Paradise News

Tag: United States

  • Andalusia Chamber cleaning up the town with annual ‘Clean and Green’ events

    Andalusia Chamber cleaning up the town with annual ‘Clean and Green’ events

    Published 2:27 pm Thursday, April 17, 2025

    The Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce invites the community to participate in this year’s Clean and Green April, featuring an electronics recycling drop-off throughout the month and a community-wide Litter Round-Up Day on Thursday, April 24, 2025.

    As part of the chamber’s ongoing effort to promote environmental responsibility and community pride, the chamber is making it easier than ever for residents to safely dispose of old electronics while also taking action to beautify the city.

    One part of the Clean and Green initiative is to help the community dispose of electronic items. The chamber has placed a recycling trailer behind the chamber office at 700 River Falls St. where residents can drop off outdated or unused electronics throughout the month or until the trailer is full.

    Items accepted for recycling include computers, monitors, phones, tablets, chargers, televisions, DVD players, printers, keyboards, other electronic accessories, and basically any item with a plug or battery.

    Items not accepted include batteries, fluorescent bulbs, refrigerators, microwaves, and other hazardous materials. For more information about what is accepted, residents can call the chamber office at 334-222-2030 for more details.

    Volunteers across the city will come together on Thursday, April 24, for the chamber’s Litter Round-up Day. Those participating will gather at the chamber office at 8 a.m. with McDonald’s providing a complimentary breakfast.

    The cleanup effort will focus on Moore Road and other suggested locations. The event will end at approximately 11 a.m.

    Those wishing to volunteer are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and bring gloves if possible. The chamber will provide vests, bags and gloves.

    “This is a great opportunity to come together as a community, make a visible difference, and celebrate Earth Month in a hands-on way,” said Chamber Director Mellisa King.

    The Clean and Green event is made possible through the support of local businesses. Custom reusable shopping bags featuring sponsor logos are purchased and will be used throughout the year. Each business sponsor receive bags for their own use and promotion. This year’s sponsors are:

    Reduced Sponsors: Copeland Solutions, PowerSouth, Pilot Club of Andalusia, Samurai Japanese Steakhouse, Andalusia Health 4H Waste Management and Recycling (formerly Little Tire Hauling), and Tellico.

    Reuse Sponsors: CCB Community Bank and Tabby D’s Family Restaurant

    Recylce Sponsors: Golden Rule BBQ, TherapySouth, Touch of Country and Woodmen Life.

    For more information about how to be involved in this year’s Clean and Green initiative, or to suggest cleanup areas, contact the chamber at 334-222-2030.

    “Let’s work together to keep Andalusia clean, green and beautiful for generations to come,” King said.

    Source: Andalusia Star

  • ICE Touts Highest Worksite Arrests in Agency History

    ICE Touts Highest Worksite Arrests in Agency History

    TRUMP EFFECT

    BREITBART

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested more than 1,000 illegal alien workers and have uncovered sufficient evidence of immigration employment violations to justify the proposal of $1 million during the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s administration. Robert Hammer, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations acting Executive Associate Director, says, “This is the highest rate of arrest in HSI’s history.”

    Worksite enforcement actions were ended during the Biden administration under the direction of then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. In an October 2021 memorandum ordering ICE to cease large-scale immigration worksite enforcement raids, Mayorkas criticized the use of the raids as an enforcement tool saying, “The deployment of mass worksite operations, sometimes resulting in the simultaneous arrest of hundreds of workers, was not focused on the most pernicious aspect of our country’s unauthorized employment challenge: exploitative employers.”

    Mayorkas went on to say, “These highly visible operations misallocated enforcement resources while chilling, and even serving as a tool of retaliation for, worker cooperation in workplace standards investigations.”

    In the past two months, under President Trump’s second term, the raids resumed, resulting in the arrest of 1,000 unauthorized workers, the levying of fines, and the seizure of properties and bank accounts. According to ICE Detroit Acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey, a civil complaint filed by ICE and the IRS against a Chinese money laundering organization has ordered the multimillion-dollar seizure of 14 properties, seven bank accounts, and 15 vehicles.

    Commenting on the illegal worker aspect of the case, Murphey says, “ICE and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case, in which we allege the money laundering organization operated a staffing company to supply illegal workers to a factory in Ohio and harbored that illegal workforce.”

    Under federal law, employers are required to verify the identity and employment eligibility of applicants they hire. The information applicants provide to document their identification is recorded on an Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. As part of their compliance efforts, ICE employs an I-9 inspection program to address and deter illegal employment. Penalties for employing illegal alien workers can range from civil fines to criminal charges in instances involving engaging in a pattern of hiring illegal workers.

    The current Trump administration is employing a whole-of-government approach to enforce the labor laws, deploying several federal law enforcement agencies to carry out the enforcement actions. In some cases, state and local law enforcement authorities are working in unison with the federal effort to stem the employment of illegal aliens and holding the employers accountable for the unlawful activity.

    The enforcement actions are occurring throughout the United States, according to ICE…

    CONTINUE READING SOURCE ARTICLE…

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    Source: TLB

  • Convicted sex abuser allegedly plotted in jail to kill juvenile victim and her family before his trial

    SARASOTA, Fla. (TCN) — A man currently serving time in an Oregon prison for sexually abusing a young girl is facing charges in Florida for allegedly plotting while behind bars to kill the victim and her family to make the charges against him disappear.

