washingtontimes--2020-11-18--California journalist who pushed for public information dies

SAN FRANCISCO ( AP ) - Tim Crews , a longtime Northern California newspaperman who relentlessly filed public records requests and even did a five-day stint in jail rather than give up anonymous sources , has died at age 77 .
Crews died Nov. 12 at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding , after weeks in the hospital .
The cause of death was sepsis , said his wife , Donna Settle .
Tributes poured in on the Facebook page of The Sacramento Valley Mirror , a twice-weekly newspaper in Glenn County that Crews founded , published and wrote for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no online presence other than on Facebook .
Readers and friends called him a true original , an old-time community journalist who stood up for regular people and published obituaries , even long ones , for free .
He dashed about the town of Willows , population 6,000 , in red suspenders and with a bushy white beard , covering crime and politics but also community events .
“ His biggest priority was his newspaper .
It was basically his baby , ” said Larry Judkins , copy editor of the Sacramento Valley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He loved to write and help people and he disliked government officials who didn ’ t want the public to know what they were up to , said Settle , who operated the newspaper with her husband .
“ He just wanted to do well for the community , and I think that ’ s true with a lot of people in journalism , ” she said .
Crews was born Oct. 10 , 1943 in Aberdeen , Washington and by his teens , he had a darkroom in his basement and was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local newspaper , Settle said .
Crews worked at various newspapers in several states before landing at the Willows Journal .
In 1991 , he started the Sacramento Valley Mirror .
In 2000 , Crews kissed Settle and waved to onlookers before stepping into the Tehama County jail , about 200 miles ( 320 kilometers ) northeast of San Francisco , to serve time for contempt of court .
“ I ’ m at peace , ” he said .
A judge had ordered him jailed , indicating that his refusal to divulge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the defendant ’ s constitutional right to a fair trial , according to The Associated Press .
The defendant was a former California Highway Patrol officer .
Crews said in a 2017 interview with Poynter that his newspaper files an average of more than 20 state records requests a year , going to court at times to fight for public access .
“ If someone is messing with you , you have to fight back .
It ’ s just the American way , ” he said .
Crews received a slew of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the First Amendment , including the California Press Association ’ s Newspaper Executive of the Year Award in 2009 and the California News Publishers Association Freedom of Information Award in 2013 .

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Tim Crews, a longtime Northern California newspaperman who relentlessly filed public records requests and even did a five-day stint in jail rather than give up anonymous sources, has died at age 77.
Crews died Nov. 12 at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, after weeks in the hospital. The cause of death was sepsis, said his wife, Donna Settle.
Tributes poured in on the Facebook page of The Sacramento Valley Mirror, a twice-weekly newspaper in Glenn County that Crews founded, published and wrote for, even delivering copies. It has no online presence other than on Facebook.
Readers and friends called him a true original, an old-time community journalist who stood up for regular people and published obituaries, even long ones, for free. He dashed about the town of Willows, population 6,000, in red suspenders and with a bushy white beard, covering crime and politics but also community events.
“His biggest priority was his newspaper. It was basically his baby,” said Larry Judkins, copy editor of the Sacramento Valley Mirror, to the Chico Enterprise-Record.
He loved to write and help people and he disliked government officials who didn’t want the public to know what they were up to, said Settle, who operated the newspaper with her husband.
“He just wanted to do well for the community, and I think that’s true with a lot of people in journalism,” she said.
Crews was born Oct. 10, 1943 in Aberdeen, Washington and by his teens, he had a darkroom in his basement and was selling photos of sporting events to the local newspaper, Settle said. Crews worked at various newspapers in several states before landing at the Willows Journal. In 1991, he started the Sacramento Valley Mirror.
In 2000, Crews kissed Settle and waved to onlookers before stepping into the Tehama County jail, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco, to serve time for contempt of court. “I’m at peace,” he said.
A judge had ordered him jailed, indicating that his refusal to divulge sources for a weapon-theft story had jeopardized the defendant’s constitutional right to a fair trial , according to The Associated Press. The defendant was a former California Highway Patrol officer.
Crews said in a 2017 interview with Poynter that his newspaper files an average of more than 20 state records requests a year, going to court at times to fight for public access.
“If someone is messing with you, you have to fight back. It’s just the American way,” he said.
Crews received a slew of awards for his contributions to journalism and the First Amendment, including the California Press Association’s Newspaper Executive of the Year Award in 2009 and the California News Publishers Association Freedom of Information Award in 2013.


washingtontimes--2020-11-18--House speaker shuts door on Whitmer impeachment talk

LANSING , Mich. ( AP ) - Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield on Wednesday slapped down calls by some Republican lawmakers for Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer ’ s impeachment for her actions mitigating the spread of COVID-19 .
Chatfield , a Levering Republican , called the effort by Milford Township Republican Rep. Matt Maddock a distraction from what needs to be done in the state .
Maddock began the talk of impeaching Whitmer after health director Robert Gordon implemented the three-week shut down of parts of Michigan ’ s economy in an effort to stem the accelerating spread of COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line ” on COVID-19 restrictions without legislative input .
He said five Republican colleagues support his position , though he did not name them .
However , Chatfield said an effort to impeach Whitmer would lack merit and would be every bit as “ shameful ” as the impeachment efforts against President Donald Trump .
“ We ’ re not the party that impeaches someone because we ’ re upset with policies that they ’ ve enacted , ” he said .
Chatfield and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey , R-Clark Lake , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurants , bars , high schools and colleges , as well as limitations on gatherings .
The people of Michigan deserve a seat at the decision table , Chatfield said in a statement Sunday .
Chatfield said House Republicans stand ready to act in a bipartisan way when Whitmer decides it is worth her time .

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield on Wednesday slapped down calls by some Republican lawmakers for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s impeachment for her actions mitigating the spread of COVID-19.
Chatfield, a Levering Republican, called the effort by Milford Township Republican Rep. Matt Maddock a distraction from what needs to be done in the state.
Maddock began the talk of impeaching Whitmer after health director Robert Gordon implemented the three-week shut down of parts of Michigan’s economy in an effort to stem the accelerating spread of COVID-19. Maddock said Whitmer “crossed the line” on COVID-19 restrictions without legislative input. He said five Republican colleagues support his position, though he did not name them.
However, Chatfield said an effort to impeach Whitmer would lack merit and would be every bit as “shameful” as the impeachment efforts against President Donald Trump.
“We’re not the party that impeaches someone because we’re upset with policies that they’ve enacted,” he said.
Chatfield and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, criticized Whitmer for the partial shutdown of restaurants, bars, high schools and colleges, as well as limitations on gatherings. The people of Michigan deserve a seat at the decision table, Chatfield said in a statement Sunday.
Chatfield said House Republicans stand ready to act in a bipartisan way when Whitmer decides it is worth her time.


washingtontimes--2020-11-18--Thunder acquire 17th pick Pokusevski from Timberwolves

OKLAHOMA CITY ( AP ) - The Oklahoma City Thunder bolstered their frontcourt during the NBA draft on Wednesday night , acquiring Serbian forward Aleksej Pokusevski in a trade with Minnesota .
The Timberwolves selected Pokusevski with the 17th pick , but a person with knowledge of the negotiations said they had agreed to send the choice to Oklahoma City in exchange for the 25th and 28th overall selections and point guard Ricky Rubio .
The person confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade had not yet been announced .
Deals involving players @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agency officially begins on Sunday for salary cap purposes .
Pokusevski , 18 , is listed at 6-foot-11 and 215 pounds .
He represented Serbia at the 2018 FIBA U-17 World Championship and the 2019 FIBA U-18 European Championship .
He played for Olympiacos ’ second-division team in Greece last season and averaged 10.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game .
It has been a busy month for the Thunder .
Last week , they promoted their former D-League coach , Mark Daigneault , to head coach .
On Sunday , it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guard Dennis Schroder to the Los Angeles Lakers for Danny Green and the pick that became the 28th selection .
On Monday , the Thunder sent All-Star guard Chris Paul and Abdel Nader to Phoenix for Kelly Oubre Jr. , Rubio , Ty Jerome , Jalen Lecque and a protected 2022 first-round pick .
Hours before the draft , it was reported that the Thunder will send Green and Terrance Ferguson to Philadelphia for Al Horford , a future first-round pick and a second-round pick in Wednesday ’ s draft .
Oklahoma City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a year earlier , but the Thunder surprised the league by reaching the playoffs and pushing Houston to seven games in the first round .
But after the season ended , coach Billy Donovan left and landed with the Chicago Bulls , and the dominoes began falling from there .

