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818e938a4ec15946847e99a3b96f232c
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/11/17/americans-agree-sexual-harassment-problem-they-just-dont-always-agree-what/864621001/
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Americans agree sexual harassment is a problem. They just don't always agree on what it is
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Americans agree sexual harassment is a problem. They just don't always agree on what it is
Over the years, sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape are topics that Americans have far too often tried to sweep under the rug, but issues of sexual misconduct have now taken center stage as allegations have begun to bring down powerful men in Hollywood and beyond.
People are increasingly aware of the severity of the problem. Two-thirds of Americans think sexual harassment in the workplace is widespread, according to a poll last month from NBC and The Wall Street Journal. But while most Americans agree the lines are too often being crossed, they don't always agree on where that line is.
Clear definitions, blurred interpretations
Deborah Rhode, a Stanford Law School professor, said most workplaces follow the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission definition of harassment. The EEOC identifies two types of harassment, Rhode said: "Quid pro quo harassment, which is requests for sexual favors, or hostile environment harassment, which is creating a hostile workplace that interferes with performance."
"The problem is, when does the conduct rise to a level of interfering with performance?" Rhode said. "And how offensive does it have to be before either the employer or courts will take it seriously? And that's where the fuzziness comes in. I think the definitions are fairly consistent but the interpretations vary enormously."
Rhode said the tech industry is "the latest example" of a male-dominated industry where sexual harassment complaints are regularly dismissed. "And we know that Fox News had decades of notice about Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilly, but if the employee is valued enough, employers are willing to forgive and forget until egregious conduct becomes public."
SEXUAL HARASSMENT:Does your generation determine how you perceive it?
Here are the current definitions of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the federal government.
Sexual harassment, defined
What the dictionary says:
Uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature especially by a person in authority toward a subordinate (such as an employee or student)
What the EEOC says:
Harassment can include “sexual harassment” or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.
Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex. For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about women in general.
Both victim and the harasser can be either a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser can be the same sex.
Although the law doesn’t prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted).
The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer.
What average people say:
In a March 2017 survey of U.S. adults conducted by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), 60% of women and 48% of men considered "unwanted verbal remarks that are provocative or unsolicited" to be sexual violence or assault (setting — i.e., workplace or not — was not specified).
Sexual assault, defined
What the dictionary says:
Illegal sexual contact that usually involves force upon a person without consent or is inflicted upon a person who is incapable of giving consent (as because of age or physical or mental incapacity) or who places the assailant (such as a doctor) in a position of trust or authority
What the Justice Department says:
Sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape.
More:Woman says Roy Moore attacked her in a car when she was 16
Rape, defined
What the dictionary says:
Unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent because of mental illness, mental deficiency, intoxication, unconciousness, or deception.
What the Justice Department says:
The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.
What people say:
In the NSVRC survey, 87% of women and 82% of men agreed that sexual intercourse where one of the partners does not give consent counts as sexual violence or assault. And 74% of women and 71% of men said the same of sexual intercourse with a partner who is severely intoxicated due to alcohol or drugs.
Evolving legal definitions
Even agreeing on what constitutes rape is not always simple. State laws vary in how they define sex crimes, consent, legal age and the statutes of limitations.
"Most states require a showing of force and non-consent without force is a misdemeanor," Rhode said.
In other words, many states don't consider it rape if a victim verbally protests but isn't physically forced. This makes it difficult to prosecute some "acquaintance rapes" in which the victim knows the attacker and which make up the vast majority of rape cases.
In 2012, the Justice Department dramatically expanded how it defines rape for the purposes of collecting crime data. The old definition "only included forcible male penile penetration of a female vagina" the department said in a statement. The new definition does not define the sex of the victim, drops the force requirement and adds oral or anal penetration.
Currently, there is an effort to add an "affirmative consent" standard to the Model Penal Code that forms the basis for many state laws. This would require the someone express "either through words or conduct" that they are willing to engage in a sexual act in order to consent.
"I think what you're seeing with the latest cascade of complaints is just how much it takes to get people's attention," Rhode said. "But I do think that the collective consciousness raising that we've been involved in is a watershed moment. Everybody's getting a lesson in just how persistent and pervasive these problems can be."
More:Harvey Weinstein scandal: A complete list of the 80 accusers
More:Kevin Spacey scandal: A complete list of the 15 accusers
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9b9d73ed60e3960f8d9e20b76e778ae0
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/11/17/top-20-onshore-oil-and-gas-spills/876390001/
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Top 20 onshore U.S. oil and gas spills since 2010
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Top 20 onshore U.S. oil and gas spills since 2010
The spill of an estimated 210,000 gallons of crude oil in South Dakota on Thursday from TransCanada’s Keystone Pipeline is one of the 20 largest onshore oil or petroleum product spills since 2010.
Here are the top 20 spills during that period as reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The list ranks them by size and includes the date, gallons spilled, commodity, company name, city or county and state of spill and estimated costs including property and environmental damages.
— July 29, 2013: 865,200 gallons, crude oil, Tesoro High Plains Pipeline Co., MountRail County, N.D., $17,755,766
— July 25, 2010: 843,444 gallons, crude oil, Enbridge Energy, Marshall, Mich., $927,270,213
— Dec. 5, 2016: 529,830 gallons, crude oil, Belle Fourche Pipeline Co., Billings County, N.D., $11,334,049
— June 4, 2011: 513,618 gallons, crude oil, Enterprise Crude Pipeline LLC, Chico, Texas, $1,472,079
— Oct. 11, 2010: 428,400 gallons, crude oil, Centurion Pipeline LP, Levelland, Texas, $70,748
— Jan. 19, 2017: 420,378 gallons, crude oil, Tallgrass Pony Express Pipeline, Logan County, Colo., $345,554
— April 13, 2011: 378,000 gallons, gasoline, Marathon Pipe Line, Dansville, Mich., $38,661,147
— Dec. 8, 2014: 369,600 gallons, gasoline, Plantation Pipe Line Co., Belton, S.C., $3,951,634
— August 29, 2016: 361,200 gallons, crude oil, Sunoco Pipeline LP, Sweetwater, Texas, $4,017,900
— Oct. 23, 2016: 319,326 gallons, crude oil, Enterprise Crude Pipeline LLC, Cushing, Okla., $7,818,638
— Sept. 9, 2010: 316,596 gallons, crude oil, Enbridge Energy, Romeoville, Illi., $52,284,683
— Sept. 9, 2016: 309,540 gallons, gasoline, Colonial Pipeline Co., Helena, Ala., $66,234,072
— Jan. 27, 2011: 290,262 gallons, crude oil, Enterprise Crude Pipeline LLC, Iola, Texas $4,834,962
— Aug. 31, 2017: 240,072 gallons gasoline, Magellan Terminals Holdings LP, Galena Park, Texas, $1,340,026
— March 9, 2013:235,200 gallons, crude oil, Lion Oil Trading and Transportation, Inc., Magnolia, Ark., $3,538,062
— Aug. 31, 2017: 221,424 gallons, gasoline, Magellan Terminals Holding LP, Galena Park, Texas, $1,292,026
— Jan. 30, 2017: 210,000 gallons, crude oil, Enterprise Crude Pipeline, Anna, Texas, $2,346,925
— Nov. 16, 2017: 210,000 gallons, crude oil, TransCanada Corp, Marshall County, S.D., Cost not yet known
— Oct. 13, 2014: 189,378 gallons, crude oil, Mid-Valley Pipeline Co., Mooringsport, La., $12,049,280
— Oct. 31, 2016: 186,669 gallons, gasoline, Colonial Pipeline Co., Helena, Ala., $16,844,292
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6918377dcf027802ce7f934a4dc37201
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/11/20/could-happen-here-how-churches-preparing-mass-shooting/882698001/
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Could it happen here? How churches are preparing for a mass shooting
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Could it happen here? How churches are preparing for a mass shooting
SCOTTS, Mich. (RNS) — Did they know how many rounds a gunman fired into First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas?
Did they know how many little boys and girls he killed?
Did they know there was a second violent church attack that same day in Fresno, Calif.?
Barry Young’s voice rose as he led an “intruder awareness and response training” for church personnel this month at Prairie Baptist Church in Scotts, Mich.
“What happened in Texas isn’t new. It’s just larger than normal,” said Young, the vice president of church security ministries at Grandview, Mo.-based Strategos International, a Christian company that teaches people at schools, churches and other institutions how to deal with a violent, armed intruder.
“We’ve got to get church leaders’ heads out of the sand.”
It was the weekend after the deadliest church shooting in American history, after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urged viewers on Fox News, “We need people in church — professional security or at least arming some of the parishioners or congregation — so they can respond when something like this happens again.”
As church leaders across the country considered how to respond — to comfort their congregations but also to make them feel safe — nearly 80 people from churches across Michigan, Indiana and Illinois gathered at Prairie Baptist for the training presented by Strategos, the largest church security training ministry in the world, according to Young.
Strategos, which is affiliated with Abundant Life Church in Lee’s Summit, Mo., southeast of Kansas City, has trained more than 20,000 church leaders since 2007. But since the most recent Texas church shooting, Young said he’s been overwhelmed with requests and is filling up his schedule so quickly that one Boston church will have to wait a year for its training.
Saturday’s training was peppered with horrific details from the Texas church shooting, alarming statistics and Bible verses delivered in a call-and-response cadence familiar to many churchgoers.
“I wish it was 1950 … but it’s 2017, and the American church has to change,” Young said.
His voice jumped another decibel: “I said the American church has to change. How many people have to die before the American church changes?”
Prairie Baptist Church
Prairie Baptist Church planned the event at least six months ago to boost the skills of its security team and to help other churches in the area do the same, Associate Pastor John Woullard said. When it came to the timing — a week after the Texas church shooting — Woullard said, “God just had that all worked out.”
Prairie Baptist, housed in a long, low building covered in tan siding, sees about 200 people on a Sunday morning, the associate pastor said. That’s about the average size for a church in the United States, according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
The church has had a security team for about three years, after Woullard went to a similar training and, he said, “my eyes were opened to how much is going on in the world and how little we know what’s going on in our building during a service.”
“It made my eyebrows go up.”
Prairie Baptist’s security team has about 10 members who rotate serving on a Sunday, he said. One person is positioned to greet people at the front door, which is kept locked. Someone is in every part of the building every few minutes to check on Sunday school classes and to make sure everyone is safe.
Several are armed.
On a Saturday this November, Richard Wise, head of Prairie Baptist’s security team, greeted visitors warmly at the door with a firm handshake. He was wearing an earpiece and a cheery blue button-down shirt with the church’s logo, and both he and Woullard were carrying concealed weapons, according to Wise.
Churches are considered “gun-free zones” in Michigan, but gun owners can carry their weapons with a pastor’s permission, Woullard said. And a Michigan Senate committee approved bills last week that would give blanket permission to carry concealed weapons in churches and other gun-free zones.
“The Bible says, ‘Redeeming the time for the days are evil.’ We have to be diligent and understand the times we live in,” Woullard said.
The associate pastor pointed to the biblical Book of Nehemiah, in which the people carried a tool in one hand and a sword in the other as they rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem. He offered as an example the Founding Fathers, who could not have won the Revolutionary War without weapons.
And he pointed to the shooting the weekend before at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, which ended when a neighbor fired back at the attacker with his own gun.
Church security
In his opening prayer, Wise made clear they weren’t just there to talk about guns.
“When we talk about church security, it’s not talking about packing a gun or carrying a gun,” he prayed. “It’s about being prepared for every possible thing that we can think of, Lord. It’s just protecting the flock — it’s protecting what you have blessed us with in the ministry.”
Inside the church, decorated with Bible verses, patriotic sentiments and a portrait of George Washington, Young shared a number of statistics taken from the statistics on deadly force collected by church security consultant Carl Chinn: Since 1999, there have been more than 1,500 violent church attacks in America, and church violence has gone up 2,380 percent, Young said.
Chinn’s statistics, however, have been called into question and include the many violent deaths on church property that are suicides.
Last year alone, there were 246 violent church attacks, Young said. On Nov. 5, there were two. He poked the media for failing to report the story.
“The media sometimes doesn’t tell the truth,” Young said to laughs, “and so most people don’t know that there was a violent church attack last Sunday at the exact same time” as the shooting in Texas.
In addition to the shooting in Sutherland Springs, which killed more than two dozen people, Manuel Garcia fatally shot his estranged wife, Martha Garcia, and her new boyfriend outside St. Alphonsus Church in Fresno, Calif., before killing himself later that day at his home, according to The Washington Post, one of several news outlets that reported the crime.
And yet, while airports, public schools and other institutions have changed how they handle security in this era of mass shootings, the church has not, he said.
Because it can take police four to nine minutes to respond to a call for help, he said, “We want to give you a comprehensive plan from the parking lot to the pulpit that includes Band-Aids to bullets to close the four- to nine-minute window.”
Young advocated for three layers of church security: a parking lot team, greeters and ushers, and a security team. He shared three foundations of church security — “look out,” “get out” and “take out.” He walked attendees through a lockdown, confronting somebody coming down the aisle at a church, and using a tactical pen — a writing instrument and weapon in one — for self-defense.
As he demonstrated how to shoot beneath a vehicle and described what direction vehicles should be parked in relation to a building, a white-tailed deer bobbed across one of the surrounding fields.
Marc Anderson of Kalamazoo, Mich., and his sister-in-law Anneliese Langs, a police officer who lives in Climax, Mich., came to the training at the suggestion of their pastor at Fellowship Baptist Church in Battle Creek, Mich. Their pastor also happens to be Langs’ father. She began discussing the idea of a security team with him after the church shooting earlier this year outside Nashville, Tenn., she said.
Fellowship Baptist averages about 60 people each Sunday, and Anderson, who works for an aviation company in Battle Creek, already was thinking how he could scale what he’d learned for a smaller church and who might be interested in joining a security team.
He’s encountered pushback to the idea, especially the idea of guns in church, including from his dad, who also is a pastor.
“It doesn’t seem to make much sense,” he said. “As a pastor, you’re responsible for the people that come. … I don’t think there’s anything wrong with protecting the people that go there. You want them to feel safe.”
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ae81ed72c9548b94e65038b8f98b2129
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/11/27/hawaii-eyeing-north-korea-readies-nuclear-war-sirens/898505001/
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Hawaii, eyeing North Korea, readies nuclear war sirens
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Hawaii, eyeing North Korea, readies nuclear war sirens
In a throwback to the days of the Cold War with Russia, Hawaii on Friday will begin testing a warning siren to prepare for the possibility of nuclear attack, state officials say.
Vern Miyagi, administrator for the state emergency management agency, said the sirens blasting across the islands would notify the public to "get inside, stay inside and stay tuned" for more information.
Miyagi likened the warnings to Bert the Turtle, a cartoon character from the 1950s used to warn Americans to "duck and cover" in the event of a nuclear attack. The increased threat from North Korea is the reason behind the warnings, he said.
"If anybody told me four or five months ago we would be doing this I would have said you are crazy," Miyagi said. "But stuff happens."
More:South Korea broadcasts defector's daring escape on loudspeakers
More:In the war of insults, here's North Korea's latest jab at Trump
The signal test will take place Friday and the first business day of each month after that. The test will take place in conjunction with a general siren warning, a more steady tone, that already takes place each month.
The state is also broadcasting public service announcements and conducting community meetings aimed at educating the public. Miyagi said Hawaiians should have two weeks of provisions stored in their homes, just in case of an attack or a natural disaster.
He acknowledged that state officials do not consider an attack likely but said all have heard the unrelenting threats from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Kim and President Trump have swapped insults and threats since Trump assumed the presidency. Trump has threatened "fire and fury," and during a tour of Asia this month urged U.S. troops to be prepared for conflict.
“We dominate the sky, we dominate the sea, we dominate the land and space,” he said.
Kim has called Trump a "lunatic" and has threatened a pre-emptive strike aimed at annihilating the United States.
New York and Washington, D.C., are almost 7,000 miles from Pyongyang. Honolulu is about 4,600 miles. Closer quarters make Hawaii more vulnerable, but Miyagi dismissed the opinion of many Hawaiians that a nuclear attack would be so devastating that it's not worth planning for recovery.
"The models as far as casualties, we're talking about 10%," Miyagi said. "It's not pretty, (but) I'm going to tell the 90% survivors that we stopped planning because you guys were all supposed to die?
"There is an impact, and there is a whole bunch of stuff after," he said. "That is why we are preparing."
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5a245c3152772c4a69e00fafcd982285
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/11/29/hey-kids-you-can-soon-have-low-fat-flavored-milk-your-school-lunch/905553001/
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Hey kids! You can soon have low-fat, chocolate milk with your school lunch
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Hey kids! You can soon have low-fat, chocolate milk with your school lunch
Lunchroom bosses across the nation are getting a bit more flexibility in what they serve under a new federal rule unveiled Wednesday amid criticism that easing restrictions means less healthy young Americans.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue cited President Trump's February executive order to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens in announcing the interim rule, effective for the 2018-2019 school year.
“Schools need flexibility in menu planning,” Perdue said, adding they "want to offer food that students actually want to eat. It doesn’t do any good to serve nutritious meals if they wind up in the trash can."
Wednesday's announcement involves easing rules for milk, whole grains and sodium. Rachna Govani, co-founder of Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Foodstand, cites research by the American Heart Association indicating a deficit of whole grains and an excess of salt are two of the largest contributors to premature cardiovascular death.
"While it's true that kids need to eat, claiming that kids won't eat the healthier meals isn't a good excuse not to serve them," Govani told USA TODAY. "By providing unhealthy food for our children we train their taste buds to prefer high fat, high salt, high sugar foods. We need to retrain our children's taste buds."
School lunch menus have been contentious as long as there have been schools. In the early 1980s, the Reagan administration famously considered passing off ketchup as a vegetable in an effort to meet nutritional requirements.
More recently, in 2011 there was an uproar when Democrats accused Republicans of trying to classify pizza as a vegetable. Actually, the issue was whether two tablespoons of tomato paste would count or if a half cup of the stuff was required.
The interim final rule published Wednesday means lunchrooms won't be required to further restrict sodium levels as planned for the 2018-2019 school year. States will also be allowed to grant exemptions to schools experiencing hardship in obtaining whole grain-rich products for 2018-2019.
Govani says a diet rich in whole grains are crucial for prevention of diabetes and obesity.
"Sacrificing our children's health is not an option," she said.
The rule also gives schools the option to serve low-fat, "flavored" milk, such as chocolate milk. Currently, schools are permitted to serve low-fat and non-fat unflavored milk, but only non-fat milk could be flavored. The rule includes the Special Milk Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program operators serving children ages 6 and older.
The dairy world is all in.
“Today’s action will help reverse declining milk consumption by allowing schools to provide kids with ... the flavored milks they enjoy," Michael Dykes, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, said in a statement.
Govani, however, says she is less concerned with the fat content of milk than the sugar content. Chocolate milk has lots of sugar.
"If Secretary Perdue wants to take a step in the right direction, he should consider limiting flavored milks altogether, instead of allowing more of them into our cafeterias, Govani said.
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fab5dd3badd6e911d0f479a0c10988b3
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/11/30/nazi-next-door-says-new-york-times-profile-cost-him-job-home/908317001/
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'Nazi next door' says 'New York Times' profile cost him job, home
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'Nazi next door' says 'New York Times' profile cost him job, home
An Ohio white supremacist who rocketed to infamy after a controversial profile in The New York Times says he lost his job and home in the aftermath of his widely publicized ideological reveal.
Tony Hovater says he, his wife, Maria, and her brother were fired from their jobs at the 571 Grill and Draft House in New Carlisle. Hovater told the Times his family was moving from their rental home "for safety reasons."
Hovater told The Washington Post that they could no longer afford to pay the rent, and that someone published the address online.
"It's not for the best to stay in a place that is now public information," he said. "We live alone. No one else is there to watch the house while I'm away."
Hovater wasn't alone in taking heat after the profile published Saturday. Critics accused the Times of normalizing white supremacy behavior. That led Times national editor Marc Lacey to respond, saying it was important "to shed more light, not less, on the most extreme corners of American life."
More:Facebook, Snapchat execs agree to advise anti-hate speech group
More:Reddit bans Nazis, discussions that incite violence
More:Who got inside the Richard Spencer speech at University of Florida?
Hovater is a founding member of the Traditionalist Worker Party, a group that participated in contentious, racially charged marches in Charlottesville, Va. Among the group's core values is to "fight for the interests of White Americans, a people who for decades have been abandoned by the System and actively attacked by globalists and traitorous politicians."
The Times described Hovater as a regular guy in his community, a well-mannered "Nazi sympathizer next door" living a quiet, uneventful life.
Until the profile, apparently. The article did not mention the restaurant by name, but referenced its signature Haystack hamburger — a silver lining for the rustic eatery that features more than 125 craft beers and bumper stickers on its support beams.
"While the 571 Grill and Draft House is happy to be recognized by national news outlets for our 571 Haystack burger, it’s with a sad heart that we must reflect on a divisive political topic that has unfortunately darkened the doorstep of our small business," the owners said in a statement.
They said they have been assailed with angry and threatening messages since the profile was published, and that Hovater himself suggested they "release" him from their employ. The statement went on to say the Times profile included "some very disturbing images and thoughts from this individual" that did not align with the views of management.
Hovater has supporters. The site "goyfundme" — a crowdfunding website catering to the far-right — has drawn more than $8,000 in donations on his behalf.
It also notes that "giving is what Christmas is all about."
"As a general movement, we must show solidarity through supporting our own and helping them back to their feet," the funding pitch says. "Even in times where it may be an inconvenience to us."
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2183ae5030d21f268c0d9bd69f42d4cf
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/12/07/when-hanukkah-and-what-does-celebrate/930184001/
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When is Hanukkah and what does it celebrate?
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When is Hanukkah and what does it celebrate?
When is Hanukkah this year?
The eight-day Jewish celebration begins on the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 12, and ends on the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 20. Jewish holidays begin at sundown.
What does Hanukkah celebrate?
Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah, as well as several other variations) commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, according to the History Channel, when Jews rose up against their Greek-Syrian rulers in the Maccabean Revolt. Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew, begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and usually falls in November or December.
Unlike many Jewish holidays, Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is not mentioned in the Bible, according to the religion’s Reform movement. The events upon which the celebration is based are recorded in Maccabees I and II, two books contained within a later collection of writings known as the Apocrypha.
The books tell the story, according Chabad, a Jewish-Hasid movement, of how a small band of Jews led by Judah the Maccabee defeated a much larger force and reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem. When they went to light the temple's menorah – a traditional seven-branched candelabrum – they found only a day’s supply of uncontaminated ritual olive oil. The one-day supply of oil lasted for eight days, thus the eight-day celebration.
What happens during Hanukkah?
The Hanukkah celebration revolves around the lighting each evening of candles on a nine-branched menorah, known in Hebrew as the hanukiah. On each of the holiday’s eight nights, another candle is added to the menorah after sundown; the ninth candle, called the shamash (“helper”), usually situated in the center, is used to light the others. Families typically recite blessings during this ritual and display the menorah prominently in a window as a reminder to others of the miracle that inspired the holiday.
Are there any particular foods eaten?
Of course – it’s a Jewish celebration! In a nod to the story of the Temple oil, traditional Hanukkah foods are fried and, according to the Reform movement, potato pancakes known as latkes and jam-filled doughnuts (sufganiyot) are particularly popular. Other Hanukkah customs include playing with four-sided spinning tops called dreidels and exchanging gifts.
Has Hanukkah always been such a big deal?
No. It is only in recent decades, the History Channel reports, that Hanukkah has exploded into a major commercial phenomenon, largely because it falls near or overlaps with Christmas. From a religious perspective, however, it remains a relatively minor holiday that places no restrictions on working, attending school or other activities.
More:10 things that will make your Hanukkah more lit than a menorah
More:What is Hanukkah? These clever kids explain
More:10 tips to help you not overeat
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d1d8f67efe078670f51c9d0dbf0b1b75
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/12/10/retirements-revolving-door-why-some-workers-cant-call-quits/926793001/
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Retirement’s revolving door: Why some workers can’t call it quits
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Retirement’s revolving door: Why some workers can’t call it quits
In his view, Tim Franson utterly failed at retirement.
After 20 years as a high-ranking vice president at drugmaker Eli Lilly, Franson and his wife, Chris, a successful real estate agent, thought they were quietly retiring nearly a decade ago to Bonita Springs, Fla.
For the first month or so, Franson said, he mostly slept. He wasn’t depressed, just mentally and physically exhausted.
Then, “I went crazy,” said Franson. “I’m not very good at sitting around.”
He quickly found himself back at work part time after a friend at a small pharmaceutical company asked him for strategic advice. “Things snowballed from there.”
Today, Franson, 66, consults and works about four days a week, while serving on two for-profit boards and two non-profit boards.
Not new, but growing
Welcome to the land of the un-retired — folks who thought they were leaving the work world only to return because they sorely missed something about it, besides the money. These people in their 50s through 80s retired on pensions or savings — or both — but ultimately woke up to the fact there’s more to life than watching Florida sunsets.
This “un-retirement” trend continues to build, according to a 2017 Rand Corp. study showing that 39% of Americans 65 and older who are currently employed had previously retired. And more than half of those 50 and older who are not working and not searching for work said they would work if the “right opportunity came along,” the study found.
“We have a mistaken image of life, that you go to school, work for 40 years, then say goodbye to colleagues for the last time and embrace the leisure life,” said Chris Farrell, author of Unretirement: How Baby Boomers Are Changing the Way We Think About Work, Community and the Good Life. “That’s not turning out to be the arc of most people’s lives.”
About people and not dollars
This isn’t about older folks returning to work because they need the dough. This is about older folks returning to work because they miss the challenges, the accomplishments and, most important, the collegiality.
When retirees are asked what they miss most about pre-retirement life, the No. 1 answer is typically colleagues, said Farrell. “What’s constantly underestimated is that work is really a community. It turns out it’s much healthier and more satisfying to work for a bad boss than to sit on the couch and watch TV,” he said.
Franson gets that. Not that it didn’t make perfect sense for him to retire when he did, at age 58. Lilly offered him a year’s pay and a full pension to take early retirement. Franson had prostate cancer while at Lilly — and though the surgery was successful, he said, “that experience makes you sit back and revisit how you want to experience your remaining days.” At the time, his kids were out of college, and he didn’t have any grandkids yet.
Then, life derailed him when his wife, Chris, took ill and died within a few years. Four years ago, he accepted another consulting job in the Indianapolis area to be closer to his children and grandchildren. Franson has no plans to retire from his un-retirement anytime soon.
Then, there's Louise Klaber. She retired at age 65 from a 20-year career in organizational development — but is now working again at age 81.
In 2001, the former New Yorker thought she was living the dream when she arranged to retire to New York City with husband Ralph Walde, a college professor.
Sept. 13 was moving day into their apartment on New York's Upper West Side. But as the horrific events of 9/11 unfurled, they found they were living in a state of shock. Within weeks, they were both signed up to do volunteer work helping prepare meals for the 9/11 site workers. Their shift: 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., chopping squash, carrots and onions. "It made us feel like we were actually doing something to help," Klabe said.
The prep kitchen shut down shortly after Thanksgiving, and she found part-time paid work assisting people most severely affected by 9/11 find financial aid, mental health assistance or employment. She then contacted ReServe, a national non-profit that places retired professionals with public service agencies of all sizes, budgets and missions. ReServe linked Klaber with the New York City Law Department, where she has worked part time ever since as an organization development counselor. What drives her isn’t the $10-an-hour pay but the professional camaraderie.
A former marathon runner, Klaber still runs almost daily. That, she said, is an important ingredient for staying healthy — but the work is just as important to her vitality.
When will she finally quit working?
"God only knows," she said. "I'm having way too much fun.”
Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation that is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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249e9b385e21a39e08ac6b7d24b7a344
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/12/12/new-york-subway-blast-suspect-facing-terror-charges/943553001/
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New York subway blast suspect in Facebook post before detonating bomb: 'Trump, you failed to protect your nation'
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New York subway blast suspect in Facebook post before detonating bomb: 'Trump, you failed to protect your nation'
NEW YORK — Bangladesh native Akayed Ullah taunted President Trump in a Facebook post minutes before igniting bedlam with a botched bombing in New York City's crowded Times Square transit hub at rush hour, authorities said Tuesday.
“On the way to carrying out the December 11 attack, Ullah posted a statement on his Facebook account that stated, 'Trump you failed to protect your nation,'" according to a federal court complaint filed by Special Agent Joseph Cerciello with Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The five-count complaint charges the Brooklyn resident with bombing a public place, use of a weapon of mass destruction, providing support for the Islamic State, destruction of property by fire or explosives and use of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions cited the attack Tuesday in calling on Congress to tighten immigration rules. Ullah came to the U.S. in 2011 on an F-4 visa that's available for immigrants with relatives who are U.S. citizens — the "chain migration" program Trump has vowed to end.
Lee Francis Cissna, director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, also cited issues with the visa lottery at a White House press briefing.
"Because the criteria are so low, either you have no education at all and very little skills, or you have a minimum of education and no skills at all," he said. "And because it’s a lottery, pretty much anybody on the planet who’s from a qualifying country can take advantage of this."
Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said at a news conference Tuesday that Ullah "came to kill, to maim, to destroy," and expected to die in the explosion. He had no respect for American "virtues," Kim added.
"Ullah will find here another great American virtue, and that is justice," Kim said. "And that justice will be tough, it will be fair, and it will be swift."
Ullah's first court appearance is expected to be a "bedside presentment" by video conference from Bellevue Hospital on Wednesday, Kim's office said. The bomb suspect was being treated for burns and cuts to his abdomen and hands suffered in the blast. Three passersby suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Ullah, 27, could face a sentence of a life term in prison if convicted on the use of weapons of mass destruction charge.
He admitted to investigators that he built the pipe bomb loaded with metal screws, saying he was inspired by the Islamic State, according to the court complaint.
Authorities say the bomb only partially detonated, a misfire that may have saved many lives.
“Ullah carried out the December 11 attack in part because of the United States Government’s policies in, among other places, the Middle East," the complaint stated. Ullah hoped to "terrorize as many people as possible" and conducted his attack on a workday hoping to impact more people, the complaint alleged.
Ullah’s radicalization began as far back as 2014, the complaint said. He viewed online material of the Islamic terror group ISIS, “including a video instructing, in substance, that if supporters of ISIS were unable to travel overseas to join ISIS, they should carry out attacks in their homelands," the complaint said.
More:Suspect in Times Square blast timed assault for maximum impact
More:Police pledge more patrols but say no broader threat is imminent
Ullah began searching the Internet about a year ago for information about building improvised explosive devices, the complaint charged.
Federal investigators who searched the accused terrorist's Brooklyn home recovered material that potentially could be used to produce other bombs. The list included metal pipes, pieces of wire and fragments of what appeared to be Christmas tree lights and multiple screws consistent with the screws found at the bombing scene.
Also found was a passport with the name Akayet Ullah that featured multiple handwritten notations, including “O AMERICA, DIE IN YOUR RAGE,” the complaint alleged.
Kim characterized that statement as "chilling." While declining to discuss the suspected intent behind Ullah's Facebook post about Trump, Kim said Ullah told investigators he had "issues" with "American Middle East policies."
Earlier Tuesday, the New York City Police Department announced that Ullah faced state charges including criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making terroristic threats.
Ullah detonated the device, which was strapped to his body, in the crowded pedestrian tunnel Monday typically used by thousands of riders from 10 subway lines around 7:20 a.m. ET, Police Commissioner James O'Neill said. The device apparently failed to completely detonate, even though investigators said Ullah had some experience with electrical work.
Ullah had not been on the radar of law enforcement prior to Monday's blast, John Miller, NYPD's deputy commissioner for counterterrorism and intelligence, told CBS This Morning. He said Ullah did not appear to have been struggling financially or facing any other particular pressures.
"He was somewhat characteristic of what we've been seeing across the world, which is someone who turns up one day out of the blue," Miller said. Authorities have described Ullah as a lone wolf who was inspired by the Islamic State, a common theme in recent attacks, Miller said.
“The conspiracy is within the confines of their own mind," Miller said. "That’s a very hard place to get to."
The city's morning commute ran smoothly Tuesday, and the pedestrian tunnel where Ullah detonated the pipe bomb was open and crowded with commuters.
A statement released Monday night by relatives said Ullah's family is deeply saddened by the suffering the attack has caused — but also outraged by the way family members were targeted by law enforcement. The statement said a teen relative of Ullah was removed from class and questioned without a parent, guardian or attorney present.
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, police have been questioning Ullah 's wife and other relatives, Banglanews24 reported Tuesday. Ullah's wife, Jannatul Ferdous Jui, 25, lives there with the couple's 6-month-old son, the news outlet reported.
Bacon reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
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22aa22818e3bee38de47a0dc3433081c
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/12/15/r-c-sproul-theologian-and-religious-broadcaster-dies-78/955229001/
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R.C. Sproul, theologian and religious broadcaster, dies at 78
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R.C. Sproul, theologian and religious broadcaster, dies at 78
Theologian R.C. Sproul, who founded Florida-based Ligonier Ministries and authored dozens of books, has died at age 78.
Sproul died Thursday at an Altamonte Springs, Fla., hospital, his ministry announced. He was hospitalized with severe respiratory problems that were complicated by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the flu.
Sproul was known for his worldwide radio broadcast, Renewing Your Mind, as well as books such as Everyone’s a Theologian, Defending Your Faith and Abortion: A Rational Look at an Emotional Issue.
“For more than five decades, the Lord has used Dr. Sproul to spread the life-changing truths of biblical Christianity and to expose people to the grace and the knowledge of the Lord,” said Jerry Johnson, president of National Religious Broadcasters, which inducted Sproul into its Hall of Fame in 2016.
“From the inquiring skeptic to the growing Christian, Dr. Sproul has impacted countless lives,” Johnson said.
An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America, Sproul was a co-pastor of St. Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla. From the pulpit and through his broadcasts, he attempted to draw Christians into serious study and interpretation of the Bible, said Mark Pinsky, a longtime Central Florida religion writer.
“His preaching was similar to his radio show,” said Pinsky. “He had a kind of growly, garrulous delivery, which was particularly engaging because he had a good sense of humor to go along with it.”
Though not a household name like evangelists Billy Graham or Rick Warren, Sproul was heralded for his reach – from everyday radio listeners to seminary presidents to Christian rappers.
“I am grieved to hear of the death of R.C. Sproul,” tweeted Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. “It is hard to overestimate his influence on gospel-resurgent evangelicalism.”
Sproul’s ministry, in a statement announcing its leader’s death, noted his efforts to teach classical Christianity to as many people as he could. Sproul served as chancellor of Reformation Bible College, which was founded in 2011 as an extension of Ligonier Ministries.
“Known to millions of Christians as simply ‘R.C.,’ he was used of the Lord to proclaim, teach, and defend the holiness of God in all its fullness,” his ministry said. “Through his teaching ministry, many of us learned that God is bigger than we knew, our sin is more deeply rooted than we imagined, and the grace of God in Jesus Christ is overwhelming.”
In what appears to be his last tweet, on Dec. 1, Sproul wrote about his belief in eternity:
“When God writes our names in the ‘Lamb’s Book of Life,’ He doesn’t do it with an eraser handy. He does it for eternity.”
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565add787ac17cb26dab283d2d1ef50b
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/12/31/houston-man-found-guns-ammunition-downtown-hotel-room/993235001/
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Man found with guns, ammunition in Houston hotel room
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Man found with guns, ammunition in Houston hotel room
HOUSTON — Police on Sunday arrested a man they say was found with several guns and ammunition in his Hyatt Regency hotel room downtown.
Houston Police confirmed Sunday Russell Lawrence Ziemba, 49, was questioned by investigators. He told police he was a guest at the Hyatt Regency and was planning to celebrate New Year’s Eve downtown.
Around 1:30 a.m. CT Sunday, hotel employees alerted an off-duty Houston police officer working security at the facility to a man they described as "belligerent." Employees said he was harassing other guests in the lobby.
Management and the officer asked Ziemba to return to his room on the 28th floor. Officials say Ziemba returned to his room but returned to the lobby again and continued harassing guests. Hotel management asked the man to leave the hotel.
Authorities say Ziemba refused to leave but was gathering his belongings. That's when the officer noticed ammunition and several weapons. It was unclear if the weapons were discovered while Ziemba was packing or if they were in plain sight.
After several failed attempts to get Ziemba to leave the hotel, the off-duty officer called for backup.
Ziemba faces charges of trespassing and assault of the off-duty police officer.
Police early Sunday morning checked Ziemba's vehicle for more weapons. Investigators said there were no indications Ziemba had any intent to use the weapons in his room but had simply brought them from his vehicle for safekeeping.
Officials said they did not know if anyone was staying in the hotel room with Ziemba.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo tweeted Sunday that the situation at the hotel "has been contained."
The Hyatt Regency's annual New Year's Eve celebration will go on Sunday night with heightened security, according to a hotel spokesperson.
“The safety and security of our guests and colleagues is our top priority and is consistent with the hotel’s security plan. The Hyatt Regency is cooperating with authorities on the investigation,” the hotel said in a statement.
Follow KHOU-TV on Twitter: @khou
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6040eb1ea2e04395c30d61a40271baf1
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/01/01/chicago-ends-2017-650-murders-grim-sign-improvement/994281001/
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Chicago ends 2017 with 650 murders, a grim sign of improvement
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Chicago ends 2017 with 650 murders, a grim sign of improvement
CHICAGO—The nation’s third-largest city ended 2017 with 650 murders, about 15% fewer homicides than a year earlier but still an unusually high number of killings during a period when other big cities have seen a reduction in violence, according to police data released Monday.
While there was a significant drop in gun violence in the city in 2017 compared to the year prior, Chicago topped the 600 mark for the second straight year and continues to see a level of violence that was typical of the late 1980s and 1990s when many major metros were dealing with the scourge of gang-fueled drug violence.
For the second straight year, Chicago also tallied more murders than New York City and Los Angeles combined. In fact, New York’s murder rate fell to the lowest the Big Apple has seen since the 1950s.
The number of shooting incidents in Chicago dropped from 3,550 to 2,785 for the same period. Police say they bulk of the violence is gang-related.
More:In Chicago, 'good kid' gunned down while delivering newspapers
More:Chicago to get more ATF agents to fight gun violence
More:At end of bloody year in Chicago, too few murders solved
“While we made significant progress this year, we’re certainly not celebrating, “ Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told reporters. “There is still a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re headed in the right direction.”
Chicago Police officials say they were able to make progress in stemming violence with the launch of what they’ve dubbed Strategic Decision Support Centers — data driven nerve centers that the department says have helped it more quickly respond to shootings and help officers predict where the next incident may occur. In the six districts where police launched the nerve centers in 2017, murders and shooting incidents decreased by about 25%, Johnson said.
Officers also increased arrests for gun-related violations by 27% and seized 8,600 firearms off the city’s streets.
President Trump has repeatedly ridiculed Chicago officials for doing too little to stem the violence. The president has compared the city to a “war-torn” nation and called the violence “horrible carnage.”
While Chicago recorded more killings than any other U.S. city, other large metros saw a higher per capita murder toll in 2017. Baltimore recorded 343 murders in 2017, the second-highest toll the Charm City has seen in a single year and the highest per capita in city history, according to the Baltimore Sun.
St. Louis' homicide toll reached 205 as of Sunday afternoon, or about 65 murders per 100,000 people. By comparison, Chicago recorded 24 murders per 100,000 residents.
For the first half of 2017, Chicago was on pace to tally more murders than it did in 2016, when the city recorded 771 murders, according to police data. But the department began to see progress as it pressed ahead with its tech surge.
Johnson said that department plans to expand the data-driven nerve centers to more city neighborhoods in 2018. He also expressed optimism that a new state law that calls for tougher sentencing for gun crimes would help reduce the violence.
The new law, which went into effect Monday, provides guidelines for judges to sentence repeat gun offenders at the higher end of the existing sentencing range, while expanding diversion programs for first-time nonviolent offenders.
Gun violence in Chicago has disproportionately impacted a few, low-income and predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods on the city’s South and West sides, according to police data.
“It’s no secret that some of our neighborhoods have felt the effects of illegally obtained firearms, and the offenders who are willing to use them for far too long,” Johnson said.
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a73c52faad105fcdc2dc76d16dcafa1e
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/01/03/washington-state-sues-motel-6-giving-guest-info-immigration-authorities/1002485001/
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Washington state sues Motel 6 for giving guest info to immigration authorities
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Washington state sues Motel 6 for giving guest info to immigration authorities
SEATTLE — The Washington attorney general announced Wednesday the state is suing hotel chain Motel 6 for providing guest lists to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for at least two years without the guests' knowledge or consent.
The guest list information Motel 6 provided included names, date of births, room numbers, license and license plate numbers, and other private information.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson's office filed the suit in King County Superior Court against Motel 6 Wednesday morning.
According to Ferguson, Motel 6 admitted that at least six Washington state locations shared guest information with ICE. This information led to at least six individuals being detained.
Previously:Motel 6: Phoenix properties will stop sharing guest lists with ICE
More:Refugee admissions to U.S. plummet in 2017
Four of the six locations released personal information of at least 9,151 guests, even though their privacy policy assured consumers it would protect the information. Motel 6 has not provided any information on the other two Washington state locations that shared information with ICE agents.
Ferguson says the number of guests affected will likely increase, as Motel 6 provides additional information over the course of the lawsuit.
“Motel 6 will be held accountable for their misconduct,” Attorney General Ferguson said during a press conference.
The voluntary release of information by Motel 6 violates the Consumer Protection Act, and is an unfair and deceptive business practice, the lawsuit says.
Ferguson launched his investigation after reading about a similar case in Phoenix. In September, the Phoenix New Times uncovered two Phoenix-area Motel 6 locations regularly handing over guest information to ICE.
Motel 6 indicated it would stop the practice and claimed it had been “undertaken at the local level without the knowledge of senior management,” according to the Phoenix New Times.
“It was not isolated to two hotels in Phoenix, not by a long shot,” said Ferguson. “The company's actions were methodical. They trained their new employees on how to do this.”
The Attorney General's Office says the violations go back at least two years, dating back to 2015, under two presidential administrations.
So far only corporate locations are listed in the suit, not franchises.
Motel 6 Corporate released this statement Wednesday afternoon:
“In September, Motel 6 issued a directive to every one of our more than 1,400 locations, making it clear that they are prohibited from voluntarily providing daily guests lists to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Motel 6 takes this matter very seriously, and we have and will continue to fully cooperate with the Office of the State Attorney General.”
