Syverson frustrated with progress on implementing gambling expansion in Illinois – The Center Square

(The Center Square) A leading proponent of last years gambling expansion bill in Illinois said he is frustrated with delays in its implementation.

State Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, said officials from Rockford submitted that citys proposal, with a casino to be operated by Hard Rock International, to the Illinois Gaming Board nine months ago.

The gaming board is telling us they hope to have the license approved by October, which is 12 months from the time it was submitted, Syverson said. It is just ridiculous that it's taking this long for a group just to review a simple application.

Recent COVID-19 restrictions have left casinos and video gaming facilities shuttered across the state. But Syverson said the COVID-19 pandemic shouldnt be used as an excuse for the delay.

With the casinos closed and the video gaming closed, you have 250 employees that are sitting around doing nothing, Syverson said. The staff that's working on the application, they're still there, they're still being paid. In addition, you have all this other staff with nothing to do who could have been assisting them in getting it done. COVID should not have slowed it down, it should have helped them to expedite their work.

Adding to the frustration is what Syverson says is a restriction on any preparatory work being done on the site of the proposed casino or even at the site of the temporary casino, which would operate while the new facility is being built.

We've asked [the Gaming Board] if the location can, at their own expense, start doing some development, Syverson said. Can they do the land work? Can they work on getting the sewer laid? Can they do that stuff now, while the weather is good, so they can get a jump on it? And the gaming board said, No, you can't. You can't lift a shovel on that property, or we're going to cancel that contract. So it's really ridiculous.

The bill, signed into law one year ago by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, allows for up to six new casinos across the state. Syverson argues says the applications for Rockford and for downstate Williamson County should be the simplest for the board to consider, both having already determined which casino operator will be selected.

They're both desperately waiting, Syverson said. The other applications are more complicated. Why not just take the easy ones that are clean, get those two done and approved and get them up and operating, and then work on the other applications?

Complicating matters for the Rockford site specifically is another proposal for a mega-casino just north of the Wisconsin border in Beloit. That plan now has been approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and is waiting for a final sign-off by Gov. Tony Evers.

If Beloit opens up first, you're going to get people that are going to go there and they may be comfortable going there and they may continue to go there even after Rockford opens up, Syverson said. We could have easily beat them to the punch. But, obviously, the gaming board doesn't seem to care.

The law requires the Gaming Board to provide a decision on an application within twelve months of submission. For Rockford, that means an October deadline, but Syverson said he worries that late date could push the start of construction into 2021 and the opening of the casino to 2022.

It's just sad that this is something we could have had opened and generating revenue for local governments, generating revenue for the state, creating jobs, he said. It's like they just don't care about doing things that are going to help us kick-start our economy to get it back going well.

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Syverson frustrated with progress on implementing gambling expansion in Illinois - The Center Square

The Latest: Surge in U.S. virus cases raises fear that progress is slipping – Press Herald

The latest on the coronavirus pandemic around the U.S. and the world.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Coronavirus cases in Florida surpassed 100,000 on Monday, part of an alarming surge across the South and West as states reopen for business and many Americans resist wearing masks or keeping their distance from others.

The disturbing signs in the Sunshine State as well as places like Arizona, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and South Carolina along with countries such as Brazil, India and Pakistan are raising fears that the progress won after months of lockdowns is slipping away.

It is snowballing. We will most certainly see more people die as a result of this spike, said Dr. Marc Boom, CEO and president of Houston Methodist Hospital, noting that the number of COVID-19 hospital admissions has tripled since Memorial Day to more then 1,400 across eight hospital systems in the Houston metropolitan area.

He predicted that in three weeks hospitals could be overwhelmed, and he pleaded with people to cover their faces and practice social distancing.

It is possible to open up at a judicious pace and coexist with the virus, but it requires millions and millions of people to do the right thing. Right now, we dont have that because people have let their guard down, Boom said.

The number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases across the country per day has reached more than 26,000, up from about 21,000 two weeks ago, according to an Associated Press analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The analysis looked at a seven-day rolling average through Sunday.

Over 120,000 deaths in the U.S. have been blamed on the virus.

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White House relaxes its own virus screening as D.C. hits phase two

The White House is cutting back on screening visitors for the coronavirus as President Donald Trump pushes to reopen the country.

In conjunction with Washington, D.C., entering Phase Two today, the White House is scaling back complex-wide temperature checks, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement on Monday.

The White House had been conducting temperature checks in a makeshift medical tent at the press entrance since March. The tent was gone on Monday, as Washington entered its second phase of reopening, allowing the businesses such as restaurants and gyms to open under limited conditions.

In addition to social distancing, hand sanitizer, regular deep cleaning of all work spaces, and voluntary facial coverings, every staff member and guest in close proximity to the president and vice president is still being temperature checked, asked symptom histories, and tested for COVID-19, Deere said.

A notice posted in the briefing room lists symptoms of the virus and recommends social distancing.

On Saturday, Trump held his first rally since the pandemic began, drawing a crowd in Tulsa, Oklahoma, far smaller than he and his camaign had touted. Health experts had warned that a large indoor rally would fuel the viruss spread in Oklahoma.

The U.S. reported 33,894 new cases on Saturday, its highest total since May 1. About 120,000 people have died from the virus in the U.S.

Germany works to tame meatpacking outbreak

BERLIN German Chancellor Angela Merkels spokesman said everything needs to be done to contain an outbreak of the coronavirus linked to a large slaughterhouse where over 1,300 people have tested positive for COVID-19.

Steffen Seibert said 20 workers at the Toennies meat plant in the western Guetersloh region have been hospitalized and several are in intensive care.

We very much hope that all those who have fallen ill survive, Seibert told reporters in Berlin on Monday. This is an outbreak that needs to be taken very seriously.

Authorities have scrambled to stop the outbreak from spreading, by ordering mass tests of all workers and putting thousands of people into quarantine. The outbreak at Toennies, where many workers are migrants from Eastern Europe, has pushed up Germanys daily infection rate.

Authorities have dispatched virologists, contact tracing teams and the German army to help contain the outbreak.

Germanys disease control center says the country has seen 190,359 confirmed cases and 8,885 virus-related deaths about five times fewer deaths than in Britain.

Netherlands reports no deaths in last 24 hours

THE HAGUE, Netherlands The Dutch public health institute says that no COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, the first time since March 12 that no new deaths have been seen.

The institutes Monday death tallies are sometimes lower than other days of the week due to weekend reporting lags.

The official Dutch death toll in the coronavirus pandemic stands at 6,090. The true toll is higher because not all people who have died with suspected COVID-19 were tested.

Tesla delays annual meeting until September

SAN FRANCISCO Due to coronavirus restrictions in Silicon Valley, Tesla Inc. is delaying its annual shareholders meeting from July 7 probably until Sept. 15.

The electric car and solar panel company announced the delay in a regulatory filing Monday after CEO Elon Musk revealed it overnight on Twitter.

The event likely will be combined with what Musk has touted as Battery Day, when the company is supposed to announce new battery technology that will work for 1 million miles and have longer range than current models.

In the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Tesla said its board believes that stockholders appreciate the interpersonal connection and dynamic of an in-person annual meeting.

It reprinted Musks tweets saying Sept. 15 was a tentative date, and the meeting would be held at the companys factory in Fremont, California.

Croatia bans visits to nursing homes

ZAGREB, Croatia Croatian authorities have banned visits to nursing homes and hospitals in the Croatian coastal town of Zadar following an outbreak of the new coronavirus at an exhibition tennis tournament there.

Tennis players Grigor Dmitrov from Bulgaria, Borna Coric from Croatia and two more people have tested positive after participating in the Adria Tour event organized by top-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

Authorities said Monday that dozens more tests are underway in Zadar, while Croatias state HRT television reported that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic also will be tested after visiting the event.

Djokovics team said he has returned to Serbia and was tested there, while the event has been canceled.

Croatia has reopened in hopes of salvaging the summer tourism season along the Adriatic Sea coast. The European Union nation will hold a national election on July 5.

Seouls mayor fears virus resurgence

SEOUL, South Korea The mayor of South Koreas capital fears the country is losing control over a virus resurgence and said Seoul will reimpose stronger social distancing measures if the daily jump in infections doesnt come below an average of 30 over the next three days.

If Seoul gets penetrated (by the virus), the entire Republic of Korea gets penetrated, Park Won-soon said Monday in a televised briefing, referring to South Korea by its formal name.

He also lamented what he described as complacency of citizens in social distancing, citing an increase in public transportation usage that he says has been approaching last years levels in recent weeks.

Citing research by health experts, Park the country could be possibly reporting as much as 800 new cases a day a month from now if it fails to stem current trends in transmissions. He said the basic reproduction number of virus carriers, which measures the number of infections caused by an individual, has reached nearly 1.8 for the period between April 30 and June 11. Any number above 1 indicates a growing epidemic.

In a separate briefing, Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, acknowledged that the country was now going through a second wave of the virus, following a surge in late February and March centered around the southeastern city of Daegu.

The country has been reporting around 40 to 50 new cases per day since late May, mostly from the Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of South Koreas 51 million people live.

South Korea was reported around 500 new case per day in early March but managed to control the outbreak with an active testing and contact tracing campaign.

UN warns pandemic could jeopardize supply of AIDS drugs to developing nations

LONDON The U.N. AIDS agency is warning that the coronavirus pandemic could jeopardize the supply of AIDS drugs in developing countries and could lead to deadly shortages in the next few months.

In a statement Monday, UNAIDS said a survey it recently conducted found that lockdowns and border closures to stop the spread of COVID-19 were affecting both the production and distribution of the medicines, which could result in higher costs and shortages in the next two months.