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma City Thunder bolstered their frontcourt during the NBA draft on Wednesday night, acquiring Serbian forward Aleksej Pokusevski in a trade with Minnesota.
The Timberwolves selected Pokusevski with the 17th pick, but a person with knowledge of the negotiations said they had agreed to send the choice to Oklahoma City in exchange for the 25th and 28th overall selections and point guard Ricky Rubio.
The person confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced. Deals involving players can’t be finalized until free agency officially begins on Sunday.
Pokusevski, 18, is listed at 6-foot-11 and 215 pounds. He represented Serbia at the 2018 FIBA U-17 World Championship and the 2019 FIBA U-18 European Championship. He played for Olympiacos’ second-division team in Greece last season and averaged 10.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
It has been a busy month for the Thunder.
Last week, they promoted their former D-League coach, Mark Daigneault, to head coach. On Sunday, the Thunder agreed to send guard Dennis Schroder to the Los Angeles Lakers for Danny Green and the pick that became the 28th selection.
On Monday, the Thunder sent All-Star guard Chris Paul and Abdel Nader to Phoenix for Kelly Oubre Jr., Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a protected 2022 first-round pick.
Hours before the draft, it was reported that the Thunder will send Green and Terrance Ferguson to Philadelphia for Al Horford, a future first-round pick and the 34th pick in Wednesday’s draft. The Thunder also got the rights to European point guard Vasilije Micic.
That 34th pick turned into 19-year-old Theo Maledon. The 6-foot-4 guard played the last three seasons in France’s top league with ASVEL-Villeurbanne. In 2018-19, he won a league title with ASVEL, was selected to the All-Star Game and earned the Rising Star Award as the league’s top young player.
The Thunder made another move in the second round: They picked up Czech guard Vit Krejci from the Wizards after Washington took him with the 37th pick, and Oklahoma City will send point guard Cassius Winston to the Wizards with the 53rd choice in return, according to a person familiar with that deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the swap had not been announced.
Oklahoma City’s rebuild was expected to start a year earlier, but the Thunder surprised the league by reaching the playoffs and pushing Houston to seven games in the first round. But after the season ended, coach Billy Donovan left and landed with the Chicago Bulls, and the dominoes began falling from there.
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AP Sports Writers Dave Campbell and Howard Fendrich contributed to this report.
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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter at https://twitter.com/CliffBruntAP.
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washingtontimes--2020-11-18--Mavs take Arizona's Josh Green of Australia with 18th pick

DALLAS ( AP ) - The Dallas Mavericks drafted Arizona guard Josh Green with the 18th pick in the first round Wednesday night , adding a backcourt mate for Luka Doncic as they continue to build around the 21-year-old sensation and fellow European star Kristaps Porzingis .
Green has international roots as well , growing up in his native Australia before moving to the United States and playing high school basketball at IMG Academy in Florida .
Green entered the draft after a pandemic-shortened freshman season at Arizona , where he averaged 12 points per game and shot 36 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a defensive standout for the Wildcats , leading the team with 46 steals .
Led by Doncic and Porzingis , the Mavericks made the playoffs for the first time in four years , losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in six games in the first round at the NBA bubble in Florida .
The question has been whether Dallas would use the draft or free agency to build around the young Euro stars .
Teams can begin negotiating with free agents Friday and start signing deals Sunday .
The addition of Green @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tim Hardaway to exercise the $ 19 million option on his contract .
President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson has said Hardaway is important piece as the Mavericks try to move toward title contention .
Porzingis is expected to miss the start of the season coming off surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee .
He missed all of 2018-19 after tearing the ACL in his left knee with the New York Knicks , who traded him to Dallas last year .
Dwight Powell is expected to be ready when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tendon last season .
When Powell is healthy , he can play center and allow Porzingis to move to forward , probably the most suitable spot for the 7-foot-3 Latvian .
Jalen Brunson , the backup to Doncic at point guard , should be ready to return after shoulder surgery cut short his 2019-20 season .
The two-time NCAA champion at Villanova was drafted in the second round the same year Doncic went third overall .
The Mavericks finished as the seventh seed in the Western Conference , but entered the restart with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four .
Dallas hasn ’ t been seeded that high since winning the franchise ’ s only championship in 2011 .

DALLAS (AP) - The Dallas Mavericks juggled the mix of sidekicks for star point guard Luka Doncic on draft night - with their first-round pick and through a trade.
The Mavericks took Arizona’s Josh Green at No. 18 overall Wednesday night, adding a backcourt mate for Doncic as they continue to build around the 21-year-old sensation and fellow European star Kristaps Porzingis.
Dallas changed its lineup of guards further by trading Seth Curry to Philadelphia for Josh Richardson and another second-round pick. The additions of Green and Richardson were more about defense than anything else.
“The thing about Luka being a taller point guard, Josh is a really good fit because he can free Luka up to guard the (small forwards) and we can move him around a little bit defensively,” president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. “Luka is front of mind on anything in the backcourt as is (Porzingis) front of mind on anything in the frontcourt.”
Green, an Australian drafted two days after his 20th birthday, moved to the United States at 14 and played high school basketball at IMG Academy in Florida.
The 6-foot-6 swingman entered the draft after a pandemic-shortened freshman season at Arizona, where he averaged 12 points per game and shot 36% from 3-point range. He led the Wildcats with 46 steals.
“What we needed first for our roster are wing defenders that can shoot and score and hopefully make plays,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We feel like he’s a ready-to-go 3-and-D guy.”
The Mavericks sent Curry, one of their better 3-point shooters, to the 76ers for Richardson and the 36th overall pick in the second round. Curry’s father-in-law is new Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers.
The 76ers picked Colorado’s Tyler Bey at No. 36 for Dallas, which earlier drafted another guard with the first pick in the second round - 31st overall - in Stanford’s Tyrell Terry. The freshman averaged 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game for the Cardinal.
Led by Doncic and Porzingis, the Mavericks made the playoffs for the first time in four years to cap the coronavirus-altered season, losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in six games in the first round.
“Coming off of last year, our offense was historically great,” Carlisle said. “We need to get our defense better. Some of it is going to be the kind of work we put in during training camp. But the other part is when we draft and acquire players, we want to acquire players with that mindset and that ability.”
The addition of Green comes with the Mavericks expecting shooting guard Tim Hardaway to exercise the $19 million option on his contract. Nelson has said Hardaway is important piece as the Mavericks try to move closer to title contention.
“I think I need to focus on the things the team needs,” Green said. “I think if I’m able to play defense, work as hard as I can, hit open shots and do what the team needs to do, I feel like that happens.”
Porzingis is expected to miss the start of the season coming off surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee. He missed all of 2018-19 after tearing the ACL in his left knee with the New York Knicks, who traded him to Dallas last year.
Dwight Powell is expected to be ready when the season starts after tearing an Achilles tendon last season. When Powell is healthy, he can play center and allow Porzingis to move to forward, probably the most suitable spot for the 7-foot-3 Latvian.
Jalen Brunson, the backup to Doncic at point guard, should be ready to return after shoulder surgery cut short his 2019-20 season.
Richardson has averaged 12.4 points in five NBA seasons and is a career 36% shooter from 3. The 27-year-old played four seasons in Miami before going to Philadelphia in a trade during the 2019 offseason.
Bey averaged 13.5 points and 9.9 rebounds as a sophomore at Colorado, and the 6-7 forward could offer more intriguing options at the defensive end for Dallas.
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washingtontimes--2020-11-18--Hoot, hoot, hoot! Owl in Rockefeller Center Christmas tree

NEW YORK ( AP ) - It wasn ’ t quite a partridge in a pear tree , but a worker helping set up the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree found a holiday surprise - a tiny owl among the massive branches .
The little bird , now named what else but Rockefeller , was discovered on Monday , dehydrated and hungry , but otherwise unharmed , said Ellen Kalish , director and founder of the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in Saugerties , New York , where the bird was taken .
Kalish said the bird is an adult male Saw-whet owl @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was taken to a veterinarian on Wednesday and got a clean bill of health .
“ He ’ s had a buffet of all-you-can-eat mice , so he ’ s ready to go , ” she said .
She said the plan was to release the owl back to the wild this weekend .
The tree , a 75-foot ( 23-meter ) Norway spruce , had been brought to Manhattan on Saturday from Oneonta , New York , in the central part of the state .
The tree is put in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being lit for the public in early December .

NEW YORK (AP) - It wasn’t quite a partridge in a pear tree, but a worker helping set up the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree found a holiday surprise - a tiny owl among the massive branches.
The little bird, now named what else but Rockefeller, was discovered on Monday, dehydrated and hungry, but otherwise unharmed, said Ellen Kalish, director and founder of the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in Saugerties, New York, where the bird was taken.
Kalish said the bird is an adult male Saw-whet owl, one of the tiniest owls. It was taken to a veterinarian on Wednesday and got a clean bill of health.
“He’s had a buffet of all-you-can-eat mice, so he’s ready to go,” she said.
She said the plan was to release the owl back to the wild this weekend.
The tree, a 75-foot (23-meter) Norway spruce, had been brought to Manhattan on Saturday from Oneonta, New York, in the central part of the state. The tree is put in place and then decorated over some weeks before being lit for the public in early December.


washingtontimes--2020-11-18--Soggy suspect: Fleeing man rescued after jumping into bayou

HOUMA , La .
( AP ) - Things turned soggy for a suspect in Louisiana when a chase ended with law enforcement officers jumping into a bayou to save the man as he tried to swim away from arrest .
Narcotics agents were patrolling a Terrebonne Parish neighborhood at around 10:35 p.m. on Nov. 11 when they saw a driver commit a traffic violation , the sheriff ’ s office said .
The agents tried to pull the driver over , but he sped away , officials said .
Deputies chased the motorist into another neighborhood , where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ran toward Bayou Little Caillou and hopped into the water , investigators said .
The suspect , identified as Keith Myers Jr. , 25 , “ encountered difficulty ” and called for the deputies to save him .
An agent and a deputy jumped into the water and pulled Myers to safety , the sheriff ’ s office said .
Myers was booked into the Terrebonne Parish jail on charges of flight from an officer , resisting an officer , possession of drug paraphernalia , reckless operation of a vehicle , improper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later released on bond , the agency said .
It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could comment for him .

