washingtontimes--2020-05-29--Thousands rally in Houston to protest George Floyd's death

HOUSTON ( AP ) - In Houston , the city where George Floyd grew up , several thousand people shut down a downtown freeway Friday as they marched after a rally to protest his death while in police custody in Minneapolis .
The protesters ended up alongside Interstate 69 , usually one of Houston ’ s more heavily traveled traffic arteries before the coronavirus lockdown thinned the traffic .
A group of about 60 to 70 started by running to the freeway , where they marched for at least half an hour , shutting down traffic .
Houston police accompanied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a half mile along the freeway before leaving it .
No arrests were made , and the protesters then walked to a nearby park .
The rally earlier at the City Hall plaza was mostly peaceful , Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said , but police apparently took into custody a woman who had a rifle and tried to use it to arouse the crowd .
The crowd marched down streets in downtown Houston to get to City Hall , chanting “ No justice , no peace ” and “ Say his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ placards bearing the slogans , “ I Can ’ t Breathe ” and “ Justice For George.
” Protests have spread across the U.S. , fueled by outrage over Floyd ’ s death , and years of violence against African Americans at the hands of police .
On Friday , the white Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd ’ s neck was arrested and charged with murder .
About 100 chanting , placard-brandishing protesters marched through the streets of downtown Fort Worth , escorted by police , on Friday afternoon .
Another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dallas police headquarters to listen to community-activist speakers , also under the watchful eyes of police .
Both demonstrations appeared peaceful , and there were no immediate reports of disturbances or arrests .
At the end of the Houston rally , several hundred protesters left City Hall and marched along downtown streets , blocking traffic and at times stopping at different intersections to chant “ no justice , no peace , ” before heading to I-69 .
Acevedo said he welcomed the rally .
“ We stand with them protesting what happened in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m happy that they ’ re here today because people need to be heard , voices need to be heard.
” One of those protesting Floyd ’ s death was Jimmy Ohaz , 19 , who came from Richmond , a Houston suburb .
“ My question is : How many more , how many more ?
I just want to live in a future where we all live in harmony and we ’ re not oppressed , ” he said .
Associated Press writer Terry Wallace in Dallas contributed to @ @ @

Police in Texas’ two largest cities deployed pepper spray and tear gas Friday night as protests escalated over the death of Houston native George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
Protesters in Houston blocked highway entrances and threw objects at officers after what had been a day of largely peaceful demonstrations. Some clashed with police at several occasions downtown Friday evening, with officers deploying pepper spray to disperse crowds, including one confrontation that took place near police headquarters.
A white Minneapolis officer was charged with murder Friday in the death of Floyd, a black man who begged for air while handcuffed on the ground as the officer pressed his knee into his neck. Floyd is a native of Houston’s Third Ward.
Organizers believe more than 3,000 people gathered with Black Lives Matter Houston to protest Floyd’s death with chants of “I can’t breathe” and “No justice, no peace,” as they marched from Discovery Green to City Hall. Some were arrested for attempting to block roads, including Interstate 68, but no injuries were reported, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. The mayor added some police vehicles were damaged.
A similar escalation developed in Dallas, where a rally before hundreds of demonstrators at police headquarters escalated when demonstrators marched downtown to an intersection near City Hall. Video from the scene showed them being met by officers in riot gear and shields.
After a brief melee, a police patrol car was spray-painted and a demonstrator leapt onto another one. First, a few rocks flew toward police, followed by bottles. An officer on a loudspeaker warned the throng to disperse or be arrested, then the tear gas flew. The demonstrators then turned their attention to Interstate 35E on the western edge of downtown, where dozens briefly blocked traffic.
One police officer received a non-life-threatening injury during the melee and police vehicles had windows and windshields shattered and tires slashed, Police Chief U. Reneé Lee said. There were no immediate reports of arrests. Protests have spread across the U.S., fueled by outrage over Floyd’s death, and years of violence against African Americans at the hands of police. On Friday, the white Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck was arrested and charged with murder.
Hundreds of chanting, placard-brandishing protesters marched through the streets of downtown Fort Worth on Friday afternoon, escorted by police.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo had said he welcomed the peaceful afternoon rally, before the protests escalated into disorder.
“We stand with them protesting what happened in Minnesota,” he said. “I’m happy that they’re here today because people need to be heard, voices need to be heard.”
One of those protesting Floyd’s death was Jimmy Ohaz, 19, who came from Richmond, a Houston suburb.
“My question is: How many more, how many more? I just want to live in a future where we all live in harmony and we’re not oppressed,” he said.
___
Associated Press writer Juan A. Lozano contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-05-29--Idaho newspaper plans lawsuit over COVID-19 records denial

BOISE , Idaho ( AP ) - A southwestern Idaho newspaper on Friday said it will file a lawsuit against the state Department of Health and Welfare if the agency doesn ’ t turn over the names of long-term care facilities in the state with confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 among residents and staff .
The Idaho Statesman , through its attorney , sent a letter to the agency contending the information should be made available under Idaho ’ s Public Records Act .
The newspaper requested the information in a public records request earlier this month .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it failed to meet the requirements of the public records law .
The newspaper ’ s attorney , Debora Grasham , in the letter said the exemptions cited by the agency do not support denying the request .
The newspaper reported that through public records requests to local public health agencies and statements from facility owners it confirmed the names of 14 of 22 facilities .
The newspaper said that those 22 facilities had 273 virus cases and 44 deaths .
Idaho has 2,770 confirmed cases of the virus and 82 deaths , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hopkins University .
For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia , and death .

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A southwestern Idaho newspaper on Friday said it will file a lawsuit against the state Department of Health and Welfare if the agency doesn’t turn over the names of long-term care facilities in the state with confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 among residents and staff.
The Idaho Statesman, through its attorney, sent a letter to the agency contending the information should be made available under Idaho’s Public Records Act.
The newspaper requested the information in a public records request earlier this month. But the agency denied the request, saying it failed to meet the requirements of the public records law.
The newspaper’s attorney, Debora Grasham, in the letter said the exemptions cited by the agency do not support denying the request.
The newspaper reported that through public records requests to local public health agencies and statements from facility owners it confirmed the names of 14 of 22 facilities.
The newspaper said that those 22 facilities had 273 virus cases and 44 deaths.
Idaho has 2,770 confirmed cases of the virus and 82 deaths, according to a tally Friday by Johns Hopkins University.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.


washingtontimes--2020-05-29--Trump vetoes bipartisan measure against DeVos' loan rules

President Donald Trump on Friday vetoed a measure that would have overturned a policy that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos issued in 2019 making it harder for students to get their loans erased after being misled by for-profit colleges .
The Senate gave final approval to the bipartisan measure in March , dealing a rare rebuke of DeVos from the Republican-led chamber .
But Trump on Friday said DeVos ‘ rules are better than an Obama-era policy that would have been restored if the measure succeeded .
In issuing his veto , Trump said the rules created by former President Barack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it threatened to paralyze the nation ’ s system of higher education.
” He added that DeVos ‘ policy “ strikes a better balance , protecting students ’ rights to recover from schools that defraud them while foreclosing frivolous lawsuits that undermine higher education and expose taxpayers to needless loss.
” Democrats condemned the move and promised a House vote to override the veto .
Rep. Susie Lee , D-Nevada , who led the the bill in the House , said the fight is “ far from over.
” “ President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he cares more about enriching predatory schools than protecting defrauded students and veterans , ” Lee said .
A statement from the Education Department thanked Trump for the veto .
“ This administration is committed to protecting all students from fraud and holding all schools accountable when they fail their students , ” the department said .
“ This administration ’ s rule does just that , despite false claims from many corners.
” Lawmakers moved to overturn DeVos ’ policy through the Congressional Review Act , which allows Congress to overturn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both chambers and approval of the president .
The resolution sought to strike down DeVos ’ changes to a policy known as borrower defense to repayment , which erases federal student loans for borrowers whose colleges commit fraud .
The policy dates to the 1990s but was expanded under Obama to forgive loans for thousands of students who went to for-profit college chains that used false claims to get them to enroll .
When DeVos took office , though , she suspended the rules and began writing her own , saying the Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their loans erased at the expense of taxpayers .
Her changes were opposed by borrower advocates but embraced by for-profit colleges , who said their industry had unfairly been targeted by the Obama administration .
DeVos ‘ 2019 update made it harder for students to get their loans discharged by requiring them to prove their colleges knowingly misled them and caused personal financial harm , among other changes .
Congress ’ effort to reverse the rules were supported by advocates for military veterans , who make up a major share of students at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-Ill. , who led the measure in the Senate , said the veto hurts veterans while helping DeVos and the “ fraud merchants at the for-profit colleges.
” “ My question to the President : in four days did you forget those flag waving Memorial Day speeches as you vetoed a bill the veterans were begging for ?
” Durbin said .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her chamber “ will soon vote to overturn this veto , which poses a grave harm to the financial security and futures of America ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by education advocates who said DeVos ‘ rules made it nearly impossible for defrauded students to get loans erased .
James Kvaal , president of the Institute for College Access and Success , said he was “ crestfallen ” by the veto .
“ As a direct result of today ’ s action , hundreds of thousands of students cheated by colleges will have no way to get a fresh start , ” he said .
“ The message to unscrupulous colleges is that there will be little or no consequences for illegal @ @ @

