Richard Branson: Virgin Galactic historic spaceflight lands safely

Richard Branson was accompanied by two pilots and three mission specialists.

Branson, who turns 71 in a week, had originally planned the flight for later this summer.

Virgin Galactic has plans for two more test flights before commercial service begins in 2022.

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. – Billionaire entrepreneur and adventurer Richard Branson's dream of space travel was realized and celestial tourism took a leap forward Sunday as Virgin Galactic's rocket ship reached the edge of space during a historic flight from Spaceport America.

Branson and his crew experienced about four minutes of weightlessness before their space plane smoothly glided to a runway landing. The entire trip, delayed 90 minutes because of bad weather the previous night, lasted about an hour. An ecstatic Branson hugged family and friends who greeted him after landing.

"It was just magical," Branson said. "It's 17 years of painstaking work, the occasional horrible down – and large ups with it. And today was definitely the biggest up."

Branson, who turns 71 this week, and a crew of two pilots and three mission specialists were carried to an altitude of more than eight miles by the aircraft VMS Eve, named after Branson's mother. Live video then showed the space plane VSS Unity release from between the mother ship's twin fuselages, using rocket power to fly to the boundary of space, more than 50 miles above the Earth.

Tributes – and criticism – rolled in on social media.

"Congrats to @richardbranson & the entire team @virgingalactic!" tweeted Gen. Jay Raymond, chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force. "Your years of hard work & dedication paid off today with a flawless flight to the edge of Space."

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was less impressed: "Here on Earth, in the richest country on the planet, half our people live paycheck to paycheck, people are struggling to feed themselves, struggling to see a doctor – but hey, the richest guys in the world are off in outer space! Yes. It's time to tax the billionaires."

You could win a trip on the same Virgin Galactic space plane that flew Richard Branson to space

Branson, a brash, charismatic London native who founded Virgin Atlantic Airways in 1984 and Virgin Galactic 20 years later, had planned the flight for later this summer. He moved it up after competitor Blue Origin and its founder, Jeff Bezos, announced plans to ride their rocket into space from West Texas on July 20.

Blue Origin, which in recent days has launched a social media campaign disparaging Virgin Galactic, softened its tone in the hours before the flight, tweeting: "Wishing you a great flight tomorrow @virgingalactic!"

After the flight, Bezos tweeted: "@richardbranson and crew, congratulations on the flight. Can’t wait to join the club!"

In keeping with Branson's reputation as a showman, The Late Show's Stephen Colbert was hosting Virgin Galactic's livestream of the event. R&B singer-songwriter Khalid performed his new song "New Normal" on stage after Branson and his entourage returned to Earth.

Virgin Galactic has plans for two more test flights before commercial service is expected to begin in 2022. The company says more than 600 people already have signed up for flights at an estimated $250,000 per person.

Branson announced that charity fundraising platform Omaze is giving away two tickets for one of the VSS Unity’s first commercial flights. The winner and one guest are set to be among the first everyday citizens to travel aboard a spacecraft.

The sweepstakes are open through Aug. 31, and donations will support the nonprofit Space for Humanity, which aims to send citizen astronauts of diverse racial, economic and disciplinary backgrounds to space.

"We're here to make space more accessible to all," Branson said. "We want to turn the next generation of dreamers into the astronauts of today and tomorrow."

Blue Origin has not begun to sell tickets but has dismissed Virgin Galactic's flight plans as failing to actually reach space.

"Only 4% of the world recognizes a lower limit of 80 km or 50 miles as the beginning of space," Blue Origin tweeted Friday. "New Shepard flies above both boundaries. One of the many benefits of flying with Blue Origin."

Blue Origin launches capsules atop reusable booster rockets, while Virgin Galactic uses an aircraft to get its rocket ship aloft.

Blue Origin intends to send tourists past the so-called Karman line 62 miles above Earth, which is is recognized by international aviation and aerospace federations as the threshold of space.

NASA, the Air Force, the Federal Aviation Administration and some astrophysicists consider the boundary between the atmosphere and space to begin 50 miles up. Thus passengers on Virgin Galactic trips, which can reach a maximum altitude of about 55 miles, earn astronaut wings.

Virgin Galactic's efforts have come at a price. An earlier version of VSS Unity, the VSS Enterprise, broke apart during a 2014 test flight. One pilot died and another was injured.

Virgin Galactic reached space for the first time in 2018. Successful flights were also recorded in 2019 and most recently in May. The company gained permission from the FAA last month to start launching customers.

Branson's presence on the flight raised global interest in the test flight and reflected his confidence in the safety of his enterprise. Branson also became the second oldest person to reach space. In 1998, astronaut John Glenn flew on the shuttle at age 77.

"I have dreamt about this moment since I was a child," Branson tweeted. "But going to space was more magical than I ever imagined."

Bacon reported from Arlington, Va. Contributing: Nate Chute, USA TODAY Network; The Associated Press

Virgin Galactic touches space over New Mexico; Richard Branson ...

SIERRA COUNTY – Commercial spaceflight company Virgin Galactic achieved its third space flight Saturday morning and its first from New Mexico's Spaceport America, a milestone both for the company and the state.

The first in the company's projected final test phase before beginning commercial passenger service on suborbital flights, Saturday's flight saw the spacecraft VSS Unity reach an altitude of 55.45 miles, coming just short of the Kármán line that bridges the Earth's atmosphere and outer space at 62 miles. It then descended, gliding back to a safe landing at the spaceport.

The spacecraft was carried into the sky by the aircraft VMS Eve, from which the space plane launched in mid-air, reaching a reported speed of Mach 3 during its upward trajectory.

The flight was crewed by pilots C.J. Sturckow and Dave Mackay, while the aircraft was piloted by Kelly Latimer and Michael Masucci. The Unity held a research payload as part of a service contract with the NASA space agency. The flight also gathered data from the passenger cabin while testing its live stream technology, the company reported.

More: Spaceport America Cup to return virtually in 2021

It was the first crewed space flight to launch from New Mexico, making it the third state to do so, behind California and Florida. As it happens, Sturckow — a former NASA astronaut who has participated in missions to the International Space Station — has been launched into space from all three. After joining Virgin, Sturckow was on board when the company first reached space in December 2018.

Spaceport America director Scott McLaughlin witnessed the flight with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, former Gov. Bill Richardson and Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson. There was no public viewing of the flight at the spaceport, but a video stream was provided via www.NASASpaceFlight.com.

It was Richardson and Branson who together pitched the spaceport to lawmakers and taxpayers with the promise that Virgin Galactic would be the anchor tenant. Located in Sierra County outside Truth or Consequences and near White Sands Missile Range, the spaceport was initially constructed between 2006 and 2012 with $220 million in public funds.

While a series of delays have set back Virgin Galactic's plans to be the first commercial service into space, the spaceport has welcomed additional tenants and clients to its facilities over the years, and hosts an annual international rocketry competition.

McLaughlin expressed hope that the successful test flight will temper some of the skepticism about Virgin Galactic's enterprise and the spaceport's prospects as a viable enterprise.

More: 60 years since 1st American in space: Tourists lining up

"It's a big day and we're moving from just a vision of the future to a reality in the next several months, and years to come," McLaughlin said Saturday afternoon. "I'm hoping that people will see that this is now a reality, not just a far-flung vision. We are on our way to regular space tourism."

He said that witnessing the Unity speed into space was "thrilling beyond belief."

The mission completed Saturday was first attempted in December. Then, an onboard computer lost contact and prevented ignition of a rocket on board. The trouble was later attributed to electromagnetic interference.

Fixes to that problem as well as maintenance reviews of the aircraft threatened to delay the mission past May, pushing the beginning of commercial service back further into 2022, when the company now anticipates beginning to fly passengers, 600 of whom hold ticket reservations. However, the company announced tentative plans for Saturday's mission on Thursday.

Subsequent test flights are planned to carry crew members in its passenger cabin followed by a flight with founder Richard Branson, at which point the company will resume ticket sales. A fourth test flight is planned as a "full revenue" flight with research payloads and members of the Italian Air Force training as astronauts.

The company was contending to be the first to fly passengers on suborbital flights. Instead, competitor Blue Origin, a venture founded by Jeff Bezos, may win that race with a planned tourist flight on July 20. Elon Musk's venture SpaceX is aiming to launch its founders and other passengers into space later this year as well.

"After so many years and so much hard work, New Mexico has finally reached the stars,” Lujan Grisham said in a written statement Saturday. “Our state's scientific legacy has been honored by this important achievement, one that took guts and faith and an unwavering belief in what New Mexico can achieve — and indeed is destined to achieve."

This is a developing story and will be updated.

More: Spaceport welcomes Canadian satellite company

Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.

SpaceX on pace to shatter US launch records. Again - CNN

New York (CNN Business) SpaceX has been on a tear in 2022, notching 18 rocket launches and two astronaut splashdowns in just the first 130 days of the year — an unprecedented pace for the company and the commercial launch industry.

The latest is scheduled for Friday evening with the launch of 53 of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites out of California's Vandenberg Space Force Base. It will be the twelfth Starlink launch so far this year, and it could be followed over the weekend with another mission set to take off out of Florida.

