Persecution Live

Phoenix police: 63-year-old bicyclist killed in hit-and-run near 16th, Roosevelt streets

A 63-year-old bicyclist was killed in a hit-and-run near 16th and Roosevelt streets in Phoenix on Friday evening, officials said.

The man, who had not been identified as of Saturday morning, was crossing 16th Street and heading westbound around 10:15 p.m. on Friday when a driver in a sedan traveling northbound hit him, Phoenix Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Vincent Cole said.

The driver, who had also not been identified by Saturday, continued heading northbound and left the area, Cole said.

The bicyclist was taken to a hospital where he died of his injuries.

No further details were immediately available. An investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Phoenix Police Department at 602-262-6151 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO.

Reach the reporter at bfrank@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8529. Follow her on Twitter @brieannafrank.

American Legion Post 34 hosts USO-style show

American Legion Post 34 will host veterans and the public to the Saturday, March 19, The Faces of Freedom celebration that explains its role in World War II.

Barbecue will be served, and the Manhattan Dolls will entertain at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in Al Morgan Hall.

Tickets are $15 per show in advance, and $20 at the door. Call 480-231-7700 or email azpost34commander@gmail.com for tickets as seating is limited.

American Legion Post 34 turns 75 this year. Veterans are planning events throughout the year. The Faces of Freedom kicks off with a salute to the men and women who served in World War II. The entertainment begins with breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m.; a noon to 4 p.m. barbecue, and live music.

American Legion Post 34 is at 6272 E. Cave Creek Road in Cave Creek. Formed in 1919, the American Legion supports and advocates on behalf of veterans, active military and their families. The 501(c)(19) also supports the initiatives and programs of the American Legion while fostering patriotism and responsible citizenship. American Legion Post 34 is a nonsecular, nonpolitical organization.

Railbelt Electricity Umbrella Organization Submits Application to Regulators MAR 31, 2022 | ENERGY, NEWS

Electric utilities and independent power producers throughout Alaska’s Railbelt are already interconnected by wires. An Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) would tie them together more closely.

Years in the Making

The Railbelt Reliability Council (RRC) includes electricity stakeholders, state agencies, consumer and environmental advocates, and independent members from Homer to Fairbanks. If the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA) certifies the council as the regional ERO, the RRC will establish and enforce clear rules of reliable operation for all entities connected to the electrical network and protect the system against cyber-attacks, natural disasters, and other threats. The RRC will also conduct a public process for the entire Railbelt to produce an integrated resource plan to ensure the system’s evolving infrastructure needs are contemplated on a regional basis.

The legislature created the requirement to form an ERO for the Railbelt by enacting Senate Bill 123 in 2020. The RRC Implementation Committee, an informal group of volunteers, initially began work in July 2020. The committee incorporated the RRC, and the new corporation met for the first time on March 14 to install board members, elect officers, and adopt corporate documents. On March 23, the RRC voted to approve and submit its ERO application to the RCA.

Monster Tsunamis in Alaska MARCH 28, 2022 by MICHAEL ENGELHARD

Badger’s trembling before the blast had alarmed William Swanson, made him stare through summer dusk up Lituya Bay, where the sound had originated. With his wife, he’d just visited Cenotaph Island halfway up the seven-mile-long, fish-shaped fjord indenting the Panhandle’s Lost Coast.

At 10:16 p.m., they lay anchored inside the mouth, in a cove behind La Chaussee Spit. Swanson, frozen in disbelief in the pilothouse, noticed Lituya Glacier had “risen in the air and moved forward so it was in sight,” still apparently solid but “jumping and shaking.” Then a wall roaring seaward razed opposite shores two miles apart. It combed Cenotaph and, five minutes after the big bang, grabbed Badger, lifting the 40-foot troller, surfing it like a giant’s Malibu shortboard, but stern-first, across the spit. From near the crest, Swanson saw treetops two boat-lengths below.

This mega-tsunami—none had been witnessed up to that day, July 9, 1958—the tallest wave ever known, crashed thunderously beyond La Chaussee, hurling spruce missiles, breaking Badger and four of Bill’s ribs. Fellow fishermen rescued the Swansons who, in underwear, had abandoned ship in a skiff. Another couple vanished with Sunmore at the entrance, leaving only an oil slick. A third, father-and-son party aboard Edrie rode spumed mayhem that busted their anchor chain. Avalanching had announced a wave-top two road lanes wide, which passed beneath them.

