GO BACK TO THE BARGAINING TABLE

German train company seeks injunction to end drivers’ strike


Traveller walk on an empty station platform at the main station in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A nationwide, five-day train strike has brought big parts of the German railway and commuter system to a standstill. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

BERLIN (AP) — German train company Deutsche Bahn sought an emergency injunction Thursday to stop a strike by some train drivers that has disrupted rail traffic in the country for a third time this summer.

Deutsche Bahn said it considers the latest strike by the GDL labor union to be illegal. The company noted that it has increased its offer in negotiations with the union and is now offering a one-time “coronavirus bonus” of up to 600 euros ($700) to members.

The strike, which began with freight trains Wednesday and was extended to passenger trains Thursday, is due to last until Sept. 7.

If it continues it will affect many travelers returning from summer vacation in two German states

FTC orders company to quit surveillance app business


This Jan. 28, 2015, file photo, shows the Federal Trade Commission building in Washington. The Federal Trade Commission has for the first time banned a company that makes so-called stalkerware — software used to surreptitiously track a cellphone user's activities and location — from continuing in the surveillance app business. The action Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, applies to the marketer of SpyFone, Puerto Rico-based Support King LLC, and its CEO, Scott Zuckerman. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

BOSTON (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission has for the first time banned a company that makes so-called stalkerware — software used to surreptitiously track a cellphone user’s activities and location — from continuing in the surveillance app business.

Wednesday’s action applies to the marketer of SpyFone, Puerto Rico-based Support King LLC, and its CEO, Scott Zuckerman. Such commercial surveillance products secretly obtain unfettered access to someone’s smartphone, leading to serious harm, the FTC said in a statement on its website.

Support King marketed SpyFone as a tool to monitor the activities of children and employees. But it neglected to prevent stalkers and domestic abusers from using it for surveillance, the FTC said.

The company’s products let the installer monitor a person’s online activity, including text and video chats and, in a premium version, even secretly activate the device’s microphone to record phone and video conversations.

The FTC found that not only is SpyFone sneaky — no icon appears on a phone after it is installed — but its developers also were negligent in protecting the data it collected on unsuspecting victims from hackers. It said information from about 2,200 people had been compromised in a hacker’s breach of the company’s server.

There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment sent to the only contact address on the SpyFone website.

“Federal agencies have long been lax when it comes to allowing companies to peddle surveillance products with impunity,” FTC commissioner Rohit Chopra said in a statement.

Online watchdogs led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto have long complained of rampant abuse of stalkerware, particularly in targeting victims of domestic violence.

“Practically speaking, this is a bold move by the FTC but now they will have to follow through and enforce it,” said Eva Galperin, cybersecurity director at EFF, via email. “It might be the beginning of the end for stalkerware, but even if that is true, it’s a long process and there is a lot that can go wrong between now and then.”

Chopra said civil action by the FTC is not enough to “meaningfully crackdown on the underworld of stalking apps.” He urged the use of criminal laws including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, to combat its use.

Under the proposed settlement, SpyFone’s sellers will have to delete all information collected by their stalkerware apps and alert people victimized by the products, the FTC said.

REST IN POWER

Greek music great Mikis Theodorakis dies at 96

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Mikis Theodorakis, the beloved Greek composer whose rousing music and life of political defiance won acclaim abroad and inspired millions at home, died Thursday. He was 96.

His death at his home in central Athens was announced on state television and followed multiple hospitalizations in recent years, mostly for heart treatment.

Theodorakis’ prolific career that started at age 17 produced a hugely varied body of work that ranged from somber symphonies to popular television and the film scores for “Serpico” and “Zorba the Greek.”

But the towering man with trademark worker suits, hoarse voice and wavy hair also is remembered by Greeks for his stubborn opposition to postwar regimes that persecuted him and outlawed his music.

