the pandemic.
The study found “deteriorations in mental health” to be a factor. What exactly does that mean?
We found weight gain was strongly associated with:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Maladaptive eating behaviors that included overeating and binge eating type behaviors
- Also, less sleep and less physical activity.
Our study wasn't able to pinpoint exactly what was going on. We can hypothesize that the stress of the pandemic, and shifts in work from home environment, are changing employment status. And a host of other factors contributed to people just trying to survive and shifting their behaviors to what they could do or what they felt their body needed at that time.
The people in the study had gone through some type of obesity treatment or a weight wellness program. So, they at least had some knowledge of how to guard against weight gain. But that didn't help?
I think for so many people living with obesity, there's not so much a knowledge gap or deficit with what we need to do to achieve a healthier weight. But so much of what goes into how we operationalize that are influenced by factors outside of our control.
Meaning?
With regards to healthy eating patterns and behaviors during the pandemic, there were a host of changes, including changes in food supply:
What restaurants or places were open or available to eat, what we wanted to eat, or what we felt we needed to eat.
Working from home: whether we were then preparing meals or grazing instead of having meals.
There was so much that went into how things changed from a health behavior perspective, including the gyms being closed, people being afraid to go out, to be physically active because of fear of catching COVID, or people just feeling like it wasn't something they needed to or wanted to prioritize.
So, in essence, the pandemic was simply making things worse.
Exactly. It was like a pressure cooker of stress.
You also mentioned less physical activity. Meaning what? Too little exercise or no exercise during that period?
Our participants reported, particularly those who gained weight, that they were exercising less frequently and less strenuously.
How does the pandemic make that happen?
We've seen things go both ways with our patient population. Some people during the pandemic were able to create very nice structures where they were able to have regular physical activity, regular meals, food preparation, etc.
For others, the work-from-home environment meant more sleeping in the office and working from home where their workdays were longer. There was less structure. They may have been looking after additional family members or trying to homeschool children at the same time.
So I think for everyone, the journey is very different.
How or why does sleep contribute to weight gain or change?
Studies show people who sleep less tend to gain more weight. There's a correlation between sleep deprivation and calorie intake. But also, sleep is very important for cardiometabolic health, including heart disease and diabetes risk. So it's important to focus on sleep as another kind of vital sign of health for people with obesity.
So what is the end result?
There are several ways we can approach this. One is in terms of what this means for clinicians. And I think as the pandemic kind of continues, people with obesity should be evaluated for stress, anxiety, and depression, and to get the appropriate support and interventions that they need.
I think our data helped inform clinicians on which groups may be at higher risk for weight gain, thereby exacerbating their obesity.
But at the end of the day, I think what we need to do is focus on treating obesity as a chronic disease with times of kind of remission and recurrence, if we borrow that phrase from other disease states, and to focus on treating the person, their body and their mind, not just the number on the scale.
RESOURCES: | https://www.keranews.org/health-wellness/2022-08-29/how-the-pandemic-has-made-life-harder-for-people-struggling-with-obesity | 2022-08-29T11:33:06Z |
20-year-old competes in Miss England without makeup Published August 29, 2022 at 6:09 AM CDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Listen • 0:27 Melisa Raouf is the first contestant to compete without makeup in the history of the Miss England competition. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-29/20-year-old-competes-in-miss-england-without-makeup | 2022-08-29T11:49:43Z |
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with former federal prosecutor Brandon Van Grack about the investigation into materials seized from former President Donald Trump's Florida home.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with former federal prosecutor Brandon Van Grack about the investigation into materials seized from former President Donald Trump's Florida home.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-29/a-former-federal-prosecutor-reacts-to-the-redacted-mar-a-lago-affidavit | 2022-08-29T11:49:44Z |
The intelligence community is counting the cost of what might have been compromised as they review the classified material former President Donald Trump had at his Florida property.
Copyright 2022 NPR
The intelligence community is counting the cost of what might have been compromised as they review the classified material former President Donald Trump had at his Florida property.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-29/after-mar-a-lago-officials-are-analyzing-the-potential-damage-to-national-security | 2022-08-29T11:49:44Z |
A mission to understand what's happening at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is underway amid renewed shelling and mounting fears of a potential nuclear accident.
Copyright 2022 NPR
A mission to understand what's happening at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is underway amid renewed shelling and mounting fears of a potential nuclear accident.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-29/international-atomic-energy-agency-will-visit-ukraines-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant | 2022-08-29T11:49:45Z |
Micky Mantle Topps rookie card sold at auction for $12.6 million Published August 29, 2022 at 6:09 AM CDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Listen • 0:28 The sale makes the card one of the most valuable sports collectible in the world. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-29/micky-mantle-topps-rookie-card-sold-at-auction-for-12-6-million | 2022-08-29T11:49:51Z |
2 Air France pilots suspended after fighting in cockpit
PARIS (AP) — Fisticuffs in the cockpit, leaving a leaky engine running while cruising over Africa -- Air France pilots are under scrutiny after recent incidents that have prompted French investigators to call for tougher safety protocols.
Two Air France pilots were suspended after physically fighting in the cockpit on a Geneva-Paris flight in June, an Air France official said Sunday. The flight continued and landed safely, and the dispute didn’t affect the rest of the flight, the official said, stressing the airline’s commitment to safety.
Switzerland’s La Tribune reported that the pilot and co-pilot had a dispute shortly after takeoff, and grabbed each other by their collars after one apparently hit the other. Cabin crew intervened and one crew member spent the flight in the cockpit with the pilots, the report said.
News of the fight emerged after France’s air investigation agency, BEA, issued a report Wednesday saying that some Air France pilots lack rigor in respecting procedures during safety incidents.
It focused on a fuel leak on an Air France flight from Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo to Paris in December 2020, when pilots rerouted the plane but didn’t cut power to the engine or land as soon as possible, as leak procedure requires. The plane landed safely in Chad, but the BEA report warned that the engine could have caught fire.
It mentioned three similar cases between 2017 and 2022, and said some pilots are acting based on their own analysis of the situation instead of safety protocols.
Air France said it is carrying out a safety audit in response. It pledged to follow the BEA’s recommendations, which include allowing pilots to study their flights afterward and making training manuals stricter about sticking to procedure.
The airline noted that it flies thousands of flights daily and the report mentions only four such safety incidents.
Air France pilots unions have insisted that security is paramount to all pilots and defended pilot actions during emergency situations.
The BEA also investigated an incident in April involving an Air France flight from New York’s JFK airport that suffered flight control problems on approach to its landing in Paris.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/2-air-france-pilots-suspended-after-fighting-cockpit/ | 2022-08-29T12:25:26Z |
3 people dead in hotel shooting, including suspect; 2 Phoenix police officers hurt
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5/Gray News) - Two Phoenix police officers are injured and two people as well as a possible suspect were killed during a shooting in north Phoenix.
Phoenix police said the shooting happened after the officers responded to reports of a shooting at the Days Inn around 8:45 p.m., just west of Interstate 17. When they arrived, officers were shot at by an unidentified suspect, who was later found dead, according to Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams.
Two people died at the scene, and an unknown number of other people were taken to a hospital, Arizona’s Family reported. Both injured officers are in stable condition at the hospital, Phoenix police said.
“Once again, this is another example of gun violence in our community,” Williams said. “How many more officers have to be shot? How many more community members have to be killed before those in our community take a stand? This is not a Phoenix police issue, this is a community issue. If not now, when?”
No suspect has been identified yet, and what led up to the shooting is still under investigation.
Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/2-people-dead-hotel-shooting-including-suspect-2-phoenix-police-officers-hurt/ | 2022-08-29T12:25:32Z |
International aid reaches flood-ravaged Pakistan as more than 1,000 have died this summer
ISLAMABAD (AP) — International aid was reaching Pakistan on Monday, as the military and volunteers desperately tried to evacuate many thousands stranded by widespread flooding driven by “monster monsoons” that have claimed more than 1,000 lives this summer.
Cargo planes from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates began the international rush to assist the impoverished nation, landing on Sunday in Islamabad carrying tents, food and other daily necessities. Trucks carrying tents, food, and water arranged by Pakistan were also being dispatched to various parts of the country by the National Disaster Management Authority for tens of thousands of flood victims.
They were among the nations that pledged to help Pakistan tackle the crisis after officials called for international help. The United Nations will launch an international appeal for Pakistani flood victims on Tuesday in Islamabad.
Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif on Monday said the rains are the heaviest Pakistan has seen in three decades.
“I saw floodwater everywhere, wherever I went in recent days and even today,” Sharif said in Charsadda, one of the devastated towns. He said the planes carrying aid from some countries have already reached Pakistan, and he predicted more.
Sharif has said the government would provide housing to all those who lost their homes.
However, many people displaced by floods say they not only lost their homes but their crops and small shops, as well.
“I am sitting with my family in a tent, and how can I go out to work? Even if I go out in search of a job, who will give me any job as there is water everywhere,” asked Rehmat Ullah, a flood victim in Charsadda in the northwest.
Zarina Bibi, another flood victim, said soldiers evacuated her by boat.
“We were given a tent and food by soldiers and volunteers,” she said. Bibi cried when she said her house had collapsed in floods. “Floodwater will recede soon, but we have no money to rebuild our home,” she said.
Rehan Ali, 24, a laborer in the country’s southern Sindh province, reported a similar ordeal.
He said he cannot rebuild his home without government help, and right now he was unable to work to get food for his family. So, Ali said, he was relying on donatons.
The exceptionally heavy monsoon rains that triggered flash floods across the country have affected 33 million Pakistanis, damaged nearly 1 million homes and killed at least 1,061 people.
Pakistani authorities say this year’s devastation is worse than in 2010, when floods killed 1,700 people. Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, the country’s military chief, said Sunday that his country may take years to recover. He appealed to Pakistanis living abroad to generously donate to the flood victims.
Floods and rains have caused devastation in Pakistan at a time when the country is facing one of the worst economic crises. Pakistan says it recently narrowly avoided a default, and later Monday IMF’s executive board was expected to approve the release of the much-awaited $1.7 billion for this Islamic nation.
Pakistan and the IMF originally signed the bailout accord in 2019. But the release of a $1.7 billion tranche has been on hold since earlier this year, when the IMF expressed concern about Pakistan’s compliance with the deal’s terms under former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government.
Khan was also expected to launch a fundraising campaign Monday evening for flood victims.
Last week, the United Nations in a statement said that it has allocated $3 million for U.N. aid agencies and their partners in Pakistan to respond to the floods and this money will be used for health, nutrition, food security, and water and sanitation services in flood-affected areas, focusing on the most vulnerable.
Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s climate minister, has described the unusual rainfall as a “monster monsoon.” She says Pakistan suffered heavier rains this year mainly because of climate change, which also caused fire in forests.
However, critics say Pakistan’s government has hardly any interest in building new dams and water reservoirs.
The unprecedented monsoon season has affected all four of the country’s provinces. Floods have destroyed more than 150 bridges and numerous roads have been washed away, making rescue operations difficult. Authorities say they were using military planes, helicopters, trucks and boats to evacuate people from marooned people and deliver much-need aid to them.
However, many survivors complain they were still waiting for help or they received too little assistance from the government after being displaced because of floods. Some people say they got tents but not food. Pakistan charities were also active in flood-hit areas, and the government says everyone should contribute to help flood victims.
The government has deployed at least 6,500 soldiers to help civilian authorities in rescue and relief operations across the country.
____
Associated Press Writers Mohammad Farooq from Shikar Pur, Sindh and Riaz Khan from Peshawar contributed to this story.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/international-aid-reaches-flood-ravaged-pakistan-more-than-1000-have-died-this-summer/ | 2022-08-29T12:25:39Z |
20-year-old competes in Miss England without makeup NPR Published August 29, 2022 at 5:09 AM MDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Flipboard Listen • 0:27 Melisa Raouf is the first contestant to compete without makeup in the history of the Miss England competition. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/20-year-old-competes-in-miss-england-without-makeup | 2022-08-29T12:36:52Z |
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with former federal prosecutor Brandon Van Grack about the investigation into materials seized from former President Donald Trump's Florida home.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with former federal prosecutor Brandon Van Grack about the investigation into materials seized from former President Donald Trump's Florida home.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/a-former-federal-prosecutor-reacts-to-the-redacted-mar-a-lago-affidavit | 2022-08-29T12:36:59Z |
The intelligence community is counting the cost of what might have been compromised as they review the classified material former President Donald Trump had at his Florida property.
Copyright 2022 NPR
The intelligence community is counting the cost of what might have been compromised as they review the classified material former President Donald Trump had at his Florida property.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/after-mar-a-lago-officials-are-analyzing-the-potential-damage-to-national-security | 2022-08-29T12:37:05Z |
A mission to understand what's happening at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is underway amid renewed shelling and mounting fears of a potential nuclear accident.
Copyright 2022 NPR
A mission to understand what's happening at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is underway amid renewed shelling and mounting fears of a potential nuclear accident.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/international-atomic-energy-agency-will-visit-ukraines-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant | 2022-08-29T12:37:12Z |
Micky Mantle Topps rookie card sold at auction for $12.6 million NPR Published August 29, 2022 at 5:09 AM MDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Flipboard Listen • 0:28 The sale makes the card one of the most valuable sports collectible in the world. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/micky-mantle-topps-rookie-card-sold-at-auction-for-12-6-million | 2022-08-29T12:37:18Z |
2 Air France pilots suspended after fighting in cockpit
PARIS (AP) — Fisticuffs in the cockpit, leaving a leaky engine running while cruising over Africa -- Air France pilots are under scrutiny after recent incidents that have prompted French investigators to call for tougher safety protocols.
Two Air France pilots were suspended after physically fighting in the cockpit on a Geneva-Paris flight in June, an Air France official said Sunday. The flight continued and landed safely, and the dispute didn’t affect the rest of the flight, the official said, stressing the airline’s commitment to safety.
Switzerland’s La Tribune reported that the pilot and co-pilot had a dispute shortly after takeoff, and grabbed each other by their collars after one apparently hit the other. Cabin crew intervened and one crew member spent the flight in the cockpit with the pilots, the report said.
News of the fight emerged after France’s air investigation agency, BEA, issued a report Wednesday saying that some Air France pilots lack rigor in respecting procedures during safety incidents.
It focused on a fuel leak on an Air France flight from Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo to Paris in December 2020, when pilots rerouted the plane but didn’t cut power to the engine or land as soon as possible, as leak procedure requires. The plane landed safely in Chad, but the BEA report warned that the engine could have caught fire.
It mentioned three similar cases between 2017 and 2022, and said some pilots are acting based on their own analysis of the situation instead of safety protocols.
Air France said it is carrying out a safety audit in response. It pledged to follow the BEA’s recommendations, which include allowing pilots to study their flights afterward and making training manuals stricter about sticking to procedure.
The airline noted that it flies thousands of flights daily and the report mentions only four such safety incidents.
Air France pilots unions have insisted that security is paramount to all pilots and defended pilot actions during emergency situations.
The BEA also investigated an incident in April involving an Air France flight from New York’s JFK airport that suffered flight control problems on approach to its landing in Paris.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/2-air-france-pilots-suspended-after-fighting-cockpit/ | 2022-08-29T12:53:24Z |
3 people dead in hotel shooting, including suspect; 2 Phoenix police officers hurt
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5/Gray News) - Two Phoenix police officers are injured and two people as well as a possible suspect were killed during a shooting in north Phoenix.
Phoenix police said the shooting happened after the officers responded to reports of a shooting at the Days Inn around 8:45 p.m., just west of Interstate 17. When they arrived, officers were shot at by an unidentified suspect, who was later found dead, according to Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams.
Two people died at the scene, and an unknown number of other people were taken to a hospital, Arizona’s Family reported. Both injured officers are in stable condition at the hospital, Phoenix police said.
“Once again, this is another example of gun violence in our community,” Williams said. “How many more officers have to be shot? How many more community members have to be killed before those in our community take a stand? This is not a Phoenix police issue, this is a community issue. If not now, when?”
No suspect has been identified yet, and what led up to the shooting is still under investigation.
Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/2-people-dead-hotel-shooting-including-suspect-2-phoenix-police-officers-hurt/ | 2022-08-29T12:53:35Z |
Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O' Rourke said Sunday he is taking a break from the campaign trail after contracting a bacterial infection.
O' Rourke said he began feeling sick on Friday and was diagnosed with the infection at the Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, where he received antibiotics.
"While my symptoms have improved, I will be resting at home in El Paso in accordance with the doctors' recommendations," he tweeted Sunday.
O'Rourke, who is running against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in the November election, said he will have to postpone some events due to his illness, but will be back on the campaign trail as soon as possible.
O'Rourke recently made headlines while on the campaign trail in North Texas when he swore at a heckler during a campaign rally. He was speaking to a crowd in Mineral Wells, Texas, about the mass shooting in Uvalde, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers, when a member in the audience began to laugh, NPR member station Houston Public Media reported.
O'Rourke quickly spun around and pointed at the heckler and said, "It may be funny to you, motherf*****, but it's not funny to me, OK."
The crowd immediately began cheering in support of O'Rourke's snappy interjection.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/news/2022-08-29/beto-orourke-is-off-the-campaign-trail-for-a-while-due-to-a-bacterial-infection | 2022-08-29T13:42:06Z |
Cold front increases storm coverage Tuesday
Hot and humid to start the week
MONDAY: A mix of sun and clouds to start the day with patchy fog early. Warm with temperatures rising into the 70s. Some clouds for the afternoon with an isolated shower or storm possible. Hot and humid with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. A very warm evening with temperatures falling into the 80s. Some clouds around for the evening with an isolated shower or storm before sunset. Skies turning clear by the overnight. Areas of patchy fog late. Warm and humid with overnight lows in the mid to upper 60s.
TUESDAY: Plenty of sunshine with a few passing clouds to start the day. Warm with temperatures rising into the 70s. Some clouds for the afternoon with scattered showers and storms developing out ahead of a cold front. Storms may contain heavy rain and cause localized flooding. We may also see a storm on the strong to severe side. Hot and humid with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. A very warm evening with temperatures falling into the 80s. Some spots in the 70s with any rain. A few showers and storms cannot be ruled out for the evening into the early part of the overnight. Warm and somewhat humid overnight with lows in the low to mid 60s.
WEDNESDAY: A mix of sun and clouds to start the day and warm with temperatures rising into the 70s. Some clouds for the afternoon and very warm. A beautiful day and comfortable with highs in the low to mid 80s. Warm for the evening with temperatures falling into the 70s. Clear skies for the evening and overnight and pleasant with overnight lows in the mid to upper 50s.
THURSDAY: Plenty of sunshine to start the day and a refreshing start with temperatures rising into the 60s. Lots of sun throughout the day and very warm. A beautiful day and very pleasant with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s and lower humidity. A warm evening with temperatures falling into the 70s under clear skies. A beautiful and clear night, pleasant with lows in the mid to upper 50s.
FRIDAY: Plenty of sunshine to start the day and mild with temperatures rising into the 60s. A pleasant and beautiful day. Very warm with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s. Some clouds for the evening and overnight with lows in the mid to upper 50s.
SATURDAY: More clouds than sun to start the day and warm with temperatures quickly rising into the 70s. Mostly cloudy and comfortable for the afternoon. Very warm with highs in the low to mid 80s. Overnight lows in the upper 50s to low 60s.
SUNDAY: A mild start with temperatures rising into the 60s and a good amount of sunshine. A mix of sun and clouds for the day and very warm with highs in the low to mid 80s. A very warm evening with temperatures falling into the 70s and overnight lows in the upper 50s to low 60s.
As always, you can get the latest updates by downloading and checking the WHSV Weather App.
Copyright 2021 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/cold-front-increases-storm-coverage-tuesday/ | 2022-08-29T13:56:09Z |
Drive-by shooting at Texas home kills 5-year-old child, teen
Published: Aug. 29, 2022 at 8:51 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Police in Texas are searching for suspects after two youths were killed and a toddler was injured in a drive-by shooting in a residential area of Fort Worth.
The shooting happened shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday when a vehicle pulled up outside the home where a group was gathered in the front yard and a shooter or shooters opened fire.
Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes says the 17-year-old and 5-year-old males were pronounced dead at a hospital.
An 18-month-old had minor injuries and is expected to survive.
Noakes asked anyone with information or video to contact police and said authorities would use “every resource necessary” to find those responsible.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/drive-by-shooting-texas-home-kills-5-year-old-child-teen/ | 2022-08-29T13:56:10Z |
Duke volleyball player: BYU was slow to respond to racial slurs at game
(AP) - The Duke volleyball player who was subjected to racial slurs during a match at BYU said Sunday that officials onsite didn’t react quickly enough when they were made aware of the behavior during play.
Nor did they adequately address the situation immediately after the match, Rachel Richardson said in a statement posted to her Twitter account.
“No athlete, regardless of their race, should ever be subject to such hostile conditions,” said Richardson, the only Black starter on the Blue Devils team.
BYU banned a fan from all athletic venues on campus Saturday, a day after the match. The fan was not a student but was sitting in the student section.
Richardson, a 19-year-old sophomore from Ellicott City, Maryland, wrote that she didn’t believe the fan’s actions were a reflection of BYU athletes, saying her opponents showed respect and sportsmanship, adding that BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe had reacted quickly once he was notified.
“This is not the first time this has happened in college athletics and sadly it likely will not be the last time,” Richardson said. “However, each time it happens we as student athletes, coaches, fans, and administrators have a chance to educate those who act in hateful ways.”
Richardson also responded to the idea that some people would have liked to see Duke’s team respond quickly, such as by refusing to continue playing in what became a 3-1 victory for BYU.
“Although the heckling eventually took a mental toll on me, I refused to allow it to stop me from doing what I love to do and what I came to BYU to do: which was to play volleyball,” Richardson said. “I refused to allow those racist bigots to feel any degree of satisfaction from thinking that their comments had ‘gotten to me,’ So, I pushed through and finished the game.
“Therefore, on behalf of my African American teammates and I, we do not want to receive pity or to be looked at as helpless. We do not feel as though we are victims of some tragic unavoidable event. We are proud to be young African American women; we are proud to be Duke student athletes, and we are proud to stand up against racism.”
The Duke team released a statement, saying:
“We stand against any form of racism, bigotry or hatred. As a program we have worked extensively to create an inclusive and safe environment where our student-athletes feel heard and supported but are not naive to the fact that there is always work to be done.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/duke-volleyball-player-byu-was-slow-respond-racial-slurs-game/ | 2022-08-29T13:56:13Z |
More kids are swallowing lithium batteries, study says
Published: Aug. 29, 2022 at 8:51 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
(CNN) - The number of children going to the emergency room for eating small lithium batteries is on the rise.
The batteries are known as button batteries, and they can be found in numerous household objects, including handheld games and calculators.
According to a study published in the Pediatrics journal, these poisonings have doubled from 2010 to 2019, compared to the decade before.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said button batteries can cause chemical reactions that may burn the esophagus or, in some cases, lead to death.
Parents are advised to avoid changing batteries in front of young children and to throw out dead batteries immediately.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/more-kids-are-swallowing-lithium-batteries-study-says/ | 2022-08-29T13:56:20Z |
LVIV, Ukraine — Olha Kerod was busy at work at a pharmacy in this western Ukrainian city when she got a frantic call from her teenage daughter, Anyuta.
"My daughter said, 'Mom, something exploded in Olenivka!'" she says. "She said they blew up a building, and many people died."
Olenivka is a prison colony in eastern Ukraine that's occupied by Russian-backed forces. Russia holds captured Ukrainian soldiers there. On July 29, the day of the explosion, Olha's husband Stanislav — she calls him Stas for short — was in that prison.
"Everyone started calling me, texting me, asking, 'Olha, Olha, what has happened?'" she recalls. "But I didn't know anything about Stas."
She found out that at least 50 imprisoned soldiers had died and scores more were wounded in Olenivka. The grim news came after gruesome videos appeared on social media showing a Russian soldier castrating, then killing, an imprisoned soldier. She coped with the terrifying uncertainty of her husband's captivity by pushing herself to stay optimistic.
"I didn't cry, I didn't panic," she says. "I told myself and my daughter: Don't believe anything until we know for sure."
They assumed it was an evacuation
At the time, Olha had not seen Stas, 39, for five months, since Russian forces bombed and shelled the southeastern port city of Mariupol, where he served as a naval border guard.
The Russian siege of the city left thousands of soldiers and civilians dead and nearly every building damaged. This spring, Stas joined several thousand soldiers who barricaded themselves beneath Azovstal, a sprawling local steelworks factory, in a final last stand. NPR reached Stas there via WhatsApp.
He sent several voice memos describing the constant bombing and shelling, how they were running out of medicine and food, and how relieved he was that his own family had escaped Mariupol. In May, Stas and about 2,000 other soldiers left Azovstal in what many assumed was an evacuation. Instead, they became Russia's prisoners.
"We are being evacuated into captivity," read his last text to NPR.
A couple of weeks later, Olha meets NPR outside the Ukrainian-Greek Catholic church in Lviv where she often prays.
"I pray for all the soldiers, not just Stas," says the 36-year-old, her voice breaking. "I will keep praying until they all come home."
Olha and Stas got married in 2005, a year after meeting at a friend's wedding. He was sweet, smart and handsome, she says, but taciturn, "a soldier to the core, who always keeps his emotions inside."
When he was away on duty, he always told Olha the same thing — "everything is OK, don't worry." At home, he spent his time working around the house, cooking big meals with their daughter Anyuta and listening to ballads by the Ukrainian rock band Skryabin with Olha.
Stas returned to duty just before Russia invaded in February. He urged Olha to take Anyuta and go to western Ukraine, near the NATO border with Poland. Olha resisted at first, until she found Anyuta weeping at night because her classmates had fled, some to the West, some to Russia. When the bombing began, Olha and Anhuta traveled across the country to the western city of Lviv. Soon after, the Russian attack on Mariupol intensified, leaving thousands dead and their city in smoldering ruins.
