pdf for download here

The above progress report is from Metros Recovery Task Force, formed this spring to develop a plan on how Metro can best serve the public moving forward from the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The progress report includes the 18 recommendations made thus far and the framework for the final recovery plan that aims to be issued in the early fall.

The first 12 recommendations are covered in this Source post. And here are the six recommendations from July. We also listed all of them at the bottom of the post.

Before we go further: we understand the terrible impacts the virus has had on people lives and on our local economy. Metro, too, has also been profoundly affected. Employees have fallen ill, ridership has plunged, bus and rail service has been reduced and our finances eroded.

But, like everyone else, we also have seen byproducts of the safer-at-home orders that have shown progress on some of our regions most intractable problems. Specifically, there has been far less traffic congestion, improved air quality and higher rates of walking and cycling.

The Task Forces mission is to help Metro respond to and recover from the pandemic while also finding ways to smartly preserve these gains and to help guide Metro on how to truly best serve those who need us the most. A final comprehensive report will eventually be issued by the Task Force.

This third progress report previews the types of recommendations that will be included in the Task Forces final recovery plan. In addition to early action items, the final report will contain core recommendations, which are important but less time-sensitive ideas to advance recovery. The Task Force will also recommend a small number of transformative recommendations, i.e. the kind of big ideas which could lead to major improvements in mobility and equity.

Decisions on whether and how to implement recommendations will be made by a combination of the Board of Directors, Metros Senior Leadership Team and responsible departments. The task force will track decisions and steps taken on these recommended early action items and will include updates in future progress reports.

Allow Mask Vending: Supplement mask distribution by licensing vendors to sell masks and potentially personal hand sanitizer at some of our stations. As a face covering is now required on Metro, it makes sense to make masks as available as possible to our riders.

Virtual Connections: Refresh, share and follow protocols for online public meetings and take wifi-hotspots to communities. In-person meetings will likely not resume for some time, so its important we make sure our riders and stakeholders can stay connected and informed.

Fresh Air, Safe Travel: Assess options to improve air-flow and filtering to reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission. This could include keeping bus windows open and enhanced cleaning and filtering of HVAC systems on vehicles, in stations and buildings.

More Biking: Promote quick roll-out of more bike infrastructure and bikes. Biking is a good way to get around and easily allows for social distancing.

Were Here For You: Communication campaign on safe use of services as Safer at Home orders are relaxed.

Customer Ambassadors: Deploy non-security staff at stations as customer service agents and ambassadors to encourage safe riding (mask usage, distancing, etc.). This aligns with Metros goal to reimagine safety and security on our system.

Survey Metro customers on their transportation needs and experiences. The idea is to get a handle on what ridership will look like in the coming months, figure out what customers want and best understand what would make customers feel safe using our services now and in the future.

Authorize cities that received 2020 Open Street Grants i.e. for events such as CicLAvia to use that money for projects to slow traffic and/or expand walking and biking opportunities on local streets. The Metro Board approved this in late May.

Test and implement new cleaning practices to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus and other germs on our transit system. Were currently relying heavily on disinfectants, but the agency will be looking at the use of ultraviolet light as well as cleaning frequencies.

Find ways to provide face masks to our riders. Were requiring face coverings to ride, and the vast majority of riders seem to be wearing them as far as we can tell. As long as the requirement is in effect, we want to help riders access masks to avoid enforcement becoming an issue.

Partner with local cities to accelerate projects that speed up buses for example, bus lanes or projects that help buses get quickly through intersections. The goal is to make transit more appealing and useful in the future so people dont feel they have to drive everywhere.

Matching our service levels with demand. Over the last few weeks, weve been running about 70 percent of our pre-pandemic service levels for about 30 percent of our pre-pandemic ridership. The plan is to restore bus and rail service in stages and keep rear door boarding on buses to improve service, allow for physical distancing and beyond the pandemic help reduce overcrowding. Once upon a time, that was a common complaint.

Begin engaging major employers to allow more telecommuting or to stagger work hours to reduce traffic. This includes modifying Metros telecommuting policy to set a good example. Pretty simple idea here: less traffic is good for everyone, including those who still must commute to work.

Put a contactless payment system in place as part of the Transit app the agencys official app. This is a good way to reduce touchpoints and make transit more convenient to use.

Re-imagine projects. It will be difficult for Metro to recover all the costs of the pandemic and our funding which is heavily dependent on sales tax revenues will likely be down for quite some time. The Task Force thinks this is a good time to take a look at the many projects in the planning phase at Metro and think about how they can cumulatively deliver the most positive impact to our region, while sticking within the parameters of the Measure M and R ordinances.

Study options to improve the Metro Bike Share program

Expand social services to help find housing for homeless who use the Metro system.

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Metro's Recovery Task Force issues third progress report - metro.net

With the surging numbers of positive coronavirus cases and two deaths at the local nursing care center in Bishop, there was almost a fatalistic acceptance among some county officials that Inyo County would be placed on the states COVID-19 Watch list.

But it turns out that the county might be getting a brief reprieve thanks to the states coronavirus data tracking system, The California Reportable Disease Information Exchange (CalREDIE), which the state has relied upon in making decisions on who should be placed on the Watch List. It turns out it has some problems as the result of an unresolved technical problem, said state health officials on Wednesday, August 15.

Because of the data issue, they have had to stop removing or adding to a list of counties that faced more restrictions on businesses, indoor gatherings and activities, and schools, until it is fixed. Currently, 38 of 58 counties are on the list, with all major counties already on the list. However, this brief stay does not mean that Inyo County is out of the woods and will dodge being placed on the State Monitoring/Watch list once the problem is resolved.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, as of Saturday, August 8, California still has the greatest number of reported positive coronavirus cases in the country at 538,416 with 10,011 deaths.

Keep in mind that, according to health officials in California, the true number of cases is even higher than what the reporting system was recording. There is always a delay between the time a death occurs and the time it is reported to the state. Credibility is crucial to public health officials in keeping the publics trust and cooperation.

Nationally, the numbers of positive coronavirus cases are now at 4,920,369 with 160,220 deaths in just the past 6 months. Many experts are predicting as many as 300,000 COVID-19 deaths by the end of the year.That is 236,000 more deaths than the last recorded number of deaths in the CDCs last complete influenza report for the 2017-2018 season. And influenza has a vaccine; COVID-19 does not.

The U.S. currently leads the rest of the entire world in the number of positive COVID-19 cases and deaths, and that doesnt look like it is about to change.

Californias CalREDIE system uses data from testing labs around the state to decide which counties might land on the states watch list. To come off the list, a listed county must wait for 14 days, and it can then begin to reopen activities, and reopen certain businesses, or offer in-person classroom instruction.

The Inyo County Health Department has apparently ramped up its efforts over several weeks to bring non-compliant businesses in line with health orders, according to Inyo County CAO, Clint Quilter. He explained their efforts and how the process works. He stated that the county will not be dealing with the issue through, or based on, social media, but rather a process that involves the county first sending an official letter to a non-compliant business and working with the business to bring it into compliance. Quilter noted that, thanks to hard-working and dedicated county employees, their efforts have already had some success by using persuasion rather than confrontation and threats.

