washingtontimes--2020-08-15--Kahului Airport completes phase of thermal screening program

KAHULUI , Hawaii ( AP ) - Kahului Airport on Maui has completed its second phase of its thermal screening project meant to combat the spread of the coronavirus .
The screening uses thermal imaging and facial recognition technology to pinpoint people with a temperature of 100.4 degrees ( 38 Celsius ) or higher .
Dual lens cameras have been installed at all arrival gates and TSA checkpoints in the airport .
When phase three is completed , the cameras will be able to track travelers with high body temperatures so contact tracers can stop and screen them before they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported .
Maui Airports District Manager Marvin Moniz says he expects phase three to be completed before the end of the year .
The technology is being implemented at all five of Hawaii ’ s main airports .
In response to growing privacy concerns , Moniz said the images are erased every 30 minutes .
There are also signs throughout the airport that alert travelers about the thermal screening cameras .
“ It ’ s not recorded , it ’ s just like a queue , ” said Maui District Assistant Airport Superintendent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not permanently stored.
” Moniz said the airport is using the system to flag people , even before the third phase starts .
He said personnel from the American Medical Response and the Kahului Airport Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Unit are currently tasked with testing passengers who are flagged for high temperatures .
“ If you have a temperature of 100.4 , a tracker or tracer will pull you aside , ” Moniz said .
“ They check out the individual and consult with the Department of Health to determine what the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He said those who have been flagged so far using the cameras include a person who had a kidney infection and another with an ear infection .
For now , each camera is connected to an iPad , where an operator monitors the images and makes decisions on which passengers need testing .
Phase three will make the technology more sophisticated .
It involves the construction of a control room where two employees from the state Department of Health will monitor the camera feeds and are positioned to stop and question passengers with @ @ @

KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) - Kahului Airport on Maui has completed its second phase of its thermal screening project meant to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The screening uses thermal imaging and facial recognition technology to pinpoint people with a temperature of 100.4 degrees (38 Celsius) or higher.
Dual lens cameras have been installed at all arrival gates and TSA checkpoints in the airport.
When phase three is completed, the cameras will be able to track travelers with high body temperatures so contact tracers can stop and screen them before they leave the airport, The Maui News reported.
Maui Airports District Manager Marvin Moniz says he expects phase three to be completed before the end of the year.
The technology is being implemented at all five of Hawaii’s main airports.
In response to growing privacy concerns, Moniz said the images are erased every 30 minutes. There are also signs throughout the airport that alert travelers about the thermal screening cameras.
“It’s not recorded, it’s just like a queue,” said Maui District Assistant Airport Superintendent Larry Miller. “It’s not permanently stored.”
Moniz said the airport is using the system to flag people, even before the third phase starts. He said personnel from the American Medical Response and the Kahului Airport Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Unit are currently tasked with testing passengers who are flagged for high temperatures.
“If you have a temperature of 100.4, a tracker or tracer will pull you aside,” Moniz said. “They check out the individual and consult with the Department of Health to determine what the next step is for that passenger.”
He said those who have been flagged so far using the cameras include a person who had a kidney infection and another with an ear infection.
For now, each camera is connected to an iPad, where an operator monitors the images and makes decisions on which passengers need testing.
Phase three will make the technology more sophisticated. It involves the construction of a control room where two employees from the state Department of Health will monitor the camera feeds and are positioned to stop and question passengers with high temperatures.


washingtontimes--2020-08-15--Arizona school district cancels Monday's reopening after teachers stage 'sickout'

An Arizona school district was forced to cancel its planned Monday reopening after more than 100 teachers called in sick over novel coronavirus fears .
J.O .
Combs Unified School District superintendent Gregory A. Wyman said Friday that “ we received an overwhelming response from staff indicating that they do not feel safe returning to classrooms with students.
” “ In response , we have received a high volume of staff absences for Monday citing health and safety concerns , ” he said in a statement .
“ Due to these insufficient staffing levels , schools will not be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Phoenix-area school district had planned to open for the fall semester with a mix of in-person and remote learning , but the sickout means that “ all classes , including virtual learning , will be canceled , ” he said .
“ At this time , we do not know the duration of these staff absences , and can not yet confirm when in-person instruction may resume , ” said Mr. Wyman .
He mentioned no specific number , but a district spokeswoman told the Arizona Republic that 109 certified staff had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The seven-school district has about 600 employees , 250 of whom are teachers .
Arizona teachers ’ unions have fought plans to reopen schools for in-person learning , arguing that teachers will be exposing themselves to unreasonable risk from the virus .
Some teachers have underscored the point at protests by drafting wills and writing “ obituaries.
” Meanwhile , about 200 parents held a rally last week in Phoenix in support of reopening , describing as inadequate the online education approach adopted after the coronavirus struck in the spring and holding signs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” On the AZ In-Person Education is Essential page on Facebook , parents blasted the sickout and vowed to explore charter and private school options .
“ What a joke .
They should all be fired !
This is why people are upset with teachers , ” said one parent .
“ They are using our children as pawns .
The sooner the money follows the student , the better.
” Others cheered the teachers on the district ’ s Facebook page with messages like , “ Bravo teachers .
Protect yourselves and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents won ’ t !
” After peaking in early July , new reported cases of COVID-19 have been declining in Arizona , as have deaths , as shown on the Johns Hopkins website , while union officials have argued that schools should wait until their counties have met the state ’ s recommended metrics before offering in-person instruction .
No county in Arizona has met those benchmarks , the Republic reported .
The Arizona Education Association , a National Education Association affiliate , has called for delaying in-person classes until “ at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks of the school calendar , ” while the American Federation of Teachers last month authorized the use of “ safety strikes.
” “ It was great to see J.O .
Combs school district came together and used their collective power , ” Kelley Fisher , a Phoenix kindergarten teacher who has led protests by school staff , told Reuters .
“ I ’ d love to see a nationwide sick out .
”

An Arizona school district was forced to cancel its planned Monday reopening after more than 100 teachers called in sick over novel coronavirus fears.
J.O. Combs Unified School District superintendent Gregory A. Wyman said Friday that “we received an overwhelming response from staff indicating that they do not feel safe returning to classrooms with students.”
“In response, we have received a high volume of staff absences for Monday citing health and safety concerns,” he said in a statement. “Due to these insufficient staffing levels, schools will not be able to re-open on Monday as planned.”
The Phoenix-area school district had planned to open for the fall semester with a mix of in-person and remote learning, but the sickout means that “all classes, including virtual learning, will be canceled,” he said.
“At this time, we do not know the duration of these staff absences, and cannot yet confirm when in-person instruction may resume,” said Mr. Wyman.
He mentioned no specific number, but a district spokeswoman told the Arizona Republic that 109 certified staff had put in for absences on Monday. The seven-school district has about 600 employees, 250 of whom are teachers.
Arizona teachers’ unions have fought plans to reopen schools for in-person learning, arguing that teachers will be exposing themselves to unreasonable risk from the virus. Some teachers have underscored the point at protests by drafting wills and writing “obituaries.”
Meanwhile, about 200 parents held a rally last week in Phoenix in support of reopening, describing as inadequate the online education approach adopted after the coronavirus struck in the spring and holding signs with messages like “Facts Over Fear.”
On the AZ In-Person Education is Essential page on Facebook, parents blasted the sickout and vowed to explore charter and private school options.
“What a joke. They should all be fired! This is why people are upset with teachers,” said one parent. “They are using our children as pawns. The sooner the money follows the student, the better.”
Others cheered the teachers on the district’s Facebook page with messages like, “Bravo teachers. Protect yourselves and the kids if the district and their parents won’t!”
After peaking in early July, new reported cases of COVID-19 have been declining in Arizona, as have deaths, as shown on the Johns Hopkins website, while union officials have argued that schools should wait until their counties have met the state’s recommended metrics before offering in-person instruction.
No county in Arizona has met those benchmarks, the Republic reported.
The Arizona Education Association, a National Education Association affiliate, has called for delaying in-person classes until “at least the end of the first nine weeks of the school calendar,” while the American Federation of Teachers last month authorized the use of “safety strikes.”
“It was great to see J.O. Combs school district came together and used their collective power,” Kelley Fisher, a Phoenix kindergarten teacher who has led protests by school staff, told Reuters. “I’d love to see a nationwide sick out.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-08-15--Trump to withdraw Pendley's nomination as public lands chief