As of June 2019, UNAIDS estimated that more than 24 million people were on life-saving anti-retroviral drugs and that losing access now could risk their health and the further spread of HIV.

I call on countries and buyers of HIV medicines to act swiftly in order to ensure everyone who is currently on treatment continues to be on it, Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS, said in a statement.

UNAIDS said the sharp reduction in air and sea transport was complicating the distribution of raw materials and that social distancing was reducing manufacturing capacity. This could lead to a shortage of medicines or price increases, with some of the treatment courses for children estimated to be those worst affected.

The UNAIDS analysis was based on information collected from eight generic manufacturers of AIDS drugs in India, who account for more than 80% of the generic anti-retroviral drug supply globally. Governments in seven other countries that produce generic AIDS medications were also surveyed.

Beijing officials say they have contained outbreak

BEIJING A Beijing government spokesperson said the city has contained the momentum of a recent coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 200 people, after the number of daily new cases fell to single digits.

The situation is developing in a good direction but the prevention situation remains grave and complex, Xu Hejian said at a Monday news conference.

Xu spoke after the city reported nine new cases in the previous day, down from more than 20 daily for eight straight days. A massive testing campaign found 236 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 22 more without any symptoms. China does not include the latter in its official case count.

The Transport Ministry said tests of more than 100,000 of the citys ubiquitous delivery drivers were expected to be competed Monday, as authorities expand testing to more groups.

The outbreak took hold in a huge wholesale food market crowded with workers and buyers. Additional cases traced to the same outbreak have been found in neighboring Hebei province and nearby Tianjin city.

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St. Clairsville is making progress on water service – Martins Ferry Times Leader

ST. CLAIRSVILLE The future of water service and other long-range future projects were up for discussion among St. Clairsville city leaders Monday.

St. Clairsville is continuing preparations to discontinue the aging water treatment plant according to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency mandates and switch to purchasing Belmont County water through an existing line.

Mayor Kathryn Thalman said she is in the process of scheduling a water audit for August with an Rural Community Assistance Partnership representative and with engineer Jeff Vaughn, who is working on the changeover process and had conducted a report finding it financially feasible.

There will be a kick-off meeting between Belmont County, several other towns in the area, regarding water audits, Thalman said, adding a date has not been set and the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed activity. At this juncture we are planning to have the meeting in our council chambers, but of course it will depend on any COVID protocols.

In addition, Thalman said that now all the city buildings are metered, they have determined St. Clairsvilles water loss is not 57 percent as has been reported, but 28 percent.

Having the buildings metered has been very enlightening already to identify water loss, she said.

In answer to a question from Council President Jim Velas, the Cumberland Trail fire department is metered.

Also, Thalman and other city officials are meeting with the planning company Burgess & Niple to speak about ongoing concerns of traffic tie-ups through downtown St. Clairsville, frequently following accidents and traffic jams on Interstate 70.

Thalman said 55,000 cars pass through I-70 daily and accidents are increasing and undue strain is being placed on the city infrastructure from fracking trucks and 18-wheelers driving on roads not built to support them.

In order to be ready for future development, these planners are reaching out to the state and see what kind of funding might be available to plan alternate accesses, Thalman said.

Also, Councilman Mark Bukmir commented on the ongoing search for a service director and asked if Don Smithberger, supervisor of general services, could be consulted in the search and process, due to his in-depth knowledge of infrastructure needs.

In other matters, a finance and a utility committee meeting will be scheduled. Finance Director Annette Williams suggested an in-person or teleconference meeting, since the 2021 budget is due to the Belmont County auditor by July 15.

Williams will also check and determine if funds from the citys Tax Increment Financing fund for the St. Clair Commons can be used to supplement a payment for a past loan for upgrades to the city reservoir.

I agree, we have to have a finance meeting, Councilman Mike Smith said.

Options include a teleconference, an in-person meeting with the committee and teleconference available for the public, or holding a teleconference meeting immediately before the next council meeting.

Council President Jim Velas said teleconference council meetings would likely continue to the first meeting of July at least, since state regulations regarding social distancing could not be kept otherwise.

Also, Planning and Zoning Director Tom Murphy reminded residents they must obtain permits prior to starting any construction project.

Councilwoman Linda Jordan reported the playground is open, as is the Memorial Park pool.

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St. Clairsville is making progress on water service - Martins Ferry Times Leader

Racial profiling ban still work in progress in University Heights – The Gazette

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS More than a year has passed since University Heights adopted what was thought to be the first racial profiling ban in Iowa, but citizens still do not have the means to file a complaint against police should an issue arise.

Nonetheless, community leaders in the small Johnson County enclave say theyve made progress rolling out the ordinance, which they say remains a priority.

Its not as if its stalled or paused, said City Council member Sara OSullivan, chair of the Community Protection committee, whose first term began this year. Some of the actions maybe havent happened in the time frame that was desired initially. Its not for a lack of buy-in. I dont see any road blocks being thrown up.

Enacted in February 2019, the ordinance prohibits the use of explicit or implicit biases by University Heights police officers, calls for a Community Advisory Board to resolve complaints and review enforcement data annually, requires the collection of data for each police interaction with the public and also mandates officers receive implicit bias training.

Members of the Community Advisory Board were selected by the council by the end of 2019. The five-member board consists of three University Heights residents Jessica Bowes, Dorothy Maher and Alejandro Pezzulo Colmenares. The ordinance requires one member associated with the NAACP. David Jackson, an adjunct assistant professor in the University of Iowas African American Studies Program, was put forth by the local chapter of the NAACP. The board also is required to have one member with law enforcement experience, which is filled by retired Coralville police Officer Doug Vance, who currently is director of safety and security at UI Hospitals and Clinics.

University Heights Police Chief Troy Kelsay said the board was set to have its inaugural meeting March 18. That meeting which would have been attended by Kelsay, OSullivan, Iowa City NAACP President Kevin Sullivan and Iowa-Nebraska NAACP President Betty Andrews would have established a citizen complaint process. But that meeting never took place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Things were just too crazy, Kelsay said.

Kelsay, who served a lengthy career with the Iowa City Police Department before retiring as captain and later joining University Heights as chief in April 2019, said he plans to provide University Heights board with his perspectives on interacting with Iowa Citys Community Police Review Board.

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Established in 1997, Iowa Citys panel was the first of its kind in the state. Black Lives Matter protesters in Iowa City have called for the board to be given more authority and Iowa City Mayor Pro Tem Mazahir Salih, a former member, has called it powerless.

Kelsay said University Heights review board will be more narrowly focused than Iowa Citys, but hed like to see it be more transparent and give board members a bigger role in the complaint process.

I think the board should be much more involved in the process than the community review board in Iowa City, he said. I think theres some frustration there.

Kelsay envisions a complaint process in which he collects all written and video information related to an incident and presents it directly to the review board. Kelsay would be able to answer the boards questions immediately and potentially resolve the complaint right away. If the incident is unclear, Kelsay can follow up at the direction of the board.

They can direct me, Kelsay said. That is going to be my pitch.

Some aspects of the ordinance are in place. Kelsay said University Heights officers are collecting data on their interactions with the public. That data will be reviewed by Chris Barnum, the St. Ambrose University criminal justice professor who also is analyzing Iowa City police data as part of an ongoing study of disproportionate minority contact in traffic stops.

Barnum is analyzing University Heights data at no cost, though Kelsay said he anticipates paying a fee to the professor when he presents his findings to the council.

University Heights officers have yet to receive implicit bias training beyond joint annual training done by area officers countywide. Kelsay said Sanders with the NAACP is envisioning training for officers to familiarize them with Black history and how it feels to be a Black person interacting with law enforcement. That training could take the form of sending officers to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

The goal is for there to be a greater appreciation and understanding, Kelsay said.

Not just that people feel that way, but why do they feel that way, he said.

With coronavirus mitigation restrictions loosening in the state, Kelsay said hes hopeful the review board can have its inaugural meeting some time in July.

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I know theres interest in the community, he said. I think some feel this particular council is less committed to that. That is not the case. That is not the case at all.

Comments: (319) 339-3155; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com

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Racial profiling ban still work in progress in University Heights - The Gazette

Surging coronavirus cases in U.S. raise fear that progress is slipping – Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Coronavirus cases in Florida surpassed 100,000 on Monday, part of an alarming surge across the South and West as states reopen for business and many Americans resist wearing masks or keeping their distance from others.

The disturbing signs in the Sunshine State as well as places like Arizona, Alabama, Texas and South Carolina along with countries such as Brazil, India and Pakistan are raising fears that the progress won after months of lockdowns is slipping away.

It is snowballing, said Dr. Marc Boom, CEO and president of Houston Methodist Hospital, noting that the number of hospitalizations in the Texas Medical Center system that includes the hospital has more than doubled since Memorial Day. If we dont do what we can RIGHT NOW as a community to stop the spread, the virus will take our choices away from us.

The number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases across the country per day has reached more than 26,000, up from about 21,000 two weeks ago, according to an Associated Press analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The analysis looked at a seven-day rolling average through Sunday. Over 120,000 deaths in the U.S. have been blamed on the virus.

In Orlando, 152 coronavirus cases were linked to one bar near the University of Central Florida campus, said Dr. Raul Pino, a state health officer in the resort city.

A lot of transmission happened there, Pino said. People are very close. People are not wearing masks. People are drinking, shouting, dancing, sweating, kissing and hugging, all the things that happen in bars. And all those things that happen are not good for COVID-19.

Although he asked health officials to renew calls for people to wear masks and keep their distance, Gov. Ron DeSantis has not signaled he will retreat from reopening the state after three months of shutdowns that have damaged the economy.

