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Police officers swept onto the ordinarily serene campus of Emory University in Atlanta after demonstrators erected tents on Thursday morning, leading to the latest clash in a pro-Palestinian protest movement that has cascaded across American campuses this week. As the demonstrators at Emory screamed, officers wrestled with protesters on the ground and escorted others away. From a few dozen yards away, onlookers stared and recorded the scene with their cellphones. The authorities did not immediately say how many people had been arrested in Atlanta, but across the country, more than 400 protesters have been taken into police custody since April 18, when the arrests of more than 100 protesters at Columbia University in New York set off a wave of student activism nationwide. University administrators and law enforcement officials have responded by arresting students, removing encampments and threatening academic consequences as some Jewish students have expressed concern for their safety, and some politicians have demanded a crackdown on the growing demonstrations.

Organizations: Emory University, Emory, Columbia University, University Locations: Atlanta, New York

☆ Dry Winds Could Spread Texas Wildfires Over the Weekend
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Wildfires continued to burn out of control in northern Texas on Friday morning, and officials warned that warm, windy and dry weather was expected to return over the weekend that could fan the flames. The National Weather Service forecast “critical fire weather conditions” in the region on Saturday and Sunday, and urged residents to refrain from outdoor activities that might generate sparks or flames over the weekend, which includes Texas Independence Day on Saturday. A fire weather watch was posted for Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening, covering the Texas Panhandle and nearby parts of Oklahoma. Five fires were still active in the Panhandle on Friday morning, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. The Smokehouse Creek fire has charred at least 1,075,000 acres of land, making it the largest wildfire on record in Texas history.

Organizations: National Weather Service, Texas Independence, Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma ., Texas, M, Service Locations: Texas, Oklahoma, Panhandle

Mike DeWine’s veto of a bill that would bar transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers, hormone therapy or gender transition surgery. The move by the Republican-controlled state legislature comes less than four weeks after the Republican governor’s veto. For Ohio residents, that means that only transgender minors who have already begun transition care treatments will be able to receive them. Last year, at least 20 states, all with Republican-controlled legislatures, passed bans or restrictions on gender transition care for young people. Before 2023, only three states had passed restrictions on gender transition medical care for minors, according to a New York Times analysis.

Persons: Mike DeWine’s, DeWine’s Organizations: Republican, Senate, Ohio, Williams Institute, New York Times

He dreamed of studying business administration to help his family’s stores. He enjoyed taking care of his younger siblings and was “very polite, very respectful, very intelligent,” according to his mosque’s president. A Palestinian-American teenager was killed by a barrage of gunfire in the occupied West Bank on Friday. The U.S. State Department confirmed the killing without naming the victim, but the teenager’s family identified him as Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, 17. Tawfic and his family had moved to the West Bank temporarily in May to connect with relatives — he hoped to improve his Arabic while he was there and planned to return to the United States for college.

Persons: Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, Tawfic, ”, Sherean Murad, — Organizations: West Bank, U.S . State Department, Muslim Academy Locations: Palestinian, New Orleans, America, Gretna, United States

Residents in Billings, Mont., woke up to a temperature of minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit. In Des Moines, homeowners were digging out snow from a blizzard and facing wind gusts of 45 miles per hour. Towns and cities along the East Coast were bracing for possible flooding from yet more rain. And communities near the Gulf Coast are preparing for a deep freeze. MidwestAs of Saturday morning, blizzard warnings were in effect for most of Iowa, as well as for North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.

Organizations: National Weather Service Locations: Billings, Mont, Des Moines, Towns, East, United States, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska

☆ Man Suspected of Killing 3 Homeless Men in Los Angeles Is Arrested
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Authorities have identified and arrested a suspect in connection with the killings of three homeless men in Los Angeles this week and tied the suspect to a fourth homicide nearby, officials said on Saturday afternoon. The suspect, identified as Jerrid Joseph Powell, 33, a resident of Los Angeles, was already in custody after being arrested on Thursday morning in connection with the killing of a father of two in San Dimas, Calif., in a robbery on Tuesday after the suspect followed the victim home, officials said. The three homeless victims — all men who were in alleys or open areas by themselves — were shot and killed in the early morning hours on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, authorities had said. The third victim has not been identified as his next of kin has not yet been notified. Michel Moore, the Los Angeles police chief, said that authorities had identified a vehicle they believe was used in all four homicides and tied it to Mr. Powell, who was already in custody in connection with the San Dimas killing of Nicholas Simbolon, 42.

