Daily Archives: August 20, 2021

Boil-water advisory partially lifted in Montreal’s West Island – CBC.ca

Posted: August 20, 2021 at 6:07 pm

The City of Montreal says a boil-water advisory inMontreal'sWest Island has been partially lifted,more than a week after tests found water in the Dollard-des-Ormeauxreservoir had been contaminated.

Residents in DDOcan now safely use their taps, but people in Pierrefonds-Roxboroare still being asked to boil their water before drinking it or brushing their teeth.

In a statement to CBC, city spokeswoman Audrey Gauthier said construction work was being done to seal and reinforce the reservoir last week. She says the renovations combined with heavy rains allowed contaminants to seep through a crack in the structure one that wasn't visible to workers.

Gauthier says the city found the crack and filled it, securedthe rest of the reservoir anddisinfected the water inside it. She says in the past week, the water quality has been tested more than it usually is in a whole month, with samples being taken almost every hour.

Gauthier says the city needsto havetwo full days of lab results demonstrating the water is safe to drink again before theadvisory canbe fully lifted.

Pierrefondsresidents in the affected areaare still being asked to boil water for at least one minute before consuming it. The city says water can be used for showering or other domestic purposes without boiling it first.

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Local summit club to host annual Dan Licardo Blood Drive on 9/11 – The Cross Timbers Gazette

Posted: at 6:07 pm

Dan Licardo

On Sept. 11, the Flower Mound Summit Club will host the fourth annual Dan Licardo Blood Drive Honoring Our Heroes at the Cross Timbers Family YMCA with the goal of collecting more than 200 units of blood to honor U.S. military and first responders.

The blood drive to honor our heroes was started in 2018 when Dan Licardo, a former Navy SEAL and friend to many Summit Club members, was involved in a catastrophic car accident that took both of his legs and required doctors to use 94 units of blood to save his life. Now, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, blood is needed now more than ever, according to a Summit Club news release.

Licardo was driving down a major thoroughfare in Flower Mound when he had a seizure and lost consciousness and suffered violent muscle contractions that caused the car to accelerate and swerve off the road into a large tree. Months later, Licardo learned the seizure was caused by the effects of Traumatic Brain Injury due to years of explosives training and multiple tours of combat in the Middle East. TBI is a common diagnosis for many returning veterans with myriad effects. While Licardo mourns the loss of his legs, he is grateful to the people who worked tirelessly to save his life.

Theres not enough I can say about the first responders, the Care Flight team and the doctors who worked so hard to save me after the crash, Licardo said. If it werent for the equipment, the staff and the training provided by the citizens of Flower Mound, my story could have had a much different ending.

Hearing his doctors and rescue team recount details of his recovery and treatment in the OR, Licardo became keenly aware of the importance of blood donation and what a precious, and perishable commodity it is.

Most people dont realize blood is a perishable item with a shelf life of about 42 days. To make sure hospitals have what they need, the blood supply has to be replenished regularly but only about 3% of people who can give blood actually do. I completely bled out seven times before the doctors could save me, Licardo said. I was thankful to have friends who stepped up to donate last year and now, Im excited to help pay that forward by making the blood drive they started for me an annual community event here in Flower Mound.

The blood drive is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. atthe Cross Timbers Family YMCA, 2021 Cross Timbers Road. Due to COVID-19, all donors must reserve a spot online prior to the event:

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Local summit club to host annual Dan Licardo Blood Drive on 9/11 - The Cross Timbers Gazette

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Project updates for the Week of Aug. 23, 2021 – Texas Department of Transportation

Posted: at 6:07 pm

TYLER TxDOT is planning to conduct the following construction and maintenance work in the district during the week of Aug. 23, 2021. Work schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure, or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention in work zones.

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In Tyler, motorists can expect delays on Loop 323 Saturday as seal coat operations wind down. The contractor will be placing the final striping on Loop 323 from SH 31W south to SH 155. For more information on this project, see the Van Zandt County section of this release.

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Anderson County Palestine Maintenance plans to continue ditch work on FM 319. Expect lane closures with flaggers and a pilot car managing traffic control.

Anderson County construction projects updates:

County Road Off-System Bridge Project

Limits: Various locations in Anderson County

Contractor: Stateline Construction, LLC

Cost: $1.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

Final cleanup activities are ongoing on the CR 458 and CR 468 bridges and roadway elements. The project consists of construction of bridges, storm sewer, guardrail, base, pavement surfaces, and pavement markings.