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2837d096dc9118dbac40878d162554a4
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/01/04/drawing-today-decide-virginia-state-house-race-majority-party/1002910001/
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And the winner is... Republican wins after name drawn from a bowl in Virginia House race
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And the winner is... Republican wins after name drawn from a bowl in Virginia House race
The winner of a crucial Virginia House of Delegates race was decided for the GOP candidate by lot Thursday after judges rejected a Democratic challenge of one vote that could have broken a tie.
Republican incumbent David Yancey was the victor after a small canister holding a slip of paper with his name was drawn from a ceramic bowl. Yancey claims the 94th district seat in Newport News, and the GOP will retain its majority by 51-49.
A victory for Democratic challenger Shelly Simonds would have split the House 50-50.
"This election has certainly shown the importance of every vote and the power of one single vote," said James Alcorn, chairman of the State Board of Elections. Then, after drawing a canister, he announced: "The winner of House District 94 is David Yancey."
But the drawing may not be the end of it. On Wednesday, Yancey declined an offer from Simonds to make the drawing final, so Simonds had promised that "all options are on the table" if she lost. Simonds, who attended the drawing, did not say whether she would seek a recount or court challenge.
"At this moment I am not conceding," a solemn Simonds said after the drawing. "I am reflecting on a very interesting campaign and a very hard-fought campaign."
More:Drawing for tied Virginia race postponed; Democrat to fight contested ballot
More:Virginia Democrat Shelly Simonds wins race by one vote
More:Coin tosses, picking names in a hat? Yep, that's how some races are decided
Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, told USA TODAY that Simonds may have grounds to keep her challenge alive. But Republicans, armed with the victory by lot, "will organize the House and set the rules for the next two years" before any recounts or appeals can be completed, he said.
Yancey is a three-term delegate trying to avoid the fate of more than a dozen of his House colleagues swept away on an Election Day tidal wave that obliterated the two-thirds Republican majority. Democrat Ralph Northam also won the governor's race.
The bitter battle for a job that pays less than $18,000 per year thus drew national attention as it swung back and forth between the candidates amid recounts and court battles.
On election night, Yancey appeared to have won the race by several votes. A recount last month put Simonds on top by one vote, but the victory was short-lived. The next day a three-judge panel ruled the race a tie, thanks to a ballot that marked circles next to both Simonds' and Yancey's names.
The ballot had been thrown out, but the judges determined it should be counted because Simonds' circle had a slash through it. The judges on Wednesday rejected a request from Simonds to reconsider their decision.
Tobias said the recount "may not have been too rigorous," and Simonds could seek a more thorough one. He also said the court's decision on the disputed ballot "was not persuasive" — but that Simonds was unlikely to win a challenge in state court.
However the race is ultimately decided, it may not determine the balance of power in the House after all. Democrats have raised a challenge in another district, won by the GOP candidate, in which some voters were provided an incorrect ballot. A court hearing on that race is set for Friday.
Clara Belle Wheeler, the Election Board's vice chair, said a drawing to decide a House race was last held in 1971. The drawing Thursday, however, was "unprecedented" because it dictated which party will control the House, she said.
"This has never been done before for the longest-running, oldest legislative body, if you will, in the New World," Wheeler said.
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495d236f899abe3991c618c332b26ac0
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/01/11/numbers-tell-tragic-tale-deadly-california-mudslides/1024179001/
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30 square miles. 17 dead. More than 400 homes damaged. The tragic tale of deadly California mudslides
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30 square miles. 17 dead. More than 400 homes damaged. The tragic tale of deadly California mudslides
MONTECITO, Calif. — The numbers are horrific and just begin to tell the tale of tragedy unfolding in this quaint coastal hamlet overwhelmed by walls of debris, mud and water where rescuers Thursday continued the onerous search for survivors.
Cal Fire puts the affected area at 30 square miles. Seventeen people dead, 28 injured, 43 missing — a number updated by officials due to a clerical mistake. Sixty-five homes confirmed destroyed and more than 400 damaged. Fourteen helicopters and four water rescue teams were aiding the effort.
And rescue teams were still slogging through the mud, hunting for the missing and assessing the damage. Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, a Montecito resident ordered to evacuate before the mudslides began, discussed the tragedy Thursday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
"There are families missing, there are people who are missing family members," DeGeneres said. "They’re finding people and bodies and I mean, you hear the word mudslide and you have no idea the impact that it has ... (Montecito) is beyond recognizable."
The tale that led to these tears is nothing new in Southern California. First came the fires, and the Thomas Fire last month in this area west of Los Angeles was the biggest ever recorded in the state.
More:How fire, wind and rain combined to create the deadly mudslide in California
More:Montecito residents Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah discuss California mudslides
More:Southern California mudslides: At least 17 dead, 100 homes destroyed
The last embers were barely extinguished when the rains came. Residents of some communities were ordered out in advance as authorities feared the hillsides, left bare of vegetation by the fire, would be swept down onto homes below.
Before dawn Tuesday, the worst fears were realized. By the time the rains moved on, dozens of boulders sat atop muddied tree branches on Olive Mill Road, where at least three homes were blasted to their foundations when the debris suddenly roared in.
Some residents watched as crews tried to clean up the area, still in disbelief. Marco Farrell, 45, said he was two blocks away when he saw the slide descending on Olive Mill Road.
"I heard rumbling and ran for my life," he said. "Literally. Ran for my life."
A wall of water carrying uprooted trees and boulders flowed like a river through the residential street. About a block up from Farrell’s home, firefighters were helping Devon Crail and his wife, Tiare, retrieve items from his parents’ house.
About 20 large tree branches had formed a dam on the driveway, blocking mud from passing his parents’ cars. The trees and mud knocked down a fence and hedges that surrounded the front of the property.
Crail credited a retaining wall with saving the home from more serious damage. He said his parents called 9-1-1, then waited.
“They were told to shelter until they heard a knock at the door,” Crail said.
At a Red Cross shelter on Thursday night, evacuee Hannah Troy petted her two dogs, Lu and Gabriel, and recounted how firefighters carried them to safety through the muck. Troy said her cottage was probably ok, but at least three of her family’s cars were flooded, filled with debris or carried away - and likely some combination of all three.
“The mud just...” she said, her voice trailing off. “It was like a freeway of mud. It took out hedges and trees. And our cars. Oh, our cars.”
Red Cross officials said about 30 people stayed on cots at the shelter in Santa Barbara on Wednesday night and there was plenty of space remaining for Thursday evening as needed.
As night fell, the sounds of chainsaws and heavy equipment filled the air, which hung heavy over the town with a smell of ash mixed with mud. Snapped power poles blocked some street, and authorities were still struggling to figure out how to clear Highway 101, a portion of which still resembles a river rather than a road.
Montecito is home to many Hollywood stars, and they were feeling the pain. Jeff Bridges tweeted that his home was "severely damaged" but that his family was safe. He joined the chorus of gratitude for the tireless work of first responders.
"We are heartbroken over the loss of lives in our community," Bridges tweeted. "Your prayers and best wishes are most appreciated."
Oprah Winfrey, speaking on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, said while walking around she saw some of her neighbors homes were "gutted," while others are "gone, just gone."
She said as her house was positioned on a knoll, she felt secure and that despite being informed she wouldn't have water or gas, she feels grateful.
"I am blessed and I am going to do whatever I can for the rest of the community," she said, "and we all just love the firefighters."
Bacon reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: Trevor Hughes and Erin Jensen, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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37e64e2a4a9bcc76aad1dd4a588c8c3d
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/01/15/hawaii-worker-who-pushed-button-reassigned-after-bungled-missile-alert/1033421001/
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Hawaii worker who pushed button reassigned after bungled missile alert
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Hawaii worker who pushed button reassigned after bungled missile alert
A Hawaii emergency management employee was reassigned and the state agency he works for has received death threats amid fallout from the botched ballistic missile alert that triggered panic across the island paradise, officials said Monday.
The 10-year employee has been temporarily reassigned, pending an investigation into the incident, to a job that "does not provide access to the warning system," the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said in a statement.
The agency created to protect the lives of Hawaiians now must also deal with death threats. Emergency management spokesman Richard Rapoza confirmed to USA TODAY that the agency received the threats via anonymous telephone calls.
"We understand that members of our community are angry about Saturday's false alarm, and we are looking at these messages as individuals blowing off steam," Rapoza said in a statement. "While we take any threat against our personnel seriously, we are doing our best not to escalate the situation."
Hawaii is about 4,500 miles from Pyongyang, and the vocal military threats from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are taken seriously by state officials. The state has been working to upgrade the missile warning program.
More:Hawaii changes protocols for alerts after missile false alarm
More:False ballistic missile alert rattles Hawaii
The chaos began Saturday at 8:05 a.m. during a routine internal test involving the state's much ballyhooed Emergency Alert System. But the employee hit the live-alert button by mistake, and at 8:07 a.m. this alert was erroneously pushed to cellphones across the state: "Missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill."
Three minutes later, the agency had confirmed that there was in fact no missile threat. Police were quickly notified and social media announced the mistake. But the text explaining the error wasn't sent for 38 minutes, in part because no such text had been pre-scripted.
Finally came this missive: "There is no missile threat or danger to the State of Hawaii. Repeat. False Alarm.”
More:Hawaii: We’re seeking solutions, not retribution
More:After Hawaii false alarm, get serious about preparing for nuclear attack
The confusion resulted in controlled bedlam as Hawaiians dashed for cover, hid in basements and reached out to friends and loved ones. In Manoa, the Durkin family huddled in an underground bunker built in their home after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
"We just started throwing supplies into the bomb shelter and closed the top and got on our phones to look for updates," Paraluman Stice-Durkin told Hawaii News Now.
Gov. David Ige quickly issued an apology for the alert.
"I am sorry for the pain and confusion it caused," he said. "I, too, am extremely upset about this and am doing everything I can do to immediately improve our emergency management systems, procedures and staffing."
Changes are already underway. Alerts now will require activation and verification by two people, the agency said. And a cancellation command has been written and can be issued within seconds of an error.
President Trump even weighed in, suggesting that federal officials will become more involved in Hawaii's notification program. And Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said his agency is investigating.
"Based on the information we have collected so far, it appears that the government of Hawaii did not have reasonable safeguards or process controls in place," Pai said. "Moving forward, we will focus on what steps need to be taken to prevent a similar incident from happening again."
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9412c640703581afaf136547ada5a293
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/01/16/officers-shot-during-search-suspect/1035282001/
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4 South Carolina police officers shot during search for suspect
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4 South Carolina police officers shot during search for suspect
YORK, S.C. — Four South Carolina law enforcement officers were shot early Tuesday while responding to a domestic violence call late Monday.
By the time the officers arrived at the home outside of York, S.C., the suspect fled on foot from the home.
Officials identified the suspect as Christian Thomas McCall, 47. He also was shot and taken into custody.
During the initial search for the suspect, a York city officer with a police dog was shot and wounded, State Law Enforcement Division spokesman Thom Berry said. It was unknown whether the dog was injured.
More:Motorist shot by U.S. Park Police after chase in Virginia
As the search continued, three more officers were struck by gunfire. The suspect was injured at that time.
The suspect had several "long guns," Berry said. He did not know the specific type of weapons.
All four officers, as well as the suspect, were taken to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, Berry said.
"We could really use your prayers. We could really use your thoughts," sheriff's spokesman Trent Faris said during a news conference.
Three officers who were shot were York County Sheriff's deputies. The other was a York Police officer who was part of the York County Sheriff's SWAT team.
More:Rhode Island police shoot, kill man in truck while hunting for suspect in stolen cruiser
McCall also is suspected of firing a rifle at a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division helicopter. Officials said the rear stabilizer (the back of the chopper) was hit by gunfire. No one was injured and the helicopter was able to land.
A neighbor of McCall's says he was stunned to find out who might have been involved.
Roger Gilfillan says McCall lived with his wife and three children in a rural area outside York.
"They were real nice people. He just kept to himself," said Gilfillan.
Gilfillan said McCall frequently walked around the neighborhood but only spoke when someone spoke to him. Gilfillan said McCall never appeared to cause any trouble.
More:Deputy killed, 2 CHP officers wounded in shooting at California hotel
No one answered the door at McCall's home Tuesday morning.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agents and Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., police participated in the search.
York is about 25 miles southwest of Charlotte.
Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow WCNC-TV on Twitter: @wcnc
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45ceba523e0b4e1e09a6457875bc68ba
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/01/29/no-suspects-quadruple-shooting-pennsylvania-home/1075922001/
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No suspects in quadruple shooting in Pennsylvania home
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No suspects in quadruple shooting in Pennsylvania home
READING, Pa. — Authorities said Monday that they have no suspects in the shooting deaths of four men in a Pennsylvania home.
Police said 20-year-old Jarlyn Lantigua-Tejada, 23-year-old Juan Rodriguez and 20-year-old Joshua Santos were found dead after a wave of gunfire around 7 p.m. Sunday.
Deputy Chief James Marasco Jr. said the identity of the fourth man hasn’t been confirmed, but he’s believed to be in his early 20s. All of the victims had been shot several times.
Investigators haven’t released information about a possible motive, but Marasco says authorities “do not believe that this was a random act.”
Mourner left candles at the doorway of the home.
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d77a32ba679412f8b1c198c6391a9461
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/14/ar-15-mass-shootings/339519002/
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Why the AR-15 keeps appearing at America's deadliest mass shootings
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Why the AR-15 keeps appearing at America's deadliest mass shootings
A Las Vegas concert. An Orlando nightclub. An elementary school in Newtown, Conn. A Texas church. And now a high school in Parkland, Fla.
America's most popular weapon was there for all of them.
AR-15-style rifles have increasingly appeared in American mass shootings, including the deadliest high school shooting in the nation's history at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Wednesday.
More:Florida high school shooting: Here's what we know
The National Rifle Association has called the AR-15 — the semi-automatic, civilian version of the military’s M-16 — the "most popular rifle in America" and estimates Americans own more than 8 million of them.
The name AR-15 (AR stands for ArmaLite, not assault rifle, which is a common misconception) is trademarked by the firearms manufacturer Colt. But since the patent on the weapon's operating system ran out, a host of other manufacturers began making their own variants of the popular rifle.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearms industry's trade association, campaigned to have AR-platform rifles referred to as "modern sporting rifles," or MSRs, both to avoid confusion and to try to stem the reference to the rifles with the politically loaded "assault rifle" label.
The NRA said "the AR-15 has soared in popularity" because it's "customizable, adaptable, reliable and accurate." It is also versatile and can be used for "sport shooting, hunting and self-defense situations," the NRA said, adding the ability to "personalize" so many of the rifle's components "is one of the things that makes it so unique."
On top of that, the weapon is accurate, relatively lightweight and has low recoil.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence also cited the rifle’s versatility in evaluating its popularity.
“They’re accurate and they can basically shoot as quickly as you can pull the trigger,” according to a campaign statement.
"Along those lines, they’re very customizable — most average people can figure out how to install accessories like forward trigger grips that let you hold the gun at waist height and spray bullets while stabilizing the gun, laser sights, and you can add high-capacity magazines.”
The ability to add a high-capacity magazine to the rifles is certainly one factor that makes them attractive to people looking to commit mass murder. A 30-round magazine is fairly standard with MSRs (although some states cap the capacity to 10 or 15 rounds), but "drums" holding as many as 100 rounds are also available.
But the AR-15 and its variants aren't the only high-capacity semi-automatic rifles on the market.
Dean Hazen, owner of The Gun Experts in Mahomet, Ill., and a master firearms instructor, said the reason mass shooters are turning to the AR-15 is due to a "copy-cat" mentality more than any feature of the rifle.
"It’s really just a perception thing," Hazen said. "There are rifles that are more powerful and more dangerous than that, but they're not being used."
Hazen said the AR-15 has "gotten a bad rap." He believes mass shooters generally don't know much about guns and choose the AR-15 because of the reputation it has gotten from being used in other mass shootings.
"Thank God they don't know any better because if they did they would use much more effective weapons," Hazen said.
Here is a list of mass shootings in the U.S. that featured AR-15-style rifles during the last 35 years, courtesy of the Stanford Geospatial Center and Stanford Libraries and USA TODAY research:
More:20 years in, shootings have changed schools in unexpected ways
More:Florida school shooting is the 6th to injure students this year
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1c77e5faafc2625c1772dae60c743a51
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/15/fox-news-anchor-shepard-smith-emotionally-lists-all-25-fatal-school-shootings-since-columbine/340108002/
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Fox News anchor Shepard Smith emotionally lists all 25 fatal school shootings since Columbine
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Fox News anchor Shepard Smith emotionally lists all 25 fatal school shootings since Columbine
Fox News host Shepard Smith, as he was anchoring coverage of the high school massacre in Parkland, Fla., in which at least 17 were killed, emotionally listed every fatal U.S. school shooting since Columbine in 1999.
“Since Columbine in 1999, there have been 25 fatal, active school shootings at elementary and high schools in America,” he told viewers on Wednesday. He then read the years and locations of each incident, making particular note of the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in which 20 young children and six adults were killed.
“And just today, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida, in the town of Parkland. … The 25th fatal school shooting since Columbine High School in America.”
Smith also spoke about being at the scene of the Columbine incident.
“We have seen it again and again and I will never forget for as long as I live being outside of Columbine High School in the early evening as those two men had gone on the rampage there in the cafeteria. And over the week that followed, speaking to children and parents about all that they had just experienced and trying to deal with what was and is to this day — I am 100% percent confident — their new normal. Young people do not witness what they have witnessed today in Broward County Florida without being changed.”
Smith is somewhat rare on the conservative-leaning Fox News in advocating for stricter gun control measures. In January, 2013, not long after the Sandy Hook massacre, according to Business Insider, he maintained that, despite poll numbers, stricter measures would pass Congress if only a bill was put before it.
"If we stuck with the polls, we'd have had slavery a lot longer than we did," Smith said on his show.
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406170f0a03b9a4b6ff278c4994224c8
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/15/how-florida-school-shooting-unfolded/344040002/
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Inside the deadly day: A minute-by-minute account of the Florida school shooting
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Inside the deadly day: A minute-by-minute account of the Florida school shooting
Police arrested Nikolas Jacob Cruz, 19, for the shooting deaths of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Wednesday.
He is being held without bail. An arrest affidavit says Cruz has confessed to the shootings.
Here is how the incident unfolded, according to police and court records (times are approximate):
Wed., Feb. 14
2:19 p.m.
Police say Cruz is dropped off at the school by an Uber driver. The school is preparing for dismissal as he arrives so the gates are unlocked to allow cars and buses to enter.
Wearing a school shirt, he carries a black duffle bag and a black backpack inside.
Reports say a school staffer recognizes Cruz and warns a co-worker by radio.
2:20 p.m.
A 15-year-old student says he encounters Cruz loading a rifle inside a second-floor bathroom, according to news sources. “You’d better get out of here,” Cruz tells the student. “Things are going to start getting messy.” The student flees and alerts a staffer.
2:21 p.m.
Police say Cruz activates a fire alarm inside the school. Students begin to evacuate. Cruz opens fire with a .223 caliber AK-15 semiautomatic rifle in a first-floor hallway. Hearing the shots, a staffer broadcasts a “Code Red” alert over the intercom, signaling a campus lockdown.
Students and teachers take cover in classrooms. Some students flee the school and take cover at a nearby Walmart. Cruz fires into four classrooms and goes to the second floor, continuing to shoot. Police later calculate that more than 100 rounds are fired.
2:23 p.m.
Police receive multiple 911 calls of shooting taking place.
2:25 p.m.
The shooting stops. Police say Cruz discards his assault rifle and backpack in a third-floor stairwell and runs downstairs to join students fleeing the school. He goes to the Walmart, where he has a drink at a Subway outlet inside. He leaves and walks to a McDonald’s.
2:53 p.m.
Broward County sheriff’s office tweets deputies are responding to reports of a shooting at the school.
2:56 p.m.
Authorities alert public of shooter at school, warn people to avoid area.
3 p.m.
Cruz leaves McDonald’s.
3:10 p.m.
FBI agents and more police arrive. Many students are still in classrooms.
3:40 p.m.
A police officer finds Cruz on a nearby street, in the 1400 block of Windham Lakes Blvd. South, Coral Springs. Cruz surrenders without resistance.
3:53 p.m.
Police continue to search school buildings to evacuate students.
4:27 p.m.
Cruz is taken to Broward Health North hospital with difficulty breathing. He is treated and released back into police custody.
5 p.m.
The sheriff’s office says SWAT teams continue to search the school.
6 p.m.
Police publicly identify Cruz as the school gunman. Wearing a hospital gown, Cruz arrives at the Broward County sheriff’s office and is taken inside.
Thursday, Feb. 15
10:50 a.m.
Cruz is charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
2 p.m.
In court via a closed-circuit video link, Cruz is ordered held without bail.
Source: USA TODAY research; graphics by Karl Gelles, USA TODAY
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0556043c779a43f5864f097efaabb628
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/20/video-gun-owner-destroying-ar-15-goes-viral/354003002/
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Video of gun owner destroying AR-15 goes viral
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Video of gun owner destroying AR-15 goes viral
A heartfelt video of a gun owner who destroyed his AR-15 rifle with a circular saw "to make sure this weapon will never take a life" has gone viral, with more than 16 million views by Tuesday morning.
Scott Pappalardo posted his Facebook video entitled "My drop in a very large bucket," with a hashtag #oneless on Saturday, three days after a teen gunman killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Fla.
"I'll be honest, it's a lot of fun to shoot," Pappalardo, who lives in New York state, says into a camera while sitting on a chair on a deck, the saw set up behind him.
Pappalardo said he has legally owned the gun for more than 30 years. He said he is not a hunter and never shot anything but targets. And he has a tattoo on his arm that pays homage to the second amendment.
More:What Americans are asking Google about guns
More:Florida community says final goodbyes to shooting victims
More:Teen shot 5 times during Florida shooting gets visit from sheriff
But after the school shooting in Sandy Hook, Conn., he determined that he would gladly give up his gun if it saved one child.
"That's five years ago now," he says solemnly into the camera before cutting the gun into three pieces. "Since then more than 400 people have been shot in over 200 school shootings. So I guess my words were just empty words in the spur of the moment. And now here we are, 17 more lives lost.
"So when do we change? When do we make laws that say maybe a weapon like this isn't acceptable in today's society?"
Pappalardo says he's heard the arguments blaming video games, mental health problems and other issues for the mass shootings. He doesn't buy it, saying "ultimately, it's a gun like this one" that are used in the crimes.
He also rejected complaints from gun owners that tighter controls and bans just punish legal gun owners.
"I am going to give you a news flash," he said "Until the other day Nikolas Cruz was a legal gun owner. Steven Paddock in Las Vegas, killing 58 people, was a legal gun owner until that night."
He said he considered selling his gun to a gun shop or law enforcement officer, but he said he couldn't live with himself if a child got access to the gun and brought it to school.
"I'm going to make sure that will never happen with my weapon," he said. "People have always said there are so many of them out there. Well now there is one less."
Not everyone agrees with Pappalardo.
Rep. Tyler Tannahill, R-Kan., on Feb. 13 announced plans to raffle a AR-15 to help finance his campaign. The shooting rampage in Parkland took place the next day. Tannahill says he won't cancel the raffle. And he told the Kansas City Star that more gun laws wouldn't have made a difference in Florida.
“We’re not trying to raise money off the school shooting,” Tannahill said. “We do want to find a solution."
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30900b98c97f44bb9b9e24fc8e1678f2
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/21/billy-graham-hailed-man-passion-faith/858930001/
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'Boy, he delivered a powerful sermon': Billy Graham wowed those who witnessed him
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'Boy, he delivered a powerful sermon': Billy Graham wowed those who witnessed him
Billy Graham is being remembered, mourned and celebrated around a world to which he unflaggingly preached Christ's gospel with every communications technology he could tap, with a peerless evangelistic organization, and with an eloquence and sincerity that got people out of their seats to come to Jesus.
This most careful and moderate of men was praised for an evangelical zeal that many compared to the Apostle Paul's 1,800 years earlier.
"It's a blessing he's been released to be with Jesus,'' said Dana Robert, a Boston University religion professor who as a girl answered Graham's altar call at his crusade in her native Baton Rouge in 1970.
"He lived a good life,'' she said, "and he can say, as Paul did in his letter to Timothy, 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.' For him, death is not the end.''
More:Billy Graham, America's pastor, has died
More:Why almost everyone wants to say thank you to the legendary Billy Graham
More:Billy Graham's most notable quotes
Larry Ross, Graham's longtime spokesman, said the evangelist showed courage and faith through his long physical decline. "He was faithful to the end,'' he said. "He showed how to finish well.''
News of Graham's death spread throughout Christendom — from missionaries' huts in Africa to back-country Bible Belt churches to mighty Southern Baptist temples.
His life was recalled by Protestants, Catholics, Muslims and Jews; by those who attended one of his crusades, or dozens; by those who only saw him on TV or heard him on the radio; by those who knew him mostly as a pastor to presidents.
"It's the passing of an era,'' said Randall Balmer, a Dartmouth College expert on evangelical Christianity. He called Graham "the most prominent religious celebrity of the 20th Century,'' a period that included popes John XXIII and John Paul II, the 14th Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa and Norman Vincent Peale.
Even if the audiences for his many broadcasts aren't counted, Balmer said, "he preached to more people in person than anyone in history.''
Those with some of the strongest impressions of Graham saw him at his final big public events:
• Baltimore, July 2006: Craig Allen, 74, of Finksburg, Md., heard Graham's last major sermon, delivered in Oriole Park at Camden Yards. "His perseverance despite his health was phenomenal. They brought him out on a cart, and they had to help him up to the mic. And then, boy, he delivered a powerful sermon. No matter how he felt, he was going to give it his all.''
• New Orleans, March 2006: Michael Freeland, 59, of Metairie, La., who lost most of his real estate business after Hurricane Katrina the previous year, attended with his wife and two sons. He said Graham's presence after the storm, especially after announcing his retirement the previous year, "meant a lot to us. He was old, he'd lost his wife. You could see his frailty. But once he started to preach, you could feel an energy. That was the Holy Spirit. That was him doing something he was passionate about.''
• New York City, June 2005: Maggie Rousseau and her husband, Bill, drove 14 hours from Savannah, Ga., to see Graham for the first time. Given the evangelist's health, they knew it would be the last. "There was just something about him,'' Maggie said. " I don't know what it was, but you believed him. On the crusades, on TV, he spoke, and you listened.''
But some said Graham's impact already has diminished. Several years ago, when Balmer asked one of his classes at Dartmouth if they knew who Billy Graham was, only 25% raised a hand.
Robert described him as essentially a phenomenon of the Greatest and Boomer generations.
"When I was young, the whole family watched him on television, like Walter Cronkite. When he came to town, everyone went to the crusade,'' she recalled. " But I don't think the Millennials even know who he was.''
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a1f07bc061c6f9001b9cdc6eeaf88cb2
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/21/shame-you-florida-shooting-survivors-confront-lawmakers-capitol-tallahassee/358264002/
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'Never again!' Florida shooting survivors confront lawmakers; protests gain steam nationwide
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'Never again!' Florida shooting survivors confront lawmakers; protests gain steam nationwide
TALLAHASSEE – Scores of students from Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School rallied alongside hundreds from other schools Wednesday as their fervent demands for safe schools and an end to gun violence gained momentum across the nation.
Students from California to Washington, D.C., held walkouts in solidarity with the teens from Parkland, survivors of last week's horrific rampage that left 17 people dead and prompted outrage at the National Rifle Association and lawmakers.
The energized crowd at the state Capitol waved signs and chanted, "Never again!" and "Shame on you!"
Lorenzo Prado, a Stoneman Douglas junior, choked up as he told of being mistaken for the gunman in the chaotic minutes after the shooting started. He said a SWAT team ordered him to the ground at gunpoint and handcuffed him. Prado, near tears, said he felt guilty for the people he could not protect.
“Many would blame this event on the FBI’s lack of action or the Trump administration," Prado said. "The simple fact is that the laws of this beloved country allowed for the deranged gunman to purchase a gun legally."
More:Conspiracy theorists find Florida student activists too good to be true
More:Student arrested after threatening to 'shoot up' Tallahassee's Godby High
Florence Yared, 17, joined the chorus of students saying they won't feel safe when they return to school next week.
"No longer can I walk the halls I walked a million times before without fear and sadness," she said. "All because of the damage that a single AR-15 rifle caused."
The rally came one day after Florida lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected — along party lines in the heavily GOP Statehouse — a ban on many semiautomatic rifles and large-capacity ammunition magazines. Many of the Parkland students voiced support for such a ban.
State lawmakers expressed support for other proposals endorsed by the students, such as deeper background checks and stricter gun rules for people with mental health issues.
Later Wednesday, President Trump met with student survivors, parents and teachers at the White House in what was billed as a "listening session."
"It’s not going to be talk like it has been in the past," said Trump, who promised tougher background checks and mental health screens for gun buyers.
The Parkland students met in small groups with state lawmakers, and many of the teens expressed frustration over the chats.
"I was speechless. I had anger, dismay, shock," Spencer Blum, 16, a junior, said of the Statehouse vote. "They had even introduced us, they knew we were up there. The beautiful choir sang a prayer for us. They knew we just went through a mass shooting that killed 17 people."
About 200 students at Oasis High School in Cape Coral, Fla., walked out to the school's tennis courts, demanding more security and more resource officers. Among their supporters: Jacquelin Collins, superintendent of the Cape Coral charter school system.
"I support it 100%,” Collins said. “I’m glad they had the gumption to get up and speak, and I’m very proud of them.”
Curtis Rhodes, superintendent of schools in Needville, Texas, 40 miles southwest of Houston, promised a three-day suspension for protesters, parental note or not.
"Life is all about choices, and every choice has a consequence whether it be positive or negative," Rhodes warned in a statement. "We will discipline, no matter if it is one, 50 or 500 students involved."
In Arizona, 200 students at Gilbert High, east of Phoenix, gathered for 17 minutes of silence — one minute for each fatality in Florida. In Delaware, more than 150 Wilmington Friends School students gathered at the flagpole for 17 minutes, demanding stricter gun laws.
"I think we just need to start trying things," Friends sophomore Abby Vandenbrul said. "I think we have to stop debating and start doing things before another tragedy happens."
In Washington, hundreds of high schoolers gathered outside the White House, chanting, "No guns, no NRA, no violence in the USA!" Hundreds more at the U.S. Capitol shouted, "Enough is enough!"
Paloma Mallan, 16, said the teens skipped school to march on the White House because it's up to them to bring about change.
"It seems like there's been shooting after shooting, and the adults in power right now aren't doing anything," Paloma said. "It could be us next, it could be one of our friends."
Hundreds of Tallahassee-area high school students joined the rally at the Florida Capitol.
“It’s so important that our voices are heard,” said Sarah Leitch, a high school senior from Jacksonville. “And we need to show lawmakers that if they keep being complacent about gun violence, they’re not going to be re-elected.”
State Rep. Sean Shaw, D-Tampa, urged the Parkland students, who traveled more than 400 miles to state their case, to press their demands.
"We had a chance to do something, and we didn't," Shaw said of Tuesday's vote in the House not to take up a bill on banning assault weapons. "That's why you're up here. Go and demand action. You're not up here to ask. This is about you. This is not about us."
Bacon reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: Gregory Korte, Ledyard King, USA TODAY; Nada Hassanein, Tallahassee Democrat; Sarah Jarvis, The (Fort Myers, Fla.) News-Press; Marilyn Icsman and Erin Kelly, USA TODAY
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0c0012bd4c7074f1d89ea22d8fa3b6eb
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/26/flood-battered-cities-brace-more-damage-after-deadly-storms/372201002/
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More storms threaten sodden central U.S., where at least 70 rivers are in flood stage
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More storms threaten sodden central U.S., where at least 70 rivers are in flood stage
A new storm is expected to bring additional weather misery this week to areas struggling to recover from a relentless series of weekend storms and tornadoes.
On Tuesday, downpours and gusty thunderstorms will drench areas from central Texas to central Arkansas and southern Tennessee, AccuWeather said.
The new weather system will further soak sodden areas through Thursday, weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce said.
"After a few dry days, rain will return to some of the waterlogged cities in those regions, exacerbating the flooding situation," Dolce said.
Roughly 70 rivers were in flood stage as of midday Monday in the central USA, the National Weather Service said. Overall, more than 250 river gauges reported levels above flood stage from the Great Lakes to Texas. (Each river can have several gauges.)
The greatest concern in coming days will be in Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia on Wednesday into early Thursday.
Severe storms, including the chance for tornadoes, are forecast to fire up on Wednesday from Dallas to Nashville, AccuWeather said.
Floodwaters on the Ohio River in both Louisville and Cincinnati are at their highest level in about 20 years. The river was expected to reach moderate flood stage along the southern border of Ohio and West Virginia in the coming days, the weather service said.
The rain has made this the wettest February ever recorded in Louisville (10.47 inches), Pittsburgh (7.04 inches) and South Bend, Ind. (8.07 inches),
The weather service said the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport is enduring its third-wettest February on record.
In Cincinnati, Andrew Scheetz's basement was swamped by 4 feet of water.
"We're pumping 420 gallons a minute," he said as a hose pumped water out from the basement into the street. "But we don't know if it's really helping because water is still coming in through the foundation."
In Kentucky, 2.9 inches of rain Saturday capped off one of the wettest weeks, and months, in Louisville history. The Ohio River rose more than 20 feet above normal, stranding residents, waterlogging cars and submerging local homes and businesses.
Mayor Greg Fischer said he would ask Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance.
"We started assessing preliminary damage for an emergency declaration," Fischer said. "It looks like the damage will exceed the minimum requirement, which is $2.8 million or so."
Watch below: A drone captures dramatic Ohio River
In Adairville, Ky., Dallas Jane Combs, 79, died after a likely tornado struck her home, the Logan County Sheriff’s Department told TV station WKRN. Two bodies were also recovered from submerged vehicles in separate incidents in the state Saturday.
In southwestern Michigan, the body of a man was found floating in floodwaters Sunday in Kalamazoo, city Public Safety Lt. David Thomas said.
In northeast Arkansas, Albert Foster, 83, was killed when his trailer home toppled under high winds, Clay County Sheriff Terry Miller told KAIT-TV.
In Tennessee, the weather service confirmed Sunday that two tornadoes touched down in Montgomery County. Kim Nicholson was watching television with her husband in Farmington when a quick but violent storm slammed into her home.
“The whole house itself actually was, like, jumping,” Nicholson said.
“To look at what I’m looking at and know we didn’t lose anybody is just a miracle,” Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett said Sunday as he surveyed the damage.
Contributing: Susan Miller, USA TODAY; Thomas Novelly, Louisville Journal-Courier, Carrie Blackmore Smith, Cincinnati Enquirer; Jake Lowary, Clarksville, Tenn., Leaf-Chronicle.
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58dc42156e1453ffbdaab9e594abbfec
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/27/west-virginia-teachers-packed-lunches-their-needy-students-before-going-strike/377591002/
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West Virginia teachers packed lunches for their needy students before going on strike
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West Virginia teachers packed lunches for their needy students before going on strike
West Virginia teacher Kevin Green wants to make sure that none of his students go hungry just because he is on strike.
Green, who teaches at River View High School in Bradshaw, was among 20,000 teachers across the state who walked out Feb. 22. He says he fully supports the strike — and his students. That's why he's been working on the McDowell County "Blessings in a Backpack" program.
The program normally sends a backpack full of food home with students from low-income families to help ensure the kids get nourishment on the weekends. Green and about 30 teachers joined school board members, students and others who packed the bags for distribution to families of the needy.
"Of course we offered to bag the food," Green told USA TODAY. "We are ready to help in any way we can. This is all about our kids."
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice had he expected striking teachers will return to the classroom March 1 after he offered teachers and school service personnel a 5% pay raise in the first year. The deal got hung up in the Legislature, however, and the teachers remained out Monday.
More:West Virginia teacher strike enters 4th day, class dismissed for 275,000 students
More:West Virginia teachers demand face-to-face meeting with governor
Many students rely on subsidized meals at school to meet minimum nutritional requirements. Jennifer Wood, spokeswoman for the state chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, said teachers across the state worked with local community groups, churches and food pantries to provide bags of food they sent home with students before the strike.
And many teachers are continuing the effort during the strike, she said. Some in Marion County were delivering food packages to families door-to-door.
"They are pooling resources, sometimes with their own money, and putting together packets of soup, mac and cheese, food cups," Wood said.
Linda Vannest manages the cafeteria at Ripley Elementary School. In Jackson County, a "Snack Pack" program sends food home with kids on the weekend. The packs contain enough food for the kids, but not their entire families. Vannest said some kids are forced to hide the food in their rooms to make sure they get something to eat.
With the strike looming, teachers had sent enough food for a week home with the needy kids.
"When we knew we were going on strike we upped our game," Vannest said.
The teachers gathered again to put together new packs last week. Donations from teachers and their supporters paid for the food. Since the packs can't be distributed to the kids at school, teachers helped deliver them to homes.
"We don't want these kids to suffer any more than they already do," Vannest said.
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0ab6c70f17e4f05110714be8c09f2220
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/28/idaho-officer-hurt-suspect-killed-shootout/380294002/
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Idaho officer hurt, suspect killed in shootout
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Idaho officer hurt, suspect killed in shootout
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Authorities say a police officer was wounded and a suspect died after a shootout in Coeur d'Alene.
Police Chief Lee White said at a news conference that preliminary information indicates officers made contact with a person at about 7 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Hattie Avenue and Government Way.
White says officers learned the suspect had a felony warrant for his arrest and as they approached, the suspect fired at them.
He says the officer and the suspect were shot in an exchange of gunfire.
White says the officer was in surgery at Kootenai Health Tuesday night and that he had been "up and talking" with officers.
White says the suspect died at the hospital.
The police chief says a gun was found at the scene.
No further information was available.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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306c396d2876f855b857105a7ea0a809
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/06/international-womens-day-thursday-heres-what-you-need-know/399925002/
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International Women's Day 2018 theme is #PressforProgress
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International Women's Day 2018 theme is #PressforProgress
International Women's Day lands Thursday in a year that saw women from all walks of life rise up in protests, power building and advocacy over issues of equality and harassment.
Organizers of International Women’s Day 2018 hope to ride that wave of activism with this year's theme: #PressforProgress — a push for gender parity worldwide.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day is also a call to action through events large and small focusing on equality.
How is the day celebrated?
It is marked by rallies, panel discussions, seminars, networking events and performances. The Women’s Day site offers downloadable resources for teachers and parents such as activity booklets and fact sheets. And there is a recommended reading list for all ages.
How can I find out where there is an event?
You can check the International Women’s Day Events page where you can search for your city and country. Many places are sponsoring multiple events. https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Events
What are some examples of events on Thursday?
In New York, a late afternoon rally will be held at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village before a march to Zuccotti Park, known for its Occupy Wall Street camps, in lower Manhattan.
In Atlanta, the Women’s Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a luncheon and roundtable on the “state of the woman.” The event will also debut an entrepreneurship initiative for female business owners.
San Francisco will host a benefit for female migrant farmworkers showcasing dance music culture and benefiting Alianza Nacional De Campesinas, the first national farmworker women’s rights group.
Among events overseas: In London, where thousands attended a #March4Women on Sunday, women’s talents will be showcased with an art exhibit, live music and storytelling in Camden on Thursday. Limerick, Ireland, will host a women in film series.
More:As International Women's Day nears, misperceptions of progress prevail
More:'The real march is on Election Day': Women march around the world for a second day
Is there a social media component?
At 1 p.m. GMT on Thursday, Thunderclap — a crowdspeaking platform that allows a single message to be shared flash-mob style — will post a one-time message to social media accounts in a mass call to action.
Among other options: Social sharing #PressforProgress images, displaying International Women’s Day selfie cards,
Is it just one day?
Some events are being held all week; some will take place on the weekend; some initiatives took flight earlier in the year.
But the day is just the start, organizers say. The hope is that groups worldwide would adopt the #PressforProgress theme in initiatives throughout the year. Last year, the USA Women’s Hockey team adopted 2017’s theme #BeBoldForChange to rally for equal pay. The team boycotted the national finals until a deal was struck.
What is the day’s history?
The first women's day was observed in February 1909 when 15,000 women marched through the streets of New York demanding improved pay, shorter hours and voting rights. The day was mostly celebrated by socialist movements and communist countries in the following decades. In 1975, the United Nations proclaimed the year International Women’s Year and christened March 8 as Women’s Day.
Is there an International Men’s Day?
International Men’s Day is an annual event celebrated on Nov. 19 in more than 60 countries. It focuses on improving health for men and boys, championing positive male role models and boosting gender relations.
Follow Miller on Twitter @susmiller
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750455525c8c8c5e515152eed3799c9b
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/06/tentative-deal-reached-end-west-virginia-teacher-strike-governor-says/398850002/
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West Virginia teacher strike ends, some schools to reopen Wednesday
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West Virginia teacher strike ends, some schools to reopen Wednesday
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed legislation Tuesday authorizing a contract agreement with the state's 20,000 teachers that will return 275,000 public school students to class as early as Wednesday.
"Today is a new day in education, no more looking back," Justice said at a signing ceremony for the deal, which includes a 5% pay raise and ends the nine-day strike.
The contract also covers more than 10,000 support staff. Justice said money will be found elsewhere in the budget to allow the state to provide a 5% pay hike to all state employees. Some of those pay increases, however, must wait for passage of a budget bill.
"I’m an educator. I believe in your purpose," Justice told hundreds of roaring teachers and supporters gathered earlier at the Capitol in Charleston. "I believe in you, and I love our kids."
The House of Delegates and the Senate approved the deal a short time later, sending it to Justice for his signature.
"It was a very positive, emotional celebration for teachers at the Capitol," said Jennifer Wood, spokeswoman for the state American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
More:West Virginia teachers packed lunches for their needy students
More:No end in sight for strike of 20,000 West Virginia teachers
Carrena Rouse, who has taught at Scott High School in Madison for 28 years, was among the celebrating teachers. Her district was among those immediately announcing their schools would open Wednesday.
"I love my students. I love my fellow teachers," Rouse said. "And I'm glad we don't have to be hanging around here (the Capitol) anymore."
West Virginia teachers are among the lowest paid in the nation and went years without a raise. Randi Weingarten, AFT national president, said the state's teachers had been saddled with shrinking salaries because of fast-rising health care costs.
"The unwritten story here is that when you strip people’s voice for so long and you take so much from them, there is a point at which people will stand up," Weingarten told USA TODAY. "And that is the story of what happened in West Virginia.”
Massive rallies have taken place at the Capitol almost daily, and it had to close Monday after thousands packed the building.
Justice had announced a similar deal a week ago, and union leaders accepted the proposal. But rank-and-file teachers balked at returning to schools until the pay hike won legislative approval. The House immediately passed the plan, but the state Senate pressed for a 4% pay hike and the strike dragged on.
