washingtontimes--2020-06-09--Police account shows mayhem spread fast in San Diego suburb

SAN DIEGO ( AP ) - Law enforcement agencies were quickly overwhelmed when a protest over George Floyd ’ s killing turned violent in a San Diego suburb , unleashing hours of attacks on businesses and fires that destroyed two banks , according to an official account released Tuesday .
The May 30 outburst in the normally quiet suburb of La Mesa has been the most disruptive of the many peaceful protests in the San Diego area to demand changes to police practices .
The clash came against a backdrop of Floyd ’ s death , and tensions were also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a black man seen being pushed by a white police officer .
The city of La Mesa said its 12-page timeline and three-page summary were based entirely on information from its police department .
While it doesn ’ t include input from non-law enforcement sources or the San Diego County Sheriff ’ s Department , which was heavily involved , the minute-to-minute account is the most detailed yet of unrest that shook the city of 60,000 people and destroyed many downtown businesses .
After peaceful protests the previous day , the sheriff assigned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally and had another 28 nearby if needed .
The California Highway Patrol positioned officers to keep Interstate 8 flowing .
The freeway connecting San Diego to western Arizona was shut down around 3:30 p.m. after demonstrators started marching on the freeway , less than two hours after the protest began with about 200 people .
The sheriff sought help from other police agencies in the county , who would send a total of 250 officers throughout the night .
The first order to disperse was at 5:09 p.m. , one minute after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a rock , according to the account .
As rocks continued flying , authorities began using tear gas at 6:02 p.m. and the first pepper-ball gun three minutes after that .
At 8:16 p.m. , police reported that demonstrator Leslie Furcron , 59 , was “ down.
” It was later reported that a La Mesa police officer shot her between the eyes with a bean-bag round .
Police Chief Walt Vasquez said officers are trained to aim for the torso .
Furcron was recently released from a hospital .
Mayhem spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ablaze ; a Vons grocery store and later a Walmart and a Target were looted ; a sporting goods store and beauty shop were burned ; “ subjects with bats ” walked near a police station .
At 11 p.m. , people forced their way into a Chase branch and set the bank on fire .
People were “ tearing money ” out of an automated teller machine at neighboring Union Bank , which was engulfed in flames by 11:29 p.m .
The sheriff ’ s department asked the California National Guard for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deployed in Los Angeles .
The unrest persisted until a fireworks explosion at 3:26 a.m. Sunday , two hours after the city imposed an emergency curfew .
Volunteers began showing up around 6:30 a.m. to clean up debris .
Tensions had flared in La Mesa after a witness video taken May 27 showed a white police officer pushing a black man who was stopped and accused of smoking on a trolley platform .
Amaurie Johnson , 23 , was taken into custody on accusations of resisting arrest but was not charged with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smoking .
The California National Guard , acting on San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore ’ s request , deployed to the region for five days after the unrest , seeking to prevent additional violence .
“ The crowd was more than we anticipated , ” Gore said last week .
“ We were outmanned .
We ’ re not going to let that happen again .
”

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Law enforcement agencies were quickly overwhelmed when a protest over George Floyd’s killing turned violent in a San Diego suburb, unleashing hours of attacks on businesses and fires that destroyed two banks, according to an official account released Tuesday.
The May 30 outburst in the normally quiet suburb of La Mesa has been the most disruptive of the many peaceful protests in the San Diego area to demand changes to police practices. The clash came against a backdrop of Floyd’s death, and tensions were also high over video of an arrest of a black man seen being pushed by a white police officer.
The city of La Mesa said its 12-page timeline and three-page summary were based entirely on information from its police department. While it doesn’t include input from non-law enforcement sources or the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, which was heavily involved, the minute-to-minute account is the most detailed yet of unrest that shook the city of 60,000 people and destroyed many downtown businesses.
After peaceful protests the previous day, the sheriff assigned 28 deputies to La Mesa for the rally and had another 28 nearby if needed. The California Highway Patrol positioned officers to keep Interstate 8 flowing.
The freeway connecting San Diego to western Arizona was shut down around 3:30 p.m. after demonstrators started marching on the freeway, less than two hours after the protest began with about 200 people. The sheriff sought help from other police agencies in the county, who would send a total of 250 officers throughout the night.
The first order to disperse was at 5:09 p.m., one minute after a sheriff’s deputy was struck by a rock, according to the account. As rocks continued flying, authorities began using tear gas at 6:02 p.m. and the first pepper-ball gun three minutes after that.
At 8:16 p.m., police reported that demonstrator Leslie Furcron, 59, was “down.” It was later reported that a La Mesa police officer shot her between the eyes with a bean-bag round. Police Chief Walt Vasquez said officers are trained to aim for the torso. Furcron was recently released from a hospital.
Mayhem spread rapidly: a fire truck was set ablaze; a Vons grocery store and later a Walmart and a Target were looted; a sporting goods store and beauty shop were burned; “subjects with bats” walked near a police station.
At 11 p.m., people forced their way into a Chase branch and set the bank on fire. People were “tearing money” out of an automated teller machine at neighboring Union Bank, which was engulfed in flames by 11:29 p.m.
The sheriff’s department asked the California National Guard for help around 11:30 p.m. but troops were deployed in Los Angeles.
The unrest persisted until a fireworks explosion at 3:26 a.m. Sunday, two hours after the city imposed an emergency curfew. Volunteers began showing up around 6:30 a.m. to clean up debris.
On Tuesday, the U.S. attorney’s office said a San Diego man has been charged with possessing Molotov cocktails during the protest.
Zachary Karas, 28, was arrested after authorities say he failed to heed an order to leave. By that time, several fires had been set and Karas was found to have two glass bottles containing wicks and gasoline, prosecutors said in a statement.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Karas had an attorney to speak for him.
Tensions had flared in La Mesa after a witness video taken May 27 showed a white police officer pushing a black man who was stopped and accused of smoking on a trolley platform. Amaurie Johnson, 23, was taken into custody on accusations of resisting arrest but was not charged with a crime. He was not cited for smoking.
The California National Guard, acting on San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore’s request, deployed to the region for five days after the unrest, seeking to prevent additional violence.
“The crowd was more than we anticipated,” Gore said last week. “We were outmanned. We’re not going to let that happen again.”


washingtontimes--2020-06-09--Mississippi teacher pay raise plan dies amid budget concerns

JACKSON , Miss .
( AP ) - A proposed teacher pay raise has died at the Mississippi Capitol because of budget concerns during the coronavirus pandemic .
The state Senate passed a bill in early February to provide a $ 1,000 pay raise to most teachers and teachers ’ assistants during the budget year that begins July 1 .
The plan would have given larger raises of $ 1,100 to teachers in the first two years of their careers , in an effort to boost the beginning pay and make the jobs more attractive .
Senate Bill 2001 moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The coronavirus pandemic struck the state in March , knocking people out of work and dimming the state ’ s budget prospects .
Tuesday was the deadline for House committees to act on the teacher pay bill , and the plan died .
Republican Gov .
Tate Reeves had already signed House Bill 1 , to provide enough money to pay the full $ 1,500 pay raise that teachers started receiving this school year .
The raise was approved during the election-year legislative session of 2019 , but too little money was originally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how school districts count certain categories of teachers

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A proposed teacher pay raise has died at the Mississippi Capitol because of budget concerns during the coronavirus pandemic.
The state Senate passed a bill in early February to provide a $1,000 pay raise to most teachers and teachers’ assistants during the budget year that begins July 1. The plan would have given larger raises of $1,100 to teachers in the first two years of their careers, in an effort to boost the beginning pay and make the jobs more attractive.
Senate Bill 2001 moved to the House for more debate. The coronavirus pandemic struck the state in March, knocking people out of work and dimming the state’s budget prospects. Tuesday was the deadline for House committees to act on the teacher pay bill, and the plan died.
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves had already signed House Bill 1, to provide enough money to pay the full $1,500 pay raise that teachers started receiving this school year. The raise was approved during the election-year legislative session of 2019, but too little money was originally budgeted because of a bureaucratic error in how school districts count certain categories of teachers


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--Former party chair trails in heated Nevada state senate race

CARSON CITY , Nev. ( AP ) - Roberta Lange , a former Nevada Democratic Party chairwoman endorsed by former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid , trailed a sitting assemblywoman in a hotly contested race for a Las Vegas-area Nevada state Senate seat .
In an election cycle where traditional door-knocking and glad-handing took a backseat to the coronavirus pandemic , Lange ’ s support from Reid and the influential Culinary Union Local 226 may have been blunted , putting her behind in the costly Democratic primary battle .
Results published at 2:30 a.m. showed Lange trailing Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel 40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underline how the coronavirus has upended U.S. elections and their powerful players like the Culinary Union , which represents restaurant , hotel and casino workers in the Las Vegas area and is known for using a well-developed ground game to get out the vote for its preferred candidates in typical election years .
Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 in the Las Vegas district .
Because the race drew no Republican or third party challengers , if Spiegel ’ s lead holds , she will succeed incumbent Democrat David Parks , who was term-limited out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and extended wait times at the limited number of polling places open in Nevada delayed the initial publication of election results to early Wednesday morning .
In Nevada ’ s Republican primaries , sitting Assemblyman Chris Edwards is trailing Mesquite Councilwoman Annie Black in northeast Clark County ’ s Assembly District 19 by double digits .
On the campaign trail , Black ran to Edwards ’ right and accused him of being soft on tax increases , the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported .
Former Sparks Assemblywoman Jill Dickman defeated political newcomers in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was passed up for an endorsement by the Assembly Republican Caucus .
Dickman will be granted her fourth chance to take on Sparks Democrat Skip Daly in November .
The two candidates have run against each other in every general election since 2014 .
Democrats won control of both chambers of Nevada ’ s legislature in 2016 and currently hold 13 out of 21 seats in the Senate and 29 out of 42 seats in the Assembly .
Since ascending to power , they ’ ve tightened the state ’ s gun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and increased education funding .
But some among the party ’ s progressive wing have been disappointed lawmakers haven ’ t done more to address issues like affordable housing or government transparency .
The next legislature is poised to address the coronavirus pandemic ’ s impact on Nevada and redraw the state ’ s congressional and statehouse district boundaries .
If Democrats hold their two-thirds supermajority in the state assembly and flip one seat to win a supermajority in the senate , they ’ ll have the power to pass new taxes without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the legislature convenes in 2021 .
Ten state senate seats are up for election in November .
In the three districts where Democrats and Republicans are closest in voter registration , each party ’ s sole candidate automatically advanced to the November election .
Democrats and Republicans will also compete for several Clark County swing districts in November , where their registration numbers are separated by less than 5 percentage points .
In Assembly District 2 , where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 3 percentage points , party-backed real estate broker Heidi Kasama defeated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic contest , electrician Jennie Sherwood leads biologist Radhika Kunnel 34 % to 30 % .
In Assembly District 37 , where Democrats outnumber Republicans by 1.5 percentage points , Andy Matthews leads the Republican field with 47 % and appears poised for a November match-up against Democrat Shea Backus , who flipped the seat in 2018 .
The Nevada Secretary of State is next scheduled to update vote totals on Thursday and will continue to count ballots for up to a week .
Sam Metz is a corps member for the Associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues .

