washingtontimes--2020-11-21--Alvin Holmes dies at 81; had served decades in Alabama House

MONTGOMERY , Ala. ( AP ) - Former state Rep. Alvin Holmes , who had been the longest-serving member of the Alabama House of Representatives before his 2018 defeat , has died .
He was 81 .
Holmes , one of the first African Americans elected to the Alabama Legislature after the civil rights era , was for decades a fixture at the Statehouse .
His political career included battles over issues ranging from removing Jim Crow language from the state Constitution to taking the Confederate flag off of the Alabama Capitol .
With his trademark outspokenness , he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , moments .
Holmes was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1974 , just four years after African Americans - who hadn ’ t served since Reconstruction - returned to the Legislature .
“ I came to the Statehouse out of the civil rights movement .
I said I wanted to go up there and make a change , ” Holmes said after his defeat in 2018 .
Holmes had said the accomplishments he was most proud of included establishing Martin Luther King Day as a state holiday and pushing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positions at the Alabama Legislature .
He was among lawmakers who fought to take the Confederate battle flag off the Alabama Capitol ’ s dome where it had formerly flown as symbol of Southern defiance to integration .
He sponsored a constitutional amendment to remove an interracial marriage ban from the Alabama Constitution and unsuccessfully fought for years to get sexual orientation included in the state hate crime statute .
House Speaker Mac McCutcheon said Holmes was a champion for civil rights and for all taxpayers .
“ He took stands to ensure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax dollars were spent wisely .
Representatives Holmes could be forceful at times and give no ground on issues he was passionate about , but no one ever questioned his sincerity .
I was a proud to call him a friend , ” McCutcheon said .
The short , mustached Holmes had a flair for humor and bluntness at the House microphone , a skill he said he knowingly deployed at times to draw attention to issues .
Once , during a floor debate , Holmes pulled out a wad of cash and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone who showed him Bible verses specifying that marriage is between only a man and a woman .
The challenge prompted a flood of calls into the statehouse switchboard .
“ What ’ s wrong with the beer we got ?
I mean the beer we got drinks pretty good don ’ t it.
” he also once asked during a debate on a bill , promoted by beer enthusiasts , to allow the sale of higher alcohol content brews .
Rep. Christopher England , who also serves as chairman of the Alabama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great Democrat and a fighter .
“ He stood on the frontlines of the fight for civil rights and was willing to sacrifice everything in his fight for justice for all .
… .
Alabama has lost a giant , whose wit , intelligence , fearlessness , selfless determination , and leadership will be sorely missed .
”

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Former state Rep. Alvin Holmes, who had been the longest-serving member of the Alabama House of Representatives before his 2018 defeat, has died. He was 81.
Alabama House of Representatives spokesman Clay Redden confirmed Holmes’ death Saturday.
Holmes, one of the first African Americans elected to the Alabama Legislature after the civil rights era, was for decades a fixture at the Statehouse. His political career included battles over issues ranging from removing Jim Crow language from the state Constitution to taking the Confederate flag off of the Alabama Capitol. With his trademark outspokenness, he had panache for humorous, and sometimes controversial, moments.
Holmes was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1974, just four years after African Americans - who hadn’t served since Reconstruction - returned to the Legislature.
“I came to the Statehouse out of the civil rights movement. I said I wanted to go up there and make a change,” Holmes said after his defeat in 2018.
Holmes had said the accomplishments he was most proud of included establishing Martin Luther King Day as a state holiday and pushing for the hiring of African Americans for professional positions at the Alabama Legislature.
He was among lawmakers who fought to take the Confederate battle flag off the Alabama Capitol’s dome where it had formerly flown as symbol of Southern defiance to integration. He sponsored a constitutional amendment to remove an interracial marriage ban from the Alabama Constitution and unsuccessfully fought for years to get sexual orientation included in the state hate crime statute.
House Speaker Mac McCutcheon said Holmes was a champion for civil rights and for all taxpayers.
“He took stands to ensure African Americans were treated fairly and that tax dollars were spent wisely. Representatives Holmes could be forceful at times and give no ground on issues he was passionate about, but no one ever questioned his sincerity. I was a proud to call him a friend,” McCutcheon said.
The short, mustached Holmes had a flair for humor and bluntness at the House microphone, a skill he said he knowingly deployed at times to draw attention to issues.
Once, during a floor debate, Holmes pulled out a wad of cash and said he would give $700 to anyone who showed him Bible verses specifying that marriage is between only a man and a woman. The challenge prompted a flood of calls into the statehouse switchboard.
“What’s wrong with the beer we got? I mean the beer we got drinks pretty good don’t it.” he also once asked during a debate on a bill, promoted by beer enthusiasts, to allow the sale of higher alcohol content brews.
Rep. Christopher England, who also serves as chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, said Holmes was a great Democrat and a fighter.
“He stood on the frontlines of the fight for civil rights and was willing to sacrifice everything in his fight for justice for all. …. Alabama has lost a giant, whose wit, intelligence, fearlessness, selfless determination, and leadership will be sorely missed.”


washingtontimes--2020-11-21--Town officials charged in probe of hazardous waste dumping

FAIRFIELD , Conn. ( AP ) - Five former or current officials of Fairfield , Connecticut , are among several people who have been arrested in connection with the illegal dumping of hazardous materials next to the town ’ s public works garage and efforts to hide the extent of the contamination , according to police .
Several of the officials were arrested this past week .
The charges are related to a nearly three-acre site containing PCBs , lead and other hazardous materials , Fairfield police said .
Town officials estimate cleanup of the site will cost $ 5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those arrested are former Public Works Director Joseph Michelangelo , former Public Works Superintendent Scott Bartlett , interim Public Works Director Brian Carey and former Human Resources Director Emmet Hibson .
Police also arrested Robert Grabarek , of Clinton , owner of Osprey Environmental Engineering .
They are charged with the illegal disposing of PCBs and solid waste , as well as conspiracy .
All are free on promises to appear in court next month .
Robert Mayer , former chief of staff to former First Selectman Michael Tetreau , was charged earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case .
Bartlett and Michelangelo also were previously charged with conspiring with construction company owner Jason Julian to allow Julian ’ s company to dump the hazardous materials at the town-owned site .
Authorities lodged bribery and kickback charges against Bartlett and Julian , Hearst Connecticut Media reported .
Investigators said the town hired Grabarek ’ s company in 2016 to clean up the site and construct a berm around it to prevent adjacent properties from becoming contaminated .
Instead , police said , Grabarek ’ s company and town officials conspired to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fairfield police began an investigation of the dumping in 2017 and arrested several town officials in July 2019 .
Contact information for Michelangelo and Carey could not be immediately found Saturday .
Messages seeking comment were left for Bartlett , Hibson and Grabarek .
Mayer and Julian have pleaded not guilty in the case .

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) - Five former or current officials of Fairfield, Connecticut, are among several people who have been arrested in connection with the illegal dumping of hazardous materials next to the town’s public works garage and efforts to hide the extent of the contamination, according to police.
Several of the officials were arrested this past week. The charges are related to a nearly three-acre site containing PCBs, lead and other hazardous materials, Fairfield police said. Town officials estimate cleanup of the site will cost $5 million to $10 million.
Among those arrested are former Public Works Director Joseph Michelangelo, former Public Works Superintendent Scott Bartlett, interim Public Works Director Brian Carey and former Human Resources Director Emmet Hibson. Police also arrested Robert Grabarek, of Clinton, owner of Osprey Environmental Engineering.
They are charged with the illegal disposing of PCBs and solid waste, as well as conspiracy. All are free on promises to appear in court next month.
Robert Mayer, former chief of staff to former First Selectman Michael Tetreau, was charged earlier this year with hiding evidence in the case.
Bartlett and Michelangelo also were previously charged with conspiring with construction company owner Jason Julian to allow Julian’s company to dump the hazardous materials at the town-owned site. Authorities lodged bribery and kickback charges against Bartlett and Julian, Hearst Connecticut Media reported.
Investigators said the town hired Grabarek’s company in 2016 to clean up the site and construct a berm around it to prevent adjacent properties from becoming contaminated. Instead, police said, Grabarek’s company and town officials conspired to bury contaminated materials into the berm.
Fairfield police began an investigation of the dumping in 2017 and arrested several town officials in July 2019.
Contact information for Michelangelo and Carey could not be immediately found Saturday. Messages seeking comment were left for Bartlett, Hibson and Grabarek. Mayer and Julian have pleaded not guilty in the case.


