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Summertime pattern of heat and storms continues
We will see another hot day Thursday with highs around normal and scattered showers and storms by the afternoon.
It has been a busy weather day for many of us in Middle Georgia, with strong storms firing up this evening.
Most of our storm activity stayed east of I-75, but brought some heavy rain to most spots that saw thunderstorms.
Although the airport in Macon didn’t record much rainfall, our radar estimated total is around 1.6″ with some places in Middle Georgia picking up over 3″.
As the storms start to fade tonight, expect patchy fog, especially in spots that saw rainfall.
No big changes are in the forecast for the rest of the week.
We will once again see a hot afternoon in Middle Georgia with highs in the mid 90s and high humidity.
Scattered showers and storms will be popping up by the afternoon and a few of these could be strong.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms will be sticking around through the weekend as we start to see a small cool down.
Highs by Sunday will be topping out in the low 90s, but humidity will be persistent.
This means our heat index will stay in the upper 90s and 100s at least through the weekend.
If you were hoping for a change in the forecast for next week, I don’t have any good news for you.
This summertime trend continues through at least next week.
It does however, look like we will start to see a few degree cool down next week…so that’s something.
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| 2022-08-04T14:16:44Z
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Yakima City Council members want to hear from residents in their districts about key issues and concerns.
Council members Matt Brown and Holly Cousens will host a joint town hall Sept. 22 for residents in West Valley Districts 6 and 7. It starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Harman Center, 101 N. 65th Ave. in Yakima.
Cousens shared information at a council meeting Monday about similar events in her district in the past. The events covered specific topics, like public safety, she said, making it possible to invite city staff members to attend and answer questions from residents.
“It just made it a little easier and streamlined it a little bit,” she said at the meeting.
Brown said in an interview that topics for the September meeting haven’t been finalized, but the main goal is to hear from residents about what’s important to them.
“This is the best way that I know how to really bring people together and listen to their concerns and then take it back to the staff and take it back to council and try to figure out solutions for our community,” he said.
The meeting will include updates from the city on current projects and time for questions and answers, he said.
Cousens and Brown said collaborating on the listening session helps preserve city resources and alleviate strain on staff.
Brown said he’s interested in hosting similar events each quarter or at least twice a year.
“I just want to be listening to the people that I serve and make sure that I'm going in the direction they want me to go in,” he said.
At the meeting Monday, other council members expressed interest in hosting similar events in their districts, including Council member Danny Herrera, who said public safety is an important topic to residents in District 2.
Also at the meeting:
• In finalizing the purchase of a car dealership property near Fruitvale Boulevard, the council authorized an agreement leasing the property back to its current owner during a transitional period to provide income to the city.
The city is purchasing the property at 506 Fruitvale Blvd., where McCurley Subaru of Yakima is located, to create space for Yakima Transit vehicles as the city makes the switch to alternative fuels. The city needs about two years to make the transition, so McCurley Fruitvale Property LLC will lease the building during that time for $33,975 per month with an annual base rent increase, according to the resolution approved Monday.
• The council also asked city staff and the Yakima Arts Commission to evaluate how a Creative District might work in downtown Yakima.
The council supported the formation of the district when the idea was presented at a recent study session. This new step calls for a written report, community planning team and rough draft of a creative district plan.
Creative districts are formed through the Washington Arts Commission as a way to support the creative sector and offer opportunities for economic growth. The district could improve the city’s creative identity and offerings; improve tourism; and create new jobs, according to the resolution. It also opens the city to related grant opportunities.
• The city will move to request funding from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program through the Recreation and Conservation Office to support two community recreation projects after approval by council Monday.
The city is requesting $500,000 to go toward the construction of a community swimming pool at Martin Luther King Jr. Park. The pool is expected to cost about $11 million, and funding will come from a variety of sources, according to the city. About $4 million has already been secured, including $1 million from the state Commerce Department for plans, specifications and bid documents.
The city is also requesting an unspecified amount of funds from the recreation program to support updates to a pedestrian bridge at West Valley Community Park. The bridge crosses Wide Hollow Creek, providing access to the park and a walkway to and from West Valley Middle School, the resolution said. According to the resolution approved by council, the current bridge is inadequate and does not meet ADA standards. The funds would be used to restore the bridge.
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https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/yakima-city-council-members-want-to-hear-from-residents-at-upcoming-town-halls/article_309440c8-2f41-57f8-bbad-c0b935414a93.html
| 2022-08-04T14:18:30Z
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The Grand Coteau Sweet Dough Pie Festival is celebrating again this October 29th, 2022.
This event will take place from 9am to 3pm on the grounds of the Grand Coteau Town Park behind Town Hall, 231 Burleigh Lane.
The festival includes food provided by area food trucks, arts & crafts from over 100 vendors, music all day long and of course a sweet dough pie contest – the public is the judge.
All interested sweet dough pie makers are encouraged to enter. A large variety of sweet dough pies will also be available for purchase including fig, custard, lemon, and blackberry.
Covered tables and chairs will be available to relax and enjoy the food and music. Please, no alcohol and no pets.
Orgainzers invite everyone to come enjoy the unique culture of Grand Coteau. Enjoy the festival and take a self-guided tour around the town of Grand Coteau, passing by: St. Ignatius School, the St. Peter Claver complex, the Schools of the Sacred Heart, St. Charles Church, and cemetery. This picturesque cemetery, with ancient Live Oaks and Spanish Moss, is the final resting place of the first Black Mayor of St. Landry Parish, the woman the St. Charles church bell was named after, confederate soldiers, and many renowned Jesuit priests.
For information on the sweet dough contest, becoming a vendor or visiting the festival call 337-331-6352 .
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| 2022-08-04T17:09:18Z
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GEORGIA — Police in Georgia are on the lookout for a man who allegedly robbed a local Home Depot- and who many are describing as the spitting image of Bradley Cooper.
That's according to comments on the Henry County Police Department Facebook page. When police posted pictures of the suspect, people spotted similarities between the alleged shoplifter and the Hollywood celebrity.
Last Thursday, the Henry County Police Department posted a surveillance photo of the man on Facebook, showing the suspect walking out of the store with a Bosch Rotary laser kit.
That kit can cost upwards of a hundred dollars on Home Depot's website.
Here's hoping that the uncanny resemblance is a help to Henry County Police, as they continue to hunt for the Home Depot "kit-napper."
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| 2022-08-04T22:48:42Z
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Nigeria gets $1.5bn loan to improve solar power infrastructure
• We prioritise solar power integration ― Buhari
Nigeria has secured a $1.5 billion loan from the US-EXIM Bank to deliver solar power infrastructure in 10 different locations in the country.
This was disclosed by Adam Cortese, Chief Executive Officer, SUN Africa LLC, USA, after a meeting of a delegation of the company with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday.
He explained the loan is a government to government is facility on a concessional rate of over 20 years.
According to him, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) will own the assets which he said will not only generate low-cost electricity and enable the company to pay back the loan.
Cortese stated: Once again, this is government-to-government financing. It’s built upon the success that we’ve had in Angola recently, where we’ve delivered roughly $2.6 billion of solar PV storage and transmission capacity.
“I think the important point to note here is yes, it’s a government-to-government loan, from the US-EXIM Bank to the government of Nigeria, but it’s being done on a concessional rate; over 20-year tenure, which is extremely attractive.
“What’s unique about this model is that NDPHC is going to own its own assets. So, it’s going to own its own generation base and our project will deliver a low levelised cost of electricity, which will not only allow them to pay back the loan from EXIM Bank but generate a profit on top of it.”
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While receiving the delegation, President Buhari declared that the rapid integration of solar power into the country’s energy mix will lead to an increase in electricity access to underserved and unserved communities.
He said his administration has embarked on several reforms aimed at revitalising Nigeria’s energy sector aimed at improving energy access to communities across the country.
He commended the interest of the US developer to invest in Nigeria’s power sector, pledging that the Federal Government would remain committed to collaborating with the private sector in improving energy access, creating jobs and industrial development.
Highlighting some of the reforms embarked upon by this administration to address Nigeria’s energy needs, the President listed the recent signing of the Nigeria Climate Change Bill in November 2021, the implementation of the Power Sector Recovery Programme with the World Bank and the Nigeria Electrification Program aimed at enhancing energy access to remote communities.
He also added that the Presidential Power Initiative with Siemens was aimed at achieving end-to-end alignment across the electricity Value Chain.
A statement issued by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity), quoted the President as saying: ‘‘Initiatives like these will go a long way in developing local capacity through technology transfer and relieving transmission constraints through the generation and distribution of electricity in the local Distribution Companies Franchise Area, making off-take easier.
‘‘The Ministers of Finance and Power, as well as other Agencies of Government, will remain available at all times, to ensure the achievement of this significant project as part of our efforts towards achieving Net Zero Emission by 2050.
‘‘I am pleased to note the technology transfer content embedded in this initiative as well as the employment generation potentials.
‘‘I thank you all for coming and look forward to receiving regular updates as you achieve significant milestones in developing your projects in Nigeria.”
In his remarks, Mr Goran Rajsic, Founder, Sun Africa LLC, USA, said the renewable and infrastructure company hopes to deliver solar power in multiple locations across the country, just as it has done in Angola, with financing done through the US EXIM Bank.
He submitted that his organisation, working with other leading energy companies, has the capacity to do what Nigeria requires in the area of power.
“We will create something that will be of immediate need for Nigeria, and last for years to come,” he said.
He described what Sun Africa LLC, USA has in mind as “a partnership for energy and infrastructure, which will revolutionize both the industrial and agricultural sectors.”
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Chiedu Ugbo, said the company will utilize the loan facility to provide solar power at 10 sites starting with five.
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Nigeria gets $1.5bn loan to improve solar power infrastructure
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Nigeria gets $1.5bn loan to improve solar power infrastructure
Nigeria gets $1.5bn loan to improve solar power infrastructure
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| 2022-08-04T23:17:29Z
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NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump is expected to be questioned under oath in the coming days in the New York attorney general’s long-running investigation into his dealings as a real estate mogul.
The deposition could be a critical moment in the investigation of allegations that the Republican billionaire’s company, the Trump Organization, misled banks and tax authorities about the value of prized assets like golf courses and skyscrapers.
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office said in May that it was nearing the end of its probe and that investigators have amassed substantial evidence that could support legal action against Trump, his company or both.
Trump’s deposition — a legal term for sworn testimony that’s not given in court — is one of the few remaining missing pieces, the attorney general’s office said.
Two of the former president’s adult children — Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump — sat for questioning in the investigation in recent days, two people familiar with the matter said. The people were not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation and did so on condition of anonymity.
The Trumps’ testimony had initially been planned for last month but was delayed after the July 14 death of the former president’s ex-wife, Ivana Trump, the mother of Ivanka, Donald Jr. and another son, Eric Trump.
Eric Trump sat for a deposition in 2020. Donald Trump Jr.’s testimony last week was first reported by The New York Times.
Messages seeking comment were left with James’ office and with lawyers for the Trumps. They either declined comment or did not respond.
James, a Democrat, has said in court filings that her office has uncovered “significant” evidence that Trump’s company “used fraudulent or misleading asset valuations to obtain a host of economic benefits, including loans, insurance coverage, and tax deductions.”
James alleges the Trump Organization exaggerated the value of its holdings to impress lenders or misstated what land was worth to slash its tax burden, pointing to annual financial statements given to banks to secure favorable loan terms and to financial magazines to justify Trump’s place among the world’s billionaires.
The company even exaggerated the size of Trump’s Manhattan penthouse, saying it was nearly three times its actual size — a difference in value of about $200 million, James’ office said.
Trump has denied the allegations, explaining that seeking the best valuations is a common practice in the real estate industry. He says James’ investigation is part of a politically motivated “witch hunt” and that her office is “doing everything within their corrupt discretion to interfere with my business relationships, and with the political process.”
“THERE IS NO CASE!” Trump said in a February statement, after Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that James’ office had “the clear right” to question Trump and other principals in his company.
While James has explored suing Trump or his company, the Manhattan district attorney’s office has long pursued a parallel criminal investigation.
That probe had appeared to be progressing toward a possible criminal indictment, but slowed after a new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, took office in January.
A grand jury that had been hearing evidence disbanded. The top prosecutor who had been handling the probe resigned after Bragg raised questions internally about the viability of the case.
Bragg has said his investigation is continuing, which means that Trump could invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and decline to answer questions from James’ investigators.
According to the subpoenas, Trump was to appear in person at the attorney general’s office, located in a Manhattan office tower that has doubled as the fictional conglomerate Waystar Royco’s headquarters on HBO’s “Succession.”
As vociferous as Trump has been in defending himself in written statements and on the rally stage, legal experts say the same strategy could backfire in a deposition setting because anything he says could potentially be used against him or his company in the criminal investigation. No former president has even been charged with a crime.
In fighting to block the subpoenas, lawyers for the Trumps argued New York authorities were using the civil investigation to get information for the criminal probe and that the depositions were a ploy to avoid calling them before a criminal grand jury, where state law requires they be given immunity.
Last summer, spurred by evidence uncovered by James’ office, Manhattan prosecutors charged the Trump Organization and its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, with tax fraud. Prosecutors said Weisselberg collected more than $1.7 million in off-the-books compensation. Weisselberg and the company have pleaded not guilty.
Weisselberg and Eric Trump each invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 500 times when questioned by James’ lawyers during separate depositions in 2020, according to court papers.
The former president could choose to do the same, but it’s likely “he’ll claim lack of knowledge on many questions,” New York University law professor Stephen Gillers said.
That strategy “actually may be quite credible because we know he’s not a green eyeshade guy, but a big picture guy,” Gillers said. “So he’ll answer the big picture questions and those answers will be general enough to keep him out of trouble, or so his lawyers will hope.”
“On the other hand, his impetuosity makes him a lawyer’s nightmare and his overconfidence may lead him astray. Whoever questions him will encourage that,” the professor added.
Once her investigation wraps up, James could decide to bring a lawsuit and seek financial penalties against Trump or his company, or even a ban on them being involved in certain types of businesses.
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| 2022-08-05T03:10:32Z
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BS Report: August 4th – Anthopoulos Does it Again
The Braves make a sweep in their deadline trades.
The Braves have made a sweep in their deadline trades. Alex Anthopoulos has reinforced the bullpen and the bats heading into October. Déjà vu, anyone? Bill Shanks takes a look at the new names and how they will solidify the offense and defense.
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| 2022-08-05T06:39:26Z
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Coach’s Corner 2022: Jarmarcus Johnson of the Rutland Hurricanes
On this edition of Coach's Corner, 41NBC's Bill Shanks talks football with head coach Jarmarcus Johnson of the Rutland Hurricanes.
On this edition of Coach’s Corner, 41NBC’s Bill Shanks talks football with head coach Jarmarcus Johnson of the Rutland Hurricanes. After a rough 1-8 season last year, coach Johnson has a plan to get the Hurricanes on track and winning.
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| 2022-08-05T06:39:27Z
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Douglass Theatre awards new HBCU college scholarships
The HBCU Arts Series Committee plans to award the scholarship annually
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Historic Douglass Theatre in Macon awards its first HBCU Arts Series College Scholarship.
The HBCU Arts Series Committee announced the award winners on July 27th. Scholarships went to two Peach County High School graduates. Finalist Eddie Davis, Jr. received a $5,000 award. He plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Fort Valley State University this fall.
A Special Award of Recognition was also given to Runner-Up Patrice Drains. She received a $1,000 scholarship and plans to major in Nursing at Florida A&M this fall.
The HBCU Arts Series Committee says the winner of the $5,000 scholarship was selected based on academic achievement, an essay on Black American artistic impact on the cultural arts and history, and leadership and participation in community engagement and school activities.
The committee plans to award the scholarship each year. The purpose of the scholarship is to assist a graduating high school senior in the Middle Georgia region, who enrolls in and attends an HBCU during the upcoming Fall semester following his/her graduation year. The scholarship is open to students who attended a high school in Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Peach or Twiggs counties.
The scholarship launched February 17, 2022, on Charles H. Douglass’ birthday. Douglass is the Black American businessman who founded the Douglass Theatre.
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| 2022-08-05T06:39:28Z
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Downtown Perry playing host to silent disco night Friday
The City of Perry is continuing to look for ways to bring its residents together.
PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The City of Perry is continuing to look for ways to bring its residents together.
The city will hold a silent disco at the Perry Events Center during its First Friday celebration Friday.
Three DJs will be playing music and visitors can put on headphones and tune in to each of them.
“Our motto is ‘Where Georgia Comes Together,’ and this helps turn neighbors into friends and introduce people to one another and just reconnect and have a good time and get ready for the weekend,” Anya Turpin said.
Food trucks will be part of the celebration as well, and there will be an outdoor area with live music, as well as a children’s play area.
The free event begins at 7 p.m. and lasts until 10 p.m.
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| 2022-08-05T06:39:29Z
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Houston County residents voice concerns about flooding near their homes
Residents of the Bay Gall Creek area in Houston County met with county officials this week to voice concerns about flooding in their homes.
WARNER ROBINS, Georgia(41NBC/WMGT) – Residents of the Bay Gall Creek area in Houston County met with county officials this week to voice concerns about flooding in their homes.
Mike Hatcher has lived near the creek since 2008. He says flooding has been issue in the area for quite some time.
“Last time we had a heavy amount of rain, about four inches worth of rain, was September of 2020,” he said. “And 4:30 in the morning, I got a four-foot fence in my backyard, and when I woke up, a foot of that fence was sticking up in the water.”
The county brought in Dan Davis of Integrated Science and Engineering to run studies on the creek’s activity since 2012.
According to Davis, cleaning out the basin will be a big challenge.
“It was our finding for these areas that were identified by the EPD that you would have to have mitigation credits from the Corps of Engineers to perform this work, which in this case would cost the city around $50,000,” he said.
Davis says that it will take some time, but if residents limit their impact on the basin, the problem could be resolved.
“It can be fixed for our children and our grandchildren,” Davis said. “This is an elephant, but we can bite this elephant one bite at a time.”
Houston County officials are now in the process of a purchasing bid for work on cleaning the creek basin.
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Houston County Schools names ‘Teacher of the Year’
The district names its 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year.
WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Houston County School District names its 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year.
Bridgett Hunt received the honor during the district’s opening session event. Hunt teaches seventh grade social studies at Thomson Middle School. Hunt says she believes that when teachers nurture a sense of hope, they optimize the potential for student success.
“I truly have an outpouring of love and concern for my students,” said Hunt. “What keeps me inspired is making sure that my students know that I love and care for them. I am their biggest advocate.”
Hunt received over $14,500 in cash and prizes donated by organizations throughout Houston County.
During Opening Session, four other Teacher of the Year finalists were also announced as follows:
- Cheralyn Keily, Bonaire Middle School
- Whitney Dady, Perry Middle School
- LaChandra Cayton, Parkwood Elementary School
- Jamie Stewart, Perry High School
Cash awards were presented to the Top 5 Teachers of the Year from H.E.A. Federal Credit Union, Robins Regional Chamber, Sonny’s BBQ, and Hughes Honda. A total of 66 local businesses and community organization donated gifts for the Teachers and Employees of the Year.
During the event, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Scott also thanked teachers and administrators for their dedication and commitment to serving our students. Board Chairman Fred Wilson was also recognized for his 28 years of service to the Houston County Board of Education.
A full video of Opening Session can be found on the Houston County School District’s Facebook page.
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| 2022-08-05T06:39:46Z
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ICYMI: Stories you may have missed today on 41NBC News
Top stories from August 4, 2022
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Salvation Army of Greater Macon still looking for help to fix air conditioning unit
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Milledgeville resident raising awareness of ‘Stevens Johnson Syndrome’
- For other stories you may have missed today on 41NBC News, click here.
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Macon-Bibb Transit Authority honors city’s music history with new electric bus
The Macon-Bibb Transit Authority unveiled a new electric bus Thursday that honors Macon's music history.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Macon-Bibb Transit Authority unveiled a new electric bus Thursday that honors Macon’s music history.
The Macon Music Masters bus, named Melody, features pictures of local music legends throughout time.
Noted legends and their families visited the Macon Terminal State Thursday.
MTA spokesperson Jami Gaudet says the event was emotional.
“There were family members who literally cried and hugged the pictures, and it doesn’t get any better than that,” she said. “We’re honoring Macon’s diverse musical legacy and history, and we’re also going into the future with our fourth electric bus. This is our fourth electric bus, and we’re so proud to unveil it.”
Alan Walden is one of the names and faces featured on the bus. He was a talent manager, managing acts like Otis Redding and Percy Sledge.
Walden says he wouldn’t be here today without all the people who helped him.
“I was blessed to have artist after artist after artist come to me, and it was amazing,” he said. “Once you treated your artist that you managed, if you treat them real well, others are going to follow.”
Gaudet says the bus will be used as a learning tool to teach kids about career opportunities. Gaudet says MTA plans to have 14 electric buses by next year.
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Milledgeville resident raising awareness of ‘Stevens Johnson Syndrome’
A Milledgeville resident is working to educating others on "Stevens Johnson Syndrome," also known as "SJS."
MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A Milledgeville resident is working to educating others on “Stevens Johnson Syndrome,” also known as “SJS.”
Andre Williams was diagnosed with SJS in 2017.
“To see where I’ve come from, it’s bittersweet, kind of hard to watch,” he said.
SJS caused Williams’ skin to burn and peel off. It’s a syndrome that’s caused by complications from medication or an infection.