Stas and the other soldiers retreated to Azovstal — a steel plant that employed thousands in Mariupol. The plant had a vast network of underground shelters, where the soldiers and hundreds of civilians holed up.
Olha learned from news reports that the Russians were constantly bombing and shelling the steel plant. But Stas' texts from the siege were calm: "Everything is OK. Don't worry."
He sent Olha photos of himself and the other soldiers making pancakes with the last of the flour and sugar stockpiled underneath the plant. Olha says he looked like he had aged at least 10 years.
An explosion that shocked the world
After the soldiers became Russian prisoners, Olha says she could not contact Stas directly. She heard his voice only once, when he called her from a number she didn't recognize.
"He told me that the conditions inside the prison were terrible, that prisoners were fed only once every two days, that hygiene was nonexistent," she says. After that, she received a few short texts, saying, "Everything's fine, don't worry."
A prisoner exchange in late June got Olha's hopes up. And even though Stas wasn't among the Ukrainian prisoners freed, she heard there would be more exchanges.
Then, on July 29, came the explosion.
The blast destroyed a warehouse where prisoners had recently been moved. Images of charred bodies appeared on social media.
Ukraine said Russian forces blew up the building to cover up their torture of Ukrainian prisoners. Russia in turn accused Ukraine of killing its own soldiers to keep them from talking.
"I didn't believe it, that such a thing could happen, that even the Russians could do such a thing," she said. "It probably shocked the whole world."
They didn't know where to go
Hundreds of miles east, in the capital of Kyiv, Alla Samoilenko was also shocked.
The movie casting director was desperate for news on her 27-year-old son, Ilya.
"I've heard only rumors," she says. "It's very hard."
Alla says Ilya joined the Ukrainian military in 2015, when he was studying history at university. Russia's takeover of Crimea and its support for proxy fighters in the eastern Donbas region convinced him to join, his mother says.
He chose a regiment called Azov, which had become legendary for blocking a previous Russian attack on Mariupol in 2014. The regiment had its origins in a volunteer battalion founded by a far-right nationalist, but experts say most of the radicals left after the battalion became part of the Ukrainian army in 2015. The Kremlin calls the regiment Nazis, which infuriates Alla Samoilenko.
"Russia should look at itself when it speaks about Nazis," she says. "It is Russia who behaves in fascist way."
She feared that the Russians would use the captured Azov fighters for propaganda. One Russian TV network showed a hospitalized soldier saying fighting the Russians "will never lead to anything good." The Russian presenter asked several others "how many people have you killed?" Some Russian politicians demanded that the Ukrainian soldiers be tried for war crimes.
Alla spoke with her son often while he was barricaded under Azovstal, but she says she hasn't heard from him since he was taken prisoner. She knew many soldiers in Ilya's regiment were in Olenivka. She pleaded for help from the International Committee for the Red Cross, which under international law should have access to war prisoners. The ICRC's representatives were polite and "full of mercy" during the meeting, she says. But after that, she heard nothing.
"We want to make even very small steps to help," she says, describing the search for information on her son. "But we don't know where to go."
Russian authorities have blocked the Red Cross and other independent investigators from entering the site of the explosion. They instead brought in their own experts, who repeated Kremlin talking points that Ukraine and the U.S. were responsible for the explosion.
We don't know how to get answers
In cities across Ukraine, the families of the imprisoned soldiers took to the streets to demand information and justice.
Yaroslava Ivantsova, 48, protested in the central region of Kirovograd, where she lives with her daughter and grandchildren after escaping the fall of Mariupol. She lost touch with her 50-year-old husband, Nikolai Ivantsov, after the surrender at Azovstal. Her daughter Viktoriia Lyashuk, 27, also had not heard from her husband, Oleksii, another Azov fighter, since then.
"The Red Cross contacted us once, right after they were taken prisoner, and told us that they had been taken into Russian-held territory," Yaroslava says. "And that was it."
She met Nikolai when she was a freshman in college and he was a new military recruit. Even after decades together — and four children, four grandchildren — Yaroslava says they were inseparable. They gardened together, and he liked showing her his collection of old coins. "He is something of an amateur archaeologist, with special equipment and maps, with all the curiosity of a young boy," she says, smiling.
Like Alla Samoilenko, Yaroslava had read that the Azov soldiers were in the Olenivka prison colony. Since the explosion, she and Viktoriia have spent hours scouring Russian social media channels for details on Nikolai and Oleksii.
A few days after the explosion, the Russian military published a list of dead and wounded. Ivantsova saw her son-in-law's name on the list of injured.
"We started cold-calling hospitals in the occupied territories to find out which ones had taken the wounded," she says, "but unfortunately we couldn't get any information. The hospitals only said they didn't have any Ukrainian soldiers there."
Nikolai's name wasn't on the list. Neither was Alla Samoilenko's son Ilya. They haven't heard from the soldiers.
"I mean, [Russia] can kill all of them, without any responsibility," Alla says. "And no one in the world can do something."
The feeling of being forgotten
Back in Lviv, Olha Kerod got better news. She finally got a text from her husband, Stas.
"He wrote to say that he was alive," she says. "That he misses us so much. That he's tired and wondering if people have forgotten about him and the other soldiers."
Ukrainians haven't forgotten. Giant banners dedicated to the "Azovstal defenders" hang on administrative buildings around the country. Olha recently posted a video on Facebook of the soldiers singing in the catacombs of Azovstal, before the final fall of their city, trapped underground and yet still free.
Olha clings to the hope that there might be another prisoner exchange. "One day the Russians say yes, the next day they say no," she says. "It's a limbo that we've been living with for months. So we wait."
The soldiers of Azovstal who survived the explosion in Olenivka face an uncertain fate. The leader of a Russian proxy state in occupied eastern Ukraine says there are plans to put Azovstal soldiers on trial in Mariupol.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry claims that the Russian troops, who now control Mariupol, are building cages for the imprisoned soldiers in the city's philharmonic hall, where the trial will reportedly be held. Ukrainian authorities say the trial could start any day.
Hanna Palamarenko contributed to this report from Odesa, Ukraine, and Kateryna Korchynska from London.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/after-a-deadly-jail-blast-ukrainians-want-answers-about-war-prisoners-held-by-russia | 2022-08-29T14:08:11Z |
Ask a Gen Z woman what she's read recently, and there's a good chance two names will come up: Colleen Hoover and Emily Henry.
"Gen Z is my favorite of all generations for so many reasons, and their love for reading is just one of the many," Hoover said. "I love that they are consuming books and sharing books and recommending books. They're reading so much – not only my books, but books across genres."
For months, Hoover and Henry have occupied multiple spots on the New York Times paperback trade fiction bestsellers list. The success of these contemporary romance writers has been driven in large part by Gen Z readers – and social media.
"It's the right person finding the book at the right time and then sharing it with the right people," said Henry. Her novels Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation, and Book Lovers are all bestsellers.
Hoover's upcoming book, It Starts With Us – the highly anticipated sequel to It Ends With Us from 2016 – has more pre-orders than any novel in Simon & Schuster history – and there are still seven weeks to publication. Its pre-orders have surpassed Stephen King's Dr. Sleep, which went on sale in 2013 – the publishing company's previous leader.
What makes a romance novel a Gen Z hit
A decade ago, the main demographic for romance was women ages 35 to 54. But in the past several years, that has widened to include women 18 to 54, according to Colleen Hoover's publicist Ariele Fredman.
"Gen Z is a huge audience for romance," she said. "If you think about it, like millennials, their youth has been marked by global and social upset and unrest in many ways, so looking for a happy ever after or an emotional outlet in a book seems like a healthy way of coping."
Kaileigh Klein, a 19-year-old college student in Ontario, Canada said she loves Hoover's books for just this reason – for the big emotions she writes about.
"People [my age] gravitate towards her novels because they're really emotional. I feel like even if you can't express emotion in real life, reading it on paper, it's really easy to connect to it and relate to it," she said.
Sahar Kariem, a 22-year-old stylist from Maryland, said Emily Henry's "balance of romance and life lessons," as well as themes of coming of age, have cemented Henry as one of her favorite authors.
Meanwhile, marketing trends, like covering contemporary romance novel jackets with cartoon figures and bright colors, has also helped pull in a younger audience, according to Leah Koch, who co-owns The Ripped Bodice, a romance bookstore in Los Angeles.
"I don't know that I'll ever have a grasp on it, but I'd like to think they're responding to the entertainment factor," Hoover said. "The last few years have been wild in the best way, and I'm very grateful to readers who continue to share my books and the books of other authors on their social platforms."
Social media pushing romance to younger readers
Much of the success of the romance genre with Gen Z readers is driven by BookTok, a subcommunity on TikTok for recommending, reviewing, and discussing books. Sales for authors whose books have gone viral on TikTok had reached 12.5 million in 2022, as of July, according to NPD BookScan, a data service that tracks U.S. book sales. And as of April, nearly 41 percent of TikTok's global users were between the ages of 18 and 24 — with more than half of those being women, according to Statista.
Colleen Hoover is especially savvy at knowing how to connect with her fans. She's a frequent TikTok user, regularly engaging with her almost 950,000 followers. Emily Henry has chosen another approach, leaving the space to readers – giving her an almost a mythical presence on the platform.
Bookstore owner Koch said she's noticed a large increase in younger customers coming into the store since early 2021 — something she "100 percent" attributes to TikTok.
"We'll get a rush of customers asking for something random and we're like, 'Why does everyone want this specific book?'" Koch said. The answer is always TikTok.
Ali Hazelwood, whose 2021 debut book The Love Hypothesis became a smash BookTok hit, said she had no idea of the book's virality until a friend told her a TikTok recommending it had 2 million views.
"The way BookTok talks about books is very different from your traditional review," Hazelwood said. "They make me want to buy my book."
The Ripped Bodice's top selling book, Koch said, is Hoover's It Ends With Us. Though it's not new, it received a surge in popularity last year thanks to BookTok. The book hit No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list in January 2022.
BookTok reduces romance stigma, but upholds whiteness
Ultimately, Koch said, what gets a reader in their teens or early 20s to pick up a romance novel is if they're able to relate to a character's feelings and circumstances. But this doesn't mean a character has to be exactly the same as them.
"I've never heard a Gen Z reader say, 'I don't want to read this because I can't personally relate to the characters [in race or sexuality]," Koch said.
Yet, the majority of the most successful BookTok romance novels are about white, straight characters and by white authors, with a few notable exceptions. The books that go viral on TikTok tend to be by white authors, and mostly white women.
"There are so many books that I think are excellent and don't make [bestsellers] lists, and so many of these books are written by non-white authors," Hazelwood said. "There's definitely a pattern and a marked disadvantage that authors of color have to face in publishing."
Henry shared similar sentiments – and said she often wonders why certain authors, like Kennedy Ryan, haven't blown up on BookTok yet. She also said she wouldn't be in the contemporary romance game if it weren't for women of color like Helen Hoang and Jasmine Guillory, whose 2018 debut novels made her realize there was an audience for a book like Beach Read.
It's a broader issue than just BookTok — according to The Ripped Bodice's annual State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing Report, only 7.8 percent of romance books published in 2021 were written by BIPOC authors.
"There's so many good books by Black authors that get ignored," said Gen Z reader Kariem, who herself is Black and Muslim. "I think a lot of books by white authors are just advertised more, and there's a lot of up and coming authors that don't have the same resources."
Henry also reflected on the issue. "I don't know what we do to help BookTok make space for more authors beyond the white authors who are having this moment," Henry said.
But overall, the romance writers at the top of the bestsellers lists today said they rejoice in Gen Z's openness about loving the romance genre. It's "this embracing of pleasure and sexuality and openness to the things that make you feel good without denigrating those as like a lower form of art," Henry said.
Hazelwood said she, and so many others, grew up embarrassed of reading romance novels. "I just hope that this new generation is growing up without all that stigma that was unjustifiably there to begin with. Now [reading romance] is super cool," she said.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/gen-z-is-driving-sales-of-romance-books-to-the-top-of-bestseller-lists | 2022-08-29T14:08:18Z |
Swastika Mountain, in Oregon's Umpqua National Forest, is in the process of being renamed after bearing the moniker for over a century. Due to its remote location, the mountain and its name have largely gone unnoticed until now.
Joyce McClain first heard of Swastika Mountain after reading about two hikers who were rescued from the peak in January. The 81-year-old couldn't believe that a mountain could still bear that name in 2022.
So, she decided to do something about it.
"People need to come forward and take action when they see something that isn't right or needs to be changed, because one person can make a difference, and this shows how that is so true," McClain told NPR.
She reached out to the Oregon Historical Society and its Oregon Geographic Names Board, filling out the paperwork to propose a name change. Kerry Tymchuk, executive secretary at the historical society, said McClain is the first person he knows of to submit a request for the mountain.
"It is not a very well-known mountain, and frankly, I didn't know there was one," Tymchuk told NPR. "It's in a national forest, not accessible to many people like Mount Hood or Mount St. Helen. It's not very well-known throughout the state; the vast majority of people likely never even knew it was there."
He said the mountain and a nearby town were named Swastika in the early 1900s — long before the Nazis — after a local ranch that bore the name and used the symbol to brand cattle. According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the symbol signified well-being in multiple ancient societies across the world, until it was co-opted by Adolf Hitler.
Despite its innocent origin story, Tymchuk said that it's important to consider what a geographic feature is called and what that name represents.
"What we name things, our features, reflects history, but also reflects values. And as history changes, so do values," he said. "And certainly, something bearing the name Swastika in 1903 is different than in 2022, when it's been associated with such an evil person and evil ideology."
The historical society and its board are considering renaming it Mount Halo, named after Chief Halito of the Yoncalla Kalapuya tribe. McClain, who had proposed that it be renamed to Umpqua Mountain, withdrew her suggestion, believing Halo to be a better fit for the mountain.
Board members will vote on the name change in a December meeting, after a 60-day comment period and gathering input from tribal authorities in the state. From there, the request will be submitted to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for final approval.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/long-overlooked-oregons-swastika-mountain-may-have-a-new-name-soon | 2022-08-29T14:08:24Z |
A friend of Minda Dentler texted her the news article of the recent case of polio in Rockland County, New York that led to a patient becoming paralyzed.
"I kind of was in shock and disbelief to see it in the United States," she recalls. "We have all these resources and then to hear that somebody didn't get part of the regular childhood vaccines and that person could get polio. It was shocking to me."
Dentler was born in Mumbai, India in 1978 and contracted polio at six months. She missed the wave of universal immunization in the country by several years. The result was that Dentler became paralyzed in her legs. She can still feel everything; she just can't tell her legs to move.
"My mother realized she couldn't take care of me," Dentler says, "so she dropped me off at an orphanage."
At age three and a half, she was adopted by a couple in the U.S. "Well, I couldn't walk, right?," she says. "And my body was sort of stuck in this seated position. So I spent the first few years in America just going through a number of surgeries to basically straighten me out so I could then be fitted for leg braces and crutches."
Dentler learned to handle a wheelchair and to walk by using the crutches, her legs immobile beneath her. "In the early years, it was just me trying to be like my siblings," she says. "I didn't want to take the disabled bus to school. I wanted to be able to take the bus with my sister. And so I had to learn how to go up the stairs."
Once at school, she often felt left out. "I was just really embarrassed and self-conscious about the way I looked," she remembers. "And people would stare at me and kids would make fun of me. And I really found it difficult to make friends." Her family, which included three siblings, was athletic; Dentler often watched from the sidelines, wanting to compete herself. "But I couldn't," she says.
Later, when she was in her late 20s in New York City, a friend introduced her to a running club for athletes with disabilities where she learned how to hand cycle: propel a three-wheeled low-to-the-ground bike using only her upper body. She met a friend in a wheelchair who'd completed a triathlon.
"I remember watching him at the finish line thinking, 'That's what I want to do next year,'" she says. "And so actually I signed up for the race without knowing how to swim or run."
Within seven months, she learned to swim and to compete using a racing wheelchair. When Dentler finished the triathlon, she was motivated to go farther. She soon took up half-Ironman distance triathlons, a distance of nearly 70 miles. And she kept meeting people, mostly able-bodied, with extraordinary athletic ambitions, which led her to attempt her first Ironman in Hawaii. That's a distance of 140.6 miles.
"At the time, no female wheelchair athlete had ever made the time cutoffs to finish that race," Dentler says. She missed the cutoff on her first try.
But a year later, she made it and finished the race in 14 hours, 39 minutes — the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman World Championship. She covered all those miles in water and on land, propelled entirely by her arms and upper body.
In a comment worthy of a gold medal for understatement, she says, "I think it's important to stay physically active."
Since then, she's done three other Ironmen — in Dubai, Morocco and Colombia. And Dentler's also currently in the midst of another marathon — she's a mom. Her daughter Maya is seven years old.
"Even when she was very young, things were different," Dentler says. "Like when she cried, I couldn't pick her up off the floor. She knew that she had to get closer to me."
In kindergarten, some of Maya's classmates teased her about having a mom in a wheelchair. But it didn't last long. By first grade, Dentler volunteered at the school to help kids learn to read, and soon they no longer paid attention to her wheelchair. Maya was so proud of her mom she brought her in for show and tell.
"[Maya] said, 'Who wouldn't want a mom like that?,'" says Dentler. "The kids were very curious. They asked me a ton of questions and it was actually pretty fun to answer them. And the kids' eyes would get really big when they heard that I could do all of these things."
Dentler says one memory of her daughter stands out with particular clarity. "I remember vividly when she was three months old getting her first polio vaccine," she recalls. "I just remember crying cause I realized, 'Wow, she is not going to face the debilitating effects of having polio like I have just because she got access to a vaccine and I chose to get her immunized.'"
Dentler has traveled to India with Rotary International to accompany a national immunization drive. "It was really eye opening to me," she says, "because women literally would travel for miles to get their children vaccinated for polio because they knew how much it would impact their lives if their child were to contract polio. Because we don't really see polio really impacting people in the United States, I almost feel like people forget the value of these vaccines."
When Dentler considers the current polio outbreak in New York State, she says it's completely preventable. For her, it boils down to a single word — immunization.
"I wish all people who may be on the fence about vaccination could really meet me," she says. "I'm a reminder to families that they should vaccinate their children."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/striving-to-outrace-polio-whats-it-like-living-with-the-disease | 2022-08-29T14:08:30Z |
Updated August 29, 2022 at 9:23 AM ET
NASA's hopes for a Monday launch of the massive Space Launch System rocket from the Kennedy Space Center on a test flight to the moon are on hold for at least a few days after engineers were unable to resolve an engine problem.
One of the four SLS core-stage engines failed to reach the proper temperature for launch, prompting the Artemis I mission's launch director to scrub the planned Monday morning liftoff.
With just 40 minutes left on the countdown, scheduled as early as 8:33 a.m. ET, flight controllers had called a hold while engineers evaluated the problem.
Engineers were dealing with a series of issues in the runup to the planned launch. First, lightning strikes at the pad on Saturday initially caused some concern, but officials later said there was no damage to the vehicle, the capsule or ground equipment. Then came a 45-minutes weather delay early Monday morning that slowed the procedure for filling the core stage with its hydrogen fuel. A leak was also discovered, but resolved.
"We don't launch until it's right," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said after Monday's decision to scrub.
Putting the flight on hold was "illustrative that this is a very complicated machine, a very complicated system, and all those things have to work," he said.
"You don't want to light the candle until it's ready to go," Nelson, himself an a former space shuttle astronaut, said.
The next launch opportunity for the uncrewed Artemis I launch is Friday. The flight is meant as an initial step in eventually returning humans to the surface of the moon — a flight that could take place as early as 2025.
The 30-story-tall SLS rocket, topped by an uncrewed Orion spacecraft, was rolled out earlier this month to the same historic launch complex used by the mighty Saturn V during the Apollo moonshots that ended in 1972.
This first mission of Artemis — named after the twin sister of Apollo — is a trial run of hardware needed to go back to the moon for longer stays and more science.
"It is an incredible step for all of humankind," NASA astronaut Nicole Mann told NPR's All Things Considered. "This time going to the moon to stay. And it's really the building blocks for our exploration to Mars."
The Artemis program, expected to have an ultimate price tag of $93 billion, promises to refocus NASA's long-term human space-flight goals, paving the way for eventually establishing a crewed base near the moon's south pole and crewed missions to Mars.
But one key piece of the program — the vehicle that will actually land on the moon's surface — will not be part of the first Artemis mission. Elon Musk's SpaceX has been contracted to build a lunar variant of its Starship to take astronauts to the surface. The vehicle has yet to be tested in orbit. Another component of the original Artemis program, Gateway, a sort of deep-space way station for astronauts to and from a future moon base, is also still under development.
It's a modern mission with a retro look
The SLS sports stretched versions of the solid-rocket boosters used by the space shuttle, which last flew more than a decade ago, as well as four RS-25 engines that were refurbished and are being reused after previously flying on shuttle missions. The rocket's upper stage will be powered by a type of engine first developed in the late 1950s.
Boeing is the prime contractor for the SLS core stage and upper stage. Boeing's chief engineer for the SLS program, Noelle Zietsman, says that in building the giant rocket, engineers drew from the "foundations and fundamentals" of the Saturn V and space shuttle years.
"We've got our missions that we're focused on right now to the moon," she says. "But [the SLS] is for deep space exploration. ... So, the capability is much greater and larger beyond just the moon landing."
The cone-shaped Orion spacecraft, which will take up to four astronauts into lunar orbit on future missions, resembles the Apollo-era "command module." Finally, a European service module, attached to Orion, is comparable in function to Apollo's service module and will provide propulsion, electricity, water, oxygen and climate control to future crews.
The six-week Artemis I test flight will send Orion into what is known as a distant retrograde orbit, an oblong circuit that will take it just 62 miles from the moon's surface at one point and well beyond the moon at another.
Artemis I's Orion will fly without some life support systems and crew support items or a docking system, which won't be needed on the first flight, says Mike Hawes, Orion program manager for Lockheed Martin, which is building the capsule.
Instead, three mannequins equipped with radiation and vibration sensors will sit in. "Getting the radiation profile and having a long exposure in this unique lunar orbit is really important to us as we get ready to fly crew," Hawes says.
NASA is planning to fly four astronauts aboard Artemis II in 2024, with Artemis III set for the program's first landing a year later. The space agency says the program will eventually put the first woman and first person of color on the moon.
But delays and cost overruns have plagued Artemis, and its predecessor, Constellation, for years. A NASA Inspector General report issued last year predicted that the space agency would "exceed its timetable" for the first Artemis moon landing "by several years."
After liftoff, Artemis I will enter low-Earth orbit, where Orion's service module will unfurl solar panels before boosting itself into a higher orbit in preparation for a four-day trip to lunar orbit.
Artemis could be key in getting to Mars
On a future landing, NASA hopes to be able to mine water ice that has been confirmed deep in polar craters that never see sunlight — a critical resource for drinking, breathable oxygen and to eventually produce rocket fuel. A lunar base could prove an invaluable stepping stone for crewed flights to Mars, where the moon's low gravity would make such missions easier to launch.
NASA recently announced 13 sites near the moon's south pole as candidates for the Artemis III surface mission a few years from now. Those locations have been chosen for ease of landing, exposure to sunlight so that a spacecraft can generate solar power, and their nearness to possible permanently shadowed ice deposits.
"The lunar south pole is an absolutely extraordinary geologic terrain," says David Kring, a lunar geologist at the Center for Lunar Science & Exploration in Houston, Texas. "We are going to learn so much about the evolution of the moon."
"When we better understand the evolution of the moon, we are going to be better understanding the evolution of our own planet Earth," he adds.
A polar mission, however, will be something new. It represents a departure from Apollo, which placed a dozen astronauts at sites all nearer the moon's equator.
"The topography looks a bit more remarkable at the south, just because the sun angle is so low," says Bethany Ehlmann, associate director of the Keck Institute for Space Studies at the California Institute of Technology.
Ehlmann leads a team responsible for Lunar Trailblazer, a robotic mission set for next year that will produce detailed maps of those permanently shadowed crater regions that could contain ice.
At the south pole, "the terrain is comparable" to the Apollo landing sites nearer the equator, she says. "And frankly, landing systems are better now than in the 1970s."
Brendan Byrne of member station WMFE, contributed to this story from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/the-launch-of-nasas-giant-moon-rocket-is-delayed-after-an-issue-with-its-engine | 2022-08-29T14:08:37Z |
Drive-by shooting at Texas home kills 5-year-old child, teen
Published: Aug. 29, 2022 at 8:51 AM EDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Police in Texas are searching for suspects after two youths were killed and a toddler was injured in a drive-by shooting in a residential area of Fort Worth.
The shooting happened shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday when a vehicle pulled up outside the home where a group was gathered in the front yard and a shooter or shooters opened fire.
Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes says the 17-year-old and 5-year-old males were pronounced dead at a hospital.
An 18-month-old had minor injuries and is expected to survive.
Noakes asked anyone with information or video to contact police and said authorities would use “every resource necessary” to find those responsible.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/drive-by-shooting-texas-home-kills-5-year-old-child-teen/ | 2022-08-29T14:24:41Z |
Duke volleyball player: BYU was slow to respond to racial slurs at game
(AP) - The Duke volleyball player who was subjected to racial slurs during a match at BYU said Sunday that officials onsite didn’t react quickly enough when they were made aware of the behavior during play.
Nor did they adequately address the situation immediately after the match, Rachel Richardson said in a statement posted to her Twitter account.
“No athlete, regardless of their race, should ever be subject to such hostile conditions,” said Richardson, the only Black starter on the Blue Devils team.
BYU banned a fan from all athletic venues on campus Saturday, a day after the match. The fan was not a student but was sitting in the student section.