washingtontimes--2020-11-21--2 arrested amid protest over deadly Nebraska police shooting

OMAHA , Neb .
( AP ) - Authorities have arrested two people during a protest over the deadly police shooting of a Black man during a Nebraska traffic stop .
Several dozen demonstrators called Friday night on Omaha police to release video footage of the shooting death of Kenneth Jones .
Police said in a news release that Jones , who was 35 , reached for a gun that he had in his waistband before he was shot Thursday night , the Omaha World-Herald reports .
Police ultimately declared the protest an unlawful assembly ; scanner traffic indicates something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on suspicion of destruction of property and disorderly conduct and a man on suspicion of third degree assault on an officer and carrying a concealed weapon , police said .
Meanwhile , two people were cited on suspicion of disorderly conduct and another on suspicion of obstructing an officer .
The World-Herald reports that tear gas also was fired .
Police have not indicated what led to the traffic stop in which Jones was shot .
A handgun , with a round in the chamber , was found on the ground underneath him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a grand jury will investigate the shooting and that the two officers involved have been put on administrative leave .
The officers ’ names weren ’ t released .
Family members of Jones , who gathered Friday near the apartment of Jones ’ mother , declined to comment on the shooting .

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Authorities have arrested two people during a protest over the deadly police shooting of a Black man during a Nebraska traffic stop.
Several dozen demonstrators called Friday night on Omaha police to release video footage of the shooting death of Kenneth Jones. Police said in a news release that Jones, who was 35, reached for a gun that he had in his waistband before he was shot Thursday night, the Omaha World-Herald reports.
Police ultimately declared the protest an unlawful assembly; scanner traffic indicates something was thrown.
Officers arrested one woman on suspicion of destruction of property and disorderly conduct and a man on suspicion of third degree assault on an officer and carrying a concealed weapon, police said. Meanwhile, two people were cited on suspicion of disorderly conduct and another on suspicion of obstructing an officer.
The World-Herald reports that tear gas also was fired.
Police have not indicated what led to the traffic stop in which Jones was shot. A handgun, with a round in the chamber, was found on the ground underneath him.
Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said Friday that a grand jury will investigate the shooting and that the two officers involved have been put on administrative leave. The officers’ names weren’t released.
Family members of Jones, who gathered Friday near the apartment of Jones’ mother, declined to comment on the shooting.


washingtontimes--2020-11-21--Judge throws out Trump bid to stop Pa. vote certification

Pennsylvania officials can certify election results that currently show Democrat Joe Biden winning the state by more than 80,000 votes , a federal judge ruled Saturday , dealing President Donald Trump ’ s campaign another blow in its effort to invalidate the election .
U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew Brann in Williamsport , Pennsylvania , turned down the request for an injunction by President Donald Trump ’ s campaign , spoiling the incumbent ’ s hopes of somehow overturning the results of the presidential contest .
In his ruling , Brann said the Trump campaign presented “ strained legal arguments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by evidence.
” “ In the United States of America , this can not justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter , let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state , ” the opinion said .
“ Our people , laws , and institutions demand more.
” Trump had argued that the U.S. Constitution ’ s guarantee of equal protection under the law was violated when Pennsylvania counties took different approaches to notifying voters before the election about technical problems with their submitted mail-in ballots .
Pennsylvania Secretary of State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the campaign sued had argued Trump had previously raised similar claims and lost .
They told Brann the remedy the Trump campaign sought , to throw out millions of votes over alleged isolated issues , was far too extreme , particularly after most of them have been tallied .
“ There is no justification on any level for the radical disenfranchisement they seek , ” Boockvar ’ s lawyers wrote in a brief filed Thursday .
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro , a Democrat , tweeted shortly after Brann ’ s ruling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dust.
” The state ’ s 20 electoral votes would not have been enough on their own to hand Trump a second term .
Counties must certify their results to Boockvar by Monday , after which she will make her own certification .
Democratic Gov .
Tom Wolf will notify the winning candidate ’ s electors they should appear to vote in the Capitol on Dec. 14 .

Pennsylvania officials can certify election results that currently show Democrat Joe Biden winning the state by more than 80,000 votes, a federal judge ruled Saturday, dealing President Donald Trump’s campaign another blow in its effort to invalidate the election.
U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew Brann in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, turned down the request for an injunction by President Donald Trump’s campaign, spoiling the incumbent’s hopes of somehow overturning the results of the presidential contest.
In his ruling, Brann said the Trump campaign presented “strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations … unsupported by evidence.”
“In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state,” the opinion said. “Our people, laws, and institutions demand more.”
Trump had argued that the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law was violated when Pennsylvania counties took different approaches to notifying voters before the election about technical problems with their submitted mail-in ballots.
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar and the seven Biden-majority counties that the campaign sued had argued Trump had previously raised similar claims and lost.
They told Brann the remedy the Trump campaign sought, to throw out millions of votes over alleged isolated issues, was far too extreme, particularly after most of them have been tallied.
“There is no justification on any level for the radical disenfranchisement they seek,” Boockvar’s lawyers wrote in a brief filed Thursday.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, tweeted shortly after Brann’s ruling, saying “Another one bites the dust.”
The state’s 20 electoral votes would not have been enough on their own to hand Trump a second term. Counties must certify their results to Boockvar by Monday, after which she will make her own certification.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf will notify the winning candidate’s electors they should appear to vote in the Capitol on Dec. 14.
____
Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.


washingtontimes--2020-11-21--Longtime head of NAACP's California-Hawaii chapter resigns

SACRAMENTO , Calif. ( AP ) - The longtime head of California-Hawaii ’ s chapter of the NAACP will resign in December after she again faced conflict-of-interest allegations involving her political consulting company .
Alice Huffman , 84 , will end her tenure on Dec. 1 after over 20 years as the leader of the chapter .
She cited health concerns as a reason for stepping down , according to a resignation letter she wrote to the executive board of the California Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP .
Huffman will continue to lead her political consulting firm and will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board , the Los Angeles Times reported .
Campaigns for and against several ballot measures paid Huffman ’ s consulting firm roughly $ 1.7 million over the course of this year ’ s election .
Critics accused Huffman of aiding campaigns that did not hold the NAACP ’ s values .
“ I knew from 2016 that Ms. Huffman did not support a lot of propositions that were made to help Black people , ” Taisha Brown , the chair of the California Democratic Party Black Caucus , told the Sacramento Bee .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ she didn ’ t go against the propositions as ‘ Alice Huffman.
’ She went against them as the president of the NAACP.
” Huffman received $ 200,000 to oppose a plan to abolish cash bail in California and another $ 95,000 to side with ride-sharing companies that backed a measure to have drivers remain as independent contractors instead of employees .
The 84-year-old ’ s company also received $ 85,000 to oppose the imposition of new rules for kidney dialysis companies , $ 740,000 to oppose a measure that would have raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local services and $ 620,000 to oppose a rent control measure .
All five of the causes went Huffman ’ s way .
Huffman had been accused of using her position at the NAACP for financial gain before this November ’ s election .
“ Among the political class in Sacramento , it ’ s very well known that Alice essentially applies the NAACP good housekeeping seal to special interest causes in return for money , ” Garry South , a Democratic consultant , told The Bee in 2016 .
“ I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with it.
” Rick Callender , the vice president the California and Hawaii State Conference NAACP , will replace Huffman .

