usatoday--2020-12-11--628 parents of separated children are still missing. Here's why immigrant advocates can't find them.

PHOENIX — Rebeca Sanchez Ralda , a Guatemalan lawyer and human rights defender , set out recently on a seemingly impossible task : Locating the missing father of a 4-year-old girl separated in 2017 at the Texas border under the Trump administration 's notorious family separation policy .
Sanchez Ralda was trying to locate the father , an impoverished farmworker , to determine if he was still in contact with his daughter — who had remained in the U.S. with sponsors after he had been deported to Guatemala .
But Sanchez Ralda had very little information to go by .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Just the father 's name and the municipality where he was from .
The municipality , however , was made up of dozens of small towns and villages .
Sanchez Ralda had no idea in which town the father lived , or even if he still lived there .
Traveling there was also not easy .
The municipality was located in a remote rural area in southern Guatemala that required driving several hours on treacherous mountain roads .
Nevertheless , twice Sanchez Ralda drove to the municipality from Guatemala City , the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the father from local government officials .
But both times Sanchez Ralda arrived to find the municipal offices closed .
Then Sanchez Ralda got lucky .
She found a teacher who worked in one of the little towns .
`` Yes , I know him , '' the teacher told Sanchez Ralda .
Sanchez Ralda telephoned the father , but the call did not go well .
Given the way he had been treated by the U.S. government , the father `` was very suspicious , '' and Sanchez Ralda said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ very surprised that I had his name , '' Sanchez recalled .
`` It was very hard for him to fathom why somebody would be looking for him . ''
Sanchez 's experience tracking down the missing father in Guatemala shows some of the tremendous challenges immigrant advocates face trying to locate hundreds of parents that still have not been found .
'Remain in Mexico ' policy : My foster daughter was separated from her family at the border Those challenges include incomplete and outdated information about the parents provided to immigrant advocates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in remote rural locations in Mexico and Central America and parents suspicious of strangers trying to locate them years after the family separations took place .
There have been other challenges as well .
Some parents may be in hiding from criminal gangs they were trying to escape when they fled to the U.S. with their children .
Or they may speak only Indigenous languages , but not Spanish .
The coronavirus pandemic also forced immigrant advocates to suspend searches in March because of travel restrictions in Central America aimed at preventing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in August , but then many parts of Guatemala and Central America were devastated by back-to-back hurricanes in November , which have displaced hundreds of thousands of people , making it even harder to locate missing parents , immigrant advocates say .
`` Every case is different , '' said Sanchez Ralda by telephone from Guatemala City .
`` It 's not easy . ''
'We wo n't stop till we find every last one' Three years after the Trump administration began separating migrant families at the southern border , immigrant advocates are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents , according to a Dec. 2 status report filed jointly by the American Civil Liberties Union and Trump administration lawyers .
Of the missing parents , 333 were deported from the U.S. — the majority of them to Guatemala , but also to Mexico , El Salvador and Honduras .
Their children remain in the U.S. and are living with relatives or other sponsors scattered all over the country .
The remaining 295 parents that have n't been located are believed still to be in the United States , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ralda is part of a network of lawyers and human rights defenders in Latin America working with immigrant advocates in the U.S. to track down the missing parents who were deported without their children .
`` We are making progress .
But the searches are hard , dangerous and time consuming , '' said Lee Gelernt , deputy director of the ACLU 's immigrant rights project , which filed the federal lawsuit to stop the family separation policy and force the Trump administration to reunite families .
The main goal of immigrant advocates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still in contact with their children in the U.S. At least 60 of the separated children whose parents remain missing were under the age of 5 when they were separated , Gelernt said .
The second goal is to help parents explore their legal recourses to reunite with their children .
Under the Trump administration , those have been limited mostly to two options ; having their child returned to their home countries , or allowing the child to remain in the U.S. with sponsors while they pursue asylum claims to stay in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agonizing , immigrant advocates point out .
Some parents had made the painful decision to leave their child in the U.S .
They feared bringing children back could put them in the same dangers they fled , including gang violence and extreme poverty , immigrant advocates say .
But allowing the children to remain in the U.S. means they could stay separated , perhaps forever .
Immigrant advocates , however , hope that under the incoming Biden administration there could be a third option : allowing deported parents to return to the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something the Trump administration has refused to consider .
Immigrant advocates hope that , once back in the U.S , the parents would again be allowed to pursue asylum cases — essentially returning them to the legal position they were in before they were separated from their children and deported .
Immigrant advocates are hoping the Biden administration will consider going even further by granting parents and children legal status without having to pursue asylum cases , which are difficult to win and can take years to complete because of long backlogs in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need years to reverse Trump 's immigration policies on DACA , asylum , family separation , ICE raids , private detention and more Opinion : On immigration , Biden should look to the Obama administration and do the opposite '' Franky , it 's a remedy for what they have already had to suffer through , '' said Christie Turner-Herbas , director of special programs at Kids In Need of Defense , a nonprofit group working to track down missing parents of separated children .
With the hope that parents will be allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden administration , the search to track down the remaining missing parents has taken on greater urgency .
`` We will continue on the ground searching for these parents , '' Gelernt said .
`` We wo n't stop till we find every last one . ''
The Trump administration officially announced a new policy of `` zero tolerance '' at the southern border in April 2018 .
The policy sought to prosecute anyone who illegally entered the U.S .
The policy was aimed at confronting a surge of migrant families arriving at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came from poverty — and violence-plagued regions in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries in Central America : Guatemala , El Salvador and Honduras .
The Trump administration , however , maintained the migrant families were exploiting `` loopholes '' in the U.S. immigration system by filing weak asylum claims , knowing they would be quickly released and allowed to remain in the U.S. while their cases were pending in clogged immigration courts .
Nearly 3,000 children were separated by U.S. border officials and sent to shelters all over their U.S. while their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and were held in adult detention centers .
The Trump administration was forced to end the policy in June 2018 , two months after it started , amid an international outcry .
That same month , a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reunite the parents with their separated children in response to a federal lawsuit filed by the ACLU .
The lawsuit later revealed that the Trump administration had secretly begun separating families in the fall of 2017 , under a pilot program implemented in the El Paso area , before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The pilot program showed that the Trump administration lacked the ability to track children and parents separated at the border , yet the Trump administration chose to expand the program borderwide in 2018 despite knowing that hundreds of children likely would be lost to their families , according to a House Judiciary Committee report released in October .
`` There was never this intention to actually record these families in a way that would facilitate reunification , '' said Leah Chavla , senior policy adviser in the migrant rights and justice program at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the nonprofit groups involved with locating missing parents .
In all , more than 5,000 families have been separated , Gelernt said during a Dec. 4 panel discussion hosted by Physicians for Human Rights .
That number includes 1,100 to 1,200 families who were separated after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop , Gelernt said .
U.S. borders : Borders with Canada , Mexico to stay closed through at least Jan. 21 The Trump administration contends in those cases the parents represent a danger to the child , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of the separations have been justified for minor reasons such as parents having previously been charged with DUI , or with entering the country illegally .
In one case , the family was separated because U.S. officials thought the father did n't know how to properly change the child 's diapers , Gelernt said .
Department of Homeland Security officials did not respond to a request for comment for this article .
Migrant advocates have managed to track down all of the parents who were separated under the zero-tolerance policy .
Of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nine deported parents reunited with their children in the U.S. in January after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to allow the parents to return to the U.S. to pursue their asylum cases .
But about 1,000 additional families were separated at the border during the pilot program , the House report found .
Trump administration lawyers maintained in court that it was not the government 's responsibility to locate deported parents separated under the pilot program since they were no longer in the U.S. , according to Gelernt .
So the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the court to track them down , Gelernt said .
The searches for the second group of missing parents started about a year ago .
During a Dec. 4 telephonic conference to discuss the status of the 628 parents that have still not been located , Gelernt reiterated complaints that the Trump administration has been slow to provide detailed information about the missing parents .
For some parents , `` we did n't even have phone numbers or addresses , and we ca n't send the human rights defenders in Central America just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was n't until after the second Donald Trump-Joe Biden presidential debate on Oct. 22 that Trump administration lawyers turned over a database with updated phone numbers and addresses for the parents , Gelernt said .
The database was given to immigrant advocates the Wednesday before Thanksgiving .
During the Oct. 22 debate , which took place two days after a court filing revealed that hundreds of parents separated at the border remained missing , Trump expressed no regret over the family separations , while Biden called them `` criminal . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , apologized to U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw for not identifying the database earlier and turning it over to immigrant advocates .
The database came from the immigration courts , she said .
She promised to continue to provide information .
`` I do really wish I would have thought of that database further , '' Fabian said .
`` I do n't believe that there was a neglectful or nefarious intent . ''
'No plan or intention to reunify these families' The lack of government information about the whereabouts of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to locate them , said Cathleen Caron , executive director of Justice in Motion , a Brooklyn-based nonprofit group working to track down missing parents .
`` When the family separations started , the government had no plan or intention to reunify these families , '' Caron said .
`` There was n't a huge effort to keep good track of the information , much worse for the people they deported . ''
`` The government said the families , the parents who were deported , are categorically ineligible for reunification — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they did n't know where they were and they did n't really know how to find them , '' Caron said .
The information the government has provided about the parents was often incomplete , outdated and sometimes inaccurate , Caron said .
Many of the missing parents were fleeing persecution and danger when they were deported back to their home countries after being separated from their children .
`` Those are the hardest cases because they might be in hiding , '' Caron said .
Gaining the trust of parents once they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` You know , it 's been a long time , three years later ... Why would they trust them ? ''
Caron said .
`` They feel deeply abandoned .
They were deceived by the U.S. government .
Their kids were taken away .
They ( were deported ) .
They do n't have much reason to trust that they have any control over their children . ''
By locating missing parents , immigrant advocates are trying to verify they are still in contact with their separated children in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents still have contact , immigrant advocates fear some may not .
`` The steering committee ca n't verify that because the information is so incomplete , '' said Turner-Herbas , at Kids In Need of Defense .
`` We do worry that those cases are out there , that there could be a situation where parents do n't know where their child is .
It 's hard for anyone to know that because it was n't tracked . ''
Immigrant advocates have an even greater fear ; that some missing parents may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unknown whether they are still in touch with their children .
`` I think that is very possible , '' Turner-Herbas said .

