washingtontimes--2020-12-30--New director appointed to California unemployment department

SACRAMENTO , Calif. ( AP ) - Gov .
Gavin Newsom on Wednesday appointed Rita L. Saenz to oversee the state ’ s unemployment benefits department , which has been overwhelmed by claims during the coronavirus pandemic and also has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in phony claims , including to prison inmates .
Saenz , 71 , will be director of the Employment Development Department if she receives state Senate confirmation .
“ With more than 40 years of experience in state government and the private sector , Rita Saenz is well-prepared to lead EDD at what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most difficult moments in the department ’ s history , ” Newsom said in a statement .
“ California has certainly not escaped this national crisis unscathed but with Rita at the helm , we stand ready to ensure payments to Californians who are in desperate need of financial support while simultaneously stopping fraud in our systems and holding people who have committed fraud accountable , ” Newsom said .
Saenz , a Democrat , was a consultant at Saenz and Associates .
She also worked for the Xerox Corp. and was director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 1998 to 2004 .
Saenz replaces Sharon Hilliard , who is retiring as of Thursday .
Hilliard , who worked nearly four decades at the EDD , was appointed to head the department by Newsom in February , when the state ’ s unemployment rate was at an historic low and the coronavirus was just starting to get a foothold in the U.S .
Since then , however , the nation ’ s most populous state was hammered by more than 16 million unemployment benefits claims .
Newsom repeatedly closed down nonessential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As millions lost their jobs , the department struggled with a backlog that left people with long delays for their unemployment benefits .
At one point , the backlog numbered more than 1.6 million claims .
Hilliard had said clearing the backlog could take until the end of January .
The department also has been criticized for granting payouts on hundreds of thousands of fraudulent claims , including some in the name of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein .
The state has acknowledged that it has paid about $ 400 million in the names @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America told state lawmakers this month that it had identified about 345,000 fraudulent claims worth about $ 2 billion .

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday appointed Rita L. Saenz to oversee the state’s unemployment benefits department, which has been overwhelmed by claims during the coronavirus pandemic and also has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in phony claims, including to prison inmates.
Saenz, 71, will be director of the Employment Development Department if she receives state Senate confirmation.
“With more than 40 years of experience in state government and the private sector, Rita Saenz is well-prepared to lead EDD at what is sure to be one of the most difficult moments in the department’s history,” Newsom said in a statement.
“California has certainly not escaped this national crisis unscathed but with Rita at the helm, we stand ready to ensure payments to Californians who are in desperate need of financial support while simultaneously stopping fraud in our systems and holding people who have committed fraud accountable,” Newsom said.
Saenz, a Democrat, was a consultant at Saenz and Associates. She also worked for the Xerox Corp. and was director of the state Department of Social Services from 1998 to 2004.
Saenz replaces Sharon Hilliard, who is retiring as of Thursday. Hilliard, who worked nearly four decades at the EDD, was appointed to head the department by Newsom in February, when the state’s unemployment rate was at an historic low and the coronavirus was just starting to get a foothold in the U.S.
Since then, however, the nation’s most populous state was hammered by more than 16 million unemployment benefits claims. Newsom repeatedly closed down nonessential businesses as the COVID-19 outbreak grew.
As millions lost their jobs, the department struggled with a backlog that left people with long delays for their unemployment benefits. At one point, the backlog numbered more than 1.6 million claims. Hilliard had said clearing the backlog could take until the end of January.
The department also has been criticized for granting payouts on hundreds of thousands of fraudulent claims, including some in the name of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The state has acknowledged that it has paid about $400 million in the names of prison inmates.
The Bank of America told state lawmakers this month that it had identified about 345,000 fraudulent claims worth about $2 billion.


washingtontimes--2020-12-30--Man called most prolific serial killer in US history dies

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) - The man authorities say was the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history , with nearly 60 confirmed victims , died Wednesday in California .
He was 80 .
Samuel Little , who had diabetes , heart trouble and other ailments , died at a California hospital , according to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation .
He was serving a life sentence for multiple counts of murder .
California corrections department spokeswoman Vicky Waters said there was no sign of foul play , and his cause of death will be determined by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been in and out jail for decades , Little denied for years he ’ d ever killed anyone .
Then , in 2018 , he opened up to Texas Ranger James Holland , who had been asked to question him about a killing it turned out Little didn ’ t commit .
During approximately 700 hours of interviews , however , Little provided details of scores of slayings only the killer would know .
A skilled artist , he even provided Holland with dozens of paintings and drawings of his victims , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remember them , as well as details such as the year and location of the murder and where he ’ d dumped the body .
By the time of his death , Little had confessed to killing 93 people between 1970 and 2005 .
Most of the slayings took place in Florida and Southern California .
Authorities , who continue to investigate his claims , said they have confirmed nearly 60 killings and have no reason to doubt the others .
“ Nothing he ’ s ever said has been proven to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CBS news magazine “ 60 Minutes ” in 2019 .
The numbers dwarf those of Green River killer Gary Ridgeway ( 49 ) , John Gacy ( 33 ) and Ted Bundy ( 36 ) .
Almost all of Little ’ s victims were women , many of them prostitutes , drug addicts or poor people living on the edges of society .
They were individuals , he said he believed , who would leave few people behind to look for them and not much evidence for police to follow .
Indeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country initially classified many of the deaths as accidents , drug overdoses or the result of unknown causes .
Little strangled most of his victims , usually soon after meeting them during chance encounters .
He drowned one , a woman he met at a nightclub in 1982 .
He was nearly 80 , in failing health and serving a life sentence in a California prison when he began confiding to Holland in May 2018 , after years of refusing to talk to other authorities .
Once a strong , strapping boxer who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victims , he was now using a wheelchair to get around .
Holland has described Little as both a genius and a sociopath , adding the killer could never adequately explain to him why he did what he did .
Although known as an expert interrogator , Holland himself said he could only guess at why Little opened up to him .
The ranger did work tirelessly to create and maintain a bond with the killer during their hundreds of hours of interviews , bringing him favorite snacks such as pizza , Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interest in sports .
He also gave Little assurances that he wouldn ’ t be executed .
Holland would address Little by his childhood nickname , Sammy , while Little called Holland Jimmy and once told the Los Angeles Times he ’ d “ found a friend in a Texas ranger.
” He told “ 60 Minutes ” he hoped his confessions might exonerate anyone wrongly convicted of his crimes .
“ I say if I can help get somebody out of jail , you know , then God might smile a little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
A transient who traveled the country when he wasn ’ t in jail for larceny , assault , drugs or other crimes , Little said he started killing in Miami on New Year ’ s Eve 1970 .
“ It was like drugs , ” he told Holland .
“ I came to like it.
” His last killing was in 2005 , he said , in Tupelo , Mississippi .
He also killed people in Tennessee , Texas , Ohio , Kentucky , Nevada , Arkansas and other states .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2012 after he was arrested on drug charges and his DNA linked him to three California killings .
When he began recounting the other slayings , authorities were astounded at how much he remembered .
His paintings , they said , indicated he had a photographic memory .
One killing was solved after Little recalled the victim wore dentures .
Another after he told Holland he ’ d killed the victim near a set of unusual looking arches in Florida .
A victim he met outside a Miami strip club in 1984 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with short blond hair , blue eyes and a “ hippie look.
” As he continued to talk , authorities across the country rushed to investigate old cases , track down relatives and bring closure to families .
Little revealed few details about his own life other than that he was raised in Lorain , Ohio , by his grandmother .
Authorities said he often went by the name Samuel McDowell .
He was married once , Little said , and involved in two long-term relationships .
He claimed he developed a fetish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexually aroused when he saw his kindergarten teacher touch her neck .
He was always careful , he added , to avoid looking at the necks of his wife or girlfriends and never hurt anyone he loved .
“ I don ’ t think there was another person who did what I liked to do , ” he told “ 60 Minutes.
” “ I think I ’ m the only one in the world .
And that ’ s not an honor , that is a curse .
”