Williams recalls the moments in the hospital room in Augusta.
“I thought I was going to die to be honest,” he said. “I thought it was the end of me, because I’d never seen it. I’d never heard of it. I didn’t know what it was.”
Six years later, his skin is fully healed, but he was left with light sensitivity to his eyes.
He says it’s been a long journey, and it’s not over yet.
“I’m grateful to be where I am today,” he said. “I am super happy to be able to give back, because it’s something that I’m really looking forward to doing again.”
For the second time, Williams is hosting several events this month to raise money for burn victims at the burn center in Augusta.
His mission is to educate others, like his friends Lanita King and Kenneth Jones.
Jones has been friends with Williams for several years, and says he’s already learned so much.
“Educate before you medicate is a thing that I didn’t know about,” Jones said. “And of course we can be allergic to things, but sometimes you don’t know what you’re allergic to, and so anything can happen.”
Williams feels it’s vital for people to know about the condition.
The first event, a chili cook-off, is being held on Friday at 222 East Hancock Street in Milledgeville from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Other events scheduled this month:
- The Color Purple Musical, 8/13 & 8/14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Baldwin Fine Arts Center
- Drag Queen Show, 8/20, 10 p.m.- 2 a.m. at Buffingtons, located at 120 West Hancock St.
- Fit Workout, 8/28 at The Tri-County Shrine Club, located at 101 Airport Road NE
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| 2022-08-05T06:40:05Z
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New cell phone policy for Bibb County students
The school board approved the new policy in an effort to prevent distractions
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Bibb County School District has a new cell phone policy in place as students return to the classroom.
This school year, students are allowed to have a personally owned electronic device at school, but it must be out of sight and turned off during the school day. According to the new policy, personally owned electronic devices are not permitted for use during the school day unless authorized by the superintendent or designee. Students can use their devices once the school day is over.
The school board approved the new policy in an effort to prevent distractions during learning time. A school district newsletter states: “New Superintendent Dr. Dan A. Sims explained the new policy to students recently by sharing how it is similar to laws that prevent distracted driving. Similar to how we follow state laws that prevent distracted driving by texting while driving, Bibb Schools wants to limit distractions during the instructional day.”
Students will still receive school-issued devices for instructional purposes during the school day.
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| 2022-08-05T06:40:11Z
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Anchor/Reporter/Producer
41NBC/WMGT in Macon, Georgia is looking for applicants who can produce and anchor newscasts as assigned, develop stories for web and broadcast, shoot video and report.
The successful candidate will demonstrate awareness of the urgency of news events and importance of issues, and the ability to translate that awareness into coverage that generates maximum viewer interest and involvement. Applicants should be able to turn at least one package and various assigned VO/SOTs daily. Applicants should demonstrate the ability to enterprise important stories that connect with real people. Applicants should have practical knowledge of journalistic standards, effective interviewing practices and television presentation techniques. The successful candidate will be energetic, possess exceptional organizational and communications skills and be able to work well under deadline pressure.
Duties: Research and develop local news stories, monitor wire services, mail, phone, faxes, emails and radios for breaking news, gather background material and set-up news stories for reporters and photographers, evaluate and list newsworthy events in computerized planning files, supervise reporters and photographers, maintain a future file and conduct beat checks, develop and maintain outside news sources and contacts, attend news planning meetings, contribute story ideas, build a creative rundown with cohesive story flow and maximum story count, utilize live shots, maps, graphics, animations, and technical effects to maximize newscast pacing, write and/or proofread all stories to ensure that video is edited to meet technical and aesthetic standards, insert any breaking news/weather immediately prior to and during live broadcasts, update scripts with late breaking information immediately prior to and during a live broadcast, produce breaking news/weather cut-ins as necessary,write compelling stories, coordinate live shots with field crews, communicate effectively and directly with anchors, production, and field crews to ensure each party has a clear understanding of their role in the newscast, responsible for ensuring all pre-production elements are ready, effectively execute and time shows to ensure a clean, informative newscast that starts and ends on time, keep up with current and community events, work as a one-man-band reporter, and perform other duties as assigned by the News Director.
Abilities: Be able to produce newscast, shoot video, report and write packages and vo/sots, and anchor. Understand depth of coverage managing time effectively to meet deadlines, and see that packages meet expectations. Be punctual, courteous, and respectful of station equipment and co-workers. Have working knowledge of newsroom equipment and capabilities. Be able to operate non-linear video editing software. Have knowledge of news legal and ethical issues, such as slander and libel. Dress in a professional manner. Keep work area organized.
If you are interested in applying for this position, please send your resume, writing samples, AND a reel of your most recent newscast/best work to:
newsjobs@41nbc.com
Please specify how you learned of this opening.
No phone calls.
41NBC/WMGT is an equal opportunity employer which seeks and employs qualified individuals without discrimination.
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https://www.41nbc.com/produceranchorreporter/
| 2022-08-05T06:40:17Z
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Rain chances remain up leading towards the weekend
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Sunny skies will give way to scattered clouds and storms again this afternoon and evening.
Today
Following a night of heavy widespread rain for much of Middle Georgia we began today on a humid note. Skies overhead were mostly clear, however during the sunrise hours fog filled in across much of the region as temperatures reached their 24 hour lows. Those clouds are clearing as the morning progresses, and we will see plenty of sun as we roll into lunchtime today. Highs will mainly be in the lower 90s with heat indices pushing into the upper 90s. One or two spots may see feels like temperatures that reach triple digits.
As for the storm chances today, we should not see quite as many as yesterday. We will see them begin to fire up during the late lunchtime hours, becoming more numerous as the afternoon becomes evening. Storms will have moderate to heavy rain with plenty of lightning and thunder. A couple could have moderate to strong wind gusts or some small hail. It is advised to head indoors should one of these storms pop up in your area as to avoid lightning dangers.
Tonight we will see partly cloudy conditions with many of the clouds clearing ahead of the sunrise tomorrow. A couple of storms could linger into the early parts of tonight from this evening first, however. Ambient winds will mainly come from the southeast at around 5 mph. Lows will drop into the lower 70s.
Tomorrow
We will likely see a bit more sun than today tomorrow afternoon with slightly fewer clouds, but overall the pattern will be similar. Highs will be in the lower 90s with feels like temperatures reaching into the upper 90s. As for storm chances, they will likely be slightly lower than what we are expecting this afternoon, however we will still see a handful of them around the region.
The overnight hours will see mostly clear conditions with little chance for rain, however the best chance for rain tomorrow does look to be in the late evening, so some of those could carry towards midnight. Once those subside it will be a calm night as lows drop down to the lower 70s.
The Weekend
Saturday will be similar to today and tomorrow though a bit more clouds are expected, especially for the northern counties. Rain chances still will be reserved for the afternoon and evening, once again scattering around Middle Georgia. Highs will be in the lower 90s with lows in the lower 70s.
Sunday will likely be a bit cooler as clouds dominate the region. Rain chances will be higher as well, likely similar to what we saw yesterday evening and into the overnight hours. Timing could be at any point during the afternoon and evening on Sunday, however the earlier the rain comes in, the lower the highs will be. The range seems to now be from the mid 80s into the lower 90s. Lows will still be in the lower 70s as abundant moisture remains in the area.
This pattern will likely carry into the beginning of next week. As of now the tropics are still quiet.
Follow Meteorologist Aaron Lowery on Facebook (Aaron Lowery 41NBC) and Twitter (@ALowWX) for weather updates throughout the day. Also, you can watch his forecasts Monday through Friday on 41NBC News at Daybreak (6-7 a.m.) and 41Today (11 a.m).
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| 2022-08-05T06:40:23Z
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Russian judge sentences WNBA’s Griner to nine years
Griner reacted to the sentence with little emotion
KHIMKI, Russia (AP) — A judge in Russia has convicted and sentenced American basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for drug possession and smuggling.
Judge Anna Sotnikova said the time Griner has served in custody since her arrest in February would count toward the sentence.
Griner reacted to the sentence with little emotion.
She listened to the verdict with a blank stare on her face.
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| 2022-08-05T06:40:29Z
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Salvation Army of Greater Macon still looking for help to fix air conditioning unit
It's been almost a month since the Salvation Army of Greater Macon was left with no air conditioning in its daytime area.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — It’s been almost a month since the Salvation Army of Greater Macon was left with no air conditioning in its daytime area.
The center says it’s still looking for donations to help repair the unit that stopped working in early July.
The daytime area serves as the cooling center, which helps hundreds of people stay out of the heat.
With no AC in the biggest section of the center, they can only help a limited amount of people.
“We’ve been able to maintain because of other areas of the hallways,” Housing Manager Charles Pope said. “And them going in there and staying cool in there and having bottled waters.”
The center says its looking to get the AC fixed as soon as possible.
You can also help by donating items like water or snacks. You can drop them off at The Salvation Army, which is located at 1955 Broadway.
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| 2022-08-05T06:40:35Z
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Tech Report: Apple delays iPad OS16 launch, Samsung’s self-repair program is launched
- Samsung launched its Self-Repair program.
- Checking kids’ and teens’ cyber platforms looks toanbe a important key this school year.
- Apple Plans to the delay launch of iPad OS16.
- Pedestrians are finding quicker ways to prevent catastrophe.
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| 2022-08-05T06:40:41Z
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Walmart donates bikes, journals for Bibb County students
The donation took place at the Walmart on Harrison Road in Macon.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Walmart wants to make sure students have the resources they need as they return to the classroom.
At the Harrison Road location, Walmart donated five bicycles to Unity-N-Community for its Macon Violence Prevention (MVP) program. The bikes will go to children at a future Rhyme Against Crime event. This event is part of the organization’s outreach effort and part of the MVP program.
“These bikes will be part of our incentive program with children that is helping show them there is value and reward in doing what’s right for our friends, family, and community,” said Steve Allen, Unity-N-Community Board Chair.
Walmart also donated $3,000 to Communities in Schools of Central Georgia (CIS). The money being donated to CIS will go toward buying Mindfulness Journals for students the program serves within six Bibb County elementary schools.
“When we begin teaching children effective communication and non-violent strategies while they are in elementary school, we empower them to choose a safe and successful future for themselves,” says Taryn Collinsworth, CIS Chief Executive Officer.
The journals have guided writing prompts to help students stay calm, focused, and present.
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| 2022-08-05T06:40:47Z
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Warner Robins 13-year-old breaks a national track and field record
Over 19,000 athletes are in Greensboro, North Carolina, for the running of the 56th AAU Junior Olympics.
GREENSBORO, North Carolina (41NBC/WMGT) — More than 19,000 participants are in Greensboro, North Carolina, for the running of the 56th AAU Junior Olympics, and an athlete from Middle Georgia has broken a national track and field record.
Warner Robins native, 13-year-old Adrianna Haynes, broke the 13-year-old girls’ 100-meter hurdles record by running a time of 14.37 seconds, beating the previous record by point .05 seconds.
Not only did Haynes break the national record, but she is bringing home gold.
The games will continue through this Saturday with several more Middle Georgia athletes in competition.
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| 2022-08-05T06:40:53Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy has contracted for two straight quarters, intensifying fears that the nation is on the cusp of a recession — if not already in one — barely two years after the pandemic recession officially ended.
Six months of contraction is a long-held informal definition of a recession. Yet nothing is simple in the post-pandemic economy. Its direction has confounded Federal Reserve policymakers and many private economists since growth screeched to a halt in March 2020 as COVID-19 struck and 20 million Americans were suddenly thrown out of work.
One sector of the economy that has remained defiantly buoyant is the jobs market and on Friday, the Labor Department will release monthly employment data that most economists believe will show that hiring, too, has begun to cool.
That would be a sizeable shift in an era that may be remembered for having so many unfilled jobs that there were two available for every American who didn’t have one.
Even as the economy shrank over the first half of this year, employers added 2.7 million jobs — more than in most entire years before the pandemic struck. And the unemployment rate has sunk to 3.6%, near a half-century low. Robust hiring and exceedingly low unemployment aren’t consistent with a recession.
While most economists — and Fed Chair Jerome Powell — have said they don’t think the economy is in recession, many increasingly expect an economic downturn to begin later this year or next.
Either way, with inflation raging at its highest level in four decades, Americans’ purchasing power is eroding. The pain is being felt disproportionately by lower-income and Black and Hispanic households, many of whom are struggling to pay for higher-cost essentials like food, gas and rent. Compounding those pressures, the Fed is jacking up interest rates at the fastest pace since the early 1980s, thereby magnifying borrowing costs for homes and cars and credit card purchases.
As a result, regardless of whether a recession has officially begun, Americans have increasingly soured on the economy,
So how, exactly, do we know when an economy is in recession? Here are some answers to such questions:
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WHO DECIDES WHEN A RECESSION HAS STARTED?
Recessions are officially declared by the obscure-sounding National Bureau of Economic Research, a group of economists whose Business Cycle Dating Committee defines a recession as “a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and lasts more than a few months.”
The committee considers trends in hiring as a key measure in determining recessions. It also assesses many other data points, including gauges of income, employment, inflation-adjusted spending, retail sales and factory output. It puts heavy weight on jobs and a gauge of inflation-adjusted income that excludes government support payments such as Social Security.
Yet the NBER typically doesn’t declare a recession until well after one has begun, sometimes for up to a year. Economists consider a half-point rise in the unemployment rate, averaged over several months, as the most historically reliable sign of a downturn.
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DO TWO STRAIGHT QUARTERS OF ECONOMIC CONTRACTION EQUAL A RECESSION?
That’s a common rule of thumb, but it isn’t an official definition.
Still, in the past, it has been a useful measure. Michael Strain, an economist at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, notes that in each of the past 10 times that the economy shrank for two consecutive quarters, a recession has resulted.
Still, even Strain isn’t sure we’re in recession now. Like many economists, he notes that the underlying drivers of the economy — consumer spending, business investment, home purchases — all grew in the first quarter.
Overall gross domestic product — the broadest measure of the nation’s output — declined at a 1.6% annual rate from January through March because of one-off factors, including a sharp jump in imports and a post-holiday season drop in businesses’ inventories. Many economists expect that when GDP is revised later this year, the first quarter may even turn out to be positive.
“The basic story is that the economy is growing but still slowing, and that slowdown really accelerated in the second quarter,” Strain said.
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DON’T A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK A RECESSION IS COMING?
Yes, because many people now feel more financially burdened. With wage gains trailing inflation for most people, higher prices for such essentials as gas, food, and rent have eroded Americans’ spending power,
This week, Walmart reported that higher gas and food costs have forced its shoppers to reduce their purchases of discretionary spending such as new clothing, a clear sign that consumer spending, a key driver of the economy, is weakening. The nation’s largest retailer, Walmart reduced its profit outlook and said it will have to discount more items like furniture and electronics.
And the Fed’s rate hikes have caused average mortgage rates to double from a year ago, to 5.5%, causing a sharp fall in home sales and construction.
Higher rates will also likely weigh on businesses’ willingness to invest in new buildings, machinery and other equipment. If companies reduce spending and investment, they’ll also start to slow hiring. Rising caution among companies about spending freely could lead eventually to layoffs. If the economy were to lose jobs and the public were to grow more fearful, consumers would further reduce spending.
The Fed’s rapid rate hikes have raised the likelihood of recession in the next two years to nearly 50%, Goldman Sachs economists have said. And Bank of America economists now forecast a “mild” recession later this year, while Deutsche Bank expects a recession early next year.
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WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS OF AN IMPENDING RECESSION?
The clearest signal that a recession is under way, economists say, would be a steady rise in job losses and a surge in unemployment. In the past, an increase in the unemployment rate of three-tenths of a percentage point, on average over the previous three months, has meant that a recession will soon follow.
Many economists monitor the number of people who seek unemployment benefits each week, which indicates whether layoffs are worsening. Weekly applications for jobless aid, averaged over the past four weeks, have risen for eight straight weeks to nearly 250,000, the highest level since last November. While that is a potentially concerning sign, it is still a low level historically.
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ANY OTHER SIGNALS TO WATCH FOR?
Many economists also monitor changes in the interest payments, or yields, on different bonds for a recession signal known as an “inverted yield curve.” This occurs when the yield on the 10-year Treasury falls below the yield on a short-term Treasury, such as the 3-month T-bill. That is unusual. Normally, longer-term bonds pay investors a richer yield in exchange for tying up their money for a longer period.
Inverted yield curves generally mean that investors foresee a recession that will compel the Fed to slash rates. Inverted curves often predate recessions. Still, it can take 18 to 24 months for a downturn to arrive after the yield curve inverts.
For the past two weeks, the yield on the two-year Treasury has exceeded the 10-year yield, suggesting that markets expect a recession soon. Many analysts say, though, that comparing the 3-month yield to the 10-year has a better recession-forecasting track record. Those rates are not inverted now.
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WILL THE FED KEEP RAISING RATES EVEN AS THE ECONOMY SLOWS?
The economy’s flashing signals — slowing growth with strong hiring — have put the Fed in a tough spot. Chair Jerome Powell is aiming for a “soft landing,” in which the economy weakens enough to slow hiring and wage growth without causing a recession and brings inflation back to the Fed’s 2% target.
But Powell has acknowledged that such an outcome has grown more difficult to achieve. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s COVID-19 lockdowns have driven up prices for energy food, and many manufactured parts in the U.S.
Powell has also indicated that if necessary, the Fed will keep raising rates even amid a weak economy if that’s what’s needed to tame inflation.
“Is there a risk that we would go too far?” Powell asked last month. “Certainly there’s a risk, but I wouldn’t agree that’s the biggest risk to the economy. The biggest mistake to make…would be to fail to restore price stability.”
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| 2022-08-05T11:54:04Z
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NAPLES, Fla. — Three men said how they're pumped for the annual Python Challenge invasive snake hunting event, after catching a nearly 18-foot python Wednesday night in the Big Cypress National Preserve.
According to the trio, the female Burmese python weighed 104 pounds and was just shy of 18 feet. One of the hunters said that it was an easy find, but a hard fight.
“You know when you grab their heads, they try and pull you towards the middle of their bodies so they can wrap you up," said Stephen Gauta, one of the hunters who caught the snake. "I had to fight that pull towards the middle of her body while Jake controlled the rest of her body to keep it from wrapping around.”
Gauta said it was a struggle that lasted more than five minutes.
“Pure adrenaline, honestly. I can’t even remember the first 10 seconds of it. We all jumped out of the car screaming," said Joshua Laquis, who was with the cousins when they caught the snake.
"These big snakes are called 'South Florida speed bumps' for a reason and I know why now,” driver Jake Waleri said.
Waleri said that "speed bump" ended up blocking the road as his group hunted for pythons in the Big Cypress National Preserve.
“We hear him screaming and we look over in the middle of the road and there was this snake and we didn’t know how big it was at the time,” Gauta said.
“I was screaming out of excitement. I couldn’t believe I saw something that big,” Waleri said. "We heard of a hunter who was in the area just three nights before and told us about a monster snake that he saw crossing the road. We caught it in the exact same area that he reported. We thought about this snake for the last couple of days and we were able to come across it last night. It was just a crazy experience."
The nearly 18-foot python was the 31st snake the two cousins have captured. Waleri said he estimates that the snake is between 15 or 20 years old.
"This snake has been alive for a long time. It's seen a lot of drastic weather changes like the deep freeze we had over a decade ago," Waleri said. "It's seen hurricanes, it survived humans, it's been able to survive. It's insane that one mistake jumping out in front of us, finally ends its life."
That big discovery, the hunters said, came after three years of no hunting luck. They started hunting out of their love of nature.
“We know that these pythons are an invasive species that are tearing up the Everglades,“ Gauta said.
This comes as a reminder two days before the annual Python Challenge, in which professionals and amateurs alike are encouraged to capture these invasive animals.
Last year, Florida Fish and Wildlife said 600 hunters removed a total of 223 Everglades pythons that are responsible for killing wildlife, including endangered and threatened species.
Even though the nearly 18-foot snake can't be entered in this year's contest, the hunters say they are just happy to experience something so memorable.
“Getting closer to the big leagues," Waleri laughed. "We are happy...as an amateur to catch this snake is just insane. It would have been great if we would have caught it two days from now during the hunt but there are other big ones out in the glades.”
Waleri added that he and his cousin Gauta offer a guided hunt service that is committed to preserving the South Florida ecosystem. During the summer months, they offer nighttime tours to locate, capture and remove invasive Burmese pythons.
This article was written by Briana Brownlee for WFTX.
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| 2022-08-05T15:39:09Z
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More scattered storms likely this weekend
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – We will continue to see opportunities for storms during the afternoon and evening over the weekend.
Today
We had a number of thin wispy clouds overhead to begin our Friday which made for some spectacular sunrises. Those will be with us much of the day, but they are now allowing for plenty of sunshine as we push towards lunchtime. It will again be hot this afternoon as highs top off in the low to mid 90s around the region. Heat indices will mainly be in the upper 90s, however a few spots will see feels like temps that reach triple digits.
Our storm chances today are very similar to yesterday in that they will be rather isolated and many of us will not see them. Storms will fire up in our southwestern counties and push eastward as we go through the afternoon, likely only lasting about 30 minutes to an hour once they begin. Heavy rain is likely with storms along with frequent cloud to ground lightning.
A couple of storms may push into the early parts of tonight, but we are not anticipating overnight rain around Middle Georgia. Skies will be partly cloudy, especially past midnight as more clouds clear leading up to Saturday morning. Lows will be in the lower 70s around the region.