    In November 2023, a Multnomah County jury convicted Leland Harper of multiple crimes, including 23 counts of first-degree sexual abuse, 16 counts of using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct, 14 counts of luring a minor, three counts of unlawful sexual penetration, two counts of first-degree sodomy, one count of encouraging sexual abuse, six counts of witness tampering, four counts of bribing a witness, two counts of conspiracy to bribe a witness, and two counts of conspiracy to commit witness tampering. A judge sentenced him in January to 25 years in prison, according to KOIN-TV.

    Court records show that on April 11, officials in Sarasota County, Florida, charged Harper with four counts of solicitation to commit homicide. According to a probable cause affidavit, investigators looking into his Oregon case learned he allegedly committed child sexual abuse in Florida. A Sarasota County detective began investigating in 2023, and in February 2025, the detective learned about an alleged “potential threat to do harm” against the victim’s family.

    Harper is reportedly appealing his case in Oregon while also facing a civil lawsuit from the victim’s family. An informant allegedly told their attorney that Harper asked if they could help him locate someone to kill the family in exchange for money, and it needed to be done before he went to trial in Sarasota. Harper allegedly wrote a letter explaining that killing the victim and her family would “help with the appeal on his case in Oregon and stop the civil lawsuit.”

    He reportedly said he would pay $30,000 for the hit. According to the affidavit, Harper allegedly “described that he wanted it to look like a murder-suicide at the hand of the father/husband” and that emails would be sent from the father’s phone admitting that he sexually abused his daughter and set Harper up.

    “Surreptitious audio recordings” allegedly caught Harper telling the informant, “No face, no case. If there are no witnesses, there is no trial.”

    He also reportedly said, “Ending that genetic legacy is doing the world a f–king favor.”

    The informant reportedly asked if the killings “would bother him,” and Harper allegedly replied, “Nope. No, I know my mind. That’s how I am. Stone-cold sociopath. That’s what I am.”

    He allegedly hoped the family would feel a “mountain of terror” prior to their killings, which he planned for May.

    Investigators set up a bank account, and Harper’s wife allegedly wired $29,998.97 to it. Harper, however, did not ask for confirmation if the family was killed.

    Harper is facing nine counts of sexual abuse in Sarasota County.

    Jail records show Harper was extradited from Oregon to the Sarasota County Jail, where he is being held without bond.

    The lead Multnomah County prosecutor in the case, Chuck Mickley, told KOIN, “He’s made efforts all throughout the process to try to avoid the consequences of his criminal actions. And so this isn’t necessarily surprising that he is going through a lot of additional steps to try to get out from the trouble that he’s caused himself by committing these crimes.”

    • State of Florida vs. Leland Harper
    • Oregon sex offender faces charges for alleged murder-for-hire plot from Florida jail – KOIN
    • Jury Finds Leland Harper Guilty of Sexual Abuse of a Minor, 11/7/2023 – Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office
    • Sarasota County Jail inmate information

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Judicial Watch: Emails Reveal White House’s Detailed Revisions to Transcript of President Biden Interview with Special Counsel

    (Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it received 52 pages of documents from the U.S. Department of Justice showing White House staffers suggesting edits to transcripts of President Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur regarding his handling of secret documents.

    The documents were obtained thanks to a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Justice for records of communication between the agency and White House regarding the altered transcripts of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s October 2023 interviews of President Biden in the criminal investigation into Biden’s theft and disclosure of classified records (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:24-cv-02176)).

     In a separate lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch, a federal court ordered the Department of Justice to declare whether it intends to continue denying Judicial Watch’s request for the full audio of former President Joe Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur. The Trump Justice Department has until May 20, 2025, to report its position on the release of the videotape.   ((Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:24-cv-00700))

    Also, previously in that lawsuit, Judicial Watch forced the Biden administration to confess that the transcripts of the audio recordings have been altered and are not accurate.

    The new documents provided in this case include a chart of suggested changes by Biden White House and personal lawyers to the transcript. Also included are emails that detail Biden lawyer Bob Bauer’s requesting access to interview exhibits and a meeting with the special counsel to discuss the case. Justice Department official Marc Krickbaum confirmed most White House revisions to the transcript were accepted, including minor clarifications and changes potentially masking Biden’s confusion, such as correcting who said “Yeah” or altering references to Biden’s Delaware garage and President Biden’s seeming inability to recall the name of the Defense Secretary.

    “These new documents provide an extraordinary insight into a cover-up of the White House of Biden’s cognitive challenges,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. “The Bondi Justice Department should follow up with the full release of the actual audio of President Biden’s disastrous interview with the special counsel on his document theft and mishandling.”

    On October 12, 2023, Bob Bauer, personal attorney to Biden and White House Counsel for President Obama, writes to Marc Krickbaum, then-Deputy Special Counsel, and others, including several White House staffers:

    Gentlemen:

    Now that the interviews of the President have concluded, we would like to discuss with you the written presentations that we are preparing to aid in the resolution of this matter, as well as the schedule for their timely submission. To this end, we request a meeting for the purpose of hearing from you where matters stand in the case, which would enable us to focus our presentations on the issues it would be most helpful for us to address. The meeting would include both personal and White House Counsel.