Dr. Michael Ryan, the World Health Organizations emergencies chief, said that the outbreak is definitely accelerating in the U.S. and a number of other countries, dismissing the notion that the record daily levels of new COVID-19 cases simply reflect more testing. He noted that numerous countries have also noted marked increases in hospital admissions and deaths.

The epidemic is now peaking or moving towards a peak in a number of large countries, he warned.

Arizona, in particular, is seeing disturbing trends in several benchmarks, including the percentage of tests that prove positive for the virus. Arizonas is the highest in the nation.

The stats positive test rate is at a seven-day average of 20.4%, well above the national average of 8.4% and the 10% level that public health officials say is a problem. When the positive test rate rises, it means that an outbreak is worsening not just that more people are getting tested.

At Marylands Fort Washington Medical Center on the outskirts of the nations capital, workers described a scramble to find new beds, heartbreaking interactions with family members of critically ill patients and their frustration with Americans who do not believe the coronavirus threat is real.

Everybody is out lounging on the beaches. Just thinking that its over. And its not, respiratory therapist Kevin Cole said. Its far from being over. And unfortunately, its those people that keep well keep this pandemic going.

Nearly 9 million people have been confirmed infected by the virus worldwide and about 470,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins, though experts say the actual numbers are much higher because of limited testing and cases in which patients had no symptoms.

Amid the global surge, the head of WHO warned that world leaders must not politicize the outbreak but unite to fight it.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has faced criticism from President Donald Trump, said during a videoconference for the Dubai-based World Government Summit that it took over three months for the world to see 1 million confirmed infections, but just eight days to see the most recent 1 million cases.

Tedros did not mention Trump by name or his determination to pull the United States out of the U.N. health agency but warned against politicizing the pandemic.

The greatest threat we face now is not the virus itself, its the lack of global solidarity and global leadership, he said. We cannot defeat this pandemic with a divided world.

Trump has criticized the WHO for its early response to the outbreak and what he considers its excessive praise of China, where the outbreak began, though his own administrations response in the U.S. has come under attack. Trump has threatened to end all U.S. funding for the WHO.

Companies around the world are racing to find a vaccine, and there is fierce debate over how to make sure it is distributed fairly. WHOs special envoy on COVID-19, Dr. David Nabarro, said he believes it will be 2 1/2 years until there will be a vaccine for everybody in the world.

Indias health care system has been slammed by the virus. The countrys caseload climbed by nearly 15,000 Monday to over 425,000, with more than 13,000 deaths.

After easing a nationwide lockdown, the Indian government in recent weeks ran special trains to return thousands of migrant workers to their home villages.

In Pakistan, infections are accelerating and hospitals are having to turn away patients, with new cases up to 6,800 a day. The government has relaxed its coronavirus restrictions, hoping to salvage a near-collapsed economy in the country of 220 million people.

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Surging coronavirus cases in U.S. raise fear that progress is slipping - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Michelle Obama says making progress on race is ‘up to all of us’ – Today.com

Michelle Obama has felt the same confusion, fear and anger that many of us have experienced over the past several weeks, as the country simultaneously grapples with the coronavirus pandemic and racial injustice following George Floyd's death.

In a new interview for Harper's Bazaar magazine, the former first lady spoke with TV producer and writer Shonda Rhimes about the importance of voting this fall. But she also delved into why this moment in American history is giving her hope for the future.

"With everything thats gone on over these past few months, I know a lot of folks out there have been confused, or scared, or angry, or just plain overwhelmed, and Ive got to be honest. I count myself among them. I think weve all been there," the mother of two began.

"Our foundation has been shaken not just by a pandemic that stole more than 100,000 of our loved ones and sent tens of millions into unemployment, but also by the rumbling of the age-old fault lines of race, class, and power that our country was built on," she continued. "The heartache and frustration that boiled over after the losses of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others has caused a lot of us to grapple with the very essence of who we are the kind of people we want to be."

But that new mindset is exactly what makes the "Becoming" author hopeful.

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"I think a lot about the younger generation growing up right now, about how theyre seeing just how fragile even the best-laid plans can be," she said. "In this tumultuous period, theyve been learning something that often took previous generations years, or decades, to understand: that life can be unfair. It can be unjust. And more than anything is always uncertain."

As a result, Obama said, we should "live by foundational truths like honesty, compassion, decency and if you channel your frustration into our democracy with your vote and your voice, you can find your true north even in times of crisis."

She also spoke about generational differences and the responsibility of young people to better society.

"Because of all this upheaval, this generation is learning those lessons faster than folks our age did. Theyre learning it together and making their voices heard," she explained. "So even while theres a lot of pain out there, and that pain is very real, thats something that gives me hope the hope that this generation will not only learn these lessons earlier than ours ever did, but apply them in ways that we never could."

This work must cross cultural and demographic barriers in order to be successful, Obama said.

"Let me be clear. Making progress on these issues isnt just on the shoulders of young people. It isnt just on people of color. Its up to all of us, no matter what we look like or where we come from," she said. "Weve all got to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting out racism and fighting for real justice. It starts with self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own."

She added, "I hope we all have the strength to take that first step."

The former first lady has spoken candidly about racism and the challenges the country is facing on her Instagram page. In a recent post about Juneteenth, she praised the Black community for "(finding) something to celebrate."

"Even though the story has never been tidy, and Black folks have had to march and fight for every inch of our freedom, our story is nonetheless one of progress," she wrote Friday. "Both of my grandfathers were the grandchildren of enslaved people. They grew up in the Jim Crow South and migrated north in search of a better life.

"But even then, they were still shut out of jobs and schools and opportunities because of the color of their skin. But they pressed forward with dignity and with purpose, raising good kids, contributing to their communities, and voting in every election," she continued.

In a post in late May, Obama said she was "pained" and "exhausted" following the recent deaths of Floyd, Arbery and Taylor.

"It just goes on, and on, and on," she wrote. "Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. But if we ever hope to move past it, it cant just be on people of color to deal with it. Its up to all of us Black, white, everyone no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out."

Maura Hohman

Maura Hohman is a weekend editor for TODAY.com.

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Michelle Obama says making progress on race is 'up to all of us' - Today.com

"Precautionary evacuations" in progress for fire burning in Lockwood – KSBW Monterey

UPDATE 7:46 pm: The Hunter Fire is now 130 acres and 10% contained.UPDATE 5:11 pm: Evacuations are now in progress for Copperhead Canyon Road and Bryson-Hesperia Road. The Hunter Fire is 100 acres and 0% contained. 20 structures remain threatened. UPDATE 4:56 pm: Evacuation advisories have been issued for Copperhead Canyon and Bryson-Hesperia areas.Original Story 4:37 pm: "Precautionary evacuations" have been issued in Lockwood for a fire burning near the town in South Monterey County.The Hunter Fire is 70 acres and is threatening 20 structures.The fire is burning in the area of River Road and Interlake Road.South Monterey County Fire Protection District and Fort Hunter Liggett Fire Department are responding to the fire.We will update this article with new information as it becomes available.

UPDATE 7:46 pm: The Hunter Fire is now 130 acres and 10% contained.

UPDATE 5:11 pm: Evacuations are now in progress for Copperhead Canyon Road and Bryson-Hesperia Road. The Hunter Fire is 100 acres and 0% contained. 20 structures remain threatened.

UPDATE 4:56 pm: Evacuation advisories have been issued for Copperhead Canyon and Bryson-Hesperia areas.

Original Story 4:37 pm: "Precautionary evacuations" have been issued in Lockwood for a fire burning near the town in South Monterey County.

The Hunter Fire is 70 acres and is threatening 20 structures.

The fire is burning in the area of River Road and Interlake Road.

South Monterey County Fire Protection District and Fort Hunter Liggett Fire Department are responding to the fire.

We will update this article with new information as it becomes available.

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"Precautionary evacuations" in progress for fire burning in Lockwood - KSBW Monterey

Progress toward having college football season hit a roadblock over the weekend says Paul Finebaum – Saturday Down South

Michael Wayne Bratton | 7 hours ago

After initial doubt regarding the possibility of holding the upcoming college football season was cast following the start of the coronavirus pandemic, things have been trending in the right direction for months when it comes to those rooting for the fall season to take place.

While the fate of the upcoming season remains unknown at this point, SEC Network host Paul Finebaum believes recent events have at least cast some doubt on the positivity when it comes to the fall season.

During his latest weekly appearance on Birmingham-based WJOX 94.5 FM radio program The Roundtable, Finebaum was asked to share his thoughts on all the positive COVID-19 results showing up around college campuses in recent days.

I think college football is literally at a crossroads right now in trying to get the season underway, Finebaum said on the show. Until now, I would say the last six weeks have been amazingly positive and everything has been geared towards the season and that hit a roadblock over the weekend. It was a grim, dark weekend for college football and by the way, for every other sport, too. I mean its not like anyone has figured this thing out but college football has the most challenging road ahead.

And, I mean, weve all hearing the same things, I mean the numbers are are enormous across the country, even in Alabama. Ive heard double digits at Auburn, double digits at Alabama. Should this be expected? I thought they would be handfuls at every school, I didnt think the numbers would be this big. And this is without anyone on campus. These are fairly controlled environments. And I think the big story, it may not be so much about college football but what are the odds of students getting back on campus if this is the circumstance?

College sports can always control things a lot better than the normal population. The only issue here is, unless you quarantine players, which you cant really do on a college campus, this is not going away.

Athletes testing positive for coronavirus now may not be the end of the world, but it is a sign that some procedures currently in place around the country will need to be reworked to prevent outbreaks moving forward.

Thankfully, all reported positive athletes to this point have been either asymptomatic or not resulted in hospitalization.

The fear, according to Finebaum, will come if and when that changes.

