Sherman A1
Sherman A1's JournalSuspect attacks bartender with stick after being asked for COVID vaccine proof, police say
SEATTLE (KOMO) — A bartender was badly slashed across her face after she asked a customer to show his vaccination card.
The man argued with staff when they told him to leave, then he struck a bartender with a long stick he was carrying, according to police.
The attack happened at Joe’s Bar and Grill Monday night in Seattle. No matter how busy it gets, employees said they always make time to follow the county's health order and check each customer for proof of vaccination. That rule erupted into a dangerous confrontation for bartender Felicite Ogilvy.
“I asked him, 'Do you have your vaccination card?' and he said, ‘I've had the vaccine but I don't have the card,’ and I was like, 'OK, but you need to have proof of it,'" Ogilvy recounted.
https://krcgtv.com/news/nation-world/suspect-attacks-bartender-after-being-asked-for-covid-vaccine-proof-police-say
Judge Rejects Oklahoma's Lawsuit over Guard Vaccine Mandate
OKLAHOMA CITY -- A federal judge in Oklahoma on Tuesday ruled against the state in its lawsuit challenging the vaccine mandates for members of the Oklahoma National Guard in a dispute that is the first critical test of the military's authority to require National Guard troops to get the shot.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Friot denied Oklahoma's request for a preliminary injunction, saying the claims by Gov. Kevin Stitt, Attorney General John O'Connor and 16 anonymous Oklahoma National Guard members were without merit.
"The vaccine mandate to which the governor objects is the one -- in addition to the nine that already apply to all service members -- intended to protect service members from the virus which has, in less than two years, killed more Americans than have been killed in action in all of the wars the United States has ever fought," Friot wrote. "The court is required to decide the case on the basis of federal law, not common sense. But, either way, the result would be the same."
Stitt and O'Connor have been outspoken critics of vaccine mandates, even for military members, and have filed numerous lawsuits challenging such federal mandates.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/12/29/judge-rejects-oklahomas-lawsuit-over-guard-vaccine-mandate.html
Decades of DoD Efforts Fail to Stamp Out Bias, Extremism
In February, with the images of the violent insurrection in Washington still fresh in the minds of Americans, newly confirmed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took the unprecedented step of signing a memo directing commanding officers across the military to institute a one-day stand-down to address extremism within the nation's armed forces.
The stand-down came in response to the participation and the subsequent arrests of several veterans and at least one active duty service member, who along with thousands of supporters of former President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, stormed the U.S. Capitol in a melee that sent lawmakers scrambling for safety, left one person fatally shot by Capitol Police and caused millions of dollars in damages to the building largely seen as the symbol of American democracy.
Austin's order, which also came as America as a whole was grappling with how to address systemic racism, was the latest in a series of decades-long efforts by the military to purge its ranks of extremists and white supremacists. Last week, in response to the order the military issued new rules to deal with extremism that included social media usage policy updates where "liking" and reposting white nationalist and extremist content could result in disciplinary action. The DOD also updated its screening of recruits and is looking at how to prepare troops who are retiring from being targeted by extremist organizations.
But an AP investigation found that despite the new rules, racism and extremism remain an ongoing concern in the military.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/12/29/decades-of-dod-efforts-fail-stamp-out-bias-extremism.html
Wakashio Captain and First Officer Sentenced
Two officers from a bulk carrier that ran aground and broke apart atop a coral reef off Mauritius have been sentenced for endangering safe navigation.
Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, captain of the Japanese-owned Wakashio, and the ship's first officer Hitihanillage Subhoda Janendra Tilakaratna pleaded guilty under the 2007 Merchant shipping act by a court in Port Louis. The two men, having both been held since August 2020, were sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Nandeshwar, who admitted to drinking alcohol during an onboard birthday party prior to the July 2020 grounding, said he had given orders to approach Mauritian waters so that the crew could get phone reception while en route to Brazil form China.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/wakashio-captain-first-officer-sentenced-493143
Edda Wind Bags Long-term Charter with Siemens Gamesa
Norwegian offshore wind services company Edda Wind said it has entered into a long-term contract with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy for one of its newbuild service operation vessels (SOV).