    ***

    As you know, we also have an outstanding request for copies of the exhibits you provided in your interview of the President. We have noted that these exhibits would be necessary in our review of the transcripts of the interviews to check for any omissions or inaccuracies. We believe it is fair that we have access to this material at least for this purpose. This is one of the issues we would like to resolve at the meeting, along with an understanding for our planning purposes of when the interview transcript may be available for review in both audio and video form.

    In a follow-up email, he corrects himself: “…the reference to ‘video’ can, of course, be disregarded.”

    On December 21, 2023, Krickbaum writes to Rachel F. Cotton, Deputy Counsel to the President in the Office of the White House Counsel, and others showing the court reporter rejected some of the proposed edits to the Biden transcript

    Dick and Rachel, 

    We had the court reporter who prepared the transcript review your suggested revisions. She accepted most of them. This table lists your revisions and then describes whether we did or did not make changes.

    We may have to send the transcript itself on the high side [classified] next week. I will let you know when we do.

    Thank you.

    Marc

    Some proposed transcript edits detailed in a chart produced by the Justice Department suggest that the Biden White House to transcript might be considered an effort to cover up Biden’s mental confusion. White House suggests:

    PRESIDENT BIDEN: The date is 4-20-09. Was I still Vice President? I was, wasn’t I? Yeah. Yeah.

    Mr. Bauer: Yeah.

    President Biden: Yeah.

    On this entry, the White House attaches a note: “Audio indicates that ‘Yeah’ was said twice in succession by President Biden. Mr. Bauer did not say ‘Yeah.’

    The court reporter records:

    PRESIDENT BIDEN: The date is 4-20-09. Was I still Vice President? I was, wasn’t I? Yeah. Yeah.

    UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

    PRESIDENT BIDEN: Yeah.

    Other changes also seem significant. One seems to refer to Biden’s garage at his Delaware home, where secret documents were found.

    The White House proposed this change:

    were delivered my the garage

    The court reporter records:

    were delivered to the – my garage.

    At another point, Bien might have been confused about the name of the Secretary of Defense. The White House proposed this change:

    Secretary of Defense? Gates

    UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: Gates.

    A White House entry on that notes states:

                According to the audio, President Biden says “Gates” prior to the unidentified male speaker.

    The court reporter records:

                Secretary of Defense? Gates?

                UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: Gates.

    The White House responds:

    The court reporter inserted a question mark that is unsupported by the audio recording. It is clear that the President said “Gates” as a statement rather than a question. We ask that the question mark be replaced with a period …

    Regarding that last entry and another, on January 3, 2024, Amish [probably Amish Shah, Senior Associate Counsel in the White house Counsel’s Office], emails Krickbaum:

    Thank you for sending. We have reviewed and are fine with almost all of the court reporter’s responses. However, we ask the SCO to reconsider the attached two corrections on Day 2. Both corrections are supported by the audio recording of the interview. 

    On January 22, 2024, Krickbaum replies:

    We will send a revised transcript of the President’s interview on yellow [higher security], and attached is a revised list of edits. For the two revisions you suggested in your last email, the court reporter adopted the second and adopted a slightly modified version of the first.

    On February 28, 2024, an Executive Officer in the Special Counsel’s Office emails Free State Reporting:

    Good evening. Would you be able to come back (hopefully, the last time) on Friday, 3/1 or Monday, 3/4 (the sooner, the better? There are more edits to the President’s transcript. I’ll have an exact number tomorrow. I’m getting the computer back so it will be blank when you arrive so it will need your software on it again. It got wiped when I thought everything was finished. I’ll meet you out front with a new parking pass. My apologies for the inconvenience.

    It’s not clear what these last-minute changes were.

    Judicial Watch has several ongoing FOIA lawsuits about Biden’s document scandals and the related unprecedented partisan prosecutorial and judicial abuses of former President Donald J. Trump.

     ###

    Source: Judicial Watch

  • Andalusia native named new head women’s basketball coach at Univerity of San Diego

    Andalusia native named new head women’s basketball coach at Univerity of San Diego

    Published 2:32 pm Thursday, April 17, 2025

    PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM CHRISTENSEN | USD

    Andalusia native Blanche Alverson was named the head coach of the women’s basketball program at the University of San Diego in March. She is pictured above with University of San Diego Presient James Harris II, left, and Kimya Massey, USD’s executive director of athletics.

    An Andalusia native has rose through the ranks in quick fashion and is taking the reigns as head women’s basketball coach at the University of San Diego.

    Alverson, who attended Andalusia High School through her sophomore year before moving to become a standout varsity basketball player in Buford, Georgia, became one of the youngest coaches in NCAA athletics when she was officially named to lead the Toreros during a press conference on March 25. She is 34-years-old.

    Alverson was officially named USD’s fourth women’s basketball head coach during a press conference on March 25.

    “From the beginning of this process I have been so impressed with the vision and the mission of San Diego and the athletic department,” Alverson said. “I couldn’t be more excited to be the next women’s head basketball coach at USD. I think the future is so bright; there’s a lot of potential for growth and I couldn’t be more excited to be here.  I have met the team and they are amazing. The energy has been phenomenal and I really appreciate them welcoming me in with open arms.”

    In her new position, Alverson will be going to work at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion, which has undergone a multi-million dollar renovation over the past year.

    PHOTO COURTESY OF LOREN ANDERSON | USD
    Blanche Alverson on the campus of the University of San Diego.

    “This was a no-brainer decision for me. I am so glad to be at USD; this is an incredible campus, especially with the facilities that are coming for women’s and men’s basketball. It is an exciting time at USD and I couldn’t be more happy to be here.”