President Donald Trump on Friday vetoed a measure that would have overturned a policy that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos issued in 2019 making it harder for students to get their loans erased after being misled by for-profit colleges.
The Senate gave final approval to the bipartisan measure in March, dealing a rare rebuke of DeVos from the Republican-led chamber. But Trump on Friday said DeVos’ rules are better than an Obama-era policy that would have been restored if the measure succeeded.
In issuing his veto, Trump said the rules created by former President Barack Obama “defined educational fraud so broadly that it threatened to paralyze the nation’s system of higher education.”
He added that DeVos’ policy “strikes a better balance, protecting students’ rights to recover from schools that defraud them while foreclosing frivolous lawsuits that undermine higher education and expose taxpayers to needless loss.”
Democrats condemned the move and promised a House vote to override the veto. Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nevada, who led the the bill in the House, said the fight is “far from over.”
“President Trump sent a message to the American people that he cares more about enriching predatory schools than protecting defrauded students and veterans,” Lee said.
A statement from the Education Department thanked Trump for the veto.
“This administration is committed to protecting all students from fraud and holding all schools accountable when they fail their students,” the department said. “This administration’s rule does just that, despite false claims from many corners.”
Lawmakers moved to overturn DeVos’ policy through the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to overturn federal rules with a simple majority of both chambers and approval of the president.
The resolution sought to strike down DeVos’ changes to a policy known as borrower defense to repayment, which erases federal student loans for borrowers whose colleges commit fraud.
The policy dates to the 1990s but was expanded under Obama to forgive loans for thousands of students who went to for-profit college chains that used false claims to get them to enroll.
When DeVos took office, though, she suspended the rules and began writing her own, saying the Obama policy allowed too many students to get their loans erased at the expense of taxpayers.
Her changes were opposed by borrower advocates but embraced by for-profit colleges, who said their industry had unfairly been targeted by the Obama administration.
DeVos’ 2019 update made it harder for students to get their loans discharged by requiring them to prove their colleges knowingly misled them and caused personal financial harm, among other changes.
Congress’ effort to reverse the rules were supported by advocates for military veterans, who make up a major share of students at for-profit colleges.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who led the measure in the Senate, said the veto hurts veterans while helping DeVos and the “fraud merchants at the for-profit colleges.”
“My question to the President: in four days did you forget those flag waving Memorial Day speeches as you vetoed a bill the veterans were begging for?” Durbin said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her chamber “will soon vote to overturn this veto, which poses a grave harm to the financial security and futures of America’s students.”
The congressional measure was applauded by education advocates who said DeVos’ rules made it nearly impossible for defrauded students to get loans erased.
James Kvaal, president of the Institute for College Access and Success, said he was “crestfallen” by the veto.
“As a direct result of today’s action, hundreds of thousands of students cheated by colleges will have no way to get a fresh start,” he said. “The message to unscrupulous colleges is that there will be little or no consequences for illegal wrongdoing.”


washingtontimes--2020-05-29--Partygoer at Missouri's Lake of Ozarks positive for COVID-19

OSAGE BEACH , Mo .
( AP ) - Health officials said Friday that they were seeking to “ inform mass numbers of unknown people ” after a person who attended crowded pool parties over Memorial Day weekend at Missouri ’ s Lake of the Ozarks tested positive for COVID-19 .
Camden County Health Department said in a release that the resident of Boone County in mid-Missouri tested positive on Sunday after arriving at the lake area a day earlier .
Officials said there have been no reported cases of the virus linked to coronavirus in residents of Camden County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and photos posted on social media took place .
Because “ mass numbers of unknown people ” need to be notified , the officials released a brief timeline of the person ’ s whereabouts last weekend , including stops at a bar called Backwater Jacks , a bar and restaurant that has a pool , as well as a dining and pool venue called Shady Gators and Lazy Gators .
Backwater Jacks owner Gary Prewitt said previously in a statement that no laws were broken , though the images appeared to show people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s state order requiring social distancing .
Parson allowed businesses and attractions to reopen May 4 , but the state order requires 6-foot ( 2-meter ) social distancing through at least the end of May .

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (AP) - Health officials said Friday that they were seeking to “inform mass numbers of unknown people” after a person who attended crowded pool parties over Memorial Day weekend at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks tested positive for COVID-19.
Camden County Health Department said in a release that the resident of Boone County in mid-Missouri tested positive on Sunday after arriving at the lake area a day earlier. Officials said there have been no reported cases of the virus linked to coronavirus in residents of Camden County, where the parties seen in videos and photos posted on social media took place.
Because “mass numbers of unknown people” need to be notified, the officials released a brief timeline of the person’s whereabouts last weekend, including stops at a bar called Backwater Jacks, a bar and restaurant that has a pool, as well as a dining and pool venue called Shady Gators and Lazy Gators.
Backwater Jacks owner Gary Prewitt said previously in a statement that no laws were broken, though the images appeared to show people violating Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s state order requiring social distancing.
Parson allowed businesses and attractions to reopen May 4, but the state order requires 6-foot (2-meter) social distancing through at least the end of May.


washingtontimes--2020-05-29--Kentucky theft suspect on the run since 2018 found in SC

COLUMBIA , SC ( AP ) - A Kentucky man accused of stealing around $ 25,000 from a nonprofit to pay off social media scammers was found in South Carolina , after being on the run since November 2018 , authorities said .
David Boggs Jr. was arrested Thursday , more than 570 days after his disappearance , news outlets reported .
The former executive director of Paducah ’ s annual Barbecue on the River festival was charged with theft by unlawful taking of more than $ 10,000 .
Paducah Police Chief Brian Laird said Boggs , 50 , sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later led to believe the person was underage .
Laird said the incident was a “ common social media scam.
” Boggs sent the scammers thousands of dollars of his own money and then began using funds from barbecue organization , stealing around $ 25,000 , Laird said .
Boggs was reported missing in early November 2018 , around the time the organization realized Boggs was stealing the money .
In April , authorities tracked Boggs to South Carolina where he was seen in videos and photos helping the homeless through an outreach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he stole the money and spent six months living in the woods before moving to a mobile home park in Columbia , South Carolina .
It ’ s unclear when or if Boggs will be extradited to Kentucky .
It ’ s also unclear whether he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf .

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) - A Kentucky man accused of stealing around $25,000 from a nonprofit to pay off social media scammers was found in South Carolina, after being on the run since November 2018, authorities said.
David Boggs Jr. was arrested Thursday, more than 570 days after his disappearance, news outlets reported. The former executive director of Paducah’s annual Barbecue on the River festival was charged with theft by unlawful taking of more than $10,000.
Paducah Police Chief Brian Laird said Boggs, 50, sent an inappropriate image to someone and was later led to believe the person was underage. Laird said the incident was a “common social media scam.”
Boggs sent the scammers thousands of dollars of his own money and then began using funds from barbecue organization, stealing around $25,000, Laird said.
Boggs was reported missing in early November 2018, around the time the organization realized Boggs was stealing the money.
In April, authorities tracked Boggs to South Carolina where he was seen in videos and photos helping the homeless through an outreach organization.
Boggs told police Thursday that he stole the money and spent six months living in the woods before moving to a mobile home park in Columbia, South Carolina.
It’s unclear when or if Boggs will be extradited to Kentucky. It’s also unclear whether he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.


washingtontimes--2020-05-29--D-backs cut about quarter of staff with layoffs, furloughs

The Arizona Diamondbacks have laid off or furloughed about one-quarter of the team ’ s employees because of lost revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic .
The organization made the moves on Friday .
Remaining staff will take pay cuts that average less than 15 % , with the team ’ s highest earners losing a bigger percentage of their income .
The D-backs will continue to pay their minor league players through at least the end of June .
The team ’ s baseball operations department was largely unaffected .
Many of the jobs lost were on the business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We care deeply about our employees which makes these decisions even more difficult , ” owner Ken Kendrick and team president Derrick Hall said in a joint statement .
“ We have tried to minimize the impact as much as possible but these are truly unprecedented economic times and we recognize that this is affecting everyone in our organization and community .
“ We continue to hope and believe that we will play baseball in 2020 , but it has become clear that this will be without fans , that the financial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undoubtedly carry into next season .
Unfortunately , these changes were necessary in order to be in a position to recover when we are able to return to normal operations.
” The Arizona Republic first reported the job cuts .
The MLB season was suspended during spring training in March .
The players ’ union and owners are in discussions to possibly begin an abbreviated 82-game season in July , but likely without fans in attendance .