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The longtime head of California-Hawaii’s chapter of the NAACP will resign in December after she again faced conflict-of-interest allegations involving her political consulting company.
Alice Huffman, 84, will end her tenure on Dec. 1 after over 20 years as the leader of the chapter. She cited health concerns as a reason for stepping down, according to a resignation letter she wrote to the executive board of the California Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP.
Huffman will continue to lead her political consulting firm and will stay on the national NAACP’s board, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Campaigns for and against several ballot measures paid Huffman’s consulting firm roughly $1.7 million over the course of this year’s election. Critics accused Huffman of aiding campaigns that did not hold the NAACP’s values.
“I knew from 2016 that Ms. Huffman did not support a lot of propositions that were made to help Black people,” Taisha Brown, the chair of the California Democratic Party Black Caucus, told the Sacramento Bee. “It was odd to me because she didn’t go against the propositions as ‘Alice Huffman.’ She went against them as the president of the NAACP.”
Huffman received $200,000 to oppose a plan to abolish cash bail in California and another $95,000 to side with ride-sharing companies that backed a measure to have drivers remain as independent contractors instead of employees. The 84-year-old’s company also received $85,000 to oppose the imposition of new rules for kidney dialysis companies, $740,000 to oppose a measure that would have raised business property taxes to fund schools and local services and $620,000 to oppose a rent control measure. All five of the causes went Huffman’s way.
Huffman had been accused of using her position at the NAACP for financial gain before this November’s election.
“Among the political class in Sacramento, it’s very well known that Alice essentially applies the NAACP good housekeeping seal to special interest causes in return for money,” Garry South, a Democratic consultant, told The Bee in 2016. “I don’t know how she gets away with it.”
Rick Callender, the vice president the California and Hawaii State Conference NAACP, will replace Huffman.


washingtontimes--2020-11-22--In Lebanon, army courts target anti-government protesters

BEIRUT ( AP ) - Khaldoun Jaber was taking part in an anti-government protest near the presidential palace outside Beirut last November when several Lebanese intelligence officers in plainclothes approached and forcibly took him away .
The demonstration was part of a wave of protests sweeping Lebanon against corruption and misrule by a group of politicians who have monopolized power since the country ’ s civil war ended three decades ago .
Jaber didn ’ t know it then , but Lebanese security forces targeted him because of his social media posts criticizing President Michel Aoun .
What followed were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security officers interrogated him and subjected him to physical abuse , before letting him go .
“ I was beaten , harmed psychologically and morally , ” Jaber said .
“ Three of my teeth were broken and I lost 70 % of my hearing in my left ear.
” “ I am still traumatized , ” he added .
A year after mass protests roiled Lebanon , dozens of protesters are being tried before military courts , proceedings that human rights lawyers say grossly violate due process and fail to investigate allegations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the military tribunal say the system is used to intimidate protesters and prop up Lebanon ’ s sectarian rulers .
Around 90 civilians have been referred to the military justice system so far , according to Legal Agenda , a human rights group based in Beirut .
“ We expect many more people to be prosecuted , ” said Ghida Frangieh , a lawyer with the group .
The trials underscore the growing perils of activism in Lebanon , where a string of court cases and judicial investigations against journalists and critics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for free speech and tolerance in a largely autocratic Arab world .
Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najm did not respond to a request for comment .
Lebanese officials typically do not address the question of why civilian cases are being tried in the military court system .
Security forces have denied beating and torturing protesters and activists in detention .
Frangieh said that security forces arrested around 1,200 people from the beginning of the anti-government uprising in October 2019 through the end of June .
Lebanese authorities have prosecuted around 200 of them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the monitoring group has found .
Two months after his arrest , Jaber received an official notice saying military prosecutors were charging him with assaulting security forces at the Baabda Palace when the plainclothes agents detained him .
“ I was shocked when I was called to the military tribunal , ” Jaber said .
The trial did not take place until Oct. 7 , when the military court declared Jaber innocent of assaulting security officers , which is a military crime under Lebanese law , but said it lacked jurisdiction over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president .
Like Jaber , many detained protesters only find out a month or more after their release that authorities have referred them to military courts .
Many of these cases were scheduled for hearings this November and December , Frangieh said , before a two-week nationwide lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic temporarily closed the courts .
Jaber ’ s case is an example of how military prosecutors try to claim jurisdiction over civilian cases by usually filing more than one charge , including one that is a military crime , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military tribunal and is also part of the Lawyers ’ Committee for Defense of Protesters .
“ There was no evidence , ” Frangieh said about Jaber ’ s charge of assaulting security officers .
“ He was kidnapped during a protest , but he was actually targeted because of his social media posts that criticized the president.
” The military prosecutor ’ s office closed , without investigation , a torture complaint that Jaber had submitted , she added .
According to Legal Agenda , the military courts usually issue summary decisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , without issuing an explanation .
“ There ’ s really a lot of doubt about the fairness and arbitrariness of the decisions issued by the court , ” she said , adding that when defendants are sentenced , the legal basis of the conviction is not immediately shared with their lawyers .
Military prosecutors often neglect to read the full case files prepared from military intelligence reports , or abruptly drop or change charges during trials , according to Frangieh and another lawyer with the committee representing protesters , Ayman Raad .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilians , ” said Aya Majzoub , a researcher with Human Rights Watch .
The international rights group has called on Lebanon ’ s parliament to end the troubling practice by passing a law to entirely remove civilians from the military court ’ s jurisdiction .
Georges Abou Fadel was summoned for a military trial on Oct. 30 , after he was detained during a protest a year ago in the town of Beit Mery , east of Beirut .
During his trial , the military prosecutor asked the judge for time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to change the charge against Abou Fadel from assaulting security forces to the lesser charge of nonviolently resisting arrest .
The court found him innocent but Abou Fadel said he wasn ’ t relieved , knowing there ’ ll be more trials “ for my friends , for the people protesting , for anyone who is trying to call for his rights.
” Lawyers , rights activists and defendants describe the military tribunals ’ prosecution of protesters and other civilians as another node in the web of Lebanon ’ s sectarian system that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather than the rights of citizens .
“ This is one of the tools used by the sectarian parties , ” said Abou Fadel - keeping their people loyal through fear of the military courts .
Many of the judges at the military tribunal are appointed by the defense ministry , which undermines the tribunal ’ s judicial independence , according to rights activists .
The head of the military tribunal is customarily Shiite , while the chief military prosecutor is Maronite Christian .
Reforming the Lebanese judicial system is “ one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-government protesters , Raad said , including ending military trials for civilians .
On Nov. 13 , Jad Al Rayess was fined 200,000 Lebanese Pounds ( $ 132 ) by a military court , 11 months after security forces detained him at a protest on Beirut ’ s Ring Road .
The court has not yet released a statement with the charge for which he was convicted .
The 32-year-old said that he plans to emigrate from Lebanon .
“ We are not going to get any progress without blood , and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involved in , ” he said .
Associated Press writer Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed to this report .