Senate leaders, however, announced support for the latest plan Tuesday, promising to find money in the budget to fund all the pay hikes.
Many districts planned to reopen schools Wednesday. But Wood said it was not immediately clear if all schools could open that fast, citing logistical issues such as stocking kitchens with food for school lunches. Those details were being worked out, she said.
"These are some of the best kids you will ever see in your life," Rouse said of her students. "I'm just so excited."
Contributing: Greg Toppo
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13f5d1b82f5eacfeb7247c6aa29f4aa6
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/09/cardiologist-away-then-you-might-more-likely-survive-heart-attack-study-suggests/407739002/
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Cardiologist away? Then you might be more likely to survive a heart attack, study suggests
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Cardiologist away? Then you might be more likely to survive a heart attack, study suggests
Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this story misidentified the organization that runs the annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting. The conference is put on by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.
Cardiologists used to worry their patients would suffer when they left to attend professional conferences. Now, a new Harvard study suggests doctors should worry more when they're on the job.
The study, published Friday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that patients nationwide who had a heart attack during the biggest interventional cardiology conference of the year fared better than those who got sick in the weeks before or after the conference.
It was either a statistical fluke, or interventional cardiologists — who insert stents to open blocked arteries — are sometimes doing their patients more harm than good.
"I've always wanted to believe that any influence I had on anyone was a positive influence," said interventional cardiologist Kirk Garratt, president of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.
In the study, researchers looked at the 30-day survival rates of Medicare patients who had heart attacks during the five-day Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting, which is run by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. They found an additional 1.5% of patients survived heart attacks that occurred during the convention compared with the weeks before and after, said study leader Anupam Jena, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
The difference accounted for thousands of lives saved and couldn't be explained by the number of emergency stents patients received.
When patients enter a hospital during a heart attack, some are immediately taken to a catheterization laboratory, said Robert Yeh, an interventional cardiologist and co-author of the study. There, an interventional cardiologist will implant a stent to prop open a blocked artery.
Research has raised questions about whether stents are required if the patient is stable, but if a blocked artery is causing a heart attack, the data is clear: Get that artery unblocked as soon as possible, he said.
In other heart attack patients, where the cause is less clear, their disease may be managed by medication, usually overseen by general cardiologists, said Yeh, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
In the study, the greatest increase in survival rates was among patients who were seen by an interventional cardiologist but didn't receive a stent.
Garratt, also medical director for the Center for Heart & Vascular Health at Christiana Care Health System in Delaware, said he finds the research provocative. Interventional cardiologists may be influencing other doctors in a way that is not necessarily best for patient outcome, he said. "What that interplay may be, I have no idea," he added.
The doctors who go to the conference tend to be more academically minded than those who stay home, Garratt said. And while the study noted some experts worried the academics might be spending too much time on research and not enough time practicing medicine, the research didn't bear out that concern.
"These weren't doctors who sat in their office thinking and designing papers," Garratt said. "They were taking care of a lot of patients."
Deepak Bhatt, a spokesperson with the American Heart Association, said he would more likely believe the study's results if there were a valid explanation for them. He thinks the findings are likely due to chance.
"I can't construct a real argument that would make sense," said Bhatt, also executive director of the interventional cardiovascular programs at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Christopher Labos, a cardiologist and epidemiologist at McGill University in Montreal, said he's always a little concerned about studies that try to draw conclusions from data designed for other purposes. Medicare data can't provide detailed insights into an individual doctor's performance and whether patients fare better when he or she is gone, Labos said.
Garratt said the paper doesn't suggest doctors should take any immediate action.
"It's raised a really important question and offered no glimpse at the reason for things being the way they are," he said, adding the study should be a springboard for more research. "If we're going to take action around this concern, we have to understand where our opportunities lie."
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6c3931b9db114f6993e10353ddeb1971
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/13/centenarian-credits-daily-beer-and-potato-chips-her-longevity/419317002/
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She's 100 years old – and credits her long life to beer and potato chips
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She's 100 years old – and credits her long life to beer and potato chips
No pain, no gain?
That doesn’t seem to be entirely the case for centenarian Matilda Curcia of San Diego, Calif., who credits her longevity in part to imbibing a beer and three potato chips every evening.
Well, maybe more than three chips, she told local TV station KNSD with a grin.
"I've experienced good health," Gurcia said. "I do my exercises every day. And have my beer. Eat my potato chips. That's about all."
According to the station, Matilda and a neighbor, who preferred to just use her first name, Mickey, turned 100 years within days of each other and recently celebrated with a party with their families. Blue, gold and hot pink balloons shaped as "100" were among the decorations.
The women, who live four doors from one another, said they moved to the neighborhood around the same time almost 50 years ago. They said they like to take walks and ride their bikes.
Mickey, a nurse, served in World War II in Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines, KNSD reported.
"I’d been a general duty nurse for a long time and then World War II started. And I signed up right away to go overseas," she said. "And I went to different parts where they were really fighting."
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11615ffdf5eaec327424765887a1163f
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/13/idaho-teacher-investigated-after-allegedly-feeding-live-puppy-snapping-turtle-students-watched/419511002/
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Idaho teacher investigated after allegedly feeding live puppy to snapping turtle as students watched
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Idaho teacher investigated after allegedly feeding live puppy to snapping turtle as students watched
An Idaho science teacher is under investigation after allegedly feeding a live puppy to a snapping turtle in front of students at his school.
An animal rights activist, Jill Parrish, filed a police report last week after hearing that the teacher, Robert Crosland, who works in Preston, a small city near the Utah border, fed the puppy to the reptile as students looked on, according to local media.
"What I have learned in the last four days is disgusting. It is sick. It is sick," Parrish told Salt Lake City TV station KSTU.
"Allowing children to watch an innocent baby puppy scream because it is being fed to an animal. That is violence. That is not OK," Parrish added. The animal reportedly was terminally ill.
Este Hull, a 7th-grade student at Preston Junior High, told the station that Crosland usually fed mice or birds to his menagerie of animals, which also include snakes.
“I feel a little bit better that it was a puppy that was going to die, not just a healthy puppy," she said.
Parents Annette Salvesen and Julie Johnson told KSTU that Crosland is the best science teacher at the school.
"If it was a deformed puppy that was going to die anyway, Cros(land) is very much circle-of-life," Salveson added.
In a statement, the school district said it was investigating the allegation.
“On March 7, 2018, Preston School District was made aware of a regrettable circumstance involving some of the biological specimens at Preston Jr. High. The event … was not a part of any school-directed program. We emphasize that at no time was the safety of students or staff compromised.”
According to the Idaho Statesman, Dave Fryar, the sheriff of Franklin County, of which Preston is the largest city and county seat, said he had forwarded a report on the investigation to the county prosecutor.
More:Figure skaters snuggle with puppies after performing
More:Puppies and a kitten have a sleepover we need to be a part of
More:Aw! These adorable shelter puppies get the best photo shoot ever!
More:Adorable police puppies will steal your heart
Meanwhile, the East Idaho News reported that the alleged incident occurred after regular school hours.
The newspaper said parents and students regard Crosland as a popular teacher who has snakes and other animals in tanks around his classroom. Three former students, who asked not to be named, said Crosland previously had fed guinea pigs to snakes and snapping turtles during classroom demonstrations.
“He is a cool teacher who really brought science to life,” one of the former students told the paper. “I loved his class because he had turtles and snakes and other cool things.”
The News said Crosland had not responded to attempts to obtain comments. The Statesman reported that Crosland is still teaching at the school and has not been suspended.
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ad2b7254726f4eeb4f5012eeaea281d6
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/19/austin-bombings-what-we-know-now/437349002/
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Austin bombings: Four explosions in a month, what we know now
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Austin bombings: Four explosions in a month, what we know now
Four mysterious explosions in Austin this month have killed two people and wounded four more. Police are still trying to determine if all of them are connected.
Here is what we know:
When did the bombings begin?
The first package exploded March 2, killing Anthony Stephan House, 39, when he picked up a package on the front porch of his northeast Austin home. The second bomb went off March 12 inside a home in east Austin. Draylen Mason, 17, was killed and his mother was hospitalized. The third blast came a short time later in a neighborhood south of downtown. A 75-year-old Hispanic woman picked up a package on her front porch when it exploded, seriously injuring her.
What happened in Sunday's blast?
A bomb blast, possibly set off by a tripwire, injured two men in southwest Austin. Austin Police Chief Brian Manley provided few details on the incident and wouldn't say whether the explosion was definitively linked to the blasts that have fueled fears across the city. Austin Mayor Steven Adler said Monday that “there are indications it was related to the first three.”
More:Austin Police to bomber: We hope you are watching and will call us
What was different about the latest bombing?
The first three attacks involved suspicious packages left on doorsteps. The package Sunday apparently was left on the side of a road. The latest explosion took place on the west side of Austin, the others were on the east side. Manley said the possible use of a tripwire in Sunday's blast "changes things." Authorities had been warning residents not to handle unidentified or suspicious packages left at their homes. Now residents must have an "extra level of vigilance" and not even go near packages, bags or backpacks they see anywhere, he said.
What is the motive for the attacks?
Police say they have no idea why the bomber is setting off the explosions. Before Sunday's blast, Manley held a televised news conference, pleading for the bomber to come forward. "We assure you, we are listening and we want to understand what brought you to this point, and we want to listen to you, so please call us." Authorities said hate crimes had been considered. The victims of the first three attacks were black and Hispanic. Sundays victims were white males.
Is there a reward for information?
Manley said a reward was increased to $100,000 from $50,000 for information that leads to an arrest in the case. That, along with an award from the governor's office, brings the total reward to $115,000.
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08cc19eb6cc85a4ba76cff3abc00f8cd
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/21/teacher-fired-military-members-el-rancho-high-school/448209002/
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California high school teacher fired for bashing military members as 'lowest of our low'
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California high school teacher fired for bashing military members as 'lowest of our low'
PICO RIVERA, Calif. — A history teacher who was videotaped telling his students that only dumb people join the U.S. military has been fired by the suburban Southern California school district where he has taught for more than 15 years.
El Rancho Unified School District President Aurora R. Villon announced Gregory Salcido’s dismissal at Tuesday night’s school board meeting. She said he would remain on unpaid administrative leave pending any appeal he might make to state officials.
In January Salcido upbraided a 17-year-old student for wearing a Marines sweatshirt to his class at El Rancho High School, telling him members of the U.S. military are “the lowest of our low.”
“We’ve got a bunch of dumb (expletive) over there,” he said during a soft-spoken but occasionally profane lecture that lasted several minutes while his students sometimes giggled. “Think about the people who you know who are over there, your stupid, frickin’ Uncle Louie or whoever.”
Villon said the small school district in the overwhelmingly Hispanic suburb of Pico Rivera has been “swamped with controversy” since a video of the remarks went viral after a family friend of the student posted it on Facebook.
Although Salcido is a tenured teacher, Villon told The Associated Press on Wednesday she is confident his dismissal will stand up, adding he crossed the line by intimidating and bullying a captive audience with his remarks.
“We’re not questioning his freedom of speech, but when we hire teachers to teach in a classroom there is a curriculum that needs to be taught,” she said. “We know that as educators our job is to develop students’ minds so that they can become critical thinkers. We cannot espouse our personal values on the students and say, ‘This is the way, this is the way that’s right.’ That is not what the classroom is about, to bully students because they have a certain ideology.”
She also said his remarks were particularly painful to hear in Pico Rivera, a once rural community that quickly became a bustling suburb after World War II when developers built thousands of affordable houses to accommodate veterans returning from the war.
“In our community there is still a very, very strong military presence,” she said.
Salcido did not respond to an email message Wednesday and his home phone rang unanswered.
He grew up in Pico Rivera himself, a city of about 63,000 residents, 90% of them Hispanic and located a dozen miles east of Los Angeles. He went to work at El Rancho High, his alma mater, after obtaining his teaching credential in 1999.
He is also a longtime member of the City Council who served as mayor in 2002, 2010 and 2015.
Since his remarks went viral he has rejected fellow councilmembers’ demands that he resign. One councilmember has launched a recall petition.
Salcido was the subject of a flattering profile in the Los Angeles Times in 2002 when he made an unsuccessful bid for Congress. He told the newspaper then he wanted to inspire the same kind of passion to attend college in his students that his father had instilled in him.
On the recording he’s heard dismissing military people as not smart, adding the only ones who join are those who didn’t prepare for college.
“They’re not like high-level thinkers, they’re not academic people, they’re the frickin’ lowest of our low,” he says, quickly adding that does not make them bad people.
Salcido told the City Council last month his remarks were taken out of context, adding he was attempting to motivate an apathetic student. He declined to apologize for what he said but added he regretted offending anybody.
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d1568e27381590535099082703128e78
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/24/parkland-survivor-throws-up-during-march-our-lives-speech-then-continued-her-incredible-speech-like/456064002/
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Parkland survivor throws up, continues 'incredible speech' at March for Our Lives
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Parkland survivor throws up, continues 'incredible speech' at March for Our Lives
Shooting survivor Samantha Fuentes was in the middle of delivering a powerful speech at the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C., when the nerves of addressing a crowd of more than 500,000 seemed to take over.
"Lawmakers and politicians will scream guns are not the issue," the Parkland, Fla., survivor said passionately. She then got choked up during her next sentence and stopped to throw up on stage. Live stream cameras cut away from Fuentes.
After she regained her composure and received cheers from the crowd, Fuentes exclaimed, "I just threw up on international television, and it feels great!"
With another student standing next to her, Fuentes then continued her speech, pleading for compromise to "save one another."
Fuentes ended her address, asking the crowd to join her in signing 'Happy Birthday' for one of her classmates, Nick Dworet, who died during the Feb. 14 massacre and would have turned 18 on March 24.
More:Aerial images from March for Our Lives rallies around the world shows huge turnout
More:'Welcome to the revolution': Parkland students lead emotional March for Our Lives rally
More:March for Our Lives rallies happening in every U.S. state: 'We are going to make this the voting issue'
After Fuentes' speech, many tweeted words of encouragement.
Fuentes was one of the students wounded at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. She tweeted an image of her injuries after the massacre.
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deaa811419864ab01d114fcf469ec1b6
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/28/judge-tosses-most-serious-charges-penn-state-fraternity-death/466601002/
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Judge again tosses most serious charges in Penn State fraternity death
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Judge again tosses most serious charges in Penn State fraternity death
A judge threw out involuntary manslaughter and many of the other most serious remaining charges Wednesday against 11 of the former Penn State fraternity members arrested in a pledge’s hazing-related death last year, the second major blow to the prosecution’s case.
District Judge Allen Sinclair dismissed all five involuntary manslaughter charges along with all reckless endangerment and hazing counts before him during the three-day hearing that wrapped up late Tuesday, sending to county court for trial only alcohol violations and, against two defendants, single counts of conspiracy to commit hazing.
The case involves the February 2017 death of 19-year-old sophomore engineering student Tim Piazza of Lebanon, N.J., who died of severe head and abdominal injuries after falling several times at the house the night of a bid acceptance ceremony and party.
Security video recovered from the house showed the sophomore and other pledges being plied with alcohol, and authorities later estimated Piazza had consumed three to four times the state’s legal limit for alcohol.
The district judge had previously tossed many of those same counts on Sept. 1 after an eight-day preliminary hearing. The county district attorney subsequently refiled many of those charges, and more were added. There also were new defendants charged after the FBI was able to recover deleted security camera footage from the basement. A preliminary hearing for those defendants is scheduled for early May.
Defense attorney Leonard Ambrose, representing Joseph Sala, called the refiled charges “a total waste of time.” All 39 counts against Sala that were in play during the hearing were dismissed, leaving him with 14 counts of hazing and four alcohol-related charges that Sinclair had upheld in September.
“This is the equivalent of a boxing match where they lost the major issues in the first fight, demanded a second fight and lost,” Ambrose said.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro, whose office took over the case upon the request of a new district attorney in January, said the review of the case was continuing.
“We will move forward with our case and the charges that were held for trial today,” said Shapiro, a Democrat. “I am disappointed by the decision of the magisterial district judge and we are assessing our legal options. My office is committed to seeking justice for Timothy Piazza and his family and holding responsible individuals accountable for their actions.”
More:A year ago, Penn State's Tim Piazza died, and his parents aren't letting up
More:The shocking final hours of Penn State pledge Timothy Piazza's life
Felony counts of aggravated assault that would have carried the lengthiest potential prison sentences had been tossed at a prior hearing, and prosecutors eventually opted not to pursue them again.
The defense attorney for Gary DiBileo, Michael Engle, said prosecutors made essentially the same argument about involuntary manslaughter that was unsuccessful in September.
“Despite our feelings of gratitude to the court for today’s legal ruling, Gary and his family recognize that a young man tragically lost his life and they continue to pray for Mr. Piazza’s family during this extremely difficult time,” Engle said.
Nick Kubera saw all 11 counts against him be dismissed, leaving him to defend the charges that Sinclair had previously forwarded to court — six counts of reckless endangerment, 14 counts of hazing and alcohol violations.
“Two preliminary hearings of unprecedented length conducted by two prosecutors doesn’t change the obvious — that a freshman college student who had been a fraternity member for all of a couple of weeks and who handed six pledges a beer (only five of whom were underage) is guilty of nothing more than handing six pledges a beer,” said Kubera’s lawyer, Andrew Shubin.
Tom Kline, a civil lawyer for Piazza’s parents, said they were disappointed that involuntary manslaughter charges were thrown out but heartened that the judge upheld the counts of conspiracy to commit hazing.
“Jim and Evelyn Piazza are optimistic … this prosecution will eventually deter this kind of abhorrent conduct,” Kline said.
After drinking heavily that night, Piazza had to be helped upstairs to a couch, but soon after he fell down the basement stairs and had to be carried upstairs. He spent much of the ensuing evening and overnight on a couch, exhibiting signs of pain and discomfort.
Members of the fraternity took half-hearted and even counterproductive steps to address his condition, ultimately leaving him alone.
By the next morning, Piazza was back in the basement, where fraternity members found him unconscious. They carried him upstairs but waited 40 minutes to call for help.
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8483fb4a15af247c10088711d5c07390
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/28/lorraine-motel-mlk-assassination-witnesses/1071959001/
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For those at Lorraine Motel when MLK was killed, what does it mean to witness martyrdom?
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For those at Lorraine Motel when MLK was killed, what does it mean to witness martyrdom?
MEMPHIS – Many Americans remember where they were when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel. A few were actually there.
We know what became of some of them. King’s deputy Ralph Abernathy struggled to fill his shoes. Jesse Jackson ran for president. Andrew Young became a congressman, a mayor and an ambassador.
What about the less celebrated bystanders? How does proximity to such an act of historic violence change a person? What does it mean to be a witness to martyrdom?
The stories of those who were at the Lorraine that day offer some answers. The witnesses include:
• Earl Caldwell, a New York Times reporter, had dreamed of being on the scene when a big story broke instead of having to play catch up afterward. He would get his wish.
• Joseph Louw, a documentary filmmaker driven by apartheid from his native South Africa, was drawn to King’s promise of racial reconciliation. He would become — for a week — the most celebrated photographer in America.
• James Laue, a federal observer sympathetic to King, was one of the Lorraine's two white guests. He said the Memphis sanitation workers strike, which King was in town to support, could revive the civil rights movement by recapturing the spirit of Montgomery and Selma.
• Three Louisville-based civil rights activists: A.D. King, King’s brother; Georgia Davis, Kentucky’s first black state senator and one of Martin Luther King’s lovers, who came to Memphis at his request; and Lucretia “Lukey” Ward, the motel’s other white guest, who was having an affair with A.D. King.
• Loree Bailey ran the motel (named for her by her husband and co-owner) where King and other black celebrities usually stayed in segregated Memphis. Bailey’s establishment faced an uncertain future, and she was in her last hours.
• Ben Branch, a saxophonist, was scheduled to play with his band that night at King’s strike rally. He received a musical request he could not honor.
• Billy Kyles, a minister, was at the Lorraine to take King and his entourage to his house for dinner. At home, his daughter Dwania — at 12, already a veteran of the civil rights struggle — was excitedly helped her mother prepare.
At 6 that evening, Caldwell, Louw, Laue, Davis, A.D. King and Ward were in their rooms. Bailey was in the motel office. Branch stood in the courtyard parking lot, where Martin King — looking down from the second-floor balcony — asked him to play the gospel classic Precious Lord that night. Kyles was on the balcony, walking toward the staircase.
When he heard a shot, Laue rushed from his room to King’s side with a towel and a blanket. Louw began taking photos of the scene. Kyles ran into King’s room to call an ambulance, but Bailey, who operated the switchboard, had run into the courtyard to see what was happening.
She was distraught and discombobulated — an hour away from a fatal stroke.
As he dashed out of his room, Caldwell thought he saw something across the street — a white man emerging from some bushes. Davis, who was checking herself in the mirror before dinner, opened her door and looked up to see King’s leg on the balcony.
Within an hour, King was dead.
And none of the witnesses was ever the same.
The reporter
Earl Caldwell says being the only reporter at the Lorraine helped make his career and helped mar it.
He went on to cover the Black Power movement and became the focus of a landmark legal battle when the government tried to force him to testify about the Black Panthers. He became a columnist for New York's Daily News.
He never accepted investigators’ conclusion that James Earl Ray, acting alone, fired the fatal shot from the window of a rooming house across the street. He says that years later, when he insisted that he saw a man in the bushes and expressed skepticism about the official explanation, he moved from being a reporter to, in some eyes, "a conspiracy nut.''
“As a reporter, you never wanted to be part of the story,’’ Caldwell says. “I almost wish I wasn’t there. I’d have been better off if they’d flown me down the next day.’’
The photographer
Joseph Louw had his photo published in LIFE magazine. It was the seminal image of the tragedy, and his future seemed assured. But a year later, he moved back to Africa, where few people realized he’d shot the Lorraine photo. And he didn’t tell them.
Louw was traveling with King for a public television documentary. He had fled to the USA from his native South Africa in 1963. Under that nation’s apartheid system, he was classified as ‘’coloured" — mixed white and black — and charged with having (consensual) sex with a white woman.
Those who knew him speculate about why he left America to practice journalism (first in Kenya, later in South Africa).John Ankele, an American friend, says Louw keenly felt the loss of hope that King’s death symbolized, “so he went back to what he knew.’’
Louw understood what he was leaving. Years later, his son Jacob found an invitation to the White House from 1968. “He laughed," Jacob recalls. "He said, ‘Yeah, I was a big deal.’ "
After the Lorraine, “he didn’t ride the train" of celebrity journalism, Jacob says. “He felt there were other stories to tell … African stories."
Louw’s greatest satisfaction in Africa came from farming. He brought in three harvests before he died of cancer in 2003 at 64. U.S. newspapers and websites didn't carry his obituary.
The observer
James Laue, the Justice Department observer, went on to become a pioneer in the field of conflict resolution, and he founded one of the first university programs in the discipline. In 1984, he helped establish the U.S. Institute for Peace, a federal agency that promotes conflict resolution.
Laue, obscured in most of Louw's Lorraine photos, never volunteered that he was there. But others remembered him. In his autobiography, Abernathy described a white man on the balcony after King fell, “frightened enough to be crawling on his hands and knees but brave enough to bring a blanket to spread over Martin."
Shortly before his death in 1993 at 56, Laue wrote that King’s “life — and his death — changed my life." He always denied that King saw non-violence as “a tactic to use against your enemy." Rather, he argued, it was “a strategy to convert your enemy."
The senator
Georgia Davis had a distinguished career in Kentucky politics and civil rights, but she became famous as Martin Luther King’s lover. In a 1995 memoir, she said she and King (who’d been married for 15 years and had four children) slept together at the Lorraine the night before he was killed.
Davis, Lukey Ward and A.D. King were vacationing in Florida when King asked her to come to Memphis. They’d already become lovers. She was 44 — five years older than him — and in the process of a divorce. His attentions, she wrote, were particularly flattering at the time.
The three arrived at the Lorraine the night of April 3, met up with King and others and talked into the early morning. When she went to her room, she wrote in her memoir, I Shared the Dream, King followed — as they both knew he would. “Senator," she said he told her, using his nickname for her, “our time together is so short."
After King’s murder, Davis was angry and haunted. “I don’t know how I survived 1968," she wrote. “The world seemed upside down."
But she was not undone. She was not the love of his life, nor he of hers. If anything, she was energized. “I vowed to take the valuable lessons I learned from him with me, and to use them," she wrote. The crucial lessons: Stay in touch with the grass roots, and beware the enticements of power and privilege.
Some of King’s former aides called her description of her liaison with King a lie, although she was merely corroborating what Abernathy implied in his autobiography six years earlier. Anyway, she said, the most common reaction from women was “I wish it had been me!"
King’s affairs with Davis (and others) may make him seem more human. In 2015, the year before she died at 92, Davis wrote that King told her at the Lorraine that “sometimes the load of being a leader gets almost too heavy to bear. Everyone expects you to be perfect."
The musician
Ben Branch, who received King’s last musical request, never said much about what he saw at the Lorraine “He was not a talkative person to begin with," says his widow, Vivian. “And that really shut him up."
There was one change, she says. After King’s murder, “he didn’t like to play nightclubs. He preferred churches." That was where he was stricken on Aug. 23, 1987 — Tabernacle Baptist Church in Chicago. He died four days later. He was 64.
The motel owner
Loree Bailey went to her room at the motel and lay down after King was shot. She lapsed into a coma and died five days later, the Tuesday of King’s funeral. She was 58. Her husband Walter hung a wreath on the door of Room 306 — it would “go down in history as the most famous motel room in the world," he said — and never rented it out again.
Over the next few years, the Lorraine declined as more affluent black travelers, afforded options by new civil rights laws, stayed elsewhere. The place became an SRO hotel before closing in 1988.
Earlier, a civic group had bought it, planning for what became in 1991 the National Civil Rights Museum. The Baileys’ humble motel became a national shrine.
The brother and his lover
A.D. King and Lukey Ward, each married with children, broke off their affair when King was called to Atlanta after his brother's death to take his pulpit.
A.D., traumatized by his brother's murder, struggled to fill his shoes. A heavy drinker who suffered from depression, A.D. was found dead the following year in his backyard swimming pool in what was ruled an accidental drowning. He was 38, a year younger than Martin when he died.
Ward withdrew from the civil rights movement and from the world outside home. Aside from some political campaigns -- including those of her son Mike, who was elected to Congress in 1994 -- the extroverted activist became a virtual recluse. She died in 1996 at 74.
What happened at the Lorraine “really threw her for a loop," her son says. “She got better in time, but she was not the same person after as she was before."
The minister
The Rev. Billy Kyles embraced the tragedy. Dwania Kyles recoiled from it.
As a first-grader she’d been one of the “Memphis 13," the first students to integrate the public schools. “I was always the first this, the first that," she recalls.
After the Lorraine, “I witnessed a sorrow I did not know existed. It was the first time I saw grown men cry. … I was freaked out." She left Memphis for college and created a life in New York City.
Her father continued to dwell on his presence when King was shot. In sermons and speeches until his death in 2016 at 81, Kyles described his struggle to understand the reason he'd been there: He was meant to be a witness.
His daughter understood what it had cost him. In bed at night after the shooting, she heard her father's nightmare screams in the next room. Leaving Memphis, she says, was her way of healing; his was talking about what happened at the Lorraine.
MLK Anniversary: The Witness: Clara Ester, the Lorraine Motel and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/29/ice-hold-more-pregnant-women-immigration-detention/469907002/
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ICE to hold more pregnant women in immigration detention
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ICE to hold more pregnant women in immigration detention
Federal immigration officials have ended a general practice of releasing pregnant women facing deportation under a policy revealed Thursday by the Trump administration.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy had been that pregnant undocumented immigrants being detained were allowed to be freed on bond or supervised release. But President Trump has ordered ICE to keep more undocumented immigrants in detention, arguing that too many are released and never appear for their deportation hearings.
The new policy, which was quietly signed three months ago, angered immigration advocates and human rights organizations.
“Americans should all be horrified at the thought of innocent pregnant women —many of whom fled violence and abuse in their home countries — languishing in what are essentially prisons,” said Eleanor Acer, senior director of refugee protection for Human Rights First.
Philip Miller, deputy executive associate director for ICE's enforcement and removal operations, said pregnant detainees will continue receiving close medical attention, including checkups with an outside doctor. He said 506 pregnant women have been through ICE custody in the past three months.
"Clearly this population of pregnant women have a special circumstance," Miller said Thursday during a conference call with reporters. "It’s not just an officer deciding on her physical condition. We have doctors, we have nurses, we have medical professionals with whom we consult."
Miller said the decision whether to detain pregnant women must follow a similar procedure with all other inmates.
He said undocumented immigrants are automatically detained if they have a serious criminal record, are deemed a flight risk or meet other criteria. Pregnant women who don't meet those categories were generally released under the previous policy, but now that presumption no longer stands.
Only women in their third trimester will be released from custody, because they are not allowed to fly, Miller said. Other pregnant detainees will be judged on a case-by-case basis, with their pregnancy a "special factor" to be considered as part of their entire case.
"We’re not going to carve out classes of persons" not subject to the policy, Miller said.
Human rights activists have hammered the Trump administration in recent months over its treatment of pregnant women in immigration detention. A group of organizations, including the ACLU, the American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, filed a complaint in September against the Department of Homeland Security alleging that pregnant women were not receiving adequate care in ICE detention centers.
Thursday's announcement further enraged those groups, who say the decision is the latest to unfairly target immigrants.
"The Trump administration has made it clear they will stop at nothing when it comes to harming and attacking immigrants," said Pili Tobar, managing director of America's Voice, a group that advocates on behalf of immigrants. "Anti-immigrant hostility is the central and consistent theme of this administration ... and a push that is at direct odds with our basic values and best traditions in America."
The directive was signed by ICE Deputy Director Thomas Hogan on Dec. 14 but was not made public until Thursday. Miller said the agency waited to announce the decision until medical workers could help implement the plan.
Miller said all ICE staff was officially informed of the new policy Thursday.
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/29/witness-lorraine-martin-luther-king-assassination-anniversary/1071954001/
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The Witness: Clara Ester, the Lorraine Motel and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
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The Witness: Clara Ester, the Lorraine Motel and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
MEMPHIS – It’s 6 p.m. on April 4, 1968. In a minute, on a motel balcony, America’s greatest civil rights leader and most famous advocate of non-violence will be shot to death.
This story is about what it was like to witness the death of Martin Luther King at the Lorraine Motel. And about how, over the 50 years that follow, it will change the lives of those who heard the shot or saw him fall or touched his blood.
Some of the witnesses at the Lorraine — Ralph Abernathy, Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson — are, or soon will be, famous.
Most are not. They’re like Clara Jean Ester, a college student caught up in a local sanitation workers' strike.
In a minute she’ll be on the balcony, standing with the others around a dying King. But you can’t see her in the famous photo of that scene. And, although her life will be changed as much as anyone’s by King’s assassination, her story will go untold for 50 years.
On this Thursday, Clara Ester is increasingly distressed by the sanitation workers’ plight. After seven weeks, they have little to show for their strike. Some of their families are living on donated Wonder Bread; some of their homes’ electricity has been cut off.
King has come to Memphis to support the strikers. But Clara is torn between the non-violence he espouses and the militancy of a local black power group.
Several nights she has borrowed her father’s car to drive the militants on missions to try to torch white-owned commercial buildings and pressure city officials to settle. She has collected Coke bottles for Molotov cocktails. In frustration, she has thrown a few herself; they exploded harmlessly on the sidewalk.
But on Sunday mornings, she feels that her pastor — a strike leader adamantly opposed to violence — can see through her.
Today, she has just arrived at the Lorraine to have the diner special: catfish. Instead, she’s about to witness an epic act of violence.
In time, King’s followers will come to understand his death as a crucifixion. And crucifixion, as defined by the Roman Empire 2,000 years earlier, is a public event. It always has witnesses; it is, in large part, for the witnesses. Its impact spools out in their lives, and through them in the lives of many others.
We know how King’s life changed America. This, in microcosm, is how his death changed it — and how violence rends the fabric of history.
King is exhausted.
For 15 years, he has kept a presidential campaign pace — preaching his message, planning strategy, raising money, going to jail (about 30 times), keeping peace among his fractious, headstrong deputies.
He has led a movement that has guaranteed blacks the right to vote, access to public facilities and much else. In 1963, he was Time magazine's man of the year. In 1964, he became the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He was 35.
But now his campaign to extend the civil rights struggle to the racially segregated cities of the North, such as Chicago, is faltering.
His plan for a mass march on Washington to dramatize the plight of poor people of all races poses such challenges that it was, until recently, opposed even by his own staff.
His insistence that protest be non-violent is challenged by the Black Power movement and leaders such as Malcolm X (assassinated three years ago), Stokely Carmichael and H. Rap Brown, who says violence “is as American as cherry pie.’’
His opposition to the Vietnam War, expressed most dramatically a year ago today at Riverside Church in New York City, is alienating crucial civil rights movement allies, including President Lyndon Johnson.
Now King is in Memphis: to support 1,100 striking garbage collectors; to prove he can still lead a peaceful protest march, unlike one here last week that turned into a riot; to show the movement has a future outside the Deep South and beyond the black middle class.
And, although it is not his intent — but as he seems to sense — he is here to die.
The night before, in an impromptu speech at a strike rally, Clara Ester and thousands of others heard King all but give his own eulogy. He said that, like Moses, he had been to the mountaintop and seen the Promised Land. But, he warned, “I may not get there with you.’’
Shortly before 6, King emerges from his $13-a-night room, No. 306, and walks onto the second-floor balcony. He benignly regards those in the courtyard parking lot below. They include Clara Ester and a fellow student, Mary Hunt, whom she has given a lift in her father’s white Pontiac Tempest.
Jesse Jackson is among those in the courtyard. He introduces King to Ben Branch, a saxophone player whose band will play at the strike rally tonight.
King loves the gospel classic Take my Hand, Precious Lord, which Thomas A. Dorsey wrote after the death of his wife and infant son. He looks down at Branch. “Ben, play Precious Lord in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty.’’
“OK, Doc, I will,’’ Branch replies.
It’s dinnertime. Billy Kyles, a local minister, is there to lead King and his entourage back to his house for a soul food feast. He leaves King at the balcony railing and walks toward the staircase to the lot.
Suddenly, a loud sound. To Clara it sounds like a truck backfiring, or maybe a firecracker.
She sees King lifted off his feet and thrown back down onto the balcony. She and Mary Hunt run up the stairs. They find King bleeding from a huge wound in his neck, barely breathing. Clara undoes his belt buckle. She thinks, He’s not going to make it.
But King’s face looks relaxed — peaceful. There’s a hint of a smile on his lips. His eyes are open, as if he’s looking to heaven.
In Room 309, a young black South African documentary filmmaker named Joseph Louw hears the shot. He steps out onto the balcony, sees King and returns to his room for a camera.
As police rush into the courtyard, asking where the shot came from, Louw begins shooting pictures. In what will become his most famous image, those on the balcony point in the direction of the gunshot.
At Kyles’ home, the phone rings. The preacher’s children are excited: Dr. King is coming! Then they hear their mother gasp, and they know something has gone wrong. Something has changed.
Except for a shoulder, a penny loafer and some white bobby socks, you can’t see Clara Ester in Louw’s famous photo of the Lorraine balcony. Her obscurity is ironic, because outside King’s immediate orbit, it’s hard to find anyone more dramatically affected by his death.
She was born in Memphis in 1947, before Brown vs. the Board of Education or the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her father worked on the railroad. She happily grew up in what she’d come to think of as “our little black world.’’ She went to black schools, worshiped at a black church, shopped at black stores and went to the city zoo on the one day of the week when blacks (and, implicitly, not whites) were allowed.
Clara’s primary exposure to white people came at a Methodist Church-run community center where her mother cooked and cleaned. She became close to two single white women, Methodist deaconesses (lay ministers), who sometimes took her on visits to the infirm and impoverished.
One day they visited an old blind woman in a public housing project. When they walked in the apartment, Clara saw cockroaches on the floor, walls and furniture. But her two companions seemed not to notice the roaches. They accepted their host’s invitation to sit and indicated that Clara should, too.
She was squirming even before she saw what looked like a rat emerge from under a chair. Again, the deaconesses focused on their host.
After they left, Clara asked them: Did you see the roaches? Why did you just sit there? Why did we even go there?
The women explained that as visitors they did not want to embarrass their host. As to why they went, one explained, “That’s what you’re supposed to do.’’
Clara graduated from high school in 1965 and entered LeMoyne College. It had been established in Memphis by Northern missionaries and abolitionists in the 1860s to educate free blacks and escaped slaves. She was a good student and athlete. With opportunity opening up to blacks in corporations and government, she seemed primed to succeed.
Then came the strike.
It began Feb. 12, 1968. An electrical malfunction in a garbage truck compactor had crushed two sanitation workers to death, exacerbating long-simmering resentment of low wages, poor working conditions and racial discrimination. Those who collected the garbage were all black; their supervisors were almost all white.
Earlier attempts at union organizing and collective bargaining had been rebuffed by the city. But this time, when the city refused to negotiate, the workers walked out.
Each noon they’d meet at a church on the outskirts of downtown and march to Main Street. One day, a strike leader, the Rev. James Lawson, told them: "At the heart of racism is the idea that a man is not a man, that a person is not a person. You are human beings. You are men.’’
Soon the strikers held signs saying: “I AM A MAN.’’
Lawson was already famous in the national civil rights movement, and particularly esteemed by King, as a trainer in non-violent protest techniques. He was also Clara’s pastor. He warned from the pulpit that he had better not see anyone in his congregation violating the boycott of white-owned businesses.
Clara, a junior at LeMoyne, worked afternoons in the strike office, attended rallies and marches, and organized students at other colleges and high schools to join the boycott.
But she was frustrated by the stalemate. And she was listening to voices besides Lawson’s.
The Invaders were Memphis’ version of the Black Panthers — young black militants with dark glasses and Afros who believed violence was an option in the struggle for equality. At one strike rally, they handed out recipes for Molotov cocktails. “Get your guns!’’ one Invader told the strikers.
Charles Cabbage, a founder of the group, asked Clara to join them. (In retrospect, she would conclude that her primary attraction was that she had access to a car.)
If she thought Lawson might not notice her flirtation with violence, she was mistaken. “I know who you’re running with,’’ he told her. But he did not condemn her, or tell her what to do.
Lawson and his fellow ministers invited King to come to Memphis to support the strike. He visited March 18 and announced plans to return in 10 days for a march.
Clara heard there would be trouble. An Invader told her that when the march turned a certain corner, “something is going to go down. Just follow suit.’’
She warned Lawson, who said that he knew of the risks but that the march had to proceed.
It was a disaster. Some young men broke storefront windows; police responded, sometimes indiscriminately, with clubs and pepper spray. King, who had joined the march in front at the last minute and had no major role in its organization, was hustled away.
Clara saw him at a hotel a few hours later. He looked frustrated, disappointed and tired. In the past, his supporters had always been the targets of violence. This time, they had caused it.
Now, King’s aides wanted nothing more to do with Memphis. What King called the Poor People's Campaign — the march on Washington — was scheduled later that spring. It was a political and logistical stretch as it was; another fiasco in Memphis could kill it.
But King said he had to prove he could still lead a non-violent march. He had to go back to Memphis.
He arrived April 3, ready to march the following Monday.
The afternoon of April 4, Clara was working at strike headquarters. James Orange, a King aide, invited her and Mary Hunt to the Lorraine for supper.
Years later, when she finally started to talk about it, she would attribute her presence at the Lorraine to coincidence — and appetite: “I just wanted some catfish.’’
After the shooting, the police would not let anyone leave the Lorraine. Clara was furious; they should be looking for whoever shot King, not quizzing them. “Why are y’all questioning us?’’ she demanded of one white officer. “We didn’t do it. Y’all did it!’’
Unknown to her, Clara was photographed standing next to James Orange by Ernest Withers, a prominent civil rights movement photographer.
Withers had been at his Beale Street studio when he heard King was shot. He ran to the Lorraine, where he met Louw and took him back to his darkroom to develop his film before returning to the Lorraine.
Over the next few days, rioting erupted in dozens of cities. Now, federal officials pressured the city of Memphis to settle the strike and avoid more violence. On April 16, the strike ended with recognition of the workers’ union and wage increases.
But Clara was angry: with her hometown, which had allowed King to be murdered and let his murderer escape, and with white people.
King’s aides had vowed the Poor People’s March would proceed. So Clara joined a caravan heading to Washington. She met poor Hispanics and Native Americans, and rural whites poorer than most black people she knew.
The marchers formed a tent city on the National Mall. But King’s death left a leadership vacuum; official Washington was unresponsive; and the rains flooded the settlement. Clara, unused to such conditions, caught a cold that turned into pneumonia. Organizers put her on a plane back to Memphis.
When it was over, “I was no longer the same person,’’ she’d recall. “I was trying to live my life as a normal person who’d not witnessed an assassination.’’
There was doubt — “Were we worshiping the right God?’’ — and despair: “Our attitude was, ‘You have taken our leader.’ If we get another one, you can take him, too.“’
And there was this: For her, violence was no longer an abstraction, and no longer an option.
She had heard King, in his last speech, talk about narrowly escaping death in a stabbing in 1958 and how glad he was to have lived to see, in Memphis, “a community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering.’’ And less than 24 hours later, she had seen him lying in his own blood.
Yet the face that was so troubled after the March 28 march looked at peace on the balcony. She knew it was because he had been talking with friends when he was shot. Still, she was sure King had died doing what he was meant to do, even though he had to give up a comfortable, settled life of an Atlanta pastor.
In the strike, and at the Lorraine, she had learned something about herself. She felt the pain of other people, and wanted — needed — to do what she could to alleviate it. Her role was clear: “To pick up the cross, and carry it.’’
Clara graduated from college in 1969. Many of her classmates were ready to be lawyers, teachers, nurses and preachers. Not her. She wanted to be a lay minister who “could demonstrate the love of God.’’ King reached beyond the church walls. So would she.
She accepted an assignment from the United Methodist Church Women’s national organization to go to Mobile, Ala., to report on a community center the group ran in the impoverished Crichton area. The neighborhood had turned from white to black, but the community center, still run by white staffers, was doing almost nothing for the new residents.
Clara recommended a total revamping of the center’s program. The Methodist Women’s board was so impressed with her analysis that it offered her the job of doing so.
Meanwhile, in Memphis, the Invaders faced a leadership vacuum (Cabbage was imprisoned for draft evasion) and a police crackdown. Dozens of members were arrested on a variety of charges; others scattered.