The public perception, and to some extent, the media as well, has been that the county has been doing little, but apparently that has not the case. Once the county comes to an agreement with a business, it will use using anonymous people visiting the business on a regular basis to ensure continued compliance. If the violations have not stopped, the observations will be used to generate enough evidence to request issuance of a temporary restraining order from the courts, which will be enforced.

The combination of compliance, timely, accurate information, and working with businesses will go a long way in eradicating or at least, mitigating the rates of infection, hospitalization, and deaths in the county and the state .

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Inyo County facing placement on state's Watch List while making progress on enforcement of COVID-19 health orders | Brief Respite - Sierra Wave

Georgias coronavirus numbers continue to show a pandemic thats still going strong across the state.

With the seven-day average being down from just one week ago, state officials have confirmed another 2,400 cases of the coronavirus on Monday.

Active hospitalizations remain mostly steady at just over 2,800. With about 24 of those patients, receiving care at a pop-up hospital at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Georgia trails California, Florida, Texas, and New York when it comes to the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

In recent weeks, testing sites in Fulton County have been bogged down with an onslaught of people wanting to know their status.

And that problem became even more complicated when labs werent turning around the results fast enough.

Fulton Countys Director of Board of Health, Lynn Paxton , MD, spoke to WABEs host of Morning Edition, Lisa Rayam to say things have changed.

Dr. Paxton reports progress even as the infection rate throughout Georgia continues to climb.

We took a number of steps to deal with it. So now we are actually back to normal in terms of our turnaround times and the like. Its a lot faster to get appointments for example. We now have a system to go online and make their own appointments. For those that do call in, weve added more telephone lines. The wait time is much less than before, Paxton said. The lab turnaround time is usually 2-3 days.

Contact tracing is done by telephone. Dr. Paxton said people who have tested positive are notified over the telephone as well as other means.

We ask how are they doing and ask who they have been in contact with. If the person that we are trying to get into contact with gave the wrong phone number, thats an issue. We do keep trying. We have a campaign on YouTube that gives patients instructions.

Looking at the big picture, Dr. Paxton says, Georgia is still reporting a large number of COVID-19 cases every day. In terms of the numbers, We still have a long way to go, Paxton concluded.

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Fulton Health Director Reports Progress On Testing As Numbers Continue To Climb | 90.1 FM WABE - WABE 90.1 FM

Based on a comparison of Progress Softwares stock (NASDAQ: PRGS) trajectory over recent months with that around the 2008 recession, we believe that the stock can potentially gain 10% once fears surrounding the coronavirus outbreak are abated to reach $40, from current levels of $36. The stock lost more than 30% in 2008 and gained around 83% after that, however, this time around, it dropped 32% between Feb 19th and March 23rd, before improving by 21% since then a partial recovery. A detailed comparison of Progress Softwares performance against the S&P 500 is available in our interactive dashboard analysis, 2007-08 vs. 2020 Crisis Comparison: How Did Progress Software Stock Fare Compared With S&P 500?

The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency at the end of January in light of the coronavirus spread. The rally in the equity market continued till February 19 with the S&P 500 reaching a record high, but the trend reversed sharply over the following weeks. PRGS stock lost 32% of its value (vs. about 34% decline in the S&P 500) between February 19 and March 23. A bulk of the decline came after March 6th, when an increasing number of Coronavirus cases outside China fueled concerns of a global economic slowdown. Notably, though, the multi-billion dollar stimulus package announced by the U.S. government has helped the stock price recover 21% over recent weeks (vs. about a 48% gain in the S&P 500) to its current level of $36.

Progress Softwares Stock Fell Because The Situation On The Ground Has Changed

Progress Software is a U.S based Software Company that provides solutions for developing and deploying business applications. It offers tools for easily building adaptive user experiences across any type of device, the flexibility of a serverless cloud platform to deliver modern apps, data connectors, etc. The Covid-19 crisis has compelled businesses to re-think their IT spending to save costs. Companies are either postponing or slashing IT expenditure in the short term, investing in only business-critical projects. This is likely to impact Progress top line as both new deals and subscription revenues could suffer. On the flip side, Progress Software has a strong balance sheet and a large network of over 1,700 independent software vendors, 100,000 enterprise customers, and two million developers who use its offerings, enabling it to grow in the long term.

We believe Progress Softwares Q3 results will confirm this reality with a drop in both product licenses and subscription revenues. If signs of coronavirus containment arent clear by the September Q3 earnings timeframe, its likely Progress Softwares stock along with the broader market is going to see another round of sell-offs when results are well below expectations.

But Progress Software Stock Witnessed Something Similar During The 2008 Downturn

We see PRGS stock declined from levels of around $13 in October 2007 (the pre-crisis peak) to roughly $7 in March 2009 (as the markets bottomed out) - implying that the stock lost as much as 50% of its value from its approximate pre-crisis peak. This marked a similar drop as the broader S&P, which fell by about 51%.

However, PRGS recovered strongly post the 2008 crisis to about $12 in early 2010 - rising by 83% between March 2009 and January 2010. In comparison, the S&P bounced back by about 48% over the same period.

Will Progress Softwares Stock Recover Similarly From The Current Crisis?

Keeping in mind the fact that PRGS stock fell 32% from the market peak on February 19 to the low on March 23 compared to the 50% decline during the 2008 recession, we believe it can potentially bounce back (10%) to around $40 once economic conditions begin to show signs of improving. This marks a partial recovery to the $44 level PRGS stock was at before the coronavirus outbreak gained global momentum.

That said, the actual recovery and its timing hinge on the broader containment of the coronavirus spread. Our dashboard forecasting U.S. Covid-19 cases with cross-country comparisons analyzes expected recovery time-frames and possible spread of the virus.

Further, our dashboard -28% Coronavirus crash vs. 4 Historic crashes builds a complete macro picture and complements our analyses of the coronavirus outbreaks impact on a diverse set of Progress Softwares multinational peers. The complete set of coronavirus impact and timing analyses is available here.

Want out-performance? Try guessing the % returns for our Pershing-inspired portfolio - based on billionaire Bill Ackmans firm Pershing Square - vs. the S&P over the last 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, YTD or even 3 years. Our portfolio combines high growth, quality, and risk mitigation criteria in an interesting way.

See allTrefis Price EstimatesandDownloadTrefis Datahere

Whats behind Trefis? See How Its Powering New Collaboration and What-Ifs ForCFOs and Finance Teams |Product, R&D, and Marketing Teams

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Whats Happening With Progress Software Stock? - Forbes

Steve Meyer, Principal of Pin Oak School, recently competed in the Last Annual Vol State Road Race, which covers four states in 10 days.Photos Submitted / The Lexington Progress

Article by W. Clay Crook-

Its dark, the road is rough and pitted and too narrow for his crew to follow. The toe of one sneaker has been cut out to relieve a swelling blister, and a small toe has blistered to the bone. Checking them isnt an option, he is racing against a clock called Oprah, and with a still fresh knee replacement it just takes too much time. He has his shuffle going- the slap of his sneakers and the little rattle of his pack counts cadence in his head with a boom shaka shaka, boom shaka shaka and he cant break the pace.