    Prior to accepting the head coaching job in San Diego, Alverson spent six season at Georgia Tech where she most recently served as associate head coach. During her time with the Yellowjackets, she helped take the team to four postseason appearances, including three NCAA Tournaments and the program’s second appearance in the Sweet 16.

    “Where she had me was when she talked about herself as an educator-coach — an educator first, a coach second. It fits very much in line with the incredible faculty that we have at this institution,” said USD President James Harris III, during the press conference. “We had an incredible pool of candidates — sitting head coaches and individuals who have been successful at every level — but, Blanche Alverson stood out. When we had our conversation, her focus immediately was on the health and well-being of her student-athletes. She wanted to see them be successful in the classroom and be successful young women who go on to lead productive and meaningful lives. You can tell how much she cares about the students she is coaching.”

    USD Executive Director of Athletics Kimya Massey added, “We focused heavily throughout the hiring process to find a candidate we felt would connect with the community, understand our Catholic mission and values, navigate the changes happening in the NCAA landscape, and of course, getting a good sense to the style of play and how that would translate to the WCC as well as nationally. As we narrowed down candidates, the ability to communicate effectively, the track record of success, the strong recommendations from people we trust, and the ability to recruit and connect with the athletes were evident as we spent more and more time with Blanche. It became clear that she was a great fit for who we are and where we want to go.”

    Alverson said she will focus on building a team culture built on growing relationships and the well-being of student-athletes. “It is an exciting time in women’s basketball. I think one of the biggest things we can do as educators, coaches and leaders is to invest in the young people around us and I am super excited to invest in our team and to lay out the vision for what this program is going to do moving forward. We want to be in the community. We want to win games. But, we also want to take our process day by day and get better every single day.”

    Other prior positions Alverson held during her professional career include two seasons at the University of Southern California where she helped secure a fifth-ranked recruiting class. In 2016-17, she helped lead New Mexico State to a 14-0 record. She also spent time playing professional basketball in Zamora, Spain after earning a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences at Auburn followed by a master’s degree in Sports Management at Texas Tech.

    As a student-athlete in Buford, Alverson led her team to Georgia’s AA state championship and was named the state’s 2A Player of the Year. She signed a scholarship with Auburn University where she finished second on the university’s all-time three-pointers list and was only the fourth player in program history to notch 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 100 assists, 100 steals, and 50 blocks. The was a two-team SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.

    Alverson is the daughter of Andalusia resident Bill Alverson and Cindy Alverson.

    “I want to thank my family. I would not be here today without them,” Alverson said. “I am an educator-coach and my family has a strong background in education. My mom was my middle school principal. We are student-athletes first and education is why we are all here.”

    Source: Andalusia Star

  • The Importance of IAEA Neutrality in Iran-US Nuclear Talks

    The Importance of IAEA Neutrality in Iran-US Nuclear Talks

    Israel formulated strategies in May to target specific sites, to delay Iran’s capacity to advance its nuclear weapon development by at least a year. ~New York Times

    21WIRE

    A report dated April 16, 2025, from the New York Times indicates that U.S. President Donald Trump has halted a proposed Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear installations. This represents a notable shift from his earlier hardline stance, as he now prioritises diplomacy and supports renewed nuclear talks with Tehran. The decision followed extensive internal discussions and a private letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, urging negotiations and warning of potential military consequences.

    According to the newspaper, Israel formulated strategies in May to target specific sites, to delay Iran’s capacity to advance its nuclear weapon development by at least a year. The New York Times reported that Israel requested the U.S. support, which the Hebrew state deems necessary not only to protect Israel from potential Iranian reprisals but also to guarantee the success of the offensive. Following extensive internal discussions, Trump opted to pursue diplomatic negotiations with Iran instead of endorsing Israel’s proposed military intervention. Meanwhile, ahead of Iran’s second round of indirect talks with the United States, which are expected to take place in Oman on Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi engaged in discussions with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during his two-day visit to Tehran, which comes at a time of heightened tensions regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

    After the meeting, Araghchi wrote on X:

    Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, the leader of US Central Command, along with Mike Waltz, the US national security adviser, had expressed a willingness to consider the Israeli plans. However, Trump’s obstruction of the Israeli-suggested joint operation against Iran, aimed at advancing the nuclear agreement, which ultimately necessitates that the IAEA operates with integrity and refrain from political involvement…

    IMAGE: Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), described his recent visit to Tehran as part of an ongoing diplomatic effort to support progress in the indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States (Source: IRNA)

    PRESS TV reports…

    Iran’s nuclear chief urges IAEA to maintain neutrality in Tehran-Washington talks

    Tehran expects the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to remain neutral and professional in its approach to the indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington, says [Mohammad Eslami] the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation.

    Speaking at a joint press conference with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Tehran on Thursday, Mohammad Eslami said that the two sides share an understanding on avoiding language or actions that Iran’s foes could exploit.

    Iran and the United States kick-started indirect talks on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and termination of anti-Iran sanctions in the Omani capital of Muscat on Saturday. The two sides described the talks as positive and agreed to hold the second round next Saturday.

    During the press conference, Eslami said deputy-level meetings between the IAEA and Iran’s nuclear agency will be held in the coming days to discuss outstanding issues and the details of ongoing cooperation.

