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[] | 2016-08-29T20:49:18 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | Numerous national news outlets are reporting the death of legendary comedic actor Gene Wilder. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEntertainment%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FComic-genius-Gene-Wilder-dead-at-83.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/18372-21781-1-jpg.jpg | en | null | Comic genius Gene Wilder dead at 83 | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Variety reports that Wilder’s nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said Wilder died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83.
Known for hilarious lead roles in such farcical classics as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein” and “Stir Crazy,” Wilder often was most associated with his musical turn in the title role of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”
Born Jerome Silberma on June 11, 1933, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he adopted the stage name Gene Wilder at age of 26. Wilder was married to another comic legend, Saturday Night Live veteran Gilda Radner, who died from ovarian cancer in 1989. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Entertainment/2016/08/29/Comic-genius-Gene-Wilder-dead-at-83.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/ba15150c1169b23043ccca4590eb6d1ae1e11ca4b3cdddd7dc90e66d7ac1d8d0.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T20:49:15 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | JOHNSON CITY - Peggy Ann Chinouth Crowe, 84, Johnson City, passed away Friday, August 26, 2016 at her home, following a lengthy illness.
Mrs. Crowe, born March 21, 1932, | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FPeggy-Ann-Chinouth-Crowe.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/Crowe-jpg.jpg | en | null | Peggy Ann Chinouth Crowe | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Mrs. Crowe, born March 21, 1932, was a native and lifelong resident of Johnson City and a 1950 graduate of Science Hill High School.
She was a member of Snow Memorial Baptist Church, where she was a Sunday school teacher for over thirty years. For the last nine years, Mrs. Crowe has been a member of Grace Freewill Baptist Church.
Mrs. Crowe is the daughter of the late Orville Cleveland and Sadie Ellen Hodge Chinouth. She was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers: Harold, Kyle (Bud) and Jack Chinouth, and one sister, Virginia Chinouth Palmer.
She is survived by her devoted husband of 62 years, Maynard Crowe and three children; Donna Ellen Crowe Fender and husband, Allen; Steven Maynard Crowe and wife, Carol Cline Crowe and Ann Noel Crowe. Seven grandchildren and eleven great- grandchildren: Shannon Maddox and husband, Nick (Ansley and Ellen); Brandon Crowe and wife, Rebekah (Cainan, Corban and Cooper); Martin Tingelhoff and wife, Bethany (Ethan, Asher and Harper); Nicholas Crowe and wife, Micah (Brooklyn, Leighton and Marley); Amanda Crowe; Alec Tingelhoff and Austin Tingelhoff. Sister: Evelyn Chinouth McInturff; Sisters-in-Law: Suzanne Wacks Chinouth; Rhea Crowe Calloway and husband, Joel.
Several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and cousins.
Pallbearers are Brandon Crowe, Nicholas Crowe, Martin Tingelhoff, Alec Tingelhoff, Austin Tingelhoff and Nick Maddox.
The funeral will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, August 29, 2016 in the East Chapel of Appalachian Funeral Home, with Rev. Curtis Hurt, officiating.
The family will receive friends from 5:00-7:00 p.m. prior to the funeral service in the East Parlor of the funeral home.
The graveside committal service will be held Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at Highland Church of Christ Cemetery, 485 Highland Church Road, Johnson City, TN 37615. Those planning to attend are requested to meet at the funeral home by 9:20 a.m. Tuesday to proceed to the cemetery.
Memories and condolences may be shared at www.appfh.net.
Appalachian Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 800 E. Watauga Avenue, Johnson City, is serving the Crowe family. (423)-928-6111 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/27/Peggy-Ann-Chinouth-Crowe.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/d4834d6c8d3e7fef61938bcb84212afc5e9c5e85791ed4627cccf0ed070340d6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:47:53 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Leah Ruth Owens, of Johnson City, TN, and Morgan Kendell Johnson, of Dickson TN were married on July 23, 2016, at Long Hollow Gardens and Nursery in Gallatin, TN. Pastor | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FAnnouncements%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FJohnson-Owens.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/Johnson-Owens-JPG.jpg | en | null | Johnson City Press: Johnson | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The bride is the daughter of Craig and Rachel Owens, of Gray, TN; and Tom and Tamara Day, of Bluff City, TN. She is the granddaughter of Nellie Owens and the late Lawrence Owens, of Johnson City, TN; and Hugh and Faye Sullivan, of Johnson City, TN.
The groom is the son of Joseph and Anna Johnson, of Dickson, TN. He is the grandson of Ann Lu and Lee Cae Cameron, of Cadiz, KY; and Martha Stephenson, of Cadiz, KY.
The bride was given in marriage by her parents and escorted to the altar by her father.
Ansley Owens (sister of the bride) and Anna Tolan were maids of honor. Bridesmaids were: Hannah Bowers, Elizabeth Zumwalt, Kaela Pennington, Diana Proffitt, Jennifer Scanion, Jessica Wayda, Elizabeth Roeser, Ashton Montgomery. Amelia Brooke Reynolds was flower girl.
Bradley Chambers and Luke Humphreys served as best men. Groomsmen were Ryan Luttrell, Grant Exline, Ian Smith, Glenn Hill, Ethan Murphy, Nicholas Eno, Holden Foster, and Adam Lankford. Brody Reynolds was ring bearer.
The bride graduated from Lipscomb University School of Nursing, of Nashville, TN, Magna Cum Laude. She is currently employed in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, TN.
The groom is a senior at Lipscomb University, where he is a philosophy major. Upon graduation, he will pursue a masters degree in Pastoral Ministry at Southern Seminary. He is currently employed at Hope Community Church in Nashville, TN.
Following a wedding trip to Cancun, Mexico and Alberta, Canada, the couple will reside in Nashville, TN. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Announcements/2016/08/26/Johnson-Owens.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/f7d4032ac757aaf0f09bf15870500421d0711fc0e71a4db5b4fecdfdbdd446f5.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T20:49:25 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | “Ecclesiastes 3:1-12”
RIDGELAND, SC - Dr. Richard William “Rick” Hensley, DDS, 65, Ridgeland, SC, died unexpectedly Monday, August | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FDr-Richard-William-Rick-Hensley.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/Richard-Hensley-jpg-1.jpg | en | null | Dr. Richard William "Rick" Hensley | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | RIDGELAND, SC - Dr. Richard William “Rick” Hensley, DDS, 65, Ridgeland, SC, died unexpectedly Monday, August 22, 2016, at Coastal Carolina Medical Center, Hardeeville, SC.
Dr. Hensley was born November 28, 1950 in Johnson City, to Mary F. Hensley, Johnson City, and the late William “Mac” Hensley.
Rick was a 1968 graduate of University High School, received his B.S. Degree from Milligan College in 1971, his Masters Degree in Bio-Chemistry from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1975, worked in cancer research with St. Jude’s Hospital, Duke University from 1975-77, then finally received his Doctorate from The University of Tennessee Dental School, Memphis, in 1981.
Dr. Hensley opened his first dental office in Roan Mountain in 1981, then practiced briefly in Johnson City before moving and practicing dentistry in Beaufort, SC for 26 years. Rick served as a missionary, providing dental service in the Ivory Coast in Africa. After moving to Africa in 1998, Dr. Hensley provided dental service to needy patients until he returned to his dental practice in Beaufort in late 1999, where he continued working until the time of his death.
Rick was raised in Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church, where he was very active and as a youth, held several positions. He was a member of Compassion Christian Church, Savannah, GA, where he provided dental services for missionaries. He was a loving husband, loved his family, and could do or fix anything, which earned him the nickname “MacGyver”.
In addition to his father, Rick was preceded in death by his brother, Thomas Ronald “Ronnie” Hensley.
In addition to his mother, Dr. Hensley is survived by his wife, Linda R. Driggers Hensley, Ridgeland, SC; his sons, Richard McKinley “Mac” Hensley, CDT, Memphis, Dr. William Matthew Hensley and wife Rachel, Russellville, and Thomas Ronald Maxwell Hensley, Johnson City; his grandchildren, Hadley Brooke Hensley and William Clay Hensley.
The funeral service will be conducted Sunday, August 28, 2016, at 2:00 P.M., from the East Chapel of the Appalachian Funeral Home, with Reverend Michael Lester, officiating. Special music will be provided by Jane LaPella, organist.
The committal service and entombment will follow in the Mausoleum Chapel of Monte Vista Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends prior to the service from 1:00-2:00 P.M. Sunday in the East Parlor of the funeral home.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.appfh.net.
Appalachian Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 800 E. Watauga Ave., Johnson City, is serving the Hensley family. (423)928-6111 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/27/Dr-Richard-William-Rick-Hensley.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/5475c5d607b085ffdbc29ff11ac84d3ed5487a5f6c5173a0223752ddbf60a983.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:04:15 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | A physical opponent awaits Happy Valley as the Warriors open their 2016 season. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FSports%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FWarriors-travel-for-physical-test-against-Cloudland.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/pjimage-2-jpg.jpg | en | null | Warriors travel for physical test against Cloudland | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | “Cloudland first and foremost is an extremely physical team,” said Warriors head coach Jason Jarrett. “They use that mentality to run a power-scheme offense to perfection.”
The Carter County rivals will meet Friday night in Roan Mountain. Kickoff is set for 7:30.
In other area small-school contests, Hampton hits the road to face Johnson County, and Unaka is at home against Cosby.
In games involving large schools, Dobyns-Bennett travels to take on Oak Ridge, Sullivan South is at Tennessee High, and Greeneville plays host to Morristown West.
Also, Volunteer is the home team against Sullivan North, Cocke County visits Sullivan Central, and Sullivan East is at home to battle Unicoi County.
Cloudland opened its season with a tough 41-38 road loss to Northview Academy. That’s a lot of points to surrender, but Jarrett said the Highlanders’ defense is tough.
“They play with that same aggressive style of play, and that puts a lot of pressure on your offense,” said Jarrett. “It is obvious they are extremely well-coached and definitely have several great players that execute their system.”
Also, Cloudland has the edge of already getting through the opening-game jitters.
“Having already played a game can definitely be an advantage because it gives a team a chance to work the kinks out, such as substitution patterns, running special teams on and off the field, and communication among coaches,” said Jarrett. “It also gives a team a chance to have real game conditioning.”
Hampton (1-0) at Johnson County (0-1)
Hampton got off to a fast start with last week’s win while the Longhorns couldn’t hold up against powerful Sullivan East.
Those things are pushed aside for this week because this is big rivalry contest.
The game could turn into quite a battle if the Longhorns consistently move the football and finish off their drives.
Cosby (0-0) at Unaka (0-1)
Win or lose, finding some momentum would be an important step for the Rangers. If it’s a few key defensive stops or getting some points on the board, Unaka needs to build some positives in this non-league matchup.
Dobyns-Bennett (1-0) at Oak Ridge (1-0)
It was a hard-fought three-point game last season, and the Wildcats were victorious.
How far the Indians have bounced back from last year’s uncharacteristic losing season could become evident if they are able to pull off a road win in a tough environment.
Sullivan South (0-1) at Tennessee High (0-1)
It’s hard to figure out a favorite for this contest as both teams are coming off poor performances in their respective season openers.
Neither team got much going offensively, but this game should provide more scoring opportunities for both of them.
Unicoi County (1-0) at Sullivan East (1-0)
Certainly the Blue Devils built some momentum with last week's blowout win, but the Patriots will provide much stiffer competition.
The biggest challenge for Unicoi will be controlling East’s powerful ground attack while the Patriots’ defense faces a Blue Devils’ passing game that produced over 300 yards last week.
West (1-0) at Greeneville (1-0)
The Trojans lost 63-30 to Knox Catholic in the season opener, but picked up a forfeit win when the Irish self-reported the use of an ineligible player in the fourth quarter.
Last year, West whipped the Greene Devils in this matchup. That should provide plenty of motivation for a better performance this time around for Greeneville.
North (1-0) at Volunteer (1-0)
It was already expected to be a good season for the Raiders, so a win here wouldn’t enhance their status a great deal.
However, a win by the Falcons could quickly change people’s perception of Volunteer. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/2016/08/25/Warriors-travel-for-physical-test-against-Cloudland.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/a32afd312e8ae2039efdd1b56442cc43a9a931f14f3de12414a26019ae3b5e5b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:48 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | JONESBOROUGH - Howard Briggs, age 73 of Jonesborough, went to be with the Lord on August 23, 2016. He was a son of the late Hector Hugh and Sophia Roberts Briggs. In addition to his parents, | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FHoward-Briggs.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/Briggs-jpg.jpg | en | null | Johnson City Press: Howard Briggs | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Howard is survived by his wife, Sharon, of the home; one son and daughter-in-law, Roger and Judy Briggs; one grandson, John Ross Briggs; brothers, Ralph and wife Nebahat of Frisco,Texas, Eldridge of Jonesborough, Glen and Karen of Jonesborough; sisters, Viola Briggs Van Zandt and husband, Jack of Jonesborough, Dorothy Briggs Hall of Jonesborough; special friend and helper, Barbara Moore.
Howard is remembered as a devoted husband and father who loved the Lord, his family, and his fellow man. He served the Lord as a long time member and Deacon at Oak Hill Baptist Church. Able to fix or make most anything, he enjoyed whittling, working with wood, electrical projects and restoring his John Deere tractors, and helping others. His motto was “Life is short. Lend a hand when you can.”
The family will receive friends from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. Saturday at Sulphur Springs Baptist Church, with services to follow thereafter. On Sunday, a procession will depart Daniel Boone High School parking lot at 2:30 and proceed to Sulphur Springs Cemetery where graveside services will be held.
In lieu of flowers the family requested donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Gray Funeral Home is proud to serve the family of Howard Briggs. 423-477-3171 or 239-6622 www.grayfuneralhome.net | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/24/Howard-Briggs.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/99294b60310e8b3b22e842abab4e09c9efb70bad7d2d5567e9336a586cb125b2.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T20:48:04 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | DANDRIDGE - Gladys H. Stewart, 90, Dandridge, formerly of Johnson City, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, August 25, 2016, at the residence of her daughter and son-in-law, Brenda and | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FGladys-H-Stewart.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/Gladys-Stewart-jpg.jpg | en | null | Gladys H. Stewart | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Mrs. Stewart was a native of Falls City, NE.
She was a homemaker, and with her loving husband, was co-owner and operator of their long-haul trucking business.
Mrs. Stewart was a member of Big Springs Baptist Church, Elizabethton, where her children were all baptized.
She was preceded in death by her husband of twenty-seven years, Luther R. Stewart in 2014, her parents, Austin Hemphill and Clara Hemphill Young, her step-father, “Pop” Young, an infant son, John Richard Stewart, a great-grandson, Michael Conley, one brother, and four sisters.
Mrs. Stewart is survived by seven children, Brenda Bailey and husband Charles, Dandridge, Sharon Burns and husband John, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Dan Stewart and wife Georgette, Johnson City, Luther Stewart and wife Francis, Longview, TX, Don Stewart and wife Veronica, Quincy, IL, Rodney Stewart and wife Kathy, Norfolk, VA, Linda Francisco and husband Neil, Johnson City; seventeen grandchildren; twenty great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews.
The funeral service will be conducted Sunday, August 28, 2016, at 7:00 P.M., from the East Chapel of Appalachian Funeral Home, with Dr. Mark Chatman, officiating.
The family will receive friends prior to the service Sunday from 5:00-7:00 P.M. in the East Parlor of the funeral home.
The graveside committal service will be held Monday at 10:45 A.M. in Mountain Home National Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Danny Stewart, Bobby Roark, Nathan Roark, John Burns, Nick Conley, Richard Good and Michael Jenkins. Those planning to attend are to meet at the funeral home by 10:15 A.M. Monday to proceed to the cemetery.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.appfh.net.
Appalachian Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 800 E. Watauga Ave., Johnson City, is serving the Stewart family. (423)928-6111 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/26/Gladys-H-Stewart.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/49d793a7ae45faa347deec5f4b7d6c3e0713b1ce09034c240e731bf0536bb907.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:49:48 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | NEW DELHI — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in India for strategic and commercial talks being held against the backdrop of rising tensions in the | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FWorld%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FKerry-in-India-for-strategic-commercial-talks.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/India-U-S-1.jpg | en | null | Kerry in India for strategic, commercial talks | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Kerry, along with U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, is leading the American delegation to the second meeting of the U.S.-India strategic dialogue, which seeks to improve security and economic development ties between the nations.
Tuesday’s talks come amid some of the largest protests in Kashmir against Indian rule in recent years. At least 68 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in the Himalayan region, mostly by government forces firing bullets and shotguns at rock-throwing protesters since early July. Two policemen have been killed and hundreds of government forces have been injured in the clashes.
On Monday, Indian authorities lifted a curfew imposed in most parts of India-controlled Kashmir as part of a 52-day security lockdown. But they re-imposed the curfew in the region’s main city after anti-India protests and clashes erupted in several neighborhoods.
More than 68,000 people have been killed since rebel groups began fighting Indian forces in 1989 and in the subsequent Indian military crackdown.
The U.S. has consistently urged dialogue between India and Pakistan on the dispute and, in a meeting with Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval, Kerry reiterated that position, according to U.S. officials, who noted that on Monday India’s defense minister met with Pentagon chief Ash Carter in Washington.
Other issues on the agenda include cooperation in Afghanistan, efforts to combat terrorism, cybersecurity as well as India’s desire to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and pursue a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. Climate change and clean energy are also to be discussed. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/World/2016/08/30/Kerry-in-India-for-strategic-commercial-talks.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/04bc58c0be912f950a0ba7b0e823f594da7fd5cd7a0c7860eb7179b9df0975b6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T18:48:41 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | ELIZABETHTON - Margaret Hopkins, 95, Elizabethton, passed away on Thursday, August 25, 2016. She was preceded in death by her husband Albert Hopkins and two daughters: Alberta Elizabeth | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FMargaret-Hopkins.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Margaret Hopkins | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | She is survived by her special niece: Judy Cassel Coleman, her special great niece: Sheri Potter and special nephew: Clifford Davis and wife Ginny. She is also survived by several other nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday in the funeral home. There will be no services. There will be a private burial for immediate family only. Friends may call at the home of Judy Coleman, 403-B South Lane Court at anytime.
Condolences may be sent to the family at our web-site www.memorialfcelizabethton.com.
Memorial Funeral Chapel is serving the Hopkins family | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/26/Margaret-Hopkins.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/8fd77593574e3c8c6734a1d7c4baab988a8a5e26169f4747eb97481776910c10.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T20:48:58 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | ELIZABETHTON - Patsy Nave-Hubbard, age 61, of Elizabethton, TN went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, August 27, 2016 at her residence following an extended illness. A native of Carter | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FPatsy-Lynne-Nave-Hubbard.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/28/x720_q60/Nave-Hubbard-jpg.jpg | en | null | Patsy Lynne Nave-Hubbard | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a brother, Ken Franklin. Those left to cherish her memory include her husband, Clinton Eugene Hubbard, of the home; brothers, Gary Nave and wife Miyoko, Sumter, SC and Larry Nave and wife Sara, Elizabethton, TN; sister, Barbara Smith and husband Paul, Banner Elk, NC; sisters-in-law, Jan Franklin, Palmer, TN and Kay Mason and husband Jim, Arkansas; brothers-in-law, Lee Hubbard and wife Terry, Elizabethton, TN and Mike Hubbard and wife Sue, Johnson City, TN; step-son, Chris Hubbard and wife Sheena, Texas and four step-grandchildren. Several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins, special friends and neighbors also survive.
A service to honor the life of Patsy Nave-Hubbard will be conducted at 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, August 31, 2016 in Zion Baptist Church, Gap Creek with Dr. Alan King and Rev. Sherrel Nave officiating. Music will be under the direction of the Zion Baptist Church Choir and Jennifer Hughes, pianist. Graveside service and interment will follow the funeral service in Happy Valley Memorial Park. Active pallbearers will be Chris Nave, Jeremiah Nave, Jeff Smith, Joshua Hubbard, Lee Hubbard, Chris Hubbard and Mike Hubbard. Honorary pallbearers will be Jason Franklin, the men of Zion Baptist Church, brothers and sisters in Christ, cousins and friends.
The family will receive friends at Zion Baptist Church, Gap Creek on Tuesday, August 30, 2016 from 4:00 – 7:00 P.M. or at the residence at any time or at the residence of her brother, Larry Nave at any time.
The family would like to express a special thank you to Amedisys Hospice and her niece, Julie Brown for the loving care given to Patsy and to the members of Zion Baptist Church. In Patsy’s own words, she would like to “thank Katherine White, Yvonne Stegier, all my brothers and sisters in Christ, my fellow associate friends at Walmart and several special friends.”
Those who prefer memorials in lieu of flowers may make donations to Zion Baptist Church, Building Fund, 1982 Gap Creek Road, Elizabethton, TN 37643. Online condolences may be sent to the family and viewed by visiting our website at www.hathawaypercy.com. Hathaway-Percy Funeral and Cremation Services is serving the Nave-Hubbard family. Office: (423) 543-5544. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/28/Patsy-Lynne-Nave-Hubbard.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/d15dcd23f3050b8744af43c3bcf8c259c325cd77ab7f7583721340139f82ce99.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:08:53 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | TAMPA, Florida (AP) — Visiting a battleground state he can’t afford to lose, Donald Trump promised Hispanics “a much better life” Wednesday in a | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FTrump-aiming-to-widen-support-makes-pitch-to-Hispanics.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/Campaign-2016-Trump0.jpg | en | null | Trump, aiming to widen support, makes pitch to Hispanics | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | And, in an interview, he suggested he would “work with” some of the immigrants in the United States illegally, stopping short of proposing a legal path to remaining in the country but suggesting a startling about-face from his previous hard-line mass deportation proposal.
Yet the Republican presidential candidate also repeated his promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to keep out immigrants, underscoring the tricky balancing act he faces in retaining backing from conservatives while beckoning to moderates for their votes.
“I am going to fight to give every Hispanic citizen a much better future, a much better life,” Trump told a crowd in Tampa as polls show him trailing in the critical state. “You have the right to walk outside without being shot. You have a right to a good education for your child. You have the right to own your home. You have the right to have a good job.”
Trump dominated presidential campaign coverage for the day as his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, was fundraising in California.
Her drive for the White House got a rhetorical boost when her defeated competitor for her party’s nomination, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, told The Associated Press that he’ll campaign actively for Clinton this fall. Sanders, who turns 75 on Sept. 8, also said he’s leaning toward seeking re-election as an independent senator in 2018.
Trump’s appeal to Hispanics largely echoed his recent outreach to African-Americans. He rarely tried to explicitly lure minority voters during his unlikely rise to the GOP nomination earlier this year.
Now facing a bigger electorate, Trump suggested Hispanics have been taken for granted by Democrats. He said the 600,000 Latino-owned businesses in Florida would benefit under his economic plan, but he offered few specifics.
“Hispanics are tired of being used by these phony politicians,” Trump roared above the rumbles of a thunderstorm audible inside. “I say, what do you have to lose? I will fix it.”
Hispanics make up a sizable and growing percentage of Florida’s population. Trump will have a narrow path to the White House without winning the Sunshine State, where he owns several resorts and which he dubbed “his second home” on Wednesday.
Trump made no mention at the rally, largely attended by white supporters, of his remarks Tuesday that he would consider “softening” laws dealing with immigrants in the country illegally. But in an interview broadcast on Fox News Channel, he said that while he would not allow citizenship, he would “work with” those in the country illegally.
“Let me go a step further,” Trump said. “They’ll pay back taxes, they have to pay taxes, there’s no amnesty, as such, there’s no amnesty, but we work with them.”
That is a far cry from the early days of the GOP primaries, when Trump vowed to use a “deportation force” to round up and deport the millions of people living in the country illegally, and appears to be far more in line with the more moderate plans that Trump criticized when they were floated by his Republican primary rivals.
Trump is expected to discuss his immigration proposals more thoroughly in Phoenix Aug. 31.
Arizona Republican Party Chairman Robert Graham confirmed the event and said the speech would cover “policy.” Two officials with knowledge of the Trump campaign’s plans confirmed the topic was immigration. They weren’t authorized to speak on the record about campaign plans.
At a rally later Wednesday in Jackson, Mississippi, he said only that “any immigration policy I support as president must pass these three tests,” before broadly saying it must improve the wages, safety and quality of life of U.S. citizens.
At the rally in Jackson, an overwhelmingly African-American city, Trump made a similar outreach to black voters and called Clinton “a bigot” for allegedly taking for granted the support of minority voters.
Trump aides confirmed he will soon tour churches, local businesses and charter schools in black and Hispanic urban neighborhoods. Dr. Ben Carson, a close ally and former GOP primary rival, said he will accompany Trump on at least one visit.
Trump, in Mississippi, linked the movement fueling his campaign to the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union — and brought Nigel Farage, an architect of Britain’s successful “Brexit” campaign, up on stage.
Meanwhile, one of Trump’s most reliable allies made plans to aid him this fall. The National Rifle Association’s political victory fund has reserved about $2.7 million in TV commercials in September and October, Kantar Media’s political ad tracker shows. The NRA is focusing on swing states Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Julie Bykowicz in Washington, Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Miss., and Bob Christie in Phoenix contributed to this report.
Follow Lemire on Twitter at https://twitter.com/@JonLemire
What political news is the world searching for on Google and talking about on Twitter? Find out via AP’s Election Buzz interactive. http://elections.ap.org/buzz | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/24/Trump-aiming-to-widen-support-makes-pitch-to-Hispanics.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/d0e05340f092e773daa2652fe2fe7221dab690c71ba7d5007c1f0d6fc5fe9e68.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:48:07 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Mr. and Mrs. Pete Hostetler celebrated their 50th anniversary on July 2, 2016.
The couple were married on July 2, 1966, in Bloomington, IL. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FAnnouncements%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FMr-Mrs-Pete-Hostetler.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/Hostetler-jpeg.jpg | en | null | Mr. & Mrs. Pete Hostetler | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The couple were married on July 2, 1966, in Bloomington, IL.
Mr. James Peter "Pete" Hostetler retired from the Boy Scouts of America Sequoyah Council after 37 years.
Mrs. Hostetler is the former Karen Sue "Susie" Johnson. She is retired from Madison County and Johnson City Schools after 33 years.
The couple have two children, Jeff (Karen), of Church Hill, TN, and Ken (Ryan), of Rocky Face, GA; and grandchildren, Leah, Alli, Jack, Barrett, and Truett. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Announcements/2016/08/26/Mr-Mrs-Pete-Hostetler.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/77aa9a2278a35972564cd3f630a5fe892bac5ab4b1f07ca89c9afc2f53819137.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:19 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | Batman, Superman, Odysseus, Beowulf, and The Walking Dead are now in Northeast State's Basler Library.
The library has added more than 60 popular graphic novel titles | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEducation%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FBatman-Superman-and-Odysseus-now-in-the-Basler-Library.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/graphic-novels-2-jpg.jpg | en | null | Batman, Superman and Odysseus now in the Basler Library | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The library has added more than 60 popular graphic novel titles to its collection. Titles range from “The Sandman” to “The Dark Tower” to “The Avengers.” In addition, classic literature selections such as “The Odyssey,” “Beowulf” and “Fahrenheit 451” are included.
"We decided to start a graphic novel collection because we wanted to get students into the library, especially reluctant readers," said Chris Demas, dean of the Basler Library. "We want them visiting the library and getting engaged in reading."
A graphic novel is an original story that is published in a comic book-style format. The books are usually bound and about 7 inches wide and 10 inches tall.
Demas said he thinks the greatest strength of graphic novel format is its ability to take complex stories and make them more readable and accessible.
"Another thing is that graphic novels give students another way to experience art, and I think that's a very, very good thing," Demas said.
There is some debate, but most comics historians agree that the first real graphic novel was Will Eisner’s “A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories,” published in 1978. In 2015, sales figures for graphics novels totaled more than $500 million, according to Comichron and ICV2, which monitor comic sales in the United States.
Demas said the library plans to grow the collection over time and the library staff welcomes patrons to submit title suggestions.
The novels will be shelved in the library's audio-visual room with the movie collection. The titles will be easily distinguished as each bears a graphic POW! sticker. Demas said the selections can be found by visiting www.NortheastState.edu/library and searching “graphic novels” and then clicking on the “Shelved at NESCC” tab.
"It was a conscious effort to place them there," Demas said. "A lot of people who like movies also like graphic novels because of the visuals, so it just made sense to put them in the same area."
The library staff plans to display selected titles in the lobby during the start of the fall semester. For more information, visit the library's website at www.NortheastState.edu/library, call 423-354-2429 or email Library@NortheastState.edu. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Education/2016/08/28/Batman-Superman-and-Odysseus-now-in-the-Basler-Library.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/fa440d0ea03f2bc35847e4accb188695534fd836979f535b5482f862a34c8276.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T18:49:14 | null | 2016-07-09T00:00:00 | JERSEY CITY, N.J. — New Jersey police say a driver playing “Pokemon Go” on his cellphone crashed his SUV into a parked police cruiser.
The | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2Flaw-enforcement%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FPolice-Driver-playing-Pokemon-Go-hits-parked-cruiser.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/07/09/x720_q60/Pokemon-Go-Injuries.jpg | en | null | Police: Driver playing 'Pokemon Go' hits parked cruiser | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The crash happened at around 3:40 a.m. Saturday in Jersey City.
Authorities say no one was in the cruiser at the time, and the 42-year-old SUV driver wasn’t injured. But the Jersey City man was cited for careless driving and other motor vehicle violations.
His name wasn’t released. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law-enforcement/2016/08/29/Police-Driver-playing-Pokemon-Go-hits-parked-cruiser.html | en | 2016-07-09T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/2ffe58b02b6615481876bf0e69edd497a01197771b5567baae162cdc646007cb.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:03:52 | null | 2016-02-26T00:00:00 | Masses of makeup
Two women walked into a Kohl’s and gathered $1,806 worth of makeup. An associate was watching surveillance as they | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FMakeup-heist.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/02/26/x720_q60/Police-Blotter.jpg | en | null | Police Blotter: Makeup heist, angry ex and the culmination of a bully | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Two women walked into a Kohl’s and gathered $1,806 worth of makeup. An associate was watching surveillance as they walked into the dressing room and came out with bulging pocketbooks. When they left the store, the associate was shown empty boxes of makeup found inside the dressing room. The two women left in a silver Toyota Camry. No immediate arrest was made.
Angry Ex
A woman was driving west on Interstate 26 when her ex-boyfriend came from the back seat and grabbed her arm. The ex-boyfriend then began punching her in the face. The woman had no idea her ex-boyfriend was hiding in the back of the van. He then told the woman to “keep driving and kill them both.” She slammed on the brakes as he continued punching her, and the van came to a stop in the middle of the right lane. The ex grabbed the keys and fled down the shoulder and toward the corner of Oak Street and East Eighth Street. Bystanders said the man jumped a chain-link fence and began yelling that he hurt his leg. The woman had a bloody nose and blood on her clothing when police arrived. Two days later, the ex-boyfriend was arrested for simple assault and reckless endangerment.
That’s not a termination gift
A Fazoli’s manager fired an employee for coming to work intoxicated and stumbling for the second consecutive day. After being notified, the fired employee began to yell and curse at other employees. The employee also attempted to steal two rolls of toilet paper and a small donation box that contained money, but the manager was able to retrieve them before she left. The manager told police he planned to call the employee and tell her she was banned for life from the property.
Uh-oh!
Two men entered a Verizon store together and began looking at a LG V10 phone on display. As one of the men blocked the employee’s view, the other pried the phone from a display shelf and placed it in his bag. When they walked out of the store, the bag ripped and a couple of small items fell out. The guy appeared very nervous when it happened and hurried out of the store. The associate then noticed the displayed cell phone was missing and called police.
That’s one way to ‘finish it’
While responding to a vandalism call, a police officer saw a man chasing another with a tire iron at the Johnson City Library. As the officer approached the two men, the man with the tire iron struck the other in the head and knocked him to the ground. The officer tackled the attacker and placed him under arrest. The victim was treated on the scene by firefighters, but advised to go to the hospital. He eventually had staples applied to his head and suffered a minor concussion. The man arrested said the other had been “picking fights” for weeks and weeks every time they saw each other out in town drinking so he “finished it.” He was charged with aggravated assault.
The Police Blotter is comprised of reports from the Johnson City Police Department. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/25/Makeup-heist.html | en | 2016-02-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/1348a43c5318356f5a0462c681af11f684fda3e47cdaa2ab83f24ad0676c7256.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:39 | null | 2015-12-17T00:00:00 | HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Officials say 29 projects in nine Appalachian states and in Texas are being funded by nearly $39 million from a federal initiative aimed at stimulating economic | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FBusiness%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FAppalachian-coal-towns-hit-by-layoffs-due-money-for-growth.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2015/12/17/x720_q60/Coal-1.jpg | en | null | Appalachian coal towns hit by layoffs due money for growth | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Officials for the Appalachian Regional Commission and other agencies announced the projects Wednesday at a news conference in Huntington, West Virginia.
