washingtontimes--2020-10-19--California police recover lizards stolen from reptile store

LOS ANGELES , Calif. ( AP ) - Police in California announced two arrests and the return of a pair of unique lizards that were stolen from a reptile shop last year .
The Long Beach Police Department said Friday that the two Australian lace monitor lizards were stolen from JTK Reptiles in Long Beach in November , The Los Angeles Times reports .
The lizards , which can grow to be more than 6 feet ( 1.83 meters ) long , were valued together at $ 75,000 .
Three people entered the store , broke into the cages holding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ car , authorities said .
Police tracked the lizards to a Panorama City house Sept. 23 .
Jose Luis Macias Jr. , 30 , and Kassandra Marie Duenas , 27 , who were in the house at the time , were arrested and charged with second-degree robbery .
Both men were released on $ 50,000 bail , police said .
Animal control handlers were called to recover the lizards before being returned to their owner , Long Beach Police Department spokesman Brandon Fahey said .
The suspects “ seem to be knowledgeable about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Fahey said .
Fahey declined to say how detectives found the animals .
“ As far as I know , the lizards were A-OK , ” Fahey said .
“ We lucked out there .
”

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) - Police in California announced two arrests and the return of a pair of unique lizards that were stolen from a reptile shop last year.
The Long Beach Police Department said Friday that the two Australian lace monitor lizards were stolen from JTK Reptiles in Long Beach in November, The Los Angeles Times reports.
The lizards, which can grow to be more than 6 feet (1.83 meters) long, were valued together at $75,000.
Three people entered the store, broke into the cages holding the lizards and escaped to a waiting car, authorities said.
Police tracked the lizards to a Panorama City house Sept. 23. Jose Luis Macias Jr., 30, and Kassandra Marie Duenas, 27, who were in the house at the time, were arrested and charged with second-degree robbery.
Both men were released on $50,000 bail, police said.
Animal control handlers were called to recover the lizards before being returned to their owner, Long Beach Police Department spokesman Brandon Fahey said.
The suspects “seem to be knowledgeable about lizards and lizard value and lizard selling,” Fahey said.
Fahey declined to say how detectives found the animals.
“As far as I know, the lizards were A-OK,” Fahey said. “We lucked out there.”
The store owner declined to comment Monday.


washingtontimes--2020-10-19--University of Texas to create center to study stuttering

AUSTIN , Texas ( AP ) - A new center for research and education into stuttering is being created at the University of Texas at Austin , the university announced Monday .
The Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Research and Education is being underwritten by a 10-year , $ 20 million legacy grant from Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank , who owns the NFL ’ s Atlanta Falcons , the MLS Atlanta United , and the venue where both play , Mercedes-Benz Stadium .
The center will be founded and led by Dr. Courtney Byrd , a professor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the university .
She also is a founder of other stuttering clinics and institutes at the University of Texas .
The center will advance understanding of the nature and effective treatment of stuttering ; scale evidence-based programming to treat children , teenagers and adults worldwide ; and create a pipeline of expert clinicians and researchers to make quality care accessible to all people , according to a university statement .
Stuttering has genetically been part of Blank ’ s family for several generations .
He , too , is a person who stutters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the statement .

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A new center for research and education into stuttering is being created at the University of Texas at Austin, the university announced Monday.
The Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Research and Education is being underwritten by a 10-year, $20 million legacy grant from Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank, who owns the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, the MLS Atlanta United, and the venue where both play, Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The center will be founded and led by Dr. Courtney Byrd, a professor of speech, language and hearing sciences at the university. She also is a founder of other stuttering clinics and institutes at the University of Texas.
The center will advance understanding of the nature and effective treatment of stuttering; scale evidence-based programming to treat children, teenagers and adults worldwide; and create a pipeline of expert clinicians and researchers to make quality care accessible to all people, according to a university statement.
Stuttering has genetically been part of Blank’s family for several generations. He, too, is a person who stutters who previously attempted treatment to improve fluency, according to the statement.


washingtontimes--2020-10-19--Nevada's early voting numbers suggest shift to mail votes

CARSON CITY , Nev. ( AP ) - With more than two weeks until the election , more than twice as many Nevada voters have returned ballots by mail than in the entire 2016 election .
Nearly 176,000 voters have returned ballots mailed to them in early October , election officials reported Monday .
In 2016 , less than 79,000 voters cast ballots absentee or in all-mail precincts .
The unprecedented shift toward voting by mail comes two months after state lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 4 , which requires election officials to automatically send all active voters mail-in ballots to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amid the pandemic could access the vote .
In prior elections , Nevada voters have shown a strong preference for early voting at in-person precincts in the two weeks leading up to Election Day .
In 2016 , 62 % of Nevada voters cast ballots early .
During the first two days of early voting that year , about 92,000 voters cast ballots .
Early voting began throughout Nevada on Saturday and , during the first two days , more than 45,000 voters cast ballots in-person .
Vote centers will remain open for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on ballots already returned , the share of voters who cast ballots early , by mail and on Election Day is likely to be different than prior elections , Washoe County Registrar of Voters Deanna Spikula said .
“ Usually early voting is the most popular way of voting , ” she said .
“ Now that early voting has begun , it ’ s going to be interesting to see which one wins out this time.
” Under Nevada law , election officials can not begin counting ballots until Election Day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figures by party affiliation .
About 108,000 Democrats , 64,000 Republicans and 49,000 voters not registered with the two major parties had voted as of Monday .
In 2016 , when President Donald Trump lost Nevada by less than 2.5 percentage points , about 7 percentage points more Democrats voted early than Republicans .
On Election Day , Republicans narrowed the gap ; voters registered as Democrats outpaced voters registered as Republicans by less than one percentage point .
In rural counties where Republicans have historically dominated , Democrats have returned more ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans outpaced Democrats by more than 7,100 votes , or 30 percentage points , in 2016 .
As of Monday afternoon , buoyed by an advantage among mail voters , Democrats led Republicans by 58 votes .
Lyon County Republican Party Chairman Scott Keller said the breakdown wasn ’ t a surprise and corresponded with prior races .
Republicans , he said , prefer voting in-person on Election Day because they see it as a tradition and are confident their vote will be counted .
“ We don ’ t trust that system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We think if you ’ re gon na go vote , you should just go out and vote.
” 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 under-covered issues .

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - With more than two weeks until the election, more than twice as many Nevada voters have returned ballots by mail than in the entire 2016 election.
Nearly 176,000 voters have returned ballots mailed to them in early October, election officials reported Monday. In 2016, less than 79,000 voters cast ballots absentee or in all-mail precincts.
The unprecedented shift toward voting by mail comes two months after state lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 4, which requires election officials to automatically send all active voters mail-in ballots to ensure people afraid of venturing to precincts amid the pandemic could access the vote.
In prior elections, Nevada voters have shown a strong preference for early voting at in-person precincts in the two weeks leading up to Election Day. In 2016, 62% of Nevada voters cast ballots early. During the first two days of early voting that year, about 92,000 voters cast ballots.
Early voting began throughout Nevada on Saturday and, during the first two days, more than 68,000 voters cast ballots in-person. Vote centers will remain open for early voting until Oct. 30.
Based on ballots already returned, the share of voters who cast ballots early, by mail and on Election Day is likely to be different than prior elections, Washoe County Registrar of Voters Deanna Spikula said.
“Usually early voting is the most popular way of voting,” she said. “Now that early voting has begun, it’s going to be interesting to see which one wins out this time.”
Under Nevada law, election officials cannot begin counting ballots until Election Day, but the Secretary of State reports turnout figures by party affiliation. About 108,000 Democrats, 64,000 Republicans and 49,000 voters not registered with the two major parties had voted as of Monday afternoon, before Clark County, home to Las Vegas, updated its Sunday count.
In 2016, when President Donald Trump lost Nevada by less than 2.5 percentage points, about 7 percentage points more Democrats voted early than Republicans. On Election Day, Republicans narrowed the gap; voters registered as Democrats outpaced voters registered as Republicans by less than one percentage point.
In rural counties where Republicans have historically dominated, Democrats have returned more ballots than Republicans. In Lyon County, Republicans outpaced Democrats by more than 7,100 votes, or 30 percentage points, in 2016. As of Monday afternoon, buoyed by an advantage among mail voters, Democrats led Republicans by 58 votes.
Lyon County Republican Party Chairman Scott Keller said the breakdown wasn’t a surprise and corresponded with prior races. Republicans, he said, prefer voting in-person on Election Day because they see it as a tradition and are confident their vote will be counted.
“We don’t trust that system,” he said of voting by-mail. “We think if you’re gonna go vote, you should just go out and vote.”
___
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 under-covered issues.


