Sherman A1
Sherman A1's JournalRural towns say they need a hand to fight off hackers and ransomware
The federal government set aside $1 billion to help cities and counties improve their cybersecurity, but rural communities worry they will be left out and end up more susceptible to ransomware and other attacks.
The funding comes from the new infrastructure law, with $250 million specifically allocated for rural areas. The funds are distributed to states over the next four years and will begin going out later this year.
But rural community leaders say they lack the resources and expertise to come up with a comprehensive cybersecurity plan and to pursue the grants.
“It’s just me and two other people who work for me,” said Scott Avery, the city administrator in Houston, Missouri, population 2,500. “Getting and administering any grant is a lot of work.”
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2022-01-31/rural-towns-say-they-need-a-hand-to-fight-off-hackers-and-ransomware
80% of St. Louis County homes built by 1950 have racial covenants, researcher finds
Years ago, Kim Rumpsa was researching whether her employer at the time, the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, needed to maintain pipes in parts of St. Louis County.
While leafing through old subdivision plat books for answers, she stumbled across something shocking — handwritten documents stating that only white people could live there.
“The thoughts that crossed my mind were: Is this really still happening? You know, surely people are — they don't know about it, or they're ignoring it at this point,” she said.
Thinking back, Rumpsa, who is white, was less surprised by the racist language when she considered the time period; many of the documents were signed in the early 1900s.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/culture-history/2022-01-26/80-of-st-louis-county-homes-built-by-1950-have-racial-covenants-researcher-finds
Two Chinese government ships enter Japan's waters
Officials of the Japan Coast Guard say two Chinese government ships entered Japan's territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Monday morning.
They say the ships entered the waters off Minamikojima island just before 6:30 a.m., and apparently tried to approach a Japanese vessel.
The officials say the Chinese ships had left the Japanese waters by 10:20 a.m. after navigating there for about four hours.
They were reportedly sailing in the contiguous zone just outside the territorial waters as of 10:30 a.m.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220131_18/
Old airbags get new lease of life in cutting-edge fashion projects
More than 3 million vehicles go to the wrecking yard each year in Japan, and most of their components will be reused or recycled. But there's one part that rarely gets used again: the airbag. That’s starting to change now that some creative minds are giving the material a second life.
Fashion designer Heron Preston made his name collaborating with the likes of Nike, Gap and Kanye West, but his latest alliance was his most unusual. He worked with Mercedes-Benz to create a fashion line from leftover airbags.
The German automaker handed Preston used airbags from crash tests, and he refashioned them into concept couture that was exhibited recently in Tokyo’s Roppongi district.
The clothing mimics the functionality of the airbag by inflating and deflating.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1866/
ASDF F15 Fighter jet missing
Japanese defense ministry says an Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jet dropped off radar over the Sea of Japan after taking off from Komatsu Air Base in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan.
Officials say two people were reportedly on board. The jet disappeared five kilometers west-northwest of the base over the Sea of Japan.
The ministry suspects the plane may have crashed. It has started a search and is trying to confirm information.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220131_36/
Winter storm likely in mid-Missouri next week
A significant winter storm is expected to arrive in mid-Missouri late Tuesday through Thursday morning.
Confidence is high that the event will occur, with heavy snowfall likely and freezing rain and sleet possible in some locations.
Despite the high confidence, questions still remain about the storm system, including how soon temperatures drop below freezing, where the location of heavy snow bands set up, and the speed of the low-pressure system.
While everyone is expected to see at least some snow, we currently believe it is most likely that the heaviest snow will set up across our central mid-Missouri counties. Confidence is lowest for areas near I-44 because we still don't know what the predominant precipitation type will be. In the coming days, we will be able to narrow this down.
https://krcgtv.com/news/local/winter-storm-likely-in-mid-missouri-next-week
Historic city churches find new life as neighborhood centers
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The pews were rocking at Holy Trinity on a recent Sunday as worshipers from the Minnesota Swahili Christian Congregation sang and danced beneath the lofty, dark-wood-trimmed ceilings and lively stained-glass windows.
Established in the 1920s, the magnificent house of worship once hosted one of the largest Lutheran congregations in the country but has dwindled to just 200 regular Sunday worshippers today. To remain vibrant, the founding congregation has increasingly opened its historic doors to serve a variety of community needs, from the Swahili-language services to functioning as a makeshift emergency medical center during protests after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd.
Across the U.S., historic urban churches built decades ago to accommodate hundreds or thousands of worshippers and bulging Sunday school classes have struggled with shrinking flocks and rising preservation costs. Many are finding new ways to use their buildings that let them keep those sacred places viable while serving the neighborhoods they've anchored for decades.
In Minneapolis, landmark churches have hosted everything from food pantries and Finnish language classes to tai-chi practices and group discussions on reparations. Elsewhere in the country, they've rented space for events or programs like preschools, bringing in much-needed revenue, and also made their buildings available for free to community group gatherings as diverse as nutrition clinics and arts workshops.
https://krcgtv.com/news/nation-world/historic-city-churches-find-new-life-as-neighborhood-centers-1
Cheslie Kryst, former Miss USA, dies at 30
NEW YORK (AP) — Cheslie Kryst, the 2019 winner of the Miss USA pageant and a correspondent for the entertainment news program "Extra," has died at age 30.
Police said Kryst jumped from a Manhattan apartment building and was pronounced dead at the scene Sunday morning. Her family confirmed her death in a statement.
"In devastation and great sorrow, we share the passing of our beloved Cheslie," the statement said. "Her great light was one that inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength. She cared, she loved, she laughed and she shined. Cheslie embodied love and served others, whether through her work as an attorney fighting for social justice, as Miss USA and as a host on EXTRA. But most importantly, as a daughter, sister, friend, mentor and colleague — we know her impact will live on."
Kryst, a North Carolina attorney, won the Miss USA pageant in May, 2019, and competed in the Miss Universe pageant that year.
https://krcgtv.com/news/entertainment/cheslie-kryst-former-miss-usa-dies-at-30
Moderna enters clinical trials for HIV vaccine
COLUMBIA (MO) — For Cale Mitchell, an HIV vaccine has always been a dream. Mitchell is the executive director at Spectrum Health Care and was excited to see Moderna has entered clinical trials for their early-stage HIV vaccine.
“I saw in real-time what was happening. I saw the people finding out that they were diagnosed with HIV and died," Mitchell said.
Mitchell was in his late teens during the HIV epidemic, and he always knew he would help people. In 2004, he joined Spectrum Health Care and started helping people with HIV.
“I was drawn to that work and that population because there was so much stigma, unnecessary stigma, uneducated stigma against the population," he said.
https://krcgtv.com/news/local/moderna-enters-clinical-trials-for-hiv-vaccine
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