It's been an dizzying year of activity so far, further cementing SpaceX's dominance over the commercial launch industry. Led by SpaceX, the industry is on pace to blow past the annual launch highs of the mid-20th century space race, when most launches were carried out by governments rather than the private sector. 2021 already set a new record with 145 total launches, compared to 129 carried out in 1984, the previous record-setting year, according to data from research firm Quilty Analytics.

If SpaceX keeps up its current pace, it could launch more than 52 rockets this year alone, far outpacing its record, set last year, of 31.

"Even 10 years ago, launches were rare," Chris Quilty, the founder of Quilty Analytics, told CNN Business.

After years of delays, Virgin Galactic prepares for spaceflights from NM

Heath Haussamen

NMPolitics.net

About this series: This article is part of an NMPolitics.net series examining Spaceport America’s impact on New Mexico’s economy and future. A decade ago, the state and local voters in Doña Ana and Sierra counties approved public funding to build the facility on the promise of Virgin Galactic flying paying customers into space from southern New Mexico and elected officials pledging thousands of new jobs in the tech and tourism sectors. We spent months investigating where things stand today.

Pete Nickolenko remembers meeting with two men who would pilot SpaceShipTwo about an hour before a test flight on Oct. 31, 2014. He wished them well.

The flight from a spaceport in Mojave, Calif. of the vehicle Virgin Galactic is building to fly paying passengers into space didn’t go well. Co-pilot Michael Alsbury unlocked a feathering system too early. The spacecraft wasn’t built to account for such an error.

The first SpaceShipTwo broke apart mid-flight, killing Alsbury. Pilot Peter Siebold was seriously injured but survived.

The accident was a massive blow to Virgin Galactic’s efforts to make space more accessible — and to New Mexico’s hopes of diversifying its economy by building a commercial space industry with Virgin Galactic’s spaceflights at its core. It set back plans to relocate Virgin Galactic employees from California to southern New Mexico and begin long-awaited flights from Spaceport America, located east of Truth or Consequences.

Dealing with disaster wasn’t new for Nickolenko, Virgin Galactic’s director of spaceline engineering. He worked for NASA’s space shuttle program in Florida for 24 years. He was in the control room when Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas in 2003, killing all seven crew members.

So after the SpaceShipTwo accident, Nickolenko helped bring people together to “focus on the task at hand,” he said in a recent interview. Virgin Galactic brought on Nickolenko months before the accident, and based his job in Las Cruces because at the time the company thought it was on the verge of moving the bulk of its spaceline operation here. But on the day of the accident he was in Mojave for the test flight.

The company stopped providing public estimates of when it will begin taking passengers into space for years while it worked to fix the design flaw and complete SpaceShipTwo.

With lives at stake, its reputation on the line, and facing criticism of its business model and plans, the company is focused on getting it right, Nickolenko said.

“We intend this to be a spaceline for Earth — so, just as the airlines now, we want to be very safe, need to be repeatable and also very consistent,” he said. “And we need to deliver the best experience for our customers.”

Nickolenko is one of 21 full-time employees the company already has in Las Cruces, according to Jonathan Firth, the company’s executive vice president for spaceport and program development. They work out of an office off Roadrunner Parkway marked on the outside only by a small sign that illustrates the evolution of flight. The thin, vertical strip of metal points upward from bird to small plane to fighter jet to commercial airliner to NASA’s Lunar Earth Module — and then finally to Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo. The door to the office remains locked even during business hours.

Inside, Virgin Galactic’s office is techy and bright, with furniture in shades of gray and white. Visitors have to sign in on an iPad. A model of SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo — the cargo aircraft designed to carry the spaceship to a release altitude closer to space — sits on a table in the entryway.

The office is the most tangible sign in Las Cruces of the vision voters embraced a decade ago when they helped fund Spaceport America’s construction with a tax increase — a vision that has yet to become reality.

Virgin Galactic’s founder, British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, recently said the company is aiming to get paying customers into space in 2018 — the first publicly-shared estimate in years. That would come long after Branson’s original estimate of 2009. Another reason for the delay was an explosion at the Mojave test site a decade ago that killed three workers.

Branson’s original prediction was critical to winning about $220 million in state and local public funding to help build the spaceport, including tax increases in Doña Ana and Sierra counties. So was then-Gov. Bill Richardson’s promise of the development of a commercial space industry that would create 5,000 new jobs. Virgin Galactic has always been called the spaceport’s anchor tenant, so its operation is critical to Spaceport America’s success.

Virgin Galactic has completed several successful tests this year in Mojave, most recently on Aug. 4. Once those are complete, the company will move 85-90 employees to southern New Mexico, Firth said — people who were hired in Mojave with the understanding that their jobs would eventually relocate. Virgin Galactic will need to conduct additional test flights in New Mexico to ensure its spacecraft performs as expected in the different environment.

Then, officials say, passenger flights will begin.

“Virgin is doing some exciting things and helping to lead the commercial space industry, and we’re very fortunate to have them as our foundational partner in southern New Mexico,” said Dan Hicks, Spaceport America’s CEO.

A tourist experience

Virgin Galactic’s delays have fueled doubt in a poor state that took a risk by investing surplus cash in the spaceport during an oil and gas boom. Among the skeptics is Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, who thinks Virgin Galactic’s plan is nonsense. In 2015 he unsuccessfully sponsored legislation to sell Spaceport America, which is owned by the state.

“If you’re a billionaire and you’re going to do space travel, where are you going to do it? You’re going to go to Dubai or England, and stay in five-star hotels,” Muñoz said. “That doesn’t happen in T or C.”

Space tourism flights aren’t yet happening anywhere. Firth said “in excess of 600 customers” from more than 50 countries have signed up to fly from Spaceport America.

Initially, a ticket cost $200,000, but Virgin Galactic raised the price to $250,000 in 2013.

Still, Virgin Galactic officials say they’re sympathetic to public frustration. “We’d love for it to be sooner as well,” Nickolenko said. “But you’ve got to make sure it’s done right and we’ve got to make sure it’s safe as well. We will not cut corners.”

Virgin Galactic has global ambitions for its space-related companies that include operations elsewhere. But it’s primarily focused at the moment on getting things right in Mojave and then building a tourist experience in southern New Mexico centered on flights into space. Firth says the facts demonstrate the company’s commitment to New Mexico.

To date Virgin Galactic has paid $7.1 million in rent and user fees to the state for its use of a hangar and other facilities at Spaceport America. Since 2010, Firth said, the company has spent another $9.4 million with New Mexico business on construction and other things.

The company has “forward commitments” with Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces and billionaire Ted Turner’s Sierra Grande Lodge in T or C for its customers, Firth said. Virgin Galactic has brought some people who have paid for seats on SpaceShipTwo to southern New Mexico “to familiarize them with the environment,” he said. And several years ago the company brought about 90 travel agents from around the world to the region to learn about area attractions astronauts and their families could enjoy.

The travel agents spent an afternoon in Kingston, a historic silver mining town located in the Black Range mountains west of T or C. Catherine Wanek, who owns Kingston’s Black Range Lodge, said the group watched a historic recreation of the town’s “wild west” history — a mock robbery of the historic Percha Bank and a gunfight on Main Street. The lodge catered lunch for the group.

The travel agent at that event who had sold the most Virgin Galactic tickets was from Japan, Wanek said.

State Rep. Bill McCamley, D-Las Cruces, co-chaired a political action committee a decade ago that helped convince voters to fund the spaceport. He said he remains optimistic.

“I think when Virgin starts launching a lot of these problems solve themselves because you’re going to see more employees here and you’re going to see more people visiting, so it becomes a visible reality,” he said.

‘Embedding in the community’

But first, SpaceShipTwo must be ready for flights. Kim Sandoval will be in charge of relocating the Mojave employees when it’s time. She’s Virgin Galactic’s “people coordinator” – basically a human resources director.

Sandoval lives in Las Cruces with her family. She has shown some of the company’s planned southern New Mexico residents around when they’re in town and said it’s “so much fun to talk to them about this place.”

Sandoval speaks with a smile about her job. She is excited that her daughters will be able to witness spaceflights, she said.

“I think it’s a pretty amazing thing that I can be part of the team that’s going to make that happen,” Sandoval said.

She grew up in Michigan and came to the Southwest to attend the University of Texas-El Paso. She moved to Las Cruces from Santa Teresa in 2009 with her husband and started a family.

Sandoval began working for Virgin Galactic as an administrative assistant last year and was promoted in January. She called Virgin Galactic a flexible employer that promotes a positive “work-life balance.” That has made it easier for her to work while also raising Annabelle, 5, and Emily, 4, she said.

“I feel like my family is part of this adventure with Virgin Galactic,” Sandoval said. “ We’re opening space for them.”

Nickolenko, like Sandoval, said he’s “embedding in the community.” His family owns a home in Las Cruces. His daughter is completing a master’s degree at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. His son is studying engineering at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.

“We love the people. We love the environment. We love so much about what Las Cruces and New Mexico have to offer, and so we’ve been very thankful for the move,” he said.