US 79 Super 2 Project

Limits: From 0.5 mile northeast of Loop 256 to the Anderson/Cherokee County line

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $14.4 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Spring 2022

Work is ongoing on the shoulders and driveways, and to place drainage structures. The work zone speed limit is 60 mph. Expect lane closures and delays. The project is widening for a Super 2, and includes sub-grade work, surface treatment, base and surface hot-mix asphalt, widening structures, bridge rail, metal beam guard fence, signage, and permanent striping.

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Cherokee County Jacksonville Maintenance plans to conduct edging and ditch maintenance on state roadways throughout the county. Expect lane closures with flaggers managing traffic control.

Cherokee County construction projects updates:

FM 22 Safety Widening and Bridge Replacement Project

Limits: From CR 1512 west of Gallatin, east to SH 110

Contractor: Stateline Construction, LLC

Cost: $5.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2022

Bridge construction continues at Sandy Creek with the road closed to traffic. A marked detour route is in place to help drivers navigate through the work zone. The project will widen the existing roadway, replace three bridges, and incorporate safety upgrades.

US 84 Widening

Limits: From 0.43 mi east of SH 110 in Rusk, northeast to the Rusk County line in Reklaw

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $7.9 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2022

The contractor is working to clear the right-of-way. Expect lane closures with delays possible. The project will widen and resurface the roadway, and add safety upgrades.

FM 235 Safety Widening

Limits: From SH 110 going east to FM 2274

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $3.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Fall 2021

The contractor is scheduled to begin placing signs. Expect lane closures with a pilot car managing traffic. The project will widen the existing roadway and incorporate safety upgrades.

FM 241 Safety Widening

Limits: From US 69 going southeast to SH 21

Contractor: A. L. Helmcamp, Inc.

Cost: $5.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

No work is scheduled. The project is widening the existing roadway and includes safety upgrades.

County Road Bridge Replacement Project

Limits: CR 2905 at Bowles Crk; CR 2614 at Beans Crk; CR 1504 at Turnpike Crk; CR 3203 at Mills Crk.

Contractor: Stateline Construction, LLC

Cost: $1.9 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

No work is scheduled on CR 3203 and CR 1504. Both roadways are open to traffic. Construction of the new bridges is ongoing on CR 2905 and CR 2614. Both roads are closed to through traffic. The project is replacing the existing bridges at each location with new structures.

SH 204 Super-2 Widening Project

Limits: From US 79 in Jacksonville southeast to SH 110

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $13.7 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

The contractor plans to complete the one course surface treatment and place the final surface. Expect lane closures and delays. The project is adding passing lanes and includes safety upgrades.

US 69 Sidewalks in Jacksonville

Limits: From Nacogdoches St. to Tena St. in Jacksonville

Contractor: Highway 19 Construction, LLC

Cost: $507,099.00

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

No work is scheduled. The project is constructing sidewalks along US 69 in Jacksonville.

US 79 Rehabilitation Project

Limits: From 0.16 mile east of SH 110 to the Mud Creek Relief Bridge

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $8.2 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

The contractor is scheduled to finish placing the final striping. Expect lane closures and delays. The work zone speed limit is 60 mph. The project is rebuilding the roadway pavement and upgrading bridge rail.

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Gregg County Longview Maintenance plans to conduct patching and bridge channel maintenance on various state roadways around the county. Ditch work is planned on I-20 service roads and FM 1844. Expect lane closures with flaggers providing traffic control as needed.

Gregg County construction projects updates:

Spur 63/McCann Road Bridge Project

Limits: From McCann Road, north to Glencrest Lane

Contractor: Leland Bradlee Construction

Anticipated Completion Date: November 2021

This is part of the City of Longviews Guthrie Creek Trail project. It consists of building a bridge over Guthrie Creek to allow bicyclist and pedestrians to travel under Spur 63. Expect lane closures and delays as traffic is reduced to two lanes, one northbound and one southbound, to allow the contractor to build half of the bridge. Traffic will be switched later to complete the bridge construction.