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Roberta Lange, a former Nevada Democratic Party chairwoman endorsed by former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, was trailing a sitting assemblywoman Wednesday in a hotly contested race for a Las Vegas-area Nevada state Senate seat.
In an election cycle where traditional door-knocking and glad-handing took a backseat to the coronavirus pandemic, Lange’s support from Reid and the influential Culinary Union Local 226 may have been blunted, putting her behind in the costly Democratic primary battle.
Results published at 2:30 a.m. showed Lange trailing Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel 40% to 33%. The Nevada Secretary of State is next scheduled to update vote totals on Thursday and will continue to count ballots for up to a week.
The results underscored how the coronavirus has upended U.S. elections and powerful players like the Culinary Union, which represents restaurant, hotel and casino workers in the Las Vegas area. The union is known for using a well-developed ground game to get out the vote for its preferred candidates in typical election years.
Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 in the Las Vegas district and the race drew no Republican or third party challengers. So if Spiegel’s lead holds, she will succeed incumbent Democrat David Parks, who was term-limited out of running for reelection.
Long lines and extended wait times at the limited number of polling places in Nevada delayed the initial publication of election results to early Wednesday morning.
In Nevada’s Republican primaries, sitting Assemblyman Chris Edwards was trailing Mesquite Councilwoman Annie Black in northeast Clark County’s Assembly District 19 by double digits. On the campaign trail, Black ran to Edwards’ right and accused him of being soft on tax increases, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Former Sparks Assemblywoman Jill Dickman defeated political newcomers in the GOP primary in Assembly District 31 after she was passed up for an endorsement by the Assembly Republican Caucus. Dickman will get her fourth chance to take on Sparks Democrat Skip Daly in November. The two candidates have run against each other in every general election since 2014.
If results hold in Nevada’s 5th Assembly District, a Miller-versus-Miller matchup could be on the horizon. Three Republicans hoping to run against Assemblywoman Brittney Miller ran in their party’s primary in the Las Vegas District and early returns showed Mack Miller, who is not related to the assemblywoman, leading with almost 50%.
Democrats won control of both chambers of Nevada’s legislature in 2016 and currently hold 13 out of 21 seats in the Senate and 29 out of 42 seats in the Assembly.
Since ascending to power, they’ve tightened the state’s gun control laws, raised minimum wage, and increased education funding.
But some among the party’s progressive wing have been disappointed that the lawmakers haven’t done more to address issues like affordable housing or government transparency.
The next legislative session is poised to address the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on Nevada and redraw the state’s congressional and statehouse district boundaries.
If Democrats hold their two-thirds supermajority in the state assembly and flip one seat to win a supermajority in the senate, they’ll have the power to pass new taxes without support from a single Republican lawmaker when the Legislature convenes in 2021.
Ten state senate seats are up for election in November. In the three districts where Democrats and Republicans are closest in voter registration, each party’s sole candidate automatically advanced to the November election.
Democrats and Republicans will also compete for several Clark County swing assembly districts in November, where their registration numbers are separated by less than 5 percentage points.
In Assembly District 2, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 3 percentage points, party-backed real estate broker Heidi Kasama defeated four Republican primary opponents. In the Democratic contest, electrician Jennie Sherwood led biologist Radhika Kunnel 34% to 30%.
In Assembly District 37, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by 1.5 percentage points, Andy Matthews leads the Republican field with 47% and appears poised for a November match-up against Democrat Shea Backus, who flipped the seat in 2018.
-
Sam Metz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--China says it's working with India to reduce tensions

BEIJING ( AP ) - China said Wednesday that it is taking measures with India to reduce tensions along their disputed frontier high in the Himalayas following a recent flareup that prompted rock-throwing and fistfights .
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters that the sides had engaged in “ effective communication through diplomatic and military channels ” on how to deal with issues on the western section of their disputed border .
“ At present , the two sides are taking corresponding actions to ease the situation on the border in accordance with the relevant consensus , ” Hua @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of soldiers from the two countries have been facing off just a few hundred meters ( yards ) from each other for a month in the Indian-controlled Ladakh region .
Army officers have held a series of meetings to try to break the impasse .
Indian officials say Chinese soldiers entered Ladakh in early May at three different points , erecting tents and guard posts and ignoring verbal warnings to leave .
That triggered shouting matches , stone-throwing and fistfights , much of it replayed on television and social media .
China has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a valley connecting the region to an airstrip , possibly sparking its move to assert control over territory along the border that is not clearly defined in places .
India and China fought a border war in 1962 and have been trying to settle their dispute since the early 1990s without success .
In all , China claims some 90,000 square kilometers ( 35,000 square miles ) of territory in India ’ s northeast , including the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh , with its traditionally Buddhist population .
India says China occupies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) of its territory in the Aksai Chin Plateau in the western Himalayas , including part of the Ladakh region .

BEIJING (AP) - China said Wednesday it is taking measures with India to reduce tensions along their disputed frontier high in the Himalayas following a recent flareup that prompted rock-throwing and fistfights.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters that the sides had engaged in “effective communication through diplomatic and military channels” on how to deal with issues on the western section of their disputed border.
“At present, the two sides are taking corresponding actions to ease the situation on the border in accordance with the relevant consensus,” Hua said at a daily briefing.
Thousands of soldiers from the two countries have been facing off just a few hundred meters (yards) from each other for a month in the Indian-controlled Ladakh region. Army officers have held a series of meetings to try to break the impasse.
Indian officials say Chinese soldiers entered Ladakh in early May at three different points, erecting tents and guard posts and ignoring verbal warnings to leave. That triggered shouting matches, stone-throwing and fistfights, much of it replayed on television and social media.
China has objected to India building a road through a valley connecting the region to an airstrip, possibly sparking its move to assert control over territory along the border that is not clearly defined in places.
India and China fought a border war in 1962 and have been trying to settle their dispute since the early 1990s without success.
In all, China claims some 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 square miles) of territory in India’s northeast, including the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, with its traditionally Buddhist population. India says China occupies 38,000 square kilometers (15,000 square miles) of its territory in the Aksai Chin Plateau in the western Himalayas, including part of the Ladakh region.


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--For George Floyd, a complicated life and a notorious death

