Test MV/Drive-through siteMV HospitalOther/Boards of HealthAquinnahTotalsTotal tests performed50942416497559Total negatives48642326497239Total pending218550273Total confirmed positives12351048Percentage positive of total tests performed.24%1.45%.64%Antibody tests1717Off-Island testsSymptomatic positives33Total Cases (positive tests + antibody tests + symptomatic positives)68 Updated July 21

The Marthas Vineyard Hospital reported no new cases Tuesday morning holding the Islands total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at 48.

As of Tuesday, the hospital has tested 2,416 patients. Of those, 2,326 have tested negative and 55 are pending results.

On Monday, two new cases at the hospital marked five confirmed cases in the past week for the hospital. The new cases are a departure from last month, a span of four weeks where the hospital had no new confirmed cases.

On Friday, the Marthas Vineyard boards of health confirmed that 38 of the 48 cases are no longer symptomatic and have been released from isolation. Four cases are still being followed by public health officials, and one case was unable to be contacted.

On Tuesday, Island Health Care set up as TestMV at the Marthas Vineyard Regional High School with the help of Quest Diagnostics and testing asymptomatic individuals confirmed it had tested 5,094 individuals, 12 of whom have tested positive, 4,864 negative, and 218 pending results.

The town of Aquinnah has tested 49 people. Of those, all 49 tests have come back negative and there are no pending results.

The Marthas Vineyard Boards of Health have separately confirmed another positive case, bringing the Islands total confirmed cases to 48.

The boards of health have linked 23 of the confirmed cases to several cases among eight different household groups.

The Marthas Vineyard Hospital, town of Aquinnah, boards of health, and TestMV, the testing site at the Marthas Vineyard Regional High School, each report their own testing numbers. Those numbers are then all compiled by the boards of health. The actual number of cases can be difficult to count due to lag time and overlaps in testing each day.

IHCs website, which compiles numbers reported by each organization, says each positive test does not necessarily represent a newly infected individual.

For example, a positive test reported on July 1, 2020 by Marthas Vineyard Hospital was a second test for an individual who had previously tested positive. The Total Cases number reflects the most current accounting of unique individuals with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 on Marthas Vineyard, the site reads.

Of 48 of the confirmed cases, 28 are female, and 20 are male. Of those, 13 of the cases are aged 50-59 years old, 11 are 20-29 years old, eight cases are 60-69 years old, six are 30-39 years old, five are 20 years old or younger, three are 40-49, and two are 70 years or older.

The boards of health are also reporting on probable cases. As of Monday, the Islands total number of presumed positives rose to 20 with one new probable case. Of those 17 were positive antibody tests, and three were symptomatically positive.

Of the probable cases, 12 are female and eight are male. Of the 19 presumed positive cases, seven are aged 60-69, four are aged 50-59, three are aged 40-49, three are aged 20-29, two are under 20 years old, and one is over the age of 70.

This all comes as Massachusetts is seeing a decline in confirmed cases, deaths, and hospitalizations, but also as the confirmed cases are increasing across the country.

At the state level Tuesday, there were 165 new confirmed cases, bringing the state total to 107,221. There were 17 new deaths which brought the total number of deaths to 8,231. There have been 1,052,369 tests conducted across Massachusetts.

See more here:

Island cases at 48 - Martha's Vineyard Times

The department, "has experienced a shortage of officers over the last year due to retirements and other factors that prevented candidates from attending academy."

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. Due to a shortage of staff, a police officer will not be stationed at Rock Island-Milan schools during the 2020-2021 school year.

The Rock Island Police Department is unable to staff two positions for the School Resource Office (SRO) program for the upcoming school year, Rock Island Chief of Police Jeff VenHuizen told the school board Tuesday, July 14.

The department, "has experienced a shortage of officers over the last year due to retirements and other factors that prevented candidates from attending the Police Academy," VenHuizen said in a statement.

VenHuizen said in his 28 years of policing, there has always been an officer stationed in Rock Island schools.

The school district declined to comment until a formal decision has been made.

See original here:

No resource officers for Rock Island-Milan district in 2020-2021 school year - WQAD.com

Of the $4 million JBS USA committed to Nebraska last month, $3.5 million will go to Grand Island.

The donation is meant to help Grand Island respond to needs resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and invest in the communitys future, according to a JBS news release.

The money is part of the companys nationwide Hometown Strong initiative, which totals $50 million.

JBS USA is working with local leaders to identify where the funds can best help meet immediate and longer-term community needs in three key areas: food insecurity, community infrastructure and well-being, and COVID-19 emergency response and relief efforts, based on the release.

All projects will be determined by the end of the year. Community members may send suggestions for investment to hometownstrong@jbssa.com.

The Hometown Strong initiative adds to commitments JBS USA has made this year to protect employees and ensure their job security amid the global pandemic, the release says. Hometown Strong is one of the largest community investment programs of its kind in the country.

The JBS USA Grand Island plant employs more than 3,600 people with an annual payroll of more than $160 million.

The JBS Grand Island beef production facility is one of the premier plants in the country, and we recognize both the opportunity and responsibility of being a large business and employer in our community, Zack Ireland, JBS Grand Island general manager, said in a statement. Our focus during the past few months has been to protect our team members, and we are grateful to now invest in the place we call home in a meaningful way that benefits our workforce and community now and in the future.