By his calculations there must be only a little further to go, but the line is still hidden from view, there is just the road, the wood line, his shuffleand the pain. It never really goes away, it just mounts, but Im not giving in, Steve Meyer says to himself.

He has made over 312 miles of the 314 test of endurance, and maybe even faith, called the Last Annual Vol State Road Race. Then I broke out of the woods, and they were there, my team, my family! He looks at me and winks, And what do you get? With a shy smile he digs into his canvas pack, a worn American flag on the pouch, and pulls out a wooden medallion. He handles it like gold, and maybe it is, because it cost him 314 miles in ten days to get it.Hes had twelve and a half hours of sleep during the journey, and sometimes dug through the garbage to find a bit of water. With the COVID-19 travel restrictions, only 66 contestants out of a possible 120 were able to attend, and hes seen many of them drop away or be beaten by Oprah. Shes always on your heels, you have to beat the average of 31.4 miles a day or give up rest time to stay ahead of her. If you fall behind her, fall behind the calculations, then you get a call that you are out. If you walk, they wont track you; if you dont check in, they wont look for you, its done.

He has one shocking encounter with the clock that pushed him forward. My strength and my hope were diminishing, probably my weakest point in the race, but I made it to a BP station and had a little time left before I needed to check in. I nodded for just a bit, said a prayer, then hobbled up the steps to get a Red Bull, and then I checked in, Oprah was right there with me! No! I swear bells went off in my head, No! It was like Popeye eating his spinach, Meyer said raising his arm and making a muscle, and even though I didnt know it, I think I felt all the support flow in from everyone.

His daughter, Megan Stovall, said that the number of people following on Facebook just kept growing, it grew until it drove out the drama of everything around us, the news, COVID-19, everything out of our minds, she said. Much of it was dads positive attitude, it kept going and he kept going and even others in the race and their crews noticed it. She looks down for just a bit, a hitch in her voice when she looks up, remembering the

For the complete article, see the August 19th edition of The Lexington Progress.

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The Spirit of the Race Meyer's Journey Remembered - lexingtonprogress.com

Henderson County South Middle School SoftballFile Photo / The Lexington Progress

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The Henderson County South Softball team opened up their season last Thursday night, August 6, 2020 against Camden. The Lady Lions took the win, 3-2. The winning pitcher was Holly Bartholomew. Holly struck out five batters and only gave up 4 hits in 6 innings. At the plate, Jada Bromley recorded a double, to start off a 3-run inning, in the bottom of 5 inning. Henderson County South became more patient at the plate later on in game with 4 walks. Karlee Flowers came up with a big hit in the 5th inning, as well.

Monday night, the Lady Lions hosted Milan. Henderson County South came away with a big win, 13-1. The winning pitcher in this match-up was Holly Bartholomew, and Karlee Flowers got the save. Bartholomew gave up only one hit in 3 innings and

For the complete article, see the August 19thedition ofThe Lexington Progress.

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Henderson Co. South Softball Starts Season with Big Wins - lexingtonprogress.com

Crews are making progress on multiple fronts as they work on the Monument Valley Pathway while the weather is good.

The 10-foot wide concrete pathway will wind through Scottsbluff from south of Riverside Discovery Center before it ends near Western Nebraska Community College.

Were right on their schedule, and theyre doing a great job, Scottsbluff public works director Mark Bohl said Monday of the work being done by Paul Reed Construction. Theyve got their crews in three different areas. Were all busy, and were moving right along.

Work began three weeks ago and is expected to continue until July 2021. A pedestrian pathway overpass northwest of Scottsbluff High School will carry the trail over U.S. Highway 26. That structure is expected to be erected sometime around November.

Were just going to keep going, Bohl said. As long as the weather is good, were just going to keep working away.

Although not open to the public yet, portions of the concrete have been poured and a portion of the road south of the zoo has been adjusted to fit with the project specifications.

After years in the planning stages, Bohl said he is happy to see concrete being poured and physical progress being made.

This is nice, Bohl said as he walked a portion of the path. After a lot of years of a design on paper and a lot of back-and-forth about its location and some changes and coming to a final decision, now its a reality. Its going to be a great addition to the city. This is going to be a wonderful pathway for almost six miles. I really think people are going to enjoy this thing.

We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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Crews making good progress on Monument Pathway - Scottsbluff Star Herald

The Wheatley family loved the splash pad in Tremonton with their cousins. Grandma Wheatley came by and gave them all an ice cream treat. It was a cup and spoon, and the cup was filled with slushie-like ice. Little Kyra enjoyed her first taste of the treat.

Daughter Kate had her birthday last week. She celebrated it with her family and a macaroni and cheese meal she chose herself. She finally got her very own two-wheel scooter. She loves it. All the kids are still loving the hard surfaces to ride on.

Laura took her three oldest girls school shopping. Everly, Georgia and Ruby got all they needed at one store in Ogden. From backpacks to clothes to shoes and socks, all were on display and at reasonable prices. Kate, daughter number four, is beyond excited to be going to kindergarten. She will go school shopping alone with her mother later this month.

Orson and Jeannette Poulsen mostly worked on their new, fifth-wheel house trailer. The flooring is now laid, the curtains are in place, and small details are now being planned.

Orson says his hay was a very good yield and has been hauled into the covered barn for winter use.

Jeannette started attending crochet lessons at Marie Roches home with three other ladies and Marie. All had a very good time learning and sharing conversation.

The quilting cottage has been primed and will be painted later this month.

Boyd Udy is still working with the Adams family and others putting in new fencing. The old fence needs to be taken down, rolled up and hauled away before the project can be completed with new fence posts and wire.

Boyd is still driving his team in preparation for the draft horse classes at the Box Elder County Fair. He invites all to come on Monday of fair week.

Story continues below video

Jim and Starr Mitchell honked as they drove by Winnie Richmans home with a huge load of winter firewood in the back of their truck. They had been to the mountains with Starrs brother Patrick, and had worked very hard all day to gather this wood. They all had their wood cutting permits. They do admit the weather was lovely.

They took their girls up to Porcupine Dam with a canoe, lifejackets and fishing poles. Madi caught her first fish.

Jim and Starr are so grateful to all who put out the fire south of their home. They could see the smoke from town as they came home from church. Jim helped fight the fire with his shovel.

All in all, Jim and Starr are exhausted from last weeks many works. When grandparents keep the children, they work hard! Starr says.

Winnie Richman gives a huge Hi to Connie Archibald, who reads this column and was instrumental in bringing some peace to Winnies anxious mind about one of her post-surgery details of treatment. Thank you, Connie, Winnie says. You did great!

Winnie is very grateful to the Bear River Valley Co-op for supplying her with two good, new tractor batteries for her big tractor. Son Lyle and grandson Brantzen Richman came and took the batteries out so Winnie could trade them in. Then they came again to put the new batteries in, and took the tractor down to the barn for Winnies use later on.