But one thing that I think most people feel really comfortable about, not to sound like any of us are experts because were not, young people normally dont get affected as much but they still do get affected, Finebaum added. And I think the danger is that youre going to get that bad case here that you cannot predict. Weve all covered young college athletes dying. And theres no explanation. You say, how can it happen?

But it can happen I dont need to say what were all hoping for, because its obvious, but its a real concern I think that this thing is that you get a bad outcome and what do you say then?

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Progress toward having college football season hit a roadblock over the weekend says Paul Finebaum - Saturday Down South

Testing the 2018 car ‘shows the progress F1 has made’ – Ricciardo – GPfans

Daniel Ricciardo has said testing Renault's 2018 Formula 1 car demonstrated to him how far the team has come in two-years.

Testing the 2018 car at the Red Bull Ring last week, Ricciardo told the F1 Nation that, despite being disappointed with the 2019 car, he can now see that there had been steps forward from the previous campaign.

It wasnt as good, so there were improvements last year," said Ricciardo.

But obviously, we did get to drive the RS20 in testing before all this started. Its come a long way in two years, Ill say that.

It actually was quite nice driving a two-year-old car, because it shows you the progress the sport makes.

Making his return to a Formula 1 cockpit for the first time since the close of pre-season testing in February, Ricciardo said it didn't take too long to get back into the swing of things.

He added: It was firstly good. Good to get back into it. The first few laps it felt a little foreign, but its also like all things, like when youve been doing something pretty much your whole life, it doesnt take long till you remember the feeling and it all feels very normal, very quickly.Certainly getting in the first time, leaving the pits and the first few laps felt a little strange, but Im really glad we got to do it, because I think just shaking off the cobwebs, even the general body soreness that you get after the first day, I feel like Ive gone through that now.

Before you go...

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Testing the 2018 car 'shows the progress F1 has made' - Ricciardo - GPfans

Insurance and mental health: Progress needed | Insurance Business – Insurance Business ASIA

Mental health has become an increasing concern for people around the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus has disrupted normality as we know it, causing mass uncertainty which, for some, is a potent cause of distress and anxiety. But the global pandemic is only highlighting and exacerbating an issue that has been top of mind for many organisations, including insurers, for some time. Its in everyones best interest individuals, insurers, governments and communities - when people are as physically and mentally healthy as possible.

While mental health is a large ticket item for insurance organisations, especially within their internal human resources, the industry is less developed when it comes to providing coverage to those who need it most, according to Neil Sprackling (pictured), president of Swiss Res Life & Health US Business and a member of the firms Americas Management Team.

First and foremost, we need to raise the prominence of the role that insurance can play in helping consumers deal with mental health, he told Insurance Business. This is all about awareness and understanding. We need to get consumers to appreciate that insurance can provide them with essential support in managing their condition. There is often a perception that a history of mental health may preclude an individual from being accepted for life or disability insurance. This is not always the case. For life insurance, we can often offer terms to an applicant, albeit with an extra premium loading. For disability insurance, it may be possible to apply an extra premium rather than exclude the condition. I firmly believe that wherever possible insurers/reinsurers should do everything they can to offer terms, just as we do with other medical conditions. This is our fundamental role in making societies more resilient.

Read next: Malaysia lauds insurers coverage for mental health

Assistance from insurers/reinsurers for consumers with mental health conditions should go beyond just providing coverage, according to Sprackling. The industry veteran, who has over 30 years reinsurance experience spanning the UK, Spain, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, said companies must do a much better job of helping consumers through the application process by looking at information beyond just the diagnosis, for example, looking at how an individual manages their mental condition.

This is particularly important for disability insurance, Sprackling stressed. Lets work together to remove the consumer fear factor of applying for insurance in the first place. At the claims stage Swiss Res approach champions early intervention and holistic health management. This holistic approach is founded on the resounding international evidence base which demonstrates that work is generally health-supportive, and highlights the benefits of early, collaborative and work-focused intervention.

Read more: Theres a huge gap in support for employees mental health AXA Asia CEO

According to Sprackling, theres absolutely no question that outcomes are better with early intervention and treatment when a person is struggling with their mental health. Insurers and reinsurers can play a key role in that early intervention and personal health risk mitigation. Historically, the industry has been more focused on providing support to individuals at the claims stage, or prior to an imminent claim when people are struggling in work.

Mental health issues are extremely common disorders around the world associated with severe morbidity and mortality, he commented. Studies indicate that numerous mental and physical conditions demonstrate a bi-directional relationship; when one has poor physical health, its made far worse by poor mental health.

The mental health landscape presents an opportunity for the insurance industry to support personal health risk mitigation and early intervention by leveraging new tools to identify needs. For example, there are currently 1435 mental health apps available [via popular app stores iTunes and Google Play]. Insurers can work together with digital innovators by enhancing their apps and platforms and by bringing new solutions to populations they are already insuring. There is now a focus on seeing where and how we can offer support to policyholders when theyre well which is where there is potential in the digital support space.

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Insurance and mental health: Progress needed | Insurance Business - Insurance Business ASIA

SIU leaders pledge action, real progress on diversity, inclusion – The Southern

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As the national anthem plays inside Saluki Stadium, SIU cheerleaders Alaysia Brandy (from left), Czarina Tinker and Ariahn Hunt kneel outside of the stadium prior to the 2017 Salukis football game against Youngstown State. SIU leadership, including President Dan Mahony and Athletics Director Liz Jarnigan, are pledging action to make SIU more inclusive.

CARBONDALE Southern Illinois University President Dan Mahony is calling for an exhaustive review of policies, practices and curriculum at all three of the system's campuses in an effort to upend systemic racism and identify new ways to bolster diversity and inclusion.

Further, in a recent letter to the SIU community last week, he said that every student who graduates must leave with an understanding of systemic racism and its impact.

Our graduates must be prepared to have a positive impact on our society and that is not possible without this understanding, he wrote.

Working groups either created or refocused in Carbondale, Edwardsville and the School of Medicine, will be tasked with crafting recommendations to achieve this and numerous other goals. Mahony is asking each campus to ensure ongoing conversations on diversity and inclusion that include feedback from any stakeholder that wishes to participate, he said. They will make recommendations to enhance efforts to recruit and retain minority students, faculty and staff. And a system of accountability, with measurable goals, will be established to ensure follow-through.

Mahony said its common in higher education and other arenas to react to incidences of racism and injustice promising to be more accepting and fair and then we just move on and continue to do things the way weve always done them.

Thats not what Im looking for, he said in an interview with The Southern. I want to change the way we do things.

Entering an era of reflection

Lolita L. Mack, president of SIUs Black Alumni Group, who has been asked to serve as a task force member on the Carbondale campus, said this most recent push for change gives me hope that they do hear our voices and different concerns, and they want to address it.

Mack recently penned a letter to SIU Carbondale campus leaders asking a series of pointed questions after a racist video circulated on social media. The video, made by the baseball teams starting pitcher, who graduated in May, was shared with a few others on Snapchat. It was made and shared presumably on or around Martin Luther King Jr. Day, though only recently surfaced publicly. As it circulated on Facebook and Twitter, SIU Carbondale immediately issued a statement condemning the video replete with the n-word. The university also distanced itself from the student, noting he had graduated and is no longer enrolled.

Mack applauded the swift response disavowing the message in the video. But she and other alumni were concerned the university did not go far enough as the now former student was at SIU on scholarship when the video was made and shared on Snapchat. Mack also questioned whether his behavior speaks to a broader need of the university, and athletic department specifically, to foster an anti-racist culture.

How will the university and Athletic Department ensure that racial sensitivity is covered in the learning environment in the future? she wrote in her letter to SIU administrators. What are officials willing to do to show future and current students and athletes that this is unacceptable behavior?

SIU Edwardsville also recently issued a public statement condemning hate speech after facing backlash for how it was monitoring comments on one of its Facebook posts. The original post highlighted the Rock a large rock on campus that students paint as a tradition bearing the message Black Lives Matter. The post, which was supportive of the statement on the rock, generated more than 500 comments.

Controversy erupted after SIU Edwardsville asked a commenter to edit a post in which he called another individual who had made racially charged and racist comments a racist, saying that direct name-calling violated its social media policy. At least some of the offensive comments were allowed to remain.

In a statement that followed, SIU Edwardwville said that the racist comments made on its public post do not reflect our Universitys values and that it encourages all members of our community to denounce racism, but also stood by its selective censorship policy.

Just as the Rock has allowed for free expression, we recognize, as a public university, we are legally required to uphold the First Amendment to the Constitution and free speech. As much as we disagree with the racist sentiments expressed in those posts, they are protected by the First Amendment.

SIUE spokesman Doug McIlhagga told The Southern on Friday that in the days since the original post and statement, campus leadership has decided to further review its social media guidelines. The university is working on a policy that will give more discretion to monitors to remove offensive content, he said. This may signal that the Edwardsville campus is embarking upon a new era of reflection.

Becoming a 'beacon of diversity and inclusion'

On June 12, a week later, Edwarsville announced an Anti-Racism Task Force, coinciding with Mahonys call for a systemwide undertaking on this front. In a statement to the campus, Chancellor Randy Pembrook and other top leaders said they recognize the fierce urgency of now to do this work. We have heard the pain and frustration among our students, staff and faculty. Emails and town halls will not be enough. Action and urgency are essential, their statement said. This approach must be rooted in humility, truth-telling, critical analysis, reflection, and a willingness to confront structural arrangements and institutional policies and practices that reinforce racism. And certainly, we must all do the work of challenging our individual beliefs.

Daniel Mahony, the new president of the Southern Illinois University System, discusses his vision for the future of the university during an interview in March in Carbondale.

Mahony said that an examination of systemic racism casts a broad net. It includes such things as examining hiring and promotion policies and practices, retention efforts, student recruitment and educational approach.

