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September 30, 2021
BOSTON (CBS) – Smith & Wesson, one of the oldest gun manufacturers in the country, announced Thursday it is moving operations from Springfield to Tennessee due to proposed gun laws in Massachusetts.
The company plans to move to Maryville, Tenn. In 2023 after being based in Springfield since it was founded in 1852.
“This has been an extremely difficult and emotional decision for us, but after an exhaustive and thorough analysis, for the continued health and strength of our iconic company, we feel that we have been left with no other alternative,” President and CEO Mark Smith said.
Smith said proposed legislation in Massachusetts would prevent the company from making certain kinds of guns.
(excerpt)
Given that S&W gets over 60% of their revenue from such guns, the move makes perfect sense.
Smith & Wesson Moving From Springfield To Tennessee, Citing Proposed Massachusetts Gun Laws
https://boston.cbslocal.com/2021/09/30/smith-and-wesson-massachusetts-tennessee/BOSTON (CBS) – Smith & Wesson, one of the oldest gun manufacturers in the country, announced Thursday it is moving operations from Springfield to Tennessee due to proposed gun laws in Massachusetts.
The company plans to move to Maryville, Tenn. In 2023 after being based in Springfield since it was founded in 1852.
“This has been an extremely difficult and emotional decision for us, but after an exhaustive and thorough analysis, for the continued health and strength of our iconic company, we feel that we have been left with no other alternative,” President and CEO Mark Smith said.
Smith said proposed legislation in Massachusetts would prevent the company from making certain kinds of guns.
(excerpt)
Given that S&W gets over 60% of their revenue from such guns, the move makes perfect sense.
September 13, 2021
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will give gun owners more time to register their legal assault weapons under a settlement announced Thursday over what critics charged was the state’s botched registration system in 2018.
The settlement with the state attorney general’s office means no owners will be held liable for missing the July 1, 2018, registration deadline. The state will eventually provide a new 90-day window to register the guns after a new hearing and notification process.
Gunowners rights’ groups sued the state Department of Justice alleging that its system for registering so-called bullet-button assault weapons was unavailable for most of the week before the deadline.
The bullet buttons allow users to rapidly exchange ammunition magazines on an assault-style weapon by using a small tool or the tip of a bullet.
California to set new window for assault weapon registration
https://apnews.com/article/gun-politics-california-d786a8d6463ff4589b85b05a4ec38361SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will give gun owners more time to register their legal assault weapons under a settlement announced Thursday over what critics charged was the state’s botched registration system in 2018.
The settlement with the state attorney general’s office means no owners will be held liable for missing the July 1, 2018, registration deadline. The state will eventually provide a new 90-day window to register the guns after a new hearing and notification process.
Gunowners rights’ groups sued the state Department of Justice alleging that its system for registering so-called bullet-button assault weapons was unavailable for most of the week before the deadline.
The bullet buttons allow users to rapidly exchange ammunition magazines on an assault-style weapon by using a small tool or the tip of a bullet.
September 12, 2021
A book burning held by an Ontario francophone school board as an act of reconciliation with Indigenous people has received sharp condemnation from Canadian political leaders and the board itself now says it regrets its symbolic gesture.
The “flame purification” ceremony, first reported by Radio Canada, was held in 2019 by the Conseil scolaire catholique Providence, which oversees elementary and secondary schools in southwestern Ontario. Some 30 books, the national broadcaster reported, were burned for “educational purposes” and then the ashes were used as fertilizer to plant a tree.
“We bury the ashes of racism, discrimination and stereotypes in the hope that we will grow up in an inclusive country where all can live in prosperity and security,” says a video prepared for students about the book burning, Radio Canada reported.
In total, more than 4,700 books were removed from library shelves at 30 schools across the school board, and they have since been destroyed or are in the process of being recycled, Radio Canada reported.
(excerpt)
Book burning at Ontario francophone schools as 'gesture of reconciliation' denounced
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/book-burning-at-ontario-francophone-schools-as-gesture-of-reconciliation-denouncedA book burning held by an Ontario francophone school board as an act of reconciliation with Indigenous people has received sharp condemnation from Canadian political leaders and the board itself now says it regrets its symbolic gesture.
The “flame purification” ceremony, first reported by Radio Canada, was held in 2019 by the Conseil scolaire catholique Providence, which oversees elementary and secondary schools in southwestern Ontario. Some 30 books, the national broadcaster reported, were burned for “educational purposes” and then the ashes were used as fertilizer to plant a tree.
