OAKLAND (CBS SF) — Hundreds of drivers joined a car caravan Sunday that stretched for miles through the streets of Oakland to protest the death of George Floyd and also other San Francisco Bay Area residents who have died in officer-involved shootings.
Among the drivers was Cat Brooks, who told KPIX 5 she was taking part in the caravan to call for an end to officer-involved deaths including Steven Taylor, who was killed in an officer-involved shooting in San Leandro; Oscar Grant, who died in an officer-involved shooting in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 2009 at the Fruitvale BART station; and Breonna Taylor who died in an officer-involved shooting in Louisville.
“Because of Steven Taylor, because of George Floyd, because of Breonna Taylor, because of Oscar Grant — because, because, because,” she said. “This is not a Minneapolis problem. This is not an Oakland problem. This is an American problem.”
The caravan mustered at the Port of Oakland before proceeding into downtown where they were held up at the intersection of Franklin St. and Thomas L Berkley Way. Many of the vehicles had signs posted on them — ‘Black Live Matter” “No Justice, No Peace” “Justice For George Floyd.
Dozens of bicyclists also joined in and the caravan began driving around Oakland’s Lake Merritt.
“I can’t even begin to explain how massive this #GeorgeFloyd car caravan protest is,” Darwin BondGraham wrote on Twitter. “Cars are driving in a seemingly endless line around Oakland’s Lake Merritt in both directions now.”
I can’t even begin to explain how massive this #GeorgeFloyd car caravan protest is. Cars are driving in a seemingly endless line around Oakland’s Lake Merritt in both directions now. pic.twitter.com/gZrQBztK7U
— Darwin BondGraham (@DarwinBondGraha) June 1, 2020
Noah Klugman wrote on Twitter: “In a protest caravan in Oakland. While we wait we are researching and donating to State campaigns with minority candidates. #GeorgeFloyd #BreonnaTaylor #BlackLivesMatter”
Turkish tugboat builder, towage and pilotage operator Med Marine said it has signed a deal with Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) to build and deliver a new 42-meter tugboat for the Port of Mombasa.
The vessel is scheduled to enter service in East Africa’s largest port in 2021 as part of the KPA’s equipment modernization and maintenance program aiming to enhance efficiency at the port.
The vessel design is from the RAstar ASD tug series by Canada’s Robert Allan Ltd. The new RAstar 4200 with a bollard pull of 120 metric tons, ranking it among the most powerful tugs Robert Allan Ltd. has ever designed, according to the company’s contracts manager, Oben Naki.
Muhammet Gökhan, business development manager from Med Marine, said, “Specially built and equipped to meet the operational needs of the Kenya Ports Authority, this will be one of the largest RAstar series tug designed by our long-time partner Robert Allan Ltd.”
The RAstar 4200 (MED-A42120) will join the KPA fleet to deliver ship-handling and coastal towing and will be available for salvage and harbor operations.
The KPA acting CEO and general manager of engineering services, Rashid Kassim Salim, said, “[The vessel] will be part of continual improvement of service delivery to the shipping industry, thus making Kenyan ports more attractive. The acquisition is integral to KPA’s business risk and continuity mitigation against blocked channel incidences.”
He added that salvage tug services will in essence be a commercial venture available worldwide as a new revenue stream of maritime chartering services upon commissioning by October 2021. The project is part of the authority’s strategic initiatives to exploit the blue economy. In this regard, the port manager said the salvage tug will enhance the Authority’s image as world-class ports of choice whereby they will provide all-round search and rescue (SAR) services along the eastern coast of Africa and beyond, further augmenting KPA’s compliance to ISPS Code requirements.
First of all, there's Armando Arredondo's HD Mario mod, which takes a tweaked version of the character's model from Super Mario Galaxy, then drops him directly into the 1996 game. It looks pretty good, and while the HD character being placed in a low-poly world might seem jarring, it's certainly no weirder than him being surrounded by humans with normal proportions in Mario Odyssey.
And if you want the textures to match him, CrashCrew are currently working on an AI upscaling. Right now you can see how Peach's Castle looks with HD textures, and it'll be fascinating to see the rest of the game given the same treatment.
There are also mods to enable cheats, disable draw distance, and remove the Nintendo 64's distinctive linear filtering, which leaves it looking like a port for the original PlayStation.
All of these videos come from UnrealYouTube and no, that's not an official Unreal Engine channel.
Editor’s note: The items in The Scene were current as of the publication deadline. Please check with event organizers for the latest information.
Homes and Hops Virtual 5k Growler Race: Through June 28. Complete your 5k in your neighborhood, the park or even on a treadmill. Just be sure to record your time with Second Sole. To benefit the OH WOW! Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology. For more information or to register, go to https://ift.tt/2AaGzQH.
The Akron Zoo Animal Art and Gift Auction: Bids will close at 6 p.m. Friday, June 5. Items include gift packages and artwork created by the animal ambassadors at the Akron Zoo. There will also be a "buy now" option for zoo memberships, Care for Critter packages and virtual animal experiences. Guests can access the auction at https://ift.tt/2XKLct7.
