Monthly Archives: March 2021

Mayor Wheeler echoes concerns of local businesses losing money

by: KOIN 6 News Staff

Destruction to Pearl District businesses on March 13, 2021 in the Pearl District (PPB)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Some business owners in downtown Portlands Pearl District are pleading for an end to continued property damage and violence surrounding their stores.

Two small business ownersboth of whom requested to maintain anonymitytold the Portland City Council Wednesday the financial damage has been overwhelming. They added the vandalism does nothing for social justice.

We all know this isnt freedom of speech, said a woman named Lisa who owns a small business in the Pearl District. This is pure freedom of hate and destruction. We, small business owners, are not wealthy people. We do not have an instant ATM from which we can repeatedly take money out to pay to have plywood boards put up then taken down, remove graffiti, replace broken glass doors, glass windows, et cetera.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler echoed the frustration and anger of business owners. He said the local retailers and restaurants were the ones being hurt, not the faceless large corporations.

On Friday, March 12, 13 people were arrested and roughly 100 in total were detained after a march ended in widespread vandalism and criminal activity. Some in the group had smashed windows to several businesses leading officers to create a perimeter around the crowd.

Some of the protesters also confronted the police, throwing rocks and full cans of beer, according to PPB. Officers reported using pepper spray. Two of the 13 people arrested were suspects carrying firearms, wearing body armor and helmets, according to police.

Read more:

Freedom of hate and destruction: Downtown businesses sound off on violence - KOIN.com

Free speech advocates have long believed that suing a news organization threatens free speech. Democracy needs a press to be free to report, without fear or favor, the facts as it sees them.

But two recent legal actions against news organizations indicate that the First Amendment provides sufficient free speech protection, even when punishing lawsuits are filed against the press.

Falsehoods have flooded public discourse in recent years through outlets including talk radio, cable TV channels and social media such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Reddit and Instagram. The proliferation of these falsehoods has seemingly normalized the practice of spreading lies.

Earlier this year Smartmatic, a little-known voter technology firm, sued cable channel Fox News for US$2.7 billion alleging defamation for baseless reports of fraud in the November 2020 election. One day later Fox News canceled Lou Dobbs Tonight, a program hosted by a staunch supporter of Donald Trump and repeater of his false assertions of voter fraud. Fox even broadcast fact-checking reports debunking its own anchors false claims about electoral fraud.

Smartmatic also threatened to sue another news outlet, Newsmax, for large sums unless it retracted defamatory statements that claimed Smartmatic software was used to change votes cast in the presidential election. Newsmax backpedaled by publishing the retraction that No evidence has been offered that Smartmatic used software or reprogrammed software that manipulated votes in the 2020 election.

So, does the fear of losing money in a lawsuit dictate what news organizations will report and what they wont?

No. As a former journalist and now scholar and practitioner of media law, I believe there are enough safeguards built into First Amendment jurisprudence to shut down liars and still protect robust debate of opposing viewpoints in America.

In a landmark First Amendment case almost 60 years ago, New York Times v. Sullivan, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that in the rush to gather and disseminate news, it is understandable that a news reporter may miss an important fact or interpret something wrong. Because preserving a free and robust exchange of ideas is vital to democracy, the court said it is worth the risk that some falsehoods may mistakenly be printed, and the press shouldnt be punished for it.

Thus, when a well-known person or company brings a defamation suit against a news organization, they must have a very strong case or they will lose. Defamation law heavily favors a media defendant.

To win, it is not enough to prove the news outlet published falsehoods, even if the plaintiff suffered significant damage to their reputation. Plaintiffs must prove the news organization published information even with the knowledge that [a statement made] was false or with reckless disregard for the truth.

Realistically, it means it is not worth suing a broadcaster or newspaper for defamation unless the lie is egregious, the damage to reputation is severe and the evidence of the news organizations intention or recklessness in publishing the story is practically undeniable.

That is a steep hill for plaintiffs to climb.

But courts draw the line when a news organization publishes untruths that could have been adequately checked for accuracy, but reporters or editors carelessly or knowingly shirked their duty to do so.

That is the linchpin of Smartmatics claim against Fox News. The lawsuit states Trump lawyers Rudolph Giuliani and Sidney Powell made the case for election fraud for weeks as frequent guests on Fox programs, but rather than fact-check those false claims, the lawsuit alleges, Fox joined the conspiracy to defame and disparage Smartmatic and its election technology and software.

