washingtontimes--2020-06-26--Lawsuit: Kern County court denied moms entry to proceedings

FRESNO , Calif. ( AP ) - A lawsuit says Kern County Superior Court is unlawfully denying the public ’ s access to court proceedings despite resuming jury trials as the county began reopening for business .
The American Civil Liberties Union and the First Amendment Coalition filed the federal lawsuit Friday on behalf of five women who said they were turned away when they tried to attend their boyfriend ’ s or son ’ s court hearings and weren ’ t given options to see or hear the proceedings by video or phone .
A fifth plaintiff , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s watchdog program for the Kern County court system , said they were also denied access to multiple court hearings .
Kristin Davis , a spokeswoman for the court system , said she couldn ’ t comment on pending litigation and referred to the court ’ s website , which said the public can ask a judicial officer for permission to attend proceedings as long as they wear face coverings and keep a safe distance from others .
The plaintiffs countered that despite the policy , they were denied their constitutional rights to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course of their sons ’ lives .
“ I do not understand why it is okay to open up casinos but we can not go into the courthouse , ” Janie Randle said in a declaration for the lawsuit .
“ That fact that people can gamble but I can ’ t watch my son ’ s court hearings is not right , ” said Randle , whose son is facing an attempted murder charge .
Tanisha Brown , who said her son was arrested by police during a protest against racial injustice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other supporters who tried to attend his arraignment were refused entry .
“ I want to make sure that he doesn ’ t accept charges or a plea deal that he shouldn ’ t accept , and that the court doesn ’ t take the opportunity of an empty courtroom to throw excessive charges at him , ” Brown said about her son , who is Black .
The lawsuit said signs were still up in courthouses , declaring , “ If you are not an attorney , party , defendant , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enter the courthouse and you should return home.
” It said courts across the country , including other superior courts in California , have dealt with public health concerns by providing limited physical access or call-in numbers so that the public can listen in on court proceedings .
The plaintiffs asked a federal judge to order the Kern County Superior Court to allow in-person access and provide an alternative method for remote access .
“ No one can have confidence that a court proceeding is fair if no one can watch , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the ACLU NorCal .

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - A lawsuit says Kern County Superior Court is unlawfully denying the public’s access to court proceedings despite resuming jury trials as the county began reopening for business.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the First Amendment Coalition filed the federal lawsuit Friday on behalf of five women who said they were turned away when they tried to attend their boyfriend’s or son’s court hearings and weren’t given options to see or hear the proceedings by video or phone.
A fifth plaintiff, who heads the ACLU of Southern California’s watchdog program for the Kern County court system, said they were also denied access to multiple court hearings.
Kristin Davis, a spokeswoman for the court system, said she couldn’t comment on pending litigation and referred to the court’s website, which said the public can ask a judicial officer for permission to attend proceedings as long as they wear face coverings and keep a safe distance from others.
The plaintiffs countered that despite the policy, they were denied their constitutional rights to watch criminal proceedings that could alter the course of their sons’ lives.
“I do not understand why it is okay to open up casinos but we cannot go into the courthouse,” Janie Randle said in a declaration for the lawsuit.
“That fact that people can gamble but I can’t watch my son’s court hearings is not right,” said Randle, whose son is facing an attempted murder charge.
Tanisha Brown, who said her son was arrested by police during a protest against racial injustice and police brutality, said she and other supporters who tried to attend his arraignment were refused entry.
“I want to make sure that he doesn’t accept charges or a plea deal that he shouldn’t accept, and that the court doesn’t take the opportunity of an empty courtroom to throw excessive charges at him,” Brown said about her son, who is Black.
The lawsuit said signs were still up in courthouses, declaring, “If you are not an attorney, party, defendant, or subpoenaed courthouse witness, you should not enter the courthouse and you should return home.” It said courts across the country, including other superior courts in California, have dealt with public health concerns by providing limited physical access or call-in numbers so that the public can listen in on court proceedings.
The plaintiffs asked a federal judge to order the Kern County Superior Court to allow in-person access and provide an alternative method for remote access.
“No one can have confidence that a court proceeding is fair if no one can watch,” said Kathleen Guneratne, senior staff attorney at the ACLU NorCal.


washingtontimes--2020-06-26--Portland anti-cop protesters blasted by black leaders: 'Get your knee off our neck'

Black community leaders decried Friday the protesters who wreaked havoc on a predominantly minority Portland neighborhood in an attempt to set up a Seattle-style autonomous zone , telling the rioters to “ get your knee off our neck.
” Protesters were thwarted as they tried to build a fence around the North Precinct , but instead set fires , looted and vandalized the surrounding buildings , at one point blocking and nailing shut exit doors so that police and others inside the precinct were trapped .
At a Friday press conference , community leaders said that all the Northeast Portland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Get your knee off our neck .
That is what you are doing when you do stuff like this , ” said J.W .
Matt Hennessee , pastor of the Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church of Portland .
“ If I were to walk in your neighborhood — because 95 % of you are White — just showing up would cause calls to the police bureau .
I don ’ t have to set anything on fire , all we have to do is show up.
” He added : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the privilege to come into our community and start knocking out windows and doors ?
You ’ ve got something totally messed up.
” Portland police arrested four people after several hundred marched Thursday from Fernhill Park to the North Precinct , blocking traffic on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard , setting fires , and ramming dumpsters into the precinct ’ s garage doors in an effort to breach the building .
“ Numerous officers ” were injured , with most suffering minor injuries , as protesters threw bottles , fought with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and launched a mortar onto the roof of the North Precinct .
Police responded by deploying CS gas , a form of tear gas , which prompted criticism from mayoral candidate Sarah Iannarone , who said the fumes wafted in some people ’ s homes and caused them “ discomfort.
” “ I thought we banned the use of tear gas ?
If we haven ’ t , why the hell not ?
This is insanity , ” tweeted Ms. Iannarone , who is challenging Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler in the November runoff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparently to erect a fence around the precinct building , much like protesters in Seattle did earlier this month in the so-called Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone , or CHOP .
“ Demonstrators arrived with supplies to build a fence and began erecting one which stretched from the south side of North Precinct to the north side of the Boys and Girls Club , ” said the department , adding that the tactics were “ more aggressive and violent than those seen in past weeks.
” Police did not mention Antifa , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video and photos of the rioting , described the protest as an “ Antifa riot.
” The extensive graffiti included typical Antifa messages , including “ The only good cop is a dead one , ” “ ACAB , ” or “ All Cops Are Bastards ” and the anarchist “ A.
” At the press conference , Mr. Wheeler said that “ I ’ m going to speak to my fellow members of the White community : if you were here last night , and you participated in what happened here … @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miscalculation.
” “ You have distracted from the importance of this nationwide movement that seeks justice and racial equity for Black people in America , ” Mr. Wheeler said .
Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell , who is Black , called the actions “ not only reprehensible , but they ’ re evil.
” “ Barricading a building and setting fire to it with people inside … and the acts that have been going on throughout this city while regular Portlanders are asleep [ are ] reprehensible , and it needs to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Several speakers said that the protest violence had distracted from the push to address systemic racism and implement police reform , with some calling the destruction “ terrorism.
” “ We ’ ve got to call terrorism , terrorism , ” said Pastor Steven Holt of the Kingdom Nation Church .
Added Lionel Irving of MenBuildingMen , which seeks to reduce street violence : “ We can not allow those guys to steal the narrative.
” The four people arrested and charged offenses including resisting arrest and interfering with a police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; Charles Randolph Comfort , 23 ; Olive Baldwin , 22 ; and Tudela Jackson , 24 .

Black community leaders decried Friday the protesters who wreaked havoc on a predominantly minority Portland neighborhood in an attempt to set up a Seattle-style autonomous zone, telling the rioters to “get your knee off our neck.”
Protesters were thwarted as they tried to build a fence around the North Precinct, but instead set fires, looted and vandalized the surrounding buildings, at one point blocking and nailing shut exit doors so that police and others inside the precinct were trapped.
At a Friday press conference, community leaders said that all the Northeast Portland businesses damaged in the melee were minority-owned.
“Get your knee off our neck. That is what you are doing when you do stuff like this,” said J.W. Matt Hennessee, pastor of the Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church of Portland. “If I were to walk in your neighborhood — because 95% of you are White — just showing up would cause calls to the police bureau. I don’t have to set anything on fire, all we have to do is show up.”
He added: “And you think you’ve got the privilege to come into our community and start knocking out windows and doors? You’ve got something totally messed up.”
Portland police arrested four people after several hundred marched Thursday from Fernhill Park to the North Precinct, blocking traffic on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, setting fires, and ramming dumpsters into the precinct’s garage doors in an effort to breach the building.
“Numerous officers” were injured, with most suffering minor injuries, as protesters threw bottles, fought with officers, shot police shields with paintballs and launched a mortar onto the roof of the North Precinct.
Police responded by deploying CS gas, a form of tear gas, which prompted criticism from mayoral candidate Sarah Iannarone, who said the fumes wafted in some people’s homes and caused them “discomfort.”
“I thought we banned the use of tear gas? If we haven’t, why the hell not? This is insanity,” tweeted Ms. Iannarone, who is challenging Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler in the November runoff.
The protest’s objective was apparently to erect a fence around the precinct building, much like protesters in Seattle did earlier this month in the so-called Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone, or CHOP.
“Demonstrators arrived with supplies to build a fence and began erecting one which stretched from the south side of North Precinct to the north side of the Boys and Girls Club,” said the department, adding that the tactics were “more aggressive and violent than those seen in past weeks.”
Police did not mention Antifa, but Portland journalist Andy Ngo, who posted video and photos of the rioting, described the protest as an “Antifa riot.” The extensive graffiti included typical Antifa messages, including “The only good cop is a dead one,” “ACAB,” or “All Cops Are Bastards” and the anarchist “A.”
Photos of the aftermath of last night’s violent antifa riot & arson attacks at & near the @PortlandPolice North Precinct.
They sprayed graffiti saying, “Protests are effective when they are expensive” and “Capitalism kills.” pic.twitter.com/Qad63paIg1 — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) June 26, 2020
Update: Arrest Information for June 25th Demonstrations (Photo) https://t.co/JBcOYDCyEG pic.twitter.com/SMgXbGIMOr — Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) June 26, 2020
At the press conference, Mr. Wheeler said that “I’m going to speak to my fellow members of the White community: if you were here last night, and you participated in what happened here … you have made a horrible, horrendous miscalculation.”
“You have distracted from the importance of this nationwide movement that seeks justice and racial equity for Black people in America,” Mr. Wheeler said.
Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell, who is Black, called the actions “not only reprehensible, but they’re evil.”
“Barricading a building and setting fire to it with people inside … and the acts that have been going on throughout this city while regular Portlanders are asleep [are] reprehensible, and it needs to stop and stop today,” Chief Lovell said.
Several speakers said that the protest violence had distracted from the push to address systemic racism and implement police reform, with some calling the destruction “terrorism.”
“We’ve got to call terrorism, terrorism,” said Pastor Steven Holt of the Kingdom Nation Church.
Added Lionel Irving of MenBuildingMen, which seeks to reduce street violence: “We cannot allow those guys to steal the narrative.”
The four people arrested and charged offenses including resisting arrest and interfering with a police officer were Joshua Shane Morris, 33; Charles Randolph Comfort, 23; Olive Baldwin, 22; and Tudela Jackson, 24.
“Get your knee off our neck” refers to the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died May 25 after a White Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, spurring a national outcry against police brutality and racism.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-06-26--2 hurt in small plane crash in Eastern Oregon