Piano-a-thon: The marathon piano concert performed by piano students will celebrate its 20th year, with a virtual concert Monday-Friday. All performances will be virtual and broadcast, with parents’ permission, through the Piano-a-thon YouTube channel between Monday and Friday. Money raised during the event will benefit the John C. and Elaine Thompson Piano-a-thon Endowment for Music Therapy. The endowment supports the Akron Children's Hospital Palliative Care Unit, specifically the music therapy department. Visit https://ift.tt/2WCC6hw to donate and for more information.
Second annual Urban Vision International Food Festival: The event will take place Saturday as a curbside event. Participants will have an opportunity to taste their way around the world. The community is invited to order a variety of foods and schedule pickup from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Urban Vision, 749 Blaine Ave., Akron. Food will include Mexican steak street tacos, Nepali aamosas, American barbecue ribs, Karen spring rolls, southern-style mac and cheese, Indian chicken biryani, chicken tinga, Karen noodles and more. Make orders at https://ift.tt/2WGlx46.
Medina Creative Housing 14th annual Raising the Roof Dinner & Entertainment Charity Benefit: The June 6 event at Weymouth Country Club has been rescheduled for Aug. 21. For information, go to https://ift.tt/3eVRzkQ.
GiGi’s Playhouse Canton Step to Accept Challenge: The event at noon Saturday is part of a nationwide effort from 60 different GiGi’s Playhouse locations. People can create or join a team. The goal is for all teams nationwide to take more than 7 million steps, which is enough to span the United States. Teams and individual participants are welcome. Cost is $21 per adult and $10 per child to register. To join the challenge, go to http://visit gigisplayhouse.org/canton.
Cleveland Play House 2020 benefit "The Bourbon Street Ball": The June 6 event in Playhouse Square’s Allen Theatre has been postponed. No new date has been announced. For information, call Beverly Gans at 216-400-7030 or email bgans@clevelandplayhouse.com.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio’s annual Race for Kids: The event will take place online this year. Participants will do a 5k run or 1-mile walk at a course and time of their choosing. Those registering at http://www.bgcneo.org will be mailed an official race T-shirt ahead of the event. They will be encouraged to wear the shirt in social media posts or during the run or walk, which can be completed between June 13 and June 27. Competitors can post their times if they wish and post on a race Facebook page. Early bird registration for individuals is $20 and $50 for families, Regular registration, which begins June 1, is $25 for individuals and $60 for families.
Limitless Ambition fifth annual Ladies of Legacy Brunch: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 13 at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1307 E. Market St., Akron. Includes dinner, silent auction, and distinguished speakers from the Northeast Ohio community. This year’s honorees are Susan Baker Ross, Summit County judge; Heather Clayton Terry, Akron advocate, career coach and philanthropist; and Rohnesha M. Horne, philanthropist and marketing consultant. Tickets are $50. For tickets, go to https://ift.tt/2K7BOJL.
4 Miles 4 Water Fundraiser: Starting June 20, runners and supporters can run or walk 1 mile or 4 miles, or enter a new 10-day challenge for Drink Local Drink Tap’s 10th anniversary. To maintain social distancing, runners can do their 4 miles anywhere they want, though four course maps will be available for competitive runners to compare their times and earn bragging rights. Participants will submit their results from their mobile device through the race registration website, with leaders earning prizes and getting highlighted on social media. The 10-day challenge invites participants to walk or run 4 miles every day for 10 days. Learn more about the impact of Drink Local Drink Tap, and register for this year’s race at http://4Miles4Water.org
Send information about social and charity events to The Scene, Akron Beacon Journal, 388 S. Main St., Suite 720, Akron, OH 44311. Or email bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com with "The Scene" in the subject line. Event notices should be sent at least two weeks in advance. Merits of all organizations have not been investigated by the Beacon Journal, so potential donors should verify the worthiness of a cause before committing.
GRANITE CITY, Ill. — The Port Harbor Railroad Corp. unveiled and dedicated two locomotives honoring first responders and U.S. armed forced veterans on Saturday.
Former Milwaukee Road GP40 No. 8955 and former Canadian Pacific SD40-2 No. 5730 wear paint schemes designed by conductor/student engineer Dominic Montero. His father, St. Louis Fire Department Lieutenant Mario Montero, joined his son for the dedication.
“I’m very proud of my son, and it’s dear to my heart that he really thinks that highly of our first responders and veterans,” the elder Montero said.
Dominic Montero said the locomotives are “our little but still kind of our big way to say thanks to our first responders and our veterans and tell them how much we appreciate them. The cherry on top was seeing how thrilled my Dad was; he was the inspiration behind it. … I am excited that people can drive by and see the locomotives and know we are honoring them.”
The railroad provides contract switching in America’s Central Port for several industries at the former Army supply base in Granite City, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Several Port Harbor employees are current or former first responders or veterans.
CEO and Vice president of marketing and customer solutions Carl Yount was a Marine Corps staff sergeant who saw combat in Vietnam. “These are two beautiful locomotives,” Yount said. “We wanted to increase public awareness of our veterans’ service and sacrifices, and our first responders who serve us every day.’’
Dan Walford, a talented railroad fan and photographer, is a 24½-year Navy veteran who served as a flight officer on P3 Orion aircraft. “It’s nice to see that first responders and veterans are appreciated and these folks care enough to spend money showing that.”
The preparation and painting work were done by Quality Rail Service in Madison, Ill., about a mile away from the port. Master painter Kevin Scifres lead the repainting projects on both units, suggesting improvements. “These folks at Quality Rail most definitely live up to their name,’’ said Road Foreman of Engines Eddie Bauer.