628 parents of separated children are still missing. Here's why immigrant advocates can't find them.
PHOENIX — Rebeca Sanchez Ralda, a Guatemalan lawyer and human rights defender, set out recently on a seemingly impossible task: Locating the missing father of a 4-year-old girl separated in 2017 at the Texas border under the Trump administration's notorious family separation policy.
Sanchez Ralda was trying to locate the father, an impoverished farmworker, to determine if he was still in contact with his daughter — who had remained in the U.S. with sponsors after he had been deported to Guatemala.
But Sanchez Ralda had very little information to go by. No address. No phone number. Just the father's name and the municipality where he was from.
The municipality, however, was made up of dozens of small towns and villages. Sanchez Ralda had no idea in which town the father lived, or even if he still lived there.
Traveling there was also not easy. The municipality was located in a remote rural area in southern Guatemala that required driving several hours on treacherous mountain roads.
Nevertheless, twice Sanchez Ralda drove to the municipality from Guatemala City, the nation's capital, hoping to find information about the father from local government officials.
But both times Sanchez Ralda arrived to find the municipal offices closed.
Then Sanchez Ralda got lucky. She found a teacher who worked in one of the little towns.
"Yes, I know him," the teacher told Sanchez Ralda.
Sanchez Ralda telephoned the father, but the call did not go well.
Given the way he had been treated by the U.S. government, the father "was very suspicious," and Sanchez Ralda said.
"The father was very distrustful and very surprised that I had his name," Sanchez recalled. "It was very hard for him to fathom why somebody would be looking for him."
Sanchez's experience tracking down the missing father in Guatemala shows some of the tremendous challenges immigrant advocates face trying to locate hundreds of parents that still have not been found.
More: Immigrants, border families face difficulties amid COVID-19 travel restrictions
'Remain in Mexico' policy: My foster daughter was separated from her family at the border
Those challenges include incomplete and outdated information about the parents provided to immigrant advocates by the U.S. government, parents living in remote rural locations in Mexico and Central America and parents suspicious of strangers trying to locate them years after the family separations took place.
There have been other challenges as well. Some parents may be in hiding from criminal gangs they were trying to escape when they fled to the U.S. with their children. Or they may speak only Indigenous languages, but not Spanish.
The coronavirus pandemic also forced immigrant advocates to suspend searches in March because of travel restrictions in Central America aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19. The searches resumed in August, but then many parts of Guatemala and Central America were devastated by back-to-back hurricanes in November, which have displaced hundreds of thousands of people, making it even harder to locate missing parents, immigrant advocates say.
"Every case is different," said Sanchez Ralda by telephone from Guatemala City. "It's not easy."
'We won't stop till we find every last one'
Three years after the Trump administration began separating migrant families at the southern border, immigrant advocates are still trying to track down 628 missing parents, according to a Dec. 2 status report filed jointly by the American Civil Liberties Union and Trump administration lawyers.
Of the missing parents, 333 were deported from the U.S. — the majority of them to Guatemala, but also to Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras. Their children remain in the U.S. and are living with relatives or other sponsors scattered all over the country.
The remaining 295 parents that haven't been located are believed still to be in the United States, according to the court filing and the ACLU.
Sanchez Ralda is part of a network of lawyers and human rights defenders in Latin America working with immigrant advocates in the U.S. to track down the missing parents who were deported without their children.
"We are making progress. But the searches are hard, dangerous and time consuming," said Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU's immigrant rights project, which filed the federal lawsuit to stop the family separation policy and force the Trump administration to reunite families.
The main goal of immigrant advocates is to determine whether the parents are still in contact with their children in the U.S. At least 60 of the separated children whose parents remain missing were under the age of 5 when they were separated, Gelernt said.
The second goal is to help parents explore their legal recourses to reunite with their children. Under the Trump administration, those have been limited mostly to two options; having their child returned to their home countries, or allowing the child to remain in the U.S. with sponsors while they pursue asylum claims to stay in the U.S. permanently.
Both options are agonizing, immigrant advocates point out. Some parents had made the painful decision to leave their child in the U.S. They feared bringing children back could put them in the same dangers they fled, including gang violence and extreme poverty, immigrant advocates say. But allowing the children to remain in the U.S. means they could stay separated, perhaps forever.
Immigrant advocates, however, hope that under the incoming Biden administration there could be a third option: allowing deported parents to return to the U.S. to reunite with their separated children, something the Trump administration has refused to consider.
Immigrant advocates hope that, once back in the U.S, the parents would again be allowed to pursue asylum cases — essentially returning them to the legal position they were in before they were separated from their children and deported.
Immigrant advocates are hoping the Biden administration will consider going even further by granting parents and children legal status without having to pursue asylum cases, which are difficult to win and can take years to complete because of long backlogs in immigration courts.
More: Biden might need years to reverse Trump's immigration policies on DACA, asylum, family separation, ICE raids, private detention and more
Opinion: On immigration, Biden should look to the Obama administration and do the opposite
"Franky, it's a remedy for what they have already had to suffer through," said Christie Turner-Herbas, director of special programs at Kids In Need of Defense, a nonprofit group working to track down missing parents of separated children.
With the hope that parents will be allowed to return to the U.S. under the Biden administration, the search to track down the remaining missing parents has taken on greater urgency.
"We will continue on the ground searching for these parents," Gelernt said. "We won't stop till we find every last one."
A surge at the border, a draconian move
The Trump administration officially announced a new policy of "zero tolerance" at the southern border in April 2018. The policy sought to prosecute anyone who illegally entered the U.S.
The policy was aimed at confronting a surge of migrant families arriving at the southern border.
The families mostly came from poverty — and violence-plagued regions in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries in Central America: Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The Trump administration, however, maintained the migrant families were exploiting "loopholes" in the U.S. immigration system by filing weak asylum claims, knowing they would be quickly released and allowed to remain in the U.S. while their cases were pending in clogged immigration courts.
Nearly 3,000 children were separated by U.S. border officials and sent to shelters all over their U.S. while their parents faced criminal charges of illegal entry and were held in adult detention centers. The Trump administration was forced to end the policy in June 2018, two months after it started, amid an international outcry.
That same month, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reunite the parents with their separated children in response to a federal lawsuit filed by the ACLU.
The lawsuit later revealed that the Trump administration had secretly begun separating families in the fall of 2017, under a pilot program implemented in the El Paso area, before the zero-tolerance policy was officially announced.
The pilot program showed that the Trump administration lacked the ability to track children and parents separated at the border, yet the Trump administration chose to expand the program borderwide in 2018 despite knowing that hundreds of children likely would be lost to their families, according to a House Judiciary Committee report released in October.
"There was never this intention to actually record these families in a way that would facilitate reunification," said Leah Chavla, senior policy adviser in the migrant rights and justice program at the Women's Refugee Commission, one of the nonprofit groups involved with locating missing parents.
In all, more than 5,000 families have been separated, Gelernt said during a Dec. 4 panel discussion hosted by Physicians for Human Rights. That number includes 1,100 to 1,200 families who were separated after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop, Gelernt said.
U.S. borders: Borders with Canada, Mexico to stay closed through at least Jan. 21
The Trump administration contends in those cases the parents represent a danger to the child, but Gelernt said during the panel discussion that some of the separations have been justified for minor reasons such as parents having previously been charged with DUI, or with entering the country illegally. In one case, the family was separated because U.S. officials thought the father didn't know how to properly change the child's diapers, Gelernt said.
Department of Homeland Security officials did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
Lack of data on deported parents
Migrant advocates have managed to track down all of the parents who were separated under the zero-tolerance policy.
Of the original nearly 3,000 separated families, nine deported parents reunited with their children in the U.S. in January after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to allow the parents to return to the U.S. to pursue their asylum cases.
But about 1,000 additional families were separated at the border during the pilot program, the House report found.
Trump administration lawyers maintained in court that it was not the government's responsibility to locate deported parents separated under the pilot program since they were no longer in the U.S., according to Gelernt.
So the ACLU formed a steering committee mandated by the court to track them down, Gelernt said.
The searches for the second group of missing parents started about a year ago.
During a Dec. 4 telephonic conference to discuss the status of the 628 parents that have still not been located, Gelernt reiterated complaints that the Trump administration has been slow to provide detailed information about the missing parents.
For some parents, "we didn't even have phone numbers or addresses, and we can't send the human rights defenders in Central America just aimlessly looking around," Gelernt said.
It wasn't until after the second Donald Trump-Joe Biden presidential debate on Oct. 22 that Trump administration lawyers turned over a database with updated phone numbers and addresses for the parents, Gelernt said. The database was given to immigrant advocates the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
During the Oct. 22 debate, which took place two days after a court filing revealed that hundreds of parents separated at the border remained missing, Trump expressed no regret over the family separations, while Biden called them "criminal."
Sarah Fabian, a Justice Department lawyer, apologized to U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw for not identifying the database earlier and turning it over to immigrant advocates. The database came from the immigration courts, she said. She promised to continue to provide information.
"I do really wish I would have thought of that database further," Fabian said. "I don't believe that there was a neglectful or nefarious intent."
'No plan or intention to reunify these families'
The lack of government information about the whereabouts of the parents has posed the biggest challenge in trying to locate them, said Cathleen Caron, executive director of Justice in Motion, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit group working to track down missing parents.
"When the family separations started, the government had no plan or intention to reunify these families," Caron said. "There wasn't a huge effort to keep good track of the information, much worse for the people they deported."
"The government said the families, the parents who were deported, are categorically ineligible for reunification — which was totally crazy because they said they didn't know where they were and they didn't really know how to find them," Caron said.
The information the government has provided about the parents was often incomplete, outdated and sometimes inaccurate, Caron said.
Many of the missing parents were fleeing persecution and danger when they were deported back to their home countries after being separated from their children. "Those are the hardest cases because they might be in hiding," Caron said.
Gaining the trust of parents once they are located is another challenge, Caron said.
"You know, it's been a long time, three years later... Why would they trust them?" Caron said. "They feel deeply abandoned. They were deceived by the U.S. government. Their kids were taken away. They (were deported). They don't have much reason to trust that they have any control over their children."
By locating missing parents, immigrant advocates are trying to verify they are still in contact with their separated children in the U.S. Although it's likely most parents still have contact, immigrant advocates fear some may not.
"The steering committee can't verify that because the information is so incomplete," said Turner-Herbas, at Kids In Need of Defense. "We do worry that those cases are out there, that there could be a situation where parents don't know where their child is. It's hard for anyone to know that because it wasn't tracked."
Immigrant advocates have an even greater fear; that some missing parents may never be located and it will remain unknown whether they are still in touch with their children.
"I think that is very possible," Turner-Herbas said.
Follow Daniel Gonzalez on Twitter @azdangonzalez.


