A 24-year-old man is in custody after a Saturday night shooting in Auburn Hills.
The city’s police department reported that they were called at about 8 p.m. Saturday night to the 1100 block of Doris Road for a reported shooting. The area is off of Featherstone just west of I-75.
“Dispatch received a 911 call from a male stating he had shot someone at the Doris Road address,” Auburn Hills police reported. “Upon arrival, officers discovered a 47-year-old male with an apparent gunshot wound.”
Despite lifesaving measures taken by first responders, the victim later died at an area hospital.
The man who had called police, a resident of Pontiac, was cooperative with authorities and was taken into custody by Oakland County Sheriff’s Office deputies in Pontiac and later turned over to Auburn Hills police.
“The investigation is still ongoing,” Auburn Hills police said. “However, at this time, the investigators have concluded that the victim and suspect are known to each other and engaged in an altercation that resulted in the shooting. This was an isolated incident. There is no danger to the public. This incident was contained to the address and involved no other people. There were no other injuries reported at the scene.”
File photo. (Stephen Frye / MediaNews Group)
Any witnesses or anyone with information should call police at 248-370-9460.
Police will submit the case to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for possible charges.
WASHINGTON (AP) The newest group of Kennedy Center honorees, including comedian Billy Crystal and actor Queen Latifah, were feted Sunday night at a star-studded event commemorating their lifetime achievement in arts and entertainment.
Opera singer Rene Fleming, music star Barry Gibb and prolific hitmaker Dionne Warwick were also honored at the black-tie gala. Each received personalized tributes including appearances and performances that are typically kept secret from the honorees themselves.
President Joe Biden welcomed the honorees to the White House before the event, saying the performing arts "reflect who we are as Americans and as human beings."
The honorees "have helped shape how we see ourselves, how we see each other and how we see our world," said Biden who then introduced this year's class with a set of glowing superlatives about their work.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden then headed to the Kennedy Center to attend the festivities. The ceremony began with 2017 Kennedy Center honoree Gloria Estefan leading a troupe of dancers down the aisle while performing her megahit "Get On Your Feet."
In announcing the recipients earlier this year, the Kennedy Center's president, Deborah F. Rutter, called them "an extraordinary mix of individuals who have redefined their art forms."
Crystal, 75, came to national prominence in the 1970s playing Jodie Dallas, one of the first openly gay characters on American network television, on the sitcom "Soap." He went on to a brief but memorable one-year stint on "Saturday Night Live" before starring in a string of movies, including hits such as "When Harry Met Sally... ," "The Princess Bride" and "City Slickers."
On the red carpet before the show, movie director Rob Reiner who cast Crystal in multiple iconic roles poked fun at the honoree. "I hope this doesn't give him a big head, because honestly his head's already big," Reiner said.
Reiner later narrated a large portion of Crystal's tribute, speaking from a stage made up as a replica of the diner from the famous scene in "When Harry Met Sally..." Further testimonials came from his "When Harry" costar Meg Ryan, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Costas and 2009 Kennedy Center honoree Robert DeNiro. Lin-Manuel Miranda, a 2018 honoree, performed an original song in Crystal's honor.
Crystal, who also received the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy in 2007, joins an elite group of comedians cited for both: David Letterman, Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett and Neil Simon. Bill Cosby received both honors, but they were rescinded in 2018 following his sexual assault conviction, which later was overturned.
Warwick, 82, shot to stardom in the 1960s as the muse for the superstar songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Her discography includes a multidecade string of hits, both with and without Bacharach, that includes "I Say a Little Prayer," "I'll Never Love This Way Again" and "That's What Friends Are For."
Warwick's tribute kicked off the show with a testimonial by 2021 honoree Debbie Allen, a performance by Cynthia Erivo, and Saturday Night Live cast member Ego Nwodim recounting how scary it was to perform her famous impression of Warwick in front of the diva herself. 2022 Kennedy Center honoree Gladys Knight performed Warwick's signature hit, "I Say a Little Prayer."
Fleming, 64, is one of the leading sopranos of her era, with a string of accolades that includes a National Medal of Arts bestowed by President Barack Obama, a Cross of the Order of Merit from the German government and honorary membership in England's Royal Academy of Music.
Although she had participated in five other tribute performances for previous honorees, Fleming said being the focus of attention was a "wild" experience.
"It's a different kind of whirlwind," she said on the red carpet. "Lots going on, but I don't have to worry about performing tonight."
Fleming received testimonials from actors and friends Christine Baranski and Sigourney Weaver. A quartet of opera singers performed one of her signature tunes: "Song to the Moon" from Antonn Dvok's opera "Rusalka."
Latifah, 53, has been a star since age 19 when her debut album and hit single "Ladies First" made her the first female crossover rap star. She has gone on to a diverse career that has included seven studio albums, starring roles in multiple television shows and movies and an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her role in the movie musical "Chicago."
Latifah, whose real name is Dana Owens, was honored with performances from prominent female rappers of her generation, including Yo-Yo, MC Lyte and Monie Love. Missy Elliott spoke on the cultural importance of her stage name: Latifah is Arabic meaning "gentle" or "kind" while the queen moniker conveyed respect, dignity and a determination to play a leadership role in the culture.
"She was saying, 'You WILL respect me. I won't just set the bar. I AM the bar,' " Elliott said.
Gibb, 76, achieved global fame as part of one of the most successful bands in the history of modern music, the Bee Gees. Along with his late brothers Robin and Maurice, the trio launched a nearly unmatched string of hits that defined a generation of music.