The funding comes from $65.8 million made available from the Partnership for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization initiative, or POWER.
Officials say the investments are expected to create or retain more than 3,400 jobs in agriculture, manufacturing and other industries.
Appalachian states involved in the projects are Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
The ARC says about 23,000 Appalachian coal jobs were lost between 2011 and 2015. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Business/2016/08/24/Appalachian-coal-towns-hit-by-layoffs-due-money-for-growth.html | en | 2015-12-17T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/56899f2ef7ef966833b719805eaa7b3d8b1ae9547cb6e9ad58113f737bd4de0b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:05:40 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian police charged American swimmer Ryan Lochte on Thursday with filing a false robbery report over an incident during the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FRio-police-charge-Lochte-with-false-report-of-robbery.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/Ryan-Lochte-Sponsorships-2.jpg | en | null | Rio police charge Lochte with false report of robbery | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | A police statement said Lochte would be informed in the United States so he could decide whether to introduce a defense in Brazil.
The indictment will also be sent to the International Olympic Committee’s ethics commission, the statement said.
Lochte initially said that he and fellow swimmers Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and Jimmy Feigen were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi by men with a police badge as they returned to the Olympic Village from a party Aug. 15. However, security video suggested the four actually faced security guards after vandalizing a gas station restroom.
Lochte left Brazil shortly after the incident. Three days later, local authorities took Conger and Bentz off an airliner heading to the United States so they could be questioned about the robbery claim. They were later allowed to leave Brazil, as was Feigen, after he gave testimony. Feigen, who initially stood by Lochte’s testimony, was not charged.
Lochte has since acknowledged that he was highly intoxicated and that his behavior led to the confrontation. It is not clear from the video whether a gun was ever pointed to the athletes.
Under Brazilian law, the penalty for falsely filing a crime report carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison. Lochte could be tried in absentia if he didn’t return to face the charge.
The United States and Brazil have an extradition treaty dating back to the 1960s, but Brazil has a long history of not extraditing its own citizens to other nations and U.S. authorities could take the same stance if Lochte is found guilty.
That is currently the case of the head of Brazil’s football confederation, Marco Polo del Nero, who faces charges in the wide-ranging scandal entangling international soccer’s ruling body, FIFA. He has not travelled outside Brazil for more than a year to avoid being arrested by U.S. authorities somewhere else.
The charges in Brazil raise questions about the future for Lochte, who is planning to take time off from swimming but wants to return to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He has 12 Olympic medals, second only to Michael Phelps among U.S. male Olympians.
Lochte lost four major sponsors early this week over the controversy, including Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren. But on Thursday he picked up a new sponsor — Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops. Pine Bros. said people should be more understanding of the swimmer and said he will appear in ads that say the company’s product is “Forgiving On Your Throat.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/25/Rio-police-charge-Lochte-with-false-report-of-robbery.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/d223f6e3e706cdcf5b06598b3a8b075784acd274cbac78b1e56efb72e240e82e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:13:14 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | A caregiver used an elderly man’s debit card to make unauthorized ATM withdrawals, resulting in the caregiver’s arrest, Washington County Sheriff Ed Graybeal said. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2Flaw-enforcement%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FSheriff-Caregiver-used-elderly-man-s-debit-card-for-ATM-withdrawals.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60_ca153,12,523,474/Brandon-Sigman.jpg | en | null | Sheriff: Caregiver used elderly man's debit card for ATM withdrawals | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Brandon Sigman, 21, was charged with eight counts of identity theft and eight counts of misdemeanor theft Tuesday morning following a lengthy investigation, the sheriff’s office said.
Graybeal said Sigman was allowed to reside in the elderly man’s home, and over a period of several days, he used the card to make a series of unauthorized ATM withdrawals in the Johnson City and Jonesborough areas.
Sigman was held at the Washington County Detention Center on $36,000 bond and arraigned in Sessions Court on Wednesday. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law-enforcement/2016/08/24/Sheriff-Caregiver-used-elderly-man-s-debit-card-for-ATM-withdrawals.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/b5c4fb5236cb4da0553701c99b8efb081fed5751c4e2d0e868b5975950e3c38c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T20:48:08 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | TELFORD - Mrs. Hazel Irene Laney Luther, 97 of Telford TN., went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, August 25, 2016.
Hazel was born in Brasstown, NC to the | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FMrs-Hazel-Irene-Laney-Luther.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/Luther-obit-jpg.jpg | en | null | Mrs. Hazel Irene Laney Luther | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Hazel was born in Brasstown, NC to the late Frank and Lillie Bradshaw Laney. In addition to her parents, she was proceeded in death in 2005 by her husband of 64 years, George Luther, daughter Deanna Loretta McClanahan, sisters Mary Lee Hoskins, Ruth Intha Eubank, Jessie Mae Watson, brothers Billy Laney, Roy Elmer Laney, and Franklin DeVeraux Laney.
She is survived by son Marty George Luther (Sandy) of Morristown, daughters, Wanda Joyce Musick (Wayne) of Morristown, and Donna Kay Barrow of the home; grandchildren Sharon Peterson, Lesley Musick, Laura Carter, Kevin McClanahan, Heather Mayes, Brent Musick, Jennifer Harbin, John Barrow, and Laney Mangum, seventeen great-grandchildren and four great great-grandchildren and two very special cats.
She was of the Baptist Faith.
Mrs. Luther graduated from Murphy NC High School in 1939. Mrs. Luther went to school and worked for a few years in the 1950’s as a hairdresser and would usually complement people on their hair in her later years.
She married George March 18, 1941 in Blairsville Georgia. She was a loving faithful wife, wonderful mother and precious grandmother endearingly known as Nanny.
She made many beautiful quilts and clothes for her daughters. After George’s retirement, they traveled 49 states by tour buses making many friends. She never met a stranger.
She was an avid bird-watcher especially hummingbirds. She loved collecting rocks on her travels and picnics with her family. She also enjoyed looking at her flowers in her garden.
Graveside services will be Sunday August 28, 2016 11:00AM at Hamblen Memorial Gardens in Morristown, TN. with Kevin McClanahan officiating.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to your favorite charity.
The family would like to thank Mountain States Hospice especially Lynn and Becky for their caring guidance. A very special thank you to Angela from in Home services for her loving kindness.
Condolences may be sent to the Luther family online at www.dillow-taylor.com
Dillow-Taylor Funeral Home and Cremation Services 423-753-3821 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/26/Mrs-Hazel-Irene-Laney-Luther.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/4836b5525b8622dc6ce0d3ef89d5edaca43aab5fb841ce5eb217415a3dad3e08.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:49:53 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | WASHINGTON — Justice Department lawyers investigating police agencies for claims of racial discrimination and excessive force are increasingly turning | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2Flaw-enforcement%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FJustice-Dept-focuses-on-police-treatment-of-mentally-ill.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Justice-Department-Mental-Illness.jpg | en | null | Justice Dept. focuses on police treatment of mentally ill | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The latest example came in Baltimore, where a critical report on that department’s policies found that officers end up in unnecessarily violent confrontations with mentally disabled people who in many instances haven’t even committed crimes.
The report cited instances of officers using a stun gun to subdue an agitated man who refused to leave a vacant building and of spraying mace to force a troubled person — said by his father to be unarmed and off his medications — out of an apartment.
Though past federal investigations have addressed the problem, the Baltimore report went a step further: It was the first time the Justice Department has explicitly found that a police department’s policies violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The finding is intended to chart a path to what federal officials hope will be far-reaching improvements, including better training for dispatchers and officers, diversion of more people to treatment rather than jail and stronger relationships with mental health specialists.
“Through the course of our work in the last several years on this bucket of issues, we’ve seen how important it is to get at the mental health issues as early in the system as possible,” Vanita Gupta, head of the department’s Civil Rights Division, said in an interview.
Civil rights officials say the Baltimore report builds on work they’ve done in investigating the treatment of the mentally ill in various settings. In Mississippi, the Hinds County jail in June agreed to better screening for mental illness as part of a settlement, and the Justice Department sued the state as a whole this month, saying it was illegally making mentally ill people go into state-run psychiatric hospitals.
But it’s the work with police departments that often attracts the most attention. Even as police forces improve training and develop intervention teams to respond to individuals in the throes of a crisis, concerns remain that officers aren’t adequately equipped for the situations and are being forced to fill the void of a resource-starved mental health infrastructure.
More than 14 percent of male jail inmates and 31 percent of female inmates are affected by serious mental illness, according to a July speech by Justice Department official Eve Hill, who said society has for too long relied on arrests and jail rather than treatment for the mentally ill.
“From the standpoint of police, they are somewhat frustrated because many of the people who are walking the streets and who are in need of help are not getting it,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum. “They have been out on the streets, they can’t afford medication, and so the police wind up being the only one they come in contact with.”
The Justice Department has incorporated treatment of the mentally ill into several of its wide-ranging civil rights investigations of troubled police departments.
“I think some police departments have really made it a priority and are doing quite a bit. I don’t know that that’s consistent across all the departments,” said Amy Watson, a mental health policy professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
A 2011 Justice Department report on Seattle criticized officers for too quickly resorting to force when encountering people with mental illness or under the influence of drugs.
In Cleveland, officers were found to use stun guns against people with limited cognitive abilities, and in one case used one on a suicidal deaf man who may not have understood their commands, according to a 2014 report.
Albuquerque, New Mexico officers responding to a domestic violence complaint used the same tactic on a man who had doused himself with gasoline, the Justice Department said.
Those cities have since reached court-enforceable consent decrees aimed at overhauling practices.
The Portland police department, which also came under investigation, agreed to new training and accountability measures under a settlement. A federal monitor in February found the Seattle police department was sending trained crisis intervention officers to “crisis events in the great majority of instances” and had given some level of training to all officers in the last two years.
Federal officials hope for a similar resolution in Baltimore, where the Justice Department says police have provided minimal training on responding to mental health crises. Under an agreement in principle, Baltimore has pledged to work more closely with disability organizations and mental health providers.
But, Gupta said, improvements can occur only if there’s a system with resources in place to help the police.
“It’s not about casting blame on specific actors. It’s about making sure that there is adequate support for community-based mental health services in compliance with federal law,” she said.
Ray Kelly, a leader of the No Boundaries Coalition, a Baltimore advocacy group, said he didn’t believe Baltimore police have succeeded in separating law-abiding citizens from criminal suspects, “so they definitely don’t take the time to separate the mentally ill from the criminal element or the average Joe buying drugs on one of our corners.”
He said he hoped the report would foster better collaboration between police and mental health experts, so that if there’s a possibility that officers are dealing with someone who’s disabled, they “would call a professional that’s prepared to work with this instead of using aggressive manhandling tactics like they’ve used in the past.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law-enforcement/2016/08/30/Justice-Dept-focuses-on-police-treatment-of-mentally-ill.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/85b7f790749084f4f462026c0d46dc406b2305b42c9f63003c329b1598771150.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:02:15 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | SINGAPORE (AP) — The world’s first self-driving taxis are picking up passengers in Singapore.
Select members of the public began hailing free rides | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FWorld-s-first-self-driving-taxis-debut-in-Singapore.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/APTOPIX-Singapore-Autonomous-Taxis.jpg | en | null | World's first self-driving taxis debut in Singapore | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Select members of the public began hailing free rides Thursday through their smartphones in taxis operated by nuTonomy, an autonomous vehicle software startup. While multiple companies, including Google and Volvo, have been testing self-driving cars on public roads for several years, nuTonomy says it is the first to offer rides to the public. It beat ride-hailing service Uber, which plans to offer rides in autonomous cars in Pittsburgh, by a few weeks.
The service is starting small — six cars now, growing to a dozen by the end of the year. The ultimate goal, say nuTonomy officials, is to have a fully self-driving taxi fleet in Singapore by 2018, which will help sharply cut the number of cars on Singapore’s congested roads. Eventually, the model could be adopted in cities around the world, nuTonomy says.
For now, the taxis are only running in a 2.5-square-mile business and residential district called “one-north,” and pick-ups and drop-offs are limited to specified locations. And riders must have an invitation from nuTonomy to use the service. The company says dozens have signed up for the launch, and it plans to expand that list to thousands of people within a few months.
The cars — modified Renault Zoe and Mitsubishi i-MiEV electrics — have a driver in front who is prepared to take back the wheel and a researcher in back who watches the car’s computers. Each car is fitted with six sets of Lidar — a detection system that uses lasers to operate like radar — including one that constantly spins on the roof. There are also two cameras on the dashboard to scan for obstacles and detect changes in traffic lights.
The testing time-frame is open-ended, said nuTonomy CEO Karl Iagnemma. Eventually, riders may start paying for the service, and more pick-up and drop-off points will be added. NuTonomy also is working on testing similar taxi services in other Asian cities as well as in the U.S. and Europe, but he wouldn’t say when.
“I don’t expect there to be a time where we say, ‘We’ve learned enough,‘” Iagnemma said.
Doug Parker, nuTonomy’s chief operating officer, said autonomous taxis could ultimately reduce the number of cars on Singapore’s roads from 900,000 to 300,000.
“When you are able to take that many cars off the road, it creates a lot of possibilities. You can create smaller roads, you can create much smaller car parks,” Parker said. “I think it will change how people interact with the city going forward.”
NuTonomy, a 50-person company with offices in Massachusetts and Singapore, was formed in 2013 by Iagnemma and Emilio Frazzoli, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers who were studying robotics and developing autonomous vehicles for the Defense Department. Earlier this year, the company was the first to win approval from Singapore’s government to test self-driving cars in one-north. NuTonomy announced a research partnership with Singapore’s Land Transport Authority earlier this month.
Singapore is ideal because it has good weather, great infrastructure and drivers who tend to obey traffic rules, Iagnemma says. As a land-locked island, Singapore is looking for non-traditional ways to grow its economy, so it’s been supportive of autonomous vehicle research.
Auto supplier Delphi Corp., which is also working on autonomous vehicle software, was recently selected to test autonomous vehicles on the island and plans to start next year.
“We face constraints in land and manpower. We want to take advantage of self-driving technology to overcome such constraints, and in particular to introduce new mobility concepts which could bring about transformational improvements to public transport in Singapore,” said Pang Kin Keong, Singapore’s Permanent Secretary for Transport and the chairman of its committee on autonomous driving.
Olivia Seow, 25, who does work in startup partnerships in one-north and is one of the riders nuTonomy selected, took a test ride of just less than a mile on Monday. She acknowledged she was nervous when she got into the car, and then surprised as she watched the steering wheel turn by itself.
“It felt like there was a ghost or something,” she said.
But she quickly grew more comfortable. The ride was smooth and controlled, she said, and she was relieved to see that the car recognized even small obstacles like birds and motorcycles parked in the distance.
“I couldn’t see them with my human eye, but the car could, so I knew that I could trust the car,” she said. She said she is excited because the technology could free up her time during commutes or help her father by driving him around as he grows older.
An Associated Press reporter taking a ride Wednesday observed that the safety driver had to step on the brakes once, when a car was obstructing the test car’s lane and another vehicle, which appeared to be parked, suddenly began moving in the oncoming lane.
Iagnemma said the company is confident that its software can make good decisions. The company hopes its leadership in autonomous driving will eventually lead to partnerships with automakers, tech companies, logistics companies and others.
“What we’re finding is the number of interested parties is really overwhelming,” he said.
Durbin reported from Detroit. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/25/World-s-first-self-driving-taxis-debut-in-Singapore.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/3ea9167590a3311b13a68c4882e6afbf888a3cbfa3204e9f14cf397dd3375a1e.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:21 | null | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | Emmy-Winning Storyteller to Host Storytelling Live!
Renowned author and storyteller Jim May, a performer known for his nuanced personal stories, will soon be the honored | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FArt-Culture%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FRenouned-author-storyteller-May-to-perform-in-Jonesborough.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/22/x720_q60/Jim-May-2016-jpg.jpg | en | null | Renouned author, storyteller May to perform in Jonesborough | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Renowned author and storyteller Jim May, a performer known for his nuanced personal stories, will soon be the honored guest of the International Storytelling Center in downtown Jonesborough, where he’ll take a turn as storyteller in residence.
There, in a series of much-anticipated matinee performances, May will share a range of stories from his own life and his family’s past, as well as fictional tales that feature a seamless blend of myth, folk tales, and poetry.
“Traditional stories are not just simple folk tales about everyday life,” he says. “They were these great myths that told about the arch of human civilization. They connect with the old stories I heard growing up.”
Describing his childhood on the Illinois prairie, “Visiting and telling stories were an important part of daily life,” the storyteller says. “They were a means of weaving the social fabric of the community.” It was a way of life in his own small town, just as it was in other small towns across the country. Increasingly, May’s alarmed to see that’s not necessarily how things work anymore.
“My ancestors first settled in Spring Grove, where I was born, in the 1840s,” he observes. “I was raised in this small German-Catholic farming community. When I tell a story on the stage, I try to capture the kind of ‘spell’ and the pace of the stories I heard growing up.
“Oh, and I try to be entertaining, too,” he adds. His satisfied audiences tend to agree.
May’s performances in Jonesborough will run Aug. 30–Sept. 3, Tuesday through Saturday, on ISC’s Main Street campus in Jonesborough. All performances begin at 2 p.m. sharp.
His brand new book, which has been garnering rave reviews, Trail Guide for a Crooked Heart: Stories and Reflections for Life’s Journeys will be on sale in ISC’s gift shop. It includes many of the stories he plans to bring to life on the stage.
Tickets for live storytelling concerts at ISC are just $12 for adults and $11 for seniors, students, and children under 18. Ticketholders for all performances can present their ticket stubs for a 10 percent discount on same-day dining at JJ’s Eatery and Ice Cream or Main Street Café, two popular eateries in Jonesborough.
With many Storytelling Live! concerts selling out in Jonesborough’s busy season, reservations are strongly recommended. Walk-in seating is also available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The latest performer in ISC’s renowned Storytelling Live! series, May will be followed by another storyteller each week through the month of October. Information about all performers, as well as a detailed schedule for 2016, is available at www.storytellingcenter.net.
The website also features information about the upcoming National Storytelling Festival, which will be Oct. 7–9.
The premier sponsor of Storytelling Live! is the Mountain States’ Heart & Soul program. Media sponsors include News 5-WCYB, FOX Tri-Cities, Tri-Cities CW, Johnson City Press, Kingsport Times-News, Herald & Tribune, Cumulus Media, The Laurel of Asheville, Plough to Pantry and Foster Signs. Additional funding comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the East Tennessee Foundation, Eastman Credit Union, the Mooneyhan Family Foundation, the Niswonger Foundation, and Massengill-DeFriece Foundation, Inc.
The International Storytelling Center is open 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information about Storytelling Live! or to make a group reservation, call 800-952-8392, ext. 222, or 423-913-1276. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Art-Culture/2016/08/28/Renouned-author-storyteller-May-to-perform-in-Jonesborough.html | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/8fed0adcb48eec0747fb17c8cebf48ddb537ea425e3b5a4f3f3408ff82e04bc7.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T18:49:15 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | LUCEDALE, Miss. — Mississippi authorities say a train hit an all-terrain vehicle as the driver attempted to wrest a stuck tire from the tracks, killing a female passenger. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2Flaw-enforcement%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FTrain-crashes-into-ATV-with-stuck-tire-killing-passenger.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/Train-Tracks.jpg | en | null | Train crashes into ATV with stuck tire, killing passenger | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Sheriff Keith Havard said the unidentified 48-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which happened Sunday outside of Lucedale on tracks running next to Highway 198 West.
Havard says 55-year-old David Allen Gibson was driving the ATV. He was arrested and charged with DUI causing death and booked into a regional jail.
Online jail records do not list an attorney for Gibson. The accident was still under investigation. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law-enforcement/2016/08/29/Train-crashes-into-ATV-with-stuck-tire-killing-passenger.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/473cba99efcc67615a4a21043bd4a8d169b206ed7fa573087412ec19bf1c2f07.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:01:47 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | BRISTOL, VA - Margaret Bierbaum King, 90, of Bristol, VA, died Tuesday, August 23, 2016. She was born in Savanna, GA on January 14, 1926, to the late George Henry Bierbaum and Louise Berges | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FMargaret-Bierbaum-King-1.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/margaretkingLIB-jpg.jpg | en | null | Margaret Bierbaum King | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Margaret was a 1943 graduate of Virginia High School and Virginia Intermont College preparatory school. She received her AA degree from VIC and her BS degree from East Tennessee State University. She taught for 24 years in the Bristol, VA school system and served as president of the Bristol, VA Teachers Association. She has been a member of Central Presbyterian Church for over 50 years where she served as Deacon, Sunday school teacher, and Circle member. Margaret was a sustaining member of the Junior League of Bristol. Margaret enjoyed the company of family and friends as well as reading, music, history, bridge, and gardening.
She is survived by 3 children, 4 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. Children include Linda Olson and her husband David of Newport News, VA, Connie Bullock and her husband Scott of Piney Flats, TN, and Michael King of Charlottesville, VA. The grandchildren include Brittney Freeland of Weston, MA, Brant Bullock and his wife Shelly of Piney Flats, TN, Aaron Olson and his wife Lela of Richmond, VA, and Michael Olson of Newport News, VA. The great-grandchildren include Collin, Reid and Parker Freeland, Malachi and Axel Bullock and Luke Olson. She is also survived by several nieces and their families including Carol Garnett of Madison, VA, Patricia Amundsen of Mesa, AZ and Barbara Anders of Tucson, AZ.
The family will receive friends on Saturday, August 26, 2016 from 5:00 until 7:00 PM at Oakley-Cook Funeral Home in Bristol, TN. The Celebration of Life service will be conducted on Sunday, August 27, 2016 at 3:00 PM at Central Presbyterian Church in Bristol, VA with Dr. Frank Aichinger and the Rev. Ann Aichinger officiating. A graveside service will follow at 4:30 PM at New Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Piney Flats, TN.
Memorial contributions can be sent to Central Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund at 301 Euclid Ave., Bristol, VA 24201
The family would like to thank caregivers Barbara Gibson and Sue Smith and special staff at Brookdale for their compassionate care.
Condolences and memories may be shared with the family and be viewed by visiting www.oakley-cook.com. Mrs. King and her family are in the care of Oakley-Cook Funeral Home & Crematory. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/25/Margaret-Bierbaum-King-1.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/eff59979187a7d922d0155e07527049e9121acbac04d13b7526ba6d13fd345dd.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T22:48:43 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | A Friday afternoon crash caused “thousands of dollars” in damage to the fence at the Johnson City/Washington County Veterans Memorial. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FCar-crashes-into-Johnson-City-Washington-County-Veteran-s-Memorial.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/IMG-7278-jpeg.jpg | en | null | SUV crashes into Johnson City/Washington County Veterans Memorial | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Police said an SUV struck a trailer pulled by a truck shortly after noon, then ran into the memorial’s fence.
Brenda Barnette, chairwoman of the memorial’s board, said the wreck caused “thousands of dollars” worth of damage.
The woman driving the SUV was taken via ambulance to the hospital and treated for minor injuries.
“We were just grateful she was not seriously injured,” Barnette said.
“She took down the cement structure that says ‘Johnson City/Washington County Veterans Memorial.’ That’s been there since before the fence was there. It’s probably salvageable, though. I haven’t looked at the back of it. I’m hoping most of it can be salvageable,” Barnette said.
“There is a lot that has to be done. Hopefully, if we can get some of the fencing repaired, we won’t have to replace as much.”
Barnette said the company that installed the fencing is no longer in business, so a new company will have to make the necessary repairs.
Police said the SUV hit the trailer after the truck attempted to make a left turn onto Veterans Way from traveling west on Market Street. After hitting the trailer, the SUV reportedly left the roadway and ran into the fence.
The driver of the truck pulling the trailer was ticketed for failing to yield and violation of the financial responsibility law, according to police. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/27/Car-crashes-into-Johnson-City-Washington-County-Veteran-s-Memorial.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/11da82ec9144d3fe8b2373a43615065cb7c169e7a1d88d6c54d451fb6979f07e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:05:18 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | Daniel Boone High School’s Ronald W. Jenkins III was named the top Marine Corps JROTC cadet in the 14-state Midwest and Mid-South region.
Jenkins was named the | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEducation%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FDaniel-Boone-JROTC-program-cadet-honored.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/Ronald-Jenkins.jpg | en | null | Daniel Boone JROTC program, cadet honored | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Jenkins was named the 2016 Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement recipient in the organization’s annual awards.
The Legion of Valor is an organization of Medal of Honor, Navy Cross and Distinguished Service Cross Awardees. Cadets are selected on the basis of academic excellence, leadership potential and service to the school, community and nation.
Jenkins is Daniel Boone High School’s fifth recipient of this prestigious award and the school’s third-consecutive honoree.
The Washington County high school’s JROTC program was also given the Marine Corps Reserve Association Award, distinguishing the program as one of the top five in the nation.
Criteria for selection are based on a unit’s record of competitive activities, commitment of the cadets to school and community service and results of an annual inspection by the program’s national headquarters.
This is the Daniel Boone MCJROTC Program’s fourth MCRA award since 2010 and the 18th consecutive year as a Naval Honor School, designating the program as one of the top 10 percent of all programs nationwide. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Education/2016/08/25/Daniel-Boone-JROTC-program-cadet-honored.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/0b59304e9fe224dc56f05eea7df24222b863d44573c0b96de5ffb7fe127702b9.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:50:50 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | One of our region’s hidden jewels came further into the light this evening as the Kaycliff Center at Boone Lake hosted a Tri-Cities Regional Chambers of Commerce After Hours events | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FKaycliff-Center-Chamber-After-Hours-VIDEO.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/Kaycliff.jpg | en | null | Kaycliff Center, Chamber After Hours - VIDEO | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Business representatives, members of the different chambers, and government officials attended the event, which offered tours, food, and the chance to network in a new environment.
Kaycliff Center at Boone Lake is a multi-faceted facility located on the shores of Boone Lake. The center and foundation were established to fulfill the educational, training, and recreational mission of the Kaycliff Foundation.
Established in 2002 by Judge Clifford E. Sanders and his wife Kay, the Kaycliff Center is a step back in time, and to another continent altogether. Clients can rent the facility for training, events, weddings, or tours, as the downstairs displays offer a mid-century escape to African and Central American landscapes.
The Center was also set up as a not-for-profit corporation to maintain the extensive big-game trophy and anthropological artifacts collection of the Sanders in a museum-like setting. The judge and his wife traveled extensively over the years, as avid collectors and hunters. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/25/Kaycliff-Center-Chamber-After-Hours-VIDEO.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/afaca9c0ba94b7d725eccd24370da3c507df12df368e728312c02968d267d320.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:49:50 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | MOORESBURG — A Hawkins County woman is facing eight charges including two counts of reckless endangerment and DUI following a minor accident late Saturday night in which two small | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2Flaw-enforcement%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FMom-arrested-following-alleged-DUI-wreck-with-2-unrestrained-children.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60_ca160,0,701,681/Stephanie-Marietta-Allison.jpg | en | null | Mom arrested following alleged DUI wreck with 2 unrestrained children | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | No injuries were reported.
Around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jason Montgomery responded to a single-vehicle accident on Big Hill Road in the Mooresburg community on the far western end of Hawkins County.
Upon his arrival, Montgomery observed the driver, Stephanie Marietta Allison, 29, 263 Adams Lane, Mooresburg, to have a strong odor of alcohol about her.
More about the charges from the Kingsport Times-News. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law-enforcement/2016/08/30/Mom-arrested-following-alleged-DUI-wreck-with-2-unrestrained-children.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/f40f239f0a209e8da2df42708ab40ae4bec2f986bde4eacd5654f57e02dd7c8d.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T04:49:55 | null | 2016-04-20T00:00:00 | DEAR ABBY: I have been dating a married man for 30 years. Our relationship started a few months after he got married. I know it was wrong to begin the relationship, but it started just as a | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FAdvice%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2FWoman-can-t-make-the-break-from-her-decades-long-affair.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/04/20/x720_q60/Dear-Abby-1.jpg | en | null | Woman can’t make the break from her decades-long affair | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | I asked him out knowing he was married, thus safe from expecting a commitment. I don’t think either of us expected our so-called relationship to last this long. I have dated other men (who knew nothing of him) and gave birth to a child (not his), so it’s not like he’s the only man I see. (Of course, he knows I date other men.)
Many times I have thought about ending our affair because I feel guilty, and sad for his wife. My problem is our conversations are intoxicating, our kisses, touches and lovemaking are like no other. Must I stop seeing him? Or do you think what others don’t know won’t hurt them? — CAN’T STOP SEEING HIM
DEAR CAN’T STOP: The problem with the rationale “what others don’t know won’t hurt them” is that, at some point, the truth usually comes out. And when it does, there are usually plenty of hurt feelings. Frankly, I’m surprised your lover has been able to keep you under wraps for 30 years without the two of you being spotted somewhere.
If you are truly sad for your lover’s wife, you should end the affair. However, because it has taken you three decades to discover your conscience, I somehow doubt you will.
DEAR ABBY: I’m an asexual woman in my 20s, and I feel misunderstood. When I “come out” to people, they usually make a rude or vulgar comment. “Asexual” is the accepted term for people who are sex-repulsed or who don’t experience sexual attraction. I fit both of those definitions.
People want to know what’s wrong with me: Is it a hormonal imbalance? Was I molested? Am I secretly gay? One man even suggested that sleeping with him would “fix me”! If it comes up around family, they always suggest that someone will come around and change my mind.
Abby, is 25 years old too young to know for sure that I don’t want to have sex? How can I respond to these rude comments? — ACE IN SOUTH CAROLINA
DEAR ACE: Twenty-five is definitely old enough to know for sure whether you have a sex drive — or not. Because you are open about your lack of interest in sex, you should not become defensive if someone asks an ignorant question about it.
If the person asks if it’s a hormonal imbalance, the result of having been molested or if you are gay, all you have to say is, “Nope, nope and nope!” As to the man who confused his member with a magic wand, “No, thanks!” would have been a polite response to an obviously deluded individual.
DEAR ABBY: I would love to see you refer to couples without children as “child-free” instead of “childless.” Not every couple wants to have children. The term “childless” sounds like something is missing. — FREE IN MASSACHUSETTS
DEAR FREE: You make a good point. But I usually couch my terminology according to what the writer has stated. If someone refers to her- or himself as childless, I feel it would be wrong to imply something the person didn’t.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Advice/2016/08/31/Woman-can-t-make-the-break-from-her-decades-long-affair.html | en | 2016-04-20T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/30806fc656f09d0e59b0d04fbe26c7595355a5f491b6c2fcb858f3ae7734b5f5.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:58:00 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | Approximately 170 of the congregants of the Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church have been going through the process of welcoming their new minister Jeff Briere. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFaith%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FJeff-Briere-heads-Holston-Valley-Unitarian-Universalist-Church.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/Jeff-Briere-2.jpg | en | null | Jeff Briere heads Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | One of Briere’s biggest goals will be to grow that number of congregants who attend that church at 136 Bob Jobe Road.
Brier said he’s joining at a time when the HVUUC is healthy in size and in a good place. The Rev. Jacqueline Luck retired over the summer, opening up the opportunity for Briere to fill in. While Briere will serve as the transitional minister — expecting to stay in the new role for as long as five years — he doesn’t think it’s fair to call him the permanent head of the church.
Finding that permanent minister will be a long process, of which he’ll be a great part, but in the meantime, he’s going to get involved in the church and its surrounding community.
“Coming into a new congregation is always interesting,” he said.
Interesting, he said, isn’t a bad thing, in that as someone who’s moved around quite a bit performing these transitional duties, but that he frequently gets the opportunity to learn about new areas.
The Tri-Cities will be no different.
Briere emphasized the church’s position as being a place that’s all-welcoming and all-loving. It has a reputation for being one of the more liberal congregations in the region — based on the typical beliefs of its members — but Briere has no interest in weighing in on the upcoming elections. That being said, Briere says there are current events topics that he will discuss with the HVUUC’s members.
Briere’s background begins in Indianapolis, Indiana. After attending Marquette University, Briere went into the U.S. Army, and then went to college at Indiana University. Much of his professional life, Briere worked for radio, reading the news for National Public Radio, hosting classical music and working on programming.
His ability to communicate effectively will serve him well, as he delivers his sermons over the coming years.
Briere’s most recent sermon informed his group of what direction the HVUUC is moving in, and how he’s a part of that.
“You can expect some modification of the culture of worship aimed at making the service more streamlined and meaningful to everyone, especially visitors,” he said.
Briere went on to tell his new friends that while there might be a new minister at HVUUC in a few years, you can expect to get used to him being a part of the community.