usatoday--2020-12-11--Under fire for strong-arm tactics, DeSantis lashes out at former data scientist Rebekah Jones

TALLAHASSEE – Gov .
Ron DeSantis lashed out Friday at a former Florida data scientist turned whistleblower whose home was raided by a state law enforcement team wielding a sledgehammer earlier this week .
“ Just because you ’ re a darling of some corners of the fever swamps , that does not exempt you from following the law , ” DeSantis said during an appearance in Tampa .
The video of law enforcement ’ s arrival at the Tallahassee home of Rebekah Jones has gone viral and the former health department data scientist has denied allegations that she accessed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former co-workers to speak out about the DeSantis administration 's handling of the coronavirus .
DeSantis said Friday that what Jones is accused of doing is “ clearly a felony offense.
” Jones , who has not been charged , was fired from the Department of Health in May .
Jones said she was let go by the agency for refusing to falsify data on COVID-19 .
The governor said that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement ’ s approach to the case followed investigative guidelines .
While a body-camera recording of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use a sledgehammer to open a door if Jones continued to refuse to respond to the team ’ s phone calls and knocks , DeSantis defended officers .
DeSantis also sidestepped when asked if he knew the raid was about to occur .
“ I knew there was an investigation , ” DeSantis said .
“ I didn ’ t know what they were going…and it ’ s not a raid .
I mean , with all due respect , what you just said is editorializing .
These people did their jobs .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gestapo for doing their jobs.
” DeSantis said that in the course of the investigation an Internet Protocol ( IP ) address attached to a computer at Jones ’ home was used to access the state site .
“ They did a search warrant .
Why did they do a search warrant on the house ?
Because her IP address was linked to the felony .
What were they supposed to do ?
Just ignore it ?
” DeSantis said .
Jones has made several appearances on national television since law enforcement seized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who has created an online database that challenges some of the state ’ s own reporting on COVID-19 , says she thinks the state ’ s action is designed to threaten dissidents within the governor ’ s own administration .
DeSantis denied her claims .
“ I think Floridians want government to protect them , ” he said .
“ They want these sensitive systems to be protected .
”

Under fire for strong-arm tactics, DeSantis lashes out at former data scientist Rebekah Jones
Show Caption Hide Caption Florida police raid home of fired coronavirus data scientist Florida police raid the home of Rebekah Jones, a former state Department of Health employee who built the state's COVID dashboard before she was fired. USA TODAY, Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis lashed out Friday at a former Florida data scientist turned whistleblower whose home was raided by a state law enforcement team wielding a sledgehammer earlier this week.
“Just because you’re a darling of some corners of the fever swamps, that does not exempt you from following the law,” DeSantis said during an appearance in Tampa.
The video of law enforcement’s arrival at the Tallahassee home of Rebekah Jones has gone viral and the former health department data scientist has denied allegations that she accessed a state emergency alert system to urge former co-workers to speak out about the DeSantis administration's handling of the coronavirus.
DeSantis said Friday that what Jones is accused of doing is “clearly a felony offense.” Jones, who has not been charged, was fired from the Department of Health in May.
Rebekah Jones: Former Florida COVID-19 data scientist pushes back after raid on home
Jones said she was let go by the agency for refusing to falsify data on COVID-19.
The governor said that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s approach to the case followed investigative guidelines. While a body-camera recording of the incident shows an officer apparently poised to use a sledgehammer to open a door if Jones continued to refuse to respond to the team’s phone calls and knocks, DeSantis defended officers.
DeSantis also sidestepped when asked if he knew the raid was about to occur.
“I knew there was an investigation,” DeSantis said. “I didn’t know what they were going…and it’s not a raid. I mean, with all due respect, what you just said is editorializing. These people did their jobs. They’ve been smeared as the Gestapo for doing their jobs.”
DeSantis said that in the course of the investigation an Internet Protocol (IP) address attached to a computer at Jones’ home was used to access the state site.
“They did a search warrant. Why did they do a search warrant on the house? Because her IP address was linked to the felony. What were they supposed to do? Just ignore it?” DeSantis said.
Jones has made several appearances on national television since law enforcement seized her computer and cellular phone. Jones, who has created an online database that challenges some of the state’s own reporting on COVID-19, says she thinks the state’s action is designed to threaten dissidents within the governor’s own administration.
DeSantis denied her claims. “I think Floridians want government to protect them,” he said. “They want these sensitive systems to be protected.”
Follow John Kennedy on Twitter: @JKennedyReport.


usatoday--2020-12-11--Georgia youth football coach fired after video of him punching player went viral

