Teens from ‘loving family’ put in foster care for being overweight
A loving home wasn’t enough: Authorities determined the body weight of these children made their parents unfit.
Judge Gillian Ellis in Sussex, UK, has ruled that two teens should be placed in long-term foster care as a result of their parents’ inability to reduce the children’s extreme weight, in addition to other concerns including poor home conditions and a lack of personal care guidance, the Guardian reported. The family’s identity remains private at this time.
“Everyone agrees that this is a very sad and unusual case, of a loving family, where the parents meet many of the basic needs of the children, but the local authority has been concerned that the parents are not meeting the children’s health needs, in that both children are severely overweight, and the parents have shown an inability to help the children manage this condition,” Ellis said in her ruling.
She made her ruling despite the fact that the parents in some ways showed themselves to be good and responsible parents, evidenced by the teens’ manners and general demeanor.
“The case was such an unusual one, because the children had clearly had some very good parenting, as they were polite, bright and engaging,” Ellis added.
Social services staff in West Sussex first alerted a family court about the children’s weight, and local authorities subsequently gave the family complimentary Fitbits and gym memberships. The family also signed up for Weight Watchers.
Months later, however, the children’s weight — which was not revealed — had not changed, and the family did not provide authorities with mandatory Fitbit recordings, nor did they consistently attend the Weight Watchers meetings.
“The children had failed to engage consistently in exercise despite the local authority providing Fitbits and paying for gym membership. The children were supposed to provide recordings from their Fitbits, but this had not been done,” Ellis said in her ruling, which the Guardian reported on after it published online Wednesday.
While Ellis said the teens’ parents appeared to not sufficiently respect how important “living more healthily” was, the children’s mother said the ongoing coronavirus pandemic was at the heart of the issue.
“The mother blamed lockdown for the inability to exercise, but exercise could still be taken in the home or by walking outside,” Ellis wrote.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/03/11/teens-from-loving-family-put-in-foster-care-for-being-overweight/
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Kava bar bans masks, teachers who do virtual classes
Kavasutra, a Florida-based chain of bars that sells drinks made with the sedative plant kava, is taking heat for banning elementary teachers who still teach remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY,” wrote Kavasutra, which has two locations in the East Village, in an all-caps post to its Instagram page Wednesday. “Any and all grade school teachers who, by choice, have opted not to return to in-person teaching are hereby banned from any and all Kavasutra Kava Bar locations.”
In the rant, the holistic drink business also blasted “p—y leftists” after announcing that masks are no longer allowed at some stores.
“Masks may not be worn in Arizona or Florida locations,” read the post, adding that “New York and Colorado are a bunch of p—y leftists so they can cover their mouths with a dirty cloth.”
After being inundated with negative comments and one-star Yelp reviews, Kavasutra posted a sarcastic response, doubling down on its first.
“It has come to our attention that we may have upset some people with our last post,” the second post said, before reiterating that “masks are for leftist losers, teachers unions are trash, women are born with ovaries. And we are doing slams at midnight tonight.”
A third post, published Thursday, kept the vitriol flowing, angrily encouraging more one-star Yelp reviews. “We strive to have 1-Star from these fake leftist Silicon Valley losers. 1-Star is all we ask. The lower our stars, the busier we are!” read the caption.
Kavasutra did not return The Post’s request for comment.
In addition to its two New York City bars, Kavasutra has 12 locations in Florida, two in Colorado and one in Arizona.
“We are the largest chain of Kava Bars in the nation,” reads Kavasutra’s Facebook bio. “We got here by offering the strongest Kava and kratom. Not the garbage you are used to.”
Kavasutra’s website further declares that kava “has been used traditionally for over 3,000 years for celebration, conflict resolution, and for recreational fun.”
via: https://nypost.com/2021/03/12/kava-bar-bans-masks-and-teachers-who-do-virtual-classes/
Photo Credit: J.C. Rice
‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler, legendary boxer, dies at 66
Marvelous Marvin Hagler stopped Thomas Hearns in a fight that lasted less than eight minutes yet was so epic that it still lives in boxing lore. Two years later, he was so disgusted after losing a decision to Sugar Ray Leonard — stolen, he claimed, by the judges — that he never fought again.