FM 2204, etc., Safety Improvement Project

Limits: US 259 Bypass to SH 322

Contractor: Stateline Construction

Cost: $3.8 million

Anticipated Completion Date: November 2021

The contractor plans to work on drainage upgrades and driveways. Expect lane closures and delays. This project consists of culverts, safety end treatments, drainage upgrades, new metal beam guard fence and driveway asphalt.

FM 2206/Harrison Road

Limits: From Loop 281 to Fisher Rd.

Contractor: East Texas Bridge, Inc.

Cost: $15.1 million

Anticipated Completion Date: December 2021

Current work includes extending culverts and constructing detours. Expect lane closures and delays. The project consists of widening the two-lane road to four lanes with a center turn lane. Work includes drainage structures, flexible base, curb and gutter, sidewalks, hot mix, and pavement markings.

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Project updates for the Week of Aug. 23, 2021 - Texas Department of Transportation

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The situation in Afghanistan is worse than 2001, "we blew this" – California News Times

Posted: at 6:07 pm

San Diego (KUSI) Former senior government media contractor in Kabul, former Army Lieutenant Colonel Jack Pagano, runs a television station in Afghanistan and has been away from the country for over a decade.

Pagano is the COO of two major Afghan radio / television networks and has interacted with the Taliban. They were trying to do a TV show together.

However, while in the country, Pagano met a myriad of Afghans who were amazing. Many of them are still stuck in the country.

Pagano joined KUSIs Ginger Jeffreys in Good evening San Diego, sharing his views on the collapse and what he had done to safely take people he knew out of the country.

Simply put, Mr. Pagano explained that the situation was very bad. Afghans are worried if they will be alive tomorrow.

One of the key members of the Taliban spoken by the United States was released from Guantanamo Bay by President Obama. Pagano says there is absolutely no way we can trust what he says.

The situation in Afghanistan seems to be worse than in 2001, Pagano said. He went on to say, We blew this away. Its crazy. My heart is crying every night. The current government didnt realize it was a murder zone now.

The Afghans who loved us now feel betrayed, Pagano said at the end of the day.

President Biden told the world that the Taliban could be hijacked because the Afghan army resigned. Pagano strongly opposed. This is how the Taliban work, they are already spying on those soldiers, they know where the family lives. They know where their relatives live. They tell the soldiers that if you dont drop your gun chasing your family, well kill your family. So what happened, you have no choice, what are you going to do?

Pagano concludes by sending a Navy seal and saying that he needs to kick his ass. He predicted that the Taliban would burn down the US embassy on September 11th, the 20th anniversary.

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‘Murder’ in the British Museum St Thomas Becket – The Tablet

Posted: at 6:07 pm

In a gallery of The British Museum, light plays on an array of medieval crosses, reliquaries and manuscripts, as an audiovisual display reenacts one of English historys most notorious crimes.

At the centre, three stained-glass windows, painstakingly transferred from Canterbury Cathedral, convey images from the fabled afterlife of St. Thomas Becket (1120-1170), next to badges and keepsakes left by generations of pilgrims at his place of martyrdom.

When the exhibition, Murder and the Making of a Saint, opened in May, as Englands coronavirus lockdown was relaxed, the curators said they hoped to depict Becket's journey from a humble clerk to one of Europe's most popular miracle-working saints.

Three months on, after attracting record crowds for the 850th anniversary of his death, many are struck by the exhibitions warm evocation of the country's Catholic past and dramatic reconstruction of the centrality of church and faith.

There's no doubt the anti-Catholicism long embedded here is dissipating now, enabling a more sympathetic understanding of the past, which cultural events like this can subtly reflect, said Father Timothy Byron, a historian.

There are issues surrounding our religious and cultural identity and how we evaluate our history and a better climate now for debating the place of our Catholic and Protestant traditions.

Born in London, Becket studied in France and Italy, rising to become a senior lay office-holder at Canterbury for Archbishop Theobald of Bec.

In 1155, he was appointed chancellor to King Henry II, responsible for royal revenues, becoming a close and trusted confidant; just seven years later, after Archbishop Theobald's death, the king named him archbishop of Canterbury.

The top church post carried vast wealth and power. But Becket, a fine horseman and sword-fighter, was not even a priest. So the surprise appointment also required, in the words of the curators, some stage management.

The exhibition includes artefacts from Becket's early London life, a rare document bearing his seal, and an alabaster altar panel depicting him delivering a blessing at his episcopal consecration just a day after he had been ordained.