On an unfortunate note, thieves stole the horns off No. 8955 and another unit. The horn on No. 8955 was owned by Dominic Montero. The Port Harbor is asking for people to watch for the horns or if they show up for sale.
The Port of Seattle said Friday (May 29) that it is gradually reopening Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and is preparing for the gradual reopening of the regional economy.
“We are committed to the health and well-being of passengers, visitors, and workers as part of [email protected],” the Port said in a news release Friday.
The Port said most passengers “continue to follow state guidance to avoid non-essential travel, actions that help us maintain the health and safety of those performing essential work.”
12,000 passengers
The airport passenger volume is forecast to increase “with as many as 12,000 departing screened passengers on the busiest days next week.”
Airport officials say they recently launched a “public dashboard” built to provide local governments and industries with key indicators to track the recovery at the airport.
Sea-Tac Airport (SEA) is a top-ten U.S. airport, serving 51.8 million passengers and 453,549 metric tons of air cargo in 2019. With a regional economic impact of more than $22.5 billion in business revenue, SEA generates more than 151,400 jobs (87,300 direct jobs), representing over $3.6 billion in direct earnings and more than $442 million in state and local taxes.
“We miss you and look forward to the moment we can welcome you back to SEA,” an airport news release said.
Many signs, cleaning
The Port says there have been 240 interim signs installed, and 600 permanent floor markings for physical distancing completed. Port officials said they are installing 180 plastic protective barriers “that buffer travelers and airport employees and have spent 5,720 hours cleaning and disinfecting the buses and terminal at SEA each week, a total of 91,520 hours since February, plus spritzing, spraying and dispensing 706 gallons of hand sanitizer and over 4,200 ounces of disinfecting spray. In response to COVID-19, the airport has installed 700 containers of sanitizer wipes.
Dining and retail tenants at the airport are “taking action now to implement new procedures and pilot new technology to ensure the health of passengers and employees.”
Masks, separation
Passengers, visitors, and workers are required to wear face coverings in the public areas of the airport.
Plastic protective barriers that buffers interactions between travelers and airport employees have been installed and frequent disinfection with medical-grade cleaning products is done.
The Port has added 258 hand sanitizer stations throughout the terminal, and its new SEA App includes an interactive map of hand sanitizer locations.
Each dining and retail tenant at airport “was required to develop plans detailing procedures for safe operations such as physical distancing requirements, sanitation and personal hygiene protocols, personal protective equipment, and how to provide services while limiting close interactions.”
“We are developing a plan to implement temperature checks for departing domestic and arriving international passengers,” officials said.
“This is just the beginning. We are hard at work planning for a busier terminal and better times ahead.”
“Passengers, employees, and the community can help stop the spread of COVID-19,” an airport statement said. “We ask you to follow these guidelines to protect yourself, your fellow travelers and airport employees, including:
The gruesome chestburster centerpiece of Ridley Scott’s 1979 “Alien” remains a marvel of practical-effects movie magic. Outside of John Hurt, who played the victim of the scene, Scott famously kept his actors in the dark as to what was about to go down, making for a genuinely shocked reaction as Hurt’s chest rips open and a snarling alien emerges. According to Scott, in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, the mechanics of the scene impressed even Stanley Kubrick, who phoned him up after seeing the movie to ask how he pulled it off.
“I remember Stanley Kubrick called me up saying, ‘How’d you do that?'” Scott said. “[Kubrick] said, ‘I’ve run it through slowly, I can’t see the cut.’ And I just said that much. He said, ‘OK, I got it. I got it, it worked.’”
The effect was achieved by placing Hurt, from the neck down, below a table, with a false torso on top of it. Scott said the scene was captured by multiple cameras, and only once, “because once I blew blood all over that set there was no cleaning it up…I kept it very much from the actors and I kept the actual little creature, whatever that would be, from the actors. I never wanted them to see it. Remember there was no digital effects in those days at all. I’m going to somehow bring that creature out of his chest.”
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Just as quarantine hit Scott was in production on his upcoming epic “The Last Duel,” written by Affleck, Damon, and Nicole Holofcener, centered on best friends turned rivals Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) who are ordered to battle to the death after Carrouges accuses Le Gris of raping his wife.
The film is currently still set for a December 25 release from 20th Century Studios, but it’s unclear whether the film can finish in time at this stage, even to the director. “We still have to work out when we’re returning to finish it off, whenever,” Scott told the LA Times.
As for the future of moviegoing and filmmaking after the pandemic, Scott said, “There’s something in part of the job that we do, I think, because to make a movie and shoot it is an entirely illogical process where you’re bringing a whole bunch of people together to a blueprint called the script. You all meet in the morning, frequently for the first time, and somehow you put it together. So if you’re not an optimist, you shouldn’t be actually in the film industry. So I guess I’m an optimist. We’ll find a way. This too will pass.”
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If only Democrats were offering us a better alternative than Joe Biden.
Alas, a column for another day.
Trump's antics are a conundrum for Twitter. Any other user, one who is not the commander-in-chief, would have been banned. As it stands, Twitter has opted to put "fact check" messages on some of the President's more outrageous tweets.
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This has added fuel to the fire of a debate we've been having for a long time: What are the limits of online speech?