When Giuliani and Powell were asked to produce actual evidence of voting fraud involving the company, none was forthcoming, but Fox published their claims anyway. And Smartmatic sent the network a letter before the lawsuit was filed asking it to issue a full and complete retraction of all false and defamatory statements and reports. In response, the network aired several times an interview with a voting technology expert who debunked the claims of fraud, but it is not clear whether a two-and-a-half-minute interview was enough to undo months of broadcasting inflammatory and baseless claims of election fraud.

Several legal experts believe Smartmatics lawsuit could be successful.

Free speech advocates may complain that disgruntled plaintiffs sometimes sue not because information reported about them is untrue, but rather to silence a news outlet that they know cannot afford to defend the lawsuit.

[Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]

But there is a legal remedy for this, too. The District of Columbia and 30 states have laws, called anti-SLAPP statutes SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation that allow a defendant to get a case dismissed early in litigation and get paid attorneys fees and costs if the published speech is true and a plaintiff is suing just to silence the publisher.

It is an effective tool journalism organizations can use to defend themselves against bullying plaintiffs. Depending on the state, the effectiveness of anti-SLAPP statutes and who is allowed to assert them can vary.

Suing over illegal speech is a slow and expensive process. Nevertheless, defamation suits lodged against Fox News and threatened against Newsmax for false reports of fraud in the November 2020 election managed to quickly curtail misinformation spread by news networks, where years of excoriating criticism by public pressure campaigns and advertising boycotts did not.

It is enough to prompt First Amendment advocates to rethink whether defamation lawsuits may be a valuable tool to protect rather than a scourge that hinders the dissemination of free speech and truth in American discourse.

Read more:

Why lawsuits against the media may not hurt freedom of the press - The Conversation US

With cataracts in his eyes and difficulty in breathing, the frail 70-year-old man was toiling to bark logs with his axe in a sawmill of Domar upazila town.

Asked why he still has to work at this age, Nripendra Nath Roy alias Sinial said he has six mouths to feed and he cannot look away from them when they need him.

Likewise, when the country needed him 50 years ago, he took up arms and fought in different battles under Sector 6 until the country was free from the enemy.

As a means to honour the sons of the soil and to recognise their services for the country, the government has been disbursing monthly allowance for them every month.

However, valiant freedom fighter Nripendra, who fought in Burimari, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari, has been deprived of the much-needed allowance due to a couple of callous errors made during the process of issuing his national identity (NID) card in 2008.

Not only his birth date was erroneously changed to 1960, instead of 1951, his alias, Sinial, was added next to his full name on the NID.

For the next seven years -- from 2008 to 2015 -- the elderly man tried in vain to get the error corrected despite spending countless hours during numerous visits at the Election Commission offices in Domar upazila and Nilphamari.

Ilius Hossain, former deputy commander of Muktijoddha Sangsad's Domar unit, said, "Nripendra Nath is a genuine freedom fighter as his name is included in the freedom fighters' list, compiled in India in 1971, which is accepted by all quarters. And this needs no further verification."

"My year of birth is 1951... My name is correctly mentioned as Nripendra Nath Roy in the Indian list, under serial number 37429," Nripendra said.

"But in the NID card prepared in 2008, the callous enumerators put down Sinial, my nickname, as part of my full name. On top of that, they entered my birth year as 1960, which is incorrect. These mistakes have had disastrous effects on my life," the war veteran said frustratingly.

In 2017, after the government launched a verification of the freedom fighters' list, Nripendra turned in necessary documents -- including a copy of the freedom fighters' list, compiled by Indian authorities in 1971, and recommendation letters from his co-fighters and from the committee tasked with the verification of freedom fighters' list in the upazila -- to Jatiya Muktijoddha Council (National Freedom Fighters' Council).

The Council, four years later, is yet to make a decision on the case of Nripendra, who was an active freedom fighter under the command of Capt Iqbal, sub-sector commander of Sector 6.

Domar unit Muktijoddha Sangsad's former commander Mohammad Nurunnabi said, "All of us consider him to be a real freedom fighter and he should get the recognition."

Contacted, Domar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shahina Shabnam said, "We are considering the case with sincerity and we await the decision of Jatiya Muktijoddha Council."

Nripendra is originally from Chowki Bhajini village in Debiganj upazila of Panchagarh. He later became a permanent resident of his wife's native home at Pashchim Boragari Bagdokra village of Domar upazila in Nilphamari.

