August 1, 2024

Thief who stole 798 Creme Eggs jailed

BBC - UK

A shoplifter who stole 798 Cadbury's Creme Eggs has been jailed for eight months.

Portsmouth Magistrates' Court heard on Friday that Layton Richards, 29, from Brownlow Close in Portsmouth, had been charged with 24 shoplifting offences.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said he had stolen the chocolate between 6 January and 18 April.

Richards targeted 19 shops across Hampshire, Dorset and West Sussex, and took £3,463.96 worth of produce and products.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv2gxev3515o

I hope he got a toothache

August 1, 2024

Amtrak asks for $299M to fix Northeast Corridor problems that constantly delay commuters

By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Amtrak officials have applied for $299.7 million in federal grants to replace trouble-prone overhead wiring that powers trains, and has been blamed for delays and service suspensions this summer.

Amtrak applied for four Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Federal Railroad Administration grants, including $13.4 million to replace overhead electric catenary wires between North Brunswick to Newark, with an award announcement expected in the fall, said Jason Abrams, an Amtrak spokesman.

Amtrak officials also applied for an $18.6 million grant to upgrade signal systems between New Brunswick and Elizabeth, $80.277 million to replace electrical substation 41 in Kearny and $187.5 million to replace the Sawtooth Bridges in Kearny.

The two-track Sawtooth Bridges would be replaced with new structures carrying four Northeast Corridor through tracks over NJ Transit’s Morris & Essex lines and PATH tracks. Those bridges were built in 1907 and are deteriorating.

https://www.nj.com/news/2024/08/amtrak-asks-for-299m-to-fix-northeast-corridor-problems-that-constantly-delay-commuters.html

(paywall)

August 1, 2024

Amtrak asks for $299M to fix Northeast Corridor problems that constantly delay commuters

By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Amtrak officials have applied for $299.7 million in federal grants to replace trouble-prone overhead wiring that powers trains, and has been blamed for delays and service suspensions this summer.

Amtrak applied for four Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Federal Railroad Administration grants, including $13.4 million to replace overhead electric catenary wires between North Brunswick to Newark, with an award announcement expected in the fall, said Jason Abrams, an Amtrak spokesman.

Amtrak officials also applied for an $18.6 million grant to upgrade signal systems between New Brunswick and Elizabeth, $80.277 million to replace electrical substation 41 in Kearny and $187.5 million to replace the Sawtooth Bridges in Kearny.

The two-track Sawtooth Bridges would be replaced with new structures carrying four Northeast Corridor through tracks over NJ Transit’s Morris & Essex lines and PATH tracks. Those bridges were built in 1907 and are deteriorating.

https://www.nj.com/news/2024/08/amtrak-asks-for-299m-to-fix-northeast-corridor-problems-that-constantly-delay-commuters.html

(paywall)

August 1, 2024

Unlawful border crossings drop for 5th straight month, reaching lowest level since September 2020

CBS

Sasabe, Arizona — Unlawful crossings by migrants along the U.S. southern border dropped for the fifth consecutive month in July, plunging to the lowest level since the fall of 2020, internal government figures obtained by CBS News show.

U.S. Border Patrol agents made roughly 56,000 migrant apprehensions between official points of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border in July, the lowest number since September 2020, when the agency reported nearly 55,000 apprehensions, according to the preliminary Customs and Border Protection data.

n December, during a record-breaking spike in migration at the U.S.-Mexico border that overwhelmed agents in parts of Texas and Arizona, Border Patrol reported 250,000 apprehensions, or over four times July's tally.

The marked reduction in border crossings in July continues a remarkable downward pattern in illegal immigration that started earlier this year. Border Patrol recorded 84,000 migrant apprehensions in June; 118,000 in May; 129,000 in April; 137,000 in March; and 141,000 in February, according to government statistics.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/unlawful-border-crossings-drop-5th-straight-month-lowest-level-since-september-2020/

August 1, 2024

Stunning image reveals Revolutionary War soldier whose bones were found in N.J. field

Composite sketch of one of the soldiers prepared by artist Moises Martinez of the New Jersey State Police Forensic Technology Center.

Rob Jennings | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Two years after an archeological dig accidentally uncovered skeletal remains in a New Jersey field, there is now a face to help tell the story of what happened on a key Revolutionary War battlefield in 1777.

Working off of a skull recovered from a trench just outside Red Bank Battlefield Bank, a New Jersey State Police artist sketched one of the Hessian soldiers who died fighting for Great Britain against the Continental Army.

Scientists now believe 15 sets of skeletal remains, all from men, were located in the trench during the 2022 dig. DNA testing so far has failed to identify any of the soldiers, but that remains a goal of the ongoing research project, officials said Wednesday in an update on the discovery.

