thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Greek villagers enlisted to catch migrants at Turkey border

AMORIO , Greece - Over the years , villagers who live near Greece ’ s border with Turkey got used to seeing small groups of people enter their country illegally .
The Greek residents often offered the just-arrived newcomers a bite to eat and directed them to the nearest police or railway station .
But the warm welcomes wore off .
When Turkey started channeling thousands of people to Greece , insisting that its ancient regional rival and NATO ally receive them as refugees , the Greek government sealed the border and rushed police and military reinforcements to help hold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ border region rallied behind the expanding border force , collecting provisions and offering any possible contribution to what is seen as a national effort to stop a Turkish-spurred incursion .
In several cases , authorities asked villagers familiar with the local terrain to help locate migrants who managed to slip through holes cut in a border fence or to cross the River Evros — Meric in Turkish — that demarcates most of the 212-kilometre ( 132-mile ) border .
“ We were born here , we live here , we work here , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Panayiotis Ageladarakis , a community leader in Amorio , a village that lies some 300 metres ( yards ) from the river banks .
Other villages also responded to the call for volunteer trackers .
Small groups of unarmed men monitor known crossing points after dark .
“ We sit at the crossings , and they come , “ Ageladarakis told The Associated Press as he drove a pickup truck with a fellow Greek border village resident along a rough track at night .
” We keep them there most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come and arrest them .
Then , it ’ s a matter for the police .
We aren ’ t interested in where they take them .
We just try to help this effort taking place by the army and the police.
” Help for the border units also came from Evros businesses and store owners .
Nikos Georgiadis , head of the local restaurant owners ’ association , said his colleagues delivered food and water to units stationed at four points on the border .
“ They also asked us for masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try to find some , ” he said .
Ageladarakis said all the migrants he encountered over the past few days were co-operative .
“ These people are frightened .
Nobody has caused any trouble , ” he said .
But the village community leader said that in his view , the people he encountered did not look like they were fleeing wars in their own countries .
“ There ’ s nobody coming from a war , ” he said .
“ None of them are refugees .
They ’ re all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re trying to get into Europe ( this way ) .
” Greek authorities said that out of a the 252 people arrested for illegal entry over the past week as of Friday , 64 % were Afghans , 19 % Pakistanis , 5 % Turks and 4 % Syrians , while the others were from Iraq , Iran , Morocco , Ethiopia , Bangladesh and Egypt .


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Egypt says cruise ship quarantined over new virus cluster

DUBAI , United Arab Emirates - The United Arab Emirates reported 15 additional cases on Saturday of a new and fast-spreading virus , bringing the total number of infections in the country to 45 .
The Health Ministry said 13 of the new cases had recently arrived from abroad , and they include three Emirati citizens , two Saudis , two Ethiopians and two Iranians , as well as a person each from Thailand , China , Morocco and India .
The statement gave no further details on where the travellers had come , when they had arrived to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had come in from .
The other two cases , an Emirati and an Egyptian , were diagnosed after being monitored in connection with a cycling tour in the country that was halted a week ago after two Italians were first confirmed as having the virus .
The UAE is a major tourist destination and most of its residents are foreigners .
The emirate of Dubai is also home to the world ’ s busiest airport for international travel .
To stymie the spread of the virus , the UAE has suspended schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It has also stopped flights to Iran , one of the hardest-hit countries by the new coronavirus , and limited flights to China .
Authorities have urged residents and citizens not to take unnecessary trips abroad , and to expect screenings and possible quarantines upon return .
Like other countries around the world , the UAE has also cancelled major art , sporting and business events .
Saudi Arabia , meanwhile , announced there would be no spectators for sports competitions and games starting Saturday in order to combat the spread of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed cases , but has taken unprecedented measures against the virus ’ spread , including halting all pilgrimage in Mecca , Islam ’ s holiest site .
The virus , which originated in China , has infected more than 100,000 people globally .
More than 5,000 cases have been confirmed in the Middle East , with most of those in Iran .
The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content @

Haggag Salama And Maggie Michael - The Associated Press

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thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Missing toddler’s remains believed found in Tennessee

BLOUNTVILLE , Tenn. - Remains believed to be that of a 15-month-old girl were found in Tennessee , ending the 17-day search across three states for a missing toddler , authorities said .
At a press conference Friday night , the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Sullivan County Sheriff ’ s Office said they believe they found the remains of Evelyn Mae Boswell earlier that evening .
An Amber Alert was issued more than two weeks ago , but authorities have said she hadn ’ t been seen since at least December .
“ This is certainly not the update @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” TBI spokeswoman Leslie Earhart said .
The remains are being sent for autopsy and positive identification , Sheriff Jeff Cassidy said .
He said authorities acting on a tip found the remains on a property in Blountville that is owned by a relative of Evelyn ’ s mother .
Evelyn ’ s mother , Megan Boswell , 18 , was arrested Feb. 25 on a charge of filing a false report .
Authorities said her inaccurate and conflicting statements had impeded the investigation .
She initially told state investigators that Evelyn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ethan Perry , according to court documents from her arraignment .
But Perry is stationed with the U.S. Army at Fort Polk , Louisiana , and did not have Evelyn , WJHL-TV reported .
Megan Boswell later said her mother , Angela Boswell , took her daughter to a campground in Mendota , Virginia , not far from Tennessee ’ s Sullivan County .
Authorities searched multiple campgrounds in that area and found no sign of the girl , the TV station said .
Angela Boswell herself was arrested the week before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She and her boyfriend , William McCloud , were arrested in North Carolina on fugitive warrants unrelated to Evelyn ’ s case , authorities had said .
Authorities looking for Evelyn searched a pond in the county where they were arrested .
Angela Boswell told a judge in North Carolina that she wanted to go home and resolve the situation with her granddaughter , news outlets reported at the time .
She was subsequently returned to the Sullivan County jail a day before her daughter joined her there , and arraigned on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remains at $ 25,000 after a judge rejected a request to lower it from her lawyer , who cited her lack of a previous criminal record .
The lawyer waived a preliminary hearing and the case was sent to a grand jury , with her next appearance scheduled for early May .
Investigators with the TBI believed Evelyn ’ s mother and grandmother had information about her whereabouts .
The Amber Alert issued for Evelyn said she was last seen Dec. 26 , but authorities said they weren ’ t sure of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s conflicting accounts .
Authorities stressed that the investigation was ongoing and there was limited information to provide Friday .
The identity of the property owner wasn ’ t revealed , and authorities didn ’ t indicate whether there have been any additional arrests or charges .
The district ’ s attorney general , Barry Staubus , said authorities would evaluate the case once the investigation was complete .
“ Based on what ’ s happened tonight , there ’ s a lot of work to be done : forensically and just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Tear gas shot two ways over migrants at Turkey-Greece border

EDIRNE , Turkey - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to be in Brussels on Monday for a one-day working visit , his office said amid a charged conflict between Turkey and the European Union over migrants and refugees .
Thousands of migrants headed for Turkey ’ s land border with Greece after Erdogan ’ s government said last week that it would no longer prevent migrants and refugees from crossing over to EU territory .
Greece deployed riot police and border guards to repel people trying to enter the country from the sea or by land .
A statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would travel to Brussels on March 9 .
The statement did not specify where he would be during his one-day visit or the nature of the work taking him to the Belgian capital , but the European Union ’ s headquarters are in Brussels .
The announcement came hours after European Union foreign ministers meeting in Croatia on Friday criticized Turkey , saying it was using the migrants ’ desperation “ for political purposes.
” Greek riot police used tear gas and a water cannon to drive back migrants attempting to cross its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkish police fired volleys of tear gas back toward Greece .
Similar scenes occurred throughout the past week .
Erdogan announced said last week that Turkey , which already houses more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees , would no longer be Europe ’ s gatekeeper and declared that its previously guarded borders with Europe are now open .
The move alarmed EU countries , which are still enduring political fallout from a wave of mass migration five years ago .
Erdogan has demanded that Europe shoulder more of the burden of caring for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is abiding by a 2016 deal in which it gave Turkey billions in refugee aid in return for keeping Europe-bound asylum-seekers on its soil .
In a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday , Erdogan said the Turkey-EU migration deal is no longer working and needs to be revised , according to the Turkish leaders ’ s office .
The European foreign ministers acknowledged Turkey for hosting millions of migrants and refugee , but said the 27-nation EU “ strongly rejects Turkey ’ s use of migratory pressure for political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ external border is not acceptable.
” They said the EU was determined to protect its external borders .
Greek authorities said they thwarted more than 38,000 attempted border crossings in the past week and arrested 268 people — mostly Afghans and only 4 % Syrians .