The Chatham County ( Georgia ) Sheriff 's Office has terminated one of its employees after a video went viral of the employee hitting a player at a youth football game .
Gerrel Williams was a coach for the traveling Savannah Gators football team and can be seen in a video hitting a player at the AYF ( American Youth Football ) National Championship in Kissimmee , Florida on Dec. 7 .
In a statement to the Savannah Morning News through the team 's Facebook page on Wednesday , a team spokesperson said that `` he was wrong and is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
On the sideline during the game , Williams could be seen on video slapping a player 's helmet with enough force to shift his balance , according to an incident report from the Osceola County Sheriff 's Office .
A few seconds later , Williams can be seen hitting the player again and knocking him to the ground , according to the incident report .
The incident report continued , saying Williams then proceeded to scream in the player 's face before shoving his head to push him off of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the AYF National Championship advised the officer handling the incident that the coach was expelled from the league and was no longer able to attend any more games , the report stated .
According to the report , the officer then made contact with the player 's mother who advised the officer that she was aware of what happened but did not want to press charges .
The mother of the child told the Savannah Morning News she did not want to talk about the incident but knows `` that none of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The incident report noted that because there are no charges , an information report was generated to document the incident .
After the incident , Williams issued a public apology on a Facebook Live video that also circulated around social media .
In the video , Williams says : `` I am going to apologize for my actions about what took place but at the end of the day , I am not going to make any excuses for it , I did it . ''
In the 37 second clip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to discipline the player and that the player and his parents had forgiven him .
The Chatham County Sheriff 's Office has launched an internal investigation and Williams has been terminated from his position as a counselor in the detention center .
CCSO Sheriff John Wilcher said in a statement , `` CCSO reviewed the video and we are very disturbed by the actions of Mr. Gerrel Williams . ''
As of Thursday , Williams is no longer an employee of the CCSO , according to the same statement .
The Savannah Gators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receiving comments from users all over the country .
Former Savannah State football player Shannon Sharpe tweeted , `` I ’ ll whip him even IF* that ’ s his kid .
I won ’ t let anyone ( prey ) on the weak or vulnerable in front of me .
Not going to happen . ''

Georgia youth football coach fired after video of him punching player went viral
The Chatham County (Georgia) Sheriff's Office has terminated one of its employees after a video went viral of the employee hitting a player at a youth football game.
Gerrel Williams was a coach for the traveling Savannah Gators football team and can be seen in a video hitting a player at the AYF (American Youth Football) National Championship in Kissimmee, Florida on Dec. 7.
In a statement to the Savannah Morning News through the team's Facebook page on Wednesday, a team spokesperson said that "he was wrong and is fired from this organization's coaching staff."
On the sideline during the game, Williams could be seen on video slapping a player's helmet with enough force to shift his balance, according to an incident report from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.
A few seconds later, Williams can be seen hitting the player again and knocking him to the ground, according to the incident report.
The incident report continued, saying Williams then proceeded to scream in the player's face before shoving his head to push him off of the field.
Someone shared this with me. It was on their Facebook page. Supposedly happened in Florida during some championships during the past week. Anyone know disposition? Should’ve been arrested . . . . . Absolutely, totally uncalled for. We have to rid sports of “coaches” like this. pic.twitter.com/X57VMr7Rfe — Chris Fore (@CoachFore) December 9, 2020
The person in charge of the AYF National Championship advised the officer handling the incident that the coach was expelled from the league and was no longer able to attend any more games, the report stated.
According to the report, the officer then made contact with the player's mother who advised the officer that she was aware of what happened but did not want to press charges.
The mother of the child told the Savannah Morning News she did not want to talk about the incident but knows "that none of these coaches would harm (the) kids."
The incident report noted that because there are no charges, an information report was generated to document the incident.
After the incident, Williams issued a public apology on a Facebook Live video that also circulated around social media. In the video, Williams says: "I am going to apologize for my actions about what took place but at the end of the day, I am not going to make any excuses for it, I did it."
In the 37 second clip, he said he should have waited to discipline the player and that the player and his parents had forgiven him.
The Chatham County Sheriff's Office has launched an internal investigation and Williams has been terminated from his position as a counselor in the detention center. CCSO Sheriff John Wilcher said in a statement, "CCSO reviewed the video and we are very disturbed by the actions of Mr. Gerrel Williams."
As of Thursday, Williams is no longer an employee of the CCSO, according to the same statement.
The Savannah Gators have since deleted their Facebook page after receiving comments from users all over the country.
Former Savannah State football player Shannon Sharpe tweeted, "I’ll whip him even IF* that’s his kid. I won’t let anyone (prey) on the weak or vulnerable in front of me. Not going to happen."


usatoday--2020-12-11--Snow leopard in Kentucky zoo becomes first ever to test positive for SARS-CoV-2

LOUISVILLE , Ky. — A 5-year-old female snow leopard at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans .
The Louisville Zoo announced the positive test of the snow leopard , NeeCee , Friday morning and said it is awaiting results of two male snow leopards .
This is the first confirmed case of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in a snow leopard , according to the Louisville Zoo .
It is also the first time an animal at the zoo has tested positive for the virus , as well as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ animal for the virus .
All the snow leopards have `` mild symptoms and are getting great care , '' Louisville Zoo director John Walczak said during a Friday press conference .
They are all expected to recover , and no other animals are showing symptoms .
The snow leopards all began exhibiting minor respiratory symptoms , including a dry cough and wheeze , within the last two weeks .
Senior staff veterinarian Dr. Zoli Gyimesi said Friday the zoo presumes NeeCee was infected by an asymptomatic staff member .
`` It 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over into animals , '' Gyimesi said .
`` So that 's how the animals typically get infected is from being in close contact with a human with COVID-19 . ''
More : Denmark to dig up dead minks with mutated novel coronavirus after some 'rise from graves' The Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the Kentucky Department for Public Health gave approval for the snow leopards to be tested for SARS-CoV-2 .
On Dec. 4 , fecal samples from all three cats were sent to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chain reaction ( PCR ) testing was conducted on the snow leopards .
Walczak said Friday that the Louisville Zoo has been taking numerous public health precautions since the pandemic 's onset .
Staff working with animals that might be susceptible to the virus have been wearing personal protective equipment , he said , and all staff members undergo temperature checks and a series of questions each day .
`` We continue to take these precautions and do everything that we can to keep our guests and animals safe , '' Walczak said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as NeeCee recovers and the zoo awaits test results from the other two males .
According to Gyimesi , the snow leopards are `` not lethargic and they do n't miss a meal . ''
The zoo will remain open throughout the winter with public safety precautions in place .
Gyimesi said it is `` very , very rare '' for an animal to spread SARS-CoV-2 to a human being .
The Louisville Zoo 's announcement is the latest in revelations of animals testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 .
On Tuesday , veterinary authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Barcelona , Spain , tested positive for the virus .
In the United States , federal officials confirmed in April that four tigers and three lions at the Bronx Zoo in New York had tested positive for the infection .
And in Knoxville , Tennessee , a tiger in the city 's zoo also tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 , zoo officials announced in late October .
According to a list of confirmed cases in animals kept by the U.S. Department of Agriculture , there have been more than 100 confirmed cases of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having the most cases .

Snow leopard in Kentucky zoo becomes first ever to test positive for SARS-CoV-2
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A 5-year-old female snow leopard at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans.
The Louisville Zoo announced the positive test of the snow leopard, NeeCee, Friday morning and said it is awaiting results of two male snow leopards.
This is the first confirmed case of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in a snow leopard, according to the Louisville Zoo. It is also the first time an animal at the zoo has tested positive for the virus, as well as the first instance of the zoo testing an animal for the virus.
All the snow leopards have "mild symptoms and are getting great care," Louisville Zoo director John Walczak said during a Friday press conference.
They are all expected to recover, and no other animals are showing symptoms.
The snow leopards all began exhibiting minor respiratory symptoms, including a dry cough and wheeze, within the last two weeks. Senior staff veterinarian Dr. Zoli Gyimesi said Friday the zoo presumes NeeCee was infected by an asymptomatic staff member.
"It's a human-to-human transmission disease that occasionally spills over into animals," Gyimesi said. "So that's how the animals typically get infected is from being in close contact with a human with COVID-19."
More: Denmark to dig up dead minks with mutated novel coronavirus after some 'rise from graves'
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the Kentucky Department for Public Health gave approval for the snow leopards to be tested for SARS-CoV-2.
On Dec. 4, fecal samples from all three cats were sent to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Illinois. On Monday, initial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing was conducted on the snow leopards.
Walczak said Friday that the Louisville Zoo has been taking numerous public health precautions since the pandemic's onset. Staff working with animals that might be susceptible to the virus have been wearing personal protective equipment, he said, and all staff members undergo temperature checks and a series of questions each day.
"We continue to take these precautions and do everything that we can to keep our guests and animals safe," Walczak said.
The snow leopards are off exhibit as NeeCee recovers and the zoo awaits test results from the other two males. According to Gyimesi, the snow leopards are "not lethargic and they don't miss a meal."
The zoo will remain open throughout the winter with public safety precautions in place. Gyimesi said it is "very, very rare" for an animal to spread SARS-CoV-2 to a human being.
The Louisville Zoo's announcement is the latest in revelations of animals testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. On Tuesday, veterinary authorities announced that four lions in a zoo in Barcelona, Spain, tested positive for the virus.
In the United States, federal officials confirmed in April that four tigers and three lions at the Bronx Zoo in New York had tested positive for the infection. And in Knoxville, Tennessee, a tiger in the city's zoo also tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, zoo officials announced in late October.
According to a list of confirmed cases in animals kept by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there have been more than 100 confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 in animals nationwide, with cats having the most cases.
Contributing: Grace Hauck, USA TODAY.
Follow Ben Tobin on Twitter @Ben__Tobin.