"I'm proud of what my brothers and myself accomplished," Gibb said on the red carpet. "When we were good, and when we were on, it was really special."
His tribute featured performances from country stars Little Big Town, singer Michael Bubl, Broadway star Ben Platt and a show-closing greatest hits medley by Academy Award-winning singer and actor Ariana DeBose.
The 2023 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony will be broadcast on Dec. 27 on CBS.
LONDON (AP) Oxford University Press has named "rizz" as its word of the year, highlighting the popularity of a term used by Generation Z to describe someone's ability to attract or seduce another person.
It topped "Swiftie" (an enthusiastic fan of Taylor Swift), "situationship" (an informal romantic or sexual relationship) and "prompt" (an instruction given to an artificial intelligence program) in the annual decision by experts at the publisher of the multivolume Oxford English Dictionary.
The four finalists were selected by a public vote and the winner was announced on Monday.
Rizz is believed to come from the middle of the word charisma, and can be used as a verb, as in to "rizz up," or chat someone up, the publisher said.
"It speaks to how younger generations create spaces online or in person where they own and define the language they use," the publisher said. "From activism to dating and wider culture, as Gen Z comes to have more impact on society, differences in perspectives and lifestyle play out in language, too."
U.S. and Japanese divers have discovered wreckage and remains of crew members from a U.S. Air Force Osprey aircraft that crashed last week off southwestern Japan, the Air Force announced Monday.
The CV-22 Osprey carrying eight American personnel crashed last Wednesday off Yakushima island during a training mission. The body of one victim was recovered and identified earlier, while seven others remained missing.
The Air Force Special Operations Command said the remains were being recovered and their identities have yet to be determined.
"The main priority is bringing the Airmen home and taking care of their family members. Support to, and the privacy of, the families and loved ones impacted by this incident remains AFSOC's top priority," it said in a statement.
The U.S. military identified the one confirmed victim as Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
On Monday, divers from the Japanese navy and U.S. military spotted what appeared to be the front section of the Osprey, along with possibly five of the missing crew members, Japan's NHK public television and other media reported.
Japanese navy officials declined to confirm the reports, saying they could not release details without consent from the U.S.
The U.S.-made Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but can rotate its propellers forward and cruise much faster, like an airplane, during flight.
Ospreys have had a number of crashes, including in Japan, where they are used at U.S. and Japanese military bases, and the latest accident rekindled safety concerns.
Japan has suspended all flights of its own fleet of 14 Ospreys. Japanese officials say they have asked the U.S. military to resume Osprey flights only after ensuring their safety. The Pentagon said no such formal request has been made and that the U.S. military is continuing to fly 24 MV-22s, the Marine version of Ospreys, deployed on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.
On Sunday, pieces of wreckage that Japan's coast guard and local fishing boats have collected were handed over to the U.S. military for examination, coast guard officials said. Japan's military said debris it has collected would also be handed over to the U.S.
Coast guard officials said the recovered pieces of wreckage include parts of the aircraft and an inflatable life raft but nothing related to the cause of the crash, such as an engine. Local witnesses reported seeing fire coming from one of the engines.
Under the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, Japanese authorities are not given the right to seize or investigate U.S. military property unless the U.S. decides otherwise. That means it will be practically impossible for Japan to independently investigate the cause of the accident.
The agreement has often made Japanese investigations difficult in criminal cases involving American service members on Okinawa and elsewhere, and has been criticized as unequal by rights activists and others, including Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, who has called for a revision.
WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration on Monday sent Congress an urgent warning about the need to approve tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance to Ukraine, saying Kyiv's war effort to defend itself from Russia's invasion may grind to a halt without it.
In a letter to House and Senate leaders and also released publicly, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young warned the U.S. will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of the year, saying that would "kneecap" Ukraine on the battlefield.
She added that the U.S. already has run out of money that it has used to prop up Ukraine's economy, and "if Ukraine's economy collapses, they will not be able to keep fighting, full stop."
"We are out of money and nearly out of time," she wrote.
Biden has sought a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other needs, but it has faced a difficult reception on Capitol Hill, where there is growing skepticism about the magnitude of assistance for Ukraine and where even Republicans supportive of the funding are insisting on U.S.-Mexico border policy changes to halt the flow of migrants as a condition for the assistance.
Meanwhile, the GOP-controlled House has passed a standalone assistance package for Israel, which is fighting a war with Hamas in Gaza, while the White House has maintained that all of the priorities must be met.
Congress already has allocated $111 billion to assist Ukraine, including $67 billion in military procurement funding, $27 billion for economic and civil assistance and $10 billion for humanitarian aid. Young wrote that all of it, other than about 3% of the military funding, had been depleted by mid-November.
The Biden administration has said it has slowed the pace of some military assistance to Kyiv in recent weeks to try to stretch supplies until Congress approves more funding.
"We are out of money to support Ukraine in this fight," Young wrote. "This isn't a next year problem. The time to help a democratic Ukraine fight against Russian aggression is right now. It is time for Congress to act."
The letter followed a classified Capitol Hill briefing on Nov. 29 for the top House and Senate leaders on the need for the assistance. Defense and other national security officials briefed the "big four" congressional leaders as Congress is debating President Joe Biden's nearly $106 billion funding package, which includes $61 billion for Ukraine but has become snared by Republican demands for U.S.-Mexico border security changes.
"They were clear that Ukraine needs the aid soon and so does our military need the aid soon," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told The Associated Press in an interview.