"I just believe strongly that Facebook shouldn't be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online," Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg said in an interview with Fox News. "Private companies probably shouldn't be, especially these platform companies, shouldn't be in the position of doing that."
I tend to agree.
I'm not sure we need to worry as much as we do about online speech.
Whether it's the President's obnoxious and dishonest tweeting, or the reinvigorated flat earth movement, or the anti-vaccination dimwits, or even organized disinformation campaigns with state sponsors like Russia or China, we have more to fear from efforts to regulate online speech than we do from the speech itself.
Besides, social commentators are always getting their skirts up over their heads about this stuff.
It's almost a tradition.
In the 18th century, when novels and commercial publishing were taking off, the scolds of the age were sounding the alarm about "reading addiction" or "reading rage" or even "reading lust," as Frank Furedi wrote in a 2015 article for History Today.
In 1762 the 10th Earl of Pembroke, Henry Herbert, scandalized English society when he left his wife and absconded to the low countries with a young woman named Kitty Hunter. In a sign of those less enlightened times, many of the commentators of the day blamed the scandal on Hunter. What could have led her astray?
"Miss Kitty Hunter was a great lover of French novels..." one society gadfly noted.
We hardly need to go to the 18th century for examples of overreactions over unfettered speech. The 20th century brought us panics over television, multiple genres of music from heavy metal to rap, not to mention violent video games and online pornography.
The scolds told us the unwashed masses needed to be protected from these things or else our kids would grow up to be Satan-worshiping sociopaths.
Somehow, we survived without the censorship they demanded.
We'll survive Trump's tweets without censorship too.
"If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the process of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence," Justice Louis Brandeis wrote in 1927.
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Born and raised in Wahiawa, a graduate of Pearl City High School, Nito Larioza became a founding member of the BBC (aka Bad Boys Club), Hawaii’s biggest boy band of the late 1980s, while he was still in his teens; he was also the group’s choreographer. BBC changed its name to New Generation (aka TNG), won a Na Hoku Hanohano Award (contemporary album, 1990), and was signed to a national record deal by Reprise Records. Reprise released the group’s self-titled album in 1992.
When members of TNG went their separate ways in 1993, Larioza remained on the mainland. He studied gymnastics, choreography and martial arts, and made a career for himself as a dancer, choreographer and stuntman.
Several years later TNG alumnus Roni Yurong asked him to help develop a new Hawaii-based boy band. First known as Faceless and then as Brownskin, the group became Hawaii’s top boy band of the late-1990s, but Yurong eventually decided not to take the group beyond Hawaii. Larioza, 48, has called California home ever since.
In 2017 he was brought in to work as stunt coordinator and dance choreographer for “Breakarate,” an eight-part action/comedy set in the 1980s about two teenage brothers who use their skills as martial artists and break dancers to defend the world against the forces of evil. “Breakarate” premiered May 22 on Amazon Prime.
How did “Breakarate” come together for you?
I’d worked with one of the producers in the past and he knew my background as a dancer and a martial artist. I had been the dance fight coordinator for “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” so I knew what it takes to put stuff together. When I got the second call I went to meet them. It was a really cool opportunity.
What stands out about “Breakarate” for you?
It has a different spin to it because the ’80s was a very popular time — the music was cool, the dancing was cool. It has a comedy vibe and an “Old Skool” vibe.
What’s the biggest difference for you between concert work and doing films and television?
With TV you can do take after take after take. When you’re touring with Madonna or the Backstreet Boys, you’ve got one shot to kill it each night.
How did you transition from being a member of a boy band to being a working dancer in Los Angeles?
I had to choreograph for the group, that was my strong point in the band. So when we were in L.A. I started taking a lot of dance classes. I met a lot of people in the industry, and then I started auditioning for movies and music videos. When I booked my first movie as a dancer in L.A. — it was “Class Act,” starring Kid ‘n Play — it was a great opportunity for me to think about another career after the group ends.
What stands out most about going on your first “cattle call” auditions?
There were dancers (auditioning) I’d seen on MTV and in music videos, dancers who’d worked with Janet (Jackson), Michael Jackson, Prince and Paula Abdul. I was blown away. When I got picked and I got to work with them, it was just amazing. A dream come true.
What are your plans for when California comes out of lockdown?
While the film and television industry is still shut down I’m coordinating a Netflix TV series called “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.” We’ll start (production) as soon as the pandemic is over. I’m also writing and producing my own show, and I’m planning to pitch it with my producers. I feel I’ve found a niche in this business, and I have some things that I would love to say and bring to life.
RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Hundreds of cars lined up at the Port of Palm Beach on Saturday for a free drive-through food distribution.
Over 60 volunteers with Hospitality Helping Hands, Feeding South Florida, and others helped distribute almost 75,000 pounds of supplies which included fresh produce, dry goods, diapers and beverages.
Their efforts helped feed around 1,500 families.
This was their seventh week distributing food to the community.
Volunteer Chloe Rits said, “When life gives us blessings, we should pass on those blessings to others. So if we have that extra energy to help in whatever capacity we can with time talents treasured, I think that we should be helping our neighborhoods. We should be growing our hometowns during this time so that we can all be united and bounce back from this together.”
Restaurants remain closed for table and bar service in New York City
By
TOM HAYS Associated Press
May 30, 2020, 1:15 PM
4 min read
4 min read
NEW YORK -- What passes for a pandemic-era speakeasy these days in New York City isn’t secret at all.
