TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalNueces County Judge Barbara Canales to issue beach order
Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales announced she is finalizing an order to prohibit vehicular access to beaches over Independence Day weekend.
The order will begin on Friday, July 3 and will end on July 7, Canales said during the area's COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday.
The order will prohibit all vehicle access to beaches, including cars, trucks and golf carts.
"It’s in the best interest of public health and safety," Canales said.
Beaches from Port Aransas to the National Seashore will be closed to vehicle access under the order.
Read more: https://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2020/06/30/nueces-county-judge-barbara-canales-issue-beach-order/5352565002/
(Corpus Christi Caller-Times)
Immigration judges sue Trump administration alleging their free speech rights have been violated
Source: Texas Tribune
Hundreds of the country's immigration judges filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that the Trump administration is muzzling their right to free speech.
The lawsuit cites a 2020 policy enacted by the Justice Department’s Executive Office of Immigration Review that prohibits judges from speaking about policy or law, even in their personal capacities, and requires immigration judges to obtain prior permission before speaking on any other policy, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in a Virginia federal court by Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University on behalf of the National Association of Immigration Judges, a nationwide organization of more than 460 judges.
The policy violates the First and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the judges argue, and the U.S. Supreme Court has previously held that “people do not surrender their free-speech rights when they accept government employment.”
The government can only prohibit speech if it can show that doing so outweighs an employee’s interest and the public’s interest in hearing what that person has to say.
Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/07/01/immigration-judges-sue-trump-administration-free-speech/
Article by Julián Aguilar.
Sacha Baron Cohen's latest prank involves a racist singalong at a far-right rally
Sacha Baron Cohen drew eyes to Olympia, Wash., over the weekend by attending a far-right March for Our Rights rally. The comedian, known for bringing his satirical characters into real-world settings, posed as an event sponsor and led the crowd in an absurd singalong for several minutes.
In a video uploaded to YouTube and shared on social media, a rally organizer said the production company at the last minute added a sponsor they hadn't worked with before. That man got onstage and about halfway through the set, according to the organizer, sang "pretty racist and divisive lyrics." The group attempted to get him off the stage, but Cohen's hired security stood in the way. They also blocked the generators, impeding the organizers' ability to cut power to the microphone.
Dressed in a cowboy hat and overalls, Cohen sang racist lyrics attacking President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Anthony Fauci, as well as CNN and the World Health Organization. He repeatedly mentioned "the Wuhan Flu," a phrase some lawmakers have used to blame China for the spread of the novel coronavirus, and talked about "chopping them up like the Saudis do." The crowd cheered and joined in.
The Saturday rally was a gathering of "constitutionalist" factions like the Washington Three Percent, which, as NPR noted in an interview with its founder, is associated with "the far-right Patriot and militia movement" as well as other groups that extremism trackers have placed in the anti-government category. The Washington Three Percent denied organizing the rally in a Facebook post, but expressed support for the cause and condemned Cohen's actions as a way of "tarnishing the image of our attendees, spreading hate, encouraging divide, and promoting their popularity in the current viral culture."
Read more: https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/entertainment/article/Sacha-Baron-Cohen-s-latest-prank-involves-a-15374412.php
Clifford Shoemake, Casey Conner sentenced on Guam in one of biggest Medicare fraud cases
Owners of a former Guam-based medical transport company were sentenced this week to years in federal prison in what the U.S. Attorney’s Office called one of the largest single Medicare ambulance fraud cases ever prosecuted.
Clifford Shoemake, 63, former owner of Guam Medical Transport was sentenced to almost six years, or 71 months, in prison.
Kimberly Clyde “Casey” Conner, 60, was sentenced to a little more than five years, or 63 months, in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The two were charged for their roles in a health care fraud and money laundering scheme. Their company billed Medicare and TriCare for fraudulent non-emergency ambulance transportation services on Guam.
Read more: https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/local/2020/06/30/clifford-shoemake-casey-conner-sentenced-guam-medicare-fraud-cases/5352755002/
(Guam Pacific Daily News)
Guam Governor signs order extending public health emergency due to coronavirus
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero signed an executive order Monday extending Guam's public health emergency until July 30.
Last week, the governor announced she would be extending the emergency and delaying the opening of tourism on the island.
The order noted that over the last 14 days, the island's positive COVID-19 case count increased by 68, including both military and civilian communities.
The increase "necessitates continued public health, public safety, economic and public welfare efforts to combat the effects of this global pandemic on our island," the order stated.
Read more: https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/local/2020/06/29/governor-signs-order-extending-public-health-emergency-due-coronavirus/3277124001/
(Guam Pacific Daily News)
No regular flights from Asia to CNMI until Sept. 30
SKYMARK and other Asian airlines will not have regular flights to and from Saipan until Sept. 30, the Commonwealth Ports Authority said.