___
AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed.
TOKYO (AP) U.S. and Japanese divers have discovered wreckage and remains of crew members from a U.S. Air Force Osprey aircraft that crashed last week off southwestern Japan, the Air Force announced Monday.
The CV-22 Osprey carrying eight American personnel crashed last Wednesday off Yakushima island during a training mission. The body of one victim was recovered and identified earlier, while seven others remained missing.
The Air Force Special Operations Command said the remains were being recovered and their identities have yet to be determined.
"The main priority is bringing the Airmen home and taking care of their family members. Support to, and the privacy of, the families and loved ones impacted by this incident remains AFSOC's top priority," it said in a statement.
The U.S. military identified the one confirmed victim as Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
On Monday, divers from the Japanese navy and U.S. military spotted what appeared to be the front section of the Osprey, along with possibly five of the missing crew members, Japan's NHK public television and other media reported.
Japanese navy officials declined to confirm the reports, saying they could not release details without consent from the U.S.
The U.S.-made Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but can rotate its propellers forward and cruise much faster, like an airplane, during flight.
Ospreys have had a number of crashes, including in Japan, where they are used at U.S. and Japanese military bases, and the latest accident rekindled safety concerns.
Japan has suspended all flights of its own fleet of 14 Ospreys. Japanese officials say they have asked the U.S. military to resume Osprey flights only after ensuring their safety. The Pentagon said no such formal request has been made and that the U.S. military is continuing to fly 24 MV-22s, the Marine version of Ospreys, deployed on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.
On Sunday, pieces of wreckage that Japan's coast guard and local fishing boats have collected were handed over to the U.S. military for examination, coast guard officials said. Japan's military said debris it has collected would also be handed over to the U.S.
Coast guard officials said the recovered pieces of wreckage include parts of the aircraft and an inflatable life raft but nothing related to the cause of the crash, such as an engine. Local witnesses reported seeing fire coming from one of the engines.
Under the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, Japanese authorities are not given the right to seize or investigate U.S. military property unless the U.S. decides otherwise. That means it will be practically impossible for Japan to independently investigate the cause of the accident.
The agreement has often made Japanese investigations difficult in criminal cases involving American service members on Okinawa and elsewhere, and has been criticized as unequal by rights activists and others, including Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, who has called for a revision.
The average Michigan gas prices are up 4 cents from last week, according to AAA. The average price for regular unleaded in Michigan is now $3.20 per gallon 19 cents less than a month ago and 26 cents less than a year ago. The average cost to fill up a 15-gallon gasoline truck is $48 a $30 decrease from June 2022 when prices were the highest.
"After several weeks of steady decline, Michigan motorists are now seeing slightly higher prices at the pump," said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, AAA-The Auto Club Group. "If gas demand remains low, it could help limit further pump price increases.
When compared to last week, the average daily gas price in Michigan decreased slightly. $3.20 per gallon is the current average gas price in metro Detroit which is approximately 2 cents less than last weeks average and 10 cents less than a year ago.
AAA says the most expensive gas price averages include: Jackson ($3.28) Traverse City ($3.26) Ann Arbor ($3.26) The least expensive gas price averages are the following: Benton Harbor ($3.17) Metro Detroit ($3.020) Flint ($3.21)
On a trip to Georgia last month, it felt like a good time to visit the Carter Center in Atlanta. Former president Jimmy Carter had recently entered hospice care.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jim Leyland left his living room in Thornburg, Pennsylvania, and had gone upstairs to lie down, convinced the call to Cooperstown wasn’t coming.
“They had told us it would be between 6:30 and 7:15,” he said, “but I thought when I didn’t get it by a quarter to 7, it wasn’t going to happen, so I went up just to rest a minute, kind of get my thoughts together.”
Just then, as son Pat arrived upstairs, the phone rang. Hall chairman Jane Forbes Clark was on the line and Leyland had been voted in, two weeks shy of his 79th birthday.
“There was definitely a tear in my eye,” Leyland said.
An entertaining and at-times crusty manager who led the Florida Marlins to a World Series title in 1997 and won 1,769 regular-season games over 22 seasons, Leyland received 15 of 16 votes Sunday from the contemporary era committee for managers, executives and umpires. He becomes the 23rd manager in the hall.
Honest, profane and constantly puffing on a cigarette, Leyland embodied the image of the prickly baseball veteran with a gruff but wise voice. He is 18th on the career list for manager wins but is second behind Joe McCarthy among those who never played in the major leagues. He also was ejected 73 times, tied with Clark Griffith for 10th in major league history.
Leyland’s players included Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Larry Walker, Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.
“I think young people, young players are searching for discipline,” Leyland said. “So we all have our insecurities and I think even sometimes players do, even though they’re great players. And I think that they’re always looking for that leadership. I tried to impress on them what it was to be a professional and how tough this game is to play. And I also told them almost every day how good they were.”
Former player and manager Lou Piniella fell one vote short for the second time after also getting 11 in 2018. Former player, broadcaster and NL President Bill White was two shy.
Managers Cito Gaston and Davey Johnson, umpires Joe West and Ed Montague, and general manager Hank Peters all received fewer than five votes.
Leyland managed Pittsburgh, Florida, Colorado and Detroit from 1986 to 2013. He will be inducted into the Hall on July 21 along with players voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, whose balloting will be announced on Jan. 23.