Tomorrow
Our rain chances for tomorrow have jumped a bit from what was previously expected. We may now see a number of scattered storms around the region throughout the afternoon and evening similar to what we saw Wednesday night. Anyone with plans during the afternoon tomorrow would be wise to keep the rain gear handy. The good news is the storm activity could help to limit how hot we get in the afternoon.
Storms will likely persist into the early overnight hours before tapering off ahead of midnight. A couple of isolated storms may fire up during the overnight hours, but for the most part it will just be partly cloudy. Lows will again be in the lower 70s heading into Sunday morning
Sunday and Beyond
While the rain chances for Saturday have risen, they have dropped a bit for Sunday. We should still see a couple of isolated afternoon storms, however the highest concentration of them will have shifted west into Alabama. As a result the rain gear may not be as necessary to keep on hand, however if it is of concern to anyone in the region you can still keep it in your car if need be. Highs are anticipated to be slightly cooler Sunday afternoon as well, though that may change given the dropping rain chances.
We will see average conditions next week in regards to rain chances and our temperatures, and the overall partly cloudy pattern will also continue. The tropics are also still quiet at this time.
Follow Meteorologist Aaron Lowery on Facebook (Aaron Lowery 41NBC) and Twitter (@ALowWX) for weather updates throughout the day. Also, you can watch his forecasts Monday through Friday on 41NBC News at Daybreak (6-7 a.m.) and 41Today (11 a.m).
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| 2022-08-05T20:04:23Z
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Rep. Austin Scott tours farms in Bleckley, Twiggs counties
The Congressman spent some time with farmers in Middle Georgia, Tuesday.
JEFFERSONVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – U.S. Congressman Austin Scott (GA-08) spent some time with farmers in Middle Georgia this week.
Tuesday, he toured farms in both Bleckley and Twiggs Counties.
Representative Scott was briefed on the research being done by both UGA extension and local farmers to help with disease management and yield production. Scott says the research allows farmers to continue feeding and clothing the world.
He also posted to Facebook says quote: “Georgia is home to some of the hardest working farmers in the nation.”
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| 2022-08-05T20:04:29Z
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School bus driver dead, students injured in Upson County crash
The bus crash happened Friday morning on Logtown Road.
THOMASTON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Georgia school bus driver is dead following a morning crash in Upson County. According to the Thomaston-Upson County Schools Facebook page, the crash involved a utility truck. Three students were also on the bus when the crash happened just before 7:00 Friday morning on Logtown Road.
According to the Facebook post, the bus driver died in the crash. Two students were transported to Upson Regional Medical Center by ambulance with minor injuries.
Georgia State Patrol has identified the driver as 69-year-old Sebastian Ciarcia of Yatesville, Georgia. According to GSP, Ciarcia was traveling north on Logtown Road when he traveled into the south lane and hit the utility truck traveling south. The crash report goes on to say, he then lost control of the bus and it left the road and hit several trees.
In a Facebook post, the district says “Our hearts go out to our bus driver’s family and to his friends and co-workers at the Thomaston-Upson Transportation Department. We ask the community to join us in keeping the family of our bus driver as well as our students and their families in your thoughts and prayers and to respect their privacy during this difficult time.”
Stay with 41NBC News for updates.
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| 2022-08-05T20:04:36Z
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The market welcomed Argentina’s new Economy Minister Sergio Massa on Thursday with what appeared to be a cautiously optimistic attitude amid questions about how he would fulfill a key goal of reducing the fiscal deficit, while leftist groups criticized his initial plans they said would inevitably lead to austerity measures.
In an example of the balancing act that Massa will now have to carry out, his initial words were not well received by leftist political parties and elements of the ruling coalition who are demanding more welfare for the poorest members of society who have been particularly hard-hit by one of the world’s highest inflation rates, currently running at more than 60% annually.
“Massa is a man of the establishment who works for big capital, for the interests that represent the payment of the debt,” Eduardo Belliboni, a leader in the Workers’ Party, told the Associated Press. The new minister “is coming to rescue the government from a political crisis with the same method that led us to this disaster.”
Analysts and opposition leaders also questioned that Massa failed to detail how he would increase Central Bank reserves or what would be his exchange-rate policy, even though he did emphasize a strong devaluation was not a part of his plan.
United for Change, the main opposition force, said that Massa’s announcements were too general and “in no way make up an economic plan and do not constitute a program to stabilize the economy, which is essential and must be immediate.”
The peso strengthened slightly in the financial market, seen as an important metric on confidence considering the government keeps a tight grip on the official exchange rate. The value of the dollar in the black market (known locally as the “blue” dollar) decreased from 297 pesos to 291 pesos.
Argentine government bonds saw early gains in the first few hours of trading after Massa’s swearing-in Wednesday afternoon but these were largely wiped out by the afternoon. Argentine stocks also saw slight gains both locally and in New York on a day in which equities in general saw gains.
In his first news conference as economy minister Wednesday evening, Massa sent several pro-market signals, including a goal of increasing the country’s hard-currency reserves, a decrease in the deficit and a vow to no longer use the Central Bank to finance government operations.
Massa, who resigned as head of Congress’ lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, to take on a strengthened Economy Ministry that includes the previously independent Production and Agriculture ministries, is President Alberto Fernández’s bet to face a growing economic crisis that has also exposed deep divisions within the government’s ruling coalition.
Economic analysts said that Massa, who has close relationship with the country’s business elite and has spent years building contacts in the United States, appears committed to slashing spending and fulfilling the goal of reaching a fiscal deficit of 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product, which was part of the commitment the country made with the International Monetary Fund to restructure some $45 billion in Argentine debt.
Left-leaning members of the governing coalition, including Vice President Cristina Fernández, a former president, have been highly critical of the agreement with the IMF.
“There’s a feeling that the vice president in particular got scared at how much reserves fell in July, how much inflation increased,” Camilo Tiscornia, head of local consultancy C&T Asesores Economicos. “The government is more scared and is willing to take more unpopular measures.”
Tiscornia said that the “most solid” part of Massa’s first announcements included a larger than expected cut in subsidies for public utilities.
Other parts of his initial plan, however, were not precise, particularly those that had to do with decreasing inflation.
“The announcements appear to fall short,” Tiscornia said.
Others agreed a larger scale plan was needed if Massa has any hope of success in his new role.
“To face up to an inflationary process as large as the current one, which threatens to reach 100% annually, requires an integral plan made up by a group of fiscal, monetary, exchange and revenue measures that are coordinated,” said Víctor Beker of the University of Belgrano’s Center for the Study of the New Economy. “That is not appearing for now.”
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| 2022-08-05T20:24:01Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of publishing titan Penguin Random House on Thursday defended his company’s deal to acquire rival Simon & Schuster against the government’s claim it would thwart competition. But he acknowledged that the merger would buttress his company’s position as the biggest U.S. publisher by expanding its market share.
Under questioning at a federal antitrust trial, CEO Markus Dohle also admitted that while he has promised to allow the two merged companies to continue to bid against each other for deals with authors, Penguin Random House’s German parent firm Bertelsmann has no legal obligation to honor that commitment.
Commenting on what has been a core government argument, Dohle allowed that smaller advance payments to authors can lead to fewer books being published. Advances, which reach into the millions for such top-selling authors as Stephen King and James Patterson, are guaranteed payments to writers that can affect a book’s profitability. Books that sell well are more likely to have received bigger advances, Dohle acknowledged.
Speaking of Simon & Schuster’s position in bidding after a merger, Dohle said, “We want to keep them as external and independent as possible.” Dohle has assured agents that he would permit competitive bidding between Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House imprints even if no other publisher was in contention, an expansion upon the current PRH policy of allowing bidding between imprints as long as outside competitors were still in the running. Dohle not only acknowledged his promise was not legally binding, but should he ever leave Bertelsmann his successor would not be obligated to continue competitive bidding between the imprints.
The U.S. Justice Department has sued to block the proposed $2.2 billion merger of Penguin Random House with Simon & Schuster, the fourth-largest U.S. publisher, which would reduce the so-called “Big Five” U.S. publishers to four. The other three are HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette Book Group and Macmillan.
The government contends that allowing Bertelsmann to buy Simon & Schuster from U.S. media and entertainment company Paramount Global would thwart competition and give Penguin Random House outsize influence over what books are published in the U.S. and how much authors are paid, giving consumers fewer books to choose from. The new company, if approved, would be by far the biggest book publishing entity in U.S. history.
The publishers counter that the merger would strengthen competition among publishers to find and sell the hottest books by enabling the combined company to offer bigger advances and marketing support to authors. It would benefit readers, booksellers and authors, they say.
The publishers’ promise of continued competitive bidding by the two companies after a merger was greeted with skepticism by an unusual witness at the trial Tuesday — King, who testified for the government even though he is published by Simon & Schuster.
“You might as well say you’re going to have a husband and wife bidding against each other for the same house,” he quipped. “It would be sort of very gentlemanly and sort of, ‘After you’ and ‘After you,‘” he said, gesturing with a polite sweep of the arm.
Prompted by questions from defense attorney Daniel Petrocelli representing Bertelsmann and Penguin Random House, Dohle became animated and gave an impassioned tribute to the creativity of the publishing industry, which he portrayed as a fiercely competitive marketplace.
The biggest threat to the publishing industry comes not from consolidation but from the explosion in recent years of subscription-based or cheap content, such as e-books, Dohle said, calling it “all-access.” He cited especially Amazon, which has some 50 million book titles available, and Disney.
“I think it’s the biggest threat to the industry, and especially author income,” he said. “It will have a tectonic influence on the revenue pool of the industry.”
The effect on authors’ compensation can reduce the diversity of stories that are published, and physical booksellers also are imperiled.
Dohle likened Penguin Random House to Silicon Valley “angel” investors: “We invest every year in thousands of ideas and dreams, and only a few of them make it to the top. … Each book is unique, and there’s a lot of risk.”
Reflecting the waves of consolidation in the publishing industry, Penguin Random House itself is the product of a merger in 2013 between the nearly 100-year-old Random House and Penguin. That combination was approved by the Justice Department during the adminstration of President Barack Obama, under whom President Joe Biden served as vice president. The Penguin Random House trial is widely seen as part of a growing DOJ trend during the Biden administration of taking a tougher stand on mergers.
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| 2022-08-05T20:24:27Z
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TALLAHASSEE, FLa. — Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) is kicking off its annual "Back-to-School Backpack Giveback" campaign by donating 5,000 backpacks to students across Florida.
The local Coca-Cola bottler, serving 47 counties, continues to fill the backpacks with essential school supplies for the students' upcoming school year.
"As a community partner, it is extremely important for Coke Florida to assist in providing local students with the tools and resources they need to succeed in school settings," said Percy L. Wells, II, Coke Florida's Group Vice President, Governmental Relations, Public Affairs and Communications.
According to its 2022 Back-To-School Survey, Deloitte reports that families may spend $661 or 8% more on new apparel and school supplies compared to 2021.
"Education is essential to addressing inequities amongst our students in urban and rural communities," said Percy L. Wells, II.
The backpacks are distributed across the state during several community events, representing the most backpacks to be distributed in a single year and reportedly increasing the collected value of back-to-school donations to more than $100,000.
Each of Coke Florida's 18 territories are set to partner with local education foundations, non-profit organizations, schools and community groups to distribute backpacks throughout August.
For more information, visit businesswire.com.
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The Mundell puff piece is full of snippets of "information" setting out all the wonderful things that he has been doing for his constituents.
The reality is somewhat less than wonderful. Mr Mundell has been a Tory MP for decades and was for a long time a Westminster government minister.
As such he can take credit for things his government has achieved for Scotland (can anyone think of any?) but he also bears personal responsibility for its failings. Let us examine those.
The Tories have been in power for the last 12 years. In that time what have they achieved? The highest inflation for 40 years; the highest taxation in 70 years; the biggest drop in living standards since 1956; the biggest fall in wages since records began; UK trade performance at the worst level on record; UK businesses crucified by Brexit red tape and extra costs; farmers and fishermen without the support they had from the EU and which they were promised by Boris Johnson; chaos at airports; unpicked fruit and vegetables rotting in the fields; 2 million adults unable to afford to eat properly every day; millions of children living in poverty; increased use of food banks; increased homelessness; fuel poverty and falling life expectancy.
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Edinburgh news: Pedestrian in hospital with life threatening injuries after crash at Sheriffhall Roundabout
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A720: Edinburgh City Bypass closed at the Sheriffhall Roundabout after serious collision
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The Tory government tries to suggest that all these manifest failings are caused by the pandemic, the Russia/Ukraine war, world economic conditions and so on. Anything but accept that they themselves bear a large responsibility for the situation the UK is in.
Scotland hasn't voted for a Westminster Tory government since 1955 but it keeps getting them because other parts of the UK seem to want them. There's no accounting for tastes.
But the only way Scotland can avoid having decisions made for it by Westminster is by leaving the UK and forging its own path as a wealthy, medium sized independent country. If Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland can do it so can we.
David Howdle, Kirkton.
Independence offers us a bright future
David Smith (‘Scexit is like Brexit made much worse’, letters, 2 August,) is being disingenuous at best.
He need only look at how Ireland has thrived and how the Northern Ireland economy has performed better than any other of the component parts of UK plc since Brexit, due to its shared border.
The recent Scottish Sovereignty Research Group conference in Dunfermline featured well thought through and presented proposals for a future Scottish currency (including how pensions and savings would be managed) by economists and accountants, as well as a coherent and integrated defence plan based on Scotland's genuine defence needs, including preparing for climate change, by a retired UK military officer.
Cut out the shroud waving David and face the future! It's bright for Scotland with our educated and productive population and natural resources.
Marjorie Thompson, Edinburgh.
Watching watchdog
The man now in charge of the powerful Scottish Police Authority, appointed by SNP ministers to oversee Police Scotland, has apparently failed to disclose in the official register of interests that he is a member of the party that appointed him.
This is shocking and should be remembered the next time the SNP complain of Westminster corruption and jobs for the boys.
Alexander McKay, Edinburgh.
Write to the Edinburgh Evening News
We welcome your thoughts. Write to [email protected] including name, address and phone number – we won't print full details. Keep letters under 300 words, with no attachments. If referring to an article, include date, page number and heading.
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830 High hosts inaugural art show
830 High in downtown Macon is hosting its first art show featuring three local artists.
MACON, Georgia(41NBC/WMGT) — 830 High in downtown Macon is hosting its first art show featuring three local artists.
Artists Anna Richards, Erin Hawkins and Rudy Mendes are all active in the Macon art scene.
They also work in the workspace of the 830 High building.
A new exhibit gives them the opportunity to showcase their pieces under one roof.
There are about 30 to 40 pieces on display, showcasing different perspectives on life and things they love.
Hawkins says although they’re all different pieces, they balance each other out.
“It’s vibrant, it’s engaging,” Hawkins said. “I think there’s a lot of depth to each piece that’s in here, so I think it’ll give everybody that comes a wide range, even though it’s all technically abstract art, and I think that makes it a little different than all the things you might see in Macon.”
All pieces, which will be be up for the next three months, are for sale. The exhibit is located at 830 High Street.
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Bibb deputies: Man dies after being shot during attempted armed robbery in Walmart parking lot
The Bibb County Sheriff's Office says a man is dead after being shot during an attempted armed robbery in a Walmart parking lot Friday night.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A man is dead after being shot during an attempted armed robbery in a Walmart parking lot Friday night.
That’s according to a Bibb County Sheriff’s Office news release, which said the incident happened at the Harrison Road store just before 8:30.
Witnesses told deputies two men approached a man and his fiancée and demanded the keys to their vehicle. The male victim, identified as 41-year-old Ronnie Albea, refused to give the two men his keys and was then involved in an altercation before being shot. An ambulance took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Deputies say the suspects are in their early 20s and that one was described as being tall and slender while the other was described as being short and heavyset.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at (478) 751-7500 or Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68-CRIME.
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| 2022-08-06T07:05:56Z
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Bleckley County School District debuts new primary school
Friday marked the first day of school for Bleckley County students and the first day of the new Bleckley County Primary School being open.
COCHRAN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Friday marked the first day of school for Bleckley County students and the first day of the new Bleckley County Primary School being open.
The school holds preschool through second grade. Before the new building, preschool students were located in a separate building.
Principal Quent Floyd says the new setup is safer for students.
Each classroom holds up to 22 students, and all of the classrooms are equipped with a 75-inch touch board for interactive learning.
Teachers also have a direct link to the office on their lanyards in case of an emergency.
“I just think it’s a state of the art facility,” media specialist Janie Cahill said. “When we have that kind of stuff with the state of the art teachers, I just think overall, our focus is the education of these students.”
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| 2022-08-06T07:06:03Z
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City of Warner Robins to create new ‘City Center’
The City of Warner Robins is taking the next step in a long process to build a "City Center."
WARNER ROBINS, Georgi a(41NBC/WMGT) — The City of Warner Robins is taking the next step in a long process to build a “City Center.”
In a council meeting on Monday, members voted to purchase six acres of property near Commercial Circle.
Commercial Circle is known by many residents as the heart of Warner Robins. Mayor LaRhonda Patrick she’s hoping to add to what’s already there.
“Our vision is like you see in most downtown areas,” she said. “You’ll have the commercial retail space at the bottom, living residential up top, so building up is what we want to do.”
A city center has been contemplated by several previous mayors. Mayor Patrick says now is the perfect opportunity to re-develop a portion of the area into a place where people can live, work and play.
“I’m really excited to see what happens with our retail and residential space and areas for play,” she said.
According to Mayor Patrick, re-development doesn’t mean local businesses will have to leave. It just allows small businesses like the Fine Arts Society Gallery to see more foot traffic.
“It’s been slow,” gallery manager Leslie Wallace said. “Mostly it’s membership coming in, and people say, ‘I want to join,’ and so they join, but buyers are few and far between, sadly.”
Wallace says she’s on board with the city creating a city center.
“This is a nice place, and I think what they have in mind will be really sharp,” she said. “I don’t know. It might take a while to catch on, but you never know.”
Kate Hogan, the city’s Director of Community and Economic Development, says the center will help keep money local.
“We’ll have a significant number of businesses that are that local flair here investing in our community,” she said.
The city will officially close on the property in the next few months. Its goal is to hold a groundbreaking by next year.
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ICYMI: Stories you may have missed today on 41NBC News
Top stories from August 5, 2022
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School bus driver dead, students injured in Upson County crash
- For other stories you may have missed today on 41NBC News, click here.
School bus driver dead, students injured in Upson County crash
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Johnson County deputies investigating shooting during Friday night football game
One person was apprehended after shots were fired near Johnson County High School during a football game Friday night.
WRIGHTSVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – One person was apprehended after shots were fired near Johnson County High School during a football game Friday night.
That’s according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, which said shots were fired on Hershel Walker Boulevard “adjacent to the football field area” and that deputies “immediately responded and apprehended the individual.”
“There was only one individual involved in this incident,” a sheriff’s office Facebook post read. “Thankfully the shots were fired up towards the sky and nobody was injured.”
Johnson County deputies and investigators, along with Wrightsville Police, are on the scene.
The name of the person involved will not be disclosed at this time due to the ongoing investigation.
Call the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office at (478) 864-4003 if you have additional information.
The school district released the following statement on its Facebook page:
”Johnson County Schools law enforcement, administration, staff, and home fans assisted with safety and security inside the stadium to ensure our home and visiting fans were safe inside the stadium. We are grateful for the quick response and presence of our law enforcement officers and first responders.”
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Macon Mental Health Matters ‘Pop-Up Gym’ events return next Saturday
The Macon Mental Health Matters "Pop-Up Gym" events return next week after a month break.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Macon Mental Health Matters “Pop-Up Gym” events return next week after a month break.
The organization typically holds a pop-up event in a Macon recreation center on the second Saturday of the month. The sessions include yoga, drum circles, meditation and access to an on-site therapist.
According to project director Andrea Cooke, Georgia ranks 48th in the country in access to mental health services.
This project aims to change that.
“Macon has done an amazing job creating more opportunities for people to access mental health, and because of that, what we want to start doing is telling people that Macon is the most mentally healthy city in Georgia,” Cooke said.
The sessions will run for 12 months starting August 13.
You can register free online or you can walk in.
Each session will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 1 p.m.
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Robins Air Force Base celebrates 50th anniversary of the F-15
Robins Air Force Base is celebrating 50 years of the F-15 fighter jet.
WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Robins Air Force Base is celebrating 50 years of the F-15 fighter jet.
Retired United States Airman Bob Leaviet has worked on F-15s for most of his military career. He was what’s called an “Eagle Keeper” for one of the greatest fighter planes in the country.
“If I would have to go to war, I would be in an F-15 because I know could get home,” he said.
The F-15 is known as the most successful modern fighter jet to ever take the skies, with more than 100 victories and no losses in aerial combat.
The F-15 first took flight in 1972.
Deputy Chief of the F-15 Division, Jimmy Bailey, says Friday’s event was a great tribute.
“It was truly special to have such a great crowd here today,” Bailey said. “As we come together and pause on what the airplane has meant for our nation and continues to mean for our nation and providing air superiority.”
The base had tables and exhibits to show how much the plane has meant to the military and to those who flew them.
The celebration also included food trucks, scavenger hunts and a 50th anniversary cake.
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| 2022-08-06T07:06:33Z
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Scattered storms continue this weekend
Not much changes in our forecast as we head into the weekend. Highs will warm into the 90s with scattered storms.