Richardson, a 19-year-old sophomore from Ellicott City, Maryland, wrote that she didn’t believe the fan’s actions were a reflection of BYU athletes, saying her opponents showed respect and sportsmanship, adding that BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe had reacted quickly once he was notified.
“This is not the first time this has happened in college athletics and sadly it likely will not be the last time,” Richardson said. “However, each time it happens we as student athletes, coaches, fans, and administrators have a chance to educate those who act in hateful ways.”
Richardson also responded to the idea that some people would have liked to see Duke’s team respond quickly, such as by refusing to continue playing in what became a 3-1 victory for BYU.
“Although the heckling eventually took a mental toll on me, I refused to allow it to stop me from doing what I love to do and what I came to BYU to do: which was to play volleyball,” Richardson said. “I refused to allow those racist bigots to feel any degree of satisfaction from thinking that their comments had ‘gotten to me,’ So, I pushed through and finished the game.
“Therefore, on behalf of my African American teammates and I, we do not want to receive pity or to be looked at as helpless. We do not feel as though we are victims of some tragic unavoidable event. We are proud to be young African American women; we are proud to be Duke student athletes, and we are proud to stand up against racism.”
The Duke team released a statement, saying:
“We stand against any form of racism, bigotry or hatred. As a program we have worked extensively to create an inclusive and safe environment where our student-athletes feel heard and supported but are not naive to the fact that there is always work to be done.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/duke-volleyball-player-byu-was-slow-respond-racial-slurs-game/ | 2022-08-29T14:24:47Z |
More kids are swallowing lithium batteries, study says
Published: Aug. 29, 2022 at 8:51 AM EDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
(CNN) - The number of children going to the emergency room for eating small lithium batteries is on the rise.
The batteries are known as button batteries, and they can be found in numerous household objects, including handheld games and calculators.
According to a study published in the Pediatrics journal, these poisonings have doubled from 2010 to 2019, compared to the decade before.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said button batteries can cause chemical reactions that may burn the esophagus or, in some cases, lead to death.
Parents are advised to avoid changing batteries in front of young children and to throw out dead batteries immediately.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/more-kids-are-swallowing-lithium-batteries-study-says/ | 2022-08-29T14:24:54Z |
Personal property tax increase reflects national inflation
TAZEWELL COUNTY, Va. (WVVA) - Inflation has been affecting our entire country, and this will be reflected in Tazewell County residents’ property taxes this fall.
Using the National Automobile Dealer’s Association guide, car values went up on average a total of 22% in Tazewell County due to the pandemic, chip shortages, and market conditions.
County Commissioner of Revenue , David Anderson, says that every county in the state uses the N.A.D.A ‘s guidelines. Anderson wrote a letter to the County Board of Supervisors in March to address the large rate increase. This resulted in the board approving a 10% ratio deduction for county residents.
Therefore, on average, Tazewell County Residents can expect a 12% increase on personal property taxes this year. If your car is not in great condition or has high mileage, contact Anderson’s office for forms to lower your rate even further. The office not only assesses property, they also offer tax relief.
The tax tickets will be mailed out in the first half of October with a December 5 due date. Alongside the property taxes, the second half of real estate taxes will also be due on that date.
This is the first year the county has split the payments up, this was done to try and ease the financial burden on Tazewell County Residents as the holidays approach.
The first half of real estate taxes were due on June 1 of this year. County residents can expect to see tax tickets in their mailboxes by the end of October.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/personal-property-tax-increase-reflects-national-inflation/ | 2022-08-29T14:25:01Z |
Supreme Court fencing removed, but building remains closed
WASHINGTON (AP) — The large fencing that has encircled the U.S. Supreme Court for months has now been removed.
The non-scalable fencing was gone Monday morning, leaving only small barricades blocking off the plaza and steps in front of the high court.
Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe would say only that the fence came down sometime during the weekend. “The Court as a matter of policy does not discuss security arrangements,” McCabe said in an email.
The building, closed in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, remains off-limits to the public.
The fence had been installed in May as protests erupted outside the court and outside the homes of some Supreme Court justices after a leaked opinion signaled the justices were planning to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets outside the court in June after the court handed down its ruling, overturning a landmark case making abortion legal throughout the United States nearly 50 years ago.
The justices also faced increasing threats. A California man was arrested in June near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh carrying a gun, knife and pepper spray after telling police he was planning to kill the justice.
The fencing that had been installed outside the court was similar to the fence put up for months around the U.S. Capitol in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack when supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the building.
Protests at the court have waned in recent weeks. Still, law enforcement officials have warned about the potential for attacks on police, judges and government buildings after the FBI searched Trump’s estate in Florida as part of an investigation into the potential mishandling of classified records.
While the court building has been closed to the public since March 2020, the justices heard arguments in-person for the past year, but only reporters, lawyers and court employees could attend.
The new term begins Oct. 3.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/supreme-court-fencing-removed-building-remains-closed/ | 2022-08-29T14:25:07Z |
Country
United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/wyomings-average-gas-prices-decline-by-3-2-cents-in-the-past-week/article_59b6147c-2799-11ed-b09c-5744dfecf4b9.html | 2022-08-29T14:25:35Z |
With the popularity of online reviews, businesses need to pay attention to the five little yellow stars as a key marketing tool to their growth and success.
Third-party review sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor and Google give consumers quick access to information when they’re looking for a service or wanting to try out a new restaurant or retail shop. Alternatively, if they are pleased or dissatisfied with their experience, they may want to give an evaluation or influence a purchase to help other consumers.
Consumers treat these reviews as if they were personal recommendations from friends and family, their main source of information prior to the internet. They want to identify the businesses they can trust and where best to make a purchase to ensure they get what they want.
At the same time, they are savvy enough to know that not all reviews are truthful in the face of scams and paid endorsements, and that some are fake, unfair or unreasonable.
Consumer review surveys
Ninety-eight percent of consumers read reviews when they want to learn more about local businesses, according to BrightLocal’s 2021 Local Consumer Review Survey, which compiles the latest trends in online business reviews.
The survey was conducted in November 2021 with a representative sample of over 1,100 U.S.-based consumers and using an independent consumer panel. The findings are based on reviews for local businesses and not general product reviews, such as those found on Amazon.
The survey found that 78% of consumers will visit a business’s website more than once a week, up from 69% in 2020. Twenty-one percent of consumers will use the internet to find information on local businesses every day, down from 34%.
The average star rating is the most important review factor for consumers, as has been the case for the past four years. Consumers who would only use a 5-star business have fallen from 12% in 2020 to 4% in 2021. Three percent of consumers said they would consider using a business with an average star rating of two or fewer. This is down from 14% in 2020. Consumers also want to see reviews with an explanation and give more credence to a lengthy, four-star review than one with five stars and no description.
BBB reviews
The Better Business Bureau, bbb.org, provides reviews on businesses, so knowing what separates those reviews from other sources can serve as a tool to manage a business’s online reputation.
Consumers want proof when they hear a business say they are trustworthy. They want quality, not quantity, in the information they seek. They want businesses to take their feedback seriously, acknowledging they hear their concerns or appreciate their praise.
BBB business profiles are the No. 1 resource that visitors access on bbb.org. Consumers reading reviews on the profiles may look at a business’s entire profile to learn more about the company and its products and services. BBB-accredited businesses have been vetted and demonstrate BBB’s values of being honest, trustworthy, transparent, equitable and proactive, which is something consumers highly value.
Quality reviews on bbb.org and other sources validate a business and bring in customers who are more confident about what a business has to offer. The result: The business stands out among the competition. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/columns/bbb_news/businesses-can-benefit-from-consumer-interest-in-online-reviews-bbb/article_e20a5dd3-2abd-57dd-94c5-68dc23a36e50.html | 2022-08-29T14:25:41Z |
Two letters.
That’s all it is. Two letters, tongue on the roof of your mouth for the first one, purse your lips for the second letter. Ennnnn-ooooooo. Not gonna, ain’t happening, not a chance, uh-uh, thanks anyway, sorry-not-sorry, no.
As Linda Babcock, Brenda Peyser, Lise Vesterlund and Laurie Weingart ask in their new book “The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work,” why is that so hard for working women to say?
Left and right. Count ‘em, you have two hands, and at this moment, both of them are full – at work, home and everywhere else. So why did you just say you’d be “happy to” take on another task, even though you’re clearly not?
That’s what a small group of women asked themselves and each other when they got together a few years back. Their lives and jobs were full, but they still accepted more assignments without knowing why they did that. They set up what they called The No Club, and began to study this issue in earnest.
In every workplace, there are “non-promotable tasks,” or “NPTs,” as the authors call them. You can probably name some: taking notes for a group, serving on committees, training employees, picking up the slack left over by coworkers who drop the ball. These are tasks that aren’t often visible, are quickly forgotten or go unnoticed. They derail promotions, and they can cause a loss of income. And women are saddled with these tasks because they’re asked to assume NPTs more often. But, say the authors, “Women aren’t the problem. Organizational practices are.”
Saying “no” to NPTs begins by identifying them in an average workweek and by knowing what an NPT is and isn’t. Next, recognize that managers and in-the-trenches workers both get dumped on when it comes to such tasks. Learn that there are several ways to say “no” to an NPT and the reasons why you’d say “yes.” Then learn how to change your organization from the bottom up. Talk to management about “the promotability of work” and remember: “This is not a fix-the-women problem.”
Huh. There isn’t a book like this for men.
Take that as you wish. The fact that a book like “The No Club” even exists shows a need for women to read directions on how to say “no” at work.
Does it have to be so nice?
It’s a valid question that readers may ask. Authors Babcock, Peyser, Vesterlund and Weingart show where female employees have gone wrong, where we need help and why.
There’s scant information on how to stand firm when you really, really can’t take on one more thing. There’s advice on offering a gracious “no,” a different solution or a gentle reason for turning away a request. There’s kind advice on guilt and on starting your own No Club.
There is not a lot about serious, can’t-budge planting your feet.
Is that a deal-breaker? Depends on how much you want your job.
Is “The No Club” a good start? Absolutely, because knowledge is power.
Should you miss this book?
Mmmmmm. No.
“The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work” is by Linda Babcock, Brenda Peyser, Lise Vesterlund and Laurie Weingart. Copyright 2022, Simon & Schuster, $27.99, 309 pages. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/current_edition/the-no-club-is-a-book-about-how-to-say-no/article_c8aa7f06-db3f-5793-ba4b-abd315d0dab1.html | 2022-08-29T14:25:47Z |
Buying canned whipped cream will now require ID in New York
NEW YORK (Gray News) – You now have to be 21 years old to buy canned whipped cream in New York.
The legislation, sponsored by NYS Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr., was passed in October 2021, but stores have only recently begun to require ID to purchase the dessert topping.
The goal of the law is to combat the use of whipped cream chargers, also known as “whippits,” as a way to get high.
The whipped cream chargers contain nitrous oxide, which is known to cause hearing loss, brain damage, limb spasms, heart failure or suffocation, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Nitrous oxide is often used during oral surgery to relieve pain, but it is highly addictive if used improperly.
“Nitrous oxide is a legal chemical for legitimate professional use but when used improperly, it can be extremely lethal,” Addabbo said in a statement. “Sadly, young people buy and inhale this gas to get ‘high’ because they mistakenly believe it is a ‘safe’ substance. This law will eliminate easy access to this dangerous substance for our youth.”
According to the legislation, any entity found in violation of selling whipped cream chargers to anyone under 21 would be subject to a civil penalty of up to $250 for an initial offense and up to $500 for each subsequent offense.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/buying-canned-whipped-cream-will-now-require-id-new-york/ | 2022-08-29T15:30:15Z |
D.C. struggles to accommodate migrants bused to city from Texas, Arizona
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Thousands of migrants have arrived to Washington’s Union Station from Texas and Arizona since April, knowing only that is where the president lives.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has continued to say D.C. will do it’s best, but the local government needs assistance from the Biden administration.
Bowser has been denied two separate times after requesting the assistance of the National Guard to help with the situation.
Members of the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network have taken to protesting Bowser’s handling of the influx of migrants.
“The mayor has done a bad job of responding to this situation,” Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network Ashley Tjhung said. “D.C. is a sanctuary city, which means that we welcome migrants and immigrants.”
The Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network estimates around 5500 migrants have arrived since April, but Mayor Bowser has not set up an intake location.
“We’re dealing with a politically motivated emergency, and we think it can be a crisis in our city,” Bowser said. “That’s why we’ve asked for federal support.”
Governor Abbott’s office sent a statement saying, in part, “Washington, D.C. finally understands what Texans have been dealing with every single day, as our communities are overrun and overwhelmed by thousands of illegal immigrants thanks to President Biden’s open border policies.”
Democrats in the Texas statehouse said the governor’s choice is an expensive publicity stunt.
“Governor Abbott is not taking a serious approach to this issue,” State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, said.
“His tactics are more about attention getting and not really trying to solve the problem.” State Rep. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, said.
The Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network estimates around 600 migrants have made D.C. a permanent home.
Bowser recently announced migrant children will be enrolled in D.C. Public Schools.
“We are going to do everything we can for people going through our city to their final destinations.”
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/dc-struggles-accommodate-migrants-bused-city-texas-arizona/ | 2022-08-29T15:30:22Z |
Judge delays Gov. Kemp’s testimony in Georgia election probe
ATLANTA (AP) — A judge ruled Monday that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp must testify before a special grand jury that’s investigating possible illegal attempts by then-President Donald Trump and others to influence the 2020 election in the state — but not until after the November midterm election.
Lawyers for Kemp had argued that immunities related to his position as governor protect him from having to testify. But Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who’s overseeing the special grand jury, disagreed and said the governor must testify. But he did agree to a request from Kemp’s lawyers to delay that testimony until after the Nov. 8 election, in which the Republican governor faces a rematch with Democrat Stacey Abrams.
“The Governor is in the midst of a re-election campaign and this criminal grand jury investigation should not be used by the District Attorney, the Governor’s opponent, or the Governor himself to influence the outcome of that election,” McBurney wrote. “The sound and prudent course is to let the election proceed without further litigation or other activity concerning the Governor’s involvement in the special grand jury’s work.”
But once the election is over, McBurney wrote that he expects Kemp’s lawyers to “promptly make arrangements for his appearance.”
A spokesperson for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and a lawyer for Kemp did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ruling or whether they would appeal.
A delay could increase the likelihood that Trump will be a declared presidential candidate by the time the investigation moves toward its conclusion, further raising the political stakes.
Prosecutors have said they want to ask Kemp about contacts with Trump and others in the wake of the 2020 general election.
Kemp’s lawyers had also raised concerns about attorney-client privilege, and McBurney wrote that neither prosecutors nor grand jurors will be able to ask the governor about the contents of communications covered by that privilege. He said he’s aware of several conversations of interest to the investigation to which that privilege applies.
If there are disputes over what questions can be asked that cannot be resolved by the lawyers involved, they can be brought to McBurney “for resolution (or at least helpful direction),” the judge wrote.
Willis opened the investigation early last year, prompted by a January 2021 phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger during which the then-president suggested the state’s top election official could “find” the votes needed to overturn his loss. But the investigation’s scope has widened considerably since then.
Raffensperger and some other state officials have already appeared before the special grand jury.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/judge-delays-gov-kemps-testimony-georgia-election-probe/ | 2022-08-29T15:30:29Z |
Supreme Court fencing removed, but building remains closed
WASHINGTON (AP) — The large fencing that has encircled the U.S. Supreme Court for months has now been removed.
The non-scalable fencing was gone Monday morning, leaving only small barricades blocking off the plaza and steps in front of the high court.
Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe would say only that the fence came down sometime during the weekend. “The Court as a matter of policy does not discuss security arrangements,” McCabe said in an email.
The building, closed in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, remains off-limits to the public.
The fence had been installed in May as protests erupted outside the court and outside the homes of some Supreme Court justices after a leaked opinion signaled the justices were planning to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets outside the court in June after the court handed down its ruling, overturning a landmark case making abortion legal throughout the United States nearly 50 years ago.
The justices also faced increasing threats. A California man was arrested in June near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh carrying a gun, knife and pepper spray after telling police he was planning to kill the justice.
The fencing that had been installed outside the court was similar to the fence put up for months around the U.S. Capitol in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack when supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the building.
Protests at the court have waned in recent weeks. Still, law enforcement officials have warned about the potential for attacks on police, judges and government buildings after the FBI searched Trump’s estate in Florida as part of an investigation into the potential mishandling of classified records.
While the court building has been closed to the public since March 2020, the justices heard arguments in-person for the past year, but only reporters, lawyers and court employees could attend.
The new term begins Oct. 3.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/supreme-court-fencing-removed-building-remains-closed/ | 2022-08-29T15:30:35Z |
US says it’s reviewed documents seized in Mar-a-Lago search
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has completed its review of potentially privileged documents seized from former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate this month and has identified “a limited set of materials that potentially contain attorney-client privileged information,” according to a court filing Monday.
The filing from the department follows a judge’s weekend order indicating that she was inclined to grant the Trump legal team’s request for a special master to review the seized documents and to set aside any that may be covered by claims of legal privilege.
A hearing is set for Thursday in federal court in Florida.
The Justice Department said in its filing that it would disclose more information later this week.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/us-says-its-reviewed-documents-seized-mar-a-lago-search/ | 2022-08-29T15:30:42Z |
FREDERICKSBURG — Last November’s sleepy constitutional amendment election nearly came to blows in Gillespie County, a Central Texas county known for its vineyards. A volunteer poll watcher, whose aggressive behavior had rankled election workers all day, attempted to force his way into a secure ballot vault.
The burly man was repeatedly blocked by a county elections staffer. Shouting ensued. “You can’t go in there,” the staffer, Terry Hamilton, insisted to the man, who towered over Hamilton. “We can see anything we want!” the poll watcher and his fellow election integrity activists yelled, according to an election worker who witnessed the scene. They accused Hamilton and elections administrator Anissa Herrera of a variety of violations of the state election code, which they quoted line by line.
“Oh Lord, they can cite chapter and verse,” recalled Sue Bentch, a Fredericksburg election judge who saw the confrontation that night. “But you know, just as the devil can cite scripture for its own purposes, it seemed to me that it was often cited out of context and misinterpreted.”
“Finally, I called the sheriff’s officer,” said Bentch. The officer barred the activists from the vault. “Poor Terry was coming to fisticuffs.”
Previous elections had been no better. In 2020, a different poll watcher called the police on Herrera and filmed election employees in a dark parking lot. The same year, Herrera received a clutch of obscene, often racist, emails. And in 2019, a group of activists filed suit after Fredericksburg voters overwhelmingly rejected an obscure public-health ballot measure. That election, the activists argued, had been irrevocably tainted by fraud.
Three years of these hostilities were clearly enough for Herrera, who resigned this month.
The rest of the office staff — one full-time employee and one part-time employee — also departed, leaving the elections office completely vacant.
Recent media coverage of the exodus attributed it to threats of the type that have become common since the 2020 presidential election. Votebeat’s review of court documents, emails and social media postings show Herrera and others struggling to combat fringe election conspiracy theories in Gillespie County long before former President Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to question the integrity of the 2020 vote.
In Gillespie County in 2019, the fringe was focused on fluoride.
The city charter amendment that sparked a crusade against Herrera, only months after she took the post as elections director, was a proposal to remove fluoride from Fredericksburg’s water system. The measure failed, and the activists behind it suspected malfeasance. Members of the group insisted they’d been unlawfully prevented from closely observing a recount of votes and sued the city’s then-mayor.
Then, as Trump’s rhetoric began to heat up closer to November 2020, the Gillespie County Republican Party brought energy and structure to what was, up to that point, a small local movement. In the two years since, as lawmakers rewrote Texas’ election laws and Herrera’s working hours ballooned, she found it impossible to lead a normal working life in the elections office.
“The threats against election officials and my election staff, dangerous misinformation, lack of full time personnel for the elections office, unpaid compensation, and absurd legislation have completely changed the job I initially accepted,” Herrera wrote in her resignation letter, dated Aug. 2. “The life commitment I have given to this job is unsustainable.”
Born and raised in Gillespie County, Herrera and her family have been active members of the community for generations. Herrera’s grandmother established the county’s first Mexican restaurant in the 1970s. In 2019, when the county first created a standalone elections office, separating it from the clerk’s office where Herrera had worked for years assisting with elections, she took the reins. She was excited to be selected for “her dream job,” those who know her said.
Records and interviews show that in the three years that followed, the job quickly consumed her life.
Herrera herself wouldn’t talk about it. “I am done with this career, unfortunately,” Herrera told Votebeat last week, declining to comment further.
But in contrast with the rancor from activists, county officials spoke highly of Herrera’s work ethic.
“She’d given everything to this job,” said Cathy Collier, the chair of the county’s Democratic party and member of the county’s elections commission.
“That’s a lot of work — a tremendous amount of work that she does,” said county Sheriff Buddy Mills, an elected Republican. “As far as I can tell you, everything is top notch.”
“I don’t think anyone is under the assumption that the election would be as smooth as if we still had Anissa,” said Mark Stroeher, the county judge, also an elected Republican. “I don’t think it’ll be that easy to find someone.”
The county next door, Blanco, has been without an elections director for two years.
A fracas over fluoride
Anti-fluoride groups have been active in the United States for decades but have experienced a bump in popularity in recent years. By 2018, more than 70 cities in the United States had banned adding fluoride to their water systems, including some in Texas. Fredericksburg, the largest city in Gillespie County, held its own vote in 2019.
For years, Texas’ most vocal critic of fluoridated water has been Laura Pressley of Williamson County, a perennial candidate for office in Central Texas who has yet to win a race. Local press often highlights her advocacy of disproven conspiracy theories. She has appeared on Alex Jones’ programming, and has said that “something was planted” in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. In recent years, she has become a self-styled poll-watching expert and vocal opponent of electronic voting systems, training hundreds of people across the state in what election administrators say are disruptive practices that harm election integrity.
“Our elections are the representation of free will, and if we can’t trust that our free will is being represented legally and accurately, then God’s will is being thwarted,” she said at a meeting in Hood County in 2021. In recent years, she’s filed unsuccessful lawsuits against counties across the state over a variety of alleged voting problems.
Pressley did not respond to requests for an interview.
Records show Pressley became involved in a small anti-fluoride movement in Fredericksburg, teaming up with several locals, including Jeanette Hormuth and Jerry Farley. Their group — Clean Water Fred — began a campaign to remove fluoride from the city’s water, gathering enough signatures to prompt a special election on the issue, held in November 2019.
In a low-turnout election, Fredericksburg residents soundly rejected the measure in an initial count of 1,258 votes to 742.
It wasn’t a close result, but Clean Water Fred suspected fraud, and the group gathered enough signatures to force a recount. The Dec. 2, 2019, recount confirmed the results, even adding three “no” votes to the original total.
Pressley came to town for the recount, and affidavits filed in the group’s lawsuit and interviews with people present detail behavior by Pressley that was disruptive. The affidavits — filed by Pressley, Hormuth and Farley — also show she instructed others in the group to engage in similar behavior, and they did as she instructed.
Pressley, for example, told Farley to join her in repeatedly saying, “I challenge the result,” after the counting of each ballot. When the pair was asked to stop, he and Pressley instead said it under their breath. After Pressley was admonished by county staff for hovering near the table where volunteers were counting, at one point sitting down alongside them, she told Hormuth to call the secretary of state’s office to complain. Hormuth did so.
Hormuth declined to comment for this piece, citing the pending litigation.
The group remained unsatisfied even after the recount, and Hormuth and Farley filed a lawsuit on Dec. 31.
The lawsuit contends that because of “so many material mistakes, illegalities, irregularities, and potential fraud that occurred in the administration of the election and the tabulation of election results” that “the true outcome of the election cannot be ascertained.”
Pressley was the group’s go-to expert for election questions. “She was ‘coaching’ that group in the election with the fluoride issue,” Stroeher wrote in a 2020 email to the county attorney.
Records and interviews suggest the group’s behavior continued in 2020 and beyond.
Angela Smith, a local activist who wrote an affidavit in support of the group’s 2019 lawsuit, served as an early-voting poll watcher in October 2020. When early voting ended for the day, Smith was not allowed back into the elections building. In an email to the county attorney and county judge, Herrera wrote that Smith then called local police before parking outside of the office and beginning to film.
“Ms. Smith was blatantly filming 5 of my temporary elections clerks without their consent as they left the building, making them feel uncomfortable and intimidated,” Herrera wrote to other county officials. “I am concerned one or more of my temporary clerks may not return due to this incident.”
Smith declined to comment for this story.
County Attorney Steven Wadsworth forwarded the email to local police. “Sadly, I think that having some extra patrols around [the counting facility] tonight and tomorrow is prudent,” Wadsworth wrote the day before the 2020 election. “I think having some extra patrols around the courthouse area and all polling locations - sadly - is also prudent.”
Wadsworth did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
The battles even made local news.
A report by KXAN-TV shows Hormuth and Smith explaining that they were prevented from poll watching in 2019 and 2020, and had filed a complaint with the secretary of state regarding the matter. The station identified the pair as Republicans. The TV station reached out to Herrera, Hamilton (the full-time hourly worker in the office), Stroeher and Wadsworth for comment, but they declined. An email obtained by Votebeat through a public records request suggests it’s because they thought Pressley might be behind the story.
“I do not know who made the complaint, but if Ms. Pressley did so, be aware that she has a history of making these types of complaints and then filing a civil lawsuit as well,” Wadsworth wrote. “I think it would be prudent to approach the situation as if litigation is pending.”
The result was a one-sided news story that offered no defense from the county. The secretary of state took no action against the office as a result of the complaint, but hate mail flowed into Herrera’s inbox from across the country anyway.
“F—king Anissa! Go back to Mexico bitch! You are obstructing the election process and will be prosecuted!” wrote one emailer, the day after the KXAN segment aired. He did not respond to a request for comment.