HOUSTON ( AP ) - Years before a bystander ’ s video of George Floyd ’ s last moments turned his name into a global cry for justice , Floyd trained a camera on himself .
“ I just want to speak to you all real quick , ” Floyd says in one video , addressing the young men in his neighborhood who looked up to him .
His 6-foot-7 frame crowds the picture .
“ I ’ ve got my shortcomings and my flaws and I ain ’ t better than nobody else , ” he says .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going on , I don ’ t care what ‘ hood you ’ re from , where you ’ re at , man .
I love you and God loves you .
Put them guns down.
” At the time , Floyd was respected as a man who spoke from hard , but hardly extraordinary , experience .
He had nothing remotely like the stature he has gained in death , embraced as a universal symbol of the need to overhaul policing and held up as a heroic everyman .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Earth , including sharp edges and setbacks Floyd himself acknowledged , was both much fuller and more complicated .
Once a star athlete with dreams of turning pro and enough talent to win a partial scholarship , Floyd returned home only to bounce between jobs before serving nearly five years in prison .
Intensely proud of his roots in Houston ’ s Third Ward and admired as a mentor in a public housing project beset by poverty , he decided the only way forward was to leave it behind .
“ He had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years of his life , ” said Ronnie Lillard , a friend and rapper who performs under the name Reconcile .
“ And when he got out of that , I think the Lord greatly impacted his heart.
” Floyd was born in North Carolina .
But his mother , a single parent , moved the family to Houston when he was 2 , so she could search for work .
They settled in the Cuney Homes , a low-slung warren of more than 500 apartments south of downtown nicknamed “ The Bricks.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cornerstone of Houston ’ s black community , has gentrified in recent years .
Texas Southern University , a historically black campus directly across the street from the projects , has long held itself out as launchpad for those willing to strive .
But many residents struggle , with incomes about half the city average and unemployment nearly four times higher , even before the recent economic collapse .
Yeura Hall , who grew up next door to Floyd , said even in the Third Ward other kids looked down on those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the teasing , he , Floyd and other boys made up a song about themselves : “ I don ’ t want to grow up , I ’ m a Cuney Homes kid .
They got so many rats and roaches I can play with.
” Larcenia Floyd invested her hopes in her son , who as a second-grader wrote that he dreamed of being a U.S. Supreme Court justice .
“ She thought that he would be the one that would bring them out of poverty and struggle , ” said Travis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a star tight end for the football team at Jack Yates High School , playing for the losing side in the 1992 state championship game at the Houston Astrodome .
He was an atypical football player .
“ We used to call him ‘ Big Friendly , ’ ” said Cervaanz Williams , a former teammate .
“ If you said something to him , his head would drop , ” said Maurice McGowan , his football coach .
“ He just wasn ’ t going to ball up and act like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the basketball court , Floyd ’ s height and strength won attention from George Walker , a former assistant coach at the University of Houston hired for the head job at what is now South Florida State College .
The school was a 17-hour drive away , in a small town , but high school administrators and Floyd ’ s mother urged him to go , Walker said .
“ They wanted George to really get out of the neighborhood , to do something , be something , ” Walker said .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few other players from Houston stood out for their size , accents and city cool .
They lived in the Jacaranda Hotel , a historic lodge used as a dormitory , and were known as the “ Jac Boys.
” “ He was always telling me about the Third Ward of Houston , how rough it was , but how much he loved it , ” said Robert Caldwell , a friend and fellow student who frequently traveled with the basketball team .
“ He said people know how to grind , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know how to love.
” After two years in Avon Park , Floyd spent a year at Texas A & M ; University in Kingsville before returning to Houston and his mother ’ s apartment to find jobs in construction and security .
Larcenia Floyd , known throughout the neighborhood as Ms. Cissy , welcomed her son ’ s friends from childhood , offering their apartment as refuge when their lives grew stressful .
When a neighbor went to prison on drug charges , Ms. Cissy took in the woman ’ s pre-teen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to play older brother for the next 2½ years .
“ We would steal his jerseys and put his jerseys on and run around the house , go outside , jerseys all the way down to our ankles because he was so big and we were little , ” said Wayne , now a well-known rapper who credits Floyd with encouraging him to pursue music .
George Floyd , he said , “ was like a superhero.
” Floyd , too , dabbled in music , occasionally invited to rap with Robert Earl @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Screw , whose mixtapes have since been recognized as influential in charting Houston ’ s place as a hotbed of hip-hop .
But then , the man known throughout Cuney as “ Big Floyd , ” started finding trouble .
Between 1997 and 2005 , Floyd was arrested several times on drug and theft charges , spending months in jail .
Around that time , Wayne ’ s mother , Sheila Masters , recalled running into Floyd in the street and learning he was homeless .
“ He ’ s so tall he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … and say , ‘ Mama you know it ’ s going to be all right , ’ ” Masters said .
In August 2007 , Floyd was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon .
Investigators said he and five other men barged into a woman ’ s apartment , and Floyd pushed a pistol into her abdomen before searching for items to steal .
Floyd pleaded guilty in 2009 and was sentenced to five years in prison .
By the time he was paroled , in January 2013 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He came home with his head on right , ” said friend Travis Cains .
At a Christian rap concert in the Third Ward , Floyd met Lillard and pastor Patrick “ PT ” Ngwolo , whose ministry was looking for ways to reach residents in Cuney Homes .
Floyd , who seemed to know everyone in the project , volunteered to be their guide .
Soon Floyd was setting up a washtub on the Cuney basketball courts for baptisms by Ngwolo ’ s newly formed Resurrection Houston congregation .
He joined three-on-three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ministry .
He knocked on doors with Ngwolo , introducing residents as candidates for grocery deliveries or Bible study .
Another pastor , Christopher Johnson , recalled Floyd stopping by his office while Johnson ’ s mother was visiting .
Decades had passed since Johnson ’ s mother had been a teacher at Floyd ’ s high school .
It didn ’ t matter .
He wrapped her in a bear hug .
“ I don ’ t think he ever thought of himself as being big , ” Johnson said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ big dudes here , but he was a gentleman and a diplomat and I ’ m not putting any sauce on it.
” On the streets of Cuney , Floyd was increasingly embraced as an O.G .
— literally “ original gangster , ” but bestowed as a title of respect for a mentor who ’ d learned from life experience .
In Tiffany Cofield ’ s classroom at a neighborhood charter school , some of her male students — many of whom had already had brushes with the law — told her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if she wanted to understand .
Floyd would listen patiently as she voiced her frustrations with students ’ bad behavior , she said .
And he would try to explain the life of a young man in the projects .
After school , Floyd often met up with her students outside a corner store .
“ How ’ s school going ?
” he ’ d ask .
“ Are you being respectful ?
How ’ s your mom ?
How ’ s your grandma ?
” In 2014 , Floyd began exploring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As the father of five children from several relationships , he had bills to pay .
And despite his stature in Cuney , everyday life could be trying .
More than once , Floyd ended up in handcuffs when police came through the projects and detained a large number of men , Cofield said .
“ He would show by example : ‘ Yes , officer .
No , officer.
’ Very respectful .
Very calm tone , ” she said .
A friend of Floyd ’ s had already moved to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discipleship program that offered men a route to self-sufficiency by changing their environment and helping them find jobs .
“ He was looking to start over fresh , a new beginning , ” said Christopher Harris , who preceded Floyd to Minneapolis .
Friends provided Floyd with money and clothing to ease the transition .
In Minneapolis , Floyd found a job as a security guard at the Salvation Army ’ s Harbor Light Center — the city ’ s largest homeless shelter .
“ He would regularly walk a couple of female @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure they got to their cars safely and securely , ” said Brian Molohon , director of development for the Army ’ s Minnesota office .
“ Just a big strong guy , but with a very tender side.
” Floyd left after a little over a year , training to drive trucks while working as a bouncer at a club called Conga Latin Bistro .
“ He would dance badly to make people laugh , ” said the owner , Jovanni Thunstrom .
“ I tried to teach him how to dance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I couldn ’ t because he was too tall for me.
” Floyd kept his connection to Houston , regularly returning to Cuney .
When Houston hosted the Super Bowl in 2017 , Floyd was back in town , hosting a party at the church with music and free AIDS testing .
He came back again for his mother ’ s funeral the next year .
And when Cains spoke with him last , a few weeks ago , Floyd was planning another trip for this summer .
By then , Floyd was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Thunstrom cut Floyd ’ s job when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the club to close .
On the evening of Memorial Day , Floyd was with two others when convenience store employees accused him of paying for cigarettes with a counterfeit $ 20 bill , then called the police .
Less than an hour later , Floyd breathed his last .
Those who knew him search for meaning in his death .
“ I ’ ve come to the belief that he was chosen , ” said Cofield , the teacher .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ him because of who he was and the amount of love that he had for people , people had for him.
” It ’ s a small comfort , she admits .
But , then , in Big Floyd ’ s neighborhood , people have long made do with less .
Merchant and Lozano reported from Houston , Henao from Hershey , Pennsylvania , and Geller from New York .
Associated Press writer Aaron Morrison in Minneapolis and videographer John Mone in Houston contributed to this report .