Mystislav Chernov And Suzan Fraser - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Spain arrests 89 for speed boat smuggling of migrants, drugs

MADRID - Spanish police have arrested 89 people suspected of belonging to a crime ring that smuggled both migrants and hashish from North Africa to mainland Spain .
The Civil Guard said Saturday that the smuggling network allegedly used speed boats to bring people and drugs across the Strait of Gibraltar from Ceuta , a Spanish enclave in northern Africa .
The national law enforcement agency said investigators found evidence that 11 speed boats carried a total of 269 people and over 10,000 kilograms of hashish .
The ring used radar systems and lookouts on the coast to avoid detection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegedly were held by the traffickers in Spain until their families paid 5,000 euros ( $ 5,600 ) , the police said .
The Civil Guard did not say when the 89 arrests took place .
It said another 39 people are under investigation in the case .
The police agency said its officers so far confiscated over 10 tons of hashish , 26 boats , 29 vehicles , 250,000 euros ( $ 282,000 ) in cash and 12 fire arms , during the investigation .
Ceuta is one of Spain ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mediterranean coast .
Spain ’ s southern coast is a major entry point for illegal drugs in Europe .
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thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Thai judge who alleged interference dies in 2nd suicide bid

BANGKOK - Police in Thailand say a judge who shot himself last year to publicize alleged interference in his work has died after what was apparently a second suicide attempt .
Police Maj. Sathitchai Nitayawan in the northern province of Chiang Mai said that Khanakorn Pianchana died in a hospital after apparently shooting himself in the chest Saturday morning .
Khanakorn had posted a letter on his Facebook page several hours before his death complaining that he was being persecuted after his suicide attempt in October last year .
He was moved from his post as a lower court judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reassigned to Chiang Mai .
His letter said he feared he would lose his position as a judge and face criminal charges related to his first suicide attempt .
That incident drew great attention because of his allegations that he had been pressured to change his verdicts in some politically charged cases related to a long-running Muslim separatist insurgency in Thailand ’ s southernmost provinces .
He had shot himself in the chest with a pistol in his Yala courtroom after acquitting five defendants of murder and firearms charges that could have condemned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attributed to him that circulated online after that incident accused his superiors of trying to force him to change the verdicts to guilty .
Supervising judges are allowed to see lower court rulings before they are issued — one of Khanakorn ’ s major complaints .
Khanakorn ’ s statement made several references to the south ’ s security situation .
He said that confessions obtained from alleged insurgents in harsh conditions of detention were not convincing evidence — a point frequently raised by rights activists , who have accused the army of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ October incident blamed personal stress for Khanakorn ’ s action and denied undue influence on verdicts .
Thailand ’ s court system has long been criticized , generally over charges of corruption but more recently for an allegedly political bias .
Previous attempts to reform the judiciary have been bitterly resisted , and the courts still spurn most criticism .
In cases since 2006 , supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and pro-democracy activists opposed to military interference in politics often believed they were unfairly targeted for prosecution by the courts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s traditional royalist-military ruling establishment .
“ I believe that I will certainly be punished and fired from my job , ” Khanakorn declared in his latest online letter , which declared this his “ body and mind can not bear the feeling of utmost grief.
” “ To my friends , relatives and the Thai people , I assure you that everything I have done , I did with a clear conscience and I do not regret it , ” he wrote .
“ I am proud to be a part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people.
” His note also included a plea for people to donate to a bank account to help provide for the education of his daughter .

Busaba Sivasomboon - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Villagers flee to escape shootings in Indonesia’s Papua

JAKARTA , Indonesia - A weeklong shootout between security forces and a rebel group near the world ’ s largest gold mine in Indonesia ’ s easternmost Papua region has caused nearly 2,000 villagers to flee , officials said Saturday .
The clashes , which began Feb. 29 near the Grasberg copper and gold mine in Papua province , have killed a police officer and injured three others , Papua police chief Paulus Waterpau said .
Rebels in Papua have been fighting a low-level insurgency since the early 1960s , when Indonesia annexed the region that was a former Dutch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot that was seen as a sham by many .
The mine , which is nearly half owned by U.S. Freeport-McMoRan and is run by PT Freeport Indonesia , is seen by separatists as a symbol of Indonesian rule and it has been frequent target for rebels .
Waterpau said attackers believed to be members of the West Papua Liberation Army , the military wing of the Free Papua Organization , ambushed a police patrol from a hill on Feb. 29 , killing one officer and injuring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , gunmen shot at a police car on Tuesday , injuring another officer , he said .
The attacks occurred in the mining town of Tembagapura in Papua , where the rebels have been fighting a low-level insurgency for independence .
A local disaster mitigation agency chief , Yosias Lossu , said buses owned by PT Freeport Indonesia evacuated a group of 258 villagers from Banti and Kali Kabur villages on Friday .
Another 699 people , mostly women and children , were evacuated early Saturday .
He said about 800 villagers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were evacuated to a police headquarters in Tembagapura on Friday .
“ Most women and children are scared and feel intimidated by gunfire near their villages , ” Lossu said .
A National Liberation Army of West Papua commander , Lekagak Telenggen , said in a statement released Saturday that they are responsible for the attacks in Tembagapura .
“ We will keep fighting until PT Freeport Indonesia stops operating and closes , ” Telenggen said .


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Love trees and a cat rug: It’s the odd side of St. Augustine

ST. AUGUSTINE , Fla. - While commonly known history draws many people to St. Augustine , visitors can find oddities tucked away across the city .
Things like ancient Egyptian artifacts , shrunken heads and unusual plant life can be seen within blocks of each other .
While oddities and their lore aren ’ t the main focus for drawing tourism , they make visitors ’ experiences richer , local tourism and convention bureau CEO Richard Goldman said .
“ The texture is generated by the little stories , ” Goldman said .
And St. Augustine has plenty of stories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ St. Augustine ’ s most prominent tourist attractions is a rug that ’ s much older than the city itself .
The Villa Zorayda Museum on King Street displays a rug made from the hairs of cats that lived near the Nile more than 2,400 years ago .
The “ sacred cat rug ” was passed down to museum owners , Jim and Marcia Byles ’ , via Marcia Byles ’ grandfather A.S. Mussallem .
The story of the rug is that thieves took a jewel-encrusted foot from a mummified princess and took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conceal the foot , Jim Byles said .
“ Once the thieves retrieved the jewels off of the foot , they simply threw the rug and the foot away , disregarded them as if they were trash , ” he said .
Ben Yakar , who bought the rug and mummy ’ s foot in 1861 for a franc , trusted that Mussallem would care for it and gave him the rug in his will , Byles said .
The rug even drew interest from Robert Ripley , of Ripley ’ s Believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t get the cat rug , Ripley ’ s has a mummified cat on display in St. Augustine .
The rug went missing for a time after Mussallem loaned the sacred cat rug and mummy ’ s foot to the Egyptian government .
“ But when it came back , it came back with the most incredible ... three-piece set of furniture and a gaming table , which took five men nine years to create .
And it was a gift from the king of Egypt thanking him for his help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is believed to hold a curse for anyone who walks on it , though Byles said he doesn ’ t know of anyone who has .
Byles said the cat rug gets a lot of attention .
But the Villa Zorayda is much more than just the rug .
The building itself stands out as one of the unusual attractions in the city , with the design taking “ direct inspiration from the Alhambra Palace in Spain , ” according to a plaque on its exterior .
More Egyptian artifacts are a short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Lightner Museum on King Street .
Otto Lighter bought the building in 1947 to house his collection .
Among the pieces on display these days is an Egyptian mummy with a burial mask , a 20th-century shrunken head from Jivaro Indians of South America and a Jurassic-Period dinosaur egg from China .
Lightner ’ s remains are in the courtyard outside of the museum ’ s entrance because he wanted to be buried with his belongings , said Ray Eme , associate director of the museum .
The head of Michelangelo ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tall bushes outside of the Ripley ’ s Believe It or Not !
museum at 19 San Marco Ave. A replica of the famed sculpture is on display at the grounds , but it ’ s shielded from full view by passersby , apparently to keep from offending anyone .
“ That is the reason we have the 12-foot hedges around David , ” said Kim Kiff , Ripley ’ s general manager .
Some of St. Augustine ’ s flora has a following .
The north end of Cordova Street is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Love Tree , ” a palm tree growing from an oak tree .
Locals believe that a couple that kisses underneath the tree will be together forever .
Other love trees exist around the city , including one in front of the Cathedral Parish School at St. George and Bridge streets .
On St. Francis Street , one feature of of the Tovar House has gained notoriety over the years : A cannonball in one of the walls .
It ’ s been said that the cannonball was found in the east @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a column in The Record by historian Susan Parker .
“ To make the cannonball more obvious and visible and thus add it to the history of St. Augustine , it was attached to the exterior wall .
... perhaps someone suggested that the cannonball had lodged in the wall during Oglethorpe ’ s fusillades and the story stuck - just like the cannonball , ” Parker wrote .
Some of St. Augustine ’ s history is underwater .
As the first day of the new millennium began , staffers from The Record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ River near the Castillo de San Marcos .
The festivities included a ceremony sponsored by the paper that drew a few hundred people , former newspaper Publisher Ronnie Hughes said .
Former Opinion Page Editor Jim Sutton , who was part of the crew , said the capsule was “ big enough for a casket to go in.
” The contents included at least a newspaper , but Sutton and Hughes said they couldn ’ t recall its contents .
The plaque says the capsule is supposed to be opened on Jan. 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park .
He was about 18 feet long , weighed nearly 2,000 pounds and hailed from New Guinea , where he was known as a man eater , according to the park and Jim Darlington , curator of reptiles for the park .
Gomek is no longer living , but his remains are still at the alligator farm .
“ Gomek is now tastefully preserved and surrounded by our collection of rare and beautiful hand-carved Papua New Guinea art , ” according to the park .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ remembered him as a gentle giant .
“ He had plenty of chances to eat me , and he didn ’ t , ” Darlington said .
St. Augustine is also home to the remains of many well known humans , including Randolph Caldecott , a British illustrator .
Caldecott came to the U.S. in 1885 looking for a warmer climate .
He ended up in St. Augustine after travelling south from New York and other areas .
While he was just in the U.S. to visit , he ended up dying and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years old .
His grave is at the Evergreen Cemetery in West Augustine .
Odd attractions are nothing new in St. Augustine .
They were popular in the 20th century as well .
Opened in 1946 , Casper ’ s Ostrich and Alligator farm was about 2 miles north of downtown on U.S. 1 .
The attraction featured daily ostrich races where drivers were pulled on a lightweight cart .
One of the more controversial attractions in St. Augustine was The Tragedy in U.S. History Museum , which opened in the ’ 60s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ car Jayne Mansfield died in and and a Spanish jail from the 1700s that had human skeletons inside .
When L. H. “ Buddy ” Hough spoke to a Florida Times-Union reporter in 1989 about opening the museum , he said : “ Every human being has a morbid curiosity .
”