Persons: Jerrid Joseph Powell, —, Jose Bolanos, Mark Diggs, Michel Moore, Powell, San Dimas, Nicholas Simbolon Organizations: Calif, Authorities, Los Angeles police Locations: Los Angeles, San Dimas

Mr. Ali Ahmad, a Trinity College sophomore described as a gifted writer, web designer and conversationalist, was shot in the chest. The homes of Mr. Awartani’s uncle and grandmother in Burlington, a city of 45,000 on the shores of Lake Champlain, had been a welcome refuge. “I think they were really glad to reconnect, and provide each other comfort, after a fraught few weeks,” said Rich Price, Mr. Awartani’s uncle, who hosted the friends for the holiday. “They are normal 20-year-olds, but they’re also extraordinary 20-year-olds,” Mr. Price said. “They have shown remarkable resilience and strength, even humor, and I think being Palestinian in this world demands those traits.

Persons: Awartani, Ali Ahmad, Awartani’s, ”, Rich Price, they’re, ” Mr, Price, “ Organizations: Brown University, Trinity College, West Bank, Quaker Locations: Burlington, Lake Champlain, United States, Ramallah, Israel, Gaza

And on Sunday, she was finally freed, as one of the hostages Hamas released under a deal with Israel. Her name is Avigail Idan. “We are blessed to give her lots of love and care and to help her build her life again,” Tal Idan, her aunt, wrote in a text message. “Thank God she’s home,” Mr. Biden told reporters in Nantucket, Mass., on Sunday. Covered in her father’s blood, Avigail ran toward a neighbor, her aunt, Tal Idan, said.

Persons: Avigail, Abigail ”, ” Tal Idan, Liz Hirsh Naftali, Noa Naftali, Biden, God she’s, ” Mr, “, ”, Roy Idan, Smadar Idan, Aza, Idan, Michael, Amelia, Tal Idan, ” Ms, Amit Idan, Hersh Goldberg, Goldberg, Polin, Jon Polin, ” “ I’m, Mr Organizations: Israel, Qatari Locations: Israel, United States, California, Nantucket, U.S, Berkeley, Calif, Gaza

The following day, Lena and her family went back to the border — their fourth trip — as the first aid trucks were scheduled to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing. Hoping they would finally get to cross, the family waited at the border for hours, along with hundreds of others. Around 4:30 p.m., there was still no movement and no officials at the gates, Lena said. Over the next several days, Lena’s daughters in Gaza were “holding on by a thread,” Lena wrote in a message. Lena said she frequently called the State Department, but they could not tell her when she might be able to leave.

Persons: Lena, —, Lena’s, ”, “, “ I’m Organizations: State Department, Gaza Locations: Gaza, Rafah, U.S

State Senator Stephanie Chang, a longtime friend, said that since Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, Ms. Woll had been talking with Jewish and Muslim community leaders about helping civilians on the ground. She would always, he said, “draw out the best in everybody.”Speaking at the funeral, he noted the diverse crowd in attendance, which he said represented what Ms. Woll was about. “We have in this room, Muslims and Hindus, Catholics and Christians and Jews and all kinds of races, and everyone loves Sam and was affirmed by Sam,” he said. Rabbi Ariana Silverman of the Downtown Synagogue spoke about Ms. Woll’s recent work guiding the renovation of the synagogue, her leadership on fund-raising efforts and her openness to other viewpoints. “She certainly had her own convictions,” Rabbi Silverman said, “but she would really listen to different ideas and had the remarkable ability to say, ‘Let me think about it, and I will get back to you.’”