A new, global space race

The global space economy was estimated at $330 billion in 2014. The partnership between Virgin Galactic and Spaceport America puts New Mexicans in the middle of a new space race with intense competition.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s SpaceX, based in California, currently has two spacecraft that deliver payloads into orbit. The company has flown 10 resupply missions to the International Space Station. It launches from spaceports in Florida, California and Texas. Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which is based in Washington State, is developing a rocket-powered spacecraft. It’s building the engine in Alabama and testing at a private facility east of El Paso, Texas. Blue Origin has leased a facility at Cape Canaveral in Florida for launches, which are estimated to begin in 2020.

Virgin Galactic began with a focus on sending paying customers into suborbital space, which means they reach space but then fall back to Earth rather than completing at least one orbit around the planet. Given the SpaceShipTwo delays and the rapidly changing industry, Virgin has created another company, Virgin Orbit, to focus on launching satellites into space. That operation is headquartered in California.

Virgin Galactic remains focused on its Spaceport America plans for now, though it has its eyes elsewhere too. SpaceShipTwo could eventually fly passengers to various points around the globe more quickly than commercial airliners can. The company has said it will launch eventually from spaceports in Sweden and maybe Scotland. A firm based in the United Arab Emirates has invested big in Virgin Galactic in exchange for “exclusive regional rights” to launch from Abu Dhabi.

New Mexico has advantages. Its commercial spaceport is the first facility designed and built for that purpose anywhere. Its elevation makes reaching space cheaper than from coastal facilities. The spaceport benefits from White Sands Missile Range’s no-fly zone, which means rerouting commercial airline traffic during space flights isn’t necessary like it is other places.

And the growing cross-border industrial area between Santa Teresa, N.M. and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico provides cargo potential. Suborbital spaceflights to other points on the planet would be much quicker than commercial airliners can fly. The ability nearby to put cargo on a quick flight to other continents has potential.

Carrying research experiments into space is another possibility, Firth said. Virgin Galactic, in that case, would be competing with other companies that are already using rockets to launch experiments from Spaceport America and elsewhere.

Virgin Galactic’s plans aren’t the whims of a rich billionaire, company officials say. The development of SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo, Firth said, has cost “hundreds of millions of dollars” — more, he said, than New Mexico’s $220 million investment in Spaceport America.

“There are hundreds of people working in Mojave to make it happen, and Virgin is putting hundreds of millions of dollars’ investment into making it happen, and you better think they think it’s worthwhile,” Firth said.

And the benefit to New Mexicans? The goal, Firth said, is to “create a central gravity of activity” in southern New Mexico. That’s why partnerships with hotels and others are important to creating the tourist experience high-dollar travelers expect. It’s why the growing border industrial economy is critical. It’s why local space-related educational programs, funded in part by tax dollars and with some support from Virgin Galactic, are essential for building a workforce — and providing greater opportunities for New Mexicans to stay in the state after college.

That vision, if realized, would mean more good-paying jobs in a high-tech sector and additional tourism.

“That’s exactly what we had in mind when the proposal was first made,” McCamley said. “When we start moving in that direction, that’s when this will start being a real success, but it’s getting there.”

On a mission

Virgin Galactic doesn’t know how many people beyond the hundreds who have already reserved seats will pay to fly into suborbital space, which helps explain why the company is branching out. “We’ve got no set view of the future,” Firth said. “We’ve got an open mind.”

Nickolenko speaks about Virgin Galactic’s work as more than a business. It’s a mission, he said. Virgin Galactic plans to start flights from Spaceport America with one ship, but he envisions the company needing a fleet of several. He said he expects the company’s presence in southern New Mexico to grow substantially.

That optimism is fitting for Nickolenko, who lived in Florida as a child and got to witness the last of the Apollo launches to the moon in 1972. He wanted to become an astronaut, but poor vision prevented it. So he became a space engineer.

Nickolenko’s job with Virgin Galactic came at the right time. While NASA has struggled to figure out how to return to space, private companies are moving ahead more quickly.

“I wanted to be closer to a really special mission about launching humans back into space,” Nickolenko said. “…I wanted to be part of something that was special, exciting and more immediate.”

Sandoval spoke with a smile about increasing human access to space.

“We’re trying to focus on the good, not just for Las Cruces, but for the world and the global economy,” Sandoval said.

10 things you probably don't know about the Space Coast

Sure, there are things everyone seems to know about the Space Coast.

We launch rockets, we claim Kate Upton as one of our own, and all those bikini billboards on I-95 lead you to the world-famous Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach.

But we're more than just a pretty face, right? You bet your next rocket launch scrub we are!

Here are 10 things you may not know about Florida's Space Coast:

1. We have the nation's first and only resident airport "ambassadog."

Never heard the term ambassadog? Well, that's probably because it didn't exist before last year when the Orlando Melbourne International Airport welcomed Kuma to its terminal. Kuma is a 10-year-old black Labrador that serves the airport and its guests as a "comfort" animal, there to relieve stressors associated with flying. Kuma can offer a furry cuddle or friendly lick to the face for anyone who needs a pick-me-up. Kuma has a unique certification that provided her training for an airport setting.

More:Photos: Kuma the ambassadog for MLB

2. We test missiles off our coast.

Everyone knows we launch rockets, but did you know we test missiles here, too? Except you probably won't see these launch. The Naval Ordinance Test Unit based right here in Brevard usually tests the SSBN Trident II D5 missile system way out yonder in the Atlantic. Worried about the crazy man in North Korea? Rest a little easier tonight knowing that this unit is ready to knock down any nuclear warhead that could come our way.

“Whose mere presence deters enemies from even thinking about attacking? The Ballistic Missile Submarine," said Command Master Chief Tracy Kuchta at a recent LEAD Brevard session presentation. "In terms of firepower, it’s the fifth most powerful in the world. NOTU provides test and evaluation of the SSBN Trident II D5 missile system, validating these mighty weapons system to ensure continued peace.”

Boom baby. Literally.

More:Brevard to get 300 Lockheed Martin ballistic missile jobs

3. Port Canaveral may be the reason you have salt in the pantry. You can thank Port Canaveral. The port plays host to Morton Salt, which annually produces about 200,000 tons of pool, premium water softener, sea salt and agricultural salts. The salt is shipped from the Bahamas to Port Canaveral where it is manufactured at the Morton Salt facility. Morton Salt has had a partnership with the port since 1990 and even expanded its operations in 2015. Although Port Canaveral is the second busiest cruise ship port in the world, it also ships tons of cargo. No, really. Tons. It shipped in more than 6 million tons last year.

4. The vision for the Cape Canaveral Space Port and Kennedy Space Center will blow your mind.

Think we have a lot of launches and launch pads now? Check out the master plan from Space Florida that shows 12 launch complexes, a skid strip and a stratolaunch facility.

See for yourself:

Compare that to what we have now and your head might spin:

5. Patrick Air Force base serves more retirees than it does active service members.

Fun fact. There are 43,000 retirees that utilize PAFB, 125,000 if you include their families, and there are only 4,000 military men and women on base. Total personnel is 15,500 if you include civilians, contractors and dependents. Of course, the busiest place on the base is the Manatee Cove golf course, of which 74 percent of golfers are retirees, said Chief Master Sergeant Michael Worden at a recent Leadership Brevard session.

6. One of the greatest archeological discoveries in history happened in ... a Titusville subdivision.

One of the greatest archeological discoveries in history occurred in …. get this… a Titusville subdivision. In 1982 backhoe operator Steve Vanderjagt was clearing an area around a pond that would become the Windover Farms subdivision when he stumbled across human remains … very, very old human remains.

“The remains uncovered at the Windover site were between 7,000 and 8,000 years old, making them 3,200 years older than King Tutankhamen and 2,000 years older than the Great Pyramids of Egypt," according to Florida Frontiers. Nearly 200 separate, intact burials were excavated at the Windover site in an underwater cemetery.

Maybe those Titusville "ghost town" accusations a few years back were meant literally...

More:Brevard archaeology group earns statewide recognition

7. There is an endangered plant that only grows here.

It looks as if Titusville has yet another claim to fame. The city is the only place in the world where a certain type of gangling herb can grow. It's fancy scientific name is Dicerandra thinicola Miller, but experts call it the "Titusville mint" for short. It has a strong minty smell and may have long term medicinal use. It grows along a narrow, 13-mile strip between the Titusville wellfield (between State Road 405 and SR 50) and Mims. The city has taken precautions to preserve the rare and endangered species.

More:You won't find this Titusville mint anywhere else on Earth

8. A piece of Melbourne will appear in this year's Super Bowl.

Speaking of mint ... That shiny piece of metal that flies through the air just before kick off at the Super Bowl comes straight from, you guessed it, Brevard County. The Super Bowl coin is made by a company called The Highland Mint. Of course, not to be confused with the Titusville Mint. The company is based in Melbourne and has designed and manufactured the Super Bowl coin since 1994.

9. The Space Coast doesn't get sinkholes (at least so far).

Every property owner in the county can let out a big sigh of relief, because sinkholes are not among the disasters that will likely haunt our coastline. Yes, it's true. Unlike Central Florida areas such as Apopka that have seen massive sinkholes form overnight, Brevard County's geological makeup doesn't allow for that kind of crazy quick sand.