In Mobile, Clara started from scratch. She went door to door to meet neighborhood residents. Some houses were so ramshackle they didn’t look they belonged in a city, much less one of the state’s largest. Sometimes there were roaches and mice. She knew what to do.
In her 36 years, she transformed the Wesley Dumas Community Center into a social services powerhouse, including a wing with transitional housing for homeless mothers and children.
She fought for causes ranging from creation of a state King holiday to integration of the Azalea Trail Maids, a group of Mobile high school seniors who wear antebellum style dresses and serve as city ambassadors.
There was none of the drama of the Memphis strike. There was no Nobel Prize. But she changed lives, as she believed hers had been changed.
She warned students that if you were black, a B was not good enough. She ordered young men to pull up their pants. On the center’s field trips to Atlanta, she took kids to see Stone Mountain, with its huge sculptures of Confederate heroes — “history you need to know about,’’ she said.
Her own life after Memphis was punctuated by tragedy. In 1970, her fiancé was killed in an auto crash. In 1985, heading back to Memphis for her father’s funeral, she suffered massive head injuries when her car was crushed by a jackknifing 18-wheeler. She was in a coma for weeks and hospitalized for months.
A 4-year-old boy she adopted in 1981 would become the joy of her life. But he had been in five foster homes, and he later suffered from attention deficit disorder, seizures and bipolar disorder. He had to be institutionalized at 17 after a psychotic incident and has lived mostly in group homes.
She always bounced back, finding meaning in her work and strength in her faith.
Given Clara’s talents, her family wondered what might have been. “She could have done much better for herself materially,’’ says her older brother Ronald, who himself became head of personnel at a major railroad. He’s not complaining: “When you have a sister who does what she’s done, it makes you puff out your chest.’’
The sister says she just wanted to help people. “That’s what Dr. King would have done. That’s what Christ would have done.’’
If asked about her involvement in the civil rights movement, Clara will talk about her role in the sanitation workers strike. If pressed, she’ll concede, “I just happened to be at the motel.’’
Even in Mobile, her adopted home, few people know she was at King’s side. “You’d think someone (who was at the Lorraine) would run around tooting their own horn. That’s not something she felt she needed to tell people about,’’ says Ronald Ester. (He and other members of their family have always called her "Jean"; friends call her "Clara"; the many younger people she's helped call her "Miss Clara.")
There were several reasons for her reticence.
For one thing, it was hard for her to talk about it; even today, she chokes up.
For another, she staked her claim as King’s disciple on her actions after he died, not her presence when he died. She had been there to hear King’s great “Mountaintop’’ speech. But it was what he did in his life, more than what he said, that moved her.
And there was little proof she was at the Lorraine. One of Louw’s photos captured the horror on the face of Mary Hunt, Clara's companion. But she almost totally obscured Clara, standing next to her.
Then, in 2013, the Memphis Commercial-Appeal disclosed that Withers, who had photographed Clara at the Lorraine (and who died in 2007), had been a paid FBI informant. The newspaper published his photo of Clara with James Orange (although the FBI file did not explain who she was, why she was there or spell her last name correctly).
“After that," she says, “I felt there was some proof."
Many of the other witnesses have died, including Ben Branch, the bandleader, in 1987; Abernathy, King’s successor, in 1990; Orange in 2008; Pastor Billy Kyles in 2016.
Mary Hunt died of cancer in 1992, a few days before she had been scheduled to speak in public for the first time about what it was like to be at the Lorraine.
Joe Louw, who took the Lorraine balcony photo, left America a few years after Memphis. He returned to his native Africa, where few people connected him to the famous photo. He died in 2004; no American newspaper seems to have printed his obituary.
The Lorraine itself survived. After a long decline, it opened in 1991 as the National Civil Rights Museum. Here, through a pane of glass, visitors can see the room where Martin Luther King last laid his weary head.
Fifty years later, Clara Ester is among those who understand King’s death as a crucifixion. To her, King on the balcony looked “like Christ, hangin’ on that cross,’’ eyes open, as if looking up. She hears him saying, the night before, “I may not get there with you …’’
She has come to understand that she was a witness, and that her best testimony was in action rather than word.
She also wonders about what would have become of her if King had not been shot, and the strike had not ended quickly and peacefully. Would she have thrown more Molotov cocktails? Would she have gotten caught? Would her life have taken a different direction?
If she sees King’s death as a crucifixion, she also believes in a resurrection.
“Dr. King has lived on. He is still alive today. He is the driver behind Black Lives Matter, women’s rights, gay rights. You can kill the dreamer, Scripture says, but you can never take away the dream. And he gave us that dream of a better world where we could live in harmony. He lived that, and it still lives in a lot of us."
Many Americans remember where they were when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel. A few were actually there.Read more about the people who were witnesses.
More coverage from USA TODAY NETWORK
1968: The Year that transformed America
MOMENTS:The events that defined 1968
TIMELINE:The life of Martin Luther King Jr.
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96b732328b98412b5f3cfe80d33af330
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/30/stephon-clark-independent-autopsy-results-announced-friday/472507002/
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Stephon Clark shot 8 times, mostly in back, independent autopsy finds
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Stephon Clark shot 8 times, mostly in back, independent autopsy finds
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Unarmed Stephon Clark was shot eight times — mostly in the back — by two Sacramento police officers in his grandmother's backyard, according to an independent autopsy released Friday.
Clark's death, which took up to 10 minutes, has reignited the familiar anger and calls for justice after similar shootings by police of unarmed black men in the United States. His family requested an independent autopsy after authorities said an official report wouldn't be released until the case is finished in the courts.
Dr. Bennet Omalu, who conducted the autopsy, said Clark was clearly shot from behind. Six of the bullets hit the back of his body. He said the two others hit him in the side and thigh.
"This independent autopsy affirms that Stephon was not a threat to police and was slain in another senseless police killing under increasingly questionable circumstances," said Benjamin Crump, a high-profile civil rights attorney hired by Clark's family.
Flanked between two large posters with red markings show where bullets entered Clark's body, Omalu described in detail how Clark died.
"The entire interaction, he had his back to the officers," said Omalu, a pioneer and leading researcher on the affects concussions have on the brains of athletes.
The first bullet hit him in the side with his back "slightly facing the officers," Omalu said, which caused his body to turn. His back was facing officers when a barrage of six bullets hit him. One hit his neck, the others hit his back and shoulder.
The last gunshot hit his thigh, Omalu said, explaining Clark was either shot while on the ground or as he was falling.
Clark didn't immediately die from his wounds, he said, even though just one of the wounds could have been fatal on its own.
Authorities have said several minutes passed before Clark was treated because of fears he was armed.
"Whether you’re fatally wounded or not you should receive immediate and timely medical and surgical intervention," Omalu said, citing the 2011 shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
She survived after being shot in the head "because of the timely, immediate medical and surgical intervention," he said, adding "every minute you wait decreases the probability of survival."
The private autopsy results were released just one day after Clark's funeral. His family hired Crump, a high-profile civil rights lawyer who has also represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Michael Brown.
Crump said the results directly contradict the narrative from Sacramento police and shows Clark wasn't a threat.
"Well, it’s very simple. The narrative that had been put forth is that they had to open fire because he was charging at them. Well, obviously based on Dr. Omalu’s findings in the family’s autopsy, it suggests all the bullets were from behind."
He added this was only the beginning of their work in getting answers for the family.
"The truth is a crucial step in getting justice," Crump said. "We pray for justice and that the family would get justice."
The official coroner's report hasn't been released. Officers were responding to a call of someone breaking into cars and falsely thought Clark was holding a gun.
Two officers fired 20 rounds at him, the department said after the shooting.
Clark was found only with a cell phone.
The Sacramento Police Department said in a statement that it would be inappropriate to comment on any specifics before the release of the official autopsy by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.
"We acknowledge the importance of this case to all in our community and we are committed to a thorough and comprehensive investigation," the statement said.
More:Police killings of black men in the U.S. and what happened to the officers
More:Sacramento hopes to set national example after Stephon Clark shooting
More:'Not a local matter': Al Sharpton, at funeral for Stephon Clark, blasts White House, says death 'woke up the nation'
On Friday, Clark's funeral drew hundreds and spurred protests throughout the city. Since his death on March 18, mostly non-violent protests have stopped traffic, blocked access to two NBA basketball games and disrupted a local city council meeting.
Other Black Lives Matter protests, including one in New York, led to some arrests.
Activist Al Sharpton gave the eulogy for Clark, 22, and derided the White House for dismissing the killing as a "local matter."
"This is not a local matter," Sharpton shouted during his remarks. "They have been killing young black men all over the country, and we are here to say that we are going to stand with Stephon Clark and his family."
Clark’s death is far from the first police interaction turned tragic, as the local chapter of Black Lives Matter lists a dozen violent encounters last year alone.
Some want police to face criminal charges and donned black shirts calling for justice, a common sentiment after similar high-profile cases, such as Michael Brown in Ferguson, Philando Castile in Saint Paul and Eric Garner on Staten Island.
There is hope, however, that Clark's death could bring the moment for change.
“It could be up to us to affect change, and we can do it because fundamentally we are a highly diverse, integrated community,” said Joany Titherington, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association, home to a large part of the city’s African-American population.
“We have black, brown and white people all living next to each other, so what this really is is a police training issue, where people shoot first and ask questions later,” she said. “It’s a systemic problem national politicians don’t seem to want to deal with, even though no town in America is immune to this.”
Many point to Sacramento's new police chief, Daniel Hahn – the first African-American to lead the department.
Lindsay Williams, a member of the local Black Lives Matter movement, thinks systemic changes in how police officers treat minorities will take time.
"There’s an amazing solidarity among our community that cuts across races and agendas," said Williams. "Now, I’m 27, so based on what I’ve lived through I really don’t expect changes. This country has not given me much to have faith in."
Williams then looked at the chanting crowd and smiled. “But,” she said, “these people do.”
Contributing: KXTV; Marco della Cava, USA TODAY
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ffac1426d18735031593031cf7954b37
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/02/iconic-waterbury-vt-dairy-farm-burns-ground-killing-all-animals/477544002/
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Iconic Waterbury, Vt., dairy farm burns to the ground, killing all the animals
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Iconic Waterbury, Vt., dairy farm burns to the ground, killing all the animals
An iconic 19th-century dairy farm whose owner invited children to the property to learn about agriculture was burned to the ground on Sunday night, killing all the animals, according to local police.
The blaze, which consumed two homes on the property in Waterbury, Vt., as well as a cow barn, could be seen from 20 miles away, reported local TV station WCAX.
According to another Vermont TV station, WVNY/WFFF, at least five fire departments responded to the scene as well as state police, several local police departments and EMTs. On Sunday evening the firefighters were working to contain the flames.
“All the livestock that were in the barn are dead,” Waterbury Fire Chief Gary Dillon told the station.
“We did get her dog out of her house, so she's got her dog, but she's got virtually nothing else but friends and family. She's very well-known, a very wonderful person,” said Dillon about the owner, Rosina Wallace. Dillon said no injuries to humans were reported. Wallace’s brother also lived on property.
Dillon said the old, dry wood in the structures helped the fire speed through the buildings.
"We had two or three messages on our phone from friends and relatives that the Wallace farm is on fire,” Mary Welch, a cousin of the owner, told WCAX. “I have such wonderful memories. … They are wonderful people and it's another landmark gone and it will never be replaced."
More:Insect farmers offering more than food for thought
More:Wisconsin's small organic dairies squeezed by Texas mega-farms
More:Farms caught in Canadian trade dispute find buyers for their milk
More:Starving horses ate aluminum siding off house, sheriff says as crews clean up bodies in Maryland
The farm, a popular local landmark, celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2016. According to a profile by Cabot Cheese, Wallace, a fifth-generation farmer, has long welcomed students on to her property to teach them about farm life.
The Cabot website says that Wallace, a former teacher, was enthusiastic to host the many youngsters from local schools and community groups who visited the farm. “This is just a different world,” she said. “Even for kids who grow up right next door, if they don’t come visit the farm, they don’t make the connections,” adding that there are many lessons to be shared through well-managed farmland that supports a variety of ecosystems.
“I think it’s important that we all kind of coexist,” Wallace said. “That was the stuff that was important to my father and the generations that have been on the farm.”
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9e8e94531df8c317df96d4d4474fb5b6
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/02/teacher-strikes-shut-down-schools-across-oklahoma-kentucky/478102002/
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'Tired of begging': Teacher rebellion shuts down Oklahoma, Kentucky schools
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'Tired of begging': Teacher rebellion shuts down Oklahoma, Kentucky schools
OKLAHOMA CITY — Classes were canceled Monday for hundreds of thousands of students across two states as striking teachers rallied at capitols in Oklahoma and Kentucky to demand improved funding for education.
The walkouts come less than a month after teachers in West Virginia ended a nine-day strike that shuttered schools there and less than a week after thousands of Arizona teachers rallied to demand a 20% pay increase.
Larry Cagle, an English teacher at Thomas Edison Preparatory High School in Tulsa, was one of thousands of teachers gathered at the capitol in Oklahoma City.
"We've gotten tired of begging for everything," said Cagle, a co-founder of the grassroots advocacy group Oklahoma Teachers United. "Teachers, students and the community have decided enough is enough."
Oklahoma ranks near the bottom among states in average pay for its teachers, who are striking despite a $6,100 pay raise signed into law last week by Gov. Mary Fallin. Oklahoma Education Association President Alicia Priest called the legislation a "down payment."
The association, the state's largest teachers union, is calling for $10,000 raises over three years, $5,000 raises for bus drivers, custodians and other staff and restoration of more than $100 million in education funding trimmed in the last decade.
More:All 120 county school districts close in Kentucky as teachers rally
More:Teachers across Oklahoma to strike Monday despite $6K raise
Frank Solomon, superintendent of Noble Public Schools, said he has had to cut the speech and drama programs in his high schools and push back buying buses and air conditioners.
“The funding issue is the biggest roadblock we have right now," he said. “When you have to Band-Aid everything together, it’s frustrating."
Despite the frustration and even anger, the mood inside Oklahoma's capitol was upbeat and something of an expo, with legislators offering hot coffee and bagels to protesting teachers and their supporters.
Waynelle Mason, 63, was among the state workers who showed up to support teachers — and rally for raises for state employees. Mason says she earns less at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services than she did nine years ago because workers haven’t received cost of living raises.
"We don’t take care of our kids in any way, shape or form" in Oklahoma, Mason said. “My kids were with their teacher almost as much of their waking time as they were with me. You take care of people like that.”
In Kentucky, teachers met at the union's headquarters in Frankfort before marching to the Statehouse. Kentucky Education Association president Stephanie Winkler said educators will be closely watching legislative proposals for education spending.
Teachers became outraged last week when the state legislature, struggling to fund the public employee retirement system, passed a bill to overhaul the pensions. That prompted more than 500 teachers to flood the Capitol on Friday to protest. The crowd ballooned into the thousands Monday.
Teachers also oppose financing proposals for privately run, publicly financed charter schools.
"We will remember in November," some chanted. All 100 seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives are up for election this year. Primary races are set for May with the general election set for fall.
"If this budget is not in the best interest of public education students and public service, then we will react," Winkler said. "We will not be silent."
Cagle said his high school ranks among the best in Oklahoma, in an upper-middle class community where parents are happy to give extra money to schools. But he fully understands that many schools aren't so lucky.
"I think the teachers are fully prepared to go all the way through the school year. Bring it!" Cagle said. "There is an overwhelming commitment by parents and students saying 'Stand up and protect our school system.' "
White reported from Oklahoma, Novelly from Kentucky, Bacon from Virginia. Contributing: Mandy McLaren and Morgan Watkins, Louisville Courier Journal
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c0ff0a26ac8bc372b3bec3ee22f7d501
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/11/global-warming-causing-alaskan-glacier-melt-fastest-pace-400-years/506549002/
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Global warming is causing an Alaskan glacier to melt at the fastest pace in 400 years
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Global warming is causing an Alaskan glacier to melt at the fastest pace in 400 years
One of the USA's tallest glaciers is melting at the fastest pace in 400 years, a new study reports.
The study said melting on Mount Hunter in Alaska’s Denali National Park can be linked mainly to rising summer temperatures in the region.
"We have not seen snow melt like this in at least four centuries,” said study lead author Dominic Winski, a glaciologist at Dartmouth College.
New ice cores taken from the top of Mt. Hunter show summers there now are least 2 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than they were during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Specifically, the ice core record shows 60 times more snow melt occurs today than did 150 years ago.
Ice cores are good records of past climate because the water, snow and air in the ice contain evidence of atmospheric conditions over hundreds to thousands of years, the Byrd Polar Research Center said. The seasonal snowfall and its gradual change to ice provide an annual record of snowfall amounts and atmospheric conditions throughout the year.
In this research, the scientists drilled two ice cores that gave a record of the climate there going back to the mid-17th century.
The warming in Alaska coincides with warming in the tropical Pacific Ocean, according to the study. Other studies have shown the tropical Pacific has warmed over the past century due to increased greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas.
"We suggest that warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean has contributed to the rapid warming on Mt. Hunter by enhancing high‐pressure systems over Alaska," the study authors said. High pressure systems in the summer usually bring sunny skies and warmer temperatures.
Understanding how mountain glaciers are responding to climate change is important because they provide fresh water to many heavily populated areas of the globe and can also contribute to sea-level rise, Winski said.
Luke Trusel, a glaciologist at Rowan University who was not part of the study said “this adds to the growing body of research showing that changes in the tropical Pacific can manifest in changes across the globe. It’s adding to the growing picture that what we’re seeing today is unusual."
Overall, Alaska is seeing much warmer weather than in the past: The state has seen a growing trend of milder temperatures overall through the past few decades, weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce said earlier this year. NOAA said four of the past eight years rank among the top four warmest years on record in the state.
Deke Arndt, the head of NOAA’s Climate Monitoring Branch, said that "in the context of a changing climate, the Arctic is changing more rapidly than the rest of the planet."
The study appeared in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, a publication of the American Geophysical Union.
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d5d373f325a20b1757bd859beabfcaec
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/13/climate-boundary-shifts-140-miles-global-warming/514911002/
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A major climate boundary in the central U.S. has shifted 140 miles due to global warming
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A major climate boundary in the central U.S. has shifted 140 miles due to global warming
A boundary that divides the humid eastern U.S. and the dry western Plains appears to have shifted 140 miles to the east over the past century due to global warming, new research suggests.
Scientists say it will almost certainly continue shifting in coming decades, expanding the arid climate of the western Plains into what we think of as the Midwest. The implications for farming could be huge.
The boundary line was first identified in 1878 by the American geologist and explorer John Wesley Powell. At that time, it was at 100 degrees west longitude, also known as the 100th meridian.
“Powell talked eloquently about the 100th meridian, and this concept of a boundary line has stayed with us down to the current day,” said Richard Seager, a climate scientist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Seager is the lead author of two new studies about the shifting climate boundary.
Running south to north, the 100th meridian cuts through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas. It's considered the beginning of the Great Plains, a windswept, largely treeless expanse that covers large parts of 10 states and occupies one-fifth of the nation's land area. Yet its population is less than Georgia's.
Both population and development are sparse west of the 100th meridian, where farms are larger and primarily depend on arid-resistant crops like wheat, the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies said. To the more humid east, more people and infrastructure exist. Farms are smaller and a large portion of the harvested crop is moisture-loving corn.
Now, due to shifting patterns in precipitation, wind and temperature since the 1870s — due to man-made climate change — the boundary between the dry West and the wetter East has shifted to roughly 98 degrees west longitude, the 98th meridian.
For instance, in Texas, the boundary has moved approximately from Abilene to Fort Worth.
According to Columbia University’s Earth Institute, Seager predicts that as the line continues to move farther East, farms will have to consolidate and become larger to remain viable.
And unless farmers are able to adapt, such as by using irrigation, they will need to consider growing wheat or another more suitable crop than corn.
"Large expanses of cropland may fail altogether, and have to be converted to western-style grazing range. Water supplies could become a problem for urban areas,” the Earth Institute said.
The studies appeared in the journal Earth Interactions, a publication of the American Meteorological Society.
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9a47bd3ece329bbd90414a89cb4afce0
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/14/philadelphia-police-chief-officers-did-nothing-wrong-starbucks-arrest/518123002/
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Philadelphia mayor 'heartbroken' after black men arrested at Starbucks
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Philadelphia mayor 'heartbroken' after black men arrested at Starbucks
The CEO of Starbucks apologized, the mayor of Philadelphia was "heartbroken" and the city police commissioner defended officers who handcuffed and arrested two black men who asked to use a restroom in the coffee shop.
A cellphone video recorded the arrests, including a white man who was meeting the handcuffed men at the Center City shop, repeatedly asking officers "What did they do?" as the men were being handcuffed and taken away.
The video was posted shortly after the incident Thursday and went viral over the weekend, drawing millions of views.
CEO Kevin Johnson said the video shot by customers was "hard to watch." He apologized for the "disheartening situation in one of our Philadelphia-area stores this past Thursday, that led to a reprehensible outcome."
Johnson said police never should have been called and that the company was immediately beginning a review of its policies.
Mayor Jim Kenney said the coffee giant's apology was not enough and that the city Commission on Human Relations will examine the firm’s policies and bias training provided its employees.
“I am heartbroken to see Philadelphia in the headlines for an incident that — at least based on what we know at this point — appears to exemplify what racial discrimination looks like in 2018," Kenney said in a statement.
The Philadelphia Inquirer identified the white man as real estate developer Andrew Yaffe.
“What did they get called for, because there were two black guys sitting here to meet me," Yaffe says on the video. "What did they do? What did they do?"
A woman can be heard saying, "they didn't do anything, I saw the entire thing."
Commissioner Richard Ross, who is black, said police received a 911 call from the Starbucks employees saying the men were trespassing. He said officers were told that the men had walked in, sat down, and then asked to use the restroom but did not buy anything. The employee denied their request, citing company policy.
Ross said officers "politely" asked the men to leave multiple times before the arrests. The men were released a short time later when Starbucks declined to prosecute, he said.
“As an African American male, I am very aware of implicit bias," Ross said. "We are committed to fair and unbiased policing."
But he said the men "did absolutely nothing wrong."
Johnson, in his statement, said he hopes to personally apologize to the men who were arrested. He said the chain will "train our partners to better know when police assistance is warranted."
The company will host a national meeting next week to discuss the case and what immediate next steps can be taken to "underscore our long-standing commitment to treating one another with respect and dignity."
Ross said he doesn’t patronize Starbucks but recalled an incident a couple years ago when a uniformed sergeant walked into a Starbucks, asked to use the bathroom and was denied.
"So they are at least consistent in their policy," he said. “If a business calls and they say ‘Someone is here that I no longer wish to be in my business,' they (officers) now have a legal obligation to carry out their duties,” he said.
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715cfaa0a53cd7a7c73d7a7bbb7f601c
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/17/anderson-cooper-rips-sean-hannity-trump-lawyer/523362002/
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Anderson Cooper rips Sean Hannity for not revealing legal ties to Trump lawyer
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Anderson Cooper rips Sean Hannity for not revealing legal ties to Trump lawyer
CNN host Anderson Cooper led a charge of pundits and ethics experts ripping Fox News personality Sean Hannity for failing to disclose legal ties to Michael Cohen when reporting about President Trump's personal attorney.
Hannity reported on last week's FBI raid on Cohen's office "as if he had absolutely no connection to the story," Cooper said Monday night on Anderson Cooper 360.
“No disclosure, no disclaimer, not even a casual mention that, ‘Oh yeah, this guy also represents me in some form or fashion,'" Cooper said.
Hannity has been scathing in his criticism of the raid as well as special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.
"What that means is that Mueller's witch-hunt investigation is now a runaway train that is clearly careening off the tracks," Hannity said of the raid.
More:Sean Hannity denies Trump lawyer Michael Cohen represented him
More:Federal judge denies Trump's bid to review records seized in FBI raid
Cohen has drawn the spotlight after acknowledging he paid porn actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 for her silence in the days before the 2016 presidential election. His lawyers revealed Hannity's connection to their client in federal court Monday. Pressed by a judge, the lawyers revealed that Hannity was a client of Cohen but had asked that the information not be revealed.
Hannity downplayed his "brief discussions" with Cohen, saying he never paid legal fees nor was he billed. But he acknowledged that he "assumed those conversations to be confidential."
“He seems to be saying, ‘I wasn’t really a client of attorney Michael Cohen’s, but our conversations were confidential because he is an attorney and I am his client,” Cooper said.
Cooper made reference to the Fox News motto in summing up his view of Hannity's ethical conundrum.
"Not disclosing a business or legal relationship with someone you reported on ... doesn't sound either fair or balanced," Cooper said.
Fox News issued a statement saying it was not aware of Hannity's "informal relationship with Michael Cohen" and was surprised by the revelation in court.
"We have reviewed the matter and spoken to Sean and he continues to have our full support," the statement said. Lawyer and pundit Alan Dershowitz, generally a Trump supporter, gently criticized Hannity on his own show.
"You were in a tough position," Dershowitz acknowledged. "A, you had to talk about Cohen, and, B, you didn’t want the fact that you had spoken with him to be revealed.”
But he told Hannity he should have revealed their legal connection.
Another Fox News pundit, Juan Williams, also took issue, suggesting on The Five that Hannity should have disclosed his connection with Cohen.
"Why, when Sean was on the air strongly an advocate for President Trump, was he not saying, 'Hey, I've got a relationship with the lawyer,'" Williams said. "I think that's a question."
At least some of Hannity's Fox colleagues were less critical. Tucker Carlson said Hannity had a right to try and defend his privacy.
“Sean Hannity is a talk show host. He’s not under investigation by anyone," Carlson said. "Who he hires as a lawyer is nobody’s business.”
The situation did not go unnoticed on Capitol Hill. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., tweeted that Hannity should be fired. "His word could never again be trusted given the fact that he consciously did not reveal this relationship," Connolly said.
Some journalism ethics experts also took issue with Hannity.
Nancy Whitmore, a Butler University professor who teaches media ethics, stressed that journalists basically work for the public. They are expected to pursue the truth regardless of whether they are an investigative reporter or conservative political commentator, she said.
"The fact that Hannity has not been transparent about the relationship is problematic regardless of whether he is a paying client or not," she said. "It signals to the audience that he has something to hide."
Indira Lakshmanan, journalism ethics chair for the Poynter Institute, said whether a news reporter or opinion journalist, rules are rules.
"This seems basic, something you learn in journalism school, at your high school newspaper or your very first job," she said. But she acknowledged that most of his viewers won't much care.
"People who believe in a certain commentator, Hannity or anybody else, believe in that person pretty much whatever ties they have," she said. "That commentator is supporting their world view."
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ce6c89086aec9ad3b2426c507133577b
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/18/california-has-eight-10-most-polluted-u-s-cities/524815002/
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California has eight of 10 most polluted U.S. cities
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California has eight of 10 most polluted U.S. cities
Forget the Golden State. California should be called the Smoggy State.
Eight of the USA's 10 most-polluted cities, in terms of ozone pollution, are in California, according to the American Lung Association's annual "State of the Air" report, released Wednesday.
The Los Angeles/Long Beach area took the dubious distinction of being the nation's most ozone-polluted city as it has for nearly the entire 19-year history of the report.
Overall, the report said about 133 million Americans — more than four of 10 — live with unhealthful levels of air pollution, placing them at risk for premature death and other serious health effects such as lung cancer, asthma attacks, cardiovascular damage and developmental and reproductive harm.
"We still have a lot to do in this country to clean up air pollution," said Lyndsay Moseley Alexander, director of the Association's Healthy Air Campaign.
The report looked at pollution levels from 2014 to 2016. Ozone pollution was worse overall in this report than it was in last year's report.
Bakersfield, Calif., was in second place for ozone pollution. Other California cities on the list include Fresno, Sacramento and San Diego. The only non-California metro areas in the top 10 list were Phoenix and New York City.
Of the 10 most-polluted cities, seven cities did worse in this year's report, including Los Angeles and the New York City metro area.
More:President Trump directs EPA to ease air quality rules he says suffocates industry
“Near record-setting heat from our changing climate has resulted in dangerous levels of ozone in many cities across the country, making ozone an urgent health threat for millions of Americans,” Lung Association President and CEO Harold P. Wimmer said.
Smog forms on warm, sunny days and is made worse from chemicals that exit vehicle tailpipes and from power plant and industrial smokestacks. Warmer temperatures make ozone more likely to form.
"This adds to the evidence that a changing climate makes it harder to reduce ozone pollution and protect human health," Alexander said
Bakersfield took the top spot in a list of cities with another variety of air pollution — small particulate matter, aka soot. Increased heat, changes in climate patterns, drought and wildfires — many related to climate change — contributed to the high number of days with unhealthy particulate matter.
Since California is known for its strict environmental regulations, why are so many cities from the state typically on this list? It's because the state would be far worse off without its strict laws on tailpipe pollution and eliminating coal-fired power plants. California has done more than any other state to counteract air pollution, the Lung Association said.
With this report, the Lung Association also calls out Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for ongoing threats to the nation’s air quality, including steps to roll back or weaken enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
EPA administrator Scott Pruitt has taken many steps to roll back or put in loopholes to the Clean Air Act, Alexander said, adding that "the association is concerned and we will continue to fight for healthy air," she said.
Some good news in the report was that particulate pollution "generally continued to improve in 2014-16," the report said. This was true for both short-term particulate pollution and for year-round particulate pollution.
For year-round particle pollution, Fairbanks, Alaska, was the most-polluted city.
The Lung Association also lists the nation's cleanest cities, meaning ones that experience no high ozone or high particulate pollution days.
The nation's cleanest cities are Bellingham, Wash.; Burlington, Vt.; Casper, Wyo.; Honolulu; Melbourne, Fla.; and Wilmington, N.C.
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fc8dbe81c3811990117a745f861c4b89
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/18/southwest-1380-oxygen-masks-wrong/530867002/
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Images from terrifying Southwest flight show passengers didn't put oxygen masks on right
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Images from terrifying Southwest flight show passengers didn't put oxygen masks on right
The airline safety demonstrations at the beginning of flights have become so routine for fliers that many hardly pay them any attention.
But images captured on Southwest Flight 1380 before the plane made an emergency landing shows that travelers need to start looking up from their smartphones when the flight attendant is speaking.
A shot shared by passenger Marty Martinez shows him and other passengers wearing their masks over their mouths. But when the oxygen masks are deployed, passengers are supposed to place them over both their noses and mouths.
Properly wearing an oxygen mask is important in a situation where a plane suddenly has a dramatic drop in cabin pressure.
The Federal Aviation Administration calls the masks "the first line of defense against the potentially lethal effects of hypoxia and carbon monoxide poisoning." Hypoxia occurs when a person isn't getting enough oxygen, which can cause dizziness, reduced vision, impaired judgment, unconsciousness and even death.
Martinez admitted his focus was more on capturing the moment on Facebook Live than putting on his mask.
"All I could think about was how can I can I get a message out to loved ones," Martinez said on CNN. "And rather than put on my oxygen mask I reached for my laptop in an effort to buy WiFi as the plane was going down."
Southwest flight 1380 was traveling from New York to Dallas with 144 passengers and five crew members on Tuesday when it was forced to land in Philadelphia after one of the Boeing 737's engines exploded, blowing out a window.
A passenger, Jennifer Riordan of Albuquerque, N.M., was sucked into the broken window and suffered fatal injuries.
The cause of the incident is under investigation, but a "fatigue crack" in one of the failed engine's fan blade's is suspected to be the source of the problem.
More:Southwest Airlines engine failure investigation focuses on broken metal fan blade
More:Mother of two dies in mid-air crisis after being wedged in Southwest plane window
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2e395948b548f75f16cbcb717f111105
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/24/former-miss-america-deidre-downs-gunn-marries-same-sex-partner/545086002/
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Former Miss America Deidre Downs Gunn marries same-sex partner in Alabama wedding
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Former Miss America Deidre Downs Gunn marries same-sex partner in Alabama wedding
A former Miss America pageant winner has married her same-sex partner in a Southern-style ceremony in her native Alabama.
Deidre Downs Gunn, who was crowned Miss America in 2005 and is now a doctor, walked down the aisle with her spouse, attorney Abbott Jones, at the Birmingham Museum of Art, People magazine reported.
"Saying our vows in front of our family and friends and making that commitment to the love of my life was the most meaningful part of the day for me," Downs Gunn, 37, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, told People.
Downs Gunn's 8-year-old son, Jack, gave his mother away and acted as best man, People said. Downs Gunn married Andrew Gunn in 2008 but later divorced.
"I feel overjoyed to have found someone to share life's adventures," Downs Gunn told the magazine. "The wedding was beautiful and special, but it was really just the beginning of our life together. I'm so lucky to have a wife who fills even small, everyday moments with great joy."
After the wedding ceremony, about 200 guests tucked into Southern foods such as mini chicken and waffles, fried okra, fried green tomatoes and buttermilk biscuits. The next day, the newlyweds flew out from Atlanta for a honeymoon in Ireland, the Associated Press reports.
The ceremony was officiated by an openly lesbian minister, the Rev. Jennifer Sanders, pastor of Beloved Community Church in Birmingham, according to the AP. “It was a beautiful wedding,” Sanders said. “They are a wonderful, happy couple. It was a joy to perform the ceremony.”
The guests were sworn to secrecy after the April 14 event, with People having an exclusive agreement to share the news.
“When we turned to recess down the aisle after the ceremony and really took notice of all of the family and friends who had gathered to celebrate our marriage, we felt so blessed to be surrounded by so much love and support,” they wrote in a joint statement provided to AL.com.
In a separate statement, Abbott told the website that “Deidre is the most beautiful person I’ve ever met, both inside and out. I have no doubt she will continue to be a role model to so many, especially to young women who can look to her and see that regardless of who they love, they can be beautiful, intelligent, and confident in their own skin.”
More:Miss North Dakota crowned Miss America
More:Former Miss America Mallory Hagan wants scandal to spur pageant's 'reinvention'
More:Miss America CEO accused of slut-shaming, fat-shaming winners over email
More:Miss America taps Gretchen Carlson to lead board after leak of sexist, derogatory emails
Downs Gunn told People she met Jones online in early 2017 and then met for drinks and sushi. Downs Gunn proposed on Christmas, getting down on one knee and presenting Jones with an engagement ring, the magazine reported. Jones then offered her own proposal after asking Downs Gunn’s son for permission. He said it was "cool."
Downs Gunn captured the 2004 Miss Alabama crown in 2004 before participating in the 2005 Miss America pageant. Included in her presentation was a performance of "I'm Afraid This Must be Love."
"It was surreal to stand on stage, on national television, and have my name called as Miss America and to walk the runway as they played, 'There She Is, Miss America.'" Downs Gunn told AL.com in 2014. "It is still surreal."
The Miss America Organization tweeted its congratulations, saying it wished the couple "all the happiness in the world!"
And TV host Gretchen Carlson, now chairperson on the Miss America board of directors as well as being the 1989 winner of the pageant, also sent her best wishes.
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968b7066ea1b7c6fa1ec69739523deff
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/25/incel-what-and-why-alek-minassian-praised-elliot-rodger/549577002/
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Incel: What it is and why Alek Minassian praised Elliot Rodger
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Incel: What it is and why Alek Minassian praised Elliot Rodger
The day police say a 25-year-old Canadian man plowed a van into dozens of pedestrians on a downtown Toronto street, he first published a cryptic Facebook post citing an "Incel Rebellion" and showing admiration for a California mass murderer.
"Incel" is a term used by some men who describe themselves as involuntarily celibate.
"They are men who think that they aren't having sex that is basically owed to them by women," said Keegan Hankes, a senior intelligence analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center, a group that tracks incidents of hate.
The Facebook post read: “Private (Recruit) Minassian Infantry 00010, wishing to speak to Sgt 4chan please,” the Facebook post read. “C23249161. The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!”
Facebook deleted Alek Minassian's account, but police took note of the post. Detective Sgt. Graham Gibson briefly discussed the post with reporters but declined to comment on the motive for the Monday attack that left 10 people dead.
Minassian spent a brief and undistinguished two months in 2017 as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces before dropping out.
"4chan" is an online message board known for memes and frequently the source of conspiracy theories and harassment campaigns banned by larger forums. Incel Rebellion appears to reference a revolution driven by men who are angry that they can't find sex partners.
More:Toronto van attack suspect's Facebook account praised mass killer
More:Video shows Toronto officer's dramatic arrest of van attack suspect
Last November, the popular social news website Reddit shut down its r/Incels message board after numerous posts described all women as "sluts" and some promoted rape and other violence.
"Chads" is a term used to describe men who are attractive to women, and "Stacys" are the women they attract.
Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured 14 near the campus of University of California-Santa Barbara before killing himself in 2014. Police said he stabbed to death three roommates at his apartment. He then went to a sorority house and knocked loudly on the door before shooting three women outside the house, killing two and injuring the third.
Rodger fled responding officers, shooting people at random for several minutes before killing himself, police said. Rodger left behind a video manifesto dubbing himself a "supreme gentleman" and announcing that his crime would serve as punishment for women who rejected him and the men whom those women preferred.
The twisted manifesto prompted Rodger to become a dark hero to some in the Incel community.
Gibson, citing the Facebook post, said Tuesday that a majority of the Toronto victims were women. But he said it was too soon to consider sexual issues as a motive in the case.
Bailey Gerrits, a Trudeau Scholar at Canada's Queen's University studying media coverage of domestic violence, said evidence indicated the attack was "rooted in misogyny."
"What is clear is that gender-based violence and toxic masculine senses of entitlement affects us all,” she said.
Facebook issued a statement expressing condolences to Minassian's victims.
"There is absolutely no place on our platform for people who commit such horrendous acts," the statement said.
Contributing: Alia Dastagir
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be7f92a8819825f2f1488ddeb715d800
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/30/usas-long-battle-against-air-pollution-isnt-over-yet-air-quality-improvements-slowing-down/565139002/
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The USA's long battle against air pollution isn't over yet, as air quality improvements are slowing down
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The USA's long battle against air pollution isn't over yet, as air quality improvements are slowing down
The USA's long battle against air pollution isn't over yet.
Following five decades of progress in cleaning up our air, U.S. pollution gains have slowed significantly in recent years, a new study concludes.
The surprising result means that it may be more difficult than previously thought for the U.S. to achieve its goal of cleaner air, scientists said.
"Although our air is healthier than it used to be in the '80s and '90s, air quality in the U.S. is not progressing as quickly as we thought," said National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) scientist Helen Worden, a study co-author. "The gains are starting to slow down."
More:California has eight of 10 most polluted U.S. cities
More:President Trump directs EPA to ease air quality rules he says suffocates industry
The two pollutants studied were carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide, both of which contribute to ground-level ozone (smog). Smog forms on warm, sunny days and is made worse from chemicals that come from car and truck tailpipes and from power plant and industrial smokestacks. Warmer temperatures make ozone more likely to form.
Exposure to elevated ozone can lead to coughing and difficulty breathing, and make respiratory diseases such as asthma worse, according to University of Maryland air scientist Ross Salawitch.
The study said pollution levels from nitrogen oxide fell 7% from 2005 to 2009, but only dropped 1.7% from 2011 to 2015. That translates to a 76% slowdown between the late 2000s and early 2010s.
This contrasts sharply with a more rosy outlook from the Environmental Protection Agency, which said the slowdown in reductions was only 16%.
"We were surprised by the discrepancy between the estimates of emissions and the actual measurements of pollutants in the atmosphere," said Zhe Jiang, lead author of the study, who previously worked at NCAR and is now with the University of Science and Technology of China
"These results show that meeting future air quality standards for ozone pollution will be more challenging than previously thought," Jiang said.
One reason for the slowdown, scientists say, is additional pollutants from sources such as industrial, residential, and commercial boilers and off-road vehicles. Another reason is due to slower-than-expected reductions in emissions from heavy-duty diesel trucks.
The results also show the EPA’s computer models overestimate how clean the air really is, according to the University of North Carolina’s Jason West, who wasn’t part of the study.
The slowdown in pollution reduction was most noteworthy across the eastern U.S., which was one of several signs the pollution wasn't coming across the Pacific Ocean from Asia.
In the study, scientists used a combination of data from satellites, computer simulations and ground-based air quality monitoring stations to reach their conclusions.
The study appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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15460d7f44b833addda451b53cb1a585
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/06/parkland-prom-music-dancing-17-seconds-silence-shooting-victims/584687002/
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Parkland prom: Music, dancing, 17 seconds of silence for shooting victims
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Parkland prom: Music, dancing, 17 seconds of silence for shooting victims
The senior prom for Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School included standard fair for such occasions. Gowns, ties, music and dancing.
This prom also included 17 seconds of silence.
The school in Parkland was the scene of one of the nation's most devastating school shootings less than three months ago. On Saturday, the prom served as a celebration for the survivors and a memorial to the four seniors among the 17 students and staff killed in a teen's rampage on Valentine's Day.
The tragedy is never far away for these kids. Hours earlier, the father of one of the victims was heckled as he spoke at a demonstration outside an NRA convention in Dallas. Last week, the father of one of the fallen seniors filed suit against the school resource officer who elected not to enter the school during the carnage.
But on Saturday, a rainbow swept over the lake where many students posed for pre-prom photos.
Delaney Tarr, a student-turned-activist who now has more than 26,000 followers on Instagram, on Sunday posted a prom photo of herself and three friends, all dressed-out for the occasion.
"Last night was the only (and best) way to say goodbye to MSD," she said. "Love y’all."
More:Georgia sniper 'idolized' Parkland shooting suspect, sheriff says
More:Father of Parkland victim heckled by gun rights group near NRA meeting
Principal Ty Thompson tweeted photos of smiling teens from the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, about 30 miles southeast of the school. But he also tweeted a photo of a wall with photos and the message: "Keeping our Seniors who couldn’t be here in our hearts, we will always remember. #msdprom18"
The seniors who were killed included Meadow Pollack, whose father filed the suit, Nicholas Dworet, Joaquin Oliver and Carmen Schentrup.
Senior Nicole Barreto, 17, told the Sun Sentinel that Carmen, who had been in her Advanced Placement English Literature class, was in her thoughts. Classmate Carley Ogozaly told the Miami Herald the pink tulle gown she wore served as a homage to Meadow.
A pink stretch limo had "Princess Meadow" in large letters written across a long side window along with two crowns.
"This dress is completely Meadow; her whole family and friends have confirmed that," Ogozaly said. "And that's why I'm wearing it today. Because Meadow couldn't."
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7c3d351fc07d36f5a41dc6bfb9f82fae
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/07/hawaii-volcano-science-behind-eruption-kilauea/586268002/
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Hawaii volcano: The science behind the eruption of Kilauea
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Hawaii volcano: The science behind the eruption of Kilauea
A treacherous lava flow erupting from the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island destroyed more than two dozen homes, forced about 1,700 people to flee and upended a picturesque and peaceful community.