Sheldon Gardner, St. Augustine Record - AP Member


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Miami’s ancient Tequesta Indian circles not on display

MIAMI - People walk by the original Miami , Florida , every day and don ’ t even know it .
Or they think the downtown corner where Miami ’ s first residents lived is a ruptured sewage line under repair .
“ It looks horrible and it ’ s been like this for years , ” said businessman Yones Machichi .
“ I figured it was a sewer that went bad or a trash pit.
” Why would he assume otherwise ?
The 35-foot wide carved limestone circle is strewn with discarded coffee cups .
A plastic bag is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No signs hint at the monumental significance of the site .
But it was here , 2,000 years ago , that the Tequesta Indians built a village on the banks of the Miami River .
By 1838 , in the same spot , American soldiers dispatched to the bottom of the Florida peninsula were encamped at Fort Dallas , a strategic post for fighting the Seminole Indian wars .
A half century later , Julia Tuttle gave the plot to Henry Flagler , and he extended his railroad to a stop at his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backwater Miami ’ s new identity as a tourist destination .
Guests could purchase Tequesta Indian skulls uncovered during construction as souvenirs .
The hurricane-damaged hotel was demolished in 1930 , the city grew and three eras of Miami history sat like an entombed layer cake beneath asphalt parking lots until a developer decided to build condos , offices , restaurants , a hotel , a bank , a movie theatre and a grocery store on the four-block property .
But , after archaeologists unearthed the treasures below , the developer , MDM @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preserve a fraction of what was excavated , and display it adjacent to the towers where Miami ’ s 21st-century dwellers would live .
The Met Miami development has blossomed , as developments tend to do in Miami , yet the two Tequesta Indian Circles that were saved have not been turned into historic showcases .
Artifacts from the village , the fort and the hotel have either been covered by dirt or are collecting dust in a storage area .
It ’ s as if Miami ’ s buried past has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , city leaders and stewards of the six-year-old agreement have lost patience and are pushing MDM to comply with requirements to properly conserve , display and interpret the discoveries .
The Dade Heritage Trust is demanding that MDM show progress and a good faith commitment to the terms of the plan within the next two months or the city said it will withhold building occupancy permits .
“ They built the buildings and now that they are almost finished it ’ s clear that certain stipulations have been ignored , ” said Scott @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member of the Heritage Trust board when the binding agreement with MDM was negotiated .
“ We have no choice at this point .
They want to move forward and we want to work with them but we are still in dispute on several items.
” The birthplace of Miami is at stake , say preservationists and city activists who hammered out the plan with MDM during contentious mediation sessions .
They fear more broken promises .
They point to the Miami Circle that was discovered on the south side of the river @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The developer of that property was paid $ 27 million in public funds to shelve his condo project , but the design for the 2.2-acre Tequesta site that was designated a National Historic Landmark has never been realized .
The 38-foot-wide circle , probably part of a council house or ceremonial structure for the tribe of hunters and fishermen , was covered with soil to protect it from the elements , and residents ’ dogs relieve themselves on top of it .
“ The first Miami Circle has been treated terribly and disrespectfully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who excavated both sites and wrote a book called “ Digging Miami.
” “ The public should be able to see this unparalleled piece of North American history , learn about it and enjoy it .
I am optimistic the same thing won ’ t happen on the other side of the river , but it ’ s a shame it ’ s taking so long.
” What is special about the north side discovery is that it provides a window into Miami ’ s past going back at least 2,000 years .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ skin of an onion , ” said Carr , who found 11 circles and hundreds of carved postholes that represent the foundations of the Tequesta village and its linear walkways .
“ We see where the Tequestas settled this wild place and created one of the first urban plans in eastern North America .
Where Whole Foods is now we found a Tequesta cemetery with 500 graves .
Where the hotel pool is now we found a Tequesta midden , or refuse heap .
We see where the U.S. Army built its barracks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over Indian remains .
We see where Henry Flagler turned Miami into a city.
” Among the thousands of artifacts unearthed by Carr and his team were conch shells collected by the Tequestas , bone tools , a brass Spanish trading bell from the 1600s , musket balls and buttons from the fort , and a room key with a leather fob from the hotel .
Met Square , bounded by Southeast Fourth Street , Southeast Third Street , Southeast Third Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard is the perfect place for what should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Silver said .
“ Most people who travel make a list of the historic places they want to visit — in Athens , in Paris , in Peru , ” Silver said .
“ Everyone thinks Miami started in 1920 .
I have relatives in Boston with sweaters that old .
“ Yes , we have history — ancient history — visible in downtown Miami .
And you could not find a richer site , one that tells three different stories .
MDM should embrace being part of a very cool attraction that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the project is still stalled two years after stakeholders of the agreement sent a warning letter to the city and MDM expressing “ deep concern ” about “ breaches of both the letter and spirit ” of the agreement .
“ Many people wanted a recreation of the entire village as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and fewer new buildings by MDM , ” said Brian Alonso , a downtown businessman who participated in the mediation sessions along with historians , preservationists and representatives from the city , county and state .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to reject MDM ’ s Met Square until the developer agreed to build around two of the circles and fund the preservation project , as required by law .
“ We worked really hard to reach a compromise and write a beautiful , innovative plan combining the old and new that the developer is required to pay for .
It ’ s demoralizing that it is not happening.
” Then as now , MDM director Ian Swanson said the company is committed to a first-class exhibit of the circles and artifacts on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the four phases of the massive $ 1 billion mixed-use project have put them behind schedule .
“ We are trying to push it along .
We understand that people are frustrated , ” said Swanson , who said MDM has spent upwards of $ 5 million so far on excavation and preservation .
“ We ’ ve been working with Bob Carr since 2004 so we have a lot of time and money invested in this and we want it to be done by the end of the year .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Swanson , a native of England , said he is a preservationist at heart , having worked on historic projects as an engineer in London and Scotland .
“ We found a Roman market by the Thames while digging foundations .
We found mosaics in an office building on Cannon Street and incorporated them into the lobby floor .
We preserved castle facades , did structural surveys at the Tower of London and Big Ben , ” he said .
“ Hadrian ’ s Wall , plague pits , Henry VIII ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on ancient monuments and historic buildings.
” MDM ’ s attorney , Eugene Stearns , initially ridiculed archaeologists ’ drawing of the Tequesta village as “ hokum ” — because of inconsistencies in their conclusions about the circular structures and postholes and the lack of any descriptions of the village by Spanish missionaries or explorers — and he argued during negotiations that little of the site was worth saving .
Swanson was also skeptical about “ ambiguities ” in the research .
But he said MDM ’ s perspective hasn ’ t wavered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the value of heritage sites , ” he said .
The main point of contention involves the circle on the southwest corner of Met Square , which is supposed to be enclosed in glass two stories tall , allowing views from the street and an as yet uncompleted restaurant within the commercial complex that would overlook it .
But MDM has balked at building the air-conditioned enclosure , saying that water seeping into the circle ’ s solution holes at high tide would cause condensation and mould .
For now , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a busy corner , with no signage explaining what it is and quizzical looks from passersby who even notice it .
“ We have left it open , anticipating issues with climate control , ” said Swanson , who showed a drawing of an alternative concept — a steel ring suspended above the circle , hung with fluted LED lights .
“ They have tried to talk around it but that feature is non-negotiable , ” Silver said .
“ If you ’ re telling us it ’ s impossible , prove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But if you ’ re telling us it ’ s expensive , do it .
Of course they can do it .
There are enclosed ruins in humid environments all around the world.
” Most of the other two dozen elements stipulated in the agreement have not been started and look nothing like the architectural renderings in the agreement .
The circle on the northeast corner is inside an unfinished glassed-in room , but the doors are locked and the floor-to-ceiling windows are covered with panels or condo advertisements .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lean against the concrete walls .
When it ’ s done , Swanson said a glass floor will cover the circle .
Interpretive signs , drawings , photos and video screens will line the walls .
MDM will lease the space to HistoryMiami , which plans to operate a mini-museum on site .
The Met Square plaza is to hold an accessible outdoor gallery of artifacts , some of which are sitting locked inside what is to be a future cafe or shop .
Carr has stored brick piers from the Royal Palm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its original entrance as well as boxes of Tequesta shells there .
You can see them only if you press your forehead against the glass doors but , again , no signage .
A brick-lined well from Fort Dallas , located next to the southwest Tequesta circle , where the restaurant will go , is supposed to be covered with a glass floor , but it ’ s currently buried and covered with steel plates , Swanson said .
One feature that has been finished is a stainless steel pathway on the ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Met Muze lobby that traces the original shoreline where the river met Biscayne Bay before it was occluded by fill .
But another requirement — renaming Met Square to reflect its original inhabitants — hasn ’ t been broached yet , Swanson said .
MDM ’ s initial rendering of interior design for the 43-story condo was trumpeted as “ tribal chic , ” but the dream-catcher and silver jewelry-inspired wall coverings were mocked for resembling Navajo culture of the American Southwest rather than Tequesta culture and was redone to avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Miami Circle , where the Related Group built six tall columns at Icon Brickell and decorated them with large , oblong metal heads meant to recall the stone figures on Easter Island , which also have nothing to do with Tequesta history .
They were nicknamed the “ giant potato men ” by Florida ’ s chief archaeologist , Ryan Wheeler .
Miami ’ s indigenous people were driven away in the 1760s when the British ruled Florida and employed a rival tribe to capture and enslave the Tequestas on southern plantations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cuba to immigrate to the island and work as agricultural labourers , said Carr , who recently returned from an excavation in Cuba .
“ This is a legacy that should be highlighted , accessible , tangible , ” Carr said .
“ This site has the opportunity just like a site in Rome or Paris where you can actually walk off the street and look down into the ground and see parts of the site preserved .
To have this location and this rare opportunity is something no one should ignore .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ place that predates Americans , but it ’ s been overshadowed by its history of real estate development .
I think people would love to learn more about the fascinating stuff that ’ s been happening along the banks of the Miami River for more than 2,500 years .
”

