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Army grounds fleet of Chinook helicopters after engine fires
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army said Tuesday it has grounded its fleet of about 400 Chinook cargo helicopters after fuel leaks caused a “small number” of engine fires.
Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said the Army has identified the cause of the leaks and is working to resolve the problem. Smith said that some aircraft may not requires the fix, so they may be able to return to flight soon.
The fleet was grounded during the past weekend. Smith said there were no injuries or deaths associated with the fires but the Army temporarily grounded the fleet out of an abundance of caution.
The Chinook is the Army’s key heavy-lift helicopter, used to transport troops and equipment, and was a familiar sight in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/army-grounds-fleet-chinook-helicopters-after-engine-fires/ | 2022-08-31T02:44:06Z |
Bridgewater football opens season Saturday with familiar foe
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The Bridgewater College football team is preparing for its season opener Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles are scheduled to visit Gettysburg for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The two teams have played each other in the season opener every year since 2014, with the lone exception coming during the 2021 spring (COVID) season when Bridgewater only played ODAC opponents.
“This actually our last time playing them so our contract will end after this,” said Bridgewater head coach Scott Lemn. “It’s been a great game. Really competitive. Outside of last year and even into last year into the fourth quarter. It’s just been a game, that’s what it has come down to. So I think for a week one game both teams that’s what you want. You want to be into the fourth quarter and have to see what your team is made of.”
Bridgewater is looking to build off a 4-6 overall record (1-5 ODAC) in Lemn’s first season at the helm last fall. The Eagles were picked sixth in the ODAC Preseason Poll.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/bridgewater-football-opens-season-saturday-with-familiar-foe/ | 2022-08-31T02:44:07Z |
Discussing The Dukes - Week 1: Middle Tennessee
Published: Aug. 30, 2022 at 10:05 PM EDT|Updated: 34 minutes ago
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Discussing The Dukes is back for another episode.
WHSV Sports Director TJ Eck is joined by Noah Fleischman of the Daily News-Record and Dave Riggert, radio play-by-play voice of the Dukes, to chat about the JMU football team as the Dukes prepare to open the 2022 season Saturday night against Middle Tennessee.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/discussing-dukes-week-1-middle-tennessee/ | 2022-08-31T02:44:19Z |
‘His co-workers are truly saddened’: Officer dies after collapsing on duty
Published: Aug. 30, 2022 at 10:09 PM EDT|Updated: 34 minutes ago
CLIO, Ala. (WSFA/Gray News) - The Alabama Department of Corrections reports one of its officers at the Easterling Correctional Facility has died.
WSFA reports that Officer Rickey Cooper, 47, collapsed over the weekend during his shift. He was rushed to the Dale County Hospital, but did not recover.
Cooper had served the department since 2007. He would have completed 15 years as a correctional officer at Easterling on Sept. 4.
Officials said he is survived by his mother, son and two grandsons.
“His co-workers are truly saddened by this sudden loss,” the department shared in a news release.
Cooper’s cause of death was not immediately released.
Copyright 2022 WSFA via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/his-co-workers-are-truly-saddened-officer-dies-after-collapsing-duty/ | 2022-08-31T02:44:30Z |
Police: 14-year-old girl shot, killed while making TikTok video; 3 charged
MONTE VISTA, Colo. (KUSA) - A 14-year-old Colorado girl was making a TikTok video when she was shot and killed earlier this month.
Authorities say Aaliyah Salazar was killed on Aug. 7 when juveniles were handling a gun while making videos on TikTok.
According to court documents, police said they watched the video before Aaliyah was shot in the head, and it showed her dancing with someone in the background fiddling with something.
One of the teens told police they saw another teen point the gun at Aaliyah and fire. That teen reportedly told police it could have been an accident.
Gary Salazar, Aaliyah’s grandfather, said his world stopped once he heard the news.
“She could go into a store and come out with 20 new friends. She was just that type of person. She loved people and her family,” Gary Salazar said.
Loved ones gathered this week to remember Aaliyah, who loved dancing and doing TikTok videos.
On Monday, police said two juveniles were charged with felony manslaughter and misdemeanor possession of a weapon. The maximum they could face is six years in Colorado’s youth offender system.
“The frustration I’ve got is that if you take a life, you should have to pay for it dearly, not with a slap on the hand and say don’t do it again,” Gary Salazar said.
Emiliano Vargas, an adult, has also been charged in connection with Aaliyah’s death. He is facing charges, including providing or permitting a juvenile to possess a gun.
A new district attorney will start in September, and officials said they would review the case.
Copyright 2022 KUSA via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/police-14-year-old-girl-shot-killed-while-making-tiktok-video-3-charged/ | 2022-08-31T02:44:37Z |
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- Lunalilo Home has a new CEO. Keolamaikalani Dean took over late this spring, and hopes to help the legacy of King Lunalilo reach new heights. The facility is supported by the trust of King Lunalilo.
Though the Hawaii Kai senior facility is under 40 miles from Dean's native Nanakuli, his path here was circuitious. After graduating as his class valedictorian at Kamehameha Schools, he left for the mainland.
"I've attended Harvard, Stanford, Bentley University, Washington State University. Even a stint at University of Pennsylvania," he listed, noting that he was "ABD" or "all but dissertation" for a doctorate in education at the U Penn.
Thirty-four years and thousands of miles later, Dean's back home. And he brings with him a lot of fancy degrees- psychology, accounting, law, and health policy. He's worked in all of those fields, all over the country. He was an auditor at KPMG International and at American Savings Bank, a securities litigator in Washington, DC, a venture capital lawyer in corporate securities in California, and he wasn't totally happy.
"In my ninth year of practice at a corporate attorney I woke up one day. This question was in my head. I knew it was from my aumakua. It was, 'Am I going to be happy with what I've accomplished when I look back on my life at 70 years of age?' No," he said.
So he went back to school, got yet another degree in public health policy, and worked for Medicaid, specifically to help Native Americans, because taking care of indigenous people is important to him.
"I helped to make sure Medicaid policy in Washington State supported better access to Medicaid services for the tribes and their citizens," Dean elaborated.
Still, there was something missing. Dean wanted to use his talent to help his own people. That's when this Native Hawaiian asked his aumakua - his spiritual guardians- to help. Then, providence came calling, on a visit to Oahu in 2021 to see his mother.
"I came home again and that's when I saw the story on KITV4 about a King Lunalilo Trust opening for CEO. That was a sign, the opportunity for me to come home," he recalled of the news story when former CEO Diane Paloma stepped down. The signs further aligned when, within hours, a friend called him to urge him to apply for that job.
He did, and got the job. And for the first time, Dean sees all his skills coalesce. Now, his host of disparate vocations make sense to him in a broader context; he needs all those skills in his current position.
"I view my entire journey coming here as driven by my aumakua and of course the King. The King wants to make sure our kupuna are taken care of still. I feel his presence here," shared Dean.
He says this drive to take care of Hawaiian elders is his passion and his purpose.
"Kupuna are the source for our strength and culture. Without kupuna, we have no culture. Growing up, the Native Hawaiian culture was important to me. It was my source of resilience," Dean said, a 13th-generation descendant of Kahuna Hewahewa, the high priest of King Kamehameha I, and an extended relative of famed historian Mary Kawena Pukui.
Now, under what he believes is the King's watcful presence, Dean is working to make sure Lunalilo Home can continue serving kupuna well into the future.
Diane is KITV4’s weekend evening anchor and weekday reporter. She hosts the Aging Well series on Tuesday evenings at 5, 6, and 10 p.m. She is a mother, a cat owner, and a yogi. | https://www.kitv.com/kakou/aging-well/aging-well-lunalilo-homes-new-ceo-is-passionate-about-serving-kupuna/article_b2ff4546-1f63-11ed-943a-bb00461535ea.html | 2022-08-31T02:49:01Z |
Now that more travelers are taking to the skies as the impacts of the pandemic subside, the Transportation Security Administration reported a surge in enrollment for precheck clearance.
The agency has been processing about 10,000 applications per day nationwide, according to TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers.
"People are getting back to traveling, I think they made it kind of their New Years resolution, or their mid-year resolution to start traveling again," Dankers said.
TSA has been screening about 2 million passengers across the country nearly every day, Dankers added, or about 85 to 90 percent of pre-pandemic counts.
State data from the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism showed 919,154 visitors flocked to the islands last month, 92 percent of what Hawai'i saw before COVID.
As many have noticed, the influx in travelers has led to busier airports and longer lines at TSA checkpoints.
"So, people are taking whatever steps they can to make that process easier for them," Dankers added.
The soaring number of precheck applications comes as Maui's inundated Kahului Airport struggles to process the torrent of travelers on the island.
"We know that we have had wait times where travelers have gotten frustrated," Dankers admitted, adding the agency has been working on solutions to ease crowding at the airport.
According to Dankers, TSA is planning to open a new checkpoint dedicated to just precheck travelers, as well as employ four canine teams to sniff out explosives.
"We're hoping that helps ease the crunch," Dankers said.
TSA and state transportation officials plan to share more details on the changes coming to Kahului Airport on Thursday.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
'A'ali'i is a reporter with KITV. He was born and raised on the island of Maui and graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. | https://www.kitv.com/news/as-more-people-travel-again-tsa-reports-precheck-enrollment-is-soaring/article_9f44f53c-28b9-11ed-8aca-ff6ce5e8d968.html | 2022-08-31T02:49:07Z |
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- A former travel agent whose business was based on Oahu was convicted of felony crimes for collecting more than $200,000 for travel expenses on trips that never happened, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Wendy Wong ran the business “House of Aloha Hawaii” based out of Ewa Beach up until August 2019 as dozens of angry customers came forward to report the apparent scam.
Wong pleaded “no contest” to the allegations in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Aug. 23.
“The defendant abused her position of trust and disrupted the lives of many families in our community. We are grateful to the victims who came forward,” said Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Tamalca Harris.
Wong was charged with two felonies: one for failing to return money for travel services not provided and one for illegally withdrawing money from client trust accounts. Her sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2022.
According to the Santa Clara County DA’s Office, if Wong pays the $155,000 restitution requested by the victims, she will not serve any jail time and will instead be on a two-year felony probation.
If she does not pay the restitution, she will receive a two-year sentence consisting of one year in county jail and one year of mandatory supervision.
The DA Office's Consumer Protection unit investigated the case against Wong. Officials said travel agents in California are required to register with the Attorney General's Office. However, Wong was not registered in the state.
According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), House of Aloha Hawaii also had not obtained a necessary license from the Hawaii Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs (DCCA).
The BBB had given the travel agency an "F" rating. In an undated post about House of Aloha Hawaii, BBB wrote:
"BBB has recently received a pattern of complaints concerning contract and service issues. Consumers allege the company failed to arrange, book, and pay for their travel itineraries including airline and hotel reservations after paying the company for their trip to Hawaii. In addition, the consumers were sent fake itineraries for their trips leading them to believe the travel arrangements had been made. These complaints are currently pending as BBB is waiting for the company’s response."
Matthew has been the digital content manager for KITV4 since September 2021. Matthew is a prolific writer, editor, and self-described "newsie" who's worked in television markets in Oklahoma, California, and Hawaii. | https://www.kitv.com/news/crime/hawaii-travel-agent-convicted-of-fraud-ordered-to-pay-155-000-in-restitution-or-face/article_167acb06-28bd-11ed-8f8d-43efc4e238d6.html | 2022-08-31T02:49:13Z |
This image shows a colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (red). The WHO says that the first possible case of human-to-dog monkeypox transmission is 'not surprising.'
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- One new case of Monkeypox has been confirmed in a Hawaii resident living on Oahu, bringing the state’s total number of confirmed cases up to 23.
The latest case was diagnosed in an Oahu resident whose case is related to a previously reported case, according to the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH). There have been 11 cases confirmed in the month of August, so far.
Health officials say monkeypox shares many commonalities with smallpox, like causing blistering skin rashes. It is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus. Infection begins with flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes, and progresses to a rash or sores, often on the hands, feet, chest, face, or genitals. Individuals generally become ill within 21 days of exposure, the DOH said
Monkeypox can spread through direct contact with body fluids, lesion material, or items used by someone with monkeypox as well as close, prolonged contact with an infected person or animal. It can also be spread through large respiratory droplets.
Monkeypox vaccines are available in every county in Hawaii. Anyone who is eligible who would wish to make an appointment can call the following numbers:
• Hawaii Department of Health (Statewide): 808-586-4462
• Malama I Ke Ola (Maui): 808-871-7772
• Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (Oahu): 808-427-0442
• Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center (Oahu): 808-521-2347
• Kaiser Permanente (Oahu): 808) 434-2000, prompt 1
• Hamakua-Kohala Health (Big Island): 808-930-2751
• Malama Pono Health Service (Kauai): 808-246-9577
Earlier in August, DOH expanded its vaccine eligibility in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
“As more vaccine doses become available, we are expanding vaccine eligibility to communities that have been disproportionately impacted by this outbreak and individuals who are at risk for severe illness,” said Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Nathan Tan.
Those eligible to receive the JYNNEOS vaccine under the new guidelines include the following:
• Anyone who has had close contact with a person with known or suspected monkeypox infection in the last two weeks
• Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and transgender individuals who have multiple or anonymous sex partners;
• Persons who are severely immunocompromised or those with certain skin conditions, such as eczema; AND who have a household member or sex partner at high risk for monkeypox.
Matthew has been the digital content manager for KITV4 since September 2021. Matthew is a prolific writer, editor, and self-described "newsie" who's worked in television markets in Oklahoma, California, and Hawaii. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/1-new-monkeypox-case-confirmed-on-oahu-total-cases-statewide-at-23/article_9044c8d2-28cd-11ed-814d-e359c3242433.html | 2022-08-31T02:49:19Z |
The uncrewed Artemis I mission will get another attempt at launching on a journey around the moon on Saturday.
The two-hour launch window opens at 2:17 p.m. ET on September 3.
After the launch was scrubbed Monday morning, the launch team spent the remainder of the day evaluating data gathered during the attempt. Mission managers shared an update Tuesday evening.
The Artemis I stack, which includes the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, continues to sit on Launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
One of the rocket's four RS-25 engines, identified as engine #3, could not reach the proper temperature range that is required for the engine to start at liftoff.
The engines need to be thermally conditioned before supercold propellant flows through them before liftoff. To prevent the engines from experiencing any temperature shocks, the launch controllers increase the pressure of the core stage liquid hydrogen tank to send a little bit of the liquid hydrogen to the engines. This is known as a "bleed."
The liquid hydrogen is about minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 252 degrees Celsius).
Engine #3 was probably about 30 to 40 degrees warmer than the other engines, which reached about minus 410 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 245 degrees Fahrenheit), said John Honeycutt, manager of the Space Launch System Program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.
Mission managers suspected that the engine #3 issue was actually a problem with the bleed system, rather than the actual engine. A faulty sensor may be providing an incorrect reading of the engine temperature, Honeycutt said.
"The way the sensor is behaving doesn't line up with the physics of the situation," Honeycutt said.
The team plans to begin the bleed 30 to 45 minutes earlier in the countdown than it occurred on Monday and monitor the engine temperature during the bleed.
"Coming into yesterday's attempt, we said that if we couldn't thermally condition the engines, we're not going to launch," Sarafin said. "That's the same posture that we're going into Saturday."
Removing and replacing the sensor would be tricky at the launchpad, so the only alternative is rolling it back into the Vehicle Assembly Building for servicing, said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director at NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program.
Several other issues, like storms, a leak on an 8-inch line used to fill and drain the rocket core stage's liquid hydrogen and a hydrogen leak from a vent valve on the core stage's intertank also caused delays Monday morning that prevented liftoff during the two-hour launch window.
""We agreed on what was called option one, which was to operationally change the loading procedure and start our engine chill down earlier. We also agreed to do some work at the pad to address the leak that we saw at the hydrogen tail service mask umbilical," said Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters.
The current forecast for Saturday includes a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning and early afternoon hours, so the launch team will keep a close eye on the forecast, said meteorologist Mark Burger, launch weather officer with the US Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron.
There is a 60% chance of a weather violation during the launch window, Berger said.
There is still a backup opportunity for the Artemis I mission to launch on September 5 as well.
The Artemis I mission is just the beginning of a program that will aim to return humans to the moon and eventually land crewed missions on Mars.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled meteorologist Mark Burger's name.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.kitv.com/news/national/artemis-i-launch-for-a-journey-around-the-moon-rescheduled-for-saturday/article_4ee9084d-4172-5381-8003-f11e86680c38.html | 2022-08-31T02:49:25Z |
A warm cup of tea in your favorite mug can seem to heal the soul -- and a new study finds it may be good for your body, too.
Drinking two or more cups of black tea a day is associated with lower risk of death from all causes, according to the study published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine.
The study looked at nearly 500,000 men and women ages 40 to 69 years old who participated in the UK Biobank, which houses in-depth genetic and health information, between 2006 and 2010. The database included information participants reported about their own tea drinking habits, such as frequency and what they added to their cup, according to the study.
Some participants didn't drink black tea at all, but since the data came from the United Kingdom, there also were plenty of people who drank it regularly -- and some who drank up to 10 cups a day, said lead study author Maki Inoue-Choi, an epidemiologist at the National Cancer Institute in the US.
The Biobank followed up about 10 years after the original survey, and researchers found that people who drank two or more cups of tea daily in the interim were less likely to have died from causes such as cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease and stroke, according to the study.
The research is an exciting look into tea drinking habits, but there is still more work that needs to be done before recommending dietary changes, said Howard Sesso, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Sesso was not involved in the study.
"The authors tried to control for other dietary factors, but tea drinkers typically differ from non-tea drinkers in other ways that would likely weaken these findings. We really need more randomized clinical trials testing tea intake," Sesso said in an email.
What about the milk and sugar?
For many tea drinkers, the process of making their tea is crucial.
What temperature does the water need to be? Do you take it black? Do you add milk? Sugar? How much?
If you can't imagine taking your tea black, don't worry just yet. There was no significant reduction in health benefits for those who added milk or sugar, according to the study.
That doesn't necessarily mean it's the healthiest way to drink tea, though. Inoue-Choi said health experts strongly encourage limiting sugar and the saturated fats like those in milk.
Should you change your drinking habits?
Although it's hard to say for sure from the research so far, Inoue-Choi said there are some good reasons why black tea might be so beneficial.
"There are multiple possible mechanisms," she said. "Tea is rich in bioactive compounds ... They have the potential to decrease oxidated stress and inflammation. That could protect against health conditions such as cancer and heart disease."
There has been plenty of research on the health benefits of green tea.
Observational studies, like one from 2013, suggest that it could slow the growth of precancerous legions, while a 2014 study found that green tea consumption is associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline.
Both black and green tea come from variations of the same plant, camellia sinensis, but little research before now has looked into the impacts of drinking black tea, Inoue-Choi said.
Because of the lack of research, it may not be time to add black tea into your daily routine just yet, she added.
"Our findings may provide reassurance to people who already drink tea every day, but we don't recommend making decisions about whether people start drinking tea or change how much they are drinking right now," Inoue-Choi said.
People shouldn't rely on the results from a single study for these kinds of changes, she said, and more research is needed to round out the findings.
"This study does not prove that tea intake reduces mortality, but it does suggest that if you are currently drinking tea -- and especially black tea, which was the tea type of choice in the UK -- you can continue to do so," Sesso said.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.kitv.com/news/national/study-reveals-how-drinking-two-or-more-cups-of-black-tea-a-day-could-affect/article_bac206b1-154b-5275-9b5f-487410cd7bdc.html | 2022-08-31T02:49:31Z |
Recent torrential rain coupled with years of water system issues have resulted in a crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, where the city doesn't have enough water to fight fires, flush toilets or even hand out to residents in need.
Jackson's main water treatment facility began failing Monday, according to Gov. Tate Reeves. The National Guard was called up to help distribute bottled water as crews work to get the water treatment plant back online, state officials said.
But the distribution itself proved unsustainable. Residents of all ages were seen waiting in lines more than a mile long at Hawkins Field Airport for at least two hours Tuesday for just one case of bottled water. The event was supposed to span three hours, but barely ran two as people were eventually turned away when the 700 cases of water ran out.
"I keep saying we're going to be the next Michigan," said Jeraldine Watts, 86, who was able to get water at a grocery store Monday night. "And it looks like that's exactly what we're headed for."
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba told CNN's Pamela Brown the city is working on more water distribution events. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency will provide nearly 30 water trucks to help supplement the city events, the mayor said.
"I have been assured by MEMA that they will supplement those locations with about 28 tanker trucks distributed at various points across the city," Lumumba told CNN.
Explanations for Jackson's failing system are complicated: Damage this summer to pumps at the main water treatment facility made failure increasingly likely as the summer progressed, the governor said; and flooding of the Pearl River after heavy rains last week affected treatment processes and therefore the amount of running water the system can provide, Lumumba said.
This week's troubles come as the water system has been plagued with problems for years and with the city already under a boil water notice since late July for what the state called a water-quality issue.
The state is "surging our resources to the city's water treatment facility and beginning emergency maintenance, repairs and improvements," Gov. Reeves said, adding, "We will do everything in our power to restore water pressure and get water flowing back to the people of Jackson."
Water for those in the state's most populous city would have to be provided "for an unknown period of time," Reeves said.
The water shortage is expected to last "the next couple of days," according to the mayor's office.
Lumumba also announced Monday the city's public works director -- a role that oversees the water treatment facilities -- has been reassigned. Marlin King will instead serve as deputy director and Jordan Hillman, the city's planning and development director, will be the interim public works director, according to Melissa Payne, the mayor's spokesperson.
King did not respond to CNN requests for comment. Payne said King's reassignment "is part of restructuring" and is not a result of the current water crisis.
Residents say faucet water is discolored
State Rep. Ronnie Crudup Jr. said he didn't have running water Monday, but on Tuesday, discolored water came out of his faucet that he used to flush the toilet. He and his family used bottled water Tuesday morning to brush their teeth, Crudup told CNN's Alisyn Camerota.
Crudup said that although the city has experienced water issues in the past, rain played a part in the current water emergency.
"It's been building up for years, but we have had an unprecedented amount of rain in the last two to three weeks, and it just kind of created this havoc, what we are dealing with right now," he said.
Jackson resident Daryl Page told CNN he's been searching for clean, bottled water since the city's been under a boil water notice "for a whole month." He was driving to a distribution site, but as he arrived, he noticed there was nothing there.
"Everyone is turning around because there is nothing here," Page said, adding that his next plan of action was to drive to another site in hopes that he could find cases of water there.
Because of Monday's failure, officials announced all Jackson public schools will shift to virtual learning Tuesday.
Hospitals are also feeling the strain. Jackson's University of Mississippi Medical Center released a statement Tuesday saying the Jackson Medical Mall air conditioning is not functioning properly "because the water pressure feeding its chillers is too low." Portable restrooms are being used in locations experiencing low water pressure, the statement said.
The university medical center statement also said a fire watch was declared for its Jackson-based facilities, "because fire suppression systems are fed by the city water system. Low pressure in the systems may cause them to be less effective."
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the water crisis in Jackson and the White House has been "in regular contact with state and local officials, including Mayor Lumumba, and made clear that the Federal Government stands ready to offer assistance," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday afternoon.
"(The Federal Emergency Management Agency) is working closely with the state officials to identify needs, and the EPA is coordinating with industry partners to expedite delivery of critical treatment equipment for emergency repairs at the City of Jackson water treatment facilities," she said.