    He stressed that the 2023 joint statement between Iran and the IAEA had led to “good progress,” and that the remaining issues would continue to be addressed within the same framework.

    IMAGE: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi meet in Tehran on April 16, 2025. (Photo by Iran’s Foreign Ministry)

    IAEA seeks to bridge Iran-US gap in nuclear talks

    For his part, Grossi said the IAEA is in contact with both Iranian and US officials to help facilitate progress in their indirect negotiations.

    The head of the UN nuclear watchdog said he is in touch with the American negotiator to explore how the IAEA can play a positive and constructive role. “We want to be a bridge between Iran and the United States and help reach a positive outcome,” he said.

    Grossi described his meetings in Tehran, including talks with Eslami and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as “deep and honest,” adding that the agency is committed to verifying any future agreement to ensure its credibility.

    He noted the talks are at a critical stage, expressing optimism that a final deal is achievable if both sides show the necessary will.

    Grossi also praised Iran’s peaceful nuclear achievements after visiting an exhibition on Iran’s nuclear achievements, but emphasised the IAEA’s responsibility to ensure non-proliferation. “It’s crucial that nuclear technology is used for peaceful purposes only,” he said, stressing that time is limited to reach a deal that resolves remaining concerns.

    Grossi arrived in Tehran on Wednesday for his second visit under the current Iranian administration.

    See more news from PRESS TV

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    April 17, 2025

  • 2 convicted of kidnapping homeless man, dumping him into lake with weights so he would drown

    ST. MARYS, Ga. (TCN) — Two men will spend the rest of their lives behind bars for kidnapping, torturing, and killing a 29-year-old homeless man in a remote area known locally as “Gilligan’s Island.”

    The Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office announced April 16 that a jury found 56-year-old Frank Kennedy and 29-year-old Anthony Mistretta guilty of malice murder, kidnapping, and other related felony charges in connection with the death of John Mamph. A judge subsequently sentenced Mistretta and Kennedy to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    According to prosecutors, on July 5, 2023, the defendants beat and hog-tied Mamph near his homeless encampment before bringing him to a boat ramp, placing him in a boat, and taking him out on a lake. The defendants reportedly weighed the victim down with numerous weights while he was still tied up, and then they threw him into the lake to drown.

    The following day, an individual found Mamph’s body while Jet Skiing with his family and called law enforcement. St. Marys Police responded to the area and initially arrested five suspects, including Kennedy and Mistretta, as well as Debra Dougherty, Megan Robison, and Bernice McGuire.

    Prosecutors said prior to the trial, Dougherty pleaded guilty to felony murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years served. McGuire pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and hasn’t yet been sentenced. Robison originally lied to authorities about her knowledge of the incident, and she pleaded guilty to making a false statement. Robison received a sentence of five years of probation.

    • “Gilligan’s Island” Murder Case Decided with Multiple Guilty Verdicts – St. Marys Police Department
    • Five Arrested for Murder, 7/7/2023 – St. Marys Police Department

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • EU Postpones Ban on Russian Gas Due to Trump Tariffs

    EU Postpones Ban on Russian Gas Due to Trump Tariffs

    The Nord Stream ghosts are now coming back to haunt Washington and Brussels

    INTRO BY NEWS WIRE via The Liberty Beacon

    It’s no secret that Europeans have been getting ‘cold feet’ on the question of replacing cheap and dependable Russian natural gas with wildly expensive American LNG imports. Thanks to Trump’s erratical global tariff war, the US may be forcing a battered EU economy back into the safe hands of Moscow.

    The crisis has driven the EU to shelve the idea of banning Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) imports due to opposition from members states and economic uncertainty about alternative suppliers.

    The result of all this means that, amazingly, harsh restrictions on Russian LNG are unlikely to be part of the EU’s upcoming 17th sanctions package against Moscow.

    Despite US, UK and EU efforts to ban all Russian energy, Europe’s imports of Russian LNG have soared to record levels in 2024.

    In an attempt to game the energy market, President Donald Trump is pushing for the EU to purchase expensive LNG from the US instead, but as usual with Trump, the actual details of such a deal remain murky and subject to change on a daily basis.

    The interim results of this debacle are as follows:

    • French, German firms open to modest return of Gazprom’s gas
    • Trump has made US LNG a politically loaded commodity
    • EU aims to quit Russian gas by 2027, has no detailed plan on how
    • Arbitrations against Gazprom complicate supply resumption

    Reuters reports….

    PARIS/BERLIN, April 14 – More than three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s energy security is fragile. U.S. liquefied natural gas helped to plug the Russian supply gap in Europe during the 2022-2023 energy crisis.

    But now that President Donald Trump has rocked relationships with Europe established after World War Two, and turned to energy as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations, businesses are wary that reliance on the United States has become another vulnerability.

    Against this backdrop, executives at major EU firms have begun to say what would have been unthinkable a year ago: that importing some Russian gas, including from Russian state giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM), could be a good idea.

    That would require another major policy shift given that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 made the European Union pledge to end Russian energy imports by 2027.

    Europe has limited options. Talks with LNG giant Qatar for more gas have stalled, and while the deployment of renewables has accelerated, the rate is not fast enough to allow the EU to feel secure.

    “If there is a reasonable peace in Ukraine, we could go back to flows of 60 billion cubic metres, maybe 70, annually, including LNG,” Didier Holleaux, executive vice-president at France’s Engie, told Reuters in an interview.