usatoday--2020-12-12--Cowboys owner Jerry Jones criticizes his team's GM ... Jerry Jones

In case the writing wasn ’ t already on the wall , the NFL ’ s Week 15 schedule change illustrated the message further .
Despite their typical national draw , the Cowboys were flexed out of the `` Sunday Night Football '' slot .
America didn ’ t want to see America ’ s Team in prime time .
Such is life at 3-9 .
The Cowboys ’ offense has turned the ball over 11 consecutive games .
No defense has allowed more rushing yards or points .
Head coach Mike McCarthy was hired in January with the intention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the postseason .
Instead , he ’ s failed to even collect back-to-back wins .
All of which led Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to reflect Friday morning on the source of dysfunction .
Yes , Jones said , coaching decisions have contributed .
“ Every bit of it , ” Jones told Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan .
“ And then right past that , go right to your general manager .
Right past [ blaming coaches ] , go to your general manager , because coming through the door , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , talking about how we were going to approach when he walks through the door and where he was going to go from there .
“ That obviously did n't work for us this year.
” Franchise decisions , he likes to say , are collaborative .
Decisions and contract negotiations also run through son Stephen Jones , the team ’ s executive vice president and director of player personnel .
Vice president of player personnel , Will McClay , spearheads the Cowboys ’ draft process , through which they ’ ve found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Jerry Jones welcomes input from many directions .
But ultimately , the buck stops with him .
He knows fans are critical this year .
He feels it , even if his job security isn ’ t in question , he said .
“ I ’ m the one that should and does get heat in various forms , ” Jones said .
“ But the most important thing is you do n't get a chance , when you do n't do it right , to touch that Lombardi Trophy .
Do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much I 'd write a check for if I knew I could get that Lombardi Trophy ?
`` And so , my whole point to you is it is a big , big thing .
It is the foremost thing , not money .
There has never been but one thing , and that is win.
” The Cowboys ’ injury luck has hampered that .
Quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending compound fracture and dislocation of his ankle on Oct. 11 .
By that point , both Dallas ’ starting offensive tackles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ season as well .
Tight end Blake Jarwin ’ s season-ending ACL tear occurred in Week 1 .
And yet , the team hasn ’ t responded to adversity with the resilience it would like .
The units have not sustained improvement from week to week .
The defense ceded 294 rushing yards and 37 points to Baltimore on Tuesday despite having 12 days to prepare and 11 previous games to adapt to the offseason scheme change .
McCarthy said after the loss that it was late in the season to blame scheme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he told players Thursday , were not up to par .
Jones believes the fit of personnel to scheme is an issue as well .
If he had the chance to do it over , the owner wouldn ’ t have signed off on abandoning the 4-3 scheme Dallas ’ defense more effectively ran last season .
“ I 'd like to start again on how we approached our defense this year , ” Jones said .
“ I 'd like to start that over again .
I 'm sure everybody else would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t echoed that sentiment as explicitly , though he acknowledged Friday he ’ s always evaluating his assistant coaches , his schemes and how effective in-season adjustments have been .
“ Make no mistake about it , ” McCarthy said .
“ No one is happy .
No one likes where we are today .
But I think to a man , everybody sees the opportunity to continue to build.
” Jones said that with the opportunity , he ’ s willing to be open-minded .
No , he ’ s not removing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s willing to consider shifts from philosophies that have helped Dallas to nine losses .
“ When you work for yourself , OK , there 's no firing him , ” Jones said .
“ You got to change him , and he 's got to change the direction he 's going .
And I ’ ve worked all my life for myself , but I have had to change direction many times .
`` So , I will change .
I can change .
I 'm not saying which way I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of changing .
“ I 've had to , to have any success in my life . ''

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones criticizes his team's GM ... Jerry Jones
Show Caption Hide Caption DeMarcus Ware explains why Cowboys' defense is so broken SportsPulse: Jori Epstein connected with former Cowboy great DeMarcus Ware to get his thoughts on the Cowboys' historically bad defense. SportsPulse, USA TODAY
In case the writing wasn’t already on the wall, the NFL’s Week 15 schedule change illustrated the message further.
Despite their typical national draw, the Cowboys were flexed out of the "Sunday Night Football" slot. America didn’t want to see America’s Team in prime time.
Such is life at 3-9.
The Cowboys’ offense has turned the ball over 11 consecutive games. No defense has allowed more rushing yards or points. Head coach Mike McCarthy was hired in January with the intention of pushing a talented roster deep into the postseason. Instead, he’s failed to even collect back-to-back wins.
All of which led Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to reflect Friday morning on the source of dysfunction. Yes, Jones said, coaching decisions have contributed.
“Every bit of it,” Jones told Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. “And then right past that, go right to your general manager. Right past [blaming coaches], go to your general manager, because coming through the door, the GM was eye-to-eye hiring the head coach, talking about how we were going to approach when he walks through the door and where he was going to go from there.
“That obviously didn't work for us this year.”
That general manager Jones was criticizing? Jerry Jones.
Franchise decisions, he likes to say, are collaborative. Decisions and contract negotiations also run through son Stephen Jones, the team’s executive vice president and director of player personnel. Vice president of player personnel, Will McClay, spearheads the Cowboys’ draft process, through which they’ve found many key contributors the last five years. Jerry Jones welcomes input from many directions. But ultimately, the buck stops with him.
He knows fans are critical this year. He feels it, even if his job security isn’t in question, he said.
Jerry Jones is Cowboys owner. And GM. So what repercussions does he face in down year?
Jerry to @1053thefan: "Do you think anybody's talking sweet about me right now? ... Do y’all have any idea how much I’d write a check for if I knew for sure I could get a Lombardi Trophy?" — Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) December 11, 2020
“I’m the one that should and does get heat in various forms,” Jones said. “But the most important thing is you don't get a chance, when you don't do it right, to touch that Lombardi Trophy. Do y’all have any idea how much I'd write a check for if I knew I could get that Lombardi Trophy?
"And so, my whole point to you is it is a big, big thing. It is the foremost thing, not money. There has never been but one thing, and that is win.”
The Cowboys’ injury luck has hampered that. Quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending compound fracture and dislocation of his ankle on Oct. 11. By that point, both Dallas’ starting offensive tackles and defensive tackles were done for the season as well. Tight end Blake Jarwin’s season-ending ACL tear occurred in Week 1.
And yet, the team hasn’t responded to adversity with the resilience it would like. The units have not sustained improvement from week to week. The defense ceded 294 rushing yards and 37 points to Baltimore on Tuesday despite having 12 days to prepare and 11 previous games to adapt to the offseason scheme change. McCarthy said after the loss that it was late in the season to blame scheme. Effort and “finish,” he told players Thursday, were not up to par.
Jones believes the fit of personnel to scheme is an issue as well. If he had the chance to do it over, the owner wouldn’t have signed off on abandoning the 4-3 scheme Dallas’ defense more effectively ran last season.
“I'd like to start again on how we approached our defense this year,” Jones said. “I'd like to start that over again. I'm sure everybody else would, too."
McCarthy hasn’t echoed that sentiment as explicitly, though he acknowledged Friday he’s always evaluating his assistant coaches, his schemes and how effective in-season adjustments have been.
“Make no mistake about it,” McCarthy said. “No one is happy. No one likes where we are today. But I think to a man, everybody sees the opportunity to continue to build.”
Jones said that with the opportunity, he’s willing to be open-minded. No, he’s not removing himself as general manager. But he’s willing to consider shifts from philosophies that have helped Dallas to nine losses.
“When you work for yourself, OK, there's no firing him,” Jones said. “You got to change him, and he's got to change the direction he's going. And I’ve worked all my life for myself, but I have had to change direction many times.
"So, I will change. I can change. I'm not saying which way I will change, but I am capable of changing.
“I've had to, to have any success in my life."
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein


usatoday--2020-12-12--Pittsburgh football team elects to not play in bowl game this season