SEATTLE ( AP ) - President Donald Trump intends to withdraw the nomination of William Perry Pendley to head the Bureau of Land Management , a senior administration official said Saturday - much to the relief of environmentalists who insisted the longtime advocate of selling federal lands should not be overseeing them .
Pendley , a former oil industry and property rights attorney from Wyoming , has been acting as the director of the agency for more than a year under a series of temporary orders from Interior Secretary David Bernhardt .
Democrats alleged the temporary orders were an attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Montana Gov .
Steve Bullock and conservation groups have filed lawsuits to have Pendley removed from office .
Trump announced Pendley ’ s nomination to become the bureau ’ s director in June .
A senior administration official , speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter , confirmed Saturday that the president intended to withdraw that nomination .
“ Good !
” Bullock , a Democrat , tweeted Saturday .
“ William Perry Pendley wants to sell off our public lands – and has no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The bureau oversees nearly a quarter-billion public acres in the U.S. West and much of the nation ’ s onshore oil and gas development .
The White House did not offer an explanation for the decision , which is not expected to become official until the Senate returns to session .
The Interior Department said in a statement that the president makes staffing decisions and that Pendley continues leading the agency as deputy director for programs and policy .
Pendley , who in a 2017 essay argued that the “ Founding Fathers intended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be sold , ” spent three decades as president of the nonprofit Mountain States Legal Foundation , which has worked on behalf of ranchers , oil and gas drillers , miners and others seeking to use public lands for commercial gain .
Among the cases Pendley worked on was one challenging grizzly bear protections on national forest land .
In another , he sought to validate an energy developer ’ s claim to drill for oil on land considered sacred by the Blackfeet Indian Tribe near Glacier National Park in Montana .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ two months ago .
The author of books that include “ War on the West : Government Tyranny on America ’ s Great Frontier , ” he has criticized environmentalists as extremists and expressed support for Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy , whose family has engaged in armed standoffs with federal agents .
In his announcement of the nomination , Trump said Pendley had “ worked to increase recreational opportunities on and access to our Nation ’ s public lands , heighten concern for the impact of wild horses and burros on public lands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s multiple-use mission.
” The Interior Department has disputed the notion that Pendley wants to sell off federal lands , saying the Bureau of Land Management has acquired 25,000 acres under his leadership .
While acting as director , Pendley has overseen the relocation of most of the bureau ’ s jobs from Washington to various locations in the West , including its new headquarters in Grand Junction , Colorado - a move conservationists consider an effort to weaken the agency .
The agency has also sought to ease rules for oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Obama administration .
One recent proposal , which would streamline requirements for measuring and reporting oil and gas produced from federal land , is projected to save energy companies more than $ 130 million over the next decade .
“ William Perry Pendley has been unfit to lead the Bureau of Land Management every day since he was appointed acting director in 2019 , ” Collin O ’ Mara , president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation , said in an emailed statement .
“ The fact that he was nominated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Americans and elected officials spoke out illustrates the wrongheaded priorities of this administration.
” Jennifer Rokala , executive director of the Center for Western Priorities , called for the Trump administration to remove Pendley from his job as acting director of the agency .
“ Withdrawing William Perry Pendley ’ s nomination confirms he couldn ’ t even survive a confirmation process run by the president ’ s allies in the Senate .
Keeping him on the job anyway shows the depth of disdain Secretary Bernhardt and President Trump have for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Bureau of Land Management director is a Senate-confirmed position for a reason .
Whoever is in charge of one-tenth of all lands in America must be approved by the Senate , and these bald-faced attempts to evade the Senate ’ s advice-and-consent duties can not stand .
”

SEATTLE (AP) - President Donald Trump intends to withdraw the nomination of William Perry Pendley to head the Bureau of Land Management, a senior administration official said Saturday - much to the relief of environmentalists who insisted the longtime advocate of selling federal lands should not be overseeing them.
Pendley, a former oil industry and property rights attorney from Wyoming, has been leading the agency for more than a year under a series of temporary orders from Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. Democrats alleged the temporary orders were an attempt to skirt the nomination process, and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and conservation groups have filed lawsuits to have Pendley removed from office.
Trump announced Pendley’s nomination to become the bureau’s director in June. A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, confirmed Saturday that the president intended to withdraw that nomination.
“Good!” Bullock, a Democrat, tweeted Saturday. “William Perry Pendley wants to sell off our public lands – and has no business being in charge of them.”
The bureau oversees nearly a quarter-billion public acres in the U.S. West and much of the nation’s onshore oil and gas development.
The White House did not offer an explanation for the decision, which is not expected to become official until the Senate returns to session. The Interior Department said in a statement that the president makes staffing decisions and that Pendley continues leading the agency as deputy director for programs and policy.
Pendley, who in a 2017 essay argued that the “Founding Fathers intended all lands owned by the federal government to be sold,” spent three decades as president of the nonprofit Mountain States Legal Foundation, which has worked on behalf of ranchers, oil and gas drillers, miners and others seeking to use public lands for commercial gain.
Among the cases Pendley worked on was one challenging grizzly bear protections on national forest land. In another, he sought to validate an energy developer’s claim to drill for oil on land considered sacred by the Blackfeet Indian Tribe near Glacier National Park in Montana. A federal appeals court rejected the effort two months ago.
The author of books that include “War on the West: Government Tyranny on America’s Great Frontier,” he has criticized environmentalists as extremists and expressed support for Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, whose family has engaged in armed standoffs with federal agents.
In his announcement of the nomination, Trump said Pendley had “worked to increase recreational opportunities on and access to our Nation’s public lands, heighten concern for the impact of wild horses and burros on public lands, and increase awareness of the Bureau’s multiple-use mission.”
The Interior Department has disputed the notion that Pendley wants to sell off federal lands, saying the Bureau of Land Management has acquired 25,000 acres under his leadership.
In his position at the agency, Pendley has overseen the relocation of most of the bureau’s jobs from Washington to various locations in the West, including its new headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado - a move conservationists consider an effort to weaken the agency.
The agency has also sought to ease rules for oil and gas drilling that were adopted under the Obama administration. One recent proposal, which would streamline requirements for measuring and reporting oil and gas produced from federal land, is projected to save energy companies more than $130 million over the next decade.
“William Perry Pendley has been unfit to lead the Bureau of Land Management every day since he was appointed acting director in 2019,” Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said in an emailed statement. “The fact that he was nominated this June and not withdrawn until millions of Americans and elected officials spoke out illustrates the wrongheaded priorities of this administration.”
Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, called for the Trump administration to remove Pendley from his position.
“Withdrawing William Perry Pendley’s nomination confirms he couldn’t even survive a confirmation process run by the president’s allies in the Senate. Keeping him on the job anyway shows the depth of disdain Secretary Bernhardt and President Trump have for the Constitution,” Rakola said. “The Bureau of Land Management director is a Senate-confirmed position for a reason. Whoever is in charge of one-tenth of all lands in America must be approved by the Senate, and these bald-faced attempts to evade the Senate’s advice-and-consent duties cannot stand.”
___
AP writer Aamer Madhani contributed from Bedminster, New Jersey.


washingtontimes--2020-08-15--Judge: N.C. county can't ban all protests around courthouse

GRAHAM , N.C. ( AP ) - Officials in a central North Carolina county can ’ t bar all protests around the local courthouse , including near where a Confederate monument stands , a federal judge has ruled .
The Alamance County chapter of the NAACP and eight individuals were successful in obtaining an order preventing the sheriff ’ s department from further enforcing a policy that prevents the public from gathering on the courthouse steps , grounds and surrounding sidewalks .
U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles , who signed the preliminary injunction on Friday , said the plaintiffs were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First Amendment rights were being violated .
Alamance County officials “ imposed a total prohibition on protests in the traditional public forum of outdoor areas surrounding ” the courthouse , Eagles wrote .
“ The total prohibition is not a time , place , and manner restriction , and however strong the governmental interests are , the total prohibition is not narrowly tailored.
” Eagles declined to rule whether an updated policy governing use of the grounds is constitutional , saying the matter isn ’ t yet ripe for an appeal .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broad .
Friday ’ s ruling “ affirms the fundamental principle that public spaces should be generally open to everyone who would like to gather , protest and speak out , ” said Kristi Graunke with the ACLU of North Carolina , one of the plaintiffs ’ lawyers .
The Confederate monument has been a local target for demonstrations in the weeks after the May 25 death of George Floyd .
Floyd died after a white Minneapolis pressed his knee against the Black man ’ s neck for nearly eight minutes as he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opponents of the monument was scheduled for late Saturday in Graham across the street from the courthouse .

GRAHAM, N.C. (AP) - Officials in a central North Carolina county can’t bar all protests around the local courthouse, including near where a Confederate monument stands, a federal judge has ruled.
The Alamance County chapter of the NAACP and eight individuals were successful in obtaining an order preventing the sheriff’s department from further enforcing a policy that prevents the public from gathering on the courthouse steps, grounds and surrounding sidewalks.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles, who signed the preliminary injunction on Friday, said the plaintiffs were likely to be successful in arguing their First Amendment rights were being violated.
Alamance County officials “imposed a total prohibition on protests in the traditional public forum of outdoor areas surrounding” the courthouse, Eagles wrote. “The total prohibition is not a time, place, and manner restriction, and however strong the governmental interests are, the total prohibition is not narrowly tailored.”
Eagles declined to rule whether an updated policy governing use of the grounds is constitutional, saying the matter isn’t yet ripe for an appeal. The plaintiffs say the new rules remain overly broad.
Friday’s ruling “affirms the fundamental principle that public spaces should be generally open to everyone who would like to gather, protest and speak out,” said Kristi Graunke with the ACLU of North Carolina, one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers.
The Confederate monument has been a local target for demonstrations in the weeks after the May 25 death of George Floyd. Floyd died after a white Minneapolis pressed his knee against the Black man’s neck for nearly eight minutes as he pleaded for air.
A rally by opponents of the monument was scheduled for late Saturday in Graham across the street from the courthouse.


washingtontimes--2020-08-15--Small plane crashes in Minnesota, no fatalities reported

A small plane crashed while taking off in western Minnesota on Saturday , leaving a passenger with a minor injury @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Office responded to a grass runway in Brandon after receiving a call that @ @ @ @ @ was on fire .
According to the sheriff ’ s office , the plane ’ @ @ @ @ @ while it was taking off .
The pilot tried to land , but hit a @ @ @ @ @ at the end of the runway .
The plane came to rest and immediately started @ @ @ @ @ and passenger were able to get out of the plane .
The pilot was uninjured @ @ @ @ @ a small burn on her leg .

