Update: Forward Progress Of Brush Fire Near Gilroy Stopped – SFGate

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

As of 8:59 p.m. the fire that started near the intersection of Castro Valley Road and U.S. Highway 101 was 50 percent contained.

Flames from a backfire burn above fire trucks as CalFire crews battle the wildfires near Mariposa, Calif., on Tuesday, July 18, 2017.

Melted lawn chairs rest outside a residence leveled by the Detwiler fire near Mariposa, Calif., on Wednesday, July 19, 2017.

Flames rise behind a vacant house as firefighters work to halt the Detwiler fire near Mariposa, Calif., Wednesday, July 19, 2017.

Firefighters with Cal Fire continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

A helicopter makes a water drop as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Burned out structures and vehicles along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Cal Fire strike team leader Zack O'Neill works a fire line as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Jeffrey Hernandez with Cal Fire as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Click through this slideshow to see the most striking photos from the 2017 California wildfire season.

Flames from a wildfire surround a lawn statue near Oroville, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2017.

Click through this slideshow to see the most striking photos from the 2017 California wildfire season.

Flames from a wildfire surround a lawn statue near Oroville, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2017.

Flames from a wildfire consume a care near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, June 8, 2017.

A fire burns near Campolindo High School off of Moraga Road in Moraga, California, on Monday, June 19, 2017.

In this long exposure photograph, embers fly off smouldering trees after flames from the 'Wall fire' tore through a residential neighborhood near Oroville, California on July 9, 2017.

A firefighter battles a wildfire as it threatens to jump a street near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path.

Firefighters save a US flag as impending flames from the Wall fire close in on a luxury home in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.

An animal stands on a property as impending flames close in on a residential area in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.

This photo provided by Eliot Oppenheimer, taken late in the evening Sunday, July 9, 2017, shows the Whittier fire burning in the mountains west of Santa Barbara, Calif.

A plane drops retardant while battling a wildfire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. T

Flames from a wildfire consume a shed near Oroville, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2017. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path.

A helicopter works to contain a fire near Campolindo High School off of Moraga Road in Moraga, California, on Monday, June 19, 2017.

This Saturday, July 8, 2017, photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows a large fire whirl developing from erratic winds near Tepesquet Road in a wildfire east of Santa Maria, Calif., in Santa Barbara County, Calif.

Flames from a wildfire consume a residence near Oroville, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2017.

This photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows Rancho Alegre Outdoor School, a camp which suffered extensive damage from the Whittier fire near Santa Barbara, Calif., Monday, July 7, 2017.

Flames surround a marijuana plant as a wildfire burns near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area as flames climbed tall trees.

Firefighters battle a wildfire as it threatens to jump a street near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017.

Sean Greenlaw views his truck covered in fire retardant as a smoke plume billows in the background near Oroville, California on July 08, 2017.

This photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows the remains of a structure burned near Camp Whittier near Santa Barbara, Calif., Monday, July 7, 2017.

Firefighter Kern Kunst battles the Wall fire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. According to CalFire, the blaze has scorched 1,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes.

A Skycrane makes a water drop on hot spots near Hot Spring Canyon and Highway 154 in the Whittier fire area near Santa Barbara, Calif., Wednesday, July 12, 2017.

A firefighter sprays water as flames from a wildfire consume a residence near Oroville, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2017. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path.

CalFire firefighter Jake Hainey, left, and engineer Anna Mathiasen watch as a wildfire burns near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017.

Flames from a wildfire engulf trees near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017.

A plume of smoke rises as impending flames from the 'Wall fire' approach Forbestown Road near Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.

Flames from a wildfire consume an all-terrain vehicle near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area as flames climbed tall trees.

Inmate firefighters battle the Wall fire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. According to CalFire, the blaze has scorched 1,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes.

Firefighter Kern Kunst battles the Wall fire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. According to CalFire, the blaze has scorched 1,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes.

Flames from the Wall fire descend a hillside near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. According to CalFire, the blaze has burned 1,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes.

A fire burns near Campolindo High School off of Moraga Road in Moraga, California, on Monday, June 19, 2017.

See the article here:

Update: Forward Progress Of Brush Fire Near Gilroy Stopped - SFGate

Progress days keep progressing – Kenai Peninsula Online

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

For sixty years, the annual Progress Days parade has marched forward, in step with the city, growing and bringing together the community.

On Saturday, community members lined the streets between Soldotna High School and the George A. Navarre Borough Administration Building and the sun shined bright in celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Progress Days.

For 26 years, Tracy Hillhouse-Price has come back to Soldotna for the parade, whether she lived in Juneau, Anchorage or Sitka. She found herself in Soldotna again on Saturday, watching the parade from the front lawn of the Joyce K. Carver Memorial Soldotna Public Library, and shading herself from the bright, afternoon sunshine.

My first parade that I went to, I was four years old, Hillhouse-Price said.

She walked in that first parade, her mother, Theresa Hillhouse, said.

The pair said a big draw for them to keep coming back is family.

Progress-wise, the city has definitely developed more, Hillhouse-Price said. The families have stayed and the people have come back, they want to come back.

The theme of family ran strong throughout the parade route, with entire clans sitting on their front lawns or along the sidewalks.

Family, its all about family, Ardie Crawford said. Its tradition, weve been dragging my kids down to this parade every year. We do it all, the parade, the rodeo, everything and well continue to do it.

Crawford knows her family will be attending future Progress Days, but it is a question of what Soldotna will look like in the years to come.

I would love to see more of a downtown area, Hillhouse-Price said. You just dont have that here, someplace to stroll and take a look into the shops.

With continued growth, though, others hope that residents stay responsible.

I would like to see much, much less trash, said Zoey Welch. I wish that, in the future, we have a happy environment no matter what.

Other residents are more specific with their dreams for Soldotna.

I want to do dancing and gymnastics, 12-year-old Zeraphina Tucker said. So, I want lots more of that around here.

The parade itself had a wide variety of physical feats, including local dance troops and Kanto performers visiting from Akita, the Kenai Peninsula Boroughs city sister in Japan. The performers balanced tall bamboo poles with lanterns attached throughout the parade.

I see bigger buildings in the future, a lot more people and I think there will be more stores, 11-year-old Toli Boutwell said. Like an Olive Garden, I like their breadsticks.

Boutwell participated in the parade for the first time this year, riding most of the route while balancing on his motorized hoverboard and handing out candy in support of Priceless Alaska, an organization aimed at helping victims of human trafficking.

Maybe we could get a Toys R Us so I can buy another hoverboard, Boutwell said.

Other parade participants were hopeful for future progress, thanks to a big win earlier this year.

Progress, for us, is saving the Kenai River Brown Bears for another season, Rick VanHatten, a supporter of the junior hockey team, said. That was tremendous progress right there. It was a huge community effort but we cant stop now.

No attendee at Saturdays parade seemed interesting in Soldotna slowing down any time soon, though.

I think that people want Soldotna to get better and better, Shirly Zobeck said. Even through hard times, were trying to stay up there and you can see it today, especially on this beautiful day. Today is all about the sunshine.

Progress Day festivities continue today with live entertainment, food booths and vendors in Soldotna Creek Park from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Soldotna Rodeo will start 2 p.m. on the Soldotna Rodeo Grounds on Kalifornsky Beach Road.

The city of Soldotna will also serve a free community picnic including hot dogs, chips and drinks at noon in Soldotna Creek Park.

Reach Kat Sorensen at kat.sorensen@peninsulaclarion.com

Progress days keep progressing - Kenai Peninsula Online

Progress for McIlroy, and optimism for the next major – FOXSports.com

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) Rory McIlroy has gone 10 majors without winning, the longest stretch since he turned pro. He at least felt he made progress at the British Open, and he has reason to be excited for the next major.

For one thing, his form is improving.

Despite a horrid start at Royal Birkdale 5 over through six holes Thursday he bounced back with rounds of 68-69-67 to tie for fourth, his best finish in a major since he was fourth alone in the 2015 Masters.