Teaching students about systemic racism can happen in any number of ways, he said. It could be taught as part of an introductory course or weaved throughout subject areas, or both.

At Winthrop University, in Rock Hill, South Carolina where Mahony served as president before coming to SIU in March incoming freshmen and transfer students received a copy of the book Just Mercy: A story of Justice and Redemption. He said they were asked to read it prior to arriving on campus. It was then discussed in their freshman orientation class and in other conversations in their residence halls. The memoir by acclaimed civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson exposes deep inequities in the justice system that oppress minorities and people who are poor.

Mahony said that the campuses are not starting fresh on the topics of diversity, inclusion and anti-racism he acknowledged past efforts and numerous success stories. But he said its time to take this work further, and go deeper. A short-term step hes planning is making the SIU Systems chief diversity officer position full time. The individual serving in that role now does so in addition to his full-time duties within the SIU School of Medicine. But he wants the most significant changes at the campus levels to be driven by the people who make them up, rather than from the top down.

Incoming Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane said that one thing that struck him about the Carbondale campus during his interviews is that he was asked numerous questions about his commitment to diversity and inclusion. Before all of the things that were seeing, that is one of the things that impressed me about SIU, he said. His campus interview predated the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, which has prompted a wave of nationwide protests and calls for racial equity. From that tragedy comes an opportunity to seize on the national push for a more just and inclusive society, and act in a more action-oriented manner locally, Lane said.

Lane is still a few weeks from officially assuming the chancellor position on the Carbondale campus; his contract calls for him to start by July 6. But hes already actively engaged in planning with SIUs leadership team and the broader community.

Lane, who is the first Black chancellor of the SIU Carbondale campus, stressed that this initiative is a genuine effort committed to real progress not just offering surface-level platitudes to diversity and inclusion. This is going to become part of the fabric of what were going to be doing within our strategic planning, he said. Lane said his goal is to create a campus culture that makes all feel welcome, regardless of race, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.

SIU, he said, should be seen as a beacon of diversity and inclusion. He also sees this as an enrollment-building exercise, as it equates to more students wanting to become a Saluki and attend SIU.

Athletic Department tackles racism

Mack, president of the Black Alumni Group, said this feels like a moment that could bring about real systemic change. She was encouraged by the fact that she received responses from the SIU president, incoming chancellor, athletic director and baseball coach all within 24 hours upon sending her letter via email expressing concern about the former baseball players video.

She also has since attended a Zoom meeting with Lane and had lunch with Athletic Director Liz Jarnigan. Mack said shes also since learned that the baseball player did face consequences beyond what the universitys statement detailed. Though he had graduated, NCAA rules permitted him to return in 2021 because the COVID-19 pandemic cut this spring's season short.

Mack said she learned that the opportunity was no longer available to him once SIU was made aware of the video. (An SIU spokeswoman said the university could not confirm the circumstances surrounding his exit from the team, citing student confidentiality laws, other than to say he will not play next year).

I hate to say that it took away opportunity, but sometimes we have to be responsible for the actions we have, Mack said. In this case, the responsibility for his actions was that he lost his last year of eligibility and his post-grad scholarship offer he was approved for.

Mack said shes also sought more information about the universitys position on student-athletes who may choose to kneel during the pre-game national anthem in future sporting events, as a form of peaceful protest. In 2017, three Black cheerleaders who chose to kneel during "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to the start of a football game faced an onslaught of criticism and even threats the university was also criticized for allowing it.

A few weeks after their first demonstration, the then-athletic director abruptly changed pregame protocol to remove cheerleaders from the field until after the start of the game. At the time, the athletic director said it was to allow members of the spirit teams to instead focus on greeting fans at the gates, but the cheerleaders, and others, felt it was driven by a desire to remove them from public view, and quell the backlash the university was facing.

This was during a time that many Black players across the nation were taking a knee during the national anthem at sports games as a form of political protest against systemic racism and police brutality, following in the footsteps of Colin Kaepernick, then-quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, who started the practice in 2016.

Jarnigan, who has been SIUs athletic director since September 2019, said the Athletic Department decided more than a year ago that should someone feel that its important for them to kneel theyre going to kneel, and theyre going to be allowed to kneel. The same goes for student-athletes who feel it is important to stand with their hands over their hearts theyre going to be allowed to do that.

We will honor what any of our student-athletes feel they need to do for the important points theyre trying to make, she said.

While the campus as a whole will be having conversations and making changes, Jarnigan said she wants to see the Athletics Department take a leading role, as it has in the past. Saluki Athletics has a rich history of championing diversity. At the dawn of the civil rights movement, Black student-athletes blazed trails at SIU on the court and field, in the classroom and beyond, benefiting countless students that followed them. But the Athletic Department still has more work to do, she said it is not enough to rest on past breakthroughs.

After the baseball players racist video went public, Jarnigan said she felt called to take broader action. But she also wants to ensure that whatever changes her department ushers in are meaningful, and not knee-jerk or simply intended to check off a box. She said her goal is to spend the summer listening to others, with the goal of implementing a plan at the beginning of the fall semester.

Words are really important but theyre not enough. Actions are really important but theyre not enough, she said. We need to figure out how to reach, educate, touch, whatever it is the hearts and souls of our student-athletes, of each other, when it comes to issues of racial justice and caring and kindness and thats what I want our plan to incorporate.

Is this the moment for real change?

Todd Bryson, interim associate chancellor for diversity at SIU Carbondale, said hes encouraged by the energy that Mahony and Lane are committing to this initiative. SIU has historically been a leader in creating a welcome atmosphere for all students, he said, though has also fallen short. When you talk to students, they want action, he said. Bryson said that he believes Mahony and Lane want to get it right and are committed to doing the hard work thats needed.

This might be the catalyst to push us forward, he said. This is a good time to be at SIU. I think we will look back in a few years and say, Wow, SIU is a different university than it was.

Caleb R. McKinley-Portee, a doctoral student studying Communications, with a specialization in Black performing arts, said he wants to have hope that this initiative will bring about the real changes students desire. That includes a commitment to a diverse faculty, and supporting academic programs that specialize in Black history and culture, such as Africana Studies, which has seen its department diminished to only three professors, he said.

McKinley-Portee, who is also a co-graduate advisor for the undergraduate-run Black Affairs Council, has seen and heard commitments for change from the top on and off for years often proclaiming that this time it will be different. Thats why its hard for him to know what to think about it at this stage. Hes spent a combined 10 years on the SIU campus, earning an undergraduate and masters degree, and now completing his doctorate. Hes served on countless committees and had numerous conversations with administrators.

Its really frustrating and its also exhausting to keep having these conversations and these meetings with administrators, and to keep showing up to the table to fight the good fight and not getting any results, he said. So now is the time, I believe, for SIU to show us what SIU is supposed to be about. Dont tell us, show us.

molly.parker@thesouthern.com

618-351-5079

On Twitter: @MollyParkerSI

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SIU leaders pledge action, real progress on diversity, inclusion - The Southern

Rob Manfred reaches out, players abort meeting, progress unclear – The Athletic

At 2:30 on Sunday afternoon, commissioner Rob Manfred sent a hastily composed email to Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark addressing a concern the players had raised in recent days.

The players already had indicated a willingness to accept language in MLBs most recent proposal empowering Manfred, after consultation with medical experts and the union, to suspend or cancel the season because of issues related to COVID-19. But the league had gathered from various sources that players were uneasy about a particular question:

If the union accepted the leagues offer for a 60-game season and granted MLB expanded playoffs for 2020 and 2021 among other concessions, what would happen if Manfred ended the season early?

Would MLB perhaps exercise a quicker trigger to cancel play, knowing players would be paid only for each game actually played and that the league would still get the expanded playoffs for future seasons?

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Rob Manfred reaches out, players abort meeting, progress unclear - The Athletic

Riverside Resources & BHP Progress into Second Year of Exploration Funding Agreement for Copper Discovery – Junior Mining Network

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2020) - Riverside Resources Inc. (TSXV: RRI) (OTCQB: RVSDF) (FSE: R99) ("Riverside" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce the continuation of the Exploration Agreement with BHP Exploration Chile SpA ("BHP") for the funding of generative copper exploration in the copper producing belt of Sonora, Mexico (the "Program"). BHP will be providing Riverside with US$720,000 to commence the first half of the second year of the Program to continue to grow the portfolio of copper projects which is an increase of US$220,000 from the initial plan and better captures the investment to progress toward a Defined Project. These funds fully cover the continued generative grass-roots copper exploration and project acquisitions within the Laramide copper belt. BHP will make the following US$720,000 deposit at the next 6-month mark near the end of this calendar year. The BHP-Riverside Technical Steering Committee met last week and the program is on track and progressing with a series of properties now acquired and results coming along.

The program has been successful for the first year having identified and developed targets, acquired projects and progressing these through toward drill targeting. The first year saw Riverside bring forward a range of property opportunities and collectively acquiring large tenures with strong porphyry copper potential.

The second year of the program provides BHP-Riverside with an opportunity to push ahead with drill targeting areas, evaluating staked mineral tenures and acquiring and exploring third party properties within the EFA ("Exploration Funding Agreement") framework. The new US$720,000 generative funds will be supplemented by additional target specific funding based on technical merit that will be able to focus on expanding and de-risking the copper portfolio Riverside and BHP are building together in Sonora, Mexico. This year the program will progress towards drill decisions with provided funding made available towards drill testing.

Riverside's President and CEO, John-Mark Staude, stated: "We are delighted to continue our joint program and although having to modify the work program during the COVID times, BHP has been steadfast with Riverside in commitment to the exploration potential and discovery work we have in front of us while adjusting to the realities of working safely with regard for all stakeholders. Last year we acquired ground and now with this new funding we can progress in unlocking the value and acquiring additional prospects. We are excited for the progress and potential of this collaborative copper program and see great potential for drilling copper discoveries in Sonora."