A small plane crashed while taking off in western Minnesota on Saturday, leaving a passenger with a minor injury.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to a grass runway in Brandon after receiving a call that a plane had crashed and was on fire. According to the sheriff’s office, the plane’s single engine momentarily failed while it was taking off. The pilot tried to land, but hit a small pole and some brush at the end of the runway. The plane came to rest and immediately started on fire.
The pilot and passenger were able to get out of the plane. The pilot was uninjured, and the passenger had a small burn on her leg.


washingtontimes--2020-08-15--Former Browns star Chip Banks shot, in serious condition

ATLANTA ( AP ) - Atlanta police say former four-time Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl linebacker Chip Banks is in serious condition following a shooting .
Atlanta police spokeswoman Marla Rooker said in an email to The Associated Press officers found three men with apparent gunshot wounds when responding to a shooting in Atlanta just before 1 p.m. Wednesday .
One of the victims , Charles Pharms Jr. , was declared dead at the scene , according to Rooker .
Banks and the third man were alert and transported to a local hospital .
The shooting was first reported by TMZ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious condition , according to Rooker .
There was no update on the other victim , identified by Rooker as Bennie C. Harris .
Rooker said the police investigation is ongoing .
Banks was the No .
3 overall pick in the 1982 NFL draft by the Browns .
He was named rookie of the year in 1982 before being named to four Pro Bowl teams with the Browns .
Banks played for San Diego in 1987 before completing his career with four seasons in Indianapolis .
He had 46 career sacks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @

ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta police say former four-time Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl linebacker Chip Banks is in serious condition following a shooting.
Atlanta police spokeswoman Marla Rooker said in an email to The Associated Press officers found three men with apparent gunshot wounds when responding to a shooting in Atlanta just before 1 p.m. Wednesday.
One of the victims, Charles Pharms Jr., was declared dead at the scene, according to Rooker. Banks and the third man were alert and transported to a local hospital.
The shooting was first reported by TMZ.
Banks, 60, was in serious condition, according to Rooker. There was no update on the other victim, identified by Rooker as Bennie C. Harris.
Rooker said the police investigation is ongoing.
Banks was the No. 3 overall pick in the 1982 NFL draft by the Browns. He was named rookie of the year in 1982 before being named to four Pro Bowl teams with the Browns.
Banks played for San Diego in 1987 before completing his career with four seasons in Indianapolis.
He had 46 career sacks, including a career-high 11 in 1985.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL


washingtontimes--2020-08-15--Texas reports 238 more COVID-19 deaths, for total of 9,840

AUSTIN , Texas ( AP ) - The death toll in Texas from the coronavirus inched nearer to 10,000 on Saturday , with 238 deaths bringing the total to 9,840 .
The Texas Department of State Health Services said the number of reported cases increased by 8,245 to 528,838 .
The true number of cases is likely higher because many people haven ’ t been tested , and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick .
Health officials said Saturday that 6,481 people with COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus , were hospitalized .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaking in July at 10,893 , and the number of newly reported cases is shrinking .
But the virus is still spreading geographically .
The report Thursday of a resident in sparsely populated Sterling County testing positive made it the 251st of the state ’ s 254 counties to have a confirmed case .
And the number of coronavirus tests being done daily in Texas dropped by the thousands in August , mirroring nationwide trends .
For most people , the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three weeks .
For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia and death .

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The death toll in Texas from the coronavirus inched nearer to 10,000 on Saturday, with 238 deaths bringing the total to 9,840.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said the number of reported cases increased by 8,245 to 528,838. The true number of cases is likely higher because many people haven’t been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
Health officials said Saturday that 6,481 people with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, were hospitalized. The number of hospitalizations has been decreasing since peaking in July at 10,893, and the number of newly reported cases is shrinking.
But the virus is still spreading geographically. The report Thursday of a resident in sparsely populated Sterling County testing positive made it the 251st of the state’s 254 counties to have a confirmed case.
And the number of coronavirus tests being done daily in Texas dropped by the thousands in August, mirroring nationwide trends.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.


washingtontimes--2020-08-15--Trump's top coronavirus adviser: Wear masks, social distance

KANSAS CITY , Kan. ( AP ) - Trump ’ s top coronavirus adviser used a visit to Kansas to urge people to wear masks regardless of where they live .
“ What ’ s really important for every Kansan to understand is that this epidemic that we have been seeing this summer is both urban and rural , ” Dr. Deborah Birx , coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force said Saturday .
“ So we are really asking all communities , whether you are urban or rural communities , to really wear a mask inside , outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that people should socially distance and not have gatherings while in Kansas City , Kansas , for a meeting with Kansas Gov .
Laura Kelly , as well as community and state health officials at KU Medical Center , The Kansas City Star reports .
“ You can ’ t tell who ’ s infected , ” Birx said .
“ Much of the spread is asymptomatic .
I know we all want to believe that our family members can not be positive .
They are.
” Birx said when communities start seeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to close the bars , restrict indoor dining , decrease social gatherings and ensure there ’ s a mask mandate .
“ We have been doing that across the South and we ’ ve seen a dramatic decrease in cases where the population has followed those guidelines , ” she said .

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - Trump’s top coronavirus adviser used a visit to Kansas to urge people to wear masks regardless of where they live.
“What’s really important for every Kansan to understand is that this epidemic that we have been seeing this summer is both urban and rural,” Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force said Saturday. “So we are really asking all communities, whether you are urban or rural communities, to really wear a mask inside, outside, every day.”
She also stressed that people should socially distance and not have gatherings while in Kansas City, Kansas, for a meeting with Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, as well as community and state health officials at KU Medical Center, The Kansas City Star reports.
“You can’t tell who’s infected,” Birx said. “Much of the spread is asymptomatic. I know we all want to believe that our family members cannot be positive. They are.”
Birx said when communities start seeing a rise in positive cases, leaders need to close the bars, restrict indoor dining, decrease social gatherings and ensure there’s a mask mandate.
“We have been doing that across the South and we’ve seen a dramatic decrease in cases where the population has followed those guidelines,” she said.


washingtontimes--2020-08-16--Northfield man killed in motorcycle crash

MIDDLESEX , Vt. ( AP ) - A Northfield man was killed in a motorcycle crash in Middlesex , police @ @ @ @ @ Saturday evening near the State Police barracks on Route 2 .
Paul Lavalley , 49 @ @ @ @ @ his motorcycle went off the road and hit an embankment , police said .
He @ @ @ @ @

MIDDLESEX, Vt. (AP) - A Northfield man was killed in a motorcycle crash in Middlesex, police said.
The crash happened Saturday evening near the State Police barracks on Route 2. Paul Lavalley, 49, was riding south when his motorcycle went off the road and hit an embankment, police said.
He died at the scene.


washingtontimes--2020-08-16--Puerto Rico holds 2nd voting round after chaotic primaries

SAN JUAN , Puerto Rico ( AP ) - Thousands of Puerto Ricans on Sunday got a second chance to vote for the first time , a week after delayed and missing ballots marred the original primaries in a blow to the U.S. territory ’ s democracy .
More than 60 of the island ’ s 110 precincts opened following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that stated a second round of voting would take place at centers that never opened on Aug. 9 or did not remain open the required eight hours .
The ruling permanently left out voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who went to her voting center in the southwest town of Cabo Rojo three times last Sunday and desisted only to find out later that it opened late .
“ They took away our right to vote , ” she said , adding that she was upset with the president of the elections commission despite his apologies .
“ Sorry for what ?
That doesn ’ t resolve anything.
” The primaries for the pro-statehood New Progressive Party pit Gov .
Wanda Vázquez against Pedro Pierluisi , who was Puerto Rico ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He also briefly served as governor after former Gov .
Ricardo Rosselló resigned last year following huge protests sparked by a profanity-laced chat that was leaked .
However , the island ’ s Supreme Court ruled that Vázquez , former justice secretary at the time , was next-in-line to become governor since there was no secretary of state .
Meanwhile , three candidates are running for the main opposition Popular Democratic Party , which sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr asking that his department investigate the debacle .
Puerto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Isabela Mayor Carlos Delgado and San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz , known for her public spats with U.S. President Donald Trump .
The two main parties also have demanded that elections commission president Juan Ernesto Dávila resign .
Dávila has said it would be irresponsible to do so amid the primaries , and that he would only consider the petition afterward .
Officials have blamed the chaos of the Aug. 9 primaries on ballots arriving late to the elections commission and trucks laden with materials not leaving until the day of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or two days before .
Dávila has said the ballots arrived late because of the pandemic , Tropical Storm Isaias and a last-minute request from both parties to print more of them .

LOÍZA, Puerto Rico (AP) - Puerto Rican Gov. Wanda Vázquez on Sunday acknowledged losing the primary of her pro-statehood party to Pedro Pierluisi, who briefly served as the U.S. territory’s governor last year amid political turmoil.
With more than 78% of electoral colleges reporting late Sunday, Pierluisi received more than 57% of the vote compared with more than 42% for Vázquez.
“We have to abide by the decision of the majority,” Vázquez said in a brief speech where she warned Pierluisi that he should “aspire” to have the support of those who voted for her. She will remain as governor until the winner of Puerto Rico’s Nov. 3 general elections takes office.
Pierluisi spoke shortly after Vázquez and said the governor can count on him: “We all have to be united to push Puerto Rico forward.”
Meanwhile, Carlos Delgado, mayor of the northwest town of Isabela for 20 years, was poised to win by a landslide the nomination of the main opposition Popular Democratic Party. Conceding defeat was Puerto Rico Sen. Eduardo Bhatia and San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, known for her public spats with U.S. President Donald Trump.
With more than 68% of electoral colleges reporting, Delgado had received more than 60% of the vote.
The results come one week after delayed and missing ballots led to a chaotic primary that forced a second round of voting on Sunday in which thousands of Puerto Ricans got a second chance to vote for the first time.
Voting centers in nearly 50 of the island’s 78 municipalities opened following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that stated a second round of voting would take place at centers that never opened on Aug. 9 or did not remain open the required eight hours.
The opening of at least one voting center in the north coastal town of Loíza was delayed by more than one hour as dozens of voters grumbled about having to stand in the heat with masks over their faces.
“We expected that there wouldn’t be any problems,” said Santiago Jiménez, a 68-year-old retiree, adding that some people left.
Jannette Ledoux, coordinator for the unit where the voting center was located, told The Associated Press that the problem was a result of four volunteers quitting late Saturday, delaying the required ballot counting before the doors opened.
Once voting got underway, one elderly woman emerged after casting her ballot and yelled to those waiting, “Come on! Come on! Let’s vote! Let’s vote!”
But not everyone could participate in Sunday’s second round.
The Supreme Court’s ruling permanently left out voters like Eldy Correa, a 67-year-old retiree who went to her voting center in the southwest town of Cabo Rojo three times last Sunday and desisted only to find out later that it opened late.
“They took away our right to vote,” she said, adding that she was upset with the president of the elections commission despite his apologies. “Sorry for what? That doesn’t resolve anything.”
Puerto Rico’s general elections will see a record six candidates running for governor. Among them is Pierluisi, who served for governor less than a week after former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló resigned last year following huge protests sparked by a profanity-laced chat that was leaked. However, the island’s Supreme Court ruled that Vázquez, former justice secretary at the time, was next-in-line to become governor since there was no secretary of state.
The island’s two main parties have demanded that elections commission president Juan Ernesto Dávila resign. Dávila has said it would be irresponsible to do so amid the primaries, and that he would only consider the petition afterward.
Officials have blamed the chaos of the Aug. 9 primaries on ballots arriving late to the elections commission and trucks laden with materials not leaving until the day of the primaries, when usually they depart one or two days before. Dávila has said the ballots arrived late because of the pandemic, Tropical Storm Isaias and a last-minute request from both parties to print more of them.
Officials from both parties said Sunday that all ballots arrived on time and that no serious delays were reported.
Many Puerto Ricans remained angry and embarrassed over a botched primary that many say was a blow to the U.S territory’s democracy. But that didn’t stop Irma Muñoz, a 72-year-old retiree, from weathering heat and the pandemic to stand in line for a second time to cast her vote.
“You have to make the sacrifice,” she said. “Otherwise, we’re stuck with what we have now.”