BEND , Ore. ( AP ) - A Cessna 182 with a family of four on board crashed in eastern @ @ @ @ @ Thursday evening , authorities said .
Wallowa County Sheriff Steve Rogers said both parents were @ @ @ @ @ medical treatment .
The two children were not injured .
The crash , which happened @ @ @ @ @ under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board .
The Airstrip is in the Wallowa-Whitman @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s considered a remote access and emergency services airport by the Oregon @ @ @

BEND, Ore. (AP) - A Cessna 182 with a family of four on board crashed in eastern Oregon’s Wallowa County Thursday evening, authorities said.
Wallowa County Sheriff Steve Rogers said both parents were transported by air ambulance for medical treatment. The two children were not injured.
The crash, which happened at Memloose Airstrip, is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Airstrip is in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest southeast of Imnaha. It’s considered a remote access and emergency services airport by the Oregon Aviation Department.


washingtontimes--2020-06-26--Andrew Cuomo's praise for BLM protests sinks his coronavirus church shutdown

New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo can ’ t on the one hand praised Black Lives Matter protesters for defying his coronavirus orders , and at the same time get angry at churches that want to open , a federal judge ruled Friday .
Judge Gary L. Sharpe , a Bush appointee , said Mr. Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio undercut their own case for limiting religious gatherings to 25 % of regular capacity by allowing restaurants to open at 50 % capacity .
And the judge said the two men ’ s own praise for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , showed illegal preferential treatment for one set of First Amendment rights over another .
“ Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio could have just as easily discouraged protests , short of condemning their message , in the name of public health and exercised discretion to suspend enforcement for public safety reasons instead of encouraging what they knew was a flagrant disregard of the outdoor limits and social distancing rules .
They could have also been silent .
But by acting as they did , Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio sent a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of preferential treatment , ” he wrote .
New York City had argued that it was a matter of public safety not to discourage the protests .
But Judge Sharpe said the governor and mayor didn ’ t just not discourage the protest , but actively encouraged them — while at the same time discouraging churches and synagogues .
Mr. de Blasio in particular took to Twitter in April to blast a Jewish funeral gathering , saying he went personally to make sure the crowd was dispersed .
He said he ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gather in large groups.
” Yet Mr. de Blasio himself — sans mask — attended such a large gathering , a demonstration in memory of George Floyd , whose death last month sparked the BLM protests .
“ Neither the 10-person limit on outdoor gatherings , nor the social distancing protocols , were adhered to , ” the judge noted .
The ruling is the latest entry in what ’ s quickly become a convoluted legal scene when it comes to coronavirus restrictions and religious liberty .
The Supreme Court earlier this month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. saying judges generally should avoid second-guessing governors amid the pandemic , and saying as long as religious gatherings are treated the same as similar activities , there ’ s no violation of First Amendment liberties .
In New York ’ s case , though , Judge Sharpe said religious gatherings are the only ones subject to a 25 % capacity rule .
Nonessential businesses are allowed to operate at 50 % capacity , despite some of them being “ not justifiably different than houses of worship.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as salons and indoor dining at restaurants , represent risks of coronavirus spread yet Mr. Cuomo and Mr. de Blasio are allowing their increased activity .
The disparate treatment between BLM protesters exercising their First Amendment rights and religious communities wanting to exercise their First Amendment rights has drawn criticism from the highest levels of Washington .
“ Government can not discriminate by protecting free speech and the right to assemble while threatening or limiting religious exercise — it must protect all rights guaranteed under the First Amendment , ” said Assistant Attorney @ @ @ @

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo can’t on the one hand praised Black Lives Matter protesters for defying his coronavirus orders, and at the same time get angry at churches that want to open, a federal judge ruled Friday.
Judge Gary L. Sharpe, a Bush appointee, said Mr. Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio undercut their own case for limiting religious gatherings to 25% of regular capacity by allowing restaurants to open at 50% capacity.
And the judge said the two men’s own praise for protests, while discouraging in-person religious worship, showed illegal preferential treatment for one set of First Amendment rights over another.
“Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio could have just as easily discouraged protests, short of condemning their message, in the name of public health and exercised discretion to suspend enforcement for public safety reasons instead of encouraging what they knew was a flagrant disregard of the outdoor limits and social distancing rules. They could have also been silent. But by acting as they did, Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio sent a clear message that mass protests are deserving of preferential treatment,” he wrote.
New York City had argued that it was a matter of public safety not to discourage the protests. But Judge Sharpe said the governor and mayor didn’t just not discourage the protest, but actively encouraged them — while at the same time discouraging churches and synagogues.
Mr. de Blasio in particular took to Twitter in April to blast a Jewish funeral gathering, saying he went personally to make sure the crowd was dispersed. He said he’d ordered police to arrest “those who gather in large groups.”
Yet Mr. de Blasio himself — sans mask — attended such a large gathering, a demonstration in memory of George Floyd, whose death last month sparked the BLM protests.
“Neither the 10-person limit on outdoor gatherings, nor the social distancing protocols, were adhered to,” the judge noted.
The ruling is the latest entry in what’s quickly become a convoluted legal scene when it comes to coronavirus restrictions and religious liberty.
The Supreme Court earlier this month refused to block a California rule, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. saying judges generally should avoid second-guessing governors amid the pandemic, and saying as long as religious gatherings are treated the same as similar activities, there’s no violation of First Amendment liberties.
In New York’s case, though, Judge Sharpe said religious gatherings are the only ones subject to a 25% capacity rule. Nonessential businesses are allowed to operate at 50% capacity, despite some of them being “not justifiably different than houses of worship.”
He said those establishments, such as salons and indoor dining at restaurants, represent risks of coronavirus spread yet Mr. Cuomo and Mr. de Blasio are allowing their increased activity.
The disparate treatment between BLM protesters exercising their First Amendment rights and religious communities wanting to exercise their First Amendment rights has drawn criticism from the highest levels of Washington.
On Friday, the Justice Department praised Judge Sharpe’s ruling.
“Government cannot discriminate by protecting free speech and the right to assemble while threatening or limiting religious exercise — it must protect all rights guaranteed under the First Amendment,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--Boston task force aims to crack down on illegal fireworks

BOSTON ( AP ) - Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has created a new task force aimed at cracking down on @ @ @ @ @ of complaints .
Walsh said the task force will include the mayor ’ s chief @ @ @ @ @ four at-large city councilors , the Boston Arson Squad , the Boston Police Department ’ @ @ @ @ @ , as well as community leaders .
Officials say illegal firework use has skyrocketed this @ @ @ @ @ office says calls to Boston Police about fireworks were up 5,543 % this June compared @ @ @ @ @ Fireworks are a serious issue not only in the City of Boston , but all @ @ @ @ @ lose sleep , babies get woken up , some people with PTSD experience real harms @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re fire hazards , ” Walsh said in an emailed statement .
It @ @ @ @ @ , possess or sell fireworks in Massachusetts .
You also can not purchase them legally @ @ @ @ @ the state .

BOSTON (AP) - Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has created a new task force aimed at cracking down on illegal fireworks amid an explosion of complaints.
Walsh said the task force will include the mayor’s chief of civic engagement, the four at-large city councilors, the Boston Arson Squad, the Boston Police Department’s Bureau of Community Engagement, as well as community leaders.
Officials say illegal firework use has skyrocketed this year. Walsh’s office says calls to Boston Police about fireworks were up 5,543% this June compared to last June.
“Fireworks are a serious issue not only in the City of Boston, but all across the country. People lose sleep, babies get woken up, some people with PTSD experience real harms, pets are terrified and they’re fire hazards,” Walsh said in an emailed statement.
It’s illegal to use, possess or sell fireworks in Massachusetts. You also cannot purchase them legally elsewhere and bring them into the state.