"We don't have sinkholes in Brevard County," said county spokesman Don Walker. "We've had culverts collapse, washouts and emergency road closings ... Because of our geological makeup, we don't have sinkholes."

The Florida Geological Survey shows where sinkholes have popped up across the state, and not a one has ever been in Brevard.

Oh, and we also don't get direct hurricane hits, either. There has never been a major hurricane landfall in Brevard County since records began being kept in 1851, said Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University. *Knock on wood.*

More:Despite large holes in the road, Brevard just doesn't get sinkholes

More:Seems major hurricanes spare Brevard County

10. Rock Star Jim Morrison's house is still standing ...and you won't believe its value

Among our famous Brevardians is Jim Morrison, the late great rock star and lead singer of The Doors. Morrison was born in Melbourne and his childhood home is still standing, a modest cottage on Vernon Place. Somebody lives there, so don't be weird and stalk the house. Get this, though, according to the Brevard County Property Appraiser the home's latest market value was only $194,550.

Know more one-of-a-kind facts about Brevard?

Contact Saggio at 321-242-3664

or jsaggio@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @jessicajsaggio

Pancake record battered, sea tortoise tourist, Coronado Motel: News ...

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Montgomery: A federal judge paved the way for Alabama to proceed with a lethal injection next month, but also reprimanded the state attorney general’s office for giving false information to the court during the litigation centered on forms given to death-row inmates for selecting an execution method. Chief U.S. District Judge Emily C. Marks dismissed a lawsuit that argued the state failed to give Willie Smith, who has an IQ below 75, required help under the Americans with Disabilities Act in filling out forms that affected the timing of his execution. Smith is scheduled to be executed on Oct. 21 by lethal injection for the 1991 kidnapping and murder of 22-year-old Sharma Ruth Johnson in Birmingham. After Alabama authorized nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method, the state gave death row inmates a brief window to select that as their execution method. The state has not yet developed a protocol for using nitrogen hypoxia and is not setting execution dates for inmates who requested it. Smith did not turn in a form selecting nitrogen. His attorneys argued that the state was required by law to help intellectually disabled inmates like Smith with the form. Marks dismissed the claim, saying the form was not required by state law and that Smith could have have written on his own to request nitrogen.

Alaska

Juneau: The state plans to emphasize telework for state employees for the next month as the COVID-19 pandemic strains Alaska’s health care system. Gov. Mike Dunleavy, in a memo to state department leaders last week, said the state “must take measures to protect its health care infrastructure while still providing essential government services to its residents.” He wrote that, effective Monday, the state will emphasize telework “to the maximum extent practical, while still maintaining public facing presence and services.” This is to be in effect until Oct. 29, he said. A determination on any possible extensions will be made later, he said. Brian Penner, director of the union that represents supervisory employees, told the Anchorage Daily News the decision was welcomed.

Arizona

Phoenix:Gov. Doug Ducey has ousted and replaced all five members of the Arizona State Board of Massage Therapy in the wake of a newspaper’s critical report about the occupational regulatory panel’s handling of complaints about alleged sexual abuse by therapists. Ducey’s announcement Friday didn’t mention the Arizona Republic’s Sept. 15 investigative report that the board was lax in disciplining therapists accused of abuse, but he said it was crucial that the board “protects massage clients, especially those who are in a vulnerable position.” The announcement also said Ducey’s appointments implemented legislation enacted in 2020 to have the massage board and certain other regulatory panels have majorities of public members once current members’ terms expired. Public members are people not in the regulated occupations. Ducey noted that three of the five new members have experience in victim advocacy and support. The other two are licensed massage therapists with more than 25 years of experience.

Arkansas

Fort Smith:A new individualized-approached, tuition-free charter school will open for Fort Smith high school students next year. The Premier High School-Fort Smith will start enrolling in May and start its first school year in August, said Dennis Felton, state director of Premier schools. The school offers an educational environment that is individualized and small by design, according to the Premier website. “(It’s) for students when traditional school isn’t a fit for them,” said Jake Kurz, director of communications for Responsive Ed. “Sometimes that means a schedule and sometimes that means they need to recover credits (from where) they got behind. Sometimes that means they want to graduate early.” The school's curriculum is more student mastery-based, giving them a chance to work at their pace as opposed to a teacher’s pace, Felton said. The school offers different sessions for students so they can deal with a job or attend to other obligations if needed, Kurz said. The first Premier high school in Arkansas opened in Little Rock in 2013. The Fort Smith school will mark the fourth location in the state.

California

Los Angeles: U.S. Rep Karen Bass, D-Calif., intends to launch a campaign for Los Angeles mayor, joining a field of candidates that has rapidly grown over the last week, according to three people familiar with her plans. Such a move would deliver another shakeup to a contest that had been a sleepy affair for much of the year. Bass, a high-profile Democrat who has served in Sacramento and Washington, could announce her entry into the mayor’s race as early as this week, those sources told the Los Angeles Times. If Bass enters the race, she would be a formidable competitor, said Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who described himself as an ally of Bass since 1978.

Colorado

Pueblo:The Coronado Motel, once one of the few spots in the city Black travelers could rely on for safe accommodation – it was one of a handful of places listed in “The Negro Traveler’s Green Book,” a guidebook that identified facilities hospitable to Black guests during the Jim Crow era – received the Stephen H. Hart Award from History Colorado’s State Historical Fund for its commercial, architectural and ethnic significance. It is one of five sites in Colorado to receive the award this year. The motel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places last year. The owners of the then-Coronado Lodge began officially listing the motel in the Green Book in 1957. The Green Book listed hotels, service stations, restaurants, drug stores and other locations that were safe ports of call for Black travelers, who faced discrimination and the threat of harm while traveling throughout the segregated country. Victor Hugo Green published the book annually until just after the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Connecticut

Hartford: More than 70 members of the Connecticut National Guard were honored Saturday for their service after completing nearly one-year tours of duty. A welcome home ceremony was held for members of the Middletown-based 143rd Regional Support Group and several members of Detachment 2, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 641st Aviation Regiment at the state armory in Hartford. The Middletown-based soldiers supported Operation Spartan Shield in Jordan from October 2020 to July 2021, overseeing base operations and contracts at various facilities. The Windsor Locks-based aviation regiment conducted 166 C-12 air movement missions throughout eastern Africa in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa from September 2020 to July 2021. “These soldiers left their homes and families during a very difficult time in this country to answer the nation’s call and support U.S. security interests abroad,” Maj. Gen. Francis Evon said in a written statement. “We thank them for their sacrifice and their families who took care of the home front for almost a year. It’s always a great feeling when we get to welcome our people back home after completion of a successful mission.”

Delaware

Dover:Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings has filed a lawsuit against chemical company Monsanto and spinoffs Solutia and Pharmacia, alleging long-lasting damage to the state’s natural resources. The lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Court last Wednesday alleged Monsanto knew as early as 1937 that polychlorinated biphenyls had systemic toxic effects on humans and animals and it seeks to recover damages and clean-up costs, Jennings said in a news release. “Monsanto knew that PCBs were toxic and that once they entered the environment, they would be there to stay,” Jennings said. “Even as PCBs’ environmental harms became undeniable, Monsanto not only continued to manufacture and sell PCBs, but increased production. Now, decades since PCBs were banned, Delaware taxpayers are still footing the cleanup bill. We’re suing Monsanto and its spinoffs to make them pay to clean up their mess.” The suit also claims Monsanto understood and “actively promoted the fact that PCBs do not naturally break down; and continued to manufacture, market and sell PCBs despite full awareness of these dangers.” Bayer, which purchased Monsanto in 2016, responded to the lawsuit saying the company voluntarily ceased all PCB production in 1977, two years before production was banned, The News-Journal reported.

District of Columbia

Washington:Students at George Washington University continue to voice concerns about possible mold exposure on campus. In early September, the university ordered 175 students to temporarily evacuate their housing in Townhouse Row, along 23rd Street NW, because of environmental concerns. According to Maralee Csellar, director of communications at George Washington University, a team that inspected the housing identified conditions “conducive to biological growth”. The university did not say it had discovered mold. Around the same time of that investigation, another GW student also claimed he and his roommates had found a mold-like substance in Shenkman Hall, which is a residential tower located across the street from Townhouse Row. Shenkman resident and GW sophomore Luc Saint-Genies said his roommates were coughing for over a week after they found the material in parts of their living unit. Saint-Genies said he and his roommates were recently moved by the university to emergency housing at the River Inn hotel in Foggy Bottom after GW’s facilities division conducted an inspection of their residence. GW moved Townhouse Row students to two hotels, including the River Inn, after its inspection of that site as well.

