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TexasTowelie's JournalWestchester Community Becomes One Of First In Northeast To Ban Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers
In a unanimous and unprecedented decision, officials in a Westchester County municipality voted to ban gas-powered leaf blowers effective January 2022, becoming one of the first communities in the Northeast to take such action.
The Monday, Sept. 21 decision, according to the Village of Larchmont's Board of Trustees, was driven by environmental concerns.
“Larchmont is proud to be a leader in municipal green policy," said Mayor Lorraine Walsh. "Policies such as this, which ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers entirely, are essential if we are going to make meaningful progress in turning back the environmental damages causing global climate change.
"Thanks to the Larchmont Environmental Committee for working so hard on this legislative change and educating the community about the impacts of gas-powered leaf blower use.”
Read more: https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/yonkers/news/westchester-community-becomes-one-of-first-in-northeast-to-ban-gas-powered-leaf-blowers/794646/
The Next Supreme Court Justice Could be Critical to Worker Rights and the Survival of the Middle
The Next Supreme Court Justice Could be Critical to Worker Rights and the Survival of the Middle ClassBy Oren M. Levin-Waldman
Oren M. Levin-Waldman is faculty member in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University-Newark, and Socioeconomic Research Scholar at Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity Research.
NEWARK, NJ — September 22, 2020 — In the wake of the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the selection of the next Supreme Court justice has enormous implications. This promises to be a battle royale because of the potential to change the future direction of the Court for years to come. Conservatives, of course, will view this as an opportunity to reverse many of the rulings over the last few decades, including Roe v. Wade. And liberals will view any conservative appointment as an assault by the right on women, minorities, and other powerless Groups.
While abortion will figure prominently in senate confirmation hearings, what typically gets lost are the implications of a Supreme Court pick for labor and the rights of workers. Courts have traditionally existed to protect property and the rights of property owners. As employers are typically viewed as traditional property owners, with workers having no such corresponding property rights in their labor, courts have tended to resolve disputes in favor of employers against the interests of workers.
Therefore, the stakes in the upcoming confirmation battle over the next Supreme Court justice could not be higher. Over the years, especially since Reagan’s presidency, the rights of workers have been eroded. First, the Reagan administration and subsequent Republican administrations, packed the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with people who were anti-labor. Second, these NLRB rulings were only upheld by conservative majorities on the Supreme Court.
A solid conservative majority on the Court would limit even further any rights that workers may have. Because workers have few rights, especially in our increasingly global economy, wages have been declining. A key reason for the decline in wages is that over the years corporate managers have sought to maximize shareholder value. To do so, they have needed to reduce costs, and labor costs have easily been reduced through the outsourcing of operations to places where labor costs are only a fraction of what they are in the U.S. Not only have the jobs lost been higher paying union jobs, but the contraction of available middle class blue-collar jobs has only further exerted a downward pressure on wages.
Read more: https://www.yonkerstribune.com/2020/09/the-next-supreme-court-justice-could-be-critical-to-worker-rights-and-the-survival-of-the-middle-class-by-oren-m-levin-waldman
Wisconsin Sees Record-Breaking Hospitalizations Due to Coronavirus
WISCONSIN— The Badger State has the most hospitalizations tied to coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic.
As of Tuesday, Sept. 22, 474 people are currently in the hospital due to coronavirus. That number includes 134 ICU patients, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association.
358 people are on ventilators or a form of ventilatory equipment.
This is the highest number of hospitalizations Wisconsin has seen since April 9, when 446 Wisconsinites were hospitalized. At that time, 196 people were in the ICU, which remains the record high of Wisconsin coronavirus ICU patients. WHA says Wisconsin's 133 hospitals have a total of 1,475 ICU beds, 304 of which could be made immediately available.
6,765 Wisconsinites have been hospitalized due to coronavirus throughout the pandemic, at a 6.5 percent hospitalization rate.
Read more: https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/madison/news/2020/09/22/wisconsin-coronavirus-pandemic-hospitalization-record
Disney Parks Chairman to California Governor: "We're Ready. It's Time."
Citing the financial devastation the closing of the Disneyland Resort is having on the local economy and the company’s experience operating theme parks safely during the coronavirus pandemic, the head of the Walt Disney Co.’s Disney Parks division made a plea to California government officials to release health and safety guidelines to reopen Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in Anaheim.
“We’re ready, and more importantly, it’s time,” Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro said during a virtual press conference on Tuesday.
Disney’s latest reopening push comes a week after several Anaheim officials, local business leaders and a theme park trade association pressed Newsom to release health and safety guidelines to reopen theme parks across the state despite the coronavirus pandemic. As of Tuesday, Orange County has recorded 52,201 coronavirus cases and 138 deaths.
Orange County's coronavirus numbers are faring better than other counties in the state. Earlier this month, Orange County moved from the state's most restrictive purple tier to red, which allowed the reopening of schools and businesses at limited capacity in the county. If Orange County continues its coronavirus downward trend, it could move to the state's orange tier that would allow for the reopening of more businesses and increase attendance capacity at churches, malls, shopping centers, and gyms.