And the PGA Championship is at Quail Hollow in North Carolina, where McIlroy has won twice. First up is the Bridgestone Invitational, where he won the last time he played Firestone in 2014.

Im excited for the next two weeks, he said. I havent played at Firestone for a couple of years. The last time I played there I won. And Ive had some good finishes. Quail Hollow, Ive played well there. Shot a couple of course records, a couple of wins. Got beaten in a playoff, as well. Another couple of top 10s thrown in there. So I play well at Quail Hollow. I love the golf course. I know theyve made a few changes, but Ill have some really good vibes going into that week.

McIlroy was coming off three missed cuts in his previous four tournaments, so he called his performance a step in the right direction.

Even so, there were moments of taking two steps forward and one step back. He wasted a great start in the third round with back-to-back bogeys late on the front nine and a double bogey on No. 10. And right when he had an outside chance to make a move, he took a bogey on the par-5 16th when he lost his tee shot.

I thought I had a chance to post a number and at least scare them a little bit, he said about Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar.

At least he wont have to think too much on that start. McIlroy finished seven shots behind.

LOST OPPORTUNITY: Austin Connelly, the 20-year-old in his first major, started six shots behind and in the penultimate group at a major championship. He didnt make a birdie until the 11th hole, closed with a 73 and tied for 14th.

At stake was a spot in the Masters if he had stayed in the top four.

He also could have secured a spot next year in the British Open if he had finished in the top 10.

Connelly wasnt hanging his head, however. He is off to Germany next week for the Porsche European Open and said he would play the European Tour the rest of the year.

It was definitely a rough start on the front nine, he said. But it was nice to battle back the way I did. The main issue I had out there was just hitting way too many bunkers. I think I plugged it in three bunkers, and you just cant do that. Happy with the way I played. Happy with the way I hit it. It was just very difficult out there. Take a lot of positives away from it.

ROSE LOOKS BACK: Justin Rose came to Royal Birkdale looking for a British Open championship, not a celebration of his debut on the course 19 years ago.

He got neither, though he still holds a fond spot for the course where he finished fourth as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998.

It would be a dream to win here, but this course doesnt owe me anything, right? Rose said. That was 19 years ago. You dont expect to play well here because of what happened 19 years ago.

Rose, whose only major title came in the U.S. Open, finished with a final-round 70 and was 4 over for the tournament. He blamed a change he has made in his swing, not the golf course.

I think all the guys respect this golf course. Everybody thinks its one of the best ones we play on the rotation, he said. I think its fair.

ROUGH STARTS: Dustin Johnson thought he might have an outside chance to make a move. That notion ended quickly.

Johnson hit into a bunker on the first hole and had to blast out sideways because of the lie. He rolled a putt from short of the green to about 5 feet, and then missed that to make double bogey. Johnson bogeyed the next hole, made only one birdie and shot a 77.

Right behind him was Hideki Matsuyama, who started even worse. His opening tee shot sailed into a gorse bush, and he had to hit two from the first tee. The Japanese star opened with a triple bogey. He at least managed to salvage a 72.

RETURN TRIP: Matthew Southgate earned himself a trip back to the British Open with his final-round 65. He just missed out on a bonus prize.

When the 29-year-old Englishman walked off the 18th green at Royal Birkdale, he was in fourth place and set for a qualifying spot in next years Masters. He has never played at Augusta National.

However, Southgate was overtaken by Rory McIlroy and Rafa Cabrera Bello after they picked up ground over the closing holes. Southgate tied for sixth.

At least he made up for last year at Royal Troon, when he missed out on a top-10 finish and therefore an automatic spot in the following years Open by one stroke.

Id be lying to say I havent lost any sleep over it, said Southgate.

He has only missed one of the last four British Opens. During the 2015 tournament at St. Andrews, he was laid up on his sofa following surgery for testicular cancer.

DIVOTS: Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy were installed as co-favorites for the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. McIlroy is a two-time winner at Quail Hollow and has four other finishes in the top 10. Spieth played Quail Hollow in 2013 as a sponsors exemption when he was trying to get his PGA Tour card. He tied for 32nd and never returned because of conflicts with the Texas tournaments. Spieth improved to 9-5 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour. Hideki Matsuyama has finished in the top 15 at all three majors this year, including a runner-up finish in the U.S. Open.

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Progress for McIlroy, and optimism for the next major - FOXSports.com

Martha Burk reflects on progress since Masters protest in wake of Hootie Johnson’s death – New York Daily News

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Saturday, July 22, 2017, 1:49 PM

Fifteen years later, Martha Burk still chuckles at the response she received from William (Hootie) Johnson, then the chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, after Burk wrote Johnson a letter asking him to invite a woman to join the exclusive, men-only Augusta membership.

Well, Burk technically received two responses: a private letter addressed to her and sent via FedEx; and then the very public press release Johnson issued, which said in no uncertain terms that if Augusta National was to change its membership policy, it would be done according to the venerable Georgia golf clubs timetable, and not at the point of a bayonet.

The letter (Johnson) sent to me was only a few sentences long, and it was sort of a polite kiss-off, says Burk now. It wasnt an inflammatory letter. It didnt have the bombast like the press release.

The bayonet reference alone was inflammatory enough, alluding to an artifact from the Civil War era. But Burk says that she is still surprised all these years later with how quickly things went sideways in the wake of that 2002 press release the story exploded in the media and took on a life of its own, all during a pre-Twitter, pre-social media era.

Debate about the new LPGA dress code should be left to the ladies

And there was the speed with which Burks feud with Johnson escalated, along with the backlash Burk confronted, including anonymous threats via phone and mail. Burks battle with Augusta National culminated with the protest she organized and staged with others near the gates of Augusta National during the 2003 Masters.

The number of protestors who showed up that Saturday in 03 was much smaller than originally anticipated, and the rally took on a circus-like atmosphere when the media outnumbered the protestors, who included an Elvis impersonator, a drag queen and a Ku Klux Klan member. But the long-term reverberations concerning womens rights and gender equality are still being felt today, and Burk thinks her activism in 2003 played a part in pushing the conversation forward on those issues.

One need look no further than the staging of the 2017 U.S. Womens Open earlier this month at a Donald Trump-owned New Jersey golf course, and the controversy that event sparked. Or the womens march in Washington D.C. the day after Trump was sworn in as the 45th president.

Burk says she thinks Johnsons family was probably dismayed that the Augusta National controversy was revisited in the many published obituaries for Johnson after he died July 14 at age 86. But Burk, who in 2003 was the chairwoman of the National Council of Womens Organizations (NCWO), says she is still proud of the crusade she led against Johnson and Augusta National, and the doors that protest maybe helped knock open for progress in womens rights.

Sergio Garcia attacks bush with golf club, injures shoulder

I think (Johnson) was ignorant and vindictive. He brought it all on himself. He probably had some decent counsel from some family members over the years, but he refused to listen, says Burk. When that press release came out, (Associated Press reporter) Doug Ferguson called me and said, What did you think of Hooties response? I thought Doug was talking about the letter Johnson sent me. I didnt know about the press release that had gone out to the whole golf world. I didnt expect the volcano to erupt as it did.

It erupted and then some. When the protest at Augusta National finally commenced April 12, 2003, Burk and the protestors were forced to a muddy lot about a half mile from Augusta Nationals entrance. Burk says now that she should have allowed herself to get arrested, but at that time, she was worried about other protestors getting cuffed as well.

Being a Washington citizen, I know how to use an event as political theater. But word got out that there could be violence, says Burk. A lot of students who were planning to come said, No way. We didnt have a phalanx of lawyers, and if they arrested me and then arrested 10 or more others, that wouldnt have been fair to them. I decided not to go that route. Its a mild regret.