Adrián Beltré, Joe Mauer, Chase Utley, David Wright, José Bautista and Matt Holliday are among the players eligible for the BBWAA ballot for the first time in the current vote. Holdovers include Todd Helton, who fell 11 votes short this year, and Billy Wagner, who was 27 shy.
Leyland grew up in the Toledo, Ohio, suburb of Perrysburg. He was a minor league catcher and occasional third baseman in the Tigers organization from 1965-70, never rising above Double-A and finishing with a .222 batting average, four homers and 102 RBIs.
“Being not a very good player myself, I realized how hard it was to play the game,” he said.
Leyland coached in the Tigers minor league system, then started managing with Bristol of the Appalachian Rookie League in 1971. After 11 seasons as a minor league manager, he left the Tigers to serve as Tony La Russa’s third base coach with the Chicago White Sox from 1982-85, then embarked on a major league managerial career that saw him take over the Pirates from 1986-96.
The Pittsburgh Press was said to have run a headline: “Jim Who?”
“Yeah, it was `Jim Who?’ when I got here and, you know, I’m still here,” Leyland said. “At least people know me a little better than they did when I first got here.”
Pittsburgh got within one out of a World Series trip in 1992 before Francisco Cabrera’s two-run single in Game 7 won the NL pennant for Atlanta. The Pirates sank from there following the departures of Bonds and ace pitcher Doug Drabek as free agents, and Leyland left after Pittsburgh’s fourth straight losing season in 1996. Five days following his last game, he chose the Marlins over the White Sox, Red Sox and Angels.
Florida won the title the next year in the franchise’s fifth season, the youngest expansion team to earn a championship at the time. But the Marlins sold off veterans and tumbled to 54-108 in 1998, and Leyland left for the Rockies. He quit after one season, saying he lacked the needed passion, and worked as a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals.
“I did a lousy job my last year of managing,″ Leyland said then. ”I stunk because I was burned out. When I left there, I sincerely believed that I would not manage again. … I always missed the competition, but the last couple of years — and this stuck in my craw a little bit — I did not want my managerial career to end like that.”
He replaced Alan Trammell as Tigers manager ahead of the 2006 season and stayed through 2013.
Leyland’s teams finished first six times and went 1,769-1,728. He won American League pennants in 2006, losing to St. Louis in a five-game World Series, and 2012, getting swept by San Francisco. Leyland was voted Manager of the Year in 1990, 1992 and 2006, and he managed the U.S. to the 2017 World Baseball Classic championship, the Americans’ only title.
Now he’s alongside the elite.
“It’s the final stop,” Leyland said. “To land there in Cooperstown, it doesn’t get any better than that. I mean, that’s the ultimate. I certainly never thought it was going to happen. Most people probably don’t. But it did, and I’m sure I’m going to enjoy it.”
FILE - Former Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland addresses the crowd during a ceremony honoring Miguel Cabrera for hitting 500 career home runs before a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sept. 24, 2021, in Detroit. Leyland was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez, File)
Sunday morning service at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church was interrupted after someone called in a bomb threat.
Detroit Police didnt find a bomb inside but the whole thing gave churchgoers quite the scare.
The scare comes as the church congregation is mourning the loss of their longtime pastor, Reverend Dr. Charles G. Adams.
Dr. Adams died on Wednesday after a bout with Pneumonia. His sister, Edith Clifton, was inside the church on Sunday.
Just puzzled at why Hartford would be chosen as anybodys bomb threat, said Clifton.
The threat was called in toward the end of the churchs 7:30am service, everyone who was inside was evacuated.
The fire department did a thorough search and they cleared out any doubt that there was a bomb, said Clifton.
The police department described it as a non-credible threat. Once police said it was okay, churchgoers were able to finish their service.
Clifton says she doesnt understand who would want to scare the congregation in this way.
It could be as innocent as some young people just playing a prank, she said. Or it could be more serious as somebody really wanting to hurt the community in some way but we just dont know.
Despite this situation, the main thing Clifton wants people to know is the church cares about the community and she knows the community cares the church.
Hartford has always been very invested in the community and this is something that Dr. Adams felt very strongly about, economic development of the community around the church, Clifton added.
Dr. Adams memorial services will take place on December 14th and the 15th at Hartford Memorial.
Clifton says there is a strong possibility church security will be beefed up for those services in light of what happened on Sunday.
Winter will be here soon, and that means peak wedding season is almost over.
But wedding planners say theyre already planning for another busy year in 2024, so it got us thinking, why do we wear wedding rings?
"If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it." We all know the words of Beyonc.
But where did this tradition come from?
Contrary to what your newly engaged friend might want you to think, they did not invent the wedding ring.
Like a lot of old traditions, the exact history of wedding rings is murky. But one belief dates back to ancient Egypt.
Egyptian pharaohs believed rings symbolized eternity because of their circular shape, with no beginning and no end.
Egyptians also believed in the vena amoris, or vein of love. They thought there was a vein in the fourth finger on the left hand connected directly to the heart. Thats why its still common to wear a wedding ring on that finger.
When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, the Greeks adopted the tradition of gifting a ring to show devotion. The tradition carried on when the Romans conquered the Greeks.
Some accounts say the Romans viewed the ring as a symbol of a husbands ownership over his bride as opposed to a sign of love.
As time went on, the types of rings and motifs shifted.
Rings became more popular in the West during World War II, when men going off to fight gave them to their wives-to-be as a promise to wed when they returned.
During this time, more men started wearing rings, too. Men wore them while deployed. to remind them of their spouse back home.
For many years, rings had different types of stones.