Linda Robertson, Miami Herald - AP Member


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Virus outbreak hits weakened Italian economy where it hurts

MILAN - The focal point of the coronavirus emergency in Europe , Italy , is also the region ’ s weakest economy and is taking an almighty hit as foreigners stop visiting its cultural treasures or buying its prized artisanal products , from fashion to food to design .
Europe ’ s third-largest economy has long been among the slowest growing in the region and is the one that is tallying the largest number of virus infections outside Asia .
Entire towns are quarantined in the north , the heart of Italy ’ s manufacturing and financial industries .
Airlines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country , meaning millions fewer travellers are expected - causing billions in losses for hotels , restaurants , tourist sites and many others .
The turmoil is expected to push Italy back into recession and weigh more broadly on the European economy , with trade-focused countries like Germany , France and Britain also struggling with the global disruption to supply chains and travel .
“ I am getting cancellations through June , ’ ’ said Stefania Stea , who has two hotels in Venice , where the Carnival cancellation emptied the city in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plunging to an unheard of 1 % -2 % Stea , who is vice-president of the Venice hoteliers association , is tallying cancellations worth 7,000-10,000 euros ( $ 7,700- $ 11,000 ) a day for her 39 rooms — all currently empty .
“ The only reservations I am getting are for Christmas or New Year ’ s Eve , with people hoping for a deal.
” Italy ’ s economy is forecast to shrink this quarter , with Bocconi university economist Francesco Daveri predicting a 0.3 % .
That would match a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 and would put the country in a technical recession .
The country has already shed 4 % of GDP in back-to-back recessions in the first two decades of the century , and recovery has been stalled for the last two years .
Banks are still trying to burn off a pile of bad loans left over from the financial crisis a decade ago and the government ’ s public debt load - the highest in Europe after Greece - limits the country ’ s ability to significantly ramp up spending to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and luxury industries were the first , but not last , to sound the alarm .
Tourism officials are projecting 32 million fewer foreign visitors and a loss of 7.4 billion euros ( $ 8.1 billion ) in the second quarter alone , before the arrival of the make-or-break summer travel season .
Foreign airlines are cancelling flights to Milan , Italy ’ s financial and fashion capital , and to Venice , a top destination .
The tourism industry decries what it describes as confusing and hyperbolic media coverage of the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , travellers and business partners than perhaps warranted .
“ Unfortunately , we are paying the price of a media communication that has been much more lethal than the virus , ’ ’ said Luca Patane , the president of tourism association Confturismo-Confcommercio .
Even before the virus arrived in Italy , luxury fashion officials projected a 2 % first-half contraction .
That was based solely on weaker spending by Chinese consumers , who are the biggest luxury buyers in the world accounting for 35 % of global sales .
Now the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discouraging well-heeled shopping tourists to Milan ’ s MonteNapoleone district and Rome ’ s via Condotti , while spreading to the U.S. and European neighbours , key export markets .
“ It is starting to impact Japan and Korea , and most probably will impact Europe and other countries as the virus spreads .
We hope it will not spread too fast , ’ ’ said Federica Levato , partner at consultancy group Bain .
Bain is , for now , maintaining its forecast for 3 % -5 % year-on-year growth in global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted that in the 2003 SARS epidemic , spending rebounded “ as soon as the crisis passed.
’ ’ How deeply the virus will hit the rest of the Italian economy remains to be seen .
Authorities are trying to help with a 7.5 billion-euro ( $ 8.3 billion ) plan approved this week , including short-term unemployment schemes to help small businesses .
The European Central Bank could trim its interest rates when it meets next week , but they are already near or below zero , and the disruption to business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheaper credit .
Making things more complicated is a lack of knowledge about the virus ’ s true risks and whether it is spread , for example , through exported goods .
Industry groups and policymakers have signalled incidents of importers of Italian goods in other EU countries seeking additional certification that the goods are virus-free .
The Coldiretti agricultural lobby on Wednesday said that “ unjustified documentation ” had been requested from importers of aged cheese in Greece , lettuce sent to Poland and fruit to Kuwait , while shipments of Italian-grown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukraine .
Coldiretti also said its producers had reported “ numerous cancellations without good reasons that struck an entire range of ‘ Made in Italy ’ foodstuffs , from wine to cured meats.
’ ’ The coronavirus emergency is damaging Italy ’ s image abroad , Coldiretti said , putting at risk a sector worth 538 billion euros ( $ 590 billion ) , from farm producers to grocery shelves to restaurants .
In a bid to limit damage , agricultural association Confagricoltura met this week with government officials from countries including Britain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Netherlands .
And it is not only food products that have fallen under suspicion .
The head of a steel making company said a customer in Germany had requested that wooden shipping containers be sanitized .
The apparently ad-hoc requests are out of line with prevailing medical advice .
The World Health Organization has emphasized that the virus is spreading person to person “ and nothing indicates that other routes of transmission , such as via parcel or cargo freight , are contributing to onward spread in any way.
” It added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food products pose a risk .
Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio this week protested against what he called indiscriminate limits on Italian exports .
“ It is not acceptable to block Italian goods or ask for a certificate of guarantee beyond what exists in commercial agreements , ’ ’ Di Maio said Tuesday .
” Merchandise does not have anything to do with the virus.
’ ’ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--US cruise ship in limbo as anti-virus controls spread