The same week, a woman who said she was from California emailed Herrera, linking to the piece. “BITCH !! YOU GOT CAUGHT IN A LIE,” she wrote. “LEARN TO OBEY STATE AND FEDERAL LAW … OR GO TO JAIL!” Days later, the woman emailed again. “WE JUST TURNED YOUR NAME IN TO THE LT. GOVERNOR’S OFFICE FOR INVESTIGATION,” she wrote. The day before, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had offered a cash bounty for proof of voter fraud.
“AND BY THE WAY … YOU’RE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NOW. TRY TO REMEMBER THAT … OK?” she concluded. The emailer did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
“I guess I will be receiving these daily,” Herrera wrote, forwarding the woman’s complaints to county leadership. “Any idea who I report them to?”
By the time the local news piece aired, emails show Moe Saiidi, the chair of the county GOP, had begun repeatedly contacting Herrera to complain about poll worker treatment and demand changes to procedure that were not allowed under state law. They’d also recruited poll watchers, warning them to watch out for fraud. Saiidi did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
“They lost an election, so they probably think there’s something wrong,” Mills, the sheriff, said in an interview after Herrera’s departure this month. Smirking, he looked under a stack of paperwork on his desk and found a copy of the film “2000 Mules,” created by Texas group True the Vote with conservative firebrand Dinesh D’Souza. It purports to “expose” fraud in the 2020 election, but has been soundly debunked and roundly criticized. He said someone mailed the DVD to him from Houston.
Mills said he watched the movie. He didn’t believe the underlying claims, but said he understood how others would.
Only days before Herrera’s final day as elections administrator, the local GOP hosted a watch party for the movie. In July, they’d hosted an informational event that cost guests between $5 and $20. It was a speech by Alan Vera — a widely known Republican activist on election issues who helped found True the Vote.
Long hours, low pay
Herrera is one of a growing number of elections officials who have walked away from their jobs since the 2020 election, and the reasons offered in her resignation letter echo concerns ratcheting around the country. The wave of departures among capable, dedicated election staff is seen by many experts as a looming problem with repercussions for future elections. In Texas, nearly 40 election administrators have quit in the last two years.
Those who worked with Herrera said she and her staff routinely voiced frustrations with the long hours, which had grown even longer and more stressful since Texas began further restricting voting regulations and stepping up penalties for administrative errors after the 2020 election.
“People don’t realize just how much the job takes,” said Collier. “They work until late at night. They’re there early in the morning, on holidays. Anissa would send out something I needed to know and I would notice that the email was sent out at like 1 o’clock in the morning.”
The county posted a three-page job opening for Herrera’s position this week. The starting salary is listed at about $54,000. At the time of her resignation, Herrera made just over $45,000, though she was offered a raise to the listed rate, which would have taken effect in October had she stayed. Gillespie officials said Herrera’s sole full-time employee, Hamilton, who’d nearly come to blows with poll watchers, made $15.19 an hour. The only other staffer, who worked part time, made $11.67 an hour. The cost of living in Fredericksburg — a Hill Country hot spot popular for bachelorette parties and wine-fueled vacations — comes at a premium. One ranking recently named it the most unaffordable city in the state.
Before she resigned, Herrera had asked the county for two additional full-time employees. Only one was approved, and it would not be advertised until well after the time counties are expected to have begun preparing for the November election.
The first staffer to quit, according to Stroher, was the part-time employee. Then, Hamilton resigned to run as a write-in candidate for county treasurer. That left Herrera faced with running the upcoming election entirely on her own. It was, it seems, the last straw.
David Becker is the executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research. His nonprofit works with election officials nationwide and provides legal assistance to election officials who are threatened with frivolous criminal prosecution, harassment or physical violence, though he hasn’t yet worked with Gillespie County.
“It’s not surprising that some of them are saying, ‘Enough’ and ‘I can’t do this anymore. ’‘I’m inadequately resourced, inadequately paid, and the requirements that are being placed upon me are not helping voters. They’re not helping elections be more secure,’” he said.
With the midterms less than three months away, the outlook for Gillespie County’s elections looks shaky. The secretary of state’s office will have to step in to train other county employees, only some of whom have previously worked elections, to manage voting in November — a far cry from the years of elections management experience Herrera brought to her position. And in a county now packed with dozens of angry activists scrutinizing every move the county makes, experts say controversy there is unlikely to die down simply because Herrera resigned.
“If you lose your professional election officials who are experienced in these procedures, who understand the equipment, understand the records, who understand the legal requirements, you can end up in a really bad place,” Becker said. “I do worry about what voters are going to find when they go to the polls if there aren’t experienced professional election administrators.”
Collier, the chair of the county Democratic Party, is also worried.
“If you know any county clerk or elections administrator, you know that these people are fanatics about making things absolutely accurate and absolutely fair. It’s their passion and their job, and Anissa was no different than that, nor was her staff,” she said.
“She was meticulous about getting the job done. It’s going to be very difficult to replace her.” | https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2022-08-29/what-brought-down-one-texas-countys-entire-elections-department-it-was-something-in-the-water | 2022-08-29T15:31:09Z |
Biz Awards and Honors: Four Seasons, Kupperman, NANO and More
NEW ORLEANS — Recent business awards and honors:
Postlethwaite & Netterville, a professional accounting corporation, was once again named one of the INSIDE Public Accounting Top 100 accounting firms. P&N ranked 66th in the U.S. and is the only Louisiana-based firm to make the IPA Top 100. “Our firm’s growth is reflected by our continued upward movement on the distinguished IPA Top 100 list year after year,” said Dan Gardiner, P&N’s managing director and CEO. “That growth is a result of our team’s commitment to helping clients navigate challenges and reach strategic goals. We’re proud of the quality services we provide and P&N’s impact on businesses throughout the country.”
OnPath Federal Credit Union received two first-place awards at the 2022 LCUL Conference held recently at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans. OnPath accepted the Louise Herring Award, given to the credit union that best exemplified the overall credit union philosophy within a particular member engagement campaign. OnPath’s credit score awareness workshop for its members helped more than 50 members increase their credit scores and qualify for more than $$$ in loans. OnPath is now eligible for the National Louise Herring Award, announced later this year. OnPath also took home top honors for Internal Culture Initiative for the credit union’s 2021 Employee Appreciation Day. “We can only be the best advocates for our members if we have employees who feel valued as well,” said OnPath President and CEO Jared Freeman. “These awards showcase our commitment to providing a top workplace and over-the-top experiences for our members.”
Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans has earned the AAA Five Diamond hotel designation. “Guests have one more reason to celebrate with us here in New Orleans,” said Mali Carow, the hotel’s general manager. “We are raising the bar for luxury accommodations in the state. This award is a testament to our hotel’s stunning design and commitment to provide exceptional hospitality.” The designation is reserved for the top one percent of the nearly 25,000 AAA Diamond lodgings, and it represents the “highest level of world-class luxury, amenities and indulgence.”
Inc. recently revealed that Kupperman Companies is No. 527 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the “most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America.” The list focuses on independent businesses. Facebook, Chobani, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. “We are honored to be recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. with so many other great peers,” said Zach Kupperman, CEO of Kupperman Companies. “I am very proud of our team and all of the hard work they contributed to our accelerated growth.”
New Orleans-based architecture and interior design firm NANO received the “Honor Award” for unbuilt architecture at the fourth annual American Institute of Architects New Orleans Architecture Design Awards ceremony on July 14. The “Honor Award” is given to a project that is easily distinguishable by exceptional quality of design and function. NANO was recognized for Shaping the City, a conceptual presentation that addresses topics such as climate change, rising tides and proposed building designs to help make New Orleans neighborhoods stronger and better equipped to deal with the impact and aftermath of intense storms.
The American Hospital Association recently honored four hospitals and health systems for their leadership and improvement in quality and safety. Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans was named a finalist for the AHA Quest for Quality Prize that recognizes healthcare leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health in communities. “Being recognized by the AHA for pursuing the highest quality health care reflects the hard work and commitment of our care teams and medical staff,” said Armin Schubert, vice president for medical affairs, quality and patient safety at OMC. “At Ochsner Health, our patients are always our first priority as we continue to build on this success.” … Also, U.S. News & World Report recently named Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans, including its Baptist and West Bank campuses, the Best Hospital in Louisiana for the 11th consecutive year. As part of the annual review, Ochsner and its partners also received more than 50 additional accolades by U.S. News, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice. “Ochsner is honored to continuously hold the rankings for the top hospital and top children’s hospital in Louisiana,” said Warner Thomas, Ochsner Health president and CEO. “These rankings and ratings are designed to help families find the best care for adults and children when they need it most; and in Louisiana, that’s at Ochsner. This recognition reflects our commitment to providing high-quality care close to home.”
The Windsor Court Hotel was voted the No. 1 hotel in New Orleans by Travel + Leisure readers in this year’s World’s Best Awards. Every year Travel + Leisure shares the World’s Best Awards survey asking readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Hotels (including safari lodges) were rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value. Properties were classified as city hotel, resort, or safari lodge based on their locations and amenities.
The LCMC Health hospitals – University Medical Center New Orleans and Children’s Hospital New Orleans – have achieved Stage 7 on the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model. This is the highest validation from HIMSS Analytics, a leading global healthcare IT consulting organization. “Receiving EMRAM Stage 7 is important to us as it is recognition of LCMC Health and its hospitals’ commitment to creating a culture of wellness through better care, better health, better value, and better experience, not just through the implementation of advanced technology, but most importantly, through its use for our patients,” said Sherri Mills, LCMC Health chief nursing informatics officer. “Our patients get the care that is best for them and their families because we know that shared beliefs and positive outlooks are what drive our exceptional care – and is supported through the use of a highly integrated electronic medical records solution.”
The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced the Amistad Research Center of New Orleans, Louisiana, as one of six recipients of the 2022 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. Over the past 28 years, the award has celebrated institutions that are making a difference for individuals, families and communities. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/biz-awards-and-honors-four-seasons-kupperman-nano-and-more/ | 2022-08-29T15:38:31Z |
The Biden administration wants to end hunger and food insecurity in the U.S. in eight years, an ambitious goal the president set in May – and he's hosting a big conference in late September to get things started.
It will be the first conference on hunger, nutrition and health since 1969. That Nixon-era conference influenced the food policy agenda for the last 50 years, leading to the creation of big food programs we know today, like food stamps and child nutrition assistance.
"The president sets out to do the same with this year's conference," the White House said.
But some are worried the administration won't be able to meet the high bar of expectations set by the 1969 conference.
"I think it's a completely different ballgame," said Lisa Davis, senior vice president of the No Kid Hungry campaign, one of many groups meeting with the White House as it develops the Sept. 28 conference agenda.
That's because planning for the two conferences has been vastly different. Two months after Congress passed a bill mandating that the White House host it by the end of the fiscal year, Biden announced it would happen in September. That gave the administration just three months total to prepare. By contrast, Nixon prepared for six months. Some with knowledge of conference planning worry that the short turn around and the fact that the White House has taken months to announce when exactly next month the conference will take place will hurt the administration's ability to have a policy-changing event.
"I think the follow up is going to be really important," Davis said. "We're really hopeful that this doesn't lead to a very impressive white paper that sits on the shelf and or the outlook file and just gathers dust and it's forgotten about."
What will happen at the hunger conference?
The goal of this year's conference will be to find policy solutions to end hunger, improve nutrition and physical activity, reduce diet-related diseases and close the equity disparities around them.
When Biden announced the conference in video remarks, he called for ideas.
"Too many families don't know where they are going to get their next meal," he said. "There are too many empty chairs around the kitchen table because a loved one was taken by heart disease, diabetes or other diet oriented diseases which are some of the leading causes of death in our country."
The White House has spent the last few months hosting six listening sessions to prepare, talking to representatives from federal agencies, corporations, health care, conservation and environmental groups, hunger and nutrition groups and school and education groups.
"We're the wealthiest nation in the history of civilization," said Vince Hall, chief government relations officer of the nonprofit food bank group Feeding America, whose staff participated in a listening session. "And the idea that millions of our children are going to bed hungry at night is an intolerable crisis that we should resolve to end as quickly as possible."
The conference is expected to focus on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic — which brought to light diet-related diseases, food access and supply chains.
"The COVID-19 pandemic was a stark reminder of the need for urgent, sustained action. As more Americans experienced hunger, we saw diet related diseases heighten the risk of severe COVID," Biden said. "It's time we committed to real change."
Also expect a bipartisan showing. Congress threw bipartisan support behind the conference when Reps. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and the late Jackie Walorski (R-IN) and Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Mike Braun (R-IN) introduced legislation that was ultimately passed in the spring that allocated $2.5 million for the White House to host it.
McGovern said he has been trying to spearhead another hunger-focused conference since the Obama administration.
"I don't run into too many people here in Congress who say they're pro-hunger. We may have some differences of opinion on how to get to the goal. But I would like to think that this is one of those issues that can bring us together," McGovern told NPR. "Hungry people in this country don't fall into one category. They're not just people who are jobless or homeless. They're working families. They're people who are working multiple jobs to try to make ends meet but yet do not have the resources to be able to put food on the table on a regular basis for their families."
What was the impact of the Nixon-era hunger conference?
The three-day 1969 conference on food, nutrition and health produced programs still used today.
Out of the 1,800 recommendations made then, 1,600 were implemented not long after, including the Women, Infants and Children program. WIC, piloted in 1972, serves half the infants born in this country, providing mothers with, among other things, nutrition counseling, parenting advice, breastfeeding support and food assistance.
It also helped pave the way to making the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) – known as food stamps – the permanent and bigger program it is today. And it kickstarted more conversation about meal access in schools, which in 1969 was not as mainstream as it is today.
Nutrition and anti-hunger advocates say the '69 conference set a high bar, and eyes are on how the White House will organize this one — the duration, format and who is included. Groups from food companies like Tyson, to nutrition and food access groups, school leaders and lawmakers are anxious to see how the administration pushes for change through congressional recommendations, executive action and partnerships with nongovernmental organizations. The White House has vowed to announce a "national strategy to end hunger and reduce diet related diseases" at the conference.
Individual groups and lawmakers – at the federal and local levels – have also held their own meetings to compile recommendations for Biden officials. Recommendation briefs reviewed by NPR include a wide variety of policy proposals like expanding universal free school meals and school cafeteria resources and boosting nutrition assistance programs as well as specific outreach to immigrant, Native American and other marginalized communities.
But advocates are worried it will only be a press conference or will ignore the participation of regular Americans who have experienced hunger.
An administration official confirms to NPR that conference planning sessions have included people who have been food insecure and have used the SNAP program. Individuals from groups like college students, veterans and faith leaders — all members of groups that often lack access to affordable food – have provided input, as did Jose Andres, high-profile chef and founder of the disaster relief nonprofit, World Central Kitchen.
"We very much wanted to shed light on their stories, but also make sure that they're part of helping us think about what the solutions are as well," an administration official familiar with the planning told NPR.
The pandemic will play a big role
The 1969 conference came on the heels of the war on poverty, a Lyndon B. Jonson administration effort that included expanding social safety net programs like nutrition assistance.
The 2022 conference comes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought international attention to the connections between food, nutrition and health as those with diet-related diseases were among the first to feel some of the worst symptoms and results of the virus.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to Biden, told NPR that one of the strongest connections to COVID severity is obesity – "which has got to get unpacked and sorted out because there's got to be a lot of confounding variables in that," he said. "People who are undernourished and immune-compromised because of that have a greater chance of getting a severe outcome."
He is not the first Biden official to make this case. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has long been a proponent of looking at nutrition security and its impact on the pandemic, as has deputy undersecretary Stacy Dean.
"In this moment, I think there's heightened public awareness of those issues, heightened awareness of how critically important diet health is," Dean said. "We saw during COVID, the increased incidence and mortality rates for those who are struggling with diet-related disease who contracted COVID."
The pandemic also had an effect on the rate of food insecurity. Per USDA, that rate was unchanged between 2019 and 2020, in large part because of the massive influx of pandemic aid and assistance to come from the federal government. Still, in 2020, 38 million people lived in food-insecure households.
"We saw in the early days of COVID just how critical food is in our lives. We saw the long lines at the food bank, those streams of cars lined up waiting to collect boxes of food," said Curt Ellis, CEO and co-founder of FoodCorps, a nonprofit focused on getting kids healthy food. "We know that the pandemic exposed what has long been true in this country, which is that racism and structural poverty have created a reality where far too many Americans do not have access to healthy, high quality food on a daily basis."
But much of that aid — from free school meals to income supplements — is coming to an end, raising alarm among hunger groups who say that even with aid there were large disparities in who was food insecure during the pandemic. For example, the USDA data showed Black and Latino households were disproportionately impacted by food insecurity in 2020, with food insecurity rates triple and double the rate of White households, respectively.
Some groups, like Feeding America, have been talking to the White House about food issues since last year.
"The conversation for the conference has been expanded somewhat to include discussions of health and nutrition and exercise. And we welcome those conversations," said Hall. "But we have really emphasized to congressional and White House leadership the importance of ensuring that we have a real plan to end hunger."
But many will weigh the success of the conference on how the White House's final recommendations are implemented either through swift executive action, partnerships with companies and nonprofits and larger pieces of upcoming legislation like the 2023 farm bill.
"People don't talk about food, and yet food is the biggest issue across all of these things for health, for equity, for health care spending, for our economy," said Dariush Mozaffarian, a professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine working closely on the formation of the 2022 conference through the Bipartisan Policy Center. "The bigger picture that will be a measure of success if this starts to enter the national conversation, political conversation, business conversations, people are actually looking at the food system as a problem and an opportunity."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/bidens-goal-to-end-hunger-by-2030-and-his-new-food-conference-explained | 2022-08-29T15:38:31Z |
Budgeting Can Be a Challenge. Here Are 5 Tips to Get Started
NEW YORK (AP) — Budgeting is key to managing your finances, whether you’re trying to pay off debt, start a rainy day fund or deal with the consequences of inflation.
Creating a budget is much like trying to eat better or exercise more — everyone tells you it’s good for you, but it’s hard to get into the habit, said Colleen McCreary, consumer financial advocate at Credit Karma.
“A lot of people think it’s over-complicated and a hard thing to do,” McCreary said. “Much like going to the gym, the hardest part is showing up, so you just have to decide that you’re going to try it out.”
Even with prices high due to inflation, Elena Pelayo, educator at How Money Works, a financial literacy organization, said there are small steps you can take to manage your money. These include looking at how many online subscriptions you pay for or how often you eat in restaurants and cutting back where you can.
Here are five important steps when you’re ready to create a budget:
1. WRITE IT DOWN
Writing down all of your expenses is crucial, said Pelayo. She suggests recording every penny that you spend rather than trying to approximate, which can lead to errors.
Pelayo recommends using whatever method fits you best, whether that’s writing it down on paper, creating an Excel spreadsheet or using a website.
Next, she recommends categorizing where your income should be spent. Always start off with covering your basic needs.
A well-known budgeting system is the 50/30/20 rule, where 50% of your income is allocated for necessities like food and rent, 30% for things you want, and 20% for savings and debt repayment.
Wiltrice Rogers of Allen Park, Michigan, has used this system for more than 30 years.
“It helped me to see how beneficial it is, and that we have more discretionary funds when I follow this method,” said Rogers, an intake coordinator for a nonprofit organization.
Websites such as NerdWallet or Money Fit offer 50/30/20 calculators to help.
This method works for many people, but it might not be right for you if necessities eat up more than 50 percent, in which case you’ll need to allocate less for savings or things you want to do or buy.
2. BUDGET FORMAT
Writing down your after-tax salary and then adding your expenses in a notebook or a blank spreadsheet might be enough to make a plan. But if you need help visualizing what’s coming in and going out, there are resources available.
“There are lots of online templates that’ll help you look at spending categories and expense categories for personal finance. And they’re really helpful,” Pelayo said.
The Federal Trade Commission offers a budget template in a PDF format that can be printed, and Microsoft offers Excel templates for special occasions such as saving for a wedding or home construction. If you prefer apps, Mint, PocketGuard, and EveryDollar are among Bankrate’s top five budgeting apps.
3. MAKE A REALISTIC PLAN
If 50/30/20 isn’t realistic for you, there are still ways to save and tackle debt. Start setting aside small quantities of money every month or set small goals, such as choosing a restaurant where you won’t spend more than $40, McCreary said.
“Small steps lead to progress,” she said. “It’s really about progress, not perfection.”
McCreary recommends starting with one goal each week, whether that’s saving a certain amount or reducing the amount you spend on non-necessities.
“Don’t overcomplicate it, don’t make it too hard for yourself,” she said.
Rogers, for example, usually tries to save as much money as possible when buying groceries.
“I get the sales papers and mark what we need and if it’s on sale. I try to do a triangle of the stores to save time and gas” she said. She also buys in bulk, sticks to her grocery list, and goes shopping by herself to avoid her son and husband convincing her to buy extra items.
Websites such as Flipp, which shows digital flyers from major retailers around you, and Groupon, where you can find coupons for products and services, can make it easier to save money. But keep in mind that this only works when you use coupons for items that you really need or were planning to buy anyway.
If your income just covers your necessities, reducing credit card debt can be challenging. Pelayo recommends that even if you live paycheck to paycheck, you might want to add at least $10 above the minimum payment of your credit card with the highest interest rate. And if you can afford it, she recommends paying 10% more than the minimum payment per month.
4. MAKE IT A HABIT
To achieve your financial goals through a budget, you have to change your mindset, Pelayo said.
“You have to look deep inside yourself and say, am I willing to change my habits?” she said.
Once you are mentally ready, you can start setting goals.
— Set a time goal
Building new habits can be hard, and it’s even more daunting to think about having to maintain them for the rest of your life.
McCreary recommends that your first goal can be two weeks of keeping a budget. After achieving that, you can set a longer timeline, such as 30 days or six months, until it is embedded in your routine.
— Gamify your budget
If you’re still struggling, McCreary recommends that you gamify your budget and turn it into a challenge.
“Maybe there’s an outcome involved. Like ‘Hey, if we save enough money, we can get a new TV or go on vacation,’” she said.
Examples of gamification include giving yourself a small reward after a certain amount of time or money that you have saved.
Apps such as Mint, which rewards the number of times you check your budget, and Acorns, which allows users to invest with their spare change, can help. Yotta and Save to Win allow users to create saving bank accounts that rewards them for the amount that they save.
For accountant Tiffona Stewart, gamifying her savings meant using the envelope system, where you put cash in envelopes for specific expenses.
“This is tailored to your life and what you want to save for, so that’s what I like about it,” Stewart said.
Stewart also started a business selling envelopes and budget binders on Etsy as a way to encourage and promote financial literacy. She sells “one month challenge” packages meant to help save $1,000 in cash.
“You play those games and you make these things your own. You’re trying something new, there’s nothing wrong and right, you might get it wrong one month and then get better the next one,” she said.
5. INVOLVE YOUR FAMILY OR FRIENDS
As with any lifestyle change, having people around you to support your decisions and encourage healthy habits is crucial, McCreary said. That could include talking with your significant other about your finances, telling your friends that you will start budgeting, or explaining to your children how the family is now spending money.
Rogers’ 11-year-old son now knows that if there is not a coupon for the item, they don’t get it.
In Stewart’s case, using cash when going out with friends helped. If you only take $100 out with you to the bar and don’t bring your credit card, and you want to pay for another round but you only have $20 left, you simply can’t spend any more, she said.
“You need everybody who’s involved in those decisions, to commit with you to be supportive of it,” McCreary said.
By Adriana Morga
The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/budgeting-can-be-a-challenge-here-are-5-tips-to-get-started/ | 2022-08-29T15:38:37Z |
Caesars Sportsbook, World Series of Poker Room Opening at Harrah’s
NEW ORLEANS — Harrah’s New Orleans will celebrate the official opening of its new Caesars Sportsbook and World Series of Poker Room on Friday, Sept. 2. The event will feature a ribbon-cutting and a ceremonial first bet with appearances by New Orleans Saints legends Archie Manning and Rickey Jackson.
The 5,700-square-foot sportsbook features four betting windows, 12 self-service betting kiosks, a 147-foot video screen with a high-powered audio system, a multi-display “fan cave” with a private viewing experience for up to 10 people, and a massive bar. The World Series of Poker Room will be a 5,000-square-foot space boasting 20 poker tables and complimentary tableside beverages.
The unveiling of these two amenities will provide guests with a preview of what is to come as Harrah’s New Orleans transforms into Caesars New Orleans. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/caesars-sportsbook-world-series-of-poker-room-opening-at-harrahs/ | 2022-08-29T15:38:43Z |
Former Louisiana Avenue Fire Station to Be Redeveloped
NEW ORLEANS — From the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority:
Earlier this month, the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority board of commissioners awarded the former Louisiana Avenue Fire House at 2312-14 Louisiana Avenue to Home by Hand Inc., led by Alembic Community Development, which is planning a historic restoration of the building that will create seven new permanently affordable 1- and 2-bedroom apartments above an early childhood education center on the ground floor. The total development cost for the project is expected to be approximately $3.9 million.
The award was made possible through NORA’s partnership with the City of New Orleans to redevelop vacant and underused City-owned property for the creation of affordable housing and economic development opportunities. Through the program, known as the Redevelopment Framework, NORA leases the property from the City for a period of 99 years and manages the property and redevelopment process, from initial community engagement, through the selection of a qualified developer, and completion of the project. The Cooperative Endeavor Agreement and lease for the fire house property were approved by the City Council and executed by Mayor LaToya Cantrell in late 2021.
“The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority is pleased to award the historic Louisiana Avenue Fire House through this innovative new partnership with the City of New Orleans,” said NORA Executive Director Brenda M. Breaux. “NORA has an impressive track record in the redevelopment of vacant and underutilized properties, and we remain incredibly well-positioned to deliver new affordable housing and economic development across the city. The proposed redevelopment of the Fire House is a great example of the type of projects we originally envisioned through this partnership.”