In 1947, the diamond company Da Beers helped popularize a diamond ring thanks to its famous slogan, "A diamond is forever." The marketing strategy popularized diamond rings for wedding and engagement bands.
According to a survey from The Knot, 86% of engagement rings in the U.S. include a diamond center stone today, and the average ring costs $6,000.
We think that might be just a little more than the ancient Egyptians planned on spending.
In the span of four years, El Salvador has gone from being the murder capital of the world to the safest country in the western hemisphere.
The result: El Salvador has imprisoned 70,000 people it says are associated with gangs within two years. But with so many arrests, how can the country ensure that everyone they catch is a criminal?
Everything has its good and its bad," says Pedro Rojas, a community organizer. Pedro has seen first-hand the transformation of his neighborhood, Las Caas, from a sharply divided gang warzone to a bustling hub of local business and soccer matches.
But to achieve peace in Las Caas, Rojas says the Salvadoran National Police detained over 300 people from the neighborhood. Between good and bad, because also remember that the 'State of Exception' doesnt only take bad people. Rojas says. But there are raids where they take people away who have done nothing.
Scripps News spoke with a member of the Salvadoran National Police who claims that, to boost the number of arrests in the country, commanding officers instituted arrest quotas for certain precincts. Scripps News has viewed documents that appear to show arrest quotas within the precinct of San Salvador. The same police officer claims that he has detained innocent people in El Salvador under the State of Exception. I feel guilty because these people could have died in prison because of an arrest that didnt have to happen, says the officer. El Salvadors National Civil Police did not return a request for comment.
In a country that is notorious for the imprisonment of government leakers, it is difficult to gather information from within the Salvadoran justice system, but Scripps News obtained documents detailing the imprisonment of a 14-year-old US citizen. The minor, who was in El Salvador visiting relatives, was detained under the charge of the Illegal Association and held in a juvenile detention center. During his detention, he was severely beaten and drowned until the point of unconsciousness.
After being treated for his injuries, the boy was released by a judge, who stated that the detention was an illegal deprivation of his liberty." Anonymous sources and documents included in this documentary were verified through photos, police records, and first-hand interviews.
Reporting has shown that over 6,000 innocent individuals have been released from Salvadoran prisons during the State of Exception. Scripps News spoke with the Vice President of El Salvador about how the country can justify the wrongful imprisonment of innocent civilians. Less than 10% of mistakes and more than 90% of things well done. So, you have to continue.
We are doing something really good, so we have to continue doing the really good and try to avoid the mistake, says Vice President Flix Ulloa.
When pressed on the release of further innocent civilians, the vice president claims that they have already released all the innocent civilians. What are those innocent people? I am telling you, the innocent people have been released."
Despite the vice presidents claims, human rights groups in El Salvador say there may be as many as 14,000 individuals still imprisoned with no connection to the gangs.
The impacts of these mass arrests ripple through families not only in El Salvador but also in the country with the second-most Salvadorans, the United States. In both countries, Scripps News reached out to many of these families; most chose not to speak up out of fear of retaliation by the Salvadoran government.
Its very hard for me. I cry all night long. I dream about themthat they are starving, that they are feeling coldhave they been beaten? says Consuelo Gomes, a U.S. citizen who runs MOVIR, or the Movement of the Victims of the State of Exception.
Consuelos two sons were both arrested in El Salvador and impacted by the State of Exception. She has little detail as to where they are or what crimes they are accused of. She claims that her two children have never been associated with gangs. So that's what we parents want to knowthat we have innocent children in detention. It's the fight we have. We fight by asking them to show us evidence. Show us evidence or release them now.
In Aug. 2023, U.S. officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, met with Salvadoran diplomats and publicly applauded the countrys commitment to human rights. But when we asked U.S. State Department officials if they were aware of U.S. citizens that have been arrested with little or no due process in El Salvador, they provided the following response:
The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas. We are aware of U.S. citizens detained in El Salvador. We take our role in assisting U.S. citizens abroad seriously and are engaged with the Government of El Salvador directly on this issue. The state of exception must be an exception.
The United States wants to work closely with El Salvador to support a sustainable path forward to these enduring challenges that affect the lives of every Salvadoran.
The ideas behind the State of Exception seem to be gaining traction. Neighboring governments in Honduras, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic have all explored implementing their own form of a State of Exception to quell gang violence in their own countries.
This new chapter in the age-old struggle between security and personal freedom might have started in El Salvador, but its impacts are being felt across the region and the world.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection will temporarily halt operations at the Lukeville, Arizona border crossing on Monday, amid an increased levels of migrant encounters.
According to border officials, the move is to address a surge in migrant encounters at the border "fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals," and to redirect personnel to help border patrol take migrants into custody.
Travelers can expect up to a four-hour detour, whether thats going into Mexico or coming into the United States and will have to use the Nogales or San Luis ports of entry. The port thats on the way to Rocky Point, Mexico, is going to be closed to both cars and pedestrians.
Jaime Chamberlain, who is the chairman of the Nogales Santa Cruz Port Authority, says the closure of the Lukeville port is going to lead to longer lines at the Nogales ports. He says a lot of customs officers have already been taken away from inspections to help process people hoping to get asylum.
CBP officials say the Tucson area, including Nogales, is already seeing the highest number of migrants coming into the country. From October of last year to October of this year, they saw a 140% jump with more than 33,000 migrants this year.
In October, an average of 3,140 individuals in vehicles and 184 pedestrians entered the U.S. daily through Lukeville, according to the U.S. Transportation Department.