washingtontimes--2020-08-16--Officer brightens day for parkgoers during pandemic

MEMPHIS , Tenn. ( AP ) - It ’ s a Wednesday morning in Whitehaven , and Memphis police officer LaTica Bennett ’ s voice rings out as she greets walkers , runners and faithfuls at David Carnes Park .
“ It is a beautiful day .
Y ’ all look so amazing .
Keep up the good work and good morning , ” Bennett says over her patrol car ’ s public address system .
For the past month , Bennett , an 18-year veteran of the Memphis Police Department , has greeted the morning fitness crew in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the pandemic to ensure those walking in the park are social distancing .
Her patrol also serves as an additional safety measure – as park usage citywide has increased during the pandemic , so too have car break-ins at parks .
But with her uplifting loud speaker announcements , Bennett makes her Whitehaven beat a little more upbeat .
It took her a while to get up the nerve to greet those in the park in such a public fashion amid the recent tension nationwide between police and the community .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we are in as far as the police and what is going on and what has been going on , ” Bennett said .
“ I was kinda nervous about it .
But when I started seeing the hand raises and then smiles , I knew this is what the Holy Spirit told me to do.
” Bennett arrives just before sunrise and leaves after the sun sets in the 9-acre , $ 5.4 million park that opened last year off Auburn Road and Whitehaven Lane in the heart of the community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state that is part of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation ’ s BlueCross Healthy Place program , which promotes healthy lifestyles .
The park is full of activity from sunrise to sunset , with people on the walking trails that wind through an oak tree canopy .
On any given day , one may see a dance class practicing moves on the soccer field or personal trainers coaching clients at the fitness stations .
Because of COVID-19 , the splash park and playground are off limits and Bennett said she has had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to time as she sits and watches from her patrol car that she nicknamed Betsy .
Most parkgoers , however , are considerate of the new rules and adjustments .
Mary Rogers , who arrives at the park daily at 6:15 a.m. for her walks , loves Bennett ’ s presence and her daily greeting .
“ She tells us we are beautiful and amazing , and I love it , ” Rogers said .
“ It puts a pep in my step when I hear her voice as I walk the trails.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ lady of Greater Faith Tabernacle Ministries next door to the park , allows Bennett to park her police cruiser on the church ’ s parking lot to monitor the comings and goings .
“ It is for safety , and we appreciate her being here , ” Johnson said .
“ I look for her every morning.
” On most days , Bennett will work an eight-hour shift and then turn around and work another eight-hour shift .
“ I live in the community and come exercise here too , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I would be doing nothing , so I often volunteer for overtime shifts and come back to the park and work .
I love this community .
I love giving back to the community .
It is part of my mission in life.
” Bennett grew up in the Greenbriar Apartments in Frayser and graduated from Northside High School in 1992 .
As a teen , she thought her mission was to be a mortician .
“ I decided I was best suited to work with the living and not the dead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she enrolled in the Memphis Police Academy and , after graduating , worked at the Airways precinct until she was assigned seven years ago to the Raines precinct .
Two years ago , she started a free summer camp for children in the Whitehaven community at the church where she is a member , The Dominion Church across the street from her precinct .
She asked businesses in the Whitehaven area to sponsor the summer camp that , this year , had to be canceled because of the pandemic .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the kids , ” she said .
“ My detail at the park has me interacting with the community , which I love .
I am a community freak .
We have the summer camp .
We help the homeless , and I love giving back because I know what it feels like to not have your own and need some help.
” About 10 years ago , Bennett faced a serious medical condition .
After attempting to pay the mounting medical bills , she lost her home , she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ police officer , ” she said .
“ Things went bad for me after I was hospitalized , and I had to reach out for help and moved in with my mother .
By me reaching out , I know somebody else needs help out there , so that ’ s why I give back to the community.
” Bennett , 46 , is the mother of two adult daughters and is the grandmother to a 4-month-old child .
She called patrolling the park and offering her daily greeting her “ woosah ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she is living out her truth and her mission in life .
“ I am walking in my purpose now , ” she said .
“ At first , I didn ’ t know what my purpose was .
I didn ’ t understand it , but now I know and my purpose is to help those in the community when I can help , even if it is a simple good morning .
”

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - It’s a Wednesday morning in Whitehaven, and Memphis police officer LaTica Bennett’s voice rings out as she greets walkers, runners and faithfuls at David Carnes Park.
“It is a beautiful day. Y’all look so amazing. Keep up the good work and good morning,” Bennett says over her patrol car’s public address system.
For the past month, Bennett, an 18-year veteran of the Memphis Police Department, has greeted the morning fitness crew in the park.
She picked up the duty during the pandemic to ensure those walking in the park are social distancing. Her patrol also serves as an additional safety measure – as park usage citywide has increased during the pandemic, so too have car break-ins at parks. But with her uplifting loud speaker announcements, Bennett makes her Whitehaven beat a little more upbeat.
It took her a while to get up the nerve to greet those in the park in such a public fashion amid the recent tension nationwide between police and the community.
“I was nervous because of the climate that we are in as far as the police and what is going on and what has been going on,” Bennett said. “I was kinda nervous about it. But when I started seeing the hand raises and then smiles, I knew this is what the Holy Spirit told me to do.”
Bennett arrives just before sunrise and leaves after the sun sets in the 9-acre, $5.4 million park that opened last year off Auburn Road and Whitehaven Lane in the heart of the community.
The park is the first in the state that is part of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation’s BlueCross Healthy Place program, which promotes healthy lifestyles.
The park is full of activity from sunrise to sunset, with people on the walking trails that wind through an oak tree canopy. On any given day, one may see a dance class practicing moves on the soccer field or personal trainers coaching clients at the fitness stations.
Because of COVID-19, the splash park and playground are off limits and Bennett said she has had to remind people of that from time to time as she sits and watches from her patrol car that she nicknamed Betsy. Most parkgoers, however, are considerate of the new rules and adjustments.
Mary Rogers, who arrives at the park daily at 6:15 a.m. for her walks, loves Bennett’s presence and her daily greeting.
“She tells us we are beautiful and amazing, and I love it,” Rogers said. “It puts a pep in my step when I hear her voice as I walk the trails.”
Jo Ann Johnson, the first lady of Greater Faith Tabernacle Ministries next door to the park, allows Bennett to park her police cruiser on the church’s parking lot to monitor the comings and goings.
“It is for safety, and we appreciate her being here,” Johnson said. “I look for her every morning.”
On most days, Bennett will work an eight-hour shift and then turn around and work another eight-hour shift.
“I live in the community and come exercise here too,” she said. “If I was at home, I would be doing nothing, so I often volunteer for overtime shifts and come back to the park and work. I love this community. I love giving back to the community. It is part of my mission in life.”
Bennett grew up in the Greenbriar Apartments in Frayser and graduated from Northside High School in 1992. As a teen, she thought her mission was to be a mortician.
“I decided I was best suited to work with the living and not the dead,” she said.
In 2002, she enrolled in the Memphis Police Academy and, after graduating, worked at the Airways precinct until she was assigned seven years ago to the Raines precinct.
Two years ago, she started a free summer camp for children in the Whitehaven community at the church where she is a member, The Dominion Church across the street from her precinct.
She asked businesses in the Whitehaven area to sponsor the summer camp that, this year, had to be canceled because of the pandemic.
“I do miss the summer camp so much and the kids,” she said. “My detail at the park has me interacting with the community, which I love. I am a community freak. We have the summer camp. We help the homeless, and I love giving back because I know what it feels like to not have your own and need some help.”
About 10 years ago, Bennett faced a serious medical condition. After attempting to pay the mounting medical bills, she lost her home, she said.
“I was once homeless as a police officer,” she said. “Things went bad for me after I was hospitalized, and I had to reach out for help and moved in with my mother. By me reaching out, I know somebody else needs help out there, so that’s why I give back to the community.”
Bennett, 46, is the mother of two adult daughters and is the grandmother to a 4-month-old child.
She called patrolling the park and offering her daily greeting her “woosah” moment, a moment of clarity where she is living out her truth and her mission in life.
“I am walking in my purpose now,” she said. “At first, I didn’t know what my purpose was. I didn’t understand it, but now I know and my purpose is to help those in the community when I can help, even if it is a simple good morning.”


washingtontimes--2020-08-16--Bourbon Trail: Inside Second Sight Spirits craft distillery