“You should know that I am committed to this community,” he said. “I bought a house here and I ain’t moving away. My days of interim ministry are over. So you can expect me to be around.”
The new minister said he wishes to welcome any and all to the HVUUC, and hopes to meet members of the community as time goes along.
Email Tony Casey at tcasey@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Tony Casey on Twitter @TonyCaseyJCP. Like him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tonycaseyjournalist. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Faith/2016/08/25/Jeff-Briere-heads-Holston-Valley-Unitarian-Universalist-Church.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/26fae558eda4dd34cb1768268c064742ebfe617ab2ca0f4f60ed0fa3c23c47f7.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:13:28 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | When opportunity knocked on Wednesday night at TVA Credit Union Park, more often than not, it was the Bristol Pirates who answered.
That turned out to be the difference as | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FBaseball%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FCards-4.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/image-jpeg-719.jpg | en | null | Three errors cost Cards against Bristol | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | That turned out to be the difference as the Pirates escaped with a 6-5 victory over the Appalachian League West Division leading Johnson City Cardinals. With the game tied at 3 in the top of the sixth, the Pirates took full advantage of three Johnson City errors, using some aggressive baserunning to plate three runs before holding on for dear life in the ninth.
“We always talk about it — pitching and defense,” said Johnson City manager Chris Swauger. “It wasn’t great tonight, but three errors in an inning, that’s just tough.
“In this league, defense like that is going to happen sometimes. These guys are young and they make mistakes. It’s just a teaching moment.”
Bristol got things started in the top of the fourth inning with a two-out, two-run single by Victor Fernandez. The Pirates followed that up with another run in the top of the sixth, which came on a two-out RBI single by Jhoan Herrerra to push their lead to 3-0.
Meanwhile, Bristol starter Nicholas Economos did a masterful job of keeping the red-hot Cardinals in check. Economos came into Wednesday’s game with a 1-5 record and an ERA of 6.99, but he was able to pitch around some trouble and shut out the Cards through five innings. The big righty scattered six hits, struck out five batters and issued just one walk.
Once Economos was pulled, Johnson City wasted little time tying up the game. After Andrew Knizner singled and Joshua Lopez drew a walk off of Bristol reliever Geoff Hartlieb, Bryce Denton launched his third home run of the year over the left-field fence to knot the score at 3.
But the jolt of momentum Denton’s blast provided proved to be short-lived. Three Johnson City errors opened the door for the Pirates, who took full advantage by plating three runs to take a 6-3 lead.
Still, the disastrous frame wasn’t enough to sink Johnson City. The Cards rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single by Caleb Lopes and a run-scoring double by Matt Fiedler. Johnson City actually had the tying run standing on third base when Bristol reliever Jordan Jess finally induced a flyball to end the game.
Even though his squad came up short, Swauger was pleased with the way his players responded.
“After we made those errors, the guys came out and shut them down and then we made a good push in the ninth,” he said.
Denton had a monster game for Johnson City, going 4-for-4 with a double to go along with his three-run shot. Lopes cranked out three hits and drove in a run while Fidler had two hits and an RBI.
Hartlieb (4-1) may have blown a save opportunity by surrendering Denton’s homer, but he stayed in and earned the win while Jess picked up his sixth save of the season.
Ian Oxnevad had a strong start for the Cardinals, allowing just two earned runs on 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings of work. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Baseball/2016/08/24/Cards-4.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/ecd6d6da1cc073e18036a10c2a5971f5ba74b7431c53d142ddfbc3913d2ba5ca.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:13 | null | 2015-07-21T00:00:00 | One of the most important features of the U.S. Constitution is also its greatest flaw – or is it? | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEditorial%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FFlying-high-and-wild-on-the-Constitution.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2015/07/21/x720_q60/Community-Voices.jpg | en | null | Flying high on the wings of the Constitution | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The 1960s were the glory days for airplane-loving American boys. Even if the Wright brothers invented the airplane, it was only in the 1940s that the U.S. seized the lead in aircraft design that it has never relinquished. The planes that helped win World War II were followed by the heroic era of jet aircraft in the 1950s and the weird, wonderful and awesomely dangerous X-craft, flown by test pilots with “the right stuff” and silver flight suits and a fatality rate of something like 25 percent.
And that was followed by the faster-than-a-bullet, super secret SR-71 Blackbird and, most amazing of all, faster-than-gravity rockets taking men to the moon. I wasn’t the only kid of my generation with a wall full of models — with pride of place occupied by the American machines of the previous three decades.
The rapid progress in aircraft between 1935 and 1965 was staggering, even to an engineer like me who worked in the industry (although somewhat later). Hundreds of technologies that existed only in the imagination, if they existed at all, had to be invented, perfected and made practical. Just compare the Brewster Buffalo of 1937 — 950-HP radial engine, maximum operating altitude of about 16,000 feett and top-speed of 304 mph (considered a flying coffin by its unfortunate pilots) — to the SR-71 Blackbird, which less than 30 years later, powered by dual-cycle turbo-ramjet engines, flew at the edge of space, its titanium skin glowing cherry-red from the friction of air flowing across it at over 2,000 mph. It’s almost incomprehensible. And so awesomely cool.
So what does that have to do with a supposed design flaw in the Constitution? Absolutely nothing, other than illustrating it to near-perfection.
The rapid progress in aircraft design was largely the result of wartime necessity. The soldiers told the engineers and manufacturers what was needed, and they engaged their enormous talents and drive and delivered. The politicians were, for the most part, satisfied to set policy, write the checks and stay out of the way.
The adage that one’s impending doom wonderfully concentrates the mind was never truer. What’s so surprising is not that there were failures and disappointments, but that there were so few. The lesson: If it’s rapid progress you need, the politicians have to sit down and shut up and let the experts do their jobs.
The Constitution, on the other hand, was deliberately, ingeniously, designed to prevent rapid action. Aside from declaring war, it takes months or years to do anything of any great importance. It is a characteristic that has bedeviled would-be law and policy makers since the first days of the republic.
But there is a great difference between building an airplane and building a nation. For the former, one must accommodate only the impersonal, fixed and fairly well understood laws of physics. For the latter, one must accommodate all the inconsistencies, limitations and downright perversities of human nature, and not just for one person, but for an entire population. To say that the latter is a bit more complicated and prone to error is an immense understatement.
So, despite the manifest failures of the Constitution, conservatives today defend it without apology. No less a statesman than Winston Churchill, with the advantage of distance, dispassionate reflection, and a razor-sharp mind, had this to say in 1936:
“It may well be that this very quality of rigidity, which is today thought to be so galling, has been a prime factor in founding the greatness of the United States. …‘Taking the rigidity out of the American Constitution’ means, and is intended to mean, new gigantic accessions of power to the dominating centre of government and giving it the means to make new fundamental laws enforceable upon all American citizens.”
Nothing fundamental has changed in the decades since that was written. Far more is to be feared by enabling rapid change than by hobbling it. Rapid change is revolutionary and disruptive and potentially disastrous; fine and desirable if you’re making new and better airplanes.
The failure of an airplane, even the tragic loss of its crew, doesn’t endanger the nation. But the cost of national mistakes, overreach and failure is exponentially greater. Thus slow, frustrating, every now and then enraging national consensus building is the prudent approach — and the Constitutional approach.
So, off we go into the wild blue yonder in our fantastic flying machines, and faster, please. But in the affairs of state, we are wise to keep our feet firmly on Constitutional ground, even if the cost of preventing national tragedy is moving at a grind-it-out pace that even a reformer with the patience of Job finds glacial.
Kenneth D. Gough of Elizabethton is president and general manager of Accurate Machine Products Corp. of Johnson City. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Editorial/2016/08/24/Flying-high-and-wild-on-the-Constitution.html | en | 2015-07-21T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/e76d3156d35453b502eb9f6dab2d33fb8ba73a7121ef5fe1afb37bcb3cc5c493.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:09:50 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | JOHNSON CITY - Gladys Inez Johnson O’Dell Duvall went home to be with her Lord on August 24, 2016. Gladys was born in Erwin, TN on April 19, 1922. Early in life she moved to | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FGladys-Inez-Johnson-O-Dell-Duvall.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/DuvallLIB-jpg.jpg | en | null | Gladys Inez Johnson O’Dell Duvall | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | In addition to her parents Gladys was preceded in death by her first husband Janes Dawson O’Dell, her second husband Norman Duvall and daughter Joyce Ann O’Dell Evens.
Those left to cherish her memory are sons Dawson Wayne O’Dell (Diana), Jonesborough, James Douglas O’Dell (Rochelle), Florida; daughter, Shirley O’Dell Scott (Bill), Vero Beach, FL; stepson, Duane Duvall, Kingsport; stepdaughter, Debbie Duvall, Johnson City; son-in-law, Richard Evens (Susan), Norfolk, VA; 12 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, 3 great great-grandchildren, and very special friends Diana (Dee) and Parnie Freeman.
Gladys loved and served her God, family, and friends throughout her life. She was an active member in her church until she became disabled. She will be truly missed by her family and friends.
For years Gladys was a traveling sales lady selling educational books and yellow pages advertisements. She was a partner in Rader, Little, and O’Dell Insurance Agency. She retired from Sears at age 85 after working for 47 years.
A special thank you to the wonderful people at Four Oakes Healthcare for the loving compassionate care given to Gladys and her family. A thank you to Avalon Hospice Care for your care during this time.
Family will have a Celebration of Life for Gladys Saturday August 27, 2016 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at North Johnson City Baptist Church, 305 Ferndale RD., Johnson City. Gladys has donated her body to medical science.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to North Johnson City Baptist Church.
Condolences may be sent to the Duvall family online at www.dillow-taylor.com.
Dillow-Taylor Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Jonesborough, 753-3821 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/25/Gladys-Inez-Johnson-O-Dell-Duvall.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/5e826765502fef3c3e942ac584592945df29197f18e46a129abf4e8b331346f0.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T04:49:54 | null | 2015-07-13T00:00:00 | Many Tennesseans will have their evenings interrupted this fall by automated phone calls made on behalf of (and sometimes against) candidates | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEditorial%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2FIt-s-time-to-hang-up-on-campaign-robocalls.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2015/07/13/x720_q60/As-We-See-It-1.jpg | en | null | It's time to hang up on campaign robocalls | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Some of these robocalls pretend to be public opinion surveys when they are actually a push poll — a sleazy campaign trick designed to attack the character or record of a candidate by using false or misleading information.
Such calls are not automatically covered under a law passed in 2009 that expanded the national “do not call” list to prohibit telemarketers from ringing up those who sign up. The Do Not Call Registry was originally created in 2003 and has been praised by Americans who were tired of receiving telemarketing calls just as they were sitting down to dinner.
Officials say more than 150 million people have listed their landline or cell phones on the registry.
Despite the success of the Do Not Call Registry, Americans are still subjected to unwanted telephone solicitations. Being listed on the registry does not protect them from robocalls made on behalf of candidates and political parties.
Americans should have a right to block these sometimes offensive robocalls from reaching their homes. Unfortunately, don’t look to Congress or the Tennessee General Assembly for help on this matter. This is an election year and that means members of Congress and the state legislators will be among those making the robocalls. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Editorial/2016/08/31/It-s-time-to-hang-up-on-campaign-robocalls.html | en | 2015-07-13T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/7e070d60009ae947a2c2c7c1cc5e7f301afdb7756f52c29bcd4ab98f70512c08.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:13:05 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | A neighbor’s house might appear decent on the outside, but a glance inside could reveal piles of unworn clothing, rotten food and general clutter.
Sometimes | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FCode-enforcement-begins-creation-of.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/Hoarding.jpg | en | null | Code division wants to create community task force for hoarders | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Sometimes perceived in a facetious manner, hoarding was officially designated by the American Psychiatric Association as a mental health disorder in 2013.
Hoarding’s presence in the region has now inspired the creation of a community task force to help educate residents and detect and clean properties.
“These are people, like with any other psychological disease, they need help. They need services,” said Jim Sullivan, chief building official for the Johnson City Codes Division.
“A lot of them are shut-ins. They won’t come out and they end up living alone and become isolated from society. You got to reach out to get in there. Then clean up the property so it’s not a hazard.”
On Tuesday, code enforcement officer Seth Ambrose pitched the task force to several health and community organizations during a monthly Community Crime Prevention meeting at the Johnson City Library.
Ambrose said hoarding can create issues such as fire and structural risks.
In February 2016, a man was found dead in his Vancouver apartment after reports of an unpleasant smell. Firefighters said the man was buried under “two or three feet of debris,” according to CBCNews.com.
An estimated 5 percent of the world’s population displays clinical hoarding symptoms, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Ambrose said hoarders can be on any street, and could potentially be a neighbor.
Common personality traits related to hoarding include: anxiety, depression, self-consciousness, indecisiveness, vulnerability and impulsiveness.
“When we run into this, and we run into it commonly ... we’ve got a bunch of it in the city, we’re trying to treat it” said Jim Sullivan, chief building official.
“We basically bring to the table the mechanism for enforcement to get it cleaned up, but all we do is end up chasing the symptoms forever. If we can get mental health (providers) to partner up, we can get to the root problem and hopefully solve it.”
The task force’s goal will be to create contacts within the community who can act as a liaison for assisting homeowners.
Frontier Health, the Washington County Health Department, Adult Protective Services, Habitat for Humanity and the Johnson City Veterans Affairs Center are some of the organizations helping the city division.
Along with health providers, Ambrose said during his presentation that any organization or individual resident could aid the task force by recognizing potential hoarders and facilitate assistance.
“We want to get a good group who will be involved with us,” code enforcement officer Lorena Bennett said. “But we do want to start setting up meetings. Even if we don’t do them monthly at first until we start pulling these properties in, then we could at least do them quarterly.”
To learn more about joining the code division’s community task force, email Bennett at lbennett@johnsoncitytn.org
Email Zach Vance at zvance@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Zach Vance on Twitter at @ZachVanceJCP. Like him on Facebook.com/ZachVanceJCP | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/24/Code-enforcement-begins-creation-of.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/7772c29e2f5d4255a41efa5a7fec878b845c876f4904aa8a820f05b877fb2971.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T22:49:28 | null | 2015-10-14T00:00:00 | A Johnson City woman charged with tampering with evidence after a July 2014 shooting that left a friend dead pleaded guilty to a lesser charge last week.
Tonya Hartley, 26, | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FCourts%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FJohnson-City-woman-pleads-guilty-to-facilitation-to-tamper-with-evidence-for-hiding-murder-weapon-and-second-gun.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2015/10/14/x720_q60/c13377f0-94a4-49c4-89e0-a479dce19453.jpg | en | null | Johnson City woman pleads guilty to facilitation to tamper with evidence for hiding murder weapon and second gun | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Tonya Hartley, 26, pleaded guilty to facilitation to tampering with evidence for hiding two guns used in the shootout between Moses Alfonso Ballard Jr., 31, and Michael Rowe, 30, that left Rowe dead.
Hartley was inside a vehicle with Rowe in the early morning hours of July 4, 2014, when Ballard, standing by the driver’s door, started shooting.
Ballard was convicted by a jury last week of second-degree murder in Rowe’s death. The trial lasted three days with a full day of jury selection, a full day of testimony and a third day spent listening to attorneys’ closing arguments.
The jury deliberated about six hours before returning the guilty verdict. Ballard was charged with first-degree murder for Rowe’s death, but the jury opted for the lesser charge.
Hartley’s case was scheduled to be resolved after the verdict was returned, but it was so late Thursday when Ballard’s trial concluded that Criminal Court Judge Stacy Street decided to handle the matter Friday.
In addition to the tampering charge, Hartley had also faced an aggravated assault charge because police investigators originally thought she shot Ballard in the buttocks as he ran away from the scene where Rowe was on the ground bleeding.
“We dismissed the aggravated assault but she pleaded to facilitation to tampering with evidence,” said Assistant District Attorney General Ken Baldwin. “We felt like the proof showed the person who actually hit (Ballard) was Michael Rowe.”
Prior to the shooting, Rowe and Ballard had a verbal altercation after Ballard assaulted Selena Allen inside a Myrtle Avenue residence. Allen and a group of friends were planning to go out that night, but after the altercation everyone changed their minds and left, including Ballard.
Rowe and Hartley left together but returned a short time later, reportedly to retrieve a cell phone charger they had left behind.
Ballard had already returned to the residence, reportedly to apologize to Rowe for the encounter.
He went to Rowe’s vehicle, according to a witness, and was talking before he raised a weapon and fired at Rowe, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of his vehicle. Ballard dropped his gun and ran off. Then Rowe got out of his car shooting at Ballard.
Baldwin said that based on information from a woman down the street whom Ballard asked for help after the shooting because he was injured, prosecuors determined it was Rowe who shot Ballard, not Hartley.
Baldwin said Ballard approached that woman before Hartley fired in his direction.
Hartley “did collect both guns, and she hid them in a house close to where the shooting occurred,” Baldwin said. “But that same night she took police to where she took the guns. Taking all that together, we decided it just as likely that Michael Rowe shot him,” so the assault charge was dismissed.
Hartley, who had been in custody since violating her bond monitoring, was released after her plea Friday. She will serve two years of probation for the tampering conviction. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Courts/2016/08/29/Johnson-City-woman-pleads-guilty-to-facilitation-to-tamper-with-evidence-for-hiding-murder-weapon-and-second-gun.html | en | 2015-10-14T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/cc791c5f7c5f820e6b5ad6f1eb43b6d713cb00a7091f49b9b48b40bb1e11b838.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:49:43 | null | 2015-07-13T00:00:00 | Serving on a jury is a civic duty that far too many Americans go out of their way to avoid.
Aside from tax notices and credit card bills, there is perhaps nothing | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEditorial%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FServing-jury-duty-is-a-vital-civic-responsibility.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2015/07/13/x720_q60/As-We-See-It-1.jpg | en | null | Serving jury duty is a vital civic responsibility | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Aside from tax notices and credit card bills, there is perhaps nothing Americans dread more than receiving a jury summons in the mail. When they do get a summons, some people immediately set out to find an excuse to get out of jury duty.
And that’s not as easy as it used to be. A law was passed in 2009 that eliminated many of the archaic exemptions to jury duty in Tennessee that were based on age or occupation. Today, elected state or federal office holders are no longer automatically exempt from serving on a jury.
The same goes for teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, practicing attorneys and physicians.
Tennessee’s jury service law makes no exception for a person’s age. In fact, the law only allows exemptions for people who can prove an extreme physical or financial hardship.
For many years, people believed they could avoid getting a jury summons by not registering to vote. How sad it is to think that some Americans would gladly give up one important civic responsibility to avoid being called for another.
Actually, court officials in Tennessee rely on a variety of public records from which to call prospective jurors. In many counties, Circuit Court clerks comb through driver’s license information and tax rolls to find names for jury service.
Those who fail to answer a jury summons can face a contempt of court charge and a $50 fine. Those penalties are often accompanied by a stern tongue-lashing from judges who have become impatient with Tennesseans who attempt to avoid their civic duty.
Eleven Washington County residents face such a reprimand today in Criminal Court Judge Street’s courtroom after they failed to show up for jury duty in a first-degree murder trial this week. Press Senior Reporter Becky Campbell reported the judge issued subpoenas requiring those individuals to appear before him and explain why they didn’t show for the jury selection process on Tuesday.
“If enough people don’t show up, we can’t have a trial,” a frustrated Street told those who did show up for court.
Those called for jury duty can expect few frills. Selection to a panel earns a juror a stipend of $10 a day plus mileage. Jurors also have their meals paid for by the state while they are on the job.
Serving as a juror is not always appreciated in our society. That’s unfortunate because jury duty is a vital civic responsibility essential for maintaining our system of justice. It is a job that must never be shirked. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Editorial/2016/08/26/Serving-jury-duty-is-a-vital-civic-responsibility.html | en | 2015-07-13T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/6fee3fa807f47d308233b73775382c2d6ce5792358ab05b3cbf1091847c551b6.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T22:49:52 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FCody-Christian-James-Montgomery.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Cody-Square-jpg.jpg | en | null | Cody Christian James Montgomery | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Jeremiah 20:9 King James Version (KJV)
ELIZABETHTON - Cody Christian James Montgomery, age 27, of Elizabethton, formerly of Hampton, went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, August 28, 2016 from his residence. Cody was born in Carter County to David Joel Montgomery and Lisa Brown Montgomery, of Hampton. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Earl Montgomery; and his maternal grandfather, Joe Brown.
Cody was a 2007 graduate of Hampton High School, where he was a former baseball athlete and assistant coach at Hampton. Cody currently served as the Pastor of Riverview Baptist Church in Erwin, Tennessee, where he loved the church and the youth of the church. His current focus was leading as many people to the Lord as possible. He touched many people throughout his life and everyone who knew him, loved him.
Those left to cherish his memory, in addition to his parents, include his wife, Kacey Davis Montgomery, of the home; his brother, Seth Montgomery, of Hampton; his special friends, whom he considered brothers, Corey McKinney, of Hampton and Josh Greene, of Kingsport; his grandparents, Betty Jo Montgomery and Brenda Brown, both of Hampton, and Ray and Carol Davis, of Elizabethton; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Kenneth and Paula Davis, of Elizabethton; his sister-in-law, Taylor Davis, of Elizabethton. Also an endless list of family and friends and his loving congregation at Riverview Baptist Church of Erwin, especially the Deacons of the church.
A service to honor and celebrate the life of Cody Christian James Montgomery will be conducted at 7:00 PM on Thursday, September 1, 2016 at Zion Baptist Church with Rev. Darrin Waldroup officiating. Music will be under the direction of Seth Montgomery and the combined choirs of Riverview Baptist and Zion Baptist Churches. The family will receive friends at the church from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM on Thursday.
The graveside service will be conducted at 1:00 PM on Friday, September 2, 2016 at Happy Valley Memorial Park, with Dr. Alan King officiating. Active pallbearers will be Allen Gray, Jeff Simmons, Steve Lane, Eric Wainright, Chris Collins and Ronnie Webb. Those wishing to attend the service are asked to meet at Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton at 12:15 PM on Friday, to go in procession.
Those who prefer memorials in lieu of flowers, may make donations to the Riverview Baptist Church, 2000 Temple Hill Road, Erwin, TN 37650, to help with medical expenses for Evangelist Isaac Tinsley, his beloved brother in Christ.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.tetrickfuneralhome.com and signing the guest book. Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton is serving the Montgomery family. Office 423 542-2232, Obituary line 543-4917. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/30/Cody-Christian-James-Montgomery.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/c0056abf547cc428f782b73ec1056d079535718d52fde5cce4a6e7c9b206de27.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T20:49:14 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | JOHNSON CITY - Mr. Dale Allen McKinney, 61, of Johnson City, passed away on Saturday, August 27, 2016 at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center Hospital. He was the son of the late David | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FMr-Dale-Allen-McKinney.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/Dale-Allen-McKinneyLIBjpg-jpg.jpg | en | null | Mr. Dale Allen McKinney | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Mr. McKinney was a 1973 graduate of Elizabethton High School and a Vietnam Era Veteran of the United States Navy. He enjoyed football, singing and playing his guitar and listening to and writing music. He was a cast member of the movie “The River” in which he played a deputy sheriff. Dale was of the Christian faith.
Those left to cherish his memory include two brothers, D.R. McKinney; Rick “Doc” McKinney and his wife, Janie; a sister, Debbie Berry and her husband, Keith; all of Elizabethton; three nieces, Sara Berry Wagner and her husband, Stephen, Elizabethton; Leslie Godfrey and her husband, Jonathan, Knoxville, Holly Bulla and her husband, John, Elizabethton; and his companion dog, Boy. Several cousins also survive.
The service to honor the life for Mr. McKinney will be conducted at 8:00 PM on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 in the Chapel of Peace, Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton with Rev. Lewis Melton officiating. The family will receive friends in the funeral home chapel from 6:00 -8:00 PM on Wednesday prior to the service.
The graveside service and interment will be conducted at 1:00 PM on Thursday, September 1, 2016 in the Mountain Home National Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers will be Randy Lingerfelt, James Surber, Mike Melton, Keith Berry, Steve Melton, Billy Crum and the members of the Elizabethton High School Class of 1973. Military honors will be accorded by the Carter County Honor Guard. Those wishing to attend are invited to meet the family at the cemetery at 12:50 PM on Thursday.
Those who prefer memorials in lieu of flowers may make donations to the American Cancer Society C/O Lou Cooter, 415 Washington Avenue, Elizabethton, TN 37643.
Online condolences may be shared with the family at our website, www.tetrickfuneralhome.com.
Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton is serving the McKinney family. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/29/Mr-Dale-Allen-McKinney.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/b8df4b7c18169300a566a572b2ca4f58e0abb194b00764a8051f8658d35421b5.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T18:48:57 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | WASHINGTON (AP) — With the hourglass running out for his administration, President Barack Obama’s health care law is struggling in many parts of the country. Double-digit | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FCan-Clinton-save-health-overhaul-from-its-mounting-problems.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/28/x720_q60/Health-Overhaul-Woes.jpg | en | null | Can Clinton save health overhaul from its mounting problems? | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | If Democrat Hillary Clinton wins the White House, expect her to mount a rescue effort. But how much Clinton could do depends on finding willing partners in Congress and among Republican governors, a real political challenge.
“There are turbulent waters,” said Kathleen Sebelius, Obama’s first secretary of Health and Human Services. “But do I see this as a death knell? No.”
Next year’s health insurance sign-up season starts a week before the Nov. 8 election, and the previews have been brutal. Premiums are expected to go up sharply in many insurance marketplaces, which offer subsidized private coverage to people lacking access to job-based plans.
At the same time, retrenchment by insurers that have lost hundreds of millions of dollars means that more areas will become one-insurer markets, losing the benefits of competition. The consulting firm Avalere Health projects that seven states will only have one insurer in each of their marketplace regions next year.
Administration officials say insurers set prices too low in a bid to gain market share, and the correction is leading to sticker shock. Insurers blame the problems on sicker-than-expected customers, disappointing enrollment and a premium stabilization system that failed to work as advertised. They also say some people are gaming the system, taking advantage of guaranteed coverage to get medical care only when they are sick.
Not all state markets are in trouble. What is more important, most of the 11 million people covered through HealthCare.gov and its state-run counterparts will be cushioned from premium increases by government subsidies that rise with the cost.
But many customers may have to switch to less comprehensive plans to keep their monthly premiums down. And millions of people who buy individual policies outside the government marketplaces get no financial help. They will have to pay the full increases or go without coverage and risk fines. (People with employer coverage and Medicare are largely unaffected.)
Tennessee’s insurance commissioner said recently that the individual health insurance market in her state is “very near collapse.” Premiums for the biggest insurer are expected to increase by an average of 62 percent. Two competitors will post average increases of 46 percent and 44 percent.
But because the spigot of federal subsidies remains wide open, an implosion of health insurance markets around the country seems unlikely. More than 8 out of 10 HealthCare.gov customers get subsidies covering about 70 percent of their total premiums. Instead, the damage is likely to be gradual. Rising premiums deter healthy people from signing up, leaving an insurance pool that’s more expensive to cover each succeeding year.
“My real concern is 2018,” said Caroline Pearson, a senior vice president with Avalere. “If there is no improvement in enrollment, we could see big sections of the country without any plans participating.”
If Republican Donald Trump wins the White House, he’d start dismantling the Affordable Care Act. But Clinton would come with a long list of proposed fixes, from rearranging benefits to introducing a government-sponsored “public option” as an alternative to private insurers. Not all her ideas would require congressional action.
“She is going to find it important to continue to expand health care,” said Joel Ario, a former Obama administration official who’s now with the consulting firm Mannatt Health.
People in the Clinton camp say she recognizes that as president she’d have to get Obama’s law working better, and is taking nothing off the table.
A look at some major ideas and their prospects:
PUBLIC OPTION
Clinton’s primary rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, advocated “Medicare for all” and that pushed Clinton to a fuller embrace of government-run insurance. But Democrats could not get a public option through Congress even when they had undisputed control. Whichever party wins the Senate in November, the balance is expected to be close and Republicans are favored to retain control of the House.
While a new national insurance program seems a long shot, Obama’s law allows states to experiment. “I think the public option is more likely to be tested at a state level,” Sebelius said.
SWEETENING SUBSIDIES
Clinton has proposed more generous subsidies and tax credits for health care, which might also entice more people to sign up. But she’d have a tough time selling Republicans. It may be doable in the bargaining around budget and tax bills, but Democrats would be pressed to give up some of the health law’s requirements, including a premiums formula that tends to favor older people over young adults.
INCREMENTAL CHANGES
Whether it’s fixing a “family glitch” that can prevent dependents from getting subsidized coverage, requiring insurers to cover more routine services outside the annual deductible, or reworking the premium stabilization program for insurers, incremental changes seem to offer a president Clinton her easiest path.
MEDICAID EXPANSION
Expect a Clinton White House to tirelessly court the 19 states that have yet to expand Medicaid for low-income people. She’d ask Congress to provide the same three full years of federal financing that early-adopting states got under the health law. GOP governors would demand more flexibility with program rules.
“I’m just hoping that reality begins to sink in when she is inaugurated,” Sebelius said. “If the law is not going to go away, then let’s make it work.”
Online:
Health law: http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-law/read-the-law/ | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/28/Can-Clinton-save-health-overhaul-from-its-mounting-problems.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/fed1425a2570701679a38c1f4753dd7e9cb3429afe5cbfe5cb0c813069dc6f5d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:25 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | UNITED NATIONS — Russia’s U.N. ambassador said Thursday there doesn’t have to be a confrontation with the United States over a report that blames the Syrian | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FRussia-downplays-conflict-with-US-over-Syria-weapons-report.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/United-Nations-Syria-Chemical-Weapons.jpg | en | null | Russia downplays conflict with US over Syria weapons report | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Vitaly Churkin, whose country is a strong supporter of the Syrian government, responded to predictions of confrontation by stressing that the U.S. and Russia created the investigative body to determine those responsible for chemical attacks in Syria.
“It doesn’t have to be the case,” he told reporters. “We have a joint interest in discouraging such things from happening, in preventing such things from happening,” he told reporters.
Churkin called the 95-page document produced by the international team from the U.N. and the chemical weapons watchdog “a very complicated report which needs to be studied by experts.”
He said it was “very important” that the team said definitively that Islamic State extremists were responsible for an attack using mustard gas “because usually all talk we heard about any use of chemical weapons was an effort to ascribe things to the Syrian government.”
But Churkin repeatedly sidestepped questions about the team’s conclusion that the Syrian government used chlorine gas in two attacks, reiterating that the report is “very technical,” ‘‘quite complicated” and needs study.
By contrast the United States, which backs Syria’s moderate opposition, made clear after the report was circulated among Security Council members Wednesday that the Syrian government has now been found responsible of using a chemical weapon in violation of a Security Council resolution and its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
“It is now impossible to deny that the Syrian regime has repeatedly used industrial chlorine as a weapon against its own people,” U.S. National Security Adviser Ned Price said in a statement.
Calling the use of chemical weapons “a barbaric tool, repugnant to the conscience of mankind,” U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power urged the Security Council to take “strong and swift action” against the perpetrators.
Churkin said he spoke to Power after the report’s release and they will meet when she returns from vacation “and see what can be done on the basis of this report.”
The Security Council is scheduled to discuss the report on Aug. 30.
Churkin was asked about the September 2013 resolution that orders the Security Council “to impose measures” under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter for “any use of chemical weapons by anyone in the Syrian Arab Republic.” Those measures usually mean sanctions, and Chapter 7 can be militarily enforced.
“Well, we need to see what can be done on the basis of what is said in the report,” the Russian ambassador replied.
The report was written by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism, known as the JIM, which was established by the Security Council a year ago.
The JIM investigated nine cases in seven towns where an OPCW fact-finding mission found that chemical weapons had likely been used. It determined responsibility in three cases, said three attacks pointed toward government responsibility but weren’t conclusive, and described three others as inconclusive.
According to the report, obtained by The Associated Press, the JIM found the Syrian government responsible for two chlorine attacks in Idlib governorate, one in Talmenes on April 21, 2014 and one in Sarmin on March 16, 2015.
It also said the Islamic State group was “the only entity with the ability, capability, motive and the means to use sulfur mustard” gas in Marea in Aleppo governorate near the Turkish border on Aug. 21, 2015. At the time, Islamic State fighters were attacking rebels. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/25/Russia-downplays-conflict-with-US-over-Syria-weapons-report.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/aa581270bec7ae1590550b493bc015d894a69ddc618c8e2662d78ad5c2ae18c5.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:09:39 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | Two bullets and a shell casing found inside a murder victim’s car came from the weapon police and prosecutors say was in the hands of a Johnson City man on trial for the killing, | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FCourts%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FJury-sees-bullet-ridden-car-from-Johnson-City-murder.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/20160824-114152-jpg.jpg | en | null | UPDATED with new video, trial coverage: Jury views bullet-riddled car from Johnson City shooting death | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Moses Alfonso Ballard Jr., 31, is on trial this week on a first-degree murder charge for the July 4, 2014, shooting death of 30-year-old Michael Rowe. Both men were living in Johnson City at the time of the shooting and had been at the same residence at 1406 E. Myrtle St. in the hours prior to their deadly encounter.
