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☆ Hawaii wildfires: How did the Maui blazes start and what we know about the damage to Lahaina
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Jonathan Oatis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An aerial view shows smoke as wildfires ravage the island in Maui, Hawaii, August 9, 2023. WHAT'S DRIVING THE HAWAII WILDFIRES? Winds from Hurricane Dora, hundreds of miles southwest of the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean, have fanned the flames across the U.S. state, officials say. It is made up of eight main islands, including Hawaii, known as the Big Island. The island of Maui sits to the east of the island of Hawaii.

Persons: Dora, Jonathan Oatis, Andrew Hay, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, National Weather Service, Islands, U.S . Forest Service, Maui ., Honolulu Star, U.S . Civil Air Patrol, Maui Fire Department, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Maui, Hawaii, County, Handout, Big, Lahaina, U.S, Europe, Canada, HAWAII, Hurricane Dora, Japan, Guinea, Kihei, South Maui, Kula

☆ Chief of Texas' largest county takes medical leave for depression
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo addresses the news media, the day after a deadly crush of fans during a performance by rapper Travis Scott at the Astroworld Festival, in Houston, Texas, U.S. November 6, 2021. REUTERS/Daniel Kramer/File PhotoHOUSTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Lina Hidalgo, chief executive of the third-largest U.S. county and the largest one in Texas, has checked in to a medical facility outside the state to be treated for clinical depression, she said on Monday. Hidalgo, a Democrat elected in 2018 to lead the county of 4.9 million residents, has battled Republican state officials over election administration and police funding. Last November, she won re-election as Harris County judge against a well-funded political novice with a slim margin of about 17,000 votes. Reporting by Gary McWilliams in Houston Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lina Hidalgo, Travis Scott, Daniel Kramer, Harris, Hidalgo, Kim Ogg, Gary McWilliams, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Democrat, Republican, Thomson Locations: Harris, Houston , Texas, U.S, Texas, Hidalgo, county's, Houston

☆ She's an 'Alien Superstar' — and now she's in housing. Beyoncé joins Kelly Rowland and the city of Houston in support of a new affordable development.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Beyoncé Knowles is teaming up with Kelly Rowland and Houston officials to support a housing project. It was unclear if Knowles and Rowland are investing in the project. However, Knowles and Rowland are among the few that have taken their real estate interests beyond the glitz and glamor of purchasing luxurious homes. With more buyers moving into the area, home prices and rents have surged as residents compete for housing. Given that statistic, he said he's "grateful" for the Knowles and Rowland project.

Persons: Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, —, Knowles, Rowland —, Kennedy Sessions, Rowland, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Queen Latifah, they're, Harris, Lina Hidalgo, Joe Biden's, Houston Pastor, Rudy Rasmus, he's Organizations: Houston, Service, American, Harris County, Hollywood, NBA, Golden Globe, Coalition, Homeless, Census Bureau, Texas Tribune Locations: Houston, Harris County, Midtown, Harris, America

☆ Opinion | If You’re Reading This, You’re Probably ‘WEIRD’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +83 min

You’re probably very weird, and not just for all the obvious reasons you’re thinking of. Because, obviously, there’s going to be some overlap in the curve here. How you’re going to behave with your professor is quite different than how you’re going to behave with your friends. But it’s really kind of faceless, and you’re not really helping anybody you know. I think things are dynamic, and directions are changing, and that sort of thing.

☆ Windfall tax seizure case in Michigan deepens appellate split on class standing issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The county auctioned Fox's property for about $25,000 — and kept the $22,000 difference between the sale price and Fox's tax obligation. But Fox’s class action did not name only Gratiot County as a defendant. Circuit Court disagreed. The 6th Circuit in the Fox case agreed with the 2nd Circuit's holding that trial courts must consider constitutional standing issues ahead of class certification. The Michigan counties that challenged class certification were represented at the 6th Circuit by Douglas Curlew of Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho.