The Arizona Diamondbacks have laid off or furloughed about one-quarter of the team’s employees because of lost revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The organization made the moves on Friday. Remaining staff will take pay cuts that average less than 15%, with the team’s highest earners losing a bigger percentage of their income. The D-backs will continue to pay their minor league players through at least the end of June.
The team’s baseball operations department was largely unaffected. Many of the jobs lost were on the business side, particularly in ticket sales.
“We care deeply about our employees which makes these decisions even more difficult,” owner Ken Kendrick and team president Derrick Hall said in a joint statement. “We have tried to minimize the impact as much as possible but these are truly unprecedented economic times and we recognize that this is affecting everyone in our organization and community.
“We continue to hope and believe that we will play baseball in 2020, but it has become clear that this will be without fans, that the financial losses will be very significant and will undoubtedly carry into next season. Unfortunately, these changes were necessary in order to be in a position to recover when we are able to return to normal operations.”
The Arizona Republic first reported the job cuts.
The MLB season was suspended during spring training in March. The players’ union and owners are in discussions to possibly begin an abbreviated 82-game season in July, but likely without fans in attendance.
___
Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


washingtontimes--2020-05-29--Mexico nabs gang chief allegedly behind US journalist attack

MEXICO CITY ( AP ) - Authorities in northern Mexico said Friday they arrested a gang leader allegedly involved in as many as 50 killings and an attack on a U.S. journalist .
Prosecutors in Chihuahua state identified the suspect only by his given names , Omar Alfredo , alias “ El Fredy , ” in keeping with privacy laws .
The office alleged the suspect ordered a gun attack on bodyguards protecting the state governor in February and the shooting of a National Geographic journalist in the border city of Ciudad Juarez in October .
Prosecutors said the journalist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a rival of “ El Fredy , ” but the suspect was tipped off about it and staged the attack to sow fear .
The journalist was shot in the leg and survived .
A purported drug dealer died at the attack site , while another died in a hospital .
Ciudad Juarez is just across the border from El Paso , Texas .
The suspect has been jailed pending trial on homicide charges .
The office described “ El Fredy ” as a leader of hitmen for the La Empresa gang , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Juarez drug cartel broke down .
The Juarez Cartel used to have gangs like Los Aztecas , La Linea and La Empresa as subsidiaries or allies , but they are now independent .

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Authorities in northern Mexico said Friday they arrested a gang leader allegedly involved in as many as 50 killings and an attack on a U.S. journalist.
Prosecutors in Chihuahua state identified the suspect only by his given names, Omar Alfredo, alias “El Fredy,” in keeping with privacy laws.
The office alleged the suspect ordered a gun attack on bodyguards protecting the state governor in February and the shooting of a National Geographic journalist in the border city of Ciudad Juarez in October.
Prosecutors said the journalist went to a pre-arranged meeting to interview a rival of “El Fredy,” but the suspect was tipped off about it and staged the attack to sow fear. The journalist was shot in the leg and survived. A purported drug dealer died at the attack site, while another died in a hospital.
Ciudad Juarez is just across the border from El Paso, Texas.
The suspect has been jailed pending trial on homicide charges.
The office described “El Fredy” as a leader of hitmen for the La Empresa gang, which sprang up as the old alliances of the Juarez drug cartel broke down. The Juarez Cartel used to have gangs like Los Aztecas, La Linea and La Empresa as subsidiaries or allies, but they are now independent.


washingtontimes--2020-05-29--Illinois enters new reopening phase; Pritzker urges caution

SPRINGFIELD , Ill. ( AP ) - Gov .
J.B. Pritzker warned Illinois residents on Friday to remain vigilant even as the state began to loosen restrictions intended to curb the deadly coronavirus , and he expressed gratitude for the actions taken over the last 10 weeks .
With a slowly declining number of new cases of COVID-19 , the illness caused by coronavirus infection , Pritzker ended an executive order limiting movement outside the home to necessary tasks and emergencies and allowed the state to move into a new phase of recovery .
The third stage of the Democrat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a return of manufacturing and retail sales , outdoor restaurant dining and social gatherings of no more than 10 people who keep at least 6 feet apart from one another and wear face masks .
Pritzker praised the perseverance of the state ’ s residents and said he wasn ’ t surprised by their generosity and neighborly concern .
But he added , “ We have to be careful .
Things , as they open up … , the opportunities to catch COVID-19 open up.
” Dr. Ngoze Ezike , the state public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases Friday and 86 additional deaths .
Complications related to the virus have now taken 5,270 lives in the state among 117,455 confirmed cases of the illness .
Numbers reported daily by the Department of Public Health show a distinct break in the crisis three weeks ago .
Totals peaked the week of May 3 with 793 deaths and 17,580 new COVID-19 cases .
Both numbers have slowly dropped each week since .
The state is on pace this week to record approximately 11,300 cases and 570 additional deaths .
Pritzker closed schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of March , the first showing substantial growth in Illinois ’ COVID-19 cases .
On March 21 , he imposed a stay-at-home order , which he extended twice , through Friday .
The less-stringent rules come about as each of the four regions of the state outlined in Restore Illinois meet necessary qualifications .
They are : No more than 20 % of tests for the coronavirus indicating infections and no substantial change in that “ positivity rate ” for 14 days ; stable or decreasing numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations over a 28-day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available should there be a surge in infections .
Pritzker has maintained that his response to the pandemic is guided by “ science ” and the medical experts such as Ezike and epidemiologists advising him .
He said Friday that neither his office nor his campaign operation has conducted any polls to gauge voters ’ reaction .
“ I ’ ve read ( other ) polling results and I can say honestly that it ’ s clear that people supported this stay-at-home order , that people are deeply concerned to make sure that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthy , ” Pritzker said .
But there was backlash against the restrictions that were extended through May .
Pritzker was named in a lawsuit by a state legislator challenging his executive powers , representing the impatience of some residents of central and southern Illinois who saw the restrictions as too harsh for areas not hit at hard by the pandemic as Chicago .
There have been multiple legal challenges from houses of worship , a nd Pritzker finally dropped objection to religious gatherings , although the state still recommends no more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religious facilities limit attendance to 25 % of capacity .
Outdoor dining at restaurants , with proper social distancing and face coverings worn by wait staff , is another concession that initially wasn ’ t part of the third phase of recovery .
Check out more of the AP ’ s coronavirus coverage at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned Illinois residents on Friday to remain vigilant even as the state began to loosen restrictions intended to curb the deadly coronavirus, and he expressed gratitude for the actions taken over the last 10 weeks.
With a slowly declining number of new cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus infection, Pritzker ended an executive order limiting movement outside the home to necessary tasks and emergencies and allowed the state to move into a new phase of recovery.
The third stage of the Democrat’s five-part Restore Illinois program means a return of manufacturing and retail sales, outdoor restaurant dining and social gatherings of no more than 10 people who keep at least 6 feet apart from one another and wear face masks.
Pritzker praised the perseverance of the state’s residents and said he wasn’t surprised by their generosity and neighborly concern. But he added, “We have to be careful. Things, as they open up …, the opportunities to catch COVID-19 open up.”
Dr. Ngoze Ezike, the state public health director, reported 1,622 new COVID-19 cases Friday and 86 additional deaths. Complications related to the virus have now taken 5,270 lives in the state among 117,455 confirmed cases of the illness.
Numbers reported daily by the Department of Public Health show a distinct break in the crisis three weeks ago. Totals peaked the week of May 3 with 793 deaths and 17,580 new COVID-19 cases. Both numbers have slowly dropped each week since. The state is on pace this week to record approximately 11,300 cases and 570 additional deaths.
Pritzker closed schools and non-essential businesses during the third week of March, the first showing substantial growth in Illinois’ COVID-19 cases. On March 21, he imposed a stay-at-home order, which he extended twice, through Friday.
The less-stringent rules come about as each of the four regions of the state outlined in Restore Illinois meet necessary qualifications. They are: No more than 20% of tests for the coronavirus indicating infections and no substantial change in that “positivity rate” for 14 days; stable or decreasing numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations over a 28-day period, and sufficient bed-space and equipment available should there be a surge in infections.
Pritzker has maintained that his response to the pandemic is guided by “science” and the medical experts such as Ezike and epidemiologists advising him. He said Friday that neither his office nor his campaign operation has conducted any polls to gauge voters’ reaction.
“I’ve read (other) polling results and I can say honestly that it’s clear that people supported this stay-at-home order, that people are deeply concerned to make sure that their fellow Illinoisans are kept safe and healthy,” Pritzker said.
But there was backlash against the restrictions that were extended through May. Pritzker was named in a lawsuit by a state legislator challenging his executive powers, representing the impatience of some residents of central and southern Illinois who saw the restrictions as too harsh for areas not hit at hard by the pandemic as Chicago.
There have been multiple legal challenges from houses of worship, a nd Pritzker finally dropped objection to religious gatherings, although the state still recommends no more than 10 people gather at once or that religious facilities limit attendance to 25% of capacity.
Outdoor dining at restaurants, with proper social distancing and face coverings worn by wait staff, is another concession that initially wasn’t part of the third phase of recovery.
___
COVID-19 statistics by week: https://bit.ly/2XL2KFc
Restore Illinois outline: https://bit.ly/2AgGdbr
___
Check out more of the AP’s coronavirus coverage at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
___
Follow Political Writer John O’Connor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor


washingtontimes--2020-05-29--US judge won't lift 50-person cap on Nevada church services

RENO , Nev. ( AP ) - A federal judge rejected a rural Nevada church ’ s request Friday for an emergency injunction that would allow it to exceed Gov .
Steve Sisolak ’ s 50-person cap on religious gatherings .
Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley filed a lawsuit against the governor last week that argued the previous ban on religious gatherings of more than 10 people was unconstitutional .
Sisolak raised the limit to 50 people under strict social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus when he announced this week the reopening of several business categories previously considered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ casinos to open June 4 for the first time since mid-March .
Leaders of the Christian church in Dayton , southeast of Reno , said the new limit still violates their religious freedoms protected under the First Amendment .
They said in motions seeking an emergency court order late Thursday and again Friday they should be held to the same standard as a host of businesses now allowed to operate at 50 % of capacity - not a 50-person cap - including restaurants , bars , gyms , pawn shops and tattoo parlors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its purposed interest evenhandedly , favoring secular businesses and activities over religious services , ” their lawyers wrote .
“ There is no good reason - let alone a constitutional one - for this disparate treatment.
” Church leaders said they would not comply with the 50 person limit and instead follow the 50 % capacity guideline by holding two services for the first time in 10 weeks celebrating the Christian holiday of Pentecost on Sunday .
They said about 90 parishioners would be at each service at the church that typically holds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trusts its residents to socially distance and follow general health and safety guidelines while gathering on a daily basis for similar secular activities , but it does not trust them to do once or twice a week if they are assembling for religious purposes , ” the motion said .
They said Pentecost is an especially significant day for the church .
U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said in denying an emergency court order Friday that she has “ no doubt as to the significance of Pentecost Sunday ” to the church and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convictions.
” But she said they had failed to demonstrate “ the diligence required to warrant emergency relief.
” She said the church filed its initial lawsuit May 22 challenging the 10-person cap on gatherings the governor imposed on April 8 , then waited until late Thursday to file its first motion seeking an emergency injunction .
“ Waiting until one business day before Pentecost Sunday to ask for emergency relief is simply unreasonable , ” she said .
Du ordered the state to respond to the lawsuit by Tuesday .
She said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearing on Thursday .
Aides to the governor and Attorney General Aaron Ford declined comment on Friday .