Jurors began hearing testimony shortly after 8:30 a.m. after a long day Tuesday selecting the panel and attorneys making their opening statements. On Wednesday, Criminal Court Judge Stacy Street kept pushing on, as the jury agreed they were holding up OK and were not too tired. Court didn’t recess for the day until nearly 7 p.m.
State prosecutors on the case – Assistant District Attorneys General Ken Baldwin and Fred Lance – put 12 witnesses on the stand – two of them twice – to present its entire case Wednesday.
The day even included a field trip of sorts, as jurors were taken to the back parking lot so they could see Rowe’s Honda Accord and the bullet holes that riddled it.
To demonstrate the trajectory of the bullets shot into the car, police had placed rods through the holes, which gave a clearer picture of where the shooter was standing.
One of those bullet holes was consistent with the fatal shot to Rowe’s abdomen, according to testimony from Dr. Nicole Masian, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Rowe.
She testified Rowe also had a gunshot wound to the upper arm that went all the way through and grazed his back.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation firearms expert Teri Arney testified that the TBI lab received two guns, 20 shell casings and three bullets, including one that prosecutors said was recovered from Rowe’s clothing.
She tested the items and was able to determine which gun the bullets were fired from, and said they all came from the same gun.
More than a dozen shell casings recovered from outside the car came from the other pistol Arney examined, she testified.
Prosecutors’ theory of the case is that Ballard shot at Rowe while Rowe was seated in the driver’s seat of his car. Rowe got out of his car injured but was able to return fire as Ballard ran off.
Their encounter supposedly happened as Ballard approached Rowe to apologize for a verbal altercation the men had earlier in the evening inside the house where Rowe was parked.
Other testimony the jury heard Wednesday included:
• Selena Allen, who told the jury she and several others – Rowe, Brittney Maples and Tonya Harley – were at Wesley Blair’s house the evening of July 3.
The group planned to go out to celebrate the 4th of July later, but were hanging out beforehand. Allen testified that she was sitting beside Rowe on the couch when Ballard showed up.
At first everything was OK. Ballard said something about Allen’s shoes and she had her foot up as he looked at them.
Allen testified Ballard tried to raise her leg up more and she pushed against him with her toes. That’s when he grabbed her, pulled her off the couch onto the floor and slapped her, Allen testified.
Allen said Rowe got angry and got up and told Ballard to get out. The two men chest bumped and yelled at each other before Allen and Hartley got between them and Ballard left.
At that point, everyone was too upset to go out so the group began to go their own way. Rowe and Hartley left, but returned shortly to retrieve something they had left behind.
By then, Ballard was back and had asked Maples where Rowe went because he wanted to apologize to him, according to Maples’ testimony.
Hartley entered the house about that time to get her things and told Ballard he needed to apologize to Rowe, Maples said. Ballard went out and toward Rowe’s vehicle.
Maples testified that she saw the whole thing go down – although she had previously told police she didn’t see the shooting. She testified she was watching to see what would happen when Ballard approached Rowe.
She testified she could see Ballard talking to Rowe, who was still in his car, then Ballard pulled out a gun and started shooting.
Maples said Ballard backed away, still shooting, then ran off as Rowe got out of the car, holding his abdomen, and fired a gun in the direction where Ballard ran.
Maples said she went outside but couldn’t see where Ballard went. When she went to the front of the house, Rowe was on the ground. Allen testified that after the shooting stopped, she opened the door, ran toward Rowe and caught him before he collapsed.
“I opened the door and Ballard was running,” Allen said. “Michael was getting out of the car shooting at him.”
Early in the investigation, police said Hartley ran after Ballard and shot at him, then hid both guns used in the shooting before police arrived.
Jurors also heard from Koron Fairley, who testified that a couple of weeks before the shooting Ballard had asked him to hold onto a weapon for him. He said he agreed and that Ballard retrieved it the same night as the shooting.
Fairley has his own legal problems and is currently in federal custody on drug charges. He pleaded guilty recently in U.S. District Court to crack cocaine conspiracy distribution charges that could get him 20 years to life in prison when he’s sentenced later this year. His testimony is apparently part of the plea deal he entered in Federal Court.
His first statement to police about the gun was in January 2015 – after the shooting and after he had knowledge he was under federal investigation, but before he was charged.
He apparently talked to police again early 2016 about the case, and made comments about wanting to be sure he had some help in his federal case.
He denied being promised anything from federal prosecutors if he cooperated in the murder investigation and denied saying anything about that to police. Investigator Johnny Willis later testified he didn’t remember Fairley saying “20 years wasn’t good enough,” or that he’d do anything to beat the drug charge.
But when defense attorney Chris Byrd replayed the snippets of the police interview with Fairley, Fairley could be heard making those comments.
Byrd focused a lot of his cross examination of Willis on photographs of the crime scene and of Rowe’s car.
He honed in on what appeared to be a bullet hole on the inside of the driver’s door and a corresponding dent on the outside of the door, hoping to show Rowe had fired his gun from inside the car.
Willis said that particular damage had rusted where the paint had flecked off, but the bullet holes that were caused from the outside did not have rust, so he thought the one Byrd pointed out was previous damage.
Byrd also questioned Willis about how the spray pattern of the window glass on the road was in a diagonal direction, which was perpendicular to where the car had been – again, trying to show Rowe fired from inside the car at Ballard.
He also asked Willis if it was possible for someone outside the car to reach inside and grab a weapon in a driver’s lap if the driver was occupied trying to unjam a weapon he was firing.
Willis said he could not make that determination. There was an unfired bullet located in the passenger’s seat of Rowe’s car, which Byrd implied could have come from the process of unjamming a jammed gun.
By day’s end, prosecutors had presented its case and Byrd presented the routine oral motion for acquittal. Street denied the motion and recessed court until 9 a.m. Thursday.
It’s still unknown if the defense will present any witnesses or if attorneys will go straight into closing arguments Thursday morning.
Ballard remains jailed on a $200,000 bond while the case is pending. Hartley was charged in the case with aggravated assault for allegedly shooting Ballard and tampering with evidence for allegedly hiding the guns.
——-
Reported earlier:
A Washington County trial jury was able to see and examine up close the vehicle inside which a man was killed two years ago during a verbal altercation with another person.
The panel spent about 10 minutes Wednesday morning walking around the car — which prosecutors had arranged to be taken to the back parking lot of the Justice Center in Jonesborough — taking notes and inspecting trajectory rods placed through bullet holes to show the paths.
Moses Ballard, 31, of Johnson City, is charged with first-degree murder in the July 4, 2014 shooting death of 30-year-old Michael Rowe, also of Johnson City. The men had a verbal altercation earlier in the evening inside a friend's residence on Myrtle Avenue. That started over Ballard allegedly assaulting Selena Allen, who was sitting on a couch beside Rowe at the time.
Rowe and Ballard had a heated exchange, bumped chests a little and Rowe ordered Ballard to leave.
Ballard did leave, as did Rowe and another woman, Tonya Hartley. But all three ended up back at the residence - Rowe and Hartley because they'd forgotten something and Ballard, who told a witness wanted to apologize to Rowe.
When Ballard saw that Rowe had returned, he went outside to Rowe's vehicle. The men were talking, although no one heard that exchange, and then Ballard started shooting at Rowe, who was sitting in the driver's seat.
Witness Brittney Maples, who dated Ballard for two years before the shooting but was broken up from him at the time, testified she looked out the window to see what was going to happen when Ballard went out to apologize to Rowe.
Maples testified that she saw Ballard shoot toward the driver's door and heard the shots. She said she saw Ballard back away, still shooting, then turn and run. That's when Rowe got out of the vehicle holding his side, Maples testified, and shot multiple rounds toward Ballard.
Maples previously testified at preliminary hearing that she did not see the shooting.
When defense attorney Chris Byrd questioned her about that, Maples said she was afraid of Ballard, but had since been told "it would be in my best interest to testify against him."
Maples said "several" people told her that, but she could not recall who it was.
Prior to Maples' testimony, Allen had testified that just before Ballard showed up at the residence that night when everyone was still there, Rowe had told her he had to get out of town or "somebody's gonna get me or I'm gonna get somebody."
Keep checking with www.JohnsonCityPress.com for more details about the trial. Follow Becky Campbell @CampbellinCourt as she live tweets trial coverage. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Courts/2016/08/24/Jury-sees-bullet-ridden-car-from-Johnson-City-murder.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/661f8456cd061c8473233efcba9997e1798415cd27eff7f7bbca19dcb2971f91.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T02:49:25 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | BLUEFIELD — Erik Garcia drove in all the runs for Johnson City and tagged out the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning as the Cardinals beat the Bluefield Blue Jays, 3-2, | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FSports%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FCards-5.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Cards-jpg-33.jpg | en | null | Garcia gives Cards edge of Bluefield | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The Cards’ win, coupled with Elizabethton's 2-1 loss at Greeneville, left Johnson City up by two games with three to go in the Appalachian League West Division.
The Cards and Twins will face each other in the first-round playoff opener on Sept. 3.
With the Cardinals clinging to a 3-2 lead in the ninth, Bluefield's Bradley Jones led off with a blast to center field. The ball caromed off the wall back toward the infield.
Jones tried to stretch a triple into an inside-the-park homer, but Cards center fielder DeAndre Asbury-Heath picked the ball up and threw to the plate, where Garcia caught the ball and tagged Robinson out.
In the sixth inning, Erik Garcia drew a bases-loaded walk, scoring Hunter Newman with the go-ahead run and a 3-2 lead.
Garcia had given the Cards a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a two-run homer, his first of the season.
Johnson City starter Frederis Parra (3-5) worked seven innings, allowing six hits and two runs.
Keaton Siomkin pitched the eighth and Estarlin Arias pitched the ninth for his sixth save.
The Cardinals made the most of five hits. No player had more than one.
Jones and Kalik May had two hits apiece for the Blue Jays, fighting for the second playoff spot in the East Division. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/2016/08/29/Cards-5.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/d81e52c81ae47fc41f963207f1af20058799a0a4f3107af9930fff574c80f5f1.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T04:49:52 | null | 2015-07-21T00:00:00 | The U.S. Department of Commerce in released a study (based on 2014 numbers) in July that includes a state-by-state comparison of cost of living. You’re probably not surprised that | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEditorial%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2FViewing-the-economy-without-rose-colored-glasses.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2015/07/21/x720_q60/Community-Voices.jpg | en | null | Viewing the economy without rose-colored glasses | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Compare that to California (112.4), New Jersey (114.5), New York (115.7), Hawaii (116.8) and the District of Columbia (118.1). One can live about as well in Tennessee as in these places on about 25 percent less money. Hmmm.
Well, the cost of living is just one aspect of the life well lived. Endless summer on the Hana Coast, incomparable music, theater and art in New York, the technological ferment of Silicon Valley, and the rush of power in Washington, D.C. all have their attractions that aren’t to be dismissed. Their value is worth the cost to a certain kind of person, and the same is true for the gentle-on-the-surface, but rugged-underneath beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. But where does that leave New Jersey? Oh, well, pick your poison.
Then there’s this, from the American Enterprise Institute, a highly-respected free-market think tank, based on 2014 data from the World Bank. It compares gross domestic product per capita (the total value of goods and services produced in a year — per person) for all of the United States and a selection of countries around the world. Tennessee’s GDP at $45,755 is a bit less than the U.S. average of $54,629. But consider that the cost of living is lower in Tennessee than most of the United States.
Roughly speaking, a dollar of income in Tennessee is worth about 10 percent more than the U.S. average. If you adjust for that, Tennessee’s GDP is a bit higher, close to $51,000. Not great, but a long way from bad and far ahead of most of the world.
There is an international version of the cost of living adjustment called purchasing power parity and the AEI study makes use of it. Economists warn that GDP is a crude measurement, and that adjustment with PPP makes it only slightly less crude, but it still tells us something useful about the relative wealth and income of nations. The higher it is, the better off the nation.
So here’s where it gets really interesting — after PPP, almost all of Europe has much lower GDP than the United States. Even the rich countries like Germany ($45,802), Belgium ($45,578), Great Britain ($39,762), and France ($38, 847).
That also includes the Scandinavian countries of Sweden ($45,183) and Denmark ($44,916). Oil-rich Norway, with money gushing from the bottom of the North Sea, is the exception.
As a matter of fact, the PPP-adjusted GDP of all but a handful of European countries is less than the nominal GDP of Tennessee. The average Tennessean is about as productive as the average German, who is a citizen of one of the richest, best educated and most economically advanced nations in the world. And how humiliating for the people of Italy, Spain, Greece, and Portugal — they are less productive than the people of the poorest state in the country, Mississippi.
Puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? Now, I’m a critic of economic policy in the United States. We’re living way beyond our means, accumulating debts that will cripple the economic opportunity of our descendants if it doesn’t sink the country in bankruptcy (and bankruptcy is a real possibility given the way things are moving). But compared to Europe, we’re economic geniuses.
There is no comfort in that, but there is a valuable lesson: Look at what the Europeans are doing and do something else. Admirers of the over-regulated European welfare states, which include most of the Democratic Party these days including the Obama administration (and Bernie Sanders’ fans for sure), have it wrong. It’s clear that the European way leads to stagnation if not outright decline.
We free marketeers and devotees of classical-liberal economics think that’s inevitable, but we’re willing to leave that aside, if only our intellectual opponents will open their eyes, remove their rose-colored glasses and take a long, hard, non-ideological look at what’s going wrong there.
Europe will require a major course correction in coming decades, or it will slowly run aground and collapse. It may well be that Great Britain’s vote to leave the European Union was the first turn of the wheel, but only time will tell. The United States will have to change direction, too, but not as radically. For both of us, though, the sooner we start, the better the chance we’ll survive the socialist experiments we’ve been on for the last century and more.
Kenneth D. Gough of Elizabethton is president and general manager of Accurate Machine Products Corp. of Johnson City. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Editorial/2016/08/31/Viewing-the-economy-without-rose-colored-glasses.html | en | 2015-07-21T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/483544ab9ce719e2fc526caf1aa16cb9543a516b429c27c2b04515547b1887a3.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:15:19 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | CHESTER, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina mother killed her 4-day-son by putting him in the refrigerator for three hours, authorities said.
Angela Blackwell is | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F23%2FDeputies-Mom-killed-newborn-by-putting-him-in-refrigerator.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/23/x720_q60/Baby-Killed-In-Refrigerator.jpg | en | null | Deputies: Mom killed newborn by putting him in refrigerator | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Angela Blackwell is charged with homicide by child abuse.
During a brief court appearance on Tuesday, the judge explained that because of the severity of the charges no bond could be set at this initial hearing, in accordance to state law.
She only nodded and shook her head, leaving the small courtroom after a few minutes without a sound.
Blackwell, 27, was arrested Monday, nearly six months after her son died. Investigators said they have spent that time taking statements and getting forensic tests done on the baby.
An autopsy showed that the boy, William David Blackwell, died from hypothermia with asphyxiation from being placed in the cold, according to Chester County Coroner Terry Tinker. First-responders tried to revive him on Feb. 27, but he was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The baby’s grandfather, Billy Lewis, told reporters gathered at his home before his bond hearing that Blackwell was sad around the time of her baby’s birth, but appeared to be cheered up after her son was born.
“She didn’t do it. We don’t know who did it, but she didn’t do it,” said Lewis, who added there were other people in the home, but wouldn’t speculate on how the baby might have ended up in the refrigerator.
Authorities also have not talked about why Blackwell may have placed in son in the refrigerator. Public defender William Frick represented her at Monday’s hearing, but said he had just received the case and didn’t know enough to talk about it. Blackwell’s next court appearance is Nov. 10.
Neighbors said the Blackwells were nearly evicted from their home recently because the yard was a mess. Children’s toys still are strewn in the backyard, and an old rusted car without an engine and a white hearse that has seen better days remain in the front yard. While everyone knew about their yard, no one seemed to really know them, neighbor Dot Corley said Tuesday.
“She didn’t say anything to anybody that I know of,” Corley said.
According to an online obituary for her infant son, Blackwell has another child. A Facebook profile that appears to belong to Blackwell shows her posing with a toddler and a newborn in photos posted the day after William’s birth.
The boy’s father, who is not charged in connection to his death, has a lengthy arrest record. Jeffery Paul Lewis, 35, has theft convictions in South Carolina dating back to 2005 and served more than two years in prison after a probation violation, Corrections Department spokeswoman Stephanie Givens said.
Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jeffrey-collins
Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina, and can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP . Read more of her work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/meg-kinnard/ | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/23/Deputies-Mom-killed-newborn-by-putting-him-in-refrigerator.html | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/caace4394daad0246fe93283229a402f20358d5a7f6fe20c2411662aa89cd2c6.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:49:47 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | KNOXVILLE - Mrs. Marguerite Louise Bellamy Gordon Wyatt passed from this life on Sunday, August 28, 2016 at the age of 88, after a brief illness. Louise was a devout Christian who now lives | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FMrs-Marguerite-Louise-Bellamy-Gordon-Wyatt.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Wyatt-jpg-1.jpg | en | null | Mrs. Marguerite Louise Bellamy Gordon Wyatt | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | She is joyously reunited with her husband, Lorenzo Wyatt to whom she was married for 65 years and who went to be with our Lord on September 30, 2014. She is survived by the couple’s five children Lorenzo (Brenda), Keith (Karleen), Mark (Jennifer), Lorna (Rick), and Kevin (Susan). Louise’s brother Larry Beddingfield and sister Jean Beddingfield Morris also survive her passing. Louise and Lorenzo were blessed with thirteen grandchildren, Lorenzo (Tamami), Sheri, Kristen, Benjamin, Zack, Will, Jasmine (Richard), Jaelen, Demeatrious, Nichelle, Logan, Louisa, and Grace. God also gave them seven great grandchildren; Milei, Hiro, Leina, Olayinka, Amaya, Gabriella, and Sophia.
Louise graduated from Alabama A&M with a degree in home economics and pursued graduate studies at Michigan State and ETSU. While attending A&M she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and remained an active graduate member throughout her life. Also while at A&M she met Lorenzo, who had just returned to college after serving our country during World War II. It was love at first sight and their love lasted for both their lifetimes.
Both Louise and Lorenzo were passionate about educating children, believing it to be the key to achieving the American dream. Louise served as a home economics and elementary school teacher at Colony School, located in Cullman, Alabama. In June of 1958, Lorenzo was named Principal of Slater School in Bristol, TN and Louise continued her career as a home economics and kindergarten teacher in the Bristol TN and VA public school systems. She taught for 19 years in the Bristol TN system. Much of this time was time was spent teaching kindergarten at Fairmount Elementary. Louise was loved by her students and their parents. She considered early childhood education to be the most crucial stage of the learning process. She also served as Director of the Head Start program at Lee Street Baptist Church. She also tutored adults at the YMCA and worked as a laboratory technician at Massengill Pharmaceuticals.
Louise was a dedicated wife and mother to the couple’s five children. She set high standards and expectations for each of her children. Her passion for excellence was only exceeded by her unconditional love for her family. Indeed, throughout her life she never forgot a birthday, anniversary, or special event for any of her children, grandchildren or great grandchildren. She and Lorenzo would drive hundreds of miles to attend the countless recitals, sporting events, graduations, etc. to support their children and grandchildren. She prepared the most delicious meals and shared her recipes with her family and friends for generations. This included her amazingly delicious homemade rolls. Nothing was more important to her than the health and wellbeing of her family. She devoted much of her final years tirelessly caring for Lorenzo whose health deteriorated due to Parkinson’s disease.
Her relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ was at the very center of her life and empowered her to become a remarkable wife and matriarch of their growing family. Her faith in Christ drove her to join Lee Street Baptist Church where she would serve as a Deaconess for over fifty years. She served the congregation as a member of several committees and as a Sunday school teacher for many years. She and Lorenzo served their community in a number of roles including delivering “Meals on Wheels”, members of the local American Red Cross, volunteer instructors for the Jacob’s Creek Job Corps. She and Lorenzo believed that the best way to lead people to Christ was to set a good example in the way they lived their lives.
Louise Wyatt’s presence will be missed by us all. But, her legacy of faith, passion for excellence, and unconditional love for her family will never be forgotten. Indeed, her example now serves as a standard by which her family and friends may lead productive, spirit filled lives.
Funeral services will be conducted Saturday September 3, 2016 at 2:00pm from Lee St. Baptist Church with Dr. W.A.Johnson officiating. The family will receive friends from 1:00pm until the hour of service. Entombment will follow at Glenwood Cemetery Mausoleum.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at raclarkfuneralservice@yahoo.com Professional service and care of Mrs. Marguerite Louise Bellamy Gordon Wyatt and family are entrusted to R.A.Clark Funeral Service Inc. (423) 764-8584 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/30/Mrs-Marguerite-Louise-Bellamy-Gordon-Wyatt.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/dd43d18eec15d1dd846755ccb03866d85448e24468c484822a812626d93a0324.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T22:49:30 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | It's certain to say Seamus Power will never forget August of 2016.
First, the former East Tennessee State University golfer had the good fortune to represent | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FGolf%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FFormer-ETSU-golfer-Power-earns-PGA-Tour-card.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/IMG-0230-JPG.jpg | en | null | Former ETSU golfer Power earns PGA Tour card | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | First, the former East Tennessee State University golfer had the good fortune to represent Ireland at the Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.
Now, just two weeks later, he has received the one thing every professional golfer wants — a PGA Tour card.
Power will be on the biggest tour in golf next year, having earned his playing rights thanks to a stellar year on the Web.com Tour, the main developmental circuit.
Power tied for 11th in the Web.com Tour's regular-season finale in Portland over the weekend, finishing four shots behind the winner. That finish was good enough to keep him in ninth place on the tour's money list, easily earning his PGA Tour card for next season.
The top 25 regular-season earners will join another 25 from the tour's playoffs on the big tour next season.
Power, who won five tournaments at ETSU, became the first Irishman to win on the Web.com Tour earlier this year.
He also finished tied for 15th in the Olympics after challenging for a medal on the final day when he briefly moved into a tie for third.
Power has won more than $209,000 on the Web.com Tour this year.
The 2017 PGA Tour season actually begins this year. The Safeway Open in Napa, California, gets things started Oct. 13-16. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Golf/2016/08/29/Former-ETSU-golfer-Power-earns-PGA-Tour-card.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/65b5b643ce5500680be8eb0c397f915b4a04dfbb21d32b49b774eb358bff9b6e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:48:31 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | MANCHESTER, N.H. — Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump has unleashed the “radical fringe” within the Republican Party, including anti-Semites and white | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FPolitics%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FClinton-says-Trump-unleashes-radical-fringe-in-GOP.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/Campaign-2016-Clinton-19.jpg | en | null | Clinton says Trump unleashes 'radical fringe' in GOP | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Trump is rejecting Clinton’s allegations, defending his hard-line approach to immigration while trying to make the case to minority voters that Democrats have abandoned them.
The back-and-forth accusations came Thursday as the two candidates vie for minorities and any undecided voters with less than three months until Election Day. Weeks before the first early voting, Trump faces the urgent task of revamping his image to win over those skeptical of his candidacy.
In a tweet shortly after Clinton wrapped up her speech in the swing state of Nevada, Trump said she “is pandering to the worst instincts in our society. She should be ashamed of herself!”
Clinton is eager to capitalize on Trump’s slipping poll numbers, particularly among moderate Republican women turned off by his controversial campaign. “Don’t be fooled” by Trumps efforts to rebrand, she told voters at a speech in Reno, saying the country faced a “moment of reckoning.”
“He’s taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of America’s two major political parties,” she said.
Trump tried to get ahead of the Democratic nominee, addressing a crowd in Manchester, New Hampshire just minutes before Clinton.
“Hillary Clinton is going to try to accuse this campaign, and the millions of decent Americans who support this campaign, of being racists,” Trump predicted.
“To Hillary Clinton, and to her donors and advisers, pushing her to spread her smears and her lies about decent people, I have three words,” he said. “I want you to hear these words, and remember these words: Shame on you.”
Trump tried to turn the tables on Clinton, suggesting she was trying to distract from questions swirling around donations to The Clinton Foundation and her use of her private email servers.
“She lies, she smears, she paints decent Americans as racists,” said Trump, who then defended some of the core — and to some people, divisive — ideas of his candidacy.
Clinton did not address any of the accusations about her family foundation in her remarks. Instead, she offered a strident denouncement of Trump’s campaign and the so-called alt-right movement, which is often associated with efforts on the far right to preserve “white identity,” oppose multiculturalism and defend “Western values.”
Clinton’s campaign also released an online video that compiles footage of prominent white supremacist leaders praising Trump.
Trump, who also met Thursday in New York with members of a new Republican Party initiative meant to train young — and largely minority — volunteers, has been working to win over blacks and Latinos in light of his past inflammatory comments and has been claiming that the Democrats have taken minority voters’ support for granted. “They’ve been very disrespectful, as far as I’m concerned, to the African-American population in this country,” Trump said.
Many black leaders and voters have dismissed Trump’s message as condescending and intended more to reassure undecided white voters that he’s not racist.
Cornell William Brooks, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, told C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” Thursday that Trump has not reached out to the organization for any reason. He added that Trump refused the group’s invitation to speak at its convention.
“We’re going to make it clear: You don’t get to the White House unless you travel through the doors of the NAACP,” Brooks said. “More importantly, you don’t get to the White House without addressing the nation’s civil rights agenda.”
What political news is the world searching for on Google and talking about on Twitter? Find out via AP’s Election Buzz interactive. http://elections.ap.org/buzz
Lerer reported from Reno, Nevada. Jill Colvin contributed reporting from Washington.
Reach Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire and Lerer at http://twitter.com/@llerer | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Politics/2016/08/26/Clinton-says-Trump-unleashes-radical-fringe-in-GOP.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/8556f6b4c846049078bbed865ecad869ef1ba03374933a53c0babe6a8e8d7f3c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:54:23 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | For Chad Pritchard, the East Tennessee State University football team's scrimmage Thursday night was a return to action after suffering a shoulder injury.
And the | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFootball%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FBucs-scrimmage-gets-Pritchard-back-in-action.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/DSC0102-JPG-2.jpg | en | null | Bucs' scrimmage gets Pritchard back in action | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | And the senior receiver from Johnson City made up for the lost time by catching five passes for 52 yards.
"It felt great," Pritchard said. "I've been out for a couple weeks recovering from my shoulder, so to get out here and go full felt wonderful."
Pritchard said the time away from the practice field was tough.
"Mentally, it was destroying me," he said. "I was telling the trainer every day, I've got to get out there. It's getting better.
Our great training staff, they had me back in less than two weeks. Everything's good to go."
The team's third preseason scrimmage featured a defensive touchdown, perfect field goal kicking and just enough offense to make it exciting.
"Both sides of the ball did some good things," ETSU coach Carl Torbush said.
Dylan Wieger, a red-shirt freshman quarterback from Kingsport, threw a touchdown pass on his first series.
"We've been working hard all fall and for it to come together is a lot of fun," Wieger said.
Then he admitted his touchdown pass, a 32-yarder to Caleb Woody, wasn't designed the way it happened. Wieger rolled right and held the ball a long time, finally finding Woody slicing through the secondary.
"Believe it or not, that was actually a busted play, but we won't get into that," Wieger said with a smile. "We take what the defense gives us. We had a receiver down field making something happen and a great play came out of it."
The Bucs tried three field goals and made them all. JJ Jerman, the incumbent kicker, connected from 36 yards out. Joe DeFatta, who recently arrived as a transfer from Middle Tennessee State, went 2 for 2, including a 47-yard attempt.
"We tried to put the kicking game in the scrimmage to make sure we have everything covered," Torbush said. "I thought we did a good job in the kicking game. I was very pleased with that."
Backup quarterback Nick Sexton was the scrimmage's leading rusher with 68 yards on five carries. He also connected with tight end Dylan Dockery on a 31-yard touchdown pass. He also completed 8 of 10 passes for 99 yards.
Starting quarterback Austin Herink completed 6 of 8 passes for 107 yards. Wieger was 6 of 9 for 88 yards.
Freshman Dontavious Monroe was the leading gainer among running backs with 49 yards on eight carries. Matt Thompson had 21 yards on five attempts, including a 1-yard touchdown.
Alonzo Francois had the defensive touchdown, a 54-yard fumble return.
Defensively, Jevon Gooden had seven tackles and freshman JD Griffin had six.
"Everybody's excited," Pritchard said. "The atmosphere is great. The enthusiasm's rising. I think we're ready. I think we've all got tired of hitting our own colors. We'll be excited to hit some other colors on the other side of the ball."
Torbush wasn't about to declare his team ready to open the season, but he does have another week of practice before the Sept. 3 season open at Kennesaw State.
"We're where we need to be going into next week," Torbush said. "It is here. It's time to play." | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Football/2016/08/25/Bucs-scrimmage-gets-Pritchard-back-in-action.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/9693026a24946d1869cd24506694b5342b243ddb192142ab21b2e90e8afae4c5.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T22:49:53 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | A blend of Washington County and Johnson City officials carefully chosen and purposefully linked together to explore collaborative educational possibilities will not sit down at the table | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FSchool-collaboration-meeting-canceled.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/sch-collaboration-talks-delayed.jpg | en | null | Stanton, Halliburton cancel school collaboration meeting | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The 10-member Partnership for Academic Excellence was set to meet in the Millennium Centre. However, its organizer, County Commissioner and former East Tennessee State University President Dr. Paul Stanton, called the meeting off early Tuesday.
“After a meeting with Mrs. Halliburton (Washington County Director of Schools Kimber Halliburton), she and I have decided to put that off for awhile,” Stanton said. “It’s not something that’s dead.”
Stanton said the group will stand down in light of Johnson City Schools Superintendent Richard Bales’ decision to step down after this school year, as well as some coming changes to both the city and county boards of education.
Bales said Tuesday he was not a part of any conversation that lead to the meeting’s cancellation. Halliburton, who recently replaced Ron Dykes as the county’s director of schools, was not immediately available for comment.
“I thought the intent of this meeting was to look broadly at education countywide,” said City Commissioner and group member Jenny Brock. “If it’s headed in another direction that’s fine, but we’re (Johnson City officials) anxious to talk, especially about shared costs with city schools. That hasn’t happened yet.”
Washington County Budget Committee members began suggesting a stronger push to bring the city and county school systems together in March. That suggestion grew louder as county leaders faced a decision on how to fund and renovate its schools, particularly a new Boones Creek kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school.
There also were concerns about just how large a property tax increase might be tolerated by county commissioners and their constituents to help pay for county school projects.
Eldridge told committee members it would make sense joining the two school systems to better serve all students. He said, “people are going to cringe at the thought of that.” He also said the tax increase would likely be substantial and that he was not sure 13 of the 25 commissioners would support the eventual 40-cent increase.
County commissioners approved the tax increase on June 27. A site was approved for the new school on Aug. 22, and negotiations are underway for its purchase. The county also is moving on land for a new Jonesborough K-8, and Halliburton is pushing for both a career technical and magnet school, as well.
Revenue from the tax increase will flow into a capital projects fund. This will make it possible for the county to use some cash to pay for school projects. Money borrowed for this purpose must be shared with the city.
In early May, Stanton agreed to seek out city and county officials and bring them to the table about possible school system collaboration, or a merging of services. On June 1, Stanton christened the Partnership for Academic Excellence, and said the group’s mission would be determine whether the two school systems could jointly administer a new K-8.
The Johnson City-Washington County Joint Education Task Force, originally formed at City and County Commissioner David Tomita’s behest, also did not exactly get rave reviews at that May meeting. Budget Committee member Todd Hensley said the group had been formed with many of the same goals now being pursued (collaboration) but it had stagnated.
Partnership for Academic Excellence members include: Stanton, Bales, Halliburton, Johnson City Board of Education Chair Tim Belisle and board member Lottie Ryans; Washington County Board of Education Chair Todd Ganger; Tomita; Brock, and County Commissioners Joe Grandy and Lynn Hodge.
Email Gary Gray at ggray@johnsoncitypress.com. Like Gary B. Gray on Facebook at www.facebook.com/garybgrayjcp. Follow him on Twitter @ggrayjcpress. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/30/School-collaboration-meeting-canceled.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/0a1cb9faf9d98a7c97662e9b632d84f55dc7ddf3c870560d5dcf13c8cdd0022c.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T18:48:40 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | JOHNSON CITY - Mrs. Brenda Gail Gray, 66, of Johnson City, passed away Thursday, August 25, 2016, in the Life Care Center of Gray.