The exhibit also noted the king's neat arrangement soon unraveled.

Henry had expected his new chancellor-archbishop to do his bidding, but Becket adopted an ascetic lifestyle and opposed the king's authority, notably when he sought to tighten control over the church with a series of statutes in 1164.

With tensions rising, Becket fled abroad to the protection of the king of France, as the pope negotiated on his behalf.

He finally returned in late 1170 and was killed at Canterbury Dec. 29 by four knights who had witnessed the king's Christmas tirade against miserable drones and traitors he had nourished and promoted in his royal household.

Evidence indicates the intruders planned to take Becket to Winchester. When he resisted, they lost control and hacked the archbishop to death in his cathedral during vespers.

Becket's violent end, captured by five eyewitness accounts, shocked Europe, sending, in the curators' words, strong echoes out down the centuries.

His martyr cult quickly developed, and just 26 months later, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III, making Canterbury Europes foremost pilgrim centre after Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela.

His four disgraced murderers later died while serving in the Holy Land by papal order, while in 1174, Henry II begged forgiveness.

Beckets fame is recalled in objects such as a gilded blue-green casket, which would have contained fragments of his bones or bloodied clothing, as well as in the stained-glass cathedral Miracle Windows depicting cures at his intercession.

An original copy of Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales, the first book printed in English, shows how Beckets story quickly became rooted in public imagination.

Father Byron, the historian, thinks Becket's enduring cult typifies how popular devotions can endure for centuries, against all efforts to diminish them, if the soft power they represent is effectively harnessed and directed.

Joseph Shaw, an Oxford lecturer on medieval philosophy, agrees and is struck by the exhibition's sympathetic portrayal of Becket.

Catholics have often been presented here as pedlars of strange superstitions but this exhibition shows a detachment from sectarianism and a real willingness to engage with what Becket achieved, said Shaw. Though it shows there are two sides to the story, it also reflects today's greater openness, which is enabling people to look at art, theology and history more objectively.

During the 16th-century Reformation, King Henry VIII declared Becket no longer a saint, but a traitor to the crown. All references to Becket were ordered erased from prayer books, while the king proclaimed an end to his feast day a move that shocked Europe and hastened Henrys excommunication.

People drew parallels between Becket and the new generation of Reformation-era martyrs, notably St Thomas More, who also was a royal chancellor. The Catholic English College in Rome, training priests for secret ministry, promoted Becket as a model for emulation.

The exhibition includes a carved marble base from Becket's desecrated tomb, found in a river near Canterbury, as well as a bone fragment reputedly from the saint's skull, which was smuggled abroad to an exiled Jesuit college in France.

Shaw thinks the exhibition's connection of Becket with later Catholic persecutions is significant.

It's a reminder that, even after the terrible destruction of the Reformation, Catholicism still remained the true faith of many English people, Shaw said.

Ruth Cornett, an art historian from Northern Ireland, said it was difficult for any exhibition to capture complex historical ideas through material objects or to retrace political and ecclesiastical divisions for modern minds. But the exhibit shows what was lost to spiritual life from Reformation disputes, she said, and will resonate with people familiar with the modern killing of outspoken clergy, as well as with images of cultural and artistic vandalism from Afghanistan to Syria.

Becket's instant fame across Europe, where Christians were horrified by his fate, shows how the church of the day knew no borders, she said. Today, when education is key, exhibitions like this can help widen knowledge and understanding, by challenging perceived truths about the past.

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Red Sox players are pressing. It feels like their bosses might never again. – Boston.com

Posted: at 6:07 pm

CommentaryXander Bogaerts grounded into a double play in the sixth inning Wednesday, another offensive chance lost for the Red Sox. AP Photo/Adam Hunger

PORTLAND, Maine Chaim Bloom and I watched the latest disconsolate step in a dissolving season from the same vantage Wednesday night. Though he looked to be going more phone than the delayed blue pictogram above right-center field, sponsored by a suburban savings bank.

As the Globe reported earlier in the day, Bostons chief baseball architect was not in New York to watch his Red Sox get swept by the Yankees, falling briefly out of playoff position just three weeks after they were eight games clear of the first team out. He was at Hadlock Field studying the Double A Sea Dogs, who remain a first-place team despite being a three-error mess against Binghamton.