HOUMA, La. (AP) - Things turned soggy for a suspect in Louisiana when a chase ended with law enforcement officers jumping into a bayou to save the man as he tried to swim away from arrest.
Narcotics agents were patrolling a Terrebonne Parish neighborhood at around 10:35 p.m. on Nov. 11 when they saw a driver commit a traffic violation, the sheriff’s office said.
The agents tried to pull the driver over, but he sped away, officials said. Deputies chased the motorist into another neighborhood, where the driver got out of the car, and ran toward Bayou Little Caillou and hopped into the water, investigators said.
The suspect, identified as Keith Myers Jr., 25, “encountered difficulty” and called for the deputies to save him. An agent and a deputy jumped into the water and pulled Myers to safety, the sheriff’s office said.
Myers was booked into the Terrebonne Parish jail on charges of flight from an officer, resisting an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, reckless operation of a vehicle, improper turning and improper lighting.
He was later released on bond, the agency said. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could comment for him.


washingtontimes--2020-11-18--Eyman trial over campaign funds paused because of illness

OLYMPIA , Wash. ( AP ) - A Thurston County Superior Court judge has paused a civil trial involving anti-tax initiative promoter Tim Eyman after a state attorney informed the court that a family member of a member of its legal team had become ill. Judge James Dixon on Wednesday recessed the trial until Monday , The Herald reported .
The restart could be later than Monday if lawyers and witnesses are not available .
Wednesday was supposed to be the third day of testimony in a state lawsuit that accuses Eyman of secretly moving campaign funds between initiatives , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signature-gathering firm and failing to report as political contributions hundreds of thousands of dollars from friends and supporters .
Before the start Wednesday Assistant Attorney General Eric Newman emailed the court that one of the trial team ’ s staff had a family member at home exhibiting symptoms of a cold , including a fever and that staff member had been in court Monday and Tuesday .
Dixon said he consulted with the court ’ s presiding judge and administrator and “ the three of us all came to the same conclusions individually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and wait for additional information .
In a statement , the Attorney General ’ s Office said the staff member “ is not exhibiting any symptoms , nor are any other members of the trial team .
In an abundance of caution , we informed the court before the trial resumed today , and the court opted to postpone pending COVID-19 testing .
If the test result comes back negative , we hope to resume Monday morning .
”

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - A Thurston County Superior Court judge has paused a civil trial involving anti-tax initiative promoter Tim Eyman after a state attorney informed the court that a family member of a member of its legal team had become ill.
Judge James Dixon on Wednesday recessed the trial until Monday, The Herald reported. The restart could be later than Monday if lawyers and witnesses are not available.
Wednesday was supposed to be the third day of testimony in a state lawsuit that accuses Eyman of secretly moving campaign funds between initiatives, getting a $308,000 kickback from a signature-gathering firm and failing to report as political contributions hundreds of thousands of dollars from friends and supporters.
Before the start Wednesday Assistant Attorney General Eric Newman emailed the court that one of the trial team’s staff had a family member at home exhibiting symptoms of a cold, including a fever and that staff member had been in court Monday and Tuesday.
Dixon said he consulted with the court’s presiding judge and administrator and “the three of us all came to the same conclusions individually and collectively” to pause the trial and wait for additional information.
In a statement, the Attorney General’s Office said the staff member “is not exhibiting any symptoms, nor are any other members of the trial team. In an abundance of caution, we informed the court before the trial resumed today, and the court opted to postpone pending COVID-19 testing. If the test result comes back negative, we hope to resume Monday morning.”


washingtontimes--2020-11-18--Rapper with flamethrower in custody over NYC bus stunt

NEW YORK ( AP ) - A rapper who shot off a flamethrower while standing on an occupied New York City bus surrendered to police on Wednesday .
Authorities said Dupree G.O.D was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon .
There was no information on when he would be arraigned .
He was in police custody Wednesday night .
The musical artist was filmed earlier this month in an unauthorized stunt that he said was part of a tribute video for the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan .
The clip gained attention on social media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an example of the city becoming less safe .
As he was taken into police custody , he told reporters , “ it was for the art.
” The New York Post reported that his attorney Cary London issued a statement saying the stunt was controlled .
“ This was artistic expression in a controlled environment where no one was hurt , ” London said .
“ Let me ask you something , jumping on a bus , is that a controlled environment ?
” he said at a press conference .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were people on the bus as well , so I don ’ t know about you but , if my mother ’ s on that bus , and somebody ’ s on the roof shooting a flamethrower , I don ’ t know , but I ’ m gon na take that a little personal .
”

NEW YORK (AP) - A rapper who shot off a flamethrower while standing on an occupied New York City bus surrendered to police on Wednesday.
Authorities said Dupree G.O.D was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. There was no information on when he would be arraigned. He was in police custody Wednesday night.
The musical artist was filmed earlier this month in an unauthorized stunt that he said was part of a tribute video for the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. The clip gained attention on social media after a police union tweeted it as an example of the city becoming less safe.
As he was taken into police custody, he told reporters, “it was for the art.”
The New York Post reported that his attorney Cary London issued a statement saying the stunt was controlled.
“This was artistic expression in a controlled environment where no one was hurt,” London said.
New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison disagreed.
“Let me ask you something, jumping on a bus, is that a controlled environment?” he said at a press conference. “And also, mind you, there were people on the bus as well, so I don’t know about you but, if my mother’s on that bus, and somebody’s on the roof shooting a flamethrower, I don’t know, but I’m gonna take that a little personal.”


washingtontimes--2020-11-18--Dr. Anthony Fauci to be headline speaker at Montana lecture

MISSOULA , Mont .
( AP ) - Dr. Anthony Fauci , the country ’ s leading infectious disease expert , will be the headline speaker at the 2021 Mansfield Lecture in Montana in February .
The event will take place Feb. 17 on Zoom , where Fauci will discuss the state of the pandemic , address vaccine challenges and talk about what lessons the pandemic has taught for the future of epidemiology , among other topics .
“ What an incredible opportunity to have the nation ’ s leading expert on infectious diseases speak directly to the people of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director of the Mansfield Center .
Due to the nature of the ever-changing pandemic , the topics of interest will likely evolve before the event takes place , the Missoulian reported .
By mid-February , President-elect Joe Biden will have overseen the pandemic response for almost a month .
Robert Saldin , director of the Mansfield Ethics and Public Affairs Program , will moderate the conversation .
The talk will also feature Dr. Marshall Bloom , the associate director for science management at Rocky Mountain Laboratories .
The Mansfield Center said it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and will also take questions live during the lecture .
The event will be scheduled for noon in order to make it more accessible to K-12 schools , tribal colleges and universities , Mansour said .
Registration for the event is free through the Mansfield Center ’ s website .
A link will be sent in January to access the Zoom session .

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) - Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, will be the headline speaker at the 2021 Mansfield Lecture in Montana in February.
The event will take place Feb. 17 on Zoom, where Fauci will discuss the state of the pandemic, address vaccine challenges and talk about what lessons the pandemic has taught for the future of epidemiology, among other topics.
“What an incredible opportunity to have the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases speak directly to the people of Montana,” said Deena Mansour, director of the Mansfield Center.
Due to the nature of the ever-changing pandemic, the topics of interest will likely evolve before the event takes place, the Missoulian reported. By mid-February, President-elect Joe Biden will have overseen the pandemic response for almost a month.
Robert Saldin, director of the Mansfield Ethics and Public Affairs Program, will moderate the conversation. The talk will also feature Dr. Marshall Bloom, the associate director for science management at Rocky Mountain Laboratories.
The Mansfield Center said it would accept questions from members of the public and will also take questions live during the lecture.
The event will be scheduled for noon in order to make it more accessible to K-12 schools, tribal colleges and universities, Mansour said.
Registration for the event is free through the Mansfield Center’s website. A link will be sent in January to access the Zoom session.


washingtontimes--2020-11-18--Andrew Cuomo gets $25,000 raise as $63 billion budget deficit looms

New York is facing a $ 63 billion budget deficit in a couple years and the state had the highest COVID death toll in the nation .
But Gov .
Andrew Cuomo will get a $ 25,000 raise and become the nation ’ s highest-paid governor .
And not only will Mr. Cuomo see his salary rise to $ 250,000 on Jan. 1 , the state ’ s judges and lawmakers won ’ t — because the state is too broke .
According to a report in the New York Post , the Commission on Legislative , Judicial and Executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the state ’ s officeholders , citing the enormous budget deficits the state must close .
“ Substantial additional state monies will be needed to deal with the pandemic , including providing face masks , virus tracking , contact tracing , enforcement efforts , and distribution of the hoped for new pandemic vaccine , ” the panel explained in a report released Monday evening .
“ Granting raises to public servants , no matter how much they might otherwise deserve them , is simply not possible at this time , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that “ we understand the potential for significant budget cuts may be necessary at the state executive level as well if the federal government does not enact additional funding to address the economic hardship caused by COVID-19.
” However , the Post explained , Mr. Cuomo ’ s salary raise , which was ordered in spring 2019 , will happen anyway .
Increases for the state ’ s other top executive officers — the lieutenant governor , attorney general and comptroller — also will happen as planned .
The salaries of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s authority .
Changes have to be made by a joint resolution from both Democratic-led houses of the state Legislature .
According to the Post , the Commission ’ s decision freezes lawmakers ’ and judges ’ salaries for four years , unless the Legislature affirmatively raises them on its own .
New York ’ s state legislators make $ 79,500 per year , the Post reported .
Mr. Cuomo did not comment on the pay commission ’ s decision , but did say he expects a federal bailout under presumed President-elect Joseph @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t dig out of it .
We don ’ t have a shovel big enough to dig out of it , it ’ s the biggest number in history .
We need help from Washington , and that ’ s what Trump wouldn ’ t do , and that ’ s what Biden will do , ” he said during a radio interview Tuesday .
“ He will fund state and local governments and we need that to come even close to balancing the budget .
”

New York is facing a $63 billion budget deficit in a couple years and the state had the highest COVID death toll in the nation.
And that made Gov. Andrew Cuomo give back a scheduled $25,000 raise that would have made him the nation’s highest-paid governor.
According to a report Wednesday in the New York Daily News, after a day of news reports over the raise, Mr. Cuomo said at an Albany press conference that he would defer the pay raise.
“I am going to ask the commissioners, myself, the other electeds, not to take a raise this year,” he said.
Not only would Mr. Cuomo have seen see his salary rise to $250,000 on Jan. 1, the state’s judges and lawmakers won’t get a raise — because the state is too broke.
According to a report in the New York Post, the Commission on Legislative, Judicial and Executive Compensation did not approve any pay increases for the state’s officeholders, citing the enormous budget deficits the state must close.
“Substantial additional state monies will be needed to deal with the pandemic, including providing face masks, virus tracking, contact tracing, enforcement efforts, and distribution of the hoped for new pandemic vaccine,” the panel explained in a report released Monday evening.
“Granting raises to public servants, no matter how much they might otherwise deserve them, is simply not possible at this time,” the Commission wrote.
The panel report also said that “we understand the potential for significant budget cuts may be necessary at the state executive level as well if the federal government does not enact additional funding to address the economic hardship caused by COVID-19.”
However, the Post explained, Mr. Cuomo’s salary raise, which was ordered in spring 2019, would happen anyway.
Increases for the state’s other top executive officers — the lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller — also would have happened as planned.
Mr. Cuomo said at his Wednesday briefing that he will consult with those officials and is “going to ask them to defer their raises and not take a raise, given the overall financial picture.”
The salaries of the top executive-branch officials are not within the Commission’s authority. Changes have to be made by a joint resolution from both Democratic-led houses of the state Legislature.
According to the Post, the Commission’s decision freezes lawmakers’ and judges’ salaries for four years, unless the Legislature affirmatively raises them on its own.
New York’s state legislators make $79,500 per year, the Post reported.
Mr. Cuomo did not comment on the pay commission’s decision, but did say he expects a federal bailout under presumed President-elect Joseph R. Biden.
“We don’t dig out of it. We don’t have a shovel big enough to dig out of it, it’s the biggest number in history. We need help from Washington, and that’s what Trump wouldn’t do, and that’s what Biden will do,” he said during a radio interview Tuesday. “He will fund state and local governments and we need that to come even close to balancing the budget.”
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-18--ICE arrests migrants who reneged on self-deport promise