Sunday, Lyle and Brantzen, Heather and Greg Lott, and son Colton came to the Double S Bar and got the three bulls off the mountain and away from the cows until next year. They reported the bulls came so readily that the group thought they wanted to come to their corral. Rather than push their luck, the men came and hooked up Winnies trailer to haul them the short distance to their corrals. All went well. Winnie is very grateful to the kids for all they did.

Winnie reports feeling very well since her surgery, and has been given permission to go back to her regular work schedule. But, if you feel tired, please take a short rest. Dont push too hard at first, she was told by her doctors PA. Winnie will not find it hard to rest.

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Back-to-school shopping; progress on fifth-wheel trailer - The Herald Journal

Planning approval for the Populous-designed MSG London Sphere, a wholly globular entertainment venue planned for a nearly 5-acre site in East Londons Stratford district, has stalled yet again as the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) pushes for a third public consultation round further addressing a range of potential issues. Those mainly concern the controversial, Ray Bradbury-influenced projects potential light pollution and local health and transportation impacts.

Per the Architects Journal, the LLDC has written New York-headquartered entertainment behemoth the Madison Square Garden Company (MSG), requesting further details on the massive developmentif completed as planned, it would be the largest concert venue in the United Kingdom with capacity for 21,500 seated and standing gueststhat would inform further public consultation. Only then would a planning committee consider and give the sign off on the project application.

The topics raised are already the subject of ongoing, productive discussions between MSG, our stakeholders and our potential new neighbours. We will continue to work together with all interested stakeholders to bring MSG Sphere to Stratford and create a thriving destination that supports thousands of jobs and billions of pounds of economic benefit, said a MSG spokesperson in response to the LLDCs letter seeking further analysis shared by the Journal.

Although its schedule has been thrown off balance, coordinated construction timing was of the essence for the MSG London Sphere. A planning application was first submitted by MSG in March 2019, which would have theoretically enabled construction work to kick off this summer with a slated summer 2022 completion dateexactly one year after the debut of an identical MSG Sphere at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. Also designed by Populous, the $1.66 billion sister venue in Las Vegas is currently under construction although its yet-to-be-announced-open date has been pushed back due to delays prompted by coronavirus-related supply chain disruptions.

Plans call for both venues to be covered, inside and out, with thousands of high-tech LED screens that allow spectators to view concerts and other events from up to 500 feet away. Its this aspect, along with congestion concerns and a rise in air pollution that would result from increased traffic, that has caused the most pushback, as many local politicians and activists arent too keep on the idea of a nearly 300-foot-tall sphere (roughly the same diameter as the London Eye) blaring digital advertisements from its LED-clad skin.

As noted by The Guardian, the planning application presented an opportunity for a kind of giant spherical version of Times Square or Piccadilly Circus. MSG, which has consistently pointed to the project as being major job creator thats enjoyed overwhelming local support, has claimed that, per the application, advertisements will only be shown on the illuminated facade 50 percent of the time or less and that it will be dimmed to stand-by mode during the overnight hours.

As reported by New Civil Engineer, MSG had earmarked December 2019 as the estimated application approval date for the MSG London Sphere. London Mayor Sadiq Khan had signaled his approval for the project earlier in the year before plans were officially submitted. The LLDC, however, came back with a request for further information, delaying any kind of decision until at least mid-2020. That decision, it would appear, will now come even later.

In any event, MSG was already resigned to the fact that the 17,500-seat London venue would not open a year after its (now also delayed) Las Vegas counterpart as originally planned, telling investors late last year: The company is continuing to move through the planning application process, which is now expected to run into calendar 2020. It is no longer possible for the London venue opening to be one year after the opening of MSG Sphere in Las Vegas.

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Progress on Populous's Sphere project in London put off yet again - The Architect's Newspaper

Walt Disney Worlds EPCOT theme park is currently undergoing a variety of changes. This morning Walt Disney World Site Portfolio Executive and Imagineer Zach Riddley shared a photo of EPCOT construction progress on his official social media accounts.

Riddley wrote:

Im excited to share a first look at the pylons we installed last night as we continue to reimagine the EPCOT main entrance fountain, which has anchored this area since the park opened in 1982. Our design team took special interest in looking back to the original geometry for inspiration and infusing new features with a little bit of added magic to bridge the past, present and future of EPCOT . These majestic pylons also draw your eye upward toward the sky and perfectly frame views of the iconic Spaceship Earth attraction. I cant wait to reveal the completed look for this fountain later this year!

Riddley shared several pictures of the remodeled EPCOT entrance by Spaceship Earth, including this one in which its easy to see the detailing on the new entrance pylons:

The EPCOT entry renovation isnt the only progress being made in the Disney World park. Work on the France Pavilion in the World Showcase has also been moving along, with the new Remys Ratatouille Adventure ride still presumably slated to open before Walt Disney Worlds 50th Anniversary Celebration next year.

The highly-anticipated Moana water attraction in the reimagined Future World area is also still in development, as far as Walt Disney World officials have indicated.

Although certain EPCOT construction projects are continuing, other scheduled work has been postponed or scrapped altogether. Disney recently issued this statement regarding the planned Spaceship Earth refurbishment and Mary Poppins Cherry Tree Lane project in the Great Britain Pavilion:

As with most businesses during this period, we are further evaluating long-term project plans. The decision was made to postpone development of the Mary Poppins-inspired attraction and Spaceship Earth at this time.

What do you think about the new EPCOT entrance pylons? What planned project are you most looking forward to?

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Progress Continues at EPCOT as Pylons Are Installed - Inside the Magic

The Arkansas Arts Center is a noisy place. Chattering children on school field trips, art classes in progress or the Children's Theater might have been the cause in the past. Now, it's due to cranes, concrete trucks and earth-moving machinery as the renovation takes shape.

On a recent tour of the site with center director Victoria Ramirez, and Van Tilbury, board of trustees president, visitors were shown the progress of construction.

Amazingly, Ramirez said, the project is on schedule for completion in 2022 despite the covid-19 pandemic. The entire site is a hive of activity. A recent news release from the center said the construction zone averages 150 workers daily many from Arkansas businesses.

It was as busy on the inside as it was on the outside. Entire spaces were filled with metal scaffolding as work continues on three levels, including the roof.

On the north side, crews poured concrete for pillars that will support a roof over the glass-enclosed Cultural Living Room. Underneath, large V-shaped columns support the floor over the new second-story event space.

The original 1937 facade of the center is once again on the outside of the building and the original brick is exposed on the inside, for now, as supports are added for balconies overlooking the north entrance.

The Blossom, the swirling roof line that swoops out from the center of the building to each public entrance, is taking shape and upstairs, for the moment, natural light floods what will be the galleries.

"So much of the space was higgledy-piggledy," Ramirez said of the old building while standing in the new two-story space that will welcome guests from the south entrance. "Add in a bit here and a little chunk there. The new space will be more intuitive," she said.

"When you really do envision a space to show art, to make art, to view performing arts and you start to push together a building that suits those activities and suits the public, you really do get something pretty impressive," she said.