On the sidewalks throughout the city, restaurants and bars that have only been allowed to offer takeout orders since March have been bending the rules by setting up outdoor tables and allowing patrons to linger for an extra round or two served through doors and windows.
Elsewhere around the city, clothing stores and a tanning salon have tried to reopen early — signs that some New Yorkers are itching to catch up with other parts of the country already freeing up their economies.
“It’s been this way more and more each week,” said Levi Nayman, 45, while hanging out outside a piano bar on Manhattan's Restaurant Row one evening, sipping bourbon and listening to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” through outdoor speakers. “It’s better than nothing.”
The pop-up bar scene should be viewed as a test run for the official reopening, said Paul Denamiel, owner of the French restaurant Le Rivage, where three bar tables sat lined up along a curb.
“We’re sort of doing it now,” Denamiel said. “But we are taking social distancing very seriously.”
The scene was the same farther downtown in Chelsea, where young men and women congregated outside bars as masked bartenders passed drinks out the door. A chalkboard at one spot beckoned, “Coffee and cocktails! Frozen watermelon margarita - $10.”
In recent weeks, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has given the green light to some upstate New York businesses to reopen with social-distancing and mask-wearing protocols. Not so in New York City, the national epicenter still reeling from more than 20,000 deaths.
Cuomo said Friday that some businesses in the city will probably be allowed to start reopening on June 8, but even then restaurants and bars in the city won't be allowed to return to full service for weeks. The first phase of a reopening will allow some construction, wholesale and retail business to resume. The city is still determining what restrictions need to be in place, including capacity limits, before allowing the restaurant industry to reboot.
“I would love them back up and running immediately, but the safety ramifications of bars and restaurants are very different than the phase one industries,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The City Council is looking at trying to allow for proper social distancing by creating more space for outdoor dining. Legislation proposed this week would require the city to identify sidewalks, street and plazas suitable for table service and streamline the permit process that would allow it.
Until then, the New York Police Department has been tasked with visiting thousands of restaurants and small non-essential businesses each day to make sure they’re following the shutdown rules. The NYPD says in the vast majority of cases, officers are getting compliance.
Still, the New York Post reported this week that clothing and other stores in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Borough Park in Brooklyn were open for business in defiance of the shutdown orders.
And then there’s the case of Bobby Catone, owner of “Sunbelievable” on Staten Island.
Catone caused a stir when he tried to open the tanning salon Thursday with the support of local politicians, only to have the police crash the gathering and slap him with a $1,000 fine.
Canone, 57, said he was merely trying to avoid financial ruin and to satisfy regular customers who were telling him, “Just get me in and I’ll give you an extra $20” for a clandestine tanning session.
“I can’t run a business like that,” Canone said. “I wanted to open honestly.”
Staten Island, despite about 980 coronavirus deaths, “should be treated as a separate region,” he argued. “It’s an island.”
Other New Yorkers are less enthusiastic about the push to loosen the rules. One neighbor of the High Line Hotel in Chelsea recently complained to management about people congregating at tables — without masks -- in a front garden where a cart offered coffee drinks. The hotel has since posted a sign saying anyone without a mask will be asked to leave.
“There are people who will say this is harmless,” said Eric Marcus, who wrote about the hotel dust-up in his local newsletter. “But at a time when we’re in the middle of a pandemic, it’s not so harmless.”
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AP video journalist Ted Shaffrey and photographer Frank Franklin contributed to this report.
Port Tampa Bay realizes the importance of preparing for an emergency before it strikes. While our community, nation and globe continue to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that we remain vigilant and proactive against another threat, Florida’s hurricane season. The COVID-19 pandemic tested our strength as a community, but we continue to work together to provide support, assistance and help to our neighbors in need. Hurricanes and tropical storms are probably the last things we want to think about right now and the impact of severe weather during or immediately following a pandemic has the potential to be absolutely devastating. This is why it is so critically important to prepare to the greatest extent possible before hurricane season begins.
For the eighth year in a row, Port Tampa Bay hosted our annual Hurricane Preparedness Tabletop Exercise on May 1. The hurricane preparedness exercise is one of many choreographed exercises that prepares several Tampa Bay area agencies for all possible emergency and crisis scenarios. As we well know, Hurricane Irma targeted the Tampa area in 2017, prompting significant challenges. And in 2018, we saw Hurricane Michael cause widespread devastation in Florida’s Panhandle.
Port Tampa Bay plays an important role during a tropical storm, hurricane or severe weather. The port continues operations during a storm, providing fuel to the state of Florida and beyond. In fact, Port Tampa Bay provides nearly half of the fuel supply for the state.
Paul Anderson is the president and CEO of Port Tampa Bay. [Port Tampa Bay]
Each year, the Hurricane Preparedness Tabletop Exercise is held with the National Weather Service to refine and improve our response to a storm. This year, the port invited several external partners including the Coast Guard; Customs and Border Protection; the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County Emergency Management; CSX Transportation; Hillsborough County Fire Rescue and Tampa Fire Rescue; various tug companies; and port tenants, among others. The meeting was open to the public and designed to help several emergency response agencies talk through a response to a severe storm.