In another prepared statement, Grand Island Mayor Roger Steele said, During the coronavirus pandemic, JBS USA has been a community partner and generously donated beef to local food banks and also provided leadership and innovation on worker safety and plant management. The Hometown Strong initiative continues JBS USAs commitment to our community and our future, and we look forward to a wonderful community partnership.

The Grand Island facility supports more than 675 local producers, paying them more than $2.2 billion per year for their livestock.

Consistent with its long-term commitment to the local economy, JBS USA Grand Island has invested nearly $70 million in capital improvements over the last five years and is currently in the midst of a $95 million state-of-the-art expansion project at the facility, according to the release.

Link:

$3.5 million of JBS commitment will go to Grand Island - Grand Island Independent

ENFIELD, Conn. Firefighters from Enfield, Suffield and DEEP Division of Forestry worked to put out a fire that started about noon on Kings Island in the middle of the Connecticut River.

The fire burned about a half-acre, and is under control. The fire appears to have been an abandoned campfire, with an uninhabited tent located nearby.

Officials said the fire was on public land, The small island is uninhabited. It was formerly owned by Eversource.

Officials said the fire is difficult to fight since the water is shallow; efforts were being organized from boat ramp on the Enfield side of the Connecticut River.

There was also a fire on Kings Island last weekend; no word if this is related.

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Crews work to put out fire on island in Connecticut River between Enfield and Suffield - FOX 61

This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.

How could you and I have let America's railroads die?

We Rock Islanders have more reason to ask that than most. The Rock Island road was not only a mighty fine road, it was named after us and we owed it all those things godparents owe. The Chicago and Rock Island Railroad became the first train to reach the Mississippi River in 1854; two years later it crossed the Mississippi, and headed west as the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, and later, as the Rock Island Lines.

By the 1920s, some 74 trains a day were arriving and departing from stations within sight of Rock Island, moving out along the river or climbing through valleys between the bluffs, an octopus, the writer Frank Norris called it, deciding which towns flourished and which died.

That is why none of us could believe the news in 1975 when the Rock Island Lines declared bankruptcy. What measly matter of a few dollars could take down these mighty machines on their iron rails? The Rock had just traded in its old red engines for a modern logo and a new blue, white, and black color scheme.

We knew, of course, that the Rock had only one passenger train left, a slower and slower round trip from Rock Island to Chicago as the rail bed gave way, but that trip was still a popular stress reliever: breakfast on the train at 6:40, shopping or theater in Chicago, and dinner on the return trip that evening at 5:30, civilization even students could afford.

In 1979, the trips to Chicago stopped. Storms that year killed harvests and dried up shipping revenues. We still did not believe. This was our Rock.

Then, early in 1980 a federal judge ordered the line liquidated, the first liquidation of a Class 1 railroad in U.S. history. Seven thousand workers were out of jobs and the great Silvis Shops, once the largest and most modern railroad repair works in the country, lay silent.

I am reminded of that famous tombstone epigraph: "I told you I was sick."

Rock Island Lines with Roald Tweet is underwritten by Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois.

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Rock Island Lines - WVIK

LIHUE Hawaii officials Monday announced plans to reopen schools to students on Aug. 4. Teachers are set to return July 29.

The decision was announced during a joint news conference Monday afternoon in which Gov. David Ige cited the states decision to push back the pre-travel testing program to Sept. 1 as one of the reasons to move forward with HIDOEs reopening date. He stated, We do not want to reopen our schools and receive more travelers simultaneously. A phased approach will help ensure a safe return for our students and minimize other factors that could lead to the spread of COVID-19 that we have been able to carefully manage so far.

To minimize the spread of COVID-19, DOH has advised the Hawaii Department Of Education to use a symptom screening checklist for staff and students, which is included in HIDOEs Return to Learn Health and Safety Handbook.

The Department of Health has been working closely with the DOE on ensuring the safe reopening of schools, said Health Director Bruce Anderson. We will continue to work with the DOE in assisting them to ensure their staff are fully informed, response plans are in place, and safe practices and reporting protocols are ready prior to the opening of schools.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said, The planning process has followed CDC recommendations and DOH guidance on ohana bubbles, masking, and distancing variations by age. These measures will not completely eliminate possible cases, but they will reduce the risk to students and control the spread of illness in schools.

Officials said Monday as the situation evolves or as new health and safety guidance becomes available, the State will adjust plans to ensure that a safe learning and working environment is provided for students, teachers, and staff.

See the original post here:

School officials announce Aug. 4 reopening date - Thegardenisland.com

Grand Island, NY (WBEN) - It appears Amazon will no longer be bringing a massive distribution center to Grand Island.

Buffalo Business First reports that the the developer behind the so-called Project Olive has put the project on hold. The project was scheduled to be discussed during Monday's Town Board meeting.

Earlier this month, town Planning Board members voted against a request to rezone the proposed area of development to a planned development district.

In a public forum earlier this year, residents had brought up the main concern of overcrowding the Grand Island Bridges as a reason to not push ahead.

Town Supervisor John Whitney described the proposal as the largest development project proposed to Grand Island in the history of Grand Island, but also expressed concern of a potential traffic nightmare.

We are very concerned about the traffic on the bridges, we have to see what they propose to mitigate that, he said.