I had not seen said report when, on the last night of a family vacation here, I splurged for $17 reserved seats to that three-error mess. That I didnt notice there was a celebrity in the boxes 20 feet below me until the ninth inning was a testament both to my 5-year-olds freneticism and that no one was screaming at Bloom about Anthony Rizzo.

There was still time for a comeback in the Bronx when Bloom posed for a fans selfie, slung on his backpack and departed reasonably unnoticed into the crowd, but it did not come because it doesnt anymore. Since topping out at 63-40 on July 28, the Red Sox are 6-14, held to three runs or fewer in 11 of the 20 games.

Have they checked out after their front office essentially abandoned them at the trade deadline? I think its the exact opposite. An impatient, free-swinging team while building the ALs best record across four months, theyve gotten even more aggressive to try and stop things slipping away. (No team swings at a higher percentage of out-of-the-zone pitches than the Red Sox, and only Kansas City swings more overall.)

Theyre pressing. Theyre trying to do too much. And its not exactly tough to see.

That is such a big swing for Xander and the Red Sox. Feel like everybody can just take a deep breath, Will Flemming said on the radio broadcast Wednesday after Xander Bogaerts hit a simple first-inning solo homer. Which, for the record, came on a ball well out of the zone, albeit with two strikes.

When J.D. Martinez came up with a man on third in the fourth inning, he chased. When Hunter Renfroe came up with the leadoff man on in the sixth, he chased. When Kik Hernndez led off the ninth with the Red Sox needing baserunners against fresh-off-injury Aroldis Chapman, he flailed at ball four. (Though it was closer than anything Rafael Devers, 1-for-10 in the series, swung at.)

In fact, you could argue the whole series turned in Tuesdays Game 1, when with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, Hernandez chased a wild, 3-1 pitch that wouldve forced in a run. Instead, Boston didnt score and lost.

Were pretty pissed at ourselves, Renfroe told reporters Wednesday night. Everybody is frustrated with themselves, beating themselves up.

It goes deeper than the deadline, but its hard not to keep going back to that. Especially when Wednesday spun so much on Rizzo, still incomprehensibly in New York instead of Boston and critical to their 16 wins in 21 games. His two-run single off Bobby Dalbecs glove was the big offensive blow Wednesday, and his sprawling stop on Devers in the ninth helped quash a Boston rally.

He came in and did exactly what they hoped, said Red Sox third-base coach Carlos Febles. He was a big contributor and helped them right away.

Hes there because New Yorks way to stay under the luxury tax was throw Chicago two high-level prospects, convincing them to pay the rest of Rizzos salary. Bostons was to get Minnesota to do that for Quad-A reliever Hansel Robles, and for Bloom to dismiss deadline criticism as an easy narrative.

(Kyle Schwarber, his big acquisition, has two doubles and a .500 on-base in four games, and has been cleared to play the outfield.)

Of course, the Red Sox and Yankees arent in the same place in 2021. Not only was New York a preseason World Series favorite, as opposed to an expected alsoran, they are a decade and billions in payroll removed from their last championship.

They need to chase. The Red Sox dont. And weve known they feel that way for a while.

Bloom came to Boston after John Henry (owner of the Red Sox and Boston Globe Media Partners, including Boston.com) evolved from money-appears-no-object to, How much money are you willing to lose? The answer, clearly, was no more, just as clearly as staying under that tax threshhold was a concern a few weeks ago.

Hey, at least they won four titles first. The Cubs settled for one before falling back on what chairman Tom Ricketts once observed about the team, They sell every ticket, every game, win or lose.

Now, Toms father Joe Ricketts added, youre talking about a business. Now, youve got my interest.

As the on-field has evolved more toward analytics, cold efficiency sapping imperfect beauty, the off-field has evolved more, well, off. Winning games has never felt less important to the bottom line, what with massive national TV deals and a spigot of gambling money just starting to flow.

Look at the Red Sox concern about development around Fenway. Look at the same around Wrigley Field. Look at Atlanta, decamping to the suburbs a couple years ago for big profits with their Battery development. Look at Oakland, ready to walk for Las Vegas because it cant get the right development deal.

It is as gross as it is understandable. Winnings hard. Winning costs money. Winning isnt as repeatable as rent payments. Or in-game betting. Or on-uniforms advertisements. Or who knows what else.