In an emailed statement Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency said "ensuring all people have access to healthy and safe water is a top priority."
"We are in communication with officials in Mississippi and stand ready to provide support should the State request federal assistance," the EPA statement read. "In the interim, we are available to provide technical support and information to Mississippi officials as they navigate their plan to address the immediate concerns at the O.B. Curtis Water Plant."
Later Tuesday, the governor said FEMA has received the state's declaration asking the federal government to declare the water shortage a federal emergency.
Water system issues go back decades, mayor says
The problem this week stems from one of two water treatment facilities in the city: the O.B. Curtis plant, which is run by the city of Jackson, according to the governor.
The main pumps at O.B. Curtis were severely damaged recently, and the facility began operating on smaller backup pumps about a month ago, around the time the latest boil water notice began in July, the governor said, without elaborating about the damage.
The governor said he was told Friday that "it was a near-certainty that Jackson would fail to produce running water sometime in the next several weeks or months if something did not materially improve," the governor said.
But Lumumba said during a Monday news conference that it was only a matter time before the water system failed because Jackson's water system has been faced serious issues for years.
"I have said on multiple occasions that it's not a matter of 'if' our system would fail, but a matter of 'when' our system would fail," the mayor said, adding that the city has been "going at it alone for the better part of two years" when it comes to the water crisis.
In early 2020, the water system failed an Environmental Protection Agency inspection. The agency wrote the drinking water had the potential to be host to harmful bacteria or parasites, based on observations of the water's turbidity, or cloudiness, as well as "disinfection treatment concerns, and/or the condition of the distribution system."
In March 2020, the EPA issued an order requiring the system to develop a plan to replace and repair monitoring and treatment equipment; to "address dosing processes for disinfection and pH control; and to take more coliform bacteria samples, among other things.
The city also has endured weather-related shutdowns.
In February 2021, a winter storm shut down Jackson's entire water system, leaving tens of thousands of residents without water for a month amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Residents have been under some sort of boil water notice or advisory several times since that winter storm, including the state-ordered notice posted in July.
"We were here two Februarys ago when we had system failures, and the world was watching us and the world is watching us again," Lumumba said during Monday's news conference.
The mayor also pointed to recent flooding from the Pearl River as an event that triggered the latest water pressure issues.
Because O.B. Curtis received additional water from the reservoir during the flooding from last week to this week, the facility had to change the way it treats the water, which has led to the reduction of water being put out into the system and reduced tank levels. This is affecting the water pressure at residents' homes, he said.
"As one crisis may be diverted, another one rears its head," Lumumba said Monday during a news conference after addressing the flooding in the city.
O.B. Curtis is meant to provide about 50 million gallons for the city daily. The other plant, which usually provides about 20 million gallons daily, has been approved to ramp up its output amid the shortage, authorities said.
In July 2021, the EPA and the city entered into an agreement to address "long-term challenges and make needed improvements to the drinking water system." The EPA recently announced $74.9 million in federal water and sewer infrastructure funds for Mississippi, mentioning Jackson without naming specific projects.
However, Lumumba has said it would take $2 billion to fully repair and replace the dated system, which city, state and federal officials say also has too much lead in its water in some places.
Lumumba declared a water system emergency Monday. The proclamation noted not only the flooding but also numerous previous "unsuccessful attempts to rectify water system issues."
As for restoring water pressure and flow and performing emergency maintenance and repairs, the state would split the cost with the city, Reeves said Tuesday.
"We will cash flow the operation, and the city will be responsible for half the cost of the emergency improvements that we make," the governor said in a statement released on Twitter.
At a Tuesday news conference at the plant, Reeves said he is "encouraged" and at the same time "discouraged" by some of the news coming out of the facility.
"We do have a plan in place to potentially bring in an additional rented pump that will allow us to put at least 4 million gallons of water additionally, hopefully, which will be installed by tomorrow morning. That is progress and will help," he said.
Reeves added there is no time frame as of now for safe drinking water, but that over the next 24 to 36 hours residents will see significant truckloads of clean water start to be delivered to Jackson.
Over the next few days, more than 108 semi-trucks of water are coming into Jackson and seven mega distribution sites will have 36 truckloads of water a day for the public to be able to retrieve, according to Lt. Col. Stephen McCraney, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency director.
Systemic issues also contributed to water crisis
Lumumba previously told CNN a lack of political will and years of neglect on a national level has prevented Jackson from getting the help it needs to fix its water and sewer crisis. Besides the infrastructure issues, the plant has also been faced with staffing issues, according to the mayor and governor.
"A far too small number of heroic frontline workers were trying their hardest to hold the system together, but that it was a near impossibility," the governor said Monday.
Jackson's ongoing water system problems already had some residents reporting low to no water pressure and raw sewage flowing in city streets and neighborhoods. Other residents took to Twitter -- where #jxnwatercrisis and #jacksonwatercrisis were trending -- to post pictures of buckets and even tubs full of brown water coming out of their drains.
Some on social media also pointed to systemic and environmental racism as among the causes of the city's ongoing water issues and lack of resources, given that 82.5% of Jackson's population identifies as Black or African American, according to census data, while the state's legislature is majority White.
NAACP president Derrick Johnson called out the Mississippi governor on Twitter Tuesday.
".@tatereeves, what are you waiting for!? We demand on behalf of the Jackson communities that you request federal aid from @FEMA and other agencies to ensure people have access to a basic human right: WATER," Johnson's tweet read. "Make the damn call. This is personal."
Jackson has undergone drastic changes in the past half century. Its economic decline has occurred rapidly over the past two decades, fueled by population decline and demographic shifts.
The city's population shrank from almost 200,000 in 1990 to about 160,000 in 2020. Its decline in population in these three decades was driven almost entirely by White flight. The city was 56% Black in 1990. By 2020, 82% of the city's residents were Black.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.kitv.com/news/national/the-water-crisis-in-jackson-mississippi-has-gotten-so-bad-the-city-temporarily-ran-out/article_ecfbe050-1dbc-5519-b6d0-2e32cb1696f2.html | 2022-08-31T02:49:37Z |
Army grounds fleet of Chinook helicopters after engine fires
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army said Tuesday it has grounded its fleet of about 400 Chinook cargo helicopters after fuel leaks caused a “small number” of engine fires.
Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said the Army has identified the cause of the leaks and is working to resolve the problem. Smith said that some aircraft may not requires the fix, so they may be able to return to flight soon.
The fleet was grounded during the past weekend. Smith said there were no injuries or deaths associated with the fires but the Army temporarily grounded the fleet out of an abundance of caution.
The Chinook is the Army’s key heavy-lift helicopter, used to transport troops and equipment, and was a familiar sight in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/31/army-grounds-fleet-chinook-helicopters-after-engine-fires/ | 2022-08-31T02:55:21Z |
Former Sunday school teacher to spend at least 87 years in prison for sexually assaulting children
Published: Aug. 30, 2022 at 10:37 PM EDT|Updated: 15 minutes ago
DURHAM, N.C. (CNN) - A former Sunday school teacher will spend decades in a North Carolina prison for sexually assaulting children.
On Monday, Jonathan Young was sentenced to a minimum of 87 years in prison.
The 38-year-old was convicted of multiple counts of rape, sexual offense and indecent liberties with children.
Prosecutors said Young assaulted at least three children at a church in the Benson area between 2003 and 2014. The youngest victim was 7 years old.
The church’s pastor said the sheriff’s office first told him about the allegations in 2014, but no charges were filed at that time.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/31/former-sunday-school-teacher-spend-least-87-years-prison-sexually-assaulting-children/ | 2022-08-31T02:55:30Z |
‘His co-workers are truly saddened’: Officer dies after collapsing on duty
Published: Aug. 30, 2022 at 10:09 PM EDT|Updated: 46 minutes ago
CLIO, Ala. (WSFA/Gray News) - The Alabama Department of Corrections reports one of its officers at the Easterling Correctional Facility has died.
WSFA reports that Officer Rickey Cooper, 47, collapsed over the weekend during his shift. He was rushed to the Dale County Hospital, but did not recover.
Cooper had served the department since 2007. He would have completed 15 years as a correctional officer at Easterling on Sept. 4.
Officials said he is survived by his mother, son and two grandsons.
“His co-workers are truly saddened by this sudden loss,” the department shared in a news release.
Cooper’s cause of death was not immediately released.
Copyright 2022 WSFA via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/31/his-co-workers-are-truly-saddened-officer-dies-after-collapsing-duty/ | 2022-08-31T02:55:36Z |
Police: 14-year-old girl shot, killed while making TikTok video; 3 charged
MONTE VISTA, Colo. (KUSA) - A 14-year-old Colorado girl was making a TikTok video when she was shot and killed earlier this month.
Authorities say Aaliyah Salazar was killed on Aug. 7 when juveniles were handling a gun while making videos on TikTok.
According to court documents, police said they watched the video before Aaliyah was shot in the head, and it showed her dancing with someone in the background fiddling with something.
One of the teens told police they saw another teen point the gun at Aaliyah and fire. That teen reportedly told police it could have been an accident.
Gary Salazar, Aaliyah’s grandfather, said his world stopped once he heard the news.
“She could go into a store and come out with 20 new friends. She was just that type of person. She loved people and her family,” Gary Salazar said.
Loved ones gathered this week to remember Aaliyah, who loved dancing and doing TikTok videos.
On Monday, police said two juveniles were charged with felony manslaughter and misdemeanor possession of a weapon. The maximum they could face is six years in Colorado’s youth offender system.
“The frustration I’ve got is that if you take a life, you should have to pay for it dearly, not with a slap on the hand and say don’t do it again,” Gary Salazar said.
Emiliano Vargas, an adult, has also been charged in connection with Aaliyah’s death. He is facing charges, including providing or permitting a juvenile to possess a gun.
A new district attorney will start in September, and officials said they would review the case.
Copyright 2022 KUSA via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/31/police-14-year-old-girl-shot-killed-while-making-tiktok-video-3-charged/ | 2022-08-31T02:55:43Z |
Harrisonburg likely to delay preschool program
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The City of Harrisonburg will likely have to push back the start of its preschool program due to staffing issues. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department is looking to hire two teachers for the program.
“It typically starts in mid-September and it runs from 9:30 in the morning until about noon. Right now we’re looking at, at least pushing that back two weeks to where it would start in early October as long as we’re able to bring some staff on board that would run that program,” said Harrisonburg Director of Communications Mike Parks.
The Parks and Rec Department has offered the preschool program since 1995. Typically the program runs from mid-September to mid-May and holds up to 30 students. It has one class for three-year-olds and one for four-year-olds but right now its short-term future is up in the air as the city looks to hire teachers.
“If we don’t bring people on board soon we’ll definitely have to look at possibly pushing this program back or possibly not being able to offer it this year, so if anyone is interested we do encourage you to reach out to us because it does take time,” said Parks.
Parks said that it takes a few weeks after teachers are hired to complete background checks and work with the teachers to establish a curriculum before the program can start. The nature of the part-time positions has also made it a bit more difficult to fill them.
“We know it’s a specialized position and that’s likely why we’re having a difficult time filling those spots this year. It isn’t just anyone. There’s a background check and it involves educating and keeping an eye on people’s children so we need two special people for those positions and hopefully we find them soon,” said Parks.
The city is still running its Afterschool Activities program this year for elementary school-aged children and currently has 65 students signed up. That program runs from mid-September to mid-May.
Anyone interested in one of the positions can learn more here.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/harrisonburg-likely-delay-preschool-program/ | 2022-08-31T04:04:50Z |
Man accused of sexually abusing sister in 1970s appears in Rockingham County Circuit Court
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - A Jetersville, Virginia man appeared in Rockingham County Circuit Court on Tuesday for a plea hearing in a child sex abuse case from decades ago. 65-year-old Leroy Lehman was set to plead guilty to counts of rape and indecent liberties with a child before the hearing was continued to next week.
The incidents allegedly happened back in the 1970s in Mount Crawford when Lehman allegedly sexually abused his younger sister.
“It wasn’t something that just happened once in a while. I’m talking about something that happened a dozen times a week. It was very very serious abuse,” said Alice Lehman, Leroy’s younger sister, and the alleged victim.
Alice Lehman grew up in a Mennonite community in the Mount Crawford area. Throughout the 1970s she said that her older brother Leroy repeatedly raped and touched her inappropriately when she was a young child and he was in his late teens.
“It went on as long as I can remember. I cannot tell you the first time that it happened. I never knew life any other way. It stopped a year or so before Leroy got married which was in 1979,” said Lehman.
Lehman said this type of sexual abuse has happened in her family for generations and that it happens in Mennonite communities far more than people realize.
“Everybody keeps it quiet. The Mennonites don’t want anybody to know it but I know of many, many situations, and the child molesters are still out walking around,” she said. “The image that the Mennonites want everybody to have of them is far from the truth. They have a lot of dark, ugly secrets that they’re hiding underneath their way of dress and religious form.”
Alice first decided to come forward with her story in 2014 and brought it to Leroy’s Mennonite Church. She said that his church in Jetersville excommunicated him but took no other action.
When she brought the accusations to the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office afterward she said that bishops in the Pilgrims Mennonite Conference told the investigator that she was a “troublemaker” and “needed to find peace” which lead to the county declining to prosecute the case in 2014.
“The Mennonites have failed me so badly. They’ll show support for Leroy, they’ll go to the ends of the earth to protect Leroy but they won’t do a thing for me. What they’ll do is try to shut me up, they don’t want any whistleblowers,” said Alice.
In her search for justice, Alice got connected with Never Stand Alone USA, an organization that supports victims of sexual abuse.
“Often we help throughout the prosecution process and even getting it to the prosecutors. For some reason, a lot of these cases tend to be overlooked or ignored, so we kind of help to get it moving and get it in action,” said Esther Smucker, President of Never Stand Alone USA.
Smucker said that unfortunately, NSA sees many sexual abuse cases that go years without being tried. She said that Alice’s situation is not uncommon.
“It’s never easy for a victim to come forward and if you are born and raised in a conservative community and are still active in that community you get a lot of backlash. Certain parts of the community will go as far as shunning the victim instead of the perpetrator,” she said.
In 2021 Alice and NSA took the case to Rockingham County Commonwealth’s Attorney Marsha Garst and resubmitted the information and evidence. Garst decided to prosecute the case in July of 2021. Leroy Lehman was arrested and charged with 10 counts of rape and 10 counts of indecent liberties with a child.
“As soon as we got Marsha’s attention things started to happen. She jumped on it immediately and has been nothing but good through it all. She has put her all into it and has been very apologetic about what happened in 2014,” said Alice Lehman.
Lehman said that the main reason she has come forward is not because of herself but to protect future generations from going through what she went through.
“I don’t want my life to end without making some sort of an effort to try to raise awareness and to make it clear to people like Leroy that you can’t do this and get away with it. I don’t care if you’re Mennonite or what you are,” she said.
At Leroy Lehman’s hearing on Tuesday, there was a plea agreement in place that would have sentenced him to five years in prison and five years of supervised probation. However, the case was continued to September 6, to confirm sentencing guidelines with the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/man-accused-sexually-abusing-sister-1970s-appears-rockingham-county-circuit-court/ | 2022-08-31T04:04:52Z |
Dukes eager to showcase program at FBS level
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The James Madison football team is preparing to play on a national stage in 2022.
The Dukes will make their FBS debut Saturday night when they host Middle Tennessee at Bridgeforth Stadium.
“I feel the buzz out there a little bit as the game is approaching,” said JMU head coach Curt Cignetti.
While the transition to the highest level of college football is not easy, JMU has a program built on sustained success at the FCS level. The Dukes won 12 games or more four times since 2016, appeared in the FCS Playoffs each season from 2014 to 2021, won an FCS national title in 2016, and finished as FCS national runner-up in 2017 and 2019. James Madison also won an NCAA Division I-AA national title in 2004.
“I think it’s really a good opportunity for us to showcase, not only for us, but all the other programs in the FCS how good the competition level was,” said JMU redshirt senior defensive lineman Isaac Ukwu. “And how good we really are in the grand scheme of college football.”
Graduate running back Percy Agyei-Obese added: “This allows us to really show everyone JMU football and it shows everyone that we’ve been able to play at this stage. We’ve had the talent to play at this stage.”
Saturday’s game between Middle Tennessee and James Madison is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff. It will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/dukes-eager-showcase-program-fbs-level/ | 2022-08-31T04:17:30Z |
Former Sunday school teacher to spend at least 87 years in prison for sexually assaulting children
Published: Aug. 30, 2022 at 10:37 PM EDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
DURHAM, N.C. (CNN) - A former Sunday school teacher will spend decades in a North Carolina prison for sexually assaulting children.
On Monday, Jonathan Young was sentenced to a minimum of 87 years in prison.
The 38-year-old was convicted of multiple counts of rape, sexual offense and indecent liberties with children.
Prosecutors said Young assaulted at least three children at a church in the Benson area between 2003 and 2014. The youngest victim was 7 years old.
The church’s pastor said the sheriff’s office first told him about the allegations in 2014, but no charges were filed at that time.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/former-sunday-school-teacher-spend-least-87-years-prison-sexually-assaulting-children/ | 2022-08-31T04:17:32Z |
H.S. Volleyball Scoreboard: Tuesday, August 30
Published: Aug. 30, 2022 at 10:43 PM EDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - High school volleyball highlights and scores from Tuesday, August 30.
H.S. Volleyball Scoreboard - Tuesday, August 30
Spotswood 3, East Rockingham 0
Turner Ashby 3, Staunton 0
Broadway 3, Eastern Mennonite 1
Millbrook 3, Harrisonburg 0
Wilson Memorial 3, Monticello 1
Sherando 3, Central 0
Warren County 3, Strasburg 1
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/hs-volleyball-scoreboard-tuesday-august-30/ | 2022-08-31T04:17:41Z |
BCM Hires Christy Ross as Senior Vice President of Grants
NEW ORLEANS – Baptist Community Ministries, a faith-based private foundation providing philanthropic services and promoting health and well-being in greater New Orleans, has announced the hiring of Christy Ross as senior vice president of grants.
Ross will guide the development, implementation, evaluation and improvement of evidence- based policies and practices supported by BCM grant funds. Successful implementation of the grants will help close the achievement gap, improve health outcomes, reduce crime, and scale programs in underserved neighborhoods. Ross will further BCM’s mission of creating a healthy community that produces a state of positive physical, mental, spiritual, and social well-being.
“Christy’s understanding of the systemic barriers our children, families, and community face are reflected in her extensive service to people living in the Greater New Orleans region,” said Inman J. Houston, president and CEO of BCM. “We are thrilled to have Christy rejoin the BCM team, and I am looking forward to working with her to carry out our mission.”
Ross previously worked at BCM for six years, first as the health grants program director and then as senior vice president of grants. Ross has also served in various leadership roles at the NAACP, Louisiana Public Health Institute, Metropolitan Human Services District, AAAneurysm Outreach, and Xavier University of Louisiana.
Ross will be rejoining the BCM team on Sept. 22. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/bcm-hires-christy-ross-as-senior-vice-president-of-grants/ | 2022-08-31T05:11:07Z |
Danos Wins Contract with Italian Energy Company
GRAY, La. – Oilfield services provider Danos has won a contract with Italian energy company Eni to support brownfield repairs and routine maintenance to Gulf of Mexico platforms. The three-year contract will use Danos’ fabrication, construction and scaffolding service lines.
“For 75 years, Danos has been solving customer challenges by providing energy services. We’re pleased that Eni selected our team to execute this important project. We remain committed to delivering safe, superior service for our offshore and onshore customers,” said company CEO Paul Danos.
In June, Danos began in-house fabrication for skids and subsea skids to be sent to the customer’s Alleghany platform, located in the Gulf 260 kilometers south of New Orleans.
With operations across the U.S. and Gulf of Mexico, Danos has nearly 2,500 employees. In addition to construction, fabrication and scaffolding, Danos service offerings include automation, coatings, instrumentation and electrical, intelligent integrated materials solutions, mechanical maintenance, power generation, production workforce, project management, regulatory and compliance, rope access, shorebase and logistics, and valve and wellhead services. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/danos-contract-with-italian-energy-company/ | 2022-08-31T05:11:13Z |
Episode 116: A Chat with Dr. Avis Williams, the New Superintendent of NOLA Public Schools
On July 11, Dr. Avis Williams became the first woman in the 181-year history of NOLA Public Schools to serve as its permanent superintendent. In this week’s podcast, she shares her vision for the future, including a few things she did as superintendent in Selma, Alabama, that she feels may work to strengthen schools in New Orleans.
about
In March 2022, Dr. Avis Williams was selected to serve as superintendent of the Nola Public Schools. She is the first woman to be permanently appointed to this role. Her core values are equity, excellence and joy and she is known for her ability to drive innovation while improving organizational culture and climate.
An award-winning educator and sought-after speaker, she is a native of Salisbury, North Carolina. A product of poverty, Williams dreamed of being a teacher from an early age. As a first generation four-year college student, she followed the path of her older siblings and joined the Army right after high school. Before becoming an educator, Williams owned a fitness center and worked as a personal trainer. She was a popular local personality on T.V. and radio promoting fitness and wellness.
Prior to her historic appointment to lead Nola Public Schools, Dr. Williams served as superintendent of Historic Selma City Schools in Selma, AL for five years. When Williams was hired to lead Selma City Schools, the district was in state intervention. Under her leadership, the district was released from intervention and is now recognized as the only district in the state to achieve the Tier II Performance Excellence Award based on the Baldrige Framework. Through robust strategic planning and community engagement, academic and cultural outcomes improved significantly.
Her awards include the Marbury Technology Innovation Award by the AL State Department of Education in 2011 as a principal and in 2019 as superintendent, the 2020 AL Black School Educators Superintendent of the Year, a 2019 finalist for Alabama State Superintendent of the Year, and one of two 2022 superintendent finalists for AASA’s Women in School Leadership Award. The University of Alabama selected her for the 2021 Harold L. Bishop Alumni Award of Leaders and the National School Public Relations Association identified her as one of the 2022 Superintendents to Watch for her dynamic leadership with strong communication at its core. With a heart to serve, Dr. Avis Williams is an optimistic, strategic, visionary leader determined to provide a high-quality education to all scholars in her charge. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/episode-116-a-chat-with-dr-avis-williams-the-new-superintendent-of-nola-public-schools/ | 2022-08-31T05:11:19Z |
M.S. Rau Named ‘America’s Coolest Jewelry Store’
NEW ORLEANS – M.S. Rau has been named “America’s coolest jewelry store” by Instore, a magazine focused on North American jewelry retailers. The New Orleans-based business took first place in the “big cool” division for stores with six employees or more.
More than 80 stores took part in the 21st annual contest that highlights the best examples of independent jewelry retailers in North America.
“Every year, we feel privileged to bring our readers the best of the best in our industry,” said Trace Shelton, Instore’s editor-in-chief, in a press release. “From the unique provenance of its jewels to its museum-quality exhibitions to the staff’s use of technology to streamline the shopping process for clients, M.S. Rau certainly qualifies. But a store wouldn’t really fit our ‘cool’ criteria if it weren’t for such aspects as innovative marketing, creative retail environment and a unique work culture.”
Stores are judged in exterior appearance, interior appearance, store biography, marketing, web presence and overall individuality. The top three winners in two divisions are featured in the September issue of Instore and at instoremag.com.