Brenda was a lifelong resident of East | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FBrenda-Gail-Gray.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/Gray-jpg.jpg | en | null | Brenda Gail Gray | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Brenda was a lifelong resident of East Tennessee, having lived in Jonesborough, Elizabethton and Johnson City. She was the daughter of the late Harold and Wanda Morelock Phillips of Jonesborough.
Brenda was a member of Tacoma Church of God and a graduate of Jonesborough High School.
In addition to her parents, her late husband Harold Gray, of Elizabethton, preceded Brenda in death.
Survivors include her brothers, Jeff K. Phillips and wife Susie, and Larry A. Phillips; her nieces, Maggie and husband Kevin Berry, Sara Phillips, Krista Watson; nephew, Bradley Phillips; and several great nieces and nephews.
The family of Mrs. Brenda Gail Gray will receive friends from 6 to 8 PM on Monday, August 29, 2016, in Morris-Baker Funeral Home. The service will follow at 8 PM with Pastor Rick Ballard officiating. The graveside committal service will be conducted at 10 AM Tuesday in the Centerview Cemetery. Active pallbearers will be selected from family and friends. Minister, family and friends will gather at Centerview Cemetery (also known as Sims Cemetery) located off Coal Chute Rd. in Elizabethton, TN. at 9:50 AM Tuesday.
Memories and condolences may be sent to the Phillips family via www.morrisbaker.com. Morris-Baker Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 2001 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, is serving the Phillips Family. (423) 282-1521 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/27/Brenda-Gail-Gray.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/18a8cce2fe1a739e6a1ba52368d5225c87d8c136a974f8534f3dac163a51fe72.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:49:54 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | WASHINGTON — The State Department says about 30 emails that may be related to the 2012 attack on U.S. compounds in Benghazi, Libya, are among the | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNation%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FState-Benghazi-emails-involving-Clinton-recovered-by-FBI.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Campaign-2016-Clinton-Emails-4.jpg | en | null | State: Benghazi emails involving Clinton recovered by FBI | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Government lawyers told U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta Tuesday that an undetermined number of the emails among the 30 were not included in the 55,000 pages previously provided by Clinton. The State Department’s lawyer said it would need until the end of September to review the emails and redact potentially classified information before they are released.
Mehta questioned why it would take so long to release so few documents, and urged that the process be sped up. He ordered the department to report to him in a week with more details about why the review process would take a full month.
The hearing was held in one of several lawsuits filed by the conservative legal group Judicial Watch, which has sued over access to government records involving the Democratic presidential nominee. The State Department has said the FBI provided it with about 14,900 emails purported not to have been among those previously released.
Clinton previously had said she withheld and deleted only personal emails not related to her duties as secretary of state. With the November election little more than two months away, Republicans are pressing for the release of as many documents related to Clinton as possible.
In a separate development Tuesday, Judicial Watch submitted 25 questions to Clinton about her 2009 decision to rely on a private server in the basement of her New York home rather than a government email account.
Clinton was ordered earlier this month by U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan to answer the group’s questions under oath. The judge’s order was only a partial victory for the group, which had sought to depose Clinton in person.
It was not immediately clear from the wording of Sullivan’s order whether Clinton must answer the questions before or after the November election. Judicial Watch contends the deadline is Sept. 29.
Clinton lawyer David Kendall did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the timing of his client’s planned response. A woman who answered the phone at Sullivan’s chambers said he was unavailable to provide clarification.
A law enforcement official also told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the FBI is expected to release documents soon related to its investigation, which focused on whether Clinton and her aides mishandled government secrets.
The official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity, said documents in the case would be made public as the FBI responds to Freedom of Information Act requests. It wasn’t immediately clear when the documents would be released or exactly what they would include.
Though he described Clinton’s actions as “extremely careless,” FBI Director James Comey said his agents found no evidence that anyone intended to break the law and said “no reasonable prosecutor” would have brought a criminal case.
The FBI this month provided Congress portions of its file from the agency’s yearlong investigation.
The FBI interviewed Clinton for several hours at FBI headquarters in Washington just days before announcing its decision to close the investigation. The Justice Department accepted the FBI’s recommendation. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Nation/2016/08/30/State-Benghazi-emails-involving-Clinton-recovered-by-FBI.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/59834761757f3e27e551245266b599ed80b51b68c4108308bcfc404b4ce04c33.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:09:27 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | ELIZABETHTON — A proposed 15-lot addition to the campground at Cove Ridge Marina on Watauga Lake received site plan approval Tuesday.
The marina is on Piercetown | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FPlanners-approve-site-plan-for-campground-expansion.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/Cove-Ridge-compground-expansion.jpg | en | null | Planners approve site plan for campground expansion | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The marina is on Piercetown Road near Butler. Several years ago, the campground had been at the center of a controversy involving neighbors who objected to the adverse impact a campground would have on property values of expensive homes in the area.
That led to the county adopting a stringent set of campground regulations, which were made less strict this April when a developer sought to build a campground in the Roan Mountain area.
Planning Director Chris Schuettler said the proposed campground expansion on Watauga Lake is an existing non-conforming site and the expansion meets the current campground regulations of the county.
The site plan was approved, with dissenting votes cast by Carter County Mayor Leon Humphrey and commissioners Robert Carroll and Mary Ann Patton.
The additional campground spaces are in an open area between the two sections of the existing campground. Shuettler said the spaces were in the footprint of the original campground established over 40 years ago and will bring the total sites to 90, if final approval is given for the expansion.
Schuettler said the site plan approval was the first step in a lengthy process the developers must follow. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/24/Planners-approve-site-plan-for-campground-expansion.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/4590e1f8e317b6a5d3f1f8fa4e7b1ae8cd9904ca42a881616e085da842829df9.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T04:48:12 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | ROAN MOUNTAIN — Sage Haun had two passing touchdowns and one rushing to lead Happy Valley to a 45-0 victory over Cloudland on Friday night at Orr Field.
Haun | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFootball%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FHigh-school-roundup-12.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60_ca103,21,688,513_cTL/Sage-Haun-jpg.jpg | en | null | High school roundup: Happy Valley, Hampton romp to big wins | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Haun completed 4 of 5 passes for 138 yards and threw touchdown passes to Dylan Street and Skyler Hyatt.
Dustun Sams led the way on the ground with five rushes for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Street had 40 rushing yards and a touchdown to go with his TD catch.
Preston Benfield led Cloudland with 64 rushing yards.
Hampton 54, Johnson County 22
MOUNTAIN CITY — Adam McClain had touchdown runs of 76, 13 and five yards to lead the Bulldogs to the road win over the Longhorns.
Jacob Russell threw touchdown passes of 45 and 25 yards to Dakota Crumley, and he also scored five times on two-point conversion runs.
Devin Ford added an 18-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion, while Skyler Cole had a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Johnson County had taken an early lead on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Arnold to Bud Icenhour.
Arnold connected with Shane Greer on a 16-yard TD pass later in the half. Gage Hampton scored the other Longhorn touchdown on a 1-yard run, which was set up by a 37-yard pass play from Arnold to Icenhour.
Tennessee High 48, Sullivan South 21
BRISTOL — The Vikings (1-1) started strong and finished strong, leading wire to wire in a win over the Rebels.
Tennessee High led wire to wire, but after the Rebels scratched back within 24-21 early in the fourth quarter on a 7-yard touchdown run by Lucas Stricker, the Vikes scored three touchdowns in the final 6:40 to wrap up the win.
Tennessee High quarterback Courtland Carter ran for three touchdowns and threw for another, finishing with 217 total yards of offense — 144 rushing and 73 passing.
Austin Henson was the recipient of Carter’s lone touchdown pass, which came with just 7.7 seconds remaining in the half and staked the Vikings to a 17-7 advantage at the break.
Henson also snared two interceptions and made a pivotal South quarterback Ethan Ward ran for 166 yards and a touchdown, also throwing a TD to Ahmad Lovell on a 37-yard catch-and-run play. South had 338 yards of offense, 248 of them coming after halftime. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Football/2016/08/26/High-school-roundup-12.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/82b5ba00e9d6e748206a5282a4cf1df6bc1885d20823ecd8ea10975ed32391fc.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T20:48:57 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | DURANT, Miss. — A man suspected in the slayings of two nuns found dead in their Mississippi home has been arrested and charged with capital murder in the shocking killing that | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNation%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FMan-arrested-in-shocking-killings-of-2-Mississippi-nuns.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/Nuns-Killed.jpg | en | null | Man arrested in shocking killings of 2 Mississippi nuns | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, was charged in the deaths of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said late Friday. Both women were 68.
People who knew the nuns, known for their generosity and commitment to improving health care for the poor, have been grappling with why anyone would want to kill them.
Dr. Elias Abboud, the physician who oversees the clinic in Lexington where the nuns worked, said Saturday that Sanders was not a patient there.
Sanders was also not known to the small congregation where Held and Merrill led Bible study for years.
The Rev. Greg Plata, sacramental minister at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Lexington, said Saturday that he does not think people at the church knew Sanders.
The women’s bodies were discovered Thursday after they failed to show up for work in Lexington, about 10 miles from where they lived.
“Sanders was developed as a person of interest early on in the investigation,” Lt. Colonel Jimmy Jordan said in the statement.
Authorities said Sanders was being held in an undisclosed detention center pending a court appearance. They have not given any details on why they think Sanders killed the women or whether he knew them.
Strain said Saturday he does not know whether Sanders has an attorney. Authorities do not anticipate making any other arrests. Strain said “investigators believe Sanders acted alone.”
Merrill’s nephew, David Merrill, speaking by telephone from Stoneham, Massachusetts, said Saturday the family was “thankful” Sanders is off the streets.
“Nobody else is threatened by this individual. So there’s some relief there,” he said.
But the family still has to deal with the loss.
Merrill said he agrees with the idea of forgiveness and that is something his aunt would want for whoever killed her but it’s not that easy.
“I’m not as strong as my aunt. I don’t know if I’m capable of completely forgiving. I can have sympathy,” he said.
Merrill said he would not support the death penalty if Sanders were to be convicted but that decision will ultimately be made by the people in Mississippi. The capital murder charge leaves open the possibility Sanders would face the death penalty but that determination would be made by prosecutors later.
The order Held belonged to — School Sisters of St. Francis — thanked law enforcement officers working on the case.
Their U.S. Province Leadership Team offered its “deepest appreciation” to investigators and to “the hundreds of people and organizations who offered their prayers and words of support in the wake of the sisters’ deaths.”
Meanwhile, in the poverty-stricken Mississippi county where the two nuns were slain, forgiveness for their killer is hard to find, even if forgiveness is what the victims would have wanted.
“She doesn’t deserve to die like this, doing God’s work,” said Joe Morgan Jr., a 58-year-old former factory worker who has diabetes and was a patient of Merrill’s. “There’s something wrong with the world.”
Both women worked at the clinic, where they gave flu shots, dispensed insulin and provided other medical care for children and adults who couldn’t afford it.
Their stolen car was found abandoned a mile from their home, and there were signs of a break-in, but police haven’t disclosed a motive.
Authorities have not said how the women were killed, but the Rev. Plata said police told him they were stabbed.
Plata said both nuns’ religious communities have asked that people pray for the killer or killers. Asked about people’s struggles to forgive, the priest said: “Forgiveness is at the heart of being a Christian. Look at Jesus on the cross: ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.‘”
The clinic and the nuns’ home in Durant are in Holmes County, population 18,000. With 44 percent of its residents living in poverty, Holmes is the seventh-poorest county in America, according to the Census Bureau.
The nuns’ death leaves a gaping hole in what was already a strapped health care system.
The clinic provided about 25 percent of all medical care in the county, Abboud said.
Merrill’s sister Rosemarie, speaking by telephone from her Stoneham, Massachusetts, home, said her sister had been in Mississippi helping the poor since 1981.
Held — impressionable and idealistic — was committed to ending racism and poverty, according to an interview she did earlier with her order’s magazine.
“The invitation to come to Mississippi provided me with the setting in which I hoped to make a difference with my life. I came here because of a dream and a cause but I stayed her because of the people,” she said.
A former nun who knew Held said she had always been interested in working with the “poorest of the poor.”
Darlene Nicgorski said Saturday that she had recruited Held to come to Holly Springs, Mississippi, to work as a social worker in a program there that ran schools and offered day care to help young mothers finish school.
Nicgorski said the sisters’ deaths just don’t make sense. She said they would have given the suspect anything he needed.
The Kentucky-based order where Merrill belonged said Saturday the order is establishing a memorial fund to continue her work — ministering to the poor. The fund will be established through the order’s website at http://bit.ly/2bIAee8.
Merrill and Held lived and worked together for years and were close friends, said David Merrill.
“The word ‘sister’ has many meanings, and they fulfilled all of them,” he said.
Santana reported from New Orleans. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Nation/2016/08/27/Man-arrested-in-shocking-killings-of-2-Mississippi-nuns.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/034920158aaae26f1ad9b64f45a8645dc0abeec31949eedebf9e081db08d7295.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T02:49:59 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says about 30 emails that may be related to the 2012 attack on U.S. compounds in Benghazi, Libya, are among the thousands of Hillary Clinton | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FState-Benghazi-emails-involving-Clinton-recovered-by-FBI-1.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Campaign-2016-Clinton-Emails-6.jpg | en | null | State: Benghazi emails involving Clinton recovered by FBI | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Government lawyers told U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta Tuesday that an undetermined number of the emails among the 30 were not included in the 55,000 pages previously provided by Clinton. The State Department’s lawyer said it would need until the end of September to review the emails and redact potentially classified information before they are released.
Mehta questioned why it would take so long to release so few documents, and urged that the process be sped up. He ordered the department to report to him in a week with more details about why the review process would take a full month.
The hearing was held in one of several lawsuits filed by the conservative legal group Judicial Watch, which has sued over access to government records involving the Democratic presidential nominee. The State Department has said the FBI provided it with about 14,900 emails purported not to have been among those previously released.
Clinton previously had said she withheld and deleted only personal emails not related to her duties as secretary of state. With the November election little more than two months away, Republicans are pressing for the release of as many documents related to Clinton as possible.
In a separate development Tuesday, Judicial Watch submitted 25 questions to Clinton about her 2009 decision to rely on a private server in the basement of her New York home rather than a government email account.
Clinton was ordered earlier this month by U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan to answer the group’s questions under oath. The judge’s order was only a partial victory for the group, which had sought to depose Clinton in person.
It was not immediately clear from the wording of Sullivan’s order whether Clinton must answer the questions before or after the November election. Judicial Watch contends the deadline is Sept. 29.
Clinton lawyer David Kendall did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the timing of his client’s planned response. A woman who answered the phone at Sullivan’s chambers said he was unavailable to provide clarification.
A law enforcement official also told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the FBI is expected to release documents soon related to its investigation, which focused on whether Clinton and her aides mishandled government secrets.
The official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity, said documents in the case would be made public as the FBI responds to Freedom of Information Act requests. It wasn’t immediately clear when the documents would be released or exactly what they would include.
Though he described Clinton’s actions as “extremely careless,” FBI Director James Comey said his agents found no evidence that anyone intended to break the law and said “no reasonable prosecutor” would have brought a criminal case.
The FBI this month provided Congress portions of its file from the agency’s yearlong investigation.
The FBI interviewed Clinton for several hours at FBI headquarters in Washington just days before announcing its decision to close the investigation. The Justice Department accepted the FBI’s recommendation.
Follow Associated Press reporters Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://twitter.com/etuckerAP and Michael Biesecker at http://twitter.com/mbieseck | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/30/State-Benghazi-emails-involving-Clinton-recovered-by-FBI-1.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/2eedddbceaa5f93ff3267d292ad24666a46a9732b1e744d13989633233e09b04.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:11:00 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | Johnson City police Wednesday caught up with a man shortly after he used a credit card that had been stolen in an auto burglary earlier that morning, police said.
About | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2Flaw-enforcement%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FJohnson-City-1.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60_ca201,70,509,453/Jepsen.jpg | en | null | Johnson City man accused of auto burglary | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | About 4:30 a.m., police investigated an auto burglary reported on Orleans Street. The victim told police her belongings were taken from her vehicle.
Police advised the woman to contact her credit card institution, which revealed that her credit card had been used several times locally.
Police were able to locate the businesses where the card was used and identify a suspect. Police checked the immediate area and found Benjamin Isaiah Jepsen, 39, with evidence of the crime in his possession, police said.
Jepsen, Johnson City, was charged with auto burglary, theft over $1,000, three counts of identity theft and six counts of fraudulent use of a credit card. He was held in the Washington County Detention Center on $80,000 bond and arraigned later Wednesday in Sessions Court. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law-enforcement/2016/08/24/Johnson-City-1.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/08e8c000894aa39a55990b7e52e2c543dd9ca82fe5ccdd42869b3b613131dbbf.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:49:58 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | LENOIR, NC- Mrs. Louise Tester Cook, age 88, of Lenoir, passed away Saturday, August 27, 2019 at Mission Hospital in Asheville. Online condolences may be sent to the Cook Family at www. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FLouise-Cook.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Johnson City Press: Louise Cook | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Louise Cook
LENOIR, NC- Mrs. Louise Tester Cook, age 88, of Lenoir, passed away Saturday, August 27, 2019 at Mission Hospital in Asheville. Online condolences may be sent to the Cook Family at www.evansfuneralservice.com Evans Funeral Service & Crematory of Lenoir is serving the Cook Family. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/30/Louise-Cook.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/dd19a1f6f3c505f7773b2468ff1c4887c693b4560110ae22e0f71490fd0010eb.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:09:05 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | There are plenty of wonderful animals and friends at the Washington County & Johnson City Animal Shelter —you just need to make your way down and visit! | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FPets%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FWCJC-Animal-Shelter-August-24-VIDEO.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/046ece86-2557-4f5d-94b0-61dde5b3dc4a.jpg | en | null | WCJC Animal Shelter, August 24 - VIDEO | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | If you’re looking for a lovable cat or kitten, or the perfect canine companion, there’s a good chance you’ll find it there. The staff is great, the place is clean, and the animals are waiting to be loved, so please - make your way down for a visit! | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Pets/2016/08/25/WCJC-Animal-Shelter-August-24-VIDEO.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/d90ab2b17cd8394867e73fa565d0ce70267b7d0467400d34ca7f9d6490a1fa04.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:15:10 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | BRISTOL, VA - Margaret Bierbaum King, 90, passed away on Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at Abingdon Health & Rehab Center.
Arrangements are incomplete at this time and | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FMargaret-Bierbaum-King.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Margaret Bierbaum King | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Arrangements are incomplete at this time and will be announced at a later date. A full obituary will appear in the Friday edition. Mrs. King and her family are in the care of Oakley-Cook Funeral Home & Crematory. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/24/Margaret-Bierbaum-King.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/4e60a10c8c7696a915a4438199f3ad5f7de1c2b6dcb91be71c78a5991f442ad1.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T04:48:21 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | This is why they play overtime these days.
Four quarters couldn't settle the issue, and neither of these teams would have wanted to leave this epic battle with a tie. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFootball%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FSH-Eliz.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/FullSizeRender-7-jpg-5.jpg | en | null | 'Toppers go 2 OTs for win over Cyclones | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Four quarters couldn't settle the issue, and neither of these teams would have wanted to leave this epic battle with a tie. In one of the most thrilling games in the history of a long rivalry, Science Hill made back-to-back plays in the second overtime to earn a tremendously heart-fought battle, 28-21 over Elizabethton in the season opener for both teams at Citizens Bank Stadium on Friday night.
A standing-room only crowd of over 5,000 watched these rivals go back and forth, and scrap to the final play.
In the second overtime, Science Hill forged ahead as Tate Overbay made a superb grab of Jake Blankenship's 15-yard pass in the corner of the end zone.
"It was a nicely thrown ball, and (Overbay) is just a great kid," said Science Hill head coach Stacy Carter. "When good things happen to good people, it's just a pleasure. He's going to have a great year. He's a great football player."
VIDEO OF OVERBAY’S CATCH
CARTER INTERVIEW
Quinn Boyle nailed the extra point, and the Cyclones had one last shot.
However, defensive back Colby Martin stepped in front of a slant pattern on first down and got his hands underneath the ball as he fell to the ground. The interception was the game's final play, touching off a wild Science Hill celebration.
VIDEO OF MARTIN’S PICK AND CELEBRATION
"I knew I had to be up really hard right there," said Martin. "So I took a couple of read steps, dropped back, and the ball came right to me. It was an amazing feeling.
"Give it up to Elizabethton. That's a great football team. They gave us a great run. But I want to give all the glory to God for giving me the blessing to be able to come out here and play this sport."
For Elizabethton it was heartache upon heartache. More than once, it appeared the Cyclones were going to get their first win over Science Hill since 2009. Instead they lost for the 13th time in 14 tries in the series.
Elizabethton took a 14-7 lead late in the third quarter on Carter Everett's 17-yard run.
But the first heart blow came from the Hilltoppers' Ahmik Watterson, who blazed an 83-yard path on the first play of the fourth quarter. It took him just 12 seconds to record the touchdown despite needing time early to avoid a few defenders.
"My boy Watterson," said Martin. "We knew he could run the ball. He did it in JV. We waited all week. We put him in and said, he's got the speed to do it. He gets in and gets it done. I had faith in him the whole time."
The Cyclones again appeared destined to win when Corey Russell scored from one yard out with 2:56 left in the game.
After a kickoff out of bounds, Watterson struck again. He found a seam, and this time took 11 seconds to run -- make that fly -- 65 yards to again knot the game. Watterson finished with 193 yards on just six carries.
However, on the extra point, Science Hill was hit with a personal foul. That forced a kickoff from the 20-yard line, and Russell's 35-yard return set Elizabethton up at the 40-yard line. A few plays later, Russell delivered the highlight of highlights. He made a turning, falling one-hand grab of Everett's pass for a first down at Science Hill's 17-yard line.
"It may surprise some folks, but it doesn't surprise us," said Cyclones head coach Shawn Witten. "If anybody wants to argue who is the best football player around here, I will make my argument any day."
Again, it seemed like it was the Cyclones' game to win.
However, Elizabethton opted to settle for a field goal, having Everett run to the middle of the field on third down to position for the kick. The field goal unit rushed onto the field as time clicked down in regulation. The attempt was blocked, and overtime resulted.
BLOCKED FIELD GOAL
In the first overtime, Everett was stopped about one-half yard short of the goal line on fourth down. But the Hilltoppers couldn't take advantage. A chop block pushed them back, and a 37-yard field attempt was wide right.
SH FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT IN OT
Way back in the first quarter, Elizabethton got on the scoreboard first as Everett connected with Conner Johnson. The well-placed throw and tough catch gave the Cyclones a 7-0 advantage.
CONNER JOHNSON TD
But Science Hill quickly answered on Jaylan Adams' 9-yard scoring run. Adams had 51 yards rushing and 47 passing before getting injured near the end of the first half. He did not return for the second half. Blankenship was 4 of 6 for 50 yards passing in a relief role.
Russell led the Cyclones with 53 yards rushing. He also added 29 receiving, and 68 return yards.
Everett was 13 of 21 for 161 yards passing. He also rushed for 38 yards. Johnson totaled 95 yards receiving on three catches.
Jacob Turner added 45 yards rushing.
"Even though this loss is going to sting a lot, we've got to come back even more focused," he said. "Everybody left it on field. We played with a lot of heart. We've just got to keep going, go 14-0 and win the state."
TURNER INTERVIEW
Witten agreed it was a tough loss.
WITTEN INTERVIEW
"It's going to hurt," said Witten. "We've got to learn to get over it real quick. I'm just proud of my kids, and love my kids. Six quarters in the first game, it was just a battle. I'm just speechless. What can you say about our effort tonight."
PREGAME EXCITMENT
MORE VIDEOS AVAILABLE http://videos.johnsoncitypress.com/johnsoncitypress/ | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Football/2016/08/26/SH-Eliz.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/2c2331b454eca818239c31dfac6ddfc8d08688815387dc32beb3a4dccca16f79.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:13:32 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | Attorneys in a first-degree murder case spent much of Tuesday selecting a 14-member jury panel, then during opening statements tried to paint their own picture of a deadly encounter between | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FCourts%2F2016%2F08%2F23%2FJury-selection-underway-in-2014-murder-case-Johnson-City.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/23/x720_q60/Moses-Ballard-1.jpg | en | null | Trial underway in 2014 Johnson City murder case | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Moses Alfonso Ballard Jr., 31, is accused of gunning down 30-year-old Michael Rowe as Rowe sat in a parked car outside a Myrtle Street residence. Johnson City police said the men had a verbal altercation earlier in the evening while both were inside the home of Selena Allen.
Ballard was told to leave, and he did. Rowe and Tonya Hartley also left and were sitting in a vehicle when Ballard returned and another verbal altercation ensued between the men before shots were fired.
Ballard allegedly shot first, shooting through the car door and window, but Rowe returned fire. Ballard was injured, but fled, and Rowe collapsed in the road. He was later pronounced dead at the Johnson City Medical Center.
During opening statements, Assistant District Attorney General Ken Baldwin told the jury that Ballard had arrived uninvited at Allen’s home and everything was fine initially.
He said Ballard suddenly grabbed the woman’s leg, then assaulted her while she was sitting on a couch beside Rowe, who got up and told Ballard to leave.
There was no physical altercation between the men, Baldwin said, and Ballard left. Afterward, Rowe and another woman, Tonya Hartley, also left but returned shortly thereafter because they had left a cell phone charger behind.
“When they come back, guess who’s back?” Baldwin asked. “Moses Ballard had come back to the residence.”
Baldwin told the jury they would hear Koron Fairley testify that Ballard showed up at his residence asking for a gun Ballard had previously left with Fairley for safekeeping before returning to Allen’s house.
Continuing his opening statements, Baldwin said Rowe stayed in his car while Hartley went inside to get the charger, then Ballard exited the house and approached Rowe’s car, the prosecutor said.
As the men talked, Hartley returned to the car and about that time, Ballard started shooting at Rowe, Baldwin said. Rowe got out, also shooting, but collapsed in the street as Ballard dropped his weapon and fled, Baldwin said.
Ballard was also injured by a gunshot wound to the buttocks. What Baldwin didn’t tell the jury is that Hartley took off after Ballard and she’s reportedly the one who shot Ballard in the rear.
Police said after the shooting, Hartley retrieved Rowe’s gun and hid them both. Hartley is also charged in the case with aggravated assault on Ballard and tampering with evidence for hiding the guns.
Rowe’s vehicle will apparently be a big part of Wednesday’s evidence as Baldwin told jurors they would be able to see the car. Prosecutors plan to take jurors to the courthouse parking lot so the panel can inspect it.
Defense attorney Chris Byrd told the jury he hopes they do inspect the car carefully and ask, “Where’s the blood?” He said the state wants them to believe Rowe was shot while sitting in the driver’s seat, but the vehicle contained no blood evidence.
“The state told you there were 13 shots fired out of this 9mm gun Mr. Rowe had,” Byrd said. “The state tried to tell you the injuries Mr. Rowe had happened inside the car. If that’s true, where’s the blood in the car?
“In fact, you’ll see, the pathologist will show you there’s no way he could have been sitting in that seat and sustain the injuries he did.”
Byrd was also critical of the state’s theory of how Fairley plays into the case.
“This story the state wants you to believe about Koron Fairley is so patently absurd,” Byrd said. “You’ll see the story Mr. Fairley has to say to you is motivated by anything but the truth. When you get finished listening to Mr. Fairley, I doubt you’ll believe” anything he says.
Fairley, who has his own legal problems is currently in federal custody on drug charges. He pleaded guilty recently in U.S. District Court to cocaine charges that could get him 20 years to life in prison when he’s sentenced later this year. His testimony is apparently part of the plea deal he entered in federal court.
Baldwin told the jury that when Ballard was taken to the hospital and was asked about his medical history, he told a nurse that he had taken cocaine, a form of the drug ecstasy called Molly and marijuana.
Baldwin said the drug combination could explain witnesses who gave reports of Ballard’s erratic behavior the night of the shooting.
Byrd’s theory of the case is that Ballard returned to Myrtle Street to smooth things over with everyone after the altercation inside Allen’s house.
“Mr. Ballard has come back to make peace,” Byrd said. Ballard “wants to squash this dispute between them.”
After closing arguments, Criminal Court Judge Stacy Street ended court for the day and said testimony will begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Ballard remains jailed on $200,000 bond while the case is pending.
——
Reported earlier:
Jury selection is underway in a 2014 murder case that left a Johnson City man dead and another accused of shooting the victim as he sat inside a vehicle.
Moses Ballard Jr., 41, is charged with first-degree murder in the July 4, 2014, shooting death of 30-year-old Michael Rowe as Rowe sat in a parked car outside a Myrtle Street residence.
The men had apparently been involved in an altercation earlier in the evening inside the residence after Rowe came to the defense of a mutual acquaintance Ballard had smacked, police said. The woman broke up the altercation and Ballard left.
He returned around 1 a.m. while Rowe was sitting in a vehicle talking to a friend, Tonya Hartley. Ballard and Rowe had a verbal altercation at that point and exchanged gunfire.
Ballard was wounded, dropped his weapon and ran from the scene, according to Johnson City police.
Investigators said Hartley retrieved Ballard’s weapon, ran after him and fired several shots. She is accused of hiding both weapons and was later arrested on charges of aggravated assault against Ballard and tampering with evidence.
As of noon, five potential jurors were dismissed for cause — meaning there was some reason they could not serve effectively — and and five had been excused on challenges, either by the defense or state.
The trial is scheduled to continue through Thursday, and Hartley’s case is expected to be resolved this week as well. She remains free on bond while her case is pending. Ballard is jailed on $200,000 bond. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Courts/2016/08/23/Jury-selection-underway-in-2014-murder-case-Johnson-City.html | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/aea5fa61aa01081cf9797253a63a21c9e6209213d5d00042b35394fffca02751.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:48:57 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Make a hypothesis and test your theory with fun science experiments. Tweens (ages 10-12) are invited to come to the Johnson City Public Library, 100 W. Millard St., on Thursday, Sept. 1 from | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FCommunity%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FHappenings-at-area-libraries-29.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Happenings at area libraries | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | This special event will be in the Jones Meeting Room and is free and open to all tweens, but registration is required. Call Youth Services at 423-434-4458 for more information or to register. Interested tweens can also register on the Event Calendar at www.jcpl.net.
In other events at the Johnson City Public Library:
• Teens (ages 13-18) are invited to the library to discuss the young adult novel “The Future of Us” by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler on Tuesday, Sept. 13, from 6-7 p.m. in the Storytime Room.
The year is 1996, when Josh and Emma download AOL. However, they discover something strange when they stumble upon a website called Facebook. They discover their own profiles, but they seem to be from 15 years in the future. Are Emma and Josh ready to see what the future holds?
Pre-registration is required. The library will provide the first 10 teens a copy of the book free of charge to keep if they attend the event.
Call Youth Services at 423-434-4458 for more information or to register. Interested teens can also register on the Event Calendar at www.jcpl.net.
• Families with children of all ages are invited to participate in dance practice to learn to dance to Michael Jackson's “Thriller” in the Jones Meeting Room on Wednesday, Sept. 7, and Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m.
Participants will have the opportunity to sign up and commit to participate in the Thrill the World event on Oct. 29. It is an annual worldwide simultaneous dance of “Thriller” for world records.
Thousands of people in cities around the world will learn the dance and perform it precisely at the same time.
• The library is now taking registration for the Mother Goose Program, for children 18 months and younger and their caregivers.
Mother Goose is offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. in September. Stories, music and movement are the ingredients for this program.
Space is limited to provide the best program possible. Parents may choose which day is best for them and call 423-434-4458 to register.
For more information about these and other Youth Services programs, call 423-434-4458.
• The library has been selected as one of only 15 nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. to receive a grant from Aroha Philanthropies through its new national initiative, “Seeding Artful Aging.”
Chosen from a field of more than 200 applicants, the library is among the first cohort of grantees to partner with Aroha Philanthropies in this initiative designed to support the development and expansion of successful Artful Aging programs. Of these 15 organizations, Johnson City Public Library was the only library chosen.
Artful Aging programs inspire and enable older adults to learn, make and share the arts in ways that are novel, complex and socially engaging.
Their work is driven by "teaching artists whose creative process and understanding of older adults bring joy, connection, improved health and well-being, and a renewed sense of purpose to older adults in community and residential settings," the program said.
Johnson City Librarian Lisa Williams said that "Johnson City Public Library is delighted to partner in the Seeding Artful Aging initiative to not only support our community but contribute to a growing national movement to bring the many benefits of artful aging to communities far and wide."