The plot of land is situated next to the I-190 at exit 20B. The project would have created 1,000 jobs whencompleted. The developmentcalled for 1,855 parking spaces for cars, 16 parking spaces for motorcycles and 219 parking spaces for tractor trailers. The facility itself would beone of the tallest structuresin Grand Island.

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Amazon puts Grand Island project on hold - Talk Radio 1210 WPHT

SUMMIT TWP., MI Bone Island Grille is closed for two weeks after an employee tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The employee was tested Sunday, July 19, and received the COVID-19 positive results the morning of Monday, July 20, co-owner Karen Drushal said. The employee is experiencing very mild symptoms, she said.

As soon as we got the positive results, we closed our restaurant, Drushal said. We didnt have to we voluntarily did that on our own because we knew being the first time that happened in our restaurant it was going be a shock to everyone. We wanted to get the whole place comfortable again for our customers.

Customers who visited Bone Island Grille, 4614 Francis St., between July 14-18, should talk to their doctor if theyre concerned, and watch for symptoms, Drushal said. The restaurant cant say specifically when the employee worked because its possible the illness spread between employees and shifts before any testing was done, she said.

The restaurant should hopefully reopen around Aug. 4, but its dependent on additional testing, Drushal said. All employees should be tested by Wednesday, July 22, she said.

Its just kind of wait and see right now to see if theres any more cases, Drushal said.

The bar area now features a plexiglass barrier at the Bone Island Grille, 4614 Francis Street in Jackson, on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. The restaurant just reopened for takeout service and is preparing to open with limited seating capacity on Monday, June 8.J. Scott Park | MLive.com

The restaurant is working closely with the Jackson County Health Department and following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Drushal said.

As the restaurant prepared to open June 8, the possibility of an employee testing positive was in the back of the minds of Drushal and co-owner Frank Slaby, she said, but they didnt realize how it would feel to actually live it.

Were devastated, Drushal said. We just got back to work. Our employees have worked so hard to get our standards where they should be for this pandemic thats going. We take every safety measure. Weve taken their temperature every day. Weve got logs. We have hourly sanitation. We have masks that were wearing, in the back, in the front, wherever were doing anything.

When Bone Island Grille reopens for a second time, it will be with even more cleanings and safety measures, Drushal said. They will continue to work with the health department to keep people as safe as possible, she said.

Youre out there in the public anytime theres a risk factor, Drushal said. Its just a risk factor that unfortunately happened at our place.

Read more from the Jackson Citizen Patriot:

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McDevitt Avenue intersection closing for two weeks for construction

Teens likely smashed 23 mailboxes in Napoleon Township, police say

I never thought it would happen. Korean War vet graduates high school at age 87

Local Eats: Bella Nottes roots have allowed it to stick in Jackson food scene

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Were devastated, Bone Island Grille co-owner says of employees positive COVID-19 test, temporary closure - MLive.com

Easter Island, a territory of Chile that lies some 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) west of that countrys coast, is world famous for its Moai statues, which are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Now the treasures off the shores of this remote island are safeguarded as well with the creation of the Rapa Nui Marine Protected Area (MPA) in 2018. The surrounding waters, which contain unique biodiversity, feed the local Rapa Nui people and help them continue centuries-old cultural traditions.

Though still largely unexplored, Easter Islands waters are known to contain geological hot spots teeming with life in an area of the Pacific Ocean that is otherwise extremely poor in nutrients. A chain of underwater seamounts provides conditions that help sustain unique wildlife such as the Easter Island butterflyfish, or tipi tipi in local dialect, and the Nazca bigeyetwo of the more than 140 species found only in Rapa Nui waters. The area also harbors 27 Threatened or Endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and is an important spawning ground for many species, including tuna, marlins, and swordfish. The seafloor off the island is also home to the only hydrothermal vents in Chilean waters.

Marine species, including the moray eel, depend on the healthy corals found in Easter Islands waters. Eduardo Sorensen The Pew Charitable Trusts

Increasingly, commercial fishing fleets are pushing into every nook of the worlds oceans. Left unchecked, this activity could quicklyand irreversiblydamage Easter Islands special marine environment. Satellite data gathered and analyzed under a project supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Bertarelli Foundation show that despite the islands isolation, industrial fishing had probably occurred around Easter Island.

To guard against such an occurrence, the Rapa Nui community worked to create a large MPA around the island that will be off-limits to industrial commercial fishing and other extractive activities, while traditional Rapa Nui fishing practices will be protected. The Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project collaborated with the islanders on this effort, which establishes the Rapa Nui people as global leaders in ocean conservation and in preservation of an indigenous culture strongly tied to the ocean.

After years of efforts by the Rapa Nui to protect their unique marine ecosystems, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed the decree creating the Rapa Nui MPA on Feb. 27, 2018.

By securing designation of the MPA and playing an essential role in its management, Easter Islanders are protecting waters that figure centrally in long-standing cultural traditions, such as their custom of using handheld lines and rocks to catch fish.

Shortly after taking office that same year, President Sebastin Piera established the Ocean Council to guide management of the protected area. The 11 members include six Rapa Nui elected by the community, the governor of Easter Island, and one representative each from the Development Council known as CODEIPA, the Ministry of Environment, Undersecretary of Fisheries, and Ministry of Defense. The council is working to develop a management plan for the MPA, plan the construction of a science and education center, and ensure the islands artisanal fisheries are managed sustainably.