Burk later filed a federal suit against Augusta, claiming the city passed an ordinance that illegally barred the protestors from rallying near the clubs entrance. The city of Augusta ended up paying a $120,000.00 settlement to Burks attorneys, and the resolution was hailed as a victory for free speech. Augusta National, whose chairman is now Billy Payne, finally did allow two women to become members in 2012 former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and financier Darla Moore. IBM chief executive officer Virginia Rometty also became a member, after originally getting snubbed. IBM is one of the chief sponsors for the Masters.

STASI: Lucky Bieber gets banned from China for his bad boy antics

Burk, 75, left the NCWO in 2005, and now lives out west with her husband, Ralph Estes, a retired professor. Shes still an ardent womens rights supporter, and she is the director of a corporate accountability project, fighting for equal pay for women. Burk is also a money editor for Ms. magazine. Through her work with the Women on Wall Street Project in 2007 and 08, $79 million in settlement fees was awarded to female employees at Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley following gender-discrimination lawsuits filed against both companies.

At the recent U.S. Womens Open, none of the female golfers, including star Michelle Wie, wanted to go near the issue of playing on Trumps course, even though the president once boasted about groping women in a 2005 Access Hollywood video that became public last year. Burk says shes not surprised by how the women golfers shied away from any controversy.

The ruling bodies, the USGA, the LPGA, are controlled by men, says Burk. The only way to make any kind of statement is if all the golfers refused to play. That was the same problem at Augusta, nobody on the (PGA) Tour would speak up. These women are also balancing their livelihood against making a political statement. Were making progress in some areas, but its at a glacial pace. Given the current leadership, women are in for a rough ride for the next three and a half years.

Original post:

Martha Burk reflects on progress since Masters protest in wake of Hootie Johnson's death - New York Daily News

Firefighters make progress on blaze in Gold Country – SFGate

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

What locals call "The Little Church in the Hills" was totally destroyed in the Detwiler Fire in Mt. Bullion, as seen on July 21, 2017.

Firefighters with Cal Fire continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, on July 19, 2017.

An air tanker drops fire retardant along the ridge line above Lake McClure, on July 20, 2017.

George Skogan stayed in his home during the evacuation and is now clearing brush around his backyard, in Mt. Bullion, Ca., on Friday July 21, 2017.The fire came within 30 yards of his home.

What locals call "The Little Church in the Hills" was totally destroyed in the Detwiler Fire in Mt. Bullion, Ca., as seen on Friday July 21, 2017.

Jeana Marshall, made a sign for the fire personnel fighting the Detwiler Fire, near where they have made over 5,000 sandwiches, at the River Rock Inn, as seen on Fri. July 21, 2017, in Mariposa, Ca.

An inmate firefighter team out of the McCain Valley keeps watch on a fire line as they continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Air tanker drops fire retardant along the ridge line above Lake McClure, as the northern end of the Detwiler fire moves closer to Coulterville, Ca., on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Firefighters with Cal Fire continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

A helicopter makes a water drop as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

A scorched Highway 49 north of Mariposa, Ca., on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Dessy White packed up her chickens as Detwiler fire moved along the ridge lines at the northern end of the fire near Coulterville, Ca., on Thursday July 20, 2017. She lives about two miles from the fire.

Cal Fire strike team leader Zack O'Neill works a fire line as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Jeffrey Hernandez with Cal Fire as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

The Detwiler fire burned over 45,000 acres Wednesday as over 2,000 firefighters worked to gain control of the blaze, officials said.

An inmate firefighter team out of the McCain Valley keeps watch on a fire line as they continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

A burned sign along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Burned out structures and vehicles along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Burned out structures along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Barbara Milazzo, on Wed. July 19, 2017, rescued her friend's cat "Andromeda" and brought the cat to the animal rescue center at the Evangelical Free Church evacuation center in Oakhurst, Ca.

Burned out structures and vehicles along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Melted lawn chairs rest outside a residence leveled by the Detwiler fire near Mariposa, Calif., on Wednesday, July 19, 2017.

Flames rise behind a vacant house as a firefighter works to halt the Detwiler fire near Mariposa, Calif., on Wednesday, July 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Original post:

Firefighters make progress on blaze in Gold Country - SFGate

Six Utahns receive Pioneers of Progress Awards – Deseret News

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

Sarah Jane Weaver, Deseret News

Elder Robert D. Hales and his wife, Sister Mary Hales, after he was honored with one of the 2017 Pioneers of Progress Awards on July 13, 2017. The awards were presented as part of the annual Days of '47.

SALT LAKE CITY Days of '47 trustees honored six Utahns "who perpetuate a legacy of industry and integrity" during their annual banquet at which Pioneers of Progress awards are bestowed.

The awards honor Utahns nominated by the public whose lives and achievements commemorate principles of pioneering such as faith, courage, industry, integrity and sacrifice, and whose work benefits present and future generations.

The honorees on Thursday were:

Michelle Baker Science and technology

Baker is a biology professor and an associate of the Ecology Center at Utah State University. Baker's research focuses on water quality, and she is the director of iUTAH EPSCoR, a program aimed at strengthening Utah's water future. In addition to the Pioneers of Progress award, Baker also received the 2015 Governor's Medal for Excellence in science and technology.

Dell Loy Hansen Business and enterprise

Hansen is the founder and CEO of The Wasatch Group, a real estate agency in Salt Lake City. He is also the owner and chairman of Real Salt Lake, a major league soccer team. In addition, Hansen contributes to the Hansen Scholars Foundation, which offers scholarships to underprivileged students in Utah State University's Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. He also serves on Major League Soccer's board of governors and on the Utah Sports Commission board.

Kathleen Christy Education, health and humanitarian assistance

Christy has spent her life working in education and has served in many different positions, including a teacher, an equity specialist at the Utah State Office of Education, an elementary school principal and an assistant superintendent for the Salt Lake City School District. In addition, she currently serves on the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, the Utah Foster Care Foundation board and the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum board.

Susan Allred Historic and creative arts

Allred is a costume designer who developed a passion for her profession during her time at Southern Utah University. Her designs have been featured in Utah Opera, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir PBS Christmas Show and the Mormon Miracle Pageant. In addition to the Pioneers of Progress award, Allred was also awarded with the Governor's Award for her contribution to the arts in 2015.

Donald Evan Moss Legacy Award

Moss was an owner and co-founder of Chuck-A-Rama restaurants. He received an accounting degree from the University of Utah, and served in the Utah and Idaho National Guard for six years. He was also active in a Rotary Club and has housed several foreign exchange students throughout his life. He died in 2010.

Elder Robert D. Hales President's Award

Elder Hales was Presiding Bishop of the LDS Church from April 1985 until called to his current position on the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in April 1994. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a fighter pilot, and graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor's degree, and an MBA from Harvard University. Other church positions held by Elder Hales include bishop, branch president, high councilor, the Sunday School general presidency, assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve and as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.

Excerpt from:

Six Utahns receive Pioneers of Progress Awards - Deseret News

Battle lines widen as plans progress for high-powered transmission line between Madison and Iowa – Madison.com

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

Battle lines are widening as the prospective paths narrow for a proposed high-powered transmission line through southwestern Wisconsin.

Developers of the planned Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line from the Madison area to Iowa have shrunk the two corridors under consideration. Previously mile-wide swaths, the paths have been pared to 300 feet across and are being identified as "preliminary" routes, up for government analysis.

American Transmission Co., of Pewaukee; ITC Midwest, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Dairyland Power Cooperative, of La Crosse, want to build the 345-kilovolt transmission line from the Cardinal electrical substation in the town of Middleton to the Hickory Creek substation near Dubuque.

It would run about 125 miles and would cost an estimated $500 million. The three utilities hope to have the line in service in 2023.

The two preliminary routes traverse Dane, Iowa and Grant counties; one of them also cuts through Lafayette County. The southern path runs along Highway 18-151 and existing transmission lines. The northern route aims straight west, about halfway between Highway 18-151 and Highway 14, before turning southwest near Highland.

"The majority of the preliminary routes follows either a transmission line or a highway ... except the northern route, from Cross Plains to past Highway T in Iowa County," said ATC spokeswoman Kaya Freiman.