Aroha Philanthropies' grant will support the library's “Fullness of Time – Exploring the Arts and the Gifts of Aging” program, which is designed to feature prominent local teaching artists whose work has focused on the uniqueness of the southern Appalachian region.
Adults 55 years and up in the Johnson City region will be offered a remarkable opportunity for personal and artistic growth led by a talented array of local instructors.
For more information about Seeding Artful Aging, visit arohaartfulaging.org.
For more information, contact Lisa Williams at 423-434-4356 or lwilliams@jpcl.net.
In happening at county libraries:
• Children ages 3 to 5 and their parents are invited to come to the next Pop In! Video at the Gray Library on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 10 a.m.
This event is scheduled for the fourth Tuesday of each month at the library.
Children and their parents will enjoy a short video story, create a fun craft and share a snack.
Sessions last about an hour and are free to attend. No registration is required. For more information, call the Gray Library at 423-477-1550.
• Basic computer classes will be offered to adults at Gray Library during September. This month's free classes will include a Basic Computer class on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 10 a.m.
There will also be an MS Word class on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 4:30.
Anyone interested in attending should call the library at 423-477-1550 to register. Bring your own laptop, or if you need to use a library laptop, let someone know when you register.
• Adult yoga classes will be offered at Gray Library during September. Free classes will be offered Tuesday, Sept. 6, from 6 to 7 p.m., and Sept. 20, from 2 to 3 p.m.
Participants should bring their own mats and water bottles. To register or for more information, call the library at 423-477-1550.
• The Gray Library LEGO Club will begin its fall session Sept. 21, with the theme of "Mad Scientist."
Children are invited to come and attend the 5 to 5:45 p.m. sessions. No registration is required.
Other sessions include: Oct. 19, Creepy Crawlies; Nov. 16, Dinosaurs; Dec. 14: Sleighs, Sleds, and Snow
For more information, call the library at 423-477-1550.
• The Jonesborough Library for Tuesday Night @ the Movies, on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 5:30 p.m. The movie this month is a 1951 film with music by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II.
The daughter of a riverboat captain falls in love with a charming gambler, but their fairytale romance is threatened when his luck turns sour.
The showtime features free popcorn and drinks. It is a free event sponsored by the Friends of the Washington County Library. For more information, call the Jonesborough Library at 423-753-1800.
• The Jonesborough Library will offer a series of computer classes in September:
Sept. 2, MS Word Basics; Sept. 9, MS Publisher Basics; Sept. 16, MS Excel Basics; and Sept. 23, MS Office Alternatives.
The classes will be taught by Jonesborough Library staff. These classes are free and open to the public. Space is limited and registration is required.
To register, call the Jonesborough Library at 423-753-1800. If you have a laptop or tablet, you are welcome to bring it. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Community/2016/08/28/Happenings-at-area-libraries-29.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/38ca7a3158cab770968bece87ceb72c33da9110aae97b1965a8d826385ca8352.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T20:48:12 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | ELIZABETHTON - Margie M. Ashley, age 91, of Elizabethton, has gone home to be with her Lord. She left her earthly home on Thursday, August 25, 2016 from the Ivy Hall Nursing Home. Margie was | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FMargie-M-Ashley.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/0001320858-01-1-jpg.jpg | en | null | Margie M. Ashley | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Margie retired from North American Rayon Corporation, after 33 years of service and was a member of Highpoint Baptist Church.
Those left to cherish her memory include her son, Johnny Ashley and wife Judy, of Elizabethton; a daughter, Helen A. Nave and husband Joe, of Elizabethton; two granddaughters, Tammy Ashley, of Elizabethton and Patty Jo Singleton and husband Tracy, of Roan Mountain; three great grandchildren, Patricia Singleton, Jacob Singleton and Nico Ashley; one brother, Raymond Montgomery, of Roan Mountain; and one sister, Vera Lou Lowe and husband Jim, of Jonesborough.
A service to honor the life of Mrs. Margie M. Ashley will be conducted at 2:00 PM on Sunday, August 28, 2016 in the Chapel of Peace at Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton with Rev. Randy Johnson and Rev. Joel Cook, officiating. Music will be provided by Loren Harris. The family will receive friends from 12:30 PM until 2:00 PM in the funeral home chapel, prior to the service on Sunday; or at the residence at any time.
The graveside service will follow at Happy Valley Memorial Park. Active pallbearers will be Tracy Singleton, Jacob Singleton, Nico Ashley, and others selected from family and friends. Honorary pallbearers will be Lynn Montgomery, Earnest Montgomery, Jim Lowe, Kenneth Taylor and Norman Ashley.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the nursing staff of Ivy Hall Nursing Home and to Caris Healthcare for the love and care shown to Margie during her illness.
Those who prefer memorials in lieu of flowers, may make donations in honor of Margie to Valley Forge Free Will Baptist Church / Ramp Ministry, 1503 Riverview Drive, Elizabethton, TN, 37643 or to Valley Forge United Methodist Church / the King’s Table Fund, 3974 US-19E, Elizabethton, TN, 37643.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.tetrickfuneralhome.com and signing the guest book. Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton is serving the Ashley family. Office 423 542-2232, Obituary line 543-4917. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/26/Margie-M-Ashley.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/490cf6a4ae461578b51d67a0a94dde257763840ce1039c59284325393c184b46.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T02:49:24 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | ELIZABETHTON — Gugulethu Ndlela probably holds the record for having the most distant home from the campus of Tennessee College of Applied Technology Elizabethton. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEducation%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FTCAT-Elizabethton-graduate-came-from-South-Africa.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/Ndlela.jpg | en | null | TCAT Elizabethton graduate came from South Africa | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | She not only comes from across the big pond of the Atlantic Ocean, she also comes from an opposite hemisphere.
The school reported that Ndlela was one of 131 students to graduate Aug. 11 from the licensed practical nursing program. It also said she is from Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
Like many graduates, Ndlela was no longer available on campus for a comment, but she was quoted by TCAT public information officer Bob Robinson.
“It was a great program, Nursing instructors were great. Students were treated like family. I have grown so much,” she said.
Ndlela is the oldest of three sisters. She is nicknamed Gugu. She said she learned about the TCAT nursing program from friends.
The long-distance student does not plan to rest on her accomplishment. Ndlela’s future plans include enrolling at Milligan College and obtaining a degree as a registered nurse.
She then plans to obtain a master’s degree in nursing. Robinson reported that after all that scholarship, she plans to return to her native South Africa to work in the health care field, where, she said, there is a short supply of workers.
To obtain a degree in licensed practical nursing at TCAT Elizabethton, Ndlela and the other 130 graduates attended class for 12 months. At the end of that year, the students are prepared to take the Tennessee Board of Nursing exam.
Ndlela isn’t the only long-distance nursing student in the 2016 nursing class. Carrie Dillard drove two hours each day to class from her home in North Carolina. Ashley Meece moved to Northeast Tennessee from Kentucky to attend TCAT.
Other notable nursing student stories included Denver Moses, who followed in the footsteps of his wife. She graduated from the TCAT practical nursing program last year.
Practical nursing classes are offered at the TCAT Main Campus, 426 Highway 91 North in Elizabethton, beginning in May and September each year. Classes also are held at East Tennessee State University’s Kingsport Campus, 1501 University Blvd., beginning in January. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Education/2016/08/29/TCAT-Elizabethton-graduate-came-from-South-Africa.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/e3afd17dd52de483be0203775bdbedf4bc2d8c0700e55f1c87d4f5f91f27f618.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T20:48:48 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | WATAUGA - Wayne Billie Smith Sr., 79, of Watauga, died Friday, August 26, 2016 at Cornerstone Village in Johnson City.
Survivors include his wife, Lois Feathers Smith; | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FWayne-Billie-Smith-Sr.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/Smith-jpg.jpg | en | null | Wayne Billie Smith Sr. | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Survivors include his wife, Lois Feathers Smith; four children, Regina Smith, Wayne Billy Smith Jr., Kimberly Smith Cable (Charles), and Julia Scott (Steven); three step children, Todd Pierson, Tony Pierson, and Tracy Phillips; 14 grandchildren; 15 great grandchildren; brother, Richard Smith; sister, Brenda McDonald; and several nieces and nephews.
The family of Wayne Billie Smith will receive friends from 5 pm to 8 pm Sunday, August 28, 2016 in the Morris-Baker Funeral Home. A funeral service is scheduled for 1 pm Monday, August 29, 2016 at Morris-Baker under the direction of Minister Randy Overdorf. Following the service, family and friends will proceed to Mountain Home National Cemetery for a 2:30 pm committal service.
Full obituary is available online at www. morrisbaker.com.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the Smith family via www.morrisbaker.com.
Morris-Baker Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 2001 E. Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, is serving the Smith family. (423) 282-1521 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/27/Wayne-Billie-Smith-Sr.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/69c07a8d4aaa823e6156c6c7a0fa9a5d684ab60f147d803b1b031490b44c4915.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:08:17 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | There’s a lot going on at the Appalachian Fair during its week on the Gray fairgrounds, but the Farm and Home building is one place the fair really stretches back to its 90-year | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FButtermilk-buscuits-and-barbecue-on-the-menu-for-day-3-of-Appalachian-Fair.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/WedAppyFair10.jpg | en | null | Buttermilk buscuits and barbecue on the menu for day 3 of Appalachian Fair | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | From quilting to canning to just about everything in between, the Farm and Home building showcases a variety of talent from the community, awarding first, second, third and best of show ribbons in each category.
Farm and Home Director Lisa Bradley said the Barbecue Cook of the Year contest began about three years ago. This year, judges sampled 10 barbecue dishes from two entrants and awarded the Cook of the Year award to Mary Grace Wooten for her Asian-inspired barbecue dishes.
And according to judge Roddy Bird, a unique spin has its advantages over a traditional one.
Bird has been a judge at the fair for more than 10 years, and while he didn’t judge barbecue this year, he said the years have trained his palette to search for something different when scoring the food competition.
“It really makes it interesting,” he said.
Judges determined the top award by adding the cooks’ scores on their top three dishes, and Wooten won by a slim six points.
Bradley said entries had been slim this year, with some categories getting no entries at all.
She attributes the lack of participation to it being an expensive contest to prepare for as well as the time and day the event has been scheduled for — 3 p.m. on a Wednesday. Drop off for the barbecue is from noon to 1:30, and Bradley said she thinks that’s a big reason why the barbecue competition has a hard time pulling in entries when many people work full-time jobs.
“When our fair was dreamed up 90 years ago, you were talking stay-at-home moms and farmers,” she said. “So you dropped everything at the fair and you went home and worked until dark. You don't always have that option in an office these days.”
Next door, Carter County 4-H students got their hands busy making self-rising buttermilk biscuits in an educational demonstration. Carter County 4-H agent Emily Barton said that each day featured students from different counties, and students worked in two-hour shifts to create dozens of biscuits.
“It ties right along with the entries in the baking divisions for our 4-H building as well,” Barton said. “A lot of them are doing demonstration boards during the school year for different types of baking or are using these different skills as service projects as well.”
Email Jessica Fuller at jfuller@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Jessica on Twitter @fullerjf91. Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jfullerJCP. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/24/Buttermilk-buscuits-and-barbecue-on-the-menu-for-day-3-of-Appalachian-Fair.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/e1e9f0f0e1509fca1d76264cb4f9d7ef3a3c5d2160ec4c645867b35b361b9e47.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:49:49 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | NORTH SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Even as Rhode Island makes history as the first U.S. state with an offshore wind farm, its people are not so fond of wind | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNation%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FOffshore-wind-sails-forward-but-a-different-story-on-land.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Tilting-at-Wind-Turbines.jpg | en | null | Offshore wind sails forward, but a different story on land | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Dreams of a wind-powered nation sparked by the pioneering Atlantic Ocean project are running aground back on shore, where conventional battles over aesthetics and property values have stymied wind projects here and around the country.
Ruth Pacheco said she didn’t expect so much hostility when she invited a developer to build a giant wind turbine atop a forested hill at her 52-acre family farm in rural North Smithfield.
The 86-year-old proprietor of the Hi-on-a-Hill Herb Farm believes harvesting wind energy is the best way to preserve the land her family has owned and cultivated since the 1840s. But she wasn’t prepared for the dozens of “No Turbine” signs, erected outside nearly every home on the road leading up to her farm.
“We’ve lived here all our lives and seen people come and go,” Pacheco said. “I guess you just can’t take it personally. They’ve got tunnel vision out there.”
Responding to the ire of Pacheco’s neighbors, North Smithfield leaders are now drafting a town-wide ban on wind turbines, though it is too late to affect Pacheco’s project because it already has a permit.
Compared with the five-turbine, 30-megawatt offshore wind farm recently completed in blustery state waters and scheduled to switch on this fall, Rhode Island’s 20 land-based wind turbines are more modest generators of energy, with a combined capacity of about 21 megawatts, enough to power more than 6,000 homes, or a small town about the size of North Smithfield.
They’re becoming familiar landmarks in the nation’s smallest state, visible from major highways and popular beaches, but Rhode Island still ranks near the bottom of the 40 states that produce some wind energy.
U.S. Energy Department records show Texas and California have the most turbines, each with more than 10,000. The two big states vie with smaller windswept plains states in producing the most wind energy. Iowa, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kansas and Minnesota are the leaders.
Unlike those farm states, Rhode Island is tiny and densely populated. And people who like the idea of wind energy in the abstract rarely want it near their own backyards, according to a 2014 study by researchers at the University of Rhode Island that found that the turbines don’t hurt property values.
Pacheco’s neighbors said their concerns include noise, maintenance and “shadow flicker,” the blinking effect that occurs during parts of the year when the sun rises or sets behind the spinning blades. They are also concerned about the height, which at 415 feet — when the blade is pointing up — would be almost as tall as Rhode Island’s tallest building, a 26-story Providence skyscraper.
“To save her farm she’s affecting all of her neighbors,” said Sharon Mayewski, whose 17-acre lot abuts Pacheco’s. Mayewski is president of a new group called COURT, or Conserve Our Unique Rural Town, that was formed to halt the turbine project.
On a recent visit to Pacheco’s farm, a wild turkey strolled beneath a mulberry tree as the proprietor and her two daughters showed off the property where they all grew up and still live in three adjacent houses.
Cattle once roamed its pastures, but the farm is now focused on herbs, dried everlastings, chickens, beehives and educational programs. The family has also worked with the government to plant native grasses and wildflowers and tend the property’s expansive woodland as part of a decade-long forestry management project.
None of the agricultural harvest can match the $54,000 annually promised by a 25-year lease agreement Pacheco signed with Wind Energy Development, the North Kingstown company that has installed many of the wind turbines in the state.
“It will ensure that the girls can maintain the land for future generations,” Pacheco said. “We may not be here, but we hope the footprint will be here for someone to enjoy.”
Town Councilwoman Roseanne Nadeau said she sympathizes with Pacheco but opposes wind turbines in the town. The town last year rejected the same developer’s proposal for wind turbines on municipal land behind a big-box shopping center, not far from Pacheco’s property.
Nadeau, a former real estate appraiser, doesn’t believe most of the arguments that neighbors have made against the turbine, from concerns about property values to health worries. Instead, she points to maps that show her town, near the Massachusetts border and far from the ocean, just isn’t very windy.
“We don’t have the right wind flow,” she said. “That’s the only reason I’m against it. And also the burden of who is going to take it down.”
The turbine developer said it’s studied the wind in North Smithfield and is confident there’s enough at Pacheco’s site to make the project viable. It also insists that most people won’t notice the turbine because it’s quiet and will be in the woods.
“Once turbines are up, people don’t complain about them,” said spokeswoman Hannah Morini. “It’s like anything new. It becomes part of your background after a while.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Nation/2016/08/30/Offshore-wind-sails-forward-but-a-different-story-on-land.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/8838506e9669eed5f26dae83774fad758b1bea6e8d53e0b34c6974799808b873.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:02 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | An exhibit of some of the finest contemporary and traditional craft Tennessee has to offer is on display at the Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University through Dec. 2. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FArt-Culture%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FETSU-s-Reece-Museum-hosting-statewide-craft-exhibition%28copy%29.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/23/x720_q60/Reese-crafts.jpg | en | null | ETSU’s Reece Museum hosting statewide craft exhibition | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The 2016 “Best of Tennessee Craft” exhibit provides public visibility and recognition for the quality and diversity of craft found throughout the state.
An awards presentation and reception will be held Saturday, Aug. 27, from 4-6 p.m. Cash awards include a $1,000 Best of Show.
Works included in this exhibit were selected by guest juror Jerry Jackson, deputy director of the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, North Carolina. Prior to Penland, he served as chief curator and director of the Rocky Mount Arts Center at the Imperial Centre for Arts and Sciences in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He earned his master of fine arts and bachelor of fine arts degrees in studio art at East Carolina University.
Artists whose works are included in the exhibit are Anderson Bailey, Marc Barr, Joan Schaller Bauer, Jeanne Brady, Sally Brogden, Graham Campbell, Martha Christian, Jinni Copp, Chery Cratty, Don DuMont, Richard Dwyer, Sharron Eckert, Emily Eversgerd, J. Michael Floyd, Judi Gaston, John Glass, Katie Gonzalez and Allison Volek Shelton, Mindy Herrin, David Heustess, Tim Hintz, Buffy Holton, John Jordan, Shana Kohnstamm, Claudia Lee, Ken Lewis, Jeffrey Neil, Nancy Oxford, Abraham Pardee, Claire Reishman, Anne Rob, Tim Roberts, Pat Rollie, Wes Shugart, Thomas Spake, George Summers, Vickie Vipperman, Sadie Wang, Bruce Willey and Kimberly Winkle.
The “Best of Tennessee Craft” exhibit coincides with Tennessee Craft Week (Oct. 7-16), a celebration of over 100 artists who will showcase their work and share their art through demonstrations and lectures. The week will feature over 50 state and regional craft events.
According to Tennessee Craft, “The art of handmade crafts is a Tennessee legacy that continues to grow each year. Born from the hills of the Smoky Mountains, and evolving as artists create new works across the state, handmade crafts are bringing local communities together and creating a beautiful reason to tour the state.”
Tennessee Craft, formerly known as the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists, has worked since 1965 to continue and create Tennessee’s fine craft tradition. With more than 500 members throughout the state, Tennessee Craft serves as the premier connecting point for local, independent makers and their audiences through craft fairs, exhibitions, professional development and educational programs.
Additional information is available at www.tennesseecraft.org.
Regular hours at the Reece Museum are Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Special Saturday hours for the “Best of Tennessee Craft” exhibit are scheduled for Sept. 10 and 24, Oct. 8 and 22 and Nov. 12 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Admission is free. Parking passes are available for weekday visitors. Group tours are also available.
For more information or to arrange a group tour, call the Reece Museum at 423-439-4392. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Art-Culture/2016/08/28/ETSU-s-Reece-Museum-hosting-statewide-craft-exhibition(copy).html | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/ed83656fdf06d7c764b3dede089bed4a88113fc188dbd39ac7d5f4b16da17aea.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:11:35 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | With the final scrimmage before the season scheduled for Thursday night, the intensity picked up at East Tennessee State’s football practice on Wednesday.
It was | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFootball%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FBucs-ready-for-final-scrimmage-Lott-named-to-Senior-Bowl-list.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/Bucs-practice-jpg-1.jpg | en | null | Bucs ready for final scrimmage; Lott named to Senior Bowl list | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | It was especially true for one player, who wanted to show he was deserving of a preseason honor.
Senior defensive back Tavian Lott was named to the Senior Bowl Watch List after starting all 11 games for the Bucs last season.
He had 31 tackles (18 solo) and two interceptions a year ago. His high mark was eight tackles (six solo) against St. Francis. Heading into this new season, he looks at the honor as motivation instead of extra pressure.
“It doesn’t put any pressure on me at all,” Lott said. “It’s really an honor to be on there. If look at the watch list, you have guys from Alabama and LSU. I just come out here with a positive mindset and try to stay humble.”
For fans who want to get an early look at Lott and the rest of the team, the Bucs have their third and final scrimmage Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Kermit Tipton Stadium.
It’s Fan Appreciation Night where fans will receive an ETSU football schedule poster and have a chance to meet players and get autographs after the scrimmage.
For some players, it’s an audition to become part of the traveling team before a season opener at Kennesaw State on Sept. 3.
“We’ll have some guys the scrimmage will determine whether they travel that first game,” coach Carl Torbush said. “I think our two-deep is basically solidified, but the next group of guys, the special teams guys, who are going to be the guys we weren’t counting on, a lot of that will be going on.”
Much of Wednesday’s practice concentrated on matching up against the Owls in the opener. The defense went against the scout team who ran Kennesaw’s triple option, while the offense spent much of the past two days working on blocking schemes and the short passing game. Starting quarterback Austin Herink talked about how important that repetition is to the offense’s success.
“It’s about the timing, getting used to where certain guys are going to be and how they run certain routes,” Herink said. “When you work on the timing passing game, it’s about getting in a rhythm with everyone.”
Torbush also wants to stay in rhythm with the local community and he encouraged fans to attend the scrimmage, which is free to the public.
“It’s going to be fun to see where we’re at,” Torbush said. “It gives us a chance to go on the turf and see how guys will respond to it.
“Hopefully, we will have a good crowd and we want to invite everyone out. It starts at 7 o’clock so it should be cool and we’re giving those posters out after the scrimmage so fans can come get autographs and have a good time.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Football/2016/08/24/Bucs-ready-for-final-scrimmage-Lott-named-to-Senior-Bowl-list.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/cb31de588506e575177dc538815b4185ebc813f4248a597fd9e49f3c0c852cd4.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:07:37 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | David Crockett plans on sticking to football cleats, a grass surface, and collisions for Friday night’s home opener against Howard.
“If we lined up for | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FSports%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FCrockett-staying-off-track-Boone-seeking-another-win.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/DSC-9739-jpg.jpg | en | null | Crockett staying off track; Boone seeking another win | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | “If we lined up for a track meet, we would probably get smoked,” said Pioneers’ head coach Jeremy Bosken.
Crockett will play host to the Chattanooga team in Jonesborough, beginning at 7:30.
Meanwhile, Daniel Boone will try to enjoy its home opener and improve to 2-0 as it takes on Cherokee in Gray, also at 7:30.
Bosken’s team dismantled Howard by a score of 49-0 last year, but things could be a little different this season.
“Howard is a very, very big team physically,” said Bosken. “They have a new coach, and they seem like a much different team on film.”
One thing Bosken won’t be looking to change is effort. He said his team played extremely hard in the season-opening loss at Mountain Heritage in North Carolina. But he added the Pioneers must do better in other areas.
“We were very undisciplined in our communication and execution,” said Bosken. “We’ve had a big focus on playing together, and with our communication. I feel our kids made great adjustments at halftime last week, and we hope that carries over to this week.”
Cherokee at Boone
The Trailblazers opened the season with an emphatic 26-6 win over Sullivan South while the Chiefs were on their bye week.
Head coach Jeremy Jenkins said Cherokee brings some nice elements to the field.
“Our biggest concerns would be they are extremely athletic on offense and aggressive on defense,” said Jenkins. “The whole defense can run really well.
“I expect a real physical game but it will come down who can take control of the line of scrimmage.”
Boone will try to counter Cherokee’s defense with a big-play offense led by quarterback Noah Shelton and running back Mouin Tannous.
Stepping forward from Week 1, Jenkins said he wants his team to do better in the red zone.
“We have really concentrated on execution in the red zone on offense,” he said.
Defensively, Jenkins said gang tackling is the focus.
“We need to make sure we get all 11 people to the ball,” said Jenkins. “Practices have been really good with lots of energy. It’s our first home game, so we are excited and we know Cherokee will be anxious as well.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/2016/08/25/Crockett-staying-off-track-Boone-seeking-another-win.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/540705dc58fc16c7eafea07aaf2c357e63d5c172b483ce1e70ff93ac7e008a23.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:17 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | TELFORD - Mrs. Bernice Ledford, age 62, Telford, passed away Wednesday August 24, 2016 at Franklin Woods Community Hospital, Johnson City.
Arrangements are incomplete at | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FMrs-Bernice-Ledford.html.json | http://jcweb.libercus.net | en | null | Mrs. Bernice Ledford | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | null | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/24/Mrs-Bernice-Ledford.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/866c794aed1c2d606319b7e8f87dc19a5ea181d26052e2f5d4e8ff7945c740e5.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:49:46 | null | 2015-09-21T00:00:00 | SEVIERVILLE — Three Tennessee high school basketball players are due in juvenile court to face charges that they raped a freshman teammate in an | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FState%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FHearing-set-in-Tennessee-high-school-basketball-rape-case.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2015/09/21/x720_q60/Crime.jpg | en | null | Hearing set in Tennessee high school basketball rape case | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The Sevier County Juvenile Court clerk’s office confirmed a hearing for the Ooltewah High School players was scheduled for Tuesday. Because it’s a juvenile case, the hearing is closed to the media and the public.
The three defendants face aggravated rape charges. Gatlinburg police say the three Ooltewah players assaulted a freshman Dec. 22 while the team was participating in a holiday tournament. Police say the boy required emergency surgery after older teammates held him down and assaulted him with a pool cue.
A judge rejected prosecutors’ attempts in March to have one defendant transferred to adult court. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/State/2016/08/30/Hearing-set-in-Tennessee-high-school-basketball-rape-case.html | en | 2015-09-21T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/c59d2055c82a3c35c7246f7c5baeb8b3fc383776cd917d2f88339424a5f43a0e.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:49:47 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | WASHINGTON — The Agriculture Department has closed offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats.
USDA spokesman Matthew | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNation%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FAgriculture-closes-offices-in-5-states-after-threats.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/20803E00-XPOMN-jpg.jpg | en | null | Agriculture closes offices in 5 states after threats | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick says in a statement on Tuesday that the department had received “several anonymous messages” that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. He said six offices are closed until further notice.
Herrick said the department is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and federal and local law enforcement to determine whether the threats are credible.
The closed offices are in Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Nation/2016/08/30/Agriculture-closes-offices-in-5-states-after-threats.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/f489328848e97d69caa5d35a0cc757573e4a92d21c6dd787cc8504b5f91ece71.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:50:39 | null | 2016-05-06T16:28:41 | Political discourse is heating up as another election season burns brightly. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.highlandsnews.com%2Feditorial-policies-during-elections.json | http://www.highlandsnews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Editorial policies during elections | null | null | www.highlandsnews.com | Political discourse is heating up as another election season burns brightly.
During every election cycle, The Highlander is faced with questions about the newspaper’s policies regarding candidates seeking elected office. Here are the basic guidelines that may help readers in determining how to submit political information for publication.
Information that is of a broad nature is news. For example, when a local nonprofit or civic organization hosts a candidate’s forum, The Highlander is happy to publicize information about the forum, where and when it will be held. In many cases, a reporter will cover the event. This is a great way for citizens to gain information about candidates. When a specific candidate or political party is hosting a fundraising event for candidates or makes an announcement endorsing a candidate, although important, The Highalnder requires this information to be presented as a paid advertisement.
Another area where readers have questions is our letters to the editor policy for candidates. It is our policy not to publish letters that endorse or denigrate a specific candidate. We will not publish letters saying a specific candidate is a great person who deserves your vote or a scoundrel who does not.
Our general letters policy remains the same. Letter writers are limited to one letter every 30 days. Letters should be 500 words or less. All letters submitted must include a name, address and phone number for verification purposes. Letters must be the original work of the writer.
Letters may be mailed to the editor at The Highlander, P.O. Box 249; dropped off at our office, 134 N. Fifth St.; emailed to news@highlandsnews.com; or faxed to 828-526-3658.
It is our goal to provide readers with as much information as possible to help them decide who best represents their interest and political ideology. Our policies are set to reflect this goal. If you have questions, call us at 828-526-4114. | http://www.highlandsnews.com/editorial-policies-during-elections | en | 2016-05-06T00:00:00 | www.highlandsnews.com/8eb142d014f19576146fd3423cf9748f2f7429b35478401f449639f617ea508c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:51:11 | null | 2016-03-24T14:44:26 | The Highlander is pleased to present two exciting upgrades to its service: our brand-new website and e-Edition, a digital version of our newspaper. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.highlandsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fnews-your-way-highlander-introduces-new-website-platform.json | http://www.highlandsnews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | News your way: The Highlander introduces new website platform | null | null | www.highlandsnews.com | The Highlander is pleased to present two exciting upgrades to its service: our brand-new website and e-Edition, a digital version of our newspaper.
E-Edition is an exact replica of the printed edition of The Highlander in a popular, flipbook format. It is the best way for out-of-town subscribers to access timely community news, and no matter where you live, e-Edition is easy and convenient. E-Edition is delivered right to your email inbox and there’s nothing to download — just click the edition and begin reading.
EXISTING SUBSCRIBERS WILL HAVE FULL ACCESS TO THE NEW WEBSITE AND E-EDITION USING THE USERNAME AND PASSWORD OF YOUR CHOICE. YOU WILL NEED TO VERIFY THAT YOU ARE A SUBSCRIBER AND CREATE A NEW USERNAME AND PASSWORD. TO DO THIS click here .
We encourage you to visit HighlandsNews.com to check out the new e-Edition, read breaking community news stories, learn more about local events and more. Do all this from the convenience of your computer, phone, iPad or any other mobile device.
Thank you again for being a loyal reader and subscriber. We are always looking for ways to bring you better products.
We hope you enjoy the new website and e-Edition. | http://www.highlandsnews.com/news/news-your-way-highlander-introduces-new-website-platform | en | 2016-03-24T00:00:00 | www.highlandsnews.com/3356fb9c37907ec9827c82db6fc8c48532137b2bafc0d3baa4668bb199b4e438.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:50:06 | null | 2016-07-25T15:38:53 | Click here to view the publication | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.highlandsnews.com%2Ffree-local-publications%2Fhome-garden-0.json | http://www.highlandsnews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Home & Garden | null | null | www.highlandsnews.com | null | http://www.highlandsnews.com/free-local-publications/home-garden-0 | en | 2016-07-25T00:00:00 | www.highlandsnews.com/bc672a5a976273c84d11340eaae6a5a2ff33e809071292323a8014da19943ac6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:49:06 | null | 2016-07-08T13:44:43 | Click here to view the publication | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.highlandsnews.com%2Ffree-local-publications%2Fbest-highlands-0.json | http://www.highlandsnews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Best of Highlands | null | null | www.highlandsnews.com | null | http://www.highlandsnews.com/free-local-publications/best-highlands-0 | en | 2016-07-08T00:00:00 | www.highlandsnews.com/e88d1b43b337db081fc5f7fa8a61a2ae279f5cec8256ee704d1d7b5d28eb377e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:49:34 | null | 2016-06-03T10:51:02 | Click here to view the publication | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.highlandsnews.com%2Ffree-local-publications%2Fdining-and-lodging-0.json | http://www.highlandsnews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Dining and Lodging | null | null | www.highlandsnews.com | null | http://www.highlandsnews.com/free-local-publications/dining-and-lodging-0 | en | 2016-06-03T00:00:00 | www.highlandsnews.com/9d24d728a08603564bcb9d3f6b613b674fda74fbf5cd3d5776d5e525fe3b0ecf.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:52:15 | null | 2016-03-24T14:20:14 | Like Us on Facebook Here | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.highlandsnews.com%2Fus-facebook.json | http://www.highlandsnews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Like Us On Facebook | null | null | www.highlandsnews.com | null | http://www.highlandsnews.com/us-facebook | en | 2016-03-24T00:00:00 | www.highlandsnews.com/c2b9b22dd44a43686ea3aa95936e16cb362a82228dfba1b79e20ec3e54342dc6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:51:43 | null | 2016-03-23T11:33:15 | Click here to view the publication | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.highlandsnews.com%2Ffree-local-publications%2Flegacy-leaf-season.json | http://www.highlandsnews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Legacy Leaf Season | null | null | www.highlandsnews.com | null | http://www.highlandsnews.com/free-local-publications/legacy-leaf-season | en | 2016-03-23T00:00:00 | www.highlandsnews.com/65ebf0f3e368db95ebe3b331279f818463cdef2805a8060dcf83cb103eada835.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:53:18 | null | 2016-05-06T16:23:00 | The Highlander won 20 awards in the 2015 North Carolina Press Association News, Editorial, Photojournalism and Advertising Contest. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.highlandsnews.com%2Fhighlander-earns-honors.json | http://www.highlandsnews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | The Highlander earns honors | null | null | www.highlandsnews.com | The Highlander won 20 awards in the 2015 North Carolina Press Association News, Editorial, Photojournalism and Advertising Contest.
The awards were presented Feb. 25 on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill.
The Highlander editorial and advertising staff took home the following awards:
Special Section: First place for Legacy — Best of Highlands.
Best Niche Publication: Second place for Legacy — Leaf Season.