LUDLOW , Ky. ( AP ) - I heard the distillery was focused on the future , but really , I didn ’ t see this coming .
Staring up at a large , in-house-made still where the copper top had been formed into the shape of a fortune teller ’ s turban I was about to get a lesson in spirits unlike any other in Kentucky .
Carus Waggoner was very clear when he began my tour at Second Sight Spirits in Ludlow , Kentucky , just south of Cincinnati .
He wasn ’ t going to try and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long-gone ancestor that he couldn ’ t remember the name of like other distilleries .
The closest thing we ’ d see to historic pictures were yearbook photos of him and his business partner from their days at Conner High School in Hebron , Kentucky .
No , this wasn ’ t a tale of a family that bootlegged during prohibition and a mash bill recipe handed down from generation to generation .
This was the story of two childhood best friends from Northern Kentucky , who ran off and joined the circus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and started a spirits company .
They themed their distillery around “ the future ” because they reasoned looking forward in life is something everyone can relate to .
They also grew up in the 80s , and they had a thing for the movie “ Big ” starring Tom Hanks and its Zoltar fortune-telling machine .
I ’ ll get more into that in a minute .
They aren ’ t distillers by trade .
Waggoner is a trained industrial designer and his business partner Rick Couch is a mechanical engineer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Las Vegas to pursue a career in props , and Couch followed his old friend two years later .
Somehow between working on the sets of two of Sin City ’ s largest shows - Cirque Du Soleil and Viva Elvis - they ’ d found the time to build a homemade still in Waggoner ’ s one-bedroom apartment .
When they weren ’ t tending to a 21-foot blue suede shoe that dropped from the ceiling and crushed an outlandish Elvis impersonator , they were assembling distilling equipment for the owners of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their own spirits in Waggoner ’ s closet .
With time , they learned the secrets of both trades .
Cantaloupe , for instance , just turns into flavorless , melon mush when you try to turn it into liquor .
Their circus colleagues , too , were tough , fearless and could survive just about anything .
Their taste tests included .
What all that experience boiled down to , though , is there seemingly isn ’ t anything these two entrepreneurs can ’ t imagine or build .
“ What brings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a new idea and working off of each other to make it come to life , ” Waggoner told me .
“ That ’ s where we really get our joy is just making and creating.
” That showbiz background ripples through their distillery and lounge .
It starts with that eclectic still in the front , but what the future holds for the business truly lies with the spirits .
Bourbon .
Rum .
Moonshine .
And maybe a couple fortune tellers and ghosts , too .
By the time I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Las Vegas lifestyle was well behind Waggoner and Couch , but its showstopping personality had very much taken form at 301 Elm St. in Ludlow .
They ’ d been making rum and bourbon back in their home state for almost five years .
I stumbled upon this oddity while I was finishing up the Northern leg of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour .
I was so mesmerized by the whole experience , I actually called Waggoner back the following week and asked him to relive the details of the tour to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it with you .
I ’ ve visited more than two dozen distilleries in Kentucky , and I ’ ve never seen anything like this .
They ’ re in the process of morphing that mystical still into a full fortune teller .
Think of it like that old Zoltar machine in “ Big , ” but it makes bourbon and with the press of a button , it tells your future .
Recently they dressed one of their friends up as a fortune teller and made a copy of him using a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got the arms and legs ready to go .
He ’ s essentially just a paint job and some assembling away from bringing that futuristic bourbon experience to life .
As Waggoner walked me through the lounge the week before , he explained they wanted to create a place their guests could interact with .
That ’ s why they took an old vending machine and converted it to a mystery “ Swami Snack ” machine with the slogan “ may the odds be in your flavor.
” You could get cookies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drink from the bar .
You could also get something a little more questionable like spicy shrimp flavored chips or seaweed snacks from the nearby Asian market .
Even if ill fortune befalls you , Waggoner keeps a stash of snacks on hand to let folks swap out .
The machine is supposed to be fun , and it ’ s not worth it to irritate someone , he told me .
Until recently their goldfish , Fortuna , lived in the lounge and swam in a fish tank with a less creepy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creatives rigged it with bubbles so you can call upon the tiny creature to suss out the biggest questions on your heart , just like you would ask a Magic 8 Ball .
Wherever Fortuna swims at the encouragement of those bubbles is your answer .
It ’ s more funny than spooky .
They try to keep the experience light and not take themselves too seriously .
“ I can barely conjure myself out bed in the morning , let alone anything else , ” Waggoner told me .
Unfortunately , Fortuna @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once crowds can gather safely again , they ’ ll hold a funeral procession for her to the Ohio River .
Plans are in place , too , to welcome her successor by sending white smoke from the building , similar to what you ’ d see when Catholics choose a new pope in Vatican City .
They ’ ve outfitted a wooden bar with about 8,000 Chinese feng shui coins , and while it ’ s easy to get lost in that pattern , you ’ ll really want to keep your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
Once the pandemic allows , they ’ ll host “ casting call ” to film the bar ’ s ghosts .
Images of patrons and friends , many of which have committed to wearing costumes like bears and pioneers , could eventually become specters at Second Sight .
There ’ s much more than “ ghosts ” behind the scenes , though .
Once we migrated to the back room , I spotted an in-house made bottle washer and an industrial mixer they designed themselves .
There ’ s no need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it in-house .
Behind a door toward the back of the distillery space was a large closet he called a “ rick room , ” a pint-size version of the rickhouses you ’ d see at more mainstream distilleries .
They keep about 18 barrels back there and ship the rest off to age at another small distillery , Hartfield and Co. , in Bourbon County .
They only make about 700 gallons of bourbon a year , he told me , and while they look forward to advancing that side of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already a lot of good bourbon in Kentucky .
So for the immediate future , you ’ ll see more rum from them than anything else .
“ Coming up with a brand new bourbon is a really hard sell sometimes because there are so many great bourbon ’ s in the state , ” he told me .
Back at the front of the distillery , I took a bar stool positioned in front of a large COVID-19-era piece of plexiglass they ’ d outfitted with an antique picture frame for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I sampled their Oak Eye Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey , a long line of rums and an utterly divine hazelnut liquor called “ Queen Mab , ” Waggoner told me about all the events they ’ d held in this space before the pandemic hit .
Sure , this is a place where they make bourbon and rum , but his favorite part of the business is bringing people together .
That ’ s what he ’ s most excited about .
He misses the burlesque shows and the drag shows that happen on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to welcome back bachelorette and birthday parties .
He ’ s eager to collaborate with the other creatives in the town , and meet all the guests that finds their way to his doorstep .
They ’ ve extended their reach since they joined the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour a couple of years ago , but there ’ s so much more to bringing in guests than pouring them a glass of bourbon .
There has to be energy and spirit , and not just with that futuristic theme or in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a state full of distilleries , it ’ s a huge ask for people to choose to go to a small one like his and an even bigger one to travel off the beaten bourbon path north to Ludlow , Kentucky .
That ’ s not something he takes lightly , he told me .
And as he looks toward the distillery ’ s own future , it ’ s the thing he hopes to see the most .

