June 26, 2020

Geauga County commissioner says defacing war monuments should be a "shootable offense," but don't

Geauga County commissioner says defacing war monuments should be a “shootable offense,” but don’t quote him


CHARDON, Ohio – In this national moment of awakening about police violence against Black citizens, some public officials just can’t seem to land with both feet on the right side of history.

Among them is Geauga County Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri, who during a June 16 meeting of commissioners said that vandalizing a war monument should be a “shootable offense,” and since then, has managed to make an already ugly situation worse for himself by blaming the media for quoting him.

The statement was made during an audio-recorded conversation about outfitting the Geauga County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand was asking for riot gear and chemical munitions to prepare for a “show of force” in the event of racial justice protests such as those that have erupted in response to the May 25th police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African American, in Minneapolis.

Hildenbrand said that deputies from different departments wearing the same gear while working together would look “almost like an army.” He went on to say that sending deputies to Cuyahoga County to help with protest control would be worth it to “keep those people there, keep them the hell out of our county.”

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2020/06/geauga-county-commissioner-says-defacing-war-monuments-should-be-a-shootable-offense-but-dont-quote-him.html

June 26, 2020

Ohio reports 892 new coronavirus cases; biggest increase in 2 months

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Department of Health on Thursday reported 892 new coronavirus cases, the biggest single-day jump in cases since a brief period of heavy prison testing in mid-April.

Thursday’s report continued a trend of increases that began on June 18. Ohio has averaged 647 new cases a day over the last week, the highest level since April 24. The rolling seven-day average had dipped to as low as 381 on June 12, before the recent increase.

The increase comes at a time of increased testing in the state, including 15,513 new tests reported Thursday.

“We have increased testing,” Gov. Mike DeWine said in announcing the latest update. “But no analyst that I have talked to believes that the total increase is due to that at all.”

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/coronavirus/2020/06/ohio-reports-892-new-coronavirus-cases-biggest-increase-in-2-months.html

June 26, 2020

Confederate monument removed from Denton County Square

The Denton County Confederate soldier monument was removed from the south lawn of the Courthouse on the Square as crews transported the statue to county storage.

The removal began before 4 a.m. and took about 10 hours, with crews working to dismantle the statue, placing pieces of the statue onto a flatbed truck for transportation.

Denton County Judge Andy Eads, who was seen monitoring the progress of removal before 7 a.m., said that neither the public nor media was notified before the removal began because of concerns of public safety.

Eads described his reasoning as “common sense,” saying that removing the statue “without fanfare,” would limit the opportunity for people from out of town to cause disruptions.

Read more: https://dentonrc.com/news/confederate-monument-removed-from-square/article_5c08cdbf-e801-5cc8-a373-78bd4042c873.html
(Denton Record-Chronicle)

June 26, 2020

Hardin-Simmons University investigating reported racist social media post by student

ABILENE - Hardin-Simmons University said late Tuesday night it will investigate a video posted to social media by a woman wearing school-branded clothing.

In a message posted to the university’s official Twitter account, Hardin-Simmons said:

“HSU became aware late (Tuesday) evening of a deeply disappointing and unacceptable social media post by one of our students. The message shared by this student is not reflective of the Christian values of our institution. We are actively investigating and taking decisive action.”

The post in question appears to be a video shared originally to the social media platform Tik Tok. In it, a young woman wearing Hardin-Simmons University clothing depicts herself as a calm person with a caption reading: “People when a BLACK person kills another BLACK person.”

Read more: https://www.lubbockonline.com/news/20200625/hardin-simmons-university-investigating-reported-racist-social-media-post-by-student

June 25, 2020

State to idle Bradshaw State Jail in Henderson; more than 200 workers will be laid off

The company that runs Bradshaw State Jail in Henderson plans to lay off 229 employees as the Texas Department of Criminal Justice will idle the prison on Aug. 31 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Management & Training Corp. made the announcement in a letter dated Monday to the Texas Workforce Commission to comply with the U.S. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act. The TDCJ website shows the facility has 266 employees.

The letter, signed by Christina Pignateli, labor and employment counsel based at MTC corporate headquarters in Centerville, Utah, cited an effort by the TDCJ to change how it moves and brings in inmates to reduce exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This has resulted in a nearly 25% decline in inmate population," Pignatelli wrote. "MTC expects this decline in population to continue. Moreover, due to COVID-19 the educational programming has been limited."

Read more: https://www.news-journal.com/news/business/local/state-to-idle-bradshaw-state-jail-in-henderson-more-than-200-workers-will-be-laid/article_06480b9c-b725-11ea-bd7d-374c0d769bf3.html
(Longview News-Journal)

June 25, 2020

Texas A&M investigating racist notes left on student's vehicle

Texas A&M is seeking more information about a series of racist notes found on a Black student’s car windshield Wednesday and is offering a $1,200 reward leading to the identification of the person or persons responsible, A&M President Michael K. Young announced Thursday afternoon.

The student tweeted photos of his car with three messages on it that included the N-word, “You don’t belong here,” and “All lives matter” in the parking lot of his College Station apartment. His photo caption on Twitter reads, “I hate it here. Y’all still don’t think A&M is racist? #RacismAtTAMUFeelsLike.”

https://twitter.com/IsaihMartin/status/1275851229869072385

The tweet, which had been reshared more than 4,100 times as of Thursday afternoon, garnered outrage online, with numerous members of the A&M community and beyond offering the student their support, while others responded with criticism or skepticism.