The contract will commence mid-2023, and Edda Wind said it will be able to operate the vessel for the early part of 2023 in what it expects will be a "buoyant short-term market" before entering into the long-term charter.
“This is another important milestone for Edda Wind and strong evidence that the company delivers on our ambitions. We are very happy about this start of a long relationship with one of the key players within offshore wind and the segments we operate in,” said Kenneth Walland, CEO of Edda Wind.
At present, six out of eight vessels in the Edda Wind fleet have been secured on long-term charters. Consequently, Edda Wind will be able to be selective on opportunities for the remaining part of the fleet, the company said.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/edda-wind-bags-longterm-charter-siemens-493141
First Ship Sails after Latest Mississippi River Channel Deepening
The first vessel has sailed from the Mississippi River with a draft of 47.7 feet following the newly increased draft at 48 feet.
The M/V CSSC Le Havre, operated by Cargill International with a cargo from Alliance Coal, LLC, is destined for the Far East and loaded over 112,000 metric tons on December 23, 2021.
HOST served as both the vessel agent and terminal operator for the voyage.
“When the Crescent River Pilots who oversee navigation of vessels in the this stretch of river announced the increase in depth on Dec. 20, the Host Agency team sprang into action working with the master, shippers, owners, operators and terminal to increase the cargo to be loaded by over 2,000 tons with less than 24 hours’ notice,” said Chris Kitsos, Senior Operations Manager at Host Agency.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/first-ship-sails-latest-mississippi-river-493132
US CDC Investigating Nearly 70 Cruise Ships Hit by COVID-19 Cases
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday it was investigating nearly 70 cruise ships after reports of COVID-19 cases on board, as the Omicron variant upended holiday travel over the Christmas weekend.
The CDC said COVID-19 cases on 68 ships had met its threshold for an investigation.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/us-cdc-investigating-nearly-cruise-ships-493133
Cape Girardeau woman pleads not guilty to murder in stabbing death of boyfriend
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) — A southeast Missouri woman has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, who was stabbed with a sword.
Brittany Wilson, 32, of Cape Girardeau, entered the plea Monday in a video court hearing. She was charged with killing 34-year-old Harrison Stephen Foster at a Cape Girardeau home on Christmas Eve.
Wilson called police on Dec. 24 to report that she had killed her boyfriend with a sword, police said. Officers found Foster dead of multiple stab wounds.
Wilson told police she and Foster took meth earlier in the day, according to the police statement.
https://krcgtv.com/news/local/cape-girardeau-woman-pleads-not-guilty-to-murder-in-stabbing-death-of-boyfriend
Federal government may take back grant money for St. Louis trolley
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Federal Transit Administration is giving St. Louis area officials until Feb. 1 to submit a plan to restart service of the Loop Trolley, or else the region may be required to pay back millions of dollars in federal grants.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that in a letter sent Monday to Mayor Tishaura Jones, the FTA’s regional administrator said the plan must include at least four days of trolley service per week involving three trolley vehicles. The letter says the service must restart by June 1.
The 2.2-mile streetcar line in the Delmar Loop area of St. Louis and University City opened in November 2018 after years of delays. But ticket sales and revenue lagged and the trolley shut down in December 2019.
FTA regional chief Mokhtee Ahmad said in the letter that various pools of federal money helped pay for the $51 million project.
https://krcgtv.com/news/local/federal-government-may-take-back-grant-money-for-st-louis-trolley
Hong Kong police raid online news outlet, arrest 6
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police were raiding the office of an online news outlet on Wednesday after arresting six people for conspiracy to publish a seditious publication.
More than 200 officers were taking part in the search, police said. They had a warrant to seize relevant journalistic materials under a national security law enacted last year.
The six were arrested early Wednesday under a colonial-era crimes ordinance for conspiracy to publish a seditious publication, and searches of their residences were underway, police said.
According to the local South China Morning Post newspaper, police arrested one current and one former editor at Stand News, as well as four former board members including singer and activist Denise Ho and former lawmaker Margaret Ng.
https://krcgtv.com/news/nation-world/hong-kong-police-raid-online-news-outlet-arrest-6
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