Founded in 1912, M.S. Rau is a fine art, antiques and jewelry gallery located in a recently renovated space on Royal Street. Third- and fourth-generation owners Bill and Rebecca Rau find items from around the world and place them in international collections, both public and private. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/m-s-rau-named-americas-coolest-jewelry-store/ | 2022-08-31T05:11:25Z |
Ochsner Advances Precision Oncology Capabilities
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Ochsner Health, through its Precision Medicine Program, has incorporated Epic’s Orders and Results Anywhere integration with its Genomics module. Through Epic’s partnership with Tempus, which analyzes cancer cells to understand a patient’s disease at the molecular level, Ochsner physicians can now seamlessly order tests and access discrete biomarkers within the patient’s electronic health record (EHR) to offer highly personalized cancer treatment options.
“This integration greatly enriches the precision care we provide to patients with cancer,” said Marc Matrana, MD, MSc, FACP, Medical Director of Precision Medicine at Ochsner Health. “Through efficient, streamlined access to discrete genomics data, we can determine a patient’s unique cancer and tailor treatment for the best possible outcome.”
With the click of a button, Ochsner physicians can order a genomic test to identify a patient’s actionable genomic variants and therapeutic options, including matched clinical trials. This information flows directly into Epic, providing a single view of the patient’s genomic and clinical information.
The new integration will significantly reduce the amount of time clinicians spend ordering such tests and reviewing results, enabling them to make near real-time, data-driven decisions.
“We’ve found that these EHR integrations significantly reduce the amount of time physicians spend ordering and reviewing our clinical tests and reports, and as a result spend more time with their patients, equipped with the data needed to make informed treatment decisions,” said James L. Chen, MD, Senior Vice President of Cancer Informatics at Tempus. “We are thrilled to work with the forward-thinking team at Ochsner to apply this innovative approach in improving outcomes for their patients.”
Epic is the most widely used comprehensive health record, and Ochsner relies on it to support a single integrated system across its 47 hospitals and hundreds of clinics across the Gulf South. Clinicians at any hospital on the Epic system can view or access other EHRs, which improves clinician communication and patient care.
“Labs have traditionally sent genetic testing results to providers in PDFs that look nice but don’t power precision medicine at the point of care,” said Alan Hutchison, Vice President at Epic. “The discrete genomic results that Tempus sends back to Ochsner flow directly to patients’ charts where they’re actionable, not trapped in a PDF report.”
For more than 70 years, Ochsner has been dedicated to cancer research and new cancer treatment development, bringing innovations to the fight against cancer with more clinical trials than anywhere else in the region. With a holistic, patient centric approach, Ochsner provides comprehensive care to patients from diagnosis through recovery, including for the most complex and difficult to treat cancers.
“Using discrete actionable data to create patient insights is one of Ochsner Information Services’ guiding principles and this technology will allow us to bring results to our providers in an actionable format to quickly make an impact on patient care. This is another example of how we prioritize ‘patients first’ initiatives,” said Amy Trainor, VP of Clinical Systems, Ochsner Health. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/ochsner-advances-precision-oncology-capabilities/ | 2022-08-31T05:11:31Z |
Ochsner Expands Scholarships for Loyola Accelerated Nursing Degree
NEW ORLEANS – From Ochsner Health:
Ochsner is calling on Louisiana residents who want to pivot their careers and help fill the nursing shortage in local communities. The health system has announced tuition assistance for at least 10 applicants to Loyola University of New Orleans’ new accelerated Bachelor of Science in nursing program for this spring. The degree program is enrolling now for the spring 2023 academic term, with a deadline of Dec. 1.
As a partner to Loyola’s pre-licensure Bachelor of Nursing program, Ochsner’s commitment to Loyola’s ABSN program marks an expansion of its flagship Ochsner Scholars initiative. Ochsner Scholars encompasses tuition assistance programs for aspiring nurses, allied health workers and physicians who pledge to serve as employees at Ochsner Health following education at an accredited school.
Ochsner continues to invest in Healthy State by 2030, a collaborative plan to lift Louisiana off the bottom of health rankings, as the system is committed to growing the state’s pipeline of nursing and allied health professionals. Partnerships with universities like Loyola and Ochsner’s tuition assistance programs are critical to the collaborative, 10-year vision of transforming Louisiana into a healthier state by the year 2030. As more seasoned nurses depart local hospitals and clinics, Ochsner Nurse Scholars and similar tuition assistance programs offer tangible solutions to growing the nursing workforce in Louisiana. Ochsner and partners are also committed to helping more residents invest in their careers and financial stability.
“To reach our goals of a healthier state we must leverage the human capital of our region and invest in our communities,” said Leonardo Seoane, chief academic officer, Ochsner Health. “We are proud of this deepening partnership with Loyola University, and we are excited about our ability to impact more lives by joining together to make our healthcare system and workforce opportunities better and stronger.”
The Ochsner Nurse Scholars program for Loyola is one of many investments that support a series of tuition programs for aspiring nurses. Collectively, they are projected to positively impact more than 3,000 students within the first five years.
Loyola’s ABSN is a full-time, hybrid program completed in just 17 months, with a mix of synchronous online learning and guaranteed in-person clinical placements at partner facilities. The program is ideal for recent graduates with a background in public health or biology, but it’s also accessible to graduates with a bachelor’s degree or higher from any educational background who are interested in nursing and complete the necessary prerequisites.
The new ABSN program builds on the existing pre-licensure BSN program Loyola that opened enrollment last year in partnership with Ochsner.
“What is already a critical nursing shortage is only predicted to worsen over the next few years, particularly in the southern region,” said Michelle “Shelli” Collins, dean of Loyola’s College of Nursing and Health. “Loyola University New Orleans College of Nursing and Health is poised to be part of the solution. The ABSN program enables those fresh from their undergraduate degrees, as well as post-traditional students, to enter the nursing field efficiently and economically, which helps them personally, while helping to address the nursing shortage most expediently.”
Healthcare workforce challenges have grown in recent years, with increasing numbers of nurses, physicians and healthcare professionals retiring or leaving the industry. The U.S. Bureau of Labor projects more than 1.1 million new nurses will be needed by 2030. Five- and 10-year projections for other roles, including physicians, medical assistance and home health aides are equally critical. The country faces a projected shortage of 3.2 healthcare workers and 124,000 physicians in the coming years.
Interested applicants can learn more about the ABSN program and its qualifications by clicking here.
Applicants can learn more and apply to the Ochsner Scholars program here.
To apply for tuition support and to learn more, visit here. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/ochsner-expands-scholarships-for-loyola-accelerated-nursing-degree/ | 2022-08-31T05:11:38Z |
Parish Coffee Announces ‘Beans for Bucks’ Fundraising Campaign
NEW ORLEANS — Parish Coffee has launched its “Beans for Bucks” school fundraiser. Any school in Louisiana can sign up to raise funds during the month of October. Purchasers will get 5% off their order of select Parish Coffees with their school code, and 5% of their order value will be donated to the school of their choosing. The school that raises the most money by the end of the month will win an additional $500.
Registration is open now and closes on Sept. 23.
“Education is so important and we’re excited to help Louisiana schools raise money for their kids,” said Parish CEO Bob Arceneaux. “We all rely on coffee to get us through the morning school run, and know that our Beans for Bucks fundraiser can help parents get their daily coffee while raising money to benefit their children.” | https://www.bizneworleans.com/parish-coffee-announces-beans-for-bucks-fundraising-campaign/ | 2022-08-31T05:11:44Z |
SBEDF Donates $10,000 to Arabi Businesses for Tornado Relief
CHALMETTE, La. – From the St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation:
SBEDF donated $10,000 to businesses in Arabi that were affected by the tornado that left a trail of destruction on March 22. With the help and collaboration of community leaders, SBEDF was able to secure a grant from the Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF) to help these businesses in the aftermath of the storm.
“It was clear that we had a duty to fulfill in helping connect businesses and community members to necessary resources in the hours following the devastating event,” said SBEDF Chief Executive Officer Meaghan McCormack. “St. Bernard Parish is undoubtedly a resilient community and its members came together without hesitation to help their neighbors in Arabi pick up the pieces.”
Many businesses that sustained damages due to the tornado have been able to start the rebuilding process, although the road to recovery is not an easy one. In some instances, entire buildings were demolished leaving business owners like Kirk Myers of Harrington & Myers no choice but to start over from ground zero. “We really appreciate the support from SBEDF,” said Myers. “It has been difficult since the tornado, but the support from St. Bernard officials and residents has been amazing. We will use the money in our ongoing rebuilding of our law office. Although our office was completely destroyed by the tornado, we think the new office will be even better than the last one!”
Each of the following businesses received $1,000 each toward their rebuilding efforts.
- Andre Neff & Associates
- Arabi Food Store
- Bayou Barbell
- Breathing Waters
- Discount Food Mart
- Harrington & Myers
- Nice Plants, Good Pots
- Old Arabi Marketplace
- The Gathering
- The Kitchen Table Cafe
There is still a long road ahead, but the hope of SBEDF is that the additional boost will help to alleviate and offset some of the losses experienced as a result of the storm.
“Receiving support from SBEDF is critical in helping us financially recover from the tornado,” said Donna Cavato, owner of the Kitchen Table Café. “Funds will be used to help cover significant food and revenue losses, and replacement of equipment.”
St. Bernard Parish officials are still working with several organizations to provide assistance to both businesses and residents affected by the tornado. Visit https://www.sbpg.net/353/Tornado-Response-Information to learn more. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/sbedf-donates-10000-to-arabi-businesses-for-tornado-relief/ | 2022-08-31T05:11:50Z |
HONOLULU (KITV)- After a 25 days at sea the Ocean Voyages Institute's clean-up ship is back. It's goal is to make ocean waters cleaner and its most recent mission was to clean the eastern part of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
This time the ship has brought back more than 50 tons of garbage. Things like these crates right here were out in the middle of the ocean. Needing to be cleaned up. And there's a variety of things out there.
“We found boats. You know there were a lot of boats put into our ocean by tsunami. And the boats are still out there, many of them,” said OVI Founder and Executive Director Mary Crowley.
Ocean Voyages Institute ship is coming back from it's fifth trip to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch which is the area in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and San Francisco.
The crew gets help from other boaters. “The ocean has a way of sorting things. So you know we put out GPS satellite trackers that boats clip to nets for us. So we're able to go where one net of trash is and find others,” said Crowley.
The 50 tons brought back is just a part of what they've found. One crew member tells KITV4 it looks like an iceberg of trash, that's part of the patch. What's beneath the waves is worse than what's on top.
The organization says the amount of trash is the same or worse than last year. OVI says now is the time to conserve and clean-up. And not to wait. “For sixty years people have been dumping plastics in the ocean. And that means we have a lot of work left to do cleaning it up,” said Crowley.
This has the organization looking toward the future, with an eye on expansion. “We're planning to add 2 more ships. Then gradually help people in other parts of the world get ships,” said Crowley.
The operation is now set to go to the Marshall Islands next to clean up that area. They will be back here next summer.
Jefferson Tyler joined KITV after a lengthy stint in Reno, Nev. where he covered a variety of subjects. From wildfires to presidential elections, Jefferson takes pride in creating balanced stories that keep viewers’ attentions. | https://www.kitv.com/news/business/clean-up-ship-picks-up-50-tons-of-trash-out-of-pacific-ocean/article_9d38d4f4-28e4-11ed-9bc7-d72b7f9f4459.html | 2022-08-31T05:23:11Z |
HONOLULU (KITV4) - Core Logic release a report that predicts some homes in Honolulu have a very high chance of a price drop.
Hawaii state economist Eugene Tian told KITV4 this is a national trend and we will see a decrease but he believes no more than a 20% decrease in home prices.
"The housing market will go down here like it is everywhere else in the nation but Honolulu will not decrease in the magnitude the report expects. Hawaii’s market rates don’t decrease at serious rates like they do on the mainland,” said Eugene Tian.
He said this national report doesn't factor in Hawaii's unique characteristics like that Hawaii has one of the highest numbers of outside buyers in the country at 25% - as well as the state being low on inventory.
The report also said the pandemic housing boom is over and it is now the increasing mortgage rates that is causing the market to drop.
"The issue in Hawaii is we don’t have enough housing so as interest rates go up, it’ll force more people to look into homes that aren’t necessarily million dollar homes but maybe $800,00 apartments,” said Anne Perry, realtor at Compass Realty.
According to the Honolulu Board of Realtors, the median sales price for a single family home last month on Oahu was $1.1 million which is actually up by 11% compared to the same time of last year.
However, the number of sales have gone down by almost 23% - the board president believes demand is going down because of rising interest rates.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com | https://www.kitv.com/news/business/national-report-predicts-housing-prices-may-drop-in-hawaii/article_d066ce0a-28e2-11ed-9902-dfd236e3e903.html | 2022-08-31T05:23:17Z |
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- Fool me once, shame on you... An Oahu woman was arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence, not once, but twice overnight in Honolulu, according to police logs.
As if that’s not outrageous enough, the same Honolulu Police (HPD) officer who pulled her over the first time also arrested the 26-year-old woman a second time less than two hours after she bailed out for the first alleged offense.
According to HPD, Officer Steven Gomez pulled the suspect – later identified as Waiola Latronic – over just before 12:45 a.m. in the area of Palolo Avenue and Carlos Long Street.
During that traffic stop, Latronic was arrested and booked on a complaint of operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant. She was later released after posting $500 bail at 2:20 a.m., according to police logs.
Then, just after 4 a.m., Officer Gomez pulled a vehicle over on the westbound side of the H-1 Freeway, near the King Street off ramp, and found Latronic behind the wheel. During this stop, she was arrested again under suspicion of DUI.
Latronic was booked again on a complaint of operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant. She was released for the second time just before 10 a.m. after posting $1,000 bail.
This story will be updated when more information is released.
Matthew has been the digital content manager for KITV4 since September 2021. Matthew is a prolific writer, editor, and self-described "newsie" who's worked in television markets in Oklahoma, California, and Hawaii. | https://www.kitv.com/news/crime/oahu-woman-arrested-twice-for-dui-overnight-tuesday-by-same-hpd-officer/article_a7320d5a-28d4-11ed-9c18-6f4a088cf573.html | 2022-08-31T05:23:23Z |
When James and Nataliya Peck's teenager had a mental health crisis last November, they say the 13-year-old had to stay in the emergency room for more than a week because of a shortage of therapists at Kaiser Permanente.
"For a medical institution that's as big as Kaiser to have or to seemingly not care enough for the psychiatric side to not be available for those that need it, that's the scary part," said James Peck. "These kind of conditions are life threatening ... They literally can end their life, they do self harm, they need a doctor," added Nataliya Peck.
A labor dispute involving some 60 psychologists, social workers and counselors at Kaiser is potentially putting struggling patients at risk.
Some patients say their appointments were canceled in recent months because of the shortage, which has only gotten worse by a strike that started yesterday.
Nataliya Peck saw her therapist for anxiety and depression last week, but says he doesn't know the next time he'll be able to treat her because of the ongoing strike.
"So I have to be like extra vigilant and it is concerning for me if I have a bad day that I cannot call my therapist," she said. "Now I have no access to that kind of care. And for me, that's crucial."
The National Union of Healthcare Workers, representing the Kaiser employees, is striking over understaffing and wages.
It says Kaiser is cancelling hundreds of appointments without arranging for alternative care with other providers.
Workers say the disruption is hurting this already vulnerable population.
"We're seeing an uptick in patients that actually show up in the emergency room where they've attempted suicide, or they're thinking about suicide, they've harm themselves in other ways," said Kaiser social worker Andrea Kumura.
A Kaiser spokeswoman says the company does have plans to ensure members continue to receive services.
But the union filed a complaint with the state Insurance Division alleging Kaiser is violating rules that require health insurers have enough providers to care for members.
"It is a life-and-death situation for some of our patients," Kumura said.
The Insurance Division told KITV-4 it will investigate the matter.
For now, Kaiser's apologizing for any inconvenience caused by the strike and says it will be sure to reschedule appointments for affected patients.
Kristen joined KITV4 in March 2021 after working for the past two decades as a newspaper reporter. Kristen's goal is to produce meaningful journalism that educates, enlightens and inspires to affect positive change in society. | https://www.kitv.com/news/labor-dispute-disrupts-mental-health-care-at-kaiser-permanente-hawaii/article_5c07f952-28e3-11ed-9ea5-e743b2206326.html | 2022-08-31T05:23:29Z |
At Sacred Hearts Academy, the innovation center plus its science, technology, engineering and math programs are inspiring the young to reach for the stars, especially for students like Ivy Tsukayama who is in the 5th grade.
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- NASA is getting ready to kick off an exciting new era of space exploration by launching its first mission in the Artemis program.
Artemis 1 aims to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972.
In Hawaii, KITV4 interviewed a 10-year-old Sacred Heart Academy student who is aiming to be an astronaut.
At Sacred Hearts Academy, the Innovation Center, plus its science, technology, engineering and math programs are inspiring the young to reach for the stars -- literally.
“I want to be a model for people to look up to,” says 5th grader Ivy Tsukayama who is an aspiring astronaut. "Other girls, I want them to be able to look up and say that’s possible. I can do it. I want to make a difference. And show new information to the world.”
So why does Ivy want to be an astronaut?
"We can do so much with everything we find in space. It’s not just finding new areas to live on, but finding things we can take from space and use it to our advantage."
And she has a lesson for all of us on earth.
“Right now, earth is not at the best state, so if we can go to another planet, it could be life-saving. If everyone does their part, we slowly but surely make the world a better place. “
And this Hawaii Kai’s girl’s advice for other young people. “Just try your best to make the world a better place, and then we are going to make it a better place. “
The next launch window for Artemis 1 is on September 2, 2022.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to Cyip@kitv.com
Cynthia is an award-winning journalist who returned to Hawaii as an Anchor/Reporter/MMJ from Houston. She is a graduate of the University of Hawaii with a B.A. and M.B.A. DM her on IG @CynthiaYipTV to share stories. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/sacred-hearts-academy-5th-grader-aspires-to-be-an-astronaut/article_c16aa89a-28e7-11ed-bb21-d7f47a84a5cd.html | 2022-08-31T05:23:35Z |
On average, 71% of Americans check their phones in the first 10 minutes of waking up in the morning. And forget taking a break while you run errands—3 in 4 Americans say they feel uneasy leaving their phones at home. And that’s just phones. Between computers, watches, tablets, and more, we’re constantly bombarded with videos, photos, and other content that demands our attention.
Addicted to your phone? One consumer website is looking for applicants who can give up all technology for 24 hours -- and will provide a hefty cash reward as incentive.
Reviews.org, a site focused on comparing tech products and services, is launching their "Digital Detox Challenge" for the second year.
With so many experiencing technology and screen fatigue, they want to hear from those who are able to successfully complete the challenge.
While it might seem simple, their research shows that on average, Americans spend over 6 hours on their cell phones -- with many checking their phones at least 5 times per hour.
Those who can give up all technology, including smartphones, TV and movie watching, laptop and desktop use, gaming, and smart home devices, the nonprofit will give away $2,400.
But there's a catch: you have to submit proof of the detox...through your phone's confirmation after the 24 hours is complete.
Those who are selected will receive a safe to store their phone and other technology, and a $250 gift card, which can be used to purchase detox-friendly items like: a typewriter, instead of a computer; board games, stationery for writing the old-fashioned way, and books.
After the challenge, Reviews.org will ask participants to share how their detox went -- and if the detox will change their tech consumption in the future.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
Kathryn spent the last decade in the Bay Area working in nonprofits, education, and communications consulting. She has a B.A. in English from St. Mary's College of CA and an M.A. in Public Affairs and Politics from the University of San Francisco. | https://www.kitv.com/news/national/consumer-websites-digital-detox-challenge-will-pay-over-2-000-to-avoid-all-tech-for/article_26575608-28d0-11ed-b4a3-6709bd19b98f.html | 2022-08-31T05:23:41Z |
The Honolulu Little League team won the World Championship by outscoring the competition, 60 to 5.
That title also came with another sizeable number: The cost for families to be a part of their run to the title.
Many say winning the World Series Championship is a priceless experience, but there is a price.
And it is one that some families will be paying off -- for quite some time.
Long before the players took the field in Williamsport for the Little League World Series, parents have been paying for their son's experiences.
"The money starts from day 1. Baseball is an expensive sport," said Gina Tomas, the parent of Honolulu Little League player.
Those expenses shot up once the boys from Honolulu qualified for the state tournament.
"We were living on the road for a month. As state this year was on Kauai, so you had to travel," added Tomas.
Just as the team worked together on the field, families worked together off the field - to make it more affordable for everyone.
That included sharing accommodations, for some, and plenty of meals together.
"The biggest expense besides airfare was food cost, but a lot of us tried to keep costs down by cooking," stated Tomas.
As the team tallied up impressive numbers throughout the tournament, the bill for families being a part of the experience also added up.
"It is easily over $20,000, from the time we left Honolulu to San Bernardino - then you go to Williamsport," said Honolulu Little League coach Gerald Oda.
But having those friendly faces in the stands and family firmly behind them, made a difference to the players.
"It means a lot, having all the support," said Honolulu Little League player Brennan Tomas.
Even thought there was a high financial cost for Hawaii families, it did not tarnish the golden moments for players and their proud parents.
"No matter the cost, as parents they know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for their sons," said Oda.
"It was a priceless experience. When you are there you don't think of the finances, you are just there to support the families," said Charles Tomas.
"This was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and totally worth it. But we'll be working extra to pay off credit card debt for a while," added his wife Gina.
The team will get a little help with those costs. Just like they did for the 2018 Little League World Series Champions, Aloha Revolution is offering a t-shirt in the champions colors, with 100% of the proceeds from the sale going towards the team and their travel expenses
The little leaguers have also held fundraisers to offset the costs and so far, more than $11,000 has been donated to a Go Fund Me account in their name.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com | https://www.kitv.com/the-cost-for-a-little-league-world-series-championship/article_bbbfe054-28e2-11ed-bc82-234e2f28968e.html | 2022-08-31T05:23:47Z |
Updated August 29, 2022 at 10:40 AM ET
RIO DE JANEIRO — Before about 500 worshippers at an evangelical Christian church in a working-class Rio neighborhood, Pastor Abner Ferreira works himself into a frenzy describing the power of God to save souls.
But he's just as fervent about politics.
During the nearly three-hour service, Ferreira praises Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and displays photos of himself alongside the right-wing leader on a giant screen displayed behind the altar.
Later, in an interview with NPR, he says evangelicals are drawn to Bolsonaro because he promotes conservative family values and opposes abortion and same-sex marriage.
With the president seeking another four-year term in the Oct. 2 election, Ferreira predicts: "I am sure that evangelicals will vote massively for Bolsonaro."
Bolsonaro is relying on their support to pull off an upset. He trails his main opponent in the race, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in all of the polls, mainly due to Brazil's stagnant economy.
In the last election, evangelicals, who now make up nearly one-third of the Brazilian population, demonstrated their clout. Nearly 70% of them favored Bolsonaro ahead of the 2018 presidential election runoff, helping him score an easy victory, according to the Brazilian polling firm Datafolha.
Nearly one-fourth of Brazil's Congress is made up of evangelicals, while Bolsonaro has named them to his Cabinet. In December, he appointed the first-ever evangelical pastor, André Mendonça, to the Supreme Court. Upon the announcement, first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, a fervent evangelical, was ecstatic, jumping up and down shouting "Hallelujah!"