Easter Islands waters are known to contain geological hot spots and oases teeming with life. Eduardo Sorensen The Pew Charitable Trusts

Ancient Polynesians sailed the Pacific for thousands of years, using the stars and currents as their guides. Those seafaring skills and deep connection to the ocean helped to shape the modern-day Rapa Nui. Protecting Easter Islands waters allows the locals to sustain and strengthen their ties to their natural environment and to their ancestors.

Easter Island is celebrated for its hundreds of striking stone Moai statues. The Pew Charitable Trusts

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Easter Island's Rapa Nui People Uphold Tradition as Guardians of The Ocean - The Pew Charitable Trusts

(CNN) As stay-at-home orders due to the ongoing pandemic have forced many of us to learn to love solitude and become reacquainted with our homes, one couples life has remained virtually unchanged.

Ten miles north of Tofino, British Columbia, off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Catherine King and Wayne Adams live on a sustainable, floating compound. Its called Freedom Cove, a labor of love, hand-built using recycled and salvaged materials. Its been their home for the past 29 years.

Freedom Cove is a 25-minute boat ride away from the closest town, and dont even think about hopping in a car. The only option to get here is by water, Adams says. There are no road accesses. The water is our highway.

The floating compound houses a dance floor, an art gallery, a candle factory, four greenhouses, six solar panels, and a small waterfall that provides constant running water.

The whole structure is the size of two city lots and weighs 1 million pounds, floating freely on the ocean.

While there are lines that tether the compound back to the shore, it is not anchored to the ocean floor.

When you arrive, youre immediately greeted by bright magenta buildings with dark turquoise trim. An archway of whale bones welcomes you in.

The compound has everything you could possibly think of and more: a dance floor, an art gallery, a candle factory, four greenhouses, six solar panels, and access to a small waterfall that provides constant running water.

The couple has even figured out their own waste management system.

Its the most common question were asked, Adams says.

They installed a floating tank to, in Adams words, deal with the affluence.

If they wanted to, King and Adams could completely self-sustain on Freedom Cove without ever needing to go into the city.

Visitors are greeted by two large whale ribs that form the entrance. Artists Catherine King and Wayne Adams have called Freedom Cove home since 1992.

As artists, King and Adams always drew inspiration from nature.

Adams is a carver, using found elements in nature like feathers and bones to create his works.

King is an artist, dancer and a natural healer, having studied homeopathy.

But why live off the grid?

I wanted to be a successful, wealthy artist, live in Tofino and have a studio in the wilderness, like all good rich artists should, Adams says.

I was hoping to make a lot more money as an artist. We could never buy real estate, so we had to make our own.

A call from nature pushed them to make their dreams a reality.

Thanks to a piece of Plexiglass in their living room, Adams is able to fish from the comfort of his couch.

After staying in a friends cabin in Cypress Bay, a large storm blew wood onto the property.

King and Adams gathered the wood and used it to build the bones of what would become their future home.

I guess we were being given a sign that this is the time to begin, Adams recalls.

As they continued to further grow their home, the couple followed with their precedent of only using recycled and salvaged materials.

Many parts were gathered from loggers and fishermen in town. Adams would trade them art for whatever they had in their backyard, whether that was old fish farms or floats.

A piece of Plexiglass scrounged up from the Victoria Hockey Rink forms a clear glass floor in their living room, which Adams can lift up to fish from the comfort of his couch.

Prior to Freedom Cove, the couple lived in an apartment in Tofino. They call their move into nature a deceleration process.

We had all kinds of things like food processors and items that would require a lot of electricity, King remembers.

We gave them away to people and unloaded a lot of things in preparation.

They had no choice. The first iteration of their floating home had no running water and no power.

Today, their day-to-day is quite a bit different to what it was in Tofino.

Living out here, you cant just get instant anything, King says. We cant just order a pizza we cant just go to the corner store You have to do the work to get what you want, if you want it.

Welcome to Freedom Cove, a sustainable island fortress floating off the coast of Vancouver Island.

Doing that work is an ongoing process of learning, changing and growing.

King starts her day by sweeping and shaking out the carpets.

In the wilderness, theres always a lot of dirt and dust, she says.

She then waters her thousands of plants and vegetable gardens all germinated from seeds and rows out in her canoe to gather seaweed for compost.

Adams begins by gathering firewood and starting a fire to make sure the house is heated.

They both work on building new components for their home.

It is a project, King says. It is a project in growing food to provide for the family. It is an art project It is a project to have a space to move, to dance, to play music, to do things spontaneously that you couldnt just do in the same way if you were in the city.

And while they may not have any human neighbors for miles, the couple still has plenty of company.

We have some resident crows here who are part of the family, Adams says. We know all the birds here.

We have named Harry the heron, Sylvie the seal, King adds. Gertrude and Heathcliff the seagulls.

I had lived in the big city, I knew what that was like, King says. I really needed the peace of the wilderness.

Twenty-nine years later, thats still the greatest draw of their home.

Going into a city is just shocking in the sound department, King says. I get kind of jangled up inside the noise starts to get to me, I find its easy for me to lose my center.

We have carved a piece of the world out for ourselves here, King says. We can live uniquely, differently than anyone else on the planet.

But, how about seasickness?

I dont get seasick, Adams says. When I go to town, I get land-sick.