    The French state partly owns Engie, which used to be among the biggest buyers of Gazprom’s gas. Holleaux said Russia could supply around 20-25% of EU needs, down from 40% before the war.

    The head of French oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), Patrick Pouyanne, has warned Europe against over-relying on U.S. gas.

    “We need to diversify, many routes, not over-rely on one or two,” Pouyanne told Reuters. Total is a large exporter of U.S. LNG and also sells Russian LNG from private firm Novatek (NVTK.MM).

    “Europe will never go back to importing 150 billion cubic meters from Russia like before the war … but I would bet maybe 70 bcm,” Pouyanne added.

    German Pivot

    France, which produces large amounts of nuclear power, already has one of the most diversified energy supplies in Europe.

    Germany relied heavily on cheap Russian gas to help drive its manufacturing sector until the Ukraine war and has fewer options.

    In Leuna Chemical Park, one of Germany’s biggest chemical clusters hosting plants of Dow Chemical and Shell (SHEL.L), opens new tab among others, some makers say Russian gas should return quickly.

    Russia used to cover 60% of local needs, mainly through the Nord Stream pipeline, which was blown up in 2022.

    “We are in a severe crisis and can’t wait,” said Christof Guenther, managing director of InfraLeuna, the operator of the park.

    He said the German chemical industry has cut jobs for five quarters in a row, something not seen for decades.

    “Reopening pipelines would reduce prices more than any current subsidy programmes,” he said.

    “It’s a taboo topic,” Guenther added, saying many colleagues agreed on the need to go back to Russian gas.

    Almost a third of Germans voted for Russia-friendly parties in the February federal election.

    In the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the east German region where the Nord Stream pipeline comes ashore after running from Russia under the Baltic Sea, 49% of Germans want a return to Russian gas supplies, a poll carried out by the Forsa institute found.

    “We need Russian gas, we need cheap energy – no matter where it comes from,” said Klaus Paur, managing director of Leuna-Harze, a mid-sized petrochemical maker at the Leuna Park. “We need Nord Stream 2 because we have to keep energy costs in check.”

    The industry wants the federal government to find cheap energy, said Daniel Keller, economy minister for the state of Brandenburg – home to the Schwedt refinery, co-owned by Russian oil firm Rosneft but held in German government trusteeship.

    “We can imagine resuming the intake or transport of Russian oil after peace is established in Ukraine,” Keller said.

    THE TRUMP FACTOR

    U.S. gas covered 16.7% of EU imports last year – behind Norway with 33.6% and Russia with 18.8%.

    Russia’s share will drop below 10% this year after Ukraine shut pipelines. The remaining flows are mainly LNG from Novatek. The EU is preparing to buy more U.S. LNG as Trump wants Europe to lower its trade surplus with the United States.

    “For sure, we will need more LNG,” EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said last week.

    The tariff war has strengthened Europe’s concern about reliance on U.S. gas, said Tatiana Mitrova, a research fellow at Columbia University’s Centre on Global Energy Policy.

    “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to regard U.S. LNG as a neutral commodity: at a certain point it might become a geopolitical tool,” Mitrova added.

    If the trade war escalates, there is a small risk the United States could hold back on LNG exports, said Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, chief analyst at Global Risk Management.

    A senior EU diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, agreed, saying no one could rule out “that this leverage is used”.

    In the event U.S. domestic gas prices surge because of rising industrial and AI demand, the U.S. could curtail exports to all markets, Warren Patterson, head of commodities strategy at ING, said.

    In 2022, the EU set itself a non-binding goal to end Russian gas imports by 2027, but has twice delayed publishing plans on how. An EU Commission spokesperson declined to comment on the companies’ comments.

    Arbitration

    Several EU firms have opened arbitration cases against Gazprom for non-delivery of gas following the Ukraine war.

    CONTINUE READING SOURCE ARTICLE…

    __________

    Reuters reporting and analysis by Marwa Rashad in London, Riham Alkousaa in Berlin, America Hernandez in Paris, Nora Buli in Oslo and Kate Abnett in Brussels; additional reporting by Anna Hirtenstein in London; writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov; editing by Simon Webb and Barbara Lewis

    __________

    Header featured image (edited) credit: WP open card. Emphasis added by (TLB)

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    Source: TLB

  • Red States Rising | The Liberty Beacon

    America’s red and blue states aren’t just colors—they’re the battleground for our future, and every election proves it. We’re working to flip blue states red, hold our ground, and beat Democrats before they take more. We can’t sit idle until six months before the 2026 midterms to begin—start today, no excuses. Foreign-born Americans can swing close elections if we target their values with precision. Some blue states are ready to switch, others are locked tight, but we never quit. We’ve got a game plan—public relations, voter registration, ballot box tactics, vote counting, voter ID—plus a Republican Congress to (at least in theory) cement wins before Democrats try to tear them down. Red states need guarding—here’s how we pull it off.

    First, the lineup. Reddest states—Wyoming, Florida, Oklahoma—gave Trump 40-point margins or better in 2024, per election data (UC Santa Barbara). Wyoming’s voter rolls are 70% GOP; Florida’s 30 electoral votes went red by 13 points, a lock since 2016. Oklahoma hasn’t flinched blue in decades. Bluest states—California, Vermont, Massachusetts—handed Democrats 20-point wins or more. California’s a Democrat fortress, with Los Angeles and San Francisco running things. Vermont’s all-in on progressive policies, and Massachusetts hasn’t gone red since Reagan in 1984. These are the anchors—knowing them shows where we can move the needle and where we’re stuck.