BEIRUT (AP) - Khaldoun Jaber was taking part in an anti-government protest near the presidential palace outside Beirut last November when several Lebanese intelligence officers in plainclothes approached and forcibly took him away.
The demonstration was part of a wave of protests sweeping Lebanon against corruption and misrule by a group of politicians who have monopolized power since the country’s civil war ended three decades ago.
Jaber didn’t know it then, but Lebanese security forces targeted him because of his social media posts criticizing President Michel Aoun. What followed were 48 harrowing hours of detention during which security officers interrogated him and subjected him to physical abuse, before letting him go.
“I was beaten, harmed psychologically and morally,” Jaber said. “Three of my teeth were broken and I lost 70% of my hearing in my left ear.”
“I am still traumatized,” he added.
A year after mass protests roiled Lebanon, dozens of protesters are being tried before military courts, proceedings that human rights lawyers say grossly violate due process and fail to investigate allegations of torture and abuse. Defendants tried before the military tribunal say the system is used to intimidate protesters and prop up Lebanon’s sectarian rulers.
Around 90 civilians have been referred to the military justice system so far, according to Legal Agenda, a human rights group based in Beirut.
“We expect many more people to be prosecuted,” said Ghida Frangieh, a lawyer with the group.
The trials underscore the growing perils of activism in Lebanon, where a string of court cases and judicial investigations against journalists and critics has eroded the country’s reputation for free speech and tolerance in a largely autocratic Arab world.
Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najm did not respond to a request for comment. Lebanese officials typically do not address the question of why civilian cases are being tried in the military court system. Security forces have denied beating and torturing protesters and activists in detention.
Frangieh said that security forces arrested around 1,200 people from the beginning of the anti-government uprising in October 2019 through the end of June. Lebanese authorities have prosecuted around 200 of them, including those referred to the military judiciary, the monitoring group has found.
Two months after his arrest, Jaber received an official notice saying military prosecutors were charging him with assaulting security forces at the Baabda Palace when the plainclothes agents detained him.
“I was shocked when I was called to the military tribunal,” Jaber said.
The trial did not take place until Oct. 7, when the military court declared Jaber innocent of assaulting security officers, which is a military crime under Lebanese law, but said it lacked jurisdiction over a second charge, that of insulting the president.
Like Jaber, many detained protesters only find out a month or more after their release that authorities have referred them to military courts. Many of these cases were scheduled for hearings this November and December, Frangieh said, before a two-week nationwide lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic temporarily closed the courts.
Jaber’s case is an example of how military prosecutors try to claim jurisdiction over civilian cases by usually filing more than one charge, including one that is a military crime, said Frangieh, who represents protesters before the military tribunal and is also part of the Lawyers’ Committee for Defense of Protesters.
“There was no evidence,” Frangieh said about Jaber’s charge of assaulting security officers. “He was kidnapped during a protest, but he was actually targeted because of his social media posts that criticized the president.”
The military prosecutor’s office closed, without investigation, a torture complaint that Jaber had submitted, she added.
According to Legal Agenda, the military courts usually issue summary decisions on the same day of the trial, without issuing an explanation.
“There’s really a lot of doubt about the fairness and arbitrariness of the decisions issued by the court,” she said, adding that when defendants are sentenced, the legal basis of the conviction is not immediately shared with their lawyers.
Military prosecutors often neglect to read the full case files prepared from military intelligence reports, or abruptly drop or change charges during trials, according to Frangieh and another lawyer with the committee representing protesters, Ayman Raad.
“Military courts have no business trying civilians,” said Aya Majzoub, a researcher with Human Rights Watch. The international rights group has called on Lebanon’s parliament to end the troubling practice by passing a law to entirely remove civilians from the military court’s jurisdiction.
Georges Abou Fadel was summoned for a military trial on Oct. 30, after he was detained during a protest a year ago in the town of Beit Mery, east of Beirut. During his trial, the military prosecutor asked the judge for time to read the case report, then asked to change the charge against Abou Fadel from assaulting security forces to the lesser charge of nonviolently resisting arrest.
The court found him innocent but Abou Fadel said he wasn’t relieved, knowing there’ll be more trials “for my friends, for the people protesting, for anyone who is trying to call for his rights.”
Lawyers, rights activists and defendants describe the military tribunals’ prosecution of protesters and other civilians as another node in the web of Lebanon’s sectarian system that protects the power of its top politicians rather than the rights of citizens.
“This is one of the tools used by the sectarian parties,” said Abou Fadel - keeping their people loyal through fear of the military courts.
Many of the judges at the military tribunal are appointed by the defense ministry, which undermines the tribunal’s judicial independence, according to rights activists. The head of the military tribunal is customarily Shiite, while the chief military prosecutor is Maronite Christian.
Reforming the Lebanese judicial system is “one of the most important demands” of the anti-government protesters, Raad said, including ending military trials for civilians.
On Nov. 13, Jad Al Rayess was fined 200,000 Lebanese Pounds ($132) by a military court, 11 months after security forces detained him at a protest on Beirut’s Ring Road. The court has not yet released a statement with the charge for which he was convicted.
The 32-year-old said that he plans to emigrate from Lebanon.
“We are not going to get any progress without blood, and that’s nothing I want to be involved in,” he said.
___
Associated Press writer Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-11-22--The Latest: Pakistan's cases rise amid large gatherings

PARIS - French authorities ordered the culling of all minks in a farm after analysis showed a mutated version of the coronavirus was circulating among the animals .
The French government said in a statement Sunday that about 1,000 minks have been culled and all animal products have been eliminated in the farm located west of Paris .
France counts four mink farms on its territory .
Authorities are still awaiting results for two of them .
No virus has been found in the last one , the government said .
The move follows virus developments in mink farms in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sweden and Greece .
In Denmark , a mutation of the virus had been found in several people infected by minks , according to the government which ordered the cull of all 15 million minks .
So far French farmers in contact with minks have been tested negative to the virus , the French government said .
HERE ’ S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK : - FDA allows emergency use of antibody drug thatTrump received - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to end an England-wide virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will return to regional restrictions as coronavirus infections stabilize .
- Many ignore virus precautions at funeral of Serbian Patriarch Irinej who died after contracting the coronavirus .
-Madrid ’ s emblematic Rastro flea market has reopened Sunday after a contentious eight-month closure because of the pandemic .
- Many Republican legislators in states where coronavirus cases have surged are rejecting mask-wearing requirements , even in their own capitols .
HERE ’ S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING : SEOUL , South Korea __ South Korea says it ’ ll impose stricter social distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight a coronavirus resurgence , as the country registered more than 300 new virus patients for a fifth consecutive day .
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said Sunday the ongoing outbreak is “ extremely grave and serious ” as infection routes have been too diverse .
He says authorities have found 62 clusters of infections over the past two weeks .
He says the toughened guidelines will begin Tuesday and go for two weeks .
Under it , nightclubs and other high-risk entertainment facilities must shut down and a late-night dining at restaurants will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed to drink or eat inside coffee shops , internet cafes or fitness centers , while sports attendance will be limited to 10 % of the stadium ’ s capacity .
South Korea has been experiencing a spike in fresh infection since it relaxed coronavirus restrictions last month .