It's a huge change for Brazil, which has long been the world's largest Roman Catholic country. For a time in the 1800s, Catholicism was its official religion while other denominations were not allowed to open churches, says Juliano Spyer, a Brazilian anthropologist who studies the evangelical movement.
Evangelicals — conservative Protestants who, in general, believe the Bible is the ultimate moral authority and that lives must be transformed through a "born-again" experience — made up just a tiny fraction of the population.
But amid mass migration from the countryside to Brazilian cities that started in the 1950s, evangelical churches began sprouting up in poor urban neighborhoods.
"People were coming from all sorts of places. They were disconnected from their families. And the church became this substitution for a family," Spyer says.
He recalls doing field work in a poor settlement near the Atlantic coast city of Salvador. It had one Catholic church and 80 evangelical churches which, due to fewer internal regulations and bureaucracy, are easier to open. In impoverished areas ignored by the government, he says evangelicals have stepped in to provide everything from spiritual guidance to day care and after-school sports programs.
"If you lose your job, there is an infrastructure for you to receive help. If your kid is involved in drugs, you can find a lawyer. So it's a huge attraction to be part of that organization," he says.
Among the faith's best-known projects are drug-rehabilitation centers, like the Desafio Jovem Ebenézer facility about an hour west of Rio. There, 128 live-in patients receive religious instruction and classes in auto mechanics and other technical training as they recover from addictions to cocaine, heroin and alcohol.
One of the supervisors, Carlos Faria, is a former drug addict who was treated here. He was living in the streets of São Paulo when evangelical pastors invited him into a church. Soon afterward, he was admitted to the rehab center where, Faria says, through the help of God, he kicked his cocaine addiction.
"I was going through some very hard times," Faria says as he walks around the grounds of the treatment center. "But I found refuge in Jesus Christ."
Evangelicals now make up 31% of Brazil's population, according to a 2020 survey by Datafolha. They're still outnumbered by Catholics, who make up about 51%, according to the survey, but evangelicals are growing at a much faster clip.
Looking ahead, José Eustaquio Alves, a demographer formerly with the government's Institute of Geography and Statistics, told the Infobae news service that evangelicals would match the Catholic population by 2032.
"In 10 years, Brazil will cease to be a Catholic country," Fabio Zanini, a columnist for Folha de S.Paulo newspaper who covered the rise of Bolsonaro and the religious right, told NPR.
However, not all evangelicals are conservatives. Many are poor, single mothers, and of African descent, and have often voted for left-wing political candidates due to their economic proposals, says Anna Virginia Balloussier, a Brazilian journalist who is writing a book about the country's evangelical movement.
Lula, as the former leftist president is known, is Catholic but he is also trying to woo evangelical voters, who analysts say are often more politically active.
"The evangelical community is more engaged in everything they do. And so it's easier to mobilize people in evangelical churches right now," Balloussier told NPR.
Bolsonaro is working hard to prevent evangelicals from defecting to Lula. At a meeting with evangelical pastors last month, Bolsonaro declared that real Christians don't vote for left-wing candidates. At another encounter in May, he told pastors that God entrusted in him a hard mission — the mission of leading Brazil.
The pastors responded with a standing ovation for Bolsonaro — and then by praying for him.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/why-brazils-bolsonaro-is-courting-evangelicals-in-the-worlds-biggest-catholic-nation | 2022-08-31T05:33:12Z |
Life expectancy in the U.S. fell in 2021, for the second year in a row.
In 2019, someone born in the U.S. had a life expectancy of nearly 80 years. In 202o, because of the pandemic, that dropped to 77 years. In 2021 life-span dropped again — to 76.1 years. And for some Americans, life expectancy is even lower, according to a provisional analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The results of this study are very disturbing," says Dr. Steven Woolf, a professor of population health and health equity at Virginia Commonwealth University. "This shows that U.S. life expectancy in 2021 was even lower than in 2020," he says.
Other high-income countries have seen a rebound in life expectancy, which Woolf says makes the U.S. results, "all the more tragic."
One of the most dramatic drops in life expectancy in 2021 was among American Indian and Alaskan Native people. Between 2020 and 2021 the life expectancy for this group fell by almost two years, from 67.1 in 2020 to 65.2 in 2021.
"That's horrific," Woolf says. "The losses in the Native American population have been terrible during the COVID-19 pandemic. And it reflects a lot of barriers that tribal communities face in getting access to care," he says.
White Americans also saw a larger decrease in life expectancy in 2021 than Black and Hispanic Americans. This was the reverse of what happened in 2020 when Hispanic Americans saw a 4 year decline and Black Americans saw a 3 year drop. Life expectancy for white Americans declined by a year in 2021 to 76.4. Black Americans saw a 0.7 year decline to 70.8 years, Hispanic Americans saw a 0.2 year decline to 77.7 years. Asian Americans saw a 0.1 year decline to 83.5 years.
Woolf says the greater drop in life expectancy for white Americans could reflect attitudes in some parts of the country to vaccines and pandemic control measures. The U.S. health care system is fragmented he points out — public health is determined by the states, which means there were 50 different pandemic response plans. The states which were more relaxed about COVID restrictions and have lower vaccination rates saw higher excess deaths during the delta and omicron surges than states which had more aggressive vaccination campaigns, masking and other mitigation requirements.
Death rates from COVID-19 in counties that went heavily for Donald Trump saw higher death rates than counties that favored President Biden, according to an NPR analysis.
Injuries, heart disease, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis and suicide also contributed to the life expectancy decline. Increases in unintentional injuries in 2021 were largely driven by drug overdose deaths which increased during the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has in effect wiped out the health gains that the U.S. has made in the 20th century, says John Haaga, a member of Maryland's Commission on Aging. "To have this second year of crash basically wiping out the meager gains made during the century is really pretty shocking," he says.
The U.S. has been lagging for years in making improvements in things like heart disease — the countries number one killer — and the life expectancy gap between the U.S. and other countries has been growing for decades, Haaga says.
"A lot of much poorer countries do much better than us in life expectancy," he says. "It's not genetics, it's that we have been falling behind for 50 years."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-30/life-expectancy-in-the-u-s-continues-to-drop-driven-by-covid-19 | 2022-08-31T05:47:35Z |
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Tuesday it had uncovered efforts to obstruct its investigation into the discovery of classified documents at Donald Trump's Florida estate, saying "government records were likely concealed and removed" from a storage room even after the former president's representatives had assured officials that they'd thoroughly searched the property.
The FBI also seized 33 boxes containing more than 100 classified records during its Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and found three classified documents stashed in office drawers, according to a filing that lays out the most detailed chronology to date of stained interactions between Justice Department officials and Trump representatives over the discovery of government secrets.
Tuesday night's filing included a photo showing the cover pages of a smattering of paperclip-bound classified documents — some marked as "TOP SECRET//SCI" with bright yellow borders, and one marked as "SECRET//SCI" with a rust-colored border — along with whited-out pages, splayed out on a carpet at Mar-a-Lago. Beside them sits a cardboard box filled with gold-framed pictures, including a Time Magazine cover.
The filing offers yet another indication of the sheer volume of classified records retrieved from Mar-a-Lago. It shows how investigators conducting a criminal probe have focused not just on why the records were improperly stored there, but also on the question of whether the Trump team intentionally misled them about the continued, and unlawful, presence of government secrets.
The document sheds new details on the events of this past May and June, when FBI and Justice Department officials issued a subpoena for the missing records and then visited a storage room at Mar-a-Lago that contained top-secret documents and other information.
During that June visit, the document says, Trump's lawyers told investigators that all the records that had come from the White House were stored in one location — a Mar-a-Lago storage room — and that "there were no other records stored in any private office space or other location at the Premises and that all available boxes were searched."
After that, though, the Justice Department "developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the Storage Room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government's investigation."
In their search earlier this month, agents found classified documents both in the storage room as well as in the former president's office, including three classified documents found not in boxes, but in office desks.
The filing responds to a request from the Trump legal team for a special master to review the documents seized during the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is set to hear arguments on the matter.
Trump's lawyers last week asked for the appointment of a special master who'd be tasked with reviewing the records taken and setting aside documents protected by claims of legal privilege. Cannon on Saturday said it was her "preliminary intent" to appoint such a person but also gave the Justice Department an opportunity to respond.
On Monday, the department said it had already completed its review of potentially privileged documents and identified a "limited set of materials that potentially contain attorney-client privileged information."
In a separate development, the Trump legal team has grown with the addition of another attorney. Chris Kise, Florida's former solicitor general, has joined the team of lawyers representing Trump, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss the move by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Kise did not return messages seeking comment.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-30/trump-team-may-have-hidden-or-moved-classified-material-doj-says | 2022-08-31T05:47:41Z |
SD high school student told to cut hair or find a new school
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KSFY) - A 14-year-old boy in South Dakota will transfer high schools at the end of the semester after he was given the ultimatum to cut his hair or find a new school.
Braxton Schafer, 14, is a freshman at O’Gorman High School, a Catholic school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was told he needed to cut his hair to comply with the school dress code or find a new school.
His parents say the timing of the decision was unfair, KSFY reports.
“He’s had one haircut his entire life, so cutting his hair would be significant,” said Braxton’s father, Derrick Schafer.
The O’Gorman dress code’s hair policy states that boys must keep hair length “above the eyes and not touching the collar.”
“People enroll in our Catholic schools, then they know what we stand for, and they know what we are representing and the structure and environment that we will create for their family,” said Kyle Groos, president of Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools.
At an open house on Aug. 24th, the high school’s assistant principal spoke with Braxton’s parents about the teen’s hair. Since then, they’ve met with other administrators.
“We were open to a lot of different compromises. The only one was just not cutting his hair,” Derrick Schafer said.
During his time at O’Gorman Junior High School, Braxton said he hadn’t received any complaints about his hair from staff. That changed after he transitioned to high school.
“There’s some communication that was broken down that was not corrected and needs to be corrected. That’s what probably has us in the situation that we’re talking about right now,” Groos said.
Braxton is an active member of the school band and played his first football game Thursday. His mom, Toni Schafer, spoke with the South Dakota High School Activity Association the next day.
“Since he’s practiced and had a game, he would not be able to transfer into another school and continue with the activity,” she said.
“He just wants to go to school. He just wants to play football. He wants to be in marching band. He wants to hang out with the kids,” Derrick Schafer said.
After extensive conversations, the school decided to let Braxton finish out the semester without cutting his hair, but after that, he will transfer to a different school.
“We’re sitting here talking about haircuts when I’m sending him there for an education, and we’re getting booted because we have long hair,” Toni Schafer said.
Copyright 2022 KSFY via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/sd-high-school-student-told-cut-hair-or-find-new-school/ | 2022-08-31T05:51:16Z |
SD high school student told to cut hair or find a new school
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KSFY) - A 14-year-old boy in South Dakota will transfer high schools at the end of the semester after he was given the ultimatum to cut his hair or find a new school.
Braxton Schafer, 14, is a freshman at O’Gorman High School, a Catholic school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was told he needed to cut his hair to comply with the school dress code or find a new school.
His parents say the timing of the decision was unfair, KSFY reports.
“He’s had one haircut his entire life, so cutting his hair would be significant,” said Braxton’s father, Derrick Schafer.
The O’Gorman dress code’s hair policy states that boys must keep hair length “above the eyes and not touching the collar.”
“People enroll in our Catholic schools, then they know what we stand for, and they know what we are representing and the structure and environment that we will create for their family,” said Kyle Groos, president of Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools.
At an open house on Aug. 24th, the high school’s assistant principal spoke with Braxton’s parents about the teen’s hair. Since then, they’ve met with other administrators.
“We were open to a lot of different compromises. The only one was just not cutting his hair,” Derrick Schafer said.
During his time at O’Gorman Junior High School, Braxton said he hadn’t received any complaints about his hair from staff. That changed after he transitioned to high school.
“There’s some communication that was broken down that was not corrected and needs to be corrected. That’s what probably has us in the situation that we’re talking about right now,” Groos said.
Braxton is an active member of the school band and played his first football game Thursday. His mom, Toni Schafer, spoke with the South Dakota High School Activity Association the next day.
“Since he’s practiced and had a game, he would not be able to transfer into another school and continue with the activity,” she said.
“He just wants to go to school. He just wants to play football. He wants to be in marching band. He wants to hang out with the kids,” Derrick Schafer said.
After extensive conversations, the school decided to let Braxton finish out the semester without cutting his hair, but after that, he will transfer to a different school.
“We’re sitting here talking about haircuts when I’m sending him there for an education, and we’re getting booted because we have long hair,” Toni Schafer said.
Copyright 2022 KSFY via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/31/sd-high-school-student-told-cut-hair-or-find-new-school/ | 2022-08-31T05:57:52Z |
U.N. monitors head to troubled Ukraine nuclear plant
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - A team of international nuclear inspectors was heading Wednesday to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant caught in the middle of the fighting in southern Ukraine amid international concern of a potential accident or radiation leak.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he hoped to establish a permanent mission in Ukraine to monitor Europe’s largest nuclear plant.
“These operations are very complex operations. We are going to a war zone. We are going to occupied territory. And this requires explicit guarantees from not only from the Russians, but also from the Republic of Ukraine,” Grossi said in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv before the monitoring the mission’s departure.
“We have been able to secure that. ... So now we are moving.”
The power plant has been occupied by Russian forces and operated by Ukrainian workers since the early days of the 6-month-old war.
It was recently cut off temporarily from the electrical grid because of fire damage, causing a blackout in the region and heightening fears of a catastrophe in a country haunted by the Chernobyl disaster.
GRAPHIC WARNING: The following video may contain disturbing content.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said Kyiv is seeking international assistance to try and demilitarize the area.
“We think that the mission should be a very important step to return (the plant) to Ukrainian government control by the end of the year,” Galushchenko told The Associated Press.
“We have information that they are now trying to hide their military presence, so they should check all of this.”
Zaporizhzhia is a vital source of energy for Ukraine and remains connected to its power grid. Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of shelling the wider region around the nuclear power plant and the risks are so severe that officials have begun distributing anti-radiation iodine tablets to nearby residents. Grossi met Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the mission that is expected to last several days. The inspectors from the IAEA, a United Nations body, were due to reach the Zaporizhzhia region, 450 kilometers (280 miles) southeast of the Ukrainian capital, later Wednesday.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/un-monitors-head-troubled-ukraine-nuclear-plant/ | 2022-08-31T07:24:40Z |
U.N. monitors head to troubled Ukraine nuclear plant
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - A team of international nuclear inspectors was heading Wednesday to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant caught in the middle of the fighting in southern Ukraine amid international concern of a potential accident or radiation leak.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he hoped to establish a permanent mission in Ukraine to monitor Europe’s largest nuclear plant.
“These operations are very complex operations. We are going to a war zone. We are going to occupied territory. And this requires explicit guarantees from not only from the Russians, but also from the Republic of Ukraine,” Grossi said in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv before the monitoring the mission’s departure.
“We have been able to secure that. ... So now we are moving.”
The power plant has been occupied by Russian forces and operated by Ukrainian workers since the early days of the 6-month-old war.
It was recently cut off temporarily from the electrical grid because of fire damage, causing a blackout in the region and heightening fears of a catastrophe in a country haunted by the Chernobyl disaster.
GRAPHIC WARNING: The following video may contain disturbing content.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said Kyiv is seeking international assistance to try and demilitarize the area.
“We think that the mission should be a very important step to return (the plant) to Ukrainian government control by the end of the year,” Galushchenko told The Associated Press.
“We have information that they are now trying to hide their military presence, so they should check all of this.”
Zaporizhzhia is a vital source of energy for Ukraine and remains connected to its power grid. Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of shelling the wider region around the nuclear power plant and the risks are so severe that officials have begun distributing anti-radiation iodine tablets to nearby residents. Grossi met Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the mission that is expected to last several days. The inspectors from the IAEA, a United Nations body, were due to reach the Zaporizhzhia region, 450 kilometers (280 miles) southeast of the Ukrainian capital, later Wednesday.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/31/un-monitors-head-troubled-ukraine-nuclear-plant/ | 2022-08-31T07:29:08Z |
WAIALUA, O'AHU (KITV4) -- An O'ahu family is picking up the pieces after their trip of a lifetime turned into a nightmare.
About a week and a half ago, the Burgoyne ohana from Waialua set off on a year-long road trip across the country.
News Anchor and Reporter
WAIALUA, O'AHU (KITV4) -- An O'ahu family is picking up the pieces after their trip of a lifetime turned into a nightmare.
About a week and a half ago, the Burgoyne ohana from Waialua set off on a year-long road trip across the country.
The purpose of the trip was to spread aloha through volunteer work and helping others along the way.
Three hours into their journey, their RV caught fire, eventually destroying all of their belongings.
"The vehicle was acting funny, so we pulled off to the side of the freeway," explained Heidi Burgoyne, who said they had just picked up the RV from a mechanic.
After noticing fire under the motor vehicle, they quickly got out before it burst into flames.
"We had everything in there for the whole year," said Burgoyne. "The kids have been whittling down their belongings to just what was important to them, what they would need for our journey, so those most important items were there with us."
According to the family, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
With just their phones and the clothes on their back, the Burgoyne's said they're grateful for the strong show of support from their family and the community back home.
Community members said they didn't think twice to step in and help, as the Burgoyne's played an instrumental part in spearheading relief efforts during the devastating Haleiwa flood event in March of last year.
"I only shared what happened with three people but it kind of just spread. People just started flooding in with kind messages, and sending us money to help replace our items that we had lost," said Burgoyne. "It was such a difficult time. It really helped us get through."
The Burgoyne's said the aloha spirit gave them hope to continue their trip, and were even able to buy a new RV from a family member.
"It was so tragic for us but now I can't look at that situation without already being just overwhelmed as well with the love that we've experienced. I think that's why we're smiling. Because we're ok. It feels so good to just be enveloped in so much love and aloha."
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
News Anchor and Reporter
Mika is the co-anchor for KITV4 Island News at 5, 6, and 10 p.m. Since joining KITV4 in 2016, Mika has also served as a multimedia journalist, weather, and traffic anchor.
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An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. | https://www.kitv.com/news/from-dream-trip-to-nightmare-oahu-family-building-back-after-losing-everything-to-rv-fire/article_705df540-28f8-11ed-bfb9-a3e7d2c97b63.html | 2022-08-31T07:46:58Z |
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John Wall, a guard for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, shared that he contemplated suicide in recent years after facing a series of emotional and physical struggles.
In early 2019, Wall underwent surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon. Additionally, his mother and grandmother died a year apart from each other, all amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's the darkest place I've ever been in," he said in an interview clip posted to Twitter on Monday. "At one point in time, I thought about committing suicide."
“I thought about committing suicide. Tearing my Achilles, my mom passing, my grandma dying a year later, in the midst of COVID. Me going to chemotherapy, sitting by my mom taking her last breaths wearing the same clothes for 3 days straight.”
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) August 29, 2022
John Wall on his last 2-3 years 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/Kr01c2lqrb
Wall said he sat with his mother in chemotherapy while she took her last breaths. He eventually enrolled in therapy.
"Looking at all that, I'm like, if I can get through this, I can get through anything in life," he said. "Everybody goes through something, you know. We all went through tough times. Nobody got it easy, but I don't think a lot of people could get through what I went through."
He added, "To me, to be back on top where I want to be and see the fans still want me to play, having the support from my hometown — just support, period — means a lot."
Wall was selected by the Washington Wizards as the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft. He spent nearly a decade of his career with the team and was a five-time NBA All-Star during that time.
He tore his Achilles tendon in 2019 and could not play for 12 months. Despite that timeline expiring amid the NBA's "bubble" season during the COVID-19 pandemic, he did not finish the season with the Wizards, and was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2020.
He did not play much during his time with the Rockets, due to a knee injury, and in 2022, he signed a two-year, $13.2 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. He is now averaging 20.6 points per game, 6.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds, according to the NBA.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/nba-star-john-wall-says-emotional-and-physical-hardships-led-him-to-consider-suicide | 2022-08-31T08:52:35Z |
Cold front drops temperatures and humidity
Plenty of sunshine for the next several days
WEDNESDAY: Sunshine to start the day and refreshing with temperatures rising into the 60s. A noticeable drop in humidity in the morning, feeling much more comfortable. Partly cloudy at times for the afternoon and still warm. A beautiful day and comfortable with highs in the low 80s. Breezy at times.
A pleasant and comfortable evening with temperatures falling into the 70s. Clear skies for the evening and overnight and crisp with overnight lows in the low to mid 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 warm. A beautiful day and very pleasant with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s and low humidity. A pleasant evening with temperatures falling into the 70s under clear skies. A beautiful and clear night, pleasant with lows in the low to mid 50s.
FRIDAY: Plenty of sunshine to start the day and mild with temperatures rising into the 60s. Turning partly cloudy. A pleasant and beautiful day. Warm with highs in the low to mid 80s. Partly cloudy for the evening and overnight with lows in the upper 50s to around 60.
SATURDAY: A few clouds around to start the day but plenty of sun and warm with temperatures quickly rising into the 70s. A slight increase in humidity. Partly cloudy and warm for the afternoon with an isolated shower, but most stay dry. Highs in the mid to upper 80s. Overnight lows in the upper 50s to low 60s.
SUNDAY: A mild start with temperatures in the 60s and more clouds than sun. Staying mostly cloudy for the day and very warm with highs in the mid 80s, slightly humid. A few showers and storms in the afternoon but not widespread. A very warm evening with temperatures still in the 80s, and overnight lows in the upper 50s to low 60s.
MONDAY: A mix of sun and clouds to start and mild with temperatures in the 60s. A few clouds around for the afternoon and very warm with highs in the mid 80s. A few showers and storms in the afternoon but not widespread. A very warm evening with temperatures in the 80s and mild overnight with 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/2022/08/31/cold-front-drops-temperatures-humidity/ | 2022-08-31T08:56:02Z |
Man in coma after stung by bees 20,000 times, family says
RIPLEY, Ohio (WXIX) - A 20-year-old man nearly lost his life getting stung thousands of times by bees after accidentally cutting into a nest while tree trimming.
Austin Bellamy remains on a ventilator in a medically induced coma at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, as of Tuesday night, WXIX reports.
The 20-year-old was up in a lemon tree trimming branches Friday morning with his grandmother, Phyllis Edwards, and his uncle, Dustin Edwards, standing below. At some point, Bellamy unknowingly cut into a bee’s nest.
“When he started cutting them, that’s when the bees came out, and he tried to anchor himself down, and he couldn’t,” Phyllis Edwards said. “He was hollering, ‘Help! Help me! Help!’ And nobody would help him.”
Bellamy’s family members watched the entire episode unfold from the ground, unable to scale the ladder because they themselves were under attack.
“I was going to try and climb the ladder to get to Austin... I seen how high he was... but I couldn’t get to him because I was surrounded in bees,” Phyllis Edwards said.
Shawna Carter, Bellamy’s mother, says she passed out when she got the phone call.
“It was just too much for me to take,” she said. “It looked like he had a black blanket on his head down to his neck, down to his arms.”
EMS called UC Air Care for Bellamy. Phyllis Edwards left for the hospital in an ambulance moments before the medical helicopter arrived to transport the 20-year-old to Corryville.