Though the routes have been trimmed, a couple of options have been added back in at the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service -- one of the government agencies that will decide the project's fate. The additional options, both on the southern route, are just east of Mount Horeb and near Livingston.

The three utility companies proposing Cardinal-Hickory Creek contend the extra wires will bolster the electric grid's reliability, offer access to lower-cost power and increase the number of connections to the region's wind farms.

Local residents say the new transmission line would spoil the rural beauty they cherish and endanger sensitive nature areas. They say the line is not needed. A growing number of communities are raising questions as well.

"This is a very rich area" with endangered birds and animals as well as unique natural resources that are not federally protected, said David Clutter, executive director of the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, based in Dodgeville. Those include petroglyphs -- rock carvings dating back at least 2,000 years -- that could be damaged if vibrations from construction machines erode the soft sandstone, he said.

Some groups look favorably on the project, though, as a way to boost the use of wind-generated power, much of it in Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota.

The Cardinal-Hickory Creek line is a continuation of the 345-kilovolt Badger Coulee transmission line between the La Crosse area and the Madison area, said Chris Kunkle, regional policy manager for Wind on the Wires, a St. Paul-based organization that promotes renewable energy.The 180-mile, $580 million Badger Coulee line is currently under construction.

"These projects are vital to ensuring we can transition our energy system to cleaner energy," Kunkle said.

Developers sent letters to property owners who may be affected by Cardinal-Hickory Creek's preliminary routes and environmental surveyors began combing the corridor in mid-May, collecting data on wetlands, waterways and wildlife.

Opponents, meanwhile, are digging in, especially against the northern route. Theysay they don't want high-voltage power lines and towers as tall as 100 to 150 feet sprouting up in Wisconsin's Driftless area, where the natural landscape was not bulldozed by glaciers.

The Driftless Area is a "unique eco-region and special scenic landscape," a 37-page statement submitted to regulators by the Driftless Area Land Conservancy says. It includes world-class trout-fishing streams and serves as "a rest stop for more than half of North America's migratory bird species," the organization says.

If a transmission line were built across the area, rare, threatened and endangered species could be at risk, such as Henslow's sparrow; the loggerhead shrike; the rusty patched bumble bee; Blanchard's cricket frog; and Blanding's turtle, the Driftless Area Land Conservancy claims. The group says cutting a swath through conservation areas could make rare birds more vulnerable to attacks by owls and raptors, and encourage populations of skunks and raccoons that hang around the edges of wooded areas.

Recreational trails also would be affected, including the Military Ridge State Trail, Governor Dodge State Park, and Blue Mounds State Park, the group says.

For Dan and Lisa Orman, the value of their home in rural Black Earth is at stake, Lisa said. The Ormans' 25-acre property is no longer in the line's proposed path -- at least, at this point. But that hasn't helped them sell their home so they can move closer to ailing parents.

"We have had, maybe, five showings since June of last year and all five of them gave great feedback on the house ... But they won't write an offer because of the pending project," said Lisa Orman. a member of the Vermont Citizens Powerline Action Committee. "Our realtors told us it would have an impact on the ability to sell our house, and that we're likely to take a 40 percent to 50 percent hit."

Local communities have held public meetings over the past eight months or so to discuss the project. More than 110 towns, villages and counties -- including Dane County -- have passed resolutions asking for a complete cost-benefit analysis comparing the big transmission line to alternatives such as boosting smaller power lines or using renewable energy sources. The Iowa County Board approved a resolution opposing the Cardinal-Hickory Creek project.

The proposed transmission line is one of 17 recommended as multi-value projects by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the Indiana-based regional transmission authority, in 2011. The projects are aimed at meeting regional electricity needs, providing economic benefits, and hooking into renewable resources across the 15 states and Canadian province of Manitoba within MISO's jurisdiction.

The Driftless Area Land Conservancy says, though, MISO's analysis is outdated. More recently, electric demand has flattened or declined, the group says. It says MISO's list considered the region's needs as a whole, not the need for the specific Cardinal-Hickory Creek line.

Meanwhile, Alliant Energy, of Madison, is building a 700-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant and a two-megawatt solar field in Beloit, and at least two wind farms are being developed in the state, so a transmission line bringing in more power is not needed, the organization says.

Residents opposed to the proposed Cardinal-Hickory Creek high voltage transmission line make their sentiments known with signs along the proposed route, including this one on Union Valley Road in rural Black Earth.

"The world has changed since MISO began this," said Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, with offices in Chicago and Madison, serving as attorney for the Driftless Area organization. "It's sort of like saying it's important to build more telephone wires and poles to serve the additional landlines that people in Middleton and Cross Plains are going to use, and then all of a sudden, cell phones came in."

Learner, who has a home near Spring Green, said upgrades to local power lines would be more appropriate than a huge transmission line that will carry electricity produced by fossil fuel and nuclear plants, as well as wind power.

"This is not the right place ... unless it's absolutely needed to keep the lights on, and this line is not needed for that purpose," Learner said.

Kunkle, of Wind on the Wires, whose members include renewable power developers and environmental nonprofits, said while the Cardinal-Hickory Creek line would not be limited to wind-generated electricity, it would open the door for more wind power on the electric grid.

"There are wind farms that have to shut down generators because they are short on transmission capability," he said. "All of the wind plants ... are hinging on this line."

Madison-based RENEW Wisconsin has not taken a formal stand on the project but executive director Tyler Huebner said the lines recommended by MISO are an important investment.

"Wind power is expanding tremendously throughout the Midwest, driven by lower cost. It really is setting up a very exciting future where wind energy can keep rates down or even lower rates for customers in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest," Huebner said.

The USDA's Rural Utilities Service will analyze the preliminary routes and compile a draft environmental impact statement, expected to be issued in March 2018, said environmental protection specialist Dennis Rankin.

The federal agency is involved, in addition to state utilities regulators in Wisconsin and Iowa, because Dairyland Power is requesting financing from the Rural Utilities Service for its portion of the project, Rankin said.

The Cardinal-Hickory Creek application is expected to be submitted to Wisconsin's Public Service Commission in 2018 and to the Iowa Utilities Board in 2019, Freiman said.

If approved, costs would be spread across MISO's territory. She said Wisconsin utility customers would pick up 10 percent to 15 percent of the tab.

Cardinal-Hickory Creek is part of about $4 billion of transmission construction anticipated by ATC through 2025.

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Battle lines widen as plans progress for high-powered transmission line between Madison and Iowa - Madison.com

Visibility and progress are key messages at ADA celebration in Iowa City – The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

Jul 22, 2017 at 8:53 pm | Print View

IOWA CITY For Erin Noon, visibility is important.

Thats why events like Saturdays 27th anniversary celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act in Iowa City are important for Noon, who has cerebral palsy and serves as resources coordinator for the Johnson County National Alliance on Mental Illness or NAMI.

I think the ADA celebration is very important for visibility and making sure people with disabilities whether you have an invisible disability or an actual physical disability are represented in the Iowa City community, Noon said during the event that took place from 10 a.m. to noon on the Pedestrian Mall.

Iowa City has celebrated the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act since it was signed into law in 1990. The federal civil rights law prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities and transportation.

I love this program because since I actually have a physical disability, its just so wonderful to celebrate it and get excited, Noon said.

The annual ADA celebration is presented by a host of community organizations including Access 2 Independence, Combined Efforts, Goodwill of the Heartland and NAMI. Notable attendees at Saturdays event included Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton; Dave Leschtz, who formerly served as a social worker and University of Iowa disabilities educator; and Democratic U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, who represents Iowas 2nd District.

Throgmorton read two proclamations from the city, including one designating the week of July 17-21 as National Disability Voter Registration Week and July 22, 2017, as Americans with Disabilities Act Awareness Day.

The proclamations, he said, were to urge community members to participate in activities that celebrate and honor the spirit of the act.

Loebsack, who kept his message brief, encouraged his constituents to keep fighting for their rights because, the minute you rest on your laurels, thats when somebody is going to try to turn the clock backward.