washingtontimes--2020-10-19--Meow Wolf may unionize amid pandemic turmoil

SANTA FE , N.M. ( AP ) - Workers at a popular immersive arts entertainment project were voting Monday on whether to unionize under the Communications Workers of America umbrella , amid economic uncertainty linked to COVID-19 .
Born of a rag-tag arts collective , Meow Wolf coined a new brand of family entertainment with its “ House of Eternal Return ” exhibition in Santa Fe - currently idled by a pandemic health order - that has doubled as an educational workshop for children and nightlife music venue .
The central exhibit provides eye-popping psychedelic design work in a walk- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unmarked passageways , organized loosely around a riddle involving an abandoned Victorian home .
Meow Wolf has about 270 employees after laying off just over 200 workers in April amid aggressive state restrictions on businesses and furloughing more , even as it forges ahead with efforts to open venues in Las Vegas in early 2021 and Denver later next year .
New Mexico still bans public gatherings of more than five people and places other restrictions at nonessential businesses .
Michael Wilson , a senior story editor and member of a preliminary collective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of pandemic-related economic challenges and want a stronger say on concerns ranging from racial and ethnic diversity in hiring to benefits packages and employee training .
“ The union is not interested in bankrupting the company to get a pay bump , ” said Wilson , noting that unionization requires a majority vote through anonymous electronic balloting .
Results were pending .
The Communications Workers of America represents workers in a wide array of media outlets , including The Associated Press .
A representative for company management highlighted Meow Wolf ’ s $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the recent addition of a “ chief people officer who shares our commitment and passion for our diversity , equity and inclusion goals.
” “ We recognize and respect our employees ’ right to organize , ” the company said in a statement .
“ Whatever happens , it will not change the long term vision and mission we have shared with our employees .
We do understand the critical issues that were raised during this process and are eager to work with all of our employees to improve communication and participation.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maya Sarin said Meow Wolf is confident that its immersive art experiences and live events will rebound , noting that safety procedures and upgrades are being integrated .
Meow Wolf was among thousands of New Mexico businesses that received loans from the U.S. government as part of the massive effort to support the economy amid the coronavirus outbreak .
Those loans can be forgiven if the businesses mostly use the money to continue paying workers .
The company previously received commitments of more than $ 2 million in state and city funds to @ @ @ @ @ @ @

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Workers at a popular immersive arts entertainment project were voting Monday on whether to unionize under the Communications Workers of America umbrella, amid economic uncertainty linked to COVID-19.
Born of a rag-tag arts collective, Meow Wolf coined a new brand of family entertainment with its “House of Eternal Return” exhibition in Santa Fe - currently idled by a pandemic health order - that has doubled as an educational workshop for children and nightlife music venue. The central exhibit provides eye-popping psychedelic design work in a walk- and crawl-through exhibit of spiral stairs and unmarked passageways, organized loosely around a riddle involving an abandoned Victorian home.
Meow Wolf has about 270 employees after laying off just over 200 workers in April amid aggressive state restrictions on businesses and furloughing more, even as it forges ahead with efforts to open venues in Las Vegas in early 2021 and Denver later next year. New Mexico still bans public gatherings of more than five people and places other restrictions at nonessential businesses.
Michael Wilson, a senior story editor and member of a preliminary collective bargaining group, said workers are conscious of pandemic-related economic challenges and want a stronger say on concerns ranging from racial and ethnic diversity in hiring to benefits packages and employee training.
“The union is not interested in bankrupting the company to get a pay bump,” said Wilson, noting that unionization requires a majority vote through anonymous electronic balloting. Results were pending.
The Communications Workers of America represents workers in a wide array of media outlets, including The Associated Press.
A representative for company management highlighted Meow Wolf’s $17 hourly minimum wage, comprehensive benefits and the recent addition of a “chief people officer who shares our commitment and passion for our diversity, equity and inclusion goals.”
“We recognize and respect our employees’ right to organize,” the company said in a statement. “Whatever happens, it will not change the long term vision and mission we have shared with our employees. We do understand the critical issues that were raised during this process and are eager to work with all of our employees to improve communication and participation.”
In an email, company representative Maya Sarin said Meow Wolf is confident that its immersive art experiences and live events will rebound, noting that safety procedures and upgrades are being integrated.
Meow Wolf was among thousands of New Mexico businesses that received loans from the U.S. government as part of the massive effort to support the economy amid the coronavirus outbreak. Those loans can be forgiven if the businesses mostly use the money to continue paying workers.
The company previously received commitments of more than $2 million in state and city funds to offset job training and infrastructure investments.


washingtontimes--2020-10-19--California's feared surge of virus cases hasn't happened

SACRAMENTO , Calif. ( AP ) - Near the end of September , with coronavirus cases falling and more schools and businesses reopening , Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s administration urged restraint , citing a statistical model that predicted a startling 89 % increase in virus hospitalizations in the next month .
That hasn ’ t happened .
Instead , state data shows hospitalizations have fallen by about 15 % since that warning while the weekly average number of new cases continues to decline even as other more populous states like Florida , Ohio and Illinois see increases .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t enough to change what Newsom calls his “ slow ” and “ stubborn ” approach to reopening the world ’ s fifth-largest economy .
He again cautioned people against “ being overly exuberant ” about those coronavirus numbers , pointing to a “ decline in the rate of decline ” of hospitalizations .
While California ’ s 14-day average of hospitalizations is down , the 7-day average is up ever so slightly to 2,241 patients .
The number peaked in July at more than 7,100 .
“ Boy , what more of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these numbers begin to plateau ?
” Newsom said Monday during his weekly news conference .
Dr. Mark Ghaly , California ’ s top public health official , said Monday the state ’ s hospitalizations have declined in part because of the state is testing more people , allowing public health officials to trace positive cases and put people into “ supportive isolation.
” But Brad Pollock , associate dean of public health sciences at the University of California , Davis , School of Medicine , said this shows models that try to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ not that great.
” “ We don ’ t have a model that accurately predicts what ’ s going to happen next , ” he said .
Hospitalizations are trending younger in Los Angeles County , where people 18 to 29 now account for about 10 % of all coronavirus-related hospitalizations compared with 5 % in mid-May .
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said it was one of the troubling trends in the nation ’ s most populous county with about 10 million residents .
Collectively , people 18 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all new coronavirus cases in the county .
“ If you were to add teenagers in the mix - these are oftentimes young people who may be out socializing - individuals between the ages of 12 and 50 account for fully 68 % , ” she said .
Newsom ’ s go-slow approach has frustrated the state ’ s tourism industry , which is trying to recover after seven months of shutdown .
As of last week , the state has lifted its most severe restrictions on all but 10 of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another update scheduled for Tuesday .
Earlier this month , the Newsom administration for the first time said it was OK for up to three households to gather but only if it is outdoors and people remain socially distanced .
But Newsom still has not allowed for large public gatherings or theme parks to reopen , even with modifications .
The Walt Disney Co. has criticized the state for delaying reopening rules for theme parks , saying it contributed to the company ’ s decision to lay off 28,000 workers at its parks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unions representing Disney employees have changed their stance , sending Newsom a letter on Monday urging him to allow theme parks to reopen .
The unions , representing about 10,000 Disneyland workers , told Newsom in June it was unsafe to open theme parks .
But they now say Disney has a testing program and measures in place for personal protective equipment and ventilation .
“ We are confident that with these protocols set in place , Disneyland will be able to fully reopen safely , ” said Andrea Zinder , president of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to announce guidelines for theme parks on Tuesday , hinting he might have different rules for different types of theme parks .
“ I hope one recognizes our stubbornness on a health-first , data driven decision making process is done with our eyes wide open on what ’ s happening now around the world , ” Newsom said .
“ We have to maintain that vigilance so we can avoid any further increase in transmission.
” Much of the U.S. is seeing an uptick in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations , with the Midwest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Northeast was the hardest hit in the spring , and the tri-state region of New York , Connecticut and New Jersey instituted rules requiring travelers from states with a high-rate of coronavirus spread to quarantine for two weeks upon entering .
Monday , Newsom said he was not considering similar rules for travelers to California .
But he added : “ We always maintain an openness to those considerations.
” “ We have done better than other states , ” Newsom said , adding the percentage of positive tests in California for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The most recent weekly rate is 2.4 % .
“ We had to be tough and we ’ ve had to be vigilant and we had to be mindful of the changing dynamics of this pandemic , ” he said .

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Near the end of September, with coronavirus cases falling and more schools and businesses reopening, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration urged restraint, citing a statistical model that predicted a startling 89% increase in virus hospitalizations in the next month.
That hasn’t happened. Instead, state data shows hospitalizations have fallen by about 15% since that warning while the weekly average number of new cases continues to decline even as other more populous states like Florida, Ohio and Illinois see increases.
California’s good news isn’t enough to change what Newsom calls his “slow” and “stubborn” approach to reopening the world’s fifth-largest economy. He again cautioned people against “being overly exuberant” about those coronavirus numbers, pointing to a “decline in the rate of decline” of hospitalizations.
While California’s 14-day average of hospitalizations is down, the 7-day average is up ever so slightly to 2,241 patients. The number peaked in July at more than 7,100.
“Boy, what more of a reminder do you need than seeing these numbers begin to plateau?” Newsom said Monday during his weekly news conference.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s top public health official, said Monday the state’s hospitalizations have declined in part because of the state is testing more people, allowing public health officials to trace positive cases and put people into “supportive isolation.”
But Brad Pollock, associate dean of public health sciences at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, said this shows models that try to predict how the coronavirus will behave are “not that great.”
“We don’t have a model that accurately predicts what’s going to happen next,” he said.
Hospitalizations are trending younger in Los Angeles County, where people 18 to 29 now account for about 10% of all coronavirus-related hospitalizations compared with 5% in mid-May. Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said it was one of the troubling trends in the nation’s most populous county with about 10 million residents.
Collectively, people 18 to 49 now account for 58% of all new coronavirus cases in the county.
“If you were to add teenagers in the mix - these are oftentimes young people who may be out socializing - individuals between the ages of 12 and 50 account for fully 68%,” she said.
Newsom’s go-slow approach has frustrated the state’s tourism industry, which is trying to recover after seven months of shutdown. As of last week, the state has lifted its most severe restrictions on all but 10 of the state’s 58 counties, with another update scheduled for Tuesday.
Earlier this month, the Newsom administration for the first time said it was OK for up to three households to gather but only if it is outdoors and people remain socially distanced.
But Newsom still has not allowed for large public gatherings or theme parks to reopen, even with modifications. The Walt Disney Co. has criticized the state for delaying reopening rules for theme parks, saying it contributed to the company’s decision to lay off 28,000 workers at its parks in California and Florida.
Even the unions representing Disney employees have changed their stance, sending Newsom a letter on Monday urging him to allow theme parks to reopen. The unions, representing about 10,000 Disneyland workers, told Newsom in June it was unsafe to open theme parks. But they now say Disney has a testing program and measures in place for personal protective equipment and ventilation.
“We are confident that with these protocols set in place, Disneyland will be able to fully reopen safely,” said Andrea Zinder, president of UFCW 324.
Newsom said he plans to announce guidelines for theme parks on Tuesday, hinting he might have different rules for different types of theme parks.
“I hope one recognizes our stubbornness on a health-first, data driven decision making process is done with our eyes wide open on what’s happening now around the world,” Newsom said. “We have to maintain that vigilance so we can avoid any further increase in transmission.”
Much of the U.S. is seeing an uptick in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, with the Midwest seeing some of the worst spikes. The Northeast was the hardest hit in the spring, and the tri-state region of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey instituted rules requiring travelers from states with a high-rate of coronavirus spread to quarantine for two weeks upon entering.
Monday, Newsom said he was not considering similar rules for travelers to California. But he added: “We always maintain an openness to those considerations.”
“We have done better than other states,” Newsom said, adding the percentage of positive tests in California for the coronavirus has never exceeded 8%. The most recent weekly rate is 2.4%.
“We had to be tough and we’ve had to be vigilant and we had to be mindful of the changing dynamics of this pandemic,” he said.
—-
Associated Press reporter John Antczak contributed from Los Angeles.