The University of Pittsburgh football team will not be taking part in any postseason bowl games , the school announced in a statement Friday .
The decision by Pittsburgh , a 6-5 team that plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference , `` was made by the team and fully supported by the university , '' the school 's statement said .
Having completed their 11-game regular season slate , the Panthers ' football season is now over .
“ Our football student-athletes ’ sacrifice and commitment have been extraordinary , ” Pitt athletics director Heather Lyke said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of how they handled the past six months and want them to have a well-deserved restful holiday season with their families and loved ones.
” Though typical bowl requirements of hitting six wins had been waived for this unprecedented season , as a six-win ACC team , the Panthers would have been going to a bowl if they desired .
USA TODAY Sports ' latest bowl projections had them slotted into the Birmingham Bowl on New Year 's Day .
College Football Playoff : Five games in Week 15 that will impact playoff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game to West Point for only seventh on-campus meeting “ In my three decades as a coach , I ’ ve never been around a group of players who have faced greater challenges beyond the field than our team this year , ” sixth-year Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said .
“ And yet , from the time they arrived back on campus in early June , these young men never wavered – not in the face of rigorous health protocols , multiple rounds of COVID testing each week or while handling the mental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a pandemic .
“ I ’ ve always been proud to be Pitt ’ s head football coach .
That pride was especially great in working with this 2020 team .
They have my eternal gratitude and respect.
” Pitt concluded its season Thursday night with a win against Georgia Tech , a game that had been postponed from Nov. 14 .
On Friday , it was announced that Georgia Tech 's game at Miami set for next weekend was canceled because of the Yellow Jackets ' inability to meet the ACC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ''

Pittsburgh football team elects to not play in bowl game this season
Show Caption Hide Caption College Football Playoff rankings 3.0: Committee's decisions suggest Ohio State will be given benefit of doubt SportsPulse: Despite cancellations Ohio State shouldn't be sweating their shot at the College Football Playoff according to Dan Wolken. SportsPulse, USA TODAY
The University of Pittsburgh football team will not be taking part in any postseason bowl games, the school announced in a statement Friday.
The decision by Pittsburgh, a 6-5 team that plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference, "was made by the team and fully supported by the university," the school's statement said.
Having completed their 11-game regular season slate, the Panthers' football season is now over.
“Our football student-athletes’ sacrifice and commitment have been extraordinary,” Pitt athletics director Heather Lyke said in a statement. “We are thankful and proud of how they handled the past six months and want them to have a well-deserved restful holiday season with their families and loved ones.”
Though typical bowl requirements of hitting six wins had been waived for this unprecedented season, as a six-win ACC team, the Panthers would have been going to a bowl if they desired. USA TODAY Sports' latest bowl projections had them slotted into the Birmingham Bowl on New Year's Day.
College Football Playoff: Five games in Week 15 that will impact playoff
Week 15: COVID-19 sends Army-Navy football game to West Point for only seventh on-campus meeting
“In my three decades as a coach, I’ve never been around a group of players who have faced greater challenges beyond the field than our team this year,” sixth-year Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “And yet, from the time they arrived back on campus in early June, these young men never wavered – not in the face of rigorous health protocols, multiple rounds of COVID testing each week or while handling the mental and physical challenges of playing 11 games in a pandemic.
“I’ve always been proud to be Pitt’s head football coach. That pride was especially great in working with this 2020 team. They have my eternal gratitude and respect.”
Pitt concluded its season Thursday night with a win against Georgia Tech, a game that had been postponed from Nov. 14. On Friday, it was announced that Georgia Tech's game at Miami set for next weekend was canceled because of the Yellow Jackets' inability to meet the ACC's "COVID-19 game discontinuation considerations."


usatoday--2020-12-11--Florida puppy rescued from jaws of alligator joins county sheriff's office as a Deputy Dog

FORT MYERS , Fla. – The Lee County Sheriff ’ s Office welcomed its newest furry friend to the Deputy Dogs team .
Gunner , a four-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel , was rescued from the jaws of an almost 4-foot alligator in late October when his owner Richard Wilbanks jumped into a pond near his Estero home after the gator dragged the dog underwater .
“ It was like a missile , ” Richard Wilbanks recalled to The News-Press , part of the USA TODAY Network , in a Nov. 23 story .
“ We were only about 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struck like a snake .
It had Gunner in a vise grip and I just rushed in.
” His owner , Richard Wilbanks , submerged his whole arm underwater to bring the small dog to the surface , with the small alligator still latched on .
Gunner had a puncture wound and some water in his lungs , requiring the puppy to stay at the hospital for a few days to recover .
But he now has `` a new leash on life , ” Wilbanks told the News-Press , and the vigor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The courageous canine was sworn in as the Safety and Security Officer for Deputy Dogs on Tuesday by Sheriff Carmine Marceno .
A dramatic rescue : Florida man saves his dog from the jaws of an alligator

Laura Jazmin Tolliver-Jackson and Karl Schneider, Fort Myers News-Press

Florida puppy rescued from jaws of alligator joins county sheriff's office as a Deputy Dog
Show Caption Hide Caption Dog saved from alligator gets job with Lee County Sheriff's Office Deputy Dogs Gunner, a 4-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was sworn in as the safety and security officer for Deputy Dogs on Dec. 8, 2020. Lee County Sheriff's Office
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Lee County Sheriff’s Office welcomed its newest furry friend to the Deputy Dogs team.
Gunner, a four-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was rescued from the jaws of an almost 4-foot alligator in late October when his owner Richard Wilbanks jumped into a pond near his Estero home after the gator dragged the dog underwater.
“It was like a missile,” Richard Wilbanks recalled to The News-Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, in a Nov. 23 story. “We were only about 3 feet away from it, but it struck like a snake. It had Gunner in a vise grip and I just rushed in.”
His owner, Richard Wilbanks, submerged his whole arm underwater to bring the small dog to the surface, with the small alligator still latched on.
Gunner had a puncture wound and some water in his lungs, requiring the puppy to stay at the hospital for a few days to recover.
But he now has "a new leash on life,” Wilbanks told the News-Press, and the vigor that only a pup can muster.
The courageous canine was sworn in as the Safety and Security Officer for Deputy Dogs on Tuesday by Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
A dramatic rescue: Florida man saves his dog from the jaws of an alligator
Follow Laura Jazmin Tolliver-Jackson on Twitter: @Callherloislane.


usatoday--2020-12-11--Opinion: Our country cares more about protecting athletes from COVID-19 than protecting everyone els