Florida

Cape Canaveral:Space Florida, the state’s spaceport authority and aerospace development agency, is investigating what it will take to bring more Space Force operations to Brevard County, an area already home to two military installations, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, and dozens of commercial spaceflight companies. The branch established in late 2019 still needs to make decisions on where to establish some operations like training centers. Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station were among the first former Air Force facilities to be renamed as Space Force installations. Much like the Marine Corps falls under the purview of the Navy, the Space Force is positioned under Air Force leadership. Mark Bontrager, Space Florida’s vice president for spaceport operations, said, Florida could be an ideal location for training facilities, or what are known as technical schools. Tech schools usually come immediately after basic training and prepare new military members – in this case, Space Force guardians – for their specific roles. Vandenberg Space Force Base near Los Angeles, California, was already selected for the first of five STARCOM sub-commands, or “deltas,” but more selections are expected in the coming months. Its command headquarters, however, is still up for grabs.

Georgia

St. Simons Island: Leaders on one of Georgia’s most popular coastal islands are considering letting developers build closer to sand dunes. The Brunswick News reported that a planning commission that governs construction on St. Simons Island is discussing reducing the required setback for new construction in areas with active dunes from 40 feet to 25 feet. The new rule would increase the required setback from 20 feet to 25 feet for an area without dunes. Commissioners agreed Tuesday to postpone action until November to allow time for a public workshop. The idea originated from a planning commission meeting with Glynn County commissioners to discuss growth on the island. Glynn County Commissioner Cap Fendig said the proposed changes would match Georgia Department of Natural Resources rules. Current Glynn County rules are more restrictive. Dunes can protect beaches and inland areas and also provide habitat for plants and wildlife. Alice Keyes of the environmental group One Hundred Miles said rising sea levels make setbacks even more important.

Hawaii

Lihue: The island of Kauai is planning to revise its coronavirus restriction structure as the delta variant continues to impact the county. Mayor Derek Kawakami said officials will continue to enforce strict COVID-19 safety measures even as the state approaches a vaccination rate of 70%, a milestone earlier set for loosening rules under a tiered reopening plan, The Garden Island reported Friday. “Throughout this pandemic, we have adjusted to the changing realities of COVID-19, and we continually work to keep our community safe while doing everything we can to keep our businesses and activities open,” Kawakami said. Changes will need to be approved by Gov. David Ige. The current tier system would have allowed for all restrictions, including business capacity rules and gathering sizes, to be dropped when the population was 70% vaccinated. About 67% of state residents and 65% of Kauai residents are fully vaccinated.

Idaho

Coeur d’Alene:, The Coeur d’Alene School District’s Board of Trustees canceled a special meeting on Friday to consider a temporary COVID-19 mask mandate after protesters swarmed the building. The crowd gathered outside of the Midtown Center Meeting Room at 1 p.m., KREM-TV reported. The meeting agenda included a reopening plan for the 2021-2022 school year, including masking and quarantine. Earlier this month, the board adopted a plan that strongly recommended masks be worn in schools. The school district has seen hundreds of positive COVID-19 cases since the first day of school Sept. 7. The meeting was postponed officials said for safety reasons after the crowd banged on doors and shouted at police. A video tweeted by a reporter for KREM showed a large group of people standing outside of the meeting room chanting, “No more masks.” Estimated at up to 200 people, the group then moved to the district’s administrative center, which was placed on lockdown for safety precautions. Many protesters said school board members should be fired for refusing to hold the meeting.

Illinois

East Moline: Inmates at East Moline Correctional Center have begun a Bachelor of Arts program through Augustana College. State officials said 10 students began studies late in the summer. They are taking courses from professors who lecture on the same subjects on Augustana’s Rock Island campus. It’s the first BA program offered East Moline inmates in more than 20 years. The initial program offers a communications studies major with other majors to be added. The liberal arts curriculum includes history, literature, math, foreign languages, religion, science and the arts. Illinois Department of Corrections Director Rob Jeffreys said a college degree is key to those in custody who want to change their lives and provide financially for their families. Augustana modeled its program after the Bard Prison Initiative. It was featured in the 2019 PBS documentary “College Behind Bars.” Students in the Augustana Prison Education Program pay no tuition or any costs associated with coursework. The program is funded by the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation.

Indiana

Greenwood: Another Indiana school board meeting was disrupted when residents refused to wear face masks while objecting to the district’s requirement. Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Center Grove school board meeting last Thursday night after those not wearing masks wouldn’t leave so the meeting could start, the (Franklin) Daily Journal reported. Those protesting left after two deputies arrived. A similar disruption happened in the southern Indianapolis suburbs as the Clark-Pleasant board meeting in Whiteland was adjourned after just two minutes last week because some people refused to wear masks. State officials have allowed mask rules and other steps to stem COVID-19 spread even as several school boards have faced vocal – and sometimes misleading – opposition to such actions. A man was arrested in July when a handgun fell from his pocket during a Carmel school board meeting, The Bartholomew Consolidated school board in Columbus decided this past week it will hold meetings virtually because of parent conduct. Center Grove’s board could make a similar move, district Superintendent Rich Arkanoff said.

Iowa

Centerville:Residents gathered to help break a syrupy Guinness World Record on Saturday by plating 14,280 pancakes in a single-serving. A Hy-Vee store in Blue Springs, Missouri, a Kansas City suburb, set the record of 13,000 pancakes in June. Hy-Vee donated 2,400 pounds of pancake mix to help residents break the record during Centerville’s Pancake Day celebration. The Guinness World Record attempt took place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Pancake Day started in 1948 as a way for manufacturers, including a Pillsbury facility, across Centerville show appreciation for their employees by giving them free pancakes. Community members took on the event and turned it into a regional celebration as manufacturers left Centerville. The town typically serves about 17,000 pancakes on Pancake Day, said Centerville Tourism Director Delaney Evers. This year, pancakes had to be made to strict specifications of at least 5 inches in diameter, but no more than 1 centimeter in thickness. About 100 people volunteered to accomplish the feat.

Kansas

Olathe: A suburban Kansas City school district is investigating after a student asked a girl to homecoming using an offensive sign. The sign reads: “If I was Black I would be picking cotton but I’m white so I’m picking you for HOCO.” A picture of two white students holding the sign and smiling that was posted online drew sharp criticism on social media, according to the Kansas City Star. School officials in Olathe said they are working to contact everyone involved, including the parents of the students. “The type of behavior displayed in the social media post does not meet the expectations of our core values,” Olathe South High School Principal Dale Longenecker said in a letter sent to parents. “Any behavior like this will be immediately addressed in accordance with our Student Code of Conduct.” A copy of the photo posted on Twitter was criticized by the Arizona Cardinals Isaiah Simmons’, who grew up in Olathe. “This is disgusting. Sad that people think this is funny or acceptable,” he wrote. “Very disappointing and honestly just sad to see this kind of stuff happening in my hometown. I hope this is handled in the correct manner.”

Kentucky

Frankfort: Horse Soldier Bourbon plans to create more than 50 jobs with a new $200 million tourism project in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said. The Pulaski County site will contain a 27,585-square-foot distillery visitor center; 5,000-person amphitheater; 500-person outdoor event space; 3,200-square-foot wedding chapel; and an activity center, shops and more. Horse Soldier Bourbon was founded by retired members of the U.S. Special Forces who were among the first to enter Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The company has been approved by the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority for $29.9 million in incentives for the project.

Louisiana

Grand Isle: Grand Isle officials said the narrow barrier island is closed to all but people who live there or those who own camps there as residents try to recover from Hurricane Ida’s devastating impacts. In a posting on the town’s website Saturday, officials said the widespread devastation caused the town council and the mayor to make the decision to close the island, which is a destination spot for fishing and vacation getaways. “The decision to close the island was a difficult one,” said Mayor David Camardelle in the announcement, “but it is in everyone’s best interest.” Ida came ashore on Aug. 29 just a few miles away near Port Fourchon. The Category 4 hurricane’s ferocious winds and storm surge destroyed the city’s electrical infrastructure. The town said in its announcement that 80% of the structures on the island sustained damage. According to the post, about 200 personnel from various agencies are on the island specifically to help with the recovery. That number is expected to increase as energy provider, Entergy, works to restore the grid, the statement said. But Grand Isle residents have vowed to come back, despite the damage.

Maine

Hampden: The northbound stretch of a $45 million bridge replacement project in the Bangor area is almost finished. The project is called the Hampden Bridge Bundle. The Maine Department of Transportation said it planned to shift traffic onto the fourth of four new northbound Interstate 95 bridges on Monday. The transportation department said traffic is still using three temporary bridges to accommodate construction work on the southbound side of the highway. The department said more southbound traffic shifts are expected, and the project will continue into next year. The entire project requires rebuilding eight bridges and rehabilitating a ninth along a 4-mile stretch of the interstate in Hampden.

Maryland

Baltimore: Four enormous container cranes have arrived in their new home in Baltimore after a two-month trip from China. The cranes, which are some of the tallest in the world, squeezed under the Chesapeake Bay and Key Bridges on their way to the Port of Baltimore, stopping traffic on the spans on Sept. 9, news outlets reported. Each crane is about 450 feet tall, about 25 feet taller than the current cranes, port officials said. With the cranes hanging off each side of the ship, they were about 176 feet tall, leaving just about 10 feet of clearance under the bridges, according to the state and Coast Guard. The new cranes will help double the port’s container capacity once the Howard Street Tunnel is expanded to allow freight trains to carry containers stacked two-high. Ports America Chesapeake, which runs the Seagirt Marine Terminal under a lease with the state, purchased the massive cranes, which will allow longshoremen to unload two even larger and wider container ships at once. The 1,740-ton cranes can reach 23 containers across a container ship and each can lift 187,500 pounds of cargo at once.