There was a presentation by the National Weather Service, which introduced a scenario of tropical storm conditions with heavy floodwaters and a possible tornado. The tabletop exercise discussed a simulated emergency situation. There is no fieldwork. The tabletop exercise was intended to generate and inspire feedback of hypothetical, simulated emergencies in a “no-fault” environment. Participants were encouraged to engage in conversations, challenge one another, and know it’s okay to not have an answer to every situation presented. Ultimately, the idea was to brainstorm and contribute to a safe environment, inspiring new and different solutions. Tabletops can be used to enhance general awareness, validate plans and procedures, rehearse concepts, and tighten prevention and recovery systems. Port Tampa Bay leaders used the time to solidify planning and execution of all scenarios, along with other agencies and local leaders.
The exercise ended when all actions were discussed and when the time limit was reached. Unique to this year was extended time to discuss how to deal with the aftermath of a severe storm. Participant learning was reinforced and feedback was provided through a “hot wash” at the conclusion of the exercise.
Participants were grouped according to agency or specialization and asked to comment and react as the exercise proceeded.
With hurricane season upon us, Port Tampa Bay will continue to work with outside agencies to keep operations moving productively. At the same time, the port continues to minimize risks to keep our communities running and our citizens safe.
Port Tampa Bay is honored to serve the state, our community, and most importantly, you — our neighbors. Stay safe and start your own preparations now! As a community, we are stronger together.
Paul Anderson is the president and CEO of Port Tampa Bay.
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The Aniak teens had been out driving in a truck and recreating on a four-wheeler in the large gravel pit area several miles from the village. They were headed home when they spotted the yellow Aero Commander 500 Shrike aircraft in the water, according to an Alaska Division of Forestry statement.
Inside the plane were three emergency firefighters — Albert Simon and Craig Friday of Hooper Bay and Kelly Kehlenbach of Aniak — as well as pilot Mark Jordan of Eagle River. Three of the four were seriously injured when the plane crashed shortly after refueling and taking off from the Aniak airport.
Dylan Nicholson, 13; Trevor Morgan, 17; Mason Dallmann, 17; A.J. Simeon, 19; and Skye Morgan, 18, all Aniak residents, spotted Friday and Kehlenbach climbing out of the plane and ran into the water to help, the Division of Forestry said.
The teens helped the two firefighters out of the water, which was about 4 to 5 feet deep around the plane, according to the Division of Forestry.
Nicholson called his aunt, a dispatcher for Alaska State Troopers in Aniak, and reported the crash. Morgan and others drove Friday and Kehlenbach to a nearby clinic.
The water was freezing cold and diesel fuel and oil were spilling from the aircraft engine, said Ricky Ciletti, an Alaska Department of Transportation employee who arrived as some of the teens drove Friday and Kehlenbach away.
But pilot Jordan and firefighter Simon were still trapped in the water, too injured to leave the plane. So Dallmann, 17, waded out to the plane, according to his mother.
“He stayed with them, made sure they were hanging on to the wing without falling off,” Julia Simeon said of her son. “He wouldn’t leave their side."
One man was injured badly and kept grabbing onto Dallmann, who reassured him and said, “I’m not going to leave you,” according to Simeon.
Workers from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp.’s Aniak clinic soon arrived and began working with Ciletti to extract Simon and Jordan from the plane, Ciletti said.
Troopers who arrived took the injured men to shore by boat. Medics transported Jordan in an ambulance and Ciletti took Simon to the clinic in the back of his truck.
Dallmann was in the water for about 30 minutes — waiting for help and assisting with the rescue — and he inadvertently swallowed some of the fuel-laced water, Simeon said.
Simeon had been napping after a long day at work when a phone call from her other son alerted her to the plane crash. Later, Dallmann, shivering and nauseated, recounted the rescue efforts to her.
“I am proud of him and all the boys — all the kids that were down there helping,” Simeon said.
Aniak residents flocked to the gravel pit to help once they heard of the crash, Ciletti said. At one point, Ciletti borrowed a four-wheeler from the 17-year-old Morgan to go retrieve backboards that he and the medics could use to carry Jordan and Simon. The rescue quickly became a community effort, he said.
But the teenagers who were there first are the ones who deserve the credit, Ciletti said.
“They are the heroes. These kids were in water. These kids called for the help,” said City Council member David Mattson, who had been working nearby and later came to the scene of the rescue.
The plane had been transporting the emergency firefighters to McGrath, where they would then be sent on assignment for wildfire responses in the Kenai/Kodiak area forestry station in Soldotna, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry.
As of Friday, three of the people injured in the crash were still hospitalized with serious but not life-threatening injuries, according to the Division of Forestry.
The pilot, Jordan, was flown to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, where he was in fair condition Friday morning, a hospital spokesman said. The passengers were flown to the Alaska Native Medical Center on Thursday.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, which happened just after 4 p.m. Thursday.
The plane lost power in both engines before the crash, according to NTSB Alaska chief Clint Johnson. An initial report on the investigation’s findings should be released in about two weeks, he said.
On Friday a recovery team, including divers, were working to retrieve the plane, according to the Division of Forestry. It will then be taken to the Aniak airport and flown to Anchorage in a C-130 cargo plane.
State Forestry Director Chris Maisch in a statement Friday expressed gratitude to local and state first responders and civilians who helped in the rescue.