ICE will announce Thursday that it has arrested more than 170 illegal immigrants in a nationwide operation targeting people who had promised to leave the country , then reneged on that promise .
The migrants were given the chance to do what ’ s known as a “ voluntary departure.
” That ’ s an alternative to deportation , and it can help someone avoid the serious consequences that come with a formal removal , such as an abrupt ouster and a long-time bar on attempting to reenter legally .
Under voluntary departure , migrants agree to self-deport by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days .
That gives them a chance to get affairs in order .
But many end up defying their pledges , hoping to disappear back into the shadows .
ICE said in a social media post that it just completed a 21-day operation to try to round some of them up .
Failing to depart can earn a fine and an automatic 10-year bar on being able to petition to come back legally .
One immigrant-rights group complained Wednesday , in advance of the announcement , that ICE ’ s operation was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” before the end of the Trump administration .
“ Despite claims of focusing on “ public safety ” concerns during the pandemic , ICE ’ s new operation targets minor offenders , not dangerous criminals , ” said Immigrants ’ List .
Immigration activists argue that being in the country illegally shouldn ’ t be a reason to be deported .
Homeland Security officials , though , say if someone has been ordered deported by a judge — or , as in this case , made a commitment to leave — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be enforced , or else it ruins the integrity of the immigration system .

ICE will announce Thursday that it has arrested more than 170 illegal immigrants in a nationwide operation targeting people who had promised to leave the country, then reneged on that promise.
The migrants were given the chance to do what’s known as a “voluntary departure.” That’s an alternative to deportation, and it can help someone avoid the serious consequences that come with a formal removal, such as an abrupt ouster and a long-time bar on attempting to reenter legally.
Under voluntary departure, migrants agree to self-deport by a certain time, usually 60 or 120 days. That gives them a chance to get affairs in order.
But many end up defying their pledges, hoping to disappear back into the shadows.
ICE said in a social media post that it just completed a 21-day operation to try to round some of them up.
Failing to depart can earn a fine and an automatic 10-year bar on being able to petition to come back legally.
One immigrant-rights group complained Wednesday, in advance of the announcement, that ICE’s operation was a “last-ditch effort to drive up deportations” before the end of the Trump administration.
“Despite claims of focusing on “public safety” concerns during the pandemic, ICE’s new operation targets minor offenders, not dangerous criminals,” said Immigrants’ List.
Immigration activists argue that being in the country illegally shouldn’t be a reason to be deported.
Homeland Security officials, though, say if someone has been ordered deported by a judge — or, as in this case, made a commitment to leave — and is refusing to go, that must be enforced, or else it ruins the integrity of the immigration system.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-18--Burgum nemesis chosen by GOP to fill dead candidate's seat

BISMARCK , N.D. ( AP ) - A powerful Republican North Dakota lawmaker who lost his seat after being targeted by Gov .
Doug Burgum has been chosen by party activists to return to his old seat to replace a candidate who died before the election .
Rep. Jeff Delzer was named by Republican district activists at a nominating convention Wednesday night to succeed David Andahl , who died Oct. 5 from coronavirus complications .
District 8 GOP Chairman Loren DeWitz said Delzer was the only person nominated , and was approved 17-1 by the district ’ s executive committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seat is now the focus of a legal battle .
Burgum appointed coal company executive Wade Boeshans to the seat .
The state Supreme Court on Friday will hear arguments in the lawsuit filed by the governor .
Delzer is a bachelor farmer with a reputation for tight-fisted budgeting .
He had served in the Legislature for parts of four decades from a sprawling rural district north Bismarck .
But Delzer had clashed with Burgum over policy and spending priorities throughout the governor ’ s first term .
Burgum gave more than $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that targeted Delzer .
Backed by Burgum ’ s campaign cash , Andahl and Dave Nehring won the Republicans ’ endorsements and voters ’ nominations in the June primary .
Nehring and Andahl were top vote-getters in the election this month for the two open over a pair of Democratic candidates .
A day after the election , Burgum appointed Boeshans to the open seat .
Republican lawmakers and GOP Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem contend only the legislative branch has the authority to fill the vacancy .
Democrats also agree that Burgum has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They are set to argue in the state ’ s high court that their candidate , Kathrin Volochenko , should be the next representative for the district because she got the next-highest number of votes in the race .

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A powerful Republican North Dakota lawmaker who lost his seat after being targeted by Gov. Doug Burgum has been chosen by party activists to return to his old seat to replace a candidate who died before the election.
Rep. Jeff Delzer was named by Republican district activists at a nominating convention Wednesday night to succeed David Andahl, who died Oct. 5 from coronavirus complications.
District 8 GOP Chairman Loren DeWitz said Delzer was the only person nominated, and was approved 17-1 by the district’s executive committee.
Delzer did not immediately return telephone calls Wednesday night.
Exactly who takes Andahl’s seat is now the focus of a legal battle. Burgum appointed coal company executive Wade Boeshans to the seat. The state Supreme Court on Friday will hear arguments in the lawsuit filed by the governor.
Delzer is a bachelor farmer with a reputation for tight-fisted budgeting. He had served in the Legislature for parts of four decades from a sprawling rural district north Bismarck. But Delzer had clashed with Burgum over policy and spending priorities throughout the governor’s first term.
Burgum gave more than $3.1 million to a political action committee that targeted Delzer. Backed by Burgum’s campaign cash, Andahl and Dave Nehring won the Republicans’ endorsements and voters’ nominations in the June primary.
Nehring and Andahl were top vote-getters in the election this month for the two open over a pair of Democratic candidates.
A day after the election, Burgum appointed Boeshans to the open seat.
Republican lawmakers and GOP Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem contend only the legislative branch has the authority to fill the vacancy.
Democrats also agree that Burgum has no authority to fill the seat. They are set to argue in the state’s high court that their candidate, Kathrin Volochenko, should be the next representative for the district because she got the next-highest number of votes in the race.


washingtontimes--2020-11-18--Charles Yu novel, Malcolm X bio win National Book Awards

NEW YORK ( AP ) - Charles Yu ’ s “ Interior Chinatown , ” a satirical , cinematic novel written in the form of a screenplay , has won the National Book Award for fiction .
Tamara Payne and her father the late Les Payne ’ s Malcolm X biography , “ The Dead Are Arising , ” was cited for nonfiction and Kacen Callender ’ s “ King and the Dragonflies ” for young people ’ s literature .
The poetry prize went to Don Mee Choi ’ s “ DMZ Colony ” and the winner for best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Tokyo Ueno Station , ” translated from Japanese by Morgan Giles .
Honorary medals were given Wednesday night to mystery novelist Walter Mosley and to the late CEO of Simon & Schuster , Carolyn Reidy , who died in May at age 71 .
The children ’ s author and current US Youth Ambassador for young adult literature Jason Reynolds served as emcee , and along with Bob Woodward and Walter Isaacson was among the Simon & Schuster writers who appeared in a taped tribute to Reidy .
Because of the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-profile gatherings was streamed online , with presenters and winners speaking everywhere from New York to Japan .
The traditional dinner ceremony is the nonprofit National Book Foundation ’ s most important source of income and is usually held at Cipriani Wall Street , where publishers and other officials pay thousands of dollars for tables or individual seats .
The foundation instead has been asking for donations of $ 50 or more .
As of Wednesday evening , just over $ 490,000 had been pledged from 851 donors .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scared we wouldn ’ t be able to do this show , ” said foundation executive director Lisa Lucas , speaking online from the children ’ s room of the Los Angeles Public Library .
Executive director since 2016 , she will depart at the end of the year to become publisher for the Penguin Random House imprints Pantheon and Schocken .
Her successor has not been announced .
Along with the pandemic and the presidential election , diversity has been an ongoing theme in the book world this year and remained so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to work at transforming a historically white industry to the winners themselves .
Yu ’ s novel is a sendup of Chinese stereotypes and of the immigrants ’ conflict between wanting to assimilate and asserting their true selves .
“ DMZ Colony ” combines poetry , prose and images in its exploration of the history between the United States and South Korea .
Mosley , the first Black man to win the medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters , spoke of his debt to such literary heroes as Ishmael Reed , John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ award for “ The Dead Are Arising ” is the second time in a decade a Malcolm X biography has received a high honor for nonfiction and the second time the honor was , at least in part , posthumous .
The scholar Manning Marable died right before the 2011 publication of “ Malcolm X , ” which went on to win a Pulitzer Prize and receive a National Book Award nomination .
Les Payne , a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist , died in 2018 .
“ This is such a bittersweet moment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ award Wednesday night .
“ I really wish my father was here for this.
” Few references were made to the recent election , though politics did help inspire Yu , whose previous books include the story collections “ Third Class Superhero ” and “ Sorry Please Thank You.
” He had struggled with “ Interior Chinatown , ” wondering if there was a reason to tell an immigration story , until the surprise victory of Donald Trump in 2016 .
“ Before then , I felt it lacked a real reason for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Press in a recent interview .
“ It seemed that reference to things in the past like the Chinese Exclusion Act ( a racist law passed in 1882 ) had relevance .
I started thinking , ‘ This does still matter .
This is a story you should try to tell.
” Winners in each of the competitive categories receive $ 10,000 , and other finalists $ 1,000 , with the money divided equally between the author and translator for best translated book .
Roxane Gay , Rebecca Makkai and Dinaw Mengestu were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the publishing community who as awards judges selected finalists from more than 1,600 books - many of them read digitally because of the pandemic .