“We bury the ashes of racism, discrimination and stereotypes in the hope that we will grow up in an inclusive country where all can live in prosperity and security,” says a video prepared for students about the book burning, Radio Canada reported.
In total, more than 4,700 books were removed from library shelves at 30 schools across the school board, and they have since been destroyed or are in the process of being recycled, Radio Canada reported.
(excerpt)
September 11, 2021
As the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks were unfolding, then-Air Force Lt. Heather Penney was given a mission to intercept hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 before it reached Washington, D.C. The rookie F-16 pilot said she believed she would not come back from that mission.
"[I remember] how crystal blue the skies were that day," she told ABC News Live anchor Linsey Davis. "There are so many moments that I remember with such clarity that I can touch, taste, feel hear, smell every detail from that day. But what strikes me the most, because of how omnipresent it was throughout the entire day was the deep, clear blue skies."
At first, Penney said it wasn't immediately clear that an airplane had been deliberately flown into the World Trade Center. When the second plane hit, "that's when we knew that our nation was under attack."
She went to arm her aircraft, but there wasn't enough time. She and another pilot, Marc Sasseville, had to get in the air.
"We did not have missiles. We were on a suicide mission. And in order to be able to take any airliner down, Sass would ram his aircraft into the cockpit where the terrorists were, to destroy the flight controls," she explained. "I would take the tail by ramming my jet into the tail of the aircraft, I would aerodynamically unbalance the airplane and tip it over so it would crash straight into the ground by targeting both ends of the aircraft. It was our plan to prevent any additional casualties."
(excerpt)
Fighter pilot reflects on would-be 9/11 suicide mission
https://abcnews.go.com/US/fighter-pilot-reflects-911-suicide-mission/story?id=79898230As the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks were unfolding, then-Air Force Lt. Heather Penney was given a mission to intercept hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 before it reached Washington, D.C. The rookie F-16 pilot said she believed she would not come back from that mission.
"[I remember] how crystal blue the skies were that day," she told ABC News Live anchor Linsey Davis. "There are so many moments that I remember with such clarity that I can touch, taste, feel hear, smell every detail from that day. But what strikes me the most, because of how omnipresent it was throughout the entire day was the deep, clear blue skies."
At first, Penney said it wasn't immediately clear that an airplane had been deliberately flown into the World Trade Center. When the second plane hit, "that's when we knew that our nation was under attack."
She went to arm her aircraft, but there wasn't enough time. She and another pilot, Marc Sasseville, had to get in the air.
"We did not have missiles. We were on a suicide mission. And in order to be able to take any airliner down, Sass would ram his aircraft into the cockpit where the terrorists were, to destroy the flight controls," she explained. "I would take the tail by ramming my jet into the tail of the aircraft, I would aerodynamically unbalance the airplane and tip it over so it would crash straight into the ground by targeting both ends of the aircraft. It was our plan to prevent any additional casualties."
(excerpt)
September 10, 2021
HOUSTON — A man was hospitalized late Wednesday after being shot in the face while attempting to rob another man, according to Houston police.
At a news briefing published by KABB, Houston police Lt. R. Wilkens said the incident happened just before 11 p.m. at the Shell gas station near the intersection of Airport and Monroe boulevards.
Citing the victim, surveillance video and witness testimony, Wilkens said a man armed with a gun approached another man after getting out of a car at the Shell gas station.
“He walks up to (the would-be victim) briskly, pulls up his shirt, has a gun and tells him to give him all his belongings,” Wilkens said. “Our … robbery complainant was defending himself. He had a pistol as well. He shot one time (and) hit (the robbery suspect) in the face.”
(Excerpt)
Would-be victim shoots armed robber in the face, police say (Texas)
https://www.wsoctv.com/news/trending/would-be-victim-shoots-armed-robber-face-police-say/5DG2KBTZFBAEZHWII3VANA5VFA/'HOUSTON — A man was hospitalized late Wednesday after being shot in the face while attempting to rob another man, according to Houston police.
At a news briefing published by KABB, Houston police Lt. R. Wilkens said the incident happened just before 11 p.m. at the Shell gas station near the intersection of Airport and Monroe boulevards.
Citing the victim, surveillance video and witness testimony, Wilkens said a man armed with a gun approached another man after getting out of a car at the Shell gas station.
“He walks up to (the would-be victim) briskly, pulls up his shirt, has a gun and tells him to give him all his belongings,” Wilkens said. “Our … robbery complainant was defending himself. He had a pistol as well. He shot one time (and) hit (the robbery suspect) in the face.”