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--Gas prices jump higher again in NJ, around nation

TRENTON , N.J. ( AP ) - Gas prices jumped higher again in New Jersey and around the nation with @ @ @ @ @ restrictions imposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average price of a @ @ @ @ @ New Jersey on Friday was $ 2.16 , up six cents from a week ago @ @ @ @ @ 2.74 a gallon at this time last year .
The national average price for a @ @ @ @ @ $ 2.17 , also up six cents in the last week .
The national average @ @ @ @ @ time a year ago .
Analysts say higher demand ahead of the holiday may send @ @ @ @ @ but summer gas prices locally and nationally are expected to be some of the lowest @ @ @

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Gas prices jumped higher again in New Jersey and around the nation with increasing demand following easing of restrictions imposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average price of a gallon of regular gas in New Jersey on Friday was $2.16, up six cents from a week ago. Drivers were paying $2.74 a gallon at this time last year.
The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.17, also up six cents in the last week. The national average was $2.68 at this time a year ago.
Analysts say higher demand ahead of the holiday may send prices higher this week, but summer gas prices locally and nationally are expected to be some of the lowest since 2016.


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--Cannibalism case jury may have to come from another county

JEFFERSONVILLE , Ind .
( AP ) - The jury that will hear the murder trial of a southern Indiana man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and eating parts of her body may have to come from another county to avoid depleting the jury pool during another high-profile trial .
Attorneys for Joseph Oberhansley , 39 , and prosecutors are expected to report back to a Clark County judge within days on whether the jurors should come from a different county , or if his trial set to start Sept. 8 should be postponed , the News and Tribune reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mutilating his ex-girlfriend , 46-year-old Tammy Jo Blanton , in Jeffersonville in 2014 .
He was set to go stand trial last August with a jury drawn from central Indiana ’ s Hamilton County , but a mistrial was declared during the first day of testimony after a state ’ s witness spoke of things that attorneys had previously agreed would not be mentioned to the jury .
Attorneys tried to select a new jury drawn from Hamilton County , but they found that due to media coverage of the crime ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already knew details of the case .
Clark County Circuit Court Judge Vicki Carmichael later agreed that the jurors would be selected from St. Joseph County , in northern Indiana , due in part to its distance from the media markets of southern Indiana , Indianapolis and Louisville , Kentucky .
But Carmichael said during a Thursday attorneys meeting held via Zoom that St. Joseph County has another high-profile case of its own there within a week of Oberhansley ’ s scheduled trial and the court doesn ’ t want to deplete that @ @ @ @ @ @

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) - The jury that will hear the murder trial of a southern Indiana man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and eating parts of her body may have to come from another county to avoid depleting the jury pool during another high-profile trial.
Attorneys for Joseph Oberhansley, 39, and prosecutors are expected to report back to a Clark County judge within days on whether the jurors should come from a different county, or if his trial set to start Sept. 8 should be postponed, the News and Tribune reported.
Oberhansley is accused of killing and mutilating his ex-girlfriend, 46-year-old Tammy Jo Blanton, in Jeffersonville in 2014.
He was set to go stand trial last August with a jury drawn from central Indiana’s Hamilton County, but a mistrial was declared during the first day of testimony after a state’s witness spoke of things that attorneys had previously agreed would not be mentioned to the jury.
Attorneys tried to select a new jury drawn from Hamilton County, but they found that due to media coverage of the crime’s gruesome nature many of those potential jurors already knew details of the case.
Clark County Circuit Court Judge Vicki Carmichael later agreed that the jurors would be selected from St. Joseph County, in northern Indiana, due in part to its distance from the media markets of southern Indiana, Indianapolis and Louisville, Kentucky.
But Carmichael said during a Thursday attorneys meeting held via Zoom that St. Joseph County has another high-profile case of its own there within a week of Oberhansley’s scheduled trial and the court doesn’t want to deplete that county’s jury pool.


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--Ex-Indiana first lady Judy O'Bannon wins preservation award

INDIANAPOLIS ( AP ) - Former Indiana first lady Judy O ’ Bannon has won a historic preservation award for her decades of work championing historic places and preservation efforts around the state .
Indiana Landmarks announced Tuesday that O ’ Bannon was chosen as the recipient of the statewide group ’ s 2020 Williamson Prize for outstanding leadership in historic preservation .
The nonprofit group said that O ’ Bannon has worked for more than 50 years as a leader , hands-on preservationist and vocal champion for the value of historic places .
Her efforts include helping launch the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instrumental role in saving meaningful structures .
O ’ Bannon also produced an award-winning TV series demonstrating the impact preservation can have on communities .
“ Judy O ’ Bannon has been a powerful advocate and ally , really humanizing historic preservation and bringing it down to a personal level , ” said Indiana Landmarks ’ president , Marsh Davis .
She ’ ll be honored with the Williamson Prize on Sept. 12 during Indiana Landmarks ’ virtual annual meeting .
O ’ Bannon was introduced to preservation when she and her late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moved to the southern Indiana town of Corydon in 1957 and fixed up their third-floor apartment in a 19th century building that housed The Corydon Democrat - a newspaper owned by the O ’ Bannon family for 108 years .
Gov .
Frank O ’ Bannon died following a stroke in September 2003 with more than a year remaining in his second term .
He and Judy O ’ Bannon had been married 47 years .
She remarried more than a decade later in November 2013 , when she wed Indianapolis attorney Donald @ @

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Former Indiana first lady Judy O’Bannon has won a historic preservation award for her decades of work championing historic places and preservation efforts around the state.
Indiana Landmarks announced Tuesday that O’Bannon was chosen as the recipient of the statewide group’s 2020 Williamson Prize for outstanding leadership in historic preservation.
The nonprofit group said that O’Bannon has worked for more than 50 years as a leader, hands-on preservationist and vocal champion for the value of historic places.
Her efforts include helping launch the Indiana Main Street program and playing an instrumental role in saving meaningful structures. O’Bannon also produced an award-winning TV series demonstrating the impact preservation can have on communities.
“Judy O’Bannon has been a powerful advocate and ally, really humanizing historic preservation and bringing it down to a personal level,” said Indiana Landmarks’ president, Marsh Davis.
She’ll be honored with the Williamson Prize on Sept. 12 during Indiana Landmarks’ virtual annual meeting.
O’Bannon was introduced to preservation when she and her late husband, Frank O’Bannon, moved to the southern Indiana town of Corydon in 1957 and fixed up their third-floor apartment in a 19th century building that housed The Corydon Democrat - a newspaper owned by the O’Bannon family for 108 years.
Gov. Frank O’Bannon died following a stroke in September 2003 with more than a year remaining in his second term. He and Judy O’Bannon had been married 47 years.
She remarried more than a decade later in November 2013, when she wed Indianapolis attorney Donald Willsey.


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--Fivefold growth of forest fires in Siberia reported

MOSCOW ( AP ) - Russia ’ s forest fire aerial protection service says forest fires in Siberia have grown @ @ @ @ @ week .
The fires come amid a notable heat wave in parts of the sprawling @ @ @ @ @ of 38 degrees Celsius ( 100.4 F ) was reported a week ago in the @ @ @ @ @ If the reading is confirmed , it would be the hottest day ever recorded in @ @ @ @ @ figures reported Saturday by Avialesookhrana , Russia ’ s agency for aerial forest fire management @ @ @ @ @ 2.85 million acres ) were burning in Siberia in areas that can not be reached @ @ @ @ @ area is the Sakha Republic , where Verkhoyansk is located , with 929,000 hectares ( @ @ @ @ @ .

MOSCOW (AP) - Russia’s forest fire aerial protection service says forest fires in Siberia have grown nearly fivefold over the past week.
The fires come amid a notable heat wave in parts of the sprawling region. A high temperature of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 F) was reported a week ago in the town of Verkhoyansk,. If the reading is confirmed, it would be the hottest day ever recorded in the Arctic.
According to figures reported Saturday by Avialesookhrana, Russia’s agency for aerial forest fire management, 1.15 million hectares (2.85 million acres) were burning in Siberia in areas that cannot be reached by firefighters.
The worst-hit area is the Sakha Republic, where Verkhoyansk is located, with 929,000 hectares (2.295 million acres) burning.


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--'Occupy City Hall' protest urges budget cuts for NYC police

NEW YORK ( AP ) - Hundreds of protesters camped outside City Hall are demanding that lawmakers slash the New York City police budget .
The encampment in City Hall Park in lower Manhattan began forming earlier this week following weeks of street protests sparked by the death of George Floyd and other Black Americans killed by law enforcement .
The protesters are part of a national “ defund the police ” movement seeking more spending on other needs like housing and education .
Demonstrators are demanding that the City Council cut at least $ 1 billion in from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion budget when it begins considering a new city budget next week .
Organizers have called it “ Occupy City Hall ” - a nod to the 2010 Occupy Wall Street movement a few blocks away in Zuccotti Park .
Police officials have warned that the budget cut would come at a time when the city has seen a surge in shootings during the first three weeks in June .
Mayor Bill de Blasio has committed to reducing the police budget , but hasn ’ t said by how much .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We need safety and we need justice .
We have to do both , ” the mayor said .
Floyd , a Black man , died on May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck even after he stopped moving and pleading for air .
His death prompted global demonstrations about police brutality and slayings of people of color .