Sports Enterprise Writing: First place to Davis Moore for “Fishing central: Highlands finds its niche as a hub for fly-fishing in the region.” Second place to Carolyn Morrisroe for “Running on high: Highlands celebrates Twilight 5K, Roadrunners Club anniversary.”
Arts and Entertainment Reporting: Second place to Carolyn Morrisroe for “Highlands’ silver screen: Playhouse revives movie tradition.” Third place to Carolyn Morrisroe for “Illustrating Highlands: New map serves as love letter to town.”
Feature Writing: Third place to Davis Moore for “Ghosts of the mountains: Are cougar sightings myth or reality?”
The Highlander staff won the following awards for photography and editorial design:
Photo Page: Third place to Carolyn Morrisroe for “Fourth of July festivities.”
Use of Photographs: Second place.
Appearance and Design: Second place.
Stephanie Mason won three awards (two first places and a second place) for advertising design in niche publications as well as third place in the Best Use of Color category.
Highlander staff and Stephanie Mason won five awards for ad design in the newspaper. | http://www.highlandsnews.com/highlander-earns-honors | en | 2016-05-06T00:00:00 | www.highlandsnews.com/ab7047272458f24b2cbbf13f952181121ba95c4aa2e912b1e17aa44ba9f6e09a.json |
[
"The Canadian Press",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-30T20:49:28 | null | 2016-08-30T15:11:56 | The military said it completed 51 investigations into inappropriate sexual behaviour between April and July | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Fcanadian-forces-punish-30-people-for-sexual-misconduct%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/MAC04_CANADA_FIREFIGHT_POST.jpg | en | null | Canadian Forces punish 30 people for sexual misconduct | null | null | www.macleans.ca | OTTAWA — The Canadian Armed Forces says it is making progress in the fight against sexual misconduct in the ranks, but much more work needs to be done.
In an update Tuesday, the military said it completed 51 investigations into inappropriate sexual behavior between April and July.
As a result, 30 people had received “career-impacting” punishments ranging from fines to outright dismissal from the forces. Three more were referred to civilian authorities while the perpetrators in four cases could not be identified.
Ten cases were considered unfounded.
Defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance, who has made the elimination of sexual misconduct a priority, described the results as a “good start.” He said military personnel “have heard my orders, they understand them, and they are implementing them.”
But Vance acknowledged much work remains to be done after the report showed there were 97 other cases of inappropriate and harmful sexual behaviour still under investigation in the same period. He warned military personnel about being “overly optimistic” about the results, and said there are “no quick fixes” to the problem.
Military commanders asked retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps to lead an independent investigation into the issue in April 2014 after l’Actualite and Maclean’s magazines reported a large number of military sexual assaults were being ignored or played down.
Deschamps’s explosive report, released in April 2015, described an “underlying sexual culture” in the military that was hostile to women and left victims of sexual assault and harassment to fend for themselves.
In response, military leaders promised to take immediate action to root out unacceptable behaviour. | http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/canadian-forces-punish-30-people-for-sexual-misconduct/ | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/cc52acc7c60ebb761246a09e3ab91d029659019bb41b253ac60a5611f899ec09.json |
[
"Donna Bailey Nurse",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-30T16:49:34 | null | 2016-08-30T12:15:44 | A recent Oprah’s Book Club pick gets top marks | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fculture%2Fbooks%2Fa-novelistic-tour-de-force-about-american-slavery%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/MAC36_BOOKS_FEATURE02.jpg | en | null | A novelistic tour de force about American slavery | null | null | www.macleans.ca | THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
By Colson Whitehead
The reason this novel is a tour de force is that Whitehead thoroughly exploits the drama inherent in the slave narrative, embracing all its epic proportions. Recently selected for Oprah’s Book Club, it focuses on Cora, a teenage slave on a Georgia cotton plantation, where the slightest infraction, annoyance or weakness invites beating, burning, amputation or hanging. There is not much tenderness to be found among the blacks, either. A stray whose mother managed to escape, Cora has been banished to the house for outcasts.
When another slave named Caesar convinces her to run away with him, they are very nearly recaptured, but Cora bashes in her assailant’s head. Now she is a fugitive slave and a murderer. Hot on her heels is the slave catcher Ridgeway, still furious over his failure to capture Cora’s mother years earlier. Cora escapes aboard the Underground Railroad, which—in one of several fantastical elements in the novel—is a subterranean train that takes runaways wherever it happens to be going.
The tension reminds me of the TV series (and later, film) The Fugitive, about a falsely accused doctor one step ahead of the law. The action is structured along the lines of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, every location offering Cora a distinct experience. The novel also fits into the tradition of Swift’s satirical essays such as A Modest Proposal, in which he suggests the Irish solve the problem of hunger by eating their children.
Likewise, The Underground Railroad’s fanciful, often grotesque elements—described by the narrator in matter-of-fact tones—also include the weekly lynching of black people at Friday Festivals across North Carolina, which Cora watches from her attic hiding place. The party atmosphere doesn’t seem such an outrageous invention once we remember the celebratory behaviour that attended the lynching of African Americans. In a progressive South Carolina, Cora appreciates the way the white doctors monitor the health of ex-slaves, until she learns they are infecting the men with syphilis and sterilizing the women. This, too, at first seems an outlandish fabrication, until we remember the sickening experiments with black men in Tuskegee and the forced hysterectomies of black women in Mississippi. Wherever Cora goes, bizarre white cruelty, and Ridgeway, are never far behind.
It’s not all harsh, of course. We meet some brave white men committed to the Railroad. There are gorgeous passages describing blissful refuge provided by social and cultural gatherings at a black enclave in Indiana. And there is a singularly romantic scene in Tennessee in which three dashing black men materialize out of nowhere, rescue Cora from Ridgeway and sweep her away to an underground railroad station. Overall, however, Whitehead depicts 19th-century America as a mean, dangerous place.
Whitehead, 46 and the author of five previous novels, including The Intuitionist and John Henry Days, has been called a leading writer of his generation. No more of that: this book elevates him to the category of major American author. Here, his monumental skill has become equal to his monumental subject matter. Awe-inspiring is the way he folds dozens of savage slave accounts into one seamless story. Never flinching from the truth or trivializing the trauma, he immerses us in throbbing adventure. | http://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/a-novelistic-tour-de-force-about-american-slavery/ | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/0b12a535498d3b88c7907b736679de353f012dbeb342f9edd5f951a370ed6096.json |
[
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff",
"Shannon Proudfoot"
] | 2016-08-31T00:49:30 | null | 2016-08-30T18:50:26 | The city's public-school twelfth-graders had to overcome fires to graduate. But this August, they made the leap together. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fvideos%2Ffor-fort-mcmurrays-high-schools-one-big-grad-party-at-last%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Screen-Shot-2016-08-30-at-6.50.22-PM.png | en | null | For Fort McMurray's high schools, one big grad party-at last | null | null | www.macleans.ca | Aaron Driver had been on the RCMP radar for two years but it was a tip from the FBI set the wheels in motion to thwart the terror attack | http://www.macleans.ca/videos/for-fort-mcmurrays-high-schools-one-big-grad-party-at-last/ | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/f8ed61ac08cae83d41c0e921af9774b8b978dc0016bfbe8d9c83f9f37897d1ad.json |
[
"Luke Fox",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-26T13:00:52 | null | 2016-08-25T14:10:36 | Crosby was recently named Team Canada's captain at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey. He's formed a bond with a fellow Nova Scotian. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fsports%2Fwho-is-sidney-crosbys-favourite-addition-to-team-canada%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/CROSBY-carousel.jpg | en | null | Who is Sidney Crosby's favourite addition to Team Canada? | null | null | www.macleans.ca | This story was originally published by Sportsnet.
Sidney Crosby has to think about it but only for two seconds.
The only player to captain all three national teams on his Triple Gold Club membership card, Crosby takes just a moment when we ask him at Gatorade’s GCamp to name the most exciting newcomer to Canada’s squad for September’s World Cup of Hockey.
“That’s tough,” he says. Then a smile creeps across his two-time Stanley-Cup-sipping, two-time Olympic-gold-biting mouth. “An interesting one for me is Brad Marchand.”
Rat Fink. Honey Badger. The Little Ball of Hate. If Marchand isn’t getting under your skin, he’s clawing on top of it, lingering like tattoo regret.
Crosby, 29, and Marchand, 28, have had their share of NHL run-ins, both literally and rhetorically.
“You’re so used to playing against him, you know the way he plays,” Crosby chuckles.
“Having him on your team is going to be so much more enjoyable than having to play against him. Having a local guy, someone who’s from the same area, I think that’s pretty special to be competing for Team Canada with someone like that.”
A bond is forming between the two Nova Scotian stars, who frequently skate together in the summer alongside other local guys like Nathan MacKinnon, though Crosby admits that Marchand has a wicked knack for ticking him off during Bruins-Penguins tilts.
Marchand won back-to-back gold medals representing Canada at the 2007 and 2008 world juniors, and his game has steadily improved as a pro. Failing to make the cut for the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Games, Marchand won a late-addition spot on the 2016 World Cup roster with his career-best 37-goal, 60-point campaign in 2015-16. Helping Canada defend world championship gold in May (seven points in 10 games) didn’t hurt, either.
“You look at the season he had—he’s proven he can be a lot more than just an agitator. He’s a really good player, but part of his game is playing a tough brand [of hockey]. Playing right on that edge,” Crosby says. “He’s had a tremendous career so far. I think that’ll be someone fun to join up with.”
This is an excerpt of this story. Read the rest at Sportsnet. | http://www.macleans.ca/sports/who-is-sidney-crosbys-favourite-addition-to-team-canada/ | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/0c83bd8679deae00d4c990acc9bbb8f9f77fce6859da9823a4c3742f73c2655b.json |
[
"The Canadian Press",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-29T04:49:14 | null | 2016-08-28T23:36:15 | Police say Windsor, Ont. resident Tamim Chowdhury helped mastermind plot that killed 20 in Dhaka | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Fbangladeshi-canadian-community-disavows-alleged-militant%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/12678316.jpg | en | null | Bangladeshi-Canadian community disavows alleged militant | null | null | www.macleans.ca | OTTAWA – Members of Canada’s Bangladeshi community disavowed an Ontario resident killed over the weekend who Bangladesh police say masterminded a terrorist attack last month.
Tamim Chowdhury was among three suspected militants killed by police near Bangladesh’s capital on Saturday. Bangladeshi police allege Chowdhury, who lived in Windsor, Ont., was one of two masterminds of the July 1 attack on a popular restaurant in Dhaka that left 20 people dead.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the restaurant attack, but authorities have denied the claim. They say it was the act of the banned group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, or JMB, and that ISIL has no presence in the Muslim-majority country.
A spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said the government was aware of news reports that Chowdhury had been killed, and that Canadian officials were in contact with Bangladeshi authorities.
Little is known about Chowdhury. The Dhaka Tribune, citing Bangladeshi police, said Chowdhury arrived from Canada in 2013 to re-organize the JMB. It said his grandfather opposed Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971, and that the family moved to Canada later that year.
Md. Abdul Quaiyum, president of the Bangladesh Canada Association of Windsor Essex, said the Chowdhury family was known in the community, though not very well. He said he had not spoken to Chowdhury’s parents since news of their son’s death.
Quaiyum said there are about 1,000 Bangladeshi-Canadians in Windsor. He said many are engineers or other professionals who are hardworking and peaceful, and that the community condemns the type of violence that police have accused Chowdhury of.
“The Bangladeshi community here condemns this, we hate this, and we don’t like this,” he said.
Other leaders from Canada’s 100,000-strong Bangladeshi community had similar reactions.
Abul Hossain, former president of the Bangladeshi Community Association of Saskatchewan, said the entire community was talking about and upset about Chowdhury’s case.
“It’s a shame,” he said. “People are very much feeling shame.”
Mohammed Ali, president of the Bangladesh Association of Hamilton, said he was angry. “This guy was against Bangladesh,” Ali said. “We don’t support terrorism anywhere, anyway. No Canadian, no human can support these things.”
The Windsor Islamic Council, which has previously confirmed that Chowdhury was from the city, posted a statement on its website Saturday saying it had no knowledge of his background. The statement went on to say that the council had adopted a policy of not discussing “the lives of violent extremists.”
“This policy stems from deep conviction that talking about the lives of such individuals only dignifies their heinous acts and serves their twisted quest for fame,” the statement said.
“We do not only condemn and reject all forms of violence in the name of our noble faith, but renew our commitment and determination to expose the criminal and anti-Islamic nature of extremism and terrorism.”
Chowdhury is also suspected to be behind a July 7 attack on an Eid gathering outside Dhaka marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Bangladesh authorities said. Four people died in that attack, including two police officers.
The Bangladeshi investigation into the attack involves another connection to Canada. Police arrested Tahmid Hasib Khan, a University of Toronto student earlier this month. His family said Khan, 22, has been moved to a prison. They have steadfastly maintained his innocence. | http://www.macleans.ca/news/world/bangladeshi-canadian-community-disavows-alleged-militant/ | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/ac703419e863b0267f936efb7a65f825ddedef75bcf11cdcb5c8e117b3e91c24.json |
[
"Kristy Kirkup",
"The Canadian Press",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald"
] | 2016-08-27T16:48:15 | null | 2016-08-22T22:23:26 | Health minister says she has directed her department to review all of her expenses and will reimburse any found to be inappropriate | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fpolitics%2Fphilpott-will-repay-520-for-air-canada-lounge-access%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Jane-Philpott-1.jpg | en | null | Philpott will repay $520 for Air Canada lounge access | null | null | www.macleans.ca | OTTAWA – The controversy surrounding Jane Philpott’s travel expenses grew Monday as evidence surfaced that the federal Liberal health minister billed taxpayers $520 for access to Air Canada’s executive airport lounges in North America and Europe.
Late Monday, the minister promised to repay the money after the Opposition Conservatives used the Access to Information Act to obtain the receipt for the one-year “Maple Leaf Club North America Plus” membership.
A copy of the document was provided to The Canadian Press.
Tory MP Colin Carrie, who is health critic in the Conservative shadow cabinet, said the Air Canada expense reflects a broader trend of “excess and entitlement” on the part of the minister and the Liberal government.
“It is another example of the minister’s lack of judgment and disrespect for the Canadian taxpayer,” he said.
Aaron Wudrick, the federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, echoed Carrie’s sentiments earlier in the day.
“The things that are reasonable expenses are things that are directly related to their job,” Wudrick said. “I cannot see what the possible connection would be between her needing lounge access and ability to do her job.”
Spokesman Andrew MacKendrick told The Canadian Press on Monday that Philpott intends to repay the $520.
In a statement, Philpott said she has already directed her department to review all of her expenses, vowing to fully reimburse any other filings found to be inappropriate.
“I apologize and we will take steps to ensure this does not happen again,” she said.
Last week, Philpott said she would repay $3,700 in high-end car service costs after it was revealed she billed for $1,700 on one day and more than $1,900 on another day.
The minister’s department is also reviewing 20 trips to Toronto Pearson International Airport that cost a total of $3,815 to see if taxpayers were charged fair-market value.
The car service – used to take the minister between work events – was provided by a limo company owned by a volunteer who canvassed for Philpott in the last election.
NDP MP Charlie Angus said he is concerned about what could be a pattern of entitlement.
“It is still early days, so we have to see whether these patterns are going to form into something,” Angus said.
“What concerns me is this sense of entitlement right off the bat. She doesn’t have access to the executive lounge so taxpayers should pay the $500 so she can go sit and have a free drink and get … taco chips. I think that attitude is of concern and it raises red flags.”
Angus said he is also concerned about the overall handling of the issue by the prime minister.
“He said they were going to do government differently,” he said.
“We are not asking ministers to bring bag lunches but these kinds of expenses, they’re really not necessary.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his first public remarks about the spending controversy in Sudbury, Ont. on Monday.
“This situation was a reminder for all of us to be extremely careful about our expenses and about the public trust that we wield,” Trudeau said standing in front of his cabinet including Philpott.
Wudrick said his watchdog group welcomes the prime minister’s statement, but he said “talk is cheap” and words need to be followed by action. | http://www.macleans.ca/politics/philpott-will-repay-520-for-air-canada-lounge-access/ | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/070f6286438b988d4050eca8b5fb3ca18112842f120d1d38bfd8a7f32bb50925.json |
[
"Martin Patriquin",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-26T12:48:15 | null | 2016-08-25T18:02:55 | In the race to become the next Conservative Party leader, two contenders oppose gay marriage. It's not good for the brand. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Fconservatives-moved-on-marriage-debate-almost%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/MAC23_CPC_DAY03_SAMESEX_FEATURE01-1.jpg | en | null | Conservatives have moved on from the gay marriage debate. Almost. | null | null | www.macleans.ca | One of the more damning indictments of social conservatism in this country came at the hands—or, more precisely, the eyeballs—of Conservative MP Michelle Rempel. At last May’s Conservative Party convention, the 36-year-old Rempel helped spearhead a motion striking down the party’s definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. Gay marriage has been legal in Canada since 2005, and Rempel was suitably thrilled at the news that the Conservative Party was going to acknowledge as much some 11 years later.
“I’ve never been more proud of our party,” she said during a media scrum. “I think I’ll look back at this moment in my political career and my life as something that was really transformative and really awesome.”
Standing next to her was Brad Trost, a fellow Conservative MP from Saskatchewan. Trost is a staple of the party’s social conservative ranks, and his five-minute spiel for the cameras is required watching only as a majesty of self-martyrdom and bitterness wrapped in dime store smarm. “Traditional marriage is the bedrock of society. You can’t have a free enterprise society without it,” he said. “In the next election, I will say that homosexual marriage, gay marriage, is wrong. I’ll be public about it.”
About two minutes in, around where Trost suggests allowing gay marriage will foment rampant socialism throughout Canadian society, Rempel looks at Trost like he was a bad smell. Her ensuing eye roll was probably captured on the recorders of the assembled journalists. A minute later, with Trost in mid-sentence, she turns and walks away.
There is so much in Rempel’s reaction; evident disdain, for one, but exasperation, embarrassment and hurt, too. And, maybe, worry. Because Trost isn’t just some perpetually aggrieved back bencher—though he’s that as well. At the convention, he threatened to run for the leadership of the Conservative Party. On Aug. 16, he made good on those threats by declaring himself the sixth candidate to succeed Stephen Harper.
Again, it’s tempting to dismiss Trost’s leadership campaign as a last-gasp oddity fueled more by hubris than political conviction. But while he may be the most vocal social conservative candidate, he certainly isn’t the only one.
Former Ontario MP Pierre Lemieux also recently declared his candidacy. Lemieux is almost as quotable as his Saskatchewan brethren. In 2006, he concluded his defense of “traditional” marriage in Parliament by asking God “to guide us in our efforts to defend the holy sacrament of marriage as the union between a man and a woman.” (Apparently, God had long given up on Parliament, since same-sex marriage had been the rule of law for over a year by then.)
Granted, neither of these men is particularly electable, by Conservative Party members or the Canadian electorate. But their presence in the race, and the oxygen their sideshow candidacies consume, will serve as a reminder to voters that the party remains tethered to its social conservative beginnings.
The percentage of voters between the ages of 18 to 25 increased by 12 percentage points in the 2015 election, according to Statistics Canada data. About 20 per cent of that vote went to the Conservatives, according to an Abacus Data report. More than double, 45 per cent, went to the Liberals. Most Conservatives, interim leader Rona Ambrose and Rempel very much included, know one of the keys to defeating the Liberals is to shed their image as the party of old, intransigent white guys.
The likes of Trost and Lemieux are living, breathing repudiations of this change. Harper, no fan of same-sex marriage, at least had the good sense to ignore his own party’s doctrine on the subject. Trost and Lemieux want a return to and an enforcement of that doctrine. Against all odds and common sense, not to mention common decency, they will fight their own party’s motion to acknowledge what is already written law. Marketers call this brand pollution. Political scientists might call it suicide.
Lest anyone think we are dealing with an abstract issue, it’s worth taking note of another presence in that scrum. Standing to Trost’s right was author and Globe and Mail columnist John Ibbitson. As the Globe’s Washington correspondent in the twilight of the George W. Bush years, Ibbitson chronicled social conservatism’s caustic effect on the Republican Party.
Last April, he wrote a series of articles about the rank discrimination against gay public sector workers by the federal government as recently as the early ’90s. These articles show the dangers of institutional intolerance, particularly when coupled with the state’s levers of power.
Ibbitson is one of the better journalists in the country. He is also gay. If Trost had his way, the federal government would have prohibited Ibbitson from marrying his partner of 13 years, which he did in 2009. In that scrum, as Trost spouted off his gay-baiting nonsense, Ibbitson calmly took notes and asked questions. I’m not sure how he managed. | http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/conservatives-moved-on-marriage-debate-almost/ | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/2b55fce0d14f1199091f29de1e6f522e73968b04190619ed53b3f944d4652184.json |
[
"The Associated Press",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-26T16:47:50 | null | 2016-08-26T11:33:13 | Hillary Clinton says the Clinton Foundation—which critics say represents a conflict of interest—will continue if she's president | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fpolitics%2Fwashington%2Fclinton-defends-family-foundation-says-work-will-continue%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/12653790.jpg | en | null | Clinton defends family foundation, says work will continue | null | null | www.macleans.ca | NEW YORK — Hillary Clinton said Friday the charitable programs of her family foundation would continue, perhaps through partnerships with other organizations, if she’s elected president, even as critics argue that would present a conflict of interest.
The Democratic presidential nominee, in an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” defended the Clinton Foundation, saying the charitable work it has conducted has changed lives for the better and is in keeping with American values.
Republican opponent Donald Trump has accused Clinton of improperly using her former position as secretary of state to bring in big contributions to the foundation from people and corporations seeking access.
“The work has been not only transformational, it has really been in line with American interests and values,” she said in an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “And we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that good work continues.”
In the telephone interview, she also described Trump’s campaign as built on “prejudice and paranoia,” continuing her line of attack from a speech Thursday in Reno, Nevada. In that speech, she accused Trump of unleashing a “radical fringe” within the Republican Party, including anti-Semites and white supremacists.
Clinton is looking to counter Trump’s attempts to revamp his image and win over those skeptical of his candidacy. She is also trying to appeal to Republicans, casting the race as “not a normal choice between a Republican and a Democrat.”
Trump has rejected Clinton’s allegations, labeling her a bigot.
“She lies, she smears, she paints decent Americans as racists,” Trump said, in a Thursday address.
Trump also says Clinton is trying to distract from questions swirling around donations to The Clinton Foundation and her exclusive use of her private email servers for official business while secretary of state.
The Associated Press reported this week that more than half the people from outside government who met or spoke by telephone with Clinton in the first half of her term as secretary of state had given money—either personally or through companies or groups—to the foundation.
On Friday, Clinton promised to put in place additional safeguards to prevent conflicts of interest with her foundation should she win the White House.
“I appreciate the concerns that people have expressed and that’s why I have made it clear that if I’m successful in November we are going to be taking additional steps,” she said.
Clinton is eager to capitalize on Trump’s slipping poll numbers, particularly among moderate Republican women turned off by his controversial campaign. She’s praised former Republican presidential candidates John McCain and Bob Dole, and former President George W. Bush, for taking decisive steps to counter racism and anti-Muslim sentiment.
She said Friday that candidates can reasonably disagree on how to run the country, “but that’s not the campaign that Donald Trump has been running, and I am reaching out and asking fair-minded Americans to repudiate this kind of divisive demagoguery.”
On Thursday, Trump tried to get ahead of the Democratic nominee, addressing a crowd in Manchester, New Hampshire, minutes before Clinton spoke.
“Hillary Clinton is going to try to accuse this campaign, and the millions of decent Americans who support this campaign, of being racists,” Trump said.
“To Hillary Clinton, and to her donors and advisers pushing her to spread her smears and her lies about decent people, I have three words,” he said. “I want you to hear these words, and remember these words: Shame on you.”
Trump met Thursday in New York with members of a new Republican Party initiative meant to train young—and largely minority—volunteers.
He contends that the Democrats have taken minority voters’ support for granted. “They’ve been very disrespectful, as far as I’m concerned, to the African-American population in this country,” Trump said.
Many black leaders and voters have dismissed Trump’s message as condescending and intended more to reassure undecided white voters that he’s not racist. | http://www.macleans.ca/politics/washington/clinton-defends-family-foundation-says-work-will-continue/ | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/e410b3c029cdcbf3a5c8cfb68cb1e22a70fde94518a2726c80ad53ad43a58e15.json |
[
"The Canadian Press",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-26T12:52:18 | null | 2016-08-24T22:10:52 | Alberta premier delivers speech in Ottawa, suggesting economic situation would be worse with PCs in power | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Fnotley-urges-patience-as-alberta-deals-with-huge-deficits%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/CPT120357041_high.jpg | en | null | Notley urges patience as Alberta deals with huge deficits | null | null | www.macleans.ca | EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Rachel Notley is urging patience as her government grapples with a budget deficit projected to hit almost $11 billion this year
While the situation is bad, it would have been far worse if her NDP party had lost the last election to the Progressive Conservatives, Notley said in a spirited speech to Unifor union members at their convention in Ottawa on Wednesday.
“Our province, we know, cannot run deficits indefinitely,” Notley said. “We know that. We’re very conscious of that.
“But we can manage our fiscal challenges patiently and wisely and carefully,” she said. “We can set a course to return to fiscal balance as our economy recovers.”
She said Albertans are on side with her plan.
“As more and more Canadians are learning every day, austerity just makes things worse.”
Alberta is racking up multibillion-dollar deficits as it wrestles with persistent low oil prices that have taken great bites out of the bottom line of the resource-rich province.
Notley’s NDP, elected in 2015, has chosen not to respond with deep cuts to staff or services. Instead, it has ramped up capital spending on roads, hospitals and schools to try to spur the economy and close the gap on its infrastructure needs.
The government is also freeing up loans and other incentives in an attempt to diversify the economy and unharness it from dependence on oil and gas.
The downside has been multiple credit downgrades, a debt that will surpass $30 billion this year and is forecast to reach $58 billion before the end of the decade. Debt-servicing costs this year will surpass $1 billion.
Notley’s government has been criticized for making a bad economic situation worse by increasing corporate taxes, winding down coal-fired electricity, bumping up the minimum wage and bringing in a carbon tax next year that will increase gasoline prices and home heating bills.
There will be rebates for lower- and middle-income households on the carbon tax.
Notley said her government is doing what it promised to do and reiterated that if the Tories had won, things would be very different.
“Their idea was that if you fire thousands of teachers, teachers aides, school support workers, nurses, nurses aides and people that work in the hospitals that somehow the price of oil would go back up,” she said.
“We got rid of a backward-looking, climate-change-denying, deficit-offloading, austerity-loving, failed Alberta Conservative government.
“We’re not just going to cross our fingers and hope that cutting taxes for rich people will magically turn the economy around. That’s what Conservatives do.”
The PCs have said they have never advocated gutting front-line services, and the New Democrats need to do a better job streamlining and finding efficiencies.
PC Leader Ric McIver said Notley’s fiery rhetoric suggests her government is rightly feeling the heat for failed policies.
“They’ve actually killed more jobs than they have created,” McIver said in an interview.
“The premier went all the way to Ottawa and in front of a friendly crowd sounded defensive and desperate. I think that’s telling.” | http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/notley-urges-patience-as-alberta-deals-with-huge-deficits/ | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/b2989a7450dea06c298b641e26e82e0f4e76e0d8d47c21cdcf539fd1d70e9241.json |
[
"The Canadian Press",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-28T22:48:29 | null | 2016-08-28T17:53:37 | CUPW said without a deal, its members would refuse to work overtime on a rotating basis starting Monday | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Fcanada-post-union-continue-to-talk-as-midnight-deadline-looms%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/11513844.jpg | en | null | Canada Post, union continue to talk as midnight deadline looms | null | null | www.macleans.ca | OTTAWA – Contract talks continued between Canada Post and its largest union Sunday afternoon, with neither side hinting as to whether any progress had been made.
A federally appointed mediator began meeting with the two sides on Friday to try to reach a deal.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said if there was no deal by midnight, it would begin job action on Monday by having its members refuse to work overtime on a rotating basis, starting in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
CUPW served 72 hour strike notice Thursday night, accusing Canada Post of forcing a labour disruption by refusing to bargain in good faith.
The two sides have been deadlocked for months on the issues of pay scales for rural letter carriers and proposed changes to pensions for future employees.
On Sunday, the union said its initial plans for job action would have little effect on Canada Post customers.
“Our action will cause little to no disruption to the public,” national president Mike Palecek said in a statement. “We’ll still be delivering mail every day.”
But a spokesman for Canada Post said the union’s threat of job action was still creating uncertainty for customers.
“Anyone who is trying to plan their usage of the postal system in the coming days is questioning whether or not it will be able to get there, and that is going to have a huge impact on the business whether the union likes it or not,” Jon Hamilton said in a phone interview. | http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/canada-post-union-continue-to-talk-as-midnight-deadline-looms/ | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/79cecf57c6cb24d579de35453424b24621fa259b2ed5772e8b408f4b34925e1f.json |
[
"The Canadian Press",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-30T20:49:29 | null | 2016-08-30T14:59:07 | Crossbow attack in Toronto led to the death of the mother and two brothers of the accused, Brett Ryan | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Fvictims-in-crossbow-attack-part-of-accused-killers-family-police%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cp-logo.jpg | en | null | Victims in crossbow attack part of accused killer's family: police | null | null | www.macleans.ca | TORONTO – The three victims of a bloody crossbow attack at a home in Toronto’s east end last week were the mother and two brothers of the accused, police said Tuesday.
Court records name the victims as Susan, Alexander and Christopher Ryan.
Brett Ryan, 35, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the attack that stunned an east-end neighbourhood last Thursday.
His brother Christopher, 42, was a station collector for the Toronto Transit Commission, where he had been working for 12 years, the agency said in a statement Tuesday.
“On behalf of the entire TTC family, we offer our deepest condolences to Mr. Ryan’s family, friends and colleagues,” it said, adding flags will be lowered to half-mast in his honour.
Warren Dalton, who lives across the street from the home, said he was at home Thursday afternoon when one of Ryan’s brothers came to his door, covered in blood. Police have said that person was treated and released from hospital.
“I carried him half into the living room and he fell onto the floor and he said call 911, my brother is bleeding on the driveway,” Dalton said.
“Make sure the police come, make sure the police come.”
Police said they were called to a home for a report of a stabbing around 1 p.m. last Thursday.
They have since said the woman killed in the attack died from ligature strangulation, while one of the men died from a crossbow bolt stab wound to the neck and the other from a single arrowhead stab wound to the neck. They would not say whether the bolt and arrow were shot or used as handheld weapons.
The lead investigator on the case, Det. Sgt. Mike Carbone, said they were still trying to piece together a motive for the slayings and were asking for the public’s help for anyone who had contact with Ryan on Thursday morning before the killings took place.
On Tuesday, a Toronto judge lifted a publication ban on the victims’ identities. Ryan sat quietly in the prisoner’s box during the hearing.
Police also examined a waterfront apartment associated with Ryan last Thursday but found there was no threat to the public, they said.
Ryan had previously served time in connection with a string of bank robberies in Toronto and nearby Durham Region in which a man showed a teller a note indicating he was armed and demanded cash.
In 2008, he was arrested in the case of the Fake Beard Bandit and charged with a total of 29 counts of robbery, intent to commit a crime while disguised, and a weapons offence.
He pleaded guilty in 2009 to eight counts each of robbery and intent to commit an indictable offence while disguised. The remaining counts were withdrawn. He was sentenced to 45 months in prison — less seven months for pre-trial custody. The court also imposed a lifetime weapons ban.
Social media profiles show Ryan was engaged to a registered physiotherapist. They were to be married in Hamilton on Sept. 16.
The couple, according to their registry page, met three years ago on a blind date in downtown Toronto.
Ryan is set to appear in court again on Friday. | http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/victims-in-crossbow-attack-part-of-accused-killers-family-police/ | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/59ae4a27e8c5f3f020f8ced9d9d37ee69114912a485a6b1aa2a1496a3167fef3.json |
[
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff",
"Shannon Proudfoot"
] | 2016-08-26T12:56:46 | null | 2016-08-24T14:44:45 | Three reasons why Christy Clark needn't be panned for halting further increases in British Columbia's carbon tax until other provinces catch up | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Feconomy%2Feconomicanalysis%2Fwhy-christy-clarks-pause-on-carbon-pricing-in-b-c-makes-sense%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/MAC36_EDIT_POST01.jpg | en | null | Why Christy Clark's pause on carbon pricing in B.C. makes sense | null | null | www.macleans.ca | History reveals that every revolution eventually turns on its own adherents, with varying degrees of violence. Radicals and zealots are never satisfied with anything less than permanent upheaval; anyone who advocates moderation or consensus soon comes to be seen as a traitor to the cause. If we accept that a carbon tax represents a revolution of sorts for Canada, this backlash against reason has already appeared in British Columbia.