Young wrote Thursday that the A&M police department is working with the Park West apartment complex to investigate the act.

Read more: https://www.theeagle.com/news/a_m/texas-a-m-investigating-racist-notes-left-on-students-vehicle/article_c049c81c-b718-11ea-9d94-5fe7d329c9c3.html
(Bryan-College Station Eagle)

June 25, 2020

Several Aggies part of team walkout over Scrap Yard Dawgs' national anthem tweet

After months of national distress revolving around the spread of COVID-19 and racial injustices, members of the Scrap Yard Dawgs fastpitch softball team hoped they could bring a momentary smile to the faces of those who have missed their favorite sport.

“Softball is not political,” former Texas A&M and Oklahoma State pitcher Samantha Show said. “It should never be political. What we were doing this summer was bringing a light to this dark world, to this hurting world, and try to bring some joy and fun to our audience.”

Monday, the professional team based out of Conroe took the baseline for the National Anthem to begin a 2020 season, exuding all of the excitement of a new season. By the end of the night, softball became political and every player and coach was in search of a new organization to represent.

During the game, a tweet was sent from the organization’s official account to President Donald Trump. The tweet contained a picture of players standing with hands on hearts and said they were “respecting the flag.”

https://twitter.com/amandalorenz18/status/1275241312044953601

Read more: https://www.theeagle.com/sports/several-aggies-part-of-team-walkout-over-scrap-yard-dawgs-national-anthem-tweet/article_70cfe250-b5d1-11ea-921b-5b3fd06fe82a.html
(Bryan-College Station Eagle)

June 25, 2020

Criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will return to his native Collin County

Criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will return to his native Collin County, judge rules


Years after it was sent to Harris County, the criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will move back to his native Collin County, a Harris County judge ruled Thursday.

Paxton, a Republican, was indicted in 2015 on felony securities fraud charges, but the case has yet to go to trial as side battles persist over the venue where he will be tried and the amount the special prosecutors will be paid.A judge moved Paxton’s case to Harris County years ago, after prosecutors said they could not get a fair trial in Collin County, Paxton’s home and former district from his time in the state Legislature. His wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, now represents the region.

But Ken Paxton’s defense team argued last year that the judge who initially ordered the move to Harris County did not have the authority to do so, as his time overseeing the case had elapsed. The two attorneys prosecuting Paxton, Brian Wice and Kent Schaffer, disputed that at a December hearing and said the case belongs in Harris County. But Judge Robert Johnson, a Democrat, agreed with Paxton’s defense team in an order this week.

Paxton has been fighting charges that he misled investors in a financial services company from before his time as attorney general. Paxton has pleaded not guilty to all the allegations and was cleared in a similar civil case at the federal level. But when the Texas State Securities Board reprimanded him for soliciting clients without being properly registered, he signed a disciplinary order without disputing its findings.

https://www.theeagle.com/news/state-and-regional/criminal-case-against-texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-will-return-to-his-native-collin-county/article_b927cc6e-3ba9-58f8-b338-b13a463aa74d.html
(Bryan-College Station Eagle)

June 25, 2020

Houston Association of Realtors no longer using 'master' to describe bedrooms and bathrooms

The Houston Association of Realtors has stopped using the word "master" to describe bedrooms or bathrooms, a change prompted by a group of real estate agents that requested a review of the term.

The association agreed to update the phrase to "primary bedroom" and "primary bath." It implemented the changes in its Multiple Listing Service and on har.com June 15.

"This topic is currently being debated across the real estate industry, and the national standards organization for MLSs will be considering a similar change that could make 'primary' the new standard nationally," according to a statement from HAR.

Tiffany Curry, a Houston real estate broker who recently became the first African-American owner of a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices franchise, supports the change.

Read more: https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/business/real-estate/article/HAR-no-longer-using-master-to-describe-a-15360782.php

June 25, 2020

Beaumont doctor indicted on 35 counts of federal healthcare fraud charges

A federal grand jury indicted a Beaumont doctor on 35 counts of healthcare fraud and other related charges March 18, according to a Wednesday news release from the office of the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.

"According to the indictment, beginning in January 2015, (Grigoriy T. Rodonaia, of Port Neches,) is alleged to have participated in a health care fraud scheme by issuing prescriptions for specially compounded scar creams using the names, dates of birth, and Health Insurance Claim Numbers of TRICARE beneficiaries and caused the prescriptions to be forwarded directly to Memorial Compounding Pharmacy in Houston, Texas without the specific knowledge of the beneficiary and without having examined or consulted with the beneficiary," the release said.

Prosecutors said the prescriptions were billed to the military healthcare program TRICARE at costs ranging from $9,000- $13,000 per prescription and authorized multiple refills. The release said Rodonaia was responsible for more than 600 prescriptions in the names of approximately 140 beneficiaries "outside the usual course of professional practice and without medical necessity."

The fraudulent prescriptions cost TRICARE approximately $6.7 million in funds to Memorial Compounding Pharmacy, the release said.

Read more: https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Beaumont-doctor-indicted-on-35-counts-of-federal-15365770.php