To learn more about life on Freedom Cove and hear directly from King and Adams, check outthe latest episode of Great Big Story, a new podcast from CNN.

Visit link:

This Couple Has Lived For 29 Years On An Island They Built Themselves - ksltv.com

Scientists in New Zealand have developed a new alert system that could have provided warnings ahead of the White Island eruption, which killed more than a dozen people in 2019, BBC News reports.

New Zealands new system relies on a machine learning approach and algorithms to review real-time data about volcano eruptions.

The research which was published in Nature Communications said it could have saved 21 people from dying during the White Island eruption of volcano Whakaari in December 2019.

Shane Cronin from the University of Auckland, told BBC News that the current warning system has acted too slow to provide warnings for people (on) the island.

He said: The current (alert system) collects data in real-time but what tends to happen is that this information gets assessed by a panel and they have an expert process ... this all takes a while. The way we warn for volcanoes was good enough 10 years ago but its not actually moving with the times.

The new systems shows patterns of seismic activity before an eruption that make advance warning possible, Cronin and University of Auckland academics David Dempsey told The Guardian.

Had our system been in place (on Whakaari last year) it would have raised the alert 16 hours before the volcanos deadly eruption, they said.

Of course, the data isnt full-proof, and there would likely be some mistakes, researchers told The Guardian. But it would provide warnings as early as possible, which could potentially save lives.

The trade-off is that the alerts, if acted upon, would keep the island off-limits to visitors for about one month each year, they said.

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New Zealands new volcano alert system could have warned about White Island - Deseret News

Animal rights groups are mourning the loss of hundreds of whales, slaughtered on a remote north Atlantic island in a controversial annual festival thats been running for more than 1000 years.

Every summer, those living on the Danish-owned Faroe Islands slaughter hundreds of whales and dolphins as they prepare for the harsh winter months ahead.

The Grindadrp festival involves hunters rounding the animals up with their boats before forcing them into a shallow bay and slaughtering them with spears.

The mass killings are integral to the communitys food supply, however the festival is also a controversial one as the brutal hunt turns the surrounding ocean red.

This years festival involved the killing of 252 pilot whales and 35 dolphins, according to animal rights organisation Sea Shepherd.

The organisation, whose ships have been banned from entering the bay, described the hunt as barbaric.

In a statement, Sea Shepherd said: 252 long finned pilot whales and 35 Atlantic white sided dolphins were killed in Hvalba last night after the huge pod was found off Sandvik, reported The Standard.

This is the first organised Grindadrp hunt of 2020 with the meat from the hunt distributed first to the approximately 70 hunt participants from the boats and those killing on the beach and then the remainder to villages on Suuroy with all recipients then free to sell their share of the meat if they so wish.

The Faroe Islands, which is about halfway between Norway and Iceland, passed legislation in 2014 to ban the Sea Shepherd organisations boats from its waters after the animal rights group was able to block the hunters and disrupt the annual slaughter.

The organisations ban from the archipelago mean there arent any pictures from this years hunt, however photos from last year show how quickly the water turns red from the killings.

More than 100,000 pilot whales swim close to the Faroe Islands each year with the Faroese typically hunting around 800 whales annually.

ORCA, another animal rights organisation based in California, also mourned the deaths of the animals.

Originally posted here:

Hundreds of whales slaughtered in Faroe Islands ritual turning ocean blood red - NEWS.com.au

Tropical Storm Cristobal ate away the beach of Louisianas only inhabited barrier island to the huge sand-filled tube at the core of a protective levee, and the Army Corps of Engineers says permits and studies keep it or anyone else from repairing much of the beach until well after hurricane season.

State and local officials say the work needs to be done now because its hurricane season and expected to be an intense one, The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate reported. Two tropical storms formed before the seasons official June 1 start, and Tropical Storm Fay, which hit New Jersey last week, was the earliest sixth-named storm on record.

This is an emergency situation. Hell, youve got half the beach thats gone, and some parts there is no beach, Chip Kline, head of the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, said during a CPRA meeting Wednesday.

But without an imminent threat such as a hurricane bearing down on the island, the Corps schedule for previously planned work on the levee it built in 2014 is bound by earlier agreements and permitting timelines, said the Corps deputy district engineer, Mark Wingate.

We all understand its urgent, he said.

The storm in early June damaged nearly 2,000 feet (610 meters) of the levee along the islands west side, sweeping away about 85 feet (26 meters) of sand outside the levee to expose the tube, which locals call the burrito.

Another storm could burst the tube, destroying homes and businesses behind it, says Mayor David Camardelle. Im worried to death this island will be cut in half, he told the newspaper in June.

The second phase of a $15 million Corps project would add 400,000 cubic yards of sand across the beach, behind five recently completed stone breakwaters installed as phase 1. But the beach work is not scheduled to start until January, with completion expected in June 2022.

Were prepared to take some temporary action on our own, and do some temporary fixes in the event theres a storm in three weeks, Kline told Corps representatives Wednesday. At least wed have some rocks or some additional sand to protect that segment of levee.

CPRA wants to take over the project and get the sand in as soon as possible, with the Corps reimbursing it for costs, which could top $8 million.

The Corps unwillingness to agree to full reimbursement rankled Kline.

That is ridiculous to me, he said. CPRA and Jefferson Parish paid for repairs after a mild winter storm in 2016. The Corps wouldnt papy because the damage was not caused by an extraordinary event like a hurricane, agency officials said.