Our summer trend of afternoon showers and storms will be continuing this weekend across Middle Georgia, thanks to a pretty stagnant weather pattern.
Highs will be warming into the 90s each afternoon with high humidity and pop up storms each day this weekend.
A few storms could be strong to severe with main threats being gusty winds, frequent lightning, and heavy rain.
Next week will bring slowly increasing rain chances to the area as a surface front slides south.
This will help to keep our temps a little bit cooler for much of next week.
Humidity will be staying high through the week, which means even though highs will be in the low 90s, it will feel like the upper 90s.
By the end of next week a cold front will push south an potentially bring a bit of a cool down to the area.
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| 2022-08-06T07:06:39Z
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PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WATE) – Dolly Parton and the leadership of Dollywood on Friday announced the single largest attraction investment in the history of the theme park — a brand-new roller coaster that will be its largest upon opening in the spring of 2023.
The $25 million Big Bear Mountain roller coaster, a six-acre attraction that will expand the Wildwood Grove section of the park, feature three different launches across 3,990 feet of track. The project also marks the latest step in the half-billion-dollar expansion announced in 2021.
Big Bear Mountain will reach speeds up to 48 mph and a peak elevation of 66 feet as it winds through Wildwood Grove around waterfalls and, briefly, underground. It’s also the first Dollywood ride to feature on-board audio with music and narration from Wildwood Grove’s fictional caretaker Ned Oakley.
The ride lasts nearly two minutes, and seats 20 passengers per train.
“Last year we said we were going to be investing half a million dollars in the next ten years,” said Pete Owens, Dollywood’s vice president of marketing. “This is obviously part of that investment strategy and we’re investing all over the park, not just in Wildwood Grove. But this is phase two. So you’ll see another opportunity to expand in that area sometime during that timeline.”
The theme of the Big Bear Mountain coaster, as Parton explained, is that guests are on a search for a “hug bear that’s been roaming these hills for years.”
“The folks around Wildwood Grove said they’ve seen him,” Parton teased while wearing a park ranger outfit adorned with rhinestones.
Parton added that she’s excited about the new experience, but she probably won’t be riding the coaster herself.
“Doesn’t that look like fun?” she said, referring to a rendering of the ride. “You know I’m not going to get on that.”
“If I get on that thing you’d find my wigs on one of those trees,” she joked.
The Spring 2023 launch of the new ride coincides with the grand opening of Dollywood’s newest resort: the HeartSong Lodge.
According to a case study released last year by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Dollywood has an annual economic impact of $1.8 billion a year and is credited with more than 23,000 jobs for the region.
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| 2022-08-06T18:34:39Z
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Primate, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, His Grace, Most Rev Henry Ndukuba, at the weekend commissioned Law faculty building of Paul University, Awka, Anambra State.
This came as staff members of the University used the occasion to protest the nonpayment of their salaries for about 28 months.
Tribune Online gathered that the law building, named after Archbishop of Niger Province, His Grace Rt Rev. Alexander Ibezim, was inaugurated by the Primate and Archbishop of Enugu Diocese, Rt. Rev Emmanuel Chukwuma, and other bishops from various dioceses across the country.
The Primate had also dedicated Renaissance Modern Polytechnic Mbaukwu and Millennium College of Nursing Sciences, Awka.
The protesters who carried placards with various inscriptions including, “Working without payment is unscriptural”, “starvation is the worst form of attack, pay your staff or shutdown”, “Primate have mercy on us”, said the debts ranged between 14 to 28 months.
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Speaking on behalf of the protesters, acting ICT Head, Chidi Gabriel, said while the Adjunct staff were being owed 28months, those on contracts and regular engagements were owed 24 and 14 months respectively.
He said it was unfortunate that an institution jointly owned by 55 dioceses would find it difficult to pay its staff.
He, however, absolved Archbishop Ibezim who he said had cushioned their suffering through provisions of periodic bailout funds.
He said: “We have been working these months without salary and they have been making promises without any fulfilment. Imagine what our families are passing through without salary?
“There’s a saying that a goat owned by the public dies faster. That’s our experience in this school. Why not shut down the school if they can’t afford to pay?”
Reacting, the Primate assured them he had waded into the matter, adding that their grievances were receiving attention.
He said: “Your issues are receiving attention. I’ve stepped into the matter.
“The labourer deserves his wages. I stand with you and feel your pains. I and other Bishops, Senate and management will put heads together to ensure your matter receives attention.
“I’ve directed that some money be released to attend to the issue. In due time you’ll hear from us.”
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Paul Varsity workers protest 28-month non-payment of salaries in Anambra
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| 2022-08-06T18:37:01Z
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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — In a move that shocked environmentalists, the government of Brazil’s third-largest state has given up a legal fight over protecting a state park in one of the Amazon’s most biodiverse areas. The upshot of that decision is that a man responsible for the deforestation of huge swaths of protected land wins with finality a lawsuit against the government. The park will cease to exist.
Antonio José Rossi Junqueira Vilela has been fined millions of dollars for deforestation in Brazil and for stealing thousands of hectares (acres) of the Amazon rainforest. Yet it was a company linked to him that filed a lawsuit against the state of Mato Grosso, alleging it had improperly set the borders of the Cristalino II State Park.
The park stretches for 118,000 hectares (292,000 acres), larger than New York City, and lies in the transition zone between the Amazon and drier Cerrado biomes. It is home to the endemic white-fronted spider monkey (Ateles marginatus), a species endangered due to habitat loss.
In a 3-2 decision, Mato Grosso´s upper court ruled that the government’s creation of the park in 2001 was illegal because it took place without public consultation.
The state government did not appeal that decision, leaving it to become final. Now the park will be officially dissolved, the government press office confirmed to The Associated Press.
The loss of the park is a measure of how bad things are today for the Amazon. Not only are environmental laws going unenforced, now a court has invalidated a major protected area. Scientists say not only are ecosystems being lost, but massive deforestation is damaging the forest’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, a crucial role it plays for the planet.
LAYING WASTE TO THE FOREST
Before he challenged the validity of Cristalino II park, Vilela’s presence was already well known there. In 2005, he was fined $27 million for destroying 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) of forest inside the protected area, according to local press reports at the time.
In 2016, the Vilela family made headlines in Brazil for being at the center of a landmark enforcement operation against deforestation in the Amazon, known as the Flying Rivers Operation, carried out by the Brazilian environment agency, Ibama, the federal police and the attorney general.
Vilela was also indicted for deforesting 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of public forests in Pará state, the equivalent of five Manhattans. Brazil’s attorney general called Vilela the worst perpetrator of deforestation the Amazon had ever seen.
Legal proceedings often stretch for many years in Brazil. If convicted in the Pará case, Vilela could be sentenced to more than 200 years in prison. He could be fined more than $60 million.
Attorney Renato Maurílio Lopes, who has represented both Vilela and an affiliate company, did not respond to messages left by The Associated Press Wednesday and Thursday.
According to researcher Mauricio Torres, a geographer from Pará Federal University, Vilela’s family follows the “classic script of land grabbing in the Amazon.”
The way to steal land in Brazil is to deforest it and then claim it, he said. ¨It is through deforestation that the land-robbers concretely mark their ownership of the land and are recognized as ‘owners’ by other gangs,” he wrote to the AP.
According to official data, as of March 2022, Cristalino II had lost some 22,000 hectares (54,000 acres) to deforestation, even though it is a fully protected area. The area destroyed makes up almost 20% of the park.
Mato Grosso, Brazil’s largest soybean-producing state, is run by governor Mauro Mendes, a pro-agribusiness politician and ally of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly said Brazil has too many protected areas and vowed not to create more of them.
Mendes’ state secretary of the environment is Mauren Lazzaretti, a lawyer who made a career defending loggers against criminal charges related to the environment.
During their tenure, Mato Grosso experienced one of the worst environmental disasters in Brazilian history. In 2020, wildfires burned 40% of the state’s Pantanal biome, the world’s most extensive tropical wetlands. Mendes signed a law Thursday that allows cattle raising in the Pantanal´s private preservation areas.
Via email, Mato Grosso’s Environment Secretary said it will proceed with the park’s dissolution and did not appeal because “it was deemed technically unviable.” The office noted that the adjacent Cristalino State Park I is still a protected area and covers 66,000 hectares (163,000 acres) of Amazon rainforest.
In a statement, the Mato Grosso Socio-environmental Observatory, a non-profit network, said that the park’s extinction sets a “dangerous precedent” and the state government has shown itself incapable of protecting preserved areas. It said it is assessing legal options to maintain Cristalino II.
“The public should not have to pay the price for the omission and incompetence of the state of Mato Grosso,” Angela Kuczach, head of the National Network for Conservation Units, told the AP.
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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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| 2022-08-06T19:35:54Z
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The administration of President Joe Biden and one of Indiana’s largest employers have condemned the state’s new ban on abortions, with the White House calling it another extreme attempt by Republicans to trample women’s rights.
Indiana on Friday became the first state in the nation to approve such legislation since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 1973 landmark case that had protected the right to abortion nationwide.
“The Indiana Legislature took a devastating step as a result of the Supreme Court’s extreme decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate women’s constitutionally protected right to abortion,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Saturday. “And, it’s another radical step by Republican legislators to take away women’s reproductive rights and freedom, and put personal health care decisions in the hands of politicians rather than women and their doctors.”
The ban, which takes effect Sept. 15, includes some exceptions. Abortions will be permitted in cases of rape and incest, before 10-weeks post-fertilization; to protect the life and physical health of the mother; and if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly. Victims of rape and incest won’t be required to sign a notarized affidavit attesting to an attack, as had once been proposed.
Under the bill, abortions can only be performed in hospitals or outpatient centers owned by hospitals, meaning all abortion clinics will lose their licenses. A doctor who performs an illegal abortion or fails to file required reports will lose their medical license.
Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co., which employs 10,400 people at its headquarters in Indianapolis, warned that the ban could lead it to reassess its presence in Indiana.
“We are concerned that this law will hinder Lilly’s — and Indiana’s — ability to attract diverse scientific, engineering and business talent from around the world,” the company said in a statement Saturday. “While we have expanded our employee health plan coverage to include travel for reproductive services unavailable locally, that may not be enough for some current and potential employees.”
“Given this new law, we will be forced to plan for more employment growth outside our home state,” it said.
Lilly has research and development hubs in New York City and the California cities of San Diego and San Francisco, and this year announced it would build a $700 million genetic medicine hub in Boston.
Lilly was not among the more than 250 businesses that opposed abortion restrictions in a letter released July 21 by the American Civil Liberties Union, The Indianapolis Star reported.
IU Health, Indiana’s largest health care system, said it was studying the new law.
“IU Health’s priority remains ensuring our physicians and patients have clarity when making decisions about pregnancy within the limits of the law. We will take the next few weeks to fully understand the terms of the new law and how to incorporate the changes into our medical practice to protect our providers and care for the people seeking reproductive healthcare,” it said in a statement.
The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce urged the General Assembly to proceed with caution.
“Over the last two weeks, the Indiana General Assembly has debated a substantial policy change on the issue of abortion in a compressed timeframe,” the chamber said in a statement Thursday. “Such an expedited legislative process — rushing to advance state policy on broad, complex issues — is, at best, detrimental to Hoosiers, and at worst, reckless.”
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Find AP’s full coverage of the overturning of Roe v. Wade at: https://apnews.com/hub/abortion
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| 2022-08-06T19:52:49Z
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Eli Lilly, one of Indiana’s biggest employers, says it will expand out-of-state after abortion ban
INDIANAPOLIS - Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, one of Indiana’s largest employers, said it will be "forced to plan for more employment growth outside our home state" after Indiana on Friday became the first state in the nation to approve abortion restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
"Lilly recognizes that abortion is a divisive and deeply personal issue with no clear consensus among the citizens of Indiana," the Indianapolis-based company said in a prepared statement. "Despite this lack of agreement, Indiana has opted to quickly adopt one of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the United States. We are concerned that this law will hinder Lilly’s – and Indiana’s - ability to attract diverse scientific, engineering and business talent from around the world.
The ban, which takes effect Sept. 15, includes some exceptions. Abortions would be permitted in cases of rape and incest, before 10-weeks post-fertilization; to protect the life and physical health of the mother; and if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly. Victims of rape and incest would not be required to sign a notarized affidavit attesting to an attack, as had once been proposed.
Eli Lilly & Co. corporate headquarters stand in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., on Monday, May 21, 2012. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Under the bill, abortions can be performed only in hospitals or outpatient centers owned by hospitals, meaning all abortion clinics would lose their licenses. A doctor who performs an illegal abortion or fails to file required reports must also lose their medical license — wording that tightens current Indiana law that says a doctor "may" lose their license.
Indiana was among the earliest Republican-run state legislatures to debate tighter abortion laws after the Supreme Court ruling in June that removed constitutional protections for the procedure.
RELATED: State by state: Abortion laws across the U.S.
However, it is the first state to pass a ban through both chambers, after West Virginia lawmakers on July 29 passed up the chance to be that state.
RELATED: Man charged with raping 10-year-old girl who traveled to Indiana for abortion
Founded in 1876, Eli Lilly has been headquartered in Indianapolis for 146 years and employs more than 10,500 people in Indiana, according to the company. It has more than 36,000 employees worldwide.
RELATED: Biden signs executive order aimed at protecting travel for abortion
"We work hard to retain and attract thousands of people who are important drivers of our state’s economy. While we have expanded our employee health plan coverage to include travel for reproductive services unavailable locally, that may not be enough for some current and potential employees," the statement said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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| 2022-08-07T00:21:22Z
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GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) – Who is the most famous person from your hometown? Go ahead, guess.
If you hail from, say, Randolph County, North Carolina, you would likely scream “Richard Petty.” After all, the former stock car racer is known as “The King.” Or maybe you’re from Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis Presley (another King, coincidentally).
Others might be well-known to U.S. residents too. Anyone from Louisville, Kentucky, might immediately point to Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay). And those from Omaha, Nebraska, would probably name Warren Buffet.
But no matter where you’re from — burg to borough — you probably know of at least someone you consider to be the most famous person from your region.
If you have no idea — or if you want to argue about what you do know — now you can look up such names in a pretty spectacular way.
A computer developer named Topi Tjukanov has created a virtual globe that you can turn, scan and zoom to find the most famous names in any given region (they are large and bold), or even someone a little more obscure from your hometown.
At the broadest level of scanning, users might catch such names as Pablo Picasso, Muhammad (not the Louisville one), Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix, Donald Trump or Barack Obama.
But upon zooming in, the map becomes more defined, and more names are added.
An article for InsideHook, a web technology magazine, says Tjukanov used Wikidata (think Wikipedia) and a mapping software called Mapbox to create the map.
The entries are based on places of birth, and the database is said to be cross-verified and includes 2.39 million people born between the years 3500 B.C. and 2018. That’s a lot of cross-verifying.
Keep on clicking
With a click, you can sort the data by sports, culture, discovery, and science and leadership — sort of a “Jeopardy!” board in front of your very eyes.
When you click a name, the map provides a thumbnail of information that includes a “notability rank,” a gender ID, a living/dead determinant and a link to the subject’s Wiki file.
There is rank in the ranks
You can go pretty low on the food chain of notoriety, and, like a lot of things involving Wikipedia, you have to wonder at how clearly the information was sorted and reported.
The level of “notability” might be arguable too, depending on how you rank fame.
Honolulu-born Barack Obama ranks No. 1, while singer Rihanna comes in at 76.5 and star soccer player Christiano Ronaldo at 182 – all higher than Jesus, of Bethlehem, who is No. 204.5 on the notability rank. He also gets a “nope” under “is still alive,” which may be a point of argument for some. You can see more on how the notability index was created here.
Discrepancies aside, the map should spark plenty of conversation — and perhaps even a few arguments — along with a bit of fun.
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| 2022-08-07T13:18:19Z
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BOSTON (AP) — For Boston subway riders, it seems every week brings a new tale of transit woe.
Runaway trains. Subway cars belching smoke and fire. Fatal accidents. Malfunctioning station escalators. Rush hour trains running on weekend schedules. Brand-new subway cars pulled from service. Derailed construction vehicles.
The repeated chaos of the nation’s oldest subway system has stretched the nerves of riders, prompted a probe by the Federal Transit Administration and worried political leaders.
“It’s enraging. Everything that we’re doing trying to build more affordable housing, or empower our schools, bring jobs to Boston — it all relies on people being able to get around,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat who promised to “Free the T,” said in a radio appearance on GBH News, referring to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
Wu’s comments came less than a month before a 43-year-old Orange Line subway train caught fire as it was crossing a bridge north of Boston on July 21, prompting one passenger to jump into the Mystic River and others to scramble out of windows.
And Aug. 3, transit officials announced what they called an “unprecedented” step of shuttering the Orange Line entirely for 30 days to allow for extensive track and signal work.
Two days later, MBTA officials unveiled another four-week shutdown — this time for a recently opened section of the Green Line to allow for additional construction work.
Gov. Charlie Baker, whose legacy is tied to the performance of the T, called the Orange Line fire “a colossal failure” and welcomed the FTA investigation.
But Baker said things aren’t all bad. The Republican said more than 85% of daily rapid transit trips are on time, with a somewhat lower rate for bus rides and slightly higher rate for commuter rail trains.
“That’s what the experience most riders every single day have,” he said. “That’s no excuse for the screws up and the incidents that we’re talking about, there’s no excuse for that, but there are 600,000 trips every day that, for the most part, work out like they’re supposed to.”
For beleaguered riders, however, each new mishap seems to add insult to injury.
Paulina Casasola, 24, relies on buses and the Red Line to commute to her job in Boston. Once, the bus was so late that she took an Uber costing more than $20. Another time, a late bus forced her to borrow a car, saddling her with a $90 parking ticket.
“There are a lot of neighbors who are upset and have started knocking on doors to see how we can stop the service cuts,” she said, also lamenting high fares.
“I can’t afford the monthly pass,” she said. “I just put some money in my account and hope it lasts.”
One of the more maddening failures came in June when the MBTA temporarily sidelined all its new Orange and Red Line cars, manufactured by the Chinese-owned company CRRC, after one car experienced a battery compartment failure.
The new cars — which were returned to service 10 days later — were built at a plant in Springfield, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) west of Boston.
The new subway cars are supposed to be part of the solution.
So far, 78 new Orange Line cars have been delivered, about half of the 152 ordered. Twelve Red Line cars have been delivered of the 252 ordered.
“We’ve had delays due to COVID and supply chains issues, but we have turned that corner,” said Lydia Rivera, a spokesperson for CRRC MA, adding that the balance of Orange Line cars should be delivered by 2023 with the remaining Red Line cars coming in 2025.
At times, the transit troubles — some of which have even resulted in injury or death — have seemed relentless.
In September, a 40-year-old Boston University professor plunged to his death through a rusted subway staircase, and nine people were injured when an escalator at a station malfunctioned later that month. In April, a 39-year-old man died when his arm got stuck in a malfunctioning subway car door. More than two dozen people went to the hospital last July when a Green Line train rear-ended another trolley.
In June, a collision involving two trains sent four employees to the hospital. And in May, the MBTA notched three derailments of construction vehicles in three separate incidents on the system’s Blue Line. No injuries were reported.
The FTA has also documented reports of runaway trains in yards or during maintenance. No injuries have been reported, but the agency ordered a “safety standdown” at the end of July requiring safety briefings for employees who operate out-of-service trains.
Further angering riders, the MBTA has begun running trains on a schedule similar to Saturdays on three of its four main subway lines at least through the summer.
The MBTA blamed staffing challenges and said it was exploring “an aggressive recruitment campaign.” The move came after the FTA issued a series of directives addressing the system’s “overall safety program and safety culture.”
Among the issues were subway dispatchers working excessively long hours — including some 20-hour shifts.
A more complete report is expected by the end of the summer.
The region’s commuter rail service, run by the French company Keolis Commuter Services, has also had its share of troubles. In one incident, smoke billowed from a commuter rail train near Boston’s South Station, rising up to an elevated section of Interstate 93. Keolis blamed a mechanical failure.
More recently, a commuter rail train stalled out for two hours without air conditioning, leading some riders to force open the train doors and clamber over a chain link fence to escape.
The region’s relationship with the T dates to the early morning hours of Sept. 1, 1897, when Bostonians lined up to take the first subway ride in U.S. history, beating out New York City.
“People were still uncomfortable and nervous about going underground. The only reason you go underground is when you’re dead,” said Doug Most, author of “The Race Underground,” a history of the Boston and New York subway rivalry. “They viewed it as a place where the devil lived, where rats lived.”
For longtime riders, today’s transit woes call to mind the MBTA’s unofficial anthem, informally known as “Charlie on the M.T.A.” and popularized by The Kingston Trio, which tells the story of an unlucky passenger doomed to “ride forever ’neath the streets of Boston.”
“There’s always going to be a love-hate relationship with the T because it’s an old system that’s really hard to modernize,” Most said. “For a city that is so advanced in so many ways, it’s ironic that we have this system that seems like it comes from another century.”
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| 2022-08-08T11:10:42Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Not as robust as the proposal President Joe Biden once envisioned to rebuild America’s public infrastructure and family support systems, the Democrats’ compromise of health care, climate change and deficit-reduction strategies is still a substantial undertaking.