(Excerpt)
September 5, 2021
“If you’re looking for the fury and vibration of a rocket, you’ve come to the wrong place,” says Jane Poynter, cofounder of Space Perspective. “Our Spaceship Neptune offers a gentle ride into space that lets clients absorb the astronaut experience.”
The football-field-sized space balloon carrying the bulbous cabin into the sky at 12 mph (picture the pace of a leisurely bike ride) is in market contrast to the thunderous Flash Gordon blastoffs of Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin. Spaceship Neptune’s swanky, pressurized lounge is a panopticon of windows and includes a bar and bathroom. There’s even Wi-Fi. Instead of g forces gluing fliers to their seats, eight passengers and one pilot will sit in recliners, chatting and sipping cocktails as they gradually zoom out on Kennedy Space Center—Spaceship Neptune’s home port—until it becomes the Florida peninsula, then the East Coast and, eventually, a grand view of Earth itself.
“Some people would love to go pre-dawn,” says Poynter, “so you can really experience the extraordinary sky and see the iconic blue line that separates the Earth below and space. There’s almost a crazy rainbow effect.”
Tested and used by NASA, high-altitude balloons have been around since the 1930s, when they were first employed for research and adventuring. Poynter and her husband, Taber MacCallum, cofounder of Space Perspective, developed and launched the space balloon that carried Alan Eustace to his record-breaking parachute jump of 135,980 feet in 2014.
(excerpt)
I would point out that the term "space" is being used very loosely here, as it only goes up to around 20 miles in altitude.
Tickets? $125,000 per seat.
This Luxury Space Balloon Lets You Glide 100,000 Feet Above the Earth With a Cocktail in Hand
https://robbreport.com/motors/aviation/space-ballon-taking-passengers-into-sky-with-luxe-amenities-1234632177/“If you’re looking for the fury and vibration of a rocket, you’ve come to the wrong place,” says Jane Poynter, cofounder of Space Perspective. “Our Spaceship Neptune offers a gentle ride into space that lets clients absorb the astronaut experience.”
The football-field-sized space balloon carrying the bulbous cabin into the sky at 12 mph (picture the pace of a leisurely bike ride) is in market contrast to the thunderous Flash Gordon blastoffs of Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin. Spaceship Neptune’s swanky, pressurized lounge is a panopticon of windows and includes a bar and bathroom. There’s even Wi-Fi. Instead of g forces gluing fliers to their seats, eight passengers and one pilot will sit in recliners, chatting and sipping cocktails as they gradually zoom out on Kennedy Space Center—Spaceship Neptune’s home port—until it becomes the Florida peninsula, then the East Coast and, eventually, a grand view of Earth itself.
“Some people would love to go pre-dawn,” says Poynter, “so you can really experience the extraordinary sky and see the iconic blue line that separates the Earth below and space. There’s almost a crazy rainbow effect.”
Tested and used by NASA, high-altitude balloons have been around since the 1930s, when they were first employed for research and adventuring. Poynter and her husband, Taber MacCallum, cofounder of Space Perspective, developed and launched the space balloon that carried Alan Eustace to his record-breaking parachute jump of 135,980 feet in 2014.
(excerpt)
I would point out that the term "space" is being used very loosely here, as it only goes up to around 20 miles in altitude.
Tickets? $125,000 per seat.
September 4, 2021
WELLINGTON, Sept 4 (Reuters) - New Zealand supermarket group Countdown said on Saturday it has removed knives and scissors from its shelves, a day after a man the authorities called an Islamist extremist stabbed six people in one of the company's stores.
"Last night, we made the decision to temporarily remove all knives and scissors from our shelves while we consider whether we should continue to sell them," said Kiri Hannifin, Countdown’s general manager for safety.
"We want all of our team to feel safe when they come to work, especially considering the events of yesterday," she said in a media statement.
Other supermarket chains had also removed sharp knives from sale, local media reported.
New Zealand supermarkets take knives off shelves after 'extremist' stabbing
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/new-zealand-supermarkets-take-knives-off-shelves-after-extremist-stabbing-2021-09-04/WELLINGTON, Sept 4 (Reuters) - New Zealand supermarket group Countdown said on Saturday it has removed knives and scissors from its shelves, a day after a man the authorities called an Islamist extremist stabbed six people in one of the company's stores.
"Last night, we made the decision to temporarily remove all knives and scissors from our shelves while we consider whether we should continue to sell them," said Kiri Hannifin, Countdown’s general manager for safety.
"We want all of our team to feel safe when they come to work, especially considering the events of yesterday," she said in a media statement.