CPA Executive Director Christopher Tenorio, in an interview, said Skymark, Jeju Air, Asiana and Sichuan have moved their fight schedules again.
Skymark Airlines notified CPA last week that it will resume its flight service on Sept. 30 in response to low demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Skymark, which serves the Narita-Saipan route, made an official announcement during the CPA airport operation committee meeting with airline representatives and other stakeholders on Tuesday morning, Tenorio said.
Read more: https://www.mvariety.com/cnmi-local/73-local/4803-no-regular-flights-from-asia-until-sept-30
(Marianas Variety)
Some COVID-19 restrictions ease today but not Hawaii-Pago travel
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga will be extending for another 30-days his current COVID-19 emergency declaration, set to expire today, June 30th, but will also ease more restrictions, such as opening of schools and lifting the limitation of people in public gathering, but still requiring the enforcement of social distancing and wearing face masks.
However, the governor made very clear — when making the announcement at Sunday’s ASG coronavirus task force meeting — that all flights between Honolulu and Pago Pago will remain closed, reiterating his concerns of the spike of COVID-19 cases in Hawaii and the US mainland.
As for the borders of the two Samoas, flights will be reviewed while the Samoa government’s Samoa Shipping Corporation, which manages and operates Samoa owned vessels, announced Monday in Apia that a weekly “cargo only” service will start July 2nd between Apia and Pago Pago.
HAWAII FLIGHTS
As of 12 noon Sunday, June 28th, Hawaii state health authorities reported 27 new cases bringing the state’s total to 899, while deaths are at 18, according to the state’s online public records.
Read more: https://www.samoanews.com/local-news/some-covid-19-restrictions-ease-today-not-hawaii-pago-travel
Possible detonation of ordnance off Molokini is raising concerns
Environmentalists, community members and lawmakers have expressed concern over the handling of unexploded WWII ordnance off Molokini and are opposed to detonating the devices in place for fear of possible irreversible damage to coral reefs, ocean life and the island itself.
The state Departments of Land and Natural Resources and Health, the U.S. Navy and other agencies are mulling possible ways to quickly and safely remove two WWII-era bombs in the Molokini Marine Life Conservation District.
State officials say that no final decisions have been made yet, but the two potentially explosive devices are more than 70 years old and pose a serious risk to the public.
“The agencies are considering public safety impacts, impacts on recreational and commercial boating and impacts to the aquatic environment,” the DLNR said in a statement last week. “At this time, there are no firm dates or final plans for any operations to remove” the ordnance.
“The public will be informed in advance of any such operations,” the statement said.
Read more: https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2020/06/possible-detonation-of-ordnance-off-molokini-is-raising-concerns/
5 officers investigated over use of force at Austin protests
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Five Austin police officers are on paid administrative duty amid an investigation into the use of what authorities call “less lethal” force during May protests against police brutality and racial injustice, according to the police department.
The investigation follows public outcry after two people participating in protests in Austin sparked by the death of George Floyd were seriously injured by officers’ bean bag rounds — ammunition that law enforcement deems “less lethal” than bullets.
Officers Nicholas Gebhart, Kyu An, John Siegel, Derrick Lehman and Kyle Felton were placed under investigation as of Friday, and their duties have been limited.
A spokeswoman for Austin police said in an email Tuesday that the department could not confirm whether the officers were involved in the cases of 20-year-old Justin Howell or 16-year-old Brad Levi Ayala, who were both hospitalized after being unintentionally shot in the head with bean bag rounds during protests the last weekend of May.
Read more: https://www.khon2.com/news/national/5-officers-investigated-over-use-of-force-at-austin-protests/
Gold in London bank sparks battle between Venezuelan rivals
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The political battle over control of Venezuela has turned to a $1 .8 billion stack of gold bars sitting in the Bank of England’s vault in London, where a judge is expected to decide soon on who has the rightful claim to the bullion.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro says he needs the gold to help his cash-starved nation fight the coronavirus pandemic. But the central bank for the United Kingdom, whose government recognizes Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as his country’s legitimate leader, has refused to hand it over to Maduro’s socialist administration.
A ruling by Justice Nigel Teare, which is expected possibly within days, could help clarify the question of who is Venezuela’s legitimate leader — at least in the eyes of one world power, experts say.
“If Maduro is able to get his hands on this money, it weakens a significant tool that the British government has toward implementing its recognition of Guaidó,” said Michael Camilleri, a Venezuela expert at the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue think tank. “It undermines the strength of that policy.”
Read more: https://www.khon2.com/news/international/gold-in-london-bank-sparks-battle-between-venezuelan-rivals/
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
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