Year: 2018

KNOX News

SEVIERVILLE – A Sevier County deputy who opened fire without warning in a neighborhood and suffered a panic attack four minutes later was forced to resign as a Johnson City law enforcer in 2013 after “fanning” a fellow officer with his gun, lying to his chief about an affair and getting in a shoving match with his wife, records show.

Deputy Justin M. Johnson did not include any mention of his short stint at the Johnson City Police Department in his application to work at the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office nor did Sevier County’s background check reveal his prior post and the problems documented in that agency’s file.   Continue reading “Sevier deputy in panic-attack case forced to resign from prior law enforcement job”

Yahoo News

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Pope Francis accused victims of Chile’s most notorious pedophile of slander Thursday, an astonishing end to a visit meant to help heal the wounds of a sex abuse scandal that has cost the Catholic Church its credibility in the country.

Francis said that until he sees proof that Bishop Juan Barros was complicit in covering up the sex crimes of the Rev. Fernando Karadima, such accusations against Barros are “all calumny.”   Continue reading “Pope shocks Chile by accusing sex abuse victims of slander”

New York Times – by Erica L Green

WASHINGTON — Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison had gathered last spring to consider a resolution calling on the university to divest in companies and countries that abuse human rights, profit from the “military-industrial complex” and promote fossil fuels when the debate jumped the rails.

Soon, the students were in a full-scale battle over whether the resolution should cover Israel, with charges of anti-Semitism and racism rattling the room. A student representative who was Jewish said that the last-minute inclusion of Israel “crossed the line from legitimate conversation to a point where I consider it malicious.” The student government chairwoman, who is black, suggested the opposition to the resolution amounted to “white supremacy,” which she condemned with a four-letter expletive.

Continue reading “An Advocate for Israel Draws Fire as He Nears Confirmation to Civil Rights Post”

AOL

Border Patrol agents have been suspected of tainting water jugs hidden for migrants trying to cross over from Mexico into the United States, human rights groups claimed Wednesday.

The organizations, in a new report, alleged agents contaminated water and supplies in a bid to scare people from crossing the border illegally.   Continue reading “Human rights groups accuse border agents of damaging containers of water left for migrants”

Veterans Today – by Jonas E Alexis

Israel, the problem child in the Middle East, is at it again. Mossad chief Yossi Cohen has recently declared that “We have eyes and ears, even in Iran.”[1]

Does that mean that the Israelis are trying to flesh out a peaceful resolution? Does it imply that they are doing their best to make peace and not war? No. What it means is that the Israeli regime is spying on Iran and spreading categorical lies and deceptive messages. Cohen continues:   Continue reading “Mossad Chief: Israel Spying on Iran”

NTK

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D-CA) said during a press conference Thursday that employers in California who cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in their rumored upcoming immigration raids would be prosecuted if they cooperate in a manner that violates California law.

Becerra held the press conference following reports that ICE officials are “preparing for a major sweep in San Francisco and other Northern California cities.”   Continue reading “California AG: Employers who Cooperate With Federal Immigration Raids Will be Prosecuted”

Yahoo News

Kissufim (Israel) (AFP) – The Israeli army on Thursday revealed details of a massive underground barrier being built along the border with the Gaza Strip in a bid to neutralise the threat of Palestinian attack tunnels.

Eventually stretching some 65 kilometres (41 miles), the concrete wall will be accompanied by motion sensors designed to detect tunnel digging and is expected to be completed by mid-2019.   Continue reading “Israel unveils details of new underground wall along Gaza Strip”

Women System

The Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed a rule that would make it legal for employers to pocket their workers’ tips, as long as they pay those workers at least the minimum wage. The proposed rule rescinds portions of longstanding DOL regulations that prohibit employers from taking tips.1 We estimate that if the rule is finalized, every year workers will lose $5.8 billion in tips, as tips are shifted from workers to employers.2Of the $5.8 billion, nearly 80 percent—$4.6 billion—would be taken from women who are working in tipped jobs.3
Continue reading “The Department Of Labor Has Proposed A Rule That Would Make It Legal For Employers To Pocket Their Workers’ Tips.”

Maine Public – by Caroline Losneck

The Portland-based construction and renovation company Bondeko actively trains and hires immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

Orson Horchler, who started the company two years ago, says the word Bondeko is from Lingala, a Bantu language that is spoken by many Congolese and Angolan residents in Portland.   Continue reading “Construction Company Bondeko Strives to be an Inclusive and Welcoming Work Force”

VPR – by Bob Kinzel

Key legislative leaders say a new proposal by the Scott Administration to build a multi-purpose 925-bed prison in Franklin County is an ambitious plan that deserves a comprehensive review.

One of the biggest questions about the plan is whether it should be financed using a public-private partnership.   Continue reading “Lawmakers To Study Proposed 925-Bed Corrections Complex In Northwest Vermont”

Maine Public – by Bill Trotter

More than 3,000 Mainers are vying for one of just 11 new baby eel fishing licenses that Maine will issue this year as it reopens the lucrative fishery.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources will issue the licenses through a lottery, with the drawing scheduled for sometime in the coming week. It will be the first time the state has allowed any new entrants into the fishery for baby eels, or elvers, since 2013.   Continue reading “Thousands Of Mainers Vie For 11 Licenses To Fish Baby Eels”