The estimated $740 billion package — passed Sunday by the Senate and heading to the House — is full of party priorities. Those include capping prescription drug costs at $2,000 out of pocket for seniors, helping Americans pay for private health insurance and what Democrats are calling the most substantial investment in history to fight climate change, some $375 billion over the decade.
Almost half the money raised, $300 billion, will go toward paying down federal deficits.
It’s all paid for largely with new corporate taxes, including a 15% minimum tax on big corporations to ensure they don’t skip out on paying any taxes at all, as well as projected federal savings from lower Medicare drug costs.
Called the “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022,” it’s not at all clear the 755-page bill will substantially ease inflationary pressures, though millions of Americans are expected to see some relief in health care and other costs.
Votes fell strictly along party lines in the 50-50 Senate, with all Democrats in favor, all Republicans opposed, and Vice President Kamala Harris providing a tie-breaking vote for 51-50 passage. The House is expected to vote by Friday.
A look at what’s in and out of the final package:
LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS
Launching a long-sought goal, the bill would allow the Medicare program to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, saving the federal government some $288 billion over the 10-year budget window.
Those new revenues would be put back into lower costs for seniors on medications, including a $2,000 out-of-pocket cap for older adults buying prescriptions from pharmacies.
The money would also be used to provide free vaccinations for seniors, who now are among the few not guaranteed free access, according to a summary document.
Seniors would also have insulin prices capped at $35 a dose. A provision to extend that price cap on insulin to Americans with private health insurances was out of line with Senate budget rules and Republicans stripped it from the final bill.
HELP PAY FOR HEALTH INSURANCE
The bill would extend the subsidies provided during the COVID-19 pandemic to help some Americans who buy health insurance on their own.
Under earlier pandemic relief, the extra help was set to expire this year. But the bill would allow the assistance to keep going for three more years, lowering insurance premiums for people who are purchasing their own health care policies.
‘SINGLE BIGGEST INVESTMENT IN CLIMATE CHANGE IN U.S. HISTORY’
The bill would invest nearly $375 billion over the decade in climate change-fighting strategies including investments in renewable energy production and tax rebates for consumers to buy new or used electric vehicles.
It’s broken down to include $60 billion for a clean energy manufacturing tax credit and $30 billion for a production tax credit for wind and solar, seen as ways to boost and support the industries that can help curb the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. The bill also gives tax credits for nuclear power and carbon capture technology that oil companies such as Exxon Mobil have invested millions of dollars to advance.
The bill would impose a new fee on excess methane emissions from oil and gas drilling while giving fossil fuel companies access to more leases on federal lands and waters.
A late addition pushed by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and other Democrats in Arizona, Nevada and Colorado would designate $4 billion to combat a mega-drought in the West, including conservation efforts in the Colorado River Basin, which nearly 40 million Americans rely on for drinking water.
For consumers, there are tax breaks as incentives to go green. One is a 10-year consumer tax credit for renewable energy investments in wind and solar. There are tax breaks for buying electric vehicles, including a $4,000 tax credit for purchase of used electric vehicles and $7,500 for new ones.
In all, Democrats believe the strategy could put the country on a path to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030, and “would represent the single biggest climate investment in U.S. history, by far.”
HOW TO PAY FOR ALL OF THIS?
The biggest revenue-raiser in the bill is a new 15% minimum tax on corporations that earn more than $1 billion in annual profits.
It’s a way to clamp down on some 200 U.S. companies that avoid paying the standard 21% corporate tax rate, including some that end up paying no taxes at all.
The new corporate minimum tax would kick in after the 2022 tax year and raise more than $258 billion over the decade.
The revenue would have been higher, but Sinema insisted on one change to the 15% corporate minimum, allowing a depreciation deduction used by manufacturing industries. That shaves about $55 billion off the total revenue.
To win over Sinema, Democrats dropped plans to close a tax loophole long enjoyed by wealthier Americans — so-called carried interest, which under current law taxes wealthy hedge fund managers and others at a 20% rate.
The left has for years sought to boost the carried interest tax rate, hiked to 37% in the original bill, more in line with upper-income earners. Sinema wouldn’t allow it.
Keeping the tax break for the wealthy deprives the party of $14 billion in revenue they were counting on to help pay for the package.
In its place, Democrats, with Sinema’s nod, will impose a 1% excise tax on stock buybacks, raising some $74 billion over the decade.
Money is also raised by boosting the IRS to go after tax cheats. The bill proposes an $80 billion investment in taxpayer services, enforcement and modernization, which is projected to raise $203 billion in new revenue — a net gain of $124 billion over the decade.
The bill sticks with Biden’s original pledge not to raise taxes on families or businesses making less than $400,000 a year.
The lower drug prices for seniors are paid for with savings from Medicare’s negotiations with the drug companies.
EXTRA MONEY TO PAY DOWN DEFICITS
With some $740 billion in new revenue and around $440 billion in new investments, the bill promises to put the difference of about $300 billion toward deficit reduction.
Federal deficits spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic when federal spending soared and tax revenues fell as the nation’s economy churned through shutdowns, closed offices and other massive changes.
The nation has seen deficits rise and fall in recent years. But overall federal budgeting is on an unsustainable path, according to the Congressional Budget Office, which put out a new report this week on long-term projections.
WHAT’S LEFT BEHIND?
This latest package emerged suddenly at the end of July after 18 months of start-stop negotiations leaves behind many of Biden’s more ambitious goals.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., struck a deal with Sen. Joe Manchin to revive Biden’s package, slimming it down to bring the West Virginia Democrat back to the negotiating table. Next, they drew Sinema, the remaining party holdout, with additional changes.
The package remains robust, by typical standards, but nowhere near the sweeping Build Back Better program Biden once envisioned.
While Congress did pass a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill for highways, broadband and other investments that Biden signed into law last year, the president’s and the party’s other key priorities have slipped away.
Among them is a continuation of a $300 monthly child tax credit that was sending money directly to families during the pandemic and is believed to have widely reduced child poverty.
Also gone, for now, are plans for free pre-kindergarten and community college, as well as the nation’s first paid family leave program that would have provided up to $4,000 a month for births, deaths and other pivotal needs.
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Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
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| 2022-08-08T11:10:49Z
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HAVANA (AP) — Cuban firefighters were joined by special teams sent by Mexico and Venezuela on Sunday as they battled for a second day to control a fire blazing at a big oil tank farm in the western province of Matanzas.
The blaze began Friday night when lightning struck a storage tank during a thunder storm, and the fire spread to a second tank early Saturday, triggering a series of explosions, officials have said.
“The mission of the day is to keep the third tank cold,” in hopes of preventing the flames from spreading into more of the site, provincial Gov. Mario Sabines said.
Most of the fuel held in the tank where the fire initially started was believed to have been consumed, officials said.
Authorities said a body found at the site Saturday had been identified as firefighter Juan Carlos Santana, 60. Officials previously said a group of 17 firefighters had gone missing while trying to quell flames, but there was no word if he was one of those.
Conditions were still too dangerous to mount a search for the missing firefighters, officials said.
A total of 122 people were treated for injuries, including five that officials said were in critical condition.
The governor said 4,946 people had been evacuated, mostly from the Dubrocq neighborhood, which is next to the Matanzas Supertanker Base in Matanzas city. The facility’s eight huge storage tanks hold oil used to fuel electricity generation.
Dense black smoke billowed up from the tank farm and spread westward more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) to Havana. The Ministry of Science and Technology said Sunday that the cloud contained sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and other toxic substances.
The disaster comes as Cuba struggles with a severe economic and energy crisis, with frequent power blackouts hitting during a torrid summer. It was unknown how much fuel had been lost to the flames.
Cuba’s government had appealed for help Saturday from oil nations, and specialized firefighting teams began arriving with their equipment from Mexico and Venezuela late Saturday. They brought helicopters and specialized chemicals for fighting oil fire.
“The support (is) in the prevention of risks and also help to quell the fire by means of cooling based on water and foam,” Mexican Brig. Gen. Juan Bravo said upon arrival. “We hope that more support will arrive soon, such as chemical material.”
President Miguel Díaz-Canel met with the heads of the teams from Mexico and Venezuela to coordinate efforts for controlling the blaze. He later told Cuban media he appreciated the help, since Cuba doesn’t have experience or resources for dealing with fires of such magnitude.
Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said Saturday evening that the U.S. government had offered technical help. On his Twitter account, he said the “proposal is in the hands of specialists for the due coordination.”
Minutes later, the president thanked Mexico, Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile for their offers of help.
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Andrea Rodríguez on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ARodriguezAP
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| 2022-08-08T11:15:57Z
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Opelousas Police arrested a local man Saturday evening and booked him with several sex-related charges.
The man, Raymundo Clorio, identified himself as a Spanish teacher at a local high school when police confronted him at a Heather Drive business, a spokesman said.
The website of North Central High School lists him as a staff member.
Clorio was arrested after police were called to the business because there was a man who was being belligerent and inappropriately touching employees, the OPD spokesman said. When they arrived they found Clorio, who was apparently intoxicated. Four employees said he touched them, and in two cases it was in such a way as to be considered sexual battery, the OPD spokesman said.
Clorio was taken into custody and transported to the St. Landry Parish Jail and booked on the following charges:
Two counts sexual battery; two counts simple battery, disturbing the peace by loud and abusive language and disturbing the peace by intoxication.
We've reached out to the St. Landry School System to request Clorio's employment status.
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| 2022-08-08T13:54:30Z
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Three Texas men have been booked, accused of trying to steal catalytic converters from cars at a local dealership.
Roland J Warner, 26; Javon Burks, 29; and Dontrinique Frear, 26, all of Houston, were each booked with attempted theft of more than $5,000; criminal trespassing and criminal damage to propertly.
Police were called last week to investigate some people who appeared to be trying to steal catalytic converters; witnesses saw them getting under vehicles at a local dealership with power saws.
When officers arrived they caught one person who was trying to get into a car and drive away. They learned that he and several others were staying at a hotel right next door, a spokesman said. After talking to the people in the hotel room and the suspects, one of them allegedly admitted they were trying to steal catalytic converters at the dealership next door.
Investigators also allegedly found that the men had power tools that could be used to take the converters.
A new law took effect on August 1 that would impact anyone convicted of stealing a catalytic converter; Louisiana's law now has mandatory jail time for anyone convicted of that crime after August 1. To read about it, click here.
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| 2022-08-08T13:54:36Z
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Gabby Petito's family on Monday notified Utah officials of plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that police failed to recognize their daughter was in a life-threatening situation last year when officers investigated a fight between her and her boyfriend. The fight happened weeks before authorities say the boyfriend killed her while the couple was on a cross-country van trip.
The notice of claim contends police in the tourist town of Moab missed signs that Petito was the victim of domestic violence at the hands of Brian Laundrie on Aug. 12, 2021. The officers ultimately allowed the couple to leave after requiring them to spend a night apart.
Police body camera video from that day showing Petito, 22, visibly upset was widely viewed as the investigation unfolded and raised questions about whether a different police response could have prevented her death.
"If the officers had been properly trained and followed the law, Gabby would still be alive today," said attorney James McConkie in a statement announcing the filing of the notice of claim.
Notices of claims are required before people can sue government entities and the family's claim said that the lawsuit will seek $50 million in damages.
Moab officials did not immediately respond to phone and email messages Monday seeking comment about the claim.
Petito was reported missing a month after that traffic stop, and her strangled body was discovered on Sept. 19 on the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Laundrie, 23, later killed himself in Florida after being named the only person of interest in her death. Petito and Landrie were originally from Long Island, New York.
The search for Petito drew worldwide attention, spurring a mateur sleuths to scour social media for clues. It also brought scrutiny of authorities and the news media, both of which have been criticized for focusing more attention on missing white women than on women of color.
Earlier this year, an independent investigation found that police in Moab made "several unintentional mistakes" when they came across Petito and Laundrie.
In the report, police said it was very likely that Petito "was a long-term victim of domestic violence, whether that be physically, mentally, and/or emotionally."
Laundrie killed himself in a Florida swamp, leaving behind a notebook that authorities said contained a confession.
Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, spoke about her daughter last week while announcing a $100,000 donation from the Gabby Petito Foundation to partner with the National Domestic Violence Hotline to help others survive turbulent and violent relationships.
Schmidt told The Associated Press in an interview last week that she still has many unanswered questions about what went wrong.
"Looking back, I didn't really see any signs. I think the only two people that will ever know what happened in that relationship was Gabby and Brian. And we can guess and we can make assumptions but we don't really know what happened," she added. "Most likely the scenario ended that way because something was happening for a while."
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| 2022-08-08T17:47:40Z
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BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary accused Ryanair of consumer protection violations and fined it more than three-quarters of a million euros after the budget carrier raised ticket prices to cope with a tax on what the government calls “extra profits” of industries ranging from airlines to banks.
Justice Minister Judit Varga wrote Monday on Facebook that an investigation against Ireland-based Ryanair started in June and found “unfair trade practices,” triggering a fine of 300 million Hungarian forints ($777,058).
The fine is the first tied to the tax, which led Ryanair and others to increase prices and set off a clash with industry. Hungary has said costs should not be passed along to customers.
Ryanair says it will “immediately appeal any baseless fine” but that it hasn’t received notice of one. It pointed to European Union law allowing airlines to set fares for flights within the 27-nation bloc without interference from national governments and says it will appeal to EU courts if needed.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s right-wing nationalist government says industries from banking to insurance to airlines that have enjoyed “extra profits” arising from soaring demand after the COVID-19 pandemic should contribute to the country’s economic recovery. His government blames the war in Ukraine and EU sanctions against Russia for woes like the skyrocketing energy prices, its currency weakening to record levels and inflation reaching 12.6% in June.
The government has said it hopes the tax will raise 815 billion forints ($2.1 billion) to maintain a program that reduces people’s utility bills and bolsters the military.
The economic problems “require that whichever multinational companies that make extra profit should pay their share of the costs of the overhead protection and the national defense,” Varga wrote Monday.
Economists have said some targeted industries like fossil fuels and banking are making higher-than-usual profits, but most are not. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has called the tax “highway robbery” and “idiotic,” calling on the government to end it.
Ryanair, British low-cost airline easyJet and Hungary-based budget carrier Wizz Air, have said they would add around 10 euros (dollars) to each ticket to cover the costs of the new tax.
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| 2022-08-08T18:55:34Z
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ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is offering support to firefighters and search crews in Cuba following the fire and explosions at a big oil tank farm in the western province of Matanzas.
In a telegram Monday to Cuban bishops, Francis said he was closely following news of the “unfortunate accident.” He said he was praying for all Cubans and especially those affected by the blaze for “the Lord to give you strength in this time of pain.”
The blaze began Friday night when lightning struck a storage tank during a thunderstorm, and the fire spread to a second tank early Saturday, triggering a series of explosions, officials have said. At least one body has been discovered and more than a dozen firefighters were missing.
The Argentine pope has long been close to the Cuban church and visited the island in 2015.
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| 2022-08-08T18:56:17Z
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Prominent demographers are asking the U.S. Census Bureau to abandon a controversial method for protecting survey and census participants’ confidentiality, saying it is jeopardizing the usability of numbers that are the foundation of the nation’s data infrastructure.
The Census Bureau embraced using differential privacy algorithms for the first time with the release last year of the first round of 2020 census data. Those numbers were used for determining how many congressional seats each state gets, as well as redrawing political districts in a once-a-decade process known as redistricting.
The demographers and other researchers ask in a letter to Census Bureau Director Robert Santos that the agency drop future plans to use the algorithms on two other important data releases — annual population estimates and the American Community Survey figures. The annual population estimates are used in the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal funding each year. The American Community Survey provides the most comprehensive data on how people in the U.S. live by asking questions about commuting times, internet access, family life, income, education levels, disabilities, military service and employment.
The privacy protection methods “are inappropriate for the critically important data sets, which are fundamental to American democracy and to equity in redistricting, fund allocation and planning for government services of all kind,” the letter said.
The Census Bureau has said that the differential privacy algorithms are needed since, without them, the growth of easily available third-party data combined with modern computing could allow hackers to piece together the identities of participants in its censuses and surveys in violation of the law. Previous methods of protection are no longer effective, according to the statistical agency.
A panel of three federal judges last year refused to stop the Census Bureau from using the algorithms after their use was challenged in a lawsuit by the state of Alabama.
Census consultant Terri Ann Lowenthal said the letter reflects “the significant unease about the continued usefulness of Census Bureau data in light of new efforts to protect confidentiality in the modern world.”
“The concerns get to the heart of the bureau’s mission, so I’m sure agency leadership will take them seriously and, hopefully, find acceptable solutions based on meaningful stakeholder engagement,” said Lowenthal, a former congressional staffer who specializes in census issues.
The letter was spearheaded by steering committee members from the Federal-State Cooperative for Population Estimates, which promotes cooperation and communication between the Census Bureau and state agencies responsible for demographic research. Its members started gathering signatures for the letter last week from other researchers and will present the letter to Santos sometime in the next several weeks.
Differential privacy algorithms add intentional errors to data to obscure the identity of any given participant. It is most noticeable at the smallest geographies, such as census blocks. For the next census in 2030, the demographers recommended using other methods to protect confidentiality such as combining blocks with few people.
Some of the detailed data that were made public in previous censuses won’t be released at the smallest geographic levels, and efforts to apply the algorithm have delayed the release of the next round of 2020 census data until next year, almost two years after it should have been released, the letter said.
“These key data for local government planning will be out-of-date when they are finally released,” it said.
City University of New York sociology professor emeritus Andrew Beveridge warned over the weekend at the Joint Statistical Meetings conference in Washington that private data providers are ready “to pounce” and fill the gap if researchers feel the Census Bureau data is unusable. That could lead to the privatization of the U.S. statistical infrastructure, Beveridge said during a presentation at the largest gathering of statisticians and data users in North America.
The demographers claim in their letter that the statistical agency’s credibility is on the line, saying “the experience of the last few years has undermined user trust in the Census Bureau.”
Last month at meeting sponsored by the National Academies on differential privacy, Santos was asked about the feasibility of reverting back to previous confidentiality methods.
“I understand where you are coming from. I feel your pain,” Santos said. “We have made a determination that if we want to protect data in today’s society… that is not possible.”
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Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP
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| 2022-08-08T18:56:24Z
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine traded accusations Monday that each side is shelling Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, in southern Ukraine. Russia claimed that Ukrainian shelling caused a power surge and fire and forced staff to lower output from two reactors, while Ukraine has blamed Russian troops for storing weapons there.
Nuclear experts have warned that more shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which was captured by Russia early in the war, is fraught with danger. The Kremlin echoed that statement Monday, claiming that Ukrainian shelling could create “catastrophic” consequences for Europe.
Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman, Andriy Yusov, countered that Russian forces have planted explosives at the plant to head off an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive in the region. Previously, Ukrainian officials have said Russia is launching attacks from the plant and using Ukrainian workers as human shields.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has warned that the way the plant was being run under Russian forces and the fighting going on around it pose grave health and environmental risks.
An expert in nuclear materials at Imperial College London, however, said the reactor at Zaporizhzhia is modern and housed inside a heavily reinforced steel and concrete building designed to protect against disasters.
“As such I do not believe there would be a high probably of a breach of the containment building even if it was accidently struck by an explosive shell, and even less likely the reactor itself could be damaged by such,” said Mark Wenman at the college’s Nuclear Energy Futures.
He also said the spent fuel tanks, where the shells reportedly hit, are strong and probably don’t contain much spent fuel.
“Although it may seem worrying, and any fighting on a nuclear site would be illegal according to international law, the likelihood of a serious nuclear release is still small,” he said.
Before Sunday’s shelling, the nuclear plant also came under fire last week. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Monday that the Ukrainian attack Sunday caused a power surge, and smoke at its switch facility, triggering an emergency shutdown. Fire teams extinguished the flames, and the plant’s personnel lowered the output of reactors No. 5 and No. 6 to 500 megawatts, he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged Western powers to force Kyiv to stop attacking the plant.
“Shelling of the territory of the nuclear plant by the Ukrainian armed forces is highly dangerous,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. “It’s fraught with catastrophic consequences for vast territories, for the entire Europe.”
But Yusov, Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman, said the shelling came from Russian forces.
“If it’s not so,” he added, “if it doesn’t conform to reality, the Russians can make a goodwill gesture and hand over control of the plant to an international commission and the IAEA, if not to the Ukrainian military.”
Yusov said Russia used similar tactics at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear plant when they occupied it early in the war. “This is a strategy of terror and scorched earth used by the Russians ahead of an inevitable Ukrainian counteroffensives in the south,” he said.
Meanwhile, one of the ships that left Ukraine under a deal to unblock grain supplies and stave off a global food crisis arrived in Turkey, becoming the first vessel to reach its destination. The Turkey-flagged Polarnet, laden with 12,000 tons of corn, docked at the port of Derince after setting off from Chornomorsk on Friday.
“This sends a message of hope to every family in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia: Ukraine won’t abandon you,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. “If Russia sticks to its obligations, the ‘grain corridor’ will keep maintaining global food security.”
Polarnet Captain Ahmet Yucel Alibeyler highlighted the risks faced by grain-carrying ships trying to cross the Black Sea.
“These were, of course, dangerous areas, corridors that had been cleared, demined,” he said.
On the front lines of the war, the Kremlin reasserted Monday that Russia will keep up its military attacks on Ukraine until it achieves its goals.
Ukraine’s presidential office said the Russians had shelled seven Ukrainian regions over the previous 24 hours, killing five people.