We have gotten far afield from a promising season slipping away, from Josh Taylor and Garrett Whitlock finally hitting the wall at exactly the wrong time, from Bloom watching Double-A baseball while you burn. Much like the Baltimore series before this one, this next week at Fenway against Texas (42-78) and Minnesota (54-67) is a key moment to steady the boat and get right.

Despite how it feels, were still weeks away from the 2021 Red Sox becoming the first team to go from a 63-40 start to out of the playoffs in a 162-game season since 2011. (Yup. Those guys are the last ones.) Their story is not near written.

Baseballs, however, increasingly feels like it is. The luxury tax is not a salary cap, but it may as well be. (And baseball wants to significantly lower it and further penalize it in exchange for that salary floor theyre crowing about.) The home run and the strikeout are not the only results possible, but it increasingly feels like they will be.

And winning should be paramount, but there are increasing reasons for it not to be. Leaving an experience not unlike Double-A baseball for a 5-year-old.

Where the result doesnt matter so long as you get a stuffed seal and a hot dog at the end.

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Red Sox players are pressing. It feels like their bosses might never again. - Boston.com

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Ballots on their way to San Diego County registered voters – CBS News 8

Posted: at 6:07 pm

We encourage voters to act early and vote from the comfort of their home, said Interim Registrar of Voters Cynthia Paes.

SAN DIEGO More than 1.9 million ballots are already on their way to San Diego County registered voters for the Sept. 14 California Gubernatorial Recall Election. You may find yours in your mailbox as early as Monday, Aug. 16. You will also find your I Voted sticker inside your official mail ballot packet.

Early voting is already underway at the Registrar of Voters office in Kearny Mesa from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, the Registrar urges voters to take advantage of the convenience of voting by mail.

We encourage voters to act early and vote from the comfort of their home, said Interim Registrar of Voters Cynthia Paes. Sign, seal, and return your mail ballot to a trusted source. The sooner we receive your ballot, the sooner we can start processing it so it will be counted right when the polls close at 8 p.m. on election night.

You can return your marked ballot in the pre-paid postage envelope to any U.S. Postal Service office or collection box. Voters who return their mail ballot through the U.S. Postal Service can track it by signing up for Wheres My Ballot?.

Starting Tuesday, Aug. 17, youll also have the option of dropping off your ballot at one of 131 mail ballot drop-off locations around the county.

In-person voting locations

In addition to mail ballots, 221 in-person voting locations will be open across the county for four days, Saturday, Sept. 11 Tuesday, Sept. 14. Take advantage of early voting:

All again will be open on Election Day, Sept. 14, when hours change to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This election, all in-person voters will mark their ballot on a ballot marking device. This device does not store, tabulate or count any votes. After the voter confirms their selection on the device, the voter will print their ballot, review it, and place it in the ballot box to be counted at the Registrars office election night.

Why are we having a recall election? The recall process allows voters to decide whether to remove elected public officials from office before their term is over. California is one of 19 states that allows any elected official to be recalled from office.

The ballot will ask voters two questions:

1) Do you want to recall the governor?

2) If recalled, who do you want to replace him?

You can vote on either one or both parts of the recall ballot. If more than 50% of voters vote to recall the governor, then the replacement candidate with the most votes would be elected.

To learn more about voting in the gubernatorial recall election, visit sdvote.com or call (858) 565-5800.

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Massachusetts teachers union presses the Republican governor for a vaccine mandate. – The New York Times

Posted: at 6:06 pm

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican in a deeply blue state who has so far resisted issuing a mask mandate or vaccination requirement for schools, came under pressure this week for stricter regulations from the states largest teachers union.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association board of directors voted on Tuesday, 46 to 4, to adopt a vaccine requirement for all eligible students and staff, following up on a unanimous vote August 1 in favor of a mask mandate. The unions president, Merrie Najimy, noted that Governor Baker has resisted taking these steps.

Educators and our unions are doing everything in our power to ensure that public schools and colleges can open safely, she said. We continue to be alarmed by the failure of state political leaders to follow our example.

She added, its as if Governor Baker and other state education officials have learned nothing over the past year and a half.

Governor Baker is facing a drumbeat of pressure on masking requirements; some of his fellow Republican governors in conservative states like Texas, Florida and Arizona have put up far stronger resistance, by issuing bans on mask and vaccine mandates.