Persons: Stephanie Chang, Woll, Rabbi Asher Lopatin, Sam, ”, Rabbi Ariana Silverman, ” Rabbi Silverman, ’ Organizations: Jewish Community Relations Council Locations: Israel, Bloomfield Hills, Mich

☆ Newsom Vetoes Bill on Parental Support of Child’s Gender Identity in Custody Cases
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Gavin Newsom of California vetoed a bill on Friday that would instruct judges presiding over custody battles in the state to take into consideration a parent’s support for a child’s gender identity when making custody and visitation decisions. Why It Matters: The veto signals a break from the governor’s stance in support of transgender rights. The governor added that under existing state law, the court is required to consider a child’s health, safety and welfare in these proceedings, which he said already includes the parent’s affirmation of the child’s gender identity. Background: The child custody bill passed along party lines this month. A two-thirds vote in both chambers, where Democrats hold supermajorities, could override Mr. Newsom’s veto.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Newsom, ”, Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, Newsom’s, Wilson, Scott Wiener, “, Mr, Wiener, Bill, Bill Essayli Organizations: California, Legislature, Democrat, Associated Press, Republicans Locations: California, L.G.B.T.Q

☆ Back in Custody, Cavalcante Is Moved to ‘High-Tech’ State Prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It took the authorities in Pennsylvania 13 days to track down the convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante after he escaped from a county jail last month. It took just a few hours after his capture on Wednesday for officials to deliver him to the prison that will be his home for the foreseeable future. On Thursday, Mr. Cavalcante, 34, began his first full day as inmate QP8931 at S.C.I. Mr. Cavalcante arrived at S.C.I. Phoenix far more notorious than when he escaped from a jail in Chester County on Aug. 31.

Persons: Danelo Cavalcante, Cavalcante, QP8931, Bill Cosby, Mr Locations: Pennsylvania, S.C.I . Phoenix, Montgomery County, Pa, S.C.I, Phoenix, Chester County

☆ Judge Blocks Transgender Notification Policy in California School District
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The attorney general, a Democrat, said the school district policy amounted to the “forced outing” of transgender students. It also might deter other school districts in California from imposing similar requirements. In recent weeks, the Anderson Union High School District in Northern California and the Murrieta Valley and Temecula Valley unified school districts in the Inland Empire have enacted policies similar to the one enacted by Chino Valley Unified. Orange Unified School District board members are also scheduled to consider a transgender notification policy on Thursday. Nearly a month into its school year, the Chino Valley Unified School District must shelve its notification policy and await further court proceedings.

Persons: Rob Bonta, Bonta, Judge Thomas S, Garza, Andrea Johnston, ” Mr Organizations: Unified School District, San Bernardino Superior Court, Chino Valley Unified, Anderson Union High School District, Orange Unified School District, Chino Valley Unified School District, Chino Valley Unified School Locations: Chino, San Bernardino, California, Northern California, Temecula, Inland, Chino Valley

Thousands of attendees of the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert faced the prospect of more rain on Sunday after a stretch of heavy precipitation that has tested the resolve of its free-spirited participants as most have been stuck at the site and forced to conserve food and water. The police on Sunday were investigating the death of one person at the event, although it was unclear what the cause was. The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the family of the victim had been notified, but that no further information was available. Burning Man, a weeklong festival that has been around since the 1980s, is a self-described “community and global cultural movement” that is premised on countercultural principles, such as radical self-expression. It features art installations and culminates with the burning of a giant sculpture of a man, giving it its name.

Organizations: Sunday, Sheriff’s, Black Rock City Locations: Pershing, Black Rock, Nevada, ”

All of these were ways to find meaning and solace in three lives snuffed out in an all-too-familiar American story that began with an angry man with an AR-15. But coming on the 60th Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington and his “I have a dream” speech, it was hard for some not to see a larger context as well in the lives lost in Saturday’s shooting in Jacksonville, Fla. His life was marked by “resilience and positivity, even in the face of adversity,” his brother, Quantavious Laguerre, wrote online. never had a record, never received a referral in school and never got into a fight,” Quantavious Laguerre wrote on a GoFundMe page. “He was a kindhearted and gentle soul who loved playing video games and supporting his family and friends.”Ms. Carr and Mr. Gallion both lived lives shaped by their church and family.