Massachusetts

Lowell: A University of Massachusetts Lowell researcher has received a $2.7 million federal grant to continue her research into the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The National Institutes of Health grant will help engineering associate professor Joyita Dutta look at the disease from a network perspective, viewing the interconnections between the regions of the brain, the university said in a statement last week. She will use machine learning and artificial intelligence tools to build models from existing patient imaging data. She aims to develop models that predict the progression of primary protein markers for Alzheimer’s disease. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as 5.8 million Americans were living with Alzheimer’s last year. That number is projected to rise to 14 million by 2060. There is no known cure for the disease.

Michigan

East China Township:Three years after DTE Energy paid more than $5,000 to relocate rare milkweed plants at its future Blue Water Energy Center site in East China Township, the plants are thriving. Daniel Okon, a DTE Energy senior environmental specialist, said 400 Sullivant’s milkweed stems were relocated in 2018 and the population has grown to 502 stems. Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch butterfly, a candidate under the Endangered Species Act, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Milkweed and flowering plants are needed for monarch habitat. Adult monarchs feed on the nectar of many flowers, but they breed only where milkweeds are found, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Sullivant’s milkweed differs from common milkweed, with smooth leaves instead of the common variety’s rough leaves, and a pink vein pressed closely to the stems. Sullivant’s milkweed is classified as threatened and legally protected in Michigan. It has been observed in eight Michigan counties with the most occurrences found in St. Clair County, according to scientific biodiversity resource the Michigan Natural Features Inventory.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: Gov. Tim Walz proposed a $10 million relief package for farmers who suffered losses because of drought across most of Minnesota this summer – a plan that would require a special legislative session to approve. The Democratic governor’s proposal includes $5 million in rapid response grants for livestock producers and specialty crop growers for costs of water-related equipment such as tanks, pipelines, wells, water wagons and irrigation equipment. It also includes $5 million for zero-interest disaster recovery loans for losses not covered by insurance. But Walz said he’s still insisting that Senate Republicans agree not to fire Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm if he calls lawmakers back for a special session that was already in the works for a $250 million bonus package for front-line workers in the COVID-19 pandemic. Negotiators from the House Democratic and Senate GOP majorities and the Walz administration missed a Labor Day target for agreeing to which workers are most deserving and how much money they should get. Republicans so far have not backed off a threat to use the Senate’s confirmation powers to oust Malcolm over the administration’s pandemic response. Walz called on them to “put the political posturing and things aside” and get both packages done without ousting his health commissioner.

Mississippi

Greenwood: A hospital in the Mississippi Delta has been losing millions of dollars a year, and its CEO said the problems are exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic as nurses, laboratory technicians and respiratory therapists are being hired by out-of-state hospitals for short-term contract work at higher salaries. Leaders of Greenwood Leflore Hospital held closed-door hearings in the past week to brief local officials and its employees about proposals for a financial turnaround. CEO Jason Studley said no layoffs or terminations are anticipated, although some positions might not be filled as employees leave, the Greenwood Commonwealth reported. Studley told the newspaper he would publicly release details of the financial plan in the coming week. The hospital has about 1,000 employees and is owned by the city of Greenwood and Leflore County. Local government officials asked for Tuesday’s meeting. “I think we’re on the right track to move forward,” said Leflore County Supervisor Sam Abraham after emerging from the closed-door session with the hospital board and top administrators. The hospital has spent nearly all of the $25 million in federal pandemic relief money. For the first 11 months of the current budget year, it has lost $13.2 million, even after using $11 million in federal grant money. For the same period last year, the loss was $755,000 when $15.5 million in coronavirus grant money was used. The hospital started the current budget year with $52.8 million cash on hand. By the end of August, it had $28.3 million.

Missouri

Woodson Terrace: The FBI has opened an investigation into the arrest of a Black man during which cellphone video showed three white officers allowing a police dog to repeatedly bite him. Woodson Terrace police Chief Randy Halstead said in an email to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his department was “fully cooperating” with the investigations being conducted by the FBI and the St. Louis County prosecutor’s office into last week’s arrest. Federal officials and St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell declined to discuss their investigations with the newspaper. Officers were called Monday morning to a report that a man had broken into a business in Woodson Terrace, according to a police statement posted on Facebook. The man appeared to be on drugs and threatened officers, and they warned him the dog would be used if he continued to resist arrest, the department wrote. Cellphone video from an onlooker showed the dog biting the man’s foot as he yells. The dog’s handler holds it by a leash but allows the biting to go on for about 30 seconds. After the officer pulls off the dog, the man appears to take a step but stumbles and the dog lunges at him again, biting a leg for another 30 seconds until the officer stops the animal. The man was treated at a hospital and released. He hasn’t been charged with any crimes. Protesters gathered outside the Woodson Terrace Police Department on Friday to demand the firing and prosecution of the three officers.

Montana

Helena: A coalition including worker unions and a disability rights group filed a lawsuit last Wednesday against Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen over a law passed earlier this year that eliminates same-day voter registration. The lawsuit was filed by the Montana Federation of Public Employees, the Montana AFL-CIO, the Montana Association of Centers for Independent Living, and several citizens. Montana Federal of Public Employees president Amanda Curtis called the law “a slap in the face” to the tens of thousands of Montana residents who use same-day voter registration and to the majority of Montanans who voted to maintain election-day registration when the question was on the ballot in 2014. “People who work for a living do not always have the privilege to register to vote or address their issues with their registration during the regular business hours,” said Montana AFL-CIO Executive Secretary James Holbrook. County election offices are open later on Election Day. Montana Independent Living Project advocacy coordinator Joel Peden said same-day registration eases the experience of people living with disabilities by saving the need for two trips to election offices. Republicans who supported the measure have said the law would help election officials conduct elections more efficiently while reducing long lines and voter frustration on election day. Secretary of State spokesman Richie Melby called the lawsuit “completely baseless.” This is the fourth lawsuit challenging the same law passed earlier this year by the Republican-dominated Legislature.

Nebraska

Dakota City: The owners of a defunct biogas plant in northeast Nebraska have agreed to pay a $1.1 million fine to the state and federal governments for repeated violations of environmental rules. Big Ox Energy and its owners agreed to pay the fine as part of a settlement with regulators. The company and its insurers previously agreed to be part of a separate $1.75 million settlement with homeowners who accused the plant of sending rancid fumes through the city sewer system and ruining their homes. Big Ox began operations in September 2016, separating solids from industry wastewater to create methane. The plant sold the methane and injected it into a nearby natural gas pipeline. Big Ox was subject to odor complaints soon after it began operations and was cited for numerous environmental violations until it shut down in 2019. “The Big Ox facility’s operations presented a significant risk to their workers and nearby property owners,” said acting regional EPA Administrator Edward H. Chu. The EPA said that some of the liquid wastewater went over the sides of the facility’s roof and onto the ground at least 16 times between 2017 and 2019. On one occasion in 2018, a malfunction at the plant resulted in 80,000 gallons of liquid wastewater overflowing from its equipment. At times the plant was also discharging methane at levels that could be flammable and hydrogen sulfide in amounts that could cause injury or death if it was inhaled.

Nevada

Carson City: The Great Basin Institute has been awarded a $160,000 federal grant to establish a professional recreational trail building school, which would be the first of its kind in the nation. The funds came from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The proposed school will be in Ely. The hope is to draw outdoor recreation professionals from all over the U.S. Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto praised the idea of the school. She said it will enhance Nevada’s reputation as an outdoor recreation destination, create more jobs and give students practical experience. Kyle Horvath, director of White Pine County Tourism and Recreation, said Ely is an ideal spot with its proximity to the Mountain West.

New Hampshire

Durham: The University of New Hampshire is making some of its pandemic-related graduation ceremony changes permanent. The school traditionally has held one large ceremony in its outdoor football stadium, but because of the pandemic, it divided seniors up by their colleges and held a handful of separate ceremonies. That gave students the chance to walk across the stage and receive their diplomas instead of being recognized all at once, and officials have decided to keep that practice going forward. Starting in May, commencement exercises will be moved indoors to the Whittemore Center and graduates will be split up by academic college, the Foster’s Daily Democrat reported.