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The man authorities say was the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history, with nearly 60 confirmed victims, died Wednesday in California. He was 80.
Samuel Little, who had diabetes, heart trouble and other ailments, died at a California hospital, according to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He was serving a life sentence for multiple counts of murder.
California corrections department spokeswoman Vicky Waters said there was no sign of foul play, and his cause of death will be determined by a coroner.
A career criminal who had been in and out jail for decades, Little denied for years he’d ever killed anyone.
Then, in 2018, he opened up to Texas Ranger James Holland, who had been asked to question him about a killing it turned out Little didn’t commit. During approximately 700 hours of interviews, however, Little provided details of scores of slayings only the killer would know.
A skilled artist, he even provided Holland with dozens of paintings and drawings of his victims, sometimes scribbling their names when he could remember them, as well as details such as the year and location of the murder and where he’d dumped the body.
By the time of his death, Little had confessed to killing 93 people between 1970 and 2005. Most of the slayings took place in Florida and Southern California.
Authorities, who continue to investigate his claims, said they have confirmed nearly 60 killings and have no reason to doubt the others.
“Nothing he’s ever said has been proven to be wrong or false,” Holland told the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes” in 2019.
The numbers dwarf those of Green River killer Gary Ridgway (49), John Wayne Gacy (33) and Ted Bundy (36).
Almost all of Little’s victims were women, many of them prostitutes, drug addicts or poor people living on the edges of society. They were individuals, he said he believed, who would leave few people behind to look for them and not much evidence for police to follow.
Indeed, local authorities in states across the country initially classified many of the deaths as accidents, drug overdoses or the result of unknown causes.
Little strangled most of his victims, usually soon after meeting them during chance encounters. He drowned one, a woman he met at a nightclub in 1982.
He was nearly 80, in failing health and serving a life sentence in a California prison when he began confiding to Holland in May 2018, after years of refusing to talk to other authorities. Once a strong, strapping boxer who used his powerful hands to strangle his victims, he was now using a wheelchair to get around.
Holland has described Little as both a genius and a sociopath, adding the killer could never adequately explain to him why he did what he did. Although known as an expert interrogator, Holland himself said he could only guess at why Little opened up to him.
The ranger did work tirelessly to create and maintain a bond with the killer during their hundreds of hours of interviews, bringing him favorite snacks such as pizza, Dr. Pepper and grits and discussing their mutual interest in sports. He also gave Little assurances that he wouldn’t be executed.
Holland would address Little by his childhood nickname, Sammy, while Little called Holland Jimmy and once told the Los Angeles Times he’d “found a friend in a Texas ranger.”
He told “60 Minutes” he hoped his confessions might exonerate anyone wrongly convicted of his crimes.
“I say if I can help get somebody out of jail, you know, then God might smile a little bit more on me,” he said.
A transient who traveled the country when he wasn’t in jail for larceny, assault, drugs or other crimes, Little said he started killing in Miami on New Year’s Eve 1970.
“It was like drugs,” he told Holland. “I came to like it.”
His last killing was in 2005, he said, in Tupelo, Mississippi. He also killed people in Tennessee, Texas, Ohio, Kentucky, Nevada, Arkansas and other states.
Kentucky authorities finally caught up with him in 2012 after he was arrested on drug charges and his DNA linked him to three California killings.
When he began recounting the other slayings, authorities were astounded at how much he remembered. His paintings, they said, indicated he had a photographic memory.
One killing was solved after Little recalled the victim wore dentures. Another after he told Holland he’d killed the victim near a set of unusual looking arches in Florida. A victim he met outside a Miami strip club in 1984 was remembered as being 25 years old with short blond hair, blue eyes and a “hippie look.”
As he continued to talk, authorities across the country rushed to investigate old cases, track down relatives and bring closure to families.
Little revealed few details about his own life other than that he was raised in Lorain, Ohio, by his grandmother. Authorities said he often went by the name Samuel McDowell.
He was married once, Little said, and involved in two long-term relationships.
He claimed he developed a fetish for women’s necks after becoming sexually aroused when he saw his kindergarten teacher touch her neck. He was always careful, he added, to avoid looking at the necks of his wife or girlfriends and never hurt anyone he loved.
“I don’t think there was another person who did what I liked to do,” he told “60 Minutes.” “I think I’m the only one in the world. And that’s not an honor, that is a curse.”
___
Associated Press writer Don Thompson contributed from Sacramento.
___
This story has been corrected to show that Gary Ridgway’s last name was misspelled Ridgeway.


washingtontimes--2020-12-30--Samuel Little, serial killer, dies at 80

LOS ANGELES — Samuel Little , America ’ s most prolific serial killer with nearly 60 confirmed victims , has @ @ @ @ @ .
Little , who had diabetes , heart trouble and other ailments , died Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ He was serving a life sentence for multiple counts of murder .
California corrections department @ @ @ @ @ is no sign of foul play , and his cause of death will be determined @ @ @ @ @ career criminal who had been in and out jail for decades , Little denied for @ @ @ @ @ killed anyone .
Then , in 2018 , he opened up to Texas Ranger James @ @ @ @ @ asked to question him about a killing it turned out Little didn ’ t commit @ @ @ @ @ of interviews , however , Little provided details of scores of slayings only the killer @ @ @

LOS ANGELES — Samuel Little, America’s most prolific serial killer with nearly 60 confirmed victims, has died. He was 80.
Little, who had diabetes, heart trouble and other ailments, died Wednesday at a California hospital. He was serving a life sentence for multiple counts of murder.
California corrections department spokeswoman Vicky Waters said there is no sign of foul play, and his cause of death will be determined by a coroner.
A career criminal who had been in and out jail for decades, Little denied for years he’d ever killed anyone.
Then, in 2018, he opened up to Texas Ranger James Holland, who had been asked to question him about a killing it turned out Little didn’t commit. During approximately 700 hours of interviews, however, Little provided details of scores of slayings only the killer would know.


washingtontimes--2020-12-30--Samuel Little, America’s most prolific serial killer with nearly 60 confirmed victims, has died at a

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) - Samuel Little , America ’ s most prolific serial killer with nearly 60 confirmed @ @ @ @ @ age 80 in California .

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Samuel Little, America’s most prolific serial killer with nearly 60 confirmed victims, has died at age 80 in California.
Copyright © 2023 The Washington Times, LLC.


washingtontimes--2020-12-30--AP PHOTOS: Tying the knot without a face mask in China

BEIJING ( AP ) - Lovebirds in China are embracing a sense of normalcy as the COVID pandemic appears to be under control in the country where it was first detected .
Chen Yaxuan and Dou Di exchanged vows in front of more than 500 guests in an unmasked wedding on Dec. 12 - a day called “ double twelve ” and considered auspicious timing .
Servers wore masks , but guests were not required to .
They just had to show a green health code , showing they had only been in low-risk areas and not tested positive in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the pandemic , most people feel the situation is under control if not back to normal .
The National Health Commission reported just 27 new cases on Dec. 28 , a dramatic decrease from China ’ s peak .
The first half of 2020 was a nightmare for the multibillion-dollar wedding industry .
Many couples were forced to postpone their nuptials after large gatherings and events were banned .
It wasn ’ t until late April that a turning point appeared .
Those who had to push back their weddings helped revitalize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeping the shrinkage of market below 6 % in 2020 , according to Zhang Yi , CEO and chief analyst of iiMedia Research , an industry analysis firm in Guangzhou in southern China .
Ning Jingyu , the wedding planner for Chen and Dou , believes the future is bright .
Her studio has organized 33 weddings in the second half of 2020 , down 50 % from the same period the previous year .
“ The business is not as good as it was the same time last year , but I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , considering the amount of consultancy and clients ’ demand for weddings , ” she said .
On a recent morning , at least seven couples showed up for photo shoots near the Forbidden City , a historic area in Beijing popular for wedding photos , even in freezing temperatures .
They included Dong Yangfeng and Wang Sai , both 27 years old .
The computer science professionals had to cancel their original wedding plans because of the pandemic .
Worried that the pandemic might return , they decided to hold their nuptials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though that what their wedding will look like depends on the frequently changing virus rules .
“ If the national policies allow , we surely want to have a nice wedding , ” he said .
“ But if the policies don ’ t allow or if there ’ s a reemergence of the pandemic , we ’ ll make it simple.
” Associated Press news assistant Caroline Chen contributed to this report .

BEIJING (AP) - Lovebirds in China are embracing a sense of normalcy as the COVID pandemic appears to be under control in the country where it was first detected.
Chen Yaxuan and Dou Di exchanged vows in front of more than 500 guests in an unmasked wedding on Dec. 12 - a day called “double twelve” and considered auspicious timing.
Servers wore masks, but guests were not required to. They just had to show a green health code, showing they had only been in low-risk areas and not tested positive in the previous 14 days.
A year into the pandemic, most people feel the situation is under control if not back to normal. The National Health Commission reported just 27 new cases on Dec. 28, a dramatic decrease from China’s peak.
The first half of 2020 was a nightmare for the multibillion-dollar wedding industry. Many couples were forced to postpone their nuptials after large gatherings and events were banned.
It wasn’t until late April that a turning point appeared.
Those who had to push back their weddings helped revitalize the industry when restrictions were lifted, keeping the shrinkage of market below 6% in 2020, according to Zhang Yi, CEO and chief analyst of iiMedia Research, an industry analysis firm in Guangzhou in southern China.
Ning Jingyu, the wedding planner for Chen and Dou, believes the future is bright. Her studio has organized 33 weddings in the second half of 2020, down 50% from the same period the previous year.
“The business is not as good as it was the same time last year, but I think it’s on an uptrend, considering the amount of consultancy and clients’ demand for weddings,” she said.
On a recent morning, at least seven couples showed up for photo shoots near the Forbidden City, a historic area in Beijing popular for wedding photos, even in freezing temperatures.
They included Dong Yangfeng and Wang Sai, both 27 years old. The computer science professionals had to cancel their original wedding plans because of the pandemic.
Worried that the pandemic might return, they decided to hold their nuptials as soon as possible. Dong said though that what their wedding will look like depends on the frequently changing virus rules.
“If the national policies allow, we surely want to have a nice wedding,” he said. “But if the policies don’t allow or if there’s a reemergence of the pandemic, we’ll make it simple.”
___
Associated Press news assistant Caroline Chen contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-12-30--Appeals Court: State hospital leaders disobeyed court orders

PORTLAND , Ore. ( AP ) - The Oregon Court of Appeals has affirmed that Oregon State Hospital leaders “ willfully ” violated court orders when they did not promptly admit a criminal defendant with severe mental illness for treatment so he could help in his legal defense .
A three-judge panel on Wednesday unanimously upheld a 2019 lower court ruling declaring the state psychiatric hospital in contempt of court , The Oregonian/OregonLive reported .
The contempt ruling came for forcing Carlos Zamora-Skarr to stay in the county jail for over six weeks as his mental state deteriorated .
Under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must admit defendants within seven days who are deemed unable to aid and assist in their own defense .
Zamora-Skarr was jailed in November 2018 on burglary charges .
His attorney petitioned the court to have him treated , writing that he was “ undergoing as severe a mental health crisis as a person could ever undergo.
” Despite repeated court orders and inquiries starting in March 2019 , state hospital officials said they couldn ’ t admit him because the hospital did not have room .
But judges noted the hospital had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its aid-and-assist units .
In the Appeals Court ruling , Judge Erika Hadlock wrote about the legal meanings of “ willfully ” and “ inability to comply , ” as state hospital officials argued they lacked the money and staffing needed to admit more patients .
Hadlock wrote that officials voluntarily left Zamora-Skaar in the county jail .
Hospital Relations Director Rebeka Gipson-King said Wednesday that hospital officials are disappointed by the decision because they feel they have been working so hard to serve patients well .
“ Even through the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sure people who need hospital-level care are admitted , ” she said .
“ The decision does not recognize the hospital ’ s capacity challenges .
”