Earlier Sunday , South Korea added 330 new coronavirus cases , bringing the national tally to 30,733 with 505 deaths .
COLOMBO , Sri Lanka - Authorities said Sunday that more than 600 COVID-19 cases have been detected in Sri Lanka ’ s highly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases have been found in five prisons in different parts of the Indian Ocean island nation .
Of them , 609 are inmates and 43 are prison officers .
Sri Lankan prisons are highly congested with more than 26,000 inmates crowded in facilities designed for 10,000 .
Sri Lanka has seen a fresh outbreak of the disease since last month when two clusters - one at a garment factory and other at a fish market - emerged in the capital Colombo and it ’ s suburbs .
Confirmed cases from the two clusters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amid defiance of the directive to wear masks and avoid large public gatherings , Pakistan reported 59 more deaths and 2,665 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday .
The country ’ s tally reached 374,173 confirmed cases .
Among those being treated for the virus , 1,653 are critical .
On Saturday , tens of thousands attended the funeral of a radical cleric in the eastern city of Lahore , and on Sunday , an alliance of opposition parties holds a rally in the northwestern city of Peshawar .
Both events ignore directives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center , a body assigned the task of controlling the spread of the virus , for people to wear masks , maintain physical distance and avoid large gatherings .
BEIJING - Authorities are conducting mass testing and shutting down schools after China reported three new domestically transmitted cases in the past 24 hours - two in northern Inner Mongolia province and one in Shanghai .
The city of Manzhouli , in Inner Mongolia , will start testing all its residents for COVID-19 on Sunday , a day after the two cases were discovered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shut public venues , telling residents to not gather for dinner banquets .
Local authorities in Shanghai found one more case Saturday after testing 15,416 people following recent locally transmitted cases .
The city is not shutting down its schools , but has locked down specific facilities such as a hospital .
It is also testing all residents in the Pudong New Area district .
China is already conducting mass testing for up to 3 million residents in the northern city of Tianjin after five cases were found there earlier in the week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in China is 86,431 .
TOKYO - The daily tally of reported COVID-19 cases in Japan hit a record for the fourth day in a row , with 2,508 people confirmed infected , the health ministry said Sunday .
Japan has had fewer than 2,000 coronavirus-related deaths so far , avoiding the toll of harder hit nations .
But fears are growing about another surge .
A flurry of criticism has erupted , from opposition legislators and the public , slamming the government as having acted too slowly in halting its “ GoTo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dining out with discounts .
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced the decision Saturday .
But many people had already made travel reservations for this three-day Thanksgiving weekend in Japan .
Airports and restaurants have been packed .
Some said the government should have offered to pay for cancellations , or stepped up more on PCR testing instead , if the goal is to keep the economy going amid a pandemic .
Tutorials are circulating online on the proper way to eat and drink at restaurants , while wearing masks .
EL PASO , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent a 36-member team to El Paso to assist morgues in the border region with the number of dead as a result of COVID-19 , the illness caused by the coronavirus .
Statewide , the Texas health department on Saturday reported a one-day high of 12,597 new virus cases , nearly 20,500 dead since the pandemic began and more than 8,200 virus hospitalizations .
“ The Texas Military will provide us with the critical personnel to carry out our fatality management plan and we are very grateful to them for their ongoing support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said late Friday when the deployment was announced .
The pandemic is blamed for 853 deaths in El Paso County , including more than 300 since October .
Jail inmates are being paid to move bodies and county leaders are offering $ 27 an hour for morgue workers .
County Judge Ricardo Samaniego , in a letter to Gov .
Greg Abbott asking for support for a 10 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew in the county , said mortuaries are being overwhelmed .
He wrote that the local medical examiner ’ s office reported that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ main morgue and nine mobile morgues .
WILMINGTON , Delaware - President-elect Joe Biden says all Americans should be able to attend religious services during the pandemic - as long as they do so safely .
Biden made the statement in response to a reporter ’ s shouted question as he was walking out of church Saturday evening in Delaware .
Specifically , Biden was asked whether all Americans should be able to attend religious services during the pandemic .
He responded , “ Yes , safely.
” He did not answer a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be allowed .
Some in-person church services across America have been closed as state leaders grapple with social distancing safeguards as the pandemic surges .
PORTLAND , Ore. — Oregon has reported a record number of coronavirus cases for the second day in a row .
On Saturday , the Oregon Health Authority said there were 1,509 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections , spread across all but four of the state ’ s 36 counties , with the majority in the Portland metro area .
Among the seven new deaths being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 70s or 80s , and either had or were suspected of having underlying health conditions .
The state ’ s total is now 63,668 confirmed coronavirus infections and 819 deaths .
BALTIMORE - More than 12 million people in the U.S have contracted the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic .
The nation ’ s total number of confirmed cases reached 12.01 million on Saturday , six days after the number had reached 11 million , according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University .
Daily numbers of new U.S. cases are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after hitting 100,000 for the first time .
The record of 195,542 new cases on Friday was the latest of several recent daily highs .
Deaths rates are getting closer to the dire numbers seen in the spring .
The U.S. daily death toll exceeded 2,000 on Thursday , the first time since early May .
On Friday , 1,878 deaths were reported .
The U.S. leads the world with more than 255,000 dead .
ROME - Italy registered 34,767 new cases on Saturday , about 2,500 fewer than the previous day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Italy ’ s regions under new restrictions , including banning dining at cafes and restaurants in areas where the health care system risked collapse .
Italy has 1.3 million total confirmed cases .
With 692 more deaths , the known death toll reached 49,261 .
HARRISBURG , Pa. - The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Saturday there were 3,162 people hospitalized with coronavirus , the most since May .
A total of 661 coronavirus patients were in intensive care units .
The trend in the 14-day rolling average of hospitalized patients per day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of September , the department says .
Officials noted again that most of the hospitalized patients and deaths occurred among those 65 or older .
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump says his eldest son , Donald Trump Jr. , is doing “ very well ” in quarantine after becoming infected with the coronavirus .
A spokesman for the younger Trump says he received the positive test result earlier this week , has no symptoms and has been quarantining and following the recommended medical guidelines .
President Trump tweeted Saturday that his son @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jr. is the latest member of the president ’ s family to become infected , after the president , first lady and their son Barron .
PIERRE , South Dakota - Coronavirus infections are ravaging South Dakota , where more than half of tests have come back positive for weeks .
Republican Gov .
Kristi Noem won ’ t issue a mask mandate but suggests smaller gatherings “ may be smarter this year.
” Some governors who for months echoed President Donald Trump ’ s criticism of measures to control the coronavirus are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Doug Burgum , who recently ordered the use of masks statewide .
Republican and Democratic governors from several Midwestern states issued a joint video urging people to say home for Thanksgiving and wear masks to slow the spread of the virus until a vaccine is widely available .
Hospitals in many states are running out of beds and are short on nurses , including in the states where governors are reluctant to act .
“ We know what will happen .
We know that three to four weeks from Thanksgiving , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Dr. Georges Benjamin , executive director of the American Public Health Association .