It's not clear for how long officials will keep this crossing closed.
As the U.S. undergoes a transition to clean energy, yellow school buses are coming along for the ride.
The problem is that there's half a million of them on the roads, and they pollute the air our children breathe.
A 2001 study by the National Resources Defense Council determined children were exposed to as much as four times the level of exhaust compared to someone in a car. 25 million children ride the school bus every day.
"This might be their biggest exposure to pollution from diesel engines," said Rebecca Leber, a reporter with Vox. "which produce a lot of different emissions that are really concerning to kids' lungs, which include sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and probably most concerning of all particulate matter."
The average U.S. school bus age is nine years, and most are retired by age 12 or 250,000 miles.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Joe Biden in 2021, provides $5 billion to convert existing buses to zero-emission or low-emission models. Hundreds of millions more in federal and state grants are also on offer.
So what are the options for replacing an aging, dirty bus?
New diesel engines produce 90% less nitrogen and sulfur pollution and are more efficient than old diesel buses built before 2006. And they're the least expensive option.
The Yuma, Arizona, school district recently replaced six of its old diesel buses with new diesel ones.
"They're cleaner, they're quieter, they're better for student health," said Ron Schepers, the district's director of transportation.
Then there's propane buses. They pass the smell test and the eye test, with the same pollution as your gas grill at home. They're even cleaner in terms of nitrogen and sulfur toxins, and the propane industry is pushing their adoption.
"When you compare propane to diesel, it produces fewer particulate matter emissions. At the same time, it produces other types of emissions because it is a fossil fuel. So when you burn it, you are producing certain types of air pollution, and it also contributes to climate change," said Leber.
Which brings us to electric buses, which are so far the preferred replacement for diesel in the industry.
So far, around 6,000 electric school buses are on the roads, according to the World Resources Institute.
The differences don't stop at the tailpipe. "Talking to school bus drivers who actually engage with this technology, one was describing that it's so quiet that she can actually hear the children too well and has to tell them to keep the noise down," says Leber.
Converting existing diesel buses to electric is another option. SEA Electric, out of Australia, is working with Illinois vehicle company Midwest Transit Equipment to convert ten thousand existing diesel school buses to electric motors.
"The electric buses are coming. The challenge right now with the electric buses is the cost and the infrastructure," said Brian Flaggs, ABC student transportation.
Leber says electric buses are between three and four times more expensive than diesel to purchase.
"This is why electric technology really needs extra support from places like the federal government and states," she says.
Electrifying the nation's school buses could pave the way for other types of electric vehicles, says Leber, since their predictable routes could help the industry gain expertise in efficiently using the batteries.
Passed in 1965, the Voting Rights Act was one of the biggest achievements of the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. It directly attacked discriminatory Jim Crow laws and prohibited gerrymandering voting districts along racial lines.
Now, though, the federal appeals court has ruled that only the government can bring lawsuits under the Voting Rights Act.
Over the years, the majority of challenges against discriminatory voting have come from individuals, private organizations, and voting rights advocacy groups.
Critics of the ruling are sounding the alarm that this could make the Voting Rights Act ineffective.
Supporters of the appeals' court decision to limit challenges only to the government have claimed the case is not about dismantling the Voting Rights Act.
The executive director of the Honest Elections Project, a conservative group, told the New York Times that the Voting Rights Act was never intended to be "a partisan weapon against democratically enacted election integrity laws and redistricting practices."
The section of the law under review has been regularly used in other legal battles over voting rights.
In June, the Supreme Court ruled against the district map drawn by the state of Alabama. A number of civil rights organizations sued the state for violating the Voting Rights Act and gerrymandering with racial discrimination.
On the Supreme Court, a 5-4 majority agreed. Two conservative justices joined the three liberal justices in the majority.
"States like Alabama have been doing business as usual, in a way that has harmed minority voters time and time again. Both Congress and the courts have reaffirmed that minority voters have a recourse under federal law to discriminatory laws and discriminatory maps," said Abha Khanna, the lawyer who argued Allen v. Milligan.
States typically update congressional maps once a decade, and many are now facing new redistricting battles at the state level throughout the country.
In Wisconsin, the state supreme court has heard challenges against the voting district map for allegedly violating the state's constitution. Wisconsin is often cited as 'one of the most gerrymandered' states in the U.S.
This is the backdrop for the recent Voting Rights Act ruling, which is likely to be sent next to the country's Supreme Court.
If the Supreme Court rules in favor of preventing individuals from challenging discriminatory laws, it will have a massive ripple effect across each state's new map.
"There's nothing about it that is an entitlement. It is a protection against discrimination. It has been a foundational piece of legislation and legal precedent to protect minority voting rights, not just across the South but across the country," said Khanna.
In the years after the 2020 election, multiple polls suggested more Americans are most concerned with making sure anyone who wants to vote can have access.
But polling also found a steep partisan divide:
In a NPR/PBS/Marist poll, Democrats were staunchly more concerned with access than voter eligibility. Republicans were more concerned with making sure no one voted who wasn't eligible. A Pew Research survey supported these results.
Over the past half century, the Voting Rights Act has faced repeated challenges since it was enacted.
And as the presidential election approaches, voting access will be a key talking point for both parties and American voters.
Its holiday travel season, and it started with a winter storm over Thanksgiving weekend.
Despite the activity, domestic cancellations on Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving were under 150, with international cancellations higher at over 800.