New Jersey

Trenton: Construction of a nearly 120-mile-long proposed natural gas pipeline from northeastern Pennsylvania to central New Jersey will not go forward, the group behind the project said Monday. PennEast Pipeline Company, which won a recent legal fight against New Jersey at the Supreme Court, nonetheless said the state has failed to provide certain permits and is putting the project on ice. “PennEast partners, following extensive evaluation and discussion, recently determined further development of the Project no longer is supported. Accordingly, PennEast has ceased all further development of the Project,” spokesperson Pat Kornick said in an email. The decision is the latest swing in a long-running effort to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania. It’s also a major victory for environmental groups who opposed the project, arguing it would cut a scar across the landscape, threaten wildlife and contribute the use of fossil fuels. PennEast, a company made up of five energy firms, won federal and Pennsylvania permitting approvals including a key Federal Energy Regulatory Commission certificate that could allow the firm to use eminent domain to acquire land. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court said companies building interstate pipelines can obtain the land they need even in the face of state opposition, once their projects have been given the green light by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Trump and Biden administrations had supported PennEast. Nineteen states had urged the Supreme Court to rule the other way and side with New Jersey.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: Rio Rancho Public Schools canceled classes Monday because of an internet service outage. Officials sent a letter to parents Sunday saying a damaged fiber optic circuit was causing the outage. With no internet, some key systems that involve safety and student transportation would be at risk. District officials said contractors are coming from out of state to do the repairs. Classes were expected to resume Tuesday.

New York

Albany: The state has stopped paying legal bills for employees who worked for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he faces ongoing investigations on the state and federal levels. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s spokesperson Haley Viccaro said last Wednesday that the state stopped paying for those aides’ legal bills after Sept. 2. The administration is now deciding whether there is a legal basis for the state to pay bills for legal services on or before Sept. 2. Viccaro did not specify how many staffers had legal bills paid for by the state. Cuomo and his former aides face an ongoing investigation by the state attorney general into Cuomo’s use of state employees to help with a book he wrote about his leadership during the pandemic and scrutiny from federal prosecutors who are investigating his administration’s handling of nursing home death data. Cuomo is also facing a state ethics commission inquiry. The state has agreed to pay a maximum of $9.5 million in bills for attorneys representing Cuomo and his administration over sexual harassment allegations and other matters, as well as for attorneys investigating the former governor and his administration, according to the Associated Press’ review of available contracts. That figure includes up to $5 million for attorneys who have represented Cuomo’s office. It doesn’t include the legal fees of Cuomo’s private attorney, Rita Glavin, whose bills are being paid by his campaign committee.

North Carolina

Raleigh: A construction company founded by former NFL players and brothers Torry and Terrence Holt will build a project designed to honor the contributions of African Americans in North Carolina. Leaders of the North Carolina Freedom Park initiative announced Monday that the Black-owned Holt Brothers Construction has been awarded the contract to complete the $5.4 million project in Raleigh. The park, to be located between the Executive Mansion and the Legislative Building. will be anchored by the Beacon of Freedom, a piece of public art that will be illuminated at night. Freedom Park’s leaders broke ground last fall on the park, which is expected to be completed by next year. The Holts grew up in Gibsonville and played at North Carolina State University. Torry Holt was an All-America wide receiver and played on the Super Bowl-winning St. Louis Rams in 2000. The brothers’ construction company has completed other projects such as a Durham County library renovation and North Carolina Central University’s new student center. Freedom Park was designed by the late architect Phil Freelon, who also designed the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, and the Durham firm Perkins & Will.

North Dakota

Bismarck: U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota’s only congressman, is in isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus. Armstrong said in a Twitter post Sunday that he had been experiencing mild coronavirus symptoms and took a test which came back positive. The 44-year-old Republican said he has been vaccinated. “I have been fully vaccinated since January, and I am taking all precautions and recovering at home in North Dakota. I have been advised by my doctor to quarantine for ten days,” Armstrong wrote. Armstrong said he has contacted friends in Congress and will be casting his votes this week by proxy, as Capitol Hill gears up for a busy week that includes a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure package. “Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to be in D.C. next week,” Armstrong wrote. “However, the votes we are taking are simply too important to miss, so I have reached out to friends in Congress and I will be casting my votes by proxy.”

Ohio

Akron:Summa Health is reducing inpatient hospital beds by more than 20% and temporarily stopping some elective surgeries while the Akron-based health system tries to adjust to a nationwide staffing shortage exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a memo distributed to staff at 9 a.m. Monday, hospital executives said Summa would make multiple adjustments to help the care of patients as health care staff at Summa and nationwide are in some cases burned out and leaving the health care field. “We are no longer able to maintain the current level of capacity in our hospitals and we must make adjustments to align with the current level of clinical staff,” Summa executives said. The following measures will go into effect immediately: adjusting the combined inpatient bed capacity at Akron City and Barberton hospitals from 551 to about 430 by Oct. 24; the number of available inpatient beds will be cut from 439 to about 350 at Akron City Hospital and 112 to 80 at Barberton Hospital; improve Emergency Department flow by embeding specialists, primary care physicians and/or hospitalists in the emergency department on the Akron and Barberton campuses to initiate care more efficiently. There will be no changes at St. Thomas Hospital, which treats Summa’s behavioral health patients.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City:A northwest Oklahoma City church hopes to become a transitional living community to temporarily house individuals experiencing homelessness and provide support to help them find permanent housing and a brighter future. Clark Memorial United Methodist Church wants to build up to 20 small structures similar to tiny homes or tiny housing units on its property. The Rev. Bo Ireland, the church’s senior pastor, is also executive director of what is being called the Lazarus Community at Clark Memorial. The name of the new housing community comes from well-known scripture which told the story of Jesus raising a man named Lazarus from the dead. “It’s a ministry that will be bringing back those who are homeless to a restored state,” Ireland said.

Oregon

Portland: Despite a threat to block new political maps, Republican state lawmakers returned to the state Capitol on Monday – the final day for the Legislature to complete redistricting. Enough GOP lawmakers returned to the House floor to achieve a quorum required to vote. With the Republican reverse, it is likely Democrats will pass new district maps – including a sixth, U.S. House seat. Congressional plans were sent to the redistricting committee on Monday morning to be formally adopted and the House was scheduled to reconvene at 1 p.m. Although Oregon Democrats hold the majority in both legislative chambers, they don’t have enough seats to vote without a few Republicans present. As the House convened Monday morning,47 of 60 House members were present – 40 lawmakers are needed to meet quorum. The Oregon Legislature had until the end of the day on Monday to participate in the once-a-decade job of redrawing the state’s congressional and legislative districts in accordance with new U.S. Census numbers. If lawmakers missed the deadline, the job of redrawing congressional maps would fall to a panel of five current and former judges appointed by the Oregon Supreme Court, and Democratic Secretary of State Shemia Fagan will be tasked with redrawing the state’s legislative districts. On Saturday, Republicans in the House did not show up for a floor session, upset that Democratic House Speaker Tina Kotek earlier this week rescinded a deal she made with them to split power in the redistricting debate, even though Democrats have large majorities in the Senate and House.

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: Transgender women in Pennsylvania tried again Monday to knock down state rules that govern legal name changes for people with felony records. The state requires them to wait two years after completing their sentence to apply for a name change. People who have committed the most serious felonies, including rape and murder, are barred from changing their legal names. The 1998 rules are meant to enhance public safety and thwart fraud attempts. However, advocates said the transgender community simply wants the right to use names that match their identities rather than their dead or given names. Gabriel Arkles, senior counsel of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, said his clients risk being harassed if they apply for jobs, or are stopped by police, and show identification that doesn’t match their gender identities. “For the people it affects, it has such a profound affect,” Arkles said. “Our clients are transgender people who are just trying to live their lives and are not trying to commit any fraud.” Similar efforts have been underway in other states, with varying degrees of success, he said. Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court, which handles cases involving state agencies, dismissed a related lawsuit last year on procedural grounds without addressing the underlying constitutional claims.

Rhode Island

Providence: An open government coalition is asking Democratic Gov. Dan McKee to allow public agencies to hold meetings online because of a surge of COVID-19 infections. ACCESS/RI said it sent a letter to McKee asking him to issue an executive order because his previous order to waive the requirement that members of public bodies meet in person expired in July. Since then, the coalition said, some public bodies have had difficulty getting enough members to attend in person for a quorum and some members of the public have been reluctant to attend. “Members of the public face a choice between their health and their ability to participate in our democracy,” the coalition said. State legislatures in neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts codified similar executive orders to allow for online meetings until the spring, the coalition added. Rhode Island’s legislature considered allowing online meetings until July 2023, which ACCESS/RI opposed because of the length of time and the belief that in-person meetings should be the default.

South Carolina

Beaufort: Crews are getting ready to start restoring windows in a century-old building in Beaufort that were damaged by hurricanes over the past several years. The work on the 29 windows of the Carnegie Library building is being paid for through a $188,000 federal grant, The Island Packet of Hilton Head reported. Work is expected to start in October and last six months. The windows were damaged when Hurricane Matthew passed just offshore in 2016 and Hurricane Irma in 2017. Beaufort officials also hired a building preservation expert to look at the entire former library and provide an estimate for any other worked needed to preserve it. The library in downtown Beaufort is one of 14 in South Carolina and more than 1,600 public libraries across the United States funded by steel industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The old library now houses the Beaufort/Port Royal Convention & Visitors Bureau.

South Dakota

Rapid City: The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has been awarded an $11 million federal grant to develop better material and manufacturing technology to withstand cold weather. South Dakota Mines will partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Cold Regions and Engineering Lab. The research will be done over five years and is aimed at developing better materials and technology to support the Army’s military objectives in cold and remote regions. U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds said funding for the project has been his top defense appropriation request for three years, the Rapid City Journal reported. Dr. Jim Rankin, president of South Dakota Mines, said the research is a win-win for the university and for national defense.