SEATTLE - Health officials in Washington state said the number of people who were hospitalized to receive treatment for the coronavirus has reached a record high.
KOMO-TV reports there were 762 people receiving hospital care for the virus in Washington as of Saturday.
At the Swedish First Hill campus of Seattle’s Swedish Medical Center, 10 coronavirus patients were admitted within a span of five hours Wednesday.
Leaders from hospitals statewide met last week to consider strategies to ensure they have room to care for COVID-19 patients as the hospitalization rate climbs.
Washington State Hospital Association CEO Cassie Sauer says the cancellations of elective procedures under consideration to make room for coronavirus patients include joint and heart valve replacements and some cancer surgeries.
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CARSON CITY, Nev. - Gov. Steve Sisolak announced plans Sunday to tighten restrictions on casinos, restaurants and private gatherings such as Thanksgiving dinner in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The new restrictions, which are scheduled to go into effect on Tuesday, come amid an unprecedented surge that has broken records in the state in terms of cases, deaths and infection rates throughout November.
The virus has surged throughout the United States and prompted governors to issue a patchwork of area-specific restrictions. California has curfew order in effect in the majority of its counties and, earlier Sunday, Los Angeles County moved to only allow outdoor dining.
Sisolak, who has avoided tightening mandates throughout the fall due to the havoc they could wreak on Nevada’s tourism-based economy, said the trends led to an “inescapable conclusion.”
“We are on a rapid trajectory that threatens to overwhelm our health care system, our frontline health workers, and your access to care. So it’s time to act,” said Sisolak, who recently contracted COVID-19.
The new restrictions reduce the capacity limits for high-risk areas including restaurants, bars, gyms, places of worship and casinos.
They will also be applied to public and private gatherings, which case investigators have identified as a major source of spread in Nevada. That includes on Thanksgiving, when home celebrations will be limited to no more than 10 people, from no more than two households.
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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
- Russia’s health system under strain as virus surges back
- Inequality ‘baked into’ virus test access as cases soar.
- Many ignore virus precautions at funeral of Serbian Patriarch Irinej who died after contracting the coronavirus.
- Madrid’s emblematic Rastro flea market has reopened Sunday after a contentious eight-month closure because of the pandemic.
- Fears about infection while serving on juries have derailed plans to resume jury trials in many courthouses for the first time since the pandemic started.
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Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
PORTLAND, Ore. - New confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 have reached a record high for the third straight day in Oregon.
The Oregon Health Authority reported 1,517 new infections Sunday, bringing the state total to 65,170.
The state reported one additional death from COVID-19 on Sunday, a 65-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive Nov. 15 and died the same day. That brings the state’s death toll to 820.
The director of the state health department urged residents to cancel indoor Thanksgiving plans and those that involve large groups of family and friends.
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LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County officials have announced new coronavirus-related restrictions that will prohibit in-person dining for at least three weeks as cases rise throughout the holiday season.
The new rules will take effect Wednesday at 10 p.m.
Restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars will only be able to offer take-out, drive-through and delivery services.
Officials had warned that these restrictions could come into play if the county’s five-day average of new cases was above 4,000. Sunday’s five-day average was 4,097 cases.
Most of California, including Los Angeles County, has been under a curfew since Saturday night at 10 p.m.
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Millions of Americans bought tickets to fly somewhere for Thanksgiving before the nation’s top public health agency pleaded with them not to travel for the holiday.
So what are they doing now? In many cases, they’re still crowding airports and boarding planes. That’s despite relatively lenient cancellation policies that major airlines have implemented since the coronavirus pandemic emerged earlier this year.
According to the Transportation Security Administration, more than 2 million people were screened at U.S. airports on Friday and Saturday. While that’s far lower than during the same time last year, Friday was only the second time since mid-March that daily airport screenings topped 1 million.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said Americans should skip Thanksgiving travel and not spend the holiday with people from outside their household.
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NEW YORK - Hundreds of bodies are still stored in freezer trucks at a disaster morgue set up during New York City’s coronavirus surge in the spring, according to the city’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner.
Many of the 650 bodies at the disaster morgue on the Brooklyn waterfront are of people whose families can’t be located or can’t afford a proper burial, officials told The Wall Street Journal.
Normally, the deceased would have been buried within a few weeks in a gravesite for the indigent on Hart Island in the Long Island Sound. But as COVID-19 deaths surged in New York in April, with as many as 800 deaths in one day, Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged that mass burials in temporary graves wouldn’t take place.
The medical examiner’s office is having trouble finding relatives of about 230 deceased people, officials said. When next of kin have been contacted, many bodies haven’t been collected because families haven’t arranged burial for financial reasons, nor have they requested free burial on Hart Island.
The city is slowly reducing the number of bodies in storage, with the number declining from 698 to 650 since mid-September, according to Dina Maniotis, the chief medical examiner’s office’s executive deputy commissioner. New York state has reported at least 34,187 deaths of people due to COVID-19, according to data from John Hopkins University.
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ATHENS, Greece - Police interrupted a Sunday Mass in a northern Greek village and fined a priest 1,500 euros ($1,780) for allowing two people to attend the service.
They also arrested the priest’s 30-year-old son and one of the two worshippers, who they said attacked the police officers.
The priest had been urging parishioners to attend, despite a ban, saying, “You’re either with Christ or the coronavirus.” The two attendees were from a neighboring village.
Authorities are strictly enforcing a lockdown and nightly curfew after a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. In the northern city of Thessaloniki, where most cases have appeared, an 18-year-old university student was given a 6-month suspended sentence and fined 3,000 euros ($3,560) for hosting her birthday party, which police raided at 1.30 am Saturday. The six guests were fined 300 euros ($356) each.
Health authorities announced 1,498 new coronavirus cases Sunday, along with 103 deaths, five less than the daily record set Saturday. The number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic is 91,619, with 1,630 deaths.
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SANTIAGO, Chile - Chile says it will open its main border crossing and principal airport to foreign visitors on Monday after an eight-month pandemic shutdown.
Arrivals will have to present evidence of a recent negative test for the new coronavirus as well as health insurance. They’ll also have to report their whereabouts and health status for a two-week watch period. Those coming from high-risk countries will have to quarantine for 14 days.
President Sebastián Piñera on Sunday urged people to maintain precautions to prevent another wave of COVID-19: “The coronavirus is still among us and so we cannot be careless.”
Officials plan to gradually reopen other airports and border posts as the South American nation tries to reactivate the tourism industry.
Chile closed its borders on March 18, two weeks after reporting its first new coronavirus infection. Since then, the nation of some 18 million people has recorded 540.640 infections and more than 15,000 deaths.
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WASHINGTON — The United States’ top infectious diseases expert says he’s worried that crowding at U.S. airports from Thanksgiving travel could lead to a perilous situation as COVID-19 cases surge.
Dr. Anthony Fauci told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the “people at airports” despite federal guidance to avoid travel “are going to get us into even more trouble than we’re in right now.”
He noted that new COVID-19 cases from Thanksgiving won’t become evident till weeks later, making it “very difficult” as the virus spirals out of control heading into colder weather and the December holiday season.
Fauci said a substantial portion of people being hospitalized for the virus are now between the ages of 40 and 59, as well as the elderly and vulnerable.
He stressed that vaccines should become available in the coming months, but said Americans will need to “hang in there” in the meantime by taking precautions to stem the spread. That includes limiting holiday gatherings to people in the same household if possible, wearing masks, socially distancing and washing hands.
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ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey saw a record number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 for the second day running on Sunday as 6,017 new symptomatic patients were documented, the health ministry said.
The number of new daily cases has surpassed the outbreak’s previous peak in April.
Evening lockdowns were introduced over the weekend for the first time since June, with businesses such as restaurants and bars ordered to close.
The ministry said 446,882 patients with symptoms have been identified since the country’s first recorded case in March. Turkey does not publicly report confirmed coronavirus cases in people without COVID-19 symptoms, a policy that has been criticised for masking the true scope of the national outbreak.
Turkey recorded 139 COVID-19 deaths over the previous 24 hours, taking the country’s total to 12,358, the health ministry reported.
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ROME - Italy’s daily new caseload of confirmed COVID-19 cases dropped by several thousand on Sunday, but nearly 50,000 fewer swab tests to detect the virus were conducted than on the previous day, according to the Health Ministry.
Italy added 28,337 confirmed cases, raising to 1,408,868, the country’s total in the pandemic.
Weekends usually see a drop in number of tests performed. In the last 24 hours, 562 deaths of persons with COVID-19 were registered, increasing to 49,823 Italy’s known death toll.
Meanwhile, the autonomous Alpine province of Bolzano said that more than 320,000 residents had turned out for voluntary mass COVID-19 screening in a three-day-long campaign, with some 3,000 of them testing positive. Local officials hpe the high turnout for screening among its 520,000 residents and the low percentage of positives will better position the province to be ready again for tourism, a mainstay of the local economy.
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CAIRO - A Sudanese minister on Sunday tested positive for the coronavirus, the prime minister’s office said, the latest in a string of senior officials to be infected as the country shows an increase of confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Omar Bashir Manis, minister of cabinet affairs, was in good health after testing positive for the virus, the prime minister office said in a statement.
Over the past month, acting ministers of finance and health, the central bank governor and two associates to Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok have tested positive.
Sadiq al-Mahdi, head of the National Umma party, Sudan’s largest, tested positive for the virus last month and was taken to the United Arab Emirates where he was still being treated.
Sudan has reported more than 15,830 confirmed cases, including 1,193 deaths. The actual COVID-19 tally is believed to be higher given the country’s limited testing.
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WASHINGTON - The head of the U.S. effort to produce a coronavirus vaccine says the first immunizations could happen on Dec. 12.
A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee is set to meet Dec. 10 to discuss Pfizer Inc.’s request for an emergency use authorization for its developing COVID-19 vaccine.
Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech recently announced that the vaccine appears 95% effective at preventing mild to severe COVID-19 disease in a large, ongoing study.
Dr. Moncef Slaoui, head of the Operation Warp Speed, the coronavirus vaccine program, says plans are to ship vaccines to states within 24 hours of expected FDA approval.
Slaoui told CNN he expects vaccinations would begin on the second day after approval, Dec. 12.