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Oregon Court of Appeals has affirmed that Oregon State Hospital leaders “willfully” violated court orders when they did not promptly admit a criminal defendant with severe mental illness for treatment so he could help in his legal defense.
A three-judge panel on Wednesday unanimously upheld a 2019 lower court ruling declaring the state psychiatric hospital in contempt of court, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The contempt ruling came for forcing Carlos Zamora-Skarr to stay in the county jail for over six weeks as his mental state deteriorated.
Under a 2002 federal court order, Oregon must admit defendants within seven days who are deemed unable to aid and assist in their own defense.
Zamora-Skarr was jailed in November 2018 on burglary charges. His attorney petitioned the court to have him treated, writing that he was “undergoing as severe a mental health crisis as a person could ever undergo.”
Despite repeated court orders and inquiries starting in March 2019, state hospital officials said they couldn’t admit him because the hospital did not have room.
But judges noted the hospital had more than a dozen empty beds in its aid-and-assist units.
In the Appeals Court ruling, Judge Erika Hadlock wrote about the legal meanings of “willfully” and “inability to comply,” as state hospital officials argued they lacked the money and staffing needed to admit more patients.
Hadlock wrote that officials voluntarily left Zamora-Skaar in the county jail.
Hospital Relations Director Rebeka Gipson-King said Wednesday that hospital officials are disappointed by the decision because they feel they have been working so hard to serve patients well.
“Even through the pandemic, we have continued to work diligently to make sure people who need hospital-level care are admitted,” she said. “The decision does not recognize the hospital’s capacity challenges.”
weeks as his mental state deteriorated.


washingtontimes--2020-12-30--Convention center bidding misconduct leads to $9M settlement

DENVER ( AP ) - Denver will receive a $ 9 million settlement to resolve claims against a construction company and a developer that violated the city ’ s public procurement rules during the early stages of planned renovation work at the Colorado Convention Center .
Trammel Crow Company and Mortenson Construction must pay $ 4.5 million each and issue a public apology to the city , according to the settlement .
Mortenson also will not be allowed to bid on city contracts for three years , KUSA-TV reported Wednesday .
“ This case involved a serious breach of Denver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that should have known better , ” Mayor Michael Hancock said .
In 2018 , the Denver City Attorney ’ s Office found that over the course of bidding on the project , city documents were improperly released , improper discussions of the project took place and project plans that were approved were altered .
In December of that year , Hancock said the concerns prompted the city to terminate its contract with Trammell Crow , which was was providing program management services for the expansion project .
The city council first approved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the convention center expansion in early 2018 after Denver hotel owners agreed to a 1 % increase in lodging taxes , as well as a bond sale aimed at funding what was expected to be a $ 233 million revamp of the facility .
The expansion includes the addition of an 80,000-square-foot meeting and ballroom space , as well as a 50,000-square-foot outdoor terrace on top of the existing building .
In July , the City and County of Denver recommended that Greeley-based Hensel Phelps Construction move forward with the project ’ @ @ @ @ @

DENVER (AP) - Denver will receive a $9 million settlement to resolve claims against a construction company and a developer that violated the city’s public procurement rules during the early stages of planned renovation work at the Colorado Convention Center.
Trammel Crow Company and Mortenson Construction must pay $4.5 million each and issue a public apology to the city, according to the settlement. Mortenson also will not be allowed to bid on city contracts for three years, KUSA-TV reported Wednesday.
“This case involved a serious breach of Denver’s well-established procurement rules by companies that should have known better,” Mayor Michael Hancock said.
In 2018, the Denver City Attorney’s Office found that over the course of bidding on the project, city documents were improperly released, improper discussions of the project took place and project plans that were approved were altered.
In December of that year, Hancock said the concerns prompted the city to terminate its contract with Trammell Crow, which was was providing program management services for the expansion project.
The city council first approved more than $21 million in contracts for the convention center expansion in early 2018 after Denver hotel owners agreed to a 1% increase in lodging taxes, as well as a bond sale aimed at funding what was expected to be a $233 million revamp of the facility.
The expansion includes the addition of an 80,000-square-foot meeting and ballroom space, as well as a 50,000-square-foot outdoor terrace on top of the existing building.
In July, the City and County of Denver recommended that Greeley-based Hensel Phelps Construction move forward with the project’s design and construction.


washingtontimes--2020-12-30--Fresno police detective arrested in crash that killed man

FRESNO , Calif. ( AP ) - A Fresno police detective who officials say was texting when he struck and killed a homeless man with his department-assigned car was arrested Wednesday , authorities said .
Detective Benito Soto was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter , driving at a speed unsafe for the conditions , failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk and texting while driving , the police department said in a statement .
Soto was on duty and driving a department-assigned vehicle when he struck and killed 51-year-old Jose Valencia Pulido in September , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a 13-year veteran of the department assigned to the Street Violence Bureau , had been off duty at the time of the crash , the Fresno Bee reported .
It could not be immediately determined if Soto has an attorney who could speak on his behalf .
Fresno police spokesman Sgt .
Jeff LaBlue didn ’ t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting the information .
An investigation of the incident showed that Pulido was crossing the intersection against a red light and that he had a blood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time of the crash .
He also had a history of drug-related arrests and prior citations for walking in the roadway , officials said .
Investigators also found Soto was traveling between 29 and 42 mph at impact , on a street where the speed limit is posted at 30 mph and where pedestrians could clearly be seen from a distance .
Soto ’ s cellphone showed he had been texting in the moments before the crash , police said .
The investigators concluded Soto should have been able to stop and avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homeless advocacy group We Are Not Invisible held a candlelight vigil for Pulido in late September where mourners called for justice in his death .
At the time , homeless advocate Kevin Little said Pulido , who was known as “ Guero , ” had been homeless for several years and had been a construction worker before suffering a serious workplace injury .
“ He wasn ’ t a drug addict , ” Little said .
“ He wasn ’ t a criminal .
And he had people , notwithstanding the fact he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and care about him and who want answers .
”

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - A Fresno police detective who officials say was texting when he struck and killed a homeless man with his department-assigned car was arrested Wednesday, authorities said.
Detective Benito Soto was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, driving at a speed unsafe for the conditions, failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk and texting while driving, the police department said in a statement.
Soto was on duty and driving a department-assigned vehicle when he struck and killed 51-year-old Jose Valencia Pulido in September, according to the statement.
Police previously said Soto, a 13-year veteran of the department assigned to the Street Violence Bureau, had been off duty at the time of the crash, the Fresno Bee reported.
It could not be immediately determined if Soto has an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Fresno police spokesman Sgt. Jeff LaBlue didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting the information.
An investigation of the incident showed that Pulido was crossing the intersection against a red light and that he had a blood alcohol level of .11% at the time of the crash. He also had a history of drug-related arrests and prior citations for walking in the roadway, officials said.
Investigators also found Soto was traveling between 29 and 42 mph at impact, on a street where the speed limit is posted at 30 mph and where pedestrians could clearly be seen from a distance.
Soto’s cellphone showed he had been texting in the moments before the crash, police said.
The investigators concluded Soto should have been able to stop and avoid the collision, police said.
The homeless advocacy group We Are Not Invisible held a candlelight vigil for Pulido in late September where mourners called for justice in his death.
At the time, homeless advocate Kevin Little said Pulido, who was known as “Guero,” had been homeless for several years and had been a construction worker before suffering a serious workplace injury.
“He wasn’t a drug addict,” Little said. “He wasn’t a criminal. And he had people, notwithstanding the fact he was on the street, who love and care about him and who want answers.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-30--Editorial Roundup: New York