BEIJING - U.S. officials were deciding where to dock a cruise ship in California with 21 virus cases aboard and four American universities cancelled in-person classes as sweeping efforts to contain the outbreak that started in China spread to the West .
The Grand Princess , with 3,500 people aboard , was in international waters off San Francisco late Friday .
Authorities want it to dock in a non-commercial port for everyone aboard to be tested amid evidence the ship was the breeding ground for a deadly cluster of 10 cases during an earlier voyage .
“ Those that will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Those who will require medical help will receive it , ” said U.S .
Vice-President Mike Pence .
President Donald Trump , speaking at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta , said he would have preferred not to let the passengers disembark onto American soil but would defer to the recommendations of medical experts .
The global death toll rose past 3,400 , with more than 100,000 cases reported .
The Netherlands reported its first virus death Friday , while Serbia , Slovakia , Peru , Togo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Also Friday , authorities in Florida reported the first two U.S. deaths away from the West Coast .
They said the two patients were in their 70s and one had underlying health problems .
The University of Washington and two other universities said campuses in Seattle would hold classes online instead of in-person .
Stanford University , south of San Francisco , announced similar plans .
Also in Seattle , Starbucks announced an employee of one of its cafes was diagnosed with COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ deep clean.
” On Saturday , South Korean officials said a Korean Air flight attendant who was in Los Angeles from Feb. 18-21 has tested positive for the coronavirus .
The 36-year-old woman began suffering fever and muscle pain on Feb. 27 , said Mayor Baek Kun-ki of Yongin , a city near Seoul , on Facebook .
Officials at Korean Air didn ’ t respond to repeated phone calls .
The woman in Yongin was the second Korean Air flight attendant to test positive for the virus .
The earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a flight from Israel to South Korea on Feb. 15-16 .
The 100,000 figure of global infections dwarfs other major outbreaks in recent decades , such as SARS , MERS and Ebola .
The virus is still much less widespread than annual flu epidemics , which result in up to 5 million annual severe cases around the world and from 290,000 to 650,000 deaths annually , according to the World Health Organization .
Mimicking measures imposed in China starting six weeks ago , Western governments increasingly are imposing travel controls , telling people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanitizing public spaces .
Governments have imposed restrictions on visitors from China , South Korea , Italy and Iran .
Serbia said it might deploy the army to keep the virus at bay .
In Switzlerand , which reported 210 new cases Friday , the military was being readied to provide support services at hospitals .
The top U.N. climate change official said her agency won ’ t hold meetings in person until the end of April .
French Health Minister Olivier Veran said children would be banned from visiting patients in hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that patients would be limited to one adult visit at a time .
Spanish officials announced a month-long closure of 200 centres in and around Madrid where the elderly go for daytime care and activities .
The global economy faces mounting damage due to anti-virus controls that shut down much of China ’ s economy and are disrupting travel and trade worldwide .
Airlines , hotels , cinemas and other businesses that rely on public activity have lost billions of dollars in potential revenue .
China , the world ’ s biggest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 17.2 % from a year earlier in January and February .
Imports sank 4 % .
China ’ s decision to extend its Lunar New Year holiday to keep factories and offices closed sent shockwaves through Asian economies that supply components and raw materials to manufacturers who produce the world ’ s smartphones , toys and other consumer goods .
Chinese manufacturers are reopening but forecasters say they are unlikely to return to normal production levels until at least April .
Germany ’ s biggest airline , Lufthansa , said it would cut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the next few weeks , depending on how the virus outbreak develops .
It said it had seen a drastic drop in reservations , with all regions now affected .
Also Saturday , China reported 99 new cases , its first daily increase of less than 100 since Jan. 20 .
The government reported 28 deaths in the 24 hours through midnight Friday .
Overall , China now has 22,177 patients in treatment , while 55,404 have been released .
South Korea , the hardest-hit country outside China , reported 174 new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran rose beyond 4,700 , with 124 deaths .
Iran set up checkpoints to limit travel and had firefighters spray disinfectant on an 18-kilometre ( 11-mile ) stretch of Tehran ’ s most famous avenue .
Off the California coast , passengers on the Grand Princess were holed up in their cabins while they awaited word on the ship ’ s fate .
The ship was heading from Hawaii to San Francisco when it was ordered Wednesday to keep its distance from shore so 46 people with possible coronavirus symptoms could be tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crew lowered test kits onto the 951-foot ( 290-meter ) ship by rope and later flew them for analysis at a state lab .
Health officials undertook the testing after reporting that a passenger on a previous voyage of the ship , in February , died of the disease .
Authorities say at least 10 other people who were on the same journey also were found to be infected .
Some passengers on that trip stayed aboard for the current voyage , which increased crew members ’ exposure to the virus .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous passengers , “ Pence said .
“ We anticipate that they will be quarantined on the ship .
They will not need to disembark.
” Also Friday , Thailand on Friday blocked a separate cruise ship from docking , worried because it carried dozens of passengers from Italy , which with 197 virus deaths is the centre of Europe ’ s epidemic .
Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Coronavirus concerns stalls cruise ship off California

SAN FRANCISCO - Thousands of people were confined to a cruise ship circling in international waters off the San Francisco Bay Area Saturday after 21 passengers and crew members tested positive for the new coronavirus .
The Grand Princess was forbidden to dock in San Francisco amid evidence that the vessel was the breeding ground for a deadly cluster of more than 10 cases during its previous voyage .
Meantime , Florida reported two coronavirus deaths — the first outside of the West Coast .
Health officials said two people in their 70s who had travelled overseas died in Santa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in the Fort Myers area .
Florida also raised the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 , the new virus strain , from four to seven .
The U.S. death toll from the virus climbed to 16 , with all but three victims in Washington state .
The number of infections swelled to over 200 , scattered across about half the states .
Pennsylvania , Indiana , Minnesota and Nebraska reported their first cases .
In California , state authorities were working with federal officials around-the-clock to bring the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ port over the weekend and test everyone for the virus .
There was no immediate word on where the vessel will dock .
Two passengers on the ship said Friday night that the captain has notified them they are moving to a location 20 miles off the coast for easier delivery of supplies .
The captain said a guest requires medical attention and may be airlifted out , the passengers said .
While health officials said about 1,100 crew members will remain aboard , passengers could be disembarked to face quarantine , possibly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That ’ s what happened to hundreds of passengers who were exposed to the virus on another cruise ship in January .
“ Those that will need to be quarantined will be quarantined .
Those who will require medical help will receive it , ” Vice-President Michael Pence said Friday as he announced that 19 crew members and two passengers had tested positive for COVID-19 .
President Donald Trump , speaking Friday at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta , said he would prefer not to allow the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the recommendations of medical experts .
“ They would like to have the people come off .
I ’ d rather have the people stay but ...
I told them to make the final decision , “ the president said .
“ I don ’ t need to have the numbers ( of U.S. cases ) double because of one ship that wasn ’ t our fault , ” Trump said in a Fox News interview .
“ And it wasn ’ t the fault of the people on the ship either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their fault either .
And they are mostly American , so I can live either way with it.
” In the meantime , passengers aboard the Grand Princess remained holed up in their rooms as they awaited word about the fate of the ship .
Some said ship officials only informed them of the confirmed coronavirus cases after they first learned about it from news reports .
Steven Smith and his wife , Michele , of Paradise , California , went on the cruise to celebrate their wedding anniversary .
The Smiths said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe in their room , which they had left just once since Thursday to video chat with their children .
Crew members wearing masks and gloves delivered trays with their food in covered plates and left them outside their door .
To pass the time they have been watching television , reading and looking out the window , they said .
“ Thank God , we have a window !
” Steven said .
The ship was heading from Hawaii to San Francisco when it was ordered Wednesday to keep its distance from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms could be tested .
On Thursday , a military helicopter crew lowered test kits onto the 951-foot ( 290-meter ) ship by rope and later flew them for analysis at a state lab .
Health officials undertook the testing after reporting that a 71-year-old man who had been on a February voyage of the same ship to Mexico contracted the virus and died this week at a hospital in Placer County in Northern California .
Others who were on that voyage also have tested positive in Northern California , Minnesota , Illinois @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A “ presumed positive ” patient was self-isolating at home in Nevada , health officials there said .
Some passengers who had been on the Mexico trip stayed aboard for the current voyage — increasing crew members ’ exposure to the virus .
Another Princess ship , the Diamond Princess , was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama , Japan , last month because of the virus .
Ultimately , about 700 of the 3,700 people aboard became infected in what experts pronounced a public-health failure , with the vessel essentially becoming a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aboard that ship were flown to military bases in California and other states for two-week quarantines .
Some later were hospitalized with symptoms .
An epidemiologist who studies the spread of virus particles said the recirculated air from a cruise ship ’ s ventilation system , plus the close quarters and communal settings , make passengers and crew vulnerable to infectious diseases .
“ They ’ re not designed as quarantine facilities , to put it mildly , ” said Don Milton of the University of Maryland .
“ You ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the boat.
” He said the fallout from the ship quarantined in Japan demonstrates the urgent need to move people off the ship and into a “ safer quarantine environment.
“ “ We have to be better than just leaving all these people out at sea , “ Toni G. Atkins said in a statement .
“ There are Americans on board , families , seniors , and others all wanting nothing more than to be safe and to get treatment if they need it.
” On Wall Street , stocks swung @ @ @ @ @ @ @ damage to the global economy from factory shutdowns , travel bans , quarantines and cancellations of events big and small — a list that grew to include the world-famous South by Southwest arts festival in Austin , Texas , which was set to begin next week .
Stanford University announced that it was cancelling in-person classes for the final two weeks of the winter quarter and instead holding classes online .
The school also said large-group events were being adjusted or cancelled .
Trump has signed an $ 8.3 billion measure to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spur development of vaccines and treatments .
Worldwide , the virus has infected more than 100,000 people and killed over 3,400 , the vast majority of them in China .
Most cases have been mild , and more than half of those infected have recovered .
Most of the dead in the U.S. were from suburban Seattle ’ s Life Care Center nursing home , now the subject of federal and state investigations that could lead to sanctions , including a possible takeover of its management .
Washington state has the nation ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least 70 .
Thirty medical professionals from the U.S. Public Health Service were to arrive Saturday at the nursing home to help care for patients and provide relief to the exhausted staff , said Dow Constantine , executive in charge of King County in the Seattle area .
“ We are grateful the cavalry is arriving .
It will make rapid change in the conditions there , ” he said .
The nursing home was down to 69 residents after 15 were taken to the hospital in the preceding 24 hours , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Seattle area — including Microsoft and Amazon , which together employ more than 100,000 people in the region — have shut down operations or urged employees to work from home .
The University of Washington called off classes at its three Seattle-area campuses for the next two weeks and will instead teach its 57,000 students online .
And a comics convention next week in Seattle that was expected to draw about 100,000 people was cancelled .
Associated Press writers Janie Har and Daisy Nguyen in San Francisco ; Gene Johnson , Martha @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami ; Rachel La Corte in Olympia , Washington ; and AP researcher Monika Mathur in Washington , D.C. , contributed to this report .
The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .
Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Olga R. Rodriguez - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seeks absolution in virus fight