washingtontimes--2020-11-22--Israel strikes Hamas sites in Gaza Strip after rocket attack

JERUSALEM ( AP ) - Israeli aircraft on Sunday struck multiple sites in the Gaza Strip in response to a rocket fired earlier from the Palestinian territory , Israel ‘ s military said .
There were no immediate reports of injuries .
While several militant groups operate out of the Palestinian enclave , Israel holds Gaza ’ s Hamas rulers responsible for all rocket fire out of the territory and usually strikes Hamas targets in response .
The Israeli military said in a statement that fighter jets and attack helicopters hit two rocket ammunition manufacturing sites , underground infrastructure and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Late Saturday , Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a rocket toward Israel , setting off air-raid sirens in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon , the Israeli military said .
Israeli police said the rocket caused damage to a structure in the Ashkelon area , roughly 10 kilometers ( 6 miles ) north of Gaza , but there were no injuries .
Israeli media said the rocket struck a factory , causing damage .
Israel and Hamas , an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel ’ s destruction , are bitter enemies who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007 .

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli aircraft on Sunday struck multiple sites in the Gaza Strip in response to a rocket fired earlier from the Palestinian territory, Israel’s military said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
While several militant groups operate out of the Palestinian enclave, Israel holds Gaza’s Hamas rulers responsible for all rocket fire out of the territory and usually strikes Hamas targets in response.
The Israeli military said in a statement that fighter jets and attack helicopters hit two rocket ammunition manufacturing sites, underground infrastructure and a Hamas naval forces training compound.
Late Saturday, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a rocket toward Israel, setting off air-raid sirens in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, the Israeli military said.
Israeli police said the rocket caused damage to a structure in the Ashkelon area, roughly 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of Gaza, but there were no injuries. Israeli media said the rocket struck a factory, causing damage.
Israel and Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel’s destruction, are bitter enemies who have fought three wars and numerous skirmishes since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007.


washingtontimes--2020-11-22--Mason City company shifts from staplers to many products

There was earlier work with photo engravings and printings ( done on the third floor of the former Globe Gazette building ) , but things really came into focus for what is now Metalcraft in 1950 when its founder , Allen Patton , was tasked with developing an identification method for Bostitch ’ s staplers using metal name plates .
As told by current CEO and President Steve Doerfler , they were printing company names on the staplers and there was an error made , so the solution was to print a nameplate .
And , voila , Metalcraft was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parent company , Kayenay Engraving Co. , established a Webster City firm as well as Mohawk Advertising in 1955 .
Seventy years after incorporation , the Mason City Globe Gazette reports that initial bit of troubleshooting has turned into a company with hundreds of products and thousands of customers spread across all 50 states and in dozens of markets worldwide .
Doerfler himself has been involved with the company in some form or fashion for 36 years .
He ’ s been president and CEO since 2012 , but got his start as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with his dad repping for multiple companies including Metalcraft .
“ That was about the time the barcode became a very important piece of technology , ” Doerfler said .
“ I became enamored with Metalcraft because it was a very well-run and well-managed company at the time … To me , Metalcraft became my favorite product line to sell.
” When Doerfler did officially join the company , it was as sales manager .
From there , he moved up to vice president of marketing and sales and , eventually , president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , Metalcraft ’ s success hasn ’ t been creating any one product or perfecting some method but consistent tinkering .
A steady push forward .
“ The biggest success we ’ ve had to maintain 70 years goes to the innovative spirit that we ’ ve had really starting in the early 80s , ” Doerfler acknowledged .
At that time , the innovation was based around barcodes .
In the 2000s , it became “ radio-frequency identification , ” which allows people to read digital data stored on labels via @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to be in the line of sight , so-called “ RFID ” could be read from much farther away .
Metalcraft rolled out its initial RFID product in 2005 and has been building on it since .
Moving forward , Doerfler said that Metalcraft is looking into sensor technologies to sense temperature and moisture and that its innovation team has a list of projects it ’ s perpetually evaluating .
And even now , 70 years later , Metalcraft is doing that evaluating and troubleshooting in Mason City .
It started local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that ’ s important to the company .
“ This community has always been good to us .
Our people are here .
They like North Iowa .
And we also feel that we can recruit effectively in North Iowa , ” he said .
And , according to Doerfler , there isn ’ t any plan to go anywhere any time soon .
“ I want to build for the next 100 years … If we have the mindset that we ’ re always building for the next generation , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re going to be relevant in our industry .
”

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) - Essentially, it started with staplers.
There was earlier work with photo engravings and printings (done on the third floor of the former Globe Gazette building), but things really came into focus for what is now Metalcraft in 1950 when its founder, Allen Patton, was tasked with developing an identification method for Bostitch’s staplers using metal name plates. As told by current CEO and President Steve Doerfler, they were printing company names on the staplers and there was an error made, so the solution was to print a nameplate. And, voila, Metalcraft was born.
In the meantime, its parent company, Kayenay Engraving Co., established a Webster City firm as well as Mohawk Advertising in 1955.
Seventy years after incorporation, the Mason City Globe Gazette reports that initial bit of troubleshooting has turned into a company with hundreds of products and thousands of customers spread across all 50 states and in dozens of markets worldwide.
Doerfler himself has been involved with the company in some form or fashion for 36 years. He’s been president and CEO since 2012, but got his start as a manufacturer’s rep in business with his dad repping for multiple companies including Metalcraft.
“That was about the time the barcode became a very important piece of technology,” Doerfler said. “I became enamored with Metalcraft because it was a very well-run and well-managed company at the time … To me, Metalcraft became my favorite product line to sell.”
When Doerfler did officially join the company, it was as sales manager. From there, he moved up to vice president of marketing and sales and, eventually, president and CEO.
The way Doerfler sees it, Metalcraft’s success hasn’t been creating any one product or perfecting some method but consistent tinkering. A steady push forward.
“The biggest success we’ve had to maintain 70 years goes to the innovative spirit that we’ve had really starting in the early 80s,” Doerfler acknowledged.
At that time, the innovation was based around barcodes. In the 2000s, it became “radio-frequency identification,” which allows people to read digital data stored on labels via radio waves. Where more traditional barcodes need to be in the line of sight, so-called “RFID” could be read from much farther away. Metalcraft rolled out its initial RFID product in 2005 and has been building on it since.
Moving forward, Doerfler said that Metalcraft is looking into sensor technologies to sense temperature and moisture and that its innovation team has a list of projects it’s perpetually evaluating.
And even now, 70 years later, Metalcraft is doing that evaluating and troubleshooting in Mason City. It started local and has stayed that way. Doerfler said that’s important to the company.
“This community has always been good to us. Our people are here. They like North Iowa. And we also feel that we can recruit effectively in North Iowa,” he said.
And, according to Doerfler, there isn’t any plan to go anywhere any time soon.
“I want to build for the next 100 years … If we have the mindset that we’re always building for the next generation, we’re going to be around and we’re going to be relevant in our industry.”


washingtontimes--2020-11-22--Sioux City's oldest retailer will close as owner retires

SIOUX CITY , Iowa ( AP ) - Much as he loves Thorpe & Co. Jewellers , Rusty Clark wanted to enjoy retirement and spend quality time with his grandkids and his wife Karen , who runs the store with him .
Family lore has it that Clark ’ s great-grandfather , George Thorpe , kept working until he died in July 1950 at age 87 .
Rusty Clark , 67 , who has been in the store longer than any of his forefathers had been , didn ’ t want that fate for himself .
“ That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to do .
I don ’ t want to go from the store to the mortuary , ” he told the Sioux City Journal .
And although the downtown jewelry store historically has been passed down from one generation of the Thorpe-Clark family to the next , Clark ’ s children were not interested in taking over the business .
Clark , the fourth generation of the family to run the store at 501 Fourth St. , said that closing Sioux City ’ s oldest retailer was “ the hardest decision I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” He stressed that external factors — i.e.
, COVID-19 — had nothing to do with the decision to close , plans for which had been laid as early as two years ago and finalized at the end of last year .
“ It was in 2019 , when we committed to it and knew it was going to happen , ” said Clark .
Clark had figured he would ’ ve made peace with the decision by now .
So far that has not been the case .
“ When you realize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the respect that I have for my customers and for my employees , it was an extremely , extremely difficult decision , ” he said .
“ And I thought once I revealed it to everybody , it would be easier .
It ’ s even harder .
The emotional roller-coaster , the downs are far surpassing the ups right now.
” Thorpe ’ s going-out-of-business sales began last week and will continue until the merchandise runs out , likely through the Christmas season .
Born in Aylesbury , England in 1863 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jewelers with Oscar J. Hoberg in 1900 .
After spending time as a jewelers ’ apprentice in London , Thorpe came to the U.S. in 1890 , according to his obituary , and to Sioux City thereafter .
For several years he worked at a downtown Sioux City jewelry shop run by Will H. Beck before he went into business for himself .
The elder Thorpe was an enterprising man who didn ’ t confine his work to the shop .
“ If a train arrived in town at midnight , George Thorpe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people that got off the train , ” Clark said .
The store ’ s earliest contemporaries have been gone so long their names are almost obscured to history .
At the time , the earliest of Sioux City ’ s major retailers — Davidson Brothers , Pelletier Co. , and T.S .
Martin & Co. — were still in business .
Thorpe and Hoberg ’ s partnership appeared to have dissolved circa 1906 and the store became Thorpe & Co. ; Oscar Hoberg ’ s name was later on a separate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thorpe ’ s daughter , Mae Louis Thorpe , married Wilson Clark in 1922 , and Wilson Clark ran the store for decades .
In 1923 they had a son , George Thorpe “ Bud ” Clark , who was Rusty Clark ’ s father .
Bud Clark joined the business in 1947 .
Wilson E. “ Rusty ” Clark joined the business in 1976 , shortly after graduating from the University of Kansas and a stint with another jeweler in Lawrence , Kansas .
He married the former Karen Bloom in April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has worked at Thorpe for decades .
Early on in his career at the store , Clark and his father were faced with a major decision , one which confronted all of Sioux City ’ s downtown retailers at the time — whether or not to move to the Southern Hills Mall , which opened to great fanfare in 1980 .
Among its contemporaries , Thorpe was nearly alone in the decision to stay put .
( They did , however , run a “ backup ” satellite store on Hamilton Boulevard between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downtown location was crushed by the mall traffic . )
That decision not to leave the downtown was made in part because the rent on a space in the mall would have resulted in higher prices , Clark said .
Tradition was also a factor — Thorpe has always been in the 500 block of Fourth Street .
“ We made the decision back in the early ’ 80s not to go to the mall , because I didn ’ t want to put that price increase into my product , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right for my customers.
” “ We ’ re thrilled that we stayed downtown , ” he added .
( All that being said , Clark also said he doesn ’ t mean to knock shopping malls . )
George Thorpe Clark , exasperated by a major renovation to the store that rearranged everything , retired in about 1986 or 1987 .
He died in April 2015 at age 91 .
“ Dad was 65 years old , approximately , and he couldn ’ t find anything .
Everything was different .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and he couldn ’ t find a pen , and where are the job envelopes , and he just threw his hands up in the air and said , ‘ That ’ s it , I ’ m done !
You do this , I ’ m not going to do this anymore !
’ ” Rusty Clark recalled .
“ So , that ’ s when my father stepped away from it.
” Clark spoke at length about the frequent shifts in jewelry styles over the years — white gold was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , then the ever-popular yellow gold , and now rose gold , a pinkish alloy of gold and copper in varying proportions , depending on the karat .
Diamonds have always been a top-seller .
Decades ago , most rings were sold ready-made as they were under the counter .
Today everybody wants their ring customized .
“ People like this part of this ring , and this part of this ring , and they want to put a different size stone in it than what was already set in it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the person , ” Clark said .
As is the case with all of retail , the internet changed the jewelry business , though Clark said that traditional brick-and-mortar jewelry shops still have a place because people like to see and touch these things for themselves .
He does not have a high opinion of low-cost jewelry purchased online .
Even in this challenging retail environment , Clark said the store is doing a swift business .
That doesn ’ t make the decision to close much easier — Clark called Thorpe ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is chewing me apart at times ” — but it is nonetheless a point of pride .
“ The nice thing for me right now is , our business is going so well , and that ’ s another thing that makes it so difficult for me .
Our business is doing so well , we have so many loyal customers that depend upon us , and we ’ re going strong , ” he said .
“ So , I ’ m happy and sad to say , we ’ re going @ @ @ @ @

