A toddler suffering from measles has died in the German capital, health authorities said Monday, amid the country's worst outbreak in years and a debate about vaccinations.
The 18-month-old boy died on February 18, the first known fatality among more than 570 recorded measles cases since October in the German capital, a Berlin health department official told AFP.
The resurgence of the preventable disease in Germany, as well as in parts of the United States, coincides with a movement among some parents to refuse to vaccinate their children.
Health Minister Hermann Groehe said "the irrational fear-mongering of some vaccination-foes is irresponsible"....(more)
A toddler suffering from measles has died in the German capital, health authorities said Monday, amid the country's worst outbreak in years and a debate about vaccinations.
The 18-month-old boy died on February 18, the first known fatality among more than 570 recorded measles cases since October in the German capital, a Berlin health department official told AFP
The resurgence of the preventable disease in Germany, as well as in parts of the United States, coincides with a movement among some parents to refuse to vaccinate their children.
Health Minister Hermann Groehe said "the irrational fear-mongering of some vaccination-foes is irresponsible"....(more)
A florist who refused to provide flowers to a gay couple for their wedding violated state consumer-protection and anti-discrimination law, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom rejected arguments from the owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland that her actions were protected by her freedoms of speech and religion. While religious beliefs are protected by the First Amendment, actions based on those beliefs aren’t necessarily protected, he said.
“For over 135 years, the Supreme Court has held that laws may prohibit religiously motivated action, as opposed to belief,” Ekstrom wrote. “The Courts have confirmed the power of the Legislative Branch to prohibit conduct it deems discriminatory, even where the motivation for that conduct is grounded in religious belief.”
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"The law is clear: If you choose to provide a service to couples of the opposite sex, you must provide the same service to same-sex couples,” Ferguson said....
There are videos and many witnesses. He should not have been throwing rocks, but the cops shot him when he turned as he was running away. Not a threat when they shot him. Witnesses say at least 13 shots.
The widow and daughters of the rock-throwing man shot and killed Tuesday by Pasco police filed a $25 million wrongful-death claim against the city Friday as police and prosecutors promised a thorough and objective investigation into the killing.
The claim alleges that 35-year-old orchard worker Antonio Zambrano-Montes “posed no danger” to the three officers who followed him across a busy downtown intersection during rush-hour and shot him to death on a sidewalk as he moved away. Prosecutors and police on Friday confirmed Zambrano-Montes was not carrying a firearm or a knife when he was killed.
The officers had responded to a 911 report of a man throwing rocks at cars and Zambrano-Montes struggled with one officer before two others arrived. Police say two officers were struck by rocks and said the man’s behavior was erratic and threatening.
His was the fourth fatal police shooting in this community of 68,000 since last summer and has sparked national outrage and local protests, due in large part to graphic cellphone video posted by one witness on YouTube that has been viewed more than 925,000 times....
"Fleeing from police and not following an officer’s command should not be sufficient for a person to get shot."
Pasco, WA
What gets me is not that they needed to stop him, but they shot him when he was stopped, facing them, hands up, no threat. He ran, stopped, faced them with hands up, and they shot him. Why the hell couldn't they have, I don't know, grabbed him?
More than a dozen people apparently witnessed Tuesday’s rush-hour confrontation between 35-year-old Antonio Zambrano-Montes, who had gotten out of jail on Monday, and three officers. The officers had tried to arrest him after witnesses reported he was throwing rocks at cars outside the Fiesta Foods supermarket in downtown Pasco.
At least one witness posted a graphic cellphone video on YouTube showing Zambrano-Montes being pursued across a street by the officers and then collapsing to the sidewalk under a hail of police gunfire. Witnesses said Zambrano-Montes was carrying a rock and was walking away when the officers fired as many as 13 rounds.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington called the shooting “very disturbing,” and at least one eyewitness questioned the use of deadly force on a crowded street.
“I could not believe they were shooting guns. There were cars and people everywhere,” said Pasco resident Benjamin Patrick....
(clip)Zambrano-Montes was throwing rocks at cars about 5 p.m. Tuesday near Fiesta Foods when police were called. He hit two officers with rocks and refused to listen to commands, Police Chief Bob Metzger said.
Police gave him orders to surrender and unsuccessfully tried using a Taser. The officers chased him across the intersection of 10th Avenue and Lewis Street and eventually shot him in front of a business on Lewis Street.
The shooting was captured on video by bystanders and caused outrage and protests in the city Wednesday. Several graphic videos have been posted to YouTube and viewed thousands of times.
The Zambrano family told the Herald police were out of line when they shot him and should have used less-lethal force to get him under control....
Beware, video shows him getting shot, across the street from the filming person.
I just checked the schools my child attended and am amazed at the high exemption rate. Public schools seem to hover lower than private ones and alternative programs but 20-30% for grade schools is appalling.