The newly-released image by artist Moises Martinez of the State Police’s forensic technology center includes a headdress and a mustache, both of which were associated with Hessian soldiers of that period. The rendering helps convey the humanity of those who were killed, said Jen Janofsky, director of Red Bank Battlefield Park.

https://www.nj.com/news/2024/07/stunning-image-reveals-revolutionary-war-soldier-whose-bones-were-found-in-nj-field.html
(paywall)

The Red Bank location is in Gloucester County, NJ, not the Red Bank in Monmouth County.

August 1, 2024

Chuck Schumer rolls out 'No Kings Act' to eliminate presidential immunity

Source: NBC

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday announced a bill that would ensure that presidents do not have criminal immunity.

The legislation is a direct response to the Supreme Court's ruling last month that former President Donald Trump has some immunity for aspects of his presidential conduct. However, even if the bill passes the Senate, it would face an uphill climb in the House, which is controlled by Republican allies of Trump.

"Given the dangerous and consequential implications of the Court’s ruling, legislation would be the fastest and most efficient method to correcting the grave precedent the Trump ruling presented," Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. "With this glaring and partisan overreach, Congress has an obligation — and a constitutional authority — to act as a check and balance to the judicial branch."

The legislation, dubbed the "No Kings Act," would ensure that neither sitting nor former presidents and vice presidents are entitled to immunity from prosecution for alleged crimes. The bill has more than two dozen Democratic signers.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/chuck-schumer-remove-presidential-immunity-trump-rcna164618

July 31, 2024

Gen x, millennials face higher risk of 17 cancers than older generations

NBC

Younger generations have a heightened risk of some cancers, new research found.

A study published Wednesday in Lancet Public Health found that Gen X and millennials are more likely to be diagnosed with 17 types of cancer, including nine that had been declining in older adults. Researchers aren’t sure why, but say obesity is likely a leading cause.

“What is happening in these generations can be considered a bellwether for future cancer trends,” said Hyuna Sung, a cancer epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society, who led the research.

Rates of colorectal cancer — one of the 17 types — have been rising among younger people for decades, a troubling trend that sparked investigation into other types of cancer.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/cancer-gen-x-millennials-17-types-reverse-trend-rcna164376

July 31, 2024

Trump called 'grumpy, cruel, hard-of-hearing, race-baiting, a--hole' after hostile NABJ interview

Don't you just LOVE this headline on NJ.com!
And it was tweeted by Tim Miller, a former Republican political consultant.

By Kevin Manahan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The National Association of Black Journalists had to beat back a revolt from its membership after inviting former president Donald Trump to a panel discussion at its annunal convention on Wednesday.

But the organization’s officers likely were vindicated when Trump self-destructed in a hostile, confrontational session in which he insulted them, questioned Vice President Kamala Harris’ Black heritage while accusing her of using it as a prop, while also making several factually incorrect statements.

Several times, audience members laughed at Trump’s answers.

While many NABJ members insisted that the organization refuse to give Trump a platform — especially given his history of racist rhetoric — Trump’s appearance provided an argument for the other side.

https://www.nj.com/politics/2024/07/trump-called-grumpy-cruel-hard-of-hearing-race-baiting-a-hole-after-hostile-nabj-interview.html

July 31, 2024

UAW union endorses Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump

NBC

The United Auto Workers has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris over Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump.

The union’s endorsement shouldn’t be surprising. UAW President Shawn Fain has been outspoken against Trump. The Detroit union also has historically supported Democrats, including President Joe Biden.

It comes after Biden withdrew his re-election bid and endorsed Harris to become the Democratic nominee against Trump.

Fain and Trump have been at odds — publicly trading remarks — since the union leader was elected early last year. Trump called for Fain to be fired during a speech earlier this month at the Republican National Convention.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/uaw-union-endorses-president-kamala-harris-trump-rcna164550

July 31, 2024

'Lotus for POTUS' energizes South Asian voters around Harris

NBC

Indian American voters supporting Kamala Harris’ presidential ticket have a new rallying cry: LOTUS for POTUS.

It stems from a translation of the vice president’s first name. “Kamala” in the classical South Asian language Sanskrit means “lotus,” a flower native to the region that’s significant across many religions on the subcontinent.

Abhay Dandekar took notice of this the Monday morning after President Joe Biden announced he was exiting the race. Between seeing patients, the 53-year-old pediatrician took out his phone and created a meme. It was Harris’ face behind white text that said, “In Sanskrit, Kamala means LOTUS. In America, Kamala means POTUS.”

...

After he texted the meme to a few friends, it proceeded to blow up on WhatsApp groups, a town square for members of the South Asian diaspora all over the world.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/lotus-potus-kamala-harris-indian-voters-rcna164323