RENO, Nev. (AP) - A federal judge rejected a rural Nevada church’s request Friday for an emergency injunction that would allow it to exceed Gov. Steve Sisolak’s 50-person cap on religious gatherings.
Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley filed a lawsuit against the governor last week that argued the previous ban on religious gatherings of more than 10 people was unconstitutional.
Sisolak raised the limit to 50 people under strict social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus when he announced this week the reopening of several business categories previously considered non-essential. That cleared the way for casinos to open June 4 for the first time since mid-March.
Leaders of the Christian church in Dayton, southeast of Reno, said the new limit still violates their religious freedoms protected under the First Amendment.
They said in motions seeking an emergency court order late Thursday and again Friday they should be held to the same standard as a host of businesses now allowed to operate at 50% of capacity - not a 50-person cap - including restaurants, bars, gyms, pawn shops and tattoo parlors.
“The state is not pursuing its purposed interest evenhandedly, favoring secular businesses and activities over religious services,” their lawyers wrote. “There is no good reason - let alone a constitutional one - for this disparate treatment.”
Church leaders said they would not comply with the 50 person limit and instead follow the 50% capacity guideline by holding two services for the first time in 10 weeks celebrating the Christian holiday of Pentecost on Sunday. They said about 90 parishioners would be at each service at the church that typically holds 200.
“Remarkably, the state trusts its residents to socially distance and follow general health and safety guidelines while gathering on a daily basis for similar secular activities, but it does not trust them to do once or twice a week if they are assembling for religious purposes,” the motion said.
They said Pentecost is an especially significant day for the church.
U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said in denying an emergency court order Friday that she has “no doubt as to the significance of Pentecost Sunday” to the church and its members’ “sincerely held religious convictions.” But she said they had failed to demonstrate “the diligence required to warrant emergency relief.”
She said the church filed its initial lawsuit May 22 challenging the 10-person cap on gatherings the governor imposed on April 8, then waited until late Thursday to file its first motion seeking an emergency injunction.
“Waiting until one business day before Pentecost Sunday to ask for emergency relief is simply unreasonable,” she said.
Du ordered the state to respond to the lawsuit by Tuesday. She said she’d likely schedule a telephone hearing on Thursday.
Aides to the governor and Attorney General Aaron Ford declined comment on Friday.


washingtontimes--2020-05-29--Kentucky awards contracts to manage Medicaid business

FRANKFORT , Ky. ( AP ) - Five insurance companies were awarded contracts worth nearly $ 8 billion a year to manage most of Kentucky ’ s Medicaid business , Gov .
Andy Beshear announced Friday .
Landing the contracts were Aetna , Humana , Molina Healthcare , UnitedHealthcare and WellCare , Beshear said .
About 1.4 million people in Kentucky receive health coverage through Medicaid .
The Democratic governor refers to health care as a “ basic human right.
” He said Friday that ensuring coverage for Medicaid recipients is “ of the utmost importance to my administration.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must continue to provide equal access for every Kentuckian who needs quality care , ” Beshear said .
Aetna , Humana and WellCare hold existing contracts with the state , he said .
Beshear ordered a new round of bidding for the contracts after he took office late last year .
The new contracts take effect in January .
The initial term is through the end of 2024 , but the state may extend the contracts , the governor ’ s office said .
Two companies currently holding contracts that were passed over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Louisville-based Passport Health Plan and Anthem .

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Five insurance companies were awarded contracts worth nearly $8 billion a year to manage most of Kentucky’s Medicaid business, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday.
Landing the contracts were Aetna, Humana, Molina Healthcare, UnitedHealthcare and WellCare, Beshear said. About 1.4 million people in Kentucky receive health coverage through Medicaid.
The Democratic governor refers to health care as a “basic human right.” He said Friday that ensuring coverage for Medicaid recipients is “of the utmost importance to my administration.”
“As we move forward, we must continue to provide equal access for every Kentuckian who needs quality care,” Beshear said.
Aetna, Humana and WellCare hold existing contracts with the state, he said.
Beshear ordered a new round of bidding for the contracts after he took office late last year. The new contracts take effect in January. The initial term is through the end of 2024, but the state may extend the contracts, the governor’s office said.
Two companies currently holding contracts that were passed over during the latest round of bids were Louisville-based Passport Health Plan and Anthem.


washingtontimes--2020-05-30--Volunteer to help with crowds at Wyoming grizzly sightings

JACKSON , Wyo .
( AP ) - Near mile marker 11 on Togwotee Pass , Tiffany Huynh wanted to know what all the commotion was about .
Two grizzly bears , someone informed her , were snoozing .
A look came over her .
Fists started pumping in the air .
“ Oh , my god , ” she said , “ I ’ ve never seen a bear.
” The Los Angelino roadtripper was invited to step up to Jack and Gina Bayles ’ spotting scope , through which she peeped a heap of chocolate brown fur .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ boar that slumbered in the timber , resting between unsuccessful efforts at courting a sow known as “ 863 ” by wildlife managers and “ Felicia ” by most people at the scene .
A mid-May Saturday afternoon it was a relatively calm day of watching the grizzly boar ’ s hapless attempts at ursine romance .
Mostly the bruins stayed at a distance , slept and then slipped out of sight over a ridgeline , with the chocolate male dutifully tailing his uninterested quarry .
Still , an air of commotion and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all times in the couple of hours that surrounded Huynh ’ s sighting , a few dozen people lined the highway , inquiring what everyone was seeing and pinching the thoroughfare with their parked vehicles .
A pickup truck driver jammed on his horn , voicing displeasure with an RV stopped in the middle of a 65 mph highway .
A Wyoming Game and Fish Department warden lingered in the distance , using binoculars to keep eyes on a crowd of people who themselves were focused on the bears .
Among the ranks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surreptitious surveillance drew sneers and snide remarks .
Starting soon , the faithful Togwotee grizzly followers will have more company , the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports .
Joining them is a new full-time Bridger-Teton National Forest volunteer who will be staffing the scene .
For years grizzly watching along the highway east of Moran has been the antithesis of the park ’ s “ bear jam ” experience , where there are crews of volunteer “ brigadiers , ” traffic cones and rangers aplenty .
On Togwotee there were no chaperones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police themselves .
Sometimes that went smoothly , but other times it ’ s proved to be an ugly affair - and the stakes are high when large carnivores , naive tourists and high-speed traffic are all part of the equation .
This past weekend , wildlife photographer Savannah Burgess said “ unfortunately ” people were venturing well off the Togwotee highway to snap face-on pics of the still actively courting grizzly duo at close range .
Such behavior is putting the bears at risk , Burgess said , and inviting conflict .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand how precarious that situation is , ” she said .
Wildlife , land and highway managers started planning to boost their presence on the pass after the summer 2019 grizzly-watching season , when the drama crescendoed .
Grizzly 863 emerged from her den that spring with two cubs , but early on one of them went missing .
The remaining defenseless cub , nicknamed Pepper , was then separated from mom for over a month but miraculously reunited in mid-July .
That cub evidently perished over the winter , because when Felicia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sans the young one .
In the interim the involved agencies and even county attorneys convened over several long conference calls to discuss what to do .
Grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region remain a federally “ threatened ” species protected by the Endangered Species Act , and the U.S .
Fish and Wildlife Service technically calls the shots .
But jurisdictional boundaries can be a little fuzzy .
“ When there ’ s a roadside bear in Grand Teton National Park , the Park Service can manage that well because they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ park , ” Fish and Wildlife special agent Steve Stoinski said .
“ When we get a roadside bear outside the park , suddenly it gets a little more complicated.
” The Wyoming Department of Transportation takes the lead in managing the road and addressing hazards to travel , he said .
The Fish and Wildlife Service and Wyoming Game and Fish jointly handle the bears .
Two national forests control the surrounding land : the Bridger-Teton on the west side of the pass and the Shoshone on the east .
The agencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , confining motorists to designated pullouts and parking areas and cracking down on violations .
“ We ’ re just trying to keep people safe and protect the bears , because they have no voice , ” Stoinski said .
“ We aren ’ t looking to try to bust people , though some people do push the envelope.
” Impeding the movement of a grizzly bear , even to take a photo , is a violation of the Endangered Species Act , he said .
Stoinski has ventured up to the pass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ managing to lay eyes on Felicia .
As soon as next week he ’ ll have some steady assistance from a federal sister agency .
The Bridger-Teton is bringing on a full-time volunteer , an Oregonian named Dale Barker , who will wear an official uniform and drive an official vehicle , and whose duties as a bear “ ambassador ” entail no shortage of time spent on Togwotee Pass .
Blackrock District Ranger Todd Stiles is welcoming the help .
“ Sometimes 863 is out for 10 hours a day , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t had the staff to have someone up there all day engaged in conversation.
” Although Barker is technically a volunteer he will receive a stipend and incurs some costs .
Two nongovernmental organizations are splitting that expense : the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and Friends of the Bridger-Teton .
Sarah Walker , who heads the friends group , is also trying to flex her social media muscle by getting photographers and public officials to take the # 100yardpledge on Instagram , encouraging compliance with viewing guidelines .
“ The 100 yards pledge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you only have three words , those are the ones , ” Walker said .
“ But obviously there ’ s a lot more nuanced issues , and you can ’ t always be 100 yards away.
” Walker has also reached out to Togwotee Pass regulars , like Burgess and Jack Bayles , asking for assistance in encouraging good behavior .
“ If Felicia is out , the same 10 of us are going to be out here doing what we can do , ” Bayles said , “ but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come out and have our backs.
” Bayles ’ hunch is that the Togwotee grizzly-watching affair will correct itself this year .
When Felicia has been without cubs like she is this year , she ’ s typically headed into the backcountry for the summer , out of sight of the highway .
He ’ s hoping that will again be the case .
“ I wish she ’ d just go over the hill , ” Bayles said .
“ It would suck to not see her , but I think she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than I think she ’ s going to have.
” But in the meantime , the habituated sow is sticking around - with the brown boar hot on her heels .
Such was the scene Saturday , when photographers trying to document the courtship were reportedly behaving badly .
“ There were six , eight , 10 people lying in the grass 50 feet from Felicia , with the male chomping and snapping his jaws in the background , ” Bayles said .
“ Game and Fish and the highway patrol made everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Felicia .
“ It ’ s got to a point where we didn ’ t even want to be there , ” he said , “ because we didn ’ t want to be a part of that problem.
” Another factor that ’ s making the Togwotee grizzly mania abate at times is other grizzly bears .
Jackson Hole wildlife videographer Jeff Hogan was up on the pass among the masses last Thursday when a friend whispered to him that grizzly 399 and her four cubs had reemerged into view after a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slipped away stealthily , leaving the sighting a secret .
“ Two minutes later , this guy goes , ’ 399 ’ s out !
’ ” Hogan recounted .
Within minutes the crowd cleared out to chase sightings of the more famed park bear and her four cubs .
“ It was unbelievable , ” Hogan said , remaining behind to watch grizzly 863 in relative peace .