Editorial Roundup: New York

Recent editorials of statewide and national interest from New York ’ s newspapers : Look no further than the storied Rose Bowl game to understand the National Collegiate Athletic Association ’ s disingenuous and perilous posturing about the sanctity of its athletics programs while the coronavirus has ravaged the country and college campuses .
Ignoring health officials who have deemed the annual playoff matchup too dangerous to be held on New Year ’ s Day in Pasadena , Calif. , amid a massive spike in Covid-19 cases , the N.C.A.A .
simply allowed it to move to Texas , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16,000 fans attend .
It ’ s the worst kind of forum shopping .
The N.C.A.A .
likes to tell itself that it is in the business of educating students about the virtues of competition and sportsmanship .
What it is showing them now by example is that some sports - the moneymaking kind - are more important than public health .
Alabama ’ s top-ranked football team played a game without its coach , Nick Saban , who had said in-person schooling should be canceled sooner than football over coronavirus concerns , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sport ’ s premier rivalry , between Ohio State and Michigan , had its annual game called off because of an outbreak .
And the University of California , Berkeley , played just four of eight games scheduled .
About one in five college football games was canceled during the season over coronavirus worries , according to N.C.A.A .
data , which doesn ’ t include teams like the University of Connecticut ’ s , which preemptively canceled its entire 12-game season .
Despite thousands of athletes being sickened by the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even the Big Ten and Pac-12 , which in the summer prudently chose to suspend their seasons but reversed course .
Many college football stadiums allowed in thousands of spectators , who displayed varying adherence to mask protocols , though college basketball appears unlikely to allow fans into its arenas .
At least 10 football bowl games have been canceled , and many schools are opting out of bowl eligibility to forestall the virus ’ s spread .
Yet college officials are now pressing ahead with the more intimate sport of basketball , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misguided football season .
College basketball is the first major indoor sport to attempt a season without the restrictive player bubbles successfully employed by professional basketball and hockey leagues .
These so-called student-athletes are being treated like essential workers , but without the benefit of pay or the opportunity to share in the profits that line the pockets of administrators , coaches and television executives .
Already , roughly one in four Division I men ’ s and women ’ s games has been canceled or postponed , N.C.A.A .
data show .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be delayed until conditions improve or the vaccine is deployed in larger numbers .
It ’ s the right thing to do , particularly as college towns bear the brunt of coronavirus transmission and deaths .
But college sports abound with hypocrisy .
Fearing the pandemic ’ s toll , the Duke University women ’ s basketball team ended its season early last week , while the men continue to play , regularly , on national television .
This despite the Duke men ’ s coach Mike Krzyzewski ’ s apparent discomfort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t think it feels right to anybody .
I mean , everyone is concerned , ” he said this month .
Or should we believe the coronavirus is less transmissible if the sport is more profitable ?
Even others whose livelihoods depend on college basketball have seemed dismayed .
Noting the rising toll of the pandemic , one TV commentator asked during a Duke game against the University of Illinois , “ If we were deciding to start now , would we start now ?
The answer , I think , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s coach Rick Pitino called on Twitter for the March Madness tournament to be pushed back to May .
It should never have come to this .
The Pac-12 and Big Ten initially heeded medical experts ’ advice that it was likely too dangerous to hold a college football season , particularly with concerns about the lingering effects of the virus , including on the heart .
But in the end , boosterism and dollar signs appeared to outweigh student safety , and the conferences reversed course .
( President Trump also tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ football , which runs through several swing states . )
College basketball , by comparison , requires far more travel than football and is a high contact sport , also with no masks .
To muddle through a basketball season , the N.C.A.A .
is advising players and staff to get three coronavirus tests per week , a luxury unavailable to most students and one that takes tests away from those who might need them more urgently .
While college athletes are welcome to opt out of the season in exchange for an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peer pressure and the draw of glory or desired relevance may be too hard to resist .
Students shouldn ’ t be asked to choose between the basketball court and their health , let alone that of the communities they return to during school breaks .
The coronavirus is still ripping across the country .
Hospital beds are scarce , and deaths are rising .
Over the past two weeks , the country averaged nearly 200,000 new daily cases .
California , home to four Pac-12 basketball schools , reported more than 300,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ended on Dec. 22 .
As a sport , basketball is anathema to doctors and medical experts who continue to espouse the community benefits of staying six feet apart , congregating outside and avoiding large gatherings .
University officials have only to look around their communities to see the sacrifices other businesses - restaurants , bowling alleys , movie theaters and bars - are making for public safety .
By making sports the imperative , colleges and universities are creating two classes of students : athletes who must travel around the country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indoors , and those who may choose to study safely at home .
Delaying the basketball season is the right choice .
After a folly-filled football season , university and college administrators and the N.C.A.A .
can show real leadership by putting the safety of their players and their communities first .
It ’ s time to turn the page on 2020 As we prepare to turn the page on 2020 , seldom have so many of us done so with the same frame of mind : This was a difficult year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so many levels .
We lost a lot of people , some of whom were close to us , and their absence affected our balance .
We had to force ourselves to see less of our loved ones , a loss of precious opportunity .
And we lost touch with lots of other people , casual acquaintances , fellow commuters , librarians , other parents at school sports and cultural events , shop clerks and restaurant servers and kindred movie and theatergoers , who are part of the daily mosaic that enriches our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of hugs and handshakes .
We lost jobs and customers and livelihoods and businesses , and the ability to keep intact our plans for the future .
Some of us lost months of our education , and continue to have it degraded .
Some of us lost the chance to land that first job out of college or that internship that launches a career .
We lost many of the celebrations , rituals , and rites marking the major moments of life , from weddings and graduations to birthdays and bar mitzvahs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funerals .
For long periods of time , we lost the special feeling of communion with others that nourishes the soul either in formal houses of worship or social groups .
As a nation , we lost the confidence that we as Americans can handle whatever life throws at us , as a virus brought us to our knees .
But not all of our losses were bad : We also lost the ability to pretend that our country does not have a race problem or a problem with policing , or that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drag all of us down .
Hopefully , we will not lose the resolve to do something about them .
Even amid the desolation of our losses in 2020 , there also were rays of hope and shards of gain .
We found within ourselves the determination and resourcefulness needed to carry on and to continue to be productive .
Some of us discovered different ways and places to work and different methods of communicating , and different ways to run our businesses and different businesses to run .
Others without such options @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We learned to appreciate quieter moments and smaller joys , from the satisfaction that comes with cooking a new dish to the contentment imbued by a walk in a park to the pleasure of exploring or rediscovering hobbies new and old .
We gained a renewed understanding of the importance of the bonds we form with family and friends , and a new appreciation for our essential workers .
And we realized , late in this awful year , how much can get done when we focus on what we all need and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Let ’ s leave the losses of 2020 behind and take all that we learned and all that we gained into 2021 , so that it becomes a year of hope and renewal .
U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has a lot of explaining to do , as some in Washington are saying his removal this fall of mail sorting machines at postal facilities is partly to blame for challenges the U.S .
Postal Service faced in getting packages delivered during the Christmas season .
Of course , the culprit being blamed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the men and women of the Postal Service were impacted by the epidemic .
Many Christmas gifts that in past years would have been delivered in person had to be entrusted to the mail instead .
And many gift purchases that previously would have been made in person at local stores were handled online .
Give credit to USPS personnel for doing as well as they did , which was quite well , all things considered .
Now , they can add to the famous slogan : Neither snow nor rain nor heat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … It is likely there is plenty of blame to go around for the instances of slow delivery and even missing packages that have plagued the busiest shipping season of the year .
USPS spokesperson Naddia Dhalai said there have been efforts to address the backlog .
But it all came as too little , too late while far too many people spent Christmas Eve deciding whether to wrap up notes explaining the gifts that SHOULD have been under the tree .
And , for those waiting for much more important things – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the USPS are no comfort at all .
DeJoy and company must waste no time correcting the problems that have been festering for months , and were only magnified in December .
And , soon after Joe Biden takes office as president , he and Congress should make resolving the Postal Service ’ s longstanding problems a priority .
Social services and law enforcement officials have been sounding alarm bells for years about human trafficking in Chautauqua County .
Recent federal charges against a Jamestown woman , however , should do more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to a federal complaint , the woman is accused of two counts of sex trafficking of a minor after allegedly recruiting , enticing , harboring and transporting two 17-year-olds for sex between August and October of this year in Chautauqua County , Cleveland and Buffalo .
The case is infuriating and saddening , but there is a bright spot if one searches hard enough through the mucky particulars of this case .
These allegations may not have come to light were it not for the Child Advocacy Program , whose name appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CAP ’ s forensic interviews helped the teenagers tell their story and helped lead to the charges .
CAP doesn ’ t work alone , it ’ s part of the Safe Harbour Program , an agency that has identified 120 youth since 2017 identified as being trafficked or at risk of exploitation .
In 2019 alone , 46 Chautauqua County youth were referred to the program .
Human trafficking is indeed here in Chautauqua County .
Unfortunately , law enforcement officials , the CAP or members of the Safe Harbour Program can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might not be as big a problem here as it is in bigger cities , but it ’ s troubling nonetheless , and our county ’ s general lack of population could make it ripe for traffickers to become more prolific .
A majority of the Republican members of the House of Representatives this month formally supported a completely bogus lawsuit filed by an indicted attorney general from Texas that tried to throw out tens of millions of votes in the 2020 election .
That ’ s a disturbing reality , for sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remember that there were also dozens of GOP members who wanted nothing to do with that assault on our democracy .
Fortunately for central New York , its congressional representative was among the latter group .
Hours before the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Texas lawsuit , Katko explained why he wanted nothing to do with it .
“ We can not be fighting over the results of an election that are now complete .
The multiple allegations of fraud simply haven ’ t been proven to the satisfaction of the courts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have some finality to this election and we need to move forward as a country.
” But weeks later , a core group of Katko ’ s Republican colleagues , egged on by President Donald Trump ’ s fraudulent claims of a rigged election , are continuing to plot ways to try to subvert the outcome .
We expect that Katko will once again have nothing to do with this rotten exercise , but we hope he joins with the frustratingly small number of Republican members of Congress willing to forcefully call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they are doing .
A shining example of what we need to see more of is U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger , who has been trying to restore his party ’ s honor over these past several weeks .
On Saturday , the Illinois Republican made two simple but completely true and badly needed statements on his Twitter account .
He addressed yet another Trump claiming election rigging like this : “ My God .
Trying to burn the place down on the way out because you can ’ t handle losing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tantrum and crazy conspiracies .
Embarrassing.
” Later , he responded to the news that a handful of elected congressional members are planning to officially challenge the Electoral College results when Congress meets on Jan. 6 for what has always been a formality in counting the votes .
“ All this talk about Jan 6th from @ realDonaldTrump and other congressional grifters is simply explained : they will raise money and gain followers by blaming everyone else knowing full well they can ’ t do anything .
It ’ s sad , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who gets it .
And we think there are many more who do , as well .
The people have spoken and President-elect Joe Biden will become the president .
All of the shouting and games are not going to change that outcome .
But Trump wants his ironclad grip on the GOP to remain in place despite what happened at the ballot box this year , and like with so many other actions he ’ s taken during his presidency , he doesn ’ t care if it will damage the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Republicans to break free from this one-term , impeached demagogue , it ’ s now .
There is no primary to worry about this year .
But there is a nation that remains in crisis , badly needing leaders who will boldly stand up to the politics of destruction .