Ukrainian forces struck Russian-controlled areas in the south, local officials said, again hitting a strategic bridge in the southern city of Kherson.
The Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol, a Russian-controlled city in the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region, said Ukraine used U.S. HIMARS rocket launchers to shell several facilities where the Russian military was stationed.
Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Moscow-appointed administration of the Kherson region, said Ukrainian shelling again damaged the Antonivskiy bridge over the Dnieper River. An artery for Russian military supplies, the bridge has been closed in recent weeks because of earlier shelling, and plans to reopen it on Wednesday were now shelved, Stremousov said.
Russian forces also kept shelling Nikopol, just across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Ukraine’s presidential office said. Nikopol’s gas pipelines, plumbing and power lines are no longer functioning, leaving thousands of people without electricity.
A total of 12 ships have now been authorized to sail under the grain deal between Ukraine and Russia, which was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations — 10 outbound and two inbound. Some 322,000 metric tons of agricultural products have left Ukrainian ports, the bulk of it corn but also sunflower oil and soya.
Four ships that left Ukraine on Sunday are expected to anchor near Istanbul on Monday evening for inspection Tuesday to make sure they are carrying only food items and no weapons.
The first cargo ship to leave Ukraine, the Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, which left Odessa on Aug. 1, hit a snag, however. It was heading for Lebanon with 26,000 metric tons of corn for chicken feed, but ran into a business dispute and will no longer dock there, the Tripoli port chief said.
Ukraine’s embassy in Beirut tweeted Monday that the corn’s final buyer in Lebanon refused to accept the cargo due to a delivery delay, and that the shipper was looking for another customer.
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Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, Mehmet Guzel in Derince, Turkey, and Andrew Wilks in Istanbul contributed.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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| 2022-08-08T18:56:39Z
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A bond hearing has been set for Thursday for an Arnaudville man accused of multiple counts of child molestatiaon.
Jack Joseph Ray Sr., 71, was booked most recently with sexual battery (2 counts), indecent behavior with juveniles (2 counts), aggravated crime against nature (2 counts), contributing to the delinquency of juveniles (2 counts), molestation of a juvenile or person with a physical or mental disability, obscenity (2 counts), records at the St. Landry Parish jail show.
But that's not his first arrest; we reached out to St. Landry District Attorney Chad Pitre, who tells KATC that Ray also was arrested in July and booked with indecent behavior with a juvenile and sexual battery. His bond on those charges was set at $11,500, Pitre said.
Ray was out of jail when he was arrested again last week.
Pitre said his office immediately asked the court to hold Ray without bond, a request that was granted. A recovation hearing for the July bond is set for Thursday.
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| 2022-08-08T21:01:01Z
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Karen Raschke, a retired attorney in New York, started getting her groceries delivered early in the pandemic. Each delivery cost $30 in fees and tips, but it was worth it to avoid the store.
Then earlier this spring, Raschke learned her rent was increasing by $617 per month. Delivery was one of the first things she cut from her budget. Now, the 75-year-old walks four blocks to the grocery several times a week. She only uses delivery on rare occasions, like a recent heat wave.
“To do it every week is not sustainable,” she said.
Raschke isn’t alone. U.S. demand for grocery delivery is cooling as prices for food and other necessities rise. Some are shifting to pickup — a less expensive alternative where shoppers pull up curbside or go into the store to collect their already-bagged groceries — while others say they’re comfortable doing the shopping themselves.
Grocery delivery saw tremendous growth during the first year of the pandemic. In August 2019 — a typical pre-pandemic month — Americans spent $500 million on grocery delivery. By June 2020, it had ballooned to a $3.4 billion business, according to Brick Meets Click, a market research company.
Companies rushed to fill that demand. DoorDash and Uber Eats began offering grocery delivery. Kroger — the nation’s largest grocer — opened automated warehouses to fulfill delivery orders. Amazon opened a handful of Amazon Fresh groceries, which provide free delivery to Prime members. Hyper-fast grocery delivery companies like Jokr and Buyk expanded into U.S. cities.
But as the pandemic eased, demand softened. In June 2022, Americans spent $2.5 billion on grocery delivery — down 26% from 2020. For comparison, they spent $3.4 billion on grocery pickup, which saw demand drop 10.5% from its pandemic highs.
That’s causing some turmoil in the industry. Buyk filed for bankruptcy in March; Jokr pulled out of the U.S. in June. Instacart — the U.S. market leader in grocery delivery — slashed its own valuation by 40% to $24 billion in March ahead of a potential IPO. Kroger said its digital sales — which include pickup and delivery — dropped 6% in the first quarter of this year.
Some think delivery demand could drop further. Chase Design, a consulting firm, says its surveys show the number of U.S. shoppers who plan to use grocery delivery “all the time” has fallen by half since 2021.
Cost is the biggest reason. Peter Cloutier, the growth and commercial strategy lead at Chase Design, said it’s difficult to get groceries to a customer’s door for less than a $10 premium, which covers labor and transportation. Often, that cost is higher.
Consider a basket of eight staples from Target, including a gallon of milk, a dozen eggs and a pound of ground beef. In store, the order would ring up at $35.12. Target offers curbside pickup for free. Delivery costs $9.99, not including a tip.
DoorDash also offers delivery from Target, but it charges more for each item on its website. The cart rings up at $39.90 from DoorDash, which then adds $12.18 in taxes and delivery fees. If the consumer adds a $10 tip, that totals $62.08.
Both DoorDash and Target offer free delivery through subscriptions, but those come with a monthly or yearly fee.
The premiums are tough to swallow on top of skyrocketing food prices. In June, U.S. grocery food prices were up 12.2% over the last 12 months, the largest increase since April 1979, according to government data.
Cynthia Carrasco White, an attorney for a nonprofit in Los Angeles, got accustomed to grocery delivery during the pandemic. She still prefers it, since her youngest child isn’t fully vaccinated and it saves time.
But earlier this summer, as gas prices approached $7 and a box of strawberries neared $9, she got serious about cutting costs.
White now toggles between Instacart, Uber Eats, Walmart and others, using whichever has the best offers and coupons. She will sometimes spend two hours filling a delivery cart and then wait to see if more promotions are posted before she finishes her order. And she has cut back on the amount she tips drivers.
“The economy has definitely taken the wind out of our sails,” she said. “It’s just this endless pressure.”
Retailers are responding by varying delivery prices by time of day. On a recent morning, Walmart offered to deliver a $35 order within two hours for $17.95; that dropped to $7.95 if the order could be delivered between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
But cost isn’t the only reason some consumers are moving away from delivery. Cloutier says many customers are wary of the quality of items selected by workers.
“There’s a trust gap between what the shopper wants to get and what the retailer fulfills,” Cloutier said.
Delivery companies are trying to improve that. Last month, Uber Eats announced upgrades to its online grocery offering, including the ability for consumers to see the products as workers scan them.
But even that may not entice some shoppers.
Diane Kovacs, a college lecturer in Brunswick, Ohio, has been using curbside pickup for nearly a decade. It saves her money, she says, because she doesn’t get sucked into impulse buys inside the grocery.
She got her groceries delivered briefly during the pandemic and she didn’t mind paying $10 or $15 a week for the service. But she still prefers pickup. She likes driving her dogs to the store and chatting with the employees.
“I think that people are not using delivery because they want to get the heck out of the house,” she said.
True demand for grocery delivery is tough to calculate. Usage can swing wildly when COVID cases rise or companies offer discounts, said David Bishop, a partner at Brick Meets Click.
But he sees some patterns emerging. Households with young children and people with mobility issues are sticking with delivery. People over 60 have generally gone back to shopping in person.
Bishop says delivery saw five years of growth in the first three months of the pandemic, and demand is probably still elevated. Eventually, he expects delivery sales to settle into more regular growth of about 10% per year. But delivery won’t go away, he said.
“I don’t see it moving all the way back to pre-COVID levels. That can has been opened up,” he said.
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| 2022-08-08T21:32:56Z
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MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian rocket on Tuesday successfully launched an Iranian satellite into orbit.
The Soyuz rocket lifted off as scheduled at 8:52 a.m. Moscow time (0552 GMT) Tuesday from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan.
About nine minutes after the launch, it placed the Iranian satellite called Khayyam into orbit. It’s named after Omar Khayyam, a Persian scientist who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries.
Iran has said the satellite fitted with high-resolution camera will be used for environmental monitoring and will remain fully under its control.
Tehran said no other country will have access to information it gathers and it would be used for civilian purposes only, but there have been allegations that Russia may use it for surveillance of Ukraine amid its military action there.
If it operates successfully, the satellite would give Iran the ability to monitor its archenemy Israel and other countries in the Middle East.
Yuri Borisov, head of Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos, hailed the launch as an “important landmark” in cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.
Iranian state television aired footage of the launch live, noting that the country’s telecommunications minister attended the liftoff in Kazakhstan. Tehran said the satellite will help improve productivity in the agriculture sector, survey water resources, manage natural disasters, confront deforestation and monitor border areas.
Citing Iran’s civilian space agency, state television said the satellite would provide high-resolution surveillance images with a one-meter-per-pixel definition. Western civilian satellites offer around half-a-meter per pixel, while U.S. spy satellites are believed to have even-greater definition.
Iran has both a civilian and military space program, which the U.S. fears could be used to advance its ballistic missile program. However, Iran has seen a series of mishaps and failed satellite launches over recent years.
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| 2022-08-09T10:29:28Z
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Abrams calls on using budget surplus to invest in Georgians
DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams says it’s time for Georgia to use its budget surplus to invest in its residents.
In a preview of a speech on the economy she’s expected to deliver Tuesday, Abrams says Gov. Brian Kemp and other Republicans have been hurting the state by prioritizing low taxes and low spending. Kemp hopes the economy is an especially potent issue for him in Georgia as he points to billions of new investment in the state under his administration. He plans to unveil his own plans for Georgia’s surplus on Thursday.
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| 2022-08-09T11:14:32Z
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Animal rescues hosting pet pantry events in Bibb, Twiggs Counties
If you are in need of items for your furry friend, you're in luck!
JEFFERSONVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — If you are in need of items for your furry friend, you’re in luck!
Island Breeze Animal Rescue in Jeffersonville is hosting a pet pantry next weekend.
It’s in partnership with the Humane Society of the United States and Chewy. Available items include dog food, cat food and cat litter. Microchipping will also be available for $10.
Crystal Vargas, the owner of Island Breeze Animal Rescue, says the goal of the pet pantry is to keep people from having to surrender their pets.
“They send the items that they cannot use for the community,” Vargas said. “Which is great because that means maybe someone can get a meal on their table instead of worrying about having to buy a bag of dog food.”
The pet pantry will be at Island Breeze, located at 511 Railroad Street in Jeffersonville. It’s on August 20 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
SOS Rescue is also hosting a pet pantry on August 9 in Macon at 3870 Lake Street. It starts at 5 p.m. and lasts until 6:30 p.m.
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Coach’s Corner 2022: John Abernathy of the Tattnall Trojans
On this edition of Coach’s Corner, 41NBC’s Bill Shanks talks football with head coach John Abernathy of the Tattnall Trojans. The Trojans had a great season last year under coach Abernathy, but now they face a challenge in a tougher region.
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Coach’s Corner 2022: Kip Burdette of the West Laurens Raiders
On this edition of Coach's Corner, 41NBC's Bill Shanks talks football with head coach Kip Burdette of the West Laurens Raiders.
On this edition of Coach’s Corner, 41NBC’s Bill Shanks talks football with head coach Kip Burdette of the West Laurens Raiders. Coach Burdette has taken over the West Laurens program for his first year as a head coach, hear how he plans to rebuild with some new starters.
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| 2022-08-09T11:14:51Z
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Downtown Macon parking meters undergoing upgrades
The parking meters in downtown Macon are undergoing some upgrades.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The parking meters in downtown Macon are undergoing some upgrades.
You may have seen signs on the meters recently asking you to use the Passport parking app or ppprk.com to pay for parking.
According to Assistant Director for the Urban Development Authority, Robert Stephens, the meters have been experiencing receiver issues due to the shutdown of 3G towers.
PARK Macon-Bibb has sent 400 receivers to be upgraded to receive 4G signals.
Stephens explains why paid parking is important.
“You actually want to facilitate turnover so that people are coming in and out,” he said. “So that means more customers for businesses, more staff being hired, it’s better for the productive capacity of the city.”
Stephens says he expects the meters to be fully operational in a little more than a month.
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| 2022-08-09T11:14:57Z
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‘Grease’ actress and singer Olivia Newton-John dies at 73
Newton-John battled breast cancer for 30 years.
NBC4 (WASHINGTON) – Actress and singer Olivia Newton-John, best known for her portrayal as Sandy in the 1978 hit “Grease” and for her hit song “Physical,” has died. She was 73.
Her official Instagram account made the shocking announcement Monday, saying the actress and activist had died peacefully surrounded by family at her ranch in Southern California.
Newton-John battled breast cancer for 30 years.
“Olivia is survived by her husband John Easterling; daughter Chloe Lattanzi; sister Sarah Newton-John; brother Toby Newton-John; nieces and nephews Tottie, Fiona and Brett Goldsmith; Emerson, Charlie, Zac, Jeremy, Randall, and Pierz Newton-John; Jude Newton-Stock, Layla Lee; Kira and Tasha Edelstein; and Brin and Valerie Hall,” the post reads.
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ICYMI: Stories you may have missed today on 41NBC News
Top stories from August 8, 2022
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Dublin man charged after firing shots into air near Johnson County football stadium Friday
- For other stories you may have missed today on 41NBC News, click here.
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In dry California, salty water creeps into key waterways
RIO VISTA, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers are central arms of California’s water system. But they are becoming too salty to use for some farmers and cities that rely on them as the state’s punishing drought drags on.
In dry times, less fresh water flows from the mountains through California’s rivers and into an estuary known as the Delta. That means saltier water from the Pacific Ocean is able to push further into the system, which supplies water to millions of people and acres of farmland. The Delta’s challenges foreshadow the risks to come for key water supplies from drought and sea level rise made worse by climate change.
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Macon golfer qualifies for the 122nd U.S. Amateur
"Last summer, I don't know if I would have dreamed of this."
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods are just some legends who have captured a U.S. Amateur championship. And now, Mercer golfer and Macon native Jay Spivey has a chance to add his name to that prestigious list at the 122nd U.S. Amateur.
“It’s just an opportunity that I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid, and so for it to be real is pretty crazy. Last summer, I don’t know if I would have dreamed of this,” said Spivey.
7,800 amateur golfers from around the world, with a handicap under 2.4, competed in 94 tournaments across North America, only to have 312 qualify. Over the first two days of the U.S. Am, the players will compete for 64 spots in match-play. Once in match-play, players will go head-to-head until the final two golfers stand on Sunday for a chance to capture the title.
“I want to make match-play. Top 64 get in there. If I can get to match-play, then I feel like anything can happen,” said Spivey. “I always really like match play. I like to do that head-on-head type style. You know, I grew up playing a lot of different types of sports, so that’s kind of what I’m used to.”
A crucial element of tournament play is having a caddy who understands the course but also has extensive knowledge of the golfer’s game. Luckily for Spivey, his father has been his caddy since his sophomore year of high school.
It used to be a father-son relationship, but as Spivey’s game has improved, their relationship inside the ropes has become more professional. However, heading to one of the biggest amateur events, Spivey thought twice about hiring a local caddie with knowledge of the tournament course.
“I was really thinking hard about if I wanted him to caddy for me, just because it’s unfamiliar territory. We’ve never been in this situation before, but why would you go with something different whenever you play so well with somebody on the bag with you? Yeah, he’s coming with me,” said Spivey.
With his caddy situation figured out, luck continues to be on Spivey’s side since the tournament location, The Ridgewood Country Club and Arcola Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey, play like an old-school course.
“Old-school country club courses I just love. They’re so much fun to me. You can play many different types of shots. And then the grass on the greens is what I grew up on, bent grass. So some of my best tournaments have come from these types of golf courses. So I was very thrilled when I was looking at it and realized okay, this place really fits my game,” said Spivey.
If Spivey wins the U.S. Am, he will get exemptions into the Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship, to name a few tournaments.
The 122nd U.S. Amateur begins on August 15, and if Spivey makes it to match play, he can be watched on Peacock, NBC Golf or Golf Channel starting on Wednesday, August 17.
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| 2022-08-09T11:15:21Z
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Man who shot Ahmaud Arbery gets life sentence for hate crime
Travis McMichael was sentenced Monday by a U.S. District Court judge
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The white man who fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery after chasing the 25-year-old Black man in a Georgia neighborhood has been sentenced to life in prison for committing a federal hate crime.
Travis McMichael was sentenced Monday by a U.S. District Court judge in the port city of Brunswick. His punishment is largely symbolic, as McMichael was previously sentenced to life without parole in a Georgia state court for Arbery’s murder.
McMichael and his father armed themselves with guns and used a pickup truck to chase Arbery after he ran past their home on Feb. 23, 2020.
Neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan joined the pursuit and recorded cellphone video of McMichael blasting Arbery with a shotgun.
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Milledgeville restaurant back open following weekend fire
Buffington's employees experienced a scary situation early Saturday morning while they were closing down the restaurant.
MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Buffington’s employees experienced a scary situation early Saturday morning while they were closing down the restaurant.
The electrical panel caught fire, and thanks to a quick acting employee, the fire was contained in minutes.
Buffington’s owner Mike Hufstetler says a lot of things went right that morning, and he’s thankful the situation wasn’t much worse.
“Luckily the fire department showed up and did their job in a very timely fashion, or we would have been a total loss,” he said.
He says his staff was cleaning up for the next day when the lights flickered. One of them then ran to the basement and saw the electrical panel on fire. Hufstetler says if no one was there to call 911, the building could have been a total loss.
“This place is 200 years old,” he said. “It’s built out of hard pine. If that hard pine had caught fire, I’m not sure where it might have stopped. We might have burned down our neighbors’ buildings along with ours. This whole block is over 200 years old, so we were blessed. We were really lucky it happened when it did.”
David Ussery, the Battalion Chief for the Milledgeville Fire Department, says they were dispatched to Buffington’s at 2 a.m. on Saturday and got to the scene in a minute and a half.
Chief Ussery says the person who called was extremely detailed about where the fire was. That allowed them to create a plan before they got on scene. The first thing they did was shut off power and gas, and then they put the flames out.
“We located the fire, extinguished it and everything just went really smoothly,” he said.
Milledgeville Fire conducts pre-fire planning at commercial structures. It just so happens that the pre-fire planning for Buffington’s happened last week.
“This scene could have been a lot worse, but because we had enough personnel, we had early detection, and we had pre-fire planning, there were no injuries,” Ussery said.
Hufstetler says the community helped get his business up and running again. Baxley Electric Company and Lowe’s Electrical helped replace the electrical panel on Saturday.
“I didn’t even think the work would start until Monday at the earliest,” he said. “I can’t be thankful enough for those guys coming in and working the way they did.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The Milledgeville Fire Department believes the fire started due to a malfunction within the electrical panel. Buffington’s plans to install a fire alarm in case of another fire in the future.
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| 2022-08-09T11:15:33Z
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Museum of Aviation welcomes new plane
The Museum of Aviation welcomed a MiG-21, a Soviet Union era plane, to its fleet this past weekend.
WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Museum of Aviation welcomed a MiG-21, a Soviet Union era plane, to its fleet this past weekend.
The plane was able to reach speeds up to 1,400 miles per hour and could reach heights up to 58,000 feet.
“It allows us, our visitors to see foreign technology for our airmen,” museum director Ken Emory said. “To see some of the advisories that we flew against during different conflicts, so it’s a big add for us and we’re glad to have it.”
The MiG-21 joins a MiG-19 already at the museum.
The plane will undergo some cosmetic repairs before going inside one of the exhibit hangers.
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| 2022-08-09T11:15:39Z
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New prosecutor named in Eurie Martin case after mistrial
Eurie Martin died in the 2017 Washington County incident.
SANDERSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A new prosecutor has been assigned to consider retrying three former Georgia sheriff’s deputies accused of killing a man they shocked with stun guns while he was walking down a rural road in 2017.
Columbus-based District Attorney Stacey Jackson was assigned to the case after the district attorney where the death occurred stepped aside. A judge declared mistrials in October 2021 after Washington County jurors deadlocked in deliberations over the guilt of Henry Lee Copeland, Michael Howell and Rhett Scott.
Eurie Martin died in the incident. His relatives have been lobbying for a new trial
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| 2022-08-09T11:15:46Z
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Photo booth now available in downtown Macon
You may have noticed a new photo booth on the corner of Second and Poplar Streets in downtown Macon.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – You may have noticed a new photo booth on the corner of Second and Poplar Streets in downtown Macon.
The booth made its debut on July 27, just before Bragg Jam.
The booth was made made possible by a collaboration between Fall Line Brewing and NewTown Macon.
Director of Place for NewTown Macon, Emily Hopkins, says the booth is another way to bring the community together.
“In less than a week, we had over 200 transactions at the photo booth,” she said. “So I think that’s a testament to this being a really cool addition to downtown Macon. People want this opportunity that is really different and unique and unexpected and want to take advantage of them and use things like this.”
For $5, you can get two strips of photos.
Hopkins says there is no definitive timeline for how long the booth will stay in downtown Macon.
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Scattered storms possible Tuesday
We will definitely still need the umbrella for most of this week as pop up storms stick around, but cooler weather is in the weekend forecast.