DUBAI , United Arab Emirates - Wearing gas masks and waterproof fatigues , members of Iran ’ s Revolutionary Guard now spray down streets and hospitals with disinfectants as the Islamic Republic faces one of the world ’ s worst outbreaks of the new coronavirus .
Its commanders likely hope it also will wash away something else — the anger the public feels toward the powerful paramilitary force stained by its shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger jet in January .
All 176 people on board — most of them Iranian citizens — were killed .
The push by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected and killed members of Iranian officialdom .
Ensuring the survival of the government — as well as its own place in power — remains paramount amid one of the world ’ s deadliest virus outbreaks outside of China .
Fear over the virus and the government ’ s waning credibility has become a major challenge to Iran ’ s leaders , who already are reeling under the weight of American sanctions .
“ We have prepared all our health care facilities and specialized cadres that will expand this sacred jihad , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who commands the Guard ’ s volunteer Basij force .
That the Guard is involved in the relief effort of a major catastrophe is not surprising in Iran .
The Guard , whose forces include an estimated 125,000-plus troops and 600,000 mission-ready volunteers , routinely respond to the earthquakes that shake the country .
Recent floods saw its troops mobilize as well .
Its forces , which include virologists , faced chemical weapons during Iran ’ s eight-year war against Iraq in the 1980s .
It expanded into private industry after the war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And the Guard , also known by the acronym IRGC , has conducted polio and other immunization drives in the past .
“ The IRGC sees itself as the lead agency in any threat against the regime , ” said Afshon Ostovar , an assistant professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in the United States who wrote book on the Guard .
“ Whether it ’ s protests , a state adversary or a virus , the IRGC will position itself publicly as Iran ’ s frontline defender.
” Today , the Guard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy , including its powerful construction company Khatam al-Anbiya .
Exactly how much it controls is in dispute , with estimates ranging from below 10 % to as much as 40 % , but Iran ’ s government needs the Guard ’ s economic muscle in times of crisis , especially as it faces crushing sanctions from the U.S .
The Guard ’ s troops have moved into hard-hit cities like Tehran , Rasht and Qom .
Using modular construction , they ’ ve quickly built hospitals and created a headquarters called the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ modern warfare units ” who focus on responses to chemical , biological and cyberattacks .
Wearing gas masks and suits designed to protect during chemical weapons attacks , Guard members have been seen washing down areas to kill lingering traces of the virus that causes the COVID-19 illness .
They ’ ve touted operations to target those hoarding desperately needed medical supplies .
“ Their show of force regarding the coronavirus is as much political theatre as a public health effort , ” Ostovar said .
It comes as propaganda images created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nurses in the foxhole with troops .
That contrast also helps mock Iran ’ s civilian government , whose esteem among the public already is reeling since President Donald Trump ’ s decision to unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from Iran ’ s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers .
“ Now , hospitals are Iran ’ s front line , “ one volunteer at an Iranian hospital said her mother told her in a widely shared online video .
” If you leave the front line , you ’ ll be deserter and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in my home.
” That kind of spirit comes as a balm for Guard members , who have seen themselves widely criticized after shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 on Jan. 8 .
That same day , the Guard had launched a ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces in Iraq .
That attack came as a response to the U.S. drone strike in Baghdad killing Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani , a top commander responsible for the force ’ s expeditionary operations across the wider Mideast .
Even before that , the Guard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the country in November , reportedly killing at least 300 people amid a nationwide internet blackout .
Some bitterly note the irony of the Guard using the term “ suppression ” to describe their anti-virus operations in the wake of the crackdown .
“ On COVID-19 , it ’ s clear that there ’ s been a great deal of mismanagement and so the Guards are now trying to present themselves as the saviours , ” said Ariane Tabatabai , an Iran analyst at the U.S.-based RAND Corp. “ And of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to change the conversation from the airliner episode — although , this will be a hard task to achieve given that both are examples of incompetence and mismanagement.
” The risks , however , are clear .
If Iran doesn ’ t get a handle on the virus outbreak , it ’ s more than just the Guard ’ s reputation on the line .
Already , top officials in Iran ’ s civilian government and its Shiite theocracy have contracted the virus , with several dying .
Given that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power in Tehran and its front-line operation in hospitals , Guard members may too come down with COVID-19 .
The Guard also has trafficked in baseless conspiracy theories amid the outbreak , with its leader Gen. Hossein Salami falsely suggesting the U.S. created the virus amid the wider tensions with America .
“ We will win in the fight against the virus , which may be the product of the American biological invasion , which it first spread to China and then to Iran and the rest of the world , ” Salami @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Kerman .
“ The U.S. must know that if it did it , ( the virus ) will return to it.
” Still , the Guard ’ s power means it will remain front and centre in any response to the virus crisis .
The Guard only will grow more powerful if the outbreak remains severe into July , the global analysis firm the Eurasia Group said .
“ A broader role is likely for the Revolutionary Guard in all aspects of the economic , political and public-health response , ” it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Heavy police raids leave east Jerusalem neighbourhood on edge