LUIS ANDRES HENAO, NOMAAN MERCHANT, JUAN LOZANO and ADAM GELLER

HOUSTON (AP) - Years before a bystander’s video of George Floyd’s last moments turned his name into a global cry for justice, Floyd trained a camera on himself.
“I just want to speak to you all real quick,” Floyd says in one video, addressing the young men in his neighborhood who looked up to him. His 6-foot-7 frame crowds the picture.
“I’ve got my shortcomings and my flaws and I ain’t better than nobody else,” he says. “But, man, the shootings that’s going on, I don’t care what ‘hood you’re from, where you’re at, man. I love you and God loves you. Put them guns down.”
At the time, Floyd was respected as a man who spoke from hard, but hardly extraordinary, experience. He had nothing remotely like the stature he has gained in death, embraced as a universal symbol of the need to overhaul policing and held up as a heroic everyman.
But the reality of his 46 years on Earth, including sharp edges and setbacks Floyd himself acknowledged, was both much fuller and more complicated.
Once a star athlete with dreams of turning pro and enough talent to win a partial scholarship, Floyd returned home only to bounce between jobs before serving nearly five years in prison. Intensely proud of his roots in Houston’s Third Ward and admired as a mentor in a public housing project beset by poverty, he decided the only way forward was to leave it behind.
“He had made some mistakes that cost him some years of his life,” said Ronnie Lillard, a friend and rapper who performs under the name Reconcile. “And when he got out of that, I think the Lord greatly impacted his heart.”
___
Floyd was born in North Carolina. But his mother, a single parent, moved the family to Houston when he was 2, so she could search for work. They settled in the Cuney Homes, a low-slung warren of more than 500 apartments south of downtown nicknamed “The Bricks.”
The neighborhood, for decades a cornerstone of Houston’s black community, has gentrified in recent years. Texas Southern University, a historically black campus directly across the street from the projects, has long held itself out as a launchpad for those willing to strive. But many residents struggle, with incomes about half the city average and unemployment nearly four times higher, even before the recent economic collapse.
Yeura Hall, who grew up next door to Floyd, said even in the Third Ward other kids looked down on those who lived in public housing. To deflect the teasing, he, Floyd and other boys made up a song about themselves: “I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Cuney Homes kid. They got so many rats and roaches I can play with.”
Larcenia Floyd invested her hopes in her son, who as a second-grader wrote that he dreamed of being a U.S. Supreme Court justice.
“She thought that he would be the one that would bring them out of poverty and struggle,” said Travis Cains, a longtime friend.
Floyd was a star tight end for the football team at Jack Yates High School, playing for the losing side in the 1992 state championship game at Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
He was an atypical football player. “We used to call him ‘Big Friendly,’” said Cervaanz Williams, a former teammate.
“If you said something to him, his head would drop,” said Maurice McGowan, his football coach. “He just wasn’t going to ball up and act like he wanted to fight you.”
On the basketball court, Floyd’s height and strength won attention from George Walker, a former assistant coach at the University of Houston hired for the head job at what is now South Florida State College. The school was a 17-hour drive away, in a small town, but high school administrators and Floyd’s mother urged him to go, Walker said.
“They wanted George to really get out of the neighborhood, to do something, be something,” Walker said.
In Avon Park, Florida, Floyd and a few other players from Houston stood out for their size, accents and city cool. They lived in the Jacaranda Hotel, a historic lodge used as a dormitory, and were known as the “Jac Boys.”
“He was always telling me about the Third Ward of Houston, how rough it was, but how much he loved it,” said Robert Caldwell, a friend and fellow student who frequently traveled with the basketball team. “He said people know how to grind, as hard as it is, people know how to love.”
After two years in Avon Park, Floyd spent a year at Texas A&M University in Kingsville before returning to Houston and his mother’s apartment to find jobs in construction and security.
Larcenia Floyd, known throughout the neighborhood as Ms. Cissy, welcomed her son’s friends from childhood, offering their apartment as refuge when their lives grew stressful. When a neighbor went to prison on drug charges, Ms. Cissy took in the woman’s pre-teen son, Cal Wayne, deputizing George to play older brother for the next 2½ years.
“We would steal his jerseys and put his jerseys on and run around the house, go outside, jerseys all the way down to our ankles because he was so big and we were little,” said Wayne, now a well-known rapper who credits Floyd with encouraging him to pursue music.
George Floyd, he said, “was like a superhero.”
___
Floyd, too, dabbled in music, occasionally invited to rap with Robert Earl Davis Jr. — better known as DJ Screw, whose mixtapes have since been recognized as influential in charting Houston’s place as a hotbed of hip-hop.
But then, the man known throughout Cuney as “Big Floyd,” started finding trouble.
Between 1997 and 2005, Floyd was arrested several times on drug and theft charges, spending months in jail. Around that time, Wayne’s mother, Sheila Masters, recalled running into Floyd in the street and learning he was homeless.
“He’s so tall he’d pat me on my head … and say, ‘Mama you know it’s going to be all right,’” Masters said.
In August 2007, Floyd was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Investigators said he and five other men barged into a woman’s apartment, and Floyd pushed a pistol into her abdomen before searching for items to steal. Floyd pleaded guilty in 2009 and was sentenced to five years in prison. By the time he was paroled, in January 2013, he was nearing 40.
“He came home with his head on right,” said friend Travis Cains.
At a Christian rap concert in the Third Ward, Floyd met Lillard and pastor Patrick “PT” Ngwolo, whose ministry was looking for ways to reach residents in Cuney Homes. Floyd, who seemed to know everyone in the project, volunteered to be their guide.
Soon Floyd was setting up a washtub on the Cuney basketball courts for baptisms by Ngwolo’s newly formed Resurrection Houston congregation. He joined three-on-three basketball tournaments and barbecues, organized by the ministry. He knocked on doors with Ngwolo, introducing residents as candidates for grocery deliveries or Bible study.
Another pastor, Christopher Johnson, recalled Floyd stopping by his office while Johnson’s mother was visiting. Decades had passed since Johnson’s mother had been a teacher at Floyd’s high school. It didn’t matter. He wrapped her in a bear hug.
“I don’t think he ever thought of himself as being big,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of big dudes here, but he was a gentleman and a diplomat and I’m not putting any sauce on it.”
On the streets of Cuney, Floyd was increasingly embraced as an O.G. — literally “original gangster,” but bestowed as a title of respect for a mentor who’d learned from life experience.
In Tiffany Cofield’s classroom at a neighborhood charter school, some of her male students — many of whom had already had brushes with the law — told her to talk to “Big Floyd” if she wanted to understand.
Floyd would listen patiently as she voiced her frustrations with students’ bad behavior, she said. And he would try to explain the life of a young man in the projects.
After school, Floyd often met up with her students outside a corner store.
“How’s school going?” he’d ask. “Are you being respectful? How’s your mom? How’s your grandma?”
___
In 2014, Floyd began exploring the possibility of leaving the neighborhood.
As the father of five children from several relationships, he had bills to pay. And despite his stature in Cuney, everyday life could be trying. More than once, Floyd ended up in handcuffs when police came through the projects and detained a large number of men, Cofield said.
“He would show by example: ‘Yes, officer. No, officer.’ Very respectful. Very calm tone,” she said.
A friend of Floyd’s had already moved to the Twin Cities as part of a church discipleship program that offered men a route to self-sufficiency by changing their environment and helping them find jobs.
“He was looking to start over fresh, a new beginning,” said Christopher Harris, who preceded Floyd to Minneapolis. Friends provided Floyd with money and clothing to ease the transition.
In Minneapolis, Floyd found a job as a security guard at the Salvation Army’s Harbor Light Center — the city’s largest homeless shelter.
“He would regularly walk a couple of female co-workers out … at night and make sure they got to their cars safely and securely,” said Brian Molohon, director of development for the Army’s Minnesota office. “Just a big strong guy, but with a very tender side.”
Floyd left after a little over a year, training to drive trucks while working as a bouncer at a club called Conga Latin Bistro.
“He would dance badly to make people laugh,” said the owner, Jovanni Thunstrom. “I tried to teach him how to dance because he loved Latin music, but I couldn’t because he was too tall for me.”
Floyd kept his connection to Houston, regularly returning to Cuney.
When Houston hosted the Super Bowl in 2017, Floyd was back in town, hosting a party at the church with music and free AIDS testing. He came back again for his mother’s funeral the next year. And when Cains spoke with him last, a few weeks ago, Floyd was planning another trip for this summer.
By then, Floyd was out of work. Early this spring, Thunstrom cut Floyd’s job when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the club to close.
On the evening of Memorial Day, Floyd was with two others when convenience store employees accused him of paying for cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill, then called the police. Less than an hour later, Floyd breathed his last.
Those who knew him search for meaning in his death.
“I’ve come to the belief that he was chosen,” said Cofield, the teacher. “Only this could have happened to him because of who he was and the amount of love that he had for people, people had for him.”
It’s a small comfort, she admits. But, then, in Big Floyd’s neighborhood, people have long made do with less.
___
Merchant and Lozano reported from Houston, Henao from Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Geller from New York. Associated Press writer Aaron Morrison in Minneapolis and videographer John Mone in Houston contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--Suspected Boko Haram fighters kill 69 in Nigeria's northeast

MAIDUGURI , Nigeria ( AP ) - Suspected members of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram have killed at least 69 people in Nigeria ’ s northeast , residents said Wednesday .
Tuesday ’ s attack in Foduma Kolomaiya village in the Gubio area of Borno state likely was in retaliation for resistance against an assault weeks ago , residents said .
“ They came on motorcycles and vehicles and killed people at will in an attack that lasted more than two hours , ” said Rabiu Isa , a member of a local defense force .
“ In all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toll may be higher because some people are still missing.
” Many others were wounded .
A leader of the local defense group , Malam Bunu , said the fighters returned Wednesday morning to kill a herdsman who had escaped the massacre .
“ Then set the entire village ablaze before they left , ” Bunu said .
“ As I am talking to you now , the village is still smoking.
” Gubio lies nearly 100 kilometers ( 62 miles ) northwest of Maiduguri , the Borno state capital .
Residents are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hostilities over the years .
After the initial attack nearly 1,200 cattle were stolen , Bunu said .
An air force fighter jet fired shots at the fleeing fighters , he said .
Tuesday ’ s attack was likely in retaliation for the death of two Boko Haram members “ whom the villagers managed to kill when the insurgents attempted to attack them about two months ago , ” Bunu said .
Boko Haram members often force villagers to pay illegal taxes by taking their livestock , he said .
But over time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Boko Haram and a breakaway faction , the Islamic State West Africa Province , are both active in the region .
Boko Haram ’ s more than decade-long insurgency has left thousands dead and displaced tens of thousands .
Insurgents recently have been mounting roadblocks , screening travelers and kidnapping people in northern Borno state , said the president of the region ’ s civil society organizations , Ahmed Shehu .
Last week , five people were kidnapped including a regional chairman for the Borno State Regional Emergency Services , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teachers were seized but later released .
“ There is urgent need for the protection of vulnerable civilians and local aid workers , ” Shehu said .

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) - Suspected members of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram have killed at least 81 people in Nigeria’s northeast, the state governor and residents said Wednesday.
Tuesday’s attack in Foduma Kolomaiya village in the Gubio area of Borno state likely was in retaliation for resistance against an assault weeks ago, residents said.
Governor Babagana Zulum, who visited the community Wednesday, raised the death toll to 81 from an earlier figure of 69 after speaking with survivors. He said seven people, including the head of the village, were abducted.
“This is barbaric,” he said. “The only solution to end this massacre is by dislodging the insurgents on the shores of Lake Chad. Doing so will require collaborative regional efforts.”
Residents described the attacks.
“They came on motorcycles and vehicles and killed people at will in an attack that lasted more than two hours,” said Rabiu Isa, a member of a local defense force. “In all we counted 69 corpses but the death toll may be higher because some people are still missing.”
Many others were wounded.
A leader of the local defense group, Malam Bunu, said the fighters returned Wednesday morning to kill a herdsman who had escaped the massacre.
“Then set the entire village ablaze before they left,” Bunu said. “As I am talking to you now, the village is still smoking.”
Gubio lies nearly 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. Residents are mostly herders who have resisted Boko Haram hostilities over the years.
After the initial attack nearly 1,200 cattle were stolen, Bunu said. An air force fighter jet fired shots at the fleeing fighters, he said.
Tuesday’s attack was likely in retaliation for the death of two Boko Haram members “whom the villagers managed to kill when the insurgents attempted to attack them about two months ago,” Bunu said.
Boko Haram members often force villagers to pay illegal taxes by taking their livestock, he said. But over time, villagers began to resist the extortion.
Boko Haram and a breakaway faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province, are both active in the region. Boko Haram’s more than decade-long insurgency has left thousands dead and displaced tens of thousands.
Insurgents recently have been mounting roadblocks, screening travelers and kidnapping people in northern Borno state, said the president of the region’s civil society organizations, Ahmed Shehu.
Last week, five people were kidnapped including a regional chairman for the Borno State Regional Emergency Services, he said. On Sunday, civil servants and teachers were seized but later released.
“There is urgent need for the protection of vulnerable civilians and local aid workers,” Shehu said.
___
Olukoya reported from Lagos, Nigeria.