Other supermarket chains had also removed sharp knives from sale, local media reported.
September 4, 2021
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Demetrius Jackson, the man killed in the Lodi Street shooting on Tuesday, was in possession of a loaded 9mm handgun while outside of 1808 Lodi Street, District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said.
Jackson threatened multiple people at the location and fired the loaded handgun in the direction of those people, officials said.
Another man, who was on scene and in possession of a 9mm handgun returned fire striking and killing Jackson, Fitzpatrick said.
According to Fitzpatrick, this man has a valid pistol permit for the 9mm handgun.
(Excerpt)
As noted later in the story, the man who shot Jackson has received threats and suffered property damage in what appears to be retaliation.
Man 'saved the lives of several individuals' after fatally shooting man who fired at crowd
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.localsyr.com/news/local-news/onondaga-county-district-attorney-man-saved-the-lives-of-several-individuals-after-fatally-shooting-a-man-who-fired-at-crowd/amp/SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Demetrius Jackson, the man killed in the Lodi Street shooting on Tuesday, was in possession of a loaded 9mm handgun while outside of 1808 Lodi Street, District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said.
Jackson threatened multiple people at the location and fired the loaded handgun in the direction of those people, officials said.
Another man, who was on scene and in possession of a 9mm handgun returned fire striking and killing Jackson, Fitzpatrick said.
According to Fitzpatrick, this man has a valid pistol permit for the 9mm handgun.
(Excerpt)
As noted later in the story, the man who shot Jackson has received threats and suffered property damage in what appears to be retaliation.
September 3, 2021
Quick, accurate shooting by a coworker likely saved the life of an Alaska Department of Fish and Game technician who was being tossed around by a coastal brown bear that had firmly chomped into his lower thigh.
Jess Coltharp was surveying a stream on West Chichagof Island, north of Sitka, on Aug. 19, counting spawning salmon, a job he has performed for 14 years.
According to a KCAW Radio, Coltharp, along with his deckhand Anthony Walloch and volunteer Ethan Christianson, had wrapped up the surveying work at around 5 p.m. The crew was traversing a side trail about 20 yards from the water and heading back to their boat when the bear attacked.
The Sitka Sentinel reports that 31-year-old Coltharp was leading the way, about 15 feet ahead of Walloch, when he heard the salmonberry bushes rustling before the bear rushed him.
(excerpt)
Glad he survived. Scary encounter, to say the least.
Quick-Shooting Partner Saves Alaska Man During Brown Bear Attack
https://www.fieldandstream.com/survival/accurate-shooting-saves-man-from-brown-bear-attack/Quick, accurate shooting by a coworker likely saved the life of an Alaska Department of Fish and Game technician who was being tossed around by a coastal brown bear that had firmly chomped into his lower thigh.
Jess Coltharp was surveying a stream on West Chichagof Island, north of Sitka, on Aug. 19, counting spawning salmon, a job he has performed for 14 years.
According to a KCAW Radio, Coltharp, along with his deckhand Anthony Walloch and volunteer Ethan Christianson, had wrapped up the surveying work at around 5 p.m. The crew was traversing a side trail about 20 yards from the water and heading back to their boat when the bear attacked.
The Sitka Sentinel reports that 31-year-old Coltharp was leading the way, about 15 feet ahead of Walloch, when he heard the salmonberry bushes rustling before the bear rushed him.
(excerpt)
Glad he survived. Scary encounter, to say the least.
September 2, 2021
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – A long-running crime prevention strategy that’s used in a couple of East Bay cities may be heading to San Francisco.
It involves cash incentives for not committing crimes.
San Francisco’s Dream Keeper Fellowship has been described as giving someone money to not shoot people.
The Dream Keeper initiative is a part of Mayor London Breed’s $60 million dollars investment in San Francisco’s Black and African American community that will also provide resources for, among other things, youth development, education, workforce training, and guaranteed income
(excerpt)
San Francisco may offer cash incentives for not committing crimes
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/san-francisco-may-offer-cash-incentives-for-not-committing-crimes/SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – A long-running crime prevention strategy that’s used in a couple of East Bay cities may be heading to San Francisco.
It involves cash incentives for not committing crimes.
San Francisco’s Dream Keeper Fellowship has been described as giving someone money to not shoot people.
The Dream Keeper initiative is a part of Mayor London Breed’s $60 million dollars investment in San Francisco’s Black and African American community that will also provide resources for, among other things, youth development, education, workforce training, and guaranteed income
(excerpt)
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