Polling suggests strong support for a school mask mandate in the state, with 81 percent of Massachusetts voters in favor of the idea, and just 12 percent opposing it, according a survey released Thursday by The MassINC Polling Group.

Governor Baker, a Republican, has said he prefers to leave masking decisions to local officials, who know these communities best.

Different communities are in different places, he told GBH, a radio station. You have some communities in Massachusetts where 85 to 95 percent of all the kids and the middle and high school are vaccinated. You have many other districts in Massachusetts where the numbers are far, far smaller.

On Thursday afternoon, however, Governor Baker announced a strict vaccine mandate for 42,000 state executive department employees, requiring them to show proof of vaccination by mid-October.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Out of the Republican Party’s Control – Esquire.com

Posted: at 6:06 pm

The Iowa State Fair is at full boil. Its a little light on the political tourists because its not the summer before a year ending in 0, 4, 8, 12, or 16. Which is not to say that it is entirely devoid of migrant politicians from other states, or the media they drag around in their wake. On occasion, these are politicians you should keep an eye on because they have national aspirations. On other occasions, these are politicians you should keep an eye on to make sure they dont get into the poultry barn and start biting the heads off all the chickens. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Well, thats one way to describe it that begins with an S.

And, dear lord, she brought a friend, someone on whom people are keeping an eye for a whole different bunch of reasons.

Iowa needs to beef up its border security.

Oops, might be too late.

And furthermore:

I dont think MTG is elevating her national profile as much more than a wandering geek show, but her recent travels illustrate certain immutable political realities. One, that the Republican Party is no longer capable of controlling her and the people who follow her, and two, that the Republican Party cannot exist as a national party without them. Shes out there ahead of them, beating them to the freshest corn dogs.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Out of the Republican Party's Control - Esquire.com

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Republicans in Texas are trying to shift blame for COVID surge to Black people – Salon

Posted: at 6:06 pm

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, blamed Black Texans for the country's recent surge in COVID cases and hospitalizations.

"African Americans who have not been vaccinated" are "the biggest group in most states" driving the new surge in the coronavirus cases, Patrick said on a Thursday night Fox News broadcast with host Laura Ingraham. Patrick's comments came after Ingraham askedthe Texas official whether he thought lax Republican policies were enabling the spread of the virus.

"Democrats like to blame Republicans on that," Patrick answered. "Well, the biggest group in most states are African Americans who have not been vaccinated. The last time I checked, over 90 percent of them vote for Democrats in their major cities and major counties, so it's up to the Democrats, just as it's up to Republicans, to try to get as many people vaccinated."

Patrick later defended people's choice to remain unvaccinated, saying "that's their individual right."

"[The Democrats] are doing nothing for the African American community that has a significant, high number of unvaccinated people," Patrick added.

"TikTok videos. We've got a lot of TikTok videos," Ingrahm responded, eliding any context.

The Lt. Governor's comments drew immediate scorn online, with many critics suggesting his comments were blatantly racist.

"The Lt. Governor's statements are offensive and should not be ignored," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner wrote on Thursday.

Political commentator Keith Olberman echoed: "Bluntly: @DanPatrick is this era's Orville Faubus or Lester Maddox. May he burn in hell for it."

"Lt. Gov. @DanPatrick is a lying racist," tweeted Dr. Jorge A. Caballero, clinical instructor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. "We know this because [census] data shows that White Texans are responsible for twice as many cases as Black Texans, and there are 3 unvaccinated White Texans for every 1 unvaccinated Black Texan."

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Black residents in the Lone Star State made up 16.4% of the state's new cases and just 10.2% of deaths as of Aug. 13, as The Washington Post noted. In fact, the highest case rates are seen in the state's White and Hispanic populations, who respectively account for 34.9 percent and 35.8 percent of all coronavirus cases in Texas.

Patrick's comments come amid a period of heightened partisan conflict in the state, with Texas' Republican leadership attempting to wrest control over policies regarding vaccine and mask mandates. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has been especially active on this front, fighting to ban mask mandates in school districts despite a sharp uptick in COVID cases amongst kids.

On Tuesday, Abbot announced that he himself had contracted the disease the very same day Texas requested five additional mortuary trailers to accommodate an expected wave of deaths.

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Republicans in Texas are trying to shift blame for COVID surge to Black people - Salon

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