NEW YORK (AP) - Hundreds of protesters camped outside City Hall are demanding that lawmakers slash the New York City police budget.
The encampment in City Hall Park in lower Manhattan began forming earlier this week following weeks of street protests sparked by the death of George Floyd and other Black Americans killed by law enforcement. The protesters are part of a national “defund the police” movement seeking more spending on other needs like housing and education.
Demonstrators are demanding that the City Council cut at least $1 billion in from the police department’s current $6 billion budget when it begins considering a new city budget next week. Organizers have called it “Occupy City Hall” - a nod to the 2010 Occupy Wall Street movement a few blocks away in Zuccotti Park.
Police officials warned the budget cut would come at a time when the city has seen a surge in shootings during the first three weeks in June. Mayor Bill de Blasio has committed to reducing the police budget, but hasn’t said by how much.
“We need safety and we need fairness. We need safety and we need justice. We have to do both,” the mayor said.
Floyd, a Black man, died on May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on Floyd’s neck even after he stopped moving and pleading for air. His death prompted global demonstrations about police brutality and slayings of people of color.


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--The Latest:  Jason Day asks for virus test at Travelers

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world : Jason Day has asked to @ @ @ @ @ before the third round of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell , Connecticut .
Officials have @ @ @ @ @ as a single Saturday as a precautionary measure .
Two more players withdrew because of @ @ @ @ @ McCarthy for a positive test , and Bud Cauley , who tested negative but decided @ @ @ @ @ alongside McCarthy on Thursday .
There have been seven COVID-19-related withdrawals from the Connecticut event @

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
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Manchester City will form a guard of honor for new English Premier League champion Liverpool when they meet next Thursday, City manager Pep Guardiola said.
Liverpool took the title City have owned for the last two years this week.
When English soccer resumed this month, Liverpool’s trip to Etihad Stadium was a potentially decisive game in the title race.
But City’s loss at Chelsea on Thursday put Liverpool mathematically out of reach, and Guardiola feels it would be sporting to pay tribute to the new champs.
“We are going to do the guard of honor, of course,” Guardiola said.
“Always we receive Liverpool when they come to our house in an incredible way. They cannot complain and of course we are going to do it because they deserve it.”
Liverpool holds a 23-point advantage over second-placed City.
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Another Chicago Sky player has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Guard Sydney Colson announced the result Saturday on Twitter. About two months earlier, WNBA teammate center Stefanie Dolson said she and her entire family tested positive.
This week, the Sky welcomed back out-of-market players for physicals and individual workouts leading to a 22-game season.
Over the next few weeks, players will face three rounds of coronavirus testing before they can travel to training camp next month in Bradenton, Florida.
Colson is to isolate and follow protocols of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She must test negative before going to Florida for workouts.
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The Texas Rangers say several of their employees have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last few days. The team said anyone who had direct contact with those affected was sent home from Globe Life Field.
The Rangers said no one will be allowed back inside without receiving a negative test for the coronavirus. The club is set to begin another round of training at the ballpark next week.
The team said pandemic protocols are in place for front office employees at the new ballpark that’s set to open when the season begins.
“These include temperature checks upon entering the building, mandatory wearing of face coverings and regular sanitation and cleaning of the Globe Life Field facilities,” the team said.
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Paris Saint-Germain said on Saturday that three players from its women’s teams have tested positive for the coronavirus.
PSG said in a statement that one player from the main women’s team and two players from the under-19 side returned positive results.
The women’s senior team is set to resume training on Monday.
Earlier this week, PSG said three players from the men’s side and one member of staff were infected by the virus during the lockdown when they were not in contact with each other.
PSG said they are no longer contagious and can train as normal.
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Jason Day has asked to be tested for COVID-19 just before the third round of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Officials have decided to have him play as a single Saturday as a precautionary measure.
Two more players withdrew because of the coronavirus Friday — Denny McCarthy for a positive test, and Bud Cauley, who tested negative but decided to pull out after playing alongside McCarthy on Thursday.
There have been seven COVID-19-related withdrawals from the Connecticut event.
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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--Census shows Black population growing slightly in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY ( AP ) - Growing up in Ogden , Jasmine Gordon counted the number of other African American families whose children attended her elementary school on a single hand .
Now a business owner and a Salt Lake City resident of more than a decade , she has observed part of a small but consistent demographic trend in the Beehive State .
Gordon , 33 , said she no longer recognizes each Black neighbor she happens to come across , and has watched closely as the capital city ’ s business community has diversified .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m seeing right now , ” Gordon said Wednesday as she awaited an appointment with a client at A La Mode , a downtown boutique she co-owns with her sister , Angelique Gordon .
She noted a coalition of local businesses is now raising money to support Black Lives Matter and the Utah Black Chamber in the wake of George Floyd ’ s killing in Minnesota .
Although just 1 % of Utah ’ s overall population , Utah ’ s African American community grew the most of any minority group last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Gordon , who has dealt with racism from as early as she can remember , said she ’ s hopeful the change reflects an increase in Black teachers , coaches and other role models for the next generation of African Americans in Utah .
The 4.7 % increase - to a total of about 38,000 - is one chapter in a larger story of demographic change in Utah , now home to more than 3.2 million .
Just over 22 % of Utah residents are ethnic or racial minorities , most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 65 are overwhelmingly white , younger Utah residents are more ethnically and racially diverse .
“ Each year just seems like little , tiny changes , but when you ’ ve got a full decade to look at , you can see how these little incremental changes really do accumulate to bring us an older , more diverse population - and how the youth are much more diverse , racially , ethnically and linguistically than the elders , ” said Pamela Perlich , director of demographic research at the Kem C. Gardner Policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this wave of diversity that ’ s sweeping across the nation.
” Perlich analyzed the numbers , the final set of population estimates to rely on the 2010 census , and shared her insights with the Deseret News .
She points out that in the larger time frame of the past decade , Utah residents of Asian heritage swelled the most of any demographic group - 49 % - up to a total of more than 81,000 .
The newcomers include those from other states , overseas and babies born in Utah .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ vast , said Rep. Karen Kwan , Utah ’ s first Chinese-American lawmaker .
Many in the group are coming from California and seeking more affordable housing , she said , while others are flying from overseas to be close to family in the Beehive State .
Still more have arrived to work in the tech sector or other industries .
“ I see it as a widening of Utah ’ s culture , ” Kwan , D-Murray , said .
But the demographic news comes as minorities fall sick with the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities have faced more discrimination amid the pandemic that President Donald Trump has repeatedly called the “ kung flu.
” “ On a personal note , I ’ m very wary when I leave the house , ” Kwan said .
“ Am I going to get accosted ?
Will my kids be accosted ?
That , of course , is not anything new , but it ’ s a growing , increasing fear.
” The rapid growth in the Asian community was trailed by that of multiracial Utah residents , who saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last decade , followed by Black Utah residents at 44.5 % .

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Growing up in Ogden, Jasmine Gordon counted the number of other African American families whose children attended her elementary school on a single hand.
Now a business owner and a Salt Lake City resident of more than a decade, she has observed part of a small but consistent demographic trend in the Beehive State. Gordon, 33, said she no longer recognizes each Black neighbor she happens to come across, and has watched closely as the capital city’s business community has diversified.
“I love some of the things I’m seeing right now,” Gordon said Wednesday as she awaited an appointment with a client at A La Mode, a downtown boutique she co-owns with her sister, Angelique Gordon. She noted a coalition of local businesses is now raising money to support Black Lives Matter and the Utah Black Chamber in the wake of George Floyd’s killing in Minnesota.
Although just 1% of Utah’s overall population, Utah’s African American community grew the most of any minority group last year, show census figures released late Wednesday.
Gordon, who has dealt with racism from as early as she can remember, said she’s hopeful the change reflects an increase in Black teachers, coaches and other role models for the next generation of African Americans in Utah.
The 4.7% increase - to a total of about 38,000 - is one chapter in a larger story of demographic change in Utah, now home to more than 3.2 million.
Just over 22% of Utah residents are ethnic or racial minorities, most of them Hispanic. While those older than 65 are overwhelmingly white, younger Utah residents are more ethnically and racially diverse.
“Each year just seems like little, tiny changes, but when you’ve got a full decade to look at, you can see how these little incremental changes really do accumulate to bring us an older, more diverse population - and how the youth are much more diverse, racially, ethnically and linguistically than the elders,” said Pamela Perlich, director of demographic research at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. “It’s just this wave of diversity that’s sweeping across the nation.”
Perlich analyzed the numbers, the final set of population estimates to rely on the 2010 census, and shared her insights with the Deseret News.
She points out that in the larger time frame of the past decade, Utah residents of Asian heritage swelled the most of any demographic group - 49% - up to a total of more than 81,000. The newcomers include those from other states, overseas and babies born in Utah.
The diversity within the Asian community is vast, said Rep. Karen Kwan, Utah’s first Chinese-American lawmaker. Many in the group are coming from California and seeking more affordable housing, she said, while others are flying from overseas to be close to family in the Beehive State. Still more have arrived to work in the tech sector or other industries.
“I see it as a widening of Utah’s culture,” Kwan, D-Murray, said.
But the demographic news comes as minorities fall sick with the coronavirus at greater rates and as Asian American communities have faced more discrimination amid the pandemic that President Donald Trump has repeatedly called the “kung flu.”
“On a personal note, I’m very wary when I leave the house,” Kwan said. “Am I going to get accosted? Will my kids be accosted? That, of course, is not anything new, but it’s a growing, increasing fear.”
The rapid growth in the Asian community was trailed by that of multiracial Utah residents, who saw a surge of 47.2% in the last decade, followed by Black Utah residents at 44.5%.