One of the great middleweights in boxing history, Hagler died Saturday at the age of 66. His wife, Kay, announced his death on the Facebook page for Hagler’s fans.
“I am sorry to make a very sad announcement,” she wrote. “Today unfortunately my beloved husband Marvelous Marvin passed away unexpectedly at his home here in New Hampshire. Our family requests that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.”
Hagler fought on boxing’s biggest stages against its biggest names, as he, Leonard, Hearns and Roberto Duran dominated the middleweight classes during a golden time for boxing in the 1980s. Quiet with a brooding public persona, Born in Newark, N.J., Hagler fought 67 times over 14 years as a pro out of Brockton, Mass., finishing 62-3-2 with 52 knockouts.
“If they cut my bald head open, they will find one big boxing glove,’’ Hagler once said. “That’s all I am. I live it.”
Hagler was unmistakable in the ring, fighting out of a southpaw stance with his bald head glistening in the lights. He was relentless and he was vicious, stopping opponent after opponent during an eight year run that began with a disputed draw against Vito Antuofermo in 1979 that he later avenged.
He fought with a proverbial chip on his shoulder, convinced that boxing fans and promoters alike didn’t give him his proper due. He was so upset that he wasn’t introduced before a 1982 fight by his nickname of Marvelous that he went to court to legally change his name.
He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1983.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/03/13/marvelous-marvin-hagler-legendary-boxer-dies-at-66/
Photo credit: nypost.com
A man wrongfully convicted of murder sues a rental car company for not providing a receipt that supported his alibi
(CNN)A Michigan man was recently exonerated of murder, a charge for which he spent nearly five years in prison. Now, he’s suing a rental car company for not providing records that, his lawyers say, would’ve exonerated him earlier.
Herbert Alford was wrongfully convicted of second-degree murder in 2016 and freed in 2020 after the Hertz Corporation provided a receipt that showed Alford was renting a car from the Lansing airport minutes before the murder took place. Hertz shared the documents with the court in 2018, more than two years after they were initially contacted by Alford’s lawyers.
“Had the defendants not ignored and disobeyed numerous court orders requiring them to produce the documentation that eventually freed Mr. Alford, he would not have spent over 1,700 days incarcerated,” Alford’s attorneys wrote in a complaint obtained by CNN.
in 2011, Alford was mistakenly identified as the gunman who killed 23-year-old Michael Adams in a Lansing strip mall, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.
He was arrested in 2015, after a suspect of a separate, drug-related crime “cut a deal with police” and provided information about Alford, according to the registry. He was convicted of second-degree murder in 2016.
Alford’s attorneys said they had requested records from Hertz that would corroborate Alford’s alibi. Hertz didn’t respond, they said, until 2018 — more than a year after a jury convicted Alford of murder, among other charges.
The records Hertz provided in 2018 showed that Alford had rented a car minutes before Adams’ killing, which occurred around 20 minutes away, Alford’s lawyer Jamie White told CNN.
Alford spent nearly five years imprisoned before all charges against him were dismissed in February 2020. He was on bond from February to December 2020, according to the complaint.
But the years he spent incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit could’ve been avoided, his lawyers said, had Hertz provided the receipt when it was first requested.
A spokesperson for Hertz, which recently filed a plan of reorganization in bankruptcy court, told CNN the company is “deeply saddened to learn of Mr. Alford’s experience.”
“While we were unable to find the historic rental record from 2011 when it was requested in 2015, we continued our good faith efforts to locate it,” the spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “With advances in data search in the years following, we were able to locate the rental record in 2018 and promptly provided it.