☆ Employee Monitoring and Surveillance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +50 min

Ensuring Employee Safety and Systems SecurityEmployers may use electronic workplace monitoring and surveillance to protect their:Worksites. Potential Liability for Electronic Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceEmployers that engage in electronic workplace monitoring and surveillance must comply with various federal and state laws, including:The Wiretap Act. Best Practices for Electronic Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceTo avoid violating relevant state and federal laws, before conducting workplace monitoring and surveillance, employers should:Consider the purpose and appropriate scope of their monitoring and surveillance activities and what methods will help them achieve their objectives. Determine the Purpose of Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceBefore conducting any workplace monitoring or surveillance, best practice is for employers to identify the purpose and goals of these activities to:Ensure that there is a legitimate business purpose for the planned monitoring and surveillance activities. Determine the scope of monitoring and surveillance necessary to accomplish the business purpose, and conduct only the minimum monitoring and surveillance necessary to meet that business need.

☆ Vanessa Bryant reaches $28.85 million settlement with L.A. County over helicopter crash photos
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Phil Helsel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Vanessa Bryant, the widow of late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, has reached an almost $30 million settlement with Los Angeles County over photos taken of the scene of the deadly 2020 helicopter crash, an attorney for the county said. The settlement is for $28.85 million and resolves all claims involving the county, Mira Hashmall, lead trial counsel for Los Angeles County in the case, said in a statement. Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant, 41; his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant; and seven other people died in the crash in Calabasas, near the Southern California coast, northwest of Los Angeles. The almost $30 million settlement includes the $15 million awarded to Vanessa Bryant by a jury in August, Hashmall said. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the settlement, she said.

☆ California’s Recipe for More Homeless
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

La La Land really is paradise—at least for people who don’t want to pay rent. Los Angeles County this week extended its Covid eviction ban another two months. Meantime, the Los Angeles City Council has approved rules that will make it harder for landlords to evict tenants once (and if) the county moratorium ends. The Supreme Court struck down the Biden Administration’s Covid eviction ban in August 2021, but the counties and cities of Los Angeles have extended theirs again and again even as other pandemic restrictions have lifted. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors had last extended the ban to the end of January owing to a “respiratory illness trifecta.”

☆ 'Hope that those officers get what they deserve,' says man who accused ex-officer in Tyre Nichols case of 2015 jailhouse assault
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Doha Madani | Tim Stelloh | Doha Madani Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. Pronouns | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

One of the officers Sledge named in his complaint was Demetrius Haley, who according to the suit worked for the county department of corrections at the time. Haley was terminated from the Memphis Police Department over multiple policy violations in the Jan. 7 traffic stop of Nichols, including use of force. Sledge was unaware that Haley was one of the officers involved in the Nichols case until he was contacted by NBC News. “I just hope that those officers get what they deserve and set an example for the rest of officers,” Sledge said. The five officers terminated last week “were found to be directly responsible for the physical abuse of Mr. Nichols,” Davis said.

[1/5] Police officers detain a man, believed by law enforcement to be the Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect, in Half Moon Bay, California, U.S., January 23, 2023, in this screengrab taken from a social media video. California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was visiting wounded survivors from Saturday night's massacre in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park when he was informed of Monday's killings in northern California. A semi-automatic handgun was found in his car, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus told an evening news conference. It ranked as the deadliest mass shooting ever in Los Angeles County, according to Hilda Solis, a member of the county Board of Supervisors. Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said investigators were looking into unconfirmed reports that the violence may have been precipitated by jealousy or relationship issues.

☆ Man who says he disarmed Monterey Park shooter at second dance hall: 'He was looking ... for people to harm'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The man who has been hailed as a hero for disarming the Monterey Park shooter at a second dance hall in the nearby city of Alhambra said that the gunman appeared intent on shooting more people there, just minutes after he had already killed 10 people and injured at least 10 more at the first dance hall. Tsay told the Times he had never seen a gun before but could tell this one was particularly deadly. "We struggled into the lobby, trying to get this gun away from each other," Tsay told the network. I was trying to use my elbows to separate the gun away from him, creating some distance." The motive in the dance hall attack remains unknown, Luna told reporters Sunday night.