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--Water-quality improvement grants available from Illinois EPA

SPRINGFIELD , Ill. ( AP ) - The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has opened the application period for grant programs @ @ @ @ @ million to improve water quality in the state .
The Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunities program @ @ @ @ @ Illinois capital improvement plan .
It will provide up to $ 5 million for local @ @ @ @ @ environmentally friendly structures which reduce storm water runoff into Illinois waterways .
The EPA is @ @ @ @ @ through existing Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Financial Assistance Program .
It will provide @ @ @ @ @ improve surface and groundwater supplies with improved watershed management plans .
Information about the programs @ @ @ @ @ are due by Aug. 3 .
Applicants must be pre-qualified through the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ portal .

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has opened the application period for grant programs worth more than $9 million to improve water quality in the state .
The Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunities program is funded by the Rebuild Illinois capital improvement plan. It will provide up to $5 million for local governments that want to build environmentally friendly structures which reduce storm water runoff into Illinois waterways.
The EPA is also accepting applications for funding through existing Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Financial Assistance Program. It will provide about $4.5 million to improve surface and groundwater supplies with improved watershed management plans.
Information about the programs is available online. Applications are due by Aug. 3.
Applicants must be pre-qualified through the state’s grant accountability and transparency online portal.
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Online
Grant information: https://bit.ly/3hWsuIg
Grant accountability portal: https://bit.ly/3euQUX3


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--Lincoln museum, presidential library to reopen Wednesday

SPRINGFIELD , Ill. ( AP ) - The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield plans to reopen for visitors on Wednesday after shutting down as part of statewide efforts to limit spread of the coronavirus .
Museum officials said the property has been cleaned and protective barriers also are installed in some places .
Tickets must be purchased in advance online or over the phone .
The museum has cut down the number of theater performances and closed access to some exhibits .
Visitors will have their temperatures checked before entering , must wear masks and will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apart , a nod to the former president ’ s height of 6 feet , 4 inches .
“ In trying times , Abraham Lincoln ’ s example can be an inspiration and a comfort to all of us , ” acting executive director Melissa Coultas said .
“ People deserve to be able to come to this special place , learn about one of our greatest presidents and explore some new features we ’ re proud to offer.
” A new exhibit at the reopening examines nine events in U.S. history when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became a threat , including the Sept. 11 , 2001 attacks .
The museum recommends that parents and guardians only take children 12 and older into the “ Spies , Traitors , Saboteurs : Fear and Freedom in America ” exhibit due to its inclusion of powerful imagery .
The museum ’ s daily hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m .

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield plans to reopen for visitors on Wednesday after shutting down as part of statewide efforts to limit spread of the coronavirus.
Museum officials said the property has been cleaned and protective barriers also are installed in some places. Tickets must be purchased in advance online or over the phone.
The museum has cut down the number of theater performances and closed access to some exhibits.
Visitors will have their temperatures checked before entering, must wear masks and will be asked to stay one “Lincoln” apart, a nod to the former president’s height of 6 feet, 4 inches.
“In trying times, Abraham Lincoln’s example can be an inspiration and a comfort to all of us,” acting executive director Melissa Coultas said. “People deserve to be able to come to this special place, learn about one of our greatest presidents and explore some new features we’re proud to offer.”
A new exhibit at the reopening examines nine events in U.S. history when enemies within the country’s borders became a threat, including the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
The museum recommends that parents and guardians only take children 12 and older into the “Spies, Traitors, Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America” exhibit due to its inclusion of powerful imagery.
The museum’s daily hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--Chicago-area plumbers keep busy during COVID-19 pandemic

CHICAGO ( AP ) - Plumbers in the Chicago area say they ’ ve had no shortage of work during the coronavirus pandemic because more people are staying at home , leading to plumbing problems for home toilets .
Before the pandemic began , many people used toilets at their workplaces during the day , but since many have been staying home that has placed a greater burden on their home plumbing .
“ We ’ ve been incredibly busy - beyond belief .
There ’ s a lot more toilets being flushed , ” William Taylor , owner of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Northwest Side , told the Chicago Sun-Times .
Brian Wilk , owner of Bishop Heating , Plumbing and Cooling in Des Plaines , said people typically used bathroom facilities in the morning prior to going to work or school and then in the evening .
But he noted that people adhering to Illinois ’ stay-at-home order spurred more clogged drain lines .
Other clogs have been caused by people who defy the advice of plumbers by using paper towels or wipes that don ’ t dissolve like toilet paper .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being home , who toss objects into the toilet .
Rivera noted that he recently handled “ a dozen of those little trolls that got flushed down the toilet .
We were just pulling them out hair by hair.
” Initially , many people were hesitant to allow plumbers into their homes because of concerns about COVID-19 .
But backlogs of repairs started accumulating , according to plumbers , and business returned once workers began wearing face masks and business owners added contactless payment .
“ About a week into May , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have been very busy ever since , ” says David Ariano , owner of Ravinia Plumbing , Sewer , Heating & Electric in Lincolnshire .
Commercial clients are also keeping plumbers busy , doing things like adding washing sinks at factories and retrofitting toilets and sinks so they ’ re touch-free , according to Mike Mannion , director of new business at Garces Contractors on the city ’ s West Side .
In other instances , the housebound are viewing their bathrooms with a renewed and critical eye .
Byran Henderson of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Holland said he ’ s getting more renovation calls .
“ They ’ ve had time to look at their house , ” Mascari says , and start thinking : “ ‘ Why don ’ t I replace these toilets ?
They ’ re old .
’ ”

CHICAGO (AP) - Plumbers in the Chicago area say they’ve had no shortage of work during the coronavirus pandemic because more people are staying at home, leading to plumbing problems for home toilets.
Before the pandemic began, many people used toilets at their workplaces during the day, but since many have been staying home that has placed a greater burden on their home plumbing.
“We’ve been incredibly busy - beyond belief. There’s a lot more toilets being flushed,” William Taylor, owner of Four Seasons Sewer & Plumbing on Chicago’s Northwest Side, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Brian Wilk, owner of Bishop Heating, Plumbing and Cooling in Des Plaines, said people typically used bathroom facilities in the morning prior to going to work or school and then in the evening. But he noted that people adhering to Illinois’ stay-at-home order spurred more clogged drain lines.
Other clogs have been caused by people who defy the advice of plumbers by using paper towels or wipes that don’t dissolve like toilet paper.
There have also been children, bored with being home, who toss objects into the toilet. Rivera noted that he recently handled “a dozen of those little trolls that got flushed down the toilet. We were just pulling them out hair by hair.”
Initially, many people were hesitant to allow plumbers into their homes because of concerns about COVID-19. But backlogs of repairs started accumulating, according to plumbers, and business returned once workers began wearing face masks and business owners added contactless payment.
“About a week into May, the phones were ringing off the hook and we have been very busy ever since,” says David Ariano, owner of Ravinia Plumbing, Sewer, Heating & Electric in Lincolnshire.
Commercial clients are also keeping plumbers busy, doing things like adding washing sinks at factories and retrofitting toilets and sinks so they’re touch-free, according to Mike Mannion, director of new business at Garces Contractors on the city’s West Side.
In other instances, the housebound are viewing their bathrooms with a renewed and critical eye. Byran Henderson of Big Wrench Plumbing & Sewer in South Holland said he’s getting more renovation calls.
“They’ve had time to look at their house,” Mascari says, and start thinking: “‘Why don’t I replace these toilets? They’re old.’”


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--AP FACT CHECK: Trump's see-no-evil posture on coronavirus