We have been seeing scattered storms across Middle Georgia for much of the day today, with a few more possible overnight.
Tuesday morning we will be waking up to some patchy fog and low cloud cover before the sun returns to heat us up.
Highs will be warming to the mid and low 90s by the afternoon with scattered showers mainly after 2pm.
Main threats with any storms will be heavy rain and frequent lightning.
Wednesday should pretty much be a repeat of Monday and Tuesday.
By Thursday we will see our rain chances increase as a cold front pushes into the southeast.
Unlike most fronts during the summer, this one will actually move through Middle Georgia.
This will help to cool our temps through the weekend, as well as dry us out a bit.
By Sunday/Monday we will see a nice drop in humidity that should keep much of the area dry.
To distract from the monotony of our summer showers, the tropics have decided to wake up.
We are currently monitoring an area of activity off the coast of Africa.
This area of storms currently has a 40% chance of tropical cyclone formation within the next 5 days.
It’s nothing to be worried about right now, but definitely bears watching.
We will definitely still need the umbrella for most of this week in Middle Georgia as pop up storms stick around, but thankfully, cooler temps are on the way for the end of the week.
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St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Macon celebrating 150 years of education
St. Joseph's Catholic School in Macon is celebrating 150 years of educating children.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Macon is celebrating 150 years of educating children.
The school is also celebrating the start of a brand new school year.
The school was established in 1872 and has kept a lot of its traditions while also incorporating new ones.
For example, Monday mornings always start with a prayer, a tradition that’s been going for 150 years.
Principal Amanda Rogers says 150 years is a milestone.
“To me it’s just a testament to community, a testament to the families that came before that made this possible, a witness to faith in the community,” she said.
Over the years, the school has expanded from 1st to 6th grade to include students as young as two years old.
It’s also added electives that teachers like Lucinda Simpson say weren’t there when she attended.
“We’ve added theater this year,” she said. “We add clusters in the afternoons where students get to choose if they’re going to do fishing or arts.”
Simpson says in her 15 years at St. Joseph’s, getting to teach legacy students has been the best part.
Legacy students are students who have a family member who also attended the school.
“Parents keep coming back and bringing their children,” she said. “It’s just unbelievable, and the connection of family when you walk through the doors and the love and the faith that we have, it’s just interwoven, it’s just amazing.”
Fourth grader Savannah Huffman, a legacy student, says the school is a place that brings everyone together.
“Our family has been to St. Joseph’s, and more family has been to St. Joseph’s, so it’s kind of special,” she said.
The school has its highest enrollment this year with more than 150 students.
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| 2022-08-09T11:16:04Z
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Study connects climate hazards to 58% of infectious diseases
A new study finds climate hazards aggravate 58% of known infection diseases in people.
Monday’s study shows how widespread the influence of extreme weather such as flooding, heat waves and drought is on human illnesses. The study looks at cases that already happened. Researchers calculate 286 unique sicknesses connected to what they call climate hazards. And of those illnesses, extreme weather made it worse in 223 maladies. The study doesn’t do the calculations to formally attribute the diseases to climate change. But several scientists call it a terrifying illustration of climate change’s effect on human health.
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| 2022-08-09T11:16:10Z
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The current pattern continues
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Average conditions with afternoon and evening storms will continue into the new week around Middle Georgia.
Today
We had a few clouds around the region as we rolled into our Monday morning, however around the sunrise a thick layer of low level clouds and fog filled in, likely a result of the late rain seen yesterday evening. We could see more of that late rain today as well as the current pattern persists. Highs around Middle Georgia today will be in the upper 80s and lower 90s, about average for this time of year.
Storms will begin to fire up in the afternoon, though early on we likely will not see too many of them. Our pattern as of late has brought many storms to Middle Georgia in the evening and early overnight hours, however, and we will likely see that be the case again today. A good portion of Middle Georgia should see rain or at least here thunder at some point between today and tonight.
A few storms may even persist into the middle of the night. Storms should not last into tomorrow morning, however, and aside from a few isolated storms skies around Middle Georgia should be mostly clear overnight. Lows will drop into the lower 70s for most of the region, however one or two spots may see upper 60s rolling into Tuesday morning.
Tomorrow
We will likely see more of the same tomorrow as partly cloudy conditions continue to grip the Peach State. Highs will be in the lower 90s for most of the region as heat indices push into the upper 90s. Storms may begin to fire up in the late lunchtime hours, however the likelihood will increase as we push further into the evening. Close to half of the region will either see rain or hear thunder.
A couple of storms could persist into the overnight hours tomorrow night as well. Lows will stick in the lower 70s and upper 60s, and locations that see late/overnight rain will have increased chances for fog leading into Wednesday morning.
Tropics Update
It has been a quiet summer in the Atlantic basin so far this year in regards to hurricane season, however the National Hurricane Center has designated Invest 97-L off of the west coast of Africa. It currently has a 40% chance to form into a tropical depression within the next 5 days.
Follow Meteorologist Aaron Lowery on Facebook (Aaron Lowery 41NBC) and Twitter (@ALowWX) for weather updates throughout the day. Also, you can watch his forecasts Monday through Friday on 41NBC News at Daybreak (6-7 a.m.) and 41Today (11 a.m).
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CHICAGO, Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FTX, a leading regulated cryptocurrency company, today announced an integration with Reddit's Community Points in the US, EU, Australia, and other global markets. The partnership features the integration of FTX Pay as a white-label payment and exchange solution to support users onboarding Community Points.
Reddit Community Points are a measure of reputation in users' communities. In subreddits, they are displayed next to usernames, so the biggest community contributors stand out from the crowd. Because Community Points are on the Arbitrum Nova blockchain, users can take their reputation anywhere they're recognized on the Internet. The integration of FTX Pay allows users to purchase Ether cryptocurrency from supported Reddit apps, which then can be used to pay blockchain network fees for their Community Points transactions on-chain.
Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX's CEO commented on today's news: "We're excited to partner with Reddit to continue their work to empower online communities to harness the power of blockchain. FTX Pay's payment and exchange infrastructure integrates with Reddit Community Points, making the customer experience a more seamless process."
Niraj Sheth, Staff Software Engineer at Reddit, shared: "We're always working to empower communities and introduce new ways to use Reddit, and decentralized, self-sustaining blockchain technology allows us to do that. By working with FTX, we're able to do this at scale."
FTX US is a US-regulated cryptocurrency exchange, built from the ground up. Its mission is for FTX US to grow the digital currency ecosystem, offer US and international traders a platform that inspires their loyalty, and to become a market-leading US-regulated cryptocurrency exchange.
To learn more about FTX US, please visit: https://ftx.us/
Jay Morakis
M Group Strategic Communications (for FTX & FTX US)
ftx@mgroupsc.com
646-859-5951
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE FTX US
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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s first leftist president presented an ambitious tax plan on Monday that aims to raise up to $11 billion a year for anti-poverty programs.
Gustavo Petro was sworn into office on Sunday, and has promised to fight economic inequality while investing in rural areas that have long been haunted by drug-related violence.
Less than 24 hours after taking his presidential oath, the new president presented a tax reform plan to his nation’ s congress that will increase income taxes on wealthy individuals and place a 10% levy on oil exports. The bill also includes an annual wealth tax on individuals who have a net worth of more than $750,000 as well as sales taxes on soft drinks and highly processed foods.
Petro, who was formerly a member of a rebel group, has said it is vital for Colombia to increase state spending in order to fight poverty and implement a 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that includes land reform and rural development programs.
Tax collection in the South American Nation was worth roughly 19% of its total GDP in 2020, which is slightly below the Latin American average. Members of the OECD, an organization made up mostly of developed countries, collect an average of 33% of their GDP in taxes.
Governments in Colombia have long struggled with tax collection because much of the population works in the informal economy. Last year, an effort by conservative President Iván Duque to raise income taxes and some sales taxes sparked massive protests in which more than 50 people were killed.
Petro’s incoming finance minister said the new tax reform plan will only attempt to raise income taxes on the wealthiest 2% of individuals. He has urged Colombia’s wealthiest citizens to accept greater taxation, and addressed the issue during his inauguration speech.
“This should not be viewed as a punishment or a sacrifice,” he said. “It is simply a solidary payment that someone fortunate makes to a society that has enabled them to generate wealth.”
The government has also proposed doubling the nation’s 10% tax on dividends from stocks, and taxing the products of digital companies that aren’t based in Colombia. This might mean that Colombians would have to pay more taxes on their Netflix subscriptions or on books they buy on Amazon.
Colombia’s congress will now have to debate Petro’s proposed plan, which is expected to affect several areas of the economy.
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| 2022-08-09T19:00:29Z
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DALLAS (AP) — A Southwest Airlines flight attendant suffered a compression fracture to a vertebra in her upper back during a hard landing last month in California, according to federal safety investigators.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the impact of landing was so hard that the flight attendant thought the plane had crashed. She felt pain in her back and neck and could not move, and was taken to a hospital where she was diagnosed with the fracture.
The safety board completed its investigation without saying what caused the hard larding.
The NTSB said none of the other 141 people on board the plane were injured in the incident at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California.
The pilots told investigators that they were aiming for the normal touchdown zone on the relatively short runway.
“However, it ended up being a firm landing,” the NTSB said in its final report, dated Friday.
Dallas-based Southwest said in a statement Monday, “We reported the matter to the NTSB in accordance with regulatory requirements and conducted an internal review of the event.”
A spokeswoman for the airline declined to provide further information when asked about the result of the internal investigation and whether the plane was inspected for evidence of damage that could occur during a hard landing. The plane has been making several flights a day, according to tracking services.
Shortly after the 18-year-old Boeing 737-700 taxied off the runway, the pilots — a 55-year-old captain and 49-year-old co-pilot — were told about the injury to the flight attendant, who was in a jump seat at the back of the plane.
The NTSB, which did not travel to the accident site, has not made its documents from the investigation publicly available.
The runway that the plane landed on is only 5,700 feet long (1,700 meters). By comparison, runways at nearby Los Angeles International Airport range between 8,900 and nearly 13,000 feet (2,700 to 3,900 meters).
The NTSB investigation was reported earlier by The Dallas Morning News.
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GREENWOOS, Miss. (AP) — A grand jury in Mississippi has declined to indict the white woman whose accusation set off the lynching of Black teenager Emmett Till nearly 70 years ago, despite revelations about an unserved arrest warrant and a newly revealed memoir by the woman, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
A Leflore County grand jury considered evidence and testimony regarding Carolyn Bryant Donham’s involvement in the kidnapping and death of Till, Leflore County District Attorney Dewayne Richardson said in a news release.
After hearing more than seven hours of testimony from investigators and witnesses, the grand jury determined that there was not sufficient evidence to indict Donham, Richardson said. Charges of both kidnaping and manslaughter were considered.
The news that the grand jury had declined to charge Donham makes it increasingly unlikely that she will ever be prosecuted for her role in the events that led to Till’s death.
A group searching the basement of the Leflore County Courthouse in June discovered the unserved arrest warrant charging Donham, then-husband Roy Bryant and brother-in-law J.W. Milam in Till’s abduction in 1955. While the men were arrested and acquitted on murder charges in Till’s subsequent slaying, Donham, 21 at the time and 87 now, was never taken into custody.
In an unpublished memoir obtained last month by The Associated Press, Donham said she was unaware of what would happen to the 14-year-old Till, who lived in Chicago and was visiting relatives in Mississippi when he was abducted, killed and tossed in a river. She accused him of making lewd comments and grabbing her while she worked alone at a family store in Money, Mississippi.
Donham said in the manuscript that the men brought Till to her in the middle of the night for identification but that she tried to help the youth by denying it was him. Despite being abducted at gunpoint from a family home by Roy Bryant and Milam, the 14-year-old identified himself to the men, she claimed.
Till’s battered, disfigured body was found days later in a river, where it was weighted down with a heavy metal fan. The decision by his mother, Mamie Till Mobley, to open Till’s casket for his funeral in Chicago demonstrated the horror of what had happened and added fuel to the civil rights movement.
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| 2022-08-09T19:58:49Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation is going to add over $1 billion to the U.S. Postal Service budget, necessitating a request for another rate increase in January, but the service is well prepared for the November election, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Tuesday.
The Postal Service has already delivered about 40 million ballots to and from voters along with a total of 550 million COVID-19 test kits, DeJoy said.
“Americans should be confident that the United States Postal Service is well prepared and will provide extraordinary services in these coming November elections,” he told the Board of Governors.
Third quarter results for the first time reflected a sweeping congressional overhaul — leading to a non-cash benefit of nearly $59.6 billion. But DeJoy cautioned against reading too much into the one-time benefit, without which the Postal Service would’ve suffered an adjusted loss of $459 million.
“The fact of the matter is that we have a long road and a lot of hard work ahead in our 10-year transformation to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the Postal Service,” DeJoy said.
The quarterly results were the first to reflect an overhaul signed into law by President Joe Biden in April.
The Postal Service Reform Act lifted requirements that contributed to the agency’s red ink, like prepaying future retiree health benefits — an obligation that private companies and federal agencies do not face. It also cemented a requirement for mail delivery six days a week.
Several members of the public who spoke at the meeting implored governors to increase the number of electric next-generation delivery vehicles and to ensure that union workers build them.
The first of those new vehicles will begin rolling next year, with half the first batch of 50,000 vehicles being powered by electricity.
As for postal rates, DeJoy previously warned that they’re going to be necessary, especially in the face of inflation.
Rates last went up in July with the cost of a first-class Forever stamp increasing by 2 cents to 60 cents.
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| 2022-08-10T00:21:13Z
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Coach’s Corner 2022: Josh Ingram of the Veterans Warhawks
On this edition of Coach's Corner, 41NBC's Bill Shanks talks football with head coach Josh Ingram of the Veterans Warhawks.
On this edition of Coach’s Corner, 41NBC’s Bill Shanks talks football with head coach Josh Ingram of the Veterans Warhawks. Coach Ingram, having just taken over as head coach, is hoping to turn around the young Veterans program.
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| 2022-08-10T07:44:12Z
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Evening storm chances remain high
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The recent pattern of storms in the evening and nighttime will continue today.
Today
We again woke up to some patchy fog around Middle Georgia, however we did not see as many low level clouds fill in as yesterday. This will allow temperatures to rise faster through the first half of the day. Highs are anticipated to be in the lower 90s for most of the region with a handful of spots sticking in the upper 80s. Heat indices will be in the mid to upper 90s. Scattered cloud fields will populate the skies throughout the afternoon.
Storm chances will increase further as the day goes on with most of them likely taking place during the late evening hours. Rain persisting into the middle of hate night is also likely, making for some great sleeping weather. The overnight rain will likely lead to more patchy fog and low level cloud cover tomorrow morning.
Outside of the rain chances tonight will be mostly cloudy but calm. Lows will drop into the lower 70s with a couple of spots dipping into the upper 60s. Ambient winds will continue to come from the south-southwest at about 5 mph.
Tomorrow
Should the rain forecast for this evening and tonight hold true, tomorrow morning will likely be a foggy and cloudy one for many around Middle Georgia. Following that start, however, things will be very similar to today as highs again reach the lower 90s under partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies. Storm chances will again be highest in the late evening and overnight hours, potentially leading to more fog Thursday morning.
Overnight conditions aside from rain chances tomorrow will be mostly cloudy and humid. Lows will be in the lower 70s and upper 60s, and ambient winds will come from the southwest at about 5 mph.
Thursday and Beyond
The current pattern will persist through the rest of the work week, however a cold front will dry things out a bit ahead of the weekend as well as cool things slightly. It will almost be a bit of a fall teaser, however more heat is likely next week. Our rain chances will be elevated more on Thursday and Friday in the afternoon as the cold front passes, however.
As of the last update Invest 97-L in the tropics has a 30% chance to become a tropical depression in the next 5 days. There are no other active systems in the Atlantic Basin at this time.
Follow Meteorologist Aaron Lowery on Facebook (Aaron Lowery 41NBC) and Twitter (@ALowWX) for weather updates throughout the day. Also, you can watch his forecasts Monday through Friday on 41NBC News at Daybreak (6-7 a.m.) and 41Today (11 a.m).
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| 2022-08-10T07:44:19Z
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Florida man arrested in Monroe County, stolen vehicle recovered
A Florida man faces multiple charges after being found in possession of a stolen vehicle Tuesday afternoon.
HIGH FALLS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Florida man faces multiple charges after being found in possession of a stolen vehicle Tuesday afternoon.
A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office news release says the sheriff’s office got a call from Georgia State Patrol about a stolen vehicle out of Atlanta being located at the Sunoco gas station in High Falls. GSP told the sheriff’s office there was also a gun inside the vehicle.
Deputies arrived and observed a man, 32-year-old Letroy Mosley of Bradenton, Florida, near the stolen vehicle, a brown Kia Soul.
“When approached, the suspect jumped into the vehicle to avoid the deputies,” the release stated. “After several minutes of using loud verbal commands, the suspect exited the vehicle and was placed under arrest.”
Mosley was taken to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. He’s charged with theft by receiving stolen property and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon as well as other charges.
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| 2022-08-10T07:44:25Z
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ICYMI: Stories you may have missed today on 41NBC News
Top stories from August 9, 2022
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Johnson County School District taking new safety measures following Friday shooting incident
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Pro-Herschel Walker Super PAC gives away grocery vouchers in Jeffersonville
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Project aims to highlight stories of those living with intellectual, developmental disabilities
- For other stories you may have missed today on 41NBC News, click here.
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| 2022-08-10T07:44:31Z
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Johnson County School District taking new safety measures following Friday shooting incident
The Johnson County Board of Education is working with law enforcement to increase security during football games. The district also plans to have safety drills involving teachers and students.
WRIGHTSVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Johnson County School District is taking new safety measures after a man fired shots during a football game Friday, sending students and fans running for safety.
The district held a news conference Tuesday to announce the efforts.
Police arrested Joshua Russell of Dublin in connection with the incident. He faces multiple charges.
School district Superintendent Dr. Christopher Watkins says law enforcement responded quickly, but you can never be too safe.
“We are JOCO, it takes the whole community and definitely we had a great response,” Dr. Watkins said. “That quick response just lets us know that we are prepared, our law enforcement was prepared, and we’re gonna be even more prepared in the future.”
The Johnson County Board of Education is working with law enforcement to increase security during football games. The district also plans to have safety drills involving teachers and students.
Dr. Watkins says he wants parents and students to feel safe at games.
“We don’t like for our fans to come on our campus and not feel safe,” he said. “So we definitely have a lot of things in place that we want to move forward with.”
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating Friday’s incident.
The school district says it plans to have the new safety measures in place for the first home game on September 2.
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| 2022-08-10T07:44:37Z
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Macon-Bibb observing Black Business Month by promoting Black businesses
Macon-Bibb's Office of Small Business Affairs is holding several events this Black Business Month to promote Black-owned businesses.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon-Bibb’s Office of Small Business Affairs is holding several events this Black Business Month to promote Black-owned businesses.
Events will also provide services and assistance to Black businesses.
“To address poverty and so many things that we have, having a small business can be an answer for that,” Director Charise Stephens said. “We have a lot of talented people here in Macon-Bibb County, a lot of unique talent, and quantifying those talents and making a small business, I think that’s what makes Macon-Bibb so unique.”
For a full list of events, click here.
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| 2022-08-10T07:44:43Z
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Macon ‘Pet Pantry’ hopes to curb pet surrenders
SOS partners with the Humane Society of the United States, Chewy and PetSmart to provide a tractor-trailer filled with bags of dog food, cat food, cat litter and other pet supplies.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — SOS Rescue hosted a pet pantry Tuesday for people who need help taking care of their furry friends.
SOS partners with the Humane Society of the United States, Chewy and PetSmart to provide a tractor-trailer filled with bags of dog food, cat food, cat litter and other pet supplies.
People can come and get up to 150 pounds of food for their animals. SOS hopes the pet pantries will help keep people from surrendering or dumping their animals.
“It’s to hopefully keep so many animals from coming into our rescue, because we don’t have the space. None of the rescues do right now,” Founder and President of SOS Kerri Fickling said. “Second, hopefully, it helps them to keep their animals. Nobody wants to part with their pets, so this is hopefully a way that they can get through the tough times.”
SOS is hosting another Pet Pantry Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 3870 Lake Street in Macon. You can follow their Facebook page for announcements about future pet pantries.
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| 2022-08-10T07:44:49Z
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New mom shares breastfeeding journey
Paige Parker is a new mom to her second child, a 3-week-old baby named Alice. She says she was able to breastfeed her first daughter for nine months, and when it came to decide on the plan for Alice, she decided she wanted to try breastfeeding again.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Paige Parker is a new mom to her second child, a 3-week-old baby named Alice.
She says she was able to breastfeed her first daughter for nine months, and when it came to decide on the plan for Alice, she decided she wanted to try breastfeeding again.
She’s sharing her story during National Breastfeeding Month.
“So far we have been doing pretty well,” she said. “We had a little struggle the first couple of weeks trying to figure it out with each other, but we had some assistance from some lactation consultants and some friends who had been through it.”
Parker worked with Ashley O’Neal, a lactation nurse at Piedmont Macon. O’Neal says she ideally likes to work with mothers before delivery to educate them and help build a relationship. Once a mother delivers, O’Neal says she comes in and helps with all aspects of breastfeeding.
“I will help the mother learn how to latch,” O’Neal said. “I give them some pointers on positioning and how the latch should look and let them know it should not be painful. There may be some discomfort, but there shouldn’t be any sharp pains or anything like that.”