☆ Live updates: Suspect in shooting at dance hall near Los Angeles is dead, sheriff says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Erick Mendoza | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +33 min

Share this -Link copiedAlhambra officials release statement on Monterey Park shooting Alhambra officials released a statement on the Monterey Park shooting early Sunday evening. Officials also acknowledged the shooting that occurred in the city after the Monterey Park shooting. Share this -Link copiedPolice release pictures to identify Monterey Park shooting suspect The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has released pictures seeking to identify the Monterey Park shooting suspect. Law enforcement has connected him to the Monterey Park shooting and a shooting minutes later in Alhambra. Patrons of the Alhambra dance hall wrestled a firearm away from a man about 20 minutes after the Monterey Park shooting.

☆ Live updates: Possible suspect in mass shooting at dance hall near Los Angeles is found dead, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Erick Mendoza | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +31 min

☆ Federal government investigating possible human trafficking of children who cleaned slaughterhouses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Laura Strickler | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

There is no indication DHS is investigating the company that hired the children, Packers Sanitation Services Inc., or PSSI, for human trafficking. The Labor Department’s Child Labor Regulations designate many roles in slaughterhouse and meatpacking facilities as hazardous for minors. The Labor Department says its investigation, which began in August, is ongoing as it scours company records from 50 locations. I don’t anticipate unless there are severe ramifications for this that it will actually change policies.”The Labor Department has issued no penalties or fines to date. Labor DepartmentQuestions about child labor at PSSI in Grand Island and Worthington are not new.

The city did nothing with the property, and it was transferred to the state of California and then to Los Angeles County. The county built its lifeguard training headquarters on the land, which includes a small parking lot. And then it turned into a tragic story for my family,” Anthony Bruce, the great- great-grandson of the Bruces, previously told NBC News. And unfortunately, my family was the victim of a hate crime and the prejudice that was around during those times. Hahn learned about the property’s history and launched the complex process of returning the property, including determining that two great-grandsons of the Bruces are their legal heirs.

Three-time Super Bowl champion and current NFL Network analyst Willie McGinest was arrested Monday in connection with an assault at a West Hollywood nightclub, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. Witnesses allegedly identified McGinest, a former linebacker for the New England Patriots, as having been allegedly involved in the assault at the Santa Monica Boulevard club. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said its West Hollywood Detective Bureau is handling the investigation. Since his retirement following the 2008 season, he has worked as an analyst for ESPN, Fox Sports and the NFL Network. “We’re aware of the matter and are in the process of gathering information,” NFL Network spokesperson Alex Riethmiller said.

Just because rural areas are less populated doesn’t mean it’s cheaper to provide health services there. She recommends that rural counties explore lower-cost, evidence-based options like distributing naloxone, funding syringe service programs, or connecting people to housing or employment. “We couldn’t function if we didn’t partner for lots of different services.”In Colorado, pooling funds is built into the state’s model for managing opioid settlement money. “Nobody has paid any attention to our rural areas and this problem for years,” Laske said. They cross-referenced the results with a list of allowable uses for the $9 million in settlement funds they’ll receive over 18 years to create a priority grid.

☆ Face masks come back to forefront amid triple threat of Covid-19, flu, RSV
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Local officials mulling over masksThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers specific guidance on when masking is recommended based on its Covid-19 community levels. The agency says that people may choose to wear masks at any time but that a “high-quality mask or respirator” is recommended for everyone when a county has a “high” Covid-19 community level. As of Thursday, about 5.66% of US counties have high community levels, including some places in Arizona, Wyoming, Oregon and the Dakotas. Even without a mandate, she emphasized community efforts like wearing masks inside when possible and getting Covid-19 vaccines or boosters. “We do know that 5% of the population is living in places with a high Covid-19 community level.

☆ Maricopa County report rebuffs claims by Republicans who sowed doubt on election integrity
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Officials in Arizona's largest county are blaming prominent Republicans for sowing doubt about a secure alternative for voters who encountered malfunctioning vote tabulation machines on Election Day. Maricopa County issued a report on the voting glitches Sunday, a day before it is set certify the results of the November election and a week after the state's Republican attorney general's office demanded answers on widespread voting machine glitches on Election Day. Some GOP politicians and pundits swiftly seized on those issues to push misleading or false information. Lake, who lost to Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, attacked Maricopa County officials over both the technical issues on Election Day and the prolonged vote count. Last week, Maricopa County confirmed that Bill Gates, the chairman of the county’s board of supervisors, had been moved to an undisclosed location for his safety following threats on social media related to the midterm elections.