Tennessee

Memphis:A state senator charged with stealing $600,000 in federal grant money from a health care school she operated has been acquitted on 15 of 20 charges, according to court records. U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl Lipman filed the order Sunday after attorneys for Sen. Katrina Robinson filed a motion Friday seeking acquittal on all charges, Memphis news outlets reported. Robinson, 40, a Memphis Democrat elected to the Tennessee General Assembly in 2018, was charged in July 2020 with wire fraud, as well as theft and embezzlement involving government programs after the FBI searched the school and her home. She was accused of stealing federal grant money awarded to The Healthcare Institute, which provides training in the health care field, including nursing assistant jobs in geriatric care. The school received more than $2.2 million in federal grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The federal grant money was earmarked for student scholarships from 2015 through 2019. Robinson’s attorneys argued for an acquittal Friday after federal prosecutors rested their case. They argued that prosecutors didn’t prove allegations that Robinson used the federal grant funds on personal expenses. The trial was expected to continue Tuesday on the five remaining charges, court filings showed..

Texas

South Padre Island: A large loggerhead sea turtle rehabilitated at the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital was flown by private plane Sunday to live at a conservation facility in Texas. The 230-pound female turtle took the nearly 5-hour flight from the Middle Keys to South Padre Island, with the help of “Turtles Fly Too,” a nonprofit group that works with general aviation pilots who donate their aircraft, fuel and time to provide emergency transport for endangered species. Matthew, named for one of her rescuers before her sex was determined, suffered injuries to her shell in May 2020 from a boat strike that left her unable to dive and forage for food – a condition termed “bubble butt syndrome” by the hospital’s rehabilitation staff. “She’s being transported to Sea Turtle Inc. in South Padre Island because she’s unable to dive,” said Bette Zirkelbach, the Turtle Hospital’s general manager, who accompanied the reptile during the flight. “That makes her nonreleasable and she will act as an ambassador for her species there at the Texas facility where they see lots of visitors.” The reptile joins other rehabilitated, nonreleasable turtle patients at Sea Turtle Inc., located on the Gulf of Mexico. The organization’s conservation outreach programs are designed to raise public awareness about sea turtles and the threats to their survival. Matthew’s carapace has been fitted with weights, fashioned to adhere to the shell and help the turtle submerge and rest comfortably during her residency at the Texas center.

Utah

St. George:The St. George Marathon returns Saturday for its 45th edition and the first since 2019 after the 2020 race was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The race is set to start at its usual spot north of the city along State Route 18 at the base of the Pine Valley Mountains and descending nearly 2,600 feet in elevation back to the finish line downtown. The race starts at 7 a.m. and will force some road closures and detours along SR-18 and a number of streets in and around downtown. “We are so excited to have the marathon back in 2021. It is St. George’s signature event,” said Michelle Graves, race director and the Deputy Director of Arts and Events for the city of St. George. “This might be the best St. George Marathon ever. There has been a vibrant return to racing and we are happy to have a strong field of runners for this year's event.” This year's event will include a mini-marathon starting at 6:15 a.m, with races of 1 mile and 200 meters at Vernon Worthen Park. Children ages 3 to 12 and people with special needs are invited to participate. After the races, a party in the park is set to last until 8 a.m. Organizers expect about 7,000 runners to participate. Many others have signed on to be volunteers. The annual Mayor's Walk is also scheduled for Saturday morning, with Mayor Michele Randall leading a 1-mile walk from the Washington County School District offices at 121 W. Tabernacle Street over to Vernon Worthen. The marathon has been run every year except last year since 1977 and is regularly rated as one of the most scenic races in the country, as well as one of the fastest because of its downhill course.

Vermont

Montpelier: Registration opened Monday for Vermonters ages 75 and older to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster. On Wednesday, people 70 and older can start signing up followed by the 65-and-older age group on Friday. Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed booster shots for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans six months after receiving their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. On Friday, those ages 18 to 64 with underlying medical conditions or who work in certain occupational settings will become eligible for boosters, the state said. The state is waiting for guidance from the CDC on the type of underlying medical conditions and occupational settings. Booster shots are available where Pfizer vaccines are offered, including at a Health Department clinic, pharmacy or health care provider, state officials said. People must make an appointment to get a shot at a state clinic and are asked to bring their vaccine cards with them. Information can be found on the Vermont Health Department website.

Virginia

Lafayette: A small earthquake shook southwestern Virginia on Monday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 2.6 happened about 9:37 a.m. It was centered about 2.5 miles north of Lafayette, and was about 8 miles deep. News outlets reported that people in nearby Salem reported feeling the ground shaking, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

Washington

Seattle: Twenty-five media and transparency groups are asking the state Supreme Court to allow the release of the names of the Seattle police officers who attended events in the nation’s caital on Jan. 6. The Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press and the news organizations filed an amicus brief Friday asking the court to deny an injunction filed by the officers that seeks to block the release of public records that identify the officers. Police officers “are public servants who, when on-duty, wield tremendous power to detain, arrest, jail, and, in extreme circumstances, employ deadly force in connection with their duties,” the groups said. “Without access to officer names, the public has no insight into whether certain officers have been the subject of multiple misconduct investigations or whether police oversight boards are effectively evaluating and responding to repeated misconduct complaints, particularly when such complaints are deemed unsubstantiated.” The officers have argued that they did nothing wrong and revealing their names would violate their privacy. But the media groups said their attendance at a public demonstration that drew thousands of people and news organizations was not a private activity. A message left for Mike Solan, the president of the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild, seeking comment was not immediately returned. Arguments before the Supreme Court are set for Nov. 9.

West Virginia

Charleston: West Virginia internet customers are being asked to take a broadband speed test to improve access in the state. “Data collected from the speed test will be instrumental in making decisions about broadband access in West Virginia moving forward,” state Department of Economic Development Secretary Mitch Carmichael said in a news release. Information from the tests will be used to create a map identifying where investment in broadband is needed most, the agency said. The test is available at broadband.wv.gov. Click the red button that reads “TAKE THE SPEED TEST” at the top of the page and follow the steps. A few additional questions about location and internet service follow the test, and the whole process takes about 5 minutes. The Broadband Enhancement Council is also involved in publicizing the speed test through a campaign using text messages and digital advertising.

Wisconsin

Madison: Cardinal Raymond Burke, 73, one of Catholic Church’s most outspoken conservatives and a vaccine skeptic who was placed on a ventilator after contracting COVID-19, said he has moved into a house but is still struggling to recover from the disease. Burke posted a letter on his website Saturday saying he left a hospital Sept. 3 and moved into a house near his family. He didn’t say where. Burke said he’s going through in-home rehabilitation, still suffers from fatigue and has difficulty breathing. He didn’t detail what his rehabilitation regimen included but said he is making steady but slow progress. He said a secretary from Rome has moved in with him to help him with his rehabilitation and catch up on his work. “I cannot predict when I will be able to return to my normal activities,” Burke wrote. “Seemingly, it will be several more weeks.” He said God saved him for “some work” he wants him to carry out with the help of the church and asked people to pray for him, the world and the church, all of which are “beset with so much confusion and error to the great and even mortal harm of many souls.” He didn’t elaborate.

Wyoming

Casper: Felicia, a mama grizzly bear whose troubles won the hearts of the Internet, has successfully shepherded her cubs through a perilous summer. Her fans miss seeing the bear family grazing and frolicking along Togwotee Pass. But they hope, for Felicia’s sake, that she will stay out of sight. This spring, record numbers of tourists were clogging the roads around Wyoming’s national parks when Felicia emerged from hibernation with two fuzzy, bumbling, roly-poly cubs, and established herself by the side of the highway. Passersby were mesmerized. Bear jams proliferated. The congestion wasn’t just a nuisance, however. Too many drivers were spotting Felicia and her cubs, swerving to the side of a 55 mph highway and leaving their cars to approach the bears – in violation of posted signs that forbade exactly that, the Casper Star-Tribune reported. Three government agencies that watch over Felicia, the highway and the land she inhabited, lacked the resources to continually enforce parking laws or uphold the protections that grizzlies, a threatened species, are afforded under the Endangered Species Act. So rather than attempt to manage the people, officials managed the bear. Rangers typically use pain and noise to train bears to fear undesirable locations. That strategy, known as hazing, separated Felicia from her surviving cub for a month in 2019. Though the two ultimately reunited, the cub didn’t survive the following winter. Hazing, though less risky than relocation, isn’t a perfect solution. It can cause bears to act erratically around roads, increasing the risk of collisions. It can separate mothers from their cubs – sometimes temporarily, like with Felicia in 2019, and sometimes permanently. But it can also work. In Felicia’s case, hazing has been effective. Nearly four months after Felicia – known to rangers as grizzly 863 – fled a barrage of rubber bullets, beanbags and noisemakers, the bear has maintained her distance from roads, vehicles and people, and has kept her cubs by her side.