Persons: Anolt Joseph Laguerre Jr, William M, Angela Michelle Carr, Martin Luther King Jr, ’, David W, Saint Stephen, “ Dr, Martin Luther King, Laguerre, ”, Quantavious Laguerre, “, ” “ A.J, ” Quantavious Laguerre, ” Ms, Carr, Gallion Organizations: Raines High, Saint Stephen A.M.E, Lincoln, America Locations: Asia, Washington, Jacksonville, Fla, New

Two days after a gunman killed three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Fla., in a racially motivated attack, and as grief and anger reverberated through the community, new details about the gunman’s writings and the timeline of events continued to emerge. On Saturday, the gunman, identified by the authorities as Ryan Christopher Palmeter, 21, from neighboring Clay County, used an AR-15-style rifle that bore swastika markings to kill two shoppers and an employee before killing himself. At the time of the shooting, his family found a last will and testament and a suicide note in his bedroom as part of more than 20 pages of racist writings, Sheriff T.K. Waters of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said over the weekend. On Monday, ABC News, citing a transcript of an F.B.I.

Persons: Ryan Christopher Palmeter, Sheriff T.K, Waters, Sherri E, ” Organizations: Jacksonville Sheriff’s, ABC Locations: Jacksonville, Fla, Clay County

Shortly before the shooting on Saturday, the gunman was spotted putting on the tactical vest in a parking lot at Edward Waters University, a small and private historically Black institution. The guard reported the gunman’s suspicious presence to a nearby sheriff’s deputy, Sheriff Waters said. In an interview, Sheriff Waters said the gunman did not shoot at one person inside the store who was also white. “I know for a fact that he did not like Black people,” said Sheriff Waters, who is Black. On the gunman’s laptop, his family found a last will and testament and a suicide note as part of more than 20 pages of racist writings, Sheriff Waters said in the interview.

Persons: Sheriff Waters, Edward Waters, ”, texted Organizations: Edward Waters University, Office Locations: Clay

In front of a fire station in Palm Springs, Calif., residents crowded around a pit of sand on Saturday afternoon under gray clouds, using shovels to fill bag after bag. Every 15 minutes or so, a tractor would dump more sand in the pit. “I’m exhausted,” said Greg Tormo, a real estate agent, who had just finished filling 10 sandbags and was taking a break after carrying most of them to his car. “I’m gathering the energy to take the last three.”Although Mr. Tormo was grateful for his sandbags, he was worried about how effective they would be in protecting his home from flooding. “I think everyone is trying to do the right thing to prepare, but no one really knows what the right thing is,” he said.

Persons: I’m, ”, Greg Tormo, Tormo Locations: Palm Springs, Calif

Other prosecutions of Mr. Trump have also resulted in threats. Twelve of the 23 jurors were required to approve an indictment. Soon after the indictment was released late Monday, some on social media began scrutinizing the jurors’ identities and revealing their personal details. “I thought it only fair to share a few names from that grand jury,” one user wrote on Facebook on Wednesday, including possible addresses and phone numbers for several jurors. “I will continue to post the other jurors as I find them.”

Persons: Trump, Tanya S, Fani, Willis, “, ” Organizations: Facebook Locations: Texas, Washington, Georgia, Fulton County

☆ Mark Meadows, Trump’s Chief of Staff, Is a Key Figure in Georgia Election Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff and a former Republican representative from North Carolina, was one of 18 people charged alongside former President Donald J. Trump on Monday night with conspiracy and other counts related to efforts to keep Mr. Trump in power after the 2020 election. In 2021, congressional hearings into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol revealed that Mr. Meadows had repeatedly pushed the Justice Department to conduct investigations based on Mr. Trump’s unfounded conspiracy theories about the election. In several emails sent at the end of 2020, Mr. Meadows asked Jeffrey A. Rosen, then the acting attorney general, to look into debunked claims of election fraud in New Mexico, as well as an array of baseless theories that Mr. Trump had been the actual winner of the election. He was also deeply involved in Mr. Trump’s efforts in Georgia, prosecutors have said. According to filings from the office of the Fulton County district attorney, Fani T. Willis, Mr. Meadows acknowledged that he had attended a meeting at the White House on Dec. 21, 2020, with Mr. Trump, members of Congress and others to discuss allegations of voter fraud in the state.