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - Near mile marker 11 on Togwotee Pass, Tiffany Huynh wanted to know what all the commotion was about.
Two grizzly bears, someone informed her, were snoozing.
A look came over her. Fists started pumping in the air.
“Yessssss,” an exhilarated Huynh hissed. “Bears.”
“Oh, my god,” she said, “I’ve never seen a bear.”
The Los Angelino roadtripper was invited to step up to Jack and Gina Bayles’ spotting scope, through which she peeped a heap of chocolate brown fur. Her gaze fixed on a grizzly bear boar that slumbered in the timber, resting between unsuccessful efforts at courting a sow known as “863” by wildlife managers and “Felicia” by most people at the scene.
A mid-May Saturday afternoon it was a relatively calm day of watching the grizzly boar’s hapless attempts at ursine romance. Mostly the bruins stayed at a distance, slept and then slipped out of sight over a ridgeline, with the chocolate male dutifully tailing his uninterested quarry.
Still, an air of commotion and tension hung along the highway.
At all times in the couple of hours that surrounded Huynh’s sighting, a few dozen people lined the highway, inquiring what everyone was seeing and pinching the thoroughfare with their parked vehicles. A pickup truck driver jammed on his horn, voicing displeasure with an RV stopped in the middle of a 65 mph highway. A Wyoming Game and Fish Department warden lingered in the distance, using binoculars to keep eyes on a crowd of people who themselves were focused on the bears. Among the ranks of the grizzly watch party the somewhat surreptitious surveillance drew sneers and snide remarks.
Starting soon, the faithful Togwotee grizzly followers will have more company, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports.
Joining them is a new full-time Bridger-Teton National Forest volunteer who will be staffing the scene. For years grizzly watching along the highway east of Moran has been the antithesis of the park’s “bear jam” experience, where there are crews of volunteer “brigadiers,” traffic cones and rangers aplenty. On Togwotee there were no chaperones, and people were mostly left to police themselves. Sometimes that went smoothly, but other times it’s proved to be an ugly affair - and the stakes are high when large carnivores, naive tourists and high-speed traffic are all part of the equation.
This past weekend, wildlife photographer Savannah Burgess said “unfortunately” people were venturing well off the Togwotee highway to snap face-on pics of the still actively courting grizzly duo at close range.
Such behavior is putting the bears at risk, Burgess said, and inviting conflict.
“I don’t think people understand how precarious that situation is,” she said.
Wildlife, land and highway managers started planning to boost their presence on the pass after the summer 2019 grizzly-watching season, when the drama crescendoed. Grizzly 863 emerged from her den that spring with two cubs, but early on one of them went missing. The remaining defenseless cub, nicknamed Pepper, was then separated from mom for over a month but miraculously reunited in mid-July. That cub evidently perished over the winter, because when Felicia came into view this spring she was sans the young one.
In the interim the involved agencies and even county attorneys convened over several long conference calls to discuss what to do.
Grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region remain a federally “threatened” species protected by the Endangered Species Act, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service technically calls the shots. But jurisdictional boundaries can be a little fuzzy.
“When there’s a roadside bear in Grand Teton National Park, the Park Service can manage that well because they’re the agency in charge of the park,” Fish and Wildlife special agent Steve Stoinski said. “When we get a roadside bear outside the park, suddenly it gets a little more complicated.”
The Wyoming Department of Transportation takes the lead in managing the road and addressing hazards to travel, he said. The Fish and Wildlife Service and Wyoming Game and Fish jointly handle the bears. Two national forests control the surrounding land: the Bridger-Teton on the west side of the pass and the Shoshone on the east.
The agencies agreed to focus on educating the public, confining motorists to designated pullouts and parking areas and cracking down on violations.
“We’re just trying to keep people safe and protect the bears, because they have no voice,” Stoinski said. “We aren’t looking to try to bust people, though some people do push the envelope.”
Impeding the movement of a grizzly bear, even to take a photo, is a violation of the Endangered Species Act, he said.
Stoinski has ventured up to the pass three times this spring, though never managing to lay eyes on Felicia. As soon as next week he’ll have some steady assistance from a federal sister agency. The Bridger-Teton is bringing on a full-time volunteer, an Oregonian named Dale Barker, who will wear an official uniform and drive an official vehicle, and whose duties as a bear “ambassador” entail no shortage of time spent on Togwotee Pass.
Blackrock District Ranger Todd Stiles is welcoming the help.
“Sometimes 863 is out for 10 hours a day,” Stiles said. “We just haven’t had the staff to have someone up there all day engaged in conversation.”
Although Barker is technically a volunteer he will receive a stipend and incurs some costs. Two nongovernmental organizations are splitting that expense: the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and Friends of the Bridger-Teton.
Sarah Walker, who heads the friends group, is also trying to flex her social media muscle by getting photographers and public officials to take the #100yardpledge on Instagram, encouraging compliance with viewing guidelines.
“The 100 yards pledge is a good golden rule, and if you only have three words, those are the ones,” Walker said. “But obviously there’s a lot more nuanced issues, and you can’t always be 100 yards away.”
Walker has also reached out to Togwotee Pass regulars, like Burgess and Jack Bayles, asking for assistance in encouraging good behavior.
“If Felicia is out, the same 10 of us are going to be out here doing what we can do,” Bayles said, “but it will sure be nice when somebody can come out and have our backs.”
Bayles’ hunch is that the Togwotee grizzly-watching affair will correct itself this year. When Felicia has been without cubs like she is this year, she’s typically headed into the backcountry for the summer, out of sight of the highway. He’s hoping that will again be the case.
“I wish she’d just go over the hill,” Bayles said. “It would suck to not see her, but I think she’d have a lot longer life than I think she’s going to have.”
But in the meantime, the habituated sow is sticking around - with the brown boar hot on her heels.
Such was the scene Saturday, when photographers trying to document the courtship were reportedly behaving badly.
“There were six, eight, 10 people lying in the grass 50 feet from Felicia, with the male chomping and snapping his jaws in the background,” Bayles said. “Game and Fish and the highway patrol made everyone leave, and then they started fire-crackering Felicia.
“It’s got to a point where we didn’t even want to be there,” he said, “because we didn’t want to be a part of that problem.”
Another factor that’s making the Togwotee grizzly mania abate at times is other grizzly bears.
Jackson Hole wildlife videographer Jeff Hogan was up on the pass among the masses last Thursday when a friend whispered to him that grizzly 399 and her four cubs had reemerged into view after a couple of days hidden. His friend slipped away stealthily, leaving the sighting a secret.
“Two minutes later, this guy goes, ’399’s out!’” Hogan recounted.
Within minutes the crowd cleared out to chase sightings of the more famed park bear and her four cubs.
“It was unbelievable,” Hogan said, remaining behind to watch grizzly 863 in relative peace.