“The award of this project not only repositions vacant City-owned property, but also puts more affordable housing units and educational resources for growing families within our communities,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “Our continued partnership with the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority solidifies my administration’s commitment to align our most critical needs with the development of necessary infrastructure that will create healthy and prosperous neighborhoods.”
The new apartments, located on the second floor and loft of the fire house, will be affordable to families at 50%, 60%, or 80% of area median income under a land trust model that will ensure permanent affordability. The early childhood education center located on the ground floor will provide up to 50 seats for children from the surrounding neighborhoods and will accommodate schedules for shift workers outside of traditional operating hours. The development team will work with For Providers By Providers to partner with an operator for the early childhood education center and will apply for funding for construction and operations raised through the Early Childhood Education property tax millage approved by New Orleans voters in April 2022.
“On behalf of Home by Hand and its development partner, Alembic Community Development, we’re very excited for the opportunity to return the historic fire house at 2312-2314 Louisiana Avenue to community-serving uses with permanent affordable housing and an early childhood education facility,” said Home by Hand Executive Director Oji Alexander. “Thank you to NORA and the City of New Orleans; community development projects face significant challenges during this time of increased costs of construction and capital, so it is especially important that publicly-owned properties like the fire house are being made available for redevelopment.”
Financial closing for the Louisiana Avenue Fire House is expected in late 2023 with construction completion expected in late 2024. NORA and the City of New Orleans are also advancing the redevelopment of 2600 South Broad Street and 1141 Esplanade Avenue through the partnership and additional properties are currently under consideration. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/former-louisiana-avenue-fire-station-to-be-redeveloped/ | 2022-08-29T15:38:49Z |
Louisiana Will Receive $25M to Plug Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells
BATON ROUGE (The Center Square) — Louisiana will use a $25 million grant to plug, cap and reclaim up to 900 orphaned oil and gas wells across the state in the first phase of a $4.7 billion federal program included in last year’s infrastructure law.
Louisiana was among two dozen states awarded a total of $560 million in grants from the Department of Interior on Thursday to plug, cap and reclaim orphaned oil and gas wells, representing the first payments from $1.15 billion in phase one funding.
Louisiana is expected to use the funding to plug between 250 and 900 documented wells near low-income communities, where the state hopes to use displaced energy workers from disadvantaged communities to do the work.
The intent of the program is to clean up the well sites while creating jobs, according to the DOI.
“We’re particularly excited about these investments because they will be job creators,” Winnie Stachelberg, infrastructure coordinator at Interior, told The Associated Press. “In addition to creating immediate jobs addressing the pollution, these investments will build a foundation for future job growth once sites are cleaned up.”
Louisiana’s funds will also go towards developing procedures to measure and track ground and surface water contamination and for equipment to measure methane, which will be used to locate additional wells that need to be plugged.
“The state will also contract for an academic study of methane emissions from Louisiana’s oil and gas wells to assist in predicting those wells most likely to leak methane,” according to a DOI release.
In Louisiana’s notice of intent to apply for the grant, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources identified 4,605 orphaned wells in need of remediation at an estimated cost of $401.7 million. The document states Louisiana lost 12,256 jobs in the oil and gas industry between March 1, 2020 and November 15, 2021, a 23.42% dip.
A 2021 survey of idle and orphaned oil and gas wells conducted by the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission showed Louisiana has plugged 3,450 orphaned wells since it launched its state program in 1993, including 219 in 2018, one in 2019 and 135 in 2020.
The total cost of plugging the 135 wells in 2020 was $5.9 million, or about $44,000 each, including restoration, according to the report.
DOI officials contend methane leaking from unplugged wells is a serious safety hazard and significant cause of climate change, citing statistics that claim the gas is 25 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
States eligible for the grants have identified over 10,000 high-priority well sites across the country that are ready for immediate remediation efforts, with more in the queue. States have so far identified a total of more than 129,000 orphaned wells on state and private lands, though that figure is expected to increase with research funded by the federal government.
The first phase funding announced Thursday includes $25 million Initial State Grants for 22 states, and two grants of $5 million each to support methane measurement and plugging wells in Arkansas and Mississippi.
Of the two dozen states that received initial grants, 15 will measure methane capacity, six will measure methane before and immediately after remediation, a dozen prioritized capping wells in disadvantaged communities, and several states including Louisiana will prioritize job creation and small business in the contracting process.
The new funding is in addition to $33 million recently allocated to plug 277 wells on federal public lands, the DOI reports. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/louisiana-will-receive-25m-to-plug-orphaned-oil-and-gas-wells/ | 2022-08-29T15:38:56Z |
New Mississippi Riverboat American Symphony Sets Sail from Port NOLA
NEW ORLEANS – The inaugural sailing of American Cruise Lines’ American Symphony departed Aug. 27 from the Port of New Orleans. The cruise passenger vessel is the fifth riverboat in ACL’s new series and adds to its four other homeported cruise vessels in New Orleans.
The river cruise vessel will become the ninth that New Orleans hosts year-round.
“Inland river cruising continues to show tremendous growth in Port NOLA’s cruise portfolio and this vessel is the latest crown jewel in American Cruise Lines’ fleet of modern riverine vessels sailing the Mississippi River from the city of New Orleans,” said Brandy D. Christian, Port of New Orleans president and CEO, in a press release. “The history and charm of our vibrant city combined with the unique offerings of sailing the Mississippi River makes cruising from New Orleans an ideal experience for increasing numbers of riverboat passengers.”
The American Symphony is a sister ship to American Melody, which debuted in 2021. Accommodating 175 guests, the Symphony features five decks and offers private balcony staterooms. If features a patented opening bow and retractable gangway, as well as the fifth deck skywalk with an ellipse that cantilevers over the restaurant below. It also offers lounges inside and out, a grand dining room, a fitness center and a yoga studio.
“American Symphony is part of our ongoing commitment to leading the U.S. River Cruise market by introducing innovative small ships every year,” said Charles B. Robertson, president and CEO of American Cruise Lines. “Smaller is better on the rivers. We look forward to American Symphony’s first season on the Mississippi, as well as the introduction of sister ship American Serenade early next year.”
See a virtual 360-degree tour at American Cruise Lines Virtual Riverboat Tour. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/new-mississippi-riverboat-american-symphony-sets-sail-from-port-nola/ | 2022-08-29T15:39:02Z |
Onpath Gives $10K to Nicholls State University Foundation for Scholarships
NEW ORLEANS — OnPath awarded the Nicholls State University Foundation $10,000 to aid students with scholarships. The Nicholls students will receive $1,000 total for the year and $500 to benefit each semester.
“OnPath has made a commitment to Lafourche Parish and Nicholls State University, and these scholarships are just one part of that commitment,” said OnPath President and CEO Jared Freeman. “Our partnership with Nicholls extends beyond their campus and into the lives of those students who are ready to take that next step towards their goals. We look forward to seeing the dreams of future Colonels come to fruition for a long time.”
Students who are of any classification, are maintaining a 3.0 GPA, and are members of OnPath Federal Credit Union qualify for this scholarship. The scholarship committee at Nicholls State will select the qualifying recipients.
OnPath has always been passionate about financial education and encouraging its members to think bigger on their pathway to success. With their new campaign, #BeFEARLESS, OnPath is actively spotlighting the ways that members can prosper financially. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/onpath-gives-10k-to-nicholls-state-university-foundation-for-scholarships/ | 2022-08-29T15:39:08Z |
81-year-old woman beaten to death by relative at assisted living facility, police say
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) – An 81-year-old woman was beaten to death by a relative at an assisted living home in Kansas on Sunday, police said.
Andover Police Chief Buck Buchanan said the suspect, who is related to the victim, is now in custody again. He was released from jail the day of the beating.
Buchanan said officers received a call for a welfare check of the woman. When first responders arrived, they found that she was badly beaten.
The woman was taken to the hospital, but she died from her injuries.
Police said the 23-year-old suspect had just been released from jail Sunday morning.
Officers found him and pulled him over on the roadway, but he attempted to run. He was taken into custody a short time later.
Buchanan said the man appeared to be under the influence of narcotics and was given Narcan. He was then taken to the hospital to be evaluated and then transferred to the Butler County Jail.
The investigation is ongoing.
Copyright 2022 KWCH via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/81-year-old-woman-beaten-death-by-relative-assisted-living-facility-police-say/ | 2022-08-29T15:55:58Z |
Buying canned whipped cream will now require ID in New York
NEW YORK (Gray News) – You now have to be 21 years old to buy canned whipped cream in New York.
The legislation, sponsored by NYS Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr., was passed in October 2021, but stores have only recently begun to require ID to purchase the dessert topping.
The goal of the law is to combat the use of whipped cream chargers, also known as “whippits,” as a way to get high.
The whipped cream chargers contain nitrous oxide, which is known to cause hearing loss, brain damage, limb spasms, heart failure or suffocation, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Nitrous oxide is often used during oral surgery to relieve pain, but it is highly addictive if used improperly.
“Nitrous oxide is a legal chemical for legitimate professional use but when used improperly, it can be extremely lethal,” Addabbo said in a statement. “Sadly, young people buy and inhale this gas to get ‘high’ because they mistakenly believe it is a ‘safe’ substance. This law will eliminate easy access to this dangerous substance for our youth.”
According to the legislation, any entity found in violation of selling whipped cream chargers to anyone under 21 would be subject to a civil penalty of up to $250 for an initial offense and up to $500 for each subsequent offense.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/buying-canned-whipped-cream-will-now-require-id-new-york/ | 2022-08-29T15:56:05Z |
Judge delays Gov. Kemp’s testimony in Georgia election probe
ATLANTA (AP) — A judge ruled Monday that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp must testify before a special grand jury that’s investigating possible illegal attempts by then-President Donald Trump and others to influence the 2020 election in the state — but not until after the November midterm election.
Lawyers for Kemp had argued that immunities related to his position as governor protect him from having to testify. But Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who’s overseeing the special grand jury, disagreed and said the governor must appear before the panel. But he did agree to a request from Kemp’s lawyers to delay that testimony until after the Nov. 8 election, in which the Republican governor faces a rematch with Democrat Stacey Abrams.
“The Governor is in the midst of a re-election campaign and this criminal grand jury investigation should not be used by the District Attorney, the Governor’s opponent, or the Governor himself to influence the outcome of that election,” McBurney wrote. “The sound and prudent course is to let the election proceed without further litigation or other activity concerning the Governor’s involvement in the special grand jury’s work.”
But once the election is over, McBurney wrote that he expects Kemp’s lawyers to “promptly make arrangements for his appearance.”
A delay could increase the likelihood that Trump will be a declared presidential candidate by the time the investigation moves toward its conclusion, further raising the political stakes. The investigation is one of several that could have serious legal consequences for the former president.
A spokesperson for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and a lawyer for Kemp did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ruling or whether they would appeal.
Also Monday, McBurney declined to quash a subpoena for lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, who represented the Trump campaign. He’s scheduled to appear before the special grand jury on Tuesday, according to a court filing.
Willis opened the investigation early last year, prompted by a January 2021 phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger during which the then-president suggested the state’s top election official could “find” the votes needed to overturn his loss. But the investigation’s scope has widened considerably since then.
Raffensperger and some other state officials have already appeared before the special grand jury, which McBurney noted in his ruling.
Willis has also been pursuing testimony from close Trump allies and advisers. Former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, who’s been told he faces possible criminal charges in the investigation, testified earlier this month. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, is currently fighting a subpoena in federal court. And Willis last week filed paperwork seeking to compel testimony from former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Trump-allied attorney Sidney Powell, among others.
Prosecutors have said they want to ask Kemp about Raffensperger’s call with the then-president, as well as his own contacts with Trump and others in the wake of the 2020 general election.
Kemp’s lawyers had argued he was protected by the principle of “sovereign immunity,” which says the state can’t be sued without its consent. But McBurney agreed with Willis’ team that the protection isn’t applicable because Kemp isn’t being sued and is instead being called as a witness to provide facts for a criminal investigation.
Kemp’s lawyers had also raised concerns about attorney-client privilege, and McBurney wrote that neither prosecutors nor grand jurors will be able to ask the governor about the contents of communications covered by that privilege. He said he’s aware of several conversations of interest to the investigation to which that privilege applies.
If there are disputes over what questions can be asked that cannot be resolved by the lawyers involved, they can be brought to McBurney “for resolution (or at least helpful direction),” the judge wrote.
McBurney’s ruling Monday came after communications between Kemp’s attorneys and Willis’ team over when and how the governor would provide information for the investigation broke down. In a footnote of his ruling, the judge noted that correspondence between the two sides that was attached to court filings showed a “lack of civility among the attorneys involved.”
Chesebro had argued that any testimony about his representation of the Trump campaign would be protected by attorney client privilege. McBurney found that while much of what Chesebro did for the campaign is protected by privilege, there are topics of interest to the investigation that aren’t off limits.
In a court filing seeking to compel his testimony, Willis wrote that Chesebro was “an attorney working with the Trump Campaign’s legal efforts seeking to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere.”
As part of those efforts, he worked with Republicans in Georgia in the weeks following the election at the direction of the Trump campaign, Willis wrote. That included working on the coordination and execution of a plan to have 16 Georgia Republicans sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors even though Joe Biden had won the state and a slate of Democratic electors was certified.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/judge-delays-gov-kemps-testimony-georgia-election-probe/ | 2022-08-29T15:56:11Z |
Starbucks brings back the Pumpkin Spice Latte but at a higher price
Published: Aug. 29, 2022 at 11:24 AM EDT|Updated: 30 minutes ago
(CNN) - Your favorite fall beverage returns to Starbucks this week, but even coffee is not immune to inflation.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte will be available Tuesday, but be ready to pay a little more for it.
Depending on the location, the grande-sized hot PSL will cost customers between $5.45 and $5.95, about a 4% increase compared to last year.
Starbucks and other chains have increased menu prices gradually over the past year due to inflation.
The Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Apple Crisp Macchiato and Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato are also returning for fall.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/starbucks-brings-back-pumpkin-spice-latte-higher-price/ | 2022-08-29T15:56:18Z |
US says it’s reviewed documents seized in Mar-a-Lago search
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has completed its review of potentially privileged documents seized from former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate this month and has identified “a limited set of materials that potentially contain attorney-client privileged information,” according to a court filing Monday.
The filing from the department follows a judge’s weekend order indicating that she was inclined to grant the Trump legal team’s request for a special master who would oversee the review of documents taken during the Aug. 8 search of the Mar-a-Lago estate and ensure that any that might be protected by claims of legal privilege be set aside.
In revealing that the department had completed its review of potentially privileged communications, law enforcement officials appeared to be suggesting that the appointment of a third-party special master might now be moot. The department had been relying on a specialized team to filter out potentially privileged communications and said Monday that it had completed its review of those materials before the judge’s order.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said on Saturday that it was her “preliminary intent” to appoint a special master — which would be an early procedural win for the Trump legal team — but gave the department an opportunity to respond and scheduled a Thursday hearing to discuss the matter further.
The judge also directed the Justice Department to submit under seal a more detailed description of the materials that were seized from Trump’s estate in Palm Beach, something the department on Monday said it would do.
___
Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP.
___
For more AP coverage of Donald Trump-related investigations, go to https://apnews.com/hub/trump-investigations.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/us-says-its-reviewed-documents-seized-mar-a-lago-search/ | 2022-08-29T15:56:25Z |
Wendy’s changes logo to support longtime Canadian journalist
Published: Aug. 29, 2022 at 11:35 AM EDT|Updated: 21 minutes ago
(CNN) - One of the world’s most famous redheads has made a change to make a statement.
The Wendy’s mascot, long-known for her ginger pigtails, now has gray hair on Canadian social media sites.
Wendy’s new look was posted to support longtime Canadian journalist Lisa LaFlamme.
In June, LaFlamme found out her contract was not being renewed and her career at CTV was coming to an unexpected end after more than three decades.
Shortly after the announcement, rumors started that LaFlamme was being let go, at least in part, because she was no longer dyeing her hair blonde and allowing it to turn gray.
Bell Media issued a statement denying LaFlamme’s hair color had anything to do with her dismissal.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/wendys-changes-logo-support-longtime-canadian-journalist/ | 2022-08-29T15:56:32Z |
81-year-old woman beaten to death by relative at assisted living facility, police say
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) – An 81-year-old woman was beaten to death by a relative at an assisted living home in Kansas on Sunday, police said.
Andover Police Chief Buck Buchanan said the suspect, who is related to the victim, is now in custody again. He was released from jail the day of the beating.
Buchanan said officers received a call for a welfare check of the woman. When first responders arrived, they found that she was badly beaten.
The woman was taken to the hospital, but she died from her injuries.
Police said the 23-year-old suspect had just been released from jail Sunday morning.
Officers found him and pulled him over on the roadway, but he attempted to run. He was taken into custody a short time later.
Buchanan said the man appeared to be under the influence of narcotics and was given Narcan. He was then taken to the hospital to be evaluated and then transferred to the Butler County Jail.
The investigation is ongoing.
Copyright 2022 KWCH via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/81-year-old-woman-beaten-death-by-relative-assisted-living-facility-police-say/ | 2022-08-29T17:00:39Z |
Biden headed to Milwaukee, Pittsburgh on Labor Day
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to travel to the battleground states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania on Labor Day, about two months before the election.
Biden will speak at Milwaukee’s Laborfest celebration and will go to Pittsburgh where other national labor leaders are appearing at that city’s Labor Day Parade, both the White House and labor unions said Monday. Biden plans to “celebrate Labor Day and the dignity of American workers,” according to the White House.
Biden is expected to tout the bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year, as well as the Inflation Reduction Act, which the president signed in August.
Both states have races for governor and U.S. Senate.
In Wisconsin, Democrats are trying to reelect Gov. Tony Evers and oust Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson. His Democratic challenger, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, has highlighted his middle-class background and parents’ union membership. Evers faces Republican Tim Michels, who co-owns the state’s largest construction firm.
In Pennsylvania, Democrats are trying to hold on to the state’s open governor’s office and to flip the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.
The AFL-CIO has endorsed the Democrats in both races: state Attorney General Josh Shapiro running for governor against state Sen. Doug Mastriano and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman running for Senate against heart surgeon-turned-TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz.
The AFL-CIO also has endorsed Evers and Barnes in the Wisconsin races.
Biden last came to Wisconsin in March and his stop in Milwaukee would be his fourth since his term began. Evers last week said he would welcome a visit from the president to the state and his campaign said he planned to attend the event with the president. Barnes also planned to participate in Labor Day events in Milwaukee, but his campaign spokeswoman did not say whether Barnes would join with Biden.
Fetterman planned to join Biden next week in Pittsburgh. Biden was also going to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday to discuss an initiative designed to reduce gun crimes.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/biden-headed-milwaukee-pittsburgh-labor-day/ | 2022-08-29T17:00:46Z |
Starbucks brings back the Pumpkin Spice Latte but at a higher price
Published: Aug. 29, 2022 at 11:24 AM EDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
(CNN) - Your favorite fall beverage returns to Starbucks this week, but even coffee is not immune to inflation.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte will be available Tuesday, but be ready to pay a little more for it.
Depending on the location, the grande-sized hot PSL will cost customers between $5.45 and $5.95, about a 4% increase compared to last year.
Starbucks and other chains have increased menu prices gradually over the past year due to inflation.
The Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Apple Crisp Macchiato and Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato are also returning for fall.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/starbucks-brings-back-pumpkin-spice-latte-higher-price/ | 2022-08-29T17:00:52Z |
Wendy’s changes logo to support longtime Canadian journalist
Published: Aug. 29, 2022 at 11:35 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
(CNN) - One of the world’s most famous redheads has made a change to make a statement.
The Wendy’s mascot, long-known for her ginger pigtails, now has gray hair on Canadian social media sites.
Wendy’s new look was posted to support longtime Canadian journalist Lisa LaFlamme.
In June, LaFlamme found out her contract was not being renewed and her career at CTV was coming to an unexpected end after more than three decades.
Shortly after the announcement, rumors started that LaFlamme was being let go, at least in part, because she was no longer dyeing her hair blonde and allowing it to turn gray.
Bell Media issued a statement denying LaFlamme’s hair color had anything to do with her dismissal.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/wendys-changes-logo-support-longtime-canadian-journalist/ | 2022-08-29T17:00:58Z |
Sponsored - The following content is created on behalf of Western State Hospital and does not reflect the opinions of Gray Media or its editorial staff. To learn more about Western State Hospital, visit https://wsh.dbhds.virginia.gov/.
Mental health matters because people matter. Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed in May in the United States for decades, but it goes without saying that mental health is always important. This year, the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) is amplifying the message of “Together for Mental Health.”
We at Western State Hospital are working together with you to treat mental health conditions and bring more awareness about mental illnesses. Hospitals play an important role in providing behavioral health care and helping patients find resources available in their community.
At Western State Hospital, we see just how prevalent mental health conditions are. According to CDC and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), even if you aren’t struggling with a mental health condition, you likely know someone who has, or had, a mental illness. Research shows 1 in 5 people have a mental health condition. It’s estimated that 31% of Americans experience anxiety at some point in their lives and that 19 million people are living with depression. And those are just two mental health conditions out of dozens.
But, even if you aren’t experiencing a mental health condition, you can help someone who might be. The American Hospital Association (AHA) and its partners have shared how you can help someone who is struggling with mental illness just by using your words, through its People Matter, Words Matter campaign.
In talking about the campaign, the AHA says, “Words can transmit stigma. Studies have shown that people with psychiatric and/or substance use disorders often feel judged, outside and inside the health care system. This can lead them to avoid, delay or stop seeking treatment. The way we talk about people with a behavioral disorder can change lives – in either a positive or negative manner...People matter and the words we use to describe them or the disorders they have matter.”
So, before you say something, think about your words, because they matter.
If you are struggling with a mental health disorder, there are also many things you can do on your own to improve your mental health. Mindful meditation, for example, can improve your mood, your energy and your sleep. It can also help clear your mind of negative thoughts about yourself or your situation. Spending time doing things you love, like creating art or working on your car, can also help. Fresh air and exercise can produce feel good hormones, to keep your mind healthy each day.
For more information about Mental Health Awareness Month, and to learn more about mental health conditions and treatment options, check out these resources:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)
Finding Mental Health services in Virginia (Virginia DBHDS)
NAMI Mental Health Awareness Month page
People Matter, Words Matter resources and posters from the AHA | https://www.whsv.com/sponsored/western-state-hospital/this-is-why-mental-health-matters/ | 2022-08-29T17:01:04Z |
Updated August 29, 2022 at 12:38 PM ET
As the week begins, here's a roundup of key developments from the past week and a look ahead.
What to watch this week
Monday: A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency is on its way to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The IAEA's director, Rafael Mariano Grossi, is leading the mission.
Also Monday, Ukraine said it launched a counteroffensive against Russian forces in the south. Battles will be watched for signs of Ukraine's efforts to retake areas such as the city of Kherson.
Tuesday: European Union defense ministers and foreign ministers will meet in an informal summit in Prague, to continue through Wednesday. The foreign ministers are expected to decide on a proposed ban on Russian tourists.
Wednesday: Russia's Vostok-2022 military exercises will begin in the country's east, to continue through the week. China and India are among the countries expected to take part in the drills.
Thursday: The Venice Film Festival will host "Ukrainian Day," with a series of initiatives in support of Ukraine and its artists.
Friday: Russian journalist Dmitiri Muratov will join fellow Nobel laureates at a conference on freedom of expression in Oslo.
Sunday: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will host Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal for talks in Berlin.
What happened last week
Aug. 22: The war in Ukraine has caused damage and destruction worth a total $113.5 billion, according to an assessment by the Kyiv School of Economics along with Ukrainian government agencies and a number of other partners. Housing and transportation infrastructure made up the heaviest losses.
Aug. 23: The German Interior Ministry reported that almost 1 million Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Germany since Russia's invasion began in February. More than one-third are children and young people. There are some 6.6 million Ukrainians registered as refugees across Europe.
Aug. 24: Ukraine marked Independence Day, which coincided with the six-month anniversary of Russia's invasion. On the same day, a Russian rocket attack killed 22 people at a train station in the town of Chaplyne. And President Biden announced nearly $3 billion in U.S. military aid.
Aug. 25: The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was temporarily cut off from Ukraine's electrical grid -- the latest point of concern around Europe's largest nuclear plant, which is under Russian occupation in southern Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to increase the size of Russian armed forces.
Aug. 26: Officials handed out iodine tablets to residents near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in case of a radiation leak.
Aug. 27: Putin issued further decrees giving people from eastern Ukraine's Donbas region access to work and benefits in Russia.
Aug. 28: The United States slammed Russia for blocking consensus on a final document reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In a statement, a State Department spokesman said Russia refused to acknowledge language about "the grave radiological risk at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine."
In-depth
Six key numbers that reveal the staggering impact of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Kyiv hosts a different kind of parade to celebrate Ukraine's independence day.
Once a heavyweight champion, Kyiv's mayor now fights the Russians.
Home is never far for the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, even when touring in the U.S.
After a deadly jail blast, Ukrainians want answers about war prisoners held by Russia.
Special report
Russia's war in Ukraine is changing the world: See its ripple effects in all corners of the globe.
Earlier developments
You can read past recaps here. For context and more in-depth stories, you can find more of NPR's coverage here. Also, listen and subscribe to NPR's State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
Loading... | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/russia-ukraine-war-a-weekly-recap-and-look-ahead-aug-29 | 2022-08-29T17:11:11Z |
A team has completed a review of the material seized at Mar-a-Lago, finding that some of the materials may contain information protected by attorney-client privilege, the Department of Justice said in a court filing on Monday.
As requested by a federal judge over the weekend, the team will file a public response to former President Trump's motion for the appointment of a "special master" to oversee the material seized from his residence.