“Since his release in December, Alford is struggling to adjust to life after incarceration, White said.”He is going through some things right now,” he told CNN. “He’s trying to figure out his next move … and we’re hopeful that, you know, he’s going to get back on track shortly.”Alford is seeking compensation in excess of $25,000, according to the complaint. But there’s “no dollar figure that’s going to make this right,” White said.
via: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/11/us/exonerated-man-sues-hertz-wrongful-murder-trnd/index.html
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A Kroger clinic in Virginia accidentally gave customers empty shots instead of Covid-19 vaccines
(CNN)Workers at a Kroger clinic in Central Virginia accidentally injected some customers with empty syringes instead of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the grocery chain.
A Kroger spokeswoman said in a statement that “a small number of patients” received the empty shots at their The Little Clinic location in Midlothian, which is near Richmond.”
All impacted customers were contacted and have received their COVID-19 vaccine,” said Allison McGee, corporate affairs manager for Kroger mid-Atlantic in a statement. “We thank these customers for their understanding and have apologized for their inconvenience.”
The Virginia Department of Public Health told CNN that Kroger informed them that nine patients got the empty shots on Monday because the provider did not realize that the syringes were not prefilled.
“Kroger is taking steps to ensure that similar incidents don’t occur in the future,” a spokeswoman for the agency said in a statement.
Carrie Hawes told CNN affiliate WWBT that she went in on Monday to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and got a call the next day to inform her of the mistake.”
My initial reaction was shock and surprise, and a little anxiety,” she told WWBT.Hawes was able to get the real vaccine at the clinic about two hours after getting the call.
“They were very clear with me when we went in,” she told WWBT. “They showed us the vial to make sure it was Johnson & Johnson, pulled out the vaccine, she showed me again.”
Kroger said that the mistake was “immediately addressed with the TLC team” and all vaccinators have been retrained and reminded of the current vaccination policies.
The grocery chain said that it has administered almost one million vaccines at its pharmacies and clinics around the United States.On Thursday, the company said it was expanding its efforts to deliver a million doses each week.
CNN’s Jacqueline Howard and Melissa Alonso contributed to this story.
via: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/11/us/kroger-coronavirus-vaccine-mistake-trnd/index.html
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MO man charged with trying to lure young boys into truck
FENTON, Mo. (KMOV.com) — A man is facing charges after police say he parked at a park and tried to lure young boys into his truck on multiple occasions.
Robert Payne, 75, is charged with solicitation of child pornography and coercion and enticement of a minor.
According to St. Louis County police, Payne repeatedly tried to talk to young boys in his 2001 red Ford Ranger at Fenton City Park. On Sunday, detectives had an undercover officer approach Payne at the park and the officer told Payne he was 16 years old. Payne believed the officer was 16 and tried to solicit sex with him during their conservation and in emails, police said.
Surveillance video captured Payne parked at Fenton City Park every day from March 1 and March 4. On March 2 and 3, he was parked there from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. each day.
According to video surveillance, Payne repositioned his truck at the park about 18 times, including backing into a space to allow him to watch Lindbergh High School boys lacrosse team practice.
On March 3, Payne tried to engaged with 10 to 12 young boys around the basketball courts at the park.
Investigators believe there may be additional victims of Payne in the area. Anyone with any information on Payne’s past offenses is asked to contact St. Louis County Detectives at 314-615-4692.
Velda City Police Department, Sunset Hills Police Department, and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office have also investigated incidents relating to Payne in their jurisdictions.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/police-fenton-man-charged-with-trying-to-lure-young-boys-into-truck/article_e7a779c4-82a9-11eb-9fc1-9b0a2103ffb1.html?block_id=676556
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George Floyd memorial site reportedly now an anti-cop autonomous zone
Left-wing militants have reportedly turned a memorial site for George Floyd in Minneapolis into a “volatile” autonomous zone — where police and even other protesters aren’t welcome.
The memorial, called George Floyd Square, popped up in the days after the 46-year-old’s police-involved death on May 25 — the catalyst for a global movement against police brutality and racial inequality.
But since then, a militant-style group has taken over the blocks-long site, creating a hostile situation for authorities and protesters alike, NewsNation Now reported.