It feels weird , doesn ’ t it ?
Check the front page and see the record numbers of Americans dying daily from COVID-19 , the record numbers of people testing positive , the coronavirus spinning wildly out of control in almost every state , and then check the sports page .
See the lengths we ’ re willing to go , not to curb the virus in our country but to make sure our schools are playing a college basketball season that nature is trying so hard to stop .
Is it wrong ?
I don ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ otherwise you ’ d need to stop reading right now , because clearly I ’ d be lying .
There is no singular answer , nothing black-and-white to say in response to all this gray .
Could we pause the 2020-21 college basketball season today and feel good about that decision ?
Sure we could .
Do we continue the season — and it is continuing , for however long it lasts — and feel good about that ?
Yeah , OK. For now .
You can see the way I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but every day something happens to make me wonder .
It happens at a basketball arena in Tallahassee , Florida , and at schools in Durham , North Carolina , and Tuscaloosa , Alabama .
And it happens in a hospital room here in central Indiana .
My hospital room .
Plexiglass to keep you out Did you see Indiana 's basketball game Wednesday night at Florida State ?
Notice the tall walls of plexiglass surrounding the court at FSU ’ s Tucker Center ?
It felt like watching animals in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talking about the players .
The plexiglass wasn ’ t there to protect fans from players , but vice versa .
That ’ s how far Florida State has gone not just to play games , but to play them in an arena with thousands of paying customers during a coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 50 Florida residents a day since Nov. 9 , in a state whose governor walks and talks and governs like a cardboard cutout , thinking and feeling nothing but these words over and over : So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect the players from us , letting fans gather and infect each other , because the only people we seem intent on protecting from the virus these days are the athletes .
As a father of kids that age , as someone who counts a handful of players and coaches as literal , actual friends , I want those kids protected .
You ’ re not reading that we care too much about the safety and well-being of hard-working college athletes .
You ’ re reading dismay , I guess , at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread of COVID-19 , this country cares more about athletes than everyone else .
Sports must go on , right ?
Some of you , the cardboard cutouts , are sneering : You hate sports !
It ’ s like this : If a person really and truly believes that two-and-two equals five , and that the coronavirus will magically disappear after the election , and that I hate sports … well , have at it .
Nothing anybody can say to convince you otherwise .
For the rest of you , step @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is a hospital .
They ’ re going to extraordinary lengths to make it OK. You ’ ll be safe here .
Well , no .
Actually they aren ’ t .
Which means , you won ’ t be .
Because this isn ’ t a basketball arena .
It ’ s only a hospital .
You ’ re on your own here .
Good news , bad news , read this next sentence however you want : I ’ m OK .
It was a routine procedure , a combination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ checking your vehicle 's antifreeze for the winter — and my car checked out fine .
The procedure was Thursday afternoon .
Talking to my two nurses , just passing the time , I asked one how often she got tested for the virus .
Must be daily , yeah ?
“ Oh honey , ” she said .
“ I haven ’ t been tested since May.
” Yikes , but that ’ s just one person .
Slipped through the cracks , maybe — it ’ s a large hospital .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of my room , toward the exit , toward my ride home , and asking another nurse : When was your last coronavirus test ?
“ I haven ’ t been tested , ” she said .
I ’ m seeking clarification : Not once ?
Not ever ?
Not ever , she said .
I ’ m telling her how strange that is — how wrong it is — and that I pay attention to sports more than the average bear , and that athletes are tested daily so they can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I tell her .
“ Well , I don ’ t know how to feel about that , ” she said .
“ They told us we can ’ t afford to test if we don ’ t have symptoms.
” My turn : So any nurse , any doctor , any staffer in this hospital — you could be asymptomatic carriers ?
Sharing COVID-19 with patients and not knowing it ?
“ Yeah , ” she said , and apparently she decided how to feel about athletes being tested regularly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested at all .
“ That makes me angry , ” she said .
Earlier this week , after No .
11 Duke ’ s loss to No .
9 Illinois , Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski wondered aloud about the sanity of what we ’ re doing .
`` You have 2,000 deaths a day , ” he said Tuesday , a number that rose to 3,000 deaths nationally Wednesday and again Thursday .
“ You have 200,000 ( new daily ) cases .
People are saying the next six weeks are going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s already pretty bad .
`` On the other side of it , there are these vaccines that are coming out .
By the end of the month , 20 million vaccine shots will be given .
By the end of January or in February , another 100 million .
Should we not reassess that ?
See just what would be best ? ''
`` Look , I just got my butt beat by a lot .
Anything I say , someone can say , ‘ He ’ s saying that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' Do I think things should be done a little bit different ?
I mean , yeah .
A lot of kids aren ’ t going to be able to go home for Christmas .
It ’ s probably a time when they should , for mental health .
But we ’ re just plowing through this . ''
Then do something about it , Coach K. That ’ s what I was thinking .
You ’ re in control of your games : Every coach , president and athletic director at every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the power to shut down regular-season games , only the NCAA tournament .
If you really care , Coach K , do something .
And then he did .
Thursday , Duke announced it would n't play its last three nonconference games .
Coach K said his players needed to go home for the holidays .
We see college basketball players as larger-than-life superheroes , TV stars , future millionaires .
And some are .
But they 're all kids , and some can handle what we ’ re doing to them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do for us — better than others .
There was pushback to Coach K , because of course there was .
Two and two , you know ?
To some people , it will always equal five .
Like the coach at Alabama , Nate Oats , who wisecracked : '' Do you think if Coach K had n't lost the two nonconference games at home he 'd still be saying that ? ''
And then Oats smiled , like someone who had all the answers .
And he does : Two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t tell Oats otherwise .
Omniscient , that guy .
Me , I ’ m calling coaches about what Coach K had said , and they ’ re practically shouting in agreement .
They said things I ’ d never heard , even considered , like this : Imagine : Being tested for something that will change your life immediately and perhaps forever , and sweating out the results .
And doing it daily .
Results don ’ t always come back negative , either .
Look around the country .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to ESPN , roughly 20 % of scheduled games have been postponed or canceled .
Some teams , like Xavier , have played seven games .
Others , like Butler ?
One game .
DePaul hasn ’ t played yet ; every game has been canceled .
Nature is trying to tell us something .
So are coaches .
One told me about a player on his team having to quarantine for 10 days and spending those 10 days completely alone .
He had to move out of his dorm and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarantined kids .
This kid , a freshman , was alone on Thanksgiving .
His coach tried to bring him Thanksgiving dinner but had to leave it with the dormitory manager , who put it on the floor outside the kid ’ s room , knocked and walked away .
The coach went outside and saw the kid waving from his window .
What ’ s better right now ?
To keep playing the sport that motivates them , defines them , letting basketball players be basketball players and managing whatever fear and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop playing until we have the virus under some semblance of control , taking away their passion but also taking away the anxiety that comes with it and allowing those kids to be kids and go home for the holidays ?
As I ’ ve said , I don ’ t have that answer .
So much gray here , which is why Coach K was asking the question and Nate Oats , that all-knowing clown , was answering it .
As for me , I waved goodbye to my nurse outside the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was a look on her face , something unreadable , as she returned to the battle zone , unprotected .
Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter at @ GreggDoyelStar or at www.facebook.com/gregg.doyel .