“I want to especially thank the young men and woman that played a key role in quickly requesting additional assistance and their personal efforts to help our employees injured in the incident," Maisch said. "I’m certain their actions were key to the outcome and I can only imagine that their presence in the water and on shore brought great comfort to Mark and Albert as they were waiting for additional help.”
City leaders are working find a way to publicly recognize the teens’ actions, said City Council member Mattson.
“Cold water, diesel fuel in the pond — and they just jumped in without any question,” he said.
“It made me very proud of the Aniak community to know that we have the kids, the young adults in our community who are willing to step up and help when it’s needed,” said Aniak Mayor Erica Kameroff. “They really did save some lives yesterday and that’s not an easy thing to do.”
Correction:An earlier version of this article incorrectly said City Council member David Mattson aided with the rescue. He was at the scene of the rescue but was not part of the rescue effort.
Reporter Zaz Hollander contributed.
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Theresa was born and raised in St. Louis, Mo. After receiving a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, she accepted a reporting job at KPLC. That was April 12, 1978. Over the years Theresa has covered nearly every news beat.
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When it comes to Nevada County’s summer sports scene, there’s usually no shortage of inspiring and community-focused events.
The Sierra Gold Masters Track and Field Festival, which in past years has drawn around 250 Masters athletes from all over the United States to Nevada Union’s Hooper Stadium, was scheduled for late June but has been canceled. Elias Funez/efunez@theunion.com
Whether it’s a triathlon in Cascade Shores that celebrates life and empowers women, elite cyclists from all over the country converging on Nevada City for a storied and revered bicycle race, a group of sailors going for gold at Scotts Flat Lake, a fundraising 5K that supports a worthy cause in the community or the top Masters athletes in the nation showcasing their track and field skills at Hooper Stadium, there’s usually a full calendar of summer sports events that bring much needed revenue and positive exposure to Nevada County.
But, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the state’s shelter-in-place mandate meant to slow the spread, some of the county’s biggest sporting events have been forced to cancel, postpone and/or come up with new approaches with social distancing in mind.
One of the county’s longest running sports events, the Nevada City Classic Bicycle Race, had to be moved from the month of June for the first time in its 60-year history. The second oldest continually running bicycle race was moved from its original date of June 14, and will now run the weekend of Sept. 5-6.
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“It became obvious we needed to cancel or postpone,” said Race Director Duane Strawser, noting an urgency to find a later date before other postponed races filled them. “We knew we had to move quick.”
The annual race is highly regarded among racers and regularly brings in droves of spectators to Nevada City’s downtown area.
One of the more popular and inspiring sporting events is the Barbara Schmidt-Millar Triathlon, a women-only event which annually draws hundreds of participants and raises more than $30,000. The funds generated by the event go to the Barbara Schmidt-Millar Foundation, which provides college scholarships for local high school students and financial aid to those seeking a mammogram but may not be able to afford it.
“Our community has really embraced the event and breast cancer touches a lot of people,” said triathlon Executive Director Vanessa Hale.
This year’s BSM Triathlon is still more than three months away (Sept. 20) but event organizers are already brainstorming possible alternatives in case it is unable to run in its true form.
“We’re just kind of waiting to see,” said Hale, adding that a decision to proceed, cancel or postpone would likely need to be made by July. “We also want to make sure we give people enough time to train and that they feel comfortable training with someone else. That’s always been our safety push: to never train alone or swim alone — always go out with a buddy.”
Nevada County’s biggest sports gathering, the Michael Bratton II Turkey Trot 5K/10K which draws around 2,000 participants and raises between $50,000 and $60,000 each year for community causes, is still six months away. Race organizer Mike Bratton said he is committed to running the event, even if it has to be done virtually or in some other fashion.
“Our beneficiaries really count on that money, maybe now more than ever,” Bratton said.
The Turkey Trot is a major fundraiser for the MEB2 Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization funded by local community and business support. The foundation’s primary focus is to support local youth activities, Anew Day, and suicide and depression awareness and prevention in Nevada County.
CANCELED
The Sierra Gold Masters Track and Field Festival, which in the past has drawn around 250 Masters athletes from all over the United States to Nevada Union’s Hooper Stadium, was scheduled for late June but has been canceled.
“It would have been our fifth year doing it and it’s just gotten bigger and bigger,” said Sierra Gold track and field team coach Clyde Lehman. “People are really invested in it.”
Lehman said athlete safety is Sierra Gold’s first priority, and with the advanced age of most the competitors, the risk was too great to have the event go on this year.
The loss of competition is disappointing for Sierra Gold, but so is the loss of funds raised by the event, which supports the team throughout the year.
“That meet is our life blood,” said Lehman. “It finances a lot of things for us, including our philanthropic stuff. We’re hamstrung with that.”
Sierra Gold also hosts a fundraiser run which benefits the Nevada Union track and field team, but that was canceled as well.
On the water, the Go for the Gold Regatta, which annually draws dozens of sailors from all over the western states for its weekend of sailboat races, was originally scheduled to set sail June 6, but has been also canceled.
GOLD COUNTRY GRAND PRIX
The Turkey Trot is traditionally the last run on the Gold Country Grand Prix schedule, which has also suffered some pretty big hits this year. The annual running circuit has seen three races canceled and another postponed due to the pandemic.