Read more here:

Freedom fighter toils away without recognition - The Daily Star

Just after opening a new vintage ice cream parlor in a Crown Point strip mall, Dairy Belle will soon open its sixth location in Dyer.

The 71-year-old Region institution, which has been serving scoops since it started in Hammond in 1950, is opening next to Pop's on U.S. 30 in Dyer, about three miles west of its existing location on U.S. 30 in Schererville.

TheColao family, owner of Dairy Belle, is friends with Pop's owners, which led them to open next to Pop's Italian beef restaurants in Crown Point and now Dyer, Natalie Colao said.

The new ice cream parlor in Dyer will be around 1,800-square-feet with indoor seating, an outdoor patio and a drive-thru. It will be the first Dairy Belle to occupy a newly constructed location, and it will be open year-round.

"They're ready to break ground," Colao said. "Assuming everything goes as projected, it should be open mid-summer."

The goal is to have the ice cream shop open by mid-June, in the midst of the busy season.

Dairy Belle will serve familiar favorites like soft serve ice cream, Dole Whip pineapple, sundaes, malts, flurries, shakes and build-your-own banana splits.

"It will be the same menu as the other location," Natalie Colao said.

Both businesses could benefit from being so close to each other, Colao said. People could grab a dinner of Italian sausage, gyros or Reuben sandwiches at Pop's and then swing by Dairy Belle for dessert.

"We have lines down the street on U.S. 30," she said. "They do well at that Dyer location and get lines down the street on U.S. 30. We're not sure exactly what to expect. They might need to put in a stop light."

The new Dyer location should draw from a wide area, including south suburban Illinois and Munster.

"We've gotten questions from customers about whether it will take away from our Schererville location," she said. "But our Schererville location draws from Schererville, Merrillville and Hobart. This should attract more people from Dyer and St. John."

Read this article:

Family Express acquires six Freedom Oil stores, another station in McCordsville - The Times of Northwest Indiana

The vehicle here is known as the 2021 Play from none other than Roadtrek. Dont know this team? Well, the brand has officially been around since 1980, but its conception began in 1974 when Jac Hanemaayer decided to create his own motorhome vehicles. In 2019, the Roadtrek brand was acquired by Groupe Rapido in order to continue producing vehicles like the Play.

To kick things off, the wonderyou see is built on a Ram ProMaster 3500 extended van chassis with an automatic 6-speed transmission. This 3.6-liter, V6, 24-valve engine cranks out 280 hp (283 PS) and 260 lb-ft (352 Nm) of torque @ 6400 RPM. Think you need any more to lug around the GCWR of 11,500 lb (5,216 kg)? Didn't think so.

An exterior length of 20.75 ft (6.32 m), width of 6.92 ft (2.11 m)), and height, with roof AC, of 9.42 ft (2.87 m), give way to an interior that allows for 6.2 ft (1.88 m) of headroom and filled with more than enough features to live life on the road until restrictions are lifted.

Waterworks are handled by a 37-gallon (140-liter) freshwater tank, a 14-gallon (53-liter) gray water tank, and finally an 8.5-gallon (32-liter) black water tank, will aid the needs for three permanent guests.

One thing that sets the Play apart from other vehicles in its class, is the lack of an excessive number of floorplans; only one option exists for this camper. Frankly, you dont need to offer your customers more than one floorplan if its versatile enough to match any needs that may arise during the journey.

The kitchen is equipped with more than the necessaryequipment needed to cook a five-star meal and includes a microwave oven, two-burner recessed propane stovetop, and sink with faucet. A flip-up counter extension, slide-out pantry, and large pot and pan drawer are sure to meet your meal-plan needs.

For sleeping, two twin beds can be found at the rear. These can be kept separate, for example, if traveling with a friend, or can be combined to form a king, if traveling with your partner. A king bed is usually suitable for up to three folks, but if you dont want to feel cramped, an optional feature transforms the two front seats into an extra single bed. The bathroom is a fully enclosed system with marine toilet, sink, and shower. Nothing too fancy, but inclusive of everything you need.

Several other features like a 12-volt macerator sewage pump and gravity dump, power inverter, 400 AGM battery system, and monitor panel for these features, is also found. Even though the manufacturers website shows only a couple of optional features, theyll probably be more than happy to work out whatever other needs you may have. Heck, for a $104,986 starting MSRP, they better be.

Continue reading here:

2021 RoadTrek Play Camper Van Unleashes Freedom and Comfort Into the Wild - autoevolution