NEW YORK (AP) - Charles Yu’s “Interior Chinatown,” a satirical, cinematic novel written in the form of a screenplay, has won the National Book Award for fiction.
Tamara Payne and her father the late Les Payne’s Malcolm X biography, “The Dead Are Arising,” was cited for nonfiction and Kacen Callender’s “King and the Dragonflies” for young people’s literature. The poetry prize went to Don Mee Choi’s “DMZ Colony” and the winner for best translated work was Yu Miri’s “Tokyo Ueno Station,” translated from Japanese by Morgan Giles.
Honorary medals were given Wednesday night to mystery novelist Walter Mosley and to the late CEO of Simon & Schuster, Carolyn Reidy, who died in May at age 71. The children’s author and current US Youth Ambassador for young adult literature Jason Reynolds served as emcee, and along with Bob Woodward and Walter Isaacson was among the Simon & Schuster writers who appeared in a taped tribute to Reidy.
Because of the pandemic, one of publishing’s most high-profile gatherings was streamed online, with presenters and winners speaking everywhere from New York to Japan. The traditional dinner ceremony is the nonprofit National Book Foundation’s most important source of income and is usually held at Cipriani Wall Street, where publishers and other officials pay thousands of dollars for tables or individual seats. The foundation instead has been asking for donations of $50 or more. As of Wednesday evening, just over $490,000 had been pledged from 851 donors.
“It’s hard in a pandemic. We were scared we wouldn’t be able to do this show,” said foundation executive director Lisa Lucas, speaking online from the children’s room of the Los Angeles Public Library. Executive director since 2016, she will depart at the end of the year to become publisher for the Penguin Random House imprints Pantheon and Schocken. Her successor has not been announced.
Along with the pandemic and the presidential election, diversity has been an ongoing theme in the book world this year and remained so Wednesday night, from Lucas urging publishers to work at transforming a historically white industry to the winners themselves.
Yu’s novel is a sendup of Chinese stereotypes and of the immigrants’ conflict between wanting to assimilate and asserting their true selves. “DMZ Colony” combines poetry, prose and images in its exploration of the history between the United States and South Korea. Mosley, the first Black man to win the medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, spoke of his debt to such literary heroes as Ishmael Reed, John Edgar Wideman and Ralph Ellison.
The award for “The Dead Are Arising” is the second time in a decade a Malcolm X biography has received a high honor for nonfiction and the second time the honor was, at least in part, posthumous. The scholar Manning Marable died right before the 2011 publication of “Malcolm X,” which went on to win a Pulitzer Prize and receive a National Book Award nomination. Les Payne, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, died in 2018.
“This is such a bittersweet moment,” Tamara Payne said upon accepting the award Wednesday night. “I really wish my father was here for this.”
Few references were made to the recent election, though politics did help inspire Yu, whose previous books include the story collections “Third Class Superhero” and “Sorry Please Thank You.” He had struggled with “Interior Chinatown,” wondering if there was a reason to tell an immigration story, until the surprise victory of Donald Trump in 2016.
“Before then, I felt it lacked a real reason for being,” Yu told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “It seemed that reference to things in the past like the Chinese Exclusion Act (a racist law passed in 1882) had relevance. I started thinking, ‘This does still matter. This is a story you should try to tell.”
Winners in each of the competitive categories receive $10,000, and other finalists $1,000, with the money divided equally between the author and translator for best translated book. Roxane Gay, Rebecca Makkai and Dinaw Mengestu were among the authors, booksellers and others in the publishing community who as awards judges selected finalists from more than 1,600 books - many of them read digitally because of the pandemic.


washingtontimes--2020-11-19--3 more COVID deaths reported in Delaware, toll is at 742

DOVER , Del .
( AP ) - Three new COVID deaths have been reported in the state of Delaware @ @ @ @ @ reported that the deaths were announced by the Division of Public Health in its daily @ @ @ @ @ deaths ranged in age from 49 to 77 .
Two had underlying health conditions .
@ @ @ @ @ who died were residents of long-term care facilities .
Two of the three deaths were @ @ @ @ @ County and one from Sussex County .
The deaths have occurred as the state is @ @ @ @ @ daily new cases and a level of hospitalizations not seen since early June .
Delaware @ @ @ @ @ now at 742 .
And there are currently 153 people hospitalized .
That total remained @ @ @ @ @ prior which is the highest mark since June 2 .

DOVER, Del. (AP) - Three new COVID deaths have been reported in the state of Delaware.
The Delaware State News reported that the deaths were announced by the Division of Public Health in its daily update on Wednesday.
The deaths ranged in age from 49 to 77. Two had underlying health conditions. And none of the people who died were residents of long-term care facilities.
Two of the three deaths were of people from New Castle County and one from Sussex County. The deaths have occurred as the state is experiencing its highest average of daily new cases and a level of hospitalizations not seen since early June.
Delaware’s death toll is now at 742. And there are currently 153 people hospitalized. That total remained unchanged compared to the day prior which is the highest mark since June 2.


washingtontimes--2020-11-19--Police say man shot to death inside Kansas City apartment

KANSAS CITY , Mo .
( AP ) - A man was shot to death inside an apartment at the @ @ @ @ @ , police there said .
Officers were called around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday to Timber Lakes @ @ @ @ @ a shooting , police said in a news release .
Arriving officers found a man @ @ @ @ @ of the units , police said .
The man was taken by ambulance to a @ @ @ @ @ died , officials said .
The victim ’ s name had not been released by @ @ @ @ @ detectives questioned people at the scene at the time of the shooting and were not @ @ @ @ @ Police did not immediately report whether any arrests had been made or what may have @ @ @ @ @

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A man was shot to death inside an apartment at the southern end of Kansas City, police there said.
Officers were called around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday to Timber Lakes Apartment Homes for reports of a shooting, police said in a news release. Arriving officers found a man with gunshot wounds inside one of the units, police said. The man was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he later died, officials said.
The victim’s name had not been released by Thursday morning. Police said detectives questioned people at the scene at the time of the shooting and were not looking for additional suspects.
Police did not immediately report whether any arrests had been made or what may have led to the shooting.


washingtontimes--2020-11-19--Rolls-Royce settles discrimination allegations, to pay $135K

PRINCE GEORGE , Va. ( AP ) - Aircraft components manufacturer Rolls-Royce has agreed to pay $ 135,000 to 26 women who were not selected for machine operating roles at the its factory in Virginia .
Under the federal settlement , the company will give back pay plus interest to women who applied to its manufacturing facility in Prince George , and also provide jobs to four of the women , the U.S. Department of Labor ’ s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs announced Tuesday .
The federal agency said a “ compliance evaluation ” showed that the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who had applied for the roles in 2017 .
The company has denied wrongdoing .
They said in a statement Wednesday that “ no confirmed findings were assessed , ” and that they are “ fully compliant under the law.
” “ We are eager to begin the important work of strengthening our hiring practices , ” the company said , adding that the allegations raised in the agency ’ s review “ were specific to one job classification at one facility , and relate to hiring in 2017 only , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its North American headquarters in Reston , Virginia .
They announced in August that they will close the Prince George County factory by the middle of next year due to a decline in global travel during the coronavirus pandemic .
About 280 jobs will be lost when the factory closes .

PRINCE GEORGE, Va. (AP) - Aircraft components manufacturer Rolls-Royce has agreed to pay $135,000 to 26 women who were not selected for machine operating roles at the its factory in Virginia.
Under the federal settlement, the company will give back pay plus interest to women who applied to its manufacturing facility in Prince George, and also provide jobs to four of the women, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs announced Tuesday.
The federal agency said a “compliance evaluation” showed that the federal contractor discriminated against the female applicants, who had applied for the roles in 2017.
The company has denied wrongdoing. They said in a statement Wednesday that “no confirmed findings were assessed,” and that they are “fully compliant under the law.”
“We are eager to begin the important work of strengthening our hiring practices,” the company said, adding that the allegations raised in the agency’s review “were specific to one job classification at one facility, and relate to hiring in 2017 only,” the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.
British-based Rolls-Royce has its North American headquarters in Reston, Virginia. They announced in August that they will close the Prince George County factory by the middle of next year due to a decline in global travel during the coronavirus pandemic.
About 280 jobs will be lost when the factory closes.


washingtontimes--2020-11-19--Belarus nuclear plant resumes producing electricity

KYIV , Ukraine ( AP ) - Belarus ’ nuclear power plant , which went out of service a few @ @ @ @ @ , resumed producing electricity , officials said Thursday .
The country ’ s energy ministry @ @ @ @ @ plant ’ s first unit is working at 40 % of its 1,200-megawatt capacity and @ @ @ @ @ power grid .
The Astravyets plant went online in early November , but stopped producing @ @ @ @ @ Officials in neighboring Lithuania have long opposed the plant , citing safety concerns , and @ @ @ @ @ when the plant started operating .
The plant is about 40 kilometers ( 25 miles @ @ @ @ @ Vilnius .
Lithuanian authorities said construction of the Russian-built and -financed plant was plagued by @ @ @ @ @ the mistreatment of workers .