Bellamy was stung at least 20,000 times, according to an online fundraiser set up by the family. Carter says he ingested around 30 bees as well.
“So he had bees inside of him, and they suctioned bees out of him until Sunday morning,” she explained.
Carter says it was a Ripley Fire Department firefighter named Craig who saved his life.
“When I think of Craig, Craig is a life-saver,” she said. “He’s Austin’s angel. He saved Austin’s life.”
Doctors say Bellamy will make a full recovery.
“I just want to tell him that I love him and I miss him and he’s my boy,” Dustin Edwards said.
Copyright 2022 WXIX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/man-coma-after-stung-by-bees-20000-times-family-says/ | 2022-08-31T08:56:03Z |
Man in coma after stung by bees 20,000 times, family says
RIPLEY, Ohio (WXIX) - A 20-year-old man nearly lost his life getting stung thousands of times by bees after accidentally cutting into a nest while tree trimming.
Austin Bellamy remains on a ventilator in a medically induced coma at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, as of Tuesday night, WXIX reports.
The 20-year-old was up in a lemon tree trimming branches Friday morning with his grandmother, Phyllis Edwards, and his uncle, Dustin Edwards, standing below. At some point, Bellamy unknowingly cut into a bee’s nest.
“When he started cutting them, that’s when the bees came out, and he tried to anchor himself down, and he couldn’t,” Phyllis Edwards said. “He was hollering, ‘Help! Help me! Help!’ And nobody would help him.”
Bellamy’s family members watched the entire episode unfold from the ground, unable to scale the ladder because they themselves were under attack.
“I was going to try and climb the ladder to get to Austin... I seen how high he was... but I couldn’t get to him because I was surrounded in bees,” Phyllis Edwards said.
Shawna Carter, Bellamy’s mother, says she passed out when she got the phone call.
“It was just too much for me to take,” she said. “It looked like he had a black blanket on his head down to his neck, down to his arms.”
EMS called UC Air Care for Bellamy. Phyllis Edwards left for the hospital in an ambulance moments before the medical helicopter arrived to transport the 20-year-old to Corryville.
Bellamy was stung at least 20,000 times, according to an online fundraiser set up by the family. Carter says he ingested around 30 bees as well.
“So he had bees inside of him, and they suctioned bees out of him until Sunday morning,” she explained.
Carter says it was a Ripley Fire Department firefighter named Craig who saved his life.
“When I think of Craig, Craig is a life-saver,” she said. “He’s Austin’s angel. He saved Austin’s life.”
Doctors say Bellamy will make a full recovery.
“I just want to tell him that I love him and I miss him and he’s my boy,” Dustin Edwards said.
Copyright 2022 WXIX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/31/man-coma-after-stung-by-bees-20000-times-family-says/ | 2022-08-31T09:00:24Z |
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Dr. Imran Lodhi (IM-ron LOH-dhee), who joined the relief effort for 33 million Pakistani flood survivors. More than 1,000 people have died since mid-June.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Dr. Imran Lodhi (IM-ron LOH-dhee), who joined the relief effort for 33 million Pakistani flood survivors. More than 1,000 people have died since mid-June.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-31/a-doctor-in-punjab-province-describes-relief-efforts-for-pakistans-floods | 2022-08-31T09:17:00Z |
Big changes have arrived for the family of Eric Alvarez.
Hours after a story aired on NPR's Morning Edition last week, a federal judge found "extraordinary circumstances" that called for the release of Alvarez's fiancée from a prison in Danbury, Conn.
"In other words, Petitioner's family is currently experiencing a dire, urgent situation," ruled U.S. District Judge Sarala Nagala.
Eva Cardoza was one of 230 people released from federal prison during the pandemic only to be sent back after small infractions, like a single positive alcohol or drug test. In June 2021, Alvarez and Cardoza took a 90-minute cab ride to the Bronx so Cardoza could meet with staffers in charge of her supervision. Alvarez waited outside in the taxi, but Cardoza, who had tested positive for marijuana, did not come out of the building that day.
"I mean, I just went down on my knees and just cried because it was a long process," Alvarez said of the moment when he learned Cardoza would return after 14 months in federal prison.
Alvarez has been struggling with heart trouble and colon cancer while taking care of his four children and his fiancée's daughter. He said the family celebrated Cardoza's homecoming with a tradition: a meal of Chinese food and photos on the porch.
Life for the children is returning to normal, with the most immediate changes for Cardoza's teenage daughter.
"Seeing her [go] from crying and being sad in the corner to seeing her alert and running and hugging on her mom, and you know, that's all I wanted," Alvarez said.
The Bureau of Prisons told NPR that 442 people released to home confinement during the pandemic have been returned to prison. More than half like Cardoza allegedly violated rules about alcohol or drug use. The BOP says a tiny fraction, 17 people out of 11,000, committed new crimes while released — mostly related to drugs.
Alvarez said he's grateful that the system worked in this case. But he said lots of other families need due process: the chance to challenge the evidence against them before being sent back to prison.
"If you're accused of something, you have every single right, you're innocent until proven guilty, to defend yourself and to comment on the things that are being said about you," he said.
Alvarez and Cardoza are now planning a wedding. He's thrilled that he'll have more time to take care of his health. But he said the prison system needs to develop clear rules for prisoners and their families.
"There's a lot of people like me at home, elderly that need their loved ones back so they can help, and they're being held over something really, really, really minor," he said. "It shouldn't be that way."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-31/a-sudden-homecoming-for-one-of-the-people-sent-back-to-prison-with-no-warning | 2022-08-31T09:17:06Z |
When rural hospitals go out of business, they're frequently gone for good. But now, some comebacks are a welcome sign for communities that have been without easy access to health care.
Copyright 2022 WPLN News
When rural hospitals go out of business, they're frequently gone for good. But now, some comebacks are a welcome sign for communities that have been without easy access to health care.
Copyright 2022 WPLN News | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-31/after-a-decadelong-spate-of-closures-one-rural-tennessee-hospital-reopens | 2022-08-31T09:17:12Z |
When Salman Rushdie was attacked last month, he was taking the stage at New York's Chautauqua Institution. The storied place in American cultural life is now rethinking how open it should be.
Copyright 2022 NPR
When Salman Rushdie was attacked last month, he was taking the stage at New York's Chautauqua Institution. The storied place in American cultural life is now rethinking how open it should be.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-31/chautauqua-institution-re-examines-security-after-salman-rushdie-attack | 2022-08-31T09:17:18Z |
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who helped end the Cold War, has died By Charles Maynes Published August 31, 2022 at 4:06 AM CDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who played a pivotal role in the end of the Cold War, has died at the age of 91 in Moscow. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-31/former-soviet-leader-mikhail-gorbachev-who-helped-end-the-cold-war-has-died | 2022-08-31T09:17:24Z |
Around 160,000 people in and around Mississippi's capital Jackson lack access to running water. Morning Edition Host Leila Fadel talks about it with Associated Press reporter Michael Goldberg.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Around 160,000 people in and around Mississippi's capital Jackson lack access to running water. Morning Edition Host Leila Fadel talks about it with Associated Press reporter Michael Goldberg.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-31/heavy-rain-and-flooding-leave-jackson-miss-residents-without-running-water | 2022-08-31T09:17:30Z |
Free school meals will continue for students in Maine as federal funding for the pandemic-era program ends. The state says removing barriers means more kids who would otherwise go without are fed.
Copyright 2022 Maine Public
Free school meals will continue for students in Maine as federal funding for the pandemic-era program ends. The state says removing barriers means more kids who would otherwise go without are fed.
Copyright 2022 Maine Public | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-31/maine-makes-free-school-lunches-permanent-after-federal-funding-ends | 2022-08-31T09:17:37Z |
Morning news brief Published August 31, 2022 at 4:06 AM CDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email The DOJ releases new evidence on possible obstruction in the Mar-a-Lago probe. Nuclear inspectors arrive in Ukraine. And, 160,000 people in Mississippi's capital are facing a water crisis. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-31/morning-news-brief | 2022-08-31T09:17:43Z |
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency arrive today at the troubled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to assess damage and establish safety and security conditions.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency arrive today at the troubled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to assess damage and establish safety and security conditions.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-31/nuclear-inspectors-arrive-at-zaporizhzhia-power-plant-in-ukraine | 2022-08-31T09:17:49Z |
Remembering Princess Diana, 25 years after her death Published August 31, 2022 at 4:06 AM CDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Diana, Princess of Wales, died 25 years ago, leaving a legacy of activism and charity. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-31/remembering-princess-diana-25-years-after-her-death | 2022-08-31T09:17:55Z |
The Ukrainian military says it is launching an offensive in the country's south to take back territory from Russia forces and break a stalemate in the region.
Copyright 2022 NPR
The Ukrainian military says it is launching an offensive in the country's south to take back territory from Russia forces and break a stalemate in the region.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-31/ukrainian-military-launches-offensive-to-retake-territory-from-russia | 2022-08-31T09:18:01Z |
Dallas County officials are pushing for a federal disaster declaration so that residents whose homes or businesses were damaged or destroyed can get individual assistance — and the money wouldn't have to be repaid.
But Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said two things are required before an area is deemed a “disaster” by the federal government: a recommendation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and a signature from President Joe Biden.
“He doesn’t do that if only 30 homes are destroyed,” Jenkins said. "They definitely do that if 400 homes are destroyed. And we’re talking about for the state of Texas.”
Last week, parts of Dallas County received more than 15 inches of rain in less than a day. A 60-year-old woman died in her car; Jenkins said she was an Uber driver.
In a presentation billed as the “State of the County,” Jenkins said people have submitted 677 damage reports in Dallas County, including 44 businesses. Over 250 of those were structures that were destroyed or sustained major damage.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed his own disaster order last week for 23 counties in the state, saying officials needed to “aggregate the damages across the entire region.”
Residents are encouraged to make a report and upload photos on the state’s iSTAT website as officials prepare a report on the damage. FEMA’s website says any request must come within 30 days of the event.
“A lot of people, for whatever reason, maybe because they don’t have good broadband, because they’re not tech savvy, they’re not doing it,” Jenkins said of the new tool. “So we’re going door to door helping neighborhoods with that.”
According to Jenkins, the homes must be uninsured in order to qualify for federal aid. He said a request for a disaster declaration was denied after 2019 tornados because most of the damaged North Dallas homes had insurance.
Although he said he was confident that flood areas of Texas would be deemed a disaster, if the application is denied, it’s possible the Small Business Administration would issue individual loans to families to help them rebuild.
Got a tip? Email Bret Jaspers at bjaspers@kera.org. You can follow Bret on Twitter @bretjaspers.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you. | https://www.keranews.org/government/2022-08-31/clay-jenkins-federal-disaster-declaration-key-to-getting-money-for-north-texas-flood-damage | 2022-08-31T09:18:07Z |
It was a typical Wednesday night in Plano — four friends had gone out to dinner at Sixty Vines restaurant. They were chatting in the parking lot in their native language before heading home.
Then, Esmerelda Upton approached them.
“We don’t want you here,” Upton said. “If things are so great in your country, then stay there.”
The confrontation was recorded in a video that went viral on social media. The next day, police arrested Upton. She was charged with misdemeanor assault and making terroristic threats.
Ed Drain is Plano’s police chief. He said his department is investigating the incident as a hate crime. He’s also talked with the department of justice and the U.S. attorney’s office about filing federal charges.
Drain said hate crimes aren’t common in Plano. The city has only three or four a year, and Drain said they’re not as severe as what happened last week.
“They rarely involve any violence against the person, but of course, this was an exception,” he said.
Not infrequently, hate incidents against Asian Americans don’t involve physical violence. The organization Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate found that most of AAPI hate incidents in the past two years were “non-criminal.”
But that doesn’t mean hate isn’t present. Mamta Jain said at a rally for the victims on Saturday that the threat is growing.
“We’re seeing that everywhere, and it’s sad,” Jain said.
Riyaz Muhammed also attended the downtown rally. He’s from Allen.
Muhammed used to live in Plano. He said he was shocked by the parking lot confrontation.
“I never thought this happens in our backyard,” he said.
Speakers at the rally in Plano’s Haggard Park praised the crowd’s diversity — there were women wearing saris and members of the local NAACP chapter in attendance. One woman brought a sign that said “this Mexican rejects hate” — Upton said in the video that she is Mexican American.
One woman wrote “make racism wrong again” in thick black marker on her poster board.
The crowd chanted that phrase together during the rally.
The incident has shaken Plano’s leaders. They say diversity is something that Plano celebrates. The city is about 22 percent Asian and 15 percent Hispanic. Mayor John Muns said Plano takes pride in that.
“I embrace our diversity here in Plano because I see how much it makes this such a better community to live in,” Muns said.
Anti-Asian hate can happen anywhere according to the report from Stop AAPI Hate, which shows hate against Asians happens in cities big and small and places with Asian populations of every size.
Sanjiv Sinha said even Plano isn’t immune from anti-Asian hate.
“The fact that we live in an affluent suburb doesn't shield us from it,” said Sinha, who moved to Allen from England and is from India.
City leadership said Upton’s actions don’t define Plano – it’s diversity does. But Dallas activist John Fullinwider warned the crowd at the rally against dismissing the idea that other people in Plano don’t share Upton’s views.
“That’s aspiration, because she represents some people in Plano,” Fullinwider said.
Cassandra Hernandez-Garcia from North Dallas agrees. And she said the fight to end hate isn’t over in Plano.
“As much as we hope and we aspire that would be the case, it’s not,” she said. “And we need to continue to keep fighting.”
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
Caroline Love is a Report For America corps member for KERA News.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you. | https://www.keranews.org/news/2022-08-31/plano-promotes-diversity-it-also-was-the-site-of-a-racist-rant-that-went-viral-its-complicated | 2022-08-31T09:18:13Z |
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Just as the team worked together on the field, families worked together off the field - to make it more affordable for everyone.
That included sharing accommodations, for some, and plenty of meals together.
"The biggest expense besides airfare was food cost, but a lot of us tried to keep costs down by cooking," stated Tomas.
As the team tallied up impressive numbers throughout the tournament, the bill for families being a part of the experience also added up.
"It is easily over $20,000, from the time we left Honolulu to San Bernardino - then you go to Williamsport," said Honolulu Little League coach Gerald Oda.
But having those friendly faces in the stands and family firmly behind them, made a difference to the players.
"It means a lot, having all the support," said Honolulu Little League player Brennan Tomas.
Even thought there was a high financial cost for Hawaii families, it did not tarnish the golden moments for players and their proud parents.
"No matter the cost, as parents they know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for their sons," said Oda.
"It was a priceless experience. When you are there you don't think of the finances, you are just there to support the families," said Charles Tomas.
"This was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and totally worth it. But we'll be working extra to pay off credit card debt for a while," added his wife Gina.
The team will get a little help with those costs. Just like they did for the 2018 Little League World Series Champions, Aloha Revolution is offering a t-shirt in the champions colors, with 100% of the proceeds from the sale going towards the team and their travel expenses
The little leaguers have also held fundraisers to offset the costs and so far, more than $11,000 has been donated to a Go Fund Me account in their name.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/the-cost-for-a-little-league-world-series-championship/article_bbbfe054-28e2-11ed-bc82-234e2f28968e.html | 2022-08-31T09:57:25Z |
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HONOLULU-- While abortion protections in Hawaii remain unchanged, a panel at the Oahu YWCA this week discussed possible impacts after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
This, as federal abortion protections have changed in other parts of the country, most recently, Texas. Will it mean those seeking an abortion travel from states like Texas to Hawaii?
The YWCA panel also focused on the issue of access to abortion in all parts of the state of Hawaii. In stark contrast, the Texas law makes an abortion a felony in that state with up to life in prison for anyone who performs an abortion.
But advocates want to make it clear, abortion is legally protected here at home in Hawaii, though panelists have unanswered legal concerns in terms of those seeking care from other states.
"They could be prosecuted under the aiding and abetting law. Or Texas could try to go beyond its borders to try to prosecute people who give a Texas citizen an abortion here in Hawaii, we just don't know," Attorney Corianne W. Lau remarked of the current uncertainty.
"Legislatures are analyzing the impact of Dobbs, and where we might shore up, clarify laws and protections so the people in our state are not harmed further by laws from other states," Rep. Della Au Belatti said.
The Texas law is accompanied by a civil penalty no less than 100 thousand dollars against abortion providers in violation of the new law. The state of Tennessee also had a similar trigger law go into effect.
When it comes down the public deciding, the state of Kansas voted to protect abortion as a right last month in the Sunflower state. | https://www.kitv.com/news/panel-discusses-how-abortion-trigger-laws-on-mainland-could-impact-hawaii/article_9bfda46a-290d-11ed-a35f-3fb4994a8c30.html | 2022-08-31T09:57:26Z |
As Iniki ravaged Kaua'i, Bob Ward and his fishing crew, Nobuo Saito and Masa Hatanaka were caught in the middle of it.
They were returning to Honolulu after a successful fishing trip off the coast of Ni'ihau when the storm hit in September 1992.
Trapped in the eye of the storm with no way out, Bob remembered having to hold onto the fish tank as the boat was swept up.
"And he said he saw the boat once and they were yelling 'come come', and he said he couldn't maneuver the tank and he just saw them one more time and that was it," says his daughter Tiffany Ward.
The boat, and Bob's two friends, both from Japan, were never seen again. But Bob managed to make it, getting rescued the next day.
"He knew no one would be out looking for him through the night so he had to survive," his daughter says.
Ward survived cold temperatures and was rescued because of a signal from his boat.
He shared his story, authoring a book called Hurricane Iniki and I. His daughter says writing the book gave her dad a sense of peace, but sales never really took off. Sadly, Bob died from cancer in 2019.
Now, on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the storm, the book is making a comeback. Tiffany says she found multiple copies in storage and is now selling them.
"It was sort of serendipitous I thought maybe I'm supposed to get his story told again," she says.
It's an epic tale she hopes will be just a powerful three decades later.
The book is being sold on Amazon for $9.99, and part of the proceeds are going to the Red Cross to help victims of future natural disasters. For more information, you can find the link here.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
Tom anchors Good Morning Hawaii weekends and reports for KITV4. He comes to Hawaii after reporting in Nevada, Oklahoma and Georgia. Tom is a proud Terp, graduating from the University of Maryland in 2012. | https://www.kitv.com/news/survivors-story-of-hurricane-iniki-and-i-selling-ahead-of-30th-anniversary/article_5f23e8c4-2903-11ed-a17a-2fb1928458b4.html | 2022-08-31T09:57:43Z |
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NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Dr. Imran Lodhi (IM-ron LOH-dhee), who joined the relief effort for 33 million Pakistani flood survivors. More than 1,000 people have died since mid-June.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Dr. Imran Lodhi (IM-ron LOH-dhee), who joined the relief effort for 33 million Pakistani flood survivors. More than 1,000 people have died since mid-June.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/a-doctor-in-punjab-province-describes-relief-efforts-for-pakistans-floods | 2022-08-31T10:27:34Z |
Big changes have arrived for the family of Eric Alvarez.
Hours after a story aired on NPR's Morning Edition last week, a federal judge found "extraordinary circumstances" that called for the release of Alvarez's fiancée from a prison in Danbury, Conn.
"In other words, Petitioner's family is currently experiencing a dire, urgent situation," ruled U.S. District Judge Sarala Nagala.
Eva Cardoza was one of 230 people released from federal prison during the pandemic only to be sent back after small infractions, like a single positive alcohol or drug test. In June 2021, Alvarez and Cardoza took a 90-minute cab ride to the Bronx so Cardoza could meet with staffers in charge of her supervision. Alvarez waited outside in the taxi, but Cardoza, who had tested positive for marijuana, did not come out of the building that day.
"I mean, I just went down on my knees and just cried because it was a long process," Alvarez said of the moment when he learned Cardoza would return after 14 months in federal prison.
Alvarez has been struggling with heart trouble and colon cancer while taking care of his four children and his fiancée's daughter. He said the family celebrated Cardoza's homecoming with a tradition: a meal of Chinese food and photos on the porch.
Life for the children is returning to normal, with the most immediate changes for Cardoza's teenage daughter.
"Seeing her [go] from crying and being sad in the corner to seeing her alert and running and hugging on her mom, and you know, that's all I wanted," Alvarez said.
The Bureau of Prisons told NPR that 442 people released to home confinement during the pandemic have been returned to prison. More than half like Cardoza allegedly violated rules about alcohol or drug use. The BOP says a tiny fraction, 17 people out of 11,000, committed new crimes while released — mostly related to drugs.
Alvarez said he's grateful that the system worked in this case. But he said lots of other families need due process: the chance to challenge the evidence against them before being sent back to prison.
"If you're accused of something, you have every single right, you're innocent until proven guilty, to defend yourself and to comment on the things that are being said about you," he said.
Alvarez and Cardoza are now planning a wedding. He's thrilled that he'll have more time to take care of his health. But he said the prison system needs to develop clear rules for prisoners and their families.
"There's a lot of people like me at home, elderly that need their loved ones back so they can help, and they're being held over something really, really, really minor," he said. "It shouldn't be that way."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/a-sudden-homecoming-for-one-of-the-people-sent-back-to-prison-with-no-warning | 2022-08-31T10:27:41Z |
When rural hospitals go out of business, they're frequently gone for good. But now, some comebacks are a welcome sign for communities that have been without easy access to health care.
Copyright 2022 WPLN News
When rural hospitals go out of business, they're frequently gone for good. But now, some comebacks are a welcome sign for communities that have been without easy access to health care.
Copyright 2022 WPLN News | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/after-a-decadelong-spate-of-closures-one-rural-tennessee-hospital-reopens | 2022-08-31T10:27:47Z |
When Salman Rushdie was attacked last month, he was taking the stage at New York's Chautauqua Institution. The storied place in American cultural life is now rethinking how open it should be.
Copyright 2022 NPR
When Salman Rushdie was attacked last month, he was taking the stage at New York's Chautauqua Institution. The storied place in American cultural life is now rethinking how open it should be.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/chautauqua-institution-re-examines-security-after-salman-rushdie-attack | 2022-08-31T10:27:53Z |
In a Washington, D.C., townhouse just blocks from the U.S. Capitol, multiple figures connected to the failed plot to overturn the 2020 election have coalesced around an increasingly influential organization: the nonprofit Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI).
Among those at the center of the group are former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Trump campaign lawyer Cleta Mitchell. Both Meadows and Mitchell have been subpoenaed by a grand jury as part of a Georgia District Attorney's investigation into Trump's effort to overturn the election.
An NPR review of social media accounts, campaign finance records, and leaked audio suggests that CPI may be risking legal trouble as well over its tax-exempt status. Experts in tax law told NPR that the nonprofit group appears to be pushing the boundaries of charity law by closely entwining itself with explicitly Republican and pro-Trump political organizations.
"If I was looking at this as an IRS agent or as an outside lawyer for that matter, I would say there's enough here that I want to do some digging," said Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, an expert in nonprofit law at the University of Notre Dame School of Law. "There are definitely yellow flags here."
As an IRS-recognized charity, CPI is exempt from certain federal, state and local taxes. That status also gives CPI's donors the lucrative benefit of deducting their contributions at tax time. But, as Mitchell herself has noted, those benefits come with some strings attached by federal law.
"We are a non-partisan, educational, charitable organization," Mitchell told the audience for a CPI "Election Integrity Summit" in March. "We don't endorse candidates. We don't endorse political parties."