    Some blue states are ours for the taking. Wisconsin’s a tight race: Biden won by 0.6% in 2020, Trump by 1% in 2024—a 20,000-vote margin either way. Nevada’s winnable; it flipped blue by 2% in 2020, but 2024’s Senate race went GOP, and Vegas workers hate taxes. Virginia’s on the edge—Youngkin took the governor’s mansion in 2021, and 2024’s vote was a 3% Democrat squeaker. Wisconsin’s farmers are done with federal rules; Nevada’s got small-business owners mad about costs. Virginia’s suburbs want schools focused on basics, not politics. These states aren’t blue forever—there’s a crack, and we can pry it open with work.

    Then you’ve got blue states that won’t budge—California, New York, Massachusetts. They’re lost causes for flipping red. California’s been Democrat since 1988, with a 29-point Biden win in 2020. New York’s got New York City, millions of blue voters drowning out rural areas. Massachusetts is wired for liberals—Boston calls the shots, and they eat big government for lunch. Democrat machines, urban strongholds, and cultures married to progressive ideas keep them locked. But we don’t walk away. These states still matter—red senators, representatives, and local officials can break through. California’s Orange County sent GOP House members in 2024. New York’s Long Island flipped congressional seats red. Massachusetts has picked Republican governors. Every race—city councils, sheriffs, school boards—chips at their grip, so we fight for every vote, every office.

    This is how we flip blue states red, starting now—hammer jobs, taxes, crime. Run TV ads in Wisconsin’s small towns, post X clips of Democrat failures, pack Nevada bars with GOP speakers. Virginia’s moderates want cheaper groceries—hit that note. Voter registration: sign up conservatives fast. Rural Wisconsin’s got 60% of the state’s voters; Nevada’s got ranchers outside Vegas. Set up at fairs, gun shops, church suppers. Ballot box: get GOP voters to vote early—Georgia’s 2024 early turnout was 70% red after tightening rules. Secure drop boxes; they worked in North Carolina. Vote counting: demand poll watchers, push audits like Texas. Voter ID: it’s a no-brainer—70% of Americans back it, and Georgia’s law cut fraud claims. Make it universal.

    We know voter fraud’s real—2024 audits in swing states like Georgia flagged thousands of mismatched signatures, and X posts exposed mail-in ballot dumps in Nevada drop boxes. But we’re not just whining about it; we’re built to win anyway. Our strategies—PR, registration, early voting, audits, voter ID—outmaneuver the cheats, turning blue states red by sheer numbers and smarter plays, no excuses. 

    Red states aren’t untouchable. Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, and now Pennsylvania are at risk. Georgia went blue in 2020 by 0.2%; Arizona followed. North Carolina’s cities—Raleigh, Charlotte—are growing bluer. Pennsylvania flipped red in 2024 by 2%, but Philly’s machine and suburban drift keep it shaky. Urban sprawl and new voters threaten them all. Georgia’s got 3 million rural voters—get them to the polls. Arizona’s retirees hate tax hikes—reach them. North Carolina’s military bases lean right—sign them up. Pennsylvania’s steel towns turned out for Trump; keep them fired up. If we slack, these states slide, and we’re not losing what we’ve won.

    Now, let’s talk about a hidden weapon—rural foreign-born voters nobody’s chasing. Vietnamese in Texas, 200,000 strong, went red in 2024, hating communist echoes in Democrat policies. Wisconsin’s got 20,000 Hmong—pro-gun, pro-family, ignored by blue campaigns. Georgia’s Korean communities, 60,000 voters, lean GOP when you talk taxes. These aren’t urban crowds; they’re guys running farms, shops, and packing pews in small towns. Democrats assume they’re all blue, but they’re not—reach them with ads on AM radio, fliers at markets, talks at VFW halls. In 2024, a large portion of Wisconsin’s foreign-born rural vote broke red, estimated to be 50,000 votes. Flip 20 counties like that in Virginia, and it’s ours. Get organizers to their doors—now, not next year.

    Foreign-born Americans can swing close elections, and they’re not all Democrats. Cuban-Americans and Venezuelans lean red, burned by socialism back home. 2020 exit polls showed 52% of Florida Hispanics for Trump; Venezuelans hit red in 2024. Mexicans, Haitians —overwhelmingly voted for Biden in 2020. Talk jobs, small business, less government to red-leaning groups. Wisconsin’s Hmong are pro-family, pro-gun; Nevada’s Filipinos like low taxes. Virginia’s 13% foreign-born include 20,000 Colombians who hate leftist policies. Don’t ignore them—talk their language, and they’ll vote red.

    Six months out is too late—ads take months to hit, voters need to sign up today. Registration drives take months; voter ID laws hit court walls—start those fights today. Wisconsin’s 2024 race was won by groundwork laid in 2022. Democrats are already moving; we’d be fools to lag behind.

    Grassroots is the engine—Scott Presler’s Pennsylvania work is proof. He hit gun shows, fairs, churches, shrinking the Democrat advantage by 300,000 voters since 2020. Bucks County flipped red in 2024 because of it. We need more like him in blue states teetering red—Wisconsin, Nevada, Virginia—pounding pavement, signing voters, turning close races our way. Scale that up—Virginia’s got hundreds of gun shows a year; man them. Nevada’s rodeos draw crowds; register them. Georgia’s churches pack Sundays—get clipboards ready. Hit low-turnout spots—rural Arizona, North Carolina’s farms. It’s not flashy; it’s work—knocking doors, signing names, building lists.