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Making progress: Construction is on track for 2022 opening of new Arkansas Arts Center - NWAOnline

ATLANTA The federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has given the economy a critical boost by letting financially struggling small businesses keep their employees, U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., said Tuesday.

But presidential politics is getting in the way of attempts to deliver more federal aid to small businesses, Perdue told an online audience of Georgia business and political leaders at the annual Congressional Luncheon sponsored by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

In the middle of a presidential year, Im hopeful but not optimistic a deal will get done, he said.

Perdue said the PPP - part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act Congress passed back in March saved about 1.5 million jobs in Georgia through loans to small businesses averaging $103,000.

Nationally, about 50 million Americans remained on payrolls because of the legislation, added Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who appeared on the chamber program as Perdues guest. The bill played a major role in reducing U.S. unemployment from a peak of 15% in April to 10.2% last month, Scott said.

The PPP is like a friend showing up when youre down, he said. Had we not stabilized those businesses, we would have lost those 50 million jobs.

But Perdue said the current effort to put together another aid package in response to various impacts of COVID-19 is in trouble, with majority Democrats in the U.S. House, the Republican majority in the Senate and the Trump administration a long way from reaching agreement.

For his part, Perdue is trying to get legislation he introduced last month to help schools affected by COVID-19 included in the next coronavirus relief package. He said hes asking for about $104 billion, $74 billion for K-12 schools and $30 billion for colleges and universities.

We dont want our children to lose six months or a year in educational progress, he said.

Perdue said the need to reopen schools safely during a pandemic is particularly critical for at-risk students on the edge of failing and for children who live in rural communities without broadband access.

As he stated in a recent campaign ad, Perdue also called for policing reforms that while stopping short of de-funding police agencies, would include increasing the recruitment of minority officers, stepping up de-escalation training and improving databases used to track complaints of abuse.

People want the law to be enforced, Perdue said. But we also have to have confidence that our police officers are one of us.

Police reform legislation Scott is sponsoring in the Senate is another victim of the political polarization rampant in an election year. Scott said some House Democrats have expressed a willingness to work with him on the bill, but the effort has been sidetracked in the Senate.

The congressional luncheon, held every August in Macon, was conducted virtually for the first time. The program concluded with a video tribute to the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Atlanta, a youth leader during the Civil Rights Era, who died last month at the age of 80.

View post:

Perdue says politics blocking progress on coronavirus aid measure - Griffin Daily News

NEW ORLEANS, LA JANUARY 07: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers reacts during the second half of the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 7, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Shortly after the Washington Football Team finished at a poor 3-13 record, Dan Snyder began a front office purge starting withBruce Allen. Bruce Allen served as Washingtons team president for 10 years, and for many fans, including myself, it was 10 years too long. His tenure was just as poor as the performance of the team over the past 10 years, little success riddled with false hope and moments that had fans shaking their heads in disgust.

Bruce Allen was a change that Dan Snyder had no choice to make, but he began to relieve many other front office members of their duties including Eric Schaffer and Larry Hess. He also fired coaches Bill Callahan and Kevin OConnell, the latter of who many fans believed could have been the offensive coordinator going forward. This purge that took place shortly after the 2019-2020 season ended was one that was over-due.

A cleaning of house was needed for this team to take steps forward. There was nothing that came out of the last 10 seasons to keep around. We can go around and nitpick the good ones, but at the end of the day, this team hasnt performed well enough to keep anyone around. Replace the bad with good.

Ron Rivera took over as the head coach very shortly after the season ended. Rivera is the Washington Football Teams most important hire since Joe Gibbs.He seems to have full control over personnel and staff decisions, a similar role that Bruce Allen had here. Ron Rivera is a winnerand coaches witha style that is completely different from Jay Gruden, who seemed to have lost the locker room on several occasions as Washingtons Head Coach.

Riverboat Ron took a 15-1 Panthers team to the Super Bowl with an inexperienced, young quarterback in Cam Newton. He is the type of guy you want leading a young group of men that Washington currently has in their locker room.

The next notable acquisition from a management perspective is Jack Del Rio. Del Rio is another no-nonsense type of guy who commanded a top-two defense in Denver which landed him a head coaching gig with the Raiders. In 2016, Del Rios Raiders were best in the NFL in takeaway to giveaway ratio, something that is a good translation to success in the NFL. The Raiders made the playoffs that year with a young quarterback in Derek Carr and a young receiver in Amari Cooper (similar to Dwayne Haskins and Terry McLaurin).

Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio are two guys you want in your corner, especially with a young group of guys who need a little molding. The last guy to touch on is Kyle Smith. Kyle Smith is not a new acquisition within management, as he has a total of 11 seasons with the Redskins. This is his first year with his new title Vice President of Player Personnel. This position seems like a wait and see kind of gig. If he performs well, he might be promoted to a type of general manager role that Washington as an organization have been waiting to have for some time now.

Read the rest here:

Ron Rivera making progress in changing Washington Football Teams culture - Riggo's Rag

The health minister Edward Argar appears to have rowed back on claims by the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, that research shows a return to full-time schooling carries few risks.

Ahead of the return of pupils to schools in England in September, Argar warned that a Public Health England study into the spread of coronavirus in schools was still a work in progress. Only two days ago, Williamson said the study makes it clear there is little evidence that the virus is transmitted at school.

The research has yet to be published, and reports on Tuesday said it shows that while there is little Covid-19 spread among primary-age pupils, transmission for older students could be much the same as for adults.

Asked about this, Argar told Sky News: I think we should be cautious about reading too much into that work in progress; its important work but it isnt complete yet.

He added: On the basis of the work that has been completed and those international comparators, we are confident that children and young people are much less at risk from this disease and from passing it on than other adults more broadly in the community.

On the basis of the evidence we have thus far, we believe that the levels of transmission between young people and the infectiousness is low. In terms of schools and the approach to getting pupils back in schools.

The Covid-19 pandemic is currently unfolding in one big wave with no evidence that it follows seasonal variations common to influenza and other coronaviruses, such as the common cold, theWorld Health Organizationhas warned.

Epidemics of infectious diseases behave in different ways but the1918 influenza pandemicthat killed more than 50 million people is regarded as a key example of a pandemic that occurred in multiple waves, with the latter more severe than the first. It has been replicated albeit more mildly in subsequent flu pandemics. Until now that had been what was expected from Covid-19.

How and why multiple-wave outbreaks occur, and how subsequent waves of infection can be prevented, has become a staple of epidemiological modelling studies and pandemic preparation, which have looked at everything from social behaviour and health policy to vaccination and the buildup of community immunity, also known as herd immunity.

Is there evidence of coronavirus coming back in a second wave?

This is being watched very carefully. Without a vaccine, and with no widespread immunity to the new disease, one alarm is being sounded by the experience of Singapore, which has seen a suddenresurgence in infectionsdespite being lauded for its early handling of the outbreak.

Although Singapore instituted a strong contact tracing system for its general population, the disease re-emerged incramped dormitory accommodationused by thousands of foreign workers with inadequate hygiene facilities and shared canteens.

Singapores experience, although very specific, has demonstrated the ability of the disease to come back strongly in places where people are in close proximity and its ability to exploit any weakness in public health regimes set up to counter it.