Persons: Mark Meadows, Donald J, Trump, Meadows, Jeffrey A, Rosen, Fani, Willis Organizations: White House, Republican, Capitol, Justice Department, White, Mr Locations: North Carolina, New Mexico, Georgia, Fulton County

Mr. Beisher lives in Fulton County, where Mr. Trump and 18 others were indicted on Monday under the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, or RICO. He does not advertise his political beliefs — “I don’t have any stickers on my car,” he said. “I don’t give to either of the parties.” Most important, he said, he has not made up his mind about Mr. Trump’s guilt or innocence. “I think I would actually be a great jury candidate,” Mr. Beisher, 46, said on Tuesday as he sat with his friend at a dog park in Johns Creek, a suburb north of Atlanta. “I would do my due diligence, and I would make the fair vote.”Finding others like him could be difficult.

Persons: Seth Beisher, Donald J, Trump, Beisher, —, ”, “, ” Mr Organizations: Organization Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Johns Creek, Atlanta

☆ Former Officer Gets More Than 4 Years in Final Sentencing for Police Killing of George Floyd
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Mr. Floyd was handcuffed and pinned to the ground under the knee of Officer Derek Chauvin for more than nine minutes. While two other officers held Mr. Floyd down, Mr. Thao held back bystanders who were anxious about Mr. Floyd’s condition. The killing of Mr. Floyd was captured on video by bystanders and quickly went viral. Mr. Lane, who is white, was also convicted in federal court of violating Mr. Floyd’s rights. J. Alexander Kueng, the officer who helped to pin down Mr. Floyd including by kneeling on Mr. Floyd’s torso, was convicted in federal court in February 2022 of violating Mr. Floyd’s constitutional rights.

Persons: Floyd, Derek Chauvin, Thao, Floyd’s, Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Lane, Colorado . J, Alexander Kueng, Kueng, waiving Organizations: Minneapolis, Minneapolis Police Department, Correctional Institution, Minnesota Supreme, Associated Press, U.S, Supreme, Colorado ., Minnesota’s Department of Human Rights, Justice Department Locations: United States, The City, Minneapolis, Tucson, Ariz, Minnesota, Colorado, American

“I’m looking at a road that’s open now, whereas for this last four and a half years there hasn’t been a path,” she said. “We, too, didn’t know a lot of the details that the prosecution knew,” said Amy Mallinger, whose grandmother was killed in the shooting. It was real, and it’s hard to do.”Many survivors said that the trial was an important part of a tragic story. “Had we not had this trial, the deeds of this criminal would have been glossed over in the annals of history. One, Miri Rabinowitz, whose husband was killed, said executing the gunman would be a “bitter irony” because her husband had been devoted to “the sanctity of life.”

Persons: “, hasn’t, “ It’s, ” Ms, ”, Amy Mallinger, Audrey Glickman, Miri Rabinowitz

☆ Disney District, Now Under DeSantis’s Control, Ends Its D.E.I. Programs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Fentrice Driskell, the Democratic leader in the Florida House of Representatives, said she was not surprised that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District had followed suit. The State Legislature instead stripped the company of its power to appoint the five members of the district’s oversight board and gave it to Mr. DeSantis. In April, the newly appointed board voted to nullify two agreements that gave Disney control over expansion of the resort. What’s NextThe feud between Disney and Mr. DeSantis appears set to continue, with the two lawsuits still winding their way through the courts. Mr. DeSantis, who is running for the Republican nomination for president, has highlighted both his “anti-woke” and “anti-corporate” agenda on the campaign trail.

Persons: DeSantis, Glenton Gilzean, DeSantis’s, Fentrice Driskell, “, ”, Bob Chapek, nonbinary, Disney, Donald J, Trump Organizations: Central, Disney, “, Democratic, Legislature, Florida Department of Economic, Republican Locations: Central Florida, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, Orange, Osceola, Orlando

About the role familial connections played in the success of many alumni. About whether the practice of legacy admissions, which has long favored white families, should be eliminated just as a more diverse generation of graduates is getting ready to send its own children to college. About how to reconcile the belief that privileges for the privileged are wrong with the parental impulse to do whatever they can for their own children. A new analysis of data from elite colleges published last week underscored how legacy admissions have effectively served as affirmative action for the privileged. Children of alumni, who are more likely to come from rich families, were nearly four times as likely to be admitted as other applicants with the same test scores.

Persons: James, Chakraborty

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