Opinion: Our country cares more about protecting athletes from COVID-19 than protecting everyone else
Show Caption Hide Caption 2020-21_MBB_vs_Illinois_-_Coach_K_Press_Conference_12-8TrimTrim Duke's Coach K discusses his concerns while playing during a pandemic The Fayetteville Observer
It feels weird, doesn’t it? Check the front page and see the record numbers of Americans dying daily from COVID-19, the record numbers of people testing positive, the coronavirus spinning wildly out of control in almost every state, and then check the sports page. See the lengths we’re willing to go, not to curb the virus in our country but to make sure our schools are playing a college basketball season that nature is trying so hard to stop.
Feels weird, bordering on wrong.
Is it wrong? I don’t have that answer, and if I claimed otherwise you’d need to stop reading right now, because clearly I’d be lying. There is no singular answer, nothing black-and-white to say in response to all this gray. Could we pause the 2020-21 college basketball season today and feel good about that decision? Sure we could. Do we continue the season — and it is continuing, for however long it lasts — and feel good about that?
Yeah, OK. For now.
You can see the way I’m leaning. I’m not there, but every day something happens to make me wonder. It happens at a basketball arena in Tallahassee, Florida, and at schools in Durham, North Carolina, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
And it happens in a hospital room here in central Indiana. My hospital room.
Plexiglass to keep you out
Did you see Indiana's basketball game Wednesday night at Florida State? Notice the tall walls of plexiglass surrounding the court at FSU’s Tucker Center? It felt like watching animals in a cage, and I’m not talking about the players.
I’m talking about the fans.
The plexiglass wasn’t there to protect fans from players, but vice versa. That’s how far Florida State has gone not just to play games, but to play them in an arena with thousands of paying customers during a coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 50 Florida residents a day since Nov. 9, in a state whose governor walks and talks and governs like a cardboard cutout, thinking and feeling nothing but these words over and over:
Must … get … re-elected…
So they ring the court in plexiglass to protect the players from us, letting fans gather and infect each other, because the only people we seem intent on protecting from the virus these days are the athletes.
As a father of kids that age, as someone who counts a handful of players and coaches as literal, actual friends, I want those kids protected. You’re not reading that we care too much about the safety and well-being of hard-working college athletes.
You’re reading dismay, I guess, at the realization that when it comes to the spread of COVID-19, this country cares more about athletes than everyone else. Sports must go on, right?
Some of you, the cardboard cutouts, are sneering: You hate sports! It’s like this: If a person really and truly believes that two-and-two equals five, and that the coronavirus will magically disappear after the election, and that I hate sports … well, have at it. Nothing anybody can say to convince you otherwise.
For the rest of you, step inside my hospital room. Hey, this is a hospital. They’re going to extraordinary lengths to make it OK. You’ll be safe here. Well, no. Actually they aren’t. Which means, you won’t be.
Because this isn’t a basketball arena. It’s only a hospital. You’re on your own here.
Some nurses aren't tested — ever
Good news, bad news, read this next sentence however you want: I’m OK. It was a routine procedure, a combination of maintenance and preventative care — like checking your vehicle's antifreeze for the winter — and my car checked out fine.
The procedure was Thursday afternoon. Talking to my two nurses, just passing the time, I asked one how often she got tested for the virus. Must be daily, yeah?
“Oh honey,” she said. “I haven’t been tested since May.”
Yikes, but that’s just one person. Slipped through the cracks, maybe — it’s a large hospital. So now I’m being wheeled out of my room, toward the exit, toward my ride home, and asking another nurse: When was your last coronavirus test?
“I haven’t been tested,” she said.
I’m seeking clarification: Not once? Not ever?
Not ever, she said.
Greggy groggy and coming out of sedation AMA pic.twitter.com/TgwFLv5Yqk — Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) December 10, 2020
I’m telling her how strange that is — how wrong it is — and that I pay attention to sports more than the average bear, and that athletes are tested daily so they can play for our entertainment.
Now she’s seeking clarification: “They test daily?”
Pretty much, I tell her.
“Well, I don’t know how to feel about that,” she said. “They told us we can’t afford to test if we don’t have symptoms.”
My turn: So any nurse, any doctor, any staffer in this hospital — you could be asymptomatic carriers? Sharing COVID-19 with patients and not knowing it?
“Yeah,” she said, and apparently she decided how to feel about athletes being tested regularly, while our frontline heroes are not being tested at all.
“That makes me angry,” she said.
Same here.
Coach K vs. Nate Oats
Earlier this week, after No. 11 Duke’s loss to No. 9 Illinois, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski wondered aloud about the sanity of what we’re doing.
"You have 2,000 deaths a day,” he said Tuesday, a number that rose to 3,000 deaths nationally Wednesday and again Thursday. “You have 200,000 (new daily) cases. People are saying the next six weeks are going be the worst. To me, it’s already pretty bad.
"On the other side of it, there are these vaccines that are coming out. By the end of the month, 20 million vaccine shots will be given. By the end of January or in February, another 100 million. Should we not reassess that? See just what would be best?"
He continued.
"Look, I just got my butt beat by a lot. Anything I say, someone can say, ‘He’s saying that because he got his butt beat.' Do I think things should be done a little bit different? I mean, yeah. A lot of kids aren’t going to be able to go home for Christmas. It’s probably a time when they should, for mental health. But we’re just plowing through this."
Then do something about it, Coach K. That’s what I was thinking. You’re in control of your games: Every coach, president and athletic director at every school. The NCAA doesn’t have the power to shut down regular-season games, only the NCAA tournament. If you really care, Coach K, do something.
And then he did. Thursday, Duke announced it wouldn't play its last three nonconference games. Coach K said his players needed to go home for the holidays.
We see college basketball players as larger-than-life superheroes, TV stars, future millionaires. And some are. But they're all kids, and some can handle what we’re doing to them — what we’re asking them to do for us — better than others.
There was pushback to Coach K, because of course there was. Two and two, you know? To some people, it will always equal five. Like the coach at Alabama, Nate Oats, who wisecracked:
"Do you think if Coach K hadn't lost the two nonconference games at home he'd still be saying that?"
And then Oats smiled, like someone who had all the answers. And he does: Two and two is five. You can’t tell Oats otherwise. Omniscient, that guy.
Me, I’m calling coaches about what Coach K had said, and they’re practically shouting in agreement. They said things I’d never heard, even considered, like this:
“It’s chaos. You celebrate having negative tests.”
Imagine: Being tested for something that will change your life immediately and perhaps forever, and sweating out the results. And doing it daily.
Results don’t always come back negative, either. Look around the country. So many positive tests in college basketball that, according to ESPN, roughly 20% of scheduled games have been postponed or canceled. Some teams, like Xavier, have played seven games. Others, like Butler? One game. DePaul hasn’t played yet; every game has been canceled.
Nature is trying to tell us something. So are coaches.
One told me about a player on his team having to quarantine for 10 days and spending those 10 days completely alone. He had to move out of his dorm and into another one, empty except for quarantined kids. This kid, a freshman, was alone on Thanksgiving. His coach tried to bring him Thanksgiving dinner but had to leave it with the dormitory manager, who put it on the floor outside the kid’s room, knocked and walked away.
The coach went outside and saw the kid waving from his window.
What’s better right now? To keep playing the sport that motivates them, defines them, letting basketball players be basketball players and managing whatever fear and loneliness that comes with it?
Or stop playing until we have the virus under some semblance of control, taking away their passion but also taking away the anxiety that comes with it and allowing those kids to be kids and go home for the holidays?
As I’ve said, I don’t have that answer. So much gray here, which is why Coach K was asking the question and Nate Oats, that all-knowing clown, was answering it.
As for me, I waved goodbye to my nurse outside the hospital. She waved back, but there was a look on her face, something unreadable, as she returned to the battle zone, unprotected.
Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar or at www.facebook.com/gregg.doyel.


usatoday--2020-12-11--Bedding sets are 70 to 75% off right now at Macy's with free shipping

— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed ’ s editors .
Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission .
If you ’ ve been itching to give your space a bit of a makeover , now 's the perfect time : Between the announcement of Pantone 's new colors of the year and all the seasonal sales in full swing , it 's prime time for a home refresh .
An easy way to do it ?
With a new bedding set !
Right now , Macy 's just so happens to have a a must-shop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bedding sets , with all sizes priced at 70 to 75 % off .
Get expert shopping advice delivered to your phone .
Sign up for text message alerts from the deal-hunting nerds at Reviewed .
Through tomorrow , December 12 , you can snag three-piece bed-in-a-bag sets , once $ 80 , on sale from just $ 19.99 for a massive 75 % discount .
If you 're looking for something larger , five- to six-piece bed-in-a-bag collections , once $ 190 , drop by 70 % to $ 56.99 .
Six- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sell for $ 100 , and are now discounted down to $ 29.99 , giving you an equally major 70 % markdown .
What 's more , the retailer is offering free shipping for today only .
As if all of that was n't exciting enough , you 'll also nab $ 10 in Macy 's Money for every $ 50 spent to be used beginning Friday , December 18 .
This Sunham Colesville three-piece comforter set , for instance , is on sale for $ 19.99 , which is down a whopping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 80 .
Complete with a 4-star rating from nearly 200 Macy 's shoppers , this collection includes one comforter and two standard shams ( note that if you can grab the twin-size option , it comes with one comforter and one sham ) .
This Fairfield Square Paris gold six- to eight- piece reversible comforter set , meanwhile , which originally retailed for $ 100 , has been reduced to $ 29.99 .
Available in sizes twin , twin XL or full , you 'll receive a comforter , a sham , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flat sheet and a fitted sheet with the twin sizes ( note that you 'll nab an extra sham and pillowcase with the full size collection ) .
It has a solid 4-star rating from more than 900 customers , who were p happy with the French-inspired pattern and cozy quality .
Need help finding products ?
Sign up for our weekly newsletter .
It ’ s free and you can unsubscribe at any time .
So go ahead and give your bedroom the seasonal upgrade it deserves—thanks to Macy 's , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3-Piece Bed-in-a-Bag Sets at Macy 's for $ 19.99 ( Save $ 60.01 ) Get 5- to 6-Piece Bed-in-a-Bag Sets at Macy 's for $ 56.99 ( Save $ 133.01 ) Get 6- to 8-Piece Bed-in-a-Bag at Macy 's for $ 29.99 ( Save $ 70.01 ) The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered .
Follow Reviewed on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram for the latest deals , reviews , and more .
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time @

Bedding sets are 70 to 75% off right now at Macy's
— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission.
If you’ve been itching to give your space a bit of a makeover, now's the perfect time: Between the announcement of Pantone's new colors of the year and all the seasonal sales in full swing, it's prime time for a home refresh. An easy way to do it? With a new bedding set! Right now, Macy's just so happens to have a a must-shop deal on three-, six- and eight-piece bedding sets, with all sizes priced at 70 to 75% off.
Get expert shopping advice delivered to your phone. Sign up for text message alerts from the deal-hunting nerds at Reviewed.
Through tomorrow, December 12, you can snag three-piece bed-in-a-bag sets, once $80, on sale from just $19.99 for a massive 75% discount. If you're looking for something larger, five- to six-piece bed-in-a-bag collections, once $190, drop by 70% to $56.99. Six- to eight-piece sets, meanwhile, regularly sell for $100, and are now discounted down to $29.99, giving you an equally major 70% markdown. What's more, the retailer is offering free shipping on orders of $25 or more.
As if all of that wasn't exciting enough, you'll also nab $10 in Macy's Money for every $50 spent to be used beginning Friday, December 18.
This Sunham Colesville three-piece comforter set, for instance, is on sale for $19.99, which is down a whopping $60.01 from its original price of $80. Complete with a 4-star rating from nearly 200 Macy's shoppers, this collection includes one comforter and two standard shams (note that if you can grab the twin-size option, it comes with one comforter and one sham).
This Fairfield Square Paris gold six- to eight- piece reversible comforter set, meanwhile, which originally retailed for $100, has been reduced to $29.99. Available in sizes twin, twin XL or full, you'll receive a comforter, a sham, a bedskirt, a pillowcase, a flat sheet and a fitted sheet with the twin sizes (note that you'll nab an extra sham and pillowcase with the full size collection). It has a solid 4-star rating from more than 900 customers, who were p happy with the French-inspired pattern and cozy quality.
Need help finding products? Sign up for our weekly newsletter. It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
So go ahead and give your bedroom the seasonal upgrade it deserves—thanks to Macy's, it'll be far less pricey!
The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest deals, reviews, and more.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.