“The situation at the memorial, from what I understand, is its kind of volatile,” Kim Griffin, a Minneapolis resident, told the outlet. “People that want to go and support doesn’t feel a sense of inclusion. There is more of a like militant-type atmosphere over there and a sense of fear.”
Griffin said her nephew, Imez Wright, was gunned down within the zone over the weekend — and that activists blocked cops from responding.
“Police were not allowed to get into that area; he was carried out outside of the zone of George Floyd Square,” she said. “It was made clear law enforcement was not welcome to penetrate that zone, which is an atrocity because his life was taken, and I mean who knows whether or not he would have survived had things been different.”
NewsNation now reporter Brian Entin was recently reporting from the autonomous zone — which surrounds East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, where Floyd was killed — when he was confronted by two activists dressed in all black.
“We’re media,” Entin said, according to a video he posted on Twitter.
“I don’t give a f–k who you are,” one of the protesters replied. “You need to get in your car and go.”
Those guarding the zone have refused to reopen the area unless the city meets a list of 24 demands — including recalling the county prosecutor and dedicating hundreds of thousands of dollars into fighting racism, supporting affordable housing and creating jobs, the network reported.
The activists want the area to remain closed until trials are held for the three other officers charged in Floyd’s death. Those are scheduled for August.
“The thing about it is that a lot of the different demands are asks from different people, and black folks aren’t monolithic,” said Jeanelle Austin, a leader of the autonomous zone. “So it’s really incumbent upon our city leadership to really look at the needs behind the asks, and really fulfilling those needs.”
But the city has vowed to reopen the zone after the trial for Derek Chauvin — the former Minneapolis police officer charged in Floyd’s murder — wraps up.
City councilwoman Andrea Jenkins said some residents have complained about gunshots and helicopters flying overhead.
She said cops have faced “protests, resistance, opposition” from occupants in the zone, prompting them to avoid policing the area.
Last year, there were 19 nonfatal shootings in the area — 14 of which occurring between May 1 through August 31, NewsNation Now said. There were just three shootings in 2019.
Marcia Howard, a retired Marine who quit her job as a teacher to become one of the zone’s organizers, claimed that cops haven’t been impeded.
“Injustice closed these streets, and only justice can open them back up,” Howard told NewsNation Now.
A similar protest area — dubbed the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ — formed in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood last year. Activists there frequently clashed with police until the lawless zone was dismantled after a month of occupation.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/03/11/george-floyd-memorial-site-anti-cop-autonomous-zone-report/
Photo Credit: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP
Georgetown Law professor caught complaining about black students on Zoom
A white Georgetown Law professor was fired Thursday after getting caught on video belittling black students during a Zoom call with a colleague, saying they “usually” perform “just plain at the bottom” of her classes.
Georgetown Law Dean Bill Treanor said he was “appalled” by the conversation between now-terminated adjunct professor Sandra Sellers and another faculty member, David Batson, who was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
“I informed Professor Sellers that I was terminating her relationship with Georgetown Law effective immediately,” Treanor wrote in a statement released Thursday afternoon. “During our conversation, she told me that she had intended to resign. As a result of my decision, Professor Sellers is no longer affiliated with Georgetown Law.”
A brief clip posted to Twitter Wednesday showed Sellers and Batson having what they believed was a private discussion about a class they jointly taught.
“I end up having this angst every semester that a lot of my lower ones are blacks,” Sellers said. “Happens almost every semester. And it’s like, oh come on. It’s some really good ones, but there are usually some that are just plain at the bottom. It drives me crazy.”
Sellers made the comments after saying “they were a bit jumbled,” prompting Batson to apparently nod in agreement, the footage shows.
“That’s the best way I can put it,” Sellers said with a laugh on the call. “It’s like OK, let me reason through that, what you just said.”
Sellers, according to the Georgetown Black Law Students Association, was referencing the only black student in her class. The organization quickly called for her immediate resignation, and a petition demanding her ouster garnered hundreds of signatures from students, alumni and several Georgetown faculty members.