It was supposed to withstand a Category 3 hurricane but continues to fail during tropical storms and rainfall events, Kline said.

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Louisiana, Army Corps at Odds over Repair of Barrier Island Hit by TS Cristobal - Insurance Journal

Some Grand Island residence are urging people to oppose the Amazon "Project Olive" development in the town.

A massive, 3.8 million-square-foot distribution center for a tenant widely believed to be Amazon won't come to Grand Island anytime soon if it ever does.

The developer behind what is code-named Project Olive, Texas-based Trammell Crow Co., informed Supervisor John Whitney on Monday that it had "placed the project 'on pause,' that was their words," Whitney said during a Town Board work session.

One of the property owners, Michael Huntress, confirmed the project is "on hold" but urged the Town Board to approve the development because of its economic benefits and because it is an acceptable use for the 145-acre site on Long Road.

Representatives of the developer had planned to speak at Monday's work session but canceled earlier in the day, Whitney said. Kimberly Nason, an attorney with Phillips Lytle, who represents Trammell Crow, did not respond to a request for comment late Monday.

Whitney's announcement leaves the fate of the controversial mega project, which is large enough to hold two Walden Gallerias, up in the air and comes one week after the development suffered a major setback.

On July 13, Planning Board members voted against Trammell Crow's request to rezone the property from light industrial use to a planned development district. This would make it easier to proceed with project components that don't conform with town code, such as a building height of 87 feet that exceeds the island's 45-foot limit.

Original post:

Project Olive, widely believed to be Amazon, 'on pause' on Grand Island - Buffalo News

Alyssa Biederman Published 3:11 p.m. ET July 20, 2020 | Updated 3:18 p.m. ET July 20, 2020

South Jersey Indian Representative Harvey Blue Wolf speaks about Burlington Island on Monday, July 13, 2020. Cherry Hill Courier-Post

BURLINGTON When Harvey Blue Wolf visits Burlington Island, he sees spirits.

The island has a long history of use by native people such as the Lenni Lenape, who likely used the island for hunting and fishing in the 17th century. Blue Wolf, a descendant of the Lenni Lenape, believes it may have also served as a burial ground for his ancestors.

Thats our ancestors, thats our heritage, Blue Wolf said.

When Blue Wolf steps onto the island, located in the Delaware River between Burlington City and Bristol, Pennsylvania, he thanks the creator for allowing him to visit and performs a quiet ceremony thanking his ancestors, Mother Earth, and Father Sky.

The Board of Island Managers, which oversees most of the 300-acre island, has invited leaders from five native groups to perform ceremonies on the island.

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As soon as a tribal leader gets on the island, they'll say, Over that way, there's a burial ground, said Island Manager Don Rhineheart. It makes my hair stand on end.

Rhineheart said if there were a burial ground located on the island, it would be impossible to recover the remains.

Unfortunately, we are sure the burial ground is underneath 800,000 cubic yards of crushed oils, he said. There's nothing we can do about it.

Its possible theres some truth to this a news article from 1901 reports a man revealing two skeletons but no formal excavation has been done to confirm the location of a formal burial ground.

There have been human remains uncovered, as there have around the entire area, said Meredith Luze, an expert at the Peabody Museum at Harvard University. It's not uncommon to find burials, but I don't know if there have been any studies of concentrations of burials that would indicate a designated burial area on Burlington Island. That doesn't mean that there weren't, but I don't know of any.

A nesting osprey just off Burlington Island, located in the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey on Monday, July 13, 2020.(Photo: Adam Monacelli/Courier-Post)

The Peabody Museum at Harvard University and the Penn Museum at the University of Pennsylvania house groups of Lenni Lenape artifacts collected on Burlington Island in the late 17th century by New Jersey archaeologist Charles C. Abbott. These objects show the island may have been used for hunting, fishing and gathering, as well as trading with Dutch settlers who set up a post in the mid-1600s.

Abbott also claims to have found the bodies of two Dutchmen who were killed by natives on the island in New Jerseys first reported murder.

Abbott, who died in Bristol in 1919, was known for romanticizing stories of natives and settlers, so information from him isnt always trustworthy, Luze said.

Nobody knows everything about what went on there, Blue Wolf said. Things got lost and now you go back and you try to piece these things together, which is kind of why I fall to religion.

In Burlington Islands thousands of years long history, its been used as an amusement park, a summer retreat and an Army Corps dumping ground.

Currently, the island is in a state of limbo and is not legally accessible to the public. Last summer, the Board of Island Managers and United by Blue teamed up to remove trash and debris from the island and the board began maintaining about three miles of trails.

Old pilings can be seen at the waters edge of Burlington Island in South Jersey on Monday, July 13, 2020.(Photo: Adam Monacelli/Courier-Post)

The conversation about what to do with the abandoned island is still ongoing. Some leaders want to develop the island as a summer camp or build a museum.

For Blue Wolf, who has been working with the Board of Island Managers for more than 15 years, natural preservation of the island is key. He advocates for it to be used as a place to teach the public about the areas native history.

When you talk about Indians you talk about similar but different, he said. People think all Indians use drums or all Indians use feathers. Weve been so mythologized and for me, culturally and religiously, we do have some claim to the island.