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--William Barr to Muriel Bowser: Federal response necessary to quell 'escalating security crisis'

Attorney General William P. Barr said in a letter to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser released late Tuesday that the recent presence of federal law enforcement and National Guard members in the nation ’ s capital was necessary because of nearly unprecedented rioting last weekend .
Mr. Barr said that starting on Friday , May 29 , the District experienced “ days of violent rioting and looting ” that caused widespread damage , injured dozens of officers and threatened federal operations around the White House complex .
He said the violence culminated on May 31 — “ reportedly the most violent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 30 years ” — when rioters threw projectiles at federal law enforcement , burned down a structure in Lafayette Park near the White House and caused a fire in the basement of St. John ’ s Episcopal Church .
“ The television footage of these events — viewed by people across the Nation and around the world — conveyed the impression that the United States was on the brink of losing control of its capital city , ” Mr. Barr wrote .
The protests were in response to the Memorial Day killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who died in police custody in Minnesota .
Mr. Barr said the president requested that they expand the resources available to operate in the District , including by working with the D.C. National Guard and with state officials to make their National Guard personnel available , as a “ temporary response to an escalating security crisis.
” He said all of the federal and National Guard personnel operating in the District have been working under the confines of federal and D.C law .
Ms. Bowser had written to President Trump on Thursday requesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement and military presence from Washington , DC.
” She had also expressed concern that “ unidentified ” federal personnel were patrolling the streets of the city .
Mr. Barr said they had deployed personnel from various arms of the Justice Department and that the U.S .
Marshals Service had deputized officers from the Department of Homeland Security and from the Bureau of Prisons to assist in enforcing federal law .
He also said the USMS had deputized some National Guard personnel to enforce federal law and that the secretary of Defense assigned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal property in D.C .
The escalating protests in D.C. culminated on Monday , June 1 , when demonstrators were cleared from an area near the White House shortly before Mr. Trump delivered a Rose Garden speech on the ongoing unrest .
Mr. Barr has said there was no correlation between the order to remove the protesters , which included officials deploying irritants , and Mr. Trump ’ s subsequent walk over to nearby St. John ’ s where he held up a Bible in front of the boarded-up church .

Attorney General William P. Barr said in a letter to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser released late Tuesday that the recent presence of federal law enforcement and National Guard members in the nation’s capital was necessary because of nearly unprecedented rioting last weekend.
Mr. Barr said that starting on Friday, May 29, the District experienced “days of violent rioting and looting” that caused widespread damage, injured dozens of officers and threatened federal operations around the White House complex.
He said the violence culminated on May 31 — “reportedly the most violent day of civil unrest in the District in 30 years” — when rioters threw projectiles at federal law enforcement, burned down a structure in Lafayette Park near the White House and caused a fire in the basement of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
“The television footage of these events — viewed by people across the Nation and around the world — conveyed the impression that the United States was on the brink of losing control of its capital city,” Mr. Barr wrote.
The protests were in response to the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minnesota.
Mr. Barr said the president requested that they expand the resources available to operate in the District, including by working with the D.C. National Guard and with state officials to make their National Guard personnel available, as a “temporary response to an escalating security crisis.”
SEE ALSO: Muriel Bowser, Police Union take issue with D.C. emergency police reforms
He said all of the federal and National Guard personnel operating in the District have been working under the confines of federal and D.C law.
Ms. Bowser had written to President Trump on Thursday requesting that he withdraw “all extraordinary law enforcement and military presence from Washington, DC.”
She had also expressed concern that “unidentified” federal personnel were patrolling the streets of the city.
Mr. Barr said they had deployed personnel from various arms of the Justice Department and that the U.S. Marshals Service had deputized officers from the Department of Homeland Security and from the Bureau of Prisons to assist in enforcing federal law.
He also said the USMS had deputized some National Guard personnel to enforce federal law and that the secretary of Defense assigned some out-of-state National Guard personnel to protect federal property in D.C.
The escalating protests in D.C. culminated on Monday, June 1, when demonstrators were cleared from an area near the White House shortly before Mr. Trump delivered a Rose Garden speech on the ongoing unrest.
Mr. Barr has said there was no correlation between the order to remove the protesters, which included officials deploying irritants, and Mr. Trump’s subsequent walk over to nearby St. John’s where he held up a Bible in front of the boarded-up church.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--Primary over, Harrison challenges Sen. Graham to debates

COLUMBIA , S.C. ( AP ) - With his defeat of three little-known GOP challengers behind him , U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is officially embarking on the next phase of his quest for a fourth term : a general election matchup with Democrat Jaime Harrison already on pace to become the most expensive in South Carolina history .
And , just hours after Graham ’ s victory in Tuesday ’ s GOP primary , Harrison laid down a challenge to the veteran lawmaker , asking him to participate in a series of four debates across South Carolina , including one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ All South Carolinians deserve the opportunity to hear from their candidates for U.S. Senate , ” Harrison wrote in a letter to Graham .
Harrison faced no primary opposition on Tuesday .
Graham , 64 , bested fellow Republicans Duke Buckner , Michael Lapierre and Joe Reynolds in Tuesday ’ s primary election .
Two Libertarians and one Constitution Party candidate also filed to seek the seat .
Graham ’ s popularity among Republicans in his home state has recently fluctuated along with his relationship to President Donald Trump , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with him in the state in February .
A year ago , all of South Carolina ’ s statewide-elected officials endorsed Graham , as has Vice President Mike Pence , who helped kick off Graham ’ s reelection campaign last year .
Following his victory , Graham , chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , said he was “ just getting warmed up ” for the November election , which he said would “ provide voters with a stark choice between the Democrats ’ socialist agenda or security and prosperity through free enterprise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 44-year-old Harrison congratulated Graham but said in a news release that South Carolina voters are “ fed up with Lindsey taking this seat for granted , and they are demanding a senator who will put their needs ahead of his own.
” Harrison , an associate chairman with the Democratic National Committee and former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party , has from the start aimed to draw national attention .
That has helped him to spur the fundraising and grassroots organizing that is crucial to flipping a Senate seat in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee last spring and has since gotten support from former Vice President and presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden , as well as former 2020 hopefuls U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker .
Both Graham and Harrison have posted record-setting fundraising hauls in recent quarters .
Over the course of the campaign , Harrison has raised nearly $ 15 million , mounting aggressive email fundraising campaigns and holding virtual events during the coronavirus outbreak .
Graham has taken in a total of $ 21 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite holding no fundraisers during Trump ’ s impeachment trial and suspending two weeks of fundraising because of the pandemic , Graham ’ s campaign said he had the third-highest fundraising total among all Republican senators during this year ’ s first quarter .
U.S. Army veteran Bob Barnwell , a self-avowed Graham supporter , voted absentee for the senator ahead of Tuesday ’ s primary , in part because of the outbreak .
The 72-year-old retired nurse was recently released from the hospital , where he was treated for several weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an outstanding senator , military veteran , retired Army judge , Christian man and native South Carolinian who loves this state , ” Barnwell told The Associated Press on Thursday evening .
“ He is a powerful voice in the U.S. Senate for the right to life for the unborn and older citizens.
” Meg Kinnard can be reached at http : //twitter.com/MegKinnardAP

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - With his defeat of three little-known GOP challengers behind him, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is officially embarking on the next phase of his quest for a fourth term: a general election matchup with Democrat Jaime Harrison already on pace to become the most expensive in South Carolina history.
And, just hours after Graham’s victory in Tuesday’s GOP primary, Harrison laid down a challenge to the veteran lawmaker, asking him to participate in a series of four debates across South Carolina, including one at a historically black college or university.
“All South Carolinians deserve the opportunity to hear from their candidates for U.S. Senate,” Harrison wrote in a letter to Graham.
Harrison faced no primary opposition on Tuesday. Graham, 64, bested fellow Republicans Duke Buckner, Michael Lapierre and Joe Reynolds in Tuesday’s primary election. Two Libertarians and one Constitution Party candidate also filed to seek the seat.
Graham’s popularity among Republicans in his home state has recently fluctuated along with his relationship to President Donald Trump, who is supporting his reelection bid and campaigned with him in the state in February. A year ago, all of South Carolina’s statewide-elected officials endorsed Graham, as has Vice President Mike Pence, who helped kick off Graham’s reelection campaign last year.
Following his victory, Graham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he was “just getting warmed up” for the November election, which he said would “provide voters with a stark choice between the Democrats’ socialist agenda or security and prosperity through free enterprise and security.”
On Tuesday, the 44-year-old Harrison congratulated Graham but said in a news release that South Carolina voters are “fed up with Lindsey taking this seat for granted, and they are demanding a senator who will put their needs ahead of his own.”
Harrison, an associate chairman with the Democratic National Committee and former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, has from the start aimed to draw national attention. That has helped him to spur the fundraising and grassroots organizing that is crucial to flipping a Senate seat in the deeply red state.
He received backing from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee last spring and has since gotten support from former Vice President and presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, as well as former 2020 hopefuls U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.
Both Graham and Harrison have posted record-setting fundraising hauls in recent quarters. Over the course of the campaign, Harrison has raised nearly $15 million, mounting aggressive email fundraising campaigns and holding virtual events during the coronavirus outbreak.
Graham has taken in a total of $21 million, according to Federal Election Commission records. Despite holding no fundraisers during Trump’s impeachment trial and suspending two weeks of fundraising because of the pandemic, Graham’s campaign said he had the third-highest fundraising total among all Republican senators during this year’s first quarter.
U.S. Army veteran Bob Barnwell, a self-avowed Graham supporter, voted absentee for the senator ahead of Tuesday’s primary, in part because of the outbreak. The 72-year-old retired nurse was recently released from the hospital, where he was treated for several weeks after contracting COVID-19.
“Lindsey Graham is an outstanding senator, military veteran, retired Army judge, Christian man and native South Carolinian who loves this state,” Barnwell told The Associated Press on Thursday evening. “He is a powerful voice in the U.S. Senate for the right to life for the unborn and older citizens.”
___
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--Nevada Supreme Court chief ahead; other race possible runoff