    A Republican Congress has to move fast. Pass the SAVE Act—voter ID for every federal election—but it’s jammed in the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster. Pressure swing-state Democrats like Tester or Brown; their voters hate fraud. Push a filibuster carve-out for election bills—51 votes gets it done. Try slipping it into budget reconciliation or go nuclear and kill the filibuster, though that’s risky. Flood social media sites and rallies with grassroots heat to make senators budge. Fund 10,000 poll watchers; Georgia’s 2024 audits caught issues. Protect state laws—North Carolina’s voting rules are tight; don’t let blue lawsuits kill them. If Democrats take Congress in 2026, they’ll ditch voter ID, push same-day registration, and gut audits. Lock it down now—pass laws needing 60 votes to change election rules, keep states in charge. It’s not just holding the line; it’s making sure we keep winning.

    The path’s clear: flip Wisconsin, Nevada, Virginia—they’re in reach. California, New York, Massachusetts won’t flip, but grab their red senators, reps, mayors—every seat’s a fight. Hold Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania—don’t let them go. Run PR, registration, ballots, counting, ID, Congress full throttle—start today. Foreign-born voters like Cubans can tip races—reach them. We’re not hoping for red gains; we’re making them before the 2026 midterms hit.

    ….

    M. Ray Evans, a U.S. Navy veteran who served his time, lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with his wife, Grace. Recently retired after decades as a senior executive in international real estate development, working across more than ten countries, mostly in East Asia, where he built a solid track record over the years. A conservative and patriot by conviction.

    ….

    Featured Image: Free image, Pixabay license.

    ….

    Source: TLB

  • NIH Funds Trans Professor’s App to Help People Sound Like Their Chosen Gender

    Panicky media coverage of the Trump administration’s cuts to medical research grants warns it will threaten the nation’s place as a scientific leader and put millions of American lives at risk, but a recent award illustrates the need for the president’s plan to reassess some of the projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The agency annually doles out most of its $48 billion annual budget to more than 300,000 researchers at 2,500 universities, medical schools and other institutions in every state. Since Trump got reelected, NIH funding has decreased by around $3 billion compared to the same period last year and it has caused quite a ruckus among the mainstream media as well as grant recipients who unanimously claim it is a matter of life and death.

    This example, like many others examined by Judicial Watch, contradicts that assertion. It involves NIH grants of over half a million dollars so a transgender professor at a public university could create smartphone or computer-based software to help transgender individuals sound like their chosen gender. The first batch of NIH cash, $213,878, was awarded in 2024 with three additional awards of $114,998, $100,000, and $116,149 in fiscal year 2025, which started in October. The official purpose of the four awards is “Improving the accessibility of transgender voice training with visual-acoustic biofeedback,” according to the NIH. The recipient is a transgender—a biological man who now identifies as a woman— engineering and computer science professor at the University of Cincinnati formerly known as D. Novak when he identified as male and now known as Vesna Novak. The goal is to help trans people speak in tone that matches their gender expression.

    “Transgender and gender diverse people exhibit a significantly lower quality of life than the general public,” the NIH writes in its grant announcement. “One reason for this is voice dysphoria: distress because a person’s voice does not match their gender identity (e.g., trans women with deep voices).” Reducing the “voice-gender incongruence can improve quality of life but is difficult to achieve,” the agency claims, adding that it can be accomplished with surgery though it is expensive and invasive. Gender-affirming voice and communication training (GAVT) with a speech-language pathologist can be effective but it is time-consuming and costly. There is also a lack of qualified providers so the government decided to fund the project to create smartphone or computer-based software that delivers information about voice, suggests exercises, and provides feedback on exercise performance. The trans professor’s project is expected to develop novel software that combines two main indicators of voice femininity and masculinity, according to the NIH which claims it funds research that enhances health, lengthens life, and reduces illness and disability.

    The software is available for free to provide transgender people with critical tools for GAVT and can be expanded with other key features, the NIH reveals. “In the long term, GAVT software may become an essential tool to reduce gender dysphoria in transgender and gender diverse individuals, thus improving quality of life for this marginalized population,” the agency’s grant document states. “Furthermore, advancements in this area may generalize to computer-aided therapy for communication disorders, increasing potential impact.” To justify the grant the college researchers claim that their project is relevant to public health because it will provide critical insight into how smartphone or computer-based software can be used to help transgender people train their voices. “Transgender people often wish to modify their voice to match their gender, but voice training administered by experts is expensive and often inaccessible,” they explain in the grant document. “Our project will thus create and evaluate the first transgender voice training software that combines real-time information about vocal pitch and resonance with structured exercises.”

    It is not clear if the taxpayer dollars continued to flow under the 2025 allocation after the Trump administration’s NIH funding cuts, but the fact remains that hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars have already gone to the trans voice app. Last summer a Cincinnati newspaper reported on the new publicly-funded app developed at the local university to help trans people make voices more masculine or feminine. In the story Professor Novak reveals that, while trans men often notice a change in their voice after taking testosterone estrogen does nothing for trans women’s voices, which can be stressful and scary.

    Source: Judicial Watch