☆ National Guard activated amid deadly western New York snow storm that has dropped more than 6 feet of snow in region
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Mirna Alsharif | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Kathy Hochul announced the activation of the National Guard Saturday to help with clean up in the historic snow storm that battered parts of western New York. About 70 National Guard members were deployed to the badly-impacted southtowns, or the southern portion of Erie County, home to Buffalo, Hochul told NBC News affiliate WGRZ. Hamburg, where the roof of a house collapsed due to the weight of the heavy, wet snow, received over six feet of snow, while southwest Blasdell had over five feet of snow. Buffalo has had about 30 inches of snowfall, according to the National Weather Service. Joshua Bessex / APTwo Erie County men died after suffering “cardiac events" due to shoveling or snow blowing on Friday.

☆ Fact Check-2020 video of poll worker in Delaware County recirculates as false evidence of voter fraud in 2022 Midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An old video showing a poll worker in Delaware County, Pennsylvania filling in blank ballots and stamping them has been shared again as alleged evidence of voter fraud in the 2022 midterm elections. According to election officials, the poll worker was transcribing damaged ballots, with poll watchers present during the process. Delaware County Pennsylvania. In 2020, Reuters addressed a similar allegation about a poll worker who was legally making duplicates for damaged ballots at Delaware County (here) (here). The transcribed ballots and the original damaged ballots and the batch report for the two are maintained together in the permanent records,” Marosfsky added.

☆ Fact Check-Images do not show ballots dumped during 2022 midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Twitter account shared two-years-old images of envelopes scattered by roadways with false claims that thousands of U.S. midterm election ballots were dumped across the country and in Mexico. Reverse image search reveals that the two photographs used in the tweet pre-date the midterm elections. Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier from Hudson County who was arrested on Oct 7, 2020, for discarding post, including 99 general election ballots intended to be delivered to West Orange residents (here). Meanwhile, Pam Smith, president of the non-governmental organization Verified Voting, told Reuters that the organization has seen “no evidence” to support the claim that thousands of ballots have been dumped during the midterm elections. The images that show mail strewn along the side of roadways were captured years before the 2022 midterm elections.

☆ L.A. sheriff’s deputy charged in 2021 fatal shooting of man who was already on the ground
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

A Los Angeles sheriff's deputy was charged Wednesday for an on-duty, unlawful fatal shooting of a man who was holding a knife last year outside his family's East L.A. home. L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy Remin Pineda, 38, was charged with one felony count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and assault under color of authority following the March 2021 fatal shooting of David Ordaz, Jr., L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón announced Thursday. The deputies’ union, Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, did not immediately return a request for comment. In August, another L.A. County sheriff's deputy, Sean Essex, 51, was indicted on charges of sexually assaulting four girls in a case that prosecutors had declined to pursue a decade ago. Last year, a state civil rights investigation was opened into the sheriff’s department over allegations of excessive force.

☆ Midterm elections live updates: Pennsylvania races, New Hampshire Senate race too early to call
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Brandy Zadrozny | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Sahil-Kapur-Headshot.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +109 min

Share this -Link copiedWisconsin Senate and governor's races too early to call It is too early to call the Senate and gubernatorial races in Wisconsin, according to NBC News. Share this -Link copiedNew Hampshire Senate race too early to call The Senate race in New Hampshire is too early to call, according to NBC News. Share this -Link copiedPennsylvania Senate and governor races are too early to call After polls closed at 8 p.m. While Maricopa County election officials initially categorized the problem as a “hiccup,” it took hours before a solution was identified early Tuesday afternoon. In Columbus County, election officials allegedly were harassed by an “observer following one-stop workers” and photographing or filming the workers, it said.

While Maricopa County election officials initially categorized the problem as a “hiccup,” it took hours before a solution was identified early Tuesday afternoon. According to the poll, 46% of voters said their family’s financial situation is worse than it was two years ago. Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP, filed a similar complaint Friday against state election officials. The app and portal had been down for part of the morning and the state's election hotline also briefly experienced issues. In Columbus County, election officials allegedly were harassed by an “observer following one-stop workers” and photographing or filming the workers, it said.

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