LAS VEGAS ( AP ) - The chief judge of Nevada ’ s highest court appeared headed for re-election , while a veteran state judge and a defense attorney-turned-state Assemblyman seemed headed for a runoff for the other state Supreme Court seat on Tuesday ’ s ballot .
With votes being tallied early Wednesday , Chief Justice Kristina Pickering was above the 50 % needed to defeat attorneys Esther Rodriguez and Thomas Christensen to win another six-year term on the seven-member court .
Judicial races are non-partisan .
Clark County District Court Judge Douglas Herndon was leading state lawmaker Ozzie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % level .
They might have to vie again in November for the seat held by retiring Justice Mark Gibbons .
Herndon headed the district attorney ’ s office special victims ’ unit before he was appointed to the state court bench in 2005 .
He has acknowledged that as a prosecutor , he helped convict a man of a 1992 murder he did not commit .
Fumo is a defense attorney and Democratic lawmaker who helped represent paroled former football hero O.J .
Simpson during his appeal of his 2008 conviction in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Pickering was with her husband at a prominent Las Vegas commercial litigation firm before she was elected to the state high court in 2008 .

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The chief judge of Nevada’s highest court appeared headed for re-election, while a veteran state judge and a defense attorney-turned-state Assemblyman seemed headed for a runoff for the other state Supreme Court seat on Tuesday’s ballot.
With votes being tallied early Wednesday, Chief Justice Kristina Pickering was above the 50% needed to defeat attorneys Esther Rodriguez and Thomas Christensen to win another six-year term on the seven-member court. Judicial races are non-partisan.
Clark County District Court Judge Douglas Herndon was leading state lawmaker Ozzie Fumo, but neither reached the 50% level. They might have to vie again in November for the seat held by retiring Justice Mark Gibbons.
Herndon headed the district attorney’s office special victims’ unit before he was appointed to the state court bench in 2005. He has acknowledged that as a prosecutor, he helped convict a man of a 1992 murder he did not commit.
Fumo is a defense attorney and Democratic lawmaker who helped represent paroled former football hero O.J. Simpson during his appeal of his 2008 conviction in an armed robbery case in Las Vegas.
Pickering was with her husband at a prominent Las Vegas commercial litigation firm before she was elected to the state high court in 2008.


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--Nevada voters wait more than 7 hours to cast primary ballots

LAS VEGAS ( AP ) - Voters waited in line more than seven hours to cast their ballots after polls were supposed to have closed for Nevada ’ s primary when changes made in response to the coronavirus created lengthy backups that had the final votes cast early Wednesday morning .
Hundreds of people were still in line at polling places in Reno and Las Vegas when polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday .
Election officials allowed those in line to vote , delaying the release of early results for hours .
Nevada elections officials severely cut down the number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus and instead encouraged voters to vote by mail to settle primary contests for U.S. House seats and statewide and legislative races .
The top-ticket races that voters were deciding included contests for Nevada ’ s four U.S. House seats .
The incumbents - three Democrats and a Republican - easily sailed through primary challenges .
The biggest question coming out of Tuesday ’ s election was which candidates will try to unseat them in November .
Turnout numbers as of early Wednesday morning showed participation from 24 % of “ active ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who voted in the last two federal elections .
Voters were sent ballots by mail and were given two weeks to show up in-person during early voting to cast ballots , but thousands turned out anyway on Election Day , creating very long waits at the three polling places in Las Vegas .
In the Reno area , Washoe County officials reported lines at the sole polling place were nearly three hours long at one point .
Two of the closest watched races were Republican primaries for Nevada ’ s 3rd and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seats are held by Democrats but could flip to Republicans in November , drawing a number of GOP contenders to the primary .
Republicans had six candidates to choose from in Nevada ’ s 3rd District , which encompasses southwest Las Vegas , Henderson , Boulder City and Laughlin .
Early returns showed former professional wrestler Dan Rodimer leading , followed by former State Treasurer Dan Schwartz .
The winner will face Democratic Rep. Susie Lee , who easily overcame two challengers in her primary .
Nevada ’ s 4th District , held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans to the race .
Early results Wednesday showed former state lawmaker Jim Marchant leading , followed closely by Sam Peters , an insurance business owner and retired Major from the United States Air Force .
On the Democratic side , Horsford recently acknowledged having a yearslong extramarital affair , but it didn ’ t affect his election .
He breezed past five challengers .
In northern Nevada , Republican Mark Amodei easily topped two GOP challengers to his 2nd District seat .
Though Amodei is expected to win re-election in the Republican-heavy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improve their numbers lined up to try to challenge him .
Retired mountaineer and former actress Patricia Ackerman was leading six other Democrats vying to take on Amodei .
Other Democratic challengers included former journalist Ed Cohen and former Obama administration official Clint Koble .
In Nevada ’ s 1st District , encompassing the casino-lined Las Vegas Strip , incumbent Democrat Dina Titus overcame two primary challengers .
Four Republicans were seeking her seat , but only one has filed a campaign finance report , and it disclosed little fundraising .
Early results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Whoever wins the GOP primary will face a daunting challenge against Titus in the Democrat-heavy district .
Voters in Tuesday ’ s election were also settling intraparty contests in nearly 30 state Senate and Assembly races and narrowing the field in nonpartisan races for two state Supreme Court seats , deciding nearly two dozen family and district court judgeships , three university regent races and three Board of Education contests .
Elections officials are not expected to release more results until Thursday morning .
Associated Press writers Scott Sonner in Reno , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sam Metz in Carson City and photographer John Locher in Las Vegas contributed to this report .

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada’s primary election conducted mostly by mail for the first time due to the pandemic produced a bigger turnout than usual but drew complaints and questions from voters in long lines at the few polling places operating Tuesday.
Reno’s Lily Baran, who waited 90 minutes to be the last voter at Washoe County’s single polling place, asked why officials offered so few polling places.
“I can go and play blackjack at how many places? And how many places can I vote? That just seems a little weird,” Baran said.
Eric Ellis said he waited in line for more than five hours at the county election office in North Las Vegas.
“I don’t know whether to be excited about it because there is such a great voter turnout or frustrated because this is so poorly organized,” Ellis said.
State election officials focused on the former.
“I’m very happy with how the election went,” said Wayne Thorley, deputy secretary of state for elections.
“Most voters in Nevada before this election had never voted by mail,” he told The Associated Press Wednesday. “Turnout is way up compared with previous years,”
In Clark County, with more than 1.3 million voters, election officials operated three polling places, down from 172 in the 2018 primary.
In Reno, where lines at one point were nearly three hours long, officials encountered more delays when they had to empty the polling place multiple times and sanitize them after accommodating voters who refused to wear masks or have their temperatures taken.
Some voters said they liked the convenience of voting by mail and likely will do it again.
“It’s so easy to do it. There’s no line,” said Kristin Swanson, 42, of Sparks.
Thorley estimates a turnout of 27% compared to the typical 20%.
Only about 2% of ballots were cast by voters in person on election day - fewer than 10,000 statewide, he said. About 98% either returned them by mail or went to a ballot drop-off location - “meaning those voters didn’t wait in any line.”
“So, there was overwhelmingly positive support for vote by mail,” he said. “That’s a good thing to take away from this.”
Thorley said current plans call for a normal November general election with the usual number of voting locations statewide. If another mail-in election is necessary, he anticipates counties would provide more polling locations.
Washoe County Registrar of Voters Deanna Spikula said Wednesday she doesn’t expect the county to only offer one polling place in the general election.
“We won’t be seeing this hopefully again in November. We’re very hopeful the slow of the spread of the virus will continue to decline in our region so we won’t have any need to do an all mail-in election,” she said.
For the first time, the state mailed the equivalent of absentee ballots to voters whether they requested one or not to limit the risk of spreading the coronavirus at polls. Voters had two weeks to vote early in person.
Clark County mailed ballots to every voter registered there. In all other counties, ballots were mailed only to “active” voters, which are generally those who participated in one of the past two federal elections or recently updated their registration.
Clark County Registrar of Voters Joe Gloria said in a statement Wednesday the long lines “were not acceptable.”
“Honestly, we did not expect as many people would need replacement ballots. Our staff did a great job and we sincerely appreciate the voters’ patience. While we expect the November election will have regular in-person voting, no matter what it looks like we will do better,” he said.
Election officials delayed any results until early Wednesday morning to allow hundreds still in line when the polls closed to cast ballots.
Steve Connolly, the last voter to cast a ballot at the Paradise Recreation Center in Las Vegas, said when he finally cast his ballot at 3 a.m. Wednesday, election workers took his photograph to mark the moment.
“I definitely feel like, in line, there were a lot of people talking about it,” Connolly said. “I stayed because I wasn’t going to give up.”
The top-ticket races that voters were deciding included contests four U.S. House seats. The incumbents - three Democrats and a Republican - easily sailed through their primary challenges. The AP has not declared a winner in the three Republican and one Democratic contests for those seeking to take on the incumbents in November.
More results are expected to be released Thursday morning.
___
Associated Press writers Ken Ritter in Las Vegas, Sam Metz in Carson City and photographer John Locher in Las Vegas contributed to this report. Sonner reported from Reno.