Mitchell's comment that day about CPI remaining nonpartisan was conspicuous given the event's programming, which involved a collaboration between CPI, the Republican National Committee, and other conservative groups.
The IRS has an "absolute" ban on charities from participating - both "directly" and "indirectly" - in any political candidates' campaigns. In general, these groups are allowed to comment on political issues. Charities can even get involved in nonpartisan voter registration, but are more tightly restricted when it comes to candidates and campaigns. The IRS also prohibits charities from working significantly for a non-charitable "private benefit," as opposed to the public good. In one landmark case, the IRS revoked a group's nonprofit status for providing benefits to a political party. Organizations that violate the law can also be hit with tax penalties.
At CPI's event in Pennsylvania, according to leaked audio obtained by the investigative watchdog organization Documented, two RNC "election integrity" officials told the audience about how to enlist in the party's poll watching efforts in the 2022 midterms. Those efforts, they said, could help with the Republicans' election-related legal challenges.
The room also buzzed with support for Trump's past and possibly future campaigns.
"Donald Trump did not lose Pennsylvania!" said a Republican county commissioner. (President Joe Biden defeated Trump in Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes in 2020.)
"I was on Trump's campaign in 2016, I was on in '20. Hopefully, I'll be on in '24 if he hires me," said another speaker, Mike Roman.
A local Tea Party leader asked the crowd, "How many of you would like to see Trump run again?"
After some applause, he added, "Why would Trump run again? Because he loves America."
Twitter accounts from CPI have also explicitly discussed political candidates.
The account for CPI's Election Integrity Network has retweeted the campaign accounts of U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), as well as Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for Arizona governor.
"That's no different than CPI handing out copies of the campaign's campaign literature," argued the University of Notre Dame's Mayer. "That violates the prohibition on campaign intervention."
The Election Integrity Network also tweeted an article that criticized the campaign of Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney ahead of her primary election, which she ultimately lost to a Republican rival.
"That's also across the line," asserted Mayer, who noted the law has "zero tolerance" for charities and political campaign activity.
Another official CPI twitter account also promoted an op-ed from its chairman, former Republican Senator Jim DeMint, about what congressional Republicans should do to win the 2020 election. (DeMint's advice: "be more like Trump.") After NPR contacted CPI for comment and asked about that post, every tweet from CPI from before March 2022 was deleted.
CPI declined to answer specific questions for this story on the record. In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for CPI said, "the Conservative Partnership Institute fully complies with the IRS rules on tax-exempt organization activity. CPI does not engage in any political campaign activity."
The IRS declined to comment.
What is CPI?
The Conservative Partnership Institute has rapidly staked out territory in Washington, D.C., as a central hub for the pro-Trump wing of the Republican Party.
The staunchly conservative DeMint founded CPI in 2017 after a stint at the head of The Heritage Foundation. DeMint ascended in the Republican Party around the time of the 2010 Tea Party-backed wave election, and was widely considered a conservative "kingmaker." On paperwork filed with the IRS, CPI defined its mission as providing "the conservative movement with the tools, tactics, resources, and strategies to help make it successful in advancing conservative policy solutions." Charities are allowed to advocate and discuss issues from an ideological perspective, even if that perspective is more closely aligned with one political party or another, as long as they tread carefully when discussing specific candidates or groups of candidates.
In addition to Meadows, other members of the Trump Administration also joined CPI and its connected entities, including former White House speechwriter Stephen Miller and former Department of Justice lawyer Jeff Clark. Like Mitchell and Meadows, Clark has also faced investigation for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election, and FBI agents executed a search at his home earlier this year.
CPI has dramatically increased its fundraising since its inception, and raised nearly $20 million in 2021, according to their annual report. As a nonprofit, CPI does not have to publicly disclose its donors. Federal Election Commission records, however, indicate that Trump's "Save America" political action committee gave CPI one million dollars in 2021, and Trump has promoted CPI's work.
In addition to "election integrity" events held around the country, CPI says it has provided media, marketing, accounting and legal services for conservative members of Congress. The organization has compared itself to a "WeWork" space for conservatives, where they have access to TV and podcast recording studios. CPI boasts in its 2021 annual report that it hosted multiple Republican lawmakers' podcasts, including Rep. Ken Buck's "Shootin' Straight with Ken Buck" and Rep. Andy Biggs' "What's the BIGGS Idea?" The group also said it provided training to dozens of conservative members of Congress and more than 200 congressional staffers in 2021.
CPI has played a key role in developing plans to fire tens of thousands of career federal workers in a second Trump Administration, according to reporting from Axios.
Many of the legal restrictions on CPI's activity comes from its status as a charity under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code. Different kinds of tax-exempt nonprofits have much more freedom to get involved in politics. 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organizations like The National Rifle Association and the League of Conservation Voters, for example, have become key players in political contests.
But 501(c)(3) groups have a key advantage that 501(c)(4) organizations lack: their donors can deduct their contributions.
"You can provide long-lasting support for the Conservative Partnership Institute while enjoying financial benefits for yourself," CPI says on its website. The site includes information on how people can include CPI in their wills and get a deduction on the estate tax, for example, or donate stock to reduce their capital gains tax. The Election Integrity Network project of CPI also separately solicits "tax-deductible" contributions. And CPI has reportedly received donations from some mega-rich individuals.
Campaign finance records and leaked audio raise more concerns for CPI
Campaign finance records have indicated that three Republican candidates - Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) - paid CPI thousands of dollars for "campaign events" and "fundraising events" in 2021.
If those records are accurate, Mayer said, they could raise serious concerns for CPI.
"CPI can't be hosting campaign events for anybody," said Mayer, "unless they were, for example, hosting them for anybody across the political spectrum."
FEC records do not indicate any Democratic campaign has paid CPI for any purpose.
After NPR asked about those records, the Lee campaign amended its FEC filing to state that it paid CPI for "food and beverage" rather than "fundraising events."
"Upon review, the filing has been amended to reflect the more accurate nature of the payment which was to cover the cost of food and catering for dinners attended by various U.S. Senators related to their official duties," said Lee campaign adviser Matt Lusty. "These funds were not disbursed to facilitate fundraising events."
The Boebert and Braun campaigns did not respond to NPR's requests for comment. FEC disclosure forms state that there are potential legal penalties for filing "false, erroneous, or incomplete" information.
Leaked audio from another CPI "election integrity" event in March 2022 raised other potential concerns.
At that event, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told a crowd that Republicans had recently made big progress in registering more voters than Democrats. Then, DeSantis said to cheers from the audience, "we need everybody to come out and really, really have a huge, huge November in the state of Florida. I think there's gonna be opportunities to do a lot of great things across the country - House, Senate, Governors' races."
DeSantis is currently running for reelection. DeSantis' press secretary, Bryan Griffin, told NPR that, "this was not an official event," as part of his duties as governor.
Philip Hackney, a former lawyer in the IRS' office of general counsel, said if he was CPI's attorney, DeSantis' appearance "would give me heartburn."
Charities can invite political candidates to their events in a non-candidate capacity. But, in those cases, the IRS says the charity must then maintain "a nonpartisan atmosphere" and ensure "no campaign activity occurs in connection with the candidate's attendance."
Mitchell has tried to get ahead of scrutiny of CPI's nonprofit status by suggesting the group would also provide a platform for Democrats at its election integrity events, even though the events are largely premised on the false claim that Trump won the 2020 election. One event even featured an activist who promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory.
"I've written letters to the Democratic Party saying, 'would you like to participate with us in our sessions?'" Mitchell said at an event in Pennsylvania earlier this year. "I have not yet gotten a response."
Representatives of the Democratic National Committee and the Pennsylvania Democratic Party said they were unaware of receiving any invitation from Mitchell to that event, but said they needed more information to be certain - especially if an email was sent to, for example, a general inbox.
NPR called and emailed Mitchell multiple times and asked about whom she might have contacted without receiving a response. When Mitchell eventually answered her phone, she said she was out of the country, and added "I'm not going to talk to you anyway," before hanging up. CPI declined to provide documentation or answer questions about Mitchell's assertion.
Is CPI providing a "private benefit" to Republican Party groups?
In addition to the concerns about overlapping with political campaigns, tax experts told NPR the group is risking additional scrutiny about whether it's operating for the benefit of Republican Party entities.
Mayer and Hackney both pointed to the facts in a case from the 1980s, which bears striking similarities to the situation with CPI.
In 1986, staffers with the National Republican Congressional Committee incorporated the American Campaign Academy as a charity with the mission of training people to work on political campaigns.
The IRS and the U.S. Tax Court found that American Campaign Academy was acting "more than incidentally" for the private benefit of the Republican Party, in part because trainees were on to work for predominantly Republican candidates and officials. As part of its analysis, the court noted that the American Campaign Academy "had significant ties to the Republican party."
In addition to podcast and media services for Republican elected officials, CPI has also spent tens of thousands of dollars to fly dozens of conservative Republican members of congress to policy retreats hosted at luxury resorts.
A Feb. 2021 retreat took place at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Fla. A year later, CPI also paid for representatives' flights and lodging for a retreat at the oceanfront Ritz-Carlton resort on Florida's Amelia Island. Nearly all of the invitees were members of the staunchly conservative House Freedom Caucus, including Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), and Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.).
CPI's collaboration with the RNC on "election integrity" events is also reflected in the group's downloadable "Citizens Guide To Building An Election Integrity Infrastructure." The guide asserts that it is nonpartisan, but also specifically references how people can work with "the local GOP."
"If you simply work for one party or the other, you are likely stepping over the line," said Hackney, who is now a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
Lax IRS enforcement generally
Groups like CPI may be more willing to push the boundaries of charity law because of an overall lack of IRS enforcement.
"There's very little enforcement at all in the IRS in general, much less among the [tax] exempt organizations part of it," said Ellen Aprill of Loyola Law School.
Between 2010 and 2018, the IRS lost 15,000 enforcement employees, which, unsurprisingly, led to less enforcement.
Nearly 1.5 million tax-exempt organizations filed tax returns in 2019, according to a report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Of that large group, only about 2,000 - or 0.13% of the total - were even examined by the IRS.
In the last two decades, the IRS has also faced significant blowback when it looked into whether tax-exempt groups were violating rules around political campaign activity.
In 2004, the IRS launched an audit of the NAACP in response to a speech that criticized then-President George W. Bush and his handling of the Iraq War. The NAACP and Democrats angrily denounced the IRS action, and the NAACP was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.
In 2013, the IRS faced even more criticism from conservatives for allegedly improperly targeting conservative Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status. The IRS official at the center of the controversy, Lois Lerner, resigned under pressure. A subsequent bipartisan Senate investigation and an investigation from a Treasury Department inspector general found that the IRS had acted improperly with both liberal and conservative-leaning groups, by screening for keywords linked to Occupy Wall Street as well as the Tea Party. Republican and Democratic congressional investigators ultimately split on the question of whether the IRS singled out conservative groups due to political bias.
"The IRS was so hammered during the Tea Party controversy that you're just not seeing enforcement in these cases," said Hackney.
Aprill agreed, saying that the controversy, "seems as if it has burned their fingers some."
Before joining CPI, Cleta Mitchell worked as a lawyer for conservative groups that accused the IRS of targeting. She said the agency was illegitimate, and called for a radical solution: amend the constitution to eliminate federal income tax, and "abolish the IRS."
"It has too much power, too much money, too many employees and it needs to be absolutely jerked out at the roots," Mitchell told Congress in 2014.
After losing staff and resources over the last several years, however, the IRS has recently received a major infusion of funding from the "Inflation Reduction Act" recently passed by Democrats and signed by President Biden. The IRS has said "it will take time" to implement the law, and it remains to be seen whether more funding will lead to additional scrutiny of groups like CPI.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/experts-say-a-trump-backed-charity-is-pushing-the-boundaries-of-tax-law | 2022-08-31T10:28:00Z |
For some in the Gaza Strip, summer tastes like a baby watermelon cooked over flames NPR | By Daniel Estrin Published August 31, 2022 at 3:06 AM MDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Flipboard It's a summertime delicacy — unripe baby watermelons are cooked over flames in the Gaza Strip. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/for-some-in-the-gaza-strip-summer-tastes-like-a-baby-watermelon-cooked-over-flames | 2022-08-31T10:28:06Z |
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who played a pivotal role in the end of the Cold War, has died at the age of 91 in Moscow.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who played a pivotal role in the end of the Cold War, has died at the age of 91 in Moscow.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/former-soviet-leader-mikhail-gorbachev-who-helped-end-the-cold-war-has-died | 2022-08-31T10:28:13Z |
The government in Vietnam's capital Hanoi is bringing back archaic neighborhood loudspeakers to deliver information to the people. Few of them seem to want it.
Copyright 2022 NPR
The government in Vietnam's capital Hanoi is bringing back archaic neighborhood loudspeakers to deliver information to the people. Few of them seem to want it.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/hanoi-brings-back-neighborhood-loudspeakers | 2022-08-31T10:28:19Z |
Around 160,000 people in and around Mississippi's capital Jackson lack access to running water. Morning Edition Host Leila Fadel talks about it with Associated Press reporter Michael Goldberg.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Around 160,000 people in and around Mississippi's capital Jackson lack access to running water. Morning Edition Host Leila Fadel talks about it with Associated Press reporter Michael Goldberg.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/heavy-rain-and-flooding-leave-jackson-miss-residents-without-running-water | 2022-08-31T10:28:25Z |
Jazz may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of The Juilliard School, but perhaps this series of Tiny Desks will change that. Tiny Desk and Jazz Night in America celebrate the 20th anniversary of Juilliard Jazz with three Tiny Desk concerts featuring performances by current students and alumni of the prestigious institution.
Before Isaiah J. Thompson walked into NPR's office, special preparations for his Tiny Desk concert were already underway: the arrival and tuning of a piano for the Steinway artist, who performed the final concert in our Juilliard Jazz 20th anniversary series. When the soft-spoken pianist and his sharply-dressed bandmates touched down, I knew we were in for a treat.
A common thread throughout the group's musical selections is a commitment to honoring the fibers that make up the rich fabric of African American culture. Thompson's first composition, "Maestros of the Community," is an uptempo dedication to the indelible impact of seeing his identity reflected and amplified by unsunned mentors. The following song, "Thank You Betsy," is a warm, dreamy ballad that highlights tenor saxophonist Julian Lee (previously featured on Jazz Night) and bassist Felix Moseholm.
The quartet's chemistry is undeniable, its long history of playing together evident in the way the members read each other's quick glances and their ability to pivot and improvise, unphased, when the unexpected occurs. (Blink and you might miss drummer Kyle Poole swiftly picking up a brush when his stick slips from his grasp.) The set ends with "The Highest Calling," a fast-paced toe-tapper which gives each musician a chance to stretch. The quartet's sound, channeled through Thompson's compositions, becomes an elegant statement that combines jazz's past and present to paint a beautiful portrait of its future.
SET LIST
MUSICIANS
TINY DESK TEAM
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/isaiah-j-thompson-quartet-tiny-desk-concert | 2022-08-31T10:28:32Z |
LAFAYETTE, La. — The culture war inside America's libraries is playing out in the monthly meetings of the Lafayette Library Board of Control. Conservative activists are demanding the removal of controversial books, librarians are being falsely accused of pushing porn, and free speech defenders are crying censorship.
The August meeting in Lafayette was fairly humdrum — routine reports on the bookmobile, library hours, and plans for a new branch — until the lectern was opened for public comments.
"Everything that has happened in the past 18 months with this board and to the library has basically been a dystopian nightmare," declared one unhappy library patron.
Since conservatives took over the Lafayette library board last year, the controversies have come fast and furious:
"Hold up your signs for Cara again," one speaker told the audience. "We don't support fascism in the Lafayette Public Library."
Lafayette Parish is deeply religious, conservative Trump country — red as a boiled crawfish. So others in the community have applauded the board's rightward shift.
"I'm a father of four young children," said a man in a tie and blue blazer, "and my daughter found a cartoon book that was basically pornographic. It encouraged children to explore themselves in a variety of ways. It was in the children's section."
The father concluded, "These are local libraries which should reflect the prevailing local community standards."
For many critics, this is the crux: whose community standards?
A somber librarian named Connie Milton stepped up to the podium and explained that libraries are struggling to keep pace with societal changes that emphasize the inclusion of diverse genders, races, and sexual orientations.
"We just want everybody to be able to come into a library and see themselves represented. That's all we're doin'," she said to hearty applause.
Milton announced that she had just given her two weeks' notice.
"Morale is not good," she said. "People are afraid to lose their jobs."
Lafayette Parish is by no means unique. Across America, fractious debates over free speech in public and school libraries have turned these hushed realms into combat zones. Cops are regularly called to remove rowdy protestors.
Texas leads the country in book bans. In the towns of Katy and Granbury, uniformed peace officers came into school libraries to investigate books with sexual content after criminal complaints from citizens. And the school district in Keller, Texas, pulled 41 challenged books off its shelves, including a graphic adaptation of "Anne Frank's Diary," "Gender Queer: A Memoir," and the Bible.
Traditional-values groups are demanding the removal or restriction of books with explicit sex education, and books that unflinchingly document LGBTQ realities and the Black American experience. The American Library Association — in its unofficial tally — reports that challenges of library books have jumped fourfold, from 416 books in 2017 to 1,597 book challenges in 2021.
In Lafayette, the president of the library board is Robert Judge, a retired insurance claims adjustor and high-school science teacher, and a devout Catholic. He gets criticized for imposing conservative church teachings on library policy, for instance, regarding LGBTQ topics.
"I think the idea that I have to drop off my Catholic Christian worldview at the door when I walk into serving the public is silly," he said in an interview at his kitchen table.
Judge believes the library's mission should submit to a traditional notion of family values and community standards, not the other way around.
"This is where we get into the sticky ground," he said, "Do we allow a governmental agency — and the library is a governmental agency — to supersede parents' rights? And do we protect parents' rights, or do we just say, 'Well that's the stuff that we have and we put it anywhere and if your kid stumbles on it, it's not our problem?' "
Judge sought to have several books banned outright, but the board didn't go along with him. As a compromise, the library moved all 1,100 nonfiction books from the young adult section to the adult collections. No books have been banned, says Danny Gillane, director of the Lafayette Public Library System.
"I don't care if they [the board] want to censor the library, if I don't have to remove things from my collection," he said. "That is my goal is to keep all of the materials we have in the library."
But some critics consider making a book harder to find is a form of censorship.
"We don't need to refile it in another section like it's something shameful," said Christopher Achee, parliamentarian with the Louisiana Library Association.
"We encourage you as a parent to know what your child is reading," he said. "That parent has every right to tell that child, 'No, this isn't appropriate for you.' But that right ends when another parent comes in looking for that exact same information."
The changes at the library since conservatives took over the governing board have infuriated liberal patrons.
"We're really upset that the library is being used in the culture wars," said Jean Menard, a home-school mom who says she depends on Lafayette libraries for her two teenagers' education. Menard started an anti-censorship Facebook group, Supporters of Lafayette Public Libraries. The group has more than 2,000 members.
"It is not the board of control's position to micromanage the library," she said. "Librarians need to be able to manage the library. This is a public library. It's for everyone. [If] they don't like the programs or materials, don't attend, don't check out the material!"
That argument has gone nowhere with conservatives on a crusade to cleanse Louisiana libraries. Standing in their way can have severe consequences.
Last month, a middle-school librarian named Amanda Jones stood up and spoke out against censorship at a meeting of the library board where she lives and works in Livingston Parish, near Baton Rouge.
"The citizens of our parish consist of taxpayers who are white, black, brown, gay, straight, Christian, non-Christian — people from all backgrounds and walks of life," she said in prepared remarks. "No one portion of the community should dictate what the rest of the citizens have access to."
She concluded, "Hate and fear disguised as moral outrage have no place in Livingston Parish."
Though 19 other people spoke up against censorship at the meeting, Jones's speech got all the attention. She's won several national Librarian-of-the-Year awards and is currently president of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians. But she was completely unprepared for what happened.
"A few days later," she said, "I open the internet and there were pictures of me, awful memes, saying I advocate teaching erotica and pornography to 6-year-olds. It gave my school's name. None of that is true. I gave a blanket speech on censorship. And they decided they wanted to make me a target."
"They" is Citizens for a New Louisiana — the same group behind the conservative takeover of the Lafayette library board. The group has harshly criticized Jones on its Facebook page — which has 19,000 followers — for defending books they consider obscene and inappropriate for children.
Michael Lunsford is director of Citizens for a New Louisiana, which he describes as a government accountability group.
In his office in Lafayette, he pulls out one of the controversial sex-ed books, "Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human."
"We have this page that actually shows intercourse," he said, showing an illustration. "Then we have things like this that have closeups of genitalia. We've got a page here on masturbation and how to do it."
"Any reasonable person who looks at this material I hope would say an 11-year-old doesn't need to see this," he said.
In ultra-conservative Louisiana, sex education in public schools, grades 7 to 12, is at the discretion of the local school board, with an emphasis on abstinence until marriage and no discussion of abortion or homosexuality.
But why attack a librarian for a book that's in her library? Is defending a graphic sex ed book the same as promoting smut?
"I don't know that we attacked her personally," Lunsford said. "We asked a question: What type of influence does she have over what our children see in school libraries as the president of the association? I think that's a valid question."
In the current toxic political climate, school librarian Amanda Jones says she has begun to fear for her life. When asked how the social media onslaught has affected her, she broke into sobs.
"It's horrible. My anxiety is through the roof. I live in constant fear that some person that they've incited is going to come and get me or get my child. Or come up to the school where I work and harm a child. It's been a month of this and it just won't stop."
Last week, Amanda Jones sued Michael Lunsford, Citizens for a New Louisiana and a local individual she says is trolling her. The lawsuit asks for a state district court judge to issue a temporary restraining order to stop what it calls the harassment and defamation.
Meanwhile, with their successes in Lafayette, Lunsford's group plans to expand its campaign to purge library books and programs that it finds offensive in Louisiana's other 62 parishes.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/local-libraries-have-become-a-major-political-and-cultural-battleground | 2022-08-31T10:28:38Z |
Free school meals will continue for students in Maine as federal funding for the pandemic-era program ends. The state says removing barriers means more kids who would otherwise go without are fed.
Copyright 2022 Maine Public
Free school meals will continue for students in Maine as federal funding for the pandemic-era program ends. The state says removing barriers means more kids who would otherwise go without are fed.
Copyright 2022 Maine Public | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/maine-makes-free-school-lunches-permanent-after-federal-funding-ends | 2022-08-31T10:28:44Z |
The DOJ releases new evidence on possible obstruction in the Mar-a-Lago probe. Nuclear inspectors arrive in Ukraine. And, 160,000 people in Mississippi's capital are facing a water crisis.
Copyright 2022 NPR
The DOJ releases new evidence on possible obstruction in the Mar-a-Lago probe. Nuclear inspectors arrive in Ukraine. And, 160,000 people in Mississippi's capital are facing a water crisis.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/morning-news-brief | 2022-08-31T10:28:51Z |
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency arrive today at the troubled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to assess damage and establish safety and security conditions.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency arrive today at the troubled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to assess damage and establish safety and security conditions.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/nuclear-inspectors-arrive-at-zaporizhzhia-power-plant-in-ukraine | 2022-08-31T10:28:57Z |
NPR's Leila Fadel talks to former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul (mc-FAWL) about the legacy of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died yesterday in Moscow at 91.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Leila Fadel talks to former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul (mc-FAWL) about the legacy of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died yesterday in Moscow at 91.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/reflecting-on-mikhail-gorbachevs-life-and-achievements | 2022-08-31T10:29:04Z |
Remembering Princess Diana, 25 years after her death NPR Published August 31, 2022 at 3:06 AM MDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Flipboard Listen • 2:26 Diana, Princess of Wales, died 25 years ago, leaving a legacy of activism and charity. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/remembering-princess-diana-25-years-after-her-death | 2022-08-31T10:29:10Z |
Support for labor unions in the U.S. is at a 57-year high, according to a new Gallup poll.