  

1. Mikis Theodorakis - Wikipedia

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikis_Theodorakis

   • Overview
   • Biography
   • Political views
   • Work
   • Scores
   • Internationally available CD releases
   • Written works
   • Further reading

   

   Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis is a Greek composer and lyricist who has contributed to contemporary Greek music with over 1000 works.
   He scored for the films Zorba the Greek (1964), Z (1969), and Serpico (1973). He composed the "Mauthausen Trilogy", also known as "The Ballad of Mauthausen", which has been described as the "most beautiful musical work ever written about the Holocaust" and possibly his best work. He is viewed as Greece's be…

   Wikipedia · Text under CC-BY-SA license

2. Mikis Theodorakis, Greek Composer and Marxist Rebel, Dies ...

   https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/02/arts/music/mikis-theodorakis-dead.html

   3 hours ago · Mikis Theodorakis, the renowned Greek composer and Marxist firebrand who waged a war of words and music against an infamous military junta …

4. Mikis Theodorakis: Greek Patriot, Renowned Composer Dead at 96

   https://greekreporter.com/2021/09/02/mikis-theodorakis-dead

   4 hours ago · Mikis Theodorakis, the greatest Greek composer in history, whose music has touched generations, died on Thursday at age 96 in Athens. He had been hospitalized in 2019 in the private Iatriko Kentro clinic in a northern suburb of the capital after suffering from heart problems.

5. Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis dies aged 96 | Music | DW ...

   https://www.dw.com/en/greek-composer-mikis-theodorakis-dies-aged-96/a...

   3 hours ago · Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis dies aged 96 The renowned "Zorba the Greek" composer has died. His musical and political voice has cut through Greece's checkered history of war, dictatorship and...

6. 'Our Mikis has gone': 'Zorba the Greek' composer ...

   https://nationalpost.com/pmn/entertainment-pmn/our-mikis-has-gone...

   2021-09-02 · Mikis Theodorakis, 

 

China orders ride-hailing firms to correct unfair tactics

The logo for Didi is seen on the headquarters in Beijing on July 16, 2021. Chinese regulators have ordered ride-hailing platforms to correct unfair market tactics amid a crackdown on the internet sector that has spooked investors and shaved billions off the valuations of some of China’s biggest technology companies. The ride-hailing industry led by Didi Global and Meituan employs millions, and platforms often jostle for market share by offering discounts and incentives. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)


BEIJING (AP) — Chinese regulators have ordered ride-hailing platforms to correct unfair market tactics amid a broad crackdown on the internet sector that has spooked investors and shaved billions off the valuations of some of China’s biggest technology companies.

The transport ministry, internet watchdog and other regulators on Wednesday ordered 11 such platforms by year’s end to stop unfair competition tactics and practices such as recruiting unlicensed drivers, according to a statement published Thursday.

The ride-hailing industry led by companies such as Didi Global and Meituan employs millions of drivers who are part of China’s growing gig economy, and platforms often jostle for market share by offering passengers and drivers discounts and incentives.

The Chinese government has expressed concern over the exploitation of such workers, as they often work long days and lack basic welfare benefits. China’s state union in July called for better protection of labor rights and encouraged gig economy workers to form unions to boost protections.

Sector leader Didi has nearly 90% of the market in China, but China’s internet watchdog is investigating alleged data privacy violations.

Competition among its rivals intensified as they try to gain customers amid the Didi investigation.

The 11 companies were told to inspect their own business practices, form a compliance plan and correct any issues by the end of the year to “promote the healthy and sustainable development” of the ride-hailing industry.

Chinese authorities have in recent months targeted sectors such as e-commerce and online education, after years of rapid growth in the technology sector amid fears that they may have outsized influence on society.

Beijing launched a barrage of anti-monopoly, data security and other enforcements beginning in late 2020, as it sought to tighten control over internet giants such as Alibaba and Tencent.

Effort underway to rescue girls soccer team from Afghanistan

By ALEX SANZ and TAMMY WEBBER

today

1 of 6

In this photo provided to The Associated Press, members of the Afghanistan national girls youth soccer team and their families are seen in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sun., Aug. 29, 2021. International efforts to rescue them and soccer federation staff suffered a crushing setback last week after a suicide bomb detonated at the Kabul airport and the CIA blew up its last remaining outpost to keep sensitive information and equipment from falling into the hands of the Taliban. (AP Photo)


They move from place to place at a moment’s notice in a desperate bid to evade the Taliban — girls whose lives are in danger simply because they chose to play a sport they loved.

An international effort to evacuate members of the Afghanistan national girls soccer team, along with dozens of family members and soccer federation staff, suffered a crushing setback last week after a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport killed 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members during a harrowing airlift.

Now, frightened and desperate, the girls worry whether a far-flung coalition of former U.S. military and intelligence officials, congressmen, U.S. allies, humanitarian groups and the captain of the Afghanistan women’s national team can get them and their loved ones to safety.