In June 2020, Beijing suffered from a new cluster of coronavirus cases which caused authorities to re-implement restrictions that China had previously been able to lift. In the UK, the city of Leicester was unable to come out of lockdown because of the development of a new spike of coronavirus cases. Clusters also emerged in Melbourne, requiring a re-imposition of lockdown conditions.

What are experts worried about?

Conventional wisdom among scientists suggests second waves of resistant infections occur after the capacity for treatment and isolation becomes exhausted. In this case the concern is that the social and political consensus supporting lockdowns is being overtaken by public frustration and the urgent need to reopen economies.

However Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, says Second wave isnt a term that we would use at the current time, as the virus hasnt gone away, its in our population, it has spread to 188 countries so far, and what we are seeing now is essentially localised spikes or a localised return of a large number of cases.

The overall threat declines when susceptibility of the population to the disease falls below a certain threshold or when widespread vaccination becomes available.

In general terms the ratio of susceptible and immune individuals in a population at the end of one wave determines the potential magnitude of a subsequent wave. The worry is that witha vaccine still many months away, and the real rate of infection only being guessed at, populations worldwide remain highly vulnerable to both resurgence and subsequent waves.

Peter Beaumont,Emma Graham-Harrison and Martin Belam

Downing Street is keen to stress the safety of a return to school for all pupils in England, with Boris Johnson saying it is a moral duty to ensure children do not miss out on any more formal education.

The PHE study is likely to be published in full next week, and ministers are keen to reassure parents about safety. One report on Tuesday said No 10 had asked Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, to compile a review of the evidence on transmission in schools, to reassure parents and teachers.

There are not, however, any plans for routine coronavirus testing in schools, with teachers and students only being tested if they show symptoms.

In another interview on Monday, Argar said there were also no plans to ask any pupils to wear masks.

Thats not something thats in prospect at this point, he told BBC Breakfast: Weve been clear and the Department for Education have been clear that that poses a challenge to actually the ability to teach and the ability to learn in certain contexts.

We dont think that thats necessary at this point, not least because we are essentially setting up different class groups or year groups as social bubbles.

But at the moment we believe the measures that have been put in place around social distancing, around those bubbles and around the facility to test if necessary, are the right ones to continue to make our schools safe when they reopen.

See more here:

Health minister: Covid study cited by Gavin Williamson is 'work in progress' - The Guardian

PSEG Long Island reported outages affecting 25,000 customers in its service area as of 9 p.m. Sunday and said it expected to have power restored to nearly all remaining customers by tonight.

Utility crews are making steady progress, the company said.

PSEG-LIs outage map which the company is still cautioning may not contain accurate data is showing 386 customers still without power in the Town of Riverhead. Over 200 of those customers are in various locations in Wading River, according to the map, and one neighborhood in South Jamesport is reported to have more than 80 customers without power. The rest of the outages in Riverhead Town are scattered throughout the town, according to the map,with most affecting less than five customers apiece.

The map this morning (last update at 6:29 a.m.) also puts the total number of PSEG-LI customers affected at just over 48,000 well above the 25,000 customers the company said were still affected in its press release last night.

The reason PSEG gives for the ongoing inconsistencies between the map data and the numbers reported in its press releases is power restoration is progressing faster than can be displayed on the outage map. The map will continue to fluctuate as we refine the data, PSEG-LI said.

The online outage map states that information displayed there is updated every 30-60 minutes.

PSEG-LI said an additional 1,000 workers arrived yesterday to help with its restoration efforts, brining the total to more than 5,000 line workers, tree trimmers and other personnel. Another 500 are expected to arrive today, the company said in the press release. It now has more than 5,000 crew members working to restore power to affected customers, the company said.

PSEG Long Island said it is finding that each job is requiring more work than anticipated due to the extent of the storms damage.

The utility crews prioritize critical facilities first, followed by outages affecting the largest numbers of customers, and then outages affecting small numbers or individual customers, according to the PSEG-LI press release.

The backbone of the system transmission lines and substations has been restored, and we are hard at work restoring the distribution system that serves our neighborhoods, the company said. The damage to many of these circuits is extensive, and as these individual damage spots are assessed, estimated restoration times will be refined.

The winds of Tropical Storm Isaias battered the region last Tuesday, knocking out power to more than 420,000 PSEG-LI customers.

PSEG Long Island will distribute free water and ice today from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. (or while supplies last) at the following locations:

We need your help.Now more than ever, the survival of quality local journalism depends on your support. Our community faces unprecedented economic disruption, and the future of many small businesses are under threat, including our own. It takes time and resources to provide this service. We are a small family-owned operation, and we will do everything in our power to keep it going. But today more than ever before, we will depend on your support to continue. Support RiverheadLOCAL today. You rely on us to stay informed and we depend on you to make our work possible.

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PSEG reports 'steady progress' restoring power, outages reduced to 25000 customers - RiverheadLOCAL

TRAVERSE CITY Police gathered around an east Eighth Street building Monday afternoon as an armed man barricaded himself inside.

Traverse City Police Department Capt. Jim Bussell, who at 4:30 p.m. was on scene of the stand-off, said a 911 call came to dispatchers about 20 minutes earlier.

The call reported a "guy with a gun," Bussell said, and officers rushed to the scene.

"There's nobody hurt or anything as of now, that's all I really know at this point," he said.

Police believe the man is by himself.

Bussell requests people avoid the 800 block of east Eighth Street near Barlow Street until the situation is resolved.

See updates at http://www.record-eagle.com.

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

More here:

Police: Armed stand-off in progress, officers on scene - Traverse City Record Eagle

Dallas PD under scrutiny for lack of progress in crime reduction plan

The Dallas Police Department is facing criticism from city council members over the lack of progress with the departments violent crime reduction plan.

DALLAS - The Dallas Police Department is facing criticism from city council members over the lack of progress with the departments violent crime reduction plan.

The department says the city is seeing fewer robberies, but other violent crimes like assaults are up.

DPD command staff acknowledged there are some areas they are falling short but say many other major cities are facing some of the same issues. And there are some factors beyond their control that will take a community effort to fight.

Serious doubts were expressed by some city council members about the Dallas Police Departments successes in reducing violent crime.

Yes or no, is your violent crime plan working? asked Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn.

Maam, its not a yes or no answer, explained Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall. There are some portions of the crime plan that are working, and there are some that need some adjusting.

Although robberies are down in some areas so far this year, aggravated assaults in Dallas continue to climb. They are up almost 30 percent from last year, and the rate of crime being solved is lower than the national average.

All I can do is look at the data and look at the strategy and say there is a leadership performance issue and that this plan is not producing and this department is not producing acceptable results, Mendelsohn said.

Defending her staff, Chief Hall says many violent crimes theyre seeing are between people who know each other, and major cities across the country are seeing similar increases in violent crime.

I do believe theres areas of improvement, she said. Were constantly reevaluating what trends were seeing, who were going after and what locations we can address to reduce some of this violent crime.

Other council members say the crime issues go beyond just making arrests.