The team "is in the process of following the procedures ... to address potential privilege disputes, if any," the department said in its filing Monday. In tandem with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the DOJ is continuing to sort through and classify the record, the filing continued. And, echoing what the agency's spokesperson told NPR on Saturday, the ODNI is continuing to assess how the release of these materials could jeopardize national security.
The development comes after a federal judge said Saturday that she is inclined to grant Trump's request to appoint a special master to oversee the FBI's search of more than a dozen boxes seized from Mar-a-Lago, and told the Justice Department to produce "a more detailed" list of items seized from Mar-a-Lago.
Lawyers for the government and Trump are due in court Thursday to discuss his request for a special master to review the papers.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-29/some-records-seized-at-mar-a-lago-may-be-protected-by-client-attorney-privilege | 2022-08-29T17:11:17Z |
What are your thoughts on the student loan debt relief plan?
By contributing your comment, you consent to the possibility of having it read on the air.
WPM/NPR Community Discussion Rules
For more information, view NPR story: Is it fair to forgive student loans? Examining 3 of the arguments of a heated debate | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/topic-of-the-week/2022-08-29/what-are-your-thoughts-on-the-student-loan-debt-relief-plan | 2022-08-29T17:11:23Z |
About 100 students walked out of Grapevine high school Friday to protest new district policies they say target gay and trans kids.
Some who walked out identify as gay or trans, other straight and cisgender students walked out too. But everyone who spoke at the protest felt they were targeted by policies deemed intolerant of those who are LGBTQ
Artem, who gave no last name, was one of the students who spoke out.
“Trans and LGBTQ youth and students do not feel safe in their classrooms. These rules are taking away our rights to feel safe and to express ourselves and to be honest about who we are,” Artem said.
Some new rules, for example, designate multi-stall bathrooms must be used based on a person’s biological sex. The district could provide accommodations on request
Marceline Temple, out sick the day of the protest, prepared a statement that was read by a friend, Teddy, who didn’t give a last name.
“I’m embarrassed to be a part of this transphobic and racist school district, said Marceline (through Teddy). “As a transgender, bisexual person of color, I’m deeply ashamed of our school board and the actions they decided to take. How on earth are adults acting more childish than children? It’s astonishing.”
Occasionally, the group of protesting students broke out in chants.
“Protect out rights,” they repeated. At other times, “protect trans kids.”
Earlier this week, the GCISD school board also approved sports policies saying students could only participate on teams in keeping with their biological sex. Other policies touch on what books will be allowed or not. Many titles in question feature characters who identify as LGBTQ.
Grapevine High School's principal said students who walked out will be marked absent for the classes they missed.
Got a tip? Email Reporter Bill Zeeble at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on Twitter @bzeeble. | https://www.keranews.org/education/2022-08-29/grapevine-high-school-students-walked-out-in-protest-over-policies-they-call-anti-lgbtq | 2022-08-29T17:19:53Z |
President Joe Biden’s decision to forgive some student loan debt came as a relief to many borrowers. But it was also marked by many for what the policy didn’t do – namely, address the systemic issues in higher education that have led to such a debt and affordability problem in the first place. Clearly, this country needs solutions to help bring down the cost of college. But what?
For some ideas we turned to Sara Goldrick-Rab, author of “Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream.” Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below.
This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:
Texas Standard: Could you help us understand how the relative cost of college has changed over the past 30 to 40 years?
Sara Goldrick-Rab: The biggest thing that most people have experienced is not really a change in cost, per se – meaning what colleges go through in order to deliver education – but rather a change in the price that’s being passed on to individual families. And essentially what has changed the most is that the state that you live in, whether it’s Texas or whether it’s Pennsylvania, has decided to pay for less of the total cost. So it used to be the case 30 years ago [that] you would pay maybe a quarter of the cost, and today you pay three-quarters.
So what levers are available to colleges and institutions if there were an incentive – or the political will – to bring down the cost of a college education?
There’s a couple of different things, and a lot of them are being tried throughout Texas right now. One of them is to help students better cover their living expenses without needing debt. So, for example, housing is the most expensive thing that everybody handles every day, and it’s not any different for college students. They’re not mainly living in residence halls on campuses. Making housing more affordable and making it normal for people to go back to really commuting to campus, frankly, and living places that they can afford will help to lower the cost.
Another major strategy that’s really important is to make better use of your amazing Texas community colleges. They’re everywhere throughout your state. They’re a great start, and nobody needs to stigmatize them and make them seem like they’re not as good a place to go. They’re a terrific place.
» MORE: How Biden’s student loan forgiveness will impact Texans
I think a lot of folks are very impressed with the community college system in Texas. But having said that, somebody’s got to foot the bill. And right now, it’s parents or the students themselves who are having to deal with these debts. So where does that money come from if the state is not willing to put it directly into the universities themselves?
So the interesting thing is that Texas as a state is leaving a lot of federal money that it’s already entitled to on the table. As a quick example, parents don’t need to pay so much for food. If Texas got students connected more to a program called SNAP, it would help them to lower their grocery bills. And taxpayers in Texas don’t pay an additional dime for it; they already paid. And the federal government dollars are being drawn down in places like California because Texas doesn’t have the right policies in place. The state doesn’t actually have to make too many changes. They’ve just got to decide to use the money that they’ve already spent efficiently.
When you talk to people, particularly young people, who are weighing the expense of college education today or higher ed in general, what is your general advice to them?
I mean, first of all, to consider community college as a first step. That’s really, really important.
Not to be reaching too far beyond what their family’s finances can actually afford, for the most part. I think sometimes it’s like, you know, you need a car, but your parents feel like they got to buy you a Porsche even though they cannot afford it. That’s not a good idea. They should also make choices that make sure that how they live during college aligns with what they can financially afford so they don’t find themselves in so much debt later on.
And then the last thing is honestly, vote like this stuff matters. Choose people to vote for who do have plans for ways to lower the cost of college. That issue has been way too far down the pole for a long time, and people need to raise it up and, you know, fix it together. | https://www.keranews.org/education/2022-08-29/how-can-the-u-s-help-bring-down-the-cost-of-college | 2022-08-29T17:20:00Z |
The federal government is putting a pause on sending free COVID-19 testing kits to Americans starting in September, due to a lack of funding.
"Ordering through this program will be suspended on Friday, September 2 because Congress hasn't provided additional funding to replenish the nation's stockpile of tests," the ordering website says.
However, the program is still accepting orders before Sep. 2.
The White House first began sending out the kits in January. By last May, the White House said 350 million tests had been given away to 70 million households, more than half of the households in the U.S.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/health-wellness/2022-08-29/the-government-will-no-longer-be-sending-free-covid-19-tests-to-americans | 2022-08-29T17:20:03Z |
Biden headed to Milwaukee, Pittsburgh on Labor Day
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to travel to the battleground states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania on Labor Day, about two months before the election.
Biden will speak at Milwaukee’s Laborfest celebration and will go to Pittsburgh where other national labor leaders are appearing at that city’s Labor Day Parade, both the White House and labor unions said Monday. Biden plans to “celebrate Labor Day and the dignity of American workers,” according to the White House.
Biden is expected to tout the bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year, as well as the Inflation Reduction Act, which the president signed in August.
Both states have races for governor and U.S. Senate.
In Wisconsin, Democrats are trying to reelect Gov. Tony Evers and oust Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson. His Democratic challenger, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, has highlighted his middle-class background and parents’ union membership. Evers faces Republican Tim Michels, who co-owns the state’s largest construction firm.
In Pennsylvania, Democrats are trying to hold on to the state’s open governor’s office and to flip the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.
The AFL-CIO has endorsed the Democrats in both races: state Attorney General Josh Shapiro running for governor against state Sen. Doug Mastriano and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman running for Senate against heart surgeon-turned-TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz.
The AFL-CIO also has endorsed Evers and Barnes in the Wisconsin races.
Biden last came to Wisconsin in March and his stop in Milwaukee would be his fourth since his term began. Evers last week said he would welcome a visit from the president to the state and his campaign said he planned to attend the event with the president. Barnes also planned to participate in Labor Day events in Milwaukee, but his campaign spokeswoman did not say whether Barnes would join with Biden.
Fetterman planned to join Biden next week in Pittsburgh. Biden was also going to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday to discuss an initiative designed to reduce gun crimes.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/biden-headed-milwaukee-pittsburgh-labor-day/ | 2022-08-29T17:27:15Z |
Elon Musk subpoenas Twitter whistleblower ahead of trial
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Elon Musk’s legal team is demanding to hear from Twitter’s whistleblowing former security chief, who could help bolster Musk’s case for backing out of a $44 billion deal to buy the social media company.
Former Twitter executive Peiter Zatko — also known by his hacker handle “Mudge” — received a subpoena Saturday from Musk’s team, according to Zatko’s lawyer and court records.
The billionaire Tesla CEO has spent months alleging that the company he agreed to acquire undercounted its fake and spam accounts — and that he shouldn’t have to consummate the deal as a result.
Zatko’s whistleblower complaint to U.S. officials alleging Twitter misled regulators about its privacy and security protections — and its ability to detect and root out fake accounts — might play into Musk’s hands in an upcoming trial scheduled for Oct. 17 in Delaware.
Zatko served as Twitter’s head of security until he was fired early this year.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/elon-musk-subpoenas-twitter-whistleblower-ahead-trial/ | 2022-08-29T17:27:22Z |
Rioter who encountered senator gets over 4 years in prison
(AP) - A Maryland man affiliated with the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced on Monday to more than four years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol, where authorities say he encountered Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer as his armed security detail led the New York Democrat to safety.
Joshua Pruitt, 40, was one of the few Capitol rioters to come face-to-face with a member of Congress during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by a mob of Donald Trump supporters, according to federal prosecutors.
“One look at Pruitt, and the leader of Senator Schumer’s security detail immediately saw the threat and hustled the 70-year-old senator down a hallway, having to change their evacuation route on a dime,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Loeb wrote in a court filing ahead of Monday’s hearing.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced Pruitt to four years and seven months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release, according to Bill Miller, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia.
Prosecutors had recommended a five-year prison sentence for Pruitt, a Silver Spring, Maryland, resident who has worked as a bartender and personal trainer. They described him as an aspiring Proud Boys member whose intimidating figure made him an “ideal recruit” for the group on Jan. 6.
The leader of Schumer’s security detail told the FBI that their encounter with Pruitt was a harrowing, unforgettable moment. Pruitt was advancing and only seconds from reaching Schumer when the security detail turned and ran with the senator away from an elevator and back down a ramp, detail members said.
“At the end of the ramp, officers closed and locked the doors. The security detail and (Schumer) pursued a secondary evacuation route. Once the doors were being closed, Pruitt turned around and retraced his steps,” Loeb wrote.
Pruitt and other prospects and recruits of the local Proud Boys chapter often used encrypted communications to discuss storming the Capitol, civil war and confrontations with police, according to prosecutors. They said Pruitt wanted to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6.
“He personally forced a 70-year-old Senator to run and find another path to safety. Among all the rioters who stormed the Capitol, it is a notorious distinction,” Loeb wrote.
Defense attorney Robert Jenkins Jr. said there is no “direct evidence” that Pruitt coordinated with Proud Boys members to attack the Capitol. Pruitt didn’t face a conspiracy charge.
“He admits that as the events unfolded Mr. Pruitt became overwhelmed by his emotions and true belief that the election results were polluted by fraud,” Jenkins wrote. He sought a three-year prison sentence for Pruitt.
Jenkins’ 10-page sentencing memo doesn’t address Pruitt’s encounter with Schumer, now Senate Majority Leader.
Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes founded the Proud Boys in 2016. Group members call it a politically incorrect men’s club for “Western chauvinists.” Before the Capitol riot, they were best known for street brawling with antifascist activists at rallies and protests.
Dozens of Proud Boys leaders, members and associates have been charged with Capitol riot-related crimes. Some, including former Proud Boys national chairman Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, have been charged with seditious conspiracy for what authorities say was a plot to forcibly oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power.
Prosecutors called Pruitt a “one-man symbol of the angry mob at the Capitol that day.” Many of the police officers guarding the Capitol on Jan. 6 remembered him as an instigator, according to prosecutors.
“Wearing a tactical glove with knuckle pads and a cut-off t-shirt with the logo of the ‘Punisher’ — an antihero known for dispensing violent vigilante justice — Pruitt made a calculated choice to use his thickly muscled appearance to communicate to the police that they faced a dangerous person,” Loeb wrote.
Pruitt was on probation and wearing an ankle monitor on the day of the riot. He initially was arrested on the night of Jan. 6 for violating a curfew imposed by the mayor of Washington, D.C. He has been jailed since a judge ordered his pretrial detention in January 2022.
Pruitt pleaded guilty in June to a felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding, the joint session of Congress for certifying President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump, the Republican incumbent.
More than 860 people have been charged with federal crimes for their conduct on Jan. 6. Approximately 400 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted after a trial. Over 240 Capitol riot defendants have been sentenced, with roughly half of them getting terms of incarceration ranging from seven days to over seven years.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/29/rioter-who-encountered-senator-gets-over-4-years-prison/ | 2022-08-29T17:27:28Z |
Rawlins page plan, Aug. 31 Aug 29, 2022 Aug 29, 2022 Updated 1 hr ago Comments Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save RAWLINS page plan for WEDNESDAY, Aug. 31 A1 (send color)Vol. 133, Issue 70Tease 1:EYE ON ENERGY Court rulings threaten to hasten Wyo coal’s demise, Page A3Tease 2:COWBOYS CORRALLED UW opens season with blowout loss at Illinois, Page B1Tease 3: ONLY 2 TEASES TODAY, PLEASE________________________________________________________MAIN PACKAGE: Balance of power on the line, WNE (photos)TOP STORY: Corner crossers: Ranch owner broke access law, WNE (file photos) -- strip across topMission im-paws-ible: Rawlins opens new dog park, Staff (photos)Major changes to state elections are considered, WTE (file photos)Jumps to A6 and A3 A2 (send color)Worth noting briefsA3 (send color)Court rulings threaten to hasten Wyo coal’s demise, WNE (file photo)Jumps from A1A4 OPINION (send B&W)Syndicated cartoonA Gray day dawns for Wyoming’s future elections (Wyoming voices)Hunt column (Wyoming voices)Lowry column (Other voices) A5 (send color)ObitsMore liquor license changes considered, WTE (file photo) – can cut to fit if neededAs harvest approaches, farmers become weather-watchers, WNE (file photo) – if you need A6 (send color)New WDE program targets teacher morale, WNE (file photo)Jumps from A1 B1-B2 SPORTS (send both color)UW opens season with blowout loss at Illinois, Josh (photos)Keys to success for Wyoming football in 2022, Josh column (photos)UW soccer drops match at Oregon State, StaffBoise State looks for rebound after surprising down season, AP (photos)Falcons’ quest: Air Force chases MW title, stadium turns 60, APFamily matters: Nepotism a hurdle to diversity in coaching, AP (photos)Knight proclaims USA is best entering women’s hockey worlds, AP (photos)Whatever else AP you need to fill (if you need)B3-B4 COMICS/PUZZLES (send B&W)NOTE: They didn’t dummy a puzzles page; there will be only 2 Class pages and B4 will be puzzlesB5-B6 CLASSIFIEDS (send color) Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Recommended for you Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus Trending Now Hoss Woodard is doing all he can to give Cheyenne a 'Little Taste of Texas' Cheyenne day care worker to appeal manslaughter conviction Republicans search for independent candidate to challenge Gray Police blotter 8-24-22 Crumbl Cookies opens location in Cheyenne Latest Special Section 2022 UW Football Preview To view our latest Special Section click the image on the left. Latest e-Edition Wyoming Tribune Eagle To view our latest e-Edition click the image on the left. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlins-page-plan-aug-31/article_dca4a41e-27b4-11ed-b72c-7b1bae9d00b8.html | 2022-08-29T18:28:47Z |
A group of volunteers, city officials and dog owners gather at the new Rawlins Dog Park located at Key Club Park. Although other amenities are still being installed, fencing is complete.
A group of volunteers, city officials and dog owners gather at the new Rawlins Dog Park located at Key Club Park. Although other amenities are still being installed, fencing is complete.
Courtesy Photo/City of Rawlins
This map outlines where in Key Club Park the new Rawlins Dog Park is located.
With fencing in place, the Rawlins Dog Parks is open for residents and their four-legged pals to play and exercise.
The park, located at Key Club Park, opened Saturday, a milestone moment for a project more than two years in the making. What began with $9,800 in initial seed money set aside from Wyoming Community Gas in 2020 and another $10,200 the next year, the park grew in scope to $45,000.
While the city of Rawlins continues to work on adding amenities to the park, with fencing complete it can open to the public, the city says in a press release.
A pair of town hall meetings were held to gather feedback on what people want from their new dog park and more feedback will be sought as the city mulls final additions to the area.
The initial phase of construction includes:
An “any dog area” of about 1.5 acres featuring natural landscapes and various elevations.
A small (less than 30 pounds) and elderly dog area of about 0.5 acres. This allows owners to separate their dogs from large or younger, rambunctious animals if they choose.
Signage outlining park regulations, sponsors and a link to a survey to track usage and ask for feedback on future amenities (additional signage coming soon).
Two picnic tables and six park benches.
Multiple doggy waste stations and trash cans.
Two portable toilets.
Human and canine drinking fountain, which will be installed in the next two weeks. This features a bowl for the dogs at the bottom and a traditional drinking fountain above. Excess water from the fountain will be used for new trees in the park.
Parking in the lot at Key Club Park is limited, so parking along Colorado Street is encouraged. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/local/mission-im-paws-ible-rawlins-opens-new-dog-park/article_e4ce91a4-27aa-11ed-b4ca-b75a4ba9e4c3.html | 2022-08-29T18:28:53Z |
LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming volleyball team opened the season with a pair of hard-fought home losses Friday against quality opponents for the first day of Rumble in the Rockies at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
UW lost in five sets to the Wichita State Shockers after coming back from two sets down, losing 25-15, 25-22, 15-25, 29-31, 15-8. The Cowgirls closed the day with a four-set loss to the Iowa State Cyclones 19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 26-24.
Corin Carruth paced the Cowgirls offense in both matches, tallying 15 kills off the bench and hitting .306 against the Shockers. She then notched a career-high 23 kills against ISU and hit .432. She also set a career-best with five total blocks against the Cyclones and chipped in with eight digs.
Against Wichita, KC McMahon and Naya Shimé hit double-figure kills with 12 and 10, respectively. In her first action as a Cowgirl, Kasia Partyka recorded a pair of double-doubles with 45 assists and had 10 digs against WSU. She then had 41 assists and 10 digs against Iowa State.
Hailey Zuroske, making the first two starts of her career at the libero spot, led UW in both matches with 12 and 14 digs, respectively.
The Cowgirls were out-hit by Wichita State, as the Shockers hit .207 to Wyoming’s .176. Against Iowa State, Wyoming hit .250, while the Cyclones hit .230. But the Cyclones had a 10-3 advantage in the service game and also had a 9-6 edge in team blocks.
UW freshman Tierney Barlow also helped spark the Cowgirls in the two losses. She had eight kills and hit .313 against Wichita State, and tallied six kills on just 10 swings against Iowa State. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/sports/cowgirls-drop-a-pair-of-season-opening-matches/article_d543fbaa-27a7-11ed-9ec6-230e96fa8e85.html | 2022-08-29T18:28:59Z |
University of Wyoming junior quarterback Andrew Peasley, left, reacts to a referee’s call during the Cowboys’ 38-6 loss to Illinois on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. DJ Johnson/Special to WyoSPorts
University of Wyoming defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole jumps to try to bat down a pass from Illinois quarterback Tommy DeVito during the Cowboys' 38-6 loss Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. Troy Babbitt/UW athletics
University of Wyoming junior quarterback Andrew Peasley, left, reacts to a referee’s call during the Cowboys’ 38-6 loss to Illinois on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. DJ Johnson/Special to WyoSPorts
University of Wyoming defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole jumps to try to bat down a pass from Illinois quarterback Tommy DeVito during the Cowboys' 38-6 loss Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. Troy Babbitt/UW athletics
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A blowout loss to Illinois on Saturday showcased a shortcoming that has become all too familiar for the University of Wyoming since Josh Allen left campus after the 2017 season.
At least for the first game of 2022, the Cowboys continued to lack consistent production at the quarterback position. Starting his first game since transferring from Utah State this offseason, Andrew Peasley went 5 of 20 for 30 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in a 38-6 defeat, while at least another two potential picks were dropped by Illini defenders.
Peasley did show playmaking ability with his legs – rushing for 76 yards on eight carries, with a 37-yard scamper on a designed run marking UW’s longest play from scrimmage. But for the fifth consecutive season, it appears that the pass attack could continue to be a significant source of concern for the run-heavy offense.
“I’m not going to overreact,” UW coach Craig Bohl said when asked if there would be continued competition for the starting quarterback job. “We’re going to have to take a hard look ... Andrew did some nice things in the run game, obviously, and they neutralized that. They brought their safety down, and some of our other answers weren’t there.
“There were some decisions Andrew made that were good, and there were some decisions that were poor. I was pretty pointed with him on the sideline about that, and he’s a tough competitor. A decision like that, you need to take a pretty full-measured view of the tape.”
Recent history seems to indicate these struggles aren’t solely on the shoulders of Peasley. Last year’s 54.5% completion rate, which ranked 10th in the Mountain West, was the Pokes’ only season in which they completed more than half of their pass attempts since Allen’s departure.
Turning points
Despite being outgained by 265 yards, the Cowboys found themselves on the verge of remaining competitive at a couple different moments in the game.
The first came late in the first quarter following a defensive stand that caused a potential touchdown drive to turn into a missed Illinois field goal attempt. Junior running back Titus Swen started the drive with an 11-yard run to the right, and Peasley kept a bootleg back to the other side of the field for 17 yards on the next play. Two plays later, the Pokes motioned Swen across the field, and Peasley took a designed run 37 yards in the other direction to set UW up with a first-and-goal inside the Illinois 10.
The Cowboys weren’t able to capitalize, though, with a pair of rush attempts going for little gain and a potential game-tying touchdown pass to junior tight end Treyton Welch being ruled incomplete. As a result, the eight-play, 70-yard drive ended in a field goal.
“We held onto our momentum for a little bit after that,” Welch said. “We didn’t give up, we just didn’t play Cowboy tough football like we had been with that momentum. It’s just a matter of continuing to stay in the fight, no matter what.”
The Pokes had a chance to seize momentum again early in the second half. They cut the gap to 11 points with a field goal on the first drive of the quarter, and the defense delivered a three-and-out during its first trip back on the field. The wheels fell off on both sides of the ball after that, however.
Wyoming’s next two offensive possessions resulted in a punt and turnover on downs near midfield, while the defense allowed back-to-back touchdown drives that put the game out of reach.
“When we were in the locker room, we were talking about how quickly games can turn,” sophomore linebacker Easton Gibbs said. “We had really good energy coming out. We had the three-and-out, and the offense went and did their thing. We were really looking forward to getting back out there, and I think some guys looked at that drive and maybe took a step back.
“We just have to put drives together. We had a three-and-out, we just have to put more of those together. With drives like that, we can’t be complacent with having a three-and-out. We just have to keep the gas down and keep pushing.”
Swen suffers possible setback
Outside of being handed a 32-point loss in their first test of 2022, the Pokes may have suffered an additional setback early in the fourth quarter. Swen limped off the field after being tackled with 11:45 remaining, and did not return.
Bohl did not have much information to share immediately after the game on the potential nature of the injury, but did note that “it may be something with his ribs.”
Josh Criswell{span} covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at jcriswell@wyosports.net or 307-755-3325. Follow him on Twitter at @criswell_sports.{/span}
Josh Criswell covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at jcriswell@wyosports.net or 307-755-3325. Follow him on Twitter at @criswell_sports. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/sports/pokes-passing-woes-continue-in-season-opening-loss/article_8d01ac98-27a7-11ed-9c6c-9b3da8484d0b.html | 2022-08-29T18:29:05Z |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – After expressing optimism throughout training camp, the University of Wyoming football team was brought back down to earth with a lopsided loss to begin its 2022 campaign.
The Cowboys were outmatched across the board in a 38-6 loss at Illinois on Saturday, coming up unsuccessful on their first 12 third-down attempts, while getting outgained 477-212. The Illini jumped ahead less than a minute into the contest, and would lead for the rest of the way.
UW coach Craig Bohl says this loss will test a group that has been vocal about their increased chemistry and cohesiveness. The Pokes will also look to avoid a hangover effect in next weekend’s home-opener against Tulsa.
“Just to say, ‘Oh yeah, this is no big deal,’ this is a big deal,” Bohl said. “A lot of times, you can learn a lot from a loss, (even though) they’re not fun to go through. Sometimes you can let one team beat you twice, and it’s going to be important for us as coaches to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“They are close, but a lot of times everything can be going good when you’re winning and are undefeated. Then, all of a sudden, you go out there. We got took to the woodshed. It’s going to test us.”
It took the Illini just 41 seconds and two plays from scrimmage to take a lead they wouldn’t surrender.
Senior defensive back Peyton Vining returned the opening kickoff 43 yards to near midfield, and junior running back Chase Brown broke away for a 38-yard run on the first snap of the game. Brown hauled in a 14-yard touchdown catch from senior quarterback Tommy DeVito on the ensuing play to put Illinois up 7-0 in the opening minute.
The Cowboys shored things up defensively for the rest of the quarter, and after a slow start on the other side of the ball, began to gain some traction during their third possession of the game. A 37-yard designed run by junior quarterback Andrew Peasley brought Wyoming down to the Illinois 9-yard line amid an eight-play, 70-yard drive.