You can never, ever assume that were going to continue to make progress, Loebsack said, noting ways to engage in the political process. Its going to be up to you to talk to me ... to talk to your other representatives, to send letters and emails to your senator ... to be in touch with the President of the United States to make sure that we do not fall back.

His bottom line: To make sure that we keep going forward.

With informational booths set up to promote education and advocacy in Iowa City, groups in attendance included the UI Stead Family Childrens Hospital and the Aktion Club, a service club for adults with disabilities.

Jeoffrey Hacker, of Iowa City, an advocate for those with disabilities, also was on hand collecting signatures on his petition to ask the Iowa City Community School District to reinstate its Special Olympics program.

With Special Olympic medals wrapped around his neck, Hacker said he uses the medals as an example to show others with disabilities what they, too, might achieve through Special Olympics.

I want equal opportunity for sports, Hacker said.

Collecting signatures for nearly a month, Hacker said Saturday morning he was up to 58 as he works toward a goal of 1,000. Benefits of reinstating Special Olympics he said, include equal opportunity and providing an avenue for people with disabilities to gain self-confidence, obtain community building skills and have fun.

Also during Saturdays celebration, longtime disabilities advocate Keith Ruff received the Terry Cunningham Community Award and the Bill Reagan Vitality Award went to Combined Efforts, a visual and performing arts company with a mission of artistic excellence through purposeful collaboration between artists with and without disabilities.

l Comments: (319) 368-8531; alexandra.connor@thegazette.com

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Visibility and progress are key messages at ADA celebration in Iowa City - The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines

Another Voice: Build on progress in police reforms – Buffalo News

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

By Sarah Wooton and Denise Walden

Recently, the Buffalo Police Department has announced two promising changes: It will start a body camera program and seek state accreditation. These address two of 32 recommendations in Collaboration, Communication and Community-Building: A New Model of Policing for 21st Century Buffalo, a 2016 report by the Partnership for the Public Good and Open Buffalo. These changes require careful implementation, however, and they must be accompanied by other reforms.

Body cameras can benefit both officers and civilians. Footage can be used to substantiate citizen claims of use of excessive force or to exonerate officers of unsubstantiated claims. Research suggests that both officers and residents behave better when being filmed.

But the policies that govern body cameras will be crucial to their success. First, the departments policy should outline exactly when officers must turn their cameras on, and establish consequences for violating this rule. Second, the policy should protect the privacy of vulnerable individuals, such as children. Third, it should make footage available to the public through an independent committee. In cities where footage is controlled by the police, body cameras lose credibility and value. Lastly, the body camera policy should be easily available to the public (currently, the department does not put its policy manual on its website).

In addition, the department has announced that it will seek outside accreditation, as required by the City Charter. This long-awaited move will provide an outside set of expert eyes to review policies and practices and suggest improvements. To ensure that it receives accreditation, the department should promptly negotiate with its union to begin annual performance reviews of all officers a glaring gap in its current management practices.

While accreditation and body cameras are promising, they cannot be the only improvements. In Open Buffalos 2016 survey of more than 2,000 Buffalonians, only 20 percent of residents felt that the police respected people of color. The policing reports 32 concrete recommendations are based on policies that have succeeded in other cities. Two examples are instituting fix-it tickets for minor offenses and requiring all officers to commit hours to community policing activities like foot patrols and attending community

meetings. Finally, it was disturbing that the Common Council canceled the Police Oversight Committee meeting scheduled for July after Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda said he could not attend.

The department should be seeking more, not fewer, opportunities to meet with lawmakers and citizens to discuss public safety and ideas for change. This is especially so given the infrequency of these meetings and the unanswered questions surrounding the deaths of Wardel Davis and Jose Hernandez-Rossy. Buffalo needs policing that is more community-based, open and accountable and those changes cannot happen without real citizen engagement.

Sarah Wooton is the policy analyst at the Partnership for the Public Good. Denise Walden is the community impact coordinator for Open Buffalo.

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Another Voice: Build on progress in police reforms - Buffalo News

Steady Progress on Ozone and Climate at Bangkok Talks – Natural Resources Defense Council

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

This post co-authored by Alex Hillbrand

The Montreal Protocols 30th anniversary is shaping up to be a good year for ozone and climate protection.

The parties gathered last week in Bangkok for their midyear meeting to make headway on the ongoing phase-out of ozone-killing HCFCs and to start working implementing the phase-down of climate-damaging HFCs agreed in Kigali, Rwanda, last year.

Although not as glamorous as the Kigali meeting, good progress was made and nearly all countries played constructive roles.

We reported earlier on the progress made by the Montreal Protocols funding body, the Multilateral Fund. Last weeks meeting began with a well-attended Safety Standards Workshop on Monday to discuss the updates to international and national codes and standards needed to assure that the climate-friendly but flammable refrigerant alternatives to HFCs can be used safely. These include some HFCs with relatively low heat-trapping power, and very low GWP compounds such as HFOs and propane.

To use these gases safely, product design standards need to be improved to reflect safety measures (such as better leak prevention and spark avoidance). In many cases, building fire codes also will need to be updated to reflect safe practices for installing and using air conditioning products using flammable refrigerants.

Representatives of international and national safety standards committees presented their plans to update standards and the timelines they hope to follow. They offered reassurance that the Kigali Amendments phase-down timetable leaves enough time for safety standards to be revised. In some places, such as the U.S., states and cities will need assistance to update their building codes quickly.

Following the workshop, the Protocol parties met for four days to consider, among other things, replenishment the Multilateral Fund for the next three years. The Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) shared its estimate of the funds needed to help developing countries meet the next stage of their HCFC phase-out obligations, and to get started planning for HFC reductions.

The TEAP estimated that about $600 - $750 million will be needed during 2018-2020, up modestly from just over $500 million required during 2015-2017. About 90-95 percent of this funding would go to the ozone-saving work of phasing out HCFCs. The remainder, TEAP estimates, will go towards early enabling activities to help countries plan for the phase-down of HFCs as agreed in Kigali. Parties were keenly interested whether the estimated amounts would support leap-frogging over HFCs, i.e., going directly to climate-friendlier alternatives when phasing out HCFCs.

But it was energy efficiency that stole the show. Two groups of countries India and several Middle Eastern countries, and the Africa Group submitted statements on energy efficiency to the meeting. A very constructive conversation, kicked off by India, highlighted the critical importance of improving the efficiency of cooling appliances as a means to reduce climate-damaging carbon pollution from power plants.

India called for identifying what part of the energy efficiency picture the Montreal Protocol should address the power consumption of air conditioners, for example, as opposed to whole-building energy efficiency. India called for the TEAP to consider how Protocol could support energy efficiency projects. Nearly 50 countries took the floor in the ensuing discussion. The parties agree to hold workshop on energy efficiency next year to address many of these key questions. Also next year, the parties are to negotiate and agree upon guidelines to govern decisions of the Multilateral Fund on energy efficiency.

NRDC contributed by holding a side event reporting on global pathways to improve the energy-efficiency of air conditioning in tandem with the refrigerant transition. Over the last year, NRDC and our partners interviewed dozens of manufacturers to get a sense for how their product portfolios and product planning take these clean technologies into account, and what would help them move faster.

The meeting closed with delegates in high spirits, their expectations turned to the treatys 30th anniversary celebration, taking place in Montreal this November. There they will complete negotiations on the 2018-2020 funding replenishment and continue developing approaches to leverage big improvements in the energy efficiency of rapidly-growing air conditioning equipment.

Director, Climate & Clean Air program

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Steady Progress on Ozone and Climate at Bangkok Talks - Natural Resources Defense Council

Hamburg Fairgrounds Makes Quick Progress on Cleanup – WGRZ-TV

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

Cleanup Continues At The Fairgrounds

WGRZ 11:30 PM. EDT July 21, 2017

Photo: WGRZ (Photo: Photo: WGRZ)

HAMBURG, N.Y. - What a difference a day makes.

