July 2, 2021

Greg Abbott Promises $250 Million Toward Border Wall, But Could Tap Billions More In COVID Relief

Greg Abbott Promises $250 Million Toward Border Wall, But Could Tap Billions More In COVID Relief Funds


Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he will use $250 million from the state prison budget to construct border wall in South Texas. The governor has also hinted at using some of the billions in federal COVID-19 relief money to continue the project started by former President Donald Trump.

Todd Gillman, Washington bureau chief for The Dallas Morning News, told Texas Standard that Abbott has not denied the possibility that the $15.8 billion in federal money could be used for the wall – an amount he said could “go a long way” toward its construction.

Texas Democrats have responded to that possibility with a plea to the U.S. Treasury Department, asking it to stipulate that COVID relief money cannot go toward the wall. Right now, the only restrictions are that states cannot use it for pensions or to cover budget gaps after a tax cut.

“‘We’re telling you it wasn’t the intent of Congress to build a wall, which, as you’ll recall, Congress kept refusing to allocate money for when Trump was president and demanding that money,'” Gillman said of the Democrats’ argument.

Read more: https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/greg-abbott-promises-250-million-toward-border-wall-but-could-tap-billions-more-in-covid-relief-funds/

July 2, 2021

Bitcoin Mining Could Create Jobs In Texas. It Could Also Overwhelm The Grid.

China is largely getting out of the Bitcoin mining business. That’s because the process is extremely energy hungry and China was supplying it mostly with fossil fuels – hurting its climate change goals.

Some Texas leaders have suggested the Lone Star State might be a good alternative location but Jake Dean reports for Slate that the required energy consumption ought to be a deterrent.

“So if we turn to the Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index, which is an attempt to actually estimate the amount of energy being used, just from a couple of days ago, the current estimates are about 133 TWh (terawatt hours) per year,” Dean said. “Which to put that in perspective, that’s about the energy usage of the entire country of Argentina being dedicated to Bitcoin mining and Bitcoin transactions.”

Bitcoin mining basically involves using computers to solve very complex problems to ensure the security of the cryptocurrency.

Read more; https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/bitcoin-mining-could-create-jobs-in-texas-it-could-also-overwhelm-the-grid/

🚩 Rick Perry and Ted Cruz are promoting Bitcoin mining.

July 1, 2021

Josh Duggar trial on child porn charges moved to November

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Former reality TV star Josh Duggar's trial on child pornography charges has been moved to November.

U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks on Tuesday granted Duggar's request to delay his trial, which had originally been scheduled to begin July 6. Brooks moved the trial to November 30, with a pretrial conference set for November 18.

Duggar was indicted in April on the charges that he downloaded and possessed child pornography, some of which prosecutors said depicted the sexual abuse of toddlers.

Duggar has been confined to the home of family friends who agreed to be his custodian during his release, and he is prohibited from using any Internet-accessible devices as he awaits trial.

Read more: https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/arkansas/story/2021/jul/01/josh-duggar-trial-child-porn-charges-moved-november/877240/

July 1, 2021

42 found smuggled in trailer, McMullen case heads to U.S. Attorney

A single traffic stop by a McMullen County Sheriff’s Office deputy led to the discovery of 42 undocumented immigrants being smuggled inside of an 18 wheeler box truck.

McMullen County Sheriff Emmett Shelton said the driver was stopped on state Highway 16 at Cinco Millas Road, traveling northbound from Freer to San Antonio around 3 a.m. June 6.

After a brief discussion, the truck driver’s story “quickly fell apart” and he was asked to open the back door of the trailer.

“The driver voluntarily opened the doors for the deputy,” said Shelton. “As soon as he opened them, the deputy could see a group of people standing at the edge. He escorted the driver to go to the weigh station and the rest of our deputies and border patrol were called in to help get these people safely out.”

Read more: https://www.mysoutex.com/the_progress/news/42-found-smuggled-in-trailer-mcmullen-case-heads-to-u-s-attorney/article_78f34c04-d297-11eb-9c5b-ebf37c3fb1ab.html


McMullen County Sheriff's Office discovered 42 undocumented immigrants in a tractor trailer during a traffic stop on SH16 headed to San Antonio.Border patrol agents from Freer met at the weigh station to transfer the group. (Photo contributed by McMullen County Sheriff's Office)

July 1, 2021

New Orleans approves $15 minimum wage for city contractors, but city employees say they deserve the

Council approves $15 minimum wage for city contractors, but city employees say they deserve the same


The New Orleans City Council unanimously voted on Thursday to amend the city’s Living Wage Ordinance and raise the minimum wage for city contractors from the current level of $11.19 an hour to $15 an hour by 2023.

The ordinance received universal support among the council and public commenters. But the discussion at Thursday’s meeting was dominated by concerns about what the ordinance does not cover — the wages of direct city employees.

The City Council doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally raise the minimum wage for city workers. That’s up to the Civil Service Commission, an independent board that approves city personnel policies and sets its pay plan. The base rate for city employees is currently $11.21 an hour.

Dozens of firefighters attended Thursday’s meeting, holding signs reading, “I’m a firefighter. My family deserves a living wage too,” next to their hourly wages, some of which were as low as $11.60 an hour. A group of field maintenance workers for the city’s Department of Public Workers also lodged complaints about their exclusion from the living wage amendment this week and staged a one-day strike, demanding better working conditions and a minimum wage of $15 an hour.