B.C. was once the darling of the Canadian environmental movement. In 2008 it led the country—and all of North America—on climate change by instituting a comprehensive tax of $10 per tonne of carbon emissions. This tax was hiked annually until it hit $30/tonne in 2012, precipitating a noticeable decline in provincial emissions without causing dramatic economic hardship. (A $30 tax adds approximately seven cents to a litre of gas.) Environmentalists across the country sang B.C.’s praises and loudly demanded other provinces follow its lead. Those days are over.
Last week, B.C. Premier Christy Clark announced an update to her province’s climate change policy. Plenty of new measures are up for debate in this package, but the main issue is her decision to halt further increases in the provincial carbon tax. In doing so she disregarded an advisory panel’s recommendation that the tax be boosted by $10/tonne every year from 2018 until 2050, when it would hit $350/tonne. (Equivalent to about 80¢ per litre of gas.) With an election in the near future, Clark was clearly concerned about the political and practical ramifications of such a move.
For her caution, Clark received a furious blast from many of the same environmental groups that once lauded her province. “It’s irresponsible and unacceptable that our so-called leaders refuse to act,” groused the B.C.-based Wilderness Committee. Clean Energy Canada claimed “B.C.’s climate leadership has fizzled.” Well-known B.C. academic Mark Jaccard labelled Clark’s decision a “cynically ineffective” policy that is “taking cynicism to a new level.”
From the angry tone of her critics, you might think Clark had pulled B.C. off its perch as Canada’s climate change policy leader. Not so. B.C. still has the highest carbon tax in the country. Alberta won’t match B.C.’s $30/tonne carbon price until 2018. Quebec currently operates, and Ontario plans to join, a cap-and-trade system that prices carbon emissions at about $16/tonne. Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Atlantic provinces have no specific policies or prices. “We will consider raising the carbon tax as other provinces catch up,” Clark said, quite appropriately. And yet Canada’s reigning carbon tax champion is being treated by environmentalists as a counter-revolutionary. Only the show trial remains.
A few important public policy lessons fall out of B.C.’s recent experience. First, there is clearly no benefit to being a first mover on climate change. For all its accomplishments over the past eight years, the B.C. government is now condemned for allowing the rest of the country to equal its achievements. If soaking up praise from the environmental lobby is a goal, it seems better to be a follower rather than a leader—which explains why Ontario and Alberta are the new favourites among the notoriously fickle green crowd.
Second, the fury directed at Clark suggests most environmental groups are clueless about the political context of climate change. While B.C.’s $30/tonne carbon tax has had a significant impact on a few industries exposed to foreign competition, such as cement and agriculture, the fact the broader economy has not been brought to a standstill doesn’t mean the same will be true at $350/tonne. The province’s own budgetary analysis concludes that “increasing the carbon tax beyond the current $30 per tonne would have a stronger negative effect on economic growth.” No successful politician can ignore the economic implications of their actions, or the electorate’s ability to accept change. Carbon emission targets must always be balanced against other public policy obligations.
Finally, the demand that B.C. ratchet its carbon price far beyond other provinces’ efforts misses the bigger picture. The objective of a coherent national climate change policy should be a single, consistent price across the entire country. Massive differences in tax rates or cap-and-trade fees between provinces will create substantial economic damage by encouraging businesses and consumers to move around the country to take advantage of these variances. Widening the gap between B.C. and the rest of Canada is thus counter-productive to the interests of a national carbon plan. And with a federal-provincial conference on climate change coming this fall, it makes ample sense for B.C. to wait to see if Ottawa sets a floor price on carbon across the country, and at what level. Provincial convergence, not divergence, is the appropriate goal.
Having achieved what was once thought impossible in Canada—broad acceptance of carbon pricing—the revolutionaries of the environmental movement must learn to give credit where it’s due, and focus their attention on encouraging the laggards rather than attacking the leaders. | http://www.macleans.ca/economy/economicanalysis/why-christy-clarks-pause-on-carbon-pricing-in-b-c-makes-sense/ | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/346a289d67a49cb4c56a5a3a8d234ef96d4a8b78aab5e16fb27797a8b65b1a13.json |
[
"The Canadian Press",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-26T22:48:39 | null | 2016-08-26T17:10:50 | The Turkish embassy in Ottawa said Tuncay Babali had not been arrested and was not facing charges | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Fturkeys-ex-ambassador-to-canada-reportedly-detained-over-coup%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cp-logo.jpg | en | null | Turkey's ex-ambassador to Canada reportedly detained over coup | null | null | www.macleans.ca | OTTAWA – Supporters of Turkey’s former ambassador to Canada are calling on the Turkish government to prove he was linked to a failed coup attempt last month or let him go free.
Tuncay Babali was reportedly detained a week ago amid allegations he was among those involved in the military coup that collapsed on July 15.
The Turkish government has since purged and arrested hundreds of public servants — Babali among them — whom it alleges were tied to the Fethullah Gulen movement that it accuses of being behind the attempted overthrow.
Babali, ambassador to Canada between 2012 and 2014, was seen as one of Turkey’s most accomplished young diplomats. His posting to Canada was his last overseas posting before returning to Ankara to serve in the foreign ministry.
The government relieved him of his duties 11 days after the coup attempt, then put him in jail on Aug. 18, said Gregg Roman, director of the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum.
The Turkish embassy in Ottawa did not have a comment on Babali’s detention, aside from saying that Babali had not been arrested and was therefore not facing criminal charges.
Roman said the Turkish government should either provide incontrovertible evidence against Babali or release him.
“He’s indicative of the 10,000-plus who have been put in jail” following the coup, Roman said.
“This is democracy at its worst.”
Roman said Babali was seen as a linchpin in the relationship between Turkey and the West and his arrest, among others, is now a strain on that relationship.
Bessma Momani, a professor of political science at the University of Waterloo, tweeted that Turkey should present solid proof against Babali and not convict him through guilt by association.
She said Babali was a respected and member of the diplomatic corps in the national capital, and a real friend to academics like herself who had an interest in Turkey. | http://www.macleans.ca/news/world/turkeys-ex-ambassador-to-canada-reportedly-detained-over-coup/ | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/9cb48fe40ab8e34feeebad165f00049cd0507df007c2cb286c5ef1137fecdc1d.json |
[
"The Canadian Press",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-28T14:49:01 | null | 2016-08-28T10:14:19 | Chronically underfunded, Canada's mental-health system now lags behind most other OECD countries | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Fadvocates-canadas-mental-health-system-needs-funding%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/CPT501357336_high.jpg | en | null | Advocates: Canada's mental health system needs funding | null | null | www.macleans.ca | HALIFAX – Canada trails the pack when it comes to mental health funding levels among comparable industrially developed nations—but advocates say a promise from the federal government to improve services means the time is ripe to push for change.
“Access to care is abysmal in most places throughout the country and of course that’s linked … not only, but very much to funding,” said Louise Bradley, executive director of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, in a recent interview.
“We’ve been told to do more with less for a very long time. I think the rubber band is stretched as far as it can go.”
Bradley’s organization and others, such as the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), have been calling for the mental health share of health spending in the provinces and territories to increase by two percentage points over the next decade—from a national average of seven per cent to nine.
Canada’s funding levels rank near the bottom among a list of OECD countries, a point of concern for the Trudeau Liberals who have pledged to make improved access to services a priority since coming to power last fall.
Bradley says she’s cautiously optimistic something can be done through the upcoming round of discussions on a new health funding agreement between Ottawa and the provinces — but even that modest increase would leave Canada behind countries such as New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom, where funding levels range from 10 to 14 per cent.
Most Canadian jurisdictions are proportionally in the same funding range or slightly higher than Nova Scotia, which earmarked $275 million out of its overall $4.1 billion health budget for mental health services for 2016-17.
Bradley said the numbers simply don’t meet the demands of a growing burden of care for the overall health system and for the economy at large in terms of lost productivity, at about $50 billion a year.
Steve Lurie, executive director of CMHA’s Toronto branch, said research has found that the mental health disease burden in Canada’s most populous province is 1.5 times that of cancer and heart disease and seven times that of infectious disease.
Yet Lurie said Ontario invested about $500 million over a 10-year period for mental health compared to $16 billion in other areas of health care.
“What this manifests as, is that people are denied the treatment they need,” said Lurie. “There are wait times to get everything from psychotherapy to assessments to get into supportive housing.”
Lurie said in recent years a number of provinces have funded initiatives that, if “scaled up appropriately,” would make a big difference.
He said Ontario has funded assertive community treatment teams, which are multi-disciplinary teams that target people with complex mental illness. Lurie cited research that indicated the teams could reduce the time patients spend in hospital over a six-year period from 50 days a year to just 10.
Lurie said the teams can support about 5,000 people in Ontario, which has the largest number of teams.
“But relative to the percentage of people who are living with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, you could easily double the capacity of the assertive community treatment teams in Ontario,” he said.
Lurie said another cost-effective initiative that could prove effective nationally is a CMHA program in British Columbia called Bounce Back, which provides telephone coaching to those dealing with anxiety and depression.
“My pitch would be, it’s not like we don’t know what to do … it’s just that we are not funding them (programs) at a sufficient level.”
Patrick Smith, national CEO for CMHA, said the improvements mental health organizations and other advocates have been asking for do not amount to a “Cadillac system” and would still leave Canada behind many other countries.
He said he hopes Ottawa will target areas such as mental health for more support, even as the provinces call for more money overall through the funding formula.
“We really do need investment,” said Smith. “I think it needs to be a mix … but not transferring money and crossing your fingers and hope they (provinces) do the right thing.”
Whether the provinces will readily accept targeted funding for Ottawa’s health priorities is still an open question.
Some premiers have said they are willing to listen, but Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard made it clear following last month’s premier’s meeting in Whitehorse that his province is “totally opposed” to the idea.
During a stop last month in Halifax, federal Health Minister Jane Philpott said the government realizes that Canada does not invest in mental health as well as other countries do.
“It’s a fundamental part of our plan in terms of what we want to be talking to the provinces and territories about and that is making sure that Canadians will have better access to mental health care,” said Philpott.
She said there should be ways that governments can show that the money is being used well and that talks with her provincial counterparts on that point were continuing.
Meanwhile, Bradley, a hospital administrator for most of her career, said she understands the pressures at play in the health system and how mental health has historically struggled as a result.
“The proof will be in the pudding,” said Bradley. “I do feel that unless it’s protected funding, there is the risk that it will go to something else other than mental health.” | http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/advocates-canadas-mental-health-system-needs-funding/ | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/76651e7eadf2200856fb9c11821219ec166b79eb6d7f1922ff29b24c3ceff6fe.json |
[
"Allen Abel",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-26T16:47:58 | null | 2016-06-07T23:02:41 | Allen Abel reports from Louisville, Ky., the birthplace of Muhammad Ali—the most important athlete of all time. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fsociety%2Fmuhammad-ali-and-america-a-complicated-legacy%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/MAC24_MUHAMMAD-ALI_POST08.jpg | en | null | Ali and America: A complicated legacy | null | null | www.macleans.ca | Two weeks ago, in the middle of the night, someone drove a car down the narrow, grassy alley that runs behind the houses in the 4000 block of River Park Drive on the west side of Louisville, Ky. The car stopped, and the still-warm corpses of two very young men named Larry and Reese—born in 2002 and 2000, respectively—were removed from the back and carefully lain, side by side, in a tangle of waist-high weeds, so that one boy’s arm was wrapped around the other boy’s shoulder: best friends forever.
The bodies then were set on fire, but they wouldn’t burn; that sort of thing takes time and practice. But the commotion roused the neighbour who lives just west of the derelict lot, a home-care attendant and former Census Bureau clerk named Donna Beasley, and she alerted the authorities and told what she had seen.
“Their bodies weren’t shot,” she remembered, two weeks later. “They were just stabbed to death and beaten up.” Since then, Beasley had taken to mowing the backyard of the abandoned dwelling, lest it be used as a charnel house again, and to tidying the memorial that had been erected there, which, as of Monday, included a crucifix of rough wooden slats, several burned-out tea lights, some plastic roses and an empty bottle of Crown Royal apple-flavoured whisky.
So there was more to mourn in charming Louisville this week than the passing of a heavyweight fighter. Beyond the public rites for a fallen champion, there were humbler memorials to lives lived without lights or adulation, and deaths of other native sons and daughters too sudden and too terrible to comprehend.
“I really wish in my heart that there were more people who took an interest in our young kids,” Beasley sighed. “They need to be told, ‘You have an argument? Let’s settle this in the ring . . . ’ ”
The ring. The boxing ring. The squared circle. That was how it all had started, of course, eight short blocks south of River Park Drive, on a street called Grand Avenue, 60 long years before.
The legend was this: a puny schoolboy’s bicycle was stolen, and he hungered to punish the perpetrator—to “whup” him, in his words—and he met a sympathetic police officer who taught him how to box, and with his fists and his mouth and his wit and his beauty and his humility in the face of Allah’s omnipotence and his defiance of anything that he perceived as earthly submission or injustice, Muhammad Ali became the most famous man in the world.
(But not the most universally beloved. “I hated that bastard,” a white man said here. “I still do.” And another man, who knew young Cassius Clay, said, “His bike didn’t get stoled—the other way around! He stole the bike.”)
The champion’s fame had not come from sport alone, unlike the celebrity of latter Jordans and Jeters and Jameses, team players all. It had been earned in single combat against 50 fighters just as desperate and brave, and redeemed with terrible damage in the denial of time’s swift arrow, and endured without public complaint, as if in retribution for his conceit and his perfection, in a solitary cell of silence and feebleness for the final 30 years of his 74.
In 1954, when that bicycle was stolen, no one could have foretold that the slender child from Grand Avenue would become a central figure of the final 40 years of the American Century and the dawning of the Jet Age, a hajji and icon, a poet and prophet, an assassin and an apostle, his life enfolding Jim Crow, the Vietnam War, Black Power, the Olympic Games, the fruit and fallout of Islam, family and fatherhood, devotion and desertion.
Perhaps John Lennon, 15 months older than Ali but still nursing his boyhood stamp collection in Liverpool that same year, would grow up to become an equally influential agent of social and cultural change. But Lennon never was commanded to shoulder a rifle for his Queen and then, at the cost of his music and at the command of his terrible swift God, muster the conviction to refuse.
Unlike John Lennon, Ali could not imagine no religion, above us only sky. “In 30 more years, I’ll be 65,” he once told the BBC. “What will I do with those 30 years? Prepare to meet God!” He meant it. Now they’re sparring in the clouds.
Perhaps Jackie Robinson ennobled his own historic burden with his audacity not to strike back, but Robinson—drafted by a cartel of old white men to break their own indefensible colour bar—did not survive 42 rounds with Joe Frazier, or play the infield in Kinshasa and Kuala Lumpur, or turn his back on his country, in thrall to an alien faith.
Then, last weekend, suddenly, shockingly, as if he had been Rope-a-Doping the Almighty all along, Ali was dead. Now Louisville, and America, were being called to judgment, compelled to show that the life of skinny little Cassius Marcellus Clay from Grand Avenue —namesake of a white Kentucky politician and planter who, in the middle of the 19th century, risked his own life to defend the apostasy that the black man is as human in the sight of Jehovah as the white man—had not been in vain, and that the blows that he suffered had purified his own birthplace, and purged his nation of its primal stain of racial bigotry.
But when a reporter came to Louisville in its week of public and private mourning, and talked to dozens of people of both races, more than one man and woman whispered, “Ain’t nothing changed. Ain’t nothing changed. If anything, it’s got worse.”
“Nothing’s been advanced at all, really,” said Donna Beasley. “There’s still racism, and what makes it so bad is that it’s not closeted anymore. And what’s even worse is that since Obama was elected, they came out of the closet.”
Oh, and the night that Cassius Clay—a few weeks from becoming the 1960 Olympic gold medallist in light-heavyweight boxing—graduated from Louisville’s Central High School, he went out to a joint on 15th Street called the Idle Hour Bar and Grill to celebrate with his brother Rudy, and the two brothers wound up spending the evening with two sisters, and one of them was Donna Beasley.
Small world, eh?
One of the first men who came to gawk at Cassius Clay’s boyhood home on Grand Avenue—it is a fairy-pink little bungalow—on Monday morning was an electrician and U.S. Air Force veteran and photographer whose name, wouldn’t you know it, was Kim Clay. The sun had just come up and the first shift was going to work at the aluminum factory down the street where Reynolds Wrap is made.
There was a historical marker out in front of the house that said: “The Clay family was part of the black middle class of West End Louisville, which was racially separated. Yet here is where young Clay’s values were instilled, transforming him into three-time world champion and world-renowned humanitarian, Muhammad Ali.”
“No relation,” said Kim Clay, “but imagine what I’ve had to put up with my whole life, in addition to having a girl’s first name.”
The memorial jetsam in front of the pink house was an assortment of flowers, stuffed bears, boxing gloves, and Finding Nemo balloons.
“I’ve only been in Louisville for four years, but I notice it’s very segregated,” Kim Clay observed. “Has anything been advanced? A lot has changed but the racist stuff is still the same.” (Clay’s observations were borne out by the facts. According to a federally funded report published in 2014, 45 per cent of Louisville residents live in what is officially designated “extreme segregation,” with 95 per cent of their proximate neighbours being of the same race, be it black or white.)
“We still don’t have the opportunities that we should have,” Kim Clay said. “We don’t value our youth and our families anymore. We’ve lost a lot, we’ve gone backward. The only thing different today is that if a kid gets his bike stolen, he gets a gun and kills the other kid. Then he gets locked up and we have just another black kid in prison and just another black kid dead and that’s the end of it.”
“What’s the answer?”
“I think the answer is God.”
One of the first women who came to gawk at Cassius Clay’s boyhood home on Grand Avenue was a neighbourhood grandmother whose name, wouldn’t you know it, was Gwendolyn Clay.
She was a relation, through her grandfather and Cassius’s. “He was faithful in what he done,” Clay said of her famous cousin. “He knew what he wanted to achieve, and he set out to do it, and he done it.”
“Thou hast been faithful over a few things,” a reporter began, quoting Matthew 25.
“And I will make you ruler over many more,” Gwen Clay followed on.
“I have a son who has been incarcerated,” she said. “A disobedient, hard-headed, rebellious boy.”
“Did he ever get his bicycle stolen?”
“No, but I’m sure he stoled some himself!”
“What does your cousin’s life have to teach you and your son and all of us?”
“It makes us see what a lot of time we already lost,” Cassius Clay’s cousin said.
Muhammad Ali’s body was reposing at the A. D. Porter & Sons funeral home southeast of downtown Louisville, awaiting two days of private Islamic ritual and burial and public procession and presidential adoration. The mortuary was located on a suburban highway, between the Fiesta Mexicana restaurant and the headquarters of the Kosair chapter of what used to be known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Nine years after 9-11, that had been condensed to “the Shriners,” but the tasselled fezzes remained, and the paintings in the Kosair hallways of caravans of camels crossing the burning sands of Araby.
“A lot of people think we are Islams, but we’re not, no sir,” a Shriner named Danny Duvall from Beaver Dam, Ky., was saying, surrounded by a ferocious bevy of stuffed toy tigers, plus two other Shriners in the Kosair circus office.
“Do you remember when Ali refused to go into the army?” the men were asked.
“That’s what I always kind of held against him,” Duvall said. “I was never drafted myself, but I woulda definitely went if they had called me. If he had gone in like Elvis did, he never would have fought. They would have gave him a clerical job and he’d box exhibitions on the weekends.”
“When he refused to be drafted, you kind of wondered if he was sincere about being Muslim,” said a man named Charlie Boston, who had volunteered for the National Guard but never saw combat. “If he was, that’s fine. When he got the gold medal fighting for America and he came back to Louisville and he tried to sit down at a restaurant and they wouldn’t serve him, and he threw that gold medal off the Second Street Bridge, you have to think about what that does to a man. And after he became a champion, you think about all the good that he did.”
“If you’re born in this country, stay American,” Duvall countered. “If you don’t like this country, then go to where Islam’s at.”
It was more of the same at the big Veterans Administration hospital across town, a white ex-Marine named Gene Armes straddling his blue Harley-Davidson and saying, “I hated that bastard,” and that “he shoulda done like Elvis. Nobody who was somebody did nothing dangerous once they got in.”
“He had the right to do what he did,” argued a black vet of the same Vietnam vintage, Walter Smith. “A lot of blacks were being sent to the front lines. A lot of people didn’t like him. We don’t know that he would have been like Elvis.”
Back at the Kosair Shrine, a Louisvillian named Kenny Holthouser said that he had hung around the boxing gym, back when that fable about young Cassius and the stolen bike was getting started. He said, “When he came to fight in the Golden Gloves, he was as quiet as a mouse. But put a camera in his face—motormouth.”
The three Shriners all were white men, of course. “The African-Americans have their own clubs in Louisville,” they explained.
“It’s 2016. Why don’t you join black and white together and become one shrine?” the men were asked.
“You’re asking something I don’t have a clue about,” said Duvall.
Two years ago, a 16-month-old baby named Ne’riah Miller was sitting on her mother’s lap on their front porch a few blocks from Muhammad Ali’s childhood home when about half a dozen men rolled up and began shouting and firing handguns. The mother was wounded. Ne’riah died.
“That was my baby cousin,” Shenita Rickman was saying now, and wiping away tears.
This was in Rickman’s office at a faith-based community-service centre on the “racially separated” west side of Louisville. After decades of volunteerism, Rickman had decided to make her first attempt to gain elective office, as a state senator from Kentucky’s 33rd district. As an African-American Republican, a species almost as rare as black Kosair Shriners, she was unlikely to prevail.
But this prospect did not faze her; she called herself “blessed and highly favoured,” and professed her faith that the Holy Trinity would carry her through. In minutes, one of Kentucky’s two Republican U.S. Senators, Dr. Rand Paul, was due to drop by and shake some hands.
“What is the answer to the violence?” candidate Rickman was asked. She, too, had known Muhammad Ali as a friend and neighbour, and she said that he had taught her that “he who is not courageous to take a risk will accomplish nothing in life.”
“Every church needs to bring in more law enforcement and go door to door, street to street, and take the guns away,” Rickman demanded. “When Jesus walked the land, he wasn’t sitting in a building. He went out.”
Rickman blamed the plight of West Louisville squarely on the Democratic Party. “A lot of minds have been under false pretenses since the 18th century,” she said.
“What about the new trinity of Rickman, Paul, and Trump?” the office-seeker was asked. “Is that the answer?”
“At this time I choose not to answer,” she replied.
To a tourist, this is an attractive city, its central core clean and lively, famed for the Kentucky Derby and its namesake baseball bats and Cardinal college basketball and, of course, as the birthplace and now the resting place of Muhammad Ali, if such an athletic ghost, freed from its mortal debilities, ever will rest for an instant. There is much to see and a lot to drink, and at the beautifully conserved old Brown Hotel, if you are not an observant Muslim, you can order an “Ali’s Smash” made from Kentucky bourbon, lemon, mint and pomegranate liqueur.
It has been 55 years since the cyclone that swept a searching young man from Christianity to Islam cleansed downtown Louisville of its whites-only movie theaters and its old, overtly hateful ways. Walking downtown, you find plaques that commemorate the “Nothing New For Easter” boycotts of 1961, the sit-ins and marches, the basic freedoms grudgingly conceded, as if the struggle were all in the past, as if there was no Larry or Reese or Ne’riah.
Just south of the central business district, a whitewashed old warehouse off Interstate 65 has been repurposed as a boxing club called TKO. Here, last Monday evening, the story of Cassius Clay, rather than concluding, began again.
There were 15 small boys—and little girls! —in the ring, cocooned in pillowy headgear, swatting each other with zest and expertise. They were black and white and all the races swirled together. Their instructor was a one-eyed, self-taught, 42-year-old man named James Dixon—he lost his left eye in a car wreck caused by a drunk driver—and Dixon said, “You either lay down and get counted out, or you stand up and get counted on.”
He was full of pithy wisdom, this Dixon—“no hooks before books” was the way he expressed his insistence that all of his little Louisville sluggers maintain good grades in class if they want to keep whupping each other after school.
The poorer kids, the coach said, paid nothing to be here. He estimated that 75 per cent of them were being raised by a single parent. Outside the ring, where these kids came from, “they walk past bullcrap every day.”
A Golden Gloves champion named Braxton Carter represented them; he was 30 and had spent much of his life behind bars. “Just drugs and guns, nothing special,” Carter smiled. He said that he had promised himself and the judge and God that, if he was granted parole, he would devote himself to the next generation of fighters.
And Dixon said, “See? This is more powerful than the streets.”
“I have modelled my gym after Muhammad Ali’s principles,” the coach avowed. Boxing’s ethos was simple, and the great champion’s life was its testament: that it is possible to find brotherhood, even in dispute; that a real man can fight and love. (“You have an argument? Let’s settle this in the ring . . .”)
But the children were too young to have witnessed this philosophy in action, to have seen the most famous man in the world in his slashing prime and in his trembling dotage, dodging punches, feinting and shuffling, firing jabs, preaching understanding, embracing the brothers who destroyed him, just as the world embraced him and now was weeping him home.
“How do you explain to them who Muhammad Ali was?” Dixon was asked, and there was the sound of leather on leather.
He answered, “You don’t have to. Do you have to explain Abraham Lincoln?” | http://www.macleans.ca/society/muhammad-ali-and-america-a-complicated-legacy/ | en | 2016-06-07T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/ac203de6f8d3e453cc8cf145baa399e2bde80750fdd36638bb095f35a976c232.json |
[
"The Canadian Press",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-26T14:49:50 | null | 2016-08-26T10:47:10 | The UN says 75 Canadian police officers and nine military experts were participating in missions in July | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Fliberals-pledge-up-to-600-soldiers-450m-for-un-peacekeeping%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Sajjan.jpg | en | null | Liberals pledge up to 600 soldiers, $450M for UN peacekeeping | null | null | www.macleans.ca | OTTAWA – The Liberal government is putting the United Nations on notice that Canada is ready to provide money and, more importantly, troops for peacekeeping missions around the world.
Up to 600 Canadian soldiers — including engineers and medical units — are being committed to future peacekeeping operations, as well as equipment such as helicopters and planes, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said Friday.
“It is time for Canada to choose engagement over isolation,” Dion told a news conference in Saguenay, Que., where Liberal MPs are taking part in a two-day caucus retreat.
“(It is) time to act with responsible conviction as a determined peacebuilder.”
The additional soldiers represent a dramatic increase over the 19 Canadian troops deployed on peacekeeping missions at the end of July, bringing the total more in line with the number of Canadian blue berets deployed in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Sajjan said Friday’s announcement signals that Canada is committed to re-engaging in a full spectrum of multilateral peace operations, but he also warned that the landscape has changed dramatically in the last 20 years.
“Around the world, the nature of conflict is changing and it’s more complex than ever,” Sajjan said.
“Today, peace support operations are conducted where there may be no peace to keep, or where the fragile peace constantly teeters on the edge of violence. We need to understand conflict better. We need to look at the root cause of conflict, and think of innovative ways to move forward.”
The government is also setting aside $450 million over three years for projects that promote peace and security around the world, including the deployment of police officers and civilian experts.
The UN says 75 Canadian police officers and nine military experts were participating in missions at the end of July.
The commitments are being announced in advance of a major conference in London. Countries are required to make a tangible pledge in order to attend. Canada did not attend last year’s summit in Washington, which was organized by U.S. President Barack Obama.
But the big question, which the government has yet to answer, is where Canadian troops would actually end up. The government says no decision has been made, but it’s believed Canada will participate in more than one country.
Speculation has been rife that the Liberals are eyeing a mission in Mali, the Central African Republic, South Sudan or the Democratic Republic of Congo. But all four represent complex and dangerous environments, with no easy solutions.
In Mali, for example, 86 peacekeepers have been killed since April 2013. The UN missions in the DRC and South Sudan, meanwhile, have been accused of not doing enough to protect civilians. The political situations in those countries are also extremely volatile.
The Liberals promised during last year’s election campaign to return Canada to peacekeeping after more than a decade of dwindling participation. In July, Canada ranked 67th out of 121 nations in terms of the number of troops and police deployed on peacekeeping missions.
Some have questioned the Liberal government’s emphasis on peacekeeping given that many UN missions involve dealing with terrorist groups and other non-state actors. There have also been concerns that the military, which also has a large mission in Iraq and will be soon going to Latvia, is being stretched thin.
Sajjan has said the government won’t task the military with anything that commanders believe they can’t handle.
— With files from Joanna Smith in Saguenay, Que. | http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/liberals-pledge-up-to-600-soldiers-450m-for-un-peacekeeping/ | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/bfedf85ccfc5e73f820322312838019c7edecee37643b4d3213c6a16f51b8189.json |
[
"The Canadian Press",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald",
"Jason Markusoff"
] | 2016-08-29T04:49:13 | null | 2016-08-29T00:29:10 | A rolling overtime ban was set to begin at midnight, but a mediator requested time as negotiations continue | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Fpostal-workers-delay-possible-job-action-for-24-hours%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/11513844.jpg | en | null | Postal workers delay possible job action for 24 hours | null | null | www.macleans.ca | OTTAWA – The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says its plan to begin a rolling overtime ban at midnight Sunday has been placed on hold for 24 hours.
CUPW issued a statement late Sunday night that it was delaying any possible job action in a “last ditch effort” to reach a negotiated settlement with Canada Post.
A federally appointed mediator began meeting with the two sides on Friday to try to reach a deal.
Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton issued a statement Sunday night saying the post office agreed to extend the talks for 24 hours at the mediator’s request.
The two sides have been deadlocked for months on the issues of pay scales for rural letter carriers and proposed changes to pensions for future employees. | http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/postal-workers-delay-possible-job-action-for-24-hours/ | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/f607febbda7b159ca5a24ac62a7a443c09a38702af69eb1634dedc73e9b0407d.json |
[
"Jim Bronskill",
"The Canadian Press",
"Scott Feschuk",
"John Geddes",
"Jonathon Gatehouse",
"Charlie Gillis",
"Scott Gilmore",
"Anne Kingston",
"Adrian Lee",
"Nancy Macdonald"
] | 2016-08-26T13:01:49 | null | 2016-08-25T18:05:40 | Government's public report on terrorism notes an increase in women who have travelled in an attempt to join ISIS | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macleans.ca%2Fnews%2Fone-in-five-canadian-extremist-woman-isis%2F.json | http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/MAC26_ISIS-KILL-LIST_Post.jpg | en | null | One in five Canadian extremist travellers a woman, federal report says | null | null | www.macleans.ca | OTTAWA – Women account for about one-fifth of extremists from Canada who head overseas, says the government’s latest public report on terrorism.
In some cases women have taken their children to conflict zones, says the annual assessment of the terrorist threat.
The report issued Thursday says the participation of women in terrorist organizations is not new. However, there has been an increase in the number of women who have travelled or attempted to travel abroad to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The report says it is often unclear what roles are performed by women who travel to join extremist groups.
It notes the most common assumption is women travel abroad to marry terrorists, but some may occupy secondary roles within extremist groups, and in other cases appear to be training and taking part in combat.
Groups such as Boko Haram in North Africa are using female suicide bombers to cause mass casualties, the report adds. “Some of these women and girls were likely kidnapped and forced into the attacks, while others may be willing relatives of male fighters who have been killed.”
As of the end of 2015, the federal government was aware of approximately 180 people abroad with a nexus to Canada who were suspected of engaging in terrorism-related activities, the report says. More than half were believed to be in Turkey, Iraq or Syria.
The government was also aware of a further 60 extremist travellers who had returned to Canada.
The figures are consistent with ones made public in February by CSIS director Michel Coulombe.
The report says the phenomenon of extremist travellers – including those abroad, those who return and those prevented from travelling – poses a range of security concerns for Canada.
Returning travellers may have “skills, experience and relationships developed abroad that could be used to recruit or inspire individuals in Canada,” it says. They may also engage in terrorist financing, help others to travel or even plan attacks in Canada.
The principal terrorist threat to Canada continues to be violent extremists who could be inspired by groups like ISIL and al-Qaida to carry out an assault, the government says.
Jihadi sympathizer Aaron Driver was killed by police during a confrontation in Strathroy, Ont., earlier this month after a martyrdom video he made came to the attention of authorities.
The would-be target of Driver’s thwarted attack remains unclear. | http://www.macleans.ca/news/one-in-five-canadian-extremist-woman-isis/ | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.macleans.ca/9f5d5c89676c66fe49752b546cbf0f14902e7de512f5ec421706efd765bc4ff3.json |
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