JERUSALEM - Murad Mahmoud ’ s 14-year-old son has been detained by Israeli police in his east Jerusalem neighbourhood three times in the last two years .
His 10-year-old has been interrogated by police in combat gear .
These days , he keeps all six of his children inside most of the time , fearing even worse .
“ I won ’ t even let them go to the corner store , “ he says .
“ I ’ m not just afraid they ’ ll be arrested , I ’ m afraid they ’ ll lose an eye or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every day for the last nine months Israeli police have stormed into the Palestinian neighbourhood of Issawiya in east Jerusalem in a campaign they say is needed to maintain law and order .
Rights groups say that in addition to searching houses and issuing fines , they have detained hundreds of people — some as young as 10 — on suspicion of stone-throwing .
The operations frequently ignite clashes , with local youths throwing rocks and firebombs , which police say justifies their heightened presence .
But residents and human rights groups say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confrontations and have created an atmosphere of terror , with parents afraid to let their children play outside .
Last month , a 9-year-old boy was shot in the face by police , losing an eye in an incident authorities say they are still investigating .
It ’ s unclear what prompted the crackdown , but many residents feel police are making an example out of Issawiya so that Israel can cement its control over east Jerusalem , which it seized in the 1967 war and later annexed .
East Jerusalem Palestinians have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizenship , either because they don ’ t recognize Israeli control or because of the long and complicated application process .
That has left many feeling vulnerable .
“ From May of last year until today , every day they occupy Issawiya all over again , “ said Amin Barakat , an optometrist and a member of the neighbourhood council .
Issawiya tumbles down a hillside behind Israel ’ s Hebrew University , just a few miles ( kilometres ) from the city-centre .
But like other Arab neighbourhoods in east Jerusalem it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legacy of decades of Israeli policies favouring Jewish areas of the city , including east Jerusalem settlements .
Under President Donald Trump ’ s Mideast initiative , which strongly favours Israel and was rejected by the Palestinians , Issawiya would remain part of Israel ’ s capital .
The narrow streets wind past walls covered in graffiti supporting Hamas and other armed groups , and residents take pride in their Palestinian identity .
But many work in Jewish communities .
They say the graffiti is the work of local teenagers , and there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an organized presence in the neighbourhood .
The intensive raids began last May , but the situation escalated the following month , when a 20-year-old was shot and killed by police , who said he approached to within a few meters ( yards ) and launched fireworks at them .
The police say they treat Issawiya like any other Jerusalem neighbourhood .
“ There ’ s no use of unnecessary force , “ Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said .
“ There ’ s no unnecessary patrols that are taking place .
Everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking place inside Issawiya.
” He said forces have responded to stone-throwing on nearby roads , including a major highway , but he was unable to name any specific act of violence outside of the clashes with police inside Issawiya .
Residents angrily reject any suggestion they pose a threat to others .
“ For 19 years I ’ ve been working with Jews , “ said Mahmoud , a construction manager .
“ They welcome me into their homes .
...
I have more than a hundred Jewish clients .
I only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rights groups say the raids go far beyond the targeting of individual suspects and amount to collective punishment of the neighbourhood ’ s 20,000 residents .
Ir Amim , an Israeli group that advocates for equal rights in Jerusalem and has closely followed developments in Issawiya , said the operations are “ unprecedented in scope and scale , “ amounting to a “ violent disruption of daily life.
” In addition to sweeping arrest raids , police have set up flying checkpoints that strangle traffic and issued arbitrary fines for minor violations of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s inexplicable and unjustifiable that an entire neighbourhood would be targeted ” because of individual offences , said Amy Cohen , a spokeswoman for the group .
Mohammed Abu al-Hummus , the head of Issawiya ’ s local council , says around 750 people have been detained in the last nine months , with most released after a day or two and many placed under house arrest for days or weeks .
He says only around 30 people have been formally charged .
Rosenfeld , the police spokesman , said fewer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been indicted , but did not provide figures .
Rights groups and residents acknowledge that young people respond to the police operations by throwing stones and firebombs .
But they say police provoke the violence and many fear the effects it will have on the next generation .
“ It ’ s a long-lasting trauma for them , ” said Tal Hassin , a lawyer with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel .
“ If you talk with kids , especially the boys , they are big heroes , But it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t sleep at night , they have nightmares.
” Her group has sent formal complaints to the police chief and the attorney general presenting evidence of a campaign of collective punishment and routine violations of Israeli laws governing the treatment of minors .
It has not received a response .
Barakat , the optometrist , has seen the effects on his own son , a shy , soft-spoken 15-year-old whose friend was recently arrested .
He says his son rarely sleeps longer than three hours at a time and sometimes screams out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what happens in the streets he feels anxious .
He ’ s nervous at home , at school — and not just him , the whole generation , ” he said .
“ He goes to bed at nine .
He gets up three hours later and wants water , or he gets up and wants to watch a football game .
He ’ s not even interested in the game , he just wants to sit with his mom and dad .
”


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--SpaceX launches station supplies, nails 50th rocket landing

CAPE CANAVERAL , Fla. - SpaceX successfully launched another load of station supplies for NASA late Friday night and nailed its 50th rocket landing .
The Falcon rocket blasted off with 4,300 pounds ( 1,950 kilograms ) of equipment and experiments for the International Space Station .
Just minutes later , the spent first-stage booster made a dramatic midnight landing back at Cape Canaveral , its return accompanied by sonic booms .
“ And the Falcon has landed for the 50th time in SpaceX history !
” SpaceX engineer Jessica Anderson announced amid cheers at Mission Control .
“ What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to touchdown.
” The Dragon capsule , meanwhile , hurtled toward a Monday rendezvous with the space station .
It ’ s the 20th station delivery for SpaceX , which has launched nearly 100,000 pounds ( 45,360 kilograms ) of goods to the orbiting outpost and returned nearly that much back to Earth since it began shipments in 2012 .
Northrop Grumman is NASA ’ s other commercial shipper .
SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk said it was the windiest conditions ever — 25 mph to 30 mph ( 40 kph @ @ @ @ @ @ @ booster landing at Cape Canaveral , but he wanted to push the envelope .
The landing was the 50th successful touchdown of a SpaceX booster following liftoff , either on land or at sea .
The company ’ s first booster landing was in 2015 , intended as a cost-saving , rocket-recycling move .
Both the latest booster and Dragon capsule were recycled from previous flights .
Among the science experiments flying : an analysis of running shoe cushioning in weightlessness by Adidas , a water droplet study by Delta Faucet Co. striving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ models of heart and intestinal tissue , and 320 snippets of grape vines by Space Cargo Unlimited , the same Luxembourg startup that sent 12 bottles of red wine to the space station last November for a year of high-altitude aging .
The Dragon also contained treats for the two Americans and one Russian at the space station : grapefruit , oranges , apples , tomatoes , Skittles , Hot Tamales and Reese ’ s Pieces .
As for packing the capsule for launch , no extra precautions were taken because of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The usual stringent precautions were taken to avoid passing along any germs or diseases to the space station crew .
The doctor-approved procedures have proven effective in the past , officials noted .
This is the last of SpaceX ’ s original Dragon cargo capsules .
Going forward , the company will launch supplies in second-generation Dragons , roomier and more elaborate versions built for crews .
The company aims to launch NASA astronauts this spring .
The California-based SpaceX also teaming up with other companies to fly tourists and private researchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as high solo orbits in the next couple years .
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Florida: 2 dead in the state who tested positive for virus

MIAMI - Two people who tested positive for the new coronavirus have died in Florida , marking the first deaths on the East Coast attributed to the outbreak in the U.S. , health officials said Friday .
The Florida Department of Health said the two people who died were in their 70s and had travelled overseas .
The announcement raises the U.S. death toll from the novel coronavirus strain to 16 , including 13 in the state of Washington and one in California .
One of the Florida deaths was that of a man with underlying health issues in Santa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the statement .
The health department added that the second death was that of an elderly person in Lee County , in the Fort Myers area .
The statement did not give immediate indications of where the two had travelled or whether officials were seeking to determine who they came in contact with .
Helen Aguirre Ferre , a spokeswoman for Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis , confirmed the deaths and other new cases in South Florida , on Twitter .
She promised in her tweet that updates would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an email request by The Associated Press for more information .
As of Friday , Florida authorities said seven people in the state have tested positive for COVID-19 .
They said six are Florida residents and the seventh is a non-resident .
One of the new cases was only confirmed after the person had died , according to the statement .
The other two cases that were confirmed to have tested positive on Friday were a 65-year-old man and a 75-year-old man , both in Broward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The state ’ s health department said both men have been isolated until public health officials clear them .
Officials had previously announced that five Florida residents who had been travelling in China have also been quarantined elsewhere after testing positive for the virus .
Officials continued to say on Friday that the risk to those in the state remains low as most cases have concentrated in Washington state and California , where a cruise ship is being held off the coast after a passenger on a previous trip died and others became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , city officials have cancelled two large music festivals over fears that crowded events could spread the new virus more widely .
It is not clear whether state officials will implement any other drastic measures ahead of Florida ’ s busy Spring Break season later this month .
Earlier Friday , Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis had asked state lawmakers for $ 25 million for health officials to use immediately in the state ’ s response to coronavirus .
DeSantis said he expects Florida to receive at least $ 27 million from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 500,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to immediately cover costs like lab equipment and staffing .