The longest running 5K in the series, the Spring Run 5K/10K was set for April 25 but was called off. The Read, Write, Run 5K/10K and Sierra Gold 1M/5K were also canceled. The Joanie Bumpus Daffodil Run in Penn Valley has been moved from its original date in April to Nov. 1.
The Twin Cities Church Run for the Community 5K/10K was supposed to run this weekend, but race organizer and Gold County Grand Prix President John Fairchild restructured the race to be done virtually.
“It still gives you some feel of community, and some feel of doing something together even though we’re not actually together, and rallying around a common cause,” said Fairchild.
“The response has been real positive. Within a few days we saw people registering and signing up,” said Fairchild, noting that funds raised by the run will go to COVID-19 relief in the community. “If this brings some warmth, some community and some cheer or positive feelings and encouragement to people — it’s a win.”
People can participate in the Virtual Run for the Community through June 14.
“Running for me has been a life saver,” said Fairchild. “… Just the chance to get out, breathe some fresh air, get some exercise, get the blood flowing, see others and wave — it’s been such a help and such a positive thing for me. And, the fact that I get to do a fair amount of that with my son has been an extra bonus.”
The next Gold Country Grand Prix race after the virtual 5K is the Kellerman Batwa 5K/10K Aug. 22.
REC LEAGUES
In addition to the big events, the county also boasts a dedicated set of recreational leagues chalked full of passionate participants, all of which are chomping at the bit to start play up as the state progresses into Stage 3 of its reopening.
Slo-pitch association Commissioner Steve Loomis said he’s hoping to have his league up and going sometime in mid- to late June, but that all depends on if he gets the OK from city and county officials.
Same goes for senior softball and the men’s fastpitch league. They all are just waiting for the green light from local health officials.
For Rich Ramirez, who runs the Nevada County Adult Sports Association, he just wants to conclude the volleyball and basketball seasons that were already in progress when the shelter-in-place mandate went into effect. Ramirez said he’s hoping to be back playing in early July, but there is still no date set in stone as the Grass Valley Veterans Building, where NCASA basketball and volleyball games are played, is still being used as a COVID-19 testing site.
To contact Sports Editor Walter Ford, email wford@theunion.com or call 530-477-4232.
The Port of Iberia will sign a long-term lease Friday with Seadrill, a deepwater drilling contractor, to establish a shorebase for their operations in the Western Hemisphere.
According to Port of Iberia Executive Director Craig Romero, Seadrill operates a fleet of 61 harsh environment drillships throughout the world. The lease will include an initial term of ten years, with three 10-year options following that.
The shorebase will maintain an inventory of parts and components for drill ships across the world, according to the Port of Iberia.
The lease consists of ten acres, which Romero said received Foreign Trade Zone designation on Thursday from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The designation will allow Seadrill to bring equipment in on their ships from foreign locations to be repaired or maintained and then shipped back without tax consequences. Romero explained that without the FTZ designation, that equipment would be worked on in other countries, with no economic benefit to the United States.
The lease with Seadrill was secured through a team effort between the Port of Iberia Board of Commissioners, the Iberia Parish Council and administration, the Iberia Parish School Board, Iberia Parish Tax Assessor Ricky Huval, and Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal.
"Every one of these entities participated in a big way in making Seadrill welcome here in Iberia Parish," Romero said.
In February, the Port announced it had secured $4.4 million to enhance existing buildings and land to set up the shorebase.
"This shorebase being located at the Port of Iberia will be a tremendous economic boom for an ailing oil and gas service industry in Acadiana," said Romero.
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Under current circumstances, engaging in non-distressed M&A activity is a sign of financial health. While other top-earning Silicon Valley firms roll forward with strategic acquisitions, HP Inc.—which on Wednesday reported an 11% fall in revenue and announced that it is now among the growing list of companies to suspend buybacks—has zero M&A deals under its belt so far this year.
HP Inc. dropped from fourth to fifth place on the 2020 Fenwick – Bloomberg Law SV 150 List, which ranks Silicon Valley companies by annual revenue. And HP’s only M&A activity this year has been its months-long fight to stave off a hostile takeover by Xerox Holdings Corp. In fact, the newly suspended buyback program was previously initiated as part of this effort.
Apple continues to have an appetite for startups. Of Apple’s six acquisitions so far this year, four have been tech startups— three of which have focused on artificial intelligence. The acquisitions have included a virtual reality startup, a natural language AI startup, a mobile weather service, an AI tool startup, and Apple’s most recent acquisition, that of machine learning startup Inductiv Inc., which was announced this week.
Facebook Inc., which was less acquisitive compared to its peers last year, is catching up to Apple, with five acquisitions so far in 2020. Its acquisition of Giphy, announced earlier this month, is the latest.
Global Tech M&A Coming Down From Strong Q1
In the first quarter, global tech saw $107.9 billion in M&A activity—the highest volume of any quarter since the first quarter of 2019. The second quarter does not seem like it will get anywhere close. To date, only $8 billion in deal activity has taken place this quarter.
The largest tech deals of the year thus far were announced before the pandemic was declared on March 11. The three largest have been in the fintech space: the $8.6 billion Ingenico Group SA–Worldline SA European payments deal, the $7.1 billion Credit Karma Inc.–Intuit Inc. deal (Intuit Inc. is ranked 24th on the SV 150 list), and the $5.3 billion Plaid Inc.–Visa Inc. deal.
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