Major airlines announced preparation efforts starting in the summer, particularly for inclement weather.
But this year, the Transportation Security Administration predicts record-breaking travel as Americans take advantage of flight discounts across the country.
"This holiday season is estimated to bring some of the busiest travel days in U.S. history, building on a summer that was already record-breaking, said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
The demand is overpowering a shrinking and aging commercial pilot pipeline, and the problems go beyond the cockpit. Labor shortages continue to hit airlines, from air traffic controllers to maintenance workers.
Airlines are going to do their best to operate every flight they can during the holidays and operate those flights on time or as close to on time as possible, said Henry Harteveldt, who has been analyzing the flight industry for 20 years.
In addition to consistency in the air, Harteveldt says airlines are also trying to be more consistent on the ground, but challenges linger.
The airport concession operators have been hiring more people to work at those concessions, but one of the biggest challenges concession operators tell me they have is getting the people who go through the background checks and accept that badge to work at the airport, said Harteveldt.
He says providers of services like wheelchairs are having similar issues finding staff.
So what can you do to counter some of the shortcomings?
Harteveldt says to reach out to the airline before your trip to let them know if you will require assistance.
He also suggested reaching out to TSA in advance to let them know if youre differently abled, and last but not least, book as soon as possible.
If you find flights that meet your scheduling needs, that meet your budget, and you like and trust that airline, book the flights; don't try to game the system; the airlines have far more intelligence and far more data than you, said Harteveldt. The travel period is much busier during a time when normally before COVID we would have seen a decline, and airlines attribute this to the increased flexibility a lot of people have on where they can work.
Its a promising sign for airlines, as the industry seems to have passed its first holiday travel test.
So far, 2023 has seen the lowest cancellation rate in the last five years at just 1.3%. It's much lower than last year. It's lower even than before the pandemic, said Buttigieg.
The bottom line is that the rules of old have changed, but with proper preparation, one can still avoid a holiday panic.
NEW ORLEANS — Sam LaPorta had career highs of nine catches for 140 yards, including an early touchdown and a crucial first-down snag in the final minutes, and the Detroit Lions defeated the reeling New Orleans Saints 33-28 on Sunday to post their best record through 12 games since 1962.
The Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr in the fourth quarter to back, shoulder and head injuries. Carr was hurt on a penalized hit by Bruce Irvin, who drove the weight of his body into the quarterback.
Jared Goff passed for 213 yards and two TDs for the Lions (9-3), who raced to a three-touchdown lead and then held off a valiant comeback bid by the Saints. New Orleans (5-7) fell one game behind first-place Atlanta in the league’s weakest division, the NFC South.
After falling behind 21-0 in the first quarter, the Saints pulled as close as 24-21 late in the third. The Saints also had the ball at midfield with a chance to take the lead in the final three minutes, but turned the ball over on downs when Jameis Winston threw behind Chris Olave.
Detroit was able to run out the clock from there, thanks to first-down catches by LaPorta and Josh Reynolds.
The Saints turned the ball over twice and both were costly.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A member of the chain crew is wheeled off during the first half of an NFL football game between the New Orleans Saints and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) makes a catch as New Orleans Saints safety Jordan Howden (31) defends during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) catches a pass as New Orleans Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo (29) and linebacker Demario Davis (56) defend during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Medical personnel look over New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) after being tackled during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Detroit Lions linebacker Bruce Irvin (51) tackles New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) causing an injury during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) acknowledges the fans after an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans. Detroit won 33-28. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Carr was intercepted on the Saints’ first offensive play of the game. He also lost a fumble in the fourth quarter when left guard James Hurst inadvertently knocked the ball from Carr’s hands as the quarterback gathered the snap on the New Orleans 25 and turned as if to hand off. The Lions converted both takeaways into touchdowns.
Tracy Walker recovered Carr’s fumble, setting up Jameson Williams’ 19-yard touchdown run on a reverse to make it 33-21.
The Saints got back within one score with 7:30 to go when Alvin Kamara, who had 109 yards and two TDs from scrimmage, scored his 53rd career TD rushing to set a new franchise mark.
The Lions roared out of the gate, tying a franchise record with 21 first-quarter points.
David Montgomery's short run made it 7-0, capping a drive highlighted by Jahmyr Gibbs' 32-yard run to the New Orleans 2.
Next came Lions defensive back Brian Branch's interception on a pass tipped by tight end Juwan Johnson, setting up Goff's 13-yard scoring pass to LaPorta.
Goff's 29-yard completion to LaPorta set up his 25-yard scoring strike to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who also passed Calvin Johnson for most yards receiving by a Lion in his first three seasons.
HONOLULU BLUE
Long-suffering Lions fans traveled en masse for a chance to see their team post its best record through 12 games in six decades. Detroit started 10-2 in 1962.
The “Honolulu blue” of the Lions' color scheme was prevalent across the Superdome stands and there were moments when chants of “Lets go Lions!” reverberated throughout the stadium.
Detroit, which hasn't made the playoffs since the 2016 season, has a comfortable lead in the NFC North.
SIDELINE COLLISION
The game was delayed in the first half when Kamara was tackled into a member of the chain crew, taking out the sideline assistant's legs. The injured official was carted of the field and the chain crew operated with one fewer person for the remainder of the game.
INJURIES
Lions: C Frank Ragnow left in the first half with a knee injury. DT Alim McNeill also appeared hurt after a play in the third quarter, but was able to jog to the sideline.