Seventy-one percent of Americans now approve of labor unions — up from last year's 68%. Union support is also up from 64%, before the COVID-19 pandemic, and is the highest the polling firm has recorded since 1965.
Support for unions was highest in the 1950s, according to the Gallup, when 3 in 4 Americans approved of labor organizations.
Nowadays, union drives are on a slight upswing as a recent surge in organizing activity continues at some of the biggest companies in the U.S. Workers at Starbucks, Amazon, and Chipotle have unionized in a demand for higher wages and better working conditions.
Though fulfillment centers and coffee shop chains are some of the newer spots to organize, the Gallup poll found that union membership is still largest in long-unionized industries. The organization says membership "is highest among front-line and production workers"; 20% of them belong to a union.
Following those workers are health care and social assistance professionals, 13% of whom are union members, then white-collar workers (at 11%), and then administrative and clerical staff (at 10%).
Support for unions maybe be at a record high, but the number of those who can actually say they are members of a union are still quite low, when compared to decades past.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that as of 2021, the number of workers belonging to unions is at 14 million — or 10.3%. That is down from 10.8% in 2020. In 1983, the earliest year with comparable membership data, around 20% of workers were in unions, BLS said.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/support-for-labor-unions-in-the-u-s-is-at-a-57-year-high | 2022-08-31T10:29:16Z |
The city of Jackson was already struggling with a deteriorating water system long before the latest rains cut off access to safe drinking water for more than 150,000 people in Mississippi's capital.
For years, residents of the majority-Black city have endured everything from service disruptions and recurring boil-water advisories to concerns over contaminants like lead and E. coli bacteria, thanks to failures to upgrade Jackson's aging infrastructure.
With the city now under a state of emergency, officials are scrambling to distribute bottled water to tens of thousands of people in a city where roughly 1 in 4 people live in poverty. Amid the fledgling response, officials have sent mixed signals about how long it may take to restore service. City officials have said it could be "days," but Gov. Tate Reeves has said it is unclear exactly how long it will take.
The current crisis began last week, when days of torrential rain caused the Pearl River, which runs through Jackson, to swell and then crest around 35 feet high, according to the National Weather Service. In an emergency order issued Monday, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said the flooding "created problems with treating water" at the city's primary water-treatment facility, the O.B. Curtis Water Plant.
Yet even before last week's rains, concerns over Jackson's water system were well-documented, and the city was already under a state-issued boil water notice in the month leading up to the flooding.
"It was a near certainty that Jackson would begin to fail to produce running water sometime in the next several weeks or months if something didn't materially improve," Reeves told reporters this week.
"Until it is fixed, it means we do not have reliable running water at scale," Reeves said. "It means the city cannot produce enough water to fight fires, to reliably flush toilets, and to meet other critical needs."
A similar crisis played out last year
Across Jackson, the situation is an unwelcome replay of the winter of 2021, when bruising storms blanketed the state in ice and nearly decimated the city's water system. Pipes and water mains burst throughout the city, leaving tens of thousands without water — some for as long as three weeks.
The crisis came at a moment when the city was continuing to confront widespread worries about the safety of its drinking water. In 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency order warning that the water system in Jackson posed "an imminent and substantial endangerment" to residents and could contain dangerous contaminants such as E. coli. Four years earlier, state health officials alerted the city about elevated levels of lead in its drinking water.
At the root of the challenges in Jackson are decades of underinvestment in a sprawling water system made up of roughly 1,500 miles of water mains, some of which are over 100 years old. In 2013, the city sought to overhaul the system through a $90 million contract with Siemens to upgrade sewer lines, water-treatment plants and to install a new water-sewer billing system for residents.
But the deal brought myriad new issues for the city, including the installation of faulty water meters that measured water use in gallons instead of cubic feet. In the years following the installation, some residents received exorbitant bills for months of water use at a time, while others weren't billed at all. At one point, city officials advised residents to simply pay what they thought they owed, but unpaid bills would eventually strain Jackson's ability to address the system. The city ultimately sued Siemens and several local subcontractors for $450 billion in damages, reaching an $89.8 million settlement in 2020.
Fixing the system could cost billions
The city has also been unable to fully chip away at its service backlog, in part because a shrinking population has left it with a tax base that is roughly 20% smaller today than it was in 1980.
At the same time, it has struggled to secure state infrastructure funding. Last year, at least two bills aimed at helping raise money for water-system repairs died in the legislature. And in June 2020, Reeves, a Republican, vetoed bipartisan legislation designed to help residents with overdue water bills which, in turn, would have enabled the city to collect sorely needed water revenue.
In vetoing the bill, the governor acknowledged that residents "got overcharged in the past," but said the legislation would allow "politicians to say that individuals are not responsible for paying their water bill." Reeves also said there were "no safeguards in place" to ensure aid would go only to "the impoverished or needy."
Mayor Lumumba has estimated that modernizing the city's infrastructure could cost as much as $2 billion. Mississippi received $75 million from the federal infrastructure bill signed by President Biden last year for water and sewage needs, but that money is for the entire state, not Jackson alone.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/the-water-crisis-in-jackson-follows-years-of-failure-to-fix-an-aging-system | 2022-08-31T10:29:23Z |
The Ukrainian military says it is launching an offensive in the country's south to take back territory from Russia forces and break a stalemate in the region.
Copyright 2022 NPR
The Ukrainian military says it is launching an offensive in the country's south to take back territory from Russia forces and break a stalemate in the region.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-31/ukrainian-military-launches-offensive-to-retake-territory-from-russia | 2022-08-31T10:29:29Z |
Boy, 8, hospitalized after touching downed power line
WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) - An 8-year-old boy was hospitalized in critical condition after police say he and a sibling touched a downed power line near a Michigan elementary school.
The incident happened just after 9 a.m. Tuesday as several children walked through a blocked-off area with damaged power lines outside McKinley Elementary School in Warren. Police say one damaged line hung several feet from the ground.
A witness described the scene as terrifying, saying the 8-year-old victim lifted the live power line, so his brother could walk through.
“His hands caught on fire,” the witness said.
Police already in the area for an unrelated call saw the boy clinging to a live wire.
“There was severe burns,” said Warren Police Department Commissioner Bill Dwyer.
Dwyer says officers pulled the boy and his 10-year-old brother, who was trying to help, off the wire and immediately rushed them to the hospital.
“They didn’t stop there. They didn’t wait for EMS. They didn’t wait for anybody. They immediately put that 8-year-old in their car and immediately, with lights and sirens going, took that 8-year-old along with a 10-year-old brother to Detroit Moross,” Dwyer said.
The 8-year-old was hospitalized in critical condition. His older brother was not seriously hurt but is still being evaluated. Two police officer were also checked out after they, too, came in contact with the power line.
Police say the two boys were mistakenly dropped off by a grandmother, who was unaware the school was closed due to a power outage.
Copyright 2022 WXYZ via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/boy-8-hospitalized-after-touching-downed-power-line/ | 2022-08-31T10:29:44Z |
US life expectancy plunged again in 2021, down nearly a year
NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. life expectancy dropped for the second consecutive year in 2021, falling by nearly a year from 2020, according to a government report being released Wednesday.
In the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the estimated American lifespan has shortened by nearly three years. The last comparable decrease happened in the early 1940s, during the height of World War II.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials blamed COVID-19 for about half the decline in 2021, a year when vaccinations became widely available but new coronavirus variants caused waves of hospitalizations and deaths. Other contributors to the decline are longstanding problems: drug overdoses, heart disease, suicide and chronic liver disease.
“It’s a dismal situation. It was bad before and it’s gotten worse,” said Samuel Preston, a University of Pennsylvania demographer.
Life expectancy is an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year might expect to live, given death rates at that time. It is “the most fundamental indicator of population health in this country,” said Robert Hummer, a University of North Carolina researcher focused on population health patterns.
U.S. life expectancy rose for decades, but progress stalled before the pandemic.
It was 78 years, 10 months in 2019. In 2020, it dropped to 77 years. Last year, it fell to about 76 years, 1 month.
The last time it was that low was in 1996.
Declines during the pandemic were worse for some racial groups, and some gaps widened. For example, life expectancy for American Indian and Alaskan Native people saw a decline of more than 6 1/2 years since the pandemic began, and is at 65 years. In the same span, life expectancy for Asian Americans dropped by about two years, and stands at 83 1/2.
Experts say there are many possible reasons for such differences, including lack of access to quality health care, lower vaccination rates, and a greater share of the population in lower-paying jobs that required them to keep working when the pandemic was at its worst.
The new report is based on provisional data. Life expectancy estimates can change with the addition of more data and further analysis. For example, the CDC initially said life expectancy in 2020 declined by about 1 year 6 months. But after more death reports and analysis came in, it ended up being about 1 year 10 months.
But it’s likely the declines in 2020 and 2021 will stand as the first two consecutive years of declining life expectancy in the U.S. since the early 1960s, CDC officials said.
Findings in the report:
—Life expectancy for women in the United States dropped about 10 months, from just under 80 years in 2020 to slightly more than 79 in 2021. Life expectancy for men dropped a full year, from about 74 years to 73.
—COVID-19 deaths were the main reason for the decline. The second largest contributor was deaths from accidental injuries — primarily from drug overdoses, which killed a record-breaking 107,000 Americans last year.
—White people saw the second biggest drop among racial and ethnic groups, with life expectancy falling one year, to about 76 years, 5 months. Black Americans had the third largest decline, falling more than eight months, to 70 years, 10 months
—Hispanic Americans had seen a huge drop in life expectancy in 2020 — four years. But in 2021, life expectancy for them dropped by about two months, to about 77 years, 7 months. Preston thinks good vaccination rates among Hispanics played a role.
The report also suggests gains against suicide are being undone.
U.S. suicides rose from the early 2000s until 2018. But they fell a little in 2019 and then more in 2020, the first year of the pandemic. Experts had wondered if that may have been related to a phenomenon seen in the early stages of wars and national disasters in which people band together and support each other.
The new report said suicide contributed to the decline in life expectancy in 2021, but it did not provide detail. According to provisional numbers from a public CDC database, the number of U.S. suicides increased last year by about 2,000, to 48,000. The U.S. suicide rate rose as well, from 13.5 per 100,000 to 14.1 — bringing it back up to about where it was in 2018.
___
The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/us-life-expectancy-plunged-again-2021-down-nearly-year/ | 2022-08-31T10:29:45Z |
Hanover School Board passes transgender bathroom, locker room policy
HANOVER, Va. (WWBT) - In a 5-2 vote, the Hanover County School Board passed the transgender bathroom and locker room policy for students Tuesday evening.
Before the meeting even started, dozens were gathered outside the school board building, hoping to give one last message to the board before a vote was taken.
“Come on back to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) model policy that was written and intended for protection of children, not harm of children,” a speaker in opposition of the policy said.
Once the meeting started, some board members discussed how they felt the policy was imperfect and wanted to make an amendment.
“I do think some of the language that’s included in the policy, in my opinion, should be deleted. I believe that the criminal background piece should be deleted from the bulleted items,” Robert Hundley, who represents the Chickahominy District, said.
However, the motion failed, and the board went on to approve the policy in a 5-2 vote.
The new policy states, “If a student who identifies as transgender requests access to restrooms, locker rooms or changing facilities that align with their gender identity but not their sex, the following process will be utilized to evaluate each request on a case-by-case basis.”
In addition, a student, along with their parent or legal guardian, must submit to school administration a written request to the principal of the school where the student attends.
The proposal outlines the information as the following:
- A statement from the student that, among other things, specifies their gender identity and how they have consistently, persistently and insistently expressed that identity
- Signed statements from the student’s physician, therapist or licensed counselor verifying that the student has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and/or that the student consistently and authentically expresses a binary gender identity
- Statements from the student’s parent or guardian;
- Student disciplinary or criminal records
- Information related to the privacy and safety of other students
- Any other relevant information, including documents from other interested parties.
Once this information is collected, the school’s principal will provide a written summary of this request and the supporting documents. This would all be considered by the school board, who would have “final authority to approve or decline the request.”
For access to locker rooms and changing facilities, students and their families would follow the same process used to consider requests for restrooms. The proposal outlines additional items the school board must consider.
It’s a decision those in favor of the policy are happy about, including Terra Lawrence, who has four kids in Hanover County Schools.
”I feel really pleased with the decision. I do feel like it encompasses parental rights, it encompasses privacy rights for our students, so I’m really happy about it,” Lawrence said.
While those in opposition to the policy said, they were not surprised with the outcome.
Patricia Jordan with the Hanover County NAACP said she was surprised Hundley tried to make an amendment.
She said the criminal background check is one of the most controversial parts of the policy and feels it’s unnecessary.
“As you may well know, we’ve had issues here with the recent football team,” Jordan said. “They’re not asking for background checks on any of those players or anybody, but they want background checks on people who have done absolutely nothing and just want to be in school.”
Chairman John Axselle said the policy can always be amended.
“We welcome input from the community, we really do, or we wouldn’t have so many public comment times, and we heard from them, and the board had heard from numerous people pro and con,” Axselle said. “So we heard from both sides, and I think the board it speaks for itself. The board decided to adopt the policy.”
The board did clarify students who have had similar requests in the past do not need to undergo this new process.
Copyright 2022 WWBT. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/31/hanover-school-board-passes-transgender-bathroom-locker-room-policy/ | 2022-08-31T10:29:46Z |
SHANGHAI, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 15th Pujiang Innovation Forum 2022 opened in China's financial hub Shanghai on August 27. With the theme of "Low Carbon: A New Mission for Global Innovation", the forum will focus on underpinning low-carbon development through technological innovation, establishing a sound economic and technological system for green, low-carbon and circular development, and deepening global cooperation in low-carbon technology to jointly draw a new blueprint for global sustainable development.
This year, more than 230 experts from international organizations, top universities, scientific research institutions,think tanks, companies and more than 40 academicians from nearly 30 countries and regions participated in the event online and offline.
Pujiang Innovation Forum was jointed founded by the Ministry of Science and Technology and Shanghai Municipal People's Government in 2008. Focusing on the theme of innovation, it has become an important platform for promoting global cooperation in science, technology and innovation by pooling global ideas and enabling scientific and technological innovation.
At the opening ceremony, "INNOMATCH", a matchmaking platform for global technology supply and demand was officially launched, which aims to gather global innovation resources, address the innovation needs of enterprises, and build a two-way fast track for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements.
At the plenary meeting held later, Borge Brende, president of the World Economic Forum, said that technology is key to mitigating climate change and this is why China's commitment to promoting green technology solutions is amazing.
During this forum, a number of reports and cooperation agreements were released such as The 2022 "Ideal City" Global High-level Scientist Analysis Report and Low&Net Zero Carbon Related Science and Technology, and Prospective Analysis of Application Scenarios.
At the Regional & Urban Forum held on Aug. 28, the National Innovation Center par Excellence (NICE) signed contracts with six international companies, including ARaymond Company of France and DuPont Company of the United States, to jointly promote global innovation and high-quality, integrated green development.
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SOURCE Shanghai Center for Pujiang Innovation Forum | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/15th-pujiang-innovation-forum-held-chinas-shanghai/ | 2022-08-31T10:29:49Z |
ZHANGJIAGANG, China, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2022 Yangtze River Culture Festival kicked off on Aug 27 in Zhangjiagang, a port city in East China's Jiangsu province, and will run until October. The annual gathering has become a habit for artists, scholars and inheritors of intangible cultural heritages in the Yangtze River Basin, according to the Organizing Committee of Yangtze River Culture Festival. As the event has been held for 19 consecutive years, people cannot help to ask why the small city is so influential in the whole Yangtze River region.
There are 181 bends of more than 90 degrees in the main stream of the Yangtze River, and the last one forms Zhangjiagang Bay. Today, here is an ecological scenic spot where the river can be seen and nostalgia remembered. Not far away is the Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge, which began operations in 2020, with the high-speed trains on it running between Shanghai and northern Jiangsu. Especially on the bridge, people can enjoy the magnificent river and the city skyline on the riverbank.
Despite that Zhangjiagang, about 130 kilometers away from Shanghai, is only a county-level city in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, it is always ranked among the top three county-level cities in China in terms of economic strength. It is generally believed that the spirit of Zhangjiagang people's striving for the first comes from their riverside life experience featuring the courage to make the tide.
Zhangjiagang was founded just 60 years ago, but archaeological discoveries show that it was where the first civilization in the Yangtze River Basin emerged. During the Tang and Song dynasties, it was an important port for Sino-foreign exchanges, with palmette patterns typical of the western style appearing on excavated porcelain.
The young Zhangjiagang city is not only seeking to elevate its economy to the next level, but more importantly to build itself into a highly civilized city. Since the 1990s, a high level of civilization has been its pride, and the Yangtze River Culture Festival is one of its major initiatives.
Liu Pengchun, an artist who has attended the festival many times, said that artists from the Yangtze River Basin have diverse living habits, but the festival organizers manage to meet their different needs, which attracts people to the festival. Zhangjiagang boasts the best group of volunteers in China.
Another reason why the festival can be echoed across the basin is that Zhangjiagang respects cultural expression, where the diversity of Yangtze River culture can be fully showcased on the stage.
In recent years, the concept of preserving the Yangtze River and promoting its culture has gained unanimous recognition in China. Themed "Integrate, Promote, Share", this year's festival allows the audience to interact online and offline, learning about the diverse and splendid cultural relics exhibitions, intangible cultural heritage displays, cultural performances and more from the Yangtze River Basin.
In 2014, BBC producer Simon Reeve recorded the colorful Yangtze River culture with his documentary 'Sacred River: Yangtze River' in which he also expressed his concerns about over-exploitation. It is a pity that he has never been to Zhangjiagang. Zhangjiagang is an indispensable choice for anyone who wants to understand the Yangtze River and the Chinese people living along it today.
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Caption: The view of Yangtze River in Zhangjiagang city
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SOURCE The Organizing Committee of Yangtze River Culture Festival | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/2022-yangtze-river-culture-festival-kicked-off-zhangjiagang/ | 2022-08-31T10:29:56Z |
SANDVIKEN, Sweden, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The shares of Alleima, a global manufacturer of advanced stainless steels, special alloys and heating systems for the most demanding industries, commence trading on Nasdaq Stockholm today. This marks the start of Alleima as a fully independent company after being part of Sandvik. The name Alleima is a combination of the words 'alloy' and 'material' - two core strengths of the company.
"This is a historic day for our company and an important step to build for the future. We are the result of nearly 160 years of collective minds, working together with our customers. Today Alleima is a world-leader in its fields and a strong performer in its industry. As a standalone company, Alleima will have the right prerequisites to realize its full potential and the best possible conditions for growth and value creation. I want to thank all our employees for the great work and the quality we deliver and our customers for their trust and the advancements we achieve together. Even though our name is new, we will not forget our origins. We will continue to offer the same advanced high-quality products and services with the same expertise and solutions that our customers are used to," says Göran Björkman, President and CEO of Alleima.
The Annual General Meeting of Sandvik AB decided on April 27, 2022, to distribute all shares of Alleima AB to the shareholders of Sandvik AB. Shareholders of Sandvik AB as per the record date August 29, 2022, have received one share in Alleima for every five shares held in Sandvik. The prospectus is available on the Sandvik website, home.sandvik, and on the Alleima website, www.alleima.com. The total number of outstanding shares in Alleima AB is 250,877,184. Alleima is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker 'ALLEI'.
Sandviken, August 31, 2022
Alleima AB (publ)
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Contact details:
Emelie Alm, Head of Investor Relations, Alleima
emelie.alm@sandvik.com
Phone: +46 (0) 79 060 87 17
Yvonne Edenholm, Press and Media Relations Manager, Alleima
yvonne.edenholm@sandvik.com
Phone: +46 (0) 72 145 23 42
About Alleima
Alleima, formerly Sandvik Materials Technology, is a global manufacturer of high value-added products in advanced stainless steels and special alloys as well as solutions for industrial heating. Based on long-term customer partnerships and leading materials technology, we develop products for the most demanding applications and industries. Our offering includes products like seamless steel tubes for the energy, chemical and aerospace industry, precision strip steel for white goods compressors, air conditioners and knife applications, based on more than 900 active alloy recipes. It also includes ultra-fine wires for medical and micro-electronic devices, industrial electric heating technology and coated strip steel for fuel cell technology for cars, trucks, and hydrogen production. Our fully integrated value chain, from R&D to end-product, ensures industry-leading technology, quality, sustainability, and circularity. Alleima, with headquarter in Sandviken, Sweden and revenues of SEK 13.8 billion in 2021, has more than 5,500 employees and customers in approximately 90 countries. Alleima was listed on Nasdaq Stockholm on August 31, 2022 under the ticker 'ALLEI'. Learn more at www.alleima.com
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SOURCE Alleima | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/alleima-trading-nasdaq-stockholm-commences-today/ | 2022-08-31T10:30:04Z |
SHANGHAI, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Arctech, the world's leading tracking, racking, and BIPV solutions provider, announced it has successfully launched its latest solar tracking solution, SkyWings. Enabled by the patented bidirectional slew drives, SkyWings is the world's first dual row solar tracker designed with a multi-point drive mechanism.
SkyWings combines the advantage of dual row trackers and is compatible with undulation terrain with the high rigidity enabled by multi-point drive design. The patented bidirectional slew drives enable two tracker rows to simultaneously move in synchrony.
The undulation tolerance of adjacent rows is largely increased, standing at 15% in both E-W and N-S directions. SkyWings' modular design also adds flexibility to the plant layout, hence the new solar tracking solution accommodates more PV modules than other conventional solar tracking systems under the same terrain circumstances.
Besides stronger adaptability to undulation terrains, SkyWings is facilitated with the multi-point drive mechanism and specially designed torque tube-the patented triple D torque tube, allowing for stowing in a horizontal position with the highest stability.
Stowing flat greatly reduces pressure onto the PV modules surface, which is especially critical to preventing cracking and delamination on the current large-size modules. SkyWings only starts stowing at 22m/s, which generates up to 2% more energy yield per year, hence a lower levelized cost of energy.
SkyWings' post span can be extended up to 10 meters, bringing down installation costs by up to 20% and the entire EPC expenditure by up to 2%, compared to projects utilizing traditional 1P trackers.
Equipped with the second-generation AI algorithms, SkyWings is able to calculate the optimum tracker tilt in various topographies and environments, which allows for real time shading avoidance to 8% more energy generation.
SkyWings, fully compatible with Arctech's cleaning robot product, SkyWe, is well suited to maximize solar energy production in power plant facilities in desert environments.