WASHINGTON ( AP ) - President Donald Trump ’ s persistent see-no-evil posture on coronavirus testing - if you don ’ t look for the virus , the cases go away - defies both science and street sense .
Yet he took it a step further with a comment suggesting that testing be restrained so the pandemic doesn ’ t look so bad .
His aides passed that off as a joke .
Trump contradicted them , saying he wasn ’ t kidding .
Then he contradicted himself , saying he was .
So it went over the past week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and racism navigated a fog of falsehoods and distortions from the president .
A sampling : TRUMP : “ You know testing is a double-edged sword .
… Here ’ s the bad part .
When you test to that extent , you are going to find more people , find more cases .
So I said to my people , ‘ Slow the testing down please.
‘ ” - Tulsa , Oklahoma , rally June 20 .
THE FACT : First , it ’ s not true that he ordered testing slowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health officials testified one by one to Congress that Trump told them no such thing .
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the comment was “ made in jest ” and other senior aides similarly brushed it off as not serious .
Trump didn ’ t play along .
“ I don ’ t kid , ” he said Tuesday when asked about the remark .
Then he reversed himself , telling Fox News on Thursday “ Sometimes I jokingly say , or sarcastically say , if we didn ’ t do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holding back on testing is “ not the right thing to do.
” Trump ’ broader point - “ If you don ’ t test , you don ’ t have any cases , ” he also said - flips science on its head .
No one disputes the fact that testing for the virus is key to controlling it .
Testing is only one measure of the pandemic .
It is also measured by hospitalization and death , which continue even if authorities were to close their eyes to spreading sickness .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S .
Infections are far higher than are known because many who get the disease and pass it on are not tested .
TRUMP : “ There is tremendous evidence of fraud whenever you have mail-in ballots.
” - remarks Tuesday at Phoenix rally .
THE FACTS : No there isn ’ t .
Voting fraud actually is rare and Trump ’ s attempts to show otherwise have fallen flat .
Nevertheless , he persists in the assertion , in what can be seen as a pretext to discredit results if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commission after the 2016 election to get to the bottom of his theory that voting fraud is rampant .
The panel disbanded without producing any findings .
Some election studies have reported a higher incidence of mail-in voting fraud compared with in-person voting , but the overall risk is all but imperceptible .
The Brennan Center for Justice said in 2017 the risk of voting fraud is 0.00004 % to 0.0009 % .
When Trump made similar assertions last month , Twitter took the extraordinary step of attaching fact-checking notices .
Richard L. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University of California , Irvine School of Law , recently wrote in an op-ed that “ problems are extremely rare in the five states that rely primarily on vote-by-mail , including the heavily Republican state of Utah.
” Trump himself voted by mail in the Florida Republican primary in March .
A half-dozen senior advisers to the president have also voted by mail , according to election records obtained by The Associated Press .
TRUMP : “ I ’ ve also made clear that any rioters damaging federal property and defacing our monuments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ten years.
” - remarks Tuesday in Phoenix .
THE FACTS : He has no such authority .
A president is not a judge .
TRUMP : “ I have authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument , statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison per the Veteran ’ s Memorial Preservation Act , or such other laws that may be pertinent .
… This action is taken effective immediately , but may also be used retroactively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There will be no exceptions !
” - tweets Tuesday .
THE FACTS : This action taken “ immediately ” and “ retroactively ” is merely words .
It has no effect .
The Veterans ’ Memorial Preservation Act , passed by Congress in 2003 , already authorizes fines or prison for up to 10 years for the destruction of veterans ’ memorials on public property .
The law covers “ any structure , plaque , statue , or other monument on public property commemorating the service of any person or persons in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” So all prosecutors got from Trump is a reminder of legal authority they already had .
TRUMP : “ They even vandalized - that ’ s right - the Lincoln Memorial .
The Lincoln Memorial.
” - remarks at Phoenix rally Wednesday , prompting boos from the audience .
THE FACTS : No one damaged the memorial housing the statue of Lincoln in protests that unfolded near it .
An online photo seeming to show the Lincoln statue and a memorial wall blanketed by graffiti was fake .
The reality : Someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tired yet ?
” by the bottom of the steps to the memorial May 30 and the National Park Service cleaned it up .
“ The only vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial was graffiti at the bottom of the steps at street level , far away from the statue , ” said national parks spokesman Mike Litterst .
He said vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial is unusual but not unheard of .
“ Probably most notable was in 2013 when someone splashed green paint on the statue , ” he said in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ twice in 2017 , once in February with black magic marker and again in August with red spray paint on one of the columns.
” TRUMP : “ The number of ChinaVirus cases goes up , because of GREAT TESTING , while the number of deaths ( mortality rate ) , goes way down.
” - tweet Thursday .
THE FACTS : No , increased testing does not fully account for the rise in cases .
People are also infecting each other more than before as social distancing rules recede and “ community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the things is an increase in community spread , and that ’ s something that I ’ m really quite concerned about , ” Dr. Anthony Fauci , the government ’ s top infectious disease expert , testified Tuesday .
As for Trump ’ s point about mortality coming down , Fauci said that is not a relevant measure of what is happening in the moment with infections .
“ Deaths always lag considerably behind cases , ” he said .
“ It is conceivable you may see the deaths going up.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , testified that “ several communities are seeing increased cases driven by multiple factors , including increased testing , outbreaks , and evidence of community transmission.
” TRUMP on the pandemic : “ It ’ s fading away , it ’ s going to fade away.
” - Fox News interview June 17 .
THE FACTS : It ’ s not fading and not about to .
Coronavirus infections per day in the U.S. surged to an all-time high of 40,000 at the end of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 36,400 on April 24 during one of the deadliest stretches in the crisis .
Newly reported cases per day have risen on average about 60 percent over the past two weeks , according to an Associated Press analysis .
Earlier in the week , Fauci told Congress the U.S. is “ still in the middle of the first wave ” and the imperative is to “ get this outbreak under control over the next couple of months.
” He said the New York City area , once an epicenter , has done notably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country we ’ re now seeing a disturbing surge of infections.
” The next few weeks “ are going to be critical in our ability to address those surgings that we are seeing in Florida , in Texas , in Arizona and other states , ” Fauci said .
“ They ’ re not the only ones that are having a difficulty.
” Fauci added : “ Certainly there will be coronavirus infections in the fall and winter because the virus is not going to disappear.
” Said Redfield : “ As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re going to have influenza and COVID at the same time.
” TRUMP : “ We have got the greatest testing program anywhere in the world.
” - remarks Tuesday .
THE FACTS : The U.S. is nowhere near the level of testing needed to stem the virus , according to his own health experts .
Redfield testified that health officials are still working to significantly increase testing capacity , calling such expansion a “ critical underpinning of our response.
” The U.S. currently is conducting about 500,000 to 600,000 tests a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. should be testing nearly twice as many people daily to control the spread of the virus .
Looking to the fall , some experts have called for 4 million or more tests daily , while a group assembled by Harvard University estimated that 20 million a day would be needed to keep the virus in check .
Redfield said the U.S. was aiming to boost testing to 3 million daily by “ pooling ” multiple people ’ s samples , a technique that is still under review by the FDA .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ because some people who get infected may not show symptoms .
“ We still have a ways to go , ” Redfield said .
The U.S. stumbled early in the pandemic response as the CDC struggled to develop its own test for the coronavirus in January , later discovering problems in its kits sent to state and county public health labs in early February .
It took the CDC more than two weeks to come up with a fix to the test kits , leading to delays in diagnoses through February , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Matthew Perrone in Washington and Beatrice Dupuy in New York contributed to this report .
EDITOR ’ S NOTE - A look at the veracity of claims by political figures .

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump’s persistent see-no-evil posture on coronavirus testing - if you don’t look for the virus, the cases go away - defies both science and street sense. Yet he took it a step further with a comment suggesting that testing be restrained so the pandemic doesn’t look so bad.
His aides passed that off as a joke. Trump contradicted them, saying he wasn’t kidding. Then he contradicted himself, saying he was.
So it went over the past week as America’s reckoning with disease and racism navigated a fog of falsehoods and distortions from the president. A sampling:
JUST KIDDING?
TRUMP: “You know testing is a double-edged sword. … Here’s the bad part. When you test to that extent, you are going to find more people, find more cases. So I said to my people, ‘Slow the testing down please.‘” - Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally June 20.
THE FACT: First, it’s not true that he ordered testing slowed. The government’s top public health officials testified one by one to Congress that Trump told them no such thing.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the comment was “made in jest” and other senior aides similarly brushed it off as not serious. Trump didn’t play along. “I don’t kid,” he said Tuesday when asked about the remark.
Then he reversed himself, telling Fox News on Thursday “Sometimes I jokingly say, or sarcastically say, if we didn’t do tests we would look great.” But holding back on testing is “not the right thing to do.”
Trump’ broader point - “If you don’t test, you don’t have any cases,” he also said - flips science on its head. No one disputes the fact that testing for the virus is key to controlling it. Testing is only one measure of the pandemic. It is also measured by hospitalization and death, which continue even if authorities were to close their eyes to spreading sickness.
COVID-19 has killed about 125,000 people in the U.S. Infections are far higher than are known because many who get the disease and pass it on are not tested.
__
VOTING FRAUD
TRUMP: “There is tremendous evidence of fraud whenever you have mail-in ballots.” - remarks Tuesday at Phoenix rally.
THE FACTS: No there isn’t.
Voting fraud actually is rare and Trump’s attempts to show otherwise have fallen flat. Nevertheless, he persists in the assertion, in what can be seen as a pretext to discredit results if he loses in November.
Trump appointed a commission after the 2016 election to get to the bottom of his theory that voting fraud is rampant. The panel disbanded without producing any findings.
Some election studies have reported a higher incidence of mail-in voting fraud compared with in-person voting, but the overall risk is all but imperceptible. The Brennan Center for Justice said in 2017 the risk of voting fraud is 0.00004% to 0.0009%.
When Trump made similar assertions last month, Twitter took the extraordinary step of attaching fact-checking notices.
Richard L. Hasen, an elections expert at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, recently wrote in an op-ed that “problems are extremely rare in the five states that rely primarily on vote-by-mail, including the heavily Republican state of Utah.”
Trump himself voted by mail in the Florida Republican primary in March. A half-dozen senior advisers to the president have also voted by mail, according to election records obtained by The Associated Press.
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MEMORIALS
TRUMP: “I’ve also made clear that any rioters damaging federal property and defacing our monuments will face severe and lengthy criminal penalties. Ten years.” - remarks Tuesday in Phoenix.
THE FACTS: He has no such authority. A president is not a judge.
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TRUMP: “I have authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison per the Veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act, or such other laws that may be pertinent. … This action is taken effective immediately, but may also be used retroactively for destruction or vandalism already caused. There will be no exceptions!” - tweets Tuesday.
THE FACTS: This action taken “immediately” and “retroactively” is merely words. It has no effect.
The Veterans’ Memorial Preservation Act, passed by Congress in 2003, already authorizes fines or prison for up to 10 years for the destruction of veterans’ memorials on public property.
The law covers “any structure, plaque, statue, or other monument on public property commemorating the service of any person or persons in the armed forces of the United States.”
So all prosecutors got from Trump is a reminder of legal authority they already had.
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TRUMP: “They even vandalized - that’s right - the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial.” - remarks at Phoenix rally Wednesday, prompting boos from the audience.
THE FACTS: No one damaged the memorial housing the statue of Lincoln in protests that unfolded near it. An online photo seeming to show the Lincoln statue and a memorial wall blanketed by graffiti was fake.
The reality: Someone spray painted “y’all not tired yet?” by the bottom of the steps to the memorial May 30 and the National Park Service cleaned it up.
“The only vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial was graffiti at the bottom of the steps at street level, far away from the statue,” said national parks spokesman Mike Litterst.
He said vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial is unusual but not unheard of. “Probably most notable was in 2013 when someone splashed green paint on the statue,” he said in an email. “And it was vandalized twice in 2017, once in February with black magic marker and again in August with red spray paint on one of the columns.”
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VIRUS RISK
TRUMP: “The number of ChinaVirus cases goes up, because of GREAT TESTING, while the number of deaths (mortality rate), goes way down.” - tweet Thursday.
THE FACTS: No, increased testing does not fully account for the rise in cases. People are also infecting each other more than before as social distancing rules recede and “community spread” picks up.
“One of the things is an increase in community spread, and that’s something that I’m really quite concerned about,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, testified Tuesday.
As for Trump’s point about mortality coming down, Fauci said that is not a relevant measure of what is happening in the moment with infections. “Deaths always lag considerably behind cases,” he said. “It is conceivable you may see the deaths going up.”
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified that “several communities are seeing increased cases driven by multiple factors, including increased testing, outbreaks, and evidence of community transmission.”
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TRUMP on the pandemic: “It’s fading away, it’s going to fade away.” - Fox News interview June 17.
THE FACTS: It’s not fading and not about to.
Coronavirus infections per day in the U.S. surged to an all-time high of 40,000 at the end of the week, eclipsing the previous high of 36,400 on April 24 during one of the deadliest stretches in the crisis. Newly reported cases per day have risen on average about 60 percent over the past two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis.
Earlier in the week, Fauci told Congress the U.S. is “still in the middle of the first wave” and the imperative is to “get this outbreak under control over the next couple of months.” He said the New York City area, once an epicenter, has done notably well but “in other areas of the country we’re now seeing a disturbing surge of infections.”
The next few weeks “are going to be critical in our ability to address those surgings that we are seeing in Florida, in Texas, in Arizona and other states,” Fauci said. “They’re not the only ones that are having a difficulty.”
Fauci added: “Certainly there will be coronavirus infections in the fall and winter because the virus is not going to disappear.”
Said Redfield: “As we get to the fall, we’re going to have influenza and COVID at the same time.”
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TESTING
TRUMP: “We have got the greatest testing program anywhere in the world.” - remarks Tuesday.
TRUMP: “We’ve done too good a job.” - interview Monday.
THE FACTS: The U.S. is nowhere near the level of testing needed to stem the virus, according to his own health experts.
Redfield testified that health officials are still working to significantly increase testing capacity, calling such expansion a “critical underpinning of our response.”
The U.S. currently is conducting about 500,000 to 600,000 tests a day. Many public health experts say the U.S. should be testing nearly twice as many people daily to control the spread of the virus. Looking to the fall, some experts have called for 4 million or more tests daily, while a group assembled by Harvard University estimated that 20 million a day would be needed to keep the virus in check.
Redfield said the U.S. was aiming to boost testing to 3 million daily by “pooling” multiple people’s samples, a technique that is still under review by the FDA. He stressed the need for expanded surveillance because some people who get infected may not show symptoms.
“We still have a ways to go,” Redfield said.
The U.S. stumbled early in the pandemic response as the CDC struggled to develop its own test for the coronavirus in January, later discovering problems in its kits sent to state and county public health labs in early February.
It took the CDC more than two weeks to come up with a fix to the test kits, leading to delays in diagnoses through February, a critical month when the virus took root in the U.S.
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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Matthew Perrone in Washington and Beatrice Dupuy in New York contributed to this report.
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EDITOR’S NOTE - A look at the veracity of claims by political figures.
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Find AP Fact Checks at http://apnews.com/APFactCheck
Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--Virus visitor bans renew interest in nursing home cameras