An image from a press conference livestream shows some of the 75 weapons confiscated during one spring break weekend in Panama City Beach. Local officials said the city was targeted by a group of lawbreakers. Many of those arrested were from Alabama.Panama City Beach Police Department

By Lawrence Specker | lspecker@al.com

Florida law enforcement officials say they arrested 78 people from Alabama in Panama City Beach, Fla., over the weekend and confiscated 75 guns as spring break revelry devolved into chaos.

“What we saw this past weekend is absolutely unacceptable,” Panama City Beach Police Chief J.R. Talamantez said in a multi-agency press conference held late Monday morning. “The behavior of these pathetic cowards that came to our beach and committed these crimes, their actions will not be tolerated.”

The weekend apparently started on a rowdy note before coming to a head on Sunday afternoon, when a 21-year-old from Alabama was shot in the foot.

In a report aired before the shooting, Panama City-based ABC affiliate WMBB-TV reported that some beach roads had been shut down and some businesses had closed voluntarily, including a Walmart, due to gridlock and rowdy behavior. Interviewed at the time, Talamantez told the station that people were “acting a fool” but that there had been no violence and that he would not characterize any of the activity as a riot.

The holdup happened on Friday, March 25, in the 700 block of Valley Avenue in Birmingham. (Birmingham Police Department)

By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.com

Authorities are asking for the public’s help identifying the suspect in the armed robbery of another person.

The holdup happened on Friday, March 25, in the 700 block of Valley Avenue in Birmingham.

According to police, the suspect was armed with a handgun and fired shots at the victim. No injuries were reported, but items were taken from the victim.

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. (WBMA) — An arrest was made after a fatal shooting at the Plush Bar and Grill in Bessemer early Sunday morning, according to the Bessemer Police Department.

Police said 29-year-old Larry James Knight Jr. was charged with murder in connection to the death of 32-year-old Justin Demorman Groom.

2nd Graders Write Letters From Shelter Animals’ Perspectives To Help Them Get Adopted

A second grade teacher created a writing assignment for her students that is helping local shelter animals find forever homes.

Credit: Richmond Animal Care and Control

Teacher Kensey Jones asked her students at St. Michael’s Episcopal School in Richmond, Virginia, to draw pictures of animals at Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) and then write letters from the perspectives of the animals themselves to try and help them get adopted.

“The class was working on persuasive writing, and they wrote pieces as if they were speaking on behalf of the shelter dog trying to get adopted,” Christie Peters, director of RACC, told Fox News.

“I said, ‘That’s the coolest idea … let’s do it!”

Alabamians suffering from high gas prices the most, according to study

High gas prices are affecting Alabamians the most, according to a new study.

Alabama came in at number one on a March study done by SmartAsset, a financial technology company. The company set out to find where surging gas prices will affect people the most.

The company looked at data across all 50 states and the District of Columbia before comparing them across six different metrics.

Those metrics were:

Estimated gas spending as a percentage of income

One-month change in average gas price

One-year change in average gas price

Percentage of households with at least one car

Percentage of households with two or more cars

Average annual vehicle miles traveled per capita

Alabama topped the list, where the average gas spending for a car in the state was 4.25% of the median household income. According to the study, that was the sixth-highest percentage.

Herschel Walker doesn’t say Donald Trump’s name at former president’s Georgia rally

COMMERCE, GA – MARCH 26: Former Heisman Trophy winner and candidate for US Senate Herschel Walker (R-GA) throws hats to supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump during a rally at the Banks County Dragway on March 26, 2022 in Commerce, Georgia. This event is a part of Trump’s Save America Tour around the United States. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump escalated his grudge Saturday against Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp at a rally in northeast Georgia, urging supporters to oust the incumbent he once endorsed and purge state government of many of the governor’s allies.

Before a crowd of a few thousand supporters, Trump’s rambling speech invoked familiar, false claims that he and former U.S. Sen. David Perdue got “screwed” in 2020 and warned that his backers won’t vote in a general election against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams if Kemp is the nominee.

“Trump voters will not go out and vote for Brian Kemp,” Trump said, adding that the Senate GOP frontrunner will also be damaged.

“If Kemp runs, I think Herschel Walker will be seriously and negatively impacted,” Trump thundered from the stage at an old racetrack in Commerce. “A vote for Brian Kemp, RINO, is a vote for Democrat senator who shouldn’t be in the Senate.”