washingtontimes--2020-05-30--Coronavirus spurs increased interest in moving to Montana

BILLINGS , Mont .
( AP ) - Melisia Muscat had been thinking of moving to Billings for about a year , but COVID-19 sealed the deal .
It helped that in February she got a good offer on her home , a condo in a highly sought-after building in the lush seaside city of Anacortes , Washington , north of Seattle .
“ It was kind of the perfect storm , ” she said .
She had long wanted to move , she got an incredible offer on her condo , and it was all coming to together just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into large swaths of the country , including the Seattle area .
Muscat left Washington in the first week of March , just as that state was entering its COVID-19 lockdown , and arrived in Billings weeks before Yellowstone County shut down .
She quarantined in her new home for the state-required 14 days .
“ This is a new adventure , ” she said .
Muscat is one of a growing number of non-Montana residents who seem to have found their way to the state as COVID-19 has flared up in more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brook , a broker and CEO of Billings Best Real Estate , earlier this year suspected interest in the state was rising , so she sent a survey to more than 100 local Realtors to gauge what they were seeing .
And that ’ s what her survey confirmed ; 57 % of the Realtors who responded said they ’ d seen an increase in out-of-state interest in Montana , with the majority of calls coming from California .
The survey found that most of these prospective home buyers were eyeing Montana because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the state .
Muscat was initially drawn to Billings because she has a sister in Reed Point .
But what was interesting to Brook was that a quarter of the responses listed concerns with the novel coronavirus as a motivating factor .
Montana ’ s response to the disease has helped keep infection rates here to some of the lowest in the country .
As Brook sees it , Montana is increasingly appearing like a safe haven .
Tied to that is a penchant among some of the out-of-state buyers to purchase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paying with cash , she said .
Muscat didn ’ t pay cash , but she bought her West End home without ever having stepped foot in it .
“ I did not actually see my new house in person until the movers were moving in my furniture , ” she said .
When she finally decided in February she wanted the house - she ’ d been “ stalking ” it online , she said - she connected with Brook and did a virtual walk-through by video .
That allowed Muscat to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave her the chance to experience Brook ’ s real-time reaction to it .
Before signing , Muscat ’ s sister from Reed Point visited the home and did a final walk-through .
It all checked out , and since moving in Muscat has loved it .
Brook acknowledged that out-of-state buyers , motivated like Muscat , can make the housing market in Billings feel especially competitive , shutting out local first-time home buyers .
It ’ s something that weighs on her .
At the same time , a competitive market is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and it ’ s a good sign for the local economy , she said .
“ The reality is people are wanting to move here , ” she said .

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Melisia Muscat had been thinking of moving to Billings for about a year, but COVID-19 sealed the deal.
It helped that in February she got a good offer on her home, a condo in a highly sought-after building in the lush seaside city of Anacortes, Washington, north of Seattle.
“It was kind of the perfect storm,” she said.
She had long wanted to move, she got an incredible offer on her condo, and it was all coming to together just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to seep into large swaths of the country, including the Seattle area.
Muscat left Washington in the first week of March, just as that state was entering its COVID-19 lockdown, and arrived in Billings weeks before Yellowstone County shut down. She quarantined in her new home for the state-required 14 days.
“This is a new adventure,” she said.
Muscat is one of a growing number of non-Montana residents who seem to have found their way to the state as COVID-19 has flared up in more populous areas around the country.
Nancy Brook, a broker and CEO of Billings Best Real Estate, earlier this year suspected interest in the state was rising, so she sent a survey to more than 100 local Realtors to gauge what they were seeing.
And that’s what her survey confirmed; 57% of the Realtors who responded said they’d seen an increase in out-of-state interest in Montana, with the majority of calls coming from California.
The survey found that most of these prospective home buyers were eyeing Montana because they had family here or were originally from the state.
Muscat was initially drawn to Billings because she has a sister in Reed Point.
But what was interesting to Brook was that a quarter of the responses listed concerns with the novel coronavirus as a motivating factor. Montana’s response to the disease has helped keep infection rates here to some of the lowest in the country.
As Brook sees it, Montana is increasingly appearing like a safe haven. Tied to that is a penchant among some of the out-of-state buyers to purchase their new homes site unseen, sometimes paying with cash, she said.
Muscat didn’t pay cash, but she bought her West End home without ever having stepped foot in it.
“I did not actually see my new house in person until the movers were moving in my furniture,” she said.
When she finally decided in February she wanted the house - she’d been “stalking” it online, she said - she connected with Brook and did a virtual walk-through by video. That allowed Muscat to see the flow of the house and gave her the chance to experience Brook’s real-time reaction to it.
Before signing, Muscat’s sister from Reed Point visited the home and did a final walk-through. It all checked out, and since moving in Muscat has loved it.
“No regrets,” she said.
Brook acknowledged that out-of-state buyers, motivated like Muscat, can make the housing market in Billings feel especially competitive, shutting out local first-time home buyers.
It’s something that weighs on her. At the same time, a competitive market is good for Billings residents selling their homes, and it’s a good sign for the local economy, she said.
“The reality is people are wanting to move here,” she said.


washingtontimes--2020-05-30--Virus created the country's shortest commercial jet flight

GYPSUM , Colo. ( AP ) - The rental cars are stacked bumper-to-bumper .
Hundreds of them wedged into two parking lots .
The rest of the airport lots are deserted .
Fewer than two dozen cars are scattered across the sprawling asphalt outside the Eagle County Regional Airport .
Inside the recently expanded terminal , employees easily outnumber travelers as giant televisions flicker with tourist-tempting videos of local whitewater , ski runs and bike trails .
There is no one in the TSA line .
That ’ s not unusual for the Eagle County airport .
But the mountain-skipping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tarmac , which just landed from Dallas , is unique .
The flight from Eagle County to Aspen , at 29 miles , is the shortest commercial jet flight in the country .
At $ 29 a ticket ( $ 45 with fees and taxes ) it ’ s hardly a moneymaker for American Airlines .
But the temporary flight keeps the airline in good graces with the U.S. Department of Transportation , which requires airlines to maintain minimum levels of service into regional airports as part of a $ 58 billion airline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s late March CARES Act .
In the past month , the DOT has allowed some airlines to suspend service after showing the agency how fleets of empty planes are crossing the country just to meet the CARES Act requirements .
American Airlines did not win that exemption , so five days a week Flight 2986 soars from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Eagle , then Aspen and Montrose before returning to Dallas .
A couple of people get off the plane in Gypsum and about six passengers board , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sequence of Group 1 to Group 8 in less than 10 seconds .
There are maybe 21 people aboard the 17-row , 64-seat jet .
The scattered array of passengers are part of a new pandemic-orchestrated seating plan that keeps everyone safely distanced .
“ Welcome to our continuing mountain town tour , ” the pilot says over the intercom as passengers settle .
He ’ s the leader of a SkyWest flight crew that operates flights on behalf of American Airlines .
All of them are “ Aspen certified.
” This means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next leg , which threads a narrow shot up the Roaring Fork Valley into Aspen ’ s Sardy Field .
Flight 2986 left Dallas at 10:20 a.m. on Memorial Day and landed at 11:44 a.m. at the Eagle airport .
As passengers click in for the trip to Aspen , they notice an updated spiel from flight attendants .
It ’ s reminiscent of the shift following 9/11 , when air passengers heard a long list of new rules that now hardly raise eyebrows .
Keep your mask on .
Cover your sneeze @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s no congregating around the bathroom .
No sitting in the back rows .
Be nice to people who aren ’ t wearing masks because maybe they have a medical condition that prevents them from wearing one .
Don ’ t flush your mask down the toilet .
At 12:11 p.m. , the pilot tells his crew they are “ No .
1 for takeoff.
” ( The only other commercial flight for the day at Eagle County Regional - United 5907 from Denver - is due in about a half hour .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 700 ’ s wheels lift off the runway and the pilot climbs west toward the Colorado River .
He banks north up the river for a few seconds before heading back east toward the airport .
On seven previous 2986 flights since May 16 , the Eagle-to-Aspen pilot pushed east almost 30 miles - close to the slopes of Vail - before turning south toward Aspen .
But this time , he is barely over Eagle when he turns south .
The jet follows Brush Creek to the giant ranch where St. Louis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 100 million trying to build a Vail-like ski area he called Adam ’ s Rib .
A touch west and the plane is flying over Red Table Mountain and over the charred remains of the Lake Christine Fire above Basalt .
By 12:18 , the jet is cruising southwest at 455 mph at 15,750 feet , according to flight tracking info at flightaware.com .
By 12:21 , the pilot begins his descent and throttles back to 259 mph .
Snowmass Mountain , Capitol Peak and Maroon Peak to the west have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday night .
Eleven minutes after takeoff , the jet is at 11,000 feet , and soon there are trophy homes on the ridges above the plane .
“ Welcome to Aspen , ” the flight attendant says as the wheels touch down .
“ The time is 12:29.
” The shortest commercial jet flight in the country - scheduled for 30 minutes of airtime - took 14 minutes , 37 seconds on Memorial Day .
( The previous six times SkyWest flew that leg of Flight 2986 from Eagle to Aspen , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 56 minutes . )
“ That had to be a record .
I think he took a shortcut somewhere , ” says Bill Tomcich , an Aspen-based consultant who works with Colorado ’ s resort communities and airlines to arrange flights .
Tomcich has flown every commercial route into and out of his hometown airport in Aspen , and he made sure to catch a ride on the Eagle to Aspen hop .
He drove to Eagle and took a bus from the Aspen airport to Carbondale and then pedaled his bike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Eagle County airport .
About a dozen passengers disembark in Aspen , where 15 large private jets are neatly parked on the tarmac and Delta ’ s flight from Salt Lake City just landed .
Michael Hsun , after spending a long weekend visiting Colorado ’ s national parks and national monuments , stayed on the plane , continuing on to Montrose and Dallas-Fort Worth .
The Philadelphia resident had tried the same flight the week before , but a problem with the jet ’ s spoilers prevented a landing in Aspen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colorado Springs .
A maintenance crew fixed the plane , but the few Aspen-bound passengers chose to drive so the flight skipped Aspen and landed in Montrose .
“ Such a cool flight to take , ” Hsun says .
” It took me two weeks to get it but it was worth it.
” Hsun , like Tomcich , was taking the opportunity to gather frequent flier miles and a very rare flight experience .
“ I think we lucked out .
A week before , we spent 20 minutes doing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ south , ” Hsun says .
“ I think it was a combination of the weather and those specially trained pilots .
I think they executed it so beautifully , don ’ t you think ?
” It ’ s not likely the Eagle to Aspen flight will last much longer .
Last week the Department of Transportation granted American Airlines ’ request for an exemption to cut the temporary DFW-EGE-ASE-MTJ-DFW flight the airline calls “ the mountain hopper.
” The agency opened the exemption approval up for public comment .
If finalized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end .
But American , Delta and United are ramping up more consistent summer service into Colorado ’ s resort airports in the coming weeks as travelers return to the air .
American will begin daily flights into Eagle County from Dallas-Fort Worth in June , and United has a flight into Eagle County from Chicago starting this summer .
Aspen has many flights on the books this summer , including ones connecting the Roaring Fork Valley with Los Angeles , Dallas-Fort Worth , Salt Lake City , Chicago , San Francisco , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ airport , Dave Gordon is standing beside his High Mountain Taxi van .
The door is open so he can hear his radio for any calls .
It ’ s not cackling .
And no one is needing a ride .
On a typical Memorial Day , Gordon would be cruising up and down the valley alongside 11 other High Mountain Taxi drivers .
Today there are two drivers working .
“ It ’ s been pretty slow , ” Gordon says .
“ Pretty slow .
But they ’ re coming .
@ @ @ @ @