The Lenni Lenape called the island Matinicunk, which translates to Island of the Pines. Right now, three generations of eagles live on the island, in an area that has been roped off by the Board of Island Managers. Blue Wolf said eagles are sacred in the Native American religion he follows.

Blue Wolf said hes afraid the spirits he sees in the woods will retaliate if they are disturbed by more dumping or construction. He has received some pushback after presenting his ideas, something he attributes to stereotypes that people have of Native Americans, like having crazy beliefs or always wanting to take over land.

There's a kind of sadness on the island, he said. I think the sadness comes not so much in the history of the island but the fact that theres so much resistance. After a while you're just beating your head against the wall.

The sense of pride would come if something is accomplished, he said. The darn sad thing is the state that the islands in.

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Burlington Island may be home to a Native American burial ground - Vineland Daily Journal

Roosevelt signed the executive order making Pelican Island the first federal bird reserveThe Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge on the Indian River Lagoon in East Central Florida became the first national wildlife refuge. (Florida Historical Society image)

FLORIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge on the Indian River Lagoon in East Central Florida became the first national wildlife refuge in March 1903.

By the late 1800s Floridas wildlife populations, specifically birds, were dwindling due to over-hunting for plumes.

Pelican Island, a small three-acre mangrove island, hosted thousands of brown pelicans, spoonbills and other waterfowl that utilized the island as a rookery for their young.

In 1881 a German immigrant named Paul Kroegel moved to the Sebastian River area, noticed the unique assemblage of birds, and decided to protect the island himself.

Many famous naturalists, including Frank Chapman, visited Kroegel and they appealed to President Theodore Roosevelt on Kroegels behalf.

Roosevelt signed the executive order making Pelican Island the first federal bird reserve, the forerunner to the national wildlife refuge system.

Kroegel was hired as the first warden overseeing the island.

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BREVARD HISTORY: Pelican Island Became First National Wildlife Refuge in 1903 - SpaceCoastDaily.com

A game camera captures a buck bedded down on Mitkof Island in Decmeber 2019. (Photo courtesy of Dan Eacker, ADF&G)

A pilot study is showing a healthy population of Sitka black tail deer on Mitkof Island in central Southeast Alaska. The research uses a combination of DNA sampling from droppings, game camera images and, later this year, GPS tracking.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Games multi-year study of deer numbers on the island started last year and has produced an estimate for Sitka black tail numbers from last winter, 2018-19. The estimate is for the number of animals in low elevation winter habitat on the island, below 1700 feet.

You know its the first reliable estimate of sort of island-wide abundance where the idea was to sample to produce a population estimate for this larger area of space rather than just producing an estimate that might overlap with just the deer indices of abundance, said Dan Eacker, the departments deer biologist for Southeast. So I think there were some different goals between our work thats going on currently and sort of past DNA efforts.

Eacker estimates there are 4600 deer in that winter habitat on Mitkof Island. Thats an average of 9.5 deer per square kilometer or 24 deer per square mile. And thats in line with DNA population estimates done elsewhere in the region like on Prince of Wales Island.

You know at the low end they found about seven deer per square kilometer on these managed lands that were older than 30 years ago and then in sort of the more natural more old growth stuff there was 12 deer per square kilometer, he said of a Prince of Wales population study. So were kind of right in between that somewhere. And so I think that shows that the deer populations pretty healthy on Mitkof Island.

Its also above a guideline of 18 deer per square mile that the U.S. Forest Service uses for assessing forest habitat quality.

The dense rainforest makes estimating deer difficult. Past methods of counting have relied on plane flights over open alpine areas or smaller scale counts of pellet droppings. Those give a more general sense of trends in the population, whether numbers are rising or falling. Eackers study includes taking DNA samples from those droppings to get information on the population, ages and gender. He also has arrays of game cameras in four different areas to add to that information. Thats helped produce at least one surprise in his research.

Theres about the same number of bucks as there are does on the island which normally you see it bias toward females more. You know in more heavily hunted populations but the population has been, the bucks especially its been a pretty restricted season for quite a long time. So yeah I think thats resulted in a higher buck to doe ratio then you see in some other deer populations but yeah as far as Southeast I would say compared to Prince of Wales were kind of in-between their low and high number of deer.

The local hunting season has a one buck limit, with no doe hunting and was limited to just two weeks until it was lengthened last year.

Eackers study may ultimately show if that lengthened season has an impact on deer numbers. Hell be adding another winters worth of DNA samples to his estimate. This spring he also gathered thousands more game cam photos that can add to knowledge of habitat selection. This summer he also plans to capture and fitting 20 deer with GPS collars.

At this point were just going to be collaring adult females and we have 20 collars at this point in time, Eacker said. And we will be driving around trying to capture deer using both ground darting methods and we have net-gunning as well, to net gun deer out of the truck and you dont have to use immobilization drugs as well.

That collaring is planned for August. Eacker is based in Juneau. He hopes to take a boat to Petersburg to do that work and camp outside of town to avoid any chance of spreading coronavirus.

A past study used VHF radio collaring to track deer movement but Eacker says collaring technology has improved since then.

They did have just radio VHF collars, he said. So that requires a lot of flying and some ground relocation as well, you can triangulate on those signals and get a location that way. But you can imagine its not as precise and you just cant get as many locations. So these new collars they have like an eight to 15-meter accuracy and you can set them to collect whatever fixed rate you want to take a location every two hours or four hours.