LUDLOW, Ky. (AP) - I heard the distillery was focused on the future, but really, I didn’t see this coming.
Staring up at a large, in-house-made still where the copper top had been formed into the shape of a fortune teller’s turban I was about to get a lesson in spirits unlike any other in Kentucky.
Carus Waggoner was very clear when he began my tour at Second Sight Spirits in Ludlow, Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati. He wasn’t going to try and tie his rum and bourbon to some long-gone ancestor that he couldn’t remember the name of like other distilleries. The closest thing we’d see to historic pictures were yearbook photos of him and his business partner from their days at Conner High School in Hebron, Kentucky.
No, this wasn’t a tale of a family that bootlegged during prohibition and a mash bill recipe handed down from generation to generation.
This was the story of two childhood best friends from Northern Kentucky, who ran off and joined the circus in Las Vegas and then came back and started a spirits company. They themed their distillery around “the future” because they reasoned looking forward in life is something everyone can relate to.
They also grew up in the 80s, and they had a thing for the movie “Big” starring Tom Hanks and its Zoltar fortune-telling machine. I’ll get more into that in a minute.
They aren’t distillers by trade. Waggoner is a trained industrial designer and his business partner Rick Couch is a mechanical engineer. Back in 2006, Waggoner headed to Las Vegas to pursue a career in props, and Couch followed his old friend two years later.
Somehow between working on the sets of two of Sin City’s largest shows - Cirque Du Soleil and Viva Elvis - they’d found the time to build a homemade still in Waggoner’s one-bedroom apartment.
When they weren’t tending to a 21-foot blue suede shoe that dropped from the ceiling and crushed an outlandish Elvis impersonator, they were assembling distilling equipment for the owners of the Las Vegas Distillery and experimenting with their own spirits in Waggoner’s closet. With time, they learned the secrets of both trades. Cantaloupe, for instance, just turns into flavorless, melon mush when you try to turn it into liquor. Their circus colleagues, too, were tough, fearless and could survive just about anything. Their taste tests included.
What all that experience boiled down to, though, is there seemingly isn’t anything these two entrepreneurs can’t imagine or build.
“What brings us the most joy is when we have a new idea and working off of each other to make it come to life,” Waggoner told me. “That’s where we really get our joy is just making and creating.”
That showbiz background ripples through their distillery and lounge. It starts with that eclectic still in the front, but what the future holds for the business truly lies with the spirits.
Bourbon. Rum. Moonshine. And maybe a couple fortune tellers and ghosts, too.
By the time I ended up at Second Sight, the Las Vegas lifestyle was well behind Waggoner and Couch, but its showstopping personality had very much taken form at 301 Elm St. in Ludlow. They’d been making rum and bourbon back in their home state for almost five years.
I stumbled upon this oddity while I was finishing up the Northern leg of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. I was so mesmerized by the whole experience, I actually called Waggoner back the following week and asked him to relive the details of the tour to me, so that I could share it with you.
I’ve visited more than two dozen distilleries in Kentucky, and I’ve never seen anything like this.
They’re in the process of morphing that mystical still into a full fortune teller. Think of it like that old Zoltar machine in “Big,” but it makes bourbon and with the press of a button, it tells your future. Recently they dressed one of their friends up as a fortune teller and made a copy of him using a 3D scanner. Now they’ve got the arms and legs ready to go. He’s essentially just a paint job and some assembling away from bringing that futuristic bourbon experience to life.
As Waggoner walked me through the lounge the week before, he explained they wanted to create a place their guests could interact with.
That’s why they took an old vending machine and converted it to a mystery “Swami Snack” machine with the slogan “may the odds be in your flavor.” You could get cookies, candy or a coupon for a free drink from the bar. You could also get something a little more questionable like spicy shrimp flavored chips or seaweed snacks from the nearby Asian market.
Even if ill fortune befalls you, Waggoner keeps a stash of snacks on hand to let folks swap out. The machine is supposed to be fun, and it’s not worth it to irritate someone, he told me.
Until recently their goldfish, Fortuna, lived in the lounge and swam in a fish tank with a less creepy Ouija-like board behind it. The two creatives rigged it with bubbles so you can call upon the tiny creature to suss out the biggest questions on your heart, just like you would ask a Magic 8 Ball. Wherever Fortuna swims at the encouragement of those bubbles is your answer.
It’s more funny than spooky. They try to keep the experience light and not take themselves too seriously.
“I can barely conjure myself out bed in the morning, let alone anything else,” Waggoner told me.
Unfortunately, Fortuna passed a few weeks ago. So once crowds can gather safely again, they’ll hold a funeral procession for her to the Ohio River. Plans are in place, too, to welcome her successor by sending white smoke from the building, similar to what you’d see when Catholics choose a new pope in Vatican City.
They’ve outfitted a wooden bar with about 8,000 Chinese feng shui coins, and while it’s easy to get lost in that pattern, you’ll really want to keep your eyes on the old mirror lingering behind it.
Once the pandemic allows, they’ll host “casting call” to film the bar’s ghosts. Images of patrons and friends, many of which have committed to wearing costumes like bears and pioneers, could eventually become specters at Second Sight.
There’s much more than “ghosts” behind the scenes, though.
Once we migrated to the back room, I spotted an in-house made bottle washer and an industrial mixer they designed themselves. There’s no need to buy equipment when you can make it in-house.
Behind a door toward the back of the distillery space was a large closet he called a “rick room,” a pint-size version of the rickhouses you’d see at more mainstream distilleries. They keep about 18 barrels back there and ship the rest off to age at another small distillery, Hartfield and Co., in Bourbon County.
They only make about 700 gallons of bourbon a year, he told me, and while they look forward to advancing that side of their business, they understand there’s already a lot of good bourbon in Kentucky. So for the immediate future, you’ll see more rum from them than anything else.
“Coming up with a brand new bourbon is a really hard sell sometimes because there are so many great bourbon’s in the state,” he told me.
Back at the front of the distillery, I took a bar stool positioned in front of a large COVID-19-era piece of plexiglass they’d outfitted with an antique picture frame for a magic mirror sort of feel.
As I sampled their Oak Eye Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey, a long line of rums and an utterly divine hazelnut liquor called “Queen Mab,” Waggoner told me about all the events they’d held in this space before the pandemic hit.
Sure, this is a place where they make bourbon and rum, but his favorite part of the business is bringing people together. That’s what he’s most excited about.
He misses the burlesque shows and the drag shows that happen on their stage. He’s excited to welcome back bachelorette and birthday parties. He’s eager to collaborate with the other creatives in the town, and meet all the guests that finds their way to his doorstep. They’ve extended their reach since they joined the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour a couple of years ago, but there’s so much more to bringing in guests than pouring them a glass of bourbon.
There has to be energy and spirit, and not just with that futuristic theme or in their tasting glasses.
Waggoner knows that in a state full of distilleries, it’s a huge ask for people to choose to go to a small one like his and an even bigger one to travel off the beaten bourbon path north to Ludlow, Kentucky.
That’s not something he takes lightly, he told me.
And as he looks toward the distillery’s own future, it’s the thing he hopes to see the most.


washingtontimes--2020-08-16--Woman receives double lung transplant during pandemic

CHARLESTON , W.Va. ( AP ) - The phone rang at 9 a.m. Flailing about under blankets on a Sunday morning in April , Beth McCarthy missed the call .
“ I woke up almost in a panic .
Nobody calls first thing in the morning on Sunday , ” Beth said , seated on a couch in her home in Dunbar .
Something had happened and she was afraid of what it might be .
“ I think that was Pittsburgh , ” she recalled telling her fiancé Tim McCarthy .
Still half asleep , he told her , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Then the phone rang again .
It was a medical coordinator from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center ( UPMC ) calling back .
“ We have a pair of lungs for you , ” he said .
The 29-year-old mother of two had been waiting 18 months for that call .
She ’ d almost given up hope that it would ever come .
Beth was born with situs inversus , an uncommon genetic condition .
Beth ’ s major organs are reversed from the usual position .
Her heart , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her chest , instead of to the left .
She also had Kartagener ’ s syndrome , which affects the fine , hair-like cilia of the lungs .
In most lungs , the cilia catch dust and debris , which are then coughed back up and out .
Beth ’ s cilia are malformed and don ’ t release the debris as easily .
She spent much of her youth and teens in and out of hospitals .
She was always more susceptible to colds and respiratory infections .
She took daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that helped shake some of the junk in her lungs loose .
Discipline and devotion to her treatment helped her lead a relatively normal and active life , but her condition could only decline over time .
She still got sick a lot and because she ’ d had so many respiratory infections , she ’ d developed a condition called pseudomonas , which actually made it harder and harder for her to shake pneumonia .
Beth ’ s lungs were failing .
She was dying .
By the time the hospital called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down to 19 % .
She got winded walking across the yard .
Her fiancé or her father , Tony Slack , had to carry her into sports arenas to watch football or hockey .
She couldn ’ t keep up with her two kids .
Beth was accepted into the national registry for a double lung transplant a little more than a year and a half ago and then was told to wait for a call that could come at any time .
It was a bittersweet proposition .
For Beth to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to no longer need them .
Insurance covered the cost of the transplant , but her father , a local actor and comedian , started a GoFundMe campaign and raised money around Charleston to help with the costs associated with recovery .
Meanwhile , Beth and Tim were trying to set a wedding date .
“ We wanted to wait and do the wedding after the transplant , but the call never came , ” she said .
“ I ’ d almost given up hope.
” They set a wedding date for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Jamaica .
Then COVID-19 hit .
People were directed to stay in their homes as much as possible .
Because of her vulnerability to respiratory illnesses , Beth sequestered herself in her small home with Tim and her two children .
She barely left the house and saw her parents from across her living room .
“ I didn ’ t hug them for two months , ” she said .
The call from UPMC came April 26 .
“ But there was a catch , ” Beth said .
“ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean a lot of things , she explained .
It could mean that the donor had some sort of preexisting health issue , had a history of drug abuse or had been in jail .
“ It could be just about anything , ” Beth said .
All the coordinator could tell her was that the lungs came from a young male in Philadelphia .
Whatever came with the lungs , she ’ d be getting that , too - and there was a pandemic to consider .
“ He said he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about it and call back , ” Beth said .
Almost frantic , Beth called her parents , who were still asleep in bed .
April Slack said when she picked up the phone , she couldn ’ t understand what her daughter was saying at first .
“ Mom , I got the call , ” she told her .
Beth explained about the lungs and the decision she had to make .
“ You ’ ve got to do it , ” April told her .
Beth ’ s father and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was some illness , they could just treat it , too .
When the coordinator called back , Beth agreed to take the lungs .
They needed to get to Pittsburgh as soon as they could .
As they left , Beth met her 5-year-old twins at Charleston Area Medical Center ’ s Women and Children ’ s Hospital .
The children had been staying with their father .
“ I was really lucky , ” she said .
“ The kids had been with me for almost two months straight because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time with them.
” She had to explain that they might not be able to see their mommy for a while .
Recovery would take months and she wouldn ’ t be able to leave Pittsburgh .
Because of the pandemic , visits might be scarce , too .
Beth told them she loved them .
Then she and Tim began the four-hour drive to Pittsburgh .
Outside of the radio and the few quick phone calls to friends , Beth said the drive was quiet .
And it could have been for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program , she ’ d been told that most transplant recipients had at least one dry run .
They ’ d get the call , but when they got to the hospital , it would just be a drill .
“ I never got my dry run , so we thought this might be it , ” she said .
They arrived in the Pittsburgh hospital parking lot in the early afternoon .
Beth ’ s parents were right behind them .
“ We broke a few speed limit laws , but we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laughed .
Tony added , “ Getting there was just a blur.
” They ’ d been waiting for the call , too .
Following surgery , April planned to stay with her daughter in Pittsburgh as she recovered .
She ’ d packed a bag more than a year ago .
Beth checked in , but because of the virus , the hospital would only allow one person to accompany her into the building .
Beth hugged her parents for the first time in two months and then went inside with her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the parking lot .
“ They took us back to surgery prep and the whole hospital was a ghost town , ” Beth said .
“ I was the only one in prep.
” Finally , she asked if this was really happening or if it was a dry run .
“ It ’ s real , ” the nurse told her .
“ These lungs are for you.
” Beth told hospital staff that her parents were outside .
Quietly , staff sneaked them in to see her before surgery .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to cry , ” she said .
Beth talked some about end-of-life matters , just in case .
“ I don ’ t think that even hit me until we left , ” Tony said .
“ All I remember is telling Tim how to do laundry and how to load the dishwasher , ” Beth said .
“ It just didn ’ t seem real.
” The surgical team gave her a sedative , strapped her to a table and rolled her into an operating room .
The surgeon was playing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Beth asked him , “ You ’ re good at this , right ?
” The surgeon looked up , laughed , and told her , “ I ’ m the best.
” Twelve hours later , she came out of surgery .
“ She was just so swollen , ” Tony said .
“ It just didn ’ t look like her.
” Seven liters of fluid had been pumped into Beth ’ s body during surgery .
She was so swollen , her tongue wouldn ’ t stay in her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to shed the fluid .
After she regained something like consciousness , Beth refused pain medication for the first three days in the ICU .
“ I didn ’ t like how it made me feel , ” she said .
“ But I couldn ’ t sleep.
” By the time they moved her to a regular room a few days later , she was taking pain medication , but having trouble with a feeding tube , unable to sleep again and hallucinating .
Two weeks after surgery , Beth left the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with her mother .
They spent the next two and a half months going back and forth to doctor ’ s appointments and therapy sessions .
Beth sometimes walked in a local park during the day , but otherwise , generally , stayed in .
Beth kept in touch with her children through FaceTime on her phone .
Tim , her father and her brother , Joe , would visit occasionally .
“ I ’ d walk two miles one day and then bike four miles the next , ” Beth said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t do any of that.
” It was exciting for Beth .
Her mother was less enthusiastic .
“ That scared the heck out of me , ” April said .
“ She had ridden bikes before , but she ’ d been real little.
” She worried about what would happen if Beth fell .
“ She ’ d been cut from armpit to armpit , ” April said .
“ What if she wrecked and hit her chest ?
It was nerve wracking for me as a mother.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to Charleston .
Beth had blood drawn and started the process of transferring her routine care to local medical professionals , but she also wanted to see how it felt to be back .
“ We told almost nobody , ” she said .
The two women returned home July 13 - with five days to go before the wedding .
While resting and recuperating in Pittsburgh , Beth and April had worked on flower arrangements for Beth ’ s wedding .
April had sewn masks for the guests .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s outfits , ” April said .
The week of the wedding was full of last-minute details , arrangements and adjustments .
Beth ’ s wedding gown had to be taken in .
Small and slender to begin with , she ’ d lost a lot of weight and struggled to regain 20 pounds .
The gown didn ’ t fit the same , but she said it was a small thing next to being able to walk down the aisle on her own feet and then dance with her husband .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said .
Beth said she doesn ’ t have the words to say all that she ’ d like to about the donor who gave her the lungs .
There ’ s guilt at receiving this very final gift , but she knows it ’ s a gift and more than anything else , she feels an immense sense of gratitude .
“ But it ’ s hard to know that I can ’ t thank him , ” Beth said .
Her breathing is much better .
She said her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improving , but it ’ s something she ’ ll have to work at for the rest of her life through therapy , exercise and caution .
Even after COVID-19 fades , Beth will always have to wear a mask in crowds .
“ I ’ m immunosuppressed , ” Beth said .
“ When you have a transplant , they tell you that you ’ re trading one illness for another.
” There will also be regular trips to Pittsburgh for checkups and tests , expected hospital stays , and it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lungs more than once .
It will be a fight to keep breathing .
Because of the virus and her continuing recovery , a lot of things are on hold .
The honeymoon to Jamaica is out .
As a transplant patient , Beth can ’ t leave the country for a year .
The couple is looking into rescheduling , maybe going to Florida or Hawaii .
She wants to have friends over for cookouts and dinners , be more active outdoors , work out with her husband and eventually get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go to hockey games and see football without being carried into the stadium , ” she said .
“ There are just so many little things I want to do .
”