Almost 36 hours after a tornado tore through the Hamburg Fairgrounds, crews made quick progress on Friday to clear off the debris scattered all across the property. Beginning at 4 a.m., they worked to collect the fallen branches, limbs and hunks of tree that had been tossed around by the sheer force of the storm.

That's good news, since the Erie County Fair is set to begin here in just 19 days. By the end of Friday, fair organizers estimated that most of the debris had already been cleared away from the fairgrounds. It would appear that the fair will begin as scheduled in August.

Although there is significant damage to the grandstands, the fair organizers have portable bleachers and will be able to make due for the concerts and other events held near the raceway.

Meanwhile, the Yankee Reigning Horse Association's "Summer Spectacular" horse show continued as planned on Friday.

Courtney Craig, the president of YRHA, said the tornado came through like a "flash" on Thursday and cut power to the barns. Many people are attending the show from out of town, and Thursday was their "move-in" day. Many campers behind barns had broken glass windows due to the tornado.

Craig had to decide whether to proceed with the show.

"We decided we'd go on with the show," she said. "It was a big decision, because we didn't have power in all of our barns. We didn't have camper power until today. But we decided we'd go on, and have our show, as usual."

So it would seem that not even a tornado can stop the horse show-- or the Erie County Fair.

2017 WGRZ-TV

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Hamburg Fairgrounds Makes Quick Progress on Cleanup - WGRZ-TV

New Superintendent Levett pledges progress for Savannah-Chatham school district – Savannah Morning News

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

Parents, students and residents alike can expect to see continued improvements in the Savannah-Chatham school district in the upcoming school year, Superintendent Ann Levett said to a packed room of educators Friday.

During her first State of Our Schools Address, Levett touted growth in employment and graduation rates in 2016 and said district progress is slated to continue when school kicks off Aug 3.

Levett said an unprecedented 2,000 graduates received diplomas in May and said the districts graduation rates continue to beat the state average. The Savannah-Chatham school districts graduation rate is about 83.2 percent compared to Georgias rate of 79.2 percent.

This is indeed our season of impact, she said. And we will work to provide another year of excellence.

The school district serves more than 38,000 students throughout 55 schools and employs 5,600 people, Levett said, making it the 10th largest school district in the state.

Officials added to those employment numbers when the district decided to bring its transportation in-house. The change was designed to streamline student experience while saving a few dollars, Levett said. It was also the first time the district handled its own bus transportation and routing since its transportation department was privatized in 1998.

From Tybee to Bloomingdale, we have a large geographic footprint and we cover a lot of miles, she said. By bringing transportation inside, we brought those dollars back and made an investment in our community.

Other noted achievements included the STEM certification of Heard Elementary and new facilities for Haven, May Howard and Juliette Low schools.

In the coming months, residents can expect to see aggressive efforts to get the community more involved in the education process, Levett said.

This year the district is launching literacy and math programs to make resources more readily available to students including a book drive with a million-book goal.

The school board chose Levett from among four superintendent finalists on May 4. The board officially approved her hiring on May 22 in a contentious 5-4 vote. Board members Julie Wade, Michael Johnson and Shawn Kachmar as well as School Board President Jolene Byrne insisted that their criticisms of Levett during that meeting werent personal, and they pledged to follow board policy and support Levett. The board approved Levetts contract June 27. She received a $242,500 salary. Her two-year deal includes a stipend, home workstation and business expenses.

Levett begins the school year as an investigation looms into the school board by the districts accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Mariama Jenkins, spokeswoman for AdvancEd which oversees the SACS accreditation process said in a previous story that SACS received complaints of school board interference and will investigate.

We received complaints in response to allegations that Savannah-Chatham County Public School System is in violation of AdvancED Accreditation Standards for Quality School Systems. Based on the merits of those complaints we will be conducting an on-site review this fall, Jenkins said.

SACS investigators can put districts on probation and revoke accreditation if they find that school boards are disrupting the educational effectiveness of a district. The investigation stems from now retired Superintendent Thomas Lockamys complaints that interference and a lack of support from Byrne hastened his decision to retire and he has provided SACS with a candid account of her alleged interference.

Georgia Milestone scores

Levett said Friday that she recognized that while progress was made there is still much work to be done.

The countywide educator rally comes on the heels of the state release of Georgia Milestones Assessment System scores. The 2017 release shows that the state average is improving, but Savannah-Chatham schools still have a bit of catching up to do.

The percentage of proficient and developing high school learners dropped in five of GMAS test subjects: algebra, biology U.S. history, geometry and economics. There were significant increases in four GMAS test high school subjects: 9th grade literature, American literature, analytical geometry and physical science. Proficiency percentages among elementary and middle school students decreased among grades 5-8. Savannah-Chatham third- and fourth-graders showed increased proficiency across the board.

We may not be doing everything right, but we are doing something right to see some progress, she said. And that progress wont go unnoticed. But we will continue to work hard Our first step is to look at those areas where scores dropped and see what caused the drop and the same with improvements.

To read a complete list of GMAS scores, go to http://bit.ly/2ujFe36.

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New Superintendent Levett pledges progress for Savannah-Chatham school district - Savannah Morning News

Pa. Turnpike making progress on erosion controls near McDonald flooding – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pa. Turnpike making progress on erosion controls near McDonald flooding
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Additional erosion controls the Pennsylvania Turnpike has completed in the past 10 days near a flood site in McDonald could get a serious test this weekend. The National Weather Service is forecasting heavy rain Saturday and Sunday in that area, where ...

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Pa. Turnpike making progress on erosion controls near McDonald flooding - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Evacuation orders lifted for Mariposa as crews slow progress of massive wildfire – Los Angeles Times

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

Evacuation orders were lifted for the historic mining town of Mariposa on Friday morning, as firefighters slowed the progress of a massive wildfire burning near Yosemite National Park.

Authorities lifted the evacuation order at 11 a.m., but warned residents: There will still be smoke in the respective areas as firefighters continue firefighting operations. If at anytime you feel unsafe, please call 911.

The blaze, which has scorched more than 70,000 acres, is now 15% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It has gutted 58 homes, damaged 11 others and triggered the evacuation of approximately 4,000 people in Mariposa County communities.

Dozens of other structures have been destroyed or damaged, Cal Fire said.

Thousands of firefighters plodded through steep hillsides and canyons overnight to reach flames smoldering in chaparral, and at least one firefighter was injured Friday when a fire engine rolled down a hill, officials said. The condition of the firefighter has not yet been made public.

Temperatures should warm up this weekend, but isolated thunderstorms could sweep over the southern Sierra Nevada range on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford.

On Thursday night, residents displaced by the Detwiler fire attended a community meeting at the Merced Theatre, where they expressed concerns about security and inquired when they could return home.

Mariposa County Sheriff Doug Binnewies said he hoped downtown Mariposa would reopen Friday, but he warned that some roads would remain closed because firefighters were still trying to mop up.

Binnewies said deputies were patrolling neighborhoods that were abandoned by homeowners who were forced to flee. He said anyone attempting to commit a crime would be arrested.

If youre coming here to do something nefarious, we dont want you here, the sheriff said. Get out.

With officials opening some areas Friday, Allison Byerley, a pastor in Mariposa, said she planned to prepare a special sermon for Sunday to give thanks and raise spirits.

Byerley said she will quote from Isaiah 43, which reads in part: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. ... When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

If prayers could put out fires, this one would have been dead awhile ago, Byerley said.

Sights, sounds, and the people that made the first day of 2017's Comic-Con a sight to behold.

Democrats Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Tim Canova are preparing already for their August 2018 congressional primary rematch by raising and spending campaign money.

ALSO

The fight to save the gold-mining town of Mariposa from a monster fire

'Explosive' flames destroy 45 homes as 70,000-acre wildfire rages near Yosemite

Whittier fire in Los Padres National Forest consumes more than 18,000 acres

UPDATES:

11:35 a.m.: This article was updated with details on evacuation orders being lifted for Mariposa.