HARTFORD , Conn. ( AP ) - Visitation bans at nursing homes have renewed interest in legislation that would allow families to put remote cameras inside the facilities to help see how loved ones are doing .
Before the pandemic , cameras were seen as a way to identify elder abuse and neglect .
But now , many hope they could bring comfort after visitation bans imposed to stem the devastating tide of COVID-19 inside nursing homes left many families struggling to get information .
“ That visitation ban , it was really , really upsetting to people .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t great about sharing information about what ’ s going on , ” said Anna Doroghazi , the associate state director for AARP in Connecticut .
She has heard stories about people calling a nursing home five times before someone finally picked up the phone and families unable to get an update on a loved one ’ s condition .
“ For me , this isn ’ t about a gotcha game with nursing home staff .
I think especially now , people are doing their best .
They ’ re showing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good job , ” Doroghazi said .
“ But for me , cameras are really about peace of mind for family members.
” About a dozen states already have laws or regulations in place allowing residents and their families to install video cameras , subject to certain rules .
Last month , Missouri lawmakers passed legislation allowing families to request cameras to connect with loved ones in a nursing home .
The state ’ s governor is reviewing the legislation .
Camera bills have also gained new life in other states , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cameras might have helped alleviate frustration at not being able to see firsthand what has been happening this spring to her 65-year-old sister , Christy Buzzard , in an Ohio long-term care facility .
Since March , Buzzard , who suffered brain damage as toddler , has a childlike personality and is now partially paralyzed from a stroke , has fallen seven times , been hospitalized for a serious head injury and was isolated after testing positive for COVID-19 .
Through phone calls and window visits , she also described being kicked and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facility has denied .
“ If I could get a camera in her room , I could look at it and see who ’ s coming in and who ’ s going out .
I could tell who ’ s the ones being mean to her , ” said Krafthefer .
“ The cameras are so badly needed .
I mean , if we had that , it would help the workers a lot .
It would help the families .
It would help the residents .
There ’ s so much good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rep. Juanita Brent , a Democrat from suburban Cleveland who introduced a bill late last year that would allow cameras , said she ’ s heard from numerous families since the pandemic hit who haven ’ t been able to see their relatives for months and now want to install them .
“ People are now understanding the urgency of why we need this implemented , ” she said .
“ You feel kind of helpless.
” The cameras allow families to monitor loved ones in real time or make recordings .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they be turned off for privacy .
There are safeguards to protect roommates from being filmed unknowingly .
Signs in rooms alert staff and visitors that the cameras are operating .
Both Connecticut ’ s Department of Public Health commissioner and the state ’ s nursing home industry have voiced privacy concerns .
“ The public disclosure of the very private material concerning nursing home residents can be devastating , especially given the impossibility of a foolproof assurance that the data or streaming material can not be compromised , ” Matthew Barrett , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Health Care Facilities , said in testimony submitted to Connecticut lawmakers .
Hidden cameras should only be allowed as part of a criminal investigation , he said .
Liz Stern of Stonington , Connecticut , has been among family members of nursing home residents pressuring the Connecticut General Assembly to pass a camera bill .
Stern took up the cause after the private aides she hires to provide extra care for her 91-year-old mother had to stop seeing her because of COVID-19 visitor restrictions .
“ They would report to us .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ear .
They would take photographs .
They would manage anything that went awry there , ” said Stern , who ’ s worried about neglect , not abuse .
She has since been unable to get a camera installed for various reasons , including opposition from the family of her mother ’ s roommate .
When Julie Griffith suspected that her 96-year-old mother was being mistreated at a nursing home near Toledo , Ohio , she and her husband set up an audio recorder behind a picture frame last August .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ male nurse ’ s aide disguising himself as a woman and verbally and mentally abusing Griffith ’ s mother at night .
It was enough to have the aide fired and sentenced on abuse and neglect charges .
Now that they can no longer monitor what ’ s happening inside her room , they are wracked with fear .
“ We have been at a loss since then and we can ’ t get any answers , ” Griffith said .
“ They ’ re telling us everything is perfect .
We have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Julie ’ s husband , David .
“ Everything is a secret .
”

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Visitation bans at nursing homes have renewed interest in legislation that would allow families to put remote cameras inside the facilities to help see how loved ones are doing.
Before the pandemic, cameras were seen as a way to identify elder abuse and neglect. But now, many hope they could bring comfort after visitation bans imposed to stem the devastating tide of COVID-19 inside nursing homes left many families struggling to get information.
“That visitation ban, it was really, really upsetting to people. And I think understandably, Some facilities aren’t great about sharing information about what’s going on,” said Anna Doroghazi, the associate state director for AARP in Connecticut. She has heard stories about people calling a nursing home five times before someone finally picked up the phone and families unable to get an update on a loved one’s condition.
“For me, this isn’t about a gotcha game with nursing home staff. I think especially now, people are doing their best. They’re showing up. They’re doing a good job,” Doroghazi said. “But for me, cameras are really about peace of mind for family members.”
About a dozen states already have laws or regulations in place allowing residents and their families to install video cameras, subject to certain rules.
Last month, Missouri lawmakers passed legislation allowing families to request cameras to connect with loved ones in a nursing home. The state’s governor is reviewing the legislation.
Camera bills have also gained new life in other states, including Ohio and Connecticut.
Vicki Krafthefer said cameras might have helped alleviate frustration at not being able to see firsthand what has been happening this spring to her 65-year-old sister, Christy Buzzard, in an Ohio long-term care facility.
Since March, Buzzard, who suffered brain damage as toddler, has a childlike personality and is now partially paralyzed from a stroke, has fallen seven times, been hospitalized for a serious head injury and was isolated after testing positive for COVID-19.
Through phone calls and window visits, she also described being kicked and having her hair pulled, allegations the facility has denied.
“If I could get a camera in her room, I could look at it and see who’s coming in and who’s going out. I could tell who’s the ones being mean to her,” said Krafthefer. “The cameras are so badly needed. I mean, if we had that, it would help the workers a lot. It would help the families. It would help the residents. There’s so much good a camera can do.”
Ohio House Rep. Juanita Brent, a Democrat from suburban Cleveland who introduced a bill late last year that would allow cameras, said she’s heard from numerous families since the pandemic hit who haven’t been able to see their relatives for months and now want to install them.
“People are now understanding the urgency of why we need this implemented,” she said. “You feel kind of helpless.”
The cameras allow families to monitor loved ones in real time or make recordings. In most cases, residents can ask that they be turned off for privacy. There are safeguards to protect roommates from being filmed unknowingly. Signs in rooms alert staff and visitors that the cameras are operating.
Both Connecticut’s Department of Public Health commissioner and the state’s nursing home industry have voiced privacy concerns.
“The public disclosure of the very private material concerning nursing home residents can be devastating, especially given the impossibility of a foolproof assurance that the data or streaming material cannot be compromised,” Matthew Barrett, president and CEO of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, said in testimony submitted to Connecticut lawmakers.
Hidden cameras should only be allowed as part of a criminal investigation, he said.
Liz Stern of Stonington, Connecticut, has been among family members of nursing home residents pressuring the Connecticut General Assembly to pass a camera bill.
Stern took up the cause after the private aides she hires to provide extra care for her 91-year-old mother had to stop seeing her because of COVID-19 visitor restrictions.
“They would report to us. They would put the phone to her ear. They would take photographs. They would manage anything that went awry there,” said Stern, who’s worried about neglect, not abuse. She has since been unable to get a camera installed for various reasons, including opposition from the family of her mother’s roommate.
When Julie Griffith suspected that her 96-year-old mother was being mistreated at a nursing home near Toledo, Ohio, she and her husband set up an audio recorder behind a picture frame last August.
What they heard left them stunned - a male nurse’s aide disguising himself as a woman and verbally and mentally abusing Griffith’s mother at night. It was enough to have the aide fired and sentenced on abuse and neglect charges.
Now that they can no longer monitor what’s happening inside her room, they are wracked with fear.
“We have been at a loss since then and we can’t get any answers,” Griffith said.
“They’re telling us everything is perfect. We have no way of knowing,” said Julie’s husband, David. “Everything is a secret.”
___
Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.