Recent editorials of statewide and national interest from New York’s newspapers:
Don’t Let the Games Begin
The New York Times
Dec. 30
Look no further than the storied Rose Bowl game to understand the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s disingenuous and perilous posturing about the sanctity of its athletics programs while the coronavirus has ravaged the country and college campuses.
Ignoring health officials who have deemed the annual playoff matchup too dangerous to be held on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, Calif., amid a massive spike in Covid-19 cases, the N.C.A.A. simply allowed it to move to Texas, where local officials are willing to let some 16,000 fans attend. It’s the worst kind of forum shopping.
The N.C.A.A. likes to tell itself that it is in the business of educating students about the virtues of competition and sportsmanship. What it is showing them now by example is that some sports - the moneymaking kind - are more important than public health.
Alabama’s top-ranked football team played a game without its coach, Nick Saban, who had said in-person schooling should be canceled sooner than football over coronavirus concerns, before catching the virus himself. Perhaps the sport’s premier rivalry, between Ohio State and Michigan, had its annual game called off because of an outbreak. And the University of California, Berkeley, played just four of eight games scheduled.
About one in five college football games was canceled during the season over coronavirus worries, according to N.C.A.A. data, which doesn’t include teams like the University of Connecticut’s, which preemptively canceled its entire 12-game season. Despite thousands of athletes being sickened by the coronavirus, the conferences forged ahead, including even the Big Ten and Pac-12, which in the summer prudently chose to suspend their seasons but reversed course. Many college football stadiums allowed in thousands of spectators, who displayed varying adherence to mask protocols, though college basketball appears unlikely to allow fans into its arenas.
At least 10 football bowl games have been canceled, and many schools are opting out of bowl eligibility to forestall the virus’s spread.
Yet college officials are now pressing ahead with the more intimate sport of basketball, ignoring the lessons of the abortive and misguided football season. College basketball is the first major indoor sport to attempt a season without the restrictive player bubbles successfully employed by professional basketball and hockey leagues. These so-called student-athletes are being treated like essential workers, but without the benefit of pay or the opportunity to share in the profits that line the pockets of administrators, coaches and television executives.
Already, roughly one in four Division I men’s and women’s games has been canceled or postponed, N.C.A.A. data show. There is no reason college basketball cannot be delayed until conditions improve or the vaccine is deployed in larger numbers. It’s the right thing to do, particularly as college towns bear the brunt of coronavirus transmission and deaths.
But college sports abound with hypocrisy. Fearing the pandemic’s toll, the Duke University women’s basketball team ended its season early last week, while the men continue to play, regularly, on national television. This despite the Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski’s apparent discomfort playing through the pandemic: “I don’t think it feels right to anybody. I mean, everyone is concerned,” he said this month. Or should we believe the coronavirus is less transmissible if the sport is more profitable?
Even others whose livelihoods depend on college basketball have seemed dismayed. Noting the rising toll of the pandemic, one TV commentator asked during a Duke game against the University of Illinois, “If we were deciding to start now, would we start now? The answer, I think, would be no.” Iona College’s coach Rick Pitino called on Twitter for the March Madness tournament to be pushed back to May.
It should never have come to this. The Pac-12 and Big Ten initially heeded medical experts’ advice that it was likely too dangerous to hold a college football season, particularly with concerns about the lingering effects of the virus, including on the heart. But in the end, boosterism and dollar signs appeared to outweigh student safety, and the conferences reversed course. (President Trump also tried to apply pressure to restart Big Ten football, which runs through several swing states.)
College basketball, by comparison, requires far more travel than football and is a high contact sport, also with no masks. To muddle through a basketball season, the N.C.A.A. is advising players and staff to get three coronavirus tests per week, a luxury unavailable to most students and one that takes tests away from those who might need them more urgently.
While college athletes are welcome to opt out of the season in exchange for an extra scholarship year, the pull of peer pressure and the draw of glory or desired relevance may be too hard to resist. Students shouldn’t be asked to choose between the basketball court and their health, let alone that of the communities they return to during school breaks.
The coronavirus is still ripping across the country. Hospital beds are scarce, and deaths are rising. Over the past two weeks, the country averaged nearly 200,000 new daily cases. California, home to four Pac-12 basketball schools, reported more than 300,000 new cases in the seven days that ended on Dec. 22. As a sport, basketball is anathema to doctors and medical experts who continue to espouse the community benefits of staying six feet apart, congregating outside and avoiding large gatherings.
University officials have only to look around their communities to see the sacrifices other businesses - restaurants, bowling alleys, movie theaters and bars - are making for public safety. By making sports the imperative, colleges and universities are creating two classes of students: athletes who must travel around the country, staying in hotels, playing and competing indoors, and those who may choose to study safely at home.
Delaying the basketball season is the right choice. After a folly-filled football season, university and college administrators and the N.C.A.A. can show real leadership by putting the safety of their players and their communities first.
Online: https://nyti.ms/3rJozTM
___
It’s time to turn the page on 2020
Newsday
Dec, 30
As we prepare to turn the page on 2020, seldom have so many of us done so with the same frame of mind:
#goodriddance
This was a difficult year, a year filled with loss, on so many levels.
We lost a lot of people, some of whom were close to us, and their absence affected our balance. We had to force ourselves to see less of our loved ones, a loss of precious opportunity. And we lost touch with lots of other people, casual acquaintances, fellow commuters, librarians, other parents at school sports and cultural events, shop clerks and restaurant servers and kindred movie and theatergoers, who are part of the daily mosaic that enriches our lives. We suffered the tactile loss of hugs and handshakes.
We lost jobs and customers and livelihoods and businesses, and the ability to keep intact our plans for the future. Some of us lost months of our education, and continue to have it degraded. Some of us lost the chance to land that first job out of college or that internship that launches a career.
We lost many of the celebrations, rituals, and rites marking the major moments of life, from weddings and graduations to birthdays and bar mitzvahs and, on some truly heartbreaking occasions, funerals. For long periods of time, we lost the special feeling of communion with others that nourishes the soul either in formal houses of worship or social groups.
As a nation, we lost the confidence that we as Americans can handle whatever life throws at us, as a virus brought us to our knees. But not all of our losses were bad: We also lost the ability to pretend that our country does not have a race problem or a problem with policing, or that inequality and disparity are not weights that drag all of us down. Hopefully, we will not lose the resolve to do something about them.
Even amid the desolation of our losses in 2020, there also were rays of hope and shards of gain.
We found within ourselves the determination and resourcefulness needed to carry on and to continue to be productive. Some of us discovered different ways and places to work and different methods of communicating, and different ways to run our businesses and different businesses to run. Others without such options found the courage to carry on. We learned to appreciate quieter moments and smaller joys, from the satisfaction that comes with cooking a new dish to the contentment imbued by a walk in a park to the pleasure of exploring or rediscovering hobbies new and old.
We gained a renewed understanding of the importance of the bonds we form with family and friends, and a new appreciation for our essential workers. And we realized, late in this awful year, how much can get done when we focus on what we all need and what we all have in common.
Let’s leave the losses of 2020 behind and take all that we learned and all that we gained into 2021, so that it becomes a year of hope and renewal.
Online: https://nwsdy.li/38NUQAD
___
Postal workers face tough challenges
Adirondack Daily Enterprise
Dec. 30
U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has a lot of explaining to do, as some in Washington are saying his removal this fall of mail sorting machines at postal facilities is partly to blame for challenges the U.S. Postal Service faced in getting packages delivered during the Christmas season. Of course, the culprit being blamed by USPS officials is COVID-19.
Yes, the men and women of the Postal Service were impacted by the epidemic. Many Christmas gifts that in past years would have been delivered in person had to be entrusted to the mail instead. And many gift purchases that previously would have been made in person at local stores were handled online.
Give credit to USPS personnel for doing as well as they did, which was quite well, all things considered. Now, they can add to the famous slogan: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night nor killer pandemic …
It is likely there is plenty of blame to go around for the instances of slow delivery and even missing packages that have plagued the busiest shipping season of the year.
USPS spokesperson Naddia Dhalai said there have been efforts to address the backlog.
But it all came as too little, too late while far too many people spent Christmas Eve deciding whether to wrap up notes explaining the gifts that SHOULD have been under the tree. And, for those waiting for much more important things – medicine, for example - the excuses from the USPS are no comfort at all.
DeJoy and company must waste no time correcting the problems that have been festering for months, and were only magnified in December. And, soon after Joe Biden takes office as president, he and Congress should make resolving the Postal Service’s longstanding problems a priority.
Online: https://bit.ly/3rGaB5k
___
Recent Charges Shine Light On Human Trafficking
The Post-Journal
Dec. 30
Social services and law enforcement officials have been sounding alarm bells for years about human trafficking in Chautauqua County.
Recent federal charges against a Jamestown woman, however, should do more than raise alarm bells to parents. According to a federal complaint, the woman is accused of two counts of sex trafficking of a minor after allegedly recruiting, enticing, harboring and transporting two 17-year-olds for sex between August and October of this year in Chautauqua County, Cleveland and Buffalo.
The case is infuriating and saddening, but there is a bright spot if one searches hard enough through the mucky particulars of this case.
These allegations may not have come to light were it not for the Child Advocacy Program, whose name appears multiple times in the criminal complaint. CAP’s forensic interviews helped the teenagers tell their story and helped lead to the charges. CAP doesn’t work alone, it’s part of the Safe Harbour Program, an agency that has identified 120 youth since 2017 identified as being trafficked or at risk of exploitation. In 2019 alone, 46 Chautauqua County youth were referred to the program.
Human trafficking is indeed here in Chautauqua County. Unfortunately, law enforcement officials, the CAP or members of the Safe Harbour Program can’t be everywhere. Human trafficking might not be as big a problem here as it is in bigger cities, but it’s troubling nonetheless, and our county’s general lack of population could make it ripe for traffickers to become more prolific.
That’s a sickening thought.
Online: https://bit.ly/3aYSUYG
___ GOP must forcefully reject Trump’s next scam
The Auburn Citizen
A majority of the Republican members of the House of Representatives this month formally supported a completely bogus lawsuit filed by an indicted attorney general from Texas that tried to throw out tens of millions of votes in the 2020 election. That’s a disturbing reality, for sure.
But it’s important to remember that there were also dozens of GOP members who wanted nothing to do with that assault on our democracy.
Fortunately for central New York, its congressional representative was among the latter group. Hours before the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Texas lawsuit, Katko explained why he wanted nothing to do with it.
“We cannot be fighting over the results of an election that are now complete. The multiple allegations of fraud simply haven’t been proven to the satisfaction of the courts, even the Supreme Court. We need to have some finality to this election and we need to move forward as a country.”
But weeks later, a core group of Katko’s Republican colleagues, egged on by President Donald Trump’s fraudulent claims of a rigged election, are continuing to plot ways to try to subvert the outcome.
We expect that Katko will once again have nothing to do with this rotten exercise, but we hope he joins with the frustratingly small number of Republican members of Congress willing to forcefully call out this president and his loyalists for what they are doing.
A shining example of what we need to see more of is U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who has been trying to restore his party’s honor over these past several weeks. On Saturday, the Illinois Republican made two simple but completely true and badly needed statements on his Twitter account.
He addressed yet another Trump claiming election rigging like this: “My God. Trying to burn the place down on the way out because you can’t handle losing. No evidence, nothing but your temper tantrum and crazy conspiracies. Embarrassing.”
Later, he responded to the news that a handful of elected congressional members are planning to officially challenge the Electoral College results when Congress meets on Jan. 6 for what has always been a formality in counting the votes.
“All this talk about Jan 6th from @realDonaldTrump and other congressional grifters is simply explained: they will raise money and gain followers by blaming everyone else knowing full well they can’t do anything. It’s sad, and an utter scam.”
This a Republican who gets it. And we think there are many more who do, as well. The people have spoken and President-elect Joe Biden will become the president. All of the shouting and games are not going to change that outcome.
But Trump wants his ironclad grip on the GOP to remain in place despite what happened at the ballot box this year, and like with so many other actions he’s taken during his presidency, he doesn’t care if it will damage the country.
If there ever is a time for Republicans to break free from this one-term, impeached demagogue, it’s now. There is no primary to worry about this year. But there is a nation that remains in crisis, badly needing leaders who will boldly stand up to the politics of destruction.
Online: https://bit.ly/38GPsPy
___