Read more: https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/san-fernando-valley-ventura/tourism/2020/09/22/disney-parks-head-urges-governor-to-release-safety-guidelines
North Carolina Board Agrees to More Absentee Ballot Changes
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina election officials agreed Tuesday that mail-in absentee ballots returned this fall with deficient information can be fixed without forcing the voter to fill out a new blank ballot. The change, if it stands, would likely yield an upward tick in the number of counted ballots in this presidential battleground state.
The State Board of Elections issued the new guidance to county boards explaining residents won’t be forced to start over from scratch in casting votes if a witness fails to sign or provide an address on the envelope containing their absentee ballot. The guidance means that the ballot now won’t be considered “spoiled,” and the voter will be sent an affidavit to sign to rectify the problem.
Issues with deficient witness information on mail-in ballots have disproportionately affected Black voters. Ballots cast by African Americans account for about 43 percent of those classified as having incomplete witness information, according to state elections data. Yet Black residents account for 16 percent of overall ballots returned.
Marc Elias, a Democratic lawyer who helped sue in North Carolina court to seek the changes and has worked on similar absentee ballot litigation elsewhere, praised the decision.
Read more: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2020/09/22/north-carolina-board-agrees-to-additional-absentee-ballot-changes
Woman Arrested at Peace Bridge for Allegedly Sending Ricin to White House Appears in Court
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The woman arrested at the Peace Bridge who is accused of sending a letter with ricin to President Trump faced a federal judge Tuesday.
Pascale Ferrier is charged with threatening the President of the United States.
The judge adjourned for the day because Ferrier requested an identity hearing and a preliminary hearing — meaning they need to prove that she is the suspect they’re looking for and probable cause.
Ferrier was arrested Saturday when she tried to enter the U.S. from Canada.
According to the federal affidavit, she had a loaded gun in her waistband and a knife.
Read more: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/buffalo/news/2020/09/21/woman-accused-of-sending-ricin-to-white-house-detained-at-peace-bridge
City Declares Part of Southern Brooklyn to be Coronavirus Cluster Site
The city declared a coronavirus cluster site Tuesday after half a dozen neighborhoods recorded upticks in recent days, Department of Health officials announced.
Officials are referring to a rise in cases in Borough Park, Midwood and Bensonhurst as "The Ocean Parkway Cluster” because of the especially rapid increases in rates there over the last three weeks. That cluster represents 20% of all new COVID-19 citywide in the past week.
Other neighborhoods with alarming increases in the positivity rate include Williamsburg in Brooklyn, and Kew Gardens and Far Rockaway in Queens.
"At this point in time, these increases could potentially evolve into more widespread community transmission and spread to other neighborhoods unless action is taken," health officials said in a press release.
Read more: https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2020/09/23/city-declares-part-of-southern-brooklyn-to-be-coronavirus-cluster-site
SXSW Online Announced for 2021; In-Person Event Up in the Air
AUSTIN, Texas – Following the cancellation of South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, in 2020, at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a great deal of doubt and speculation about what will take place in 2021.
SXSW provided a partial answer on Tuesday, announcing SXSW Online 2021. Described as a “digital experience,” it is slated to include much of what you would find at the physical event: conference keynotes and sessions, movie screenings, showcases, networking opportunities, and exhibitions.
The digital event is scheduled for March 16 – March 20.
As for an in-person SXSW in 2021, organizers have understandably been a little vague, writing in a news release, “SXSW is working with the City of Austin and public health authorities on plans for a physical event in 2021. We will provide updates as more information becomes available. Subscribe to SXSW newsletters for the latest event updates.”
Entries for the digital version of SXSW open on October 6 and includes Film Festival submissions as well as PanelPicker proposals for SXSW and SXSW EDU.
Read more: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/news/2020/09/22/sxsw-online-announced-for-2021--in-person-event-up-in-the-air
Woman Accused of Mailing Ricin to White House May Have Targeted Texas Law Enforcement
TEXAS — A woman who was taken into custody at the New York-Canada border, accused of mailing ricin to the White House, may have sent the deadly toxin to Texas law enforcement, reports indicate.
An envelope containing the poison was last week intercepted en route to the White House. The suspect, who was not immediately identified, was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protections officers at the Peace Bridge border crossing, which is located near Buffalo.
The letter appeared to have originated in Canada and was addressed to President Donald Trump. It was intercepted at a facility that screens mail addressed to the president and the White House and tested positive for the substance.
It has now come to light that envelopes containing ricin were mailed to law enforcement agencies in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.
Read more: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/news/2020/09/22/woman-accused-of-mailing-ricin-to-white-house-may-have-targeted-texas-law-enforcement
USS Antietam conducts Tomahawk strike exercise near Guam
Sept. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. military forces in the Valiant Shield 2020 exercise in the Pacific Ocean included a simulated Tomahawk cruise missile attack by the USS Antietam, the U.S. Navy said on Monday.
The guided-missile cruiser, part of the strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, successfully targeted land on the uninhabited Farallon de Medinilla range off the coast of Guam on Sunday.
The exercise demonstrated the ship's ability to "track, target, and engage threats to protect peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, the Navy said in a statement.
"The TLAM [Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile] exercise, as part of the overall Valiant Shield 20 scenario, provides the entire Ronald Reagan Strike Group the opportunity to exercise critical war fighting skills," said Capt. Russell Caldwell, commander of the USS Antietam.
Read more: https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/09/21/USS-Antietam-conducts-Tomahawk-strike-exercise-near-Guam/4941600716373/
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
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