Adriana Gomez Licon - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Clyburn’s kingmaker moment changes landscape of 2020 race

COLUMBIA , S.C. - At a funeral service last month , Jannie Jones locked eyes with Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn across the church sanctuary and crooked a finger , beckoning him to come over to the pew where she sat .
She had a question , but she didn ’ t want to ask it out loud .
The House majority whip bent down so the 76-year-old Jones could whisper in his ear : “ I need to know who you ’ re going to vote for , ” she asked .
Giving Clyburn a thumbs up , Jones wondered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vice-president publicly .
“ I had no idea he was going to do it , ” Jones recalled in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from her home in Hopkins , South Carolina , outside the capital city of Columbia .
Not only did Clyburn go public with his choice among the sprawling Democratic field , just days ahead of his native South Carolina ’ s pivotal primary , but he also anonymously credited Jones and their whispered conversation with his choice to do so .
“ She said , ‘ You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out loud , but just whisper into my ear , who are you going to vote for next Saturday ?
I have been waiting to hear from you .
I need to hear from you , ’ ” Clyburn recalled in his passionate endorsement speech , three days before South Carolina ’ s Feb. 29 vote .
“ I decided then and there that I would not stay silent.
” The result : Biden handily won South Carolina , bested chief rival Bernie Sanders on Super Tuesday and bumped other hopefuls — Pete @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Elizabeth Warren — out of the contest in one of the most muscular comebacks in presidential campaign history .
The kingmaker moment was a long time coming for Clyburn , a minister ’ s son whose congressional career began 27 years ago , after a false start in losing a state legislative race .
He rose through the ranks and became the vote-counting House Democratic whip on Nancy Pelosi ’ s leadership team , the No .
3 Democrat in Congress as well as its highest-ranking black member .
And as Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carolina , Clyburn ’ s stature in the state increased among its Democratic contingent .
Political endorsements at times aren ’ t thought of as carrying significant heft , used by candidates and endorsers alike for a momentary media bounce that quickly fades to another name on a list .
But the backing of Clyburn seems to have been the endorsement that brought Biden ’ s candidacy back from the brink following lacklustre performances in other early states .
It was an awaited signal for many black voters in South Carolina that Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for their interests .
He scored a blowout margin of victory of nearly 30 points .
“ In our community , as African Americans , we ’ ve always had a history of hearing from people who have been chosen to lead us , ” said Antjuan Seawright .
“ This example of Jim Clyburn is no different .
There ’ s a reason why I think God preserved him for this moment , to be able to have such an impact.
” Biden has acknowledged the lifeline thrown to him by his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clyburn , you brought me back , ” he said , adding that the congressman had “ lifted me in this campaign on his shoulders.
” Biden had long led in surveys heading into South Carolina , where fewer than half of Democratic voters are white .
He ultimately won 64 % of the ballots cast by African American voters , also performing strongly with older voters , women , regular churchgoers and moderates and conservatives , according to AP VoteCast , a wide-ranging survey of more than 1,400 voters in South Carolina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results also showed that about a third of South Carolina Democrats said they made a late decision about their vote .
Of those voters , roughly half ultimately supported Biden .
As the field constricted and candidates dropped out , Biden ’ s momentum carried him to victories in 10 of 14 Super Tuesday states .
In Alabama , where African American voters made up a majority of the Democratic primary electorate , roughly 7 in 10 supported the former vice-president , according to AP VoteCast .
Once Clyburn spoke his mind , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all backgrounds who may have been waffling among the remaining moderate choices saw an imperative to unite behind one of them .
“ They got their theoretical permission from Jim Clyburn to do what they needed to do , because they realized the importance of this election , and that the only way that we were going to beat Bernie Sanders , in order to beat Donald Trump , was if we all worked together , ” said Amanda Loveday , who has formerly served as Clyburn ’ s spokeswoman and executive director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ If your ultimate goal is to beat Donald Trump , it ’ s time to elect someone who ’ s going to do that.
” Reflecting recently on that pivotal conversation with Jones , Clyburn said it wasn ’ t until he had turned to walk away that he realized what she was asking him to do .
“ The expression on her face , the look in her eyes when she said it , she just bowled me over with it , ” he told The AP .
“ It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew that this lady was asking me to man up.
” Jones , who had never met Clyburn before their exchange , said she was shocked to see him on cable channels crediting her for inspiring him to go public .
But , several weeks after the whispers that helped change the political landscape , she said she was elated to have played a role .
“ He is a superhero , ” Jones said .
“ I have so much joy in my heart because Congressman Clyburn endorsed Biden.
” Catch up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts on our weekly politics podcast , “ Ground Game .
”

Meg Kinnard And Laurie Kellman - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-03-07--Trump’s challenge: keeping his act fresh in reelection year

WASHINGTON - The Trump show has a consistent script .
Same villains .
Same nicknames .
Same grievances .
Same hero : himself .
At raucous friendly rallies — mostly in states friendly to him — the president tell his audiences he could be presidential if he chose to be , even Lincolnesque .
But that , he says , would be boring .
“ It ’ s easy to be presidential but only have about three people in front of me , ” President Donald Trump said at one recent rally , before breaking into a monotone imitation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes far more talent than doing that .
Doing that is very easy .
This is not easy.
” As he seeks re-election with little variance from the themes that brought him to power four years ago , a central challenge for Donald Trump will be to keep those audiences satisfied , to make sure , like a great entertainer , that the act isn ’ t getting old .
The president retains robust approval ratings among Republicans but even that fealty will be tested as he asks voters for another four years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more of the same .
Trump ’ s campaign remains highly confident it will not only retain those who backed the president in 2016 , but will also expand the electorate by turning out people who did not vote for years ago , in addition to peeling off some African American and Latino males .
At a rally last week in South Carolina , nearly 29 % of those who registered for tickets didn ’ t vote in the 2016 election , according to Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale .
But there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quite as hopeful .
Trump ’ s Twitter following has grown to more than 73 million , up from 25 million at the start of his presidency .
But the public ’ s engagement with the president on his favourite social media platform has diminished since his inauguration more than three years ago .
Trump ’ s tweets drew an average of 5.37 likes per 1,000 followers at the start of his presidency and were down to 1.29 in February , according to an analysis by Factba.se , a data analytics company that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials .
By comparison , top Democratic presidential contenders Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders — both of whom have a fraction of Trump ’ s Twitter following — tallied 2.13 and 2.73 likes per 1,000 followers respectively last month .
The falling engagement numbers come as Trump , who likes to use social media as a tool to reach Americans without the contextualizing of the mainstream media , is relying on Twitter more than ever .
Trump broke his personal record for most tweets or retweets in a day in January as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impeachment trial , sending out more than 140 posts before most Americans had left work for the day .
Trump , who was in Switzerland for an economic forum at the time , mostly posted tweets and retweets attacking Democratic House impeachment managers while amplifying messaging from allies who came to his defence .
Brian Ott , a Texas Tech University professor of communications and co-author of “ The Twitter Presidency : Donald J. Trump and the Politics of White Rage , ” says that Trump ’ s Twitter following has naturally expanded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of his standing as the world ’ s most powerful leader .
But his hardcore fans don ’ t get the same thrill from retweeting and commenting on Trump ’ s every post , and Russian trolls who were active on social media ahead of the 2016 election have less incentive , at the moment , to interfere and have melted away , Ott said .
Trump ’ s campaign speeches have also become longer , according to Factba.se .
In 2017 , his campaign speeches averaged 59 minutes .
Thus far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in at an average of 80.7 minutes .
“ An overwhelming percentage of his discourse is about attacking others , and he simply has more enemies now , ” said Ott , explaining why Trump ’ s speeches may be getting longer .
“ He uses the campaign rallies to air grievances and he ’ s just got more grievances at this point and never lets go of anything.
” For even his staunchest supporters — many wait hours in line to attend a rally — the president ’ s lengthy remarks can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end .
At Trump ’ s rally in the swing state of North Carolina earlier this week , his speech checked in at 67 minutes , relatively tight for Trump .
But with about 20 minutes to go , dozens of rallygoers who had showed up hours early to get prime spots to stand on the floor of Charlotte ’ s Bojangles Coliseum headed for the exits .
Several pockets in the seated area that had been filled with men and women chanting “ Four More Years !
” and waving campaign signs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out a full 15 minutes before the president concluded his speech .
Most of those who remained until the end seemed to hang on Trump ’ s every word but were far less animated as they sat with their “ Promises Kept “ and “ Women for Trump ” signs laying neatly in their laps .
Similar scenes played out at recent rallies in Colorado Springs and Las Vegas .
In Las Vegas , retirees Jim Haney and wife Theda Haney ran out of steam about nine hours after arriving at the arena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They decided to leave early despite snagging a prime spot near the podium .
“ I have no voice left , ” Theda Haney said .
“ I ’ m ready for a cup of coffee and a nap , ” her husband added .
Trump frequently boasts that his rallies draw more supporters that he can fit in the arena .
At his rally in Colorado Springs last month , Trump crowed there were “ a lot of people , thousands of people that couldn ’ t get in.
” Indeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sub-freezing temperatures to attend Trump ’ s recent rally in the military town .
Some 2,000 people were turned back after the arena filled to capacity , but most stuck around for a while to watch Trump on a large screen in the parking lot .
There were only a couple dozen left by the time he finished , with many shuffling their feet and huddling to ward off the cold .
For some devoted Trump fans , just getting a small taste of seeing Trump campaign in the flesh is enough .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , left the Colorado Springs rally after about 10 minutes , walking out with a broad smile and satisfied that he got at least a glimpse of the president in action .
“ It ’ s been a long grueling day , five hours in line , and then I just barely got in , ” Siscoe said .
“ I ’ m going to head home before it gets dark and watch him in the comfort of my home.
” AP writers Noreen Gillespie in Charlotte , Ken Ritter in Las Vegas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this report .