washingtontimes--2020-10-19--Robert Redford's son, James, dies of liver cancer at 58

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) - James Redford , a filmmaker , activist and son of actor Robert Redford , has died .
He was 58 .
Robert Redford ’ s publicist , Cindi Berger , said in a statement Monday that the 84-year-old father is mourning with his family during this “ difficult time.
” His wife , Kyle , confirmed in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune that her husband died Friday from bile-duct cancer in his liver .
Kyle said her husband ’ s liver disease returned two years ago and the cancer was discovered in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a liver transplant .
She posted a message and a slew of photos on Twitter that included James , herself and their family .
“ We ’ re heartbroken , ” his wife wrote about her husband , who was called Jamie .
“ He lived a beautiful , impactful life & was loved by many .
He will be deeply missed .
As his wife of 32 ( years ) , I ’ m most grateful for the two spectacular children we raised together .
I don ’ t know what we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them over the past 2 ( years ) .
” James battled with liver disease for more than 30 years .
But he went on with his life , marrying his wife Kyle who once taught eighth-grade history in Marin County .
The couple had two children together .
He expressed gratitude for a liver transplant that saved his life in an HBO documentary “ The Kindness of Strangers ” in 1999 .
He produced the film and raised its $ 600,000 budget from foundations , corporations and individuals , including his parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how fortunate I was , ” Redford reflected .
“ Think of the fact that every day 10-12 people die waiting to be transplanted .
It had an impact on me , and I became committed to do something to help the cause of organ donation.
” James and his father co-founded the Redford Center , a nonprofit focused on environmental filmmaking .
He also established the James Redford Institute in 1995 for Transplant Awareness to raise money and distribute tools to increase awareness about the shortage of organ donors .
“ With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Redford Center executive director Jill Tidman in an Instagram post .
“ He approached everything he did with kindness and warmth , and an openness that spread itself easily among others.
” The institute produced films including “ Flow , ” a 16-minute film aimed at a teen audience that was distributed for educational reasons , and “ From One to Another , ” a one-hour film that looks at those who have received organ transplants and those who are awaiting them at the Nebraska Health System University Hospital .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a personal level , ” Redford said .
“ There are so many movies to make.
” James wrote the script for “ Hearts and Bones , ” starring Kiefer Sutherland and Daryl Hannah , and adapted Tony Hillerman ’ s “ Skinwalkers ” for North Fork Pictures .
At the time of his death , his wife said he was finishing a documentary called “ Where the Past Begins , ” which was about “ The Joy Luck Club ” author Amy Tan for PBS ’ “ American Masters .
”

LOS ANGELES (AP) - James Redford, a filmmaker, activist and son of actor Robert Redford, has died. He was 58.
Robert Redford’s publicist, Cindi Berger, said in a statement Monday that the 84-year-old father is mourning with his family during this “difficult time.” His wife, Kyle, confirmed in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune that her husband died Friday from bile-duct cancer in his liver.
Kyle said her husband’s liver disease returned two years ago and the cancer was discovered in November last year while he waited on a liver transplant.
She posted a message and a slew of photos on Twitter that included James, herself and their family.
“We’re heartbroken,” his wife wrote about her husband, who was called Jamie. “He lived a beautiful, impactful life & was loved by many. He will be deeply missed. As his wife of 32 (years), I’m most grateful for the two spectacular children we raised together. I don’t know what we would’ve done (without) them over the past 2 (years).”
James battled with liver disease for more than 30 years. But he went on with his life, marrying his wife Kyle who once taught eighth-grade history in Marin County. The couple had two children together.
He expressed gratitude for a liver transplant that saved his life in an HBO documentary “The Kindness of Strangers” in 1999. He produced the film and raised its $600,000 budget from foundations, corporations and individuals, including his parents.
“The experience made me realize how fortunate I was,” Redford reflected. “Think of the fact that every day 10-12 people die waiting to be transplanted. It had an impact on me, and I became committed to do something to help the cause of organ donation.”
James and his father co-founded the Redford Center, a nonprofit focused on environmental filmmaking. He also established the James Redford Institute in 1995 for Transplant Awareness to raise money and distribute tools to increase awareness about the shortage of organ donors.
“With Jamie came love and contagious joy,” said Redford Center executive director Jill Tidman in an Instagram post. “He approached everything he did with kindness and warmth, and an openness that spread itself easily among others.”
The institute produced films including “Flow,” a 16-minute film aimed at a teen audience that was distributed for educational reasons, and “From One to Another,” a one-hour film that looks at those who have received organ transplants and those who are awaiting them at the Nebraska Health System University Hospital.
“The best way to reach people is on a personal level,” Redford said. “There are so many movies to make.”
James wrote the script for “Hearts and Bones,” starring Kiefer Sutherland and Daryl Hannah, and adapted Tony Hillerman’s “Skinwalkers” for North Fork Pictures.
At the time of his death, his wife said he was finishing a documentary called “Where the Past Begins,” which was about “The Joy Luck Club” author Amy Tan for PBS’ “American Masters.”


washingtontimes--2020-10-19--Few fans, masked umps, muted celebrations for World Series

ARLINGTON , Texas ( AP ) - A World Series like no other opens Tuesday night with Clayton Kershaw ’ s Los Angeles Dodgers pursuing redemption , Kevin Kiermaier ’ s Tampa Bay Rays seeking acclaim and Major League Baseball relieved just to reach the championship of the pandemic-delayed season .
Buzz figures to be dampened , with attendance down to about 11,000 in the smallest crowd for a Series game since roughly 1909 .
The entire Series will be played on artificial turf for the first time since 1993 , at new $ 1.2 billion Globe Life Field , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Sept. 20 .
Traditional postgame victory celebrations are barred .
But surroundings are largely irrelevant to the favored Dodgers and under-the-radar Rays .
Los Angeles , baseball ’ s biggest spender , is back in the Series for the third time in four years as it seeks its first title since 1988 .
Plate umpire Laz Diaz will be masked - along with the rest of the crew .
“ I don ’ t know if you watched Game 7 last night but it sure felt like postseason to me , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , after the Dodgers rallied to beat Atlanta 4-3 at Globe Life for the NL pennant .
“ The back and forth , the momentum shifts , big plays , big swings , big pitches - that was as much of a playoff feel as I ’ ve ever experienced.
” Tampa Bay , among the major leagues ’ poorest draws and lowest-salaried rosters , made it this far only once before and lost to Philadelphia in 2008 .
Perennially unable to get a new ballpark built , the Rays have said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Petersburg , Florida , and Montreal .
While the Rays beat Houston for the AL pennant on Saturday night in San Diego , they had to wait until Monday to travel , allowing the Braves to vacate space in the Dallas at Las Colinas - Four Seasons , where the Dodgers have been bivouacked since before the Division Series started Oct. 6 .
Los Angeles had an optional early afternoon workout with the stadium roof closed , and the Rays had a full practice in the evening under autumn twilight .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there tonight , get a feel for the surroundings of the field and how the ball bounces , ” Rays outfielder Austin Meadows said .
“ I ’ m excited for there to be fans .
It ’ s been a long time coming.
” The winner will give its city a 2-1 advantage in major U.S. sports league titles during the novel coronavirus pandemic following championships by the NHL ’ s Tampa Bay Lightning on Sept. 28 and the NBA ’ s Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 11 .
Both teams reflect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ general manager from 2005-14 and the Dodgers ’ president of baseball operations since .
“ Some of my best friends in life are there , ” the 43-year-old Friedman said .
“ We joked when I left the team that we were going to meet up in the World Series one day , and for it actually to happen is surreal.
” After regular-season attendance dropped from 68.5 million to 0 and the first two rounds of an expanded postseason also were played without fans , Major League Baseball sold about 28 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which averaged 10,835 for the seven games at 40,518-capacity Globe Life Field .
The Rays arrived in Dallas on Monday after playing the AL Division Series and AL Championship Series at empty Petco Park in San Diego .
Still , it was an accomplishment for MLB after a regular season in which 45 games were postponed for COVID-19-related reasons but just two were not made up .
Rookie outfielder Randy Arozarena , the Cuban defector who led the Rays ’ offense with seven homers in the playoffs , missed the first month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and didn ’ t play his first game until Aug. 30 .
“ I was throwing sim games May , June in Dallas , thinking about , man , are we going to even play this season ?
” said Kershaw , the Dodgers ’ Game 1 starter .
“ Is this going to be a wasted year in everybody ’ s career and things like that ?
Is this going to a be a wasted year for the Dodgers with the team that we have ?
So yeah , I think to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be four wins away from getting to win a World Series I think is really a testament to a lot of people to be able to make this season happen , a testament to the players , even to Major League Baseball that we were able to get to this point .
I ’ m super thankful for that.
” Kershaw , a 32-year-old left-hander with three Cy Young Awards and an MVP trophy , is 175-76 in the regular season but 11-12 in the postseason , including 1-2 in the World Series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a reoccurrence of back spasms .
Tampa Bay starts Tyler Glasnow , a 27-year-old righty whose fastball averages 97.5 mph and who grew up in California admiring Kershaw .
It will be the Rays ’ first game in front of fans since spring training was interrupted on March 12 and close to the end of a lengthy bubble existence .
Glasnow and his teammates are looking forward to the end of the Series , when he can go to a bar or sit at a restaurant .
“ Hugging someone or seeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Just being able to be a normal person again.
” This will be the first World Series entirely at one ballpark since 1944 between the Cardinals and Browns at Sportsman ’ s Park in St. Louis - and the fourth overall .
The Yankees and Giants shared New York ’ s Polo Grounds in 1921 and 1922 .
Los Angeles had a $ 95.6 million payroll on Aug. 1 , according to figures compiled by MLB .
Tampa Bay was 28th at $ 28.9 million , ahead of only Baltimore and Pittsburgh .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 83.7 million ) and Houston ( $ 81.4 million ) during the AL playoffs .
“ Regardless of payroll , we know we can compete with anybody , ” Meadows said .
Added Friedman : “ Payrolls don ’ t decide the standings and I think we see evidence of that every year.
” Tampa Bay is known best for innovative thinking and hard-throwing relievers , referred to by manager Kevin Cash as a “ whole damn stable full of guys that throw 98 miles an hour.
” “ They didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accident , ” Dodgers star Mookie Betts said .
“ It ’ s not going to be easy by any means .
”