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--Storms leave thousands without power in Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE ( AP ) - Gusty winds and heavy rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal left thousands without @ @ @ @ @ down trees and caused some localized flooding .
We Energies was working to restore service @ @ @ @ @ mainly in southeastern Wisconsin .
The National Weather Service issued a gale warning through Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ of the possibility of strong winds creating waves of 6 to 10 feet .
Forecasters @ @ @ @ @ paddlers to stay out of the water because life-threatening waves and currents are predicted .
@ @ @ @ @ heavy rain washed out portions of some roads in Chippewa and Eau Claire counties and @ @ @ @

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Gusty winds and heavy rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal left thousands without power in Wisconsin, brought down trees and caused some localized flooding.
We Energies was working to restore service to some 13,500 customers, mainly in southeastern Wisconsin.
The National Weather Service issued a gale warning through Wednesday evening on Lake Michigan because of the possibility of strong winds creating waves of 6 to 10 feet. Forecasters warned boaters, swimmers and paddlers to stay out of the water because life-threatening waves and currents are predicted.
In western Wisconsin, the heavy rain washed out portions of some roads in Chippewa and Eau Claire counties and caused minor flooding.


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--Man U cancels friendly when opposing manager tests positive

MANCHESTER , England ( AP ) - Manchester United abruptly canceled one of its friendly matches ahead of the resumption of the Premier League after the opposing team ’ s manager tested positive for the coronavirus .
Michael O ’ Neill , the manager of second-tier Stoke City , had tested negative in five previous rounds of COVID-19 checks before a positive result came from a test administered on Monday .
Stoke had been scheduled to play United in a friendly at the Premier League team ’ s Carrington training center on Tuesday , the day O ’ Neill learned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was immediately called off .
O ’ Neill was never on site at United ’ s training center .
Players and staff of Stoke had arrived and were located in a separate building to their United counterparts , in accordance with protocol , when news of the positive test came through .
The two squads reportedly had not interacted or come into contact with each other by the time Stoke left .
O ’ Neill , who recently left his dual role as Northern Ireland manager , could now be absent for Stoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspension of the Championship because of the coronavirus outbreak .
That will be against Reading on June 20 .
According to English Football League regulations , a person who tests positive and has symptoms must self-isolate for a minimum of seven days off-site or until the symptoms resolve .
If the person has no symptoms , he or she must exclude from training for 10 days and be under strict surveillance for the following four days .
If symptoms develop , the person must then exclude for seven days .
Tests are taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Stoke said the team ’ s assistant manager , Billy McKinlay , will take charge of training ahead of the game against Reading .
The Premier League returns to action with two matches on June 17 .
United ’ s first game is away to Tottenham two days later .
There were zero positive results from the Premier League ’ s COVID-19 testing conducted June 4-5 on 1,195 players and club staff .
Britain has recorded more than 40,000 coronavirus deaths .

MANCHESTER, England (AP) - Manchester United abruptly canceled one of its friendly matches ahead of the resumption of the Premier League after the opposing team’s manager tested positive for the coronavirus.
Michael O’Neill, the manager of second-tier Stoke City, had tested negative in five previous rounds of COVID-19 checks before a positive result came from a test administered on Monday.
Stoke had been scheduled to play United in a friendly at the Premier League team’s Carrington training center on Tuesday, the day O’Neill learned of the positive test. The game was immediately called off.
O’Neill was never on site at United’s training center. Players and staff of Stoke had arrived and were located in a separate building to their United counterparts, in accordance with protocol, when news of the positive test came through.
The two squads reportedly had not interacted or come into contact with each other by the time Stoke left.
O’Neill, who recently left his dual role as Northern Ireland manager, could now be absent for Stoke’s first match back after the suspension of the Championship because of the coronavirus outbreak. That will be against Reading on June 20.
According to English Football League regulations, a person who tests positive and has symptoms must self-isolate for a minimum of seven days off-site or until the symptoms resolve. If the person has no symptoms, he or she must exclude from training for 10 days and be under strict surveillance for the following four days. If symptoms develop, the person must then exclude for seven days.
Tests are taking place twice a week at EFL clubs.
Stoke said the team’s assistant manager, Billy McKinlay, will take charge of training ahead of the game against Reading.
The Premier League returns to action with two matches on June 17. United’s first game is away to Tottenham two days later.
There were zero positive results from the Premier League’s COVID-19 testing conducted June 4-5 on 1,195 players and club staff.
Britain has recorded more than 40,000 coronavirus deaths.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--Pope names St Louis archbishop to replace retiring Carlson

VATICAN CITY ( AP ) - Pope Francis has named Springfield , Massachusetts Bishop Mitchell Rozanski as the next archbishop of St. Louis , Missouri , a diocese long associated with the conservative wing of the U.S. church .
Rozanski replaces Archbishop Robert J. Carlson , who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 last year and submitted his resignation to the pope .
The Vatican said Wednesday that Francis had accepted it and named Rozanski to succeed him .
Rozanski , 61 , is considered a moderate and is taking over an archdiocese that has long been led by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Louis was headed by now-Cardinal Raymond Burke , a leading point of reference for conservatives in the U.S. and beyond .
And prior to Burke , St. Louis was headed by now-Cardinal Justin Rigali , who went onto head the archdiocese of Philadelphia .
In a tweet , Carlson said : “ I am confident in the future of God ’ s strong Church in St. Louis with Archbishop-elect Rozanski as its shepherd .
Welcome to @ archstl , Bishop Rozanski.
” Rozanski was an auxiliary bishop in his hometown of Baltimore before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2014 .
Coincidentally , in another appointment Wednesday , Francis named a new auxiliary bishop for Baltimore , Bruce Lewandowski of the Redemptorist religious order .

ST. LOUIS (AP) - The newly-appointed head of the Archdiocese of St. Louis vowed Wednesday to be an agent of healing, as the region and the nation continue to react to the death of George Floyd and the threat of the coronavirus.
The Vatican announced Wednesday that Pope Francis had appointed Springfield, Massachusetts Bishop Mitchell Rozanski to lead the St. Louis diocese, replacing Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, who is retiring.
“This is a troubled time for our nation,” Rozanski said during a news conference in St. Louis. “We’re still experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 virus, the death of Mr. George Floyd and the sad spectacle of racism that tears at the very fabric of our country. … It is my hope that called to lead this church of St. Louis, God’s grace will be in abundance in helping me to be part of that healing process and resolution to all the daunting issues that we face.”
The appointment drew immediate criticism from advocates for victims of priest sexual abuse. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests chastised Rozanski for not releasing the names of three accused predator priests in the Springfield, Massachusetts, who were suspended last week.
David Clohessy, of SNAP, said Rozanski said bishops have generally released the names of accused priests since 2002, when they signed the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that set out procedures for responding to widespread allegations of priest abuse in the church.
“I can’t think of a single instance the last five to 10 years where a bishop said ‘This guy is too dangerous for my parish but I’m not going to tell you who he is,’” Clohessy said.
Rozanski said he didn’t release the names because the diocese and law enforcement are still investigating the credibility of allegations against two of the priests, while a district attorney has already cleared the other man. He also detailed several steps the diocese took to enhance its transparency on the issue.
“Healing begins with transparency,” Rozanski said. “So I know we can’t seem to do things perfectly but we’re trying as best we can.”
Rozanski, 61, is considered a moderate and is taking over an archdiocese that has long been led by conservatives. Prior to Carlson, St. Louis was headed by now-Cardinal Raymond Burke, a leading point of reference for conservatives in the U.S. and beyond.
And prior to Burke, St. Louis was headed by now-Cardinal Justin Rigali, who went onto head the archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Rozanski is the 10th archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, which has more than 500,000 members in 182 parishes across 11 counties.
Rozanski was an auxiliary bishop in his hometown of Baltimore before being named to lead the Springfield, Massachusetts, diocese in 2014. In another appointment Wednesday, Francis named a new auxiliary bishop for Baltimore, Bruce Lewandowski of the Redemptorist religious order.


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--Fireworks explosion kills 1, injures another in Pennsylvania

COOPERSBURG , Pa. ( AP ) - Federal and state authorities on Wednesday were trying to determine what caused two tractor-trailers filled with fireworks to explode in eastern Pennsylvania , killing one person and injuring another .
Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives agents joined state investigators at the scene in Lower Milford Township to comb through the trailers and a building that were destroyed by the series of blasts on Tuesday afternoon .
A.J .
Molaee told WPVI-TV he and his parents after aid to a man lying on the ground .
“ He said , ‘ My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the trailer and my dog , is my dog OK ?
And I ’ m gon na die , I ’ m gon na die , ’ ” Molaee recalled .
“ We ’ re asking him what happened ?
He said , ‘ I just walked in and the whole place exploded.
’ ” Neighbors reported the blasts shook their homes and black smoke rose from the scene .
The Lehigh County coroner has not released the name of the victim .
No additional information was available , the coroner said .

COOPERSBURG, Pa. (AP) - The explosion of two tractor-trailers filled with fireworks in eastern Pennsylvania, killing one person and injuring another, is under investigation, officials said Wednesday.
The Lehigh County coroner said 50-year-old Brian Ehret of Zionsville in Lower Milford Township was pronounced dead in the backyard of his home after the series of blasts just before 3 p.m. Tuesday. An autopsy is scheduled Thursday to determine the cause and manner of death.
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents joined state investigators at the scene to comb through the trailers and a building that were destroyed.
The blasts drew neighbors and passersby.
A.J. Molaee told WPVI-TV he and his parents aided a man lying on the ground.
“He said, ‘My friend Brian’s in there in the trailer and my dog, is my dog OK? And I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die,’” Molaee recalled. “We’re asking him what happened? He said, ‘I just walked in and the whole place exploded.’”
Neighbors reported the blasts shook their homes and black smoke rose from the scene.