When you talk about mental health problems, folks who are unemployed, folks who are on drugs, folks who are alcoholics, you cannot blame Chief Renee Hall for the crime in this city, nor can you just blame it all on the police, said Councilmember Carolyn King Arnold.

City leaders say there are different strategies in next year's budget plan to help Dallas police.

When we discuss a mobile crisis response team, what were going to be proposing to the council is a very specific team of individuals that would be available to the police department. Folks who are trained in social work and in conflict resolution, said Dallas Asst. City Manager Jon Fortune.

We cant just throw our hands up and say we cant do anything about those, said Councilmember Adam McGough. We have to be digging into every layer of this.

City leaders plan to dive deeper into solutions to violent crime as they discuss the city budget during a briefing Tuesday.

Dallas PD and the city council will also discuss changes made within DPD so far this year in light of protests in May and June.

Read more:

Dallas PD under scrutiny for lack of progress in crime reduction plan - FOX 4 Dallas

During quarantine, I watched the recent Netflix series Unorthodox and the movie The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch. They are examples of a recent trend in romantic comediessee also Shtisel, Menashe, and The Womens Balconyset in Ultra-Orthodox or Hasidic communities. Both Unorthodox and The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch present the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community as an exotic, picturesque, and quasi-primitive society, out of touch with modern values and modern culture.

Since the beginning of cinema, classic rom-coms have followed a set pattern of plot development: A female and a male with seemingly incompatible views or personalities are introduced; some situation throws them together and sparks fly; and then a number of problems, whether external or psychological, threaten to keep the characters apart. Eventually, the two resolve their issues and unite, and the viewer is happy with the resolution. In classic movies like An Affair to Remember, When Harry Met Sally, and Pretty Woman, successful rom-com writers and directors used this basic structure, creatively modifying each step to keep it fresh.

Unorthodox and The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch do away with the usual rom-com structure in favor of a conclusion proclaiming existential freedom, or what Sartre proudly termed Nothingness. The romantic journeys of the past, with their happy endings, have been supplanted by journeys that lead to loveless, passionless experiencesand end with ambiguity or emptiness.

It is obvious why Unorthodox and The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch use Ultra-Orthodox societies for the setting of their postmodern message, and why they portray only the weaknesses of this societynever attempting to show its strengths. As seen through the eyes of Esty, the heroine of Unorthodox, and Motti, the hero of Awakening, religious society is confining, small-minded, anti-liberal, anti-cosmopolitan, and particularistic. Esty is a young girl raised in a cloistered Hasidic community. Her rebellion begins when she reads secular books; she eventually runs away. Motti is similarly awakened from his familys expectations regarding a suitable wife and future lifestyle. These stories attack the Ultra-Orthodox community through ridicule and parody of the parents, rabbis, and adherents, all of whom are turned into a source of laughter. They possess little wisdom, and even less virtue, which gives the writer and director license to extricate the hero or heroine from this outdated prison and bring him and her to the delights of postmodern virtues and morals.

What are the idealized postmodern virtues and morals of these films, and who is the new Moses who leads the hero or heroine into the promised land? After the audience sees how controlling these religious societies are, and how they narrow the expectations of the adherents and surround them with rules, laws, and authority figures, the hero or heroine meets a representative of the outside modern world, whose life appears to be enlightened and superior. This angel of opportunity leads our protagonist out of the community and toward the promise of personal fulfillment. In this outside world, the main character undergoes a detoxing process that involves sexual activity as an expression of his or her new freedom. This new structure thus inverts the structure of older rom-coms (When Harry met Sally, Moonstruck, Philadelphia Story, Sleepless in Seattle), in which romanticism and sensuality depend on the characters restraint, self-discipline, or social situation to hold their passions in check (sometimes with great difficulty), leading to the romantic climax at the dramatic ending.

In Unorthodox and Awakening, the hero and heroine find themselves in bed with strangers during their first outing into this brave new world. In yesterdays romantic comedies, withholding sex provided the mainspring, the tension, and the energy for the story. The plot, therefore, had to be clever, present novel problems and solutions, and hold the audiences attention for ninety minutes: How will the writer move the characters toward the finale? Today, however, there is little need for cleverness; the audience knows that halfway through the film, the two will be in bed together. Even though Unorthodox is ostensibly about a woman seeking fulfillment in a musical career, the clear message is that sexual liberation is the entryway to the new world.

Instead of solving the characters relationship difficulties, these story arcs finish with a burst of freedom. At the end of both Unorthodox and Awakening, the protagonists are alone, adrift in a postmodern society in which there is no need for flirtation, romance, coyness, or even clever conversation. These stories conclude with a surrender to the onrushing cultural tide; the new rom-coms suggest that resistance is useless and counterproductive.

As Allan Bloom wrote in The Closing of the American Mind, America has been infected with German and European postwar philosophy, which celebrates cynicism. Nietzsche and later postwar European philosophers believed the Will to be the highest human virtue, and radical personal freedom the highest goal. This required attacking every institution that inhibited an individuals ability to act out his or her desires. Since there is no Truth in postmodern thought, all religious teachings are only myths for maintaining control. All rules and laws are constraints on personal freedom. Government is just an attempt to subjugate the powerless. The end is always Nothingness.Toward the end of Mottis awakening, he visits a dying friend and fortuneteller, who helps him reframe his recent rejection of family, friends, and religion: Everything is now possible, he explains. There are no limits. In Habits of the Heart, author Robert Bellah notes that Progress, modernitys master idea, seems less compelling when it appears that it may be progress into the abyss. At the end of the movie, Motti sits on a park bench alone, having given up everything that had meaning in his life. He does not realize that a future without limits may mean descent into the abyss.

Roy Pinchot writes from Netanya, Israel.

Photo by Dennis Jarvis via Creative Commons. Image cropped.

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Progress Into the Abyss | Roy Pinchot - First Things

After Alvin Elton died of the coronavirus in March at age 56, his widow, Gretchen Meyer, found a measure of comfort from former high school classmates on Facebook. As she self-quarantined alone in her Northwest Side home, she was buoyed by their friendly, caring comments, prayers and wishes.

Everyone was so great, she recalls.

But as Lane Tech College Prep found itself embroiled in a mascot controversy in recent weeks, Meyers experience on the social platform did a complete 180. She felt attacked. After sharing the opinions Elton a Lakota Sioux, both parents from tribes in South Dakota had held firmly, she read in dismay as those feelings were belittled.

All the compassion was gone, she says.

After more than 100 years, Lane my school, too is doing away with its Indians name, part of a wave of opposition to Native American logos and mascots that includes high schools, colleges and the NFL team in our nations capital.

Elton, Meyer says, wouldve been thrilled by the news.

Some of my own 1980s classmates, on the other hand, are having a hard time handling it.

I will no longer represent Lane Tech! one of my football teammates wrote.

The new mascot should be a snowflake, opined another. Stupid PC culture is turning this country into a nation of .

Use your imagination to fill in the blank. Suffice it to say, class (think: kindness and grace, not math and science) too rarely is in session.