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - A World Series like no other opens Tuesday night with Clayton Kershaw’s Los Angeles Dodgers pursuing redemption, Kevin Kiermaier’s Tampa Bay Rays seeking acclaim and Major League Baseball relieved just to reach the championship of the pandemic-delayed season.
Buzz figures to be dampened, with attendance down to about 11,000 in the smallest crowd for a Series game since roughly 1909.
The entire Series will be played on artificial turf for the first time since 1993, at new $1.2 billion Globe Life Field, home of a Texas Rangers team eliminated on Sept. 20. Traditional postgame victory celebrations are barred. But surroundings are largely irrelevant to the favored Dodgers and under-the-radar Rays.
Los Angeles, baseball’s biggest spender, is back in the Series for the third time in four years as it seeks its first title since 1988.
Plate umpire Laz Diaz will be masked - along with the rest of the crew.
“I don’t know if you watched Game 7 last night but it sure felt like postseason to me,” Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner said Monday, after the Dodgers rallied to beat Atlanta 4-3 at Globe Life for the NL pennant. “The back and forth, the momentum shifts, big plays, big swings, big pitches - that was as much of a playoff feel as I’ve ever experienced.”
Tampa Bay, among the major leagues’ poorest draws and lowest-salaried rosters, made it this far only once before and lost to Philadelphia in 2008. Perennially unable to get a new ballpark built, the Rays have said they are exploring splitting future seasons between St. Petersburg, Florida, and Montreal.
While the Rays beat Houston for the AL pennant on Saturday night in San Diego, they had to wait until Monday to travel, allowing the Braves to vacate space in the Dallas at Las Colinas - Four Seasons, where the Dodgers have been bivouacked since before the Division Series started Oct. 6. Los Angeles had an optional early afternoon workout with the stadium roof closed, and the Rays had a full practice in the evening under autumn twilight.
“We’ll be able to get out there tonight, get a feel for the surroundings of the field and how the ball bounces,” Rays outfielder Austin Meadows said. “I’m excited for there to be fans. It’s been a long time coming.”
The winner will give its city a 2-1 advantage in major U.S. sports league titles during the novel coronavirus pandemic following championships by the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning on Sept. 28 and the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 11.
Both teams reflect imprint of Andrew Friedman, the Rays’ general manager from 2005-14 and the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations since.
“Some of my best friends in life are there,” the 43-year-old Friedman said. “We joked when I left the team that we were going to meet up in the World Series one day, and for it actually to happen is surreal.”
After attendance dropped from 68.5 million to 0 during the shortest regular season since 1878 and the first two rounds of an expanded postseason also were played without fans, Major League Baseball sold about 28% capacity for the NL Championship Series, which averaged 10,835 for the seven games at 40,518-capacity Globe Life Field. The Rays arrived in Dallas on Monday after playing the AL Division Series and AL Championship Series at empty Petco Park in San Diego.
Still, it was an accomplishment for MLB after a regular season in which 45 games were postponed for COVID-19-related reasons but just two were not made up. Rookie outfielder Randy Arozarena, the Cuban defector who led the Rays’ offense with seven homers in the playoffs, missed the first month of the shortened season after contracting COVID-19 and didn’t play his first game until Aug. 30.
“I was throwing sim games May, June in Dallas, thinking about, man, are we going to even play this season?” said Kershaw, the Dodgers’ Game 1 starter. “Is this going to be a wasted year in everybody’s career and things like that? Is this going to a be a wasted year for the Dodgers with the team that we have? So yeah, I think to be able to be here now and be four wins away from getting to win a World Series I think is really a testament to a lot of people to be able to make this season happen, a testament to the players, even to Major League Baseball that we were able to get to this point. I’m super thankful for that.”
Kershaw, a 32-year-old left-hander with three Cy Young Awards and an MVP trophy, is 175-76 in the regular season but 11-12 in the postseason, including 1-2 in the World Series. He has been slowed this month by a reoccurrence of back spasms.
Tampa Bay starts Tyler Glasnow, a 27-year-old righty whose fastball averages 97.5 mph and who grew up in California admiring Kershaw. It will be the Rays’ first game in front of fans since spring training was interrupted on March 12 and close to the end of a lengthy bubble existence.
Glasnow and his teammates are looking forward to the end of the Series, when he can go to a bar or sit at a restaurant.
“Hugging someone or seeing family,” he said. “Just being able to be a normal person again.”
This will be the first World Series entirely at one ballpark since 1944 between the Cardinals and Browns at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis - and the fourth overall. The Yankees and Giants shared New York’s Polo Grounds in 1921 and 1922.
“It’s a fast ground,” Arozarena said through a translator. “I’m not sure there’ll be a lot of homers. There’s good pitchers on both sides.”
Los Angeles had a $95.6 million payroll on Aug. 1, according to figures compiled by MLB. Tampa Bay was 28th at $28.9 million, ahead of only Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The Rays eliminated the Yankees ($83.7 million) and Houston ($81.4 million) during the AL playoffs.
“Regardless of payroll, we know we can compete with anybody,” Meadows said.
Added Friedman: “Payrolls don’t decide the standings and I think we see evidence of that every year.”
Tampa Bay is known best for innovative thinking and hard-throwing relievers, referred to by manager Kevin Cash as a “whole damn stable full of guys that throw 98 miles an hour.”
“They didn’t make it to the World Series on accident,” Dodgers star Mookie Betts said. “It’s not going to be easy by any means.”
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


washingtontimes--2020-10-19--High school gathering spurs COVID-19 cases, closes schools

ALBANY , Ore. ( AP ) - At least 19 students in Greater Albany Public Schools attended a gathering without masks , spurring new COVID-19 cases and setting back progress made toward holding in-person classes , officials said .
At least three positive cases have been traced to a large gathering in a local home with students from West Albany High School , South Albany High School and Lebanon High School , the Albany Democrat-Herald reported .
“ In addition to the large gathering , a number of the same individuals have been together since then , ” Schools Superintendent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have an additional six students who should be quarantining right now.
” The families of the students have been contacted by local health authorities but according to Goff , some families may not be cooperating with efforts to trace the potential outbreak .
Prior to the latest positive cases , the school district was holding limited in-person instruction for students who receive special services while monitoring the increasing case load around the county .
A total of 142 students at 14 district sites were receiving in-person instruction .
Those services have been paused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to work from home , have been asked to do so by the district .
On Monday , the district announced that it now has seen contacts or cases at 13 of its 21 sites and there are six sites with active cases or exposure concerns .