8:35 a.m.: This article was updated with information about the possible return of evacuated Mariposa residents.

7:15 a.m.: This article was updated with new figures on the size of the fire and number of homes destroyed.

This article was originally published at 4 a.m.

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Evacuation orders lifted for Mariposa as crews slow progress of massive wildfire - Los Angeles Times

Pete Mackanin lauds Maikel Franco’s progress after Phillies’ road trip – Philly.com

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

Its like playing golf, Pete Mackanin said. In golf, you want to let the club do the work, swinging downward to try to elevate the ball. In baseball, the Phillies manager wants hitters still to elevate the ball, but do so by pushing a level swing through the bottom half of the baseball.

In the age of the term launch angle, Mackanin said he believes that metric is overemphasized. It encourages hitters to dip the bat and swing up, which projects the ball at a higher angle andcan result in more unproductive fly balls.

Theres this trend for hitters to want to lift the ball and they do it wrong, Mackanin said. They dont understand the whole concept of getting the ball in the air. And a nice level swing will get the ball in the air.

The manager used the example of Daniel Murphy, who is slugging .576 with 16 home runs for the first-place Washington Nationals. Murphys swing generates backspin to drive the ball out of the park. Mackanin said he believes thats the way to lift the ball, which brought him back to the revival that his own hitter, Maikel Franco, has experienced over the past week.

The manager noticed instantly during the teams trip to Milwaukee last weekend that Franco had leveled out his swing. The third baseman was hitting just .217 with a .384 slugging percentage at the all-star break, in the midst of the worst of his three full seasons with the Phillies. But Mackanin noticed Francos new swing again during batting practice in Miami on Tuesday, and predicted to pitching coach Bob McClure that he would have a good game.

Franco went 3-for-4 with a home run.

Im kind of cautiously optimistic about this, Mackanin said. If he continues to do what hes doing, hes going to have a good second half, I believe.

In the six games since the break, Franco has hit safely in five and gone 11-for-25 with four doubles.

Of course, he has had stretches like this in the past. He strung together six different hitting streaks of five or more games last year, but his batting average only rose above .260 for a couple of weeks after the first month.

Mackanin has reason to believethis time is different. Franco is not just golfing low pitches into the seats. He appears to have made a lasting tweak to his swing.

Thats what hes been doing daily in batting practice, Mackanin said. And the last three or four games he has been swinging like that. So Im pretty excited. Every day I hope to see the same swing path.

POLL: Can Franco and Herrera improve in the second half and help prevent the Phils from a 100-loss season?

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Published: July 21, 2017 3:01 AM EDT | Updated: July 21, 2017 6:31 PM EDT

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Federal legislators reflect on progress, look ahead – Petoskey News-Review

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

WASHINGTON Michigans two U.S. senators say environmental issues will be a big topic of policy discussion in 2017.

At the same time, U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, who represents Michigans 1st District, said he is focused on the budget.

Federal lawmakers were asked about their accomplishments for the first half of 2017, and what they believe will be the big issues they will be tackling for the next six months.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow

For the first six months, Stabenow, a Democrat, said she has been focusing on protecting the Great Lakes and strengthening the healthcare system.

Stabenow is a co-chair of the Senates bipartisan Great Lakes task force. She is focused on doing everything possible to preserve the Great Lakes, including controlling the water quality and invasive species like Asian carp, Stabenow said.

Stabenow said shes pushing back on President Donald Trumps budget, which ends all funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. According to its website, the initiative focuses on cleaning up the Great Lakes areas of concern, preventing and controlling invasive species, reducing nutrient runoff that contributes to harmful algal blooms and protecting native species.

(Protecting the Great Lakes is) about jobs, its about the quality of life, its really who we are in Michigan, Stabenow said.

Stabenow said she is also fighting back efforts to end the Healthy Michigan Plan, which is a program that gives health care to low-income adults who do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid.

I am always opposed to eliminating health care for millions of people in Michigan, Stabenow said. Instead, I have been focused on lowering the cost of prescription drugs and lowering the cost of health insurance.

Stabenow hopes two of the bills she has introduced will be debated and passed in the next six months. One bill would give a 50 percent tax credit for the cost of small businesses providing healthcare for their employees. The other bill is a five-year farm bill, meant to help people and businesses in the agriculture business.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters

In a statement, Peters, a Democrat, pointed to legislative efforts he has been working on in 2017.

Peters, along with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, introduced a bill meant to help local fire departments. The bill would allow fire departments to use Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grants to promote part-time and on-call firefighters to be full time. Currently, the grants can only be used to hire and train new firefighters.

The legislation has passed the Senates Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, but has not been voted on by the full Senate, the statement said.

Members of the Senates Commerce Committee approved Peters amendments meant to improve airport security outside screening areas. The amendments would allow airports to use already existing funds to update their infrastructure outside Transportation Security Administration-screened areas, such as baggage claims and drop-offs. For example, airport officials could use the funds for ballistic protective podiums and camera installation.

Peters will continue in the next six months to improve public services and strengthen protections for the Great Lakes and Straits of Mackinac, he said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman

Bergman, R-Watersmeet, said he is proud to have voted for several bills that are now laws. One of those laws is the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act. Bergman said it gives the VA a streamlined process to fire employees for poor performance. He said employees still have due-process rights.

Before we did this, it took forever (to fire bad employees), and because of that slowness, the veterans floundered, Bergman said.

He said lawmakers got rid of many regulations put in place by the Obama administration. Bergman said the reduction of regulations is going to save businesses billions of dollars. He said representatives also increased defense spending.

Bergman, part of the budget committee, said he has been spending much of his time preparing the fiscal year 2018 budget.

We have too much of the government which on whats called autopilot spending, thats the mandatory spending. We cant continue down a road like that because we are broke at that rate, Bergman said.

Bergman said he is working on legislation to support the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie. He also said he will work on giving more power to the state government and reduce the size of the federal government.

What might work in Michigan, may not work in Mississippi or New Mexico, Bergman said.

Construction crane signals progress at Vancouver waterfront – The Columbian

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Danzig

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The first of two construction cranes expected on the Vancouver waterfront this summer was erected Thursday and Friday.

The progress, clearly visible from downtown and the Interstate 5 Bridge, illustrates the transformation of the old Boise Cascade paper mill site into offices, restaurants, retail and residential space.

Underground parking will be provided in two of the first four buildings now under construction by the firm of Robertson & Olson. One building will be for offices; the other, apartments.

A pier jutting into the Columbia River and a waterfront park are also under construction, as are two retail/restaurant buildings. The first waterfront restaurants should open sometime in 2018.

Gramor Development is the lead on the public-private project, which at full build-out will cover 21 blocks at an investment estimated at nearly $1.5 billion.

To the east, nearer the bridge, the Port of Vancouver also has major development plans for its property.

Construction crane signals progress at Vancouver waterfront - The Columbian

San Jose Earthquakes’ Tommy Thompson making progress under Leitch – MLSsoccer.com

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Danzig

SAN JOSE, Calif. It is tempting to link the change in San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Tommy Thompsons productivity to the ascension of new coach Chris Leitch. Since Leitch assumed control last month, Thompson has started all five of the Quakes competitive matches, providing two assists in U.S. Open Cup play and his first MLS goal after starting his career with a 63-game drought.

Yet the 21-year-old Thompson points to a moment during the reign of former coach Dominic Kinnear as the turning point for his fortunes: Late in the second half against Orlando City onMay 17, Thompsons ball to the back post turned into an assist on team captain Chris Wondolowskis game-tying goal.

Thompsons first career point in league play helped secure a critical point for the Quakes in their quest to regain a playoff spot, and gave him a sorely-neededboost in morale.

Its crazy how much one stat can mean, but it inspires confidence," Thompson told MLSsoccer.com last week."Since then, I think its been all downhill. ... I knew once I got the monkey off my back, the rest would come.