How unusual is this? The fact that Kilauea is blowing its top shouldn't be a surprise: Kilauea, in the southeastern part of the Big Island, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world — and it has been erupting on and off for hundreds of thousands of years.
Kilauea has been erupting continuously since 1983 with only occasional pauses of quiet activity. This particular episode began late Thursday afternoon in Leilani Estates, a subdivision near the quaint town of Pahoa and 30 minutes south of Hilo.
More:On Hawaii's Big Island: Near Volcano Kilauea, life 'normal for none of us'; elsewhere, business as usual
Why is it erupting now? "We don't know enough details about the internal plumbing to be able to give really precise answers to this question," said Tracy Gregg, an associate professor of geology at the University at Buffalo. "The short answer is that a blob of new magma from deep below the volcano got injected up into the volcanic edifice.
"That, combined with the general instability of Kilauea volcano in general, has allowed the magma to erupt near Leilani Estates," she said. The southeast flank of the volcano is unstable and will fall into the ocean someday, and as it slowly tears away from the rest of the volcano, it leaves an easy subterranean pathway for the magma to travel.
How long will the episode last? “There’s more magma (underground lava) in the system to be erupted. As long as that supply is there, the eruption will continue,” U.S. Geological Survey volcanologist Wendy Stovall said.
In short: This eruption could be nearly finished or could go on for a long time.
What are the dangers? At temperatures of more than 2,000 degrees, lava is one of the primary hazards of volcanoes.
As lava oozes down steep slopes, it often breaks apart into a billowing avalanche of hot rock and gas called a pyroclastic flow. Pyroclastic flows destroy anything in their path. In 1902, a pyroclastic flow from Mount Pelée on Martinique killed 30,000 people in the nearby town of St. Pierre in two minutes.
Lava flows have damaged areas around Kilauea for decades. Flows destroyed a visitor center at Kilauea in 1989 and overran the village of Kalapana on the volcano's southeast flank in 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Who is at risk from the gases? Kilauea produces sulfuric dioxide. If there's a lot of sulfur blown consistently in the same direction, it can kill plants and cause respiratory failure in people — as well as etch eyeglasses or car windows, Gregg said. As is typical in Hawaii, winds have blown primarily from the east during the eruption, spreading the foul air as far as 60 miles across the southern part of the island.
Kilauea is a shield volcano. What does that mean? A shield volcano is one that is broad and domed with sloping sides made up of runny, gas-poor lava that doesn't explode.
That's in contrast to volcanoes such as Mount St. Helens, which are made up of thick, sticky, gas-rich lava that explodes, making ash.
Is this the world's longest-erupting volcano? No. There are submarine volcanoes along Earth's mid-ocean ridges that have been erupting longer. Each of the Hawaiian volcanoes tends to be active for about a million years or so before going extinct.
More:Hawaii volcano has community under siege from lava flow: Here's what we know
Is Hawaii accustomed to volcanic eruptions? Because they were formed by volcanic activity, the Hawaiian islands are no stranger to eruptions. Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea are two other huge volcanoes on the Big Island. On Maui, the volcano Haleakala makes up 75% of the island.
The deadliest Hawaiian eruption in recent history was in 1790 when 400 people were killed during an eruption of Kilauea. One of the more spectacular recent ones was in 1983, when Mauna Loa erupted, spewing lava hundreds of feet in the air.
How common are volcanoes? The USA and its territories contain 169 geologically active volcanoes, of which 54 are a very high or high threat to public safety, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
There are about 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, not including volcanoes on the ocean floor.
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676bc2347ddfe727d618a7ed894a1ab5
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/12/nursing-homes-senior-centers-bullying/604758002/
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'It’s like ‘Mean Girls,’ but everyone is 80': How nursing homes deal with bullies
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'It’s like ‘Mean Girls,’ but everyone is 80': How nursing homes deal with bullies
SAN FRANCISCO – The unwanted were turned away from cafeteria tables. Fistfights broke out at karaoke. Dances became breeding grounds for gossip and cruelty.
It became clear this place had a bullying problem on its hands. What many found surprising was that the perpetrators and victims alike were all senior citizens.
Nursing homes, senior centers and housing complexes for the elderly have introduced programs, training and policies aimed at curbing spates of bullying, an issue once thought the exclusive domain of the young.
“There’s the clique system just like everywhere else,” said Betsy Gran, who until recently was assistant director at San Francisco’s 30th Street Senior Center. “It’s like ‘Mean Girls,’ but everyone is 80.”
After the cafeteria exiles and karaoke brouhahas, the 30th Street Center teamed up with a local nonprofit, the Institute on Aging, to develop an anti-bullying program. All staff members received 18 hours of training that included lessons on what constitutes bullying, causes of the problem and how to manage such conflicts. Seniors were then invited to similar classes, held in English and Spanish, teaching them to alert staff or intervene themselves if they witness bullying. Signs and even place mats around the center now declare it a “Bully Free Zone.”
“I think in the past I would have just stayed out of it,” said Mary Murphy, 86, a retired real estate agent who took the classes. “Now I might be inclined to help.”
Robin Bonifas, a social work professor at Arizona State University and author of the book “Bullying Among Older Adults: How to Recognize and Address an Unseen Epidemic,” said existing studies suggest about 1 in 5 seniors encounters bullying. She sees it as an outgrowth of frustrations characteristic in communal settings, as well a reflection of issues unique to getting older. Many elderly see their independence and sense of control disappear and, for some, becoming a bully can feel like regaining some of that lost power.
“It makes them feel very out of control,” Bonifas said, “and the way they sort of get on top of things and make their name in this new world is intimidating, picking on people, gossiping.”
There is far less recognition of bullying as a problem among seniors compared with young people. Even among those who have been called bullies, many are unaware how problematic their behavior is until it’s labeled. Campaigns around the country have sought to spread the word, including a booklet circulated last year by the National Center for Assisted Living.
“In the life cycle, it doesn’t go away,” said Katherine Arnold, a member of the city Human Rights Commission in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, which created a public service announcement on its community-access station that included a portrayal of a man who was excluded from a card game and became the subject of gossip by other seniors. “There’s really not a lot of escape.”
Most senior bullying isn’t physical but rather involves name-calling, rumors and exclusion, said Pamela Countouris, a longtime schoolteacher who now runs a Pittsburgh-based consultancy that offers training on bullying. Women constitute the bulk of the bullies Countouris encounters among seniors, a reflection of lifespan disparities and the gender makeup of those who live at or participate in programs at senior facilities.
Countouris’ business began with a focus on school bullying but now centers exclusively on seniors. In the next month alone, she has more than a dozen training sessions planned.
After four years immersed in the wrath of older bullies, Countouris has heard all manner of stories. At a senior high-rise, a woman who saw herself as the queen of the parking garage would key the cars of those who crossed her. Elsewhere, laundry rooms became vicious places where the bullied had their detergent stolen and their clothes thrown on the floor. Bingo rooms so often devolved into battlefields – with lucky newcomers badgered and accused of cheating by veteran players – she came to call it “the devil’s game.”
“I didn’t realize it was an underground society where people could be mean to each other,” Countouris said.
In the worst cases, bullying goes far beyond bingo squabbles. Marsha Wetzel moved into a senior apartment complex in Niles, Illinois, after her partner of 30 years died and her partner’s family evicted her from the home the couple shared. At Glen St. Andrew Living Community, she said she was met with relentless bullying by residents mostly focused on her being a lesbian.
One man hit Wetzel’s scooter with his walker and unleashed a barrage of homophobic slurs. A woman rammed her wheelchair into Wetzel’s table in the dining room and knocked it over, warning “homosexuals will burn in hell.” In the mailroom, someone knocked her in the head, and in an elevator, she was spit on.
“I’d just go in my room and barricade my door and just pray,” said Wetzel, now 70 and living at a senior complex in Chicago. “I just felt like a slug, like I was nothing, like I wasn’t even human.”
Lambda Legal, which defends LGBTQ rights, took on Wetzel’s case and sued Glen St. Andrew, claiming Fair Housing Act violations. A federal judge dismissed the suit last year. An appeals court decision is pending.
Wetzel had seen such bullying throughout her life. She dropped out of high school when she became a punching bag for the girls who learned she was a lesbian. As a senior, she said, it felt even more traumatic – and the bullies even more vicious. She had a view of a cemetery from her window and would stare at it, thinking maybe only when she arrived there would she find peace.
“I felt like a person in a pool of piranhas,” she said.
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125235674bc36c1a56b3a6ca618fd77a
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/16/kent-state-rifle-graduation-photos/616449002/
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Kent State graduate celebrates by strolling campus with her AR-10
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Kent State graduate celebrates by strolling campus with her AR-10
A woman's photos celebrating her recent graduation from Kent State University have stirred up a social media uproar thanks to the unusual accessory she chose for the occasion — a high-powered, semi-automatic rifle.
Kaitlin Bennett, 22, wanted to make a statement after graduating so she shared pictures of herself on campus with an AR-10 slung over her shoulder and holding a graduation cap emblazoned with the words "come and take it."
"Now that I graduated from @KentState, I can finally arm myself on campus," Bennett, who earned a degree in biology, tweeted Sunday. "I should have been able to do so as a student — especially since 4 unarmed students were shot and killed by the government on this campus."
Bennett was referring to the infamous 1970 incident at the university in which Ohio Nation Guardsmen opened fire on student protesters, killing four and wounding nine. She was also voicing a wide-held belief that the Second Amendment was intended as means for Americans to defend themselves against the government.
Bennett, who earned a degree in biology, is a gun rights activist and, according to her Twitter bio, a founder of the Kent State chapter of the libertarian group "Liberty Hangout." In addition to opposing gun control measures and advocating for a right to carry on campus, a recent post on the group's philosophy argues that "taxation is theft" and, "voting is violence and democracy is the oppression of those who dwell within the minority opinion."
In her graduation post on Facebook, Bennett wrote, "3 meetings with student conduct, 2 expulsion attempts, and a petition to get my student group kicked off campus ... all for nothing. I graduated & the left did not win."
The university bars students, staff, and third parties doing business with Kent State from possessing deadly weapons. But visitors are not prohibited from carrying firearms on the public university's grounds, although they can't take them into buildings.
"I'm glad that my photos are making headlines, because my intent was to start a discussion about gun rights on college campuses," Bennett told USA TODAY. "At Kent State in particular, guests may protect themselves with firearms, but students cannot, and I find that insulting."
Bennett's photos provoked strong reactions from many social media users. Some accused her of exercising "white privilege," citing incidents in which African-Americans have been killed by police officers who feared they were carrying a firearm.
"If a black man had walked around like this dozens of Police would have been called and he would have been shot dead on the spot. Oh the power of white privilege," wrote one Twitter user wrote in response to Bennett's post.
In response, Bennett suggested such critics "speak to the BLACK officer who was with us the entire time."
Others were skeptical of her theory that it could help defend her against the National Guard and some felt because of Kent State's history, the campus was an inappropriate place for Bennett to stage her photos.
To those who asked her why she is carrying a rifle that appears to be almost as big as she is, Bennett responded, "because it's super cute with my dress & heels."
Many were supportive of Bennett's message and thanked her for defending Second Amendment rights.
But several social media users became insulting and threatening toward Bennett.
"I have no words. All because of my photo with a rifle promoting my right to defend myself. The left is out of control," she wrote in a Facebook post in response to one Twitter user's threat. Twitter evidently suspended the Twitter user's account.
"Gun control advocates are trying to call me violent for my graduation picture that promotes the right to self-defense, meanwhile I'm getting threatening messages like this in my inbox from these very same people," she said in a tweet.
When asked about the threats against her, Bennett told WKYC-TV, Cleveland, "I carry [a gun]. So I'm not nervous."
More:For many Americans, the Second Amendment is a defense against their own government
More:Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens: Repeal the Second Amendment
Contributing: Lynna Lai, WKYC-TV, Cleveland
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574bcb8150d819cfb01a2ec63a8f2dd8
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/18/texas-school-shooting-suspect-dimitrios-pagourtzis/623438002/
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Texas school shooting suspect Dimitrios Pagourtzis hid firearms under long coat
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Texas school shooting suspect Dimitrios Pagourtzis hid firearms under long coat
SANTA FE, Texas —The 17-year-old suspect in Friday's Texas high school mass shooting wore a long coat to get his firearms into the school without anyone noticing and sketched out plans for the grisly attack ahead of time in his journal and on a home computer, authorities said.
Law enforcement officials took Dimitrios Pagourtzis into custody soon after he carried out the attack and say he is the sole gunman responsible for the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School that left at least 10 dead and 10 more wounded, according to police and prosecutors. He was charged with capital murder and aggravated assault of a peace officer.
The suspect appeared before a judge in Galveston for an initial court appearance where the charges were formally read. Pagourtzis asked to be represented by a public defender. The suspect admitted to the shootings and told officers he targeted students he didn't like, according to a probable cause affidavit.
It’s not USA TODAY’s policy to identify minors charged with crimes. Due to the magnitude of the event and the fact the suspect has been charged as an adult, USA TODAY has decided to identify the suspect.
Gov. Greg Abbott said the shooter told investigators that he wanted to commit suicide after carrying out the shooting in a high school art room and had detailed his planning for the attack on his computer and in journals.
He added the gunman used two weapons in the attack, a shotgun and .38 revolver. Both of the firearms were legally owned by the gunman's father. Abbott said it was not yet clear if the father knew that the suspect had possession of the firearms.
The shooter apparently was able to hide the weapons under a long coat, or trench coat, he wore into school despite temperatures that hovered around 90 degrees, officials said.
"He gave himself up and admitted that he didn't have the courage to commit the suicide," Abbott said.
The incident comes two weeks before the school was set to hold graduation and as students prepared for final exams
Police said suspected explosive devices were also found on campus and off campus in the aftermath of the shooting.
Abbott described some of explosive devices found as a CO2 device and a Molotov cocktail. The governor added that it appeared the devices were assembled by the shooter and that investigators have not yet uncovered any information that would suggest that the suspect received help in building the explosives.
Abbott said authorities were speaking to two additional people of interest about the incident.
"One is a person who was at the scene," Abbott said. "We cannot definitively say whether or not that this is a person that may have had some level of involvement in the crime. There was just some suspicious reactions from this particular person and we want to make sure this person is adequately investigated. Separate from that, there is another person where we have certain information (and) we want to make sure that this other person is going to be fully interviewed to see if there is information to be gleaned."
Pagourtzis played defensive tackle on the Santa Fe High School junior varsity football team, and was a member of a dance squad with a local Greek Orthodox church. In a recap on the high school web site of an October 2016 Santa Fe High JV game, Pagourtzis was among players credited with playing "a huge role" in stopping the Ball High School's JV running game in a 14-0 victory.
Social media accounts that law enforcement officials confirmed belonged to Pagourtzis but were taken down in the aftermath of the incident featured photos of firearms, a knife, and a custom-made T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Born to Kill." He also posted a photo of a coat that included the Iron Cross insignia.
More:At least 10 dead after gunman opens fire at Texas high school; suspect in custody, explosives found
More:Santa Fe High School shooting: Here are some facts about the Texas school, Santa Fe ISD
Abbott said that law enforcement officials have obtained warrants to search two residents associated with the suspect as well as a vehicle. On Friday afternoon, a column of law enforcement vehicles clogged the road leading to the shooter's home in nearby Alvin as investigators continued their search of the property
Eight of the victims killed were students and two were teachers. Hospital officials said among those injured was a school resource officer, one of two officers regularly assigned to the school. Hospital officials also described another person injured as a middle-aged woman who was a staff member at the school.
In addition to the dead, several injured victims were transported to area hospitals.
In the aftermath of the shooting, students had varying recollection of what happened. Some students said they heard a fire alarm activated before the sound of gunshots echoed through the school hallways. Others said that they didn’t hear the fire alarm activated until after the shooting began.
Some students didn't know it was a shooting until they got outside.
"Next thing you know, everybody looks and you hear 'boom, boom, boom, and I just ran as fast as I could to the nearest forest so I can hide and I called my mom," 10th grader Dakota Shrader emotionally explained with her mom by her side Friday morning.
Grace Johnson, 18, a senior and who is the chaplain for the school band, told CNN that she and several of her classmates huddled in a classroom as they heard the sound of gunfire.
“We were hearing gunshots and many kids were having panic attacks,” Johnson said. “We sat in a circle and prayed for all of our peers and that they were going to be all right. We prayed for whoever was doing this that something changes in them.”
The FBI, ATF, Texas Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement agencies all all investigating the incident.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that the high school was one of dozens in the state that had received recently a safety award for its security planning.
He said that the incident suggests that it might be time for schools to limit the entrances and exits that student and staff can use and stagger start times to make it easier for school resources officers to secure a school.
"There aren't enough people to put a guard at every entrance and exit," Patrick said. "If we can protect a large office building or a courthouse or any major facility than maybe we need to look at limiting the entrances and the exits into our schools."
Contributing: Andrew Weil, KHOU-TV
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057aa0b682f86175e2c338acd30733de
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/21/hawaii-volcano-kilauea-laze-latest-threat/628397002/
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Lava, acid rain, vog, sulfur dioxide and now 'laze': New deadly threat emerges from Hawaii volcano
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Lava, acid rain, vog, sulfur dioxide and now 'laze': New deadly threat emerges from Hawaii volcano
First it was lava, then acid rain and vog. Now, residents near Hawaii's erupting Kilauea volcano confronted a new threat Monday: laze, a toxic cloud mashup of lava and haze.
Laze forms when hot, 2,000-degree lava hits the cooler sea water. It's a hydrochloric acid steam cloud that billows into the air, along with fine particles of glass.
"Lava entering the ocean causes a chemical reaction and can result in small explosions, sending tiny particles of hydrochloric acid and volcanic glass in the air," said Jessica Johnson, a geophysicist at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.
The acid in the plume is about as corrosive as diluted battery acid, scientists say. Laze can cause irritations of the skin, eyes and lungs, and those suffering from asthma or emphysema may be particularly vulnerable.
In response to the laze threat, U.S. Geological Survey scientist Wendy Stovall told residents that "if you’re feeling stinging on your skin, go inside.”
The threat is also real for mariners. “All waterway users should be aware of the hazardous conditions associated with such an event. Getting too close to the lava can result in serious injury or death,” Lt. Cmdr. John Bannon of the U.S. Coast Guard in Honolulu said in a statement.
Once formed, the effects of the laze plume are literally blowing in the wind.
Laze has been a deadly threat in the past: "This hot, corrosive gas mixture caused two deaths immediately adjacent to the coastal entry point in 2000 when seawater washed across recent and active lava flows," the Hawaii Volcano Observatory said.
Bush fires have also been reported, Johnson said, adding smoke to the airborne health hazards.
Scientists do not know how long this eruption episode, which began May 3, will last.
The volcano has opened more than 20 vents, including four that have merged into one large crack. It has been gushing lava high into the sky and sending a river of molten rock toward the ocean at about 300 yards per hour.
The rate of sulfur dioxide gas shooting from the ground fissures tripled, bringing additional air quality concerns. At the volcano’s summit, two explosive eruptions unleashed clouds of ash.
"A handful of old fissures have reactivated and joined together over the past few days," CNN correspondent Scott McLean said. "Lava is pouring out like a fountain ... feeding a fast-moving lava stream that’s now reached the ocean."
Kilauea has burned about 40 structures, including two dozen homes, since the eruption began. Nearly 3,000 earthquakes have also been recorded over the past month.
Yet, with more than 2,000 residents under evacuation, life largely goes on as normal on much of the Big Island. The tourism industry is still in full swing, and the island's airports remain open.
Contributing: Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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637b0a4c159b180c253de8f9e7f790bc
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/22/hawaii-volcano-lava-kilauea-power-plant/632294002/
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New eruptions at Hawaii volcano send lava closer to power plant: 'No one has faced this before'
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New eruptions at Hawaii volcano send lava closer to power plant: 'No one has faced this before'
PAHOA, Hawaii - Authorities were scrambling to firm up contingency plans Tuesday as lava pouring from Hawaii's erupting Kilauea volcano slowly encroached on a power plant on the Big Island.
The lava flow entered the 800-acre property of the Puna Geothermal Venture Plant on Monday and had stalled at a swale about 300 yards from the nearest underground well. On Tuesday, the lava was advancing.
"Fissure 6 reactivated last night and has been erupting since around midnight," Hawaii County civil defense officials said in a statement. "The flows from Fissure 6 are slowly flowing closer to PGV property."
If lava breaches wells, authorities fear it could release hydrogen sulfide, a toxic and flammable gas. Most of the wells have been capped with thick steel plates.
Thomas Travis, an administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, has warned that the intense heat could weaken the metal.
“That’s why having lava flow across the well causes some uncertainties that have to be dealt with," he said. "To our knowledge, no one has faced this before."
For residents in the area, uncertainty is the name of the game.
“It’s different from a hurricane because a hurricane comes and goes,” says Smiley Burrows, a Kapoho resident and caretaker of Green Mountain, a well-known Kapoho landmark encompassing 256 acres at the bottom of the lower East Rift Zone.
“Right now we’re feeling safe and people are working together. But it’s an uncertainty we are dealing with on a daily basis and no one knows what’s going to happen.”
Kapoho residents like Smiley are keeping a wary eye on lava as it approaches the geothermal plant about five miles away. But their main concern is water. Lava consumed county water lines to Kapoho, as well as a second set of relocated water lines to the community. Now Kapoho residents are receiving water from county water tankers and private resources.
For many residents, leaving the area, even in the face of a natural disaster, is not an option.
Hawaii County has the highest poverty rate in the state, with 20.2 percent of all Big Island families with children under the age of 18 living below the national poverty line. The district of Puna has the highest poverty rate within Hawaii County.
“There are many people that can not leave at all,” says lower Puna resident Ronnette Gonsalves. “A lot of people here struggle financially and now that struggle is five-fold.”
“They’re afraid to leave their homes not knowing if they will be able to get back. Some have invested everything they have into their homes. It’s crazy because you have people who have the means to get out of here and then you have people who don’t have $10 for gas to get out. They don’t have money to get a hotel room. It’s challenging and heartbreaking.”
More:'Laze': New deadly threat emerges from Hawaii volcano
More:Acid from Kilauea's lava, called 'laze,' pouring into the ocean
More:Helicopter airlifts residents as lava from Hawaii volcano speeds up
The plant has been shut down, and tens of thousands of gallons of flammable gas stored at the site have been removed.
County, state and federal authorities are monitoring the flow and working with the power plant "to ensure the safety of the surrounding communities," the county civil defense agency said in a statement. It added that nearby residents should be prepared to leave the area with little notice because of gas or lava inundation.
"This situation will be closely monitored," the statement said. "There is no immediate threat to any of the wells at PGV."
PGV is a geothermal energy conversion plant that extracts steam and hot liquid from underground wells. The liquid, or brine, is not used for electricity, but the steam is directed to a turbine generator that produces electricity. Even the exhaust steam from the turbine is used to heat fluid to drive a second turbine, generating more power.
The electricity generated by PGV is sold to Hawaii Electric Light.
Authorities also are contending with another threat as molten rock from Kilauea finds its way to the ocean: laze. Laze forms when 2,000-degree lava hits the cooler seawater. A hydrochloric acid steam cloud billows into the air, along with fine particles of glass.
The acid in the plume is about as corrosive as diluted battery acid, scientists said. Laze can cause irritations of the skin, eyes and lungs, and people who have asthma or emphysema may be particularly vulnerable.
Contributing: Doyle Rice
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2bbc1912c5fab6277634bcda62cb5560
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/23/same-sex-marriage-poll-americans/638587002/
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Poll: Approval of same-sex marriage in U.S. reaches new high
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Poll: Approval of same-sex marriage in U.S. reaches new high
More than two-thirds of Americans say they support same-sex marriage, according to a new Gallup poll published Wednesday.
With 67% of Americans expressing their approval, it marks the highest level of support that the research firm has recorded in the more than 20 years it has been querying Americans on the issue. Gallup said it has tallied 3 percentage point increases in support for each of its last three national surveys on the topic.
When Gallup first queried Americans on the issue in 1996, 27% said they supported gay marriage.
In the latest poll, 83% of respondents who identified as Democrats said they support legal recognition of same-sex marriage, while 44% of Republican respondents and 71% of independents expressed support.
The increased acceptance of same-same marriage — which a 2015 Supreme Court decision made legal in all 50 states — comes as greater number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults are getting married in the U.S. More than 10.4% of LGBT adults are married to a same-sex spouse, according to daily tracking on the issue in 2017.
Gallup found he percentage of American adults identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) increased to 4.5% in 2017, up from 4.1% in 2016 and 3.5% in 2012 when Gallup began tracking the measure. The latest estimate is based on over 340,000 interviews conducted as part of Gallup's daily tracking poll in 2017.
More:Gay man loses bid to challenge Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who denied same-sex marriages
More:Former Miss America Deidre Downs Gunn marries same-sex partner in Alabama wedding
The increase in Americans identifying as LGBT was driven primarily by millennials — defined in the poll as those born between 1980 and 1999. The percentage of millennials who identify as LGBT expanded from 7.3% to 8.1% from 2016 to 2017, and is up from 5.8% in 2012.
The data on attitudes on same-sex marriage were collected as part of Gallup's annual Values and Morals poll, conducted May 1-10 of 1,024 adults. The polls margin of error error is ±4 percentage points.
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cbeb2cb288d50c847368b6dedff8abd8
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/24/fewer-americans-believe-united-states-should-accept-refugees/638663002/
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Fewer Americans believe U.S. should accept refugees
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Fewer Americans believe U.S. should accept refugees
Fewer Americans believe the U.S. has a responsibility to accept refugees, a shift that has been spurred by President Trump's efforts to limit them from entering the country, according to a poll released Thursday.
More than half of Americans — 51% — still believe the United States should welcome immigrants fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries, according to the poll conducted by the non-partisan Pew Research Center. But that number is down from 56% during a similar survey in February 2017.
The drop is mostly due to the changing attitudes of Republicans: 26% feel the U.S. has a responsibility to accept refugees, a drop from 35% last year. That trend is even more pronounced among self-described conservative Republicans: their support for refugees has fallen to 19% from 33% last year.
Refugees and asylum recipients are people who are forced to flee their home country because of war or violence. They can prove a credible fear of returning based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Refugees are interviewed and approved while overseas, while asylum seekers make their claims once they reach the U.S.
The overall crash in the public perception of refugees coincides with the Trump administration's efforts to limit the U.S. refugee program in the name of national security.
Through his attempts to institute a travel ban, Trump was able to shut down the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for seven months. Even when it was restarted in October, potential refugees were exposed to "extreme vetting" procedures to more thoroughly screen their backgrounds.
Trump also signed an order lowering the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. to 45,000, the lowest number since Congress passed the Refugee Act in 1980. The administration may not even reach that figure, however, as it has approved only 13,758 refugees with only three months remaining in the 2018 fiscal year.
Along the way, the president and his top officials repeatedly warned about terrorists infiltrating the U.S. through the refugee program. The administration was not able to show any examples of refugees committing terrorist attacks in the U.S., but they continued warning about the possibility.
That constant barrage against refugees helps explain why so many Americans have started viewing refugees with more suspicion, said Erol Kekic, executive director of the immigration and refugee program at Church World Service, one of nine groups that helps refugees resettle in the U.S.
Kekic said it wasn't just Trump. Over the past 16 months, Kekic said Americans have seen the images of refugees fleeing wars and famine pouring into countries around the world. And in many cases, he said that's led to a sudden, and irrational, fear of those refugees.
"We have seen an unfortunate rise in xenophobia globally," he said. "We have seen that in European capitals, in Australia, and unfortunately we've seen it in the United States."
Kekic also blamed a more polarized political climate in the U.S., and a poor job by the media of navigating between those two sides.
"We need to change the narrative," said Kekic, who just completed tour of refugee camps in Kenya and Tanzania that hold hundreds of thousands of refugees with no place to go. "Refugees are not terrorists. Refugees are not the enemy. But refugees are a convenient target because they do not posses the capacity to defend themselves."
Supporters of Trump's efforts to crack down on would-be refugees agree that some are deserving of American goodwill. But Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said the new poll numbers show Americans are learning that many people who apply for refugee status or asylum are simply taking advantage of generous U.S. laws to sneak into the country.
"Most people, regardless of party affiliation, feel we have some sense of responsibility to people who are truly fleeing political persecution at the hands of their government," Mehlman said. "But there's this perception that people are coming here and, if not making outright bogus claims for asylum, are (stretching the truth) and seeing it as a way to slip in the door."
The survey of 1,503 adults was conducted between April 25 and May 1. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points.
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a0d092b008d5ed0c1e35cae3620d1b0a
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/25/usc-president-gynecologist-scandal/646993002/
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USC president to step down amid scandal involving university gynecologist
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USC president to step down amid scandal involving university gynecologist
LOS ANGELES — The president of the University of Southern California has agreed to step down amid a raging sex scandal involving a university gynecologist who is accused of conducting inappropriate exams for decades, the chairman of the school’s board of trustees said Friday.
The university’s board has “agreed to begin an orderly transition and commence the process of selecting a new president,” Rick J. Caruso, the board’s chairman, said in a letter to students and faculty members.
The letter did not say when C.L. Max Nikias would leave his post.
“We have heard the message that something is broken and that urgent and profound actions are needed,” Caruso said.
The announcement came days after hundreds of students, professors and alumni demanded Nikias’ ouster, alleging that USC failed to respond to complaints of misconduct involving Dr. George Tyndall, a gynecologist who worked at a university clinic for 30 years.
Tyndall routinely made crude comments, took inappropriate photographs and forced plaintiffs to strip naked and groped them under the guise of medical treatment for his “sexual gratification,” according to civil lawsuits filed this week.
At least a dozen lawsuits have been filed so far and police are interviewing alleged victims to see if any crime was committed.
The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this month that complaints about Tyndall weren’t properly addressed by USC for years and university officials never reported him to the medical board, even after he was quietly forced into retirement.
Tyndall, 71, denied wrongdoing in interviews with the Times and hasn’t responded to phone calls and emails requesting comment from The Associated Press.
USC has said Tyndall was placed on administrative leave in 2016 and never returned to treating students after officials received a complaint from a staff member at the health clinic. The staff member alleged that Tyndall made inappropriate comments to a patient in front of medical assistants.
The university said it has previously reviewed complaints that Tyndall made racially inappropriate comments.
Nikias, 65, who became the university’s president in 2010, had recently come under fire amid a string of scandals, including a report from the Los Angeles Times in July about how a USC medical school dean used drugs and partied with prostitutes.
A spokesman for USC said the university had no further comment.
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577e431ae0f31d81c9225d286291542b
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/28/ellicott-city-maryland-flooding/649331002/
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'No words to describe the devastation' after Ellicott City flooding in Maryland
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'No words to describe the devastation' after Ellicott City flooding in Maryland
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — Rescue personnel here were searching Monday for a man missing after rampaging waters roared like a river through the quaint, historic downtown, swallowing cars and flooding stores and homes — just two years after a similar devastating deluge.
The town was pounded by almost eight inches of rain Sunday. When the flash flooding receded, first responders walked through the ravaged downtown area, its Main Street strewn with debris. The disaster was similar to a flash flood two years ago that killed two people.
"There are no words to describe the devastation," Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said.
Kittleman said residents and business owners were being kept away while authorities determine what structures are safe. Some locals may be allowed to return Tuesday, he said.
Kittleman said he understands if business owners who rebuilt two years ago decide to walk away this time.
"My heart breaks for them," he said. "They are going to have to make a tough decision. I will support whatever decision they make."
More:Ellicott City flooding prompts emergency rescues, state of emergency
More:Rain that caused deadly Md. flood a '1-in-1,000' year event
Police identified the missing man as Eddison Alexander Hermond, 39, a resident of nearby Severn and an active duty member of the Army National Guard.
County Police Chief Gary Gardner said Hermond was helping hold a door shut to keep water from entering a downtown restaurant when he went out to help a woman find her cat.
At one point, people saw Hermond "go under the water and not surface," Gardner said.
Ray Miser was sitting on his porch Sunday as at least 2 feet of water began rushing past his home. “It sure was a sight,” he said. “There were logs and everything just floating like I was living on a river.”
Miser, 77, said he’s watched other floods hit the area, including the 2016 disaster. But his elevated two-story home made it through again. “You just got to pray,” he said.
Gardner said 911 call systems were bombarded with about 1,100 calls that started when the flooding began at about 4 p.m. Sunday. Fire Chief John Butler said first responders assisted in the evacuations of about 300 people, more than two dozen of them water rescues from "a high level of danger."
Rescue workers were out in force across the town, 13 miles west of Baltimore along the Patapsco River. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a statewide state of emergency and paid a visit to assess the damage.
Gardner said many people on Main Street when the flooding occurred showed courage in the face of horror.
"We're thankful and not just for the first responders," he said. "A lot of individuals provided the same level of heroic effort, helping pull people out."
A similar flash flood disaster two years ago killed two people, battered buildings and swept away cars. But the town rebuilt, and Kittleman said flood abatement efforts have been underway since that time.
"Ellicott City was as prepared as it could be," he said. "When you have eight inches coming down, terrible things can happen."
Meteorologists dismissed the 2016 carnage as a 1-in-1,000-year event. A 1-in-1,000-year rain event is a statistical way of expressing the probability of such a massive rainfall occurring in any given year in a given location, according to the National Center for Environmental Information.
But on Sunday the flooding was back, with stunning video showing a brown wall of water sweeping through the downtown, high as roofs on some cars.
All David Barber could do was watch as the light rain quickly became rushing rapids downhill from his two-story home. Cars flowed with the current, crashing into one another and ending up clogged together near one Main Street business.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “This really puts the fear of God in you. Two years in a row. Two. This area and Main Street are part of the beauty of living here.”
After the flooding appeared to have stopped, a new threat targeted Barber’s home. A massive maple tree toppled in his backyard, missing his bedroom door by just a few feet. “We are extremely lucky,” he said.
Stacey Corrao, was at her son’s baseball tournament when she started getting calls about the flooding. “Every call they were telling me, ‘It’s getting worse, it’s getting worse,’” she said. “I felt so powerless.”
Water surrounded Corrao's home and several inches flooded the crawl space beneath. On Monday, it was still draining from a hose placed in the crawl space and threaded out to the street.
“It’s just unbelievable. How can we have a thousand-year storm twice in two years,” she said. “There are no words.”
She and other residents blamed local officials for building the area up without having a plan for flooding.
“Of course this is going to continue to happen. There’s construction, more homes and businesses but no where for the water to go once it starts to overflow,” Corrao said. “We need a plan to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Bacon reported from McLean, Va.
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948c5aedc64447a80f8c931167b1ffd2
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/03/floods-heavy-rain-swamps-mid-atlantic/667584002/
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Heavy rain, floods swamp Mid-Atlantic
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Heavy rain, floods swamp Mid-Atlantic
Driving rain led to dangerous floods in the Mid-Atlantic on Sunday, adding to the weather misery across the sodden region.
Flood warnings were in effect Sunday in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., snarling traffic and causing streams to surge out of their banks.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency Sunday in eight counties because of flooding from heavy rains. Some emergency evacuations were underway Sunday across the state following severe storms.
Flooding also led to multiple road closures in and around Front Royal, Va., on Sunday, according to AccuWeather.
Much of area has already been hit hard with torrential downpours, flash floods and mudslides in recent days, AccuWeather said.
Last weekend, deadly flash flooding swept through Ellicott City, Md., ruining the town's historic downtown area for the second time in three years. Ellicott City was under a flood watch Sunday afternoon.
Drier weather is forecast for the region on Monday as the storm takes aim on the Northeast and New England.
Late Saturday, severe storms also battered Arkansas, leaving at least one person injured, crops devastated and an airport destroyed in Colt, Ark.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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8230277c1dea32536f4a024d81fb5378
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/06/global-warming-coastal-flooding-worsens-sea-levels-rise/677699002/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
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‘Clear-sky’ flooding worsens across U.S. as sea levels rise, report says
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‘Clear-sky’ flooding worsens across U.S. as sea levels rise, report says
Got flippers?
High-tide flooding is happening across the USA at twice the rate it was just 30 years ago, according to a new report released Wednesday.
And this flooding isn't necessarily caused by a storm, but by rising seas: As ocean levels rise because of global warming, flooding can now occur with high tides in many locations.
Also known as "sunny-day," "clear-sky" or "nuisance" flooding, 27 locations across the nation set or tied records for most days with floods from May 2017 to April 2018, the report said. Cities such as Boston and Atlantic City both had 22 days with high-tide floods.
"Due to sea level rise, the national average frequency of high-tide flooding is double what it was 30 years ago," the report said. William Sweet, a NOAA oceanographer and co-author of the report, said at a press briefing that "what used to be uncommon is now becoming fairly common."
More:May was warmest on record for USA, breaking mark set during Dust Bowl
Nationwide, the average of six flood days for each location was the highest on record.
Ben Horton. a Rutgers University researcher who was not involved in the study, called it "a warning, a shot across the bow. Across the whole of the U.S. coastline, we are in dire need of action," he said.
The report found tidal flooding was at record levels last year along parts of the southeast Atlantic and eastern Gulf coasts. It examined only coastal flooding, not inundation brought on by sudden, heavy rain or overflowing rivers.
"As they examine their risk, communities can use this information to help better mitigate and prepare for high tide flooding from long-term sea-level rise," according to NOAA.
These floods lead to road closures, overwhelmed storm drains and damaged property but are seldom life-threatening. They're mostly caused by climate-related sea-level rise, NOAA said.
Heat-trapping greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels causes glaciers and ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica to melt. Warmer water takes up more space that cooler water or ice, causing sea levels to rise.
Since 1880, the ocean has risen nearly 8 inches worldwide, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, but it doesn't do so evenly. In the past 100 years, it's climbed about a foot or more in some U.S. cities.
In addition to sea-level rise, the loss of natural barriers and land subsidence — a gradual settling or sudden sinking of the Earth's surface because of underground movement of soil, rock and other materials — also contributes to flooding.
The effects of rising sea levels along most of the continental U.S. coastline are expected to become more noticeable and severe in the coming decades, likely more so than any other climate-change related factor, NOAA said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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b97a0a7971c3067346f59d012ae398ce
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/18/detention-crisis-what-we-know-now/710718002/
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Detention crisis: Trump defends 'zero-tolerance' immigration
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Detention crisis: Trump defends 'zero-tolerance' immigration
President Donald Trump, his attorney general and his Homeland Security chief staunchly defended a "zero tolerance" immigration policy Monday amid growing outrage over the separation of children from parents accused of illegally trying to enter the country.
The administration's unified front came as some Republicans and their supporters, from former first lady Laura Bush to evangelist Franklin Graham, have spoken out against the policy.
Through the end of May, almost 2,000 children were separated from adults who said they were their parents or guardians, federal officials said last week.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, speaking Monday at a National Sheriffs' Association meeting in New Orleans, defended the policy. Trump, at a White House event, pinned the blame for failed immigration laws on obstructionist Democrats.
How the policy works
In April, Sessions announced a policy to refer all cases of immigrants detained for illegal entry for criminal prosecution. The problem is that the rules prohibit detaining children, who are not charged with a crime, with their parents who are. Media reports have described cage-like housing for some children. Nielsen blasted the media reports Monday for misrepresenting the conditions. "We operate according to some of the highest standards in the country" and provide food, medical attention and educational opportunities, she said.
More:Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen 'will not apologize'
More:What Melania Trump, past first ladies have to say on 'zero tolerance'
More:Trump says crime in Germany 'way up' because of immigration. He's wrong.
First lady blasts 'immoral' policy
Bush, the former first lady, wrote an op-ed piece for The Washington Post, published late Sunday, that took the policy to task. She wrote that as a resident of a border state, she appreciates the need to protect the nation’s boundaries, “but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart.”
Earlier, first lady Melania Trump weighed in through her communication director, Stephanie Grisham. Trump, Grisham told CNN on Sunday, "believes we need to be a country that follows all laws but also a country that governs with heart."
Microsoft 'dismayed' by separations
Microsoft came under fire on social media for its contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that's separating families at the U.S.-Mexican border.
The company now says it's "dismayed," by new actions by the Trump administration to jail immigrant parents who attempt to come to the U.S. without going through legal channels, and take their children away into detention facilities.
" As a company Microsoft has worked for over 20 years to combine technology with the rule of law to ensure that children who are refugees and immigrants can remain with their parents," the company said in a statement.
Trump calls out Democrats
Immigration changes could be accomplished "very quickly" if Democrats would negotiate in good faith, the president said. "Good for the children, good for the country, good for the world. It could take place quickly." Trump said the U.S. has the world's worst immigration laws, "horrible and tough." But he said security was paramount.
"The United States will not be a migrant camp, and it will not be a refugee holding facility," Trump said. He added that "a country without borders is not a country at all. We need borders. We need security. ... We have to take care of our people."
Schumer blames back
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Republican measures that would trim legal immigration and strengthen border security have little support in Congress – and Trump knows it. "As everyone who has looked at this agrees, this was done by the president, not Democrats," Schumer tweeted Monday. "He can fix it tomorrow if he wants to, and if he doesn’t want to, he should own up to the fact that he’s doing it."
Trump blasts European immigration
"The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition," Trump tweeted Monday. "Crime in Germany is way up." The German Interior Ministry announced last month, however, that the total number of crimes committed in the country in 2017 had fallen 5.1 percent from the previous year. The number of crimes found to be politically motivated fell 4.9 percent. Still, Trump blasted the "big mistake" made across Europe by accepting millions of immigrants "who have so strongly and violently changed their culture!"
"We don’t want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us!" Trump tweeted.
Nielsen: No apologies
Nielsen said many people want border officials to "look the other way" and not enforce the law when it comes to families. "We have to do our job. We will not apologize for doing our job," she said. "This administration has a simple message: If you cross the border illegally, we will prosecute you."
Nielsen spoke hours after taking to Twitter to vehemently deny that her department's border policy dictates separation of children from their parents. "We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period," Nielsen tweeted late Sunday. For those seeking asylum at ports of entry, the policy of previous administrations remains in place; children will be separated only if they are in danger, if there is no custodial relationship with the adults or if the adult has broken a law.
Sessions: Build the wall
Sessions said the number of immigrants crossing with children increased sharply during the Obama administration as immigrants determined they would not face criminal prosecution if caught. "We cannot and will not encourage people to bring children by giving them blanket immunity from our laws," he said. "If we build the wall, if we pass legislation to end the lawlessness, we won’t face these terrible choices. We will have a system where those who need to apply for asylum can do so, and those who want to come to this country will apply legally.”
Hillary Clinton: It's 'horrific'
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday called the situation "a moral and humanitarian crisis."