ALBANY, Ore. (AP) - At least 19 students in Greater Albany Public Schools attended a gathering without masks, spurring new COVID-19 cases and setting back progress made toward holding in-person classes, officials said.
At least three positive cases have been traced to a large gathering in a local home with students from West Albany High School, South Albany High School and Lebanon High School, the Albany Democrat-Herald reported.
“In addition to the large gathering, a number of the same individuals have been together since then,” Schools Superintendent Melissa Goff said. “So we have an additional six students who should be quarantining right now.”
The families of the students have been contacted by local health authorities but according to Goff, some families may not be cooperating with efforts to trace the potential outbreak.
Prior to the latest positive cases, the school district was holding limited in-person instruction for students who receive special services while monitoring the increasing case load around the county. A total of 142 students at 14 district sites were receiving in-person instruction.
Those services have been paused and all teachers and staff who are able to work from home, have been asked to do so by the district.
On Monday, the district announced that it now has seen contacts or cases at 13 of its 21 sites and there are six sites with active cases or exposure concerns.


washingtontimes--2020-10-19--Organizers: Wisconsin students excited to vote amid pandemic

MADISON , Wis. ( AP ) - Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are excited to vote in next month ’ s presidential election despite the pandemic spurring a scaled-back number of events seeking to increase voter turnout on college campuses , organizers said .
Student groups at the school moved voter organizing efforts online , using texting campaigns and social media blasts to those who are eligible to vote , the Wisconsin State Journal reported .
“ It ’ s shocking , ” UW-Madison College Republicans member Keeley Collins said .
“ We aren ’ t having in-person events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so fired up about voting .
I personally don ’ t know anyone who isn ’ t registered to vote.
” CIRCLE , a nonpartisan research center at Tufts University , identified Wisconsin as the top state where youth turnout has the highest potential to influence the outcome of the Nov. 3 election .
During the 2016 presidential election , Donald Trump won Wisconsin by 22,748 votes .
UW-Madison ’ s student population doubles that number .
NextGen America , a liberal youth turnout organization founded by former Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making voting fun this election , organizer Kade Walker said .
“ We ’ re having so many more conversations because it ’ s so easy to do things online , ” Walker said .
“ The energy that young people have is even greater than in 2018 .
They ’ re getting active .
They ’ re voting earlier.
” The group has hosted hot-sauce challenges , staff cook-offs on social media and voting discussions .
Its 36-member staff continues to work at colleges in the state to register students and help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ university ’ s nonpartisan voter education initiative , the Badger Votes Coalition , moved its event dubbed “ Zoom the Vote ” online .
The videos give students the opportunity to learn about voter registration , absentee ballots and how to work the polls .
“ We ’ re just trying to encourage people to participate in the election in the safest way possible , ” said Kathy Cramer , a political science professor and co-chair of the coalition .

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are excited to vote in next month’s presidential election despite the pandemic spurring a scaled-back number of events seeking to increase voter turnout on college campuses, organizers said.
Student groups at the school moved voter organizing efforts online, using texting campaigns and social media blasts to those who are eligible to vote, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
“It’s shocking,” UW-Madison College Republicans member Keeley Collins said. “We aren’t having in-person events but I’ve never seen people so fired up about voting. I personally don’t know anyone who isn’t registered to vote.”
CIRCLE, a nonpartisan research center at Tufts University, identified Wisconsin as the top state where youth turnout has the highest potential to influence the outcome of the Nov. 3 election.
During the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump won Wisconsin by 22,748 votes. UW-Madison’s student population doubles that number.
NextGen America, a liberal youth turnout organization founded by former Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer, is still keeping their goal of making voting fun this election, organizer Kade Walker said.
“We’re having so many more conversations because it’s so easy to do things online,” Walker said. “The energy that young people have is even greater than in 2018. They’re getting active. They’re voting earlier.”
The group has hosted hot-sauce challenges, staff cook-offs on social media and voting discussions. Its 36-member staff continues to work at colleges in the state to register students and help them with absentee ballots online.
The university’s nonpartisan voter education initiative, the Badger Votes Coalition, moved its event dubbed “Zoom the Vote” online. The videos give students the opportunity to learn about voter registration, absentee ballots and how to work the polls.
“We’re just trying to encourage people to participate in the election in the safest way possible,” said Kathy Cramer, a political science professor and co-chair of the coalition.


washingtontimes--2020-10-19--Trump H-1B guest worker rules challenged by big business, immigration lawyers

Immigration lawyers and some of the country ’ s largest business lobbies went to court Monday to challenge new Trump administration rules designed to force employers to pay Americans higher wages before they can offer jobs to foreign guest-workers under a key visa program .
The lawsuits were filed in federal courts in Washington , D.C. , and California , arguing that the Labor Department cut too many corners in developing the new policy , and further arguing that the American economy will suffer if the pipeline of H-1B visas is constricted .
“ If these rules are allowed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ various industries , ” said Thomas J. Donohue , CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce , which is leading one of the challenges .
The American Immigration Lawyers Association is handling the other challenge on behalf of major universities and health care providers .
They complained that the Labor Department never put the rule out for notice and comment , and said it ignores the benefits H-1B workers bring to the economy .
“ Frankly , the last thing we need during a pandemic and economic turmoil is a rule based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ market and American workforce , ” said Jesse Bless , AILA ’ s director of federal litigation .
“ This will impede our economic recovery , not enhance it.
” The H-1B is known as the specialty visa , and is most commonly associated with technology workers , though it ’ s been used for everything from journalists to professors to horse trainers to fashion models .
In recent years the H-1B has become tarnished by stories of American workers being fired from jobs as companies look to bring in cheaper foreign workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Disney tech employees were fired — but not before some were forced to train their H-1B replacements .
The Labor Department ’ s new rules will require companies to offer a higher pay rate to Americans before seeking an H-1B worker for the job .
Those changes took effect last week .
Homeland Security also announced new rules to take effect in December aimed at cutting out middleman companies that file legions of H-1B visa applications , then farm out the workers to other companies .
The H-1B program is capped at 85,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those visas earmarked for foreigners who obtained post-graduate degrees from U.S. institutions .
Visas are generally good for three years , though they can be renewed , and as of last year there were more than 580,000 valid H-1B visas .

Immigration lawyers and some of the country’s largest business lobbies went to court Monday to challenge new Trump administration rules designed to force employers to pay Americans higher wages before they can offer jobs to foreign guest-workers under a key visa program.
The lawsuits were filed in federal courts in Washington, D.C., and California, arguing that the Labor Department cut too many corners in developing the new policy, and further arguing that the American economy will suffer if the pipeline of H-1B visas is constricted.
“If these rules are allowed to stand, they will devastate companies across various industries,” said Thomas J. Donohue, CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is leading one of the challenges.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association is handling the other challenge on behalf of major universities and health care providers.
They complained that the Labor Department never put the rule out for notice and comment, and said it ignores the benefits H-1B workers bring to the economy.
“Frankly, the last thing we need during a pandemic and economic turmoil is a rule based on a false and incorrect understanding of the market and American workforce,” said Jesse Bless, AILA’s director of federal litigation. “This will impede our economic recovery, not enhance it.”
The H-1B is known as the specialty visa, and is most commonly associated with technology workers, though it’s been used for everything from journalists to professors to horse trainers to fashion models.
In recent years the H-1B has become tarnished by stories of American workers being fired from jobs as companies look to bring in cheaper foreign workers. In one case, hundreds of Disney tech employees were fired — but not before some were forced to train their H-1B replacements.
The Labor Department’s new rules will require companies to offer a higher pay rate to Americans before seeking an H-1B worker for the job. Those changes took effect last week.
Homeland Security also announced new rules to take effect in December aimed at cutting out middleman companies that file legions of H-1B visa applications, then farm out the workers to other companies.
The H-1B program is capped at 85,000 new visas per year, with 20,000 of those visas earmarked for foreigners who obtained post-graduate degrees from U.S. institutions.
Visas are generally good for three years, though they can be renewed, and as of last year there were more than 580,000 valid H-1B visas.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Former Winthrop University officer charged in child attacks

ROCK HILL , S.C. ( AP ) - A South Carolina police officer has been fired and arrested after being @ @ @ @ @ , news outlets reported .
Charles Eugene “ Chuck ” Price , 48 , of @ @ @ @ @ three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a child dating back to 2007 , according @ @ @ @ @ State Law Enforcement Division .
In one instance , Price gagged and beat the child @ @ @ @ @ victim pleaded for help , a warrant showed .
News outlets reported Price had worked @ @ @ @ @ University until Saturday , when he was fired .
None of the alleged incidents happened @ @ @ @ @ was booked into jail and denied bail in an initial court hearing .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ a defense attorney to speak on his behalf .

ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina police officer has been fired and arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting children, news outlets reported.
Charles Eugene “Chuck” Price, 48, of Rock Hill was charged with three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a child dating back to 2007, according to a statement from the State Law Enforcement Division. In one instance, Price gagged and beat the child with a belt as the victim pleaded for help, a warrant showed.
News outlets reported Price had worked as an officer at Winthrop University until Saturday, when he was fired. None of the alleged incidents happened at the school.
Price was booked into jail and denied bail in an initial court hearing. It’s unclear whether Price has a defense attorney to speak on his behalf.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Seattle settles head tax open meetings suit for $35K

SEATTLE ( AP ) - Seattle has agreed to pay $ 35,000 to settle an activist ’ s lawsuit alleging the City Council broke Washington ’ s open public-meetings law in its abrupt repeal of a head tax on big businesses two years ago .
In exchange , open government activist Arthur West has agreed to drop his case .
The agreement , under which the city admitted no wrongdoing , brings to a close litigation spawned by the council ’ s behind-the-scenes maneuvering with Mayor Jenny Durkan ’ s office to scuttle the so-called Employee Hours Tax a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The settlement comes about six weeks after West won a key ruling in the state Court of Appeals Court that revived his lawsuit , which a King County judge previously had dismissed .
In an email Monday , Dan Nolte , a spokesman for City Attorney Pete Holmes , said the city concluded a settlement would cost less than continuing to litigate .
“ This was the prudent decision , and we ’ re pleased to have this matter concluded , ” Nolte ’ s email said , adding the settlement doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s vote to repeal the head tax .
Monday ’ s agreement with West is the city ’ s second settlement over allegations that the council broke the state ’ s Open Public Meetings Act around the tax repeal .
In 2019 , the city agreed to pay $ 3,500 to attorney James Egan and provide council members with further training on the open-meetings law , to settle Egan ’ s separate suit over the matter .
West and Egan sued the city in June 2018 after The Seattle Times reported that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ council ’ s abrupt repeal .
Both suits contended the council broke the meetings law with the aid of Durkan ’ s top deputies through a series of secret texts and phone calls in the days before members formally voted during a special meeting to drop the tax .