GYPSUM, Colo. (AP) - The rental cars are stacked bumper-to-bumper. Hundreds of them wedged into two parking lots.
The rest of the airport lots are deserted. Fewer than two dozen cars are scattered across the sprawling asphalt outside the Eagle County Regional Airport. Inside the recently expanded terminal, employees easily outnumber travelers as giant televisions flicker with tourist-tempting videos of local whitewater, ski runs and bike trails.
There is no one in the TSA line. That’s not unusual for the Eagle County airport.
But the mountain-skipping route of the Bombardier CRJ700 on the tarmac, which just landed from Dallas, is unique.
The flight from Eagle County to Aspen, at 29 miles, is the shortest commercial jet flight in the country. At $29 a ticket ($45 with fees and taxes) it’s hardly a moneymaker for American Airlines. But the temporary flight keeps the airline in good graces with the U.S. Department of Transportation, which requires airlines to maintain minimum levels of service into regional airports as part of a $58 billion airline coronavirus relief package included in the government’s late March CARES Act.
In the past month, the DOT has allowed some airlines to suspend service after showing the agency how fleets of empty planes are crossing the country just to meet the CARES Act requirements. American Airlines did not win that exemption, so five days a week Flight 2986 soars from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Eagle, then Aspen and Montrose before returning to Dallas.
A couple of people get off the plane in Gypsum and about six passengers board, with the gate attendant rolling through the boarding sequence of Group 1 to Group 8 in less than 10 seconds. There are maybe 21 people aboard the 17-row, 64-seat jet. The scattered array of passengers are part of a new pandemic-orchestrated seating plan that keeps everyone safely distanced.
“Welcome to our continuing mountain town tour,” the pilot says over the intercom as passengers settle.
He’s the leader of a SkyWest flight crew that operates flights on behalf of American Airlines. All of them are “Aspen certified.” This means they have been specifically trained for this next leg, which threads a narrow shot up the Roaring Fork Valley into Aspen’s Sardy Field.
Flight 2986 left Dallas at 10:20 a.m. on Memorial Day and landed at 11:44 a.m. at the Eagle airport.
As passengers click in for the trip to Aspen, they notice an updated spiel from flight attendants. It’s reminiscent of the shift following 9/11, when air passengers heard a long list of new rules that now hardly raise eyebrows. Keep your mask on. Cover your sneeze. Wash your hands. There’s no congregating around the bathroom. No sitting in the back rows. Be nice to people who aren’t wearing masks because maybe they have a medical condition that prevents them from wearing one. Don’t flush your mask down the toilet.
At 12:11 p.m., the pilot tells his crew they are “No. 1 for takeoff.” (The only other commercial flight for the day at Eagle County Regional - United 5907 from Denver - is due in about a half hour.)
At precisely 12:14, the CRJ 700’s wheels lift off the runway and the pilot climbs west toward the Colorado River. He banks north up the river for a few seconds before heading back east toward the airport. On seven previous 2986 flights since May 16, the Eagle-to-Aspen pilot pushed east almost 30 miles - close to the slopes of Vail - before turning south toward Aspen. But this time, he is barely over Eagle when he turns south.
The jet follows Brush Creek to the giant ranch where St. Louis oilman Fred Kummers spent 25 years and $100 million trying to build a Vail-like ski area he called Adam’s Rib. A touch west and the plane is flying over Red Table Mountain and over the charred remains of the Lake Christine Fire above Basalt. By 12:18, the jet is cruising southwest at 455 mph at 15,750 feet, according to flight tracking info at flightaware.com. By 12:21, the pilot begins his descent and throttles back to 259 mph.
Snowmass Mountain, Capitol Peak and Maroon Peak to the west have a fresh coat of snow from the storm Sunday night. Eleven minutes after takeoff, the jet is at 11,000 feet, and soon there are trophy homes on the ridges above the plane.
“Welcome to Aspen,” the flight attendant says as the wheels touch down. “The time is 12:29.”
The shortest commercial jet flight in the country - scheduled for 30 minutes of airtime - took 14 minutes, 37 seconds on Memorial Day. (The previous six times SkyWest flew that leg of Flight 2986 from Eagle to Aspen, the flight time ranged from 27 minutes to 56 minutes.)
“That had to be a record. I think he took a shortcut somewhere,” says Bill Tomcich, an Aspen-based consultant who works with Colorado’s resort communities and airlines to arrange flights.
Tomcich has flown every commercial route into and out of his hometown airport in Aspen, and he made sure to catch a ride on the Eagle to Aspen hop. He drove to Eagle and took a bus from the Aspen airport to Carbondale and then pedaled his bike 42 miles through Glenwood Canyon back to the Eagle County airport.
About a dozen passengers disembark in Aspen, where 15 large private jets are neatly parked on the tarmac and Delta’s flight from Salt Lake City just landed.
Michael Hsun, after spending a long weekend visiting Colorado’s national parks and national monuments, stayed on the plane, continuing on to Montrose and Dallas-Fort Worth. The Philadelphia resident had tried the same flight the week before, but a problem with the jet’s spoilers prevented a landing in Aspen and his flight from Eagle diverted to Colorado Springs. A maintenance crew fixed the plane, but the few Aspen-bound passengers chose to drive so the flight skipped Aspen and landed in Montrose.
“Such a cool flight to take,” Hsun says. ”It took me two weeks to get it but it was worth it.”
Hsun, like Tomcich, was taking the opportunity to gather frequent flier miles and a very rare flight experience.
“I think we lucked out. A week before, we spent 20 minutes doing a big rectangular pattern before we even turned south,” Hsun says. “I think it was a combination of the weather and those specially trained pilots. I think they executed it so beautifully, don’t you think?”
It’s not likely the Eagle to Aspen flight will last much longer. Last week the Department of Transportation granted American Airlines’ request for an exemption to cut the temporary DFW-EGE-ASE-MTJ-DFW flight the airline calls “the mountain hopper.”
The agency opened the exemption approval up for public comment. If finalized, American’s Flight 2986 will end.
But American, Delta and United are ramping up more consistent summer service into Colorado’s resort airports in the coming weeks as travelers return to the air.
American will begin daily flights into Eagle County from Dallas-Fort Worth in June, and United has a flight into Eagle County from Chicago starting this summer. Aspen has many flights on the books this summer, including ones connecting the Roaring Fork Valley with Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Salt Lake City, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston and Denver.
Outside the Aspen airport, Dave Gordon is standing beside his High Mountain Taxi van. The door is open so he can hear his radio for any calls. It’s not cackling. And no one is needing a ride.
On a typical Memorial Day, Gordon would be cruising up and down the valley alongside 11 other High Mountain Taxi drivers. Today there are two drivers working.
“It’s been pretty slow,” Gordon says. “Pretty slow. But they’re coming. They always do.”


washingtontimes--2020-05-30--Vacant Richmond office tower brought down with implosion

RICHMOND , Va. ( AP ) - A 21-story office tower in downtown Richmond was brought to the ground Saturday @ @ @ @ @ .
The Dominion Energy Tower came down around 7 a.m. at its One James River @ @ @ @ @ reported .
The building , which was completed in 1978 , has been vacant since @ @ @ @ @ employees and operations out of that building and into a new 20-floor office tower on @ @ @ @ @ Richmond .
That 960,000-square-foot building houses more than 1,200 employees .
A company spokesman says @ @ @ @ @ a final decision on whether to build a second office tower .
Plans call for @ @ @ @ @ 17 floors with a skybridge connecting it to the tower that Dominion just completed .