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Belarus’ nuclear power plant, which went out of service a few days after it started operating, resumed producing electricity, officials said Thursday.
The country’s energy ministry said the reactor in the plant’s first unit is working at 40% of its 1,200-megawatt capacity and is sending electricity to the power grid.
The Astravyets plant went online in early November, but stopped producing electricity on Nov. 8.
Officials in neighboring Lithuania have long opposed the plant, citing safety concerns, and stopped buying electricity from Belarus when the plant started operating. The plant is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
Lithuanian authorities said construction of the Russian-built and -financed plant was plagued by accidents, stolen materials and the mistreatment of workers.


washingtontimes--2020-11-19--Vardy and Rooney face off in 'WAG wars' celebrity libel case

LONDON ( AP ) - A courtroom drama mixing celebrities , amateur sleuthing and social media kicked off in London on Thursday , where one famous soccer spouse denies leaking stories about another to the tabloid press .
Rebekah Vardy is suing Coleen Rooney for libel after Rooney accused her of passing details of private Instagram posts to The Sun newspaper .
Vardy denies being the source of the leaks .
Both women are celebrities in their own right , and married to famous footballers - Rooney to former Manchester United and England star Wayne Rooney , Vardy to Leicester @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vardy ’ s lawyer , Hugh Tomlinson , said during a hearing at the High Court that media had dubbed the case “ WAG wars , ” using a slang term for the wives and girlfriends of soccer stars .
He said the media “ have turned this case into something of an entertainment.
” “ It is not , from Mrs. Vardy ’ s point of view , entertaining , ” he said .
“ It has been and continues to be deeply upsetting … She did nothing wrong.
” He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and abuse ” after Rooney accused her in a post on Twitter and Instagram - where she has a combined following of almost 2 million - in October 2019 .
Rooney , 34 , posted that she had sought the culprit for the leaks by blocking everyone apart from an Instagram page belonging to Vardy from seeing her Instagram stories , and then posting “ a series of false stories to see if they made their way into The Sun.
” “ I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Rooney posted .
“ It ’ s …………… .
Rebekah Vardy ’ s account.
” Tomlinson said the case has been depicted as trivial , but “ the impact of this post on Mrs. Vardy was not trivial.
” “ She has been subjected to an undue and unjustified attack that has had , and continues to have , an impact on her.
” Rooney ’ s lawyer , David Sherborne , said “ Mrs .
Rooney is defending the words as true.
” “ She says that Mrs. Vardy was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he added that Rooney had not wanted the dispute to end up in court .
Tomlinson said the two sides had agreed to halt proceedings until February to make a final attempt to resolve the case without a trial .
Neither Vardy nor Rooney was in court for Thursday ’ s preliminary hearing .

LONDON (AP) - A courtroom drama mixing celebrities, amateur sleuthing and social media kicked off in London on Thursday, where one famous soccer spouse denies leaking stories about another to the tabloid press.
Rebekah Vardy is suing Coleen Rooney for libel after Rooney accused her of passing details of private Instagram posts to The Sun newspaper. Vardy denies being the source of the leaks.
Both women are celebrities in their own right, and married to famous footballers - Rooney to former Manchester United and England star Wayne Rooney, Vardy to Leicester City and England striker Jamie Vardy.
Vardy’s lawyer, Hugh Tomlinson, said during a hearing at the High Court that media had dubbed the case “WAG wars,” using a slang term for the wives and girlfriends of soccer stars.
He said the media “have turned this case into something of an entertainment.”
“It is not, from Mrs. Vardy’s point of view, entertaining,” he said. “It has been and continues to be deeply upsetting … She did nothing wrong.”
He said 38-year-old Vardy had suffered “widespread hostility and abuse” after Rooney accused her in a post on Twitter and Instagram - where she has a combined following of almost 2 million - in October 2019.
Rooney, 34, posted that she had sought the culprit for the leaks by blocking everyone apart from an Instagram page belonging to Vardy from seeing her Instagram stories, and then posting “a series of false stories to see if they made their way into The Sun.”
“I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them,” Rooney posted. “It’s ……………. Rebekah Vardy’s account.”
The amateur detective work led social media users to brand Rooney “Wagatha Christie.”
Tomlinson said the case has been depicted as trivial, but “the impact of this post on Mrs. Vardy was not trivial.”
“She has been subjected to an undue and unjustified attack that has had, and continues to have, an impact on her.”
Rooney’s lawyer, David Sherborne, said “Mrs. Rooney is defending the words as true.”
“She says that Mrs. Vardy was responsible,” Sherborne said, though he added that Rooney had not wanted the dispute to end up in court.
Tomlinson said the two sides had agreed to halt proceedings until February to make a final attempt to resolve the case without a trial.
Neither Vardy nor Rooney was in court for Thursday’s preliminary hearing.


washingtontimes--2020-11-19--Pakistan's PM Khan in 'historic' first visit to Afghanistan

KABUL , Afghanistan ( AP ) - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on his first official visit to Kabul on Thursday , focusing on the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban as well as on building trust and strengthening relations between the two often acrimonious neighbors .
Ghani called Khan ’ s visit “ historic ” while the Pakistani prime minister assured the Afghan leader that his government would do “ everything possible ” to help reduce violence in the war-torn country .
The visit comes at a crucial time for Afghanistan as Kabul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S.-brokered negotiations in Qatar , where the Taliban maintain a political office , to chart a course for a post-war Afghanistan .
“ You come with a with a series of very important messages … but fundamental to this is that violence is not an answer , a comprehensive political settlement for an enduring peace within the framework of our values , our Constitution in the Islamic Republic is the way to the future , ” Ghani told Khan at the presidential palace .
Khan acknowledged Pakistan had played a key role in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that Islamabad remains concerned that “ despite the talks in Qatar , the level of violence is rising.
” “ Whatever is possible , we will do to help reduce the violence , ” and help move the Afghan-Taliban talks toward a cease-fire , Khan said .
“ The whole objective of this visit is to build trust , to communicate more .
… We will be helping you.
” Neither of the leaders addressed this week ’ s announcement from Washington of an accelerated U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conflict .
There are fears of worsening violence and regional chaos , which some say could embolden the local Islamic State group ’ s affiliate to regroup and perhaps even try to build another “ caliphate.
” Under an earlier deal between the U.S. and the Taliban that outlined a gradual pullout , the remaining U.S. forces were to leave Afghanistan by next April .
The Pentagon now says some 2,500 troops will leave by January , just days before President-elect Joe Biden ’ s inauguration , leaving another 2,000 or so U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applauded by Washington and Kabul for its role in getting the Taliban to the peace table , first in direct talks with the United States , which resulted in an agreement that led to the so-called intra-Afghan negotiations now underway in Doha .
Khan ’ s visit followed that of Afghanistan ’ s chief peace envoy Abdullah Abdullah who visited Pakistan in September as the uneasy neighbors turned a corner from a relationship marked by suspicion and downright hostility toward a partnership for peace in the region .
While in Islamabad , Abdullah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use its influence to press the Taliban to reduce attacks and the level of violence .
The insurgents , who hosted Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida until their regime was toppled by the 2001 U.S.-led invasion , now have control over half of Afghanistan .
However , many Afghans still view Pakistan with deep mistrust , blaming it for the resurgence of the Taliban and for giving the insurgents a safe haven from which to operate .
Also , Pakistan is seen by many in Afghanistan as wanting to keep the Taliban as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its long-time enemy India , which has been critical of any post-war government in Afghanistan that would include the Taliban .

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on his first official visit to Kabul on Thursday, focusing on the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban as well as on building trust and strengthening relations between the two often acrimonious neighbors.
Ghani called Khan’s visit “historic” while the Pakistani prime minister assured the Afghan leader that his government would do “everything possible” to help reduce violence in the war-torn country.
The visit comes at a crucial time for Afghanistan as Kabul government negotiators and the Taliban are holding U.S.-brokered negotiations in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office, to chart a course for a post-war Afghanistan.
“You come with a with a series of very important messages … but fundamental to this is that violence is not an answer, a comprehensive political settlement for an enduring peace within the framework of our values, our Constitution in the Islamic Republic is the way to the future,” Ghani told Khan at the presidential palace.
Khan acknowledged Pakistan had played a key role in getting the Taliban to the negotiating table and that Islamabad remains concerned that “despite the talks in Qatar, the level of violence is rising.”
“Whatever is possible, we will do to help reduce the violence,” and help move the Afghan-Taliban talks toward a cease-fire, Khan said. “The whole objective of this visit is to build trust, to communicate more. … We will be helping you.”
Neither of the leaders addressed this week’s announcement from Washington of an accelerated U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which has rattled both sides in the Afghan conflict. There are fears of worsening violence and regional chaos, which some say could embolden the local Islamic State group’s affiliate to regroup and perhaps even try to build another “caliphate.”
Under an earlier deal between the U.S. and the Taliban that outlined a gradual pullout, the remaining U.S. forces were to leave Afghanistan by next April. The Pentagon now says some 2,500 troops will leave by January, just days before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, leaving another 2,000 or so U.S. forces in place.
Pakistan has been applauded by Washington and Kabul for its role in getting the Taliban to the peace table, first in direct talks with the United States, which resulted in an agreement that led to the so-called intra-Afghan negotiations now underway in Doha.
Khan’s visit followed that of Afghanistan’s chief peace envoy Abdullah Abdullah who visited Pakistan in September as the uneasy neighbors turned a corner from a relationship marked by suspicion and downright hostility toward a partnership for peace in the region.
While in Islamabad, Abdullah urged Pakistan’s powerful military to use its influence to press the Taliban to reduce attacks and the level of violence. The insurgents, who hosted Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida until their regime was toppled by the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, now have control over half of Afghanistan.
However, many Afghans still view Pakistan with deep mistrust, blaming it for the resurgence of the Taliban and for giving the insurgents a safe haven from which to operate.
Also, Pakistan is seen by many in Afghanistan as wanting to keep the Taliban as possible leverage against influence in Afghanistan by its long-time enemy India, which has been critical of any post-war government in Afghanistan that would include the Taliban.


washingtontimes--2020-11-19--EU auditors: Antitrust probes too slow to curb tech giants