Figure 1: Region of Riverside-BHP Generative Program

During the First year of the EFA Riverside and BHP completed extensive project reviews, data integration and acquired five (5) new properties in Sonora. These include areas around known systems, new areas based upon geochronology and other data integration. One of the highly important aspects has been the collaborative sharing between BHP and Riverside, with vast historical data and innovative new Machine Learning data integration. Riverside believes its field, tenure, access, and project area specific experience along with new collaborative Machine Learning prospective maps is leading to new ideas and opportunities for new discoveries in Sonora, Mexico.

During year 1 the funding was increased by 20% for specific refinement work on target areas that were generated from the Generative Budget and these additional working areas were evaluated effectively leading to several progressing while others were dropped to focus the team's efforts on the highest potential opportunities. During this upcoming 2nd year of the EFA the Company expects to actively progress toward drill permitting for several of the top target areas worked up in year one.

The Program's Details as laid out in the initial news release include:

For full details on the program phases see press release May 16, 2019.

Qualified Person and QA/QC:

The scientific and technical data contained in this news release pertaining to the BHP Program was reviewed and approved by Freeman Smith, P.Geo, a non-independent qualified person to Riverside Resources, who is responsible for ensuring that the geologic information provided in this news release is accurate and who acts as a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Riverside Resources Inc.:

Riverside is a well-funded exploration company driven by value generation and discovery. The Company has no debt and approximately 63M shares outstanding with a strong portfolio of gold-silver and copper assets in North America. Riverside has extensive experience and knowledge operating in Mexico and Canada and leverages its large database to generate a portfolio of prospective mineral properties. In addition to Riverside's own exploration spending, the Company also strives to diversify risk by securing joint-venture and spin-out partnerships to advance multiple assets simultaneously and create more chances for discovery. Riverside has additional properties available for option, with more information available on the Company's website at http://www.rivres.com.

ON BEHALF OF RIVERSIDE RESOURCES INC.

"John-Mark Staude"

Dr. John-Mark Staude, President & CEO

For additional information contact:

John-Mark StaudePresident, CEORiverside Resources Inc. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Phone: (778) 327-6671Fax: (778) 327-6675Web: http://www.rivres.com

Raffi ElmajianCorporate CommunicationsRiverside Resources Inc.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: (778) 327-6671TF: (877) RIV-RES1Web: http://www.rivres.com

Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking information. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology (e.g., "expect"," estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "plans"). Such information involves known and unknown risks -- including the availability of funds, the results of financing and exploration activities, the interpretation of exploration results and other geological data, or unanticipated costs and expenses and other risks identified by Riverside in its public securities filings that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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Riverside Resources & BHP Progress into Second Year of Exploration Funding Agreement for Copper Discovery - Junior Mining Network

Annual Progress Report 2019 for the United Nations in Papua New Guinea – Papua New Guinea – ReliefWeb

Development Trends

The Papua New Guinea economy grew by 4 per cent in 2019 driven by commodity exports, agriculture and logging. Government expenditure prioritized free primary healthcare, infrastructure projects, and the Provincial and District Services Improvement Program.

Despite socioeconomic challenges including high rates of unemployment, especially among young people, lack of educational opportunities, underrepresentation of women in governance and decision-making, violence against women and girls, malnutrition and limited access to improved water sources, life expectancy continues to increase in PNG. Digital economic innovative intervention, and information and communication technologies (ICTs), also gained momentum in several government sectors. Furthermore, the Bougainville Referendum Commission conducted a peaceful, violence-free referendum.

Development Context

PNG, a lower-middle-income country ranked 155 out of 187 countries in the 2019 Human Development Index, is the only Pacific country in the low human development band of the Index. Population statistics indicate that 52 per cent of the population is below 24 years and 85 per cent of the population lives in rural areas.1 The country faces a number of challenges in translating economic growth into inclusive, sustainable human development, including chronic youth un- and underemployment, which remained unchanged at 2.40 per cent in 2019,2 as well as low absorption of school leavers into the formal employment sector.

Opportunities for formal tertiary education are minimal, and opportunities for paid untrained workers even more limited. Unemployment is felt, not only among the youth, but throughout the abled population. It is a substantial contributing factor to the challenge of law and order, to the continued, and indeed increasing, levels of crime and violence, and high costs of security protection. Uncertain economic conditions and rising fiscal pressure affect the country and contribute to the breakdown in the rule of law in both highland and coastal provinces. In all, there is an imperative for peace and greater social cohesion throughout the country.

The complex challenges and exciting opportunities PNG witnessed in 2019 included the change in National Government, a referendum on the political future of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, two budgets, a cabinet reshuffle, and new infrastructure such as the Coral Sea Cable communications system. A vote of no confidence in the ONeil government in early May ultimately led to a change in Prime Minister in late May. On 7 June, the new Prime Minister, James Marape, swore in a full cabinet. Significant reshuffling followed in mid-November. Years of deflated economic and social progress, including political will, have put a considerable constraint on the progress of the new Governments focus and other development work.

The new Government expressed its commitment to improving the quality of life for Papua New Guinean citizens by addressing health, education, and law and order. The Government proposed to grow the economy through investing in the skills, business and employment opportunities that would unlock the countrys potential, promote economic development outside of Port Moresby, and clamp down on corruption.The Government set out to increase the countrys internal revenue by 50 per cent, from a PGK10 billion a year on-average internal revenue.

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Annual Progress Report 2019 for the United Nations in Papua New Guinea - Papua New Guinea - ReliefWeb

Progress as of June 18 in Meeting the Criteria to Move to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan – Evanston RoundTable

The Restore Illinois plan contains three criteria relating to the trend in hospitalizations, the surge capacity of hospitals, and the positivity rate of testing that must be met for a region of the State to move from Phase 3 to Phase 4. The plan also has an internal goal relating to contact tracing. An article explaining the criteria is available here.

This article provides data as of June 18 showing how the Northeast Region is doing in terms of meeting the mandatory criteria, and it also provides data showing the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths. The earliest data any region can move to phase 4 is on June 26.

New COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, and Surge Capacity

While the Restore Illinois criteria focus on the number of hospitalizations, rather than new COVID-19 cases, the number of new cases is still important, because about 30% of the people who test positive for COVID-19 are hospitalized, said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of Illinois Department of Public Health. In addition, people may be infectious even if they are not hospitalized.*

The data below show new COVID-19 cases in Evanston, Cook County, and Illinois, and the decline in hospitalizations in the Northeast Region.

New COVID-19 Cases

New cases and deaths of Evanstonians: There were 2 new confirmed COVID-19 cases of Evanston residents today, bringing the total to 763 cases. Of those, 31 are active.

Over the last seven days, the City reported an average of 2.0 new COVID-19 cases per day. For the seven days prior, there was an average of 3.0 new cases per day. The trend is shown in the above chart.

No Evanston resident has lost their life due to COVID-19 in the last 72 hours. The total number of Evanstonians who have died due to the virus is 66.

As of June 11, 45 residents of long-term care facilities in Evanston died of COVID-19. Thus, more than two-thirds of the Evanstonians who have died due to COVID were residents of long-term care facilities.

New Cases and deaths in Cook County and Illinois: There were 320 new cases of COVID-19 in Cook County in the last 24 hours, and 593 in the State. While State officials have been concerned about a potential surge of cases due to the mass protests and gatherings following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, a surge has not yet occurred.

Between June 14 and June 18, the average number of new COVID-19 cases per day in Cook County was 320, and in the State, it was 581. The trend is shown in the smaller chart above.

The number of deaths in Illinois due to COVID-19 increased by 65 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Illinois to 6,537.

Hospital Admissions and Surge Capacity in the Northeast Region

Two metrics being used to determine if a region may move to Phase 4 are that there be no overall increase in hospital admissions for 28 days and that hospitals in the region have an unused bed capacity of at least 14%.

IDPH reports that in the last 28 days hospitalizations in the Northeast Region declined by 85%. IDPH does not report the number of hospitalizations in the Region, but there is a downward trend.

The Northeast Region has available 34% of its medical/surgical beds, 42% of its ICU beds, and 72% of its ventilators. This easily meets the minimum capacity of 14%.

On a Statewide basis, the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 was 3,336 on May 29 (the date the State moved to Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan). As of midnight on June 17, the number had declined to 1,878. The second chart in the chart box shows the trend in hospitalizations since May 29.

Adequacy of Testing

Widespread testing is essential to controlling the spread of the COVID-9 virus and to open an economy safely.

Test-Positive Rate

One measure used by researchers to assess whether the amount of testing is adequate is to look at the percent of people who test positive on COVID-19 tests. The World Health Organization said on May 15 that the test-positive rate should be below 5% before opening an economy. A higher test-positive rate reflects that there is an inadequate amount of testing. **

In the Restore Illinois plan, one criterion to move from Phase 3 to Phase 4 is that a region have a test-positive rate below 20%. In determining whether this criterion is met, IDPH says it will use a seven-day rolling average.

IDPH reported that the test-positive rate for the Northeast Region as of June 18 was 6%, down 5 percentage points in the last 14 days.

While the Northeast Region meets the criterion of the Restore Illinois Plan, it is just slightly above the rate recommended by WHO.

On a Statewide basis, the test positivity rate on June 18 was 2.3%. The average for the last five days was 2.5%.

The Number of Tests in Illinois

In a May 7 study, the Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI) estimated that Illinois needed to be administering 64,167 tests a day in order to safely open the economy. On the same day, Gov. Pritzker said, I think were going to need many more tests than that.***

While the State has almost quadrupled the number of tests it has been administering since the beginning of April, the average number of tests per day between June 14 and June 18 is 22,997 still far short of the target of 64,167 set by HGHI.