washingtontimes--2020-06-27--Michigan drivers face new insurance choice starting Thursday

LANSING , Mich. ( AP ) - Michigan drivers who renew or buy car insurance face a choice starting Thursday : stick with unlimited medical coverage , go with less or — for seniors with Medicare — opt out entirely .
The decision , a signature feature of a new law that will lower the cost of personal injury protection benefits in a state with the country ’ s highest auto premiums , boils down to people ’ s risk tolerance and desire for savings .
But unlike with choosing between a $ 500 or $ 1,000 deductible , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event of a serious crash .
Insurance agents report that , early on , many people whose policies are up for renewal are staying with unlimited medical , which became mandatory in 1973 but no longer will be required .
That ’ s because , on average statewide , PIP rates will drop 15.5 % for those who do nothing and stand pat — largely because an annual $ 220 fee assessed on every vehicle to cover catastrophic claims is dropping to $ 100 .
“ Most people are saying , ‘ Yeah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s been the law for 50 years .
I ’ m going to sit this out and wait a while , ’ ” said Will Lemanski , an agent with Meiers Lombardini Lemanski Insurance in East Lansing .
“ With this , we ’ re dealing with bigger issues because you ’ re not talking about damage to your car .
You ’ re talking about potential life-threatening injuries that can affect you for the rest of your life.
” PIP generally accounts for almost half of a premium , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Financial Services .
Motorists can avoid the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association fee altogether — saving an additional $ 100 a year — by forgoing unlimited coverage and picking $ 500,000 of coverage ( 30.6 % PIP savings on average ) or $ 250,000 ( 41.8 % savings ) .
Those on Medicaid can choose $ 50,000 , while people on Medicare can opt out completely as long as everyone else in their household has another auto policy or health insurance that covers auto accident injuries .
The savings will be offset some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised the level of required bodily injury liability insurance — which generally represents about 10 % of a premium .
It covers claims made against an at-fault driver for serious injuries to others .
Such lawsuits are expected to rise since fewer people will have unlimited medical .
The bodily injury minimum limit was $ 20,000 per person and $ 40,000 per crash .
It will rise to $ 50,000/ $ 100,000 .
But unless a motorist fills out a form , the coverage will default to $ 250,000/ $ 500,000 .
PIP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form is not returned .
“ We just wanted to make sure that if somebody hasn ’ t made a choice , they ’ re better off making sure that they have coverage until such time that they make the choice rather than the opposite — getting less coverage than they wanted , having an accident and then looking at what they maybe intended and just overlooked , ” said Anita Fox , director of the state insurance department .
People can always change their policy , she said .
Fox said concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negate PIP savings have not been borne out .
Someone with unlimited medical and the default bodily injury coverage , for example , will still save about 10 % , according to state data .
The Coalition Protecting Auto No-Fault , a group that opposes the revised law , said motorists in Detroit , where premiums are much higher , will not save much and will have to give up substantial protection to get even marginal benefits .
While insurers will be prohibited from using nondriving factors such as ZIP code in setting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential discriminatory prices remain .
Saundra Gay , who was paralyzed 20 years ago in a single-car crash , said unlimited medical benefits for rehab and in-home care have allowed her to return to some type of normalcy .
She said people who choose less coverage and see themselves or a family member seriously injured are “ going to be really in trouble - because if we didn ’ t have that insurance , Gods knows where we ’ d be.
” Backers of the historic law said it gives people a chance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next year , stop health providers from charging three and four times more for auto accident injuries - a factor in high premiums .
Agents said they are getting calls from customers who are confused after receiving forms from their insurer .
The state said calls to its auto insurance hotline are up tenfold from May .
Insurance companies , agencies and state regulators have created videos and websites to explain the changes to the law .
Fox urged consumers to shop around for insurance and to visit the state website or call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out there and it is manageable , ” she said .
“ It may sound complicated .
Sometimes people hear ‘ insurance ’ and think they ’ re not going to understand .
But there really are only a couple choices .
”

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan drivers who renew or buy car insurance face a choice starting Thursday: stick with unlimited medical coverage, go with less or — for seniors with Medicare — opt out entirely.
The decision, a signature feature of a new law that will lower the cost of personal injury protection benefits in a state with the country’s highest auto premiums, boils down to people’s risk tolerance and desire for savings. But unlike with choosing between a $500 or $1,000 deductible, this selection can have long-term implications in the event of a serious crash.
Insurance agents report that, early on, many people whose policies are up for renewal are staying with unlimited medical, which became mandatory in 1973 but no longer will be required. That’s because, on average statewide, PIP rates will drop 15.5% for those who do nothing and stand pat — largely because an annual $220 fee assessed on every vehicle to cover catastrophic claims is dropping to $100.
“Most people are saying, ‘Yeah, I’m good with that. It’s been the law for 50 years. I’m going to sit this out and wait a while,’” said Will Lemanski, an agent with Meiers Lombardini Lemanski Insurance in East Lansing. “With this, we’re dealing with bigger issues because you’re not talking about damage to your car. You’re talking about potential life-threatening injuries that can affect you for the rest of your life.”
PIP generally accounts for almost half of a premium, according to the state Department of Insurance and Financial Services.
Motorists can avoid the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association fee altogether — saving an additional $100 a year — by forgoing unlimited coverage and picking $500,000 of coverage (30.6% PIP savings on average) or $250,000 (41.8% savings). Those on Medicaid can choose $50,000, while people on Medicare can opt out completely as long as everyone else in their household has another auto policy or health insurance that covers auto accident injuries.
The savings will be offset some, however, because the new law raised the level of required bodily injury liability insurance — which generally represents about 10% of a premium. It covers claims made against an at-fault driver for serious injuries to others. Such lawsuits are expected to rise since fewer people will have unlimited medical.
The bodily injury minimum limit was $20,000 per person and $40,000 per crash. It will rise to $50,000/$100,000. But unless a motorist fills out a form, the coverage will default to $250,000/$500,000. PIP coverage will default to unlimited if the form is not returned.
“We just wanted to make sure that if somebody hasn’t made a choice, they’re better off making sure that they have coverage until such time that they make the choice rather than the opposite — getting less coverage than they wanted, having an accident and then looking at what they maybe intended and just overlooked,” said Anita Fox, director of the state insurance department.
People can always change their policy, she said.
Fox said concerns that higher bodily injury coverage would completely negate PIP savings have not been borne out. Someone with unlimited medical and the default bodily injury coverage, for example, will still save about 10%, according to state data.
The Coalition Protecting Auto No-Fault, a group that opposes the revised law, said motorists in Detroit, where premiums are much higher, will not save much and will have to give up substantial protection to get even marginal benefits. While insurers will be prohibited from using nondriving factors such as ZIP code in setting rates, critics said other avenues for potential discriminatory prices remain.
Saundra Gay, who was paralyzed 20 years ago in a single-car crash, said unlimited medical benefits for rehab and in-home care have allowed her to return to some type of normalcy. She said people who choose less coverage and see themselves or a family member seriously injured are “going to be really in trouble - because if we didn’t have that insurance, Gods knows where we’d be.”
Backers of the historic law said it gives people a chance at real savings and will, beginning next year, stop health providers from charging three and four times more for auto accident injuries - a factor in high premiums.
Agents said they are getting calls from customers who are confused after receiving forms from their insurer. The state said calls to its auto insurance hotline are up tenfold from May.
Insurance companies, agencies and state regulators have created videos and websites to explain the changes to the law.
Fox urged consumers to shop around for insurance and to visit the state website or call their agent.
“There is information out there and it is manageable,” she said. “It may sound complicated. Sometimes people hear ‘insurance’ and think they’re not going to understand. But there really are only a couple choices.”
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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00