“They’re just unbelievable young ladies who should be playing in the backyard, playing on the swing set, playing with their friends, and here they’re in a very bad situation for doing nothing more than playing soccer,” said Robert McCreary, a former congressional chief of staff and White House official under President George W. Bush who has worked with special forces in Afghanistan. “We need to do everything that we can to protect them, to get them to a safe situation.”

The airport suicide bombing was carried out by Islamic State militants who are sworn rivals of the Taliban. The U.S. military has acknowledged that during the airlift, it was coordinating to some extent with the Taliban who set up checkpoints around the airport for crowd control and in the final days facilitated the evacuation of American citizens.

The Taliban have tried to present a new image, promising amnesty to former opponents and saying they would form an inclusive government. Many Afghans don’t trust those promises, fearing the Taliban will quickly resort to the brutal tactics of their 1996-2001 rule, including barring girls and women from schools and jobs. The Taliban have been vague on their policy toward women so far, but have not yet issued sweeping repressive edicts.

Most members of the Afghan women’s team, formed in 2007, were evacuated to Australia last week.

But the girls, ages 14-16, and their families also could be targeted by the Taliban — not just because women and girls are forbidden to play sports, but because they were advocates for girls and active members of their communities, said Farkhunda Muhtaj, who is captain of the Afghanistan women’s national team and lives in Canada.

“They are devastated. They’re hopeless, considering the situation they’re in,” said Muhtaj, who keeps in contact with the girls and urges them to stay calm.

There have been at least five failed attempts to rescue the girls in recent days, as they were moved around for their safety, McCreary and Muhtaj said. They were “footsteps from freedom” when the suicide bombing occurred, Muhtaj said.

Complicating the rescue effort is the size of the group — 133 people, including the 26 youth team members as well as adults and other children, including infants. Many don’t have passports or other necessary documentation to board flights from Kabul.

McCreary said the mission — called Operation Soccer Balls — is working with other countries, with the hope the girls will eventually settle in the U.S. He said Australia, France and Qatar have expressed interest in helping. He also urged the Taliban to ease the exit for the group, saying it would create goodwill.

“If we can put a protective bubble around these women and young girls ... I really believe the world will stand up and and take notice and have a lot of offers to take them in and host them,” McCreary said.

Former U.S. women’s national soccer team captain Julie Foudy, a two-time World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, said the rescue efforts “raise the visibility of these young women and their importance to equality and democracy and all these things that we value in this country.”

“As many of us who can stand up as female athletes — as humans — and say, ‘This is a moment we need to come together and do what’s right,’ then we absolutely should,” she said.

In this photo provided to The Associated Press, members of the Afghanistan national girls youth soccer team and their families are seen in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sun., Aug. 29, 2021. International efforts to rescue them and soccer federation staff suffered a crushing setback last week after a suicide bomb detonated at the Kabul airport and the CIA blew up its last remaining outpost to keep sensitive information and equipment from falling into the hands of the Taliban 

Nic McKinley, a CIA and Air Force veteran who founded Dallas-based DeliverFund, a nonprofit that’s secured housing for 50 Afghan families, said he understood that the U.S. was focused on relocating Afghans who helped American forces, but that others need help, too.

“What about the little girl who just wants to kick a ball around a field and wants to do that well, and has worked hard to do that at a world class level who finds herself suddenly in jeopardy only because she just wanted to play a sport and had a passion for playing that sport?” he said. “The only thing that they had done wrong in the eyes of the Taliban ... is the fact that they were born girls and they had the audacity to dream of doing something.”

McCreary said the rescue team feels personally responsible because the U.S. helped the girls go to school and play soccer.

“We need to protect them now,” he said. “They should not be in harm’s way for things that we helped them do.”

__

Follow Alex Sanz on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/alexsanz

ECOCIDE

Photos show black slick in water near Gulf oil rig after Ida

By MICHAEL BIESECKER and GERALD HERBERT

Photos captured by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aircraft Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021 and reviewed by The Associated Press show a miles long black slick floating in the Gulf of Mexico near a large rig marked with the name Enterprise Offshore Drilling. The company, based in Houston, did not immediately respond to requests for comment by phone or email on Wednesday. EPA officials said Wednesday hey were unaware of any leak requiring a federal response. (NOAA via AP)


PORT FOURCHON, La. (AP) — Photos show what appears to be a miles-long oil slick near an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ida, according to aerial survey imagery released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and reviewed by The Associated Press.

The government imagery, along with additional photos taken by the AP from a helicopter Tuesday, also show Louisiana port facilities, oil refineries and shipyards in the storm’s path where the telltale rainbow sheen typical of oil and fuel spills is visible in the water of bays and bayous.