SEATTLE (AP) - Seattle has agreed to pay $35,000 to settle an activist’s lawsuit alleging the City Council broke Washington’s open public-meetings law in its abrupt repeal of a head tax on big businesses two years ago.
In exchange, open government activist Arthur West has agreed to drop his case.
The agreement, under which the city admitted no wrongdoing, brings to a close litigation spawned by the council’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering with Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office to scuttle the so-called Employee Hours Tax a few weeks after passing it in mid-2018.
The settlement comes about six weeks after West won a key ruling in the state Court of Appeals Court that revived his lawsuit, which a King County judge previously had dismissed.
In an email Monday, Dan Nolte, a spokesman for City Attorney Pete Holmes, said the city concluded a settlement would cost less than continuing to litigate.
“This was the prudent decision, and we’re pleased to have this matter concluded,” Nolte’s email said, adding the settlement doesn’t change the outcome of the council’s vote to repeal the head tax.
Monday’s agreement with West is the city’s second settlement over allegations that the council broke the state’s Open Public Meetings Act around the tax repeal.
In 2019, the city agreed to pay $3,500 to attorney James Egan and provide council members with further training on the open-meetings law, to settle Egan’s separate suit over the matter.
West and Egan sued the city in June 2018 after The Seattle Times reported that open-government advocates had raised concerns over the council’s abrupt repeal.
Both suits contended the council broke the meetings law with the aid of Durkan’s top deputies through a series of secret texts and phone calls in the days before members formally voted during a special meeting to drop the tax.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Italy probes why women's names mark aborted fetuses' graves

ROME ( AP ) - Italian prosecutors and the government ’ s privacy watchdog are investigating how the names of women who miscarried or had abortions ended up on crosses over graves for the fetuses in a Rome cemetery .
Rights groups have denounced the grave markings as a gross violation of the women ’ s privacy , which is protected by the 1978 law that legalized abortion in Italy .
While regulations require burial of a fetus after 20 weeks , women who have complained said they never knowingly consented to the burials , much less to having their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - brought to light last month when a woman wrote on Facebook about happening upon her name on a cross in Rome ’ s Flaminio Cemetery - has reverberated in this largely Roman Catholic country at a time when women say finding a doctor to perform an abortion has become increasingly difficult and that they face poor treatment when they do .
Women ’ s rights group Differenza Donna says it has so far identified over 1,000 such graves in the Roman cemetery in overgrown plots .
The crosses are crude wooden or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ graves are adorned with filthy stuffed animals or toys that have been left to the elements .
“ As if what I went through was not enough , I discovered that at the Flaminio Cemetery there is a tomb with my name on it , ” said one of the women , Francesca , whose name appears on a grave .
She said she had an abortion in September 2019 after a scan showed her baby would not survive a malformed heart and aorta and that her own life would be at risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Somebody , without my consent , collected the fetus , buried it at the cemetery and put over it a cross with my name and family name on it , ” said Francesca , who spoke on condition that her last name not be used because she said she feared retaliation from anti-abortion activists .
Differenza Donna has filed a formal complaint with Rome prosecutors , providing testimony from some of the women who asked the rights group for help .
“ By displaying names and family names of the women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violation of a crucial aspect of the law … which is the right to privacy and confidentiality for women who voluntarily interrupt the pregnancy , ” said the president of Differenza Donna , Elisa Ercoli .
Additionally , some of the women weren ’ t Christian or religious believers , meaning the crosses violated their freedom of conscience and religion , she said .
Parliamentarians have demanded explanations from the public entities implicated , and Italy ’ s government-appointed guarantor of privacy opened an investigation .
Former Health Minister Livia Turco has led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ To me , a cross is a symbol of love , ” Turco said .
“ That a cross could be used as a violent gesture toward a woman who experienced a laceration and profound suffering is a blasphemy that humiliates women and deforms the sense of the cross.
” It is unclear who is to blame , and there are indications the scandal may have more bureaucratic than ideological roots .
To answer the question requires untangling a knot of regulations and agencies with sometimes overlapping responsibilities : The public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the local health system and the AMA garbage collection agency are all pointing fingers at one another .
AMA operates Rome ’ s cemeteries and is known for its dysfunction .
In addition , seemingly contradictory rules appear to be at play .
While Italy ’ s national abortion law guarantees the woman ’ s privacy , a 1939 regulation for the mortuary police requires the burial of fetuses aborted after the 20th week .
AMA has cited yet another regulation that requires all graves to be identified .
Yet other Italian cemeteries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not marked with women ’ s names .
AMA declined to comment further to The Associated Press .
Dr. Giovanna Scassellati , chief gynecologist at the induced abortion ward of the San Camillo hospital in Rome , said when women come in to terminate a pregnancy , they are given the option of arranging burial themselves , or having the hospital arrange for it .
“ The story of the fetuses is very serious , but our hospital can ’ t be blamed for it , ” she said .
“ We did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Aside from public entities such as AMA , private , Catholic volunteer groups that oppose abortion have entered into agreements with hospitals around Italy to perform the burials , though it is unclear if one was involved in the Flaminio scandal .
The “ Defend Life with Mary Association , ” a Catholic nonprofit , is one such group .
But the group ’ s vice president , Emiliano Ferri , denied that it ever identified women on a grave for a fetus .
Instead , each tomb carries a number that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cemetery .
A woman could eventually find a grave through that authority .
“ How do we work ?
First of all in complete respect of privacy , not regarding us but in regards to the privacy of those women who aborted , ” Ferri said .
That said , he acknowledges the religious motivation for his work , which also involves burying younger fetuses if parents request it .
The cemetery scandal has erupted as women in Italy are increasingly reporting that they face discrimination and unsympathetic treatment in the public hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Italian newsmagazine L ’ Espresso has been gathering in a series of reports on what it calls the “ torture ” that some women undergo .
Even finding a doctor willing to perform the procedure has become difficult : According to health ministry statistics , 68 % of Italian gynecologists identify themselves as conscientious objectors and refuse to perform abortions .
“ It took me almost 10 days to find a non-objector doctor that would take me in a hospital , and once I entered … everything went wrong , ” said Francesca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an epidural and said she endured the criticism of medical staff during seven hours of labor for having the procedure .
Such late-term abortions are legal if the women ’ s life is at risk .
“ Nobody gave me assistance , ” she said .

ROME (AP) - Italian prosecutors and the government’s privacy watchdog are investigating how the names of women who miscarried or had abortions ended up on crosses over graves for the fetuses in a Rome cemetery.
Rights groups have denounced the grave markings as a gross violation of the women’s privacy, which is protected by the 1978 law that legalized abortion in Italy. While regulations require burial of a fetus after 20 weeks, women who have complained said they never knowingly consented to the burials, much less to having their names put on crosses.
The scandal - brought to light last month when a woman wrote on Facebook about happening upon her name on a cross in Rome’s Flaminio Cemetery - has reverberated in this largely Roman Catholic country at a time when women say finding a doctor to perform an abortion has become increasingly difficult and that they face poor treatment when they do.
Women’s rights group Differenza Donna says it has so far identified over 1,000 such graves in the Roman cemetery in overgrown plots. The crosses are crude wooden or iron slats, and some of the graves are adorned with filthy stuffed animals or toys that have been left to the elements.
“As if what I went through was not enough, I discovered that at the Flaminio Cemetery there is a tomb with my name on it,” said one of the women, Francesca, whose name appears on a grave. She said she had an abortion in September 2019 after a scan showed her baby would not survive a malformed heart and aorta and that her own life would be at risk if she carried the pregnancy to term.
“Somebody, without my consent, collected the fetus, buried it at the cemetery and put over it a cross with my name and family name on it,” said Francesca, who spoke on condition that her last name not be used because she said she feared retaliation from anti-abortion activists.
Differenza Donna has filed a formal complaint with Rome prosecutors, providing testimony from some of the women who asked the rights group for help.
“By displaying names and family names of the women on the crosses, there was a violation of a crucial aspect of the law … which is the right to privacy and confidentiality for women who voluntarily interrupt the pregnancy,” said the president of Differenza Donna, Elisa Ercoli.
Additionally, some of the women weren’t Christian or religious believers, meaning the crosses violated their freedom of conscience and religion, she said.
Parliamentarians have demanded explanations from the public entities implicated, and Italy’s government-appointed guarantor of privacy opened an investigation.
Former Health Minister Livia Turco has led the charge, visiting the cemetery herself.
“To me, a cross is a symbol of love,” Turco said. “That a cross could be used as a violent gesture toward a woman who experienced a laceration and profound suffering is a blasphemy that humiliates women and deforms the sense of the cross.”
It is unclear who is to blame, and there are indications the scandal may have more bureaucratic than ideological roots.
To answer the question requires untangling a knot of regulations and agencies with sometimes overlapping responsibilities: The public hospital that performs abortions in Rome, the local health system and the AMA garbage collection agency are all pointing fingers at one another. AMA operates Rome’s cemeteries and is known for its dysfunction.
In addition, seemingly contradictory rules appear to be at play. While Italy’s national abortion law guarantees the woman’s privacy, a 1939 regulation for the mortuary police requires the burial of fetuses aborted after the 20th week.
AMA has cited yet another regulation that requires all graves to be identified. Yet other Italian cemeteries have plots dedicated to fetuses that are not marked with women’s names. AMA declined to comment further to The Associated Press.
Dr. Giovanna Scassellati, chief gynecologist at the induced abortion ward of the San Camillo hospital in Rome, said when women come in to terminate a pregnancy, they are given the option of arranging burial themselves, or having the hospital arrange for it.
“The story of the fetuses is very serious, but our hospital can’t be blamed for it,” she said. “We did not play any role in what happened.”
Aside from public entities such as AMA, private, Catholic volunteer groups that oppose abortion have entered into agreements with hospitals around Italy to perform the burials, though it is unclear if one was involved in the Flaminio scandal.
The “Defend Life with Mary Association,” a Catholic nonprofit, is one such group. But the group’s vice president, Emiliano Ferri, denied that it ever identified women on a grave for a fetus.
Instead, each tomb carries a number that is registered with the authority running the cemetery. A woman could eventually find a grave through that authority.
“How do we work? First of all in complete respect of privacy, not regarding us but in regards to the privacy of those women who aborted,” Ferri said. That said, he acknowledges the religious motivation for his work, which also involves burying younger fetuses if parents request it.
The cemetery scandal has erupted as women in Italy are increasingly reporting that they face discrimination and unsympathetic treatment in the public hospitals that perform the procedures - testimony that Italian newsmagazine L’Espresso has been gathering in a series of reports on what it calls the “torture” that some women undergo.
Even finding a doctor willing to perform the procedure has become difficult: According to health ministry statistics, 68% of Italian gynecologists identify themselves as conscientious objectors and refuse to perform abortions.
“It took me almost 10 days to find a non-objector doctor that would take me in a hospital, and once I entered … everything went wrong,” said Francesca. She said she was induced without an epidural and said she endured the criticism of medical staff during seven hours of labor for having the procedure. Such late-term abortions are legal if the women’s life is at risk.
“Nobody gave me assistance,” she said.
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AP visual journalist Paolo Santalucia contributed.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Official: Suspect killed in shootout, 1 arrested in Maryland