The Pokes thought they had a game-tying touchdown two plays later, as junior tight end Treyton Welch went up for a jump ball in the corner of the end zone. However, the official closest to the play determined that the Illini defender separated the ball from Welch before he was able to secure possession.
UW gained just 2 yards on a rush attempt on third-and-goal from the 8-yard line, and settled for a 22-yard field goal by John Hoyland.
“I wish they would’ve reviewed it,” Welch said. “I thought it was maybe a Julian Edelman (in the 2017 Super Bowl) situation, where I grabbed it, and if it touched the ground, it touched the ground, but I thought I grabbed it before it did again. If I didn’t even get two feet in the end zone, I was down anyways before it popped. But that’s a play that I can’t even make it a 50-50 review play. I just have to be able to catch it and move on.”
Illinois dominated the second quarter, outgaining the Cowboys by 100 yards, while stretching its lead to 17-3 with an 11-yard touchdown run by Brown and a 27-yard field goal from Caleb Griffin.
Despite an underwhelming first half, though, the Cowboys seemed to briefly capture momentum as the third quarter got underway.
Junior running back Titus Swen opened the second half with a 25-yard run to the right that sparked a seven-play, 47-yard scoring drive, which was capped by a career-long, 46-yard field goal by Hoyland. UW’s defense then forced a three-and-out, with Easton Gibbs and Cole Godbout teaming up to stop Chase Brown on third-and-short to get the ball back.
Trailing by 11 with a chance to make it a one-score game, however, UW’s offense stalled out after a 10-yard rush by Swen to start the next drive. The Cowboys ran into eight Illinois defenders in the box on a third-and-3 near midfield, and were stopped short of the first-down marker. They elected to punt the ball away, and the Illini responded with an 11-play, 78-yard touchdown drive – capped by a 6-yard pass from DeVito to Pat Bryant – to stretch their lead to 24-6.
The Pokes picked up a first down on the next drive, as Illinois was called for a defensive holding penalty, but they weren’t able to do anything beyond that. They proceeded to throw an incomplete pass, followed by a pair of handoffs for nine yards, before going for it on fourth-and-1 from their 44-yard line. Peasley was stopped for no gain on a quarterback keeper, and Brown rushed for a 5-yard touchdown – his third score of the game – on the first play of the fourth quarter to stretch Illinois’ lead to 25.
“I definitely thought that was a big momentum swing,” junior defensive tackle Cole Godbout said. “I think we had a turnover (on downs) right after that, and I think it killed our team’s momentum. I just think if we want to be a better team, a great team like we talk about, we just need to be able to see past one turnover and continue playing our best ball.”
Quarterback play was a source of concern for a sputtering offense, as Peasley completed just 5 of 20 passes for 30 yards, zero touchdowns, an interception and a passer rating of 27.6 in his first game since transferring from Utah State.
“I stuck to my game plan and my reads,” Peasley said. “I think I was inaccurate on a few balls, and then I just don’t think things went our way all around. I wish I could go back and make the throws that I missed.”
Swen was a bright spot for the offense, rushing for 98 yards on 17 carries, while Peasley added 76 yards on eight carries. Sophomore Joshua Cobbs was the Pokes’ leading receiver with two catches for 14 yards.
Brown led the way for the Illinois offense, racking up 151 yards on an average of 7.9 yards per carry. DeVito, who was playing his first game for the Illini since transferring from Syracuse, was 27 of 37 for 194 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
“At the end of the day, I think we defeated ourselves, and the guys understand that,” Godbout said. “We just didn’t execute, and they took us for a ride.”
Wyoming will look to bounce back next Saturday against Tulsa. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium.
Josh Criswell{span} covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at jcriswell@wyosports.net or 307-755-3325. Follow him on Twitter at @criswell_sports.{/span} | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/sports/uw-opens-season-with-blowout-loss-at-illinois/article_6c5fac06-27a7-11ed-8a57-0f806dd1c01e.html | 2022-08-29T18:29:12Z |
MVPoke: TITUS SWEN
The University of Wyoming junior running back nearly tallied 100 yards in the season-opener with 17 rushes for 98 yards with a long of 25. Swen, along with the help of downfield blocking, accounted 42.6% of the Cowboys’ total offense.
Key Stats: 1, 30
Wyoming could not give its defense an extended rest by going just 1-of-12 for third-down conversions. Questions surrounding the passing attack were not answered against the Illini as UW had just 30 yards through the air. Junior quarterback Andrew Peasley was 5-of-20 throwing the ball, completing passes to four players. In comparison, Illinois senior quarterback Tommy Devito was 27-of-37 and junior Artur Sitkowski was 3-of-3 as the pair combined for 217 passing yards, completing passes to 12 players.
Up Next
The Cowboys (0-1 overall) will next host Tulsa (0-0) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3 at War Memorial Stadium.
GAME SUMMARY
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
Wyoming 3 0 3 0 6
Illinois 7 10 7 14 38
SCORING
First Quarter
UIUC —Chase Brown 14 pass from Tommy Devito (Caleb Griffin kick), 14:19. Drive — 2 plays, 52 yards, 0:35 elapsed. Illinois 7, Wyoming 0.
UW — John Hoyland 22 field goal, 0:34. Drive — 8 plays, 70 yards, 4:05. Illinois 7, Wyoming 3.
Second Quarter
UIUC —Brown 11 run (Griffin kick), 8:12. Drive — 6 plays, 59 yards, 2:19. Illinois 14, Wyoming 3.
UIUC —Griffin 27 field goal, 4:33. Drive — 6 plays, 10 yards, 2:13. Illinois 17, Wyoming 3.
Third Quarter
UW — Hoyland 46 field goal, 12:15. Drive — 7 plays, 47 yards, 2:45. Illinois 17, Wyoming 6.
UIUC —Pat Bryant 8 pass from Devito (Griffin kick), 2:56. Drive — 11 plays, 78 yards, 5:06. Illinois 24, Wyoming 6.
Fourth Quarter
UIUC —Brown 5 run (Griffin kick), 14:56. Drive — 5 plays, 44 yards, 1:04. Illinois 31, Wyoming 6.
UIUC —Reggie Love III 33 run (Griffin kick), 6:49. Drive — 7 plays, 70 yards, 4:09. Illinois 38, Wyoming 6.
TEAM STATISTICS
UW UIUC
FIRST DOWNS 10 26
RUSHES-YARDS 31-182 41-260
PASSING YARDS 30 217
TOTAL YARDS 212 477
COMP-ATT-INT 5-20-1 30-40-0
3RD DOWN CONVERSIONS 1-of-12 7-of-16
4TH DOWN CONVERSIONS 0-of-1 1-of-2
FUMBLES-LOST 2-1 1-0
PENALTIES-YARDS 4-39 6-65
TIME OF POSSESSION 23:24 36:36
ATTENDANCE: 37,832
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
WYOMING
RUSHING: Titus Swen 17-98, Andrew Peasley 8-76, Joseph Braasch 4-9, D.Q. James 2-(minus 1).
PASSING: Peasley 5-20-1, 30 yds.
RECEIVING: Joshua Cobbs 2-14, Braasch 1-7, Will Pelissier 1-5, Treyton Welch 1-4.
TACKLES (solo-assist-total): Easton Gibbs 4-5-9, Cole Godbout 3-4-7, Shae Suiaunoa 5-1-6, Wyatt Ekeler 4-2-6, DeVonne Harris 2-4-6, Miles Williams 5-0-5, Cole DeMarzo 3-2-5, Wrook Brown 1-4-5, Cameron Stone 2-2-4, Oluwaseyi Omotosho 3-0-3, Isaac White 3-0-3, Keonte Glinton 2-1-3, Braden Siders 2-1-3, Jordan Bertagnole 2-1-3, Jakorey Hawkins 2-0-2, Deron Harrell 2-0-2, seven players with 1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Godbout 1-2, Suiaunoa 1-2, Harris 1-2, Bertagnole 1-1.
PASS BREAKUP: Ekeler 1.
ILLINOIS
RUSHING: Brown 19-151, Love III 3-46, Josh McCray 8-33, Chase Hayden 7-28, Devito 2-4.
PASSING: Devito 27-37-0, 194 yds.; Artur Sitkowski 3-3-0, 23 yds.
RECEIVING: Isaiah Williams 7-26, Brian Hightower 4-32, Bryant 3-44, Casey Washington 3-26, Brown 3-16, Jonah Morris 2-18, Hayden 2-12, McCray 2-7, Tip Reiman 1-12, Michael Marchese 1-10, Beatty Hank 1-8, Miles Scott 1-6.
TACKLES (solo-assist-total): Jartavius Martin 5-2-7, Keith Randolph Jr. 2-4-6, Jer’Zhan Newton 2-4-6, Isaac Darkangelo 3-1-4, Calvin Avery 2-2-4, Calvin Hart Jr. 1-2-3, Seth Coleman 0-3-3, Tarique Barnes 1-1-2, Sydney Brown 1-1-2, Jamal Woods 1-1-2, Matthew Bailey 1-1-2, TeRah Edwards 0-2-2, nine players with 1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Randolph Jr. ½-1, Barnes ½-1.
FORCED FUMBLE: Avery 1.
FUMBLE RECOVERY: Edwards 1.
INTERCEPTION: Devon Witherspoon 1-40.
PASS BREAKUPS: Martin 3, Brown 1, Bailey 1, Tyler Strain 1. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/sports/wyoming-illinois-statistics/article_b8b9755a-27a7-11ed-b6b9-8b153eccf9ab.html | 2022-08-29T18:29:18Z |
Horse racing drew a big crowd to the Sweetwater Events Complex over the weekend for the second and third races of the 2022 Sweetwater Downs season. There was a total of 20 races – 10 on Saturday, Aug. 27, and 10 more on Sunday, Aug. 28.
ROCK SPRINGS – Horse racing drew a big crowd to the Sweetwater Events Complex over the weekend for the second and third races of the 2022 Sweetwater Downs season.
There was a total of 20 races – 10 on Saturday, Aug. 27, and 10 more on Sunday, Aug. 28.
SATURDAY, AUG. 27, RESULTS
Apolitical Pro won the first race with a time of 13.349 seconds, earning $3,050.
Ms. Flaming Finish won the second race with a time of 17.683 seconds, earning $1,400.
Trump 45 won the third race with a time of 18.003 seconds, earning $1,400.
Suite Caroline won the fourth race with a time of 17.566 seconds, earning $1,400.
Jr. Dash of Coronado won the fifth race with a time of 17.858 seconds, earning $1,400.
Gg Ocean King won the sixth race with a time of 17.944 seconds, earning $1,400.
Corona Rage won the seventh race with a time of 17.763, earning $1,400)
Kaul Me Dashetta won the eighth race with a time of 41.032 seconds, earning $3,950.
Fantasy Suite won the ninth race with a time of 1:09.12 minutes, earning $4,050.
Go Thru the Hole won the 10th and final race of the day with a time of 1:22.16 minutes, earning $11,000)
SUNDAY, AUG. 28, RESULTS
Jess for Ashley won the first race with a time of 18.037 seconds, earning $3,050.
The Revenant Hawk won the second race with a time of 12.108 seconds, earning $3,050.
Makin Turtlemoves won the third race with a time of 17.638 seconds, earning $3,850.
One Handsome Eagle won the fourth race with a time of 17.970 seconds, earning $3,800.
Alfred Lee won the fifth race with a time of 17.598 seconds, earning $3,800.
Rahshas Kidd Trax won the sixth race with a time of 17.283 seconds, earning $3,700.
Smokin B won the seventh race with a time of 1:21.25 minutes, earning $3,500.
Furlongin for Luv won the eighth race with a time of 1:08.46 minutes, earning $4,050.
Bdr Jock won the ninth race with a time of 40.973 seconds, earning $5,700.
Time for Kisses won the 10th and final race of the day with a time of 1:08.38 minutes, earning $3,750. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/horse-racing-sweetwater-downs-draw-big-crowd/article_d7916282-27be-11ed-9155-3f6cc9d42ff0.html | 2022-08-29T18:29:24Z |
ROCK SPRINGS — Rock Springs native Alex Shannon recently traveled to Skofja Loka, Slovenia, our city’s Sister City.
At one time, it was estimated that 20% of Rock Springs’ population was made up of Slovenians and many of them came from the Skofja Loka region. For this reason, the Rock Springs City Council declared Skofja Loka a Sister City on July 6, 2004.
Shannon’s great-great-grandmother, Antonia Ravnihar Gosar, was born in Skofja Loka in 1904 and moved to Rock Springs as a young bride. Although Antonia passed away when Shannon was only four, Shannon learned about Slovenia from her great grandma, Mary Killian, who was Antonia’s daughter.
“My grandma told me our family’s immigration story, showed me pictures, taught me a few Slovenian words, and gave me an old painting that was gifted to my great-great-grandma. My grandma didn’t get the chance to visit Skofja Loka, but we talked about how great it would be to go,” Shannon explained.
Shannon had been planning a trip to Italy with a friend and once she realized how near Skofja Loka was on the map, decided to try to visit. Shannon said, “It’s less than a three hour drive and that’s nothing for a Wyomingite! So, I called the tour company to ask if I could switch my flight to go a couple of days earlier and they said yes.”
After finding out she could visit Skofja Loka, Shannon reserved a hotel and bus tickets and waited for her adventure to begin. She flew from Denver to Munich, Germany and then to Venice, Italy. In Venice, she took a bus to Ljubljana, Slovenia and then another to Skofja Loka.
Once she arrived in Skofja Loka, the owner of the bed and breakfast style hotel she stayed at picked her up at the bus station and made her feel right at home. “Sasha at Hotel Loka was an awesome host and went out of her way to contact me before my trip and made sure I was well taken care of while I was there,” Shannon explained. “The hotel had wonderful food and even a fun treehouse to explore.”
When asked what she learned about the area she visited, Shannon said Slovenia is a socialist country and she was told the country does not have a homeless problem. In the Skofja Loka region, many people work in factories or in the tourism trade, Shannon explained. “They said if a person is down on their luck or out of a job, someone in the community takes them in until they can get back on their feet,” she said.
“I also found out that Slovenia’s most popular sport is basketball and it was introduced to the country by a nun who traveled through other parts of Europe and learned about it,” Shannon said.
Shannon brought a few gifts from Wyoming to share with the people she met in Skofja Loka. “I gave the hotel owner some huckleberry chocolates and was able to have a tasting with a local bar owner.” Shannon supplied whiskey shooters from Wyoming and the bar owner provided mixed-berry schnapps. She also ate at what was deemed as the ‘village restaurant’ where she was served the best-fried mushrooms she had ever tasted and a shrimp salad decorated with flowers.
While in Skofja Loka, Shannon was able to visit the Loka Castle, which is now an extensive museum of local history; St. Jacob’s Church, the Capuchin Bridge and the grave of her great-great-great grandparents, Frank Ravnihar and Frances Foltrice Ravnihar. At the gravesite, she left a candle with a note, hoping a relative would find it and reach out. Recently, Shannon received a text thanking her for the candle and she’s excited to connect with a Slovenian cousin.
Although she was only able to spend two nights in the city, Shannon loved every minute of it. “Most people spoke English and they made me feel welcome. The people were very friendly and it was a gorgeous town, like something out of a fairytale. I know I’ll be back eventually!”
Shannon grew up in Rock Springs and graduated from Rock Springs High School in 2013 and Western Wyoming Community College in 2015. She completed her education at the University of Wyoming and is employed by the Wyoming Women’s Foundation in Laramie. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/rock-springs-native-visits-sister-city/article_b62462b4-2798-11ed-8d12-478261f5313f.html | 2022-08-29T18:29:30Z |
Troop 86 back row, left to right, Logan May, Matthew Lemon, Bobbie Aldred, Kaleb Cheney, Scoutmaster Dustin Conover. Front row: Assistant Scoutmaster Nathaniel Lemon, Aven Conover, Ty Corbett, Vera Trefethen, Robert Roswell, Logan Conover.
ROCK SPRINGS — Scout BSA Troop 86 held their quarterly Court of Honor on Aug. 25 at the White Mountain Library.
Scoutmaster Dustin Conover presented the awards, which included 49 merit badges and 10 rank advancements. Many of the merit badges, such as Archery and Small Boat Sailing, had been earned at Camp Hunt the last week of June.
Other badges, such as Citizenship in Society, Citizenship in the Community, and Personal Fitness had been worked on at weekly troop meetings. Koen Asper, Andrew Lauridsen and Christian Lauridsen were recognized for having earned their Eagle Scout badges in June. Kaleb Cheney and Bobbie Aldred received Life badges. Four Scouts had achieved the rank of Star since the last Court of Honor. They were Logan May, Matthew Lemon, Ty Corbett, and Josh Harris, Robert Roswell received his First-Class rank.
Also recognized was Vera Trefethen. She received her 40-year service pin from district Scout executive Budd Allen. Troop Committee Chair Nathan Riddle presented Trefethen with her religious award, the Vanguard, and also gave her a plaque thanking her for helping 100 Boy Scouts reach the rank of Eagle.
Guest speaker Sterling Conover, talked of the value of Scouting in giving parents good memories of time spent with their child, and he said Scouting teaches things such as flag care that you don’t learn any place else.
The program was planned and conducted by Kaleb Cheney.
Troop 86 is sponsored by Mountain States Pressure Service. It meets weekly at the Young at Heart Senior and Community Center. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/scout-bsa-troop-86-earns-badges-and-awards/article_149741d8-27b5-11ed-9bdd-6f56da9e48ca.html | 2022-08-29T18:29:37Z |
LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming soccer team is still seeking a full game from everyone on its roster after a 1-1 tie against North Dakota Sunday afternoon during the season home opener at Madrid Sports Complex.
“It’s a collective effort always across the board,” said UW coach Colleen Corbin in a news release. “You can’t have individuals wanting it in certain moments and other individuals in other moments. The collective effort and the collective mentality and collective belief is something we’ve been talking about a lot.
“We are still looking for a complete 90 minutes of Cowgirl soccer.”
Junior Jazi Barela scored the Cowgirls’ lone goal – and second of her career – taking it in herself and besting North Dakota goalkeeper Madi Livingston in the 34th minute.
The Fighting Hawks (2-1-1) earned the equalizer in the 73rd. Mary Gasaway performed a flip-throw that bounced high and over the outstretched arms of Wyoming senior goalie Miyuki Schoyen to level the score.
Wyoming (0-2-2) edged North Dakota in shots 13-12, and shots-on-goal 7-5. Schoyen logged four saves, while Livingston recorded six.
UW senior Jamie Tatum had a team-high four shots and three of those tested Livingston. Sophomore Maddi Chance registered three shots, one of which was on target.
The Cowgirls next host North Dakota State at 4 p.m. Friday, and UTEP at 11 a.m. Sunday.
VOLLEYBALL
The Cowgirls gave 18th-ranked Creighton all it could handle Saturday night to close the Rumble in the Rockies at UniWyo Sports Complex.
Wyoming lost to the Bluejays in four sets 18-25, 25-9, 30-28, 25-13.
The Cowgirls (0-3) started strong with a .303 hitting percentage in the match’s opening set while holding Creighton (3-0) to just a .063 clip to jump out to an early lead in the match.
Creighton responded by controlling the second set from start-to-finish and then wrestled away control of the match with the final three points of set three to go up 2-1 in the match. In the fourth, Creighton didn’t trail and closed the match on a 13-3 run.
Corin Carruth led the Cowgirls with 14 kills and hit a team-best .231 as UW was held to a .148 team hitting percentage. Creighton hit .252 for the match.
Carruth also tallied her first career double-double as she added in 10 digs and also had three block assists defensively. Naya Shimé also had a double-double with 13 kills and a career-best 12 digs. Kasia Partyka also a double-double with 37 assists and 12 digs to go four kills and three total blocks. On the defensive side of the net, Hailey Zuroske had a match-high 19 digs and Kendal Rivera added a career-best 13.
The Cowgirls next compete at the Grand Canyon Classic Friday and Saturday against Santa Clara, Idaho and host GCU in Phoenix. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/uw-soccer-ties-north-dakota-in-home-opener/article_20e47db8-27bd-11ed-97ee-272630c2738a.html | 2022-08-29T18:29:43Z |
Amber Alert issued for missing Arkansas boy believed to be in danger
WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (KAIT/Gray News) - An Amber Alert has been issued for 4-year-old Caleb Johnson, who is believed to be in danger, KAIT reported.
Caleb’s mother, Skyla Byles, picked him up from day care Monday morning and texted his grandmother saying that she would harm herself and the child.
Caleb is a Black male with black hair and brown eyes. He weighs 35 pounds and was last seen wearing a blue polo shirt with a yellow symbol, khaki pants and tan Air Force One tennis shoes.
Byles is a Black female with red hair. She is 5-foot-3.
The two were last seen in a white 2020 Jeep Cherokee with Arkansas license plate AAR74T.
Those with any information about Caleb or Byles are asked to call the West Memphis Police Department at (870) 735-1210.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/amber-alert-issued-missing-arkansas-boy-believed-be-danger/ | 2022-08-29T18:32:04Z |
Elon Musk subpoenas Twitter whistleblower ahead of trial
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Elon Musk’s legal team is demanding to hear from Twitter’s whistleblowing former security chief, who could help bolster Musk’s case for backing out of a $44 billion deal to buy the social media company.
Former Twitter executive Peiter Zatko — also known by his hacker handle “Mudge” — received a subpoena Saturday from Musk’s team, according to Zatko’s lawyer and court records.
The billionaire Tesla CEO has spent months alleging that the company he agreed to acquire undercounted its fake and spam accounts — and that he shouldn’t have to consummate the deal as a result.
Zatko’s whistleblower complaint to U.S. officials alleging Twitter misled regulators about its privacy and security protections — and its ability to detect and root out fake accounts — might play into Musk’s hands in an upcoming trial scheduled for Oct. 17 in Delaware.
Zatko served as Twitter’s head of security until he was fired early this year.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/elon-musk-subpoenas-twitter-whistleblower-ahead-trial/ | 2022-08-29T18:32:17Z |
Emotional support alligator enjoys splash pad at park
Published: Aug. 29, 2022 at 1:33 PM EDT|Updated: 59 minutes ago
PHILADELPHIA (CNN) - Philadelphia residents had an unexpected wildlife encounter on Friday.
Wally the alligator paid a visit to the city’s Love Park to cool himself in the fountains.
Wally, who is 7, is a TikTok star and a licensed emotional support animal.
It is legal to own an alligator as a pet in Pennsylvania, but it’s against state law to release them into the wild.
Wally lives at his owner’s home in York, Pennsylvania, and his go-to treats are cheese puffs and raw chicken.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/emotional-support-alligator-enjoys-splash-pad-park/ | 2022-08-29T18:32:23Z |
Experts give water safety tips ahead of Labor Day weekend
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) -Compared to Memorial Day weekend, officials expect Labor Day weekend to be safer for those heading out on the river because the water levels won’t be nearly as high.
During Memorial Day weekend, the river crested at over 9 feet. That’s when only professionals should be out on the water. Right now, the James River is cresting around 4 feet which is below the level that the park system considers dangerous.
“When the river is above 5 feet or above 5 and a half feet the nature of the rapids change and as you go to 6 feet 6 and a half feet all of a sudden the hydraulics become more dangerous the force of the rapids between the rocks becomes greater,” said Ralph White who formerly served as the manager of the James River Park System.
Despite the lower levels, experts say you still need use caution and wear a life vest regardless of what level the water is at.
“Be careful not to try things that you wouldn’t usually try I know the water is going to be lower you’re going to be able to get across to the rocks at different levels but always keep in mind that you have to get back and to do so before it gets dark,” explained firefighter Mark Irwin.
It’s also important to know what to do if you end up in an unsafe situation
“The phrase is nose up toes up so if you’re coming down the river you don’t want to get your foot caught under a rock because when you get your foot stuck under a rock the water pressure pushes your body down and it’s extremely hard to pull your body back up,” Irwin stated.
The James River Park System put new signs up earlier this summer. The signs allow you to scan a QR code with your phone to check water levels before you head out on the river.
Copyright 2022 WWBT. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/experts-give-water-safety-tips-ahead-labor-day-weekend/ | 2022-08-29T18:32:30Z |
Georgia police officer killed in crash while driving home from work
SAVANNAH, Ga. (Gray News) – A police officer in Georgia was killed in a car crash on his way home from work early Monday morning.
The Savannah Police Department said Officer Reginald Brannan, 23, was driving home from work in his personal vehicle around midnight when his car collided with a tractor trailer on Highway 21.
Brannan died from his injuries. Georgia State Patrol is investigating the crash.
The Savannah Police Department said Brannan joined the department in December 2020.
“Our hearts are broken over the sudden and tragic loss of Officer Brannan,” Chief Lenny Gunther said. “He was a young officer just starting his career. We ask everyone to keep his family, friends and the SPD family in your thoughts and prayers as we mourn the loss of this member of our SPD family.”
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/georgia-police-officer-killed-crash-while-driving-home-work/ | 2022-08-29T18:32:37Z |
Maryland court rules DC-area sniper to be resentenced
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland’s highest court has ruled that Washington, D.C.-area sniper Lee Boyd Malvo must be resentenced, because of U.S. Supreme Court decisions relating to constitutional protections for juveniles made after Malvo was sentenced to six life sentences without the possibility of parole.
In its 4-3 ruling, however, the Maryland Court of Appeals said it’s very unlikely Malvo would ever be released from custody because he is also serving separate life sentences for murders in Virginia.
Malvo, 37, is now confined at the Red Onion State Prison in Virginia. In 2006, Malvo pled guilty to six counts of first-degree murder in Maryland’s Montgomery County.
(Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.) | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/maryland-court-rules-dc-area-sniper-be-resentenced/ | 2022-08-29T18:32:44Z |
Paxlovid rebound COVID cases aren’t common, experts say
(CNN) - President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci and “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert all tested positive for COVID-19 a second time after taking the antiviral therapy Paxlovid.