On June 18, there were 25,504 tests.

The IDPH recommends that those who have participated in a recent mass gathering, such as a march or rally, get tested 5 to 7 days after the event, or immediately if symptoms develop.

Contact Tracing

Widespread contact tracing is also essential to controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus and to open an economy safely.

In its criteria to move from Phase 3 to Phase 4, the Restore Illinois plan provides with respect to this criterion: Begin contact tracing and monitoring within 24 hours of diagnosis for more than 90% of cases in region.

While both Gov. Pritzker and Dr. Ezike say that contact tracing is essential to open an economy safely, it appears that the regions will not be required to meet this criterion to move from Phase 3 to Phase 4. Dr. Ezike said it is an internal goal.

IDPH is not monitoring this criterion for any region.

On a Statewide basis, Gov. Pritzker said on May 29 that contact tracing is only being done on about 30% of the known cases, far short of the 90% goal. IDPH has not provided more recent data.

Cook County recently received about $41 million in grant funding from IDPH to rapidly scale-up its COVID-19 contact tracing program in suburban Cook County over the next three to six months.

Where to Get Covid- 19Tests

The City of Evanstons Health and Human Services Department is partnering with AMITA Health St. Francis Hospital to offer two COVID-19 health screening and testing events to Evanston residents who may not otherwise have access to testing or online virtual health visits.

Community testing will be offered at the James Park Field House parking lot, located on Mulford Street west of Dodge Avenue and the Levy Senior Center, on the following days while supplies last:

Testing will be offered in a drive-through format; however, walk-ins will also be accepted.Testing is free, and no appointment is needed to participate. A doctor will be on site to answer questions, and Spanish-speaking team members will be available to assist, as needed.

Participants in need will be provided with a face covering upon arrival, and should maintain a physical distance of at least six feet from non-family members at the event.

Test results are expected to be available within four days of testing. AMITA Health St. Francis Hospital will follow up with all who are tested to provide results, whether positive or negative, and additional education and instructions, as needed.

In addition to these community testing events, residents can access free testing at Statecommunity-based testing sites. Testing may also be provided through a resident's primary healthcare provider.

For more information about COVID-19, please visitcityofevanston.org/covid19or call/text 847-448-4311. For convenience, residents may simply dial 311 in Evanston.

.

Footnotes

* IDPH reports only the number of COVID-19 cases which have been confirmed through a test. The number does not include people who are infected, but who have not been tested, which may include people who are asymptomatic or who have minor symptoms.

On May 21, the Imperial College, London, published Report 23: State-level tracking of COVID-19 in the United States on May 21, 2020. One part of the study estimates the number of infectious individuals in every state in the U.S., including Illinois, as of May 17, which includes people who have not been tested for COVID-19 and who may be asymptomatic. As of May 17, the report estimates that there were 176,000 infectious individuals in Illinois, with a potential range of a low of 54,000 to a high of 395,000.

The report says, Despite new infections being in a steep decline in the United States, the number of people still infectious, and therefore able to sustain onward transmission, can still be large. This discrepancy underscores the importance of testing and case based isolation as a means to control transmission.

Link: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/mrc-gida/2020-05-21-COVID19-Report-23.pdf

** On May 26, Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center said on its website that the World Health Organization (WHO) advised governments [on May 15] that before reopening,rates of positivity in testing (i.e., out of all tests conducted, how many came back positive for COVID-19) should remain at 5% or lower for at least 14 days.

Johns Hopkins explains, The rate of positivity is an important indicator, because it can provide insights into whether a community is conducting enough testing to find cases. If a communitys positivity is high, it suggests that that community may largely be testing the sickest patients and possibly missing milder or asymptomatic cases. A lower positivity may indicate that a community is including in its testing patients with milder or no symptoms. Link: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/testing-positivity

***Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, the Faculty Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI), and two colleagues conclude in a May 7 report, HGHI and NPR publish new state testing targets that, on a nationwide basis, 900,000 tests for COVID-19 are needed each day to open the economy. They also provide estimates of the tests each state should be ready to provide by May 15. For Illinois, they say that 64,167 tests a day are needed. Link to HGHIs report: https://globalepidemics.org/2020/05/07/hghi-projected-tests-needed-may15/

And link to accompanying article: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/05/07/851610771/u-s-coronavirus-testing-still-falls-short-hows-your-state-doing

A report, Roadmap to Pandemic Resilience, published by the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University, concludes that on a nationwide basis the nation needs to be doing 5 million tests per day by early June to deliver a safe social reopening. Link: https://ethics.harvard.edu/files/center-for-ethics/files/roadmaptopandemicresilience_updated_4.20.20_0.pdf

Continued here:

Progress as of June 18 in Meeting the Criteria to Move to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan - Evanston RoundTable

Coronavirus | Punjab has shown good progress in containing the COVID-19 virus spread: Health Ministry – The Hindu

The Health Ministry on Monday said Punjab has shown good progress in containing the COVID-19 virus spread by following a multi-pronged strategy of focusing on high risk/vulnerable population from containment zones and adding to its testing capacity.

Coronavirus, June 22 updates | State Helpline numbers for COVID-19

To reduce mortality, vulnerable population groups including those above 60, those having cardiac or renal disease, hypertension, diabetes or with immune-compromised conditions etc. are line listed. Such persons are offered the facility of government quarantine outside their containment zone till their area comes out of containment, the Ministry noted.

It said Punjab has also implemented a stringent containment strategy where the zones are clearly delineated as a street or two adjoining streets, a Mohalla or a residential society.

Full coverage: Lockdown displaces lakhs of migrants

It has also ramped up the testing capacity: it is conducting about 8000 tests/day. Mobile testing vans are being used to boost testing. While the number was 71 tests/million on April 10, 2020, it has significantly been ramped up to 5,953 tests/million. With this, Punjab has recorded more than 83 times increase in testing.

To restrict the spread of the virus, it has now imposed restrictions on weekends and holidays and is ensuring strict enforcement of all protocols through fines.

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Exterior Progress Continues on 1059 Third Avenue on the Upper East Side – New York YIMBY

Exterior work is progressing steadily at 1059 Third Avenue, a 481-foot-tall mixed-use tower on Manhattans Upper East Side.Designed byManuel Glas Architectsand developed byReal Estate InverladandThird Palm Capital, the slender 30-story superstructure is located between 62nd Street and 63rd Street and will yield a total of 127,000 square feet of newly built space. Inside will be 38 condominiums spread across 103,900 square feet, averaging around 2,740 square feet apiece.

Recent photos from Tectonic show the subtle changes to the curtain wall since YIMBYs lastupdate back in February. Much of the towers dark gray intermittent walls continue to stand exposed between the fenestration, but this temporary surface will eventually be covered with a large structural assembly to which the final exterior panels will be attached. This framework is most readily apparent on the lower portion of the northern elevation.

1059 Third Avenue. Photo by Tectonic

The final stories of 1059 Third Avenue incorporate a darker envelope than the rest of the building, and it will be interesting to see how this visually merges with the rest of the design. The main rendering shows a tight weave of intersecting mullions between the floor-to-ceiling windows, alongside what looks like vertical walls of stone slab and cut-out corner windows. Setbacks at the midpoint and below the roof parapet appear to make way for private landscaped terraces.

1059 Third Avenue. Photo by Tectonic

1059 Third Avenue. Photo by Tectonic

The first few levels above the ground floor are now fully clad in their glass curtain wall, which looks to have a light gray opaque finish.

1059 Third Avenue. Photo by Tectonic

1059 Third Avenue. Photo by Tectonic

1059 Third Avenue. Photo by Tectonic

The project is also set to contain 7,100 square feet of office space on the second floor, a hospital facility measuring around 9,700 square feet on the third and fourth floors, and amenities such as a fitness center, a spa, and a residential lounge.

A formal completion date for 1059 Third Avenue has not been announced, but it looks like sometime in 2021 is plausible.

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Exterior Progress Continues on 1059 Third Avenue on the Upper East Side - New York YIMBY

How will India-China relations progress after the Galwan Valley incident | The Hindu In Focus podcast – The Hindu

The June 15 clash in Galwan Valley, which claimed 20 Indian soldiers in the worst violence since 1967, has brought India-China relations into uncharted waters. Where do the two countries go from here? Has there been a collapse of the mechanisms carefully built to keep the peace on the border? What is the way forward for disengagement? How will India's China policy change after the Galwan tussle?

Guest: Gautam Bambawale, former Indian Ambassador to China and Pakistan.

Find the In Focus podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Search for In Focus by The Hindu.

Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in

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We have been keeping you up-to-date with information on the developments in India and the world that have a bearing on our health and wellbeing, our lives and livelihoods, during these difficult times. To enable wide dissemination of news that is in public interest, we have increased the number of articles that can be read free, and extended free trial periods. However, we have a request for those who can afford to subscribe: please do. As we fight disinformation and misinformation, and keep apace with the happenings, we need to commit greater resources to news gathering operations. We promise to deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda.

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Your support for our journalism is invaluable. Its a support for truth and fairness in journalism. It has helped us keep apace with events and happenings.

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How will India-China relations progress after the Galwan Valley incident | The Hindu In Focus podcast - The Hindu

Heavily armed police add to tensions and inhibit progress, advocates say – MLive.com

Rasheed Jeffries, who participated in several recent police brutality demonstrations in Michigan, saw firsthand the confrontations between protesters and officers equipped with riot gear.

Coming with tanks and things does not deescalate, but escalates emotions, Jeffries said. "They are triggering things.

While there were no reports of actual tanks being used by police, The Detroit-area man says the sight of armored vehicles and the heavily armed police lines may have instigated the vandalism seen in some cities, rather than preventing it.