EMMITSBURG , Md .
( AP ) - One man was killed and another arrested following a car and foot chase that began in Pennsylvania and ended with a shootout in Maryland , authorities said .
The Frederick County Sheriff ’ s Office has not released their identities , but spokesperson Todd Wivell said Monday that both men were suspects in an attempted homicide in Pennsylvania , news outlets reported .
After the chase crossed over to Maryland ’ s Frederick County , the suspects fired at a police vehicle along U.S. Route 15 and then wrecked their car , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wreck and continued firing at police , but authorities were able to take one suspect into custody at the crash site , Wivell said .
Authorities said that man was not shot .
The sheriff ’ s office said the other man fled on foot to a gas station in Emmitsburg and continued firing at officers .
Wivell said that ’ s when law enforcement returned fire , and struck the suspect .
He was taken to a hospital , where he later died .
There were four law enforcement agencies involved , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whose officer fired the shot that killed the suspect .
No officers were injured .
Authorities said an employee at the gas station was “ slightly injured , ” but refused treatment .
It is not clear what caused that injury .

EMMITSBURG, Md. (AP) - One man was killed and another arrested following a car and foot chase that began in Pennsylvania and ended with a shootout in Maryland, authorities said.
The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office has not released their identities, but spokesperson Todd Wivell said Monday that both men were suspects in an attempted homicide in Pennsylvania, news outlets reported.
After the chase crossed over to Maryland’s Frederick County, the suspects fired at a police vehicle along U.S. Route 15 and then wrecked their car, he said.
They emerged from the wreck and continued firing at police, but authorities were able to take one suspect into custody at the crash site, Wivell said. Authorities said that man was not shot.
The sheriff’s office said the other man fled on foot to a gas station in Emmitsburg and continued firing at officers. Wivell said that’s when law enforcement returned fire, and struck the suspect. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
There were four law enforcement agencies involved, and it wasn’t immediately clear whose officer fired the shot that killed the suspect.
No officers were injured. Authorities said an employee at the gas station was “slightly injured,” but refused treatment. It is not clear what caused that injury.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Obama boosts Peters' reelection bid in Michigan Senate ad

LANSING , Mich. ( AP ) - Former President Barack Obama gives a boost to Gary Peters of Michigan in @ @ @ @ @ by the Democratic senator ’ s reelection campaign .
The 30-second spot shows Obama lauding @ @ @ @ @ , who is facing a challenge from Republican John James .
Peters served in Congress @ @ @ @ @ ’ s presidency - six in the House and two in the Senate before Donald @ @ @ @ @ credits Peters for working to rescue the auto industry , protect the Great Lakes and @ @ @ @ @ law that bans insurers from using preexisting conditions to deny coverage .
“ Today , @ @ @ @ @ is under attack .
But Gary Peters is someone I trust to protect it , @ @ @ @ @ ad ’ s release came after the Peters campaign late Monday released a video in @ @ @ @ @ Biden says Democrats must reelect Peters to help retake control of the Senate .
Republicans @ @ @ @ @ are in danger in several states .

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Former President Barack Obama gives a boost to Gary Peters of Michigan in a new ad released Tuesday by the Democratic senator’s reelection campaign.
The 30-second spot shows Obama lauding his “friend” Peters, who is facing a challenge from Republican John James. Peters served in Congress all eight years of Obama’s presidency - six in the House and two in the Senate before Donald Trump was elected.
Obama credits Peters for working to rescue the auto industry, protect the Great Lakes and pass the federal health care law that bans insurers from using preexisting conditions to deny coverage.
“Today, the progress we made together is under attack. But Gary Peters is someone I trust to protect it,” Obama says. The Supreme Court will hear a Republican-led case, which the Trump administration supports, seeking to throw out the Affordable Care Act the week after the Nov. 3 election.
The ad’s release comes after the Peters campaign late Monday released a video in which Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says Democrats must reelect Peters to help retake control of the Senate. Republicans have a 53-47 edge but are in danger in several states. Michigan is a place where the GOP is playing offense to try to offset potential Democratic gains elsewhere.
Peters has been slightly ahead in many polls, though his support has lagged Biden’s in some surveys. Political experts have said voters may not know the party affiliation of Peters or James, who is Black, because it is not clear in their advertising.
Democrats are pushing health care as a key issue in the contest. Noting James’ support for repealing the health law, they say he has no plan to protect people with preexisting medical conditions. James says any replacement of the law must protect people with preexisting conditions, but he has not outlined a detailed proposal.
James on Tuesday released an ad in which his grandmother says he “understands how important health care is and would do all that he can to protect it.” Republicans are criticizing Peters, a former state senator, for getting health insurance from the Michigan Legislative Retirement System instead of an exchange created under “Obamacare.”
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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--AP-NORC/USAFacts poll: US trust in COVID-19 information down

Americans have lost trust across the board in the people and institutions informing them about the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic , according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts .
The poll finds that the percentage of people saying they trust COVID-19 information from their state or local governments , the news media , social media and their friends and family has dropped significantly compared to similar questions in April .
A large chunk of Americans say they find it hard to know if coronavirus information is accurate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ information from President Donald Trump a great deal or quite a bit , down from 23 % in April .
And 64 % now say they trust Trump only a little or not at all on COVID-19 .
Only social media , at 72 % , is less trusted .
Even though Paula Randolph opposes the Republican president , she said she trusted the White House on coronavirus information when the pandemic started .
“ Because of the history of the presidency of the United States , it was no matter what , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Randolph , a 49-year-old disabled woman in Dixon , Missouri .
“ It became a circus , and I no longer trust it.
” She even remembers the day she lost trust in the White House on the coronavirus : April 30 .
Trump , who by that point had been promoting an anti-malaria drug unproven on COVID-19 , had a press conference on the pandemic that day , calling his response to the virus “ really spectacular.
” The family doctor ranks highest when it comes to whom Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with 53 % saying they trust their health provider a great deal or quite a bit .
After their doctors , 36 % said they have high trust in federal health officials at agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration , 26 % in state or local governments , 18 % in news media , 17 % in family and friends , 16 % in Trump , 12 % in search engines and just 6 % in social media .
Experts in health , science @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reasons for the drop in trust : fear , politics and the public watching science messily forming in real time .
“ The fact that trust dropped in all categories , including health care providers and family and friends , speaks to a really worried society that doesn ’ t feel safe , ” said David Ropeik , a retired Harvard instructor on risk communication .
The World Health Organization calls the flood of good and bad information on the coronavirus an “ infodemic.
” Thirty percent of Americans say it is difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 48 % said they can tell the difference between coronavirus fact and opinion , fewer , 35 % , say it ’ s easy to know if that information is true .
About as many , 36 % , find that difficult , with the remainder saying it ’ s neither easy nor difficult .
Joycelyn Mire , a 71-year-old retired medical financial manager in Louisiana , said she doesn ’ t trust doctors and definitely not the news media for coronavirus information .
But she does trust Trump because “ I tend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all , the Trump supporter said she trusts her own research .
Even as Colorado State University student Jack Hermanson ’ s trust in Trump and federal agencies like the CDC went down , he said he had to trust someone .
So he relies on what leaders at school and work tell him .
“ The root of a lot of this is fear , ” said Lisa Gualtieri , a professor of health and community medicine at Tufts University Medical School .
America is watching in real time as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made , said Kathleen Hall Jamieson , a University of Pennsylvania communications professor .
She said that Trump added to the confusion by hyping the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus , even as reputable scientists , mainstream media and studies call it unproven .
“ The public now has multiple cues that say , ‘ Gee , the science seems to be really confusing at this end .
I ’ m not sure who to trust here , ’ ” Jamieson said .
Because of what she perceives as political pressure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC to trusting individual scientists , such as top federal infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci .
While Democrats worry that pressure on science agencies makes them less trustworthy , Republicans distrust them , saying they ’ re trying to make Trump look bad , said Jennifer Mercieca , a Texas A & M ; communications professor .
Mitch Spencer , a 59-year-old from Iowa who is retired from the post office and the military , said over the past several months he had “ less trust in the government and more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political independent and self-described moderate , Spencer said he watched Fauci say one thing and Trump ’ s team say something else .
He trusts Fauci , not Trump , saying the president lies frequently .
The poll found that 37 % of Republicans and 87 % of Democrats say they trust the president only a little or not at all on the pandemic .
Spencer said it ’ s harder to find information on whether his grandchild should return to school or if a vaccine is safe than whether to wear masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans said it was very or somewhat easy to find the information they need on vaccine safety and 39 % on safety of reopening school , the poll showed .
The AP-NORC/USAFacts poll of 1,121 adults was conducted Sept. 15-25 using a sample drawn from NORC ’ s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel , which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population .
The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points .