Native American mascots are a hot-button issue, but what isnt in 2020? Put such a topic on social media where thousands of alumni spanning generations can see it, and the resulting cesspool of inhumanity will drown out most opinions. We reduce one another to snowflakes and sheep, to boomers and racists.

Its more complicated than that, of course. The American Indian Center of Chicago firmly stands against such use of racial imagery. The National Congress of American Indians says mascots such as Lanes belong to an era when racism and bigotry were accepted by the dominant culture and have very real consequences for Native people. But some Native American individuals and groups are more accepting even supportive of a mascot like Lanes.

In my view, the issue is pretty straightforward: If some are offended and some arent, the operative phrase is some are. I vote for a team name that wont offend anybody on racial or ethnic grounds. If that means I have to buy some Lane Snowflakes gear, so be it.

My chiefs head on my old sweater shows honor and integrity, wrote one alum, who went on the irony surely lost on him to call young alumni a bunch of crybabies.

Thats not the way to do it, folks.

An African American former classmate of mine was initially against the change, but then she realized the mascot could be to Native Americans something akin to what the Confederate flag is to her.

It was a done deal, she wrote. If there is any insult, its enough for me to understand the pain that it causes.

See, thats how you do it.

Hyun Woo Lee was Lanes student mascot during the 1985-86 school year. A young man with cerebral palsy whod transferred in as a sophomore, he donned a headdress, danced proudly on the field during football games and got to hang around pretty cheerleaders at parties after them. The experience made him feel like he was leaving the protective bubble in which hed existed.

Due to Lane Tech being a school of excellence and champions, the Indian is a symbol of greatness, strength and honor, says Lee, 53.

Stuart Eng, 53, was the student mascot as a senior in 1984-85 and always felt that I brought some dignity to the position.

Our warrior was supposed to stand for bravery, leadership and steadfastness in the face of adversity, Eng says. I believed that we were paying homage.

Many years later, as a board member of the schools alumni association a mascot controversy now on the table Eng reached out to Native American groups in hopes of finding support for Lanes warrior. He found the opposite.

So what did he do? He got on what he figured was the right side of history.

I am all for replacing the mascot, he says, and moving forward with society.

And thats what progress looks like.

Read the original:

Lane Tech Native American mascot controversy washed away by wave of progress - Chicago Sun-Times

CANTON A second phase in the ongoing, cross-jurisdictional drug trafficking investigation code-named Operation Drop was conducted Monday throughout St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties, resulting in 13 additional arrests of north country residents alleged to have facilitated area distribution of narcotics.

An 80-count county grand jury indictment against 44 people, including the 18 people initially arrested in May, was filed July 31 and unsealed in St. Lawrence County Court on Monday as part of Operation Drop. The 13 individuals arrested early Monday morning are in custody, and 24 additional people are still at large at the time of this report, according to the St. Lawrence County Sheriffs Office.

Since November 2019, Operation Drop has involved the coordinated resources and personnel of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the St. Lawrence and Jefferson county sheriffs offices, drug task forces and district attorneys offices, U.S. Border Patrol and the Border Enforcement Security Task Force, state police, local police departments, New York National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and the U.S. Postal Service.

We know that drug trafficking organizations and criminal street gangs continue their illicit activities despite the current health crisis around the country, Kevin M. Kelly, special agent in charge of the Buffalo Field Office of HSI, said during a news conference Monday afternoon. Its clear that these gangs and criminal organizations take no days off, and neither do we.

The joint investigation has employed covert surveillance aimed at rooting out heroin, fentanyl and cocaine dealers operating in St. Lawrence County and surrounding areas, as well as New Jersey-area traffickers, St. Lawrence County Sheriff Brooks J. Bigwarfe said.

Phase one arrests were made over the early morning hours of May 6, with investigators focused on filing major trafficking charges against New Jersey residents after executing eight search warrants simultaneously at different locations: two in Potsdam, two in Massena, one in Gouverneur, two in Ogdensburg and one in Watertown.

Nine of the 18 arrested in May are residents of New Jersey and believed to be affiliated with a Jersey City criminal organization, ST8 Drop, known to traffick crack cocaine, powder cocaine and heroine laced with fentanyl, and linked to members of the New Jersey Bloods. Seven of those New Jersey defendants were charged as major traffickers and are being held without bail in St. Lawrence County jail, Canton.

Phase two, Mr. Bigwarfe said, has focused more heavily on local residents allegedly facilitating out-of-state trafficking activity in the north country.

Included in the 80-count indictment are the 18 individuals arrested in May, as well as Delton Weller, 37, Massachusetts; Diamond Debarros, 20, New Jersey; and Llajesli Santiago, 23, New York City.

In varying degrees, the indictment charges 22 Northern New Yorkers with conspiracy, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal sale, criminal nuisance or some combination of those charges, all related to alleged ST8 Drop activity in the north country from as early as November 2019.

The indictment charges Massena residents Jessica Castle, 39; Matthew Douillet, 27; Dahtez Jones, 36; Rauchelle Laporte, 27; John Paul Maxwell, 32; Jordan Page, 26; Tori Paquin, 39; James Plourde, 27; Samuel Pruner, 42; Devin Riley, 25; Adriannah Sirles, 22; Corbey Terrance, 29; and Tia Thompson, 23, as well as Bradley Brooks, 36, Gouverneur; Pamela Cole, 39, Ogdensburg; Lester McGaw, 43, Ogdensburg; Brittany Miller, 28, Watertown; Matthew Parker, 33, Parishville; Jeremy Pitts, 25, Potsdam; Chad Wickwire, 36, Norfolk; Elizabeth Wickwire, 32, Norfolk; and Sean Young, 26, Ogdensburg.

According to the sheriffs office, the May 6 and subsequent searches have recovered a total of six pounds, 12 ounces of cocaine, with an estimated street value of more than $350,000; 279 grams of fentanyl, valued at about $56,000; 1,657 bags of heroin and 1,080 bags of fentanyl, all pre-packaged for distribution and valued at about $42,000; and $80,400 in U.S. currency.

Bringing a global investigative perspective to the case, Mr. Kelly said, broader involvement is being addressed by HSI personnel in Newark, with other federal and international government partners exploring narcotics production sources in other countries.

As investigators, were trained to push that investigation out, push it out of St. Lawrence County, out of the U.S. if need be, Mr. Kelly said.

St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary M. Pasqua affirmed his offices dedication to prosecuting individuals believed to be trafficking illicit drugs into the area and facilitating their distribution, and added that a simultaneous effort to address the demand that has brought them to St. Lawrence County is essential.

The only way we are going to truly eradicate the issue is by prosecuting those bringing the narcotics here and making sure no one steps up to fill that void because there are still individuals looking for a supply, Mr Pasqua said, adding that addiction services for those in need are vital to communities, too. If were able to do that, we can fight this at both ends.

Local, state and federal investigative partners, Mr. Kelly said, will continue an aggressive pursuit of these criminals.

Today we celebrate hard work, St. Lawrence County Undersheriff Sean P. OBrien said. Tomorrow, were back at it again.

View original post here:

More arrests in progress in connection with 'Operation Drop' - NNY360