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The phone rang at 9 a.m. Flailing about under blankets on a Sunday morning in April, Beth McCarthy missed the call.
“I woke up almost in a panic. Nobody calls first thing in the morning on Sunday,” Beth said, seated on a couch in her home in Dunbar.
Something had happened and she was afraid of what it might be.
“I think that was Pittsburgh,” she recalled telling her fiancé Tim McCarthy.
Still half asleep, he told her, “You don’t even know.”
Then the phone rang again. It was a medical coordinator from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) calling back.
“We have a pair of lungs for you,” he said.
The 29-year-old mother of two had been waiting 18 months for that call. She’d almost given up hope that it would ever come.
Beth was born with situs inversus, an uncommon genetic condition. Beth’s major organs are reversed from the usual position. Her heart, for example, is to the right of her chest, instead of to the left.
She also had Kartagener’s syndrome, which affects the fine, hair-like cilia of the lungs.
In most lungs, the cilia catch dust and debris, which are then coughed back up and out. Beth’s cilia are malformed and don’t release the debris as easily.
She spent much of her youth and teens in and out of hospitals. She was always more susceptible to colds and respiratory infections. She took daily nebulizer treatments and wore a percussion vest that helped shake some of the junk in her lungs loose.
Discipline and devotion to her treatment helped her lead a relatively normal and active life, but her condition could only decline over time.
She still got sick a lot and because she’d had so many respiratory infections, she’d developed a condition called pseudomonas, which actually made it harder and harder for her to shake pneumonia.
Beth’s lungs were failing. She was dying.
By the time the hospital called, Beth’s lung function was down to 19%. She got winded walking across the yard. Her fiancé or her father, Tony Slack, had to carry her into sports arenas to watch football or hockey.
She couldn’t keep up with her two kids.
Beth was accepted into the national registry for a double lung transplant a little more than a year and a half ago and then was told to wait for a call that could come at any time.
It was a bittersweet proposition. For Beth to get new lungs, someone would have to no longer need them.
Insurance covered the cost of the transplant, but her father, a local actor and comedian, started a GoFundMe campaign and raised money around Charleston to help with the costs associated with recovery.
Meanwhile, Beth and Tim were trying to set a wedding date.
A year passed.
“We wanted to wait and do the wedding after the transplant, but the call never came,” she said. “I’d almost given up hope.”
They set a wedding date for July 18 and made plans to honeymoon in Jamaica. Then COVID-19 hit. People were directed to stay in their homes as much as possible. Because of her vulnerability to respiratory illnesses, Beth sequestered herself in her small home with Tim and her two children.
She barely left the house and saw her parents from across her living room.
“I didn’t hug them for two months,” she said.
The call from UPMC came April 26.
“But there was a catch,” Beth said. “They were high risk.”
High risk could mean a lot of things, she explained. It could mean that the donor had some sort of preexisting health issue, had a history of drug abuse or had been in jail.
“It could be just about anything,” Beth said.
All the coordinator could tell her was that the lungs came from a young male in Philadelphia. Whatever came with the lungs, she’d be getting that, too - and there was a pandemic to consider.
“He said he’d give me 10 minutes to think about it and call back,” Beth said.
Almost frantic, Beth called her parents, who were still asleep in bed.
April Slack said when she picked up the phone, she couldn’t understand what her daughter was saying at first.
“Mom, I got the call,” she told her.
“You got what?” April asked.
“I got THE call,” Beth repeated.
Beth explained about the lungs and the decision she had to make.
“You’ve got to do it,” April told her.
Beth’s father and fiancé agreed. They figured that if there was some illness, they could just treat it, too.
When the coordinator called back, Beth agreed to take the lungs.
They needed to get to Pittsburgh as soon as they could.
As they left, Beth met her 5-year-old twins at Charleston Area Medical Center’s Women and Children’s Hospital. The children had been staying with their father.
“I was really lucky,” she said. “The kids had been with me for almost two months straight because of COVID. I got so much time with them.”
She had to explain that they might not be able to see their mommy for a while. Recovery would take months and she wouldn’t be able to leave Pittsburgh. Because of the pandemic, visits might be scarce, too.
Beth told them she loved them. Then she and Tim began the four-hour drive to Pittsburgh.
Outside of the radio and the few quick phone calls to friends, Beth said the drive was quiet.
“And short,” she laughed.
And it could have been for nothing.
When Beth joined the transplant program, she’d been told that most transplant recipients had at least one dry run. They’d get the call, but when they got to the hospital, it would just be a drill.
“I never got my dry run, so we thought this might be it,” she said.
They arrived in the Pittsburgh hospital parking lot in the early afternoon. Beth’s parents were right behind them.
“We broke a few speed limit laws, but we caught up,” April said and laughed.
Tony added, “Getting there was just a blur.”
They’d been waiting for the call, too. Following surgery, April planned to stay with her daughter in Pittsburgh as she recovered. She’d packed a bag more than a year ago.
Beth checked in, but because of the virus, the hospital would only allow one person to accompany her into the building.
Beth hugged her parents for the first time in two months and then went inside with her fiancé.
April and Tony waited in the parking lot.
“They took us back to surgery prep and the whole hospital was a ghost town,” Beth said. “I was the only one in prep.”
Finally, she asked if this was really happening or if it was a dry run.
“It’s real,” the nurse told her. “These lungs are for you.”
Beth told hospital staff that her parents were outside. Quietly, staff sneaked them in to see her before surgery.
“My dad was very upset and trying not to cry,” she said.
Beth talked some about end-of-life matters, just in case.
“I don’t think that even hit me until we left,” Tony said.
“All I remember is telling Tim how to do laundry and how to load the dishwasher,” Beth said. “It just didn’t seem real.”
The surgical team gave her a sedative, strapped her to a table and rolled her into an operating room. The surgeon was playing a game on his phone.
Nervously, Beth asked him, “You’re good at this, right?”
The surgeon looked up, laughed, and told her, “I’m the best.”
Beth went to sleep.
Twelve hours later, she came out of surgery.
“She was just so swollen,” Tony said. “It just didn’t look like her.”
Seven liters of fluid had been pumped into Beth’s body during surgery. She was so swollen, her tongue wouldn’t stay in her mouth.
It took days for her to shed the fluid.
After she regained something like consciousness, Beth refused pain medication for the first three days in the ICU.
“I didn’t like how it made me feel,” she said. “But I couldn’t sleep.”
By the time they moved her to a regular room a few days later, she was taking pain medication, but having trouble with a feeding tube, unable to sleep again and hallucinating.
Two weeks after surgery, Beth left the hospital and moved into a nearby Airbnb with her mother. They spent the next two and a half months going back and forth to doctor’s appointments and therapy sessions. Beth sometimes walked in a local park during the day, but otherwise, generally, stayed in.
Beth kept in touch with her children through FaceTime on her phone. Tim, her father and her brother, Joe, would visit occasionally.
Joe bought Beth a bicycle.
“I’d walk two miles one day and then bike four miles the next,” Beth said. “Three months before, I couldn’t do any of that.”
It was exciting for Beth. Her mother was less enthusiastic.
“That scared the heck out of me,” April said. “She had ridden bikes before, but she’d been real little.”
She worried about what would happen if Beth fell.
“She’d been cut from armpit to armpit,” April said. “What if she wrecked and hit her chest? It was nerve wracking for me as a mother.”
But Beth didn’t get hurt.
In June, they made a brief trip back to Charleston. Beth had blood drawn and started the process of transferring her routine care to local medical professionals, but she also wanted to see how it felt to be back.
“We told almost nobody,” she said.
The two women returned home July 13 - with five days to go before the wedding.
While resting and recuperating in Pittsburgh, Beth and April had worked on flower arrangements for Beth’s wedding. April had sewn masks for the guests.
“I matched them with the wedding party’s outfits,” April said.
The week of the wedding was full of last-minute details, arrangements and adjustments.
Beth’s wedding gown had to be taken in. Small and slender to begin with, she’d lost a lot of weight and struggled to regain 20 pounds.
The gown didn’t fit the same, but she said it was a small thing next to being able to walk down the aisle on her own feet and then dance with her husband.
“It was the most perfect day,” she said.
Beth said she doesn’t have the words to say all that she’d like to about the donor who gave her the lungs. There’s guilt at receiving this very final gift, but she knows it’s a gift and more than anything else, she feels an immense sense of gratitude.
“But it’s hard to know that I can’t thank him,” Beth said.
Her breathing is much better. She said her lung function is at 57% and improving, but it’s something she’ll have to work at for the rest of her life through therapy, exercise and caution.
Even after COVID-19 fades, Beth will always have to wear a mask in crowds.
“I’m immunosuppressed,” Beth said. “When you have a transplant, they tell you that you’re trading one illness for another.”
There will also be regular trips to Pittsburgh for checkups and tests, expected hospital stays, and it’s likely that her body will reject the lungs more than once.
It will be a fight to keep breathing.
Because of the virus and her continuing recovery, a lot of things are on hold. The honeymoon to Jamaica is out. As a transplant patient, Beth can’t leave the country for a year. The couple is looking into rescheduling, maybe going to Florida or Hawaii.
She wants to have friends over for cookouts and dinners, be more active outdoors, work out with her husband and eventually get back to work.
“I want to go to hockey games and see football without being carried into the stadium,” she said. “There are just so many little things I want to do.”