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SOURCE Arctech | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/arctech-launches-skywings-worlds-first-dual-row-solar-tracker-designed-with-multi-point-drive-mechanism/ | 2022-08-31T10:30:10Z |
LAVAL, Quebec, Aug. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) ( "Company") announced today that it has commenced offers (the "Exchange Offers") to exchange the existing senior notes set forth in the table below (the "Existing Senior Notes") for up to an aggregate principal amount of $4.0 billion (subject to increase or decrease by the Offerors, the "Maximum New Secured Notes Amount") of new secured notes, comprised of (i) up to $2.5 billion in aggregate principal amount (the "Maximum First Lien Notes Amount") of new 11.00% First Lien Secured Notes due 2028 (the "New First Lien Notes") and up to $500.0 million in aggregate principal amount (the "Maximum Second Lien Notes Amount") of new 14.00% Second Lien Secured Notes due 2030 (the "New Second Lien Notes" and, together with the New First Lien Notes, the "New BHC Secured Notes"), in each case, to be issued by the Company, and (ii) $1.0 billion in aggregate principal amount (the "Holdco Notes Amount") of new 9.00% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 (the "Intermediate Holdco Secured Notes" and, together with the New BHC Secured Notes, the "New Secured Notes") to be issued by 1375209 B.C. Ltd. (the "Holdco Issuer" and, together with the Company, the "Offerors"), an existing wholly-owned unrestricted subsidiary of the Company that holds 38.6% of the outstanding issued and common shares of Bausch + Lomb Corporation, in each case, pursuant to the terms described in an Exchange Offer Memorandum and Consent Solicitation Statement, dated August 30, 2022 (the "Exchange Offer Memorandum").
Certain holders of the Existing Senior Notes (the "Supporting Holders"), who collectively represent approximately 22.8% of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Existing Senior Notes, including approximately (i) 24.2% of the 9.00% Senior Notes due 2025, (ii) 35.1% of the 9.25% Senior Notes due 2026, (iii) 49.8% of the 8.50% Senior Notes due 2027, (iv) 36.5% of the 7.00% Senior Notes due 2028, (v) 26.8% of the 5.00% Senior Notes due 2028, (vi) 10.6% of the 5.00% Senior Notes due 2029, (vii) 5.0% of the 6.25% Senior Notes due 2029, (viii) 17.1% of the 7.25% Senior Notes due 2029 and (ix) 6.0% of the 5.25% Senior Notes due 2031, have entered into a support agreement with the Company (the "Support Agreement"), pursuant to which the Supporting Holders have agreed to tender all of their Existing Senior Notes in the Exchange Offers. The Support Agreement provides that Supporting Holders will have certain consent rights over extensions, amendments or waivers to the Exchange Offers or Consent Solicitations by the Company.
The following table describes certain terms of the Exchange Offers:
The New BHC Secured Notes will be guaranteed by each of the Company's subsidiaries that are guarantors under the Company's existing credit agreement, existing senior secured notes and existing senior notes. The New First Lien Notes will be secured on a first priority basis by liens on the assets that secure the existing credit agreement and existing senior secured notes, and will be effectively pari passu with the existing credit agreement and existing senior secured notes and effectively senior to the New Second Lien Notes and the existing senior notes to the extent of the value of the collateral. The New Second Lien Notes will be secured on a second priority basis by liens on the assets that secure the existing credit agreement and existing senior secured notes, and will be effectively junior to the existing credit agreement, existing senior secured notes and New First Lien Notes and effectively senior to the existing senior notes to the extent of the value of the collateral. The Intermediate Holdco Secured Notes will be general senior obligations of the Holdco Issuer secured by first priority liens on substantially all of the assets of the Holdco Issuer, but will not have any recourse to the Company, Bausch + Lomb Corporation, or any of their respective restricted subsidiaries.
Concurrent with the Exchange Offers, the Company and Bausch Health Americas, Inc. ("BHA") have commenced a solicitation of consents (the "Consent Solicitations" and, together with the Exchange Offers, the "Offers") from Eligible Holders (as defined below) of the Existing Senior Notes to amend certain provisions of the indentures (the "Proposed Amendments") with respect to the applicable series of Existing Senior Notes (such indentures, the "Existing Indentures").
Each Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation will expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time on September 27, 2022, or any other date and time to which the Offerors extend such Exchange Offer or Consent Solicitation in their sole discretion (such date and time for such Exchange Offer or Consent Solicitation, as it may be extended, the "Expiration Time"), unless earlier terminated.
To be eligible to receive the applicable total consideration (the "Total Consideration") in the applicable Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation, Eligible Holders must validly tender and not validly withdraw their Existing Senior Notes and validly deliver and not revoke their consents at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 13, 2022, or any other date and time to which the Offerors extend such period for such Exchange Offer or Consent Solicitation in their sole discretion (such date and time for such Exchange Offer or Consent Solicitation, as it may be extended, the "Early Tender Time"). Eligible Holders validly tendering their Existing Senior Notes after the applicable Early Tender Time and at or prior to the Expiration Time will only be eligible to receive the applicable exchange consideration set forth in the table above, subject to the Exchange Consideration Reallocation (the "Exchange Consideration"), which equals the applicable Total Consideration less the applicable Early Exchange Premium set forth in the table above.
Validly tendered Existing Senior Notes may be withdrawn and related consents revoked, with respect to an Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation for any series of Existing Senior Notes at or prior to, and not thereafter (subject to applicable law), in the case of any series of Existing Senior Notes, the earliest of (i) the time of execution of the Supplemental Indenture (as defined below) relating to such series of Existing Senior Notes (which is expected to occur promptly after receipt of the Requisite Consents (as defined below) for such series), (ii) 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 13, 2022, unless extended by the Offerors in their sole discretion (provided the Consent Solicitation with respect to such series of Existing Senior Notes is also terminated as of such date and time) and (iii) the termination of the Consent Solicitation with respect to such series of Existing Senior Notes. The occurrence of such event with respect to a series of Existing Senior Notes is referred to as the "Withdrawal Deadline" for such series of Existing Senior Notes.
If the Exchange Offers are not subscribed in an amount that results in the Holdco Issuer issuing Intermediate Holdco Secured Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to at least the Holdco Notes Amount as consideration to tendering holders of Existing Senior Notes accepted in the Exchange Offers, the applicable Exchange Consideration for each series of Existing Senior Notes of each tendering holder of Existing Senior Notes accepted in the Exchange Offers will be automatically reallocated such that (i) the remaining amount of Intermediate Holdco Secured Notes necessary to reach the Holdco Notes Amount will be issued to such tendering holders whose Existing Senior Notes have been validly tendered and accepted for purchase pursuant to the terms of the Exchange Offers and (ii) any tendering holder to which such reallocation is applied will have a corresponding dollar-for-dollar reduction in the amount of New First Lien Notes and New Second Lien Notes issued to such tendering holders (with such New First Lien Notes and New Second Lien Notes reduced pro rata in accordance with the allocation among such New Secured Notes set forth in the table above) (such reallocation, the "Exchange Consideration Reallocation"). The Holdco Issuer will determine the Exchange Consideration Reallocation in its sole discretion by calculating the percentage increase in the aggregate principal amount of Intermediate Holdco Secured Notes necessary to reach the Holdco Notes Amount and applying such percentage increase to the principal amount of Intermediate Holdco Secured Notes that would have been issued to such holder prior to any reallocation and having a corresponding dollar-for-dollar decrease in the New First Lien Notes and New Second Lien Notes that would have been issued to such holder prior to any reallocation. In addition, the Level 3 Tender Cap limits the maximum aggregate principal amount of the 8.50% Senior Notes due 2027 that may be exchanged at Acceptance Priority Level "3" to $500.0 million; accordingly, acceptance for tenders of any 8.50% 2027 Notes may be subject to proration at Acceptance Priority Level "3" if the aggregate principal amount of 8.50% 2027 Notes validly tendered would result in the aggregate principal amount of 8.50% 2027 Notes exceeding the Level 3 Tender Cap. Any 8.50% 2027 Notes not accepted at Acceptance Priority Level "3" as a result of proration will be exchanged at Acceptance Priority Level "11".
The Offerors expressly reserve the right, but are under no obligation, to increase or decrease the Maximum New Secured Notes Amount, the Maximum First Lien Notes Amount, the Maximum Second Lien Notes Amount, the Holdco Notes Amount and/or the Level 3 Tender Cap set forth in the table above, in each case, at any time, subject to applicable law and any consent rights of the Supporting Holders. This could result in the Offerors purchasing a greater or lesser aggregate principal amount of Existing Senior Notes in the Offers and issuing a greater or lesser aggregate principal amount of New Secured Notes. There can be no assurance that the Offerors will exercise their right to increase or decrease the Maximum New Secured Notes Amount, the Maximum First Lien Notes Amount, the Maximum Second Lien Notes Amount, the Holdco Notes Amount and/or the Level 3 Tender Cap. Further, the Offerors expressly reserve the right, but are under no obligation, to increase or decrease the amount of New First Lien Notes, New Second Lien Notes and/or Intermediate Holdco Secured Notes that comprise the Maximum New Secured Notes Amount and/or the Level 3 Tender Cap, as applicable, at any time, subject to applicable law and any consent rights of the Supporting Holders. This could result in the Offerors issuing a greater or lesser aggregate principal amount of New First Lien Notes, New Second Lien Notes and/or Intermediate Holdco Secured Notes. There can be no assurance that the Offerors will exercise their right to increase or decrease the aggregate principal amount of New First Lien Notes, New Second Lien Notes and/or Intermediate Holdco Secured Notes.
The Offerors will exchange any Existing Senior Notes that have been validly tendered at or prior to the Expiration Time and that they choose to accept for exchange, subject to all conditions to such Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation having been either satisfied or waived by the Offerors, within three business days following the Expiration Time or as promptly as practicable thereafter (the settlement date of such exchange with respect to an Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation being referred to as the "Settlement Date"), subject to the Maximum New Secured Notes Amount, the Exchange Consideration Reallocation, the Acceptance Priority Level and proration.
Subject to the Maximum New Secured Notes Amount, the Level 3 Tender Cap, and proration, all Existing Senior Notes of a series validly tendered at or before the Expiration Time having a higher Acceptance Priority Level will be accepted before any Existing Senior Notes of another series tendered at or before the Expiration Time having a lower Acceptance Priority Level are accepted, even if the Existing Senior Notes having a lower Acceptance Priority Level were tendered prior to the applicable Early Tender Time and the Existing Senior Notes having a higher Acceptance Priority Level were tendered after the Early Tender Time but on or prior to the Expiration Time. Accordingly, even if the Offers are fully subscribed such that the aggregate Exchange Consideration issuable in respect of Existing Senior Notes validly tendered equals at least the Maximum New Secured Notes Amount as of the applicable Early Tender Time, Existing Senior Notes validly tendered at or before the applicable Early Tender Time may be subject to proration if the Offerors accept Existing Senior Notes tendered after the applicable Early Tender Time but on or prior to the Expiration Time that have a higher Acceptance Priority Level than such Existing Senior Notes. In such a scenario, the Offerors will (assuming satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in the Exchange Offer Memorandum with respect to the Offers) accept all validly tendered Existing Senior Notes and related consents, on or prior to the Expiration Time on a prorated basis based on the Acceptance Priority Level such that the aggregate Exchange Consideration equals the Maximum New Secured Notes Amount (subject to rounding down to the nearest $1,000). A Consent Solicitation with respect to a series of Existing Senior Notes will be terminated if either (i) the consents of holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of such series of Existing Senior Notes outstanding (excluding any Existing Senior Notes held by the Company or its affiliates) (with respect to each series of Existing Senior Notes, the "Requisite Consents") for such series are not obtained, or (ii) such series is subject to proration in the related Offer, and in either such case, the applicable Proposed Amendments for such series of Existing Senior Notes will not become effective.
All Existing Senior Notes not accepted as a result of proration will be rejected from the applicable Offer and will be promptly returned to the tendering Eligible Holder.
Existing Senior Notes may be tendered and accepted for exchange only in principal amounts equal to minimum denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof, provided that the New Secured Notes will be issued with minimum denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. If proration causes the Company to return less than the minimum denomination of a series of Existing Senior Notes to an Eligible Holder, then the Offerors will either accept all or reject all of the Existing Senior Notes of such series tendered by such Eligible Holder. The amount of New Secured Notes to be issued to any Eligible Holder will be rounded down to the nearest $1,000. Any fractional portion of New Secured Notes not received as a result of rounding down will be paid in cash.
If the Requisite Consents to the applicable Proposed Amendments are received and not revoked with respect to a series of Existing Senior Notes, the Company or BHA, as the case may be, and the trustee under the Existing Indenture governing such series of Existing Senior Notes are expected to execute a supplemental indenture to such Existing Indenture providing for the Proposed Amendments (with respect to any such series of Existing Senior Notes, a "Supplemental Indenture"), promptly after receipt of such Requisite Consents. The Supplemental Indenture will effect the Proposed Amendments only with respect to such series of Existing Senior Notes for which the applicable Requisite Consents were received and not revoked. The adoption of the Proposed Amendments with respect to any series of Existing Senior Notes is not conditioned upon the consummation of any other Consent Solicitation or adoption of the Proposed Amendments in respect of any other series of Existing Senior Notes or obtaining any Requisite Consent with respect to any other series of Existing Senior Notes. The failure to obtain the Requisite Consents with respect to any series of Existing Senior Notes will not affect the ability of the Company or BHA, as applicable, to enter into the Supplemental Indenture and cause the Proposed Amendments to become effective for any other series of Existing Senior Notes. If an Exchange Offer or the related Consent Solicitation with respect to a series of Existing Senior Notes is terminated or withdrawn, the Existing Indenture governing such series of Existing Senior Notes will remain in effect in its present form with respect to such series of Existing Senior Notes. However, if the Proposed Amendments for a series of Existing Senior Notes become operative, holders of such series of Existing Senior Notes who do not tender Existing Senior Notes will be bound by the applicable Proposed Amendments, meaning that their Existing Senior Notes will be governed by an Existing Indenture as amended by the applicable Supplemental Indenture.
Each Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation is a separate offer and/or solicitation, and each may be individually amended, extended, terminated or withdrawn, subject to certain conditions and applicable law, at any time in the Offerors' sole discretion, subject to the consent rights of the Supporting Holders, and without amending, extending, terminating or withdrawing any other Exchange Offer or Consent Solicitation. No Offer is conditioned upon any minimum principal amount of Existing Senior Notes of any series being tendered nor the consummation of any other Offer or Consent Solicitation. Additionally, notwithstanding any other provision of the Offers, the Offerors' obligations to accept and exchange any of the Existing Senior Notes validly tendered pursuant to an Offer is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, as described in the Exchange Offer Memorandum, and the Offerors each expressly reserves its right, subject to applicable law, to terminate any Offer and/or Consent Solicitation at any time.
The Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations are being made, and the applicable series of New Secured Notes are being offered, only to holders of the Existing Senior Notes who are either (a) persons other than "U.S. persons" as defined in Regulation S, and who agree to purchase the New Secured Notes outside of the United States, and who are otherwise in compliance with the requirements of Regulation S; or (b) persons who are reasonably believed to be both (i) "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and to whom the New Secured Notes are offered in the United States in a transaction not involving a public offering, pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and (ii) qualified purchasers (as defined in Section 2(a)(51) of the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; provided that, in each case, if such holder (i) is resident in Canada, such holder is required to complete, sign and submit to the exchange agent a Canadian holder form, which may be obtained from the information agent, or (ii) is in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, such holder is a "qualified investor" and is not a "retail investor". With respect to holders in the European Economic Area, a "retail investor" means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a "retail client" as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, "MiFID II"); or (ii) a "customer" within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/97, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II; or (iii) not a "qualified investor" as defined in Regulation (EU) 2017/1129. The holders of Existing Senior Notes who have certified to the Offerors that they are eligible to participate in the Offers and Consent Solicitations pursuant to at least one of the foregoing conditions are referred to as "Eligible Holders." Eligible Holders may go to www.dfking.com/bhc to confirm their eligibility.
Full details of the terms and conditions of the Exchange Offers and the Consent Solicitations are described in the Exchange Offer Memorandum. The Exchange Offers and the Consent Solicitations are only being made pursuant to, and the information in this press release is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the Exchange Offer Memorandum, which is being sent by the Offerors to Eligible Holders of the Existing Senior Notes. Eligible Holders of the Existing Senior Notes are encouraged to read these documents, as they contain important information regarding the Exchange Offers and the Consent Solicitations. This press release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any Existing Senior Notes in the Exchange Offers or the Consent Solicitations.
Requests for the Exchange Offer Memorandum and other documents relating to the Exchange Offers and the Consent Solicitations may be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc., the exchange agent and information agent for the Offers, at (212) 232-3233 (for banks and brokers only) or (877) 478-5045 (toll-free) (for all others) or bhc@dfking.com.
None of the Company, the Holdco Issuer, any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates, or any of their respective officers, boards of directors or directors, the dealer manager and solicitation agent, the exchange agent and information agent or any trustee is making any recommendation as to whether Eligible Holders should tender any Existing Senior Notes in response to the Exchange Offers or deliver any consents pursuant to the Consent Solicitations and no one has been authorized by any of them to make such a recommendation. Eligible holders must make their own decision as to whether to tender their Existing Senior Notes and deliver consents, and, if so, the principal amount of Existing Senior Notes as to which action is to be taken.
The Exchange Offers and the Consent Solicitations are not being made to Eligible Holders of Existing Senior Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction in which the Exchange Offers and the Consent Solicitations are required to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Exchange Offers and the Consent Solicitations will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company, the Holdco Issuer and BHA, as applicable, by the dealer manager and solicitation agent, or one or more registered brokers or dealers that are licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction.
The New Secured Notes have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The New Secured Notes have not been and will not be qualified for sale to the public by prospectus under applicable Canadian securities laws and, accordingly, any issuance of New Secured Notes in Canada will be made on a basis which is exempt from the prospectus requirements of such securities laws.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the New Secured Notes in the United States and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale of the New Secured Notes in any jurisdiction where such offering or sale would be unlawful. There shall not be any sale of the New Secured Notes in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.
About Bausch Health Companies Inc.
Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) is a global diversified pharmaceutical company whose mission is to improve people's lives with our health care products. We develop, manufacture and market a range of products primarily in gastroenterology, hepatology, neurology, dermatology, international pharmaceuticals and eye health, through our approximately 88.7% ownership of Bausch + Lomb. With our leading durable brands, we are delivering on our commitments as we build an innovative company dedicated to advancing global health.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements about the future performance of the Company, which may generally be identified by the use of the words "anticipates," "hopes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "should," "could," "would," "may," "believes," "subject to" and variations or similar expressions. These statements are based upon the current expectations and beliefs of management and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Actual results are subject to other risks and uncertainties that relate more broadly to the Company's overall business, including those more fully described in the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and detailed from time to time in the Company's other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian securities administrators, which factors are incorporated herein by reference.
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SOURCE Bausch Health Companies Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/bausch-health-announces-exchange-offers-consent-solicitations-certain-existing-senior-notes-with-support-approximately-23-outstanding-existing-senior-notes/ | 2022-08-31T10:30:17Z |
HSINCHU, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES INC. ("ChipMOS" or the "Company") (Taiwan Stock Exchange: 8150 and NASDAQ: IMOS), an industry leading provider of outsourced semiconductor assembly and test services ("OSAT"), today announced that it will present virtually to institutional investors at the 23rd Credit Suisse Asian Technology Conference from Wednesday, September 7 to Thursday, September 8, 2022.
Management from the Company, including Jesse Huang, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Investor Relations, will discuss the Company's recent financial results, business trends and market opportunities. The Company's latest investor update is available on the investor relations' section of its website at www.chipmos.com.
About ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES INC.:
ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES INC. ("ChipMOS" or the "Company") (Taiwan Stock Exchange: 8150 and NASDAQ: IMOS) (https://www.chipmos.com) is an industry leading provider of outsourced semiconductor assembly and test services. With advanced facilities in Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu Industrial Park and Southern Taiwan Science Park in Taiwan, ChipMOS is known for its track record of excellence and history of innovation. The Company provides end-to-end assembly and test services to leading fabless semiconductor companies, integrated device manufacturers and independent semiconductor foundries serving virtually all end markets worldwide.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as 'believes,' 'expects,' 'anticipates,' 'projects,' 'intends,' 'should,' 'seeks,' 'estimates,' 'future' or similar expressions or by discussion of, among other things, strategies, goals, plans or intentions. These statements may include financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, products and services, and statements regarding future performance. Actual results may differ materially in the future from those reflected in forward-looking statements contained in this document, due to various factors. Further information regarding these risks, uncertainties and other factors are included in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and in the Company's other filings with the SEC.
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SOURCE ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES INC. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/chipmos-present-23rd-credit-suisse-asian-technology-conference/ | 2022-08-31T10:30:24Z |
Leading Capital Markets Firm to Offer U.S. Fixed-Income Products to Japanese Institutional Investors
MIAMI, Aug. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Citadel Securities, a leading global liquidity provider, today announced the opening of a new office in Tokyo and plans to launch its U.S. fixed-income offerings in Japan. Tokyo is the latest addition to the firm's growing global footprint, which now includes 15 offices across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
"Japan has a highly sophisticated, large and dynamic investor base, and we are excited to strengthen our presence in the country as we continue to expand in Asia Pacific and globally," said Paul Hamill, Global Head of Fixed Income Distribution, Citadel Securities. "Japanese institutional investors have long played a critical role in the global fixed-income markets, and we look forward to providing them with our differentiated product offerings driven by innovations, technology, consistent and competitive pricing, best-in-class markets insights, and global macro thought leadership."
Citadel Securities recently became a registered Type 1 Financial Instruments Business Operator, which allows the firm to offer liquidity in U.S. fixed-income products, including U.S. Treasuries and USD interest rate swaps, in the Japanese market. Operations are expected to commence under the supervision of Japan's Financial Services Agency once membership in the Japan Securities Dealers Association has been granted.
The firm's operations in Japan will be led by a highly experienced local team that includes Shinichiro Kato, Representative Director of the Japan entity, responsible for fixed-income distribution in Japan, and Chungwon Gee, responsible for Asia-hours fixed-income trading, among other sales and trading professionals with deep expertise in the Japanese fixed-income markets. In addition to its global platform and resources, Citadel Securities expects to access Japan's world-class population of technical and trading talent as the firm continues to grow in the region.
Citadel Securities is one of the largest market makers in U.S. Treasuries and USD interest rate swaps globally, servicing many of the world's largest financial institutions, including banks, asset managers, pension funds, hedge funds, central banks, and sovereign wealth funds, in more than 55 jurisdictions. The strength of the firm's offering is powered by providing consistent and reliable liquidity in all market conditions and by delivering firm prices, fast quotes and competitive spreads along with full-service relationship management.
Citadel Securities has been operating in Asia since 2009 and launched its fixed-income offerings in Hong Kong in 2020. The firm's global footprint includes six offices and more than 200 professionals in the Asia-Pacific region.
About Citadel Securities
Citadel Securities is a next-generation capital markets firm and a leading global market maker, providing institutional and retail investors with the liquidity they need to trade a broad array of equity and fixed-income products in any market condition. At Citadel Securities, the brightest minds in finance, science, and technology use powerful, advanced analytics to solve the market's most critical challenges, turn big ideas into real-world outcomes, and accelerate their careers. For more information, visit CitadelSecurities.com.
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SOURCE Citadel Securities | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/citadel-securities-opens-tokyo-office-continuing-global-expansion/ | 2022-08-31T10:30:30Z |
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