“We demand nothing short of the immediate termination of Sandra Sellers as adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center,” the group said in a statement. “Not suspension. Not an investigation. The university must take swift and definitive action in the face of blatant and shameless racism.”
The revealing clip shows the “conscious and unconscious bias” in grading at Georgetown Law and in other law school classrooms across the country, the group claims.
“The difference is that Sellers was caught and her racism was broadcast for the world to see,” the statement continued.
The recorded call was leaked after it was available to students for several days, the Daily Beast reported.
Treanor promised a “thorough investigation” into the matter in a statement released Wednesday.
“We are responding with the utmost seriousness to this situation,” Treanor said. “I have watched a video of this conversation and find the content to be abhorrent. It includes conduct that has no place in our educational community. We must ensure that all students are treated fairly and evaluated on their merits.”
Attempts to reach Sellers early Thursday were unsuccessful. She did not immediately return a message left on a phone listed in her name.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/03/11/georgetown-law-professor-caught-complaining-about-black-students-on-zoom/
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Search for Brooklyn murder suspect mistakenly released from Rikers
Police launched a search this week for a Brooklyn murder suspect who was mistakenly released from Rikers Island, an NYPD spokesperson said Wednesday.
Christopher Buggs, 26, was prematurely released from the Otis Bantum Correctional Center at Rikers on Monday, a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Correction said.
Peter Thorne, deputy commissioner of public information, said the DOC was investigating how Buggs was mistakenly released.
“We are aware of this incident and a full investigation into how this happened is underway. Right now we are working with our law enforcement partners to return this individual to custody,” Thorne said.
“This is being fully investigated,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told PIX11’s James Ford at his daily briefing Wednesday. “We’re going to put additional safeguards in place to make sure this never happens again,” he assured.
The Daily News reported that Buggs’ release was the result of a clerical error.
De Blasio said the release was based on a court order, “but it was, apparently, one case this inmate had connected to him, but there were other charges obviously, as well, that should’ve meant he remained incarcerated.”
The mayor said there will be a full review of the incident.
“We have a high level of confidence that he will be reapprehended shortly,” de Blasio said.
Buggs was arrested in February 2018 for fatally shooting a 55-year-old man in the chest at a Brooklyn deli in January of that year, according to police. He was picked up on charges including murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, police said at the time.
Police said they were seeking the public’s help in locating Buggs Tuesday night and released a photo.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
via: https://pix11.com/news/local-news/search-for-brooklyn-murder-suspect-mistakenly-released-from-rikers-police/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
NYC school encourages kids to stop using words like ‘mom,’ ‘dad’ in ‘inclusive language’ guide
A Manhattan private school aiming to use more “inclusive language” is encouraging its students to stop using the terms “mom,” “dad” and “parents” because the words make “assumptions” about kids’ home lives.
The Grace Church School in NoHo — which offers academic courses for junior kindergarten through 12th grade — issued a 12-page guide to students and staff explaining the school’s mission of inclusivity.
The detailed guide recommends using the terms “grown-ups,” “folks,” “family,” or “guardians” as alternatives to “mom” “dad” and “parents.” It also suggests using “caregiver” instead of “nanny/babysitter.”
“Families are formed and structured in many ways. At Grace Church School, we use inclusive language that reflects this diversity. It’s important to refrain from making assumptions about who kids live with, who cares for them, whether they sleep in the same place every night, whether they see their parents, etc.,” the guide reads.
The document also states how to use appropriate terms relating to gender, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity.
Instead of asking a person, “What are you? Where are you from?” the correct response should be, “What is your cultural/ethnic background? Where are your ancestors/is your family from?” according to Grace’s guide.
The school defended the guide, telling City Journal its goal is “promote a sense of belonging for all of our students.”
“Grace is an Episcopal school. As part of our Episcopal identity, we recognize the dignity and worth common to humanity,” Rev. Robert Pennoyer, the assistant head of school, said in a statement to the outlet.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/03/10/nyc-school-encourages-kids-to-stop-using-words-mom-dad/
Photo Credit: GHI/Education Images/Universal Images Group