Regardless of the genesis of his surge, its undeniable that Thompson has finally begun to unveil in games the kind of tools that have long made him an object of fascination in skills challenges over the years. As the Quakes have become more entertaining and assertive under Leitch even in a situation such as the 5-1 loss San Jose suffered against the New York Red Bullson Wednesday Thompson has perhaps been the fullest representation of that change.

I think we can be the team that puts teams on the back foot and outscores teams, Thompson said. Thats what we did [in a 3-2 win against theLA Galaxyin the US Open Cup quarterfinals].Yeah, they scored two goals on us, but we put three in the back of the net. It feels good.

The biggest observable difference regarding Thompsons game is a level of decisiveness that seemed lacking at times previously, and this is not by accident. As Leitch made it clear in his initial press conference after taking the job, his vision of the Quakes affords them more chances to fail and to learn from that process.

With certain players, especially the attackers, youre going to ask them to take risks to change a game and to beat your opponent, to try the final pass, to attempt a shot, Leitch told reporters after San Joses 4-1 exhibition romp over Eintracht Frankfurt last week. And so if youre going to ask those players to do that, then you have to know within that risk, those things arent always going to come off, and so you have to be OK with that, so that those creative guys can have the space to be creative and to express themselves and try those things.

That theory of allowing young players to make mistakes seems to beworking for the Earthquakes. Rookie Jackson Yueill, who spent much of the year buried on Kinnears depth chart, has been a key cog for Leitch. And Homegrown defender Nick Lima, who moved straight into Kinnears lineup as a rookie this season, has been deployed as a wingback when the Quakes utilize a 3-5-2 formation, giving him license to roam forward even more freely than in Kinnears usual 4-4-2.

Even [Valeri Qazaishvili] is a great example of the Quakes shift to wanting young, talented players before theyre in their prime, Thompson said, citing the recent addition of 24-year-old attacker. Its exciting to be a part of. This locker room has changed drastically since I signed when I was 18. But I think were going in the right direction.

"Young players have the ability to show well on the biggest stages, if theyre given confidence. I think Jacksons shown that. I think Nicks shown that.

That is a sea change for a Quakes team that is still finding its way under Leitch, who previously had front-office experience but no coaching reps at this level.

Winning is always fun, but winning with style is all the better, Thompson said. I would say this is the most fun Ive had as a pro. I think part of that comes from getting assists and getting a goal.

I said at the beginning of this season: this is the most talent weve had in this locker room since Ive been here. And I think were only getting better. Were only getting more and more confident with each other, with the coaching staff. Im really looking forward to whats going to come with the rest of the year.

San Jose Earthquakes' Tommy Thompson making progress under Leitch - MLSsoccer.com

HIV drug resistance could undermine progress in AIDS battle: WHO – Reuters

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Danzig

LONDON (Reuters) - Rising levels of resistance to HIV drugs could undermine promising progress against the global AIDS epidemic if effective action is not taken early, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

Already in six out of 11 countries surveyed in Africa, Asia and Latin America for a WHO-led report, researchers found that more than 10 percent of HIV patients starting antiretroviral drugs had a strain resistant to the most widely-used medicines.

Once a threshold of 10 percent is reached, the WHO recommends countries urgently review their HIV treatment programs and switch to different drug regimens to limit the spread of resistance.

HIV drug resistance develops when patients do not stick to a prescribed treatment plan - often because they do not have consistent access to proper HIV treatment and care.

Patients with HIV drug resistance start to see their treatment failing, with levels of HIV in their blood rising, and they risk passing on drug-resistant strains to others.

The WHO's warning comes as the latest data from UNAIDS showed encouraging progress against the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic, with deaths rates falling and treatment rates rising.

Some 36.7 million people around the world are infected with HIV, but more than half of them - 19.5 million - are getting the antiretroviral therapy medicines they need to suppress the HIV virus and keep their disease in check.

The WHO said, however, that rising HIV drug resistance trends could lead to more infections and deaths.

Mathematical modeling shows an additional 135,000 deaths and 105,000 new infections could follow in the next five years if no action is taken, and HIV treatment costs could increase by an extra $650 million during this time.

"We need to ensure that people who start treatment can stay on effective treatment, to prevent the emergence of HIV drug resistance," said Gottfried Hirnschall, director of the WHO's HIV and hepatitis program.

"When levels of HIV drug resistance become high we recommend that countries shift to an alternative first-line therapy for those... starting treatment."

The WHO said it was issuing new guidance for countries on HIV drug resistance to help them act early against it. These included guidelines on how to improve the quality and consistency of treatment programs and how to transition to new HIV treatments, if and when they are needed.

Reporting by Kate Kelland, editing by Pritha Sarkar

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HIV drug resistance could undermine progress in AIDS battle: WHO - Reuters

Elder Robert D. Hales honored as pioneer of progress – Deseret News

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Danzig

Sarah Jane Weaver

After being honored with one of the 2017 Pioneers of Progress Awards, Elder Robert D. Hales offers remarks on July 13, 2017.

After being honored with the 2017 Pioneers of Progress Presidents Award, Elder Robert D. Hales walked with determined effort to the pulpit and said the greatest challenge in life is enduring to the end.

I think that enduring to the end is the greatest accomplishment, to be able to give everything you have got, said Elder Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in a video featured during the program. It is like the coaches say, When you give everything on the playing field, you cant ask for more.

The Pioneers of Progress Awards sponsored by the Days of 47, Inc. were instituted in 1995 to recognize service and achievement in modern-day pioneering. Six Utahns were honored during this years event, held in the dowtown Salt Lake City Marriott Hotel.

KUTV reporter Daniel Woodruff introduced Elder Hales, noting the Presidents Award is not given every year and goes to someone who is eminently deserving. (Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Most Reverend John C. Wester received the award in 2011.)

Woodruff said he asked an event organizer why Elder Hales was selected. In response the organizer lauded Elder Hales as friendly, warm, approachable, accepting, a pure gentleman and finally someone with a tremendously positive attitude who has had to face tremendous challenges.

Elder Hales, who will turn 85 in August, first became a General Authority in 1975, serving both as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He was Presiding Bishop from 1985 until his call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in April of 1994.

In recent years, Elder Hales has dealt with serious health challenges which a 2011 statement from the Church said have affected his mobility and endurance.

Of his health challenges and his need to be assisted to the microphone, Elder Hales quipped, It takes a village to get me here.

During his remarks Elder Hales praised the other award recipients for their gifts and talents which strengthen the community.

Elder Hales then spoke of the pioneers who planted crops along the trail west for those who came after them to harvest.

For me that is the ultimate pioneer, said Elder Hales. To be able to help one another, to lift one another, to strengthen one another, is the greatest attribute, I think, of being a pioneer.

In addition to Elder Hales, the following were recognized with 2017 Pioneers of Progress Awards: Michelle Baker, a professor in the Department of Biology and an associate of the Ecology Center at Utah State University science and technology; Dell Loy Hansen, founder and chief executive officer of The Wasatch Group and owner and chairman of Real Salt Lake business and enterprise; Susan Memmott Allred, a pioneering costume designer for Pioneer Memorial Theater and other organizations historic and creative arts; Kathleen Spencer-Christy, an educator assistant superintendent of the Salt Lake City School District education, health and humanitarian assistance; and Donald Evan Moss, the late owner of Chuck-A-Rama Restaurants Legacy Award (posthumous).

The LDS Church News is an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The publication's content supports the doctrines, principles and practices of the Church.

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Elder Robert D. Hales honored as pioneer of progress - Deseret News

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Category Archives: Progress

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Six Utahns receive Pioneers of Progress Awards – Deseret News

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Federal legislators reflect on progress, look ahead – Petoskey News-Review

Construction crane signals progress at Vancouver waterfront – The Columbian

San Jose Earthquakes’ Tommy Thompson making progress under Leitch – MLSsoccer.com

HIV drug resistance could undermine progress in AIDS battle: WHO – Reuters

Elder Robert D. Hales honored as pioneer of progress – Deseret News