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A 21-story office tower in downtown Richmond was brought to the ground Saturday in an early morning implosion.
The Dominion Energy Tower came down around 7 a.m. at its One James River Plaza location.
The building, which was completed in 1978, has been vacant since last fall when Dominion moved employees and operations out of that building and into a new 20-floor office tower on East Canal Street in downtown Richmond. That 960,000-square-foot building houses more than 1,200 employees.
A company spokesman says Dominion hasn’t made a final decision on whether to build a second office tower. Plans call for that new building to have 17 floors with a skybridge connecting it to the tower that Dominion just completed.


washingtontimes--2020-05-30--A year later, motive of Virginia mass shooting still unclear

VIRGINIA BEACH , Va. ( AP ) - The rampage at a Virginia Beach city government building was the latest in a string of high-profile mass shootings nationwide , between the high school killings in Parkland , Florida , and the Walmart massacre in El Paso , Texas .
As the tragedy nears its one-year anniversary Sunday , some victims ’ family members feel it has effectively been forgotten after the national spotlight moved on to other mass killings , and more recently has been all but eclipsed by the coronavirus pandemic .
That leaves less pressure on authorities to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ones died , they say , with the shooter ’ s motive officially still a mystery a year after he shot dead 12 people at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center before being killed by police .
“ We were a flash in the pan , ” said Jason Nixon , whose wife , Kate , was among those killed .
“ I think that we should have had a lot more attention .
It ’ s not normal for someone to wake up and go murder 12 people.
” City engineer DeWayne Craddock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2019 , in offices where he had worked for more than nine years .
Eleven co-workers and a contractor who was getting a permit died , four others were seriously wounded and a police officer received a bullet in his tactical vest but escaped serious injury .
The shooter had submitted his resignation the same day citing “ personal reasons , ” but city police investigators and an independent security firm that conducted an investigation know little about what drove him to go on his rampage , despite conducting hundreds of interviews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The “ answer to ‘ why ’ may be something we will never know , ” city officials wrote in an April update on the probe .
Nixon and other family members of victims believe they have an inkling , however : What they call a toxic workplace environment and poor management by supervisors .
“ I know what led to this , ” said Nixon , who ’ s been among the most outspoken of the relatives .
“ It wasn ’ t random.
” Langer had been harassed and bullied in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was an office culture “ that pushed that man over the edge.
” Borato also said workplace security was lax .
( Are they saying that bosses were bullying and toxic ?
Co-workers ?
Everyone ?
I wonder if there ’ s more we can say to explain what they ’ re alleging here ?
As it is , it ’ s a bit squishy and ambiguous . )
City officials and Hillard Heintze , a Chicago-based security firm that conducted the probe , say claims of a toxic culture were not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vice Mayor James Wood said he “ can ’ t begin to understand the grief ” of the victims ’ families , but investigators found nothing pointing to that .
“ In any organization , not every single manager and employee does everything 100 percent the right way , all the time , ” Wood said .
“ But if there was a systematic issue , if there was a problem , we would know about it.
” The investigation also found no prior warning signs that might have enabled the city to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Craddock had become isolated and described him as acting paranoid .
He had gone through a divorce and was having trouble at work , saying in unwritten emails ( we mean “ unsent ” draft emails or something , right ? )
that he had been unfairly disciplined .
But the security firm could not explain how such “ stressors ” might have translated into violence , and investigators said last month there was still “ no evidence to support what the suspect ’ s motive was.
” Police say they plan to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigative file once it ’ s complete .
That has angered Nixon and others , who say they will be looking to the findings of a state commission being formed to examine the shooting .
If the Virginia Beach rampage has gotten a bit lost in the popular consciousness , it ’ s perhaps in part because it occurred in a year that set a record for mass shootings , defined as involving four deaths or more : There were 33 of them in the country in 2019 , according to a database @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Today and Northeastern University .
Among the five mass shootings with over 10 dead in 2018 and 2019 , most became part of larger narratives involving national and emotional issues .
Two happened at schools in Florida and Texas , continuing a string of attacks on children , while shootings at an El Paso Walmart and a Pittsburgh synagogue were motivated by racism and anti-Semitism , respectively .
Office shooting sprees , experts say , while horrifying , typically do not resonate with Americans in the same way as more indiscriminate shootings at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Public interest and focus have a lot to do with whether people can see themselves as a victim , whether it could have happened to them , ” said James Alan Fox , a Northeastern University professor of criminology , law and public policy .
“ If it happens in a workplace , people think , ‘ That ’ s not like my workplace.
’ ” The sense that the shooting has faded to the background has only been heightened by the coranavirus pandemic .
Concerns about large gatherings prompted city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead of an in-person commemoration .
Borato said that even if the eyes of the nation are elsewhere , in Virginia Beach people remember .
“ It was just another horrible shooting situation to the rest of the country , ” Borato said .
“ So they have no interest in wondering why .
Well , we do .
Because those are our families .
That was my sister .
”

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - The rampage at a Virginia Beach city government building was the latest in a string of high-profile mass shootings nationwide, between the high school killings in Parkland, Florida, and the Walmart massacre in El Paso, Texas.
As the tragedy nears its one-year anniversary Sunday, some victims’ family members feel it has effectively been forgotten after the national spotlight moved on to other mass killings, and more recently has been all but eclipsed by the coronavirus pandemic.
That leaves less pressure on authorities to provide definitive answers about why their loved ones died, they say, with the shooter’s motive officially still a mystery a year after he shot dead 12 people at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center before being killed by police.
“We were a flash in the pan,” said Jason Nixon, whose wife, Kate, was among those killed. “I think that we should have had a lot more attention. It’s not normal for someone to wake up and go murder 12 people.”
City engineer DeWayne Craddock, 40, opened fire May 31, 2019, in offices where he had worked for more than nine years. Eleven co-workers and a contractor who was getting a permit died, four others were seriously wounded and a police officer received a bullet in his tactical vest but escaped serious injury.
The shooter had submitted his resignation the same day citing “personal reasons,” but city police investigators and an independent security firm that conducted an investigation know little about what drove him to go on his rampage, despite conducting hundreds of interviews and poring over thousands of documents.
The “answer to ‘why’ may be something we will never know,” city officials wrote in an April update on the probe.
Nixon and other family members of victims believe they have an inkling, however: What they call a toxic workplace environment and poor management by supervisors.
“I know what led to this,” said Nixon, who’s been among the most outspoken of the relatives. “It wasn’t random.”
It’s a notion echoed by Debbie Borato, sister of victim Missy Langer.
Langer had been harassed and bullied in the building, she said, and there was an office culture “that pushed that man over the edge.” Borato also said workplace security was lax.
City officials and Hillard Heintze, a Chicago-based security firm that conducted the probe, say claims of a toxic culture were not supported by the investigation.
Virginia Beach Vice Mayor James Wood said he “can’t begin to understand the grief” of the victims’ families, but investigators found nothing pointing to that.
“In any organization, not every single manager and employee does everything 100 percent the right way, all the time,” Wood said. “But if there was a systematic issue, if there was a problem, we would know about it.”
The investigation also found no prior warning signs that might have enabled the city to prevent the shooting.
Relatives told investigators Craddock had become isolated and described him as acting paranoid. He had gone through a divorce and was having trouble at work. He had claimed in unsent email drafts that he had been unfairly disciplined.
But the security firm could not explain how such “stressors” might have translated into violence, and investigators said last month there was still “no evidence to support what the suspect’s motive was.”
Police say they plan to release more information but not the full investigative file once it’s complete. That has angered Nixon and others, who say they will be looking to the findings of a state commission being formed to examine the shooting.
If the Virginia Beach rampage has gotten a bit lost in the popular consciousness, it’s perhaps in part because it occurred in a year that set a record for mass shootings, defined as involving four deaths or more: There were 33 of them in the country in 2019, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
Among the five mass shootings with over 10 dead in 2018 and 2019, most became part of larger narratives involving national and emotional issues. Two happened at schools in Florida and Texas, continuing a string of attacks on children, while shootings at an El Paso Walmart and a Pittsburgh synagogue were motivated by racism and anti-Semitism, respectively.
Office shooting sprees, experts say, while horrifying, typically do not resonate with Americans in the same way as more indiscriminate shootings at places such as movie theaters or concerts.
“Public interest and focus have a lot to do with whether people can see themselves as a victim, whether it could have happened to them,” said James Alan Fox, a Northeastern University professor of criminology, law and public policy. “If it happens in a workplace, people think, ‘That’s not like my workplace.’”
The sense that the shooting has faded to the background has only been heightened by the coranavirus pandemic. Concerns about large gatherings prompted city officials to plan a virtual ceremony Sunday instead of an in-person commemoration.
Borato said that even if the eyes of the nation are elsewhere, in Virginia Beach people remember.
“It was just another horrible shooting situation to the rest of the country,” Borato said. “So they have no interest in wondering why. Well, we do. Because those are our families. That was my sister.”
___
This version corrects “unwritten email” to “unsent email” in paragraph 16.