Speaking at an awards lunch for the Women's Forum of New York, Clinton said what was happening to families at the U.S.-Mexico border is "horrific."
"Every human being with a sense of compassion and decency should be outraged," Clinton said. "The test of any nation is how we treat the most vulnerable among us. We are a better country than one that tears families apart."
Contributing: Kevin Johnson, David Jackson, Carolyn McAtee Cerbin
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2686d1374c16e900a63ebcbba287337b
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/18/smoking-united-states-cigarette-sales/713002002/
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Smoking reaching all-time low with US adults, government report shows
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Smoking reaching all-time low with US adults, government report shows
NEW YORK — Smoking in the U.S. has hit another all-time low.
About 14 percent of U.S adults were smokers last year, down from about 16 percent the year before, government figures show.
There hadn’t been much change the previous two years, but it’s been clear there’s been a general decline and the new figures show it’s continuing, said K. Michael Cummings of the tobacco research program at Medical University of South Carolina.
“Everything is pointed in the right direction,” including falling cigarette sales and other indicators, Cummings said.
The new figures released Tuesday mean there are still more than 30 million adult smokers in the U.S., he added.
Teens are also shunning cigarettes. Survey results out last week showed smoking among high school students was down to 9 percent, also a new low.
In the early 1960s, roughly 42 percent of U.S. adults smoked. It was common nearly everywhere — in office buildings, restaurants, airplanes and even hospitals. The decline has coincided with a greater understanding that smoking is a cause of cancer, heart disease and other health problems.
Anti-smoking campaigns, cigarette taxes and smoking bans are combining to bring down adult smoking rates, experts say.
The launch of electronic cigarettes and their growing popularity has also likely played a role. E-cigarettes heat liquid nicotine into a vapor without the harmful by-products generated from burning tobacco. That makes them a potentially useful tool to help smokers quit, but some public health experts worry it also creates a new way for people to get addicted to nicotine.
There was no new information for adult use of e-cigarettes and vaping products, but 2016 figures put that at 3 percent of adults.
Vaping is more common among teens than adults. About 13 percent of high school students use e-cigarettes or other vaping devices.
The findings on adult smokers come from a national health survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 27,000 adults were interviewed last year.
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92c02e0fa69a1be6f89bfbafd12978ef
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/18/trump-german-european-refugee-policies-have-violently-changed-culture/709849002/
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Trump says crime in Germany 'way up' because of immigration. He's wrong.
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Trump says crime in Germany 'way up' because of immigration. He's wrong.
President Donald Trump on Monday pressed Democrats to support GOP efforts to "fix the world's worst immigration rules" and blasted German and European border security.
"The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition," Trump tweeted Monday. "Crime in Germany is way up."
Last month, the German Interior Ministry actually announced that the total number of crimes committed in the country in 2017 had fallen 5.1 percent from the previous year. The number of crimes deemed politically motivated fell 4.9 percent.
Trump blasted the "big mistake" made across Europe by accepting millions of immigrants "who have so strongly and violently changed their culture!"
"We don’t want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us!" Trump said.
More:Homeland Security chief denies policy separates families at border
More:Separation of immigrant families draws lawmakers to the border
Republicans in Congress were tentatively planning to offer two bills this week, one that would sharply curtail legal immigration and a compromise measure, as yet not revealed, that could draw criticism from conservatives. President Trump on Monday tweeted a challenge to Democrats, saying they should back GOP immigration bills aimed at fixing "the world's worst immigration laws.
"Where is the outcry for the killings and crime being caused by gangs and thugs, including MS-13, coming into our country illegally?" he added.
At a space event later, Trump discussed immigration and again blamed Democrats for failing to sign on to Republican immigration proposals.
"The United States will not be a migrant camp or a refugee holding camp," he said.
He said the child separations are a function of current law, adding that "we're stuck with these horrible laws ... We have the worst immigration laws in the entire world."
Contributing: David Jackson
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bfe583323a54bc8a1b7ec6ed5ae64d74
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/19/akron-ohio-firefighters-accused-making-pornography-firehouse/713138002/
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Firefighters accused of making pornography at Akron, Ohio, fire station
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Firefighters accused of making pornography at Akron, Ohio, fire station
Two Ohio firefighters have been suspended after allegedly making pornographic videos at a firehouse.
Akron officials say Lt. Arthur Dean and Provisional Lt. Deann Eller were both placed on administrative leave on Monday while the city launched an investigation into the matter.
According to local media, the suspensions came after steamy footage turned up online, leading to a tip that the pair allegedly had produced the porn at a fire station.
At a news conference, the Akron Beacon-Journal reported, the city’s fire chief, Clarence Tucker, wouldn’t say which station might have served as the backdrop for the porn.
He also would not confirm television news reports placing the activity in Fire Station 11 in a northwest section of the city.
Tucker and Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a joint statement that Dean and Eller did not work at the same fire station, but were known to be in a long-term relationship. (Read the full statement below.)
According to the Beacon-Journal, Tucker and Horrigan said that the alleged behavior did not reflect the values of those who fight fires in Akron.
“The job of an Akron firefighter is about selfless service to the community. The job requires running into burning buildings, rescuing trapped victims, and administering lifesaving care to people in their darkest hour,” Tucker said, according to Ohio TV station WKYC. “These distressing allegations bring unwelcome dishonor and embarrassment to our department and the city of Akron and unfairly discredit the reputation of other Akron firefighters. I know this department, and this is not who we are.”
During the news conference, Tucker said that Eller and Dean could face additional discipline, including dismissal, if it were found that they had broken the city’s anti-fraternizing rule.
More:Stormy Daniels’ lawyer wants to prove Rudy Giuliani has watched porn
More:Royals hold anti-pornography seminar for players at spring training
More:Congresswoman says pornography is a root cause of school shootings
More:Florida House declares a public health risk — from pornography (not guns)
“We will take prompt and appropriate action,” Tucker added.
The revelations came after several media outlets asked officials about the footage, which had been seen widely on various porn websites. A woman, believed to be Eller, appears naked in numerous videos, working out in a basement gym, the paper reported.
Eller and Dean were hired on the same day in September 2000, according to records seen by the Beacon-Journal. Performance reports show Eller routinely displayed a strong work ethic. Dean also was praised for his performance and was promoted to lieutenant in 2015.
A spokesman for the local firefighters' union said Eller and Dean would not comment, the Associated Press reported.
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74cee93c06b79d3563bacf4a5dbf7f54
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/20/why-immigrant-children-being-separated-your-questions-answered/717253002/
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What happens next for undocumented immigrant families? All your questions answered
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What happens next for undocumented immigrant families? All your questions answered
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday designed to keep the families of undocumented immigrants together while Republican congressional leaders try to come up with an immigration plan to douse a political firestorm surrounding the contentious "zero tolerance" policy.
Trump said the order should ease the controversy until Congress can act. A compromise bill crafted by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has a chance of passing this week and could bring a halt to the separations of children from their parents at the border.
Trump said zero tolerance will continue. It was not immediately clear how that would work while keeping families together and obeying court rulings that require the release of children.
Here's a closer look at the issues:
What is the 'zero tolerance' policy?
In April, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a “zero tolerance" policy requiring arrest of all immigrants who attempted to enter the country along the Mexican border without going through legal border crossings. Before that, adults who crossed the border illegally by themselves often faced arrest, but anyone who brought a child with them would not be prosecuted. Sessions said the practice of bringing children became a form of "immunity" he wanted to end. "We cannot and will not encourage people to bring children by giving them blanket immunity from our laws," he said.
Why were kids separated from their parents?
Adults arrested for illegally crossing the border are sent to federal court under the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, then placed in a detention center, according to the Homeland Security Department. Under terms of the Flores Consent Decree and subsequent court rulings, children taken into custody when their parents are arrested must be released. They are transferred to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for placement in a juvenile facility or foster care if no U.S. relative can be found.
Graphic:What happened to immigrant children at the U.S. border
What is the Flores Consent Decree?
Federal law does not mandate family separation at the border. The Flores Consent Decree has become a factor in the situation. In 1985, two organizations filed a class-action lawsuit challenging procedures for detention, treatment and release of children of undocumented immigrants. The settlement and subsequent court actions require the release of children without unnecessary delay. If the parent is considered a threat to the child or faces criminal proceedings – required under zero tolerance – the government must release the child to relatives or into the “least restrictive” accommodations possible within 20 days. In most cases, relatives are not available in the USA, so kids are placed in temporary youth shelters operated by Health and Human Services.
Is crossing the border a felony or misdemeanor?
Most adult immigrants accused of illegally crossing into the USA are charged with illegal entry, a federal misdemeanor that can result in fines and up to six months in prison.
What's a 'tender age' shelter?
Trump administration officials have sent babies and other young children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexican border to at least three “tender age” shelters in South Texas. Steven Wagner, an official with Health and Human Services, told the Associated Press the "specialized facilities" are devoted to providing care to children with special needs and "tender age" children under 13. He said the facilities provide well-trained clinicians and meet state licensing standards for child welfare agencies.
How you can help the children
RAICES is the largest immigration legal services non-profit group in Texas focusing on immigrant children, families and refugees. The group accepts donations for its family reunification and bond fund. Silicon Valley couple Charlotte and Dave Willner's Facebook fundraiser for RAICES raised more than $10 million from more than 220,000 people. The Texas Civil Rights Project collects donations for its legal fight on behalf of five families.
Contributing: Eliza Collins, Kevin Johnson
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e297a13fd086c0016a17fcada8ce4867
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/21/crosspurpose-act-grant-recipient-works-rebuild-neighborhood-bonds/720679002/
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Denver non-profit CrossPurpose seeks to rebuild neighborhood bonds
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Denver non-profit CrossPurpose seeks to rebuild neighborhood bonds
DENVER – Person by person, CrossPurpose is rebuilding neighborhood bonds to knit together Denver-area residents.
A six-month program for participants, CrossPurpose offers both job and personal training. Participants initially receive career counseling, customer service training and conflict resolution, along with a small stipend, and then a full scholarship to a job-training program aimed to set them up for a lifetime of successful employment.
But it doesn’t stop there. Instead, every week, participants have dinner with community leaders of all kinds, building the kinds of connections that many people take for granted. They also develop soft skills like communication and conflict resolution, learning that you can’t solve problems just by walking away – or by fighting it out on your own.
“If a family is not there to pick you up tough times, you just spiral back into poverty,” said Jason Janz, the executive director of CrossPurpose. “By the time participants are done, they have 70 new relationships. And that becomes a family for them.”
In recognition of CrossPurpose’s efforts and mission, the Gannett Foundation is proud to announce it has awarded the nonprofit $25,000 under its “A Community Thrives” program, along with an additional $25,000 as a fan favorite.
Now in its second year, ACT awards grants to non-profit organizations with projects focused on improving local communities in the categories of wellness, education, or arts and culture. The nationwide program empowers communities to take on local challenges and spread the word about the issues important them by using the platform of USA TODAY NETWORK, which includes USA TODAY and 109 local publications.
More:Gannett Foundation initiative contributes $600K to local nonprofits
More:Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK Announce Recipients for 2018 “A Community Thrives” Program
More:Incarcerated moms stay connected with their little ones through reading
“We were so moved by the number of inspiring ideas submitted to ACT this year,” said Bob Dickey, president and chief executive officer of Gannett. “We are excited about the opportunity to empower these organizations to create real change in their communities.”
ACT awards a total of $600,000 in grants. Additionally, a new crowdfunding component gave participating groups the ability to raise more money. Submissions for 2018 were done through CrowdRise, which is owned by GoFundMe, and all campaigns will receive the funding that they raised via the crowdsourcing platform. With $945,255 raised online through fundraising, the program will contribute a total amount of $1,545,255 to organizations across the country. ACT received more than 500 submissions from over 40 states this year. The Gannett Foundation ultimately selected 12 grantees based on their viability, sustainability and impact. Additionally, four “fan favorite” grant recipients were determined after the crowdfunding period ended.
Janz said CrossPurpose will use the ACT grant to help build a network of alumni to guide participants through good decision-making as they lift themselves out of poverty through work. CrossPurpose was founded out of a church's efforts to learn to "love your neighbor," and hopes to strengthen communities by helping residents develop careers and connect with their neighbors to build long-lasting bonds across racial, economic and social backgrounds.
“When people have money, they can make choices and make their lives better. That’s the heart of poverty: The inability to make choices," Janz said. "When you’re trying to put food on the table, you aren’t thinking about your calling.”
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735a7566445f8884dd164674ecd14b67
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/22/girl-time-magazine-cover-never-separated-mom-father-says/725499002/
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Crying immigrant girl on Time magazine cover was never separated from her mom, father says
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Crying immigrant girl on Time magazine cover was never separated from her mom, father says
The father of the 2-year-old Honduran girl featured on Time magazine and emblematic for the separation of immigrant children and parents, told The Washington PostThursday the young girl was never separated from her mother.
Denis Javier Varela Hernandez told the Post he recognized his daughter on the cover of Time magazine looking up at President Donald Trump and feared she was separated from his wife. The photographer who took the picture, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer John Moore, reported that after he took the photo, the child's mother picked her up and they got into a van.
Moore, along with many on social media, believed they would soon be separated and the child would join the 2,500 other immigrant children placed in detention centers while their parents faced prosecution.
But the mother and child are not separated, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed. This news sparked outrage from the White House and conservative media such as Breitbart calling the photo of the little girl an example of fake news.
Varela disagreed with this rhetoric, telling the Post he is proud his daughter "represented the subject of immigration" and hopes her image will help enact policy change.
“This is the case for my daughter, but it is not the case for 2,000 children that were separated from their parents,” Varela told the Post.
More:Time magazine cover places iconic photo of crying immigrant child at Trump's feet
More:The story behind the viral photo of a crying toddler at the U.S. border
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b87268efa5f302dd52d02ec7c685c21f
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/25/immigrant-children-trump-says-legal-process-immigrants-not-way-go/729926002/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=amp&utm_campaign=speakable
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Scholars, activists blast Trump tweets ripping due process for undocumented immigrants
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Scholars, activists blast Trump tweets ripping due process for undocumented immigrants
President Donald Trump doubled down Monday on his weekend tweet suggesting that undocumented immigrants be sent home without a hearing despite intense blowback from legal scholars, activists and Democrats.
"Hiring many thousands of judges, and going through a long and complicated legal process, is not the way to go - will always be disfunctional," Trump tweeted Monday.
He tweeted that people who don't pass through a port of entry "simply must be stopped at the border" and told they cannot come into the country illegally. That would stop illegal immigration "in it’s tracks - and at very little, by comparison, cost," Trump tweeted. "This is the only real answer - and we must continue to BUILD THE WALL!"
The Constitution could get in the way of Trump's plans to cut legal corners, says legal scholar Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law.
"Congressional legislation and the Constitution mandate due process for the people Trump mentions," Tobias told USA TODAY. "Congress would need to legislate what Trump says he wants, and this seems unlikely. Even were Congress to pass legislation, federal courts would probably find that it violates the Constitution."
More:Trump wants to send undocumented immigrants back without hearings
More:Thousands of immigrants pass through the Southern border. Why?
Trump drew outrage after his tweet Sunday that "when somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no Judges or Court Cases, bring them back from where they came." Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, emphatically agreed with Tobias that Trump's plan is illegal and unconstitutional.
"Any official who has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws should disavow it unequivocally," Jadwat said.
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations, called Trump's tweet an "affront to our values" and said all Americans should be outraged.
"This clear call for an end to the constitutionally guaranteed right to due process is symptomatic of an administration that disdains both the Constitution and our judicial system," Awad said, adding that such dismissal of due process "would subject those who cross our borders to the whims of unaccountable officials acting on the twisted logic of white supremacy and racism."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, visited areas along the Texas border on Sunday. She said she believes that a woman who flees her country with her child and begs for asylum, "she deserves a fair hearing."
"I believe that every human being has worth," Warren said. "We must do better."
Trump also took a shot Monday at the media coverage of his policies – "the same immigration policies" of the Obama administration.
"Actually, we have done a far better job in that our facilities are cleaner and better run than were the facilities under Obama," Trump tweeted. "Fake News is working overtime!"
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b24589650c5b3cc090c11cef5522a023
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/25/noaa-wont-drop-climate-and-conservation-its-mission-agency-says/731304002/
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NOAA won't drop climate and conservation from its mission, agency says
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NOAA won't drop climate and conservation from its mission, agency says
The United States' top weather, climate and ocean science agency – NOAA – will not drop "climate" from its mission statement nor will it de-emphasize research into climate change and resource conservation, the agency said Monday.
This follows a report Sunday from a science advocacy group, the Union of Concerned Scientists, that said the acting head of NOAA, Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet, proposed a new mission statement for the agency — one the Union said would "undermine the agency’s vital work on behalf of the American people."
The first line of NOAA's mission statement is "to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans and coasts." According to the Union, Gallaudet proposed last week that it be changed to "observe, understand and predict atmospheric and ocean conditions."
He also proposed the agency add a new emphasis "to protect lives and property, empower the economy, and support homeland and national security,” the Union said. This would replace an emphasis on conserving and managing coastal and marine ecosystems and resources.
However, in a statement Monday, Gallaudet said his proposal "was not intended to exclude NOAA's important climate and conservation efforts, which are essential for protecting lives and the environment. Nor should this presentation be considered a final, vetted proposal."
He said that along with Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and the Department of Commerce, he supports NOAA's climate and conservation emphasis and also is "fully aware of the congressional mandates and will continue to adhere to them.”
Andrew Rosenberg, director of the center for science and democracy at the Union, said if the proposal were enacted it would be "a shocking change in the mission of one of the nation’s premier scientific agencies.
“Understanding the changing climate is becoming more critical by the day, as the effects of global warming mount, and it’s essential to protecting our economy and security," he added.
Jane Lubchenco, the first head of NOAA under President Obama, tweeted Monday that redefining NOAA’s mission would be "a serious threat to the breadth of science, services and stewardship that NOAA provides."
Gallaudet is still NOAA's acting administrator. He remains in charge because AccuWeather's Barry Myers, President Trump's choice to head NOAA, is still unconfirmed by the Senate.
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b725a30c9d9a339eda7f6a6b249cf284
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/27/immigrant-children-deportation-court/739205002/
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Immigrant toddlers ordered to appear in court alone
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Immigrant toddlers ordered to appear in court alone
As the White House faces court orders to reunite families separated at the border, immigrant children as young as 3 are being ordered into court for their own deportation proceedings, according to attorneys in Texas, California and Washington, D.C.
Requiring unaccompanied minors to go through deportation alone is not a new practice. But in the wake of the Trump administration’s controversial family separation policy, more children – including toddlers – are being affected than in the past.
The more than 2,000 children probably will need to deal with court proceedings even as they grapple with the trauma of being taken from their parents.
“We were representing a 3-year-old in court recently who had been separated from the parents. And the child – in the middle of the hearing – started climbing up on the table,” said Lindsay Toczylowski, executive director of Immigrant Defenders Law Center in Los Angeles. “It really highlighted the absurdity of what we’re doing with these kids.”
More:Judge orders families separated at border be reunited within 30 days
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which oversees the deportations of unauthorized immigrants, did not respond to a request for comment.
Toczylowski said parents typically have been tried along with children and have explained the often violent circumstances that led them to seek asylum in the U.S.
The children being detained under the “zero tolerance” policy, though, are facing immigration proceedings without Mom or Dad by their sides.
“The parent might be the only one who knows why they fled from the home country, and the child is in a disadvantageous position to defend themselves,” Toczylowski said.
Meanwhile, the broader legal situation is in flux. A federal judge commanded the White House last week to reunify families within 14 days if the child is under 5 and 30 days if the child is older. The Justice Department has not indicated whether it will appeal. Attorneys who are involved in the cases said it’s unclear how the judge’s order will work in practice and when and how it could take effect.
“We don’t know how the judge’s order is going to play out with reunification of children. What if parents have already been deported?” said Cynthia Milian, a Texas-based attorney at the Powers Law Group.
In the interim, she added, the implications for kids remain urgent.
Given the trauma the children faced in their home countries that spurred their families to flee, and the pain of being separated from a parent, the expectation that children can mount a legal defense is “unconscionable,” said Benard Dreyer, director of the division of developmental-behavioral pediatrics at New York University School of Medicine.
“It’s certainly grossly inappropriate,” said Dreyer, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics advocacy committee. “I’m ashamed that we’re doing this.”
Leaders at three legal services organizations and a private firm confirmed that the children are being served with notices to appear in court. They are not entitled to an attorney but rather are given a list of legal services organizations that might help them.
Steve Lee, a UCLA child psychology professor, said expecting the children to advocate for themselves in court is an “incredibly misaligned expectation.”
“That couldn’t be any less developmentally appropriate,” he said, adding that some children may not be mature enough to verbalize a response.
More than 2,000 children who were separated from their parents at the border have been sent to the far corners of the nation to care facilities and foster homes.
Officials with the Department of Health and Human Services emphasized Tuesday that the agency is working to unify children with either a parent or a sponsor. But it did not provide a timeline for how long that would take.
“We are working across agencies for reunification of each child with (a) parent or family as soon as that is practical,” Jonathan White, HHS’ assistant secretary for preparedness and response, said in a media call.
HHS representatives said children in facilities run by the Office of Refugee Resettlement receive adequate care, including medical and mental health services, and at least two phone calls a week with family members.
Yet children who are just arriving at care facilities are still not connected with their families, said Megan McKenna, a spokeswoman for Kids in Need of Defense. She said the children arrive at care facilities without a parent’s tracking number, and parents don’t tend to have their kids’ numbers.
After kids arrive in care facilities, HHS officials work on finding a “sponsor” to care for the child, such as a parent, guardian, family member or family friend. Historically, unaccompanied minors – who tended to be teens – found a sponsor in about a month and a half.
But Rachel Prandini, a staff attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, said finding a sponsor is more difficult now given fears that stepping forward to accept a child could trigger a sponsor’s deportation.
In April, HHS entered into an agreement with law enforcement officials that requires sponsors and adult family members to submit fingerprints and be subject to a thorough immigration and criminal background check.
HHS officials said the process is meant to protect the child.
Immigration lawyers from around the country have been flying into Texas to help represent children and families, said George Tzamaras, a spokesman for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
It’s impossible to know how many children have begun deportation proceedings, Tzamaras said. “There have been reports of kids younger than 3 years old and others as old as 17.”
Ashley Tabaddor, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges and a jurist in Los Angeles, said cases of unaccompanied minors are heard on a special docket there. She said the judges who take the cases were trained during the last administration on children’s developmental stages, impulse control and making sure the proceedings are understandable to children.
She said in a statement that the court’s work is vital: “This is not traffic court. A mistake on an asylum case can result in jail, torture or a death sentence. We are a nation of laws. We value fairness, justice and transparency.”
She said children seeking asylum tend to make their cases in a non-adversarial office setting with a hearing officer.
But that isn’t always the case, Prandini said. Lawyers might choose a strategy that requires more time in the courtroom.
“It’s difficult for adults at times. They go to court and they get nervous before a judge,” Milian said. “Now can you imagine a child having to go before a judge and just explain to them why they’re having to flee their country?”
Toczylowski said her organization is trying to help reunify the families so the children can be tried alongside the parents.
“The kids don’t understand the intricacies that are involved with deportation and immigration court,” she said. “They do understand that they have been separated from their parents, and the primary goal is to get back with people they love.”
KHN’s coverage of children’s health care issues is supported in part by the Heising-Simons Foundation.
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821b677f663768f77a840345105345d3
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/28/milo-yiannopoulos-confirms-his-gunning-down-journalists-comments/743561002/
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Milo Yiannopoulos called for 'gunning journalists down on sight,' says it was 'private joke'
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Milo Yiannopoulos called for 'gunning journalists down on sight,' says it was 'private joke'
Right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos recently told at least two news outlets that he wanted vigilantes to start shooting journalists, but he insisted Thursday that he did so to taunt reporters.
"I can't wait for vigilante squads to start gunning journalists down on sight," the author and agitator told a reporter for the New York Observer over a text message. The news outlet, which wrote about the incident this week, was working on a feature story about a New York City restaurant that Yiannopoulos reportedly frequents.
Yiannopoulos, when asked to elaborate, told the reporter this was his "standard response," according to the Observer.
Yiannopoulos also sent a similar message to Will Sommer, a Daily Beast reporter.
On Thursday, a gunman opened fired in an Annapolis, Md., newsroom, killing five people and injuring several others. Authorities have not said what the motive was or who was being targeted.
Yiannopoulos, 33, confirmed in an Instagram post that he wrote the messages about shooting journalists, but that he sent them to the reporters as a way to troll them.
"You're about to see a raft of news stories claiming that I am responsible for inspiring the deaths of journalists," he wrote. "The truth, as always, is the opposite of what the media tells you."
He continued: "I sent a troll about 'vigilante death squads as a private response to a few hostile journalists who were asking me for comment, basically as a way of saying, 'F--- off.' They then published it."
On Twitter, many condemned Yiannopoulos' remarks.
Former National Security Agency contractor and leaker Edward Snowden, who did not specifically name Yiannopoulos, tweeted "to fight words with weapons is more than violence, it is a crime against the Constitution. Those who justify such attacks are no patriots."
Yiannopoulos put the blame on the journalists who wrote about his remarks.
"If there turns out to be any dimension to this crime related to my private, misreported remarks, the responsibility for that lies wholly with the Beast and the Observer for drumming up fake hysteria about a private joke, and with the verified liberals who pretended they thought I was serious," he wrote.
Yiannopoulos once worked for Breitbart News, but resigned last year after podcasts surfaced in which he seemed to condone sex between men and boys. He has since said he does not condone pedophilia.
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5af787780409ab1a2395f30497b768e2
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/29/capital-gazette-shooting/744864002/
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Jarrod Ramos, suspect in Capital Gazette shooting, planned attack and blocked escape route
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Jarrod Ramos, suspect in Capital Gazette shooting, planned attack and blocked escape route
The suspect in the shooting deaths of five people at a newspaper in Maryland planned the attack with a pump-action shotgun ahead of time and barricaded a door to prevent people from escaping, authorities said Friday.
Jarrod W. Ramos, 38, who was identified with facial-recognition technology, is accused of opening fire at the Capital Gazette office in Annapolis on Thursday. In addition to the deaths, two people were wounded.
At a court hearing Friday, District Court Judge Thomas Pryal ordered Ramos held without bail. "There is a certain likelihood you are a danger,” he said.
Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy Altomare said Friday that police are still accumulating evidence from the suspect’s car found near the scene of the shooting and his Laurel apartment. Altomare said police found planning materials for the attack, but not a manifesto explaining his reasons.
More than 300 officers from city, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies responded to the incident, he said. “We’re still putting puzzle pieces together,” Altomare told a news conference Friday. “We can’t fathom why that person chose to do this.”
Latest on the shooting:What we know now
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Capital Gazette:'Yes, we’re putting out a damn paper'
Ramos was identified using facial-recognition technology because of a lag in fingerprint identification, but reports of the suspect altering his fingertips are incorrect, Altomare said.
“We have not been getting cooperation from the suspect,” he said.
The gunman hid rather than get into a shoot-out with police, Altomare said. Police arrived on the scene in about one minute and had the gunman cornered within another two minutes, he said.
“The fellow was there to kill as many people as possible,” Altomare said. “He didn’t run away, but he hid.”
The prosecutor, Wes Adams, Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney, called Ramos a danger to society because of evidence that he carefully planned the attack, barricaded the back door so victims couldn’t escape and used “a tactical approach in hunting down and shooting the innocent people.”
“There was one victim who attempted to escape through the back door and was shot," Adams said.
President Donald Trump said Friday: "This attack shocked the conscience of our nation, and filled our hearts with grief. Journalists, like all Americans, should be free from the fear of being violently attacked while doing their job."
Court documents show Ramos filed a defamation suit against the newspaper in 2012, but a judge threw out the lawsuit, saying Ramos "fails to come close to alleging a case of defamation." A Maryland appeals court upheld the ruling.
Ramos is a 2006 graduate of Capitol College in Laurel, Md., which has been known as Capitol Technology University since 2014. CapTech is an independent four-year university in Maryland that trains engineers, information technology professionals that frequently enter federal careers.
“Ramos attended Capitol College and received a bachelor’s of science in computer engineering in August 2006,” said Robert Herschbach, a university spokesman.
Ramos was employed by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics as an IT contractor from 2007 to 2014, according to a Labor Department spokesman.
On Thursday evening, authorities surrounded an apartment complex connected to Ramos in a small neighborhood in Laurel, Maryland. Police taped off the area near Ramos' small side street Thursday evening as helicopters flew overhead.
William Krampf of county police acknowledged that threats had been made as recently as Thursday to the newspaper via social media that "indicated violence," but it was not clear whether they came from the suspect.
The five victims, all employees of the newspaper, were assistant editor and columnist Rob Hiaasen, special publications editor Wendi Winters, writer John McNamara, editorial page editor Gerald Fischman and sales assistant Rebecca Smith.
Crime reporter Phil Davis, who took cover under a desk at the height of the melee, described the scene to The Baltimore Sun, which owns the newspaper, as "like a war zone."
Anthony Messenger, an intern at Capital Gazette, told NBC News’ TODAY Show Friday that he was in the newspaper’s office Thursday when a gunman opened fire, and nothing could have prepared him for it.
“Initially I thought it was fireworks,” Messenger said. “I heard a pop and I turned and looked over my shoulder toward the front of the room entrance and I saw some faces that looked concerned but I couldn’t see any shooter or anything.”
Security:Newsrooms across the country look at safety after shooting
Jarrod Ramos:Accused Capital Gazette shooter sued paper, held grudge
Scene:Reporter describes 'war zone' in Annapolis newsroom
One of his colleagues ran to a door, which Messenger said was never locked, but that was somehow jammed.
“I quickly realized this is a malicious situation, he’s (the gunman) here to do harm to us,” Messenger said. “I called the police … and I was not able to talk to them. I didn’t feel that I could do that in a manner that wouldn’t tip off our position to the shooter … once he (the shooter) moved away from us … I decided to text my friend, I said ‘Please call the police, I’m in trouble.’… In that moment I thought I was going to die.”
Later, Messenger said walking out of the building was chaotic.
“Unfortunately we had to pass two bodies of our colleagues which was something that nobody should ever have to stomach,” he said. “I think just the sheer chaos of it all, people were too caught up in trying to get to safety to realize ‘okay this is a man that we have a prior history with.’”
Contributing: Sean Rossman, Mike James, Nick Penzenstadler
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d384fb472daee9ba9d00e3fc8b9c6efb
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/05/trump-officials-vow-reunite-3-000-migrant-children-parents/759016002/
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Trump administration vows to reunite nearly 3,000 children with parents per judge's order
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Trump administration vows to reunite nearly 3,000 children with parents per judge's order
The Trump administration official in charge of caring for undocumented minors separated from their parents at the border said Thursday that his agency must reunite nearly 3,000 children with their parents, a sharp increase from the roughly 2,000 his agency contemplated last week.
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the work has been further complicated by the nation's "disjointed" immigration laws, the broad scope of the judge's "unprecedented" order, requests from members of Congress to tour HHS facilities, delays verifying familial relationships, and "unreliable" information provided by minors who are held in detention.
Azar insisted that his agency will fully comply with a ruling from District Judge Dana Sabraw to reunite all children separated from their parents under President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" policy by the end of this month. The judge ordered the department to reunite children under age 5 by Tuesday and all minors by July 26.
"We will use every minute of time we have to confirm the parentage of those individuals … and to confirm that those parents are actually suitable for reunification, and then we will comply with the court’s order and reunify them," he said during a conference call with reporters. "We will comply with the artificial deadlines established by the courts."
Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who led the lawsuit that prompted Sabraw to issue the nationwide injunction, said the government needs to stop casting blame and start focusing on reuniting the families.
"The Trump administration's attempt to shift the blame to the court is incomprehensible, given how much time the court gave the government to fix its own mess," Gelernt said. "When the government wants to marshal its resources to separate families, it has shown that it can do it quickly and efficiently, but when told to reunite families, it somehow finds it too difficult and cumbersome to accomplish."
The number of children in question has changed significantly in recent weeks.
In early June, U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimated that 2,342 children had been separated from their parents under the zero tolerance policy carried out by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. On June 20, Azar testified before Congress that they had reunited several hundred children with their parents, leaving 2,053 children in HHS custody. On June 26, he testified again before Congress, saying the number had fallen to 2,047.
Thursday, Azar said his department was forced to examine the cases of all 11,800 minors in its custody because the judge ordered all children to be reunited with their parents, even those separated before the zero tolerance policy went into full effect in May.
Most of the cases, he said, were minors who crossed the border on their own, but almost 3,000 may have been separated, leading to the higher estimate. About 100 of them are under age 5, Azar said.
His department works case-by-case to ensure that each minor is indeed related to his or her purported parent. Azar said that can usually be accomplished by checking paperwork, such as birth certificates and consular documents. He said that process can be slow, given the time it takes to secure official documents and the uncertainty of stories told by some kids.
He said some minors, for example, are labeled as separated from their parents, but when their cases are inspected more closely, they reveal the parents separated from the children before crossing the southwest border, meaning the U.S. government did not separate them and has no responsibility to reunite them.
More:Trump administration racing the clock to reunite 2,000 children with parents
To speed up the family verification process, Azar said, his officials do DNA checks of all alleged parent-child relationships. That process has been used when there were questions about familial relationships, so Azar said it was the best option, given the time constraints.
A private contractor does a cheek swab of each person, then compares the DNA to verify the relationship. Jonathan White, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS, said those tests are necessary to ensure that human traffickers posing as parents aren't reunited with children.
"We expect that a great majority of these parents are exactly who they claim to be," White said. "But we have to protect children from people who would prey on them."
Azar said the department reassigned 230 workers to the reunification processand is completing the comprehensive case review. He said officials will soon begin sending minors to Department of Homeland Security facilities that can legally house parents and minors together. He said Homeland Security officials have begun transferring parents to facilities closer to their children to speed up the reunification process once everybody's relationship is established.
Trump weighed in Thursday morning, urging Congress to reform the nation's "insane" immigration laws that allow foreigners to apply for asylum or get a hearing before an immigration judge to fight deportation orders.
"When people, with or without children, enter our Country, they must be told to leave without our ... Country being forced to endure a long and costly trial," the president wrote. "Tell the people 'OUT,' and they must leave, just as they would if they were standing on your front lawn. Hiring thousands of 'judges' does not work and is not acceptable - only Country in the World that does this!"
Most developed nations have some form of refugee and asylum process. Canada, Turkey, Germany and other nations have taken in more refugees in recent years as the global migrant crisis has mushroomed, while the United States has made significant cuts to its programs.
More:Thousands of immigrants cross the border. Why are fleeing their homes?
More:Trump administration argues it can detain migrant children, parents without time limits
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3dd7fc459762dab524065dfa75056983
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/09/trump-team-miss-deadline-reunify-young-migrant-children-families/768220002/
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Trump administration will miss first deadline to reunify families
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Trump administration will miss first deadline to reunify families
A government lawyer acknowledged Monday that the Trump administration will miss its first court-imposed deadline to reunite about 100 immigrant children under age 5 with their parents.
Department of Justice attorney Sarah Fabian said during a court hearing that federal authorities reunited two families and expect to reunite an additional 59 by Tuesday's deadline. She said the other cases are more complicated, including parents who have been deported or are in prison facing criminal charges, and would require more time to complete reunions.
U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, who ordered the administration to reunite families separated as part of President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy, said he will hold another hearing Tuesday morning to get an update on the remaining cases. He said he was encouraged to see "real progress" in the complicated reunification process after a busy weekend when officials from multiple federal agencies tried to sync up parents and children who are spread across the country.
"Tomorrow is the deadline. I do recognize that there are some groups of parents who are going to fall into a category where it's impossible to reunite by tomorrow," he said. "I am very encouraged by the progress. I'm optimistic."
Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who leads a lawsuit against the federal government, sounded more skeptical. When asked by the judge if he believed the government was in full compliance of the court order, Gelernt said there was much more work to be done.
"Let me put it this way: I think the government in the last 48 hours has taken significant steps," he said. "We just don't know how much effort the government has made to find released parents. I don't think there's been full compliance."
The difficulty in reuniting the first 100 children shows the challenge that lies ahead as the Trump administration braces for another deadline in two weeks to reunite nearly 3,000 older children – up to age 17 – with their parents.
The process is complicated because of all the different situations that emerged over the weekend.
The government initially identified 102 children under age 5 who needed to be reunited but removed three children from that list because investigations into their cases revealed that those children came with adults who were not their parents, Fabian said. Twelve parents were found to be in federal and state custody on criminal charges, making a reunification impossible since the government can't transfer minors to state and local prisons to protect the well-being of the child.
Nine parents were deported, and the government established contact with only four of them, Fabian said. Four children had been scheduled to be released from government custody to relatives who weren't their parents, leading the government to question whether to allow that process to be completed or to redirect the child back to a parent.
Gelernt said he understood many of the hurdles but urged the judge to force the government to scrap its time-consuming investigation into every single case and start a 48-hour clock to reunify families that remain separated by Tuesday. Sabraw said he would decide that during Tuesday's hearing.
Fabian said one of the silver linings of the busy weekend is that her office worked closely with its challengers at the ACLU to share information on each child's case, to ensure that representatives from immigration advocacy groups and volunteer organizations could be present during each reunification. Gelernt said they're doing that to help the parents, who are often released from custody with no money and nowhere to go.
Fabian said that coordination has led to a more formalized process between government agencies and with the immigrants' lawyers that should make reunifications go more smoothly in the coming weeks.
"I think this process over the weekend helped us see what information, and in what form, is the most useful to share," she said. "I'd like to make that as efficient a process as possible."
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7df41358b30c318f59a865db6e567e84
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/11/how-judge-can-punish-trump-administration-over-separated-families/775787002/
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How a judge can punish Trump administration over separated families
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How a judge can punish Trump administration over separated families
A federal judge may decide this week to impose some kind of punishment against the Trump administration if he determines that it failed to meet his deadlines to reunite immigrant children separated from their parents.
Though the image of Attorney General Jeff Sessions or Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen being carted off to jail is unlikely, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw does have several options to force the government to speed up the reunification process.
Legal experts said the judge could threaten contempt of court – and jail time – against lower-ranking members of federal agencies, could order hefty fines or order the agency heads to appear in court as a form of public shaming.
Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell Law School, said even those sanctions would be difficult to enforce because they would surely draw government appeals. That's why a more symbolic finding of contempt of court, without much punishment attached, may be the limit of Sabraw's ruling.
"The court of public opinion, and the admonition by the judge, may be about as much as anyone can practically do at this point," said Yale-Loehr, who signed onto an amicus brief against the government in a lawsuit.
Last month, Sabraw ordered the Trump administration to reunite nearly 3,000 children separated from their families, most under the president's "zero tolerance" policy that went into full effect in May.
Sabraw ordered that 63 children under age 5 be reunited by Tuesday night. All other minors must be reunited by July 26.
Department of Justice lawyers asked for an extension of Tuesday's deadline. They argued that several federal agencies mobilized as quickly as possible but face a daunting challenge that includes complicated cases. During a court hearing Tuesday, Sabraw didn't budge, telling the government his deadlines were firm, not merely "aspirational goals."
He asked an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who led the lawsuit to file suggestions for punishment, which Sabraw is likely to rule on during a court hearing Friday.
"Having that hanging over their heads is a great incentive to take a whole agency and move quickly," said Ira Kurzban, a Miami-based immigration attorney who signed onto the amicus brief against the government.
Stephen Legomsky, a professor emeritus at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, said the judge could threaten to jail lower-ranking officials who carried out the family separations or struggled to reunite the families.
Kurzban, Legomsky and other legal experts said such threats are highly unlikely, given the legal challenges they would prompt and the public spectacle they would create. U.S. courts have long endorsed "sovereign immunity," a legal principle that generally insulates government officials from lawsuits. Congress has created some exceptions, but those are rare.
Alexander Stern, a California attorney who polled a half-dozen law professors on the possibility of jail time for Trump administration officials, said they all agreed that seeking jail time for Cabinet secretaries would distract from accomplishing the goal of reuniting all 3,000 families.
"Sessions is a very powerful man," said Stern, founder of the legal research group Attorney IO. "Trying to throw him in jail would be unprecedented. You'd have 40 percent of the country seeing that as a constitutional crisis. If the judge sees a pathway to getting most of what he wants in a reasonable amount of time, I think he'd choose that."
Another option for Sabraw is to fine the government. He could order a certain amount each day that it remains in violation of his order, or for each child that remains separated from the parent.
Though it may seem counterproductive for one arm of the government (the judicial branch) to receive money from another arm of the government (the executive branch), there could be a way to use those fines to help the separated families.
Legomsky said there are legal procedures that allow a judge to direct money collected through fines to private groups assisting victims of a class-action lawsuit. "The fund would have to be specifically earmarked for use in helping the reunified families recover from the trauma that the government has caused them," he said.
The challenge facing Sabraw is that both of those options – jailing or fining federal officials – are incredibly rare.
Nicholas Parrillo, a Yale Law School professor, wrote a Harvard Law Review article in January on the history of contempt and had to go back to the 1950s to find examples of judges even threatening to imprison agency heads. Although judges have imposed fines on federal agencies more recently, Parrillo found that the dispute was always resolved before any significant fines were paid.
"The rarity is partly because these kinds of sanctions run up against uncertainties about whether they're legal and prudent against the federal government, but it's also because public officials and government attorneys have considered it shameful to be found in contempt – sanction or no sanction – and they’ve sought to head off that humiliation by working hard to convince the judge they’re doing all they can to comply," Parrillo said.
Another option for Sabraw is ordering the heads of government agencies to fly to San Diego and appear in his courtroom to explain the actions of their agencies. Kurzban said that would only be symbolic but could work as a way of embarrassing the Trump administration and prompting it to reunify families faster.
"The point would be (for Sabraw to say) 'The buck stops with you,' " Kurzban said.
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f75a942632554b38e954fba89f237f14
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/11/immigrant-children-judge-dana-sabraw/774663002/
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Who is Dana Sabraw? 5 things to know about judge who ordered reunification of immigrant families
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Who is Dana Sabraw? 5 things to know about judge who ordered reunification of immigrant families
The federal judge who ordered the reunification of children separated from their families along the Mexican border is the son of a Japanese immigrant.
The government acknowledged it failed to meet Tuesday's deadline set by U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw to reunite about 100 children under age 5 with their families after they were seized along the Mexican border when their parents were arrested for illegally entering the U.S.
Dana Sabraw, based in San Diego, last month gave the government 14 days to reunite children under 5, some of whom had been separated from their families for weeks. He allowed 30 days for older kids.
So who is this guy? His Federal Bar Association profile and his own legal rulings shine some light.