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--Surviving in America's Black Belt amid pandemic and job loss

SELMA , Ala. ( AP ) - Life can be tough even on a good day in the Black Belt , where some of the poorest people in America are , as usual , depending on each other to survive .
Their struggle has become even more difficult with unemployment intensifying and coronavirus infections raging .
Both the need and the relief have been on display in the historic civil rights city of Selma , where volunteers distributed free food to scores of people , many of whom shared rides from isolated communities just to get to the school where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ When the rest of the country catches a cold , a place like the Black Belt catches the flu , ” said Lydia Chatmon , who works with the Selma Center for Non-Violence and helped coordinate with the Black Belt Community Foundation on last week ’ s donations .
Stretching from Louisiana to Virginia , the Black Belt is a crescent-shaped agricultural region first known for the color of its soil and then for its mostly black population .
It provided for much of the antebellum South ’ s cotton economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of slaves .
With relatively little industry and a declining population , poverty remains a constant problem .
Now the virus that causes COVID-19 , which is killing U.S. blacks in disproportionately large numbers , has taken hold as well .
Black Belt counties have eight of the nine worst infection rates in Alabama , where more than 20,500 have tested positive for the virus , and more than 710 have died .
The area also took the hardest hit from unemployment during the economic shutdown , with eight Black Belt counties having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And now that Alabama Gov .
Kay Ivey has allowed businesses and many entertainment venues to reopen in a bid to stimulate the economy , worrying public health officials , cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations have held steady or increased in the state .
It ’ s not that government isn ’ t helping : The food at the giveaway was donated through a federal program .
And more than $ 4 million in pandemic assistance grants announced last week will go to agencies that serve Black Belt counties in Alabama .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rent and medicine .
Small-town coronavirus testing stations also have opened , so residents don ’ t have to travel to bigger cities to learn if they may be spreading the virus .
But the region also has mobilized to help itself .
Clementine Blythe-Ellis , a high school teacher who is off for the summer , put on a protective mask to guard against the new virus and a hat to ward off the sun before showing to distribute food .
The need , she said , never goes away .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day , ” she said .
“ That ’ s why I am here.
” The Black Belt Community Foundation also is giving away 100,000 face masks , and people are using social media to share tips and resources , trying to reach residents who lack any internet at home .
While broadband access is spotty across much of rural Alabama , some entire counties lack service in the Black Belt .
Dorothy Hall , a retired hospital worker who lives with her husband on disability , said that along with causing illness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up jobs , increased grocery prices and made it more difficult to do little things like get food and household supplies .
“ You ’ re sort of like locked in every which way you turn , ” said Hall , who arrived at the food distribution at Selma High School hours early to get the first spot in line .
The school is less than 2 miles ( 3.2 kilometers ) from the Edmund Pettus Bridge , where state troopers beat voting rights marchers 55 years ago .
Nearly 50 miles ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Pastor James Franks ’ Pine Grove Baptist Church is coordinating a weekly distribution of milk donated by Borden Dairy .
“ Not just during this time , but at all times we should be assisting , ” he said .
“ We ’ re trying to help so it won ’ t get to that bad.
” At the West Alabama Food Bank , which distributes food in half of Alabama ’ s 10 poorest counties , director Jean Rykaczewski said workers have distributed 1.4 million pounds of food since mid-March , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a normal quarter .
But in far-flung areas where around a third of families either lack a vehicle or share just one , simply getting food to people has been a problem , since normal distribution channels through churches and assistance groups broke down during the virus shutdown , she said .
People without transportation are having to pay as much as $ 20 for rides to the store or distribution sites , she said .
“ You can set up trucks in parks all day long , but if you don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it doesn ’ t help , ” she said .
Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

SELMA, Ala. (AP) - Life can be tough even on a good day in the Black Belt, where some of the poorest people in America are, as usual, depending on each other to survive. Their struggle has become even more difficult with unemployment intensifying and coronavirus infections raging.
Both the need and the relief have been on display in the historic civil rights city of Selma, where volunteers distributed free food to scores of people, many of whom shared rides from isolated communities just to get to the school where boxes of fruit and vegetables were available.
“When the rest of the country catches a cold, a place like the Black Belt catches the flu,” said Lydia Chatmon, who works with the Selma Center for Non-Violence and helped coordinate with the Black Belt Community Foundation on last week’s donations.
Stretching from Louisiana to Virginia, the Black Belt is a crescent-shaped agricultural region first known for the color of its soil and then for its mostly black population. It provided for much of the antebellum South’s cotton economy, and remains home to many descendants of slaves. With relatively little industry and a declining population, poverty remains a constant problem.
Now the virus that causes COVID-19, which is killing U.S. blacks in disproportionately large numbers, has taken hold as well.
Black Belt counties have eight of the nine worst infection rates in Alabama, where more than 21,600 have tested positive for the virus, and more than 730 have died. The area also took the hardest hit from unemployment during the economic shutdown, with eight Black Belt counties having jobless rates near or above 20%.
And now that Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has allowed businesses and many entertainment venues to reopen in a bid to stimulate the economy, worrying public health officials, cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations have held steady or increased in the state.
It’s not that government isn’t helping: The food at the giveaway was donated through a federal program. And more than $4 million in pandemic assistance grants announced last week will go to agencies that serve Black Belt counties in Alabama. The money will help provide food, rent and medicine. Small-town coronavirus testing stations also have opened, so residents don’t have to travel to bigger cities to learn if they may be spreading the virus .
But the region also has mobilized to help itself. Clementine Blythe-Ellis, a high school teacher who is off for the summer, put on a protective mask to guard against the new virus and a hat to ward off the sun before showing to distribute food. The need, she said, never goes away.
“It’s every day, all day,” she said. “That’s why I am here.”
The Black Belt Community Foundation also is giving away 100,000 face masks, and people are using social media to share tips and resources, trying to reach residents who lack any internet at home. While broadband access is spotty across much of rural Alabama, some entire counties lack service in the Black Belt.
Dorothy Hall, a retired hospital worker who lives with her husband on disability, said that along with causing illness and death, the pandemic has dried up jobs, increased grocery prices and made it more difficult to do little things like get food and household supplies.
“You’re sort of like locked in every which way you turn,” said Hall, who arrived at the food distribution at Selma High School hours early to get the first spot in line. The school is less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where state troopers beat voting rights marchers 55 years ago.
Nearly 50 miles (80 kilometers) away in Hale County, Pastor James Franks’ Pine Grove Baptist Church is coordinating a weekly distribution of milk donated by Borden Dairy.
“Not just during this time, but at all times we should be assisting,” he said. “We’re trying to help so it won’t get to that bad.”
At the West Alabama Food Bank, which distributes food in half of Alabama’s 10 poorest counties, director Jean Rykaczewski said workers have distributed 1.4 million pounds of food since mid-March, or about 40% more than during a normal quarter.
But in far-flung areas where around a third of families either lack a vehicle or share just one, simply getting food to people has been a problem, since normal distribution channels through churches and assistance groups broke down during the virus shutdown, she said. People without transportation are having to pay as much as $20 for rides to the store or distribution sites, she said.
“You can set up trucks in parks all day long, but if you don’t have a way to get there it doesn’t help,” she said.
___
Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.


washingtontimes--2020-06-10--Suspected tainted wine kills 4, sickens 10 in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH , Cambodia ( AP ) - Four people died and 10 others were hospitalized in Cambodia after drinking rice wine that police believe was adulterated with a toxic substance .
The people were stricken Tuesday and Wednesday in the northwestern province of Banteay Meanchey after drinking the bottled beverage , which consisted of wine mixed with traditional medicine , provincial police chief Gen. Ath Khem said .
Dangerous cheap but powerful alcoholic drinks are a perennial problem in Cambodia ’ s poor rural areas , and several accidental poisonings are reported each year .
Often the alcohol is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which can kill even in small amounts .
Rice wine is typically home-brewed and is popular at social gatherings , though police said in this case the wine was a brand that came from the capital , Phnom Penh , and has been sold in provincial markets for several years without incident .
Ath Khem said the authorities were seeking the wine company ’ s owner for questioning .
Ath Khem said a preliminary investigation suggested the wine was tainted with a toxic substance .
Samples were collected from the victims for testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In May 2018 , 14 villagers died and more than 200 others were sickened in the northeastern province of Kratie after drinking rice wine containing methanol .

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Four people died and 10 others were hospitalized in Cambodia after drinking rice wine that police believe was adulterated with a toxic substance.
The people were stricken Tuesday and Wednesday in the northwestern province of Banteay Meanchey after drinking the bottled beverage, which consisted of wine mixed with traditional medicine, provincial police chief Gen. Ath Khem said.
Dangerous cheap but powerful alcoholic drinks are a perennial problem in Cambodia’s poor rural areas, and several accidental poisonings are reported each year. Often the alcohol is not distilled properly and contains methanol, which can kill even in small amounts.
Rice wine is typically home-brewed and is popular at social gatherings, though police said in this case the wine was a brand that came from the capital, Phnom Penh, and has been sold in provincial markets for several years without incident. Ath Khem said the authorities were seeking the wine company’s owner for questioning.
Ath Khem said a preliminary investigation suggested the wine was tainted with a toxic substance. Samples were collected from the victims for testing in a laboratory in the capital.
In May 2018, 14 villagers died and more than 200 others were sickened in the northeastern province of Kratie after drinking rice wine containing methanol.