O’Neal says there are many benefits to breastfeeding.
“Typically you’ll see children that are less sick,” she said. “If they are, they battle the illness faster. It helps with childhood obesity and allergies. They get all kinds of antibodies from mom.”
Parker says if you’re struggling with breastfeeding your baby, you should know you’re not alone. She encourages mothers to reach out for help, but she says the most important thing is to make sure your baby is fed.
“As long as your child is gaining weight and healthy and you’re happy,” she said. “You have to be a happy mother to keep your child happy. As long as that baby is being fed and is growing, you’re doing the right thing.”
O’Neal says you can reach out to Piedmont Macon to get in contact with a lactation consultant. Atrium Health Navicent also offers a free breastfeeding class.
Additionally, you can contact your health provider for local breastfeeding resources.
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| 2022-08-10T07:44:55Z
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Pro-Herschel Walker Super PAC gives away grocery vouchers in Jeffersonville
A pro-Herschel Walker Super PAC hosted a grocery voucher give away at Piggly Wiggly in Jeffersonville on Tuesday.
JEFFERSONVILLE, Georgia(41NBC/WMGT) – A pro-Herschel Walker Super Pac hosted a grocery voucher give away at Piggly Wiggly in Jeffersonville on Tuesday.
Customers were given $5o grocery vouchers from the Super PAC, which is known as “34N22.”
The giveaway occurred as Middle Georgians and Americans experience high inflation.
Stephen Lawson with the Super PAC says he hopes the giveaway gave families some relief.
“I think hopefully it brings awareness to what’s going on in the country right now,” he said. “We can’t keep going down this road with record prices, record gas prices, record grocery prices. We gotta elect an outsider or a business person, somebody that will bring relief to the people of Middle Georgia and all across the state, and I think Herschel will do that.”
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| 2022-08-10T07:45:01Z
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Project aims to highlight stories of those living with intellectual, developmental disabilities
Treasure Maps: Macon, the newest iteration of The Storytelling Project, returns to Macon this fall.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Treasure Maps: Macon, the newest iteration of The Storytelling Project, returns to Macon this fall.
The Storytelling Project was created five years ago in partnership between the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities and L’Arche Atlanta to increase public awareness and motivate Georgia legislators to act now for this remarkably underserved community, according to a news release.
“The project provides a platform for participants to be known on a human level and to understand the policies that govern the extent of their own self-determination,” the release stated. “By providing living portraits of individuals, some of whom have, some have not, received a life-altering benefit, the project is endeavoring to expand cross-sector allies and garner voices of support outside of the developmental disabilities community.”
“The primary objective of this project is to provide a virtual stage for the important stories of people with developmental disabilities, inviting their stories in from the margins to the center of our communities,” lead artist on Treasure Maps: Macon and Founder and Creative Director of StoryMuse Shannon Turner said. “An equally important component is to provide education and advocacy to the general population and legislators around the Medicaid waiver, a vital funding structure which supports the lives of people with developmental disabilities so they can live independently.”
According to Turner, nearly 7,000 Americans are awaiting approval for the Medicaid waiver.
“If a person doesn’t have the right support in their lives, then sometimes they graduate high school, they go home and just become lost for a very long time,” Turner said. “So the Medicaid waiver is really integral to them to get out and live in the community just like you or I would.”
Visit larcheatlanta.org and gcdd.org for more information.
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| 2022-08-10T07:45:07Z
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Scattered storms return Wednesday afternoon
We will continue to see the trend of hot days and afternoon storms this week, but a cold front drops in later this week
While it was a mostly quiet day weather-wise for Middle Georgia, we saw storms fire up during the evening hours.
Storms will continue into the early morning hours Wednesday, with patchy fog building in overnight.
Wednesday (and Thursday) will pretty much be a repeat of the past few days.
Scattered storms will start to pop up during the afternoon and a few could be strong.
A cold front will be pushing into the area Friday/Saturday, bringing rain and storms, but also a small cool down.
High pressure will fill in behind the front, helping to drop our humidity to a point that will be noticeable by Sunday.
By Sunday we should be staying dry with highs in the upper 80s.
We should be getting a couple more dry days to start next week, but humidity should return by Tuesday.
Highs will stay below normal for much of next week.
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| 2022-08-10T07:45:20Z
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Serena Williams says ‘countdown has begun’ on tennis career
(AP) — Saying “the countdown has begun,” 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams said Tuesday she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports.
In an essay released Tuesday by Vogue magazine, and a post on Instagram — the sorts of direct-to-fans communication favored these days by celebrities, a category she most definitely fits — Williams was not completely clear on the timeline for when her last match might be, but it could happen at the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 29 in New York.
“There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction. That time is always hard when you love something so much. My goodness do I enjoy tennis. But now, the countdown has begun,” Williams wrote on Instagram. “I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just (as) exciting Serena. I’m gonna relish these next few weeks.”
Williams, one of the greatest and most accomplished athletes in the history of her — or any other — sport, wrote in the essay that she does not like the word “retirement” and prefers to think of this stage of her life as “evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”
“I feel a great deal of pain. It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads,” she wrote. “I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it’s not. I’m torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.”
Williams is playing this week in Toronto, at a hard-court tournament that leads into the U.S. Open. That is the year’s last Grand Slam event and one she has won six times, most recently in 2014, to go along with seven titles apiece at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, plus three at the French Open.
She also owns 14 Grand Slam doubles championships, all won with her older sister, Venus, part of a remarkable tale of two siblings from Compton, California, who grew up to both be ranked No. 1, win dozens of trophies and dominate tennis for stretches — a story told in the Oscar-winning film “King Richard.”
A victory Monday in Toronto was Williams’ first tour win in a singles match in more than a year.
The American has won more Grand Slam singles titles in the professional era than any other woman or man. Only one player, Margaret Court, collected more, 24, although she won a portion of hers in the amateur era.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want that record. Obviously I do. But day to day, I’m really not thinking about her. If I’m in a Grand Slam final, then yes, I am thinking about that record,” Williams said. “Maybe I thought about it too much, and that didn’t help. The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus Grand Slams.”
But, Williams went on to write, “These days, if I have to choose between building my tennis resume and building my family, I choose the latter.”
She and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, have a daughter, Olympia, who turns 5 on Sept. 1.
“Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair,” said Williams, who was pregnant when she won the 2017 Australian Open for her last Grand Slam trophy. “If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family.”
Williams said she and Ohanian want to have a second baby, and wrote: “I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”
She was off the tour for about a year after getting injured during her first-round match at Wimbledon in 2021. She returned to singles competition at the All England Club this June and lost in the first round.
After that defeat, Williams was asked whether she would compete again.
“That’s a question I can’t answer,” she said at the time. “I don’t know. … Who knows? Who knows where I’ll pop up?”
Williams hints in the essay that the U.S. Open will be her last tournament but does not say so explicitly.
“I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment,” Williams wrote. “I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst.”
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| 2022-08-10T07:45:26Z
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Lockdown lifted for Upson County Schools
UPDATE: Upson County Sheriff Dan Kilgore says the lockdown has been lifted for schools in the county. He says a high school student’s parent called to report that their child saw another student with a gun. The schools were placed on lockdown as a result. The sheriff’s office says they investigated, and it turned out to be a massager that resembled a gun.
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THOMASTON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Thomaston-Upson Schools are currently on full lockdown. The school district posted to Facebook saying the lockdown is out of an abundance of caution.
During a lockdown, students may not be checked in or out of school.
Please stay with 41NBC for this developing story.
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| 2022-08-10T07:45:32Z
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BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A crowd of dozens chanted on a sweltering street corner Tuesday as Ahmaud Arbery’s hometown unveiled new street signs honoring the young Black man who was fatally shot after being chased by three white men in a nearby neighborhood — a crime local officials vowed to never forget.
Arbery’s parents joined the celebration the day after the men responsible for their son’s death received harsh prison sentences in U.S. District Court for committing federal hate crimes.
Officials in coastal Brunswick, where Arbery grew up, have ordered that intersections along all 2.7 miles (4.35 kilometers) of Albany Street that runs through the heart of the city’s Black community will have additional signs designating it as Honorary Ahmaud Arbery Street.
The first two signs were unveiled Tuesday at an intersection near the Brunswick African-American Cultural Center, where one wall is adorned with a giant mural of Arbery’s smiling face.
“That’s an honor, is all I can say,” said Brenda Davis, a dock worker at Brunswick’s busy seaport who lives on Albany Street along a stretch of modest brick and cinder block homes. “He means something to everybody, though a lot of people didn’t know him.”
Arbery was killed Feb. 23, 2020, after he was spotting running in the Satilla Shores subdivision not far from his mother’s house. A white father and son, Greg and Travis McMichael, grabbed guns and used a pickup truck to chase after Arbery, suspecting he was burglar. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the pursuit in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery at close range with a shotgun.
No arrests were made for more than two months, until the graphic cellphone video leaked online and Georgia state investigators took over the case from local police. Arbery’s death reverberated far beyond Brunswick as protests erupted across the U.S. over killings of unarmed Black people such as George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.
More than two years of criminal proceedings against Arbery’s killers concluded Monday as U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood sentenced the McMichaels to life and Bryan to 35 years in prison after their February convictions on federal hate crime charges. All three were already headed to state prison after being found guilty of Arbery’s murder last November.
Brunswick weathered both criminal trials without violence as his family insisted any demands for justice be carried out peacefully.
City commissioners voted in December to place Arbery’s name on a city street with a resolution proclaiming that he had become “a symbol of strength and unity within our community.”
“We did this because we want to always remember what happened,” Cornell Harvey, who served as Brunswick’s mayor when the street designation was adopted, said Tuesday. “You say, `Why would you want to remember such a tragedy?’ Because sometimes it takes that to make a change. I am so sorry for the family … but history has seized us.”
The crowd chanted “Long live Ahmaud Arbery!” as his mother and father tugged on opposite ends of a blue covering to reveal the new street sign bearing their son’s name underneath.
Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery’s mother, said that although she still mourns his death, she also takes pride in what’s been accomplished in its wake. Georgia adopted a hate crimes law imposing additional penalties for crimes motivated by a victim’s race, religion, sexual orientation or other factors. And state lawmakers gutted an 1863 state law authorizing private citizens to make arrests, which Arbery’s pursuers had sought to use to justify the deadly chase.
“I look at the change Ahmaud has brought since his passing,” Cooper-Jones told the dozens gathered for the street dedication.
“My only prayer is you guys will not forget his name,” she said, breaking down in tears. “Please promise me you guys will always say his name.”
For Arbery’s family, the court battles aren’t over. The McMichaels and Bryan have appealed their murder convictions, and almost surely will appeal the hate crimes verdicts as well.
Meanwhile, Jackie Johnson, the local district attorney at the time of the killing, has been indicted on state misconduct charges alleging she used her position to protect the McMichaels. Greg McMichael was a retired investigator who worked in Johnson’s office, and prosecutors say they exchanged several phone calls in the weeks after the shooting. Johnson was voted out of office in the fall of 2020. She has denied wrongdoing.
Still, some in Brunswick are hoping for a respite now that sentences have been imposed in both cases against Arbery’s killers.
“There’s a sigh of relief now that justice is served,” said the Rev. Abra Lattany Reed, a Brunswick native and Methodist minister who attended the street sign dedication Tuesday.
She added: “It would be a fair assessment to say we’re tired of the spotlight. This isn’t the kind of spotlight you want on your community.”
___
This story has corrected the spelling of former Mayor Cornell Harvey’s last name,
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| 2022-08-10T10:08:23Z
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Market
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Bitcoin lost 3.8% on Tuesday, ending it at around $23.2K, and is developing a decline to $22.9 by Wednesday morning. Ethereum has lost 5.6% in the last 24 hours, to $1680. Top altcoins are down 2.5% (BNB) to 7.2% (Solana).
Total crypto market capitalisation, according to CoinMarketCap, fell 3.9% overnight to $1.08 trillion.
The recovery in stock indices has choked, but even earlier and more dramatically, these changes have affected Bitcoin and the whole crypto market. Should the decline develop, investors and traders should pay close attention to the 21500 area, where the previous local lows are concentrated. A dip below that and a decisive return below the 50-day average could well be the start of a new wave of decline that could take the crypto market to new lows. At least, there might be a test of the June-July lows.
News
background
According to CoinShares, net capital inflows into crypto funds slowed to $3m last week, with Ethereum accounting for the most investments at $16m. Funds investing in bitcoin lost $8.5m; those allowing shorting it faced $7.5m in outflows.
Michael Novogratz, CEO of investment firm Galaxy Digital, expects bitcoin to consolidate in the $20,000-$30,000 range for a while.
Circle has blocked 75K USDC on Tornado Cash mixer wallets, which have come under sanctions from the US Treasury. According to the agency, attackers have laundered cryptocurrency worth more than $7 billion since its inception in 2019, with about $0.5 billion linked to the North Korean hackers Lazarus Group.
The Reserve Bank of Australia is working with the Digital Finance Corporate Research Centre (DFCRC) to launch a pilot project to explore options for the practical use of CBDC digital currency.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said the legalisation of bitcoin last year contributed to significant growth in the country's tourism.
Iran conducted its first import transaction worth $10 million paid in cryptocurrency, bypassing the global financial system restricted by US sanctions.
This article was written by FxPro’s Senior Market Analyst Alex Kuptsikevich.
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| 2022-08-10T10:30:17Z
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CLEVELAND (AP) — In a world increasingly troubled by the persistent harm that plastic — manufactured in petrochemical plants — has had on the environment, companies are investing billions of dollars to ramp up production of plastics made from natural, renewable materials that can be safely composted or can biodegrade under the right conditions.
Bioplastics have long been used in medical applications. The stitches you got after cutting your hand slicing onions were likely made of a bioplastic thread that harmlessly dissolved into your body.
But the nascent bioplastics industry envisions a far bigger role for materials made from corn, sugar, vegetable oils and other renewable materials in the hope of grabbing a larger share of a nearly $600 billion global plastic market.
Since large-scale production began in the 1950s, fossil fuel plastics have made food safer to consume and vehicles safer to drive, for example. Yet plastics are seen as one of the world’s leading environmental threats with its production responsible for emitting million tons of greenhouse gases each year.
Of the 9 billion tons of fossil fuel plastic produced since the 1950s, only 9% percent has been recycled, studies have shown. The rest has been buried in landfills, burned or has polluted land and waterways. The chemical structure of fossil fuel plastic means it can never fully disintegrate and instead breaks down into smaller and smaller particles.
For now, bioplastic represents just 1% of global plastic production. If plastic made with fossil fuels is the enormous Mall of America in Minnesota, bioplastics would be a 7-Eleven.
Companies and investors see opportunities. Data from i3 Connect show investment in bioplastic manufacturing reached $500 million in the first three months of 2022, exceeding the previous high of $350 million in the last quarter of 2021. The money is coming in from both corporations and venture capitalists.
Zion Market Research estimates the bioplastics market will surge from $10.5 billion in 2021 to some $29 billion in 2028.
Danimer Scientific is one company making a big bet on bioplastic with a recent expansion of its plant in Winchester, Kentucky, The Georgia-based firm makes a bioplastic called PHA using microorganisms that ferment with canola oil. The result is plastic pellets that manufacturers can use to mold products in the same way they use petrochemical plastic, Danimer CEO Stephen Croskrey said in an interview.
The expansion has made Danimer one of the largest PHA producers in the world.
Straws and plastic drink stirrers made from Danimer’s PHA are being used in Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts and large venues like Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Croskrey said.
“We have active development projects for just about anything you can imagine,” he said.
Testing has shown products made from Danimer’s PHA can biodegrade in six months in marine environments and two years in soil, Croskrey said.
The other primary bioplastic sold today is PLA, polylactic acid, usually produced by fermenting sugar from corn and sugar cane. One producer is Minneapolis-based NatureWorks, a joint venture by Cargill, one of the world’s largest privately-held corporations, and Thailand-based PTT Global Chemical. It is the largest PLA company in the world, capable of producing 150,000 metric tons of bioplastic pellets annually at a plant in Blair, Nebraska.
NatureWorks is building a $600 million plant in Thailand that will increase its production capacity by 50%, said Leah Ford, the company’s global marketing communications manager, in an interview.
The company’s “biggest visibility market,” Ford said, is compostable food service items such as plastic cutlery, clear cups, wrappers and containers that, along with restaurant food waste, can be converted into a dark organic material to enrich soil in gardens and on farms. That’s important because food waste clogs recycling machinery and contaminates recyclable petroleum plastics.
Some Starbucks stores use disposable cups lined with NatureWorks’ PLA, Ford said.
NatureWorks has become something of a game changer in the United Kingdom, where PG Tips, a big name in tea, has switched from polyester tea bags to bags made with cellulose and a thin layer of NatureWorks’ PLA that are fully compostable, Ford said.
Researchers at McGill University in Montreal released a study in 2019 that said petroleum-based polyester tea bags leach billions of microplastic particles when steeped in hot water. Around 60 billion cups of tea are consumed annually in the UK.
One of the criticisms of bioplastic made with corn and sugar is that it uses arable land on a hungry planet. Ford called that concern unfounded. NatureWorks uses sugar extracted from corn while the rest of the kernels are used to produce sweeteners, ethanol, cooking oils and livestock feed.
PLA, unlike PHA, does not easily biodegrade in nature. It needs to be mixed with food waste in industrial composters to biodegrade. When buried in landfills, PLA will eventually disintegrate, but that would likely take decades.
NatureWorks has formed a partnership with PHA manufacturer CJ Bio to produce a bioplastic that can more easily biodegrade. The company, headquartered in South Korea, is expanding its plant in Indonesia and is planning to build a large plant in the Americas, said Raj Kirsch, vice president of research and development at CJ Bio.
Blending the two types of bioplastic “brings a lot of value propositions to the final end product,” Kirsch said in an interview.
Ramani Narayan, a professor of chemical engineering at Michigan State University, has worked with Cargill in the past to help with PLA production.
Narayan said companies are using biodegradability claims to make their products more attractive to consumers. But the term is “misused, abused and overused because everything in the world is biodegradable given the right time and environment.”
California, Narayan noted, has banned the use of the term “biodegradable” in marketing. The world needs to replace petroleum plastic with plastic materials that have been verified and certified as completely biodegradable, he said.
Narayan acknowledged that bioplastics are easier to biodegrade than petrochemical plastic which can take centuries to disintegrate, shedding worrisome microplastic along the way. Yet the fact that PHA takes longer to break down in cold oceans and lakes than in temperate climes shouldn’t be sugarcoated.
“It will take time, and you need to say that,” Narayan said.
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| 2022-08-10T10:30:56Z
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The leaders of Estonia and Finland want fellow European countries to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, saying they should not be able to take vacations in Europe while the Russian government carries out a war in Ukraine.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote Tuesday on Twitter that “visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right” and that it is “time to end tourism from Russia now.”
A day earlier, her counterpart in Finland, Sanna Marin, told Finnish broadcaster YLE that “it is not right that while Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel in Europe, be tourists.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went further in a Washington Post interview Monday, saying all Western countries should ban Russian tourists.
Estonia and Finland both border Russia and are members of the European Union, which banned air travel from Russia after it invaded Ukraine. But Russians can still travel by land to both countries and apparently are then taking flights to other European destinations.
The calls for a travel ban have sparked outrage within Russia, from both the Kremlin and its critics. Opposition-minded public figures condemned the comments in social media posts as fueling Moscow’s anti-Western propaganda and being unhelpful in stopping the war.
“I think that over time, common sense will somehow manifest itself, and those who made such statements will come to their senses,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.
YLE reported last week that Russian companies have started offering car trips from St. Petersburg to the airports of Helsinki and Lappeenranta in Finland, which have direct connections to several places in Europe. Russia’s second-largest city is about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the Finnish capital.
Visas issued by Finland are valid across most of Europe’s travel zone, known as the “Schengen area” which is made up of 26 countries: 22 EU nations plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Normally, people and goods move freely between these countries without border checks. Nineteen other countries outside this travel area allow in foreigners using a Schengen visa.
Finland just resumed accepting applications for tourist visas in Russia on July 1, lifting monthslong travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some EU countries no longer issue visas to Russians, including Latvia, which made that decision this month because of the war.
The visa issue is expected be discussed at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers on Aug. 31, YLE reported.
“I would believe that in future European Council meetings, this issue will come up even more strongly. My personal position is that tourism should be restricted,” Marin told the Finnish broadcaster.
Peskov on Tuesday said calls for travel bans are usually coming from countries that Moscow has already deemed “hostile” and “many of those countries in their hostility sink into oblivion.”
Putin’s close associate and deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, dismissed the Estonian premier’s statement, adding ominously: “I just want to remind her of another saying: ‘The fact that you are free is not your merit, but our flaw.’”
Zelenskyy told The Washington Post that “the most important sanctions are to close the borders” for Russian travelers, “because the Russians are taking away someone else’s land.”
Russians should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy,” Zelenskyy said, adding that such restrictions should apply to all Russians, even those who left the country and oppose the war.
It’s contrasts with what he said in March, a month after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, when he urged Russians to leave the country to avoid funding the war with their taxes.
Asked about Zelenskyy’s remarks, Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, called them a “statement … that speaks for itself,” which Moscow views “extremely negatively.”
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.
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This story has been corrected to show that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s interview with The Washington Post was on Monday, not Tuesday.
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