washingtontimes--2020-12-30--Jones in quarantine after wife tests positive for COVID-19

MONTGOMERY , Ala. ( AP ) - U.S. Sen. Doug Jones will spend the final days of his term in quarantine after his wife tested positive for COVID-19 .
Jones made the announcement Wednesday night on Twitter .
Jones said he is disappointed that he will be unable to be on the Senate floor to vote to override President Donald Trump ’ s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act , also known as NDAA .
“ I worked really hard on the NDAA & I was hoping that my last vote in the Senate would be to override Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running mate Louise tested positive so I am quarantining & taking care of her .
She ’ s not feeling too good but is ok , ” Jones wrote in a tweet .
Jones said he hopes the Senate would override the veto of the bill that he said is crucially important for the nation ’ s defense .
Trump rejected the defense policy bill last week , saying it failed to limit social media companies he claims were biased against him .
He also opposes language that allows for the renaming of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In 2017 , Jones became the first Alabama Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in a quarter century .
He is leaving the Senate after being defeated by Republican Tommy Tuberville .
Jones ’ term ends Sunday when Republican Tommy Tuberville is sworn into office .
Jones , who as a U.S. attorney prosecuted the Klansmen who bombed a Birmingham church , is believed to be a leading contender for President-elect Joe Biden ’ s attorney general .
In a short video accompanying the tweet , Jones urged people to stay safe during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support over the last three years .
“ Y ’ all , stay safe .
Stay healthy .
Take care .
And again I want to thank everybody for the incredible ride of the last three years .
You ’ ve just been amazing .
… We ’ ll see you in the next chapter , ” Jones said .

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Doug Jones will spend the final days of his term in quarantine after his wife tested positive for COVID-19.
Jones made the announcement Wednesday night on Twitter. Jones said he is disappointed that he will be unable to be on the Senate floor to vote to override President Donald Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, also known as NDAA.
“I worked really hard on the NDAA & I was hoping that my last vote in the Senate would be to override Trump’s veto. But my wonderful running mate Louise tested positive so I am quarantining & taking care of her. She’s not feeling too good but is ok,” Jones wrote in a tweet.
Jones said he hopes the Senate would override the veto of the bill that he said is crucially important for the nation’s defense.
Trump rejected the defense policy bill last week, saying it failed to limit social media companies he claims were biased against him. He also opposes language that allows for the renaming of military bases that honor Confederate leaders.
In 2017, Jones became the first Alabama Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in a quarter century. He is leaving the Senate after being defeated by Republican Tommy Tuberville.
Jones’ term ends Sunday when Republican Tommy Tuberville is sworn into office.
Jones, who as a U.S. attorney prosecuted the Klansmen who bombed a Birmingham church, is believed to be a leading contender for President-elect Joe Biden’s attorney general.
In a short video accompanying the tweet, Jones urged people to stay safe during the pandemic and thanked people for their support over the last three years.
“Y’all, stay safe. Stay healthy. Take care. And again I want to thank everybody for the incredible ride of the last three years. You’ve just been amazing. … We’ll see you in the next chapter,” Jones said.


washingtontimes--2020-12-30--Hassan Rouhani, Iran president, issues Donald Trump death threat

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that President Trump will soon be dead while vowing blood vengeance for the killing of an Iranian general .
Mr. Rouhani made the threat in a speech to the Iranian Cabinet about the “ martyred ” Gen. Qassem Soleimani , which was posted in English on the Iranian presidential Website .
“ One of the effects of this stupid and disgraceful act , ” Mr. Rouhani said of the airstrike that killed Soleimani , “ was that Trumpism ended.
” “ In a few days , the life of this criminal will end and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history , ” the official Iranian government site quoted him in English as having said .
The warning and prediction came less than a week before the first anniversary of the Jan. 3 drone strike on Baghdad airport .
“ We are very happy about this and we believe that the period after Trump will be a better condition for regional and global stability , ” Mr. Rouhani said .
He also , as he has frequently vowed fatal and equal retaliation for what Iran has characterized as the assassination of a prominent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the martyrdom of Martyr Soleimani , I emphasize again that if you cut off Martyr Soleimani ’ s hand , we will cut off your leg from the region and we will continue the resistance until that day , ” Mr. Rouhani said .
“ Our nation will not give up until they take revenge on his blood as its right , ” the president vowed .

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that President Trump will soon be dead while vowing blood vengeance for the killing of an Iranian general.
Mr. Rouhani made the threat in a speech to the Iranian Cabinet about the “martyred” Gen. Qassem Soleimani, which was posted in English on the Iranian presidential Website.
“One of the effects of this stupid and disgraceful act,” Mr. Rouhani said of the airstrike that killed Soleimani, “was that Trumpism ended.”
“In a few days, the life of this criminal will end and he will go to the dustbin of history,” the official Iranian government site quoted him in English as having said.
The warning and prediction came less than a week before the first anniversary of the Jan. 3 drone strike on Baghdad airport.
“We are very happy about this and we believe that the period after Trump will be a better condition for regional and global stability,” Mr. Rouhani said.
He also, as he has frequently vowed fatal and equal retaliation for what Iran has characterized as the assassination of a prominent government official.
“As I said after the martyrdom of Martyr Soleimani, I emphasize again that if you cut off Martyr Soleimani’s hand, we will cut off your leg from the region and we will continue the resistance until that day,” Mr. Rouhani said.
“Our nation will not give up until they take revenge on his blood as its right,” the president vowed.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-12-30--California governor offers plan to reopen in-person schools