More:3 young migrant children reunited with their dads in El Paso
More:Mexicans comprise a bigger share of border prosecutions
His mother is an immigrant
Sabraw's father met his mother while he was a soldier stationed in Japan during the Korean War. They were married in her native Japan before settling in San Rafael, California, where the Sabraw was born in 1958. He was given a Japanese middle name – Makoto – in honor of his mother’s family. The name translates to "true" or "truth."
Athlete, parade star, Bush appointee
Sabraw played baseball, wrestled and ran track in high school. During his senior year, he served as grand marshall of Sacramento’s annual Camellia Festival Parade. After graduating from San Diego State in 1980, he took a year off before law school and tooled around in country in a ’66 Rambler. Then it was on to the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law. He worked in private practice until becoming a municipal judge in 1995. President George W. Bush nominated him to the federal bench in 2003, and he won unanimous Senate confirmation.
His wife just won an election
Sabraw's wife, Summer Stephan, has been a prosecutor for almost three decades. She was appointed San Diego County's interim district attorney a year ago, and in June was elected to the post. Last year, a Women In The World profile compared her to Olivia Benson, the detective on NBC’s "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." The couple met in law school and has three kids.
How he got involved in this case
The ACLU filed suit in March against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and Sabraw was assigned the case. The suit sought to reunite an asylum-seeking mother identified as "Ms. L" and her 7-year-old daughter fleeing violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were separated in the U.S. and detained separately 2,000 miles apart. The lawsuit cites violations of the Constitution’s due process clause, federal law protecting asylum seekers and the government’s own directive to keep families intact. "Ms. L" and her daughter were reunited months ago, but the national class-action lawsuit continues.
How is the case going?
At a status hearing Tuesday, Sabraw said he was encouraged by the progress being made by the Trump administration. But he demanded that the government adopt a "streamlined approach" for vetting families. “These are firm deadlines," he said. "They’re not aspirational goals.”
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46270e6ae8e0b35c50795501c2fc9247
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/12/emmett-till-justice-dept-reopens-murder-case/778053002/
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Feds reopen Emmett Till murder case, family 'wants justice to prevail'
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Feds reopen Emmett Till murder case, family 'wants justice to prevail'
JACKSON, Miss. – The FBI is once again investigating the grisly murder of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old boy whose abduction lit a fire under the civil rights movement in 1955. And even after 63 years, the news couldn't come soon enough for Emmett's relatives.
"We want the process to work, and we want justice to prevail for Emmett," Deborah Watts, Emmett's cousin, told USA TODAY. "This cannot just be forgotten."
Wheeler Parker, who was with Till that fateful night, said he wants to see justice for his cousin. “That would be the biggest Christmas present,” he said.
Till, who was black, was abducted Aug. 28, 1955, three days after Carolyn Donham, a white 21-year-old shopkeeper in the town of Money, said the 14-year-old grabbed and wolf-whistled at her.
The battered body of Till, nicknamed "Bobo," was found three days later in the Tallahatchie River. The viciousness of the killing rocked the nation, and the woman's then-husband and another man were charged with murder. Both were acquitted by an all-white jury that year.
The Justice Department said in a statement Thursday that it was reopening the investigation "after receiving new information" it did not detail. The decision was revealed to Congress in a February report and was first reported by the Associated Press.
"Because it is an active investigation, the department cannot provide any additional information at this time," the department said Thursday.
Till's mother, Mamie Till Mobley, made sure her son's casket was left open for the viewing so the public could see how badly he had been beaten. Tens of thousands of African-Americans paid their respects.
"Mamie Till’s decision to allow African-American media outlets to display her son’s battered body was one of the critical events that galvanized African-Americans to fight to end America’s racial dictatorship through the Civil Rights movement," said Alvin Tillery, a political science professor and director of the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy at Northwestern University.
More:Emmett Till eyewitness dies; saw 1955 abduction of his cousin
Emmett Till's death made news last year with publication of "The Blood of Emmett Till." The book, written by Timothy B. Tyson, quotes Donham admitting in 2008 that she wasn't telling the truth when she made the claims. Donham, now in her 80s, lives in North Carolina.
Watts, founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, said the family had hoped the book would lead to a "vigorous" investigation – and possibly charges against Donham.
"We always understood that she had lied," Watts said.
USA TODAY was unable to contact Donham. The Associated Press said a man who answered her door said Donham would not comment.
Four months after the widely publicized trial, Look magazine published an account of the killing it said it obtained from Donham's then-husband, Roy Bryant, and his brother, J.W. Milam. In the article, the men admit beating Till and tossing him in the river, weighed down with a 74-pound cotton gin fan.
Milam told the magazine the men wanted to beat and scare Till, not kill him. But when he could not be frightened, they decided to kill him, Milam said.
"What else could we do?" Milam told the magazine. "... He's tired o' livin'. I'm likely to kill him."
Milam died in 1980, Bryant in 1994. That might leave only Donham to face charges. Kevin Borgeson, a professor of criminal justice at Salem State University, says concerns about the statute of limitations could be resolved with a charge of obstruction of justice.
"Depending on the type of crime, the statute of limitations on obstruction can be waived," he said. If she did lie, "she took the investigation where it wouldn't have gone if she had just been honest."
The federal government reopened the case in 2004 but closed it in 2007 with no further charges filed.
The Justice Department's February report was required under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016. The bill reauthorized investigation and prosecution of civil rights violations that occurred before 1970, expanded powers to include crime in the 1970s, required that families be kept abreast of developments and demanded an annual report on the investigations to Congress.
Simeon Wright, who said he was a witness to Till's abduction, died in September. He said he was there when Till wolf-whistled at Bryant's wife at the store.
Wright, in his book "Simeon's Story," says that days later, on Aug. 28, 1955, Wright and Till were sleeping when Milam and Bryant entered with guns. He said his mother begged the men not to take Till, even offering them money.
"They had come for Bobo," Wright wrote. "No begging, pleading or payment was going to stop them."
The men took Till away, and Wright never saw him again.
"I must have stayed in the bed for hours, petrified," Wright wrote.
Contributing: Jerry Mitchell, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
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f54a90e07a5489cbdb877bee58403fb0
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/14/protests-breakout-chicago-after-man-shot-chicago-police-officer-dies/786067002/
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Cops and protesters scuffle after man fatally shot by Chicago police officer
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Cops and protesters scuffle after man fatally shot by Chicago police officer
CHICAGO — Police scuffled with demonstrators Saturday evening in the nation's third-largest city, hours after a Chicago police officer fatally shot a man on the city's South Side.
Officers were struck by rocks and bottles as dozens of demonstrators gathered near the crime scene Saturday, according to police. Four demonstrators were arrested late Saturday as police cleared the crime scene, said Anthony Guglielmi, the police department's chief spokesman. Fred Waller, chief of the department's patrol division, said three or four officers were injured.
It was not immediately clear what charges the arrested demonstrators face.
Video posted on social media appeared to show multiple officers drag one man at the scene. Protesters chanted "murderers" and "no justice, no peace" at officers.
Police said in a statement that the fatal shooting happened when officers on foot in the South Shore neighborhood tried to question a man “exhibiting characteristics of an armed person.” Waller added that officers, who were posted in the area, spotted a bulge in the man's pants that they suspected was a weapon.
No police officers were injured in the confrontation with the suspected gunman. A weapon was recovered at the scene.
"When they approached him, he tried to push their hands away, started flailing and swinging away, trying to make his escape, and as he tried to make his escape he reached for his weapon," said Waller, who said police recovered a semiautomatic firearm at the scene.
Asked by a reporter at a Saturday evening news conference whether the suspect had a license to carry a concealed weapon, Waller responded, "As we know now, he did not."
The officer who fatally shot the suspect will be placed on desk duty for the next 30 days, standard procedure for the more than 12,000-officer department, while the city's Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigates the shooting.
A scuffle later broke out at the scene of the shooting between chanting protesters and police officers holding batons. Video showed several police officers and protesters shoving each other.
After nightfall, protesters continued to mill around the neighborhood with police occasionally chasing them away. Protesters shouted insults at the police and threw some bottles at them. Video showed one protester thrown to the ground surrounded by police holding batons.
Waller said that protesters also caused damage to squad cars.
After police cleared the area near the fatal shooting, some demonstrators moved their protest to the nearby 3rd District police station.
Chicago has a troubled history of police shootings and misconduct.
The city saw weeks of peaceful protest in 2015 after the release of a video showing white police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting black 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times in 2014. Van Dyke was charged with murder. McDonald’s death led to the ouster of the police chief and a series of reforms designed to prevent future police abuses and to hold officers accountable for excesses.
Van Dyke is awaiting trial.
A 2017 Justice Department review found Chicago officers used force nearly 10 times more in incidents involving black suspects than against white suspects. African-Americans were the subject of 80% of all police firearm uses and 81% of all Taser contact-stun uses between January 2011 and April 2016. Of incidents where use of force was used against a minor, 83% involved black children and 14% involved Latino children during the same time-period, the report notes.
Chicago has also spent about $709 million on settlements for police misconduct cases, according to a recent report from the Action Center on Race & the Economy.
More:Jury: Chicago cop acted 'reasonably' in fatally shooting teen Quintonio LeGrier
More:Baltimore police stopped noticing crime after Freddie Gray's death. A wave of killings followed.
More:Reader sounds off: Stop blaming cops for the actions of criminals
More:Police shootings aren't just a 'local matter'
Contributing: Associated Press
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17760411a525fdd6216e8db29200873c
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/15/chicago-police-video-indicates-man-shot-officer-armed/786459002/
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Chicago police: Video shows man killed by officer was armed
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Chicago police: Video shows man killed by officer was armed
CHICAGO – Police in the nation’s third-largest city released video Sunday that showed a man who was shot to death by an officer a day earlier had a firearm and tussled with officers before the shooting.
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson decided to quickly disseminate the body camera video in the face of angry protests after the shooting. Dozens of protesters took the streets Saturday, with some demonstrators blasting the police “murderers” and a few slinging bottles and rocks at the officers.
The suspect was identified by authorities as Harith Augustus, 37, a barber in the city’s South Shore neighborhood who was shot by police early Saturday evening not far from where he worked.
“We’re not trying to hide anything. We’re not trying to fluff anything,” Johnson said Sunday. “This video speaks for itself.”
Johnson said that department officials met with the Augustus’s family Sunday and showed them the video before making it public.
“The family wants to ensure there is a just investigation, but they also want to make sure this city doesn’t overreact,” Johnson said.
Johnson said Augustus had a valid firearms license but did not have a concealed-carry permit.
The decision to make video public less than 24 hours after the incident was a notable departure from police department policy of officer-involved shootings. The department for years has faced scrutiny for disproportionately using deadly force in black and Latino neighborhoods. In 2016, the city adopted a policy to release video and audio recordings within 60 days of a use-of-force incident.
Johnson said he released the video to dispel inaccurate information circulating on the street that he said sparked the violent protests.
"We can’t have another night like that," Johnson said. "If we don’t get in front of things, the narrative will spin out of control."
Police arrested four demonstrators at Saturday evening’s protest. Three were released without facing charges, Guglielmi said.
Police did not release the name of the officer who fired the weapon but described the person as a "probationary officer" who had completed the police academy and was with the department less than two years.
Protests continued Sunday evening. A few dozen demonstrators who gathered near the scene of the shooting were unmoved by the police video.
As police officers stood nearby watching the crowd, activist William Calloway slammed the police department as a dangerous element terrorizing the city’s poor and predominantly black and Latino enclaves like the South Shore neighborhood where Augustus was shot.
“Chicago police is the biggest gang in Chicago,” Calloway said.
More:Cops and protesters scuffle after man fatally shot by Chicago officer
More:Baltimore police stopped noticing crime after Freddie Gray's death.
Augustus had a 5-year-old daughter who often accompanied him to work, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said.
“The loss of this young father’s life is a tragedy. No amount of inquiry or pursuit of justice will bring the little girl’s daddy back,” Jackson said. “My heart is broken for the child and her family. My soul is sick for the city.”
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Augustus had no gang connections or history of recent arrests.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates officer-involved shootings, said it was analyzing the video.
Police said in a statement that officers on foot tried to question a man “exhibiting characteristics of an armed person" – in this case a bulge in the man's waistband they suspected was a weapon. The man pushed the officers away and was shot when he appeared to reach for his weapon as he fled, Waller said.
Jackson demanded a thorough and transparent investigation. He said trust has been destroyed in minority communities by "bullies with badges" in Chicago and across the nation.
“I’m not talking about all police officers. Most officers do their jobs – and risk their lives – every day to protect the public to the best of their abilities," he said.
But he said that too often good officers allow bad ones to "poison the barrel" by looking the other way and staying silent when they see other officers brutalizing members of the public.
Bacon reported from McLean, Va.
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47fbe44f29581a8205ed5a3c435ed77b
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/16/judge-halts-deportations-parents-separated-children/788276002/
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Judge temporarily halts deportations of parents separated from children
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Judge temporarily halts deportations of parents separated from children
U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said Monday he's become "exasperated" by the Trump administration's slow work to reunify more than 2,600 children separated from their parents, and he ordered the government to halt all deportations of parents for at least a week.
Sabraw scolded the Department of Health and Human Services for taking so long to reunite children in its care with their parents held in separate government facilities. The judge responded to a court filing by Chris Meekins, a senior HHS official who wrote that the judge's order requiring accelerated reunifications was leading to "increased risks to child welfare."
Sabraw tore into Meekins during a court hearing in San Diego on Monday, saying his claims were "deeply troubling" and "completely unhelpful" to what had been a mutual spirit of good faith between the two sides. The judge said Meekins' filing appeared to represent an effort to deflect blame for any damage caused to children as a result of the government's family separation policy.
Sabraw made clear Monday that HHS is a defendant in the case, and the judge ordered the agency to look out for the welfare of children by reuniting them with their parents.
"It is failing in this context," he said.
Monday's hearing was the latest step in the legal battle over the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, under which parents charged with criminal violations for illegally entering the country are separated from their children.
Sabraw deemed that policy a possible violation of the immigrants' due process rights and ordered the administration to reunify all children within 30 days. The first group – children under age 5 – were finished last week when the government reunited 57 children with their parents. The government faces a deadline of July 26 to reunite the remaining 2,551 minors, ages 5 to 17, with their parents.
Officials with HHS, which cares for the children after they are separated from their parents, said those deadlines don't leave them with enough time to go through the rigorous screening process of each parent as required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.
Meekins wrote that efforts to reunify the youngest children proved the value of those screening processes as officials found out some adults lied about being parents of children and others were found to have dangerous criminal backgrounds that would have placed the children at risk.
Sabraw said that the safety of each child is paramount but that those kinds of determinations can be made more quickly. He accused the government of trying to stretch it out "for months" at a time.
American Civil Liberties Union attorney Lee Gelernt, who led a lawsuit against the family separations, accused the administration of preparing a fast-track deportation process for parents shortly after they're reunited with their children. The government gives reunited parents the option of being deported with their children or being deported alone while leaving their children in the USA to make their own claim to stay in the country.
Sabraw said he wanted more information about that accusation and asked the government to give him a full briefing by July 23. Until then, Sabraw ordered a stay on all deportations of parents who have been reunited with their children.
Department of Justice attorney Sarah Fabian told the judge that halting deportations could affect the government’s ability to maintain its pace of reunifications. She said there is a limited number of detention facilities where families can be held together and said they may fill up as deportations are on hold.
Sabraw said that is no excuse to stop or slow down reunifications.
“That is not an option,” he said. “The government will have to make space.”
HHS officials provided Sabraw with an update on the number of children they said need to be reunited with their parents. After reuniting 57 children under age 5, it identified 2,551 minors ages 5 to 17 who need to be reunited. Of those, the government said it could not locate the parents of 71 of those children.
A Justice attorney finished Monday’s hearing by inviting Sabraw to tour one of the facilities where children are held as they await reunification with their parents. Sabraw said he appreciated the offer but declined, explaining that he’d rather focus on speeding up reunifications rather than observing the children’s living conditions.
"The concern that has been at issue is simply the passage of time," he said. "No matter how nice the environment is, it's the act of separation from a parent, particularly young children, that matters."
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1baa833b9a5549c9e4752d6c08ca3e6a
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/20/fda-warning-synthetic-marijuana-rat-poison/802585002/
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FDA issues warning after synthetic marijuana tainted with rat poison sickens hundreds
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FDA issues warning after synthetic marijuana tainted with rat poison sickens hundreds
Federal health officials are warning the public about a version of synthetic marijuana laced with rat poison that's caused uncontrolled bleeding in hundreds of people and killed several others who have ingested the tainted products.
The synthetic cannabinoid, sold under names such as Spice, K2 and AK 47, has hospitalized people in 10 states since early March. That's when health officials in Illinois discovered people at hospital emergency rooms with severe bleeding had ingested synthetic marijuana laced with brodifacoum, a lethal anticoagulant found in rat poison.
A bad batch appears to be circulating in Washington D.C., where fire and emergency medical crews suspect the substance in 210 cases since Saturday involving severe nose bleeds, vomiting and people collapsing. Of those cases, 150 people have been sent to area hospitals, according to Doug Buchanan, a spokesman for Washington D.C. Fire and EMS.
Although synthetic marijuana has been sold for years at gas stations, convenience stores and smoke shops, federal health officials and law enforcement said this version is particularly alarming.
In a public health alert released Thursday, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and two other high-ranking agency officials warned the public to avoid any version of synthetic marijuana.
"We’re joining together to send a strong warning to anyone who may use synthetic marijuana products that these products can be especially dangerous as a result of the seemingly deliberate use of brodifacoum in these illegal products," the FDA officials' statement said.
The FDA officials said there's "significant public health concern" for people who smoke synthetic marijuana and the U.S. blood supply. At least three people in Illinois donated blood before they were hospitalized for using tainted synthetic marijuana, according to an earlier Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clinical alert.
Synthetic marijuana listed in the same category as street drugs such as LSD and cocaine, but marketers label packages "not for human consumption" or change the chemical structure to skirt legal requirements, according to the FDA.
Officials said the illegal drugs are associated with adverse health effects such as rapid heart rate, vomiting, increased blood pressure, reduced blood supply to the heart, kidney damage and seizures. Users also have exhibited violent behavior or expressed suicidal thoughts.
Health officials and law enforcement believe makers of the product have mixed batches with brodifacoum, or BDF, an ingredient found in the current wave of people suffering from uncontrolled bleeding.
On May 25, state health departments reported 202 cases and five deaths involving patients who needed treatment for severe bleeding after ingesting synthetic marijuana, the CDC reported.
The Washington D.C. medical examiner's office is investigating another four deaths since Saturday, but officials have not yet confirmed whether those casualties involved BDF or other substances.
Another 33 cases and one death have been confirmed in Maryland, according to the Maryland Poison Center.
The presence of BDF in synthetic marijuana is troubling because of the substance's powerful and long-lasting effect, experts said.
Douglas Feinstein, a University of Illinois researcher who has received National Institutes of Health funding to study the effects of BDF, said the substance is essentially a much more powerful, deadly version of the anti-clotting drug warfarin.
He said it was developed as a poison to kill rats and mice who became resistant to milder versions of anti-clotting agents.
Drugs and agents that include BDF "are not for human consumption," Feinstein said.
While health officials do not know why BDF is surfacing in synthetic marijuana, Feinstein said one possible explanation is that the substance effectively slows a body's ability to metabolize the drug. That could make the drug's "high" last longer.
Another theory is that the substance is being inadvertently put into the chemical mix when it's made abroad. A more sinister possibility is that makers of the drug intentionally mixed BDF into the product, according to Feinstein.
Health officials said people who have used synthetic marijuana should monitor carefully for any signs of bleeding. People who have used the BDF-laced synthetic marijuana have reported easy bruising, oozing gums and nose bleeds, according to the FDA.
Officials said people who are experiencing the systems should immediately seek medical care because the effects of BDF are treatable. People can get oral doses of Vitamin K to counteract the effects of the substance. It costs $8,000 for a two-week course of Vitamin K on an outpatient basis, but people poisoned by BDF may need months of treatment, according to the CDC.
Bruce Anderson, executive director of the Maryland Poison Center, part of the University of Maryland College of Pharmacy, said the current scare is the latest in a long list of adverse health effects of people ingesting synthetic marijuana.
"The reality is people are using these products on a regular basis," Anderson said. "Some people are happily getting high but there are consequences. Sometimes, fatal consequences."
Anderson said people who use synthetic marijuana may be doing so to avert drug screens that test for more commonly-used street drugs like marijuana or cocaine. Professional football players like former New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones and ex-Seattle Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman were linked to the substance before the National Football League added synthetic marijuana to its list of banned substances.
One of the Maryland patients recently harmed by BDF used synthetic marijuana to avoid a positive drug test, a risky proposition considering people don't know what may be mixed in any particular batch, said Anderson.
"Not only is it (synthetic marijuana) deadly toxic all by itself, it's sort of playing Russian Roulette," Anderson said. "You could end up getting stuff that contains brodifacoum."
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d57f6cdb8f0f36fe363f2b0c662bca09
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/23/east-coast-rain-forecast-floods/817844002/
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At least 10 million at risk as relentless rain will bring 'dangerous, life-threatening' floods to East Coast
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At least 10 million at risk as relentless rain will bring 'dangerous, life-threatening' floods to East Coast
The weekend deluge was only the beginning.
Several more onslaughts of heavy rain are expected in the East this week, especially in the mid-Atlantic region, leading to "potentially dangerous, even life-threatening flooding," the National Weather Service warned.
Flood watches and warnings have been posted from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. At least 10 million people are under flood watches or warnings.
Additional rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches are possible in the central Appalachian Mountains to the coasts of the mid-Atlantic and North Carolina, AccuWeather meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.
Over the weekend, record-setting rainfall triggered flash flooding in Virginia and Maryland, stranding vehicles and forcing water rescues and road closures. Saturday was one of the wettest July days ever recorded in Washington and Baltimore.
“A cycle of daily rounds of showers and thunderstorms is likely to repeat on most days this week,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliott said.
The heavy rain also could trigger mudslides in the mountains, topple trees and wreak travel havoc on roads and at airports.
The reason for the soaking weather pattern is a powerful plunge of the jet stream – by July standards – that has carved into the East and will sit in place for the next several days, according to weather.com.
This pattern is tapping a plume of deep, tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea into the Eastern Seaboard around high pressure in the Atlantic, weather.com said.
Western heat
While the East battles the raindrops, heat remains in place across the southern Plains, lower Mississippi Valley and much of the Southwest and far western United States. Temperatures will soar above 110 degrees in the Southwest and over 100 in Texas, the weather service said.
The heat will be extreme even in normally torrid Death Valley, where daytime highs this week will soar in the mid-120s. The nighttime low temperature there will hover around 100 degrees
The heat also will set the stage for a heightened risk of wildfires in the Southwest, including Southern California, this week, AccuWeather warned.
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e3746f2a73e3e2d296a4bafbf26b96bd
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/24/nude-man-planet-fitness-its-judgement-free-zone/824898002/
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Man who stripped nude at a Planet Fitness thought it was 'judgement free zone,' police say
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Man who stripped nude at a Planet Fitness thought it was 'judgement free zone,' police say
A Massachusetts man has been charged with stretching the spirit of the Planet Fitness “judgement free zone” slogan after allegedly stripping at the front desk of a gym and exercising in the nude.
Eric M. Stagno, 34, of Haverhill, Mass., was charged with indecent exposure, lewdness and disorderly conduct after police responded to the gym in nearby Plaistow, N.H., according to local media reports.
“The story we got from witnesses was that the guy walked in, stripped down right there in front, left the clothes and belongings at the front desk, walked back and forth across the gym a couple of times and then settled in over at the yoga mats,” Plaistow police Capt. Brett Morgan told the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper.
Officers found Stagno in what appeared to be a “yoga-type pose,” Morgan said.
“The only comment he made was that he thought it was a judgment-free zone, apparently referencing their slogan,” Morgan added.
More:Dying malls, retail space give life to gyms
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More:This museum will let you look at nude art while nude
More:Naked Japanese hermit, 82, removed from his remote island home for alleged health concerns
The gym was fairly crowded at the time, Morgan told The Boston Globe, adding that Stagno checked himself out in the mirror before heading to the yoga mats.
“Some of the comments some witnesses gave were that they felt uncomfortable, disgusted, sick, and unsafe,” Morgan told the paper. “There were more witnesses coming forward than we could take names.”
Stagno was released on $1,000 bail and will be arraigned on the misdemeanor charges in the Plaistow Circuit Court on Sept. 21, according to New England Cable News.
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9e533c03ac3c74b6d1fefa45d248441a
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/24/white-nationalist-rally-charlottesville-jason-kessler/828913002/
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'This isn't the end': Jason Kessler unexpectedly gives up bid for anniversary rally in Charlottesville
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'This isn't the end': Jason Kessler unexpectedly gives up bid for anniversary rally in Charlottesville
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The man behind last year’s Unite the Right rally who is suing this Virginia city in an attempt to again gather with white nationalists on the anniversary of the deadly protests unexpectedly gave up his cause in a bizarre hearing Tuesday.
After arriving nearly 45 minutes late at the city’s federal courthouse, Jason Kessler only stayed in the courtroom for about a minute before withdrawing a request that the city of Charlottesville grant him a permit for another rally on Aug. 11, a request the city had originally denied that sparked a lawsuit earlier this year.
Claps and some light cheering broke out after U.S. District Judge Norman Moon dismissed the request, but many were left surprised and wondering about Kessler's sudden change of heart.
"I think the city is very relieved with the outcome," John Longstreth, an attorney for Charlottesville, said as he was leaving the courthouse.
Kessler's attorney, James Kolenich, said “this isn’t the last time” Kessler would be requesting a permit to rally in the city, though it was his understanding Kessler would not be holding an event in the city on Aug. 11 or Aug. 12 to mark last year’s events. Instead, Kolenich said, Kessler would focus on a planned rally in Washington, D.C.
More:'Unite the Right' anniversary: White nationalists planning to rally in D.C.
More:What is the alt-right? And how is it using social media to spread its message?
“I know he’s hated in this community,” Kolenich said, explaining that the white nationalist is simply “misunderstood,” a comment that sparked laughter by a small group of protesters that gathered in the courtroom.
After the hearing ended, Kessler posted on Twitter about his planned D.C. rally, dubbed "Unite the Right 2," directing his followers to a website and telling them to "be ready."
His permit application for an Aug. 12 rally in the nation's capital received initial approval but details are being worked out.
Kolenich, who was also late to the hearing, drew ire from Moon, who questioned the seriousness of the case.
Kolenich described Kessler’s withdrawal as “unexpected” and something he didn’t understand, then later called it “strategic,” explaining the judge was not happy with their tardiness and upset because they had not filed several documents.
After the hearing, Kolenich said Kessler did feel bad about the events that happened last year but explained his “personality” prevented him from showing this. He then talked openly about Nazis, Eastern Europe and anti-fascists.
Kolenich told reporters he is an "anti-Semite," saying it did not make him a Nazi or racist, then called the pope a "clown."
He added Tuesday’s withdrawal does not end Kessler’s lawsuit against the city. It merely ends a possibility of Kessler being able to obtain a permit for a rally next month.
Last August's demonstrations shook Charlottesville for two days. On the evening of Aug. 11, hundreds of torch-bearing protesters marched through the University of Virginia campus, chanting white supremacist slogans.
The next day, the group swamped downtown Charlottesville and rioting broke out when they were met by counterprotesters. Several people were injured, and one woman, Heather Heyer, 32, died when she was struck by a car.
Residents in the community approached Tuesday's events with caution, many saying they know this isn't the last they'll see of Kessler.
"They are definitely going to come back. There's no question there. This whole thing is just going to lead to another lawsuit and another planned rally. This isn't the end," lifelong Charlottesville resident Tanesha Hudson said. "But we will be here and we will again stand up for our city."
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0869b5613abbcf28456e6316cf8c6fcd
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/27/grizzly-bears-hunt-fall-wyoming/848986002/
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Up to 22 once-protected grizzly bears can be hunted this fall
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Up to 22 once-protected grizzly bears can be hunted this fall
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – International animal conservationist Jane Goodall has applied for a grizzly bear hunting permit in Wyoming amidst an increasingly bitter dispute between hunters and environmentalists over plans to let people hunt the once-protected animals.
Goodall is one of about 7,000 people who applied in the first hunt of the bear since it was protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1975. The Trump administration rolled back the bear’s protections last year and Wyoming Game & Fish officials are letting people kill up to 22 bears this year, although the hunt is structured in a way to make it highly unlikely that many will be killed.
Activists like Goodall plan to “Shoot ’em with a Camera, Not a Gun,” if they get one of the limited licenses, and hope to run out the clock on the short hunting season that begins Sept. 1 or Sept. 15, depending on the location.
It's unclear exactly how many activists have entered the license lottery, but their effort has infuriated hunters who have funded the bears’ recovery via licensing fees and spent more than 40 years watching the population slowly rebound. While most of Wyoming is highly conservative and supports the grizzly hunt, opposition is centered around the generally liberal and wealthy Jackson Hole. Hunters who win licenses will be informed shortly before the start date, and only a small number will be allowed to hunt at a time, to avoid accidentally killing more bears than permitted.
“It’s like being Monday-morning quarterbacked by people who don’t really have a clue what’s happening on the ground,” said longtime Wyoming hunting guide Sy Gilliland, a spokesman for the hunting community. “The science backs this up. This bear population has recovered. It’s de-listed. The bear is heavily studied. It’s heavily monitored.”
When Lewis and Clark explored the West in the early 1800s, federal officials say, an estimated 50,000 grizzly bears roamed between the Pacific Ocean and the Great Plains. Today there’s only about 1,700 grizzlies in the Lower 48 states, federal officials say. And while the grizzly population is much smaller than it once was, the bears pose an undeniable threat to people who choose to live near them.
Hunters tell stories of grizzlies killing young elk or calves just for sport, and of the risk that too many grizzlies pose to people using public lands. While black bears are far more common, they're generally docile and run away from humans. Grizzlies are much larger and potentially more violent, weighing in at up to 800 pounds for an adult male. Their Latin name reflects the terror they once evoked: "Ursus arctos horribilis."
Wildlife officials in Wyoming last year killed at least 14 grizzly bears that attacked livestock or threatened humans. Hunters killed another nine bears that were threatening them, and at least one bear was killed by a car. Many of Wyoming's grizzly bears live around Grand Teton National Park, outside Jackson, and photographing them from the roadside is a popular tourist activity. World-renowned wildlife photographer Tom Mangelson, who has spent decades photographing the bears around Jackson, has also requested a license in an effort to deny it to a hunter.
Environmental groups argue that the hunt is neither necessary nor humane. They say it sends the wrong message to deliberately kill bears after decades of work to raise their numbers. Federal officials formally removed the bear's protections last year after the population rebounded to at least 700 bears in the Yellowstone area, from an estimated low of 136 in 1975.
While some environmental groups are fighting the hunt in court, other activists have recruited Goodall to highlight the battle, and erected billboards in Wyoming and Colorado showing friendly-looking grizzlies with the tagline “I’m not a trophy.”
Goodall, who is traveling aboard and could not immediately be reached, has long argued that the Endangered Species Act needs strengthening.
“Wyoming and Idaho should be absolutely ashamed for allowing some of America’s most iconic bears to be senselessly gunned down,” said Andrea Santarsiere, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, which erected the new billboards and is also suing to stop the hunt. “The last thing they need is to be shot just so someone can put a grizzly head on their wall or a rug on their floor.”
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90aa8717f4b61f801e7ee5e4efbb9a54
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/27/immigrant-children-detention-crime/853470002/
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Immigrant youth shelters: 'If you’re a predator, it’s a gold mine'
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Immigrant youth shelters: 'If you’re a predator, it’s a gold mine'
Just five days after he reached the United States, the 15-year-old Honduran boy awoke in his Tucson, Arizona, immigrant shelter one morning in 2015 to find a youth care worker in his room, tickling his chest and stomach.
When he asked the man, who was 46, what he was doing, the man left. But he returned two more times, rubbing the teen’s penis through his clothing and then trying to reach under his boxers. “I know what you want, I can give you anything you need,” said the worker, who was later convicted of molestation.
In 2017, a 17-year-old from Honduras was recovering from surgery at the shelter when he woke up to find a male staff member standing by his bed. “You have it very big,” the man said, referring to the teen’s penis. Days later, that same employee brushed the teen with his hand while he was playing video games. When the staff member approached him again, the boy locked himself in a bathroom.
And in January of this year, a security guard at the shelter found notes in a minor’s jacket that suggested an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
Pulled from police reports, incidents like these at Southwest Key’s Tucson shelter provide a snapshot of what has largely been kept from the public as well as members of Congress — a view, uncolored by politics, of troubling incidents inside the facilities housing immigrant children.
Using state public records laws, ProPublica has obtained police reports and call logs concerning more than 70 of the approximately 100 immigrant youth shelters run by the U.S. Health and Human Services department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement. While not a comprehensive assessment of the conditions at these shelters, the records challenge the Trump administration’s assertion that the shelters are safe havens for children. The reports document hundreds of allegations of sexual offenses, fights and missing children.
Zero-tolerance policy impact
The recently discontinued practice of separating children from their parents has thrust the youth shelters into the national spotlight. But, with little public scrutiny, they have long cared for thousands of immigrant children, most of them teenagers, although last year 17 percent were under 13. On any given day, the shelters in 17 states across the country house around 10,000 adolescents.
The more than 1,000 pages of police reports and logs detail incidents dating back to the surge of unaccompanied minors from Central America in 2014 during the Obama administration. But immigrant advocates, psychologists and officials who formerly oversaw the shelters say the Trump administration’s harsh new policies have only increased pressures on the facilities, which often are hard-pressed to provide adequate staffing for kids who suffer from untold traumas and who now exist in a legal limbo that could shape the rest of their lives.
“If you’re a predator, it’s a gold mine,” said Lisa Fortuna, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Boston Medical Center. “You have full access and then you have kids that have already had this history of being victimized.”
Southwest Key wouldn’t discuss specific incidents, but said in a statement that the company has a strict policy on abuse and neglect and takes every allegation seriously. HHS declined ProPublica’s requests to interview the refugee resettlement program’s director, Scott Lloyd. The agency released a statement saying it “treats its responsibility for each child with the utmost care” and has a “zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior” at the shelters.
But the reports collected by ProPublica so far show that in the past five years, police have responded to at least 125 calls reporting sex offenses at shelters that primarily serve immigrant children. That number doesn’t include another 200 such calls from more than a dozen shelters that also care for at-risk youth residing in the U.S. Call records for those facilities don’t distinguish which reports related to unaccompanied immigrants and which to other youth housed on the property.
Psychologists who’ve worked with immigrant youth said the records likely undercount the problems because many kids might not report abuse for fear of affecting their immigration cases.
It’s unclear whether any of the children mentioned as victims in the reports were separated from their parents at the border, but the reports include several children as young as 6 years old. The government faced a court deadline Thursday to reunite the nearly 3,000 children who were separated from their parents. But the administration told the court that more than 700 of those children remain in shelters or foster care because their parents have already been deported or have been deemed ineligible for reunification for various reasons.
Not all the reports reveal abuse. The shelters are required to report any sexual allegation to the police and many reports detail minor incidents and horseplay not uncommon in American schools. For example, the BCFS International Children’s Shelter in Harlingen, Texas, called the police in February after one minor entered another’s room and rubbed a small styrofoam ball on the juvenile’s buttocks.
And, once secure in the shelters, some immigrant children report assaults that occurred not at the shelters, but in their home countries. Last November, a 14-year-old girl staying in a shelter in Irvington, New York, told staff she had been raped in Honduras by a man who was now in immigration custody.
But the reports show that the allegations of staff abuse and inappropriate relationships that occurred in Tucson aren’t isolated. In February, a 24-year-old youth care worker at KidsPeace in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was placed on administrative leave after kissing a teenage boy in the laundry room. Just over a year earlier, a 21-year-old staff member there was accused of kissing a 16-year-old girl in the hallway. The BCFS shelter in Harlingen was written up by state regulators in 2017 after a staff member flew to New York to visit a former resident. And at a Southwest Key shelter outside San Diego, reports show, a female employee who had been accused of kissing a juvenile quit after being confronted with information that the teenager had the woman’s Snapchat account written on a piece of paper.
KidsPeace wouldn’t discuss personnel matters but said “the safety and well-being of our young clients are our top priority.”
BCFS said the staff member was terminated for violating agency policy and that it has "very strict and clear boundaries for our staff."
The reports also reveal dozens of incidents of unwanted groping and indecent exposure among children and teenagers at the facilities. Some kids fleeing threats and violence in their home countries arrived in the United States only to be placed in shelters where they faced similar dangers. In March, a 15-year-old boy at the Southwest Key shelter in Tucson reported that his roommate lifted up his legs as he was trying to go to sleep, made thrusting motions and said, “I’m going rape you.” And in late 2016, a 15-year-old at KidsPeace told police that another boy there had been forcing him to have oral sex. After an investigation, one teen was transferred to a more secure facility. (KidsPeace said it wouldn’t discuss specific information about kids in its care.)
While it’s difficult to get a complete count, the police reports show that children go missing or run away from the shelters roughly once a week. Several shelters, including Southwest Key's Tucson facility, have seen a significant increase in missing person and runaway calls since the start of 2018. St. PJ’s Children’s Home in San Antonio, which primarily cares for immigrant children, has had 26 such calls in the first half of the year, records show, compared to 14 for all of last year and nine for 2016.
St. PJ’s Children’s Home responded after publication and said its spike in runaways involves U.S. children, not immigrant youth.
The police reports also raise questions about how Southwest Key, the largest operator of immigrant shelters, handles such incidents. In the molestation case involving the 46-year-old staffer, police had obtained edited surveillance footage but later sought a complete, unedited version. Southwest Key, however, had taped over the footage. And in another case, police noted that Southwest Key refused to give officers records from an internal investigation.
Southwest Key CEO Juan Sánchez declined an interview. The Texas-based nonprofit has received more than $1.3 billion in federal grants and contracts in the past five years for the shelters and other services. Jeff Eller, a spokesman, said, “We cooperate with all investigations.”
Government officials and advocates say most immigrant youth shelters were never intended to house children long-term. But in recent weeks, the average length of stay has climbed to 57 days from 34 days just two years ago.
Maria Cancian, deputy assistant secretary for policy at HHS’s Administration for Children and Families from 2015 to 2016, said typically the shelters only housed immigrant kids for the “honeymoon period” when they first arrived in the U.S.
“The kids didn’t have a chance to get bored and ornery,” she said. “The longer kids are there, the more trouble you’re going to have, and the more opportunities there are for relationships to evolve in ways that are more challenging.”
Cancian, who served under President Obama, said the shelters were well run when she was there. “But if you’re serving 65,000 children in a year,” she said, “there are going to be some bad incidents.”
Genesis of immigrant kid shelters
The network of federally funded shelters sprang up after HHS took over the responsibility of caring for unaccompanied children arriving at the border in 2003. For most of their existence, the shelters received little attention, serving fewer than 8,000 children a year. But in 2014, that number surged to nearly 60,000 as a flood of teenagers fleeing gang violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador sought asylum in the U.S.
The shelters — whose operators have been paid about $4 billion over the past five years — were designed as temporary way stations, where new arrivals could get acclimated while staffers tried to locate family members who could care for them while their immigration cases wound through the courts.
There are now approximately 100 shelters scattered from Seattle to suburban New York, but concentrated in Texas and Arizona. They range from old motels to stand-alone homes, from a converted Walmart to a former estate set amid mansions, where on a recent day a deer could be seen prancing through the leafy grounds.
The worker who was convicted of molesting the boy in Tucson isn’t the only shelter employee to face criminal charges. Last year, according to court records, a youth care worker at a Homestead, Florida, shelter was sentenced to 10 years in prison after she sent nude photos of herself to a 15-year-old boy who had recently left the shelter and asked him for sex. In 2012, a case manager at a Fullerton, California, shelter was convicted of molesting several teenage boys when they went into his office for regular calls with family, court records show.
The shelters must complete background checks complying with both federal standards and state licensing requirements. They are overseen by an overlapping system of regulators that ostensibly provides a lot of enforcement tools. When incidents occur, shelters are required to alert the police and the ORR. They may also have to notify state agencies that license child-care facilities.
A large part of the current pressure on the shelters stems from a series of changes made by the Trump administration in how it handles unaccompanied minors, immigrant advocates say.
As part of an information-sharing agreement, the ORR is now required to provide Immigration and Customs Enforcement with potential sponsors’ names, dates of birth, addresses and fingerprints so that ICE can pull criminal and immigration history information on the sponsor, usually a family member, and all adult members of the sponsor’s household.
ProPublica reporters Caroline Chen, Justin Elliott, Lisa Song, Talia Buford, Kavitha Surana, Jodi S. Cohen and Duaa Eldeib and researchers Claire Perlman, Decca Muldowney and Alex Mierjeski contributed to this report. This is an excerpt of the original story published Friday, July 27, 2018, by ProPublica. Read the full story here.
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4323cc33a80518a948d4de2024657b41
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/30/carr-fire-intense-heat-firenadoes-fuel-deadly-california-blaze/862200002/
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Intense heat, 'firenadoes' fuel deadly Carr Fire in California
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Intense heat, 'firenadoes' fuel deadly Carr Fire in California
REDDING, Calif. – Firefighters battling intense heat and strong winds struggled Monday to gain control of a deadly Northern California wildfire that has killed at least six people and destroyed more than 700 homes.
The fire had burned through 150 square miles and was growing, but Cal Fire Incident Commander Bret Gouvea said it was not moving deeper into this town of 92,000.
“We’re feeling a lot more optimistic today as we are starting to gain some ground rather than be in the defensive mode all the time,” Gouvea said. “You’re going to see repopulation in the city of Redding very soon.”
Some residents were allowed to return to their homes Monday, and the Win-River Resort & Casino south of the city reopened after being evacuated Saturday. Its 84-room hotel quickly drew a crowd.
"UPDATE! Our hotel is fully booked #ReddingStrong #winriver," the resort tweeted.
More:Firefighter who died in California blaze captained elite team
More:'Unbelievable': Six die, thousands flee relentless California Carr Fire
More than 30,000 people remained evacuated, and seven people were missing. The so-called Carr Fire, sprawling over a swath of land seven times the size of Manhattan, was just 20 percent contained. There was no end in sight to the blazing heat blamed for "firenadoes" – twisting whirlwinds of flame and ash.
AccuWeather meteorologist Evan Duffey said temperatures have consistently exceeded 100 degrees in Redding the past several days, reaching as high as 113. The area might not see a break in the heat until the middle of next week, he said. Low humidity added to the problem.