LONDON ( AP ) - The EU ‘ s efforts to rein in the power of big tech companies such as Google and Facebook through antitrust investigations have taken too long , dulling their effectiveness , a report said Thursday .
Legal tools available to the bloc ’ s competition regulators , meanwhile , have not kept pace with digital markets , allowing Silicon Valley giants to eliminate rivals , said the report by the European Court of Auditors , which examined the EU ‘ s enforcement of competition rules over the past decade .
European Union authorities have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring the tech giants to heel but they ’ ve been criticized for lengthy investigations that have resulted in fines that are huge yet affordable for the wealthy companies .
Google is currently appealing a 2.4 billion euro ( $ 2.9 billion ) antitrust fine levied in 2017 that stems from an investigation into its shopping search results that began a decade ago .
The report found that antitrust cases took an average of four years before a decision was made .
Under EU legislation , antitrust investigations can only start after a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report said .
“ Particularly in the digital economy , this may be too late to tackle a competition problem.
” However , except for EU rules on mergers , ” the Commission has currently no tools in its hands that would allow it to intervene ” before competition problems arise .
Competition rules usually take into account a company ’ s market share and profit margin and prices of goods or services but those traditional benchmarks are hard to apply to digital companies , which use data and algorithms to compete for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winner-takes-all ’ outcomes , ” it said .
The report said that while consumers can be hurt by the practices of digital companies , it ’ s hard for the EU Commission to come up with appropriate remedies for a competition problem “ because determining the harm can be particularly complex.
” The EU ’ s competition commissioner , Margrethe Vestager , who is carrying out separate investigations of Amazon , Apple , Facebook and Google , has started turning to “ interim measures ” as a quicker way to get companies to @ @ @ @

LONDON (AP) - The EU’s efforts to rein in the power of big tech companies such as Google and Facebook through antitrust investigations have taken too long, dulling their effectiveness, a report said Thursday.
Legal tools available to the bloc’s competition regulators, meanwhile, have not kept pace with digital markets, allowing Silicon Valley giants to eliminate rivals, said the report by the European Court of Auditors, which examined the EU’s enforcement of competition rules over the past decade.
European Union authorities have been at the forefront of global efforts to bring the tech giants to heel but they’ve been criticized for lengthy investigations that have resulted in fines that are huge yet affordable for the wealthy companies. Google is currently appealing a 2.4 billion euro ($2.9 billion) antitrust fine levied in 2017 that stems from an investigation into its shopping search results that began a decade ago.
The report found that antitrust cases took an average of four years before a decision was made. Under EU legislation, antitrust investigations can only start after a competition problem has been spotted, the report said.
“Particularly in the digital economy, this may be too late to tackle a competition problem.” However, except for EU rules on mergers, ”the Commission has currently no tools in its hands that would allow it to intervene” before competition problems arise.
Competition rules usually take into account a company’s market share and profit margin and prices of goods or services but those traditional benchmarks are hard to apply to digital companies, which use data and algorithms to compete for a market, “leading to ‘winner-takes-all’ outcomes,” it said.
The report said that while consumers can be hurt by the practices of digital companies, it’s hard for the EU Commission to come up with appropriate remedies for a competition problem “because determining the harm can be particularly complex.”
The EU’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, who is carrying out separate investigations of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, has started turning to “interim measures” as a quicker way to get companies to stop anticompetitive practices.


washingtontimes--2020-11-19--English sports get $400M bailout, with rugby prioritized

LONDON ( AP ) - English sports are receiving 300 million pounds ( almost $ 400 million ) from the government - with half going to rugby - to help them survive without fans being allowed into venues during the pandemic .
Sports governing bodies and teams will receive bailouts mostly as loans .
Men ’ s professional football and cricket are not part of the “ Sports Winter Survival Package.
” “ We know the vast majority of sports - many of which operate on tight financial margins - have been making serious cost reductions , such as locking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheme for many staff and halting excess payments , ” Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said on Thursday .
“ Whilst the government ’ s overall economic package has provided a significant buffer , it is absolutely right that we now intervene to protect entire sports , and the communities they support , as we navigate this pandemic.
” Rugby union will receive 135 million pounds , including 44 million pounds for the English governing body , 59 million pounds available to Premiership clubs , and the rest going to lower-division men ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been set aside for rugby league on top of 16 million pounds of emergency loans earlier in the year .
Football will receive 28 million pounds , with 3 million pounds for the Women ’ s Super League and second division Championship , and the rest going to men ’ s teams outside of the four professional divisions .
A financial lifeline is also being provided to horse racing , motor sports , tennis , netball , basketball , ice hockey , badminton and greyhound racing .
“ These are unprecedented times for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leagues that rely so heavily on spectators for their income that have been especially impacted by the pandemic , ” said Tim Hollingsworth , chief executive of Sport England .
“ The role they play in their local communities is vital and this package of support from government will be hugely welcomed .
”

LONDON (AP) - English sports are receiving 300 million pounds (almost $400 million) from the government - with half going to rugby - to help them survive without fans being allowed into venues during the pandemic.
It has been eight months since full stadiums were allowed, although the government also expressed hope Thursday that fans could soon be allowed back in to watch games.
Even with England in a second national lockdown that runs through Dec. 2, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said there is “definitely a chance” that supporters could return to sports before the end of the year as restrictions are eased.
“There’s a possibility in the lowest-risk areas to open the door ajar a little bit, start to prove in the lowest-risk areas that we could make this work then I’d love for us to be able to do that,” Dowden told Talk Sport radio.
The government had originally planned to start allowing spectators back into sports events in October but shelved those plans because of a second wave of coronavirus cases.
Rugby is receiving half of the “Sports Winter Survival Package,” which is mainly in the form of loans, but men’s professional football and cricket are not included.
Rugby union will receive 135 million pounds, including 44 million pounds for the English governing body, 59 million pounds available to Premiership clubs, and the rest going to lower-division men’s teams.
Another 12 million pounds has been set aside for rugby league on top of 16 million pounds of emergency loans earlier in the year.
Football will receive 28 million pounds, with 3 million pounds for the Women’s Super League and second division Championship, and the rest going to men’s teams outside of the four professional divisions.
A financial lifeline is also being provided to horse racing, motor sports, tennis, netball, basketball, ice hockey, badminton and greyhound racing.
“These are unprecedented times for our sector, and those sports and leagues that rely so heavily on spectators for their income that have been especially impacted by the pandemic,” said Tim Hollingsworth, chief executive of Sport England. “The role they play in their local communities is vital and this package of support from government will be hugely welcomed.”
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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


washingtontimes--2020-11-19--GOP canvassers again oppose certifying Detroit-area votes

DETROIT ( AP ) - Two Michigan Republicans who initially blocked certification of election results for the county that includes Detroit despite no evidence of fraud before approving them now say they want to rescind their certification .
Monica Palmer and William Hartmann , the two Republican canvassers in Wayne County , said in a statement issued late Wednesday that they only voted to certify the results after “ hours of sustained pressure ” and after getting promises that their concerns about the election would be investigated .
“ We deserve better - but more importantly , the American people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to accept an outcome achieved through intimidation , deception , and threats of violence , ” they said in the statement .
“ Wayne County voters need to have full confidence in this process.
” Palmer and Hartmann initially voted against certification Tuesday , leaving the Wayne County Board of Canvassers deadlocked at 2-2 along party lines .
Palmer complained that certain Detroit precincts were out of balance , meaning that absentee ballot books did not match the number of ballots cast .
The GOP move drew an immediate rebuke from the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an unsung panel that is supposed to confirm the will of the voters .
Biden crushed Trump in Wayne County , a Democratic stronghold , by a more than 2-1 margin on his way to winning Michigan by 146,000 votes , according to unofficial results .
His victory reversed Trump ’ s 2016 gains in the industrial Midwest and put Biden on the path to achieving the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House .
The county canvassers later voted again and certified the results , 4-0 .
Then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signed affidavits saying they believe the county vote “ should not be certified.
” They said in their statement Wednesday that they ’ ve reported threats against them to law enforcement .
There has been no evidence of widespread voting fraud in Michigan or any other state .
Federal and state officials from both parties have declared the 2020 election safe and secure .
But Trump and his allies have spent two weeks raising false claims of fraud and refusing to concede to Biden .