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - Much as he loves Thorpe & Co. Jewellers, Rusty Clark wanted to enjoy retirement and spend quality time with his grandkids and his wife Karen, who runs the store with him.
Family lore has it that Clark’s great-grandfather, George Thorpe, kept working until he died in July 1950 at age 87.
Rusty Clark, 67, who has been in the store longer than any of his forefathers had been, didn’t want that fate for himself.
“That’s the thing that I don’t want to do. I don’t want to go from the store to the mortuary,” he told the Sioux City Journal.
And although the downtown jewelry store historically has been passed down from one generation of the Thorpe-Clark family to the next, Clark’s children were not interested in taking over the business.
Clark, the fourth generation of the family to run the store at 501 Fourth St., said that closing Sioux City’s oldest retailer was “the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.” He stressed that external factors — i.e., COVID-19 — had nothing to do with the decision to close, plans for which had been laid as early as two years ago and finalized at the end of last year.
“It was in 2019, when we committed to it and knew it was going to happen,” said Clark.
Clark had figured he would’ve made peace with the decision by now. So far that has not been the case.
“When you realize the ramifications of that decision, and the respect that I have for my customers and for my employees, it was an extremely, extremely difficult decision,” he said. “And I thought once I revealed it to everybody, it would be easier. It’s even harder. The emotional roller-coaster, the downs are far surpassing the ups right now.”
Thorpe’s going-out-of-business sales began last week and will continue until the merchandise runs out, likely through the Christmas season.
Born in Aylesbury, England in 1863, George Thorpe founded the Thorpe & Hoberg jewelers with Oscar J. Hoberg in 1900. After spending time as a jewelers’ apprentice in London, Thorpe came to the U.S. in 1890, according to his obituary, and to Sioux City thereafter. For several years he worked at a downtown Sioux City jewelry shop run by Will H. Beck before he went into business for himself.
The elder Thorpe was an enterprising man who didn’t confine his work to the shop.
“If a train arrived in town at midnight, George Thorpe would be there selling pocket watches to the people that got off the train,” Clark said.
The store’s earliest contemporaries have been gone so long their names are almost obscured to history. At the time, the earliest of Sioux City’s major retailers — Davidson Brothers, Pelletier Co., and T.S. Martin & Co. — were still in business.
Thorpe and Hoberg’s partnership appeared to have dissolved circa 1906 and the store became Thorpe & Co.; Oscar Hoberg’s name was later on a separate jewelry shop on Pierce Street.
George Thorpe’s daughter, Mae Louis Thorpe, married Wilson Clark in 1922, and Wilson Clark ran the store for decades. In 1923 they had a son, George Thorpe “Bud” Clark, who was Rusty Clark’s father. Bud Clark joined the business in 1947.
Wilson E. “Rusty” Clark joined the business in 1976, shortly after graduating from the University of Kansas and a stint with another jeweler in Lawrence, Kansas. He married the former Karen Bloom in April 1977. Like her husband, Karen has worked at Thorpe for decades.
Early on in his career at the store, Clark and his father were faced with a major decision, one which confronted all of Sioux City’s downtown retailers at the time — whether or not to move to the Southern Hills Mall, which opened to great fanfare in 1980. Among its contemporaries, Thorpe was nearly alone in the decision to stay put. (They did, however, run a “backup” satellite store on Hamilton Boulevard between 1980 and 1990, in case the downtown location was crushed by the mall traffic.)
That decision not to leave the downtown was made in part because the rent on a space in the mall would have resulted in higher prices, Clark said. Tradition was also a factor — Thorpe has always been in the 500 block of Fourth Street.
“We made the decision back in the early ’80s not to go to the mall, because I didn’t want to put that price increase into my product,” he said. “It wasn’t right for my customers.”
“We’re thrilled that we stayed downtown,” he added. (All that being said, Clark also said he doesn’t mean to knock shopping malls.)
George Thorpe Clark, exasperated by a major renovation to the store that rearranged everything, retired in about 1986 or 1987. He died in April 2015 at age 91.
“Dad was 65 years old, approximately, and he couldn’t find anything. Everything was different. He couldn’t find the ring sizers, and he couldn’t find a pen, and where are the job envelopes, and he just threw his hands up in the air and said, ‘That’s it, I’m done! You do this, I’m not going to do this anymore!’” Rusty Clark recalled. “So, that’s when my father stepped away from it.”
Clark spoke at length about the frequent shifts in jewelry styles over the years — white gold was in, then it was very much out, then the ever-popular yellow gold, and now rose gold, a pinkish alloy of gold and copper in varying proportions, depending on the karat. Diamonds have always been a top-seller.
Decades ago, most rings were sold ready-made as they were under the counter. Today everybody wants their ring customized.
“People like this part of this ring, and this part of this ring, and they want to put a different size stone in it than what was already set in it, so it became much more personalized to the person,” Clark said.
As is the case with all of retail, the internet changed the jewelry business, though Clark said that traditional brick-and-mortar jewelry shops still have a place because people like to see and touch these things for themselves. He does not have a high opinion of low-cost jewelry purchased online.
Even in this challenging retail environment, Clark said the store is doing a swift business. That doesn’t make the decision to close much easier — Clark called Thorpe’s success “a double-edged sword that is chewing me apart at times” — but it is nonetheless a point of pride.
“The nice thing for me right now is, our business is going so well, and that’s another thing that makes it so difficult for me. Our business is doing so well, we have so many loyal customers that depend upon us, and we’re going strong,” he said. “So, I’m happy and sad to say, we’re going out on top.”