Saints: OL Andrus Peat was treated for a hand injury but returned. DT Malcolm Roach also was treated for an injury in the fourth quarter.
UP NEXT
Lions: Visit Chicago next Sunday.
Saints: Host Carolina next Sunday.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff scrambles past New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd (93) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
The Detroit Lions entered their Week 13 road contest seeking to play their best football in the month of December.
Facing a team that members of the coaching staff have special ties to made the game against the New Orleans Saints more meaningful.
Supporters again flocked to the Superdome to hopefully witness one of the best road teams pursue its ninth victory of the season.
Even though the first offensive snap saw the Lions called for a false-start penalty and the exchange between Jared Goff and Frank Ragnow not being crisp, Dan Campbell’s team started the game quickly, getting out to an early three-touchdown lead.
A hot start did not keep the Saints from battling all four quarters. Detroit’s defense struggled to limit the effectiveness of Taysom Hill, Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave in a hotly-contested road contest.
Here are several takeaways from the Lions’ 33-28 victory against the Saints.
A DREAM START
Campbell and his football team found themselves leading, 21-0, before the halfway point of the first quarter.
Detroit, which has counted on its rookies all season, again turned to several first-year players to make significant contributions in a game that surely will quiet critics for the time being.
Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch all made impactful plays before supporters could get comfortable in their seats.
With the team struggling to secure sacks, veteran Bruce Irvin made his presence felt in his debut for the Lions, recording a sack in the first quarter.
LIONS ATTACK WEAKNESSES
The Saints have struggled to stop the run over the past several weeks.
Detroit is a football team that seeks to establish the run and wants to take advantage weekly of having one of the top offensive lines in the NFL.
After the first play, Jared Goff marched his team down the field, led by a dynamic running back duo that is becoming increasingly reliable.
A 36-yard scamper by Gibbs set up Detroit’s first touchdown of the afternoon.
David Montgomery capped off Detroit’s seven-play, 80-yard drive with a 2-yard scamper. On the play, Jonah Jackson pulled to the right side, and aided the tight ends tasked with run blocking.
DEFENSE FORCES TURNOVER EARLY, LATE
New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7) attempts to pull away from Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch (32) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
It was clear that Detroit was on the wrong end of the turnover margin the past couple of weeks.
In fact, Campbell, Detroit’s third-year head coach, identified and emphasized turnovers as being the single biggest issue that impacted his team the last two weeks.
On the Saints’ first possession, Derek Carr had his pass intended for tight end Juwan Johnson intercepted by Brian Branch.
LaPorta, who has set rookie tight end records nearly every week, recorded his sixth touchdown of the season, and extended Detroit’s lead to 14-0.
Then, on the ensuing possession, Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 25-yard touchdown strike. It put St. Brown over 1,000 total yards receiving for the second straight season.
Additionally, it gave Detroit 21 points in a first quarter for the first time since the 2011 campaign.
With the Lions leading by six early in the fourth quarter, Tracy Walker was able to secure a fumble recovery to give Detroit prime field position. It was the defense’s second takeaway of the game.
On the next possession, Jameson Williams took a reverse toss from Kalif Raymond, and turned on the jets to fly into the end zone. It extended Detroit’s lead to 12, 33-21.
MOMENTUM SHIFTED AFTER RAGNOW WENT OUT
Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow (77) in action against the Green Bay Packers during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Sept. 20, 2021, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
New Orleans, which had struggled this season scoring points in the red zone, took advantage of many of its opportunities in the red zone against Detroit’s defense.
After center Frank Ragnow left the game in the second quarter, Detroit’s offense stalled, and the Saints steadily gained momentum.
Goff walked to the sideline frustrated after not being able to find a wide open Williams. Detroit was forced to punt instead of recording what would have been a significant gain.
Detroit took a 24-7 lead into halftime, but the Saints marched down the field on their first offensive possession of the second half. And, they scored a touchdown on their second trip into the red zone.
Alvin Kamara capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a rushing touchdown. It cut Detroit’s lead to 10, 24-14. Carr got his team into the red zone with a 33-yard pass to Olave, who beat cornerback Jerry Jacobs on the route.
After Detroit got out to the 21-0 lead, the Saints were able to outscore Campbell’s squad, 21-3, through the halfway point of the third quarter. The Saints again found the end zone when Carr lead the team on a 62-yard scoring drive. The drive was capped off by a Hill 1-yard scamper. The Saints’ scoring drive brought the team to within three points of the Lions, cutting Detroit’s lead to 24-21.
Irvin, playing in his first game since January, knocked Carr out of the game in the fourth quarter.
Jameis Winston was able to lead the Saints on a scoring drive, and had an opportunity for the go-ahead score, trailing, 33-28.
Detroit’s defense held New Orleans down when needed, forcing the Saints into a turnover on downs with less than 4:00 remaining.
LaPORTA STEPS UP
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) acknowledges the fans after an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans. Detroit won 33-28. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Heading into the fourth quarter, Detroit held a six-point lead, 27-21.
With the Saints possessing all the momentum, Detroit’s talented rookie seemingly was the primary target that Goff went to when key plays needed to be made.
Through three quarters, the second-round draft pick recorded seven receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Credit Detroit’s coaching staff for recognizing how much the Saints’ defense has struggled covering tight ends this season.
All afternoon, LaPorta found openings in the Saints’ defense for significant gains and to extend drives.
This article was produced by the staff at Sports Illustrated/All Lions. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions.
Detroit Lions fans cheer after an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans. Detroit won 33-28. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Login