DETROIT (AP) - President Donald Trump summoned Michigan’s Republican legislative leaders to the White House for an extraordinary meeting Friday amid a long shot GOP push to subvert the democratic process that handed the battleground state to Democrat Joe Biden.
Two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Trump invited Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield. They agreed to go, according to a state official aware of the leaders’ plans. The two officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were discussing private conversations.
It was not immediately clear what the meeting would be about. Neither Shirkey nor Chatfield commented.
Trump’s campaign is openly floating the notion of trying to get friendly state legislatures to appoint electors who would overturn the will of the voters. If Trump succeeds in convincing Michigan’s state board of canvassers not to certify Biden’s victory in the state, state lawmakers could be called on to select electors, but such a brazen move would be unprecedented and possibly illegal. It would be certain to draw a swift legal challenge.
Both Shirkey and Chatfield have indicated that they will not try to overturn Biden’s win.
“Michigan law does not include a provision for the Legislature to directly select electors or to award electors to anyone other than the person who received the most votes,” Shirkey’s spokeswoman said last week. On Nov. 6, Chatfield tweeted: “Whoever gets the most votes will win Michigan! Period. End of story. Then we move on.
Asked at a Lansing news conference about the plan for legislative leaders to visit Trump, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, “I hope they wear masks, and I hope they stay safe.”
“All the meetings in the world, though, can’t take away from the fact that Joe Biden won Michigan by over 150,000 votes,” Whitmer added. “That’s 14 times the margin that Donald Trump won by in 2016. … So we will be sending a slate of electors that reflects the will of the people of Michigan at the end of this process.”
Also Thursday, state officials said Michigan’s largest county cannot revoke its certification of election results after two Republicans who approved Biden’s local landslide wanted to revert to their initial stance of refusing to bless the vote tally.
The GOP effort to change position represented another complication in what is typically a routine task. Monica Palmer and William Hartmann, the two GOP canvassers in Wayne County, said they only voted to certify the results after “hours of sustained pressure” and after getting promises that their concerns about the election would be investigated.
“We deserve better - but more importantly, the American people deserve better - than to be forced to accept an outcome achieved through intimidation, deception and threats of violence,” they said in a statement Wednesday night.
State officials said the certification of the Detroit-area vote will stand. Michigan’s chief election officer said a post-election audit will be performed, though not to check “mythical allegations” of fraud.
“There is no legal mechanism for them to rescind their vote. Their job is done, and the next step in the process is for the Board of State Canvassers to meet and certify,” said Tracy Wimmer, a spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state.
The four-member state board, which is expected to meet Monday, is split with two Democrats and two Republicans - the same makeup as the Wayne County board.
Trump’s campaign said the latest about-face by Palmer and Hartmann is legitimate. It withdrew a federal lawsuit challenging the Detroit-area results, attaching affidavits from the pair.
Palmer and Hartmann initially voted against certification Tuesday, leaving the county Board of Canvassers deadlocked at 2-2 along party lines. Palmer complained that certain Detroit precincts were out of balance, meaning that absentee ballot books did not match the number of ballots cast.
“This is not an indication that any votes were improperly cast or counted,” Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said.
The GOP move drew an immediate rebuke from the public and injected partisan politics into the business of an unsung panel that is supposed to confirm the will of the voters. A person familiar with the matter told the AP that Trump reached out to Palmer and Hartmann on Tuesday evening after the revised vote to express gratitude for their support.
In a statement, the pair reported being the target of threats, which they said they reported to law enforcement.
Trump “was checking to make sure I was safe after seeing/hearing about the threats and doxxing,” Palmer said in a text message to the Detroit Free Press, referring to the practice of publicly disclosing someone’s personal information.
Biden crushed Trump in Wayne County by a more than 2-1 margin on his way to winning Michigan by 154,000 votes, or 1.8 percentage points, according to unofficial results.
The county canvassers later voted again and certified the results, 4-0. Then, on Wednesday, Palmer and Hartmann signed affidavits saying they believe the vote should not be certified.
Jonathan Kinloch, a Democratic canvasser, said he heard passion - not threats - during the stormy Tuesday night meeting when the audience on Zoom was allowed to speak after the 2-2 tie and before the unanimous vote.
“I heard people basically being very assertive in demonstrating their outrage, but it happens all the time,” Kinloch said.
Benson, a Democrat, said a post-election audit will be conducted in Wayne County and any other community with “significant clerical errors.”
“Audits are neither designed to address nor performed in response to false or mythical allegations of ‘irregularities’ that have no basis in fact,” she said.
There has been no evidence of widespread voting fraud in Michigan or any other state. Federal and state officials from both parties have declared the 2020 election safe and secure. But Trump and his allies have spent two weeks raising false claims of fraud and refusing to concede to Biden.
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Eggert reported from Lansing, and Miller reported from Washington. Associated Press Writer John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan, also contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-11-19--3Q loss for Macy's, but early holiday kickoff eases pain

NEW YORK ( AP ) - Macy ’ s swung to a loss and sales tumbled 22 % as the department store chain struggled to bring shoppers back to stores during a pandemic .
But the beleaguered retailer did better than most had expected because it was able to get its customers thinking about holiday shopping early for safety reasons , and to avoid the expected shipping crush this year .
Macy ’ s had a loss of $ 91 million , or 29 cents per share in the quarter ended Oct. 31 .
That compares with a profit of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per share in the year ago period .
Sales fell to $ 3.99 billion in the quarter compared with $ 5.17 billion in the year ago period .
Analysts were expecting a loss of 83 cents on sales of $ 3.91 billion .
Sales at stores opened at least a year fell 20.1 % .
That includes businesses at licensed departments like jewelry .
Online sales rose 27 % .
Like most retail stores , Macy ’ s was forced to close its stores during the spring to curb the spread of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York company furloughed a majority of its employees .
Macy ’ s began reopening its store in May but the recovery has been slow , and it needs to acclimate to a trying business climate that has tipped other iconic chains into bankruptcy protection this year .
In June , Macy ’ s laid off 3,900 people corporate staffers , roughly 3 % of its overall workforce , as the pandemic takes a financial toll on the iconic department store chain ’ s sales and profits .
Macy ’ s has a heavy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to struggle long before COVID-19 .
Others that have been cornerstones at malls for decades , J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus , have sought bankruptcy protection , as has Stage Stores .
Neiman Marcus emerged from bankruptcy in September .
J.C. Penney is on track to exit bankruptcy protection by Thanksgiving under new owners , its mall landlords .
Macy ’ s over the next two years plans to open smaller stores , including new locations of its Bloomingdale ’ s stores , that are not attached to malls .
For the holiday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other retailers , is spreading discounts over a longer period to avoid overcrowding at its stores and continue to push shoppers to buy online and pick up at the curb .
The virus is also forcing Macy ’ s to rethink how it will hold its annual holiday events , like Christmas tree lightings , holiday window decorations and its annual Thanksgiving Day parade .

NEW YORK (AP) - Macy’s swung to a quarterly loss and sales tumbled 22% as the department store chain struggled to bring shoppers back to stores during a pandemic.
While the storied retailer did better than most had expected during the third quarter, cases of COVID-19 have begun to surge across the country just as what is typically the holiday shopping season kicks off. Macy’s has already closed its store in El Paso, Texas, where overwhelmed morgues have begun paying jail inmates $2 an hour to help transport the bodies of virus victims.
More closings could be on the way.
“COVID is surging again across the country and that continues to impede our recovery in international tourism and urban areas,” said Chief Financial Officer Adrian Mitchell. “And the supply chains have opened up, yet bottlenecks remain.“
Macy’s was forced to close stores this spring as the virus spread and states and cities ordered nonessential businesses to shut down. The New York company furloughed a majority of its employees. It began reopening stores in May, but the recovery has been slow.
It has had to acclimate itself to one of the worst business climates in its 162-year history, and the U.S. appears to be heading to an even worse place as infections spread.
The pain is not being distributed equally in the retail sector, however. Some companies are thriving.
Sales at Target and Walmart, which were able to stay open during earlier lockdown, have surged as Americans consolidate trips to reduce exposure. Those big box stores have everything from clothing to cantaloupes under one roof and have become something of a lifeline during the pandemic.
And they are threatening traditional department stores at multiple levels. Target just launched a deal with the nation’s largest beauty chain to put Ulta shops in 100 stores, potentially sapping sales from another lucrative floorspace for Macy’s and others.
Macy’s has spread sales events over a longer period of time to avoid overcrowding at its stores. It’s also made an online push and encouraged curbside pickup, which did help in the most recent quarter.
Still, it posted a loss of $91 million, or 29 cents per share in the quarter ended Oct. 31. That compares with a profit of $2 million, or a penny per share in the year ago period. Sales fell to $3.99 billion compared with $5.17 billion last year. Analysts were expecting a loss of 83 cents on sales of $3.91 billion.
Sales at stores opened at least a year fell 20.1%. That includes businesses at licensed departments like jewelry. Online sales rose 27%., and Macy’s said that could rise if stores are ordered closed again.
CEO Jeff Gennette said that the hardest hit businesses have been its flagship stores and those in downtown areas. Suburban locations have fared better, but customers are more focused and not browsing as they had in the past. Macy’s has added new features to speed out checkout for shoppers using its curbside delivery service.
Gennette told analysts Thursday that the company is working with retail trade groups to push back against the closure of stores that are deemed “non-essential” by authorities.
“We don’t believe the designation of essential and non-essential should play in retail,“ Gennette said. “We believe you’re either a safe environment or not.”
Macy’s is incorporating store closures in the company financial models, Gennette said.
“We’re ready to go no matter what comes our way,” he said.
The company is pursuing measures within its control, which means cutting costs.
In June, Macy’s laid off 3,900 corporate staffers, roughly 3% of its overall workforce.
But the department store has a heavy presence in malls, which had been struggling long before COVID-19. Others that have been cornerstones at malls for decades, J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus, have sought bankruptcy protection.
Neiman Marcus emerged from bankruptcy in September. J.C. Penney is on track to exit bankruptcy protection by Thanksgiving under new owners, its mall landlords.
On that front, Macy’s plans to open smaller stores over the next two years , including new locations of its Bloomingdale’s stores, that are not attached to malls.
Shares of Macy’s Inc., down 47% this year, were flat Thursday.
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Follow Anne D’Innocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio


washingtontimes--2020-11-19--Pittsburgh agency admits pumping sludge into Allegheny River

PITTSBURGH ( AP ) - The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has admitted violating the Clean Water Act when workers @ @ @ @ @ Allegheny River between 2010 and 2017 .
The authority on Wednesday pleaded guilty to federal @ @ @ @ @ reports to the Environmental Protection Agency .
Under terms of a plea agreement , the @ @ @ @ @ $ 500,000 into a self-funded compliance program and must submit annual reports and face audits @ @ @ @ @ years , U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said .
The authority also is barred from raising @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We are not allowing PWSA to pass on the cost of their failures @ @ @ @ @ , ” Brady said .
In a statement , the authority said the actions did @ @ @ @ @ s water quality .
“ Both compliance issues raised in the investigation have been rectified @ @ @ @ @ the quality or safety of the drinking water .
The authority has altered the treatment @ @ @ @ @ to the river physically impossible .
”

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has admitted violating the Clean Water Act when workers illegally pumped sludge into the Allegheny River between 2010 and 2017.
The authority on Wednesday pleaded guilty to federal charges, including falsifying written reports to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Under terms of a plea agreement, the authority has agreed to pay $500,000 into a self-funded compliance program and must submit annual reports and face audits while on probation for three years, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said.
The authority also is barred from raising rates to pay the fine.
“We are not allowing PWSA to pass on the cost of their failures to the city of Pittsburgh,” Brady said.
In a statement, the authority said the actions did not threaten the city’s water quality.
“Both compliance issues raised in the investigation have been rectified and had no impact on the quality or safety of the drinking water. The authority has altered the treatment plant to make these discharges to the river physically impossible.”