washingtontimes--2020-08-16--Police: 17 shot, some dead across 3 Cincinnati shootings

CINCINNATI ( AP ) - Police in Cincinnati said 17 people - including some likely fatalities - were shot at three separate locations early Sunday morning .
In one shooting alone in the city ’ s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood , 10 people were shot , with two possibly dead , Assistant Police Chief Paul Neudigate told news outlets .
In the Walnut Hills neighborhood , about a block away from the Harriet Beecher Stowe house , three people were shot .
And , in the Avondale neighborhood , four people were shot , including two who police said might be dead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place within 60 to 90 minutes of each other , but Neudigate said they “ seem to be separate independent incidents but horrific and tragic.
” No suspect information was immediately available .
“ One extremely violent night in the city of Cincinnati .
Looking at possibly 17 victims , up to four that could be fatal at this time .
Why ?
That ’ s going to be the question , ” Neudigate said .
In July , the Enquirer reported that the city had experienced a rise in shootings and homicides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the year as compared to the same time period in 2019 .

CINCINNATI (AP) - At least 18 people were shot, including four killed, as gunfire erupted in several places around the city overnight, authorities said Sunday.
Officers responded just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday to the Avondale neighborhood and found 21-year-old Antonio Blair with gunshot wounds, police said in a statement. He was taken to University Hospital and died there, they said. Three other gunshot victims were also taken to the hospital.
At about 2:15 a.m., officers responded to a report of gunfire in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood where 10 people were shot, police said. One died at the scene and another at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center; they were identified in a statement as 34-year-old Robert Rogers and 30-year-old Jaquiez Grant.
Three people were shot at about midnight Saturday in the Walnut Hills neighborhood, about a block away from the Harriet Beecher Stowe house, police said.
News outlets reported the shootings took place within 60 to 90 minutes of each other, but Assistant Police Chief Paul Neudigate told reporters that they “seem to be separate independent incidents but horrific and tragic.”
Police didn’t immediately provide details about the fourth fatal shooting but confirmed that it occurred on the city’s West End, where television news reports indicated that one person was shot later Sunday morning and was pronounced dead at the scene.
No suspect information was immediately available in any of the cases.
“One extremely violent night in the city of Cincinnati,” Neudigate had said before the fourth shooting was announced. “Why? That’s going to be the question.”
Cincinnati’s police chief later Sunday called the level of violence “unacceptable.”
“I am calling on all citizens of this great city to say enough is enough! We must not sit by silently and say we can’t do anything to end gun violence,” Chief Eliot Isaac said in a statement. “We all have a moral obligation to stop the violence and stop the killing in our communities.”
Police said the department would shift officers from other assignments to beef up the number of uniformed officers in the affected communities and would call on federal prosecutors and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives “to focus on repeat shooters and aggressively bring illegal gun charges.”
Mayor John Cranley called it “senseless gun violence that ruined lives and will cause immeasurable suffering” at a time the city was facing “unprecedented circumstances and challenges” in fighting crime during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the city has seen an uptick as people gather in private homes and public places when the bars close.
“Guns are far too prevalent at these gatherings. Please do not attend gatherings because you could end up as an innocent victim,” he said in a statement.
He stressed, however, that those firing were responsible for the shootings - which he called “attempted or actual murder” - and vowed to bring them to justice.
“I am also calling on everyone to help put an end this culture of resolving personal disputes with guns as well as to reduce the far too prevalent availability of illegal guns on our streets,” he said. “The very sad reality is people are getting in trouble when they have nowhere to go and nothing to do.”
In July, the Enquirer reported that the city had experienced a rise in shootings and homicides from gun violence during the first half of the year as compared to the same time period in 2019.


washingtontimes--2020-08-16--Not enough signatures for ranked-choice referendum, SOS says

AUGUSTA , Maine ( AP ) - Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap has reaffirmed his decision that opponents of @ @ @ @ @ enough valid signatures for another referendum .
The “ amended determination ” will now be @ @ @ @ @ Superior Court judge in a lawsuit .
The Republican Party is backing the referendum question @ @ @ @ @ passed by the Legislature in 2019 that extends the ranked-choice system to presidential primaries and @ @ @ @ @ Dunlap previously ruled that the effort failed to reach 63,067 valid signatures needed to gain @ @ @ @ @ ballot .
On Wednesday , Dunlap came to the same conclusion after another review of @ @ @ @ @ chair of the Maine Republican Party , accused Dunlap of rejecting valid signatures .
“ @ @ @ @ @ we will not quit until we see the legitimate signatures of registered voters counted and @ @ @ @ @ on the ballot , ” she said .

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap has reaffirmed his decision that opponents of ranked-choice voting failed to submit enough valid signatures for another referendum.
The “amended determination” will now be considered by a Cumberland County Superior Court judge in a lawsuit.
The Republican Party is backing the referendum question aimed at nullifying a law passed by the Legislature in 2019 that extends the ranked-choice system to presidential primaries and presidential elections in Maine.
Dunlap previously ruled that the effort failed to reach 63,067 valid signatures needed to gain a spot on the statewide ballot. On Wednesday, Dunlap came to the same conclusion after another review of petitions.
Demi Kouzounas, chair of the Maine Republican Party, accused Dunlap of rejecting valid signatures. “Let me be clear, we will not quit until we see the legitimate signatures of registered voters counted and the People’s Veto on the ballot,” she said.


washingtontimes--2020-08-16--Vermont Transportation Agency gets transit vehicle grant

MONTPELIER , Vt. ( AP ) - The Vermont Agency of Transportation is going to be using a nearly $ @ @ @ @ @ new public transit vehicles to replace existing vehicles throughout the state , the agency said @ @ @ @ @ replace transit vehicles that account for approximately 70 % of the state ’ s total @ @ @ @ @ a backlog of vehicles that need to be replaced , and these new transit vehicles @ @ @ @ @ backlog .
“ This is very good news for our transit system , and we @ @ @ @ @ s transit providers and finalize awards based on needs reflected in our fleet inventories for @ @ @ @ @ Agency Public Transit Manager Ross MacDonald said in a statement .
The agency will purchase @ @ @ @ @ into service upon delivery .
Final award decisions will be made next month .
It @ @ @ @ @ provider in Vermont will receive at least one vehicle .

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont Agency of Transportation is going to be using a nearly $840,000 federal grant to buy new public transit vehicles to replace existing vehicles throughout the state, the agency said.
The new vehicles will replace transit vehicles that account for approximately 70% of the state’s total transit fleet. There is a backlog of vehicles that need to be replaced, and these new transit vehicles will help to reduce that backlog.
“This is very good news for our transit system, and we will work with Vermont’s transit providers and finalize awards based on needs reflected in our fleet inventories for each region,” Transportation Agency Public Transit Manager Ross MacDonald said in a statement.
The agency will purchase vehicles that can be placed into service upon delivery.
Final award decisions will be made next month. It’s likely every transit provider in Vermont will receive at least one vehicle.


washingtontimes--2020-08-16--1 person dead in Bristol mobile home fire

A 911 caller reported the fire at a mobile home Saturday afternoon , according to the state fire marshal .
@ @ @ @ @ The victim hasn ’ t been identified , and an autopsy is planned for Sunday @ @ @ @ @ said what caused the fire , but they reminded people to take safety precautions such @ @ @ @ @ and keeping exits clear of debris .

BRISTOL, N.H. (AP) - Authorities are investigating a fatal fire in Bristol.
A 911 caller reported the fire at a mobile home Saturday afternoon, according to the state fire marshal.
One person inside died. The victim hasn’t been identified, and an autopsy is planned for Sunday.
Authorities haven’t said what caused the fire, but they reminded people to take safety precautions such as maintaining working smoke alarms and keeping exits clear of debris.