In the wake of George Floyds death at the hands of police in Minneapolis, there have been calls to defund police departments across the nation and rebuild public safety services from the ground up.

Related: What defund the police means to advocates in Michigan

As advocates rally in large numbers to protest police brutality and demand change, they are often met by lines of police officers and, in some cases, Michigan National Guard troops, dressed in riot gear and armed with large batons, pepper spray and tear gas.

While many police officials view the equipment as essential tools needed to keep the peace, others are arguing just the opposite -- that militarized police may escalate confrontations between protesters and police.

Parris McMurray, of Grand Rapids, believes wholesale defunding of police departments is not the best move. However, he is confident that demilitarizing would help reduce tensions between community members and police.

Why are we using those funds to militarize it? McMurray asked. We need them to be able to understand how to serve black people. Funding should go toward training, mentality and psychology for their jobs and to put different regulations in place to hold them accountable.

McMurray, 33, participated in recent protests in Grand Rapids, and said when police confront protesters with the military-style gear and weapons, it halts an important conversation that protesters are trying to start.

Like many other protesters that have marched and demonstrated in Michigan and across the nation, McMurray is advocating for more closely monitored police departments with better policies in place.

The militarys whole function is to protect this country by shooting and killing the enemy, he said. They are not for domestic.

Jeffries, 48, serves as a minister at Embassy Covenant Church in Walled Lake, near Detroit, and was part of several recent protests, including demonstrations held in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Southfield, Novi and elsewhere in Michigan. Though Jeffries also voiced opposition to totally defunding the police, he questions the seemingly blurred line between military tactics and equipment and those of police.

Each protest Jeffries attended was peaceful. Though he commends police for protecting protesters despite being the target of their ire, the minister still questions the impact of the equipment and tactics being employed during demonstrations in places like Detroit.

At a protest, not a riot, the end goal of the protesters is that their voices be heard, Jeffries said. There should be a sense of open ears and providing a platform for listening."

Though he commends police for protecting protesters despite being the target of their ire, Jeffries still questions the impact of the equipment and tactics being employed during demonstrations in places like Detroit.

Related: Detroit George Floyd police brutality protest turns violent as police fire tear gas, rubber bullets

Though police agencies have long operated under a paramilitary structure, the acquisition of surplus military equipment by departments in Michigan and nationwide is a relatively newer development.

Since about 1990, police have been able to acquire surplus items from the federal government through the 1033 Program at no cost to the local departments. But it was not until late 2014 that the Pentagon began releasing detailed information about the surplus items going to police agencies across the nation.

Between 1997 to 2014, the Department of Defense transferred $4.3 billion in military equipment to local law agencies, according to a report from PBS News Hour. A study on the topic, published in 2018 in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, also found that the image alone of militarized units being used by local police can affect public confidence in departments and raise concerns about their funding.

The American Civil Liberties Union and others have also raised concerns in the past about police using surplus military-style and SWAT vehicles for seemingly routine operations.

Saginaw Police Chief Bob Ruth said demilitarization is not as easy as it sounds, since police departments are paramilitary structures by design.

We are not military, but the officers take orders, said Ruth, who also questioned potential consequences of calls to defund police.

You got to have police, he said. "You got to have someone there when someone is getting shot at or robbed. When somebody kills someone, you got to have someone there to find the murderer.

The city chiefs view that demilitarizing police is easier said than done is shared by Buena Vista Township Police Chief Reginald Williams II. Williams previously served as a police officer under Ruth in Saginaw, and has worked for more than 21 years in law enforcement.

I can understand why people feel the way they do, but they have to understand that we are a paramilitary entity, Williams said. We are going to have similar equipment. But that doesnt mean that we operate like them.

Protests have taken place in communities across the nation in recent weeks, in reaction to George Floyds death in Minneapolis. Some community activists are calling for more control of police protocols, and even the wholesale defunding of departments. Many see the military-style equipment as an issue as well.

Daja Johnson, 24, who lives in Kalamazoo, said she could not believe what she witnessed during a recent protest in her hometown.

Crowds of people were laying flat in front of officers and they (officers) just doused them with tear gas, Johnson said. They didnt pose no threat. It was wild.

Johnson took up the microphone to share some of her thoughts as a spoken word performance during a Black Lives Mater vigil in Battle Creek.

Some who witnessed the June 1 protests in Kalamazoo have suggested that when police arrested a protester on unrelated felony drug warrants during that evenings demonstration it may have instigated the chaotic and destructive night that followed.

Related: Arrest of protester ignited unrest Monday night in Kalamazoo, some say

There, the city recently announced plans to hire an outsider investigator to scrutinize the police response to protests, including officers use of tear gas.

Elsewhere, cities are discussing police policies and other changes. In Grand Rapids, city officials plan to add an explicit ban on chokeholds to an existing use of force policy and, in Ann Arbor, city officials are considering a comprehensive review of the current system as well as instituting better citizen oversight.

Johnson said that she is not in favor of defunding police departments. Rather, she is in favor of them being held more accountable when interacting with the public.

I believe we should have police departments, Johnson said, But I feel like they are here to serve and protect us. Its like they are not serving us. They are doing more harm. I feel like some of the choices that are being made are not some of the best choices. They should be here for us and not against us.

Paramilitary organizations like police agencies follow a chain of command similar to the military. Like many other departments across the state, both Saginaw and Buena Vista have military-style vehicles, like bullet-proof Humvees, and say they are used for a variety of special situations.

We use the armored vehicles in those situations, Ruth said, referring to hostage situations and standoffs, but said it can serve other purposes as well.

It is a rescue vehicle, he said. "We utilized it several times in shooting situations.

The Oakland County Sheriffs department has been one of the biggest recipients of gear through the 1033 program in Michigan, getting an armored personnel carrier, 250 pairs of night-vision goggles, six sets of body armor and six utility trucks. Between 1999 and 2015, it had received more than 7,000 items with an original value totaling nearly $4.8 million, according to a quarterly report from the Defense Logistics Agency program.

The Michigan State Police got a $3.1 million airplane in 2013. The Allegan County Sheriffs Department picked up a mine-resistant vehicle from a Detroit military office in late 2013, then deputies drove it to Allegan. In 2014, the Tuscola County Sheriffs Department obtained a Humvee through the program.

Related: Michigan police bulk up with military surplus - armored trucks, grenade launchers

In West Michigan, the most expensive and noticeable items snagged by police agencies are Humvees and the more hulking mine-resistant ambush protected, or MRAP, vehicles.

Muskegon Countys sheriff said in 2014 that MRAP vehicles are considered just another tool for the sheriffs office to use during incidents of barricaded gunmen or dangerous, volatile situations where it isnt safe for officers to approach. Elsewhere on the Lake Michigan shoreline, Holland rolled out a military surplus Desert Storm Humvee as the latest addition to its fleet in 2013.

Saginaws Chief Ruth said the vehicles are just one example of much-needed gear that help police do their jobs.

Three weeks ago, we used our vehicle in the flood, and we rescued 50 people in Saginaw County, Ruth said, referencing recent catastrophic flooding in Midland County that affected nearby counties as well.

For Saginaw, looming in the background of discussions of police brutality is the 2012 fatal shooting of Milton Hall by police.

Hall was a mentally ill man with a knife who was shot 11 times by officers and killed on July 1, 2012. Police officers surrounded Hall while wearing tactical gear and using military-style weapons. The shooting sparked outcry from the community.

The department has seen an overhaul of its policies and culture in the eight years since, said Ruth, who has been an officer in Saginaw for 26 years and the citys police chief for six years.

We did a total policy review, and we changed just about every policy within the department to make it more user-friendly within the community, Ruth said. Training is the most important thing that we can do in a police department. We conducted cultural diversity training, cultural competency training; we even trained on Bridges Out of Poverty.

More on MLive:

Armored surplus military vehicle now part of Muskegon County Sheriffs Office arsenal

Humvee adds brawn to Holland police tactical teams training

Military vehicle has new home at Tuscola County Sheriffs Department

Original post:

Heavily armed police add to tensions and inhibit progress, advocates say - MLive.com

Utah AD Mark Harlan pleased with the progress being made to bring college sports back – Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY Utah athletics director Mark Harlan said he is pleased with the progress announced by the NCAA on Wednesday. Theres more light at the end of the tunnel regarding the return of sports in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The path is now understood for what an on-time start to the football season will look like and some definition around summer access for football and mens and womens basketball, Harlan said. This is an important step and an exciting development for our student-athletes and coaches. We have our first group beginning voluntary workouts this week, with more on track to join them the next two weeks in Phase I.

Its a positive step and we will continue to work diligently to provide the safest environment possible for our student-athletes, he added.

The Utes, who were cleared to begin voluntary workouts on Monday, are scheduled to open the football season Thursday, Sept. 3 at Rice-Eccles Stadium against BYU. As such, theyll be allowed to begin up to eight hours of conditioning, film review and weight training from July 11 to July 21.

Beginning July 22 through Aug. 4, Utah can conduct up to 20 hours per week and no more than four hours per day of countable athletically related activities. The list includes a maximum of eight hours for conditioning and weight training, a maximum of six hours for walk-throughs with use of a football and a maximum of six hours for meetings (film review, one-on-one, position and/or team gatherings).

Players are requited to get at least two days off during the 14-day stretch. No adjustments were made to the 29-day preseason practice period that follows.

In other action, the NCAA council also approved a summer plan for mens and womens basketball opting to extend voluntary workouts and up to eight hours of virtual nonphysical activities through July 19. Required summer activities may get started the next day.

Continued here:

Utah AD Mark Harlan pleased with the progress being made to bring college sports back - Deseret News