"The dryness and extreme heat have led to the extreme fire weather," Duffey said.
He said a relatively wet winter literally added fuel to the fire by creating more vegetation. When summer heated up, all that vegetation began to die – and kindling was born.
Duffey said the high surface temperatures force air to rise and get unstable. When air with fire underneath it rises, it brings the fire with it, he said.
"The air pulls in the fire and creates its own wind," he said. "That's how you get fire vortex, the 'firenadoes' that we have been seeing."
More:14-foot python escaping California fire gets loose on the streets
More:Second firefighter dies as Yosemite businesses face 'sad' reality
All that heat can mean misery for firefighters battling the blaze. The standard uniform consists of lightweight, flame-resistant pants, shirt and gloves. The firefighter's gear pack includes a bottle for water or a sports drink, or they wear a separate backpack filled with water, said Jessica Gardetto, spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center.
"They often work 15-hour shifts or more, and they are a focused bunch that might have to be consistently reminded to drink," Gardetto said. "Heat exhaustion is always an issue."
While the firefighters struggle with the blaze, evacuees such as Donna and Billy Gill wait and wonder whether they will still have a home when they return to their Redding neighborhood.
"Just the not knowing is probably the hardest part," Donna Gill said. "This is just unbelievable. I don’t know – you don’t know what to say. We’re all in it together, that’s for sure."
The fire was one of more than a dozen raging across California. A "complex" of fires in Mendicino and Lake Counties, about 100 miles southwest of Redding, burned more than 50 square miles and forced thousands to evacuate, Cal Fire said.
Near Yosemite National Park, the Ferguson Fire has killed two people and forced closure of the park's top tourist attractions. The fire has burned 85 square miles and is 30 percent contained.
Elsewhere in the West, the Mesa Fire burning 120 miles north of Boise had scorched 40 square miles and was one of several in Idaho. "There are a lot of fires in the area, and everybody is competing for the same resources," said Jeff Knudson, Mesa incident commander.
In Redding, almost 3,400 fire personnel battled the Carr Fire, some of them on 36-hour rotations, with 17 helicopters, 334 fire engines, 68 bulldozers and 59 fire crews, according to Cal Fire.
“I can tell you we are making great strides every day,” Gouvea said. “We are very encouraged."
Arthur reported from Redding; Bacon from McLean, Va. Contributing: Alayna Shulman, Redding Record Searchlight; KTVB-TV in Boise
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f1cdf7810fe4900db231d46ccd4d247e
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/30/thurman-blevins-shooting-bodycam-video-released/862043002/
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Bodycam video released in fatal police shooting of Thurman Blevins, a 31-year-old black man, in Minneapolis
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Bodycam video released in fatal police shooting of Thurman Blevins, a 31-year-old black man, in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS – Authorities in Minneapolis released body camera video from two police officers in the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old black man, with the footage showing the man shot from behind after a frenetic foot chase and what appeared to be a gun in his hand.
Officers Justin Schmidt and Ryan Kelly were responding to a 911 call of a man firing a gun into the air on the city’s north side June 23. The video released Sunday shows them pulling their cruiser up and a man – Thurman Blevins – seated on a curb near a woman with a child in a stroller. As the officers pull up, one says, “He’s got a gun!” Blevins jumps up and runs, as the officers yell “Stop, stop! Put your hands up! I will (expletive) shoot you!”
In a chase that takes less than a minute, Blevins yells back, “I didn’t do nothing bro,” “Please don’t shoot” and “Leave me alone.” An enhanced version of the video has a red circle drawn around Blevins’ hand to highlight what appears to be a gun.
After the chase turns down an alley, Blevins is shot, still running.
Investigators said both Kelly and Schmidt fired their weapons. An autopsy showed Blevins was shot multiple times.
Investigators have said the officers arrived to find Blevins sitting with a woman on a curb before he ran, carrying a black and silver gun. A gun was recovered at the scene. Some witnesses had disputed Blevins was armed, saying he was carrying a bottle or a cup. He appeared to have something in each hand when he first ran.
Sydnee Brown, a cousin of Blevins, told the Star Tribune that the video confirms her belief that he was not a threat to police.
“He didn’t deserve to die,” Brown said. “He wasn’t a threat when (the officers) approached him. They didn’t view him as a human being.”
The two officers are on paid administrative leave. A protest of Blevins’ death was planned for Tuesday afternoon at the Hennepin County Government Center.
Blevins’ death prompted earlier demonstrations and community advocates demanded transparency and urged the swift release of body camera footage.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in June that the body camera video would be released after the Blevins family was consulted and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension had finished interviewing key witnesses.
Frey said Blevins’ family viewed the video about an hour before it was released publicly. He called Blevins’ death “tragic,” but declined to comment on what the footage showed.
“I know that right now in our city there’s a lot of pain,” he said. “Pain in many cases that I cannot understand.”
Blevins’ relatives previously called for both officers to face criminal charges .
The city released raw footage from both officers’ cameras, as well as what it called a “stabilized” video that includes footage from both officers produced by the National Center for Audio and Video Forensics in Beverly Hills, California. Officials said that footage had gone through a process to identify pixels from each frame and aligned them to help limit shaking.
In Minnesota, investigative data is typically nonpublic until an investigation concludes. But state laws allow for the release of material like body camera footage if it’s deemed a benefit to the public or if it dispels “widespread rumor or unrest.”
Blevins’ family and other community members had pushed for the prompt release of the footage, and Frey had pledged to do so as soon as possible. Video from past high-profile police shootings in the state has usually not been released until after long investigations by the BCA.
Chief Medaria Arradondo said he could not comment while the investigation is pending. Schmidt and Kelly have been on leave since the shooting, KARE-TV reported.
Kelly has been with the police department since 2013 and Schmidt joined in 2014. Both had served in the military and had been recognized numerous times for their work as police officers, according to redacted personnel files. They also both have had complaints against them: Kelly has had five complaints, all closed without discipline, while Schmidt has had three complaints against him, including two that were closed without discipline and one that remains open. Details about the complaints were not released.
Minneapolis has been rocked by two high-profile fatal police shootings in recent years, including the November 2015 shooting of Jamar Clark, 24, and last year’s shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, 40. Officers in the Clark case were not charged, and trial is pending for the officer who shot Damond.
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94b72b9509f766e1b69044202b236dbb
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/02/chicago-cook-county-jail-intensive-therapy-gun-violence/849127002/
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Can you change how criminals think? Chicago hopes behavioral therapy can cut gun violence
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Can you change how criminals think? Chicago hopes behavioral therapy can cut gun violence
CHICAGO – The day's group therapy session for the young detainees at the county jail started with their behavioral health specialist testing them with a hypothetical scenario: They’ve cheated on a girlfriend and the other woman is pregnant.
The participants – all facing serious charges and picked for the jail's intensive therapy program because they're deemed a high risk of getting caught in Chicago’s intractable gun violence once they leave custody – bristled at a push for honest talk.
“Am I ready to take this journey?” asked Timothy Moore, the counselor, who told the detainees the question was as relevant to addressing their lives on Chicago’s streets as it was to navigating their relationships. “Am I ready to listen? Am I ready to be honest? That’s what counts. That’s the first step.”
And the Cook County Sheriff’s Office initiative dubbed S.A.V.E. – an anti-violence program built around trying to change how incarcerated men from some of Chicago's most volatile neighborhoods think – was off and running.
Programs like S.A.V.E. (the Sheriff's Anti-Violence Effort) that use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a psychological treatment that focuses on helping young men recognize their instinctual responses and slow down their thinking in high-stake situations, have gained popularity in several cities around the U.S. in recent years.
The sheriff's office, which runs one of the nation’s biggest jails, is betting that the therapy can help some of Chicago's incarcerated population get a better handle on their impulses – and in the process, reduce the city’s persistent gun violence.
Many participants will likely find themselves jailed again: 43 percent of Illinois offenders are charged within three years of being released from incarceration, according to the state's sentencing policy advisory council.
But sheriff's officials say if they can help the young men – who come from one of Chicago's 15 most-violent ZIP codes – even slightly shift their decision-making capabilities, the impact for the individuals and their communities will be significant. Participants attend therapy and life skills classes five days a week.
Tom Dart, the Cook County sheriff, said he told his staff that the program's objective is met if a participant after his release “didn’t shoot anybody and wasn’t shot by anybody.”
“Those were my two bars for success,” Dart said.
Therapy gains in popularity
The 2-year-old program at Cook County Jail in Chicago was launched as the nation’s third-largest city saw gun violence skyrocket in 2016 and 2017 with more than 1,400 murders and 6,200 shootings as the national murder rate hovered near all-time lows.
Murders are down 20 percent in 2018 compared with the same time last year, but the city is once again on track to lead the nation in homicides.
Experts say cognitive behavioral therapy has proved to be an effective tool in fighting the plague of gun violence in several different settings.
In Boston and Baltimore, the anti-violence group ROCA Inc. has used CBT in its work with ex-offenders, a program that pushes the riskiest of at-risk to "think different to act different." In the group's work in the Boston area, 84 percent of its participants have no new arrests, and two out of three stay employed after finishing the program.
Researchers at the University of Chicago Crime Lab found that participants in the urban youth mentoring program Becoming a Man, which focuses on Chicago’s at-risk teenagers and utilizes CBT, tallied a 50 percent lower violent crime rate than their peers.
And last year, the anti-poverty group Heartland Alliance launched a two-year, $32 million program called READI Chicago that provides CBT and transitional jobs to ex-offenders convicted of violent crimes.
The participants, who are recruited from three of Chicago’s most violent neighborhoods, attend group therapy sessions or life-skills coaching each weekday morning before heading to hourly-paid jobs.
Eddie Bocanegra, READI Chicago’s senior director, said about half of participants were hostile to outreach workers’ initial efforts to recruit them. About 68 percent of 328 participants READI Chicago has placed in jobs are still working and attending the group therapy and coaching sessions, according to the group.
“They are disconnected for a certain reason, they’re involved in violence and victimization for a certain reason ... so it’s important for this population we recognize their challenges and that we recognize what it’s going to take to engage this population," he said.
More:Pickleball, the country’s fastest growing sport, is also popular in this jail
More:Baltimore is mired in violent crime. Could part of the solution be found in reclaimed wood?
More:Judge orders masturbating detainees to be handcuffed during Chicago courthouse appearances
Desman Donaldson, 23, who joined READI Chicago last year while on probation for aggravated battery of a police officer, said pairing therapy with work has been crucial to helping him change.
He’s now charting out a plan to get a commercial driver's license so he can work as a trucker. Eventually, Donaldson wants to pursue a career in real estate.
The $12-per-hour READI job provides him a fraction of what he said he made dealing drugs. Still, the income helps keep him out of trouble.
“I’m definitely thinking about the long term," said Donaldson, who has been arrested 13 times since he turned 11. "The way I was going — all my people were getting federal indictments.”
Throw out the rule books
The Cook County Jail’s S.A.V.E. program is unique to other programs using therapy as a violence prevention tool in that it works with offenders while they are still incarcerated.
The jail program enrolls about 40 young male detainees at a time and houses them together at a division of the sprawling jail as they wait for their cases to wind through the county court or until they can be released on bond. The sheriff's office, which has two jail staffers who work full time on S.A.V.E. and six others who work part time, said it costs about $285,000 annually to operate.
The participants all volunteer for the program and must express a desire to make sweeping changes in their lives.
Many come from rival gangs but agree to set aside differences they might have on the street to take part in the program. Typically, administrators at the jail try to segregate gang rivals.
“You throw a little bit of the rule book out the window,” Dart said. “If you go on our S.A.V.E. tier, there are people, who if they’re on the outside right now, are shooting at each other.”
Only a fraction of detainees who started the program stick with it long term.
The sheriff's office said it is still working with or in touch with 98 of the 679 participants who opted into S.A.V.E. since its launch. The participants include several who were in S.A.V.E. for a matter of days.
More than 200 of the participants were expelled for fighting, repeated disrespect of S.A.V.E. officials or other unspecified infractions, according to sheriff's office data. Eighty-four participants opted out while they were still jailed and were returned to the general population.
After S.A.V.E participants leave jail, the sheriff’s department steers them to anti-violence groups on the outside that offer services such as job training and continued therapy. It ultimately is up to participants to follow through.
The participants are facing a gamut of serious charges but are likely to spend all or most of their incarcerated time in the county jail. About 81 percent of Cook County detainees are returned directly to their communities without entering the state prison system.
Success and failure
In the early going for S.A.V.E., there have been hits and misses.
Randy Leflore, 21, spent about seven months in S.A.V.E. before a judge agreed to release him on electronic monitoring in June 2017 while he awaits trial.
Leflore, a former gang member, ended up in jail after allegedly carrying out three armed robberies of laundromats. He was also in possession of a replica firearm when he was arrested, according to prosecutors.
Leflore pleaded not guilty to the charges but acknowledges he was in a bad place when he was arrested. He credits S.A.V.E. with helping him restart his life.
“The important thing I got out of S.A.V.E. was to change the way I think,” said Leflore, who has been working part-time jobs at McDonald's and Corner Bakery restaurants since his release from jail. “Basically, it was like I had a criminal mindset. I thought there ain’t no way I could change.”
Leflore said he recently used what he learned in therapy after one of his gang buddies was fatally shot by a rival in their neighborhood, Englewood, an enclave on the city’s South Side hard hit by gun violence.
“When someone dies in Englewood … the first thing that comes to mind is retaliation,” Leflore said. “When things like that happen now I just sit."
Not all S.A.V.E. participants have managed to avoid gun violence after getting out.
Courtney Lewis, 20, spent fewer than 40 days in S.A.V.E. in late 2016 and early 2017 after being charged with unlawful use of a weapon and felony possession of a firearm after police officers found a gun on him following a traffic stop. Lewis was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a previous gun-related conviction.
In January 2017, a relative posted the $7,500 Lewis needed to bond out of jail. He returned home while his case plodded along in the county court system, court records show.
Less than three months after his release, Lewis was shot and another man was wounded when a gunman opened fire on the vehicle they were riding in, police said. In addition to those killed, seven former participants – including four who were expelled from S.A.V.E. – ended up back in jail on charges related to discharging a firearm, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Lewis died from his wounds several days after the incident and became one of three S.A.V.E. participants killed in gun violence after leaving the program.
Lewis spoke regularly with S.A.V.E. officials at least for part of the time he was out on bail, but he eventually fell out of touch and was listed as inactive in the program three days before he was gunned down, according to sheriff's records.
“That was big on the whole S.A.V.E. program," said Leflore, who knew Lewis before they spent time in S.A.V.E. together. "I think a lot of participants learned a lesson from Courtney Lewis … to stay out of the streets.”
Hitting bottom
Other S.A.V.E. participants say their efforts to reform are similar to a drug addict or alcoholic trying to get sober in that relapse is often a pitfall in the path toward recovery.
Romell Young, 23, who is back in jail after being arrested on an unlawful use of weapon charge, started his third stint in the S.A.V.E. program in late May. His two earlier stints were after arrests for drug possession charges.
For the first weeks of his current jail stay, Young needed to use a cane to walk. He was seriously wounded the month before he was arrested after he said he beat up a man in a fistfight near his home.
Weeks after being shot, police said they received a call from a concerned resident about an armed man on the street fitting Young’s description.
When police arrived, Young allegedly tried to flee and during a brief pursuit threw his jacket, according to court records. The responding officer discovered a firearm in the area near where Young allegedly threw the coat.
Through S.A.V.E.'s individual counseling, he said he’s come to realize that he’s never fully dealt with parental abandonment issues from his childhood. The therapy sessions, he said, have also taught him coping techniques to deal with adversity, and he has a better grip on his anger.
So why does he keep putting himself in dangerous situations?
“I need someone to stand on me,” Young said. “If this program could be outside in the world, it would be better for us.”
Recently, he felt like he hit bottom. On Father’s Day, his mother brought his 9-month-old son to the jail to visit him. His child wanted to touch him, but a glass divider in the jail’s visiting room made it impossible.
“He started busting out crying,” Young recalled. “That was the moment I realized, and I prayed about it. Only thing I can do now is beat the path to righteousness.”
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2280aaad8ad7fd760ed326fb6438e51b
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/03/judge-says-trump-administration-100-responsible-finding-deported-migrant-parents/901050002/
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Judge says Trump team '100 percent' responsible for finding deported immigrant parents
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Judge says Trump team '100 percent' responsible for finding deported immigrant parents
A federal judge on Friday rejected a Trump administration request to make the ACLU primarily responsible for locating migrant parents who were deported after they were separated from their children, making clear that the government bears "100 percent" of the burden.
U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said the ACLU and a team of non-governmental organizations, volunteers, and pro-bono attorneys can help locate about 400 parents who were deported and have not yet been located by the government. But Sabraw said that ACLU lawyers, who are representing plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit, are not the ones who separated the families in the first place.
"The reality is that for every parent who is not located, there will be a permanently orphaned child, and that is 100 percent the responsibility of the administration," Sabraw said. "The government has the sole burden and responsibility and obligation to make (reunifications) happen."
The judge also scolded administration officials for moving so slowly to track down the deported parents. He cited an estimate that only about a dozen of the parents have been found in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, asking, "Is that true?"
The judge said the government needs to appoint an official or a leadership team from the State Department or the Department of Health and Human Services to step in and take charge. He said the process should be similar to that used last month when HHS appointed Jonathan White to reunite the first group of separated families, which led to more than 1,400 reunifications within the judge's 30-day deadline.
"What is absolutely essential ... is that the government identify a single person of the same talent and energy and enthusiasm and can-do spirit as Commander White to head up the reunification process of the remaining parents," Sabraw said. "There has to be someone to hold to account and to supervise the entire process."
More:Trump administration says ACLU – not government – should find deported parents
More:Ivanka Trump calls father's immigrant family separation policy 'low point' for administration
More:Top HHS official warned Trump administration against separating immigrant families
Friday's hearing marked the latest step following the decision by President Donald Trump to implement a "zero tolerance" immigration enforcement policy that resulted in the separation of more than 2,500 children from their parents.
The policy required that most people apprehended trying to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border were to be charged with a criminal violation and sent to immigration detention centers or federal prisons to await deportation hearings. That prompted the government to keep them apart from their children, due to a U.S. law and a 1997 court settlement, known as the Flores Settlement, that limits the detention of children to no more than 20 days.
The policy was widely condemned, and the president signed an executive order June 20 ending the practice to help mitigate the problem. A week later, Sabraw ruled that the practice may have violated the due process rights of the families and ordered the administration to reunite them within 30 days.
Lawyers on both sides are now at odds over whether the government has met the judge's deadlines and whether the government is doing enough to reunite parents who have been deported.
On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of senators grilled administration officials over the family separation crisis. During the hearing, a senior Department of Health and Human Services official said he repeatedly warned the Trump administration that the separation policy would not be in "the best interest of the child."
On Wednesday, a group of 14 bipartisan senators sent a letter to the heads of the departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services, demanding information on the status of separated families, including those where the parents have been deported.
And on Thursday, Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and senior adviser, weighed in, calling the family separation practice a "low point" in her father's presidency.
Sabraw is scheduled to hold another court hearing next week to get a status update from both sides on the reunification efforts.
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3a4b2f38a64f7f28f457a208d1e0b05d
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/09/unite-right-dc-braces-alt-right-white-nationalists-protests/944521002/
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'We denounce hate': Washington, D.C., braces for 'Unite the Right' rally
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'We denounce hate': Washington, D.C., braces for 'Unite the Right' rally
The mayor and police chief of Washington, D.C., on Thursday promised tight security for Sunday's "Unite the Right" rally and counterprotests marking the first anniversary of a white nationalist rally that erupted in deadly violence a year ago.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said the city was activating its emergency operations center and would be on high alert for violence.
"We have people coming to our city for the sole purpose of spewing hate," Bowser said. "We denounce hate, we denounce anti-Semitism, and we denounce the rhetoric we expect to hear this Sunday."
Bowser, Chief Peter Newsham and other officials spoke at a news conference held at a synagogue in the city of 700,000 people, about half of whom are black.
Newsham said guns will be banned from the rallies, even for gun owners with legal permits. He said the white nationalists and the counterprotesters would be separated, even though both have permits to use a park near the White House.
Newsham was reticent to provide security details, saying he didn't want anyone with malicious intent to be able to "plan ahead."
"The rules are pretty simple," Newsham said. "Don't hurt anyone and don't break anything.
More:Are women changing 'Unite the Right' or 'rebranding' the movement?
More:Heather Heyer's mom talks about daughter's death
More:What is the alt-right? And how is it using social media to spread its message?
A year ago and 120 miles southwest of Washington, a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned deadly. Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old legal assistant, was struck and killed when a white supremacist slammed his car into a counterprotest. And two Virginia state troopers died when their surveillance helicopter crashed near the protests.
James Alex Fields Jr., was indicted on one federal count of a hate crime resulting in Heyer's death, 28 counts of hate crimes for causing bodily injury and involving an attempt to kill and one count of racially motivated violent interference with a federally protected activity. Jason Kessler, who organized last year's event, was denied a permit to gather in Charlottesville this year.
Instead, hundreds of far-right supporters will gather at Lafayette Park to press their demand for "white civil rights."
Rally organizers have said they plan to take the city's light-rail system from suburban Virginia to a stop near the rally site. Newsham and other law enforcement officials said those plans could change, but that police would be stationed at both ends of the train line as well as along the walking route from the train to Lafayette Park.
One security measure that won't be established is a special light-rail train for the white nationalists. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said it was preparing security options that place the "highest priority" on protecting passengers and Metro workers.
"To be absolutely clear, Metro is not preparing a “special train” for the private use of any group," the transit agency said in a statement.
Hundreds of counterprotesters, banding together as Shut it Down D.C., are planning a "Still Here, Still Strong" rally at Freedom Plaza, a few blocks from Lafayette Park. Organizers are calling on all "anti-fascists and people of good conscience" to take the streets in solidarity on Sunday.
More:White nationalists enter mainstream conversation
More:Portland protests: Police use 'flash bangs' at right-wing rally
"It's important that we feature speakers from the most marginalized identities to celebrate our existence," said Constance Y, a leader of Shut it Down DC.
The group plans to march to Laffayette Park shortly before the far-right rally.
"It's a sad indictment of this country that we are even having to deal with organized white supremacists," said Mike Stark, an organizer of the march. "On Aug. 12, thousands of people of conscience will be standing up. We hope millions who feel as they do will soon follow their example."
Although the far-right won't have a formal event in Charlottesville, several memorial events to mark the anniversary are planned. And Charlottesville is ramping up security. Effective Friday evening the city will establish a defined security area within downtown, with police allowing pedestrians to enter only through two portals.
Dozens of items are banned, from glass bottles and skateboards to knives and air rifles.
“We have learned many lessons from the tragic events of Aug. 12, 2017," interim City Manager Mike Murphy said.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced a state of emergency for Charlottesville and parts of Northern Virginia, describing the order as an "administrative tool" to mobilize Virginia National Guard or other security assets in case clashes erupt.
“Virginia continues to mourn the three Virginians who lost their lives in the course of the demonstrations a year ago," Northam said. "We hope the anniversary of those events passes peacefully."
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f2895ebb5ec6dd2634d680b57442f0b9
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/11/seattle-seatac-international-airport-airplane/964932002/
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'Suicidal' man who stole, crashed plane ID'd as 3½-year employee without pilot's license
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'Suicidal' man who stole, crashed plane ID'd as 3½-year employee without pilot's license
A "suicidal" man who commandeered an empty commercial aircraft was identified Saturday as an employee who worked for the airline for 3½ years and had full credentials to be near the plane at the time when he stole it.
During an afternoon news conference, airline officials and the FBI gave new insight into how the man was able to operate the plane unnoticed and take a joy ride for about an hour that included dangerous in-air maneuvers.
His name was later revealed as Richard Russell by the Associated Press and The Seattle Times, which both cited unnamed sources.
Saturday night, Russell's family released a statement saying they were "stunned and heartbroken." They described "Beebo" as a warm and compassionate man.
"He was a faithful husband, a loving son, and a good friend," they said,
They added that the statement, which was released by a friend of Russell's, would be the only one released by the family, according to the Seattle Times.
"We request that we now be given the space to mourn."
It was signed "The family of Beebo Russell."
The 29-year-old also went by “Beebo” on social media. In a humorous YouTube video he posted last year, he talked about his job and included videos and photos of his various travels.
“I lift a lot of bags. Like a lot of bags. So many bags,” he said.
He also owned a blog where he talked about his wife and hopes for the future.
More:Who is Richard Russell? Man who stole commercial plane from a Washington airport identified
More:'Insider threat': How did a Horizon Air worker manage a commercial aircraft heist?
More:'Just a broken guy': Suicidal plane crashes exceedingly rare
Investigators are interviewing friends and co-workers but still have not officially released his name. Airline officials say they do not believe he has a pilot's license, which left them puzzled.
"To be honest with you," said Gary Beck, Horizon Airlines CEO. "I don't know how he achieved the experience that he did."
Russell is presumed dead after the Bombardier Q400, stolen from Horizon Airlines, slammed into Ketron Island, about 30 miles south of the airport, setting off a large forest fire.
During the flight, the plane was pursued by F-15 fighter jets. Video showed the empty 76-seat aircraft doing large loops and other dangerous maneuvers as the sun was setting.
The pilot was described by Ed Troyer, public information officer for Pierce County, Washington, as a "suicidal male" and resident of the county, but not a terrorist. Alaska Airlines said he was an employee who helps direct aircraft to gates and de-ice planes.
Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said the man “did something foolish and may well have paid with his life.”
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday they were working to recover the cockpit recorder, which could have captured the man talking as he commandeered the plane. Debra Eckrote, regional director for the NTSB's western Pacific region, said the recorder could hold clues for a motive.
She said the event was "very unusual," adding "it’s not like we get this every day."
Eckrote said the plane crashed in a heavily wooded area. Both wings were ripped from it and the rest of the aircraft was left in pieces, she said.
Only minutes after the plane made its bizarre, unauthorized takeoff around 8 p.m., the North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled two F-15s out of Portland to intercept it. NORAD said the fighters were attempting to direct him out over the Pacific Ocean when it went down, but they did not fire on the aircraft.
During the ordeal, the self-proclaimed pilot could be heard on audio recordings telling air traffic controllers that he is “just a broken guy.”
An air traffic controller called the man “Rich,” and tried to persuade him to land the airplane.
“There is a runway just off to your right side in about a mile,” the controller says, referring to an airfield at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
“Oh man. Those guys will rough me up if I try and land there,” the man responded, later adding, “This is probably jail time for life, huh?”
Later the man said: “I’ve got a lot of people that care about me. It’s going to disappoint them to hear that I did this ... just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess.”
The U.S. Coast Guard sent a 45-foot vessel to the crash scene after witnesses reported seeing a large plume of smoke in the air, Petty Officer Ali Flockerzi said. Video showed fiery flames amid trees on the island, which is sparsely populated and only accessible by ferry.
Alaska Airlines said the plane was in a “maintenance position” when it was stolen and not scheduled for a passenger flight. Horizon Air is part of Alaska Air Group and flies shorter routes throughout the West in the United States. The Q400 is a turboprop aircraft with 76 seats.
The FBI's Seattle office issued a statement early Saturday, saying the investigation is still ongoing and that the information gathered "does not suggest a terrorist threat or additional, pending criminal activity."
"We believe it was taken by a single Horizon Air employee and that no other passengers or crew were onboard," Horizon Air Chief Operating Officer Constance von Muehlen said in a statement. "Our hearts are with the family of the individual aboard as well as all of our Alaska Air and Horizon Air employees."
Royal King told the Seattle Times he was photographing a wedding when he saw a plane and two F-15 fighter jets trailing it. He said he didn’t see the crash but saw smoke.
“It was unfathomable, it was something out of a movie,” King told the Times. "The smoke lingered. You could still hear the F-15s, which were flying low."
In a statement, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee praised the responding fighter pilots that flew alongside the stolen aircraft.
"I want to thank the Air National Guard from Washington and Oregon for scrambling jets to keep Washingtonians safe," Inslee tweeted, adding: "Those pilots are trained for moments like tonight and showed they are ready and capable."
Contributing: Emily Brown, USA TODAY; KING-TV, Seattle; Associated Press
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c1b762b53ae25600fec8f07ff4146983
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/14/firefighter-dies-mendocino-complex-fire/984613002/
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Firefighter dies battling Mendocino Complex blaze in California
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Firefighter dies battling Mendocino Complex blaze in California
A firefighter died Monday night battling the largest recorded blaze in California’s history. Six firefighters have now died tackling a series of blazes that have erupted in Northern California in recent weeks.
State fire officials said the unnamed firefighter died in a hospital after he was injured at the scene of the Mendocino Complex fire north of San Francisco. No further details were available.
“Fact finding on the accident is ongoing and notification of the next of kin is in progress. More information will be released as it becomes available," the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said in a statement.
The firefighter, from Utah, was injured in the blaze and was airlifted to a local hospital, where he died, ABC News reported, citing officials.
More:'Lost in time': Remembering America's deadliest forest fire
More:Global heat, fires and floods: How much did climate change fuel that hellish July?
The Mendocino Complex fire is one of a list of massive wildfires scorching California and the western USA.
The deadliest wildfire, the Carr Fire, has left a total of eight people dead, including three firefighters. Two firefighters have died fighting a fire near Yosemite National Park.
The Mendocino Complex fire is actually two separate nearby fires – the River and Ranch Fires – that firefighters are battling together. The fire, which has burned for more than two weeks, has destroyed nearly 150 homes and about 547 square miles of brush and forest, an area larger than the city of Los Angeles.
More:After weeks of smoke and fire, Yosemite Valley to reopen at Yosemite National Park
Contributing: Doyle Rice, The Associated Press
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13c4463bd021b368998f129128a87711
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/15/walmart-shooting-pennsylvania/995495002/
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Eight injured at Walmart in Pennsylvania after shooting in checkout lines
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Eight injured at Walmart in Pennsylvania after shooting in checkout lines
WYNCOTE, Pa. (AP) — A man pulled a gun during a dispute with another customer in Walmart checkout lines near Philadelphia and opened fire, leaving eight people injured before fleeing but was later arrested after crashing into a police vehicle, police said Tuesday night.
All victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the gunfire reported just after 6 p.m. Tuesday in the crowded store at the Cedarbrook Plaza Shopping Center, Cheltenham Township Chief of Police John Frye said.
Frye said the gunfire started after some type of altercation between customers in separate lines near the cash register, when "words were exchanged" and the suspect pulled a gun from his female companion's waistband and fired "at least 10 shots."
Two women in their 40s and a man in his 40s were wounded in the legs and another person had a graze wound, while a fifth person later went to a hospital with unspecified injuries. In addition, a pregnant woman was taken to the hospital after a fall, he said. Frye said it wasn't immediately clear whether the person the man was arguing with was among the victims.
The male suspect and his female companion fled, tossing the gun from the car, but then ran into a police vehicle. Two officers whose vehicle was rear-ended were taken to hospitals along with the woman in the suspect's car, while the male suspect was also arrested after being hit with a stun gun when he tried to break the window of the police vehicle, a Philadelphia police spokesman said. The officers, suspect and female passenger were in stable condition, he said.
Frye called the shooting a "very dangerous situation," given that it was a "very crowded Walmart, a lot of shots were low, the floor is hard ... there's a risk of ricochet." Reports from the hospital, he said, indicate that the suspected shooter was "definitely on some type of drugs."
More than 22 police departments responded to the scene, Frye said. A SWAT team was checking the store and others in the complex and Walmart employees remained inside for their safety and to allow police to interview them, he said.
"We are relieved that an arrest has been made and thankful that injuries sustained by three of our associates and a customer are non-life threatening. Local authorities acted quickly and did an outstanding job. Our focus remains on supporting our associates and continuing to assist law enforcement," said Walmart representative Randy Hargrove.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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227c47d2d07135e70df9f6633cd52c7a
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/19/golden-girls-home-sharing/1019790002/
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More renters over age 50 turning to 'Golden Girls' trend
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More renters over age 50 turning to 'Golden Girls' trend
After ending a romantic relationship in her 60s, Rika Mead lived alone for several years in a spacious contemporary home in Highlands Ranch, Colo. She enjoyed her privacy, but when she saw an article about a home-share matching service for older women, she decided to give it a try. “I wanted help financially, but I also wanted companionship,” says Mead, who now rents the top floor of her house to a 57-year-old woman she met on Roommates4boomers.com.
The women are among a growing number of baby boomers who have become roommates in their later years. Dubbed the Golden Girls or the Grace and Frankie generation because of their similarities to the storylines of those TV shows, these women are living together mostly for economic reasons — but also for connection.
Studies show that most people want to stay in their homes or communities as they age. But an increasing number of those 65 and older still have mortgages to pay.
Others, after divorce or the loss of a spouse, can’t afford the upkeep on the large suburban homes where they raised their kids.
At the same time, with housing costs in many areas skyrocketing, mature renters are looking for less-expensive alternatives to living alone. During the next two decades, the number of renters 65 and older is expected to increase by 80 percent, to 11.5 million, according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
“This is a generation that looks at a wide range of living options,” says Rodney Harrell, director of livable communities at the AARP Policy Institute.
“They’re not necessarily going to say, ‘This is what I have, that’s it.’”
Some boomers witnessed economic issues or other circumstances that forced their aging parents to move out of their homes.
“They’re looking for alternatives because they saw what their parents experienced and they want something different,” says Anne Glass, a gerontology professor at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.
Glass says another “very real worry” for boomers living alone is basic safety.
“They’ve begun to realize the advantages to living with someone who will know if you fall or die,” she says.
Dr. Thomas Cudjoe, a postdoctoral fellow in geriatric medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, says many older adults suffer from social isolation when their children move out. Homesharing is one way for them to connect with others — and lower the risk of cognitive decline that has been linked to social isolation. “Our relationships and connections with people are what maintains our vitality,” he says.
Making the right match
The “sharing economy” is fueling an online cottage industry of nonprofit organizations and for-profit websites that match those empty nesters who have rooms to spare with potential housemates. Nonprofits, such as the National Shared Housing resource center, connect boomers to state- or grant-funded home-matching services.
For-profit matching sites like Denver-based Silvernest, provide services to homeowners 50 and older for a fee.
“Many baby boomers want to stay in their homes, but the harsh truth is many of them can’t afford it,” says Wendi Burkhardt, who co-founded Silvernest three years ago with a friend who was rehabbing houses to accommodate people 80 and older. Her friend noticed that many boomers were living in homes with empty bedrooms while others were looking for affordable housing. He wondered: “Why can’t we match them up?’’ explains Burkhardt.
“We’ve been so trained to think about aging as independence or moving into independent living ... but why wouldn’t we do this?” Burkhardt says. “God love Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin (of Grace and Frankie), who set the stage for home-sharing in later years.”
At first, most of Silvernest’s matches were made in the Denver area, but the site is expanding and now makes 3,000 to 4,000 matches a year throughout the country, Burkhardt says. Homeowners pay $49.99 to join the site for 60 days.
“We find about seven qualified matches for every homeowner, depending on geography, Burkhardt says. The average room rents for $750 a month.
Most homeowners who use the site are women age 60 or older, she says. They fill out a questionnaire that covers the basics, such as whether they allow pets or smoking, and personal preferences, such as whether they have a faith preference and how they feel about sharing their kitchen.
“You have to find what’s important to you,” Burkhardt tells homeowners, who are also asked whether they’re looking for a night owl or an early morning person. “An open dialogue is the key to success.”
The website encourages homeowners to post photos of their home and “consider updating your décor to be appealing to a wide variety of tastes.”
Once a match is made, homeowners can pay an extra fee for a full criminal background check and five-year eviction history — a major factor, Burkhardt says. “That’s what most people are concerned about.”
Looking for friend potential
“Home-sharing is getting back to something better than being on your cellphone and being isolated,” says Karen Venable, founder of Roommates4Boomers.
Venable, who lives in San Francisco, started her site in 2014 after moving in with a roommate following her divorce.
Most of Venable’s 5,000 subscribers live in California and Florida, but her service is growing nationally. “It’s like Match.com: You meet somebody then you go out and see if it works,” she says.
Mead — who has found five housemates over the years through Venable’s site — says she’s learned to carefully vet each potential roommate.
“At first I went with my gut but over time I refined (the process). I want absolutely no misunderstandings.”
Mead’s profile specifies that her roommate should be an active woman with a full-time job (no retirees, because she works from home), who likes dogs but doesn’t have one (she has two of her own and can’t take on more) and is tidy (“My house, my rules,” she says).
She interviews potential matches over tea in a public place to see whether they’re compatible. “It’s just like dating,” she says, “I ask them abou their relationships, family; what kind of food do you like?”
She also covers everything from sex (“not in my house,” she says), to politics (no conservatives) and religion (no proselytizing).
Finally, Mead looks for a roommate who has the potential to be a friend. “I don’t require them to be my good buddy, but I want friend potential,” Mead says.
Mead says her current roommate has become a friend who she invites to happy hour, and sometimes they share meals.
“The thing that really bonds us are my two dogs,” Mead says. “She’s gaga for the dogs.”
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7cb3951ad324a11f24e59cf440a98558
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/24/iowa-murder-casts-spotlight-farms-hiring-undocumented-immigrants/1075320002/
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Mollie Tibbetts case exposes farms' worst-kept secret: hiring undocumented immigrants
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Mollie Tibbetts case exposes farms' worst-kept secret: hiring undocumented immigrants
Correction & Clarification: A previous version of this story stated that the federal government sent only Japanese immigrants to internment camps during World War II. Most held were Japanese-Americans who were U.S. citizens.
Dane Lang, a co-owner of Yarrabee Farms outside of Brooklyn, Iowa, stood outside his family farm this week and lamented that he had employed the undocumented immigrant charged in the slaying of 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts.
Then he was asked if any other non-U.S. citizens were among the 10 employees on the dairy farm.
"I don't think I can comment to that," Lang said.
That vague answer highlights the worst-kept secret in the agriculture business: Roughly half of the nation's 1.4 million field workers (47 percent, or 685,000 workers) are undocumented immigrants. And that estimate, from the Labor Department, is a conservative one, with labor experts citing far higher percentages.
While presidents have approached undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. in vastly different ways, Republicans and Democratic administrations – under heavy lobbying from the agricultural industry – have always treated undocumented farm workers differently.
While the federal government was herding more than 100,000 people of Japanese descent into internment camps during World War II, it was also administering the Bracero Program, which allowed millions of Mexicans to enter the U.S. to work on farms.
When President Ronald Reagan signed a landmark immigration law in 1986 that granted amnesty to nearly 3 million undocumented immigrants, those who worked on farms were given the easiest path to U.S. citizenship.
A bipartisan immigration reform bill that passed the Senate (but not the House) in 2013 would have created a special "blue card" just for agricultural workers and their immediate families that granted them legal status and the chance to become U.S. citizens.
And now, many Republicans are citing Tibbetts' death as a reason to pass a bill requiring all U.S. companies to use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of all job applicants. But even that bill – the Legal Workforce Act filed by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas – gives farmers 2.5 years before they must start vetting their field workers, the only such exception.
Chris Chmielenski, deputy director of NumbersUSA, a group that advocates for lower levels of legal and illegal immigration, said that history reflects both the power of the agricultural industry and the willingness of politicians to help them out.
He says the easiest solution would be to require that all U.S. business use E-Verify, which allows employers to check the immigration status of job applicants using a government website. The Iowa farm that employed Cristhian Bahena Rivera, who is charged with first-degree murder in Tibbetts' death, initially said they used that program to screen Rivera but later backtracked and conceded that they had used a different system not designed to flag immigration violations.
"That would have a pretty big impact on future flows of illegal immigration," Chmielenski said.
But farmers, ranchers and other business owners who rely on undocumented immigrants say passing an E-Verify bill would cripple their industries. Already struggling to recruit enough Americans to do the back-breaking field work, and operating under the constant threat of raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, they say implementing E-Verify with no other changes to the immigration system would put untold numbers of companies out of business.
That's why the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said that it would only support mandatory electronic worker verification if it's coupled with an overhaul, and expansion, of the country's guest-worker programs. The American Farm Bureau Federation goes a step further, arguing that passing E-Verify alone would cause production to drop by $60 billion and food prices to increase by 5 percent to 6 percent.
"Farmers and ranchers get that we have immigration laws in our country, and they want nothing more than to be able to attain their workers legally," said John-Walt Boatright, the national affairs coordinator for the Florida Farm Bureau. "But we cannot have E-Verify without a workable, functioning, accessible guest-work program in place."
Farmers across the country saw exactly what would happen if the government took an enforcement-only approach after Arizona passed an anti-immigration bill in 2010, leading a half-dozen states to follow suit. The laws, which included the requirement that all businesses use the E-Verify system, sent undocumented immigrants out of those states in droves.
Alabama's immigration law pushed up to 80,000 workers out of the state, according to a study conducted by the University of Alabama.
Georgia's immigration law led to more than $140 million in unharvested crops in 2011 because so many workers fled the state, according to a report commissioned by the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.
The fleeing workers in Arizona resulted in an average 2 percent drop in the state's gross domestic product every year through 2015, according to an analysis conducted by The Wall Street Journal.
Finding American workers to make up for the shortfall was just as difficult. In Georgia, Gov. Republican Nathan Deal turned to people on probation in 2011, but most walked off the jobs almost immediately.
That same year in North Carolina, as 489,000 people were unemployed statewide, the North Carolina Growers Association listed 6,500 available jobs, but just 268 North Carolinians applied, 163 showed up for work, and only seven finished the season, according to a study by the Partnership for a New American Economy.
The solution, according to farmers, is a nationwide guest-worker program that improves on the current H2A visa program that has been a headache for farmers for decades.
Those visas are designed for temporary, seasonal workers and have been used more frequently in recent years. The number of H2A visas approved has increased from 74,192 in 2013 to 161,583 in 2017, according to State Department data.
"That doesn't mean it's a great program," he said. "It just means it's the only program."
Boatright said the H2A program is too rigid to accommodate the unpredictable timing of harvests. He said it's overloaded with too many regulations that often require farms to have immigration attorneys on staff just to fill out paperwork. And because the visas cannot be used for year-round workers, Boatright said it makes dairies, nurseries and livestock ranches ineligible.
Chmielenski said his organization, which can successfully pressure Washington by activating its network of thousands of supporters to flood congressional offices with calls, emails and tweets, is willing to consider a tandem bill that includes mandatory E-Verify with improvements to the agricultural guest-worker program. And that, in the end, may be the only way to get a bill through Congress.
"We acknowledge the fact that H2A could be cleaned up," he said. "We're willing to work with them on that and to give them a pool of foreign workers they can tap into when there's not an American worker willing to do that for a decent wage."
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