Read more: https://thelensnola.org/2021/07/01/council-approves-15-minimum-wage-for-city-contractors-but-city-employees-say-they-deserve-the-same/

July 1, 2021

These 3 New Orleans parks, 1 street to get renamed after council vote; Fats Domino among new names

A year after announcing its plan to rename parks and streets honoring the Confederacy and segregation, the New Orleans City Council voted to change the name of three parks and one street Thursday in a process that is expected to stretch through the next several months.

Council members voted unanimously to make the first of what are expected to be dozens of name changes. The vote comes a little more than a year after the murder of George Floyd sparked protests and discussion around policing, systemic racism and how statues, streets and other symbols should be changed to reflect current values.

Washington Artillery Park on Decatur Street, which overlooks Jackson Square and was named for a Confederate military unit, will now be named after Louisiana Lt. Gov. Oscar Dunn, the first Black elected lieutenant governor in the U.S. during Reconstruction.

In Algiers, Behrman Park, named after a segregationist mayor of New Orleans, will be changed to Morris F.X. Jeff Sr. Park to honor the Black New Orleans social worker who pioneered recreational programs for Black youth.

Read more: https://www.nola.com/news/communities/article_8cc6a43c-da7c-11eb-98e7-831b9039ba7e.html

July 1, 2021

Louisiana police leaders blocked charges against trooper involved in Ronald Greene's death

Notes from the Louisiana State Police's investigation into Ronald Greene's death during a violent arrest show top brass blocked the arrest of an officer who was involved.

In records obtained by the USA Today Network, LSP Investigator Albert Paxton wrote that he was blocked from charging an officer who beat Greene during the May 2019 arrest by the department's leadership, including former Superintendent Col. Kevin Reeves.

Greene, a Black man, died during the arrest made by state police near Monroe on May 10, 2019.

State police initially covered up Greene's cause of death, saying it was caused by a single-car wreck following a high-speed pursuit.

But evidence soon emerged Greene died as a result of injuries suffered during his arrest.

Read more: https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/local/louisiana/2021/07/01/louisiana-police-ronald-green-death-investigation/7809426002/
(Lafayette Advertiser)

July 1, 2021

Louisiana Senate president supports session to override veto on transgender sports ban

Republican Senate President Page Cortez said he favors a Legislative Session to override Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards' veto of a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing on girls sports teams.

Cortez' support for a veto override session makes it almost inevitable since Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder of Gonzales has already called for lawmakers to return to the Capitol in Baton Rouge.

It would be the first veto override session since the new Louisiana Constitution was ratified in 1974.

Edwards announced his veto of Senate Bill 156 by Republican Franklinton Sen. Beth Mizell last week, saying it fosters discrimination against some of the state's "most vulnerable" children, though the veto hasn't officially reached the Senate.

Read more: https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2021/06/30/louisiana-senate-president-supports-session-override-veto-transgender-sports-ban/7814221002/
(Monroe News Star)

July 1, 2021

Pay raises for Southern and UL system's faculty and staff coming this year

Faculty and staff in the Southern University System will soon receive a 4 percent raise, Janene Tate, a spokesperson for the system said Monday.

Raises will go into effect starting Thursday for Southern University at Baton Rouge, but Tate said she isn’t sure when raises will go into effect at the other Southern University campuses.

Raises for faculty and staff in the University of Louisiana System haven’t yet been finalized, but are expected to be in the range of 2.5 to 3 percent, Cami Geisman, vice president of external affairs for the UL System, said Monday.

“We‘d like (raises) to be annual,” she said.

Staff raises for college and university employees were added to the budget that the Louisiana Legislature passed during this year’s regular session.

Read more: https://lailluminator.com/briefs/pay-raises-for-southern-and-ul-systems-faculty-and-staff-coming-this-year/

July 1, 2021

Southern University in Baton Rouge is 'falling into the river' and needs $32 million to stop erosion

Maurice Pitts, the director of facilities at Southern University in Baton Rouge wanted to make it clear Monday that what he was saying about the campus’ worsening erosion problem is “no exaggeration.” The campus, situated on the Mississippi River is “falling into the river,” Pitts said. “It has become a safety hazard.”

Much of the land behind the Student Health Center has caved in and has had to be barricaded off for safety reasons, Pitts said Monday, as he gave a reporter a tour of campus. He said the erosion is a threat to human safety and that “historic oaks, architecture, and vital utility systems” are all threatened “unless action is taken to stop eroding conditions on the campus.”

During this year’s regular legislative session, Sen. Cleo Fields (D-Baton Rouge), who went to Southern as an undergraduate student and for law school, tried to get money allocated to address Southern University’s erosion issue, but, Fields said Tuesday, “I guess I just didn’t do a good enough job convincing my colleagues to just address it.”

The budget the Louisiana Legislature passed does allocate $1 million to Southern’s “Ravine, Bluff and Riverbank Stabilization Project,” but not only is it a mere fraction of the amount needed to address the problem, but the project is also listed as Priority 5, which means it won’t immediately be put to use.

Read more: https://lailluminator.com/2021/06/30/southern-university-in-baton-rouge-is-falling-into-the-river-and-needs-32-million-to-stop-erosion/