Hes hoping to get about two years of collaring data. Eacker wants to continue the study on Mitkof for another two years to incorporate that information from that tracking. He thinks the study method could be used in other parts of Southeast in the future.

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Deer study shows healthy population on Mitkof Island - KFSK

During his seven-hour drive from Ashland, Ohio, Sunday night to his Graniteville home, Rodd Bray, no doubt, was thinking about what could have been.

His team -- the All Seasons Patriots -- had just placed second in the USA Softball Mens 50-and-over Nationals after ripping off a 5-2 record against some of the best teams in the Northeast. The Ohio Battery won the double-elimination tournament.

We lost the first game of the tournament then won five straight in the losers bracket, said Bray. In the championship round, we had to beat the (Ohio Battery) twice. We won the first game (5-2), but lost the second game (14-4).

Bray was 4 for 18 in the windmill tournament.

Those are not great stats, but its tough when you are not playing all the time, said the 53-year-old Bray. Im sore right now more than anything.

The All Seasons Patriots pose with their runner-up trophy.

Bray said the Patriots also competed in the Firecracker Nationals during July 4th weekend, their first tournament since the pandemic struck.

Eltingville resident Robert Santiago is also a member of the Patriots, but did not make the trip to Ohio this past weekend. Most of the Patriots reside in Pennsylvania.

Bray is a regular in many Island softball leagues as well and has established himself as a force on any field, whether its against lot younger competition or players more his age.

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Island softball player is part of runner-up team in USA Mens 50-and-over Nationals - SILive.com

Snohomish Countys rules cover most cities, too, starting Wednesday. Island Countys begins Friday.

ARLINGTON As a heat wave lingers and increases the risk of wildfire across Washington, Snohomish County is set to ban outdoor fires Wednesday morning.

There are also concerns about how particulate matter in the air from burns affects people who contracted COVID-19.

Recreational fires less than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high that are in a fire pit are allowed, according to a news release from the Snohomish County Fire Marshal. People living in Arlington, Brier, Darrington, Edmonds, Everett, Granite Falls, Gold Bar, Index, Lynnwood, Marysville, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, Monroe, Mukilteo, Snohomish, Stanwood or Sultan are also subject to the countys burn ban.

The Island County Fire Marshal announced a similar burn ban that begins Friday. Local fire departments have current burn ban information for any areas not listed above. Previously issued outdoor burn permits, including those from Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, are suspended until further notice. Call the Snohomish County Outdoor Burning Information Hotline at 425-388-3508 for more information.

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Burn bans set for Island, Snohomish counties this week - The Daily Herald

An older masseuse claims to have given several entirely non-sexual massages to a chatty Prince Andrew while working on Jeffrey Epsteins Pedophile Island, in the late 90s and early 2000s.

But the most excitement Heidi Windel, now 75, experienced on the Caribbean island was unwelcome and came when a thrill-seeking Ghislaine Maxwell barely managed to land a helicopter she was flying without benefit of a pilots license.

I could see the whites of their eyes, Windel said of onlookers, according to an interview she gave to journalist Graydon Carters digital news weekly, Air Mail, in an article running Saturday morning.

Windel said Andrew once had her in stitches by jokingly complaining about a mosquito bite hed received on his royal arse as she rubbed him down once during her stint on the island between 1999 and 2004.

When the massage was over he got very chatty and had me in stitches talking about the errant mosquito that had evaded its net the night before and bitten his royal arse, Windel told the publication.

Windel said Maxwell, Epsteins alleged procurer and right-hand-woman, was always on the island with the billionaire and carried herself with an air of invincibility.

During one work trip to the island, Windel told Air Mail that she watched nervously as Maxwell recklessly piloted a helicopter on the island.

Im watching in absolute horror a helicopter coming in from Tortola flying incredibly low theyre not supposed to fly that low! Windel said.

I was waiting for the helicopter to graze the tops of the many sailboats anchored in St. Thomass Christmas Cove, she went on, adding that the chopper was endangering the boaters as it wobbled 40 feet from their heads.

When the helicopter did land on the Little Saint James helipad, Maxwell allegedly disembarked from the cockpit laughing.

She popped out and came bopping up the road, giggling and commenting on her navigation skills.

At that point I lost it, says Windel. I was so angry, I let her have it with both barrels.

Maxwell, 58, remains held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. She faces charges that she conspired with Epstein to sexually abuse young women.

Windel, who the outlet said somehow evaded signing an NDA, told the blog that rumors swirled of underage girls on Epsteins notorious Caribbean hideaway.

Before dying behind bars last summer, the convicted pedophile was accused of forcing young women, including some who were underage, into participating in sex orgies at the US Virgin Islands property.

Epstein would allegedly host societys elite on the island, including Prince Andrew though royal has denied the claim.

Often hed fly top guests including former President Bill Clinton to the island on his private plane.

One of the planes was nicknamed the Lolita Express for the young women who were frequently aboard. Another is now on the market for a reported $16.9 million.

On Friday, it emerged that back in 2015, Epsteins one-time pal, Donald Trump who had by then severed ties joked to reporters that they should ask Prince Andrew what went on at the cesspool island.

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Masseuse on Jeffrey Epstein's 'Pedophile Island' recalls session with 'chatty' Prince Andrew - New York Post