SACRAMENTO , Calif. ( AP ) - California Gov .
Gavin Newsom released a plan Wednesday for schools to resume in-person teaching next spring , starting with the youngest students and those who have struggled most with distance learning while assisting with $ 2 billion in state aid for coronavirus testing , personal protective equipment and increased classroom ventilation .
“ Safety is key .
Just reopening a school for in-person instruction on its own is not going to address the issue of safety , ” Newsom said , promising sanctions for schools that don ’ t follow safety rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our default , ” he said , citing pitfalls from remote learning including increased anxiety , depression and undetected child abuse .
The president of California ’ s largest teachers union said he was glad Newsom is “ finally recognizing ” the need for tougher safety standards as part of any reopening plan .
California Teachers Association president E. Toby Boyd said he hopes the formal guidelines Newsom intends to release next week “ will create a coherent statewide plan rather than creating more confusion for parents and school districts.
” Newsom , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been in talks with the influential teachers unions for months and has a “ very , very constructive relationship ” with the powerful bargaining units .
The administration ’ s pledge to provide frequent testing and contact tracing when outbreaks occur will be crucial to making teachers feel comfortable again in the classroom , said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond .
California Federation of Teachers President Jeff Freitas noted Newsom ’ s promised state funding , vaccines for educators and priority on safety , calling it “ the starting point our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for in-person instruction.
” Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s leading infectious-disease expert , echoed Newsom ‘ s contention that schools can be opened safely , noting in an online briefing what he called an “ almost counter-intuitive ” finding that schools “ seem to be doing better when it comes to the level of infection ” than the community at large .
“ If you really want to get society back to some form of normality , one of the first things you have to do is to get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Many schools are already offering in-person classes , even with surging coronavirus cases , and there have been few outbreaks , said Linda Darling-Hammond , president of the California State Board of Education and an emeritus Stanford University education professor .
More than 1,730 schools have received state waivers to reopen classrooms .
“ Even in places of high rates of transmission , they are going to school safely , ” she said .
Newsom said his recommendation was driven by increasing evidence that there are lower risks and increased benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students .
It comes amid increased pressure from parents to reopen campuses .
Though California remains consumed by a growing pandemic crisis , he and Darling-Hammond said it ’ s realistic to expect many schools to start reopening as early as February or March .
Newsom called for a phased approach focusing first on those in transitional kindergarten through second grade , as well as children with disabilities , those who have limited access to technology at home and kids who have most struggled with distance learning .
Other grades would be phased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learning would continue to be allowed if parents and students wish , and for those who have health vulnerabilities that make it risky to return to the classroom .
The $ 2 billion Newsom will recommend in his budget next week averages out to $ 450 per pupil , weighted up to $ 750 at schools with more vulnerable populations .
Reaction among state legislators broke along party lines , with GOP Assemblyman Kevin Kiley , one of Newsom ’ s harshest critics , saying the plan “ slightly moves the needle in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complexity for reopening .
The Democratic leaders of the Assembly and Senate education committees pledged to work with Newsom , with Sen. Connie Leyva calling his plan “ a positive step forward.
” Newsom said he also will work with state lawmakers on ways to help students recover from learning losses .
“ It would be a mistake to say that this is a lost year , ” said Thurmond .
“ This is a year where we are preserving life , where we are surviving.
” Among the safety measures in Newsom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks , increased contact tracing during outbreaks , frequent virus testing for all students and staff , and prioritizing educators for vaccinations .
Dr. Naomi Bardach , a University of California , San Francisco pediatrician and expert on school safety , will lead a team of state health , education and occupational safety officials to help develop safety plans .
Associated Press reporter Olga R. Rodriguez in San Francisco contributed to this story .

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California Gov. Gavin Newsom released a plan Wednesday for schools to resume in-person teaching next spring, starting with the youngest students and those who have struggled most with distance learning while assisting with $2 billion in state aid for coronavirus testing, personal protective equipment and increased classroom ventilation.
“Safety is key. Just reopening a school for in-person instruction on its own is not going to address the issue of safety,” Newsom said, promising sanctions for schools that don’t follow safety rules.
Yet “in-person instruction … is our default,” he said, citing pitfalls from remote learning including increased anxiety, depression and undetected child abuse.
The president of California’s largest teachers union said he was glad Newsom is “finally recognizing” the need for tougher safety standards as part of any reopening plan. California Teachers Association president E. Toby Boyd said he hopes the formal guidelines Newsom intends to release next week “will create a coherent statewide plan rather than creating more confusion for parents and school districts.”
Newsom, a Democrat, said his administration has been in talks with the influential teachers unions for months and has a “very, very constructive relationship” with the powerful bargaining units.
The administration’s pledge to provide frequent testing and contact tracing when outbreaks occur will be crucial to making teachers feel comfortable again in the classroom, said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
California Federation of Teachers President Jeff Freitas noted Newsom’s promised state funding, vaccines for educators and priority on safety, calling it “the starting point our state and its schools need to consider for in-person instruction.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious-disease expert, echoed Newsom’s contention that schools can be opened safely, noting in an online briefing what he called an “almost counter-intuitive” finding that schools “seem to be doing better when it comes to the level of infection” than the community at large.
“If you really want to get society back to some form of normality, one of the first things you have to do is to get the children back in school,” Fauci said.
Many schools are already offering in-person classes, even with surging coronavirus cases, and there have been few outbreaks, said Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the California State Board of Education and an emeritus Stanford University education professor. More than 1,730 schools have received state waivers to reopen classrooms.
“Even in places of high rates of transmission, they are going to school safely,” she said.
Newsom said his recommendation was driven by increasing evidence that there are lower risks and increased benefits from in-person instruction particularly for the youngest students. It comes amid increased pressure from parents to reopen campuses.
Though California remains consumed by a growing pandemic crisis, he and Darling-Hammond said it’s realistic to expect many schools to start reopening as early as February or March.
Newsom called for a phased approach focusing first on those in transitional kindergarten through second grade, as well as children with disabilities, those who have limited access to technology at home and kids who have most struggled with distance learning.
Other grades would be phased in during the spring, but remote learning would continue to be allowed if parents and students wish, and for those who have health vulnerabilities that make it risky to return to the classroom.
The $2 billion Newsom will recommend in his budget next week averages out to $450 per pupil, weighted up to $750 at schools with more vulnerable populations.
Reaction among state legislators broke along party lines, with GOP Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, one of Newsom’s harshest critics, saying the plan “slightly moves the needle in the right direction” but creates more complexity for reopening. The Democratic leaders of the Assembly and Senate education committees pledged to work with Newsom, with Sen. Connie Leyva calling his plan “a positive step forward.”
Newsom said he also will work with state lawmakers on ways to help students recover from learning losses.
“It would be a mistake to say that this is a lost year,” said Thurmond. “This is a year where we are preserving life, where we are surviving.”
Among the safety measures in Newsom’s proposal are universal wearing of masks, increased contact tracing during outbreaks, frequent virus testing for all students and staff, and prioritizing educators for vaccinations.
Dr. Naomi Bardach, a University of California, San Francisco pediatrician and expert on school safety, will lead a team of state health, education and occupational safety officials to help develop safety plans.
___
Associated Press reporter Olga R. Rodriguez in San Francisco contributed to this story.


washingtontimes--2020-12-30--Alveda King, MLK niece, rejects Raphael Warnock's claim to 'King family legacy'

As senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church , the Rev .
Raphael Warnock has played up his connection on the Georgia Senate campaign trail to Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. , but Alveda C. King is having none of it .
Ms. King , an evangelist , a pro-life leader and the niece of the civil-rights icon , has challenged Mr. Warnock ’ s claim to the King mantle , arguing that her legendary uncle would have recoiled at the Democratic Senate candidate ’ s embrace of unfettered abortion rights .
“ You ’ re not going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same thing as what you ’ re promoting , ” Ms. King said about Mr. Warnock in an interview with the Washington Times .
“ If you ’ re a pastor , you must stand for Christian values first and foremost , so politics can not supersede what the holy Bible says , ” she said .
“ I ’ m very convinced that he ’ s manipulating his pulpit , the Bible , and everything else.
” A Georgia resident , she has joined Black civil-rights leaders and pro-life advocates for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , holding prayer rallies and marching earlier this month to Mr. Warnock ’ s campaign office to deliver letters .
The campaign locked the door , as shown on video .
She spoke at a CatholicVote get-out-the-vote rally last week with pro-life leader Abby Johnson ; participated in a Keep America America Action Fund bus tour with John Pence , Vice President Mike Pence ’ s nephew ; teamed up with the Frederick Douglass Foundation on a voter guide ; and signed a letter from more than two dozen Black church leaders to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ As a Christian pastor and as a Black leader , you have a duty to denounce the evil of abortion , which kills a disproportionate number of Black children , ” said the Dec. 11 letter .
“ Your open advocacy of abortion is a scandal to the faith and to the Black community.
” Mr. Warnock , who calls himself a pro-choice pastor , reiterated his stance on abortion at the Dec. 6 Senate debate against Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler , saying “ I have a profound reverence for life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The question is , whose decision is it ?
” asked Mr. Warnock .
“ I happen to think that a patient ’ s room is too small a place for a woman , her doctor and the U.S. government .
I think there ’ s too many people in the room.
” His position on abortion is one thing , but his repeated references to Martin Luther King on the campaign trail and in fundraising pleas , along with headlines referring to him as “ heir to MLK ’ s pulpit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the integrity of the King family legacy .
That heritage includes her uncle as well as her father , the Rev .
A.D. King , and her grandfather , the Rev .
Martin Luther King Sr. , all of whom were pastors at Ebenezer Baptist Church , or what she calls “ historic Ebenezer.
” She made it clear that she does not speak for MLK ’ s children , but that “ Ebenezer Baptist Church goes beyond Martin Luther King Jr. ’ s legacy .
That ’ s the King family legacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The original church building is now part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park .
She describes the current church , which added the 1,700-seat Horizons sanctuary in 1999 , as Horizons Ebenezer .
Since Mr. Warnock became senior pastor in 2005 , she said , the church has embraced what she calls a progressive “ social gospel.
” “ It has become extremely liberal .
It wasn ’ t always , ” said Ms. King .
“ That ’ s the difference between the historic Ebenezer and the Horizons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a different building .
It ’ s a different mindset .
It ’ s a different theology — totally different .
It is not the theology of the three King preachers .
It ’ s not.
” She worried that Mr. Warnock would “ misuse the Bible to defend indefensible positions , ” citing his criticism from the pulpit of Israel as well as his support for the Equality Act , which would require schools to allow transgender participation in women ’ s and girls ’ athletics .
“ Raphael Warnock supports males @ @ @ @ @ @ @ King said .
“ I promise you my daddy , granddaddy and uncle would not be saying that .
They just would not.
” Debate has long raged over where MLK stood on abortion , which was not made a constitutional right or become a defining political issue until the U.S. Supreme Court ’ s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision , well after his 1968 assassination .
Terms such as “ pro-life ” and “ pro-choice ” did not exist then , and , as far as anyone knows , MLK never directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ King , the director of civil rights for the unborn for Priests for Life , argued that her uncle ’ s statements on other subjects make it clear that he opposed abortion .
“ If you read any of Martin Luther King Jr. ’ s writings , his messages , if you listen to them , you ’ ll find out he said that the Negro can not win if he ’ s willing to sacrifice the futures of his children for immediate personal comfort and safety , ” said Ms. King .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ King Jr. said.
” In addition , “ Martin Luther King Jr. said injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere .
Martin Luther King Jr. said when you value the human personality , you won ’ t kill anybody , ” she said .
“ Now , look at these ultrasounds .
You see the human personalities of every baby in the womb.
” The strongest evidence to the contrary is Coretta Scott King ’ s 1966 speech to Planned Parenthood .
In accepting the organization ’ s first Margaret Sanger Award @ @ @ @ @ @ @ King made repeated statements in favor of family planning .
“ Like all poor , Negro and white , they have many unwanted children , ” said Mrs. King in the speech , which is posted on the Planned Parenthood website .
“ This is a cruel evil they urgently need to control .
There is scarcely anything more tragic in human life than a child who is not wanted.
” Planned Parenthood said that Mrs. King “ delivered her husband ’ s acceptance speech on his behalf , ” while Alveda King @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thank-you note were not written by her uncle .
“ It ’ s based on that everything he ’ s ever said or written sounds nothing like it .
It ’ s totally not in his style at all , ” she said .
In addition , Planned Parenthood in 1966 was focused on expanding birth control , not providing abortions , according to the Denison Forum .
“ At that time the organization was still publishing a pamphlet that stated , ‘ Is birth control abortion ?
Definitely not .
An abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it has begun .
It is dangerous to your life and health , ’ ” said Denison in a 2016 post .
“ The organization supported birth control but opposed abortion and changed its stance on the latter years after Dr. King was assassinated.
” Ms. King knew Mr. Warnock well before the Georgia Senate race .
She occasionally attends concerts and other events at Ebenezer , although she no longer belongs to the church .
She said she attended the 2016 wedding of Mr. Warnock and Ouleye Ndoye , whose divorce became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a March domestic dispute before their divorce shows Mrs. Warnock accusing her husband of running over her foot , which he denied .
“ I ’ ve been prayerful over their relationship from that day forward , ” Ms. King said .
“ Certainly when there ’ s all of that and when you have children , compassion is needed .
But it ’ s still not good for a man to be that harsh with his wife and the mother of his children .
I would say that .
There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” She winced at Mr. Warnock ’ s sermon honoring Rep. John Lewis , Georgia Democrat , a pivotal civil-rights figure who died in July , which included the line that he was “ wounded for America ’ s transgressions , bruised for our iniquities , the chastisement of our peace was upon him , and by his stripes we are healed.
” That description comes from the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament , and refers to Jesus Christ .
“ Martin Luther King Sr. , Martin Luther King Jr. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities , ” said Ms. King .
“ They did not preach a social gospel .
They preached the gospel of Jesus Christ .
Raphael Warnock preaches a social gospel .
”

As senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Rev. Raphael Warnock has played up his connection on the Georgia Senate campaign trail to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., but Alveda C. King is having none of it.
Ms. King, an evangelist, a pro-life leader and the niece of the civil-rights icon, has challenged Mr. Warnock’s claim to the King mantle, arguing that her legendary uncle would have recoiled at the Democratic Senate candidate’s embrace of unfettered abortion rights.
“You’re not going to pretend that the King family legacy is the same thing as what you’re promoting,” Ms. King said about Mr. Warnock in an interview with the Washington Times.
“If you’re a pastor, you must stand for Christian values first and foremost, so politics cannot supersede what the holy Bible says,” she said. “I’m very convinced that he’s manipulating his pulpit, the Bible, and everything else.”
A Georgia resident, she has joined Black civil-rights leaders and pro-life advocates for a campaign called Not On My Watch, holding prayer rallies and marching earlier this month to Mr. Warnock’s campaign office to deliver letters. The campaign locked the door, as shown on video.
She spoke at a CatholicVote get-out-the-vote rally last week with pro-life leader Abby Johnson; participated in a Keep America America Action Fund bus tour with John Pence, Vice President Mike Pence’s nephew; teamed up with the Frederick Douglass Foundation on a voter guide; and signed a letter from more than two dozen Black church leaders to Mr. Warnock about his support for abortion.
“As a Christian pastor and as a Black leader, you have a duty to denounce the evil of abortion, which kills a disproportionate number of Black children,” said the Dec. 11 letter. “Your open advocacy of abortion is a scandal to the faith and to the Black community.”
Mr. Warnock, who calls himself a pro-choice pastor, reiterated his stance on abortion at the Dec. 6 Senate debate against Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, saying “I have a profound reverence for life and an abiding respect for choice.”
“The question is, whose decision is it?” asked Mr. Warnock. “I happen to think that a patient’s room is too small a place for a woman, her doctor and the U.S. government. I think there’s too many people in the room.”
His position on abortion is one thing, but his repeated references to Martin Luther King on the campaign trail and in fundraising pleas, along with headlines referring to him as “heir to MLK’s pulpit,” have Ms. King worried about the integrity of the King family legacy.
That heritage includes her uncle as well as her father, the Rev. A.D. King, and her grandfather, the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr., all of whom were pastors at Ebenezer Baptist Church, or what she calls “historic Ebenezer.”
She made it clear that she does not speak for MLK’s children, but that “Ebenezer Baptist Church goes beyond Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. That’s the King family legacy, and I can speak to that.”
The original church building is now part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park. She describes the current church, which added the 1,700-seat Horizons sanctuary in 1999, as Horizons Ebenezer.
Since Mr. Warnock became senior pastor in 2005, she said, the church has embraced what she calls a progressive “social gospel.”
“It has become extremely liberal. It wasn’t always,” said Ms. King. “That’s the difference between the historic Ebenezer and the Horizons Ebenezer. It’s not just a different building. It’s a different mindset. It’s a different theology — totally different. It is not the theology of the three King preachers. It’s not.”
She worried that Mr. Warnock would “misuse the Bible to defend indefensible positions,” citing his criticism from the pulpit of Israel as well as his support for the Equality Act, which would require schools to allow transgender participation in women’s and girls’ athletics.
“Raphael Warnock supports males competing in female sports,” Ms. King said. “I promise you my daddy, granddaddy and uncle would not be saying that. They just would not.”
Debate has long raged over where MLK stood on abortion, which was not made a constitutional right or become a defining political issue until the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, well after his 1968 assassination. Terms such as “pro-life” and “pro-choice” did not exist then, and, as far as anyone knows, MLK never directly addressed the issue in public.
Ms. King, the director of civil rights for the unborn for Priests for Life, argued that her uncle’s statements on other subjects make it clear that he opposed abortion.
“If you read any of Martin Luther King Jr.’s writings, his messages, if you listen to them, you’ll find out he said that the Negro cannot win if he’s willing to sacrifice the futures of his children for immediate personal comfort and safety,” said Ms. King. “That’s what Martin Luther King Jr. said.”
In addition, “Martin Luther King Jr. said injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King Jr. said when you value the human personality, you won’t kill anybody,” she said. “Now, look at these ultrasounds. You see the human personalities of every baby in the womb.”
The strongest evidence to the contrary is Coretta Scott King’s 1966 speech to Planned Parenthood. In accepting the organization’s first Margaret Sanger Award on behalf of her husband, Mrs. King made repeated statements in favor of family planning.
“Like all poor, Negro and white, they have many unwanted children,” said Mrs. King in the speech, which is posted on the Planned Parenthood website. “This is a cruel evil they urgently need to control. There is scarcely anything more tragic in human life than a child who is not wanted.”
Planned Parenthood said that Mrs. King “delivered her husband’s acceptance speech on his behalf,” while Alveda King argued that the speech and the subsequent thank-you note were not written by her uncle.
“It’s based on that everything he’s ever said or written sounds nothing like it. It’s totally not in his style at all,” she said.
In addition, Planned Parenthood in 1966 was focused on expanding birth control, not providing abortions, according to the Denison Forum.
“At that time the organization was still publishing a pamphlet that stated, ‘Is birth control abortion? Definitely not. An abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun. It is dangerous to your life and health,’” said Denison in a 2016 post. “The organization supported birth control but opposed abortion and changed its stance on the latter years after Dr. King was assassinated.”
Ms. King knew Mr. Warnock well before the Georgia Senate race. She occasionally attends concerts and other events at Ebenezer, although she no longer belongs to the church.
She said she attended the 2016 wedding of Mr. Warnock and Ouleye Ndoye, whose divorce became official in November. Police camera footage of a March domestic dispute before their divorce shows Mrs. Warnock accusing her husband of running over her foot, which he denied.
“I’ve been prayerful over their relationship from that day forward,” Ms. King said. “Certainly when there’s all of that and when you have children, compassion is needed. But it’s still not good for a man to be that harsh with his wife and the mother of his children. I would say that. There’s never any reason to do that.”
She winced at Mr. Warnock’s sermon honoring Rep. John Lewis, Georgia Democrat, a pivotal civil-rights figure who died in July, which included the line that he was “wounded for America’s transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed.”
That description comes from the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament, and refers to Jesus Christ.
“Martin Luther King Sr., Martin Luther King Jr., and A.D. King would say Jesus Christ was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities,” said Ms. King. “They did not preach a social gospel. They preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. Raphael Warnock preaches a social gospel.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.