So how common is a Paxlovid rebound?
Health experts said they believe Paxlovid, an antiviral pill used to treat COVID-19, is still a good treatment option.
As of mid-August in the U.S., about 4 million courses of Paxlovid have been administered, the Department of Health and Human Services said.
But some people who have taken the antiviral pill are testing positive a second time.
“We know people who are older are more likely to rebound,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean at Emory University School of Medicine.
Several studies have tracked rebound cases including a preprint study that looked at cases during the omicron wave.
It found 2% to 4% percent of patients experienced a rebound infection or symptoms within a week after treatment, while 5% to 6% had a rebound within a month.
Experts said that rebound cases are probably more common than data shows, but by how much is hard to tell.
“But at the end of the day, none of the cases that have rebound has ended up having more severe disease or has ended up in the hospital, so I still think Paxlovid is an incredibly useful drug,” del Rio said.
That’s why experts said overall, Paxlovid is still a good option for treatment for people over the age of 65, those who are immunocompromised or adults who have underlying conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.
In a statement, Paxlovid manufacturer Pfizer said, “While further evaluation is needed, we continue to monitor data from our ongoing clinical studies. ... We remain very confident in its clinical effectiveness at preventing severe outcomes from COVID-19 in patients at increased risk.”
Both President Biden and Fauci received a second course of Paxlovid to treat their rebound cases.
The Food and Drug Administration has requested more data from Pfizer to study patients who may need a second course of treatment.
There’s some thinking that patients may need to take Paxlovid longer, and the FDA is looking into that.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/paxlovid-rebound-covid-cases-arent-common-experts-say/ | 2022-08-29T18:32:50Z |
Rioter who encountered senator gets over 4 years in prison
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Maryland man affiliated with the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced on Monday to more than four years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol, where he encountered Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer as his armed security detail led the New York Democrat to safety.
Joshua Pruitt, 40, was one of the few Capitol rioters to come face-to-face with a member of Congress during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by a mob of Donald Trump supporters, according to federal prosecutors.
“One look at Pruitt, and the leader of Senator Schumer’s security detail immediately saw the threat and hustled the 70-year-old senator down a hallway, having to change their evacuation route on a dime,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Loeb wrote in a court filing ahead of Monday’s hearing.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced Pruitt to four years and seven months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release, according to Bill Miller, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia.
Prosecutors had recommended a five-year prison sentence for Pruitt, a Silver Spring, Maryland, resident who has worked as a bartender and personal trainer. They described him as an aspiring Proud Boys member whose intimidating figure made him an “ideal recruit” for the group on Jan. 6.
The leader of Schumer’s security detail told the FBI that their encounter with Pruitt was a harrowing, unforgettable moment. Pruitt was advancing and only seconds from reaching Schumer when the security detail turned and ran with the senator away from an elevator and back down a ramp, detail members said.
“At the end of the ramp, officers closed and locked the doors. The security detail and (Schumer) pursued a secondary evacuation route. Once the doors were being closed, Pruitt turned around and retraced his steps,” Loeb wrote.
Pruitt and other prospects and recruits of the local Proud Boys chapter often used encrypted communications to discuss storming the Capitol, civil war and confrontations with police, according to prosecutors. They said Pruitt wanted to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6.
“He personally forced a 70-year-old Senator to run and find another path to safety. Among all the rioters who stormed the Capitol, it is a notorious distinction,” Loeb wrote.
Defense attorney Robert Jenkins Jr. said Pruitt saw the security detail but didn’t recognize Schumer, now Senate Majority Leader, at the time of the encounter.
“It’s not as though that Mr. Pruitt ran toward the detail or made any threatening posture toward them. He noticed that they were there. They went down a hallway. Mr. Pruitt went in a different direction,” Jenkins said after the sentencing hearing.
Jenkins had sought a three-year prison sentence for Pruitt. The defense lawyer said he believes the 55-month sentence is disproportionately higher than other Capitol rioter cases given that Pruitt wasn’t armed and didn’t assault any police officers.
More than 240 riot defendants have been sentenced, mostly for misdemeanor offenses. Only four of them have received longer prison sentences than Pruitt, and all four of those had been convicted of assaulting or obstructing law enforcement officers.
“He thought that the court would be far more lenient on him,” Jenkins added.
Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes founded the Proud Boys in 2016. Before the Capitol riot, the group was best known for street brawls with antifascist activists at rallies and protests.
Dozens of Proud Boys leaders, members and associates have been charged with Capitol riot-related crimes. Some have been charged with seditious conspiracy for what authorities say was a plot to forcibly oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power.
Prosecutors called Pruitt a “one-man symbol of the angry mob at the Capitol that day.” Many of the police officers guarding the Capitol on Jan. 6 remembered him as an instigator, according to prosecutors.
“Wearing a tactical glove with knuckle pads and a cut-off t-shirt with the logo of the ‘Punisher’ — an antihero known for dispensing violent vigilante justice — Pruitt made a calculated choice to use his thickly muscled appearance to communicate to the police that they faced a dangerous person,” Loeb wrote.
Pruitt was on probation and wearing an ankle monitor on the day of the riot. He initially was arrested on the night of Jan. 6 for violating a curfew imposed by the mayor of Washington, D.C. He has been jailed since a judge ordered his pretrial detention in January 2022.
Pruitt pleaded guilty in June to a felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding, the joint session of Congress for certifying President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump, the Republican incumbent.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/rioter-who-encountered-senator-gets-over-4-years-prison/ | 2022-08-29T18:32:57Z |
Salvation Army shelter in Harrisonburg to resume operations September 9
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - After months of major renovations, The Salvation Army of Harrisonburg will restart emergency shelter operations on September 9. The Salvation Army has also recruited and trained additional personnel for the shelter.
Captain Duane Burleigh says the Family Services and Emergency Shelter provides families and single adults with shelter and support to help them rebuild their lives. This assistance includes basic and comprehensive case management, health and nutritional programs, and other community links.
The men’s restroom, roof, gutters, and ground floor restrooms have all been finished since the start of 2022. The women’s/family portion now has a new washer and dryer, and the entire inside has been freshly painted, cleaned, and renovated.
A grand re-opening celebration is planned for September 8 at 2 p.m.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/salvation-army-shelter-harrisonburg-resume-operations-september-9/ | 2022-08-29T18:33:04Z |
Staunton man sentenced to 57 months hitting federal officer
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) - A Staunton has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for hitting a federal sentence, according to the United States Attorney’s Office Western District of Virginia.
39-year-old Richard Lee Knight pled guilty in June 2022 to one count of assault on a federal officer.
According to court documents, the United States Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF) discovered that Knight, who was wanted on several fugitive warrants out of various jurisdictions in Virginia, was staying at a motel in the Charlottesville area.
Local police, in conjunction with CARFTF, located Knight in a Walmart parking lot on the morning of November 29, 2021 near his Mercedes Benz. When an officer moved in to arrest him by issuing an order to “show me your hands, don’t move,” Knight refused the order and entered his car instead. Knight drove his Mercedes in reverse, hitting both a CARFTF officer and a police vehicle, then drove forward, ramming into a second police vehicle.
After fleeing the scene, Knight led officers on a high-speed chase through Albemarle County, before being arrested after crashing his vehicle on I-64.
The United States Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Albemarle County Police Department investigated the case.
Copyright 2022 WDBJ. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/staunton-man-sentenced-57-months-hitting-federal-officer/ | 2022-08-29T18:33:10Z |
Walmart seeks to dismiss lawsuit by FTC over money transfers
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart filed a motion on Monday to dismiss a lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission in June that accused the nation’s largest retailer of allowing its money transfer services to be used by scam artists, calling it an “egregious instance of agency overreach.”
In its lawsuit, the FTC alleged that for years, Walmart failed to properly secure the money transfer services offered at its stores, stealing “hundreds of millions of dollars” from customers. The agency said Walmart didn’t properly train its employees, failed to alert customers, and used procedures that allowed fraudsters to cash out at its stores. The FTC had asked the court to order Walmart to return money to consumers and to impose civil penalties on the company.
In a 41-page document, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division, Walmart laid out a number of what it called legally flawed claims, including that the agency lacked “constitutionally valid authority to sue for money or injunctive relief.” It said that the FTC is trying to hold Walmart liable for the criminal actions of completely unrelated third-party fraudsters even as Walmart has embraced a number of steps to stop such scamming.
Walmart argued that the agency is trying to contort a regulation called the Telemarketing Sales Rule that was aimed to go after telemarketers and those who actively help them but that Walmart is neither. Walmart also took issue with the FTC’s claim that Walmart allegedly engaged in an “unfair” act or practice, or any ongoing or imminent misconduct under Section 5 of the FTC Act.
“To be clear, Walmart is now—and always has been—dedicated to its customers and shares the FTC’s goal of protecting customers from fraudsters,” the Walmart filing said. “But this lawsuit is an egregious instance of agency overreach.”
Walmart stores let shoppers to transfer money using three providers — MoneyGram, Ria Financial Services, and Western Union Co.
Walmart, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, said it has developed and implemented a host of anti-fraud measures—including customer warnings and employee trainings. Based on data available to Walmart, out of nearly 200 million money-transfer transactions processed at its U.S. namesake stores between 2015 and 2020, less than 0.08% were reportedly the product of fraud, according to the Walmart filing. And it said that some of that reported fraud may not be fraud at all, making the actual fraud rate even smaller.
In its argument by Walmart that the FTC overreached in its authority, Walmart cited a April 2021 Supreme Court case that makes it difficult for the agency to engage in a long-time practice of seeking to recover ill-gotten gains from individuals or companies that steal from consumers. As a result of the ruling, the agency will now have to rely on other lengthier and more complicated legal maneuvers to recoup dollars from defrauded individuals.
FTC officials couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.
______
Follow Anne D’Innocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/walmart-seeks-dismiss-lawsuit-by-ftc-over-money-transfers/ | 2022-08-29T18:33:16Z |
WATCH: 10-year-old saves mom from drowning after she has a seizure in pool
KINGSTON, Texas (KTEN) – In early August, Gavin Keeney saw his mother, who suffers from seizures, struggling in their swimming pool and he wasted no time before saving her life.
He was awarded a “Saving a Life” plaque in front of all of his peers.
“I heard what was a lot of splashing and moving around, I heard kind of yelling but also drowning, so then I looked and saw her seizing and so I went and jumped in and got her back to the ladder,” Gavin said.
Kingston Police Chief Kasey Cox said he and the fire chief got together and decided to reward Gavin for his actions.
Lori Keeney, Gavin’s mom, said he is used to helping her with her seizures, sometimes daily, and she’s glad he’s getting some recognition.
“Truly amazing thing to see, and I don’t normally get to see him in action and what he gets to do after I’m having a seizure ... it’s just, this is the first time I actually got to see it just because of security cameras,” she said. “So much pride in him. At the same time, it was heartbreaking to watch.”
According to Gavin, this is his second “Saving a Life” plaque. He originally got one when his mom was choking and his quick thinking also saved her then.
“I tried the Heimlich, and when that didn’t work I called 911,” Gavin said.
Cox deemed him a hero in his speech as he gave him the plaque. Gavin had a big smile on his face.
“Just see really great things for him, in this field of helping others, in whatever capacity, he has such great compassion for humankind and his friends and family, and I really hope that maybe this is a future for him,” Keeney said.
Copyright 2022 KTEN via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/watch-10-year-old-saves-mom-drowning-after-she-has-seizure-pool/ | 2022-08-29T18:33:22Z |
Dunkin’ offering free coffee for teachers
Published: Aug. 29, 2022 at 1:33 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Dunkin’ Donuts is offering teachers free a warm or cold beverage to show appreciation for the hard work they do.
Dunkin’ restaurants across Virginia will give teachers a free medium hot or iced coffee on September 1st.
“Teachers play an invaluable role in our communities and help provide their students with the means for a better future,” said Melissa Goulette, Dunkin’ VA Field Marketing Manager. “We’re excited to offer our deserving educators a coffee break and recognize them for their passion and dedication to our youth.”
For more information, click here.
Copyright 2022 WDBJ. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/dunkin-offering-free-coffee-teachers/ | 2022-08-29T18:41:27Z |
Teacher killed in hit-and-run leaves wife, 10 children behind
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) – A teacher and father of 10 died after being hit by a vehicle while riding his bike in the Kansas City area Saturday morning.
Police said the vehicle that hit Charles Criniere left the scene in an unknown direction, KCTV reports.
Criniere was a middle school teacher who was spoken highly of and is described as an inspiration to others.
“I’m going to miss just the long talks that we would have where he would literally make you feel loved,” Senior Pastor Athol Barnes of Grace Point Baptist Church said.
Friends have set up a GoFundMe in hopes the community can come together and help Criniere’s wife and 10 children.
“They were living off a teacher’s salary, 10 kids and they always gave, and I would look at him and be like, ‘How? How are they giving so much?’” one of Criniere’s neighbors said. “Their heart is to give to people. So, that fact that we can give back to them is the least we can do for this family.”
Copyright 2022 KCTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/29/teacher-killed-hit-and-run-leaves-wife-10-children-behind/ | 2022-08-29T18:41:33Z |
PUNE, India, Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ACCSCIENT, LLC headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA, has announced the acquisition of Vyom Group (comprising of Vyom Labs, Cogniwize, and Omnepresent) and DxSherpa, through its parent entity. This acquisition will expand ACCSCIENT's global presence to over 3,000 technical resources in addition to expanding its reach into the markets of Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.
"The addition of Vyom Group and DxShpera to the ACCSCIENT family strengthens our digital business capabilities while also expanding our global reach beyond our established foothold in the Americas. As a combined entity, we can expand how we support our clients and partners throughout the entire digital ecosystem with both services and technology solutions." said Andre Wu, Senior Partner at ACCSCIENT.
"After meeting so many leaders at Vyom Group and DxSherpa, I am excited to welcome everyone into the ACCSCIENT family where they will find our culture and values to be aligned to theirs and they will be part of an ecosystem where the empowerment of people has been the cornerstone of our success for 25 years. We encourage our people to pursue excellence at whatever they wish within the ACCSCIENT ecosystem." said Sravan Vellanki, ACCSCIENT Chairman.
Vyom Group was founded in 2003 by Prasad Patwa and Uday Birajdar. Since inception, they have become a leading service provider for BMC software, ServiceNow, Salesforce, Microsoft, Snowflake, Mendix and other industry leading platforms by providing professional and managed services. With over 1,500+ team members, Vyom Group has established itself as an innovative and client-focused provider of digital transformation services to a global client base.
"At the Vyom Group, our evolution has been cultivated around our core value of V-Co-Create. This has helped us create great value for our customers, partners, and employees. Today, as we join hands with ACCSCIENT, we are excited to leverage our collective capabilities and geographical presence to accelerate business growth, provide a wider landscape of meaningful opportunities for all stakeholders, professional growth for the employees, and a wider and deeper portfolio of services and solutions for our customers." said Uday Birajdar, co-founder of Vyom Labs.
ACCSCIENT continues to expand the breadth of its capabilities across the entire digital ecosystem as both a provider of services and software solutions. Enabled by the depth of its technical teams working from multiple global locations, ACCSCIENT provides its clients with industry leading practitioners, agile delivery models, and optimized economics to ensure their digital business outcomes are achieved.
ACCSCIENT has been advised in this transaction by LegaLogic Consulting, Pune, India and Focus Bankers, Washington, DC. Vyom Group has been advised by DSK Legal and Palanca Capital. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
About ACCSCIENT
ACCSCIENT headquartered in Dallas Texas, USA, is a portfolio of globally based companies that provide services, solutions, and talent, focused on helping enterprises achieve digital transformation. ACCSCIENT delivers a multi-faceted portfolio of expertise in the leading technology platforms for domains such as automation, cybersecurity, service management, ERP, cloud, and modern application development. ACCSCIENT also provides industry leading solutions and business services for the aerospace and financial services verticals. With the ability to leverage resources across the globe, ACCSCIENT provides its clients with a powerful combination of industry leading skills, economic flexibility, and a client-centric experience.
ACCSCIENT was formed in 2017 as a partnership between FutureTech Holding Company based in Atlanta since 2005, and Alaris Equity Partners, based in Calgary, Canada, public since 2008.
About Vyom Group
Founded by Prasad Patwa and Uday Birajdar in 2003 in Pune, India, the Vyom Group (comprising of Vyom Labs, Cogniwize, and Omnepresent) is a partner of BMC software, Salesforce, Mendix and other leading technologies, providing consulting and implementation services. DxSherpa Technologies is a pure-play Premier ServiceNow partner that delivers consulting, implementation, and managed services with over 300 dedicated team members.These companies have a client base in South East Asia, North America, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and India, establishing itself as a leading digital transformation solutions provider for large and mid-sized enterprises.
For additional information:
Please contact Wes Wilkins, Director Marketing and Corporate Communications via email at wesley.wilkins@accscient.com.
ACCSCIENT, LLC
801 E. Campbell Road, Suite #690
Richardson TX, 75081
www.accscient.com
hello@accscient.com
View original content:
SOURCE ACCSCIENT | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/29/accscient-acquires-vyom-group-broaden-digital-transformation-capabilities-expand-global-reach/ | 2022-08-29T18:41:39Z |
The browser-based tool condenses an expensive, time-consuming process into a fast, scalable, and more economical solution for advanced markerless motion capture
SEOUL, Korea, Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Plask, a 3D animation startup backed by Korean internet giant Naver, Samsung C-Lab, and KT Corporation and member of the Born2Global Centre, has unveiled its namesake premium motion capture and animation SaaS tool that makes 3D animation more accessible than ever.
Carefully fine-tuned over six months of beta testing with animation production companies, entertainment studios, and game developers, Plask's newly launched MoCap Pro tier offers stable and accurate motion capture (mocap), and boasts added features such as multi-person mocap and foot locking for greater animation ability.
Compared to Plask's Freemium tier, MoCap Pro users will enjoy even faster extraction, which means shorter processing times, and can render up to 60 minutes (108,000 credits) of animation monthly. And from just US$50 per month, the Pro tier is also more than two times cheaper than similar SaaS competitors.
As with the Freemium tier, the MoCap Pro tool is user-friendly and easy to learn, allowing users to record, edit, and animate their projects through the browser-based tool's intuitive interface.
Smart integration of AI and camera-based mocap enables Plask's algorithms to rapidly and effectively capture 3D movement from a webcam or smartphone camera, then convert it into precise motion data that rigs a 3D model to move the same way. Plask can also convert most professional file formats into mocap animation by extracting keyframes.
Plask's cloud-based animation tool is especially valuable and relevant now as metaverse platforms, virtual avatars, gaming social networks, and Web3-based applications are being developed and adopted by companies all over the world.
Plask CEO Junho Lee said, "Plask optimizes the motion capture and 3D animation process, liberating brands and casual to professional animators to quickly and easily create animation – simplifying a cumbersome and time-consuming multi-step process, and making animation more economical and feasible."
Among Plask's core features are auto retargeting, best-in-industry AI-based mocap performance, animation editing, collaboration tools, and project storage. Plask is currently working on more features including multi-person mocap, multi-party collaboration, and more.
Plask's animation technology can be integrated as an API solution that is fully serviced on the cloud and scalable. On top of auto retargeting and best-in-industry AI-based mocap performance, the API solution also allows clients to customize the tool for their needs. Upcoming features include real-time mocap and multi-person mocap.
About Born2Global Centre
The Born2Global Centre, operated by Born2Global, is a full-cycle service platform that supports the global expansion of promising companies. Established in 2013 under the Ministry of Science and ICT, Born2Global has been setting the standards for a successful startup ecosystem in Korea and continues to expand and transform startups so that they are engaged, well equipped, and connected with the global market.
For more information, please visit born2global.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Born2Global Centre | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/29/animation-startup-plask-releases-new-premium-motion-capture-tool-democratize-3d-animation/ | 2022-08-29T18:41:45Z |
Mobile Growth Awards recognizes leaders and evangelists who drive growth and innovation in the mobile space
PALO ALTO, Calif, Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Branch, the leader in mobile linking and measurement, will host the company's annual Mobile Growth Awards for the third consecutive year. Nominations for the 2022 Mobile Growth Awards will be open until October 28, 2022 at mobilegrowth.org/awards.
With over 200 nominations, last year's Mobile Growth Awards drew much global interest. Judges narrowed the field to 50 finalists and eight winners were ultimately selected, including E*TRADE, Philips, BeautyBay, Globoplay, QVC, WayBetter, Bell Canada, and Showpo.
This year's judging panel features thought leaders from top mobile brands including Hyatt, Acorn, Zillow, JPMorgan Chase, and Coles Group. The awards are open to the Branch community, and the categories of the 2022 Mobile Growth Awards are as follows:
Best Overall Growth Campaign - For entries that created new and innovative channels, techniques, tactics, or strategies to increase mobile growth.
Best Retention Campaign - For entries that delivered the best retention on mobile.
Best App Adoption Campaign - For entries with a highly successful app adoption.
Best Influencer Campaign - For entries highlighting a highly successful influencer marketing campaign that drove app adoption and increased app engagement.
Best Organic Social Campaign - For entries that have a highly effective organic promotion strategy and social marketing campaigns that drive app acquisition, engagement, and retention.
Best QR Code Campaign - For entries transforming traditional offline marketing by delivering a world-class QR code experience.
Best Referral Campaign - For entries that increased app adoption and engagement through best-in-class referral campaigns.
Best Use of First-Party Data - For entries that used first-party data to successfully deliver a personalized, end-to-end customer experience.
Finalists will be announced by November 18, 2022, and winners will be announced by December 19, 2022.
For more information, visit mobilegrowth.org/awards. If you have questions regarding the entry process, reach out to the event organizers at mobilegrowthawards@branch.io.
Branch provides the industry's leading mobile linking and measurement platforms, unifying user experience and attribution across devices and channels. Branch has been selected by over 100,000 apps since 2014, including Adobe, BuzzFeed, Yelp and many more, improving experiences for more than 3 billion monthly users across the globe.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Branch | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/29/announcing-third-annual-mobile-growth-awards-presented-by-branch/ | 2022-08-29T18:41:52Z |
DETROIT, Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Benzinga, one of the fastest-growing private media companies in the US, substantially increased the accuracy of its globally available Earnings Data Product.
Benzinga launched its Earnings Data Product in the second quarter of 2015. For that particular quarter, customers reported 329 errors. In 2017, after eight major brokerages signed on for Benzinga's Earnings Data Product, 58 errors were recorded.
Finally, in the second quarter of 2022, 31 platforms displayed Earnings Data Product and only one error was recorded of 4,000 earnings reports covered. That is a 99.975% accuracy rate.
"This is absolutely unprecedented for us," said Andrew Lebbos, Benzinga's Vice President of Licensing. "This is the result of Benzinga's relentless pursuit to create raving fans."
"We're now the most accurate Earnings API provider in the world, this quarter."
In bridging the gap between retail and institutional investors, Benzinga delivers directly to users, through its own platform, among those provided by big-name institutions, brokerages, and news outlets, high-quality, low-cost, timely content.
Its core product portfolio consists of newswires, analytics software, and data services that are easy to consume and help users better act on market intelligence.
In helping investors achieve the next stage of their growth, Benzinga also hosts in-person thought leadership, networking, and educational events.
View original content:
SOURCE Benzinga | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/29/benzinga-earnings-data-product-sports-99975-accuracy-rate/ | 2022-08-29T18:41:58Z |
SANTA ROSA, Calif., Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blentech launched today their frontline cooking equipment in pre-engineered versions drastically reducing both price and delivery time. Pre-engineered solutions are derived from their most popular engineered parents having decades of proven usage in the food industry. This move directly benefits food processors by making a huge impact to allow for every budget and timeline. Prices are targeted to drop up to 50% while lead times are estimated to be as short as 12-16 weeks for all pre-engineered products!
For over 30 years, Blentech's cooking equipment has been based on a horizontal design that brings several benefits to food producers but used to require a higher capital expenditure in comparison to traditional kettles. Pre-engineered designs have now allowed Blentech to reach the price parity of kettles. As production demands rise, the hemispherical kettles (similar in profile to a vertical pot in your kitchen) can now be economically upgraded to more effective pre-engineered solutions. In today's modern food factories, horizontal cookers have become a necessity to meet the requirements for larger heating area, to develop flavors through complex processes like maillard browning and caramelization. This means a boon for the food processors as they can now readily improve their product quality, develop more flavorful foods as well as shorten their cooking time.
Despite market uncertainty and the high costs of food production, food processors can now rely on quick to market proven equipment to drive their production output, cost effectiveness or to simply maintain business continuity.
Daniel Voit, CEO of Blentech mentioned "Cost effectiveness of pre-engineered solutions does not imply less features but evolution of our manufacturing technique and strategic elimination of engineering overheads. In fact, our pre-engineered models are designed to include features that exceed most equipment currently sold in the market."
In general, the manufacturing Industry suffers with longer lead times, Blentech's pre-engineered solutions are designed to reduce time to get to production quicker which in turns reduces time to get their food to market.
Akhilesh Pandey, International Sales Director, noted that "Not all cost effective solutions are designed to enhance food production. It is possible to create solutions that are both cost effective and targeted to improve quality, safety and throughput of your production!"
Blentech designs, builds and deploys advanced cooking and mixing technologies globally. Their success is deeply rooted in their ability to innovate, offering sharp entrepreneurial business acumen, quality workmanship, and project execution. Whether you're looking for fully engineered system solutions or pre-engineered cookers, know that Blentech is not just a manufacturer of cooking and mixing equipment. It's a technology trailblazer.
For more information, visit Blentech and request an overview of the pre-engineered solutions today.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Blentech Corporation | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/29/blentech-unveils-pre-engineered-cooking-solutions-minimize-time-costs-food-production/ | 2022-08-29T18:42:05Z |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.