Americans have lost trust across the board in the people and institutions informing them about the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts.
The poll finds that the percentage of people saying they trust COVID-19 information from their state or local governments, the news media, social media and their friends and family has dropped significantly compared to similar questions in April. A large chunk of Americans say they find it hard to know if coronavirus information is accurate.
Just 16% say they trust coronavirus information from President Donald Trump a great deal or quite a bit, down from 23% in April. And 64% now say they trust Trump only a little or not at all on COVID-19. Only social media, at 72%, is less trusted.
Even though Paula Randolph opposes the Republican president, she said she trusted the White House on coronavirus information when the pandemic started.
“Because of the history of the presidency of the United States, it was no matter what, they’ll tell us the facts,” said Randolph, a 49-year-old disabled woman in Dixon, Missouri. “It became a circus, and I no longer trust it.”
She even remembers the day she lost trust in the White House on the coronavirus: April 30. Trump, who by that point had been promoting an anti-malaria drug unproven on COVID-19, had a press conference on the pandemic that day, calling his response to the virus “really spectacular.”
The family doctor ranks highest when it comes to whom Americans trust for information about the coronavirus, with 53% saying they trust their health provider a great deal or quite a bit. After their doctors, 36% said they have high trust in federal health officials at agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, 26% in state or local governments, 18% in news media, 17% in family and friends, 16% in Trump, 12% in search engines and just 6% in social media.
Experts in health, science and political communication said they see three reasons for the drop in trust: fear, politics and the public watching science messily forming in real time.
“The fact that trust dropped in all categories, including health care providers and family and friends, speaks to a really worried society that doesn’t feel safe,” said David Ropeik, a retired Harvard instructor on risk communication.
The World Health Organization calls the flood of good and bad information on the coronavirus an “infodemic.”
Thirty percent of Americans say it is difficult finding factual information about COVID-19. While 48% said they can tell the difference between coronavirus fact and opinion, fewer, 35%, say it’s easy to know if that information is true. About as many, 36%, find that difficult, with the remainder saying it’s neither easy nor difficult.
Joycelyn Mire, a 71-year-old retired medical financial manager in Louisiana, said she doesn’t trust doctors and definitely not the news media for coronavirus information. But she does trust Trump because “I tend to agree with his opinions.” Most of all, the Trump supporter said she trusts her own research.
Even as Colorado State University student Jack Hermanson’s trust in Trump and federal agencies like the CDC went down, he said he had to trust someone. So he relies on what leaders at school and work tell him.
“The root of a lot of this is fear,” said Lisa Gualtieri, a professor of health and community medicine at Tufts University Medical School.
America is watching in real time as the science emerges, like seeing sausage being made, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a University of Pennsylvania communications professor. She said that Trump added to the confusion by hyping the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus, even as reputable scientists, mainstream media and studies call it unproven.
“The public now has multiple cues that say, ‘Gee, the science seems to be really confusing at this end. I’m not sure who to trust here,’” Jamieson said. Because of what she perceives as political pressure, she changed from trusting agencies like the CDC to trusting individual scientists, such as top federal infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.
While Democrats worry that pressure on science agencies makes them less trustworthy, Republicans distrust them, saying they’re trying to make Trump look bad, said Jennifer Mercieca, a Texas A&M communications professor.
Mitch Spencer, a 59-year-old from Iowa who is retired from the post office and the military, said over the past several months he had “less trust in the government and more trust in just regular news.”
A political independent and self-described moderate, Spencer said he watched Fauci say one thing and Trump’s team say something else. He trusts Fauci, not Trump, saying the president lies frequently.
The poll found that 37% of Republicans and 87% of Democrats say they trust the president only a little or not at all on the pandemic.
Spencer said it’s harder to find information on whether his grandchild should return to school or if a vaccine is safe than whether to wear masks. Overall, just 35% of Americans said it was very or somewhat easy to find the information they need on vaccine safety and 39% on safety of reopening school, the poll showed.
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The AP-NORC/USAFacts poll of 1,121 adults was conducted Sept. 15-25 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
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Online:
AP-NORC Center: http://www.apnorc.org/.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Official: 4 hospitalized after car crashes into store

MIDLOTHIAN , Va. ( AP ) - Four people have been hospitalized for injuries they sustained when a car crashed into a store in Virginia .
The incident happened Monday afternoon when the vehicle ran into Visionworks , an eye care store , in Midlothian , WRIC-TV reported .
David Swaby was in the store during the crash .
He told the news outlet that a child was “ under the wheel ” of the vehicle after it went into the store .
“ There was a mother screaming for her daughter , ” Swaby said .
“ I got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the woman who was pinned out , and convinced the driver to crawl across the door , and open the passenger door and I pulled her out.
” Chesterfield Fire & EMS spokesperson Eddi Berry said there were no significant injuries .
“ When you go to work , it ’ s a Monday , prepping for my day , I would never expect that something like this to happen and I think it was a miracle that nobody was seriously injured , ” said Renee Ferrucci , the general manager of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caused the accident .

MIDLOTHIAN, Va. (AP) - Four people have been hospitalized for injuries they sustained when a car crashed into a store in Virginia.
The incident happened Monday afternoon when the vehicle ran into Visionworks, an eye care store, in Midlothian, WRIC-TV reported.
David Swaby was in the store during the crash. He told the news outlet that a child was “under the wheel” of the vehicle after it went into the store.
“There was a mother screaming for her daughter,” Swaby said. “I got the daughter out, assisted with getting the woman who was pinned out, and convinced the driver to crawl across the door, and open the passenger door and I pulled her out.”
Chesterfield Fire & EMS spokesperson Eddi Berry said there were no significant injuries.
“When you go to work, it’s a Monday, prepping for my day, I would never expect that something like this to happen and I think it was a miracle that nobody was seriously injured,” said Renee Ferrucci, the general manager of the store.
It is not clear what caused the accident.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Drive-by shooting in Ohio town leaves 5 injured

MANSFIELD , Ohio ( AP ) - A drive-by shooting in an Ohio city left five people injured , police @ @ @ @ @ just before 11 p.m. Monday on Sturges Avenue .
According to police , the wounded @ @ @ @ @ .
The extent of their injuries was not released and authorities have not released their @ @ @ @ @ No additional suspect ( s ) or vehicle information is available at this time and @ @ @ @ @ is unknown , ” police said .

MANSFIELD, Ohio (AP) - A drive-by shooting in an Ohio city left five people injured, police said.
The shooting occurred just before 11 p.m. Monday on Sturges Avenue.
According to police, the wounded were taken to a hospital. The extent of their injuries was not released and authorities have not released their names and ages.
Detectives were seeking a suspect.
“No additional suspect(s) or vehicle information is available at this time and the motive for the shooting is unknown,” police said.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Metro Atlanta school system remains virtual citing virus

ATLANTA ( AP ) - One of Georgia ’ s largest public school systems says it ’ s continuing with online classes rather than traditional teaching because coronavirus cases in the area are still too high .
The DeKalb County School District said Monday cases of the illness caused by the virus , COVID-19 , aren ’ t dropping enough for students to return to classrooms safely .
The system has about 100,000 students in heavily populated metro Atlanta .
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported the district ’ s plan calls for offering in-person classes a few days a week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Atlanta county drop below 100 infections per 100,000 people for two straight weeks .
The county got close to that level for several days but numbers increased in recent days .
School districts in Cobb , Fayette , Fulton , Gwinnett and Henry counties have brought or plan to bring back students to classrooms .
But schools in Atlanta , Decatur and Clayton County are continuing with online learning .
Schools districts that are opting for virtual learning are facing pressure to return return to in-person classes .
In DeKalb , some parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and billboards along interstate highways are advocating for a return .

ATLANTA (AP) - One of Georgia’s largest public school systems says it’s continuing with online classes rather than traditional teaching because coronavirus cases in the area are still too high.
The DeKalb County School District said Monday cases of the illness caused by the virus, COVID-19, aren’t dropping enough for students to return to classrooms safely. The system has about 100,000 students in heavily populated metro Atlanta.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported the district’s plan calls for offering in-person classes a few days a week if infection rates in the east metro Atlanta county drop below 100 infections per 100,000 people for two straight weeks.
The county got close to that level for several days but numbers increased in recent days.
School districts in Cobb, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett and Henry counties have brought or plan to bring back students to classrooms. But schools in Atlanta, Decatur and Clayton County are continuing with online learning.
Schools districts that are opting for virtual learning are facing pressure to return return to in-person classes. In DeKalb, some parents are urging a return to traditional learning and billboards along interstate highways are advocating for a return.