Both state and federal regulators said Wednesday that they had been unable to reach the stricken area, citing challenging conditions in the disaster zone.

The NOAA photos show a black slick floating in the Gulf near a large rig with the name Enterprise Offshore Drilling painted on its helipad. The company, based in Houston, did not respond to requests for comment by phone or email Wednesday.

Aerial photos taken by NOAA on Tuesday also show significant flooding to the massive Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery along the bank of the Mississippi River, just south of New Orleans. In some sections of the refinery, rainbow sheen is visible on the water leading toward the river.

Asked about reports of levee failures near the refinery Monday, Phillips 66 spokesman Bernardo Fallas said there was “some water” in the facility and stressed that operations were shut down in advance of the storm. Asked Tuesday about potential environmental hazards emanating from the facility, Fallas referred a reporter to a statement on the company’s website saying its response is focused “on ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees and our surrounding communities.”

After the AP sent Phillips 66 photos Wednesday showing extensive flooding at its refinery and what appeared to be petroleum in the water, Fallas conceded by email that the company could confirm it had “discovered a sheen of unknown origin in some flooded areas of Alliance Refinery.”

“At this time, the sheen appears to be secured and contained within refinery grounds,” Fallas said Wednesday evening. “Clean-up crews are on site. The incident was reported to the appropriate regulatory agencies upon discovery.”

Fallas did not respond when asked whether the leak was reported after the AP sent the company photos four hours earlier.

Phillips listed the Alliance Refinery for sale last week, before the storm hit, citing poor market conditions.

All told, seven Louisiana refineries remained shuttered Wednesday. Combined, they account for about 9% of all U.S. refining capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Department. Some refineries on the Mississippi River reported damage to their docks from barges that broke loose during the storm.

Jennah Durant, spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency, said Wednesday that the agency had received no reports of significant spills or other environmental threats after the Category 4 storm made landfall Sunday at Port Fourchon with 150 mph (240 km/h) winds

Three days after the storm moved through, Durant said Wednesday that no EPA personnel had yet deployed to the devastated region south of New Orleans. Asked if EPA staff had been reviewing the aerial photos taken by federal aircraft over the disaster zone, Durant said the imagery had not been provided to the agency.

The aerial imagery reviewed by the AP is readily available to the public on the NOAA website.

After the AP sent photos of the oil slick to EPA on Wednesday, agency press secretary Nick Conger said the National Response Center hotline operated by the U.S. Coast Guard had received 26 calls reporting leaks or spills in the storm zone but none had warranted an EPA response.

Conger reiterated that any person or organization responsible for a sizable release or spill of pollutants is required to notify the federal government.

The AP also provided photos of the oil slick to the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, which regulates offshore drilling in state waters. Spokesman Patrick Courreges confirmed the agency had received an informal report of petroleum sheen in the waters south of Port Fourchon but said regulators “currently don’t have capabilities to get out there yet.”

The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which regulates offshore oil and gas platforms, announced before the hurricane arrived that about half of the 560 staffed rigs in the Gulf had been evacuated. Those crews had only started to trickle back out by Wednesday and it was unclear whether the Enterprise Offshore rig was staffed.

  

Photos captured by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aircraft Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021 and reviewed by The Associated Press a large rig marked with the name Enterprise Offshore Drilling is seen. The company, based in Houston, did not immediately respond to requests for comment by phone or email on Wednesday. EPA officials said Wednesday hey were unaware of any leak requiring a federal response. (NOAA via AP)

 

Damage to ship docking facilities are seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in Port Port Fourchon, La., Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

DIESEL, SEWAGE, WASTE WATER, BILGE TANKS

  

In this drone image released by NOAA, flood waters cover Tom's Marine & Salvage in Barataria, La., following the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. (NOAA via AP)

THAT IS POLLUTED WATER, SLUDGE OF GAS, OIL, HEAVY MACHINE OIL, BUNKER OIL

The bureau’s public affairs staff did not respond Wednesday after the AP sent photos of the black slick in the Gulf and asked if there were any reports of a spill.

Both state and federal environmental regulators said the emergency response to Ida had been hampered by blocked roads, washed-out bridges, electrical outages and a lack of communications. Both telephone landlines and mobile phone service in much of the region remained offline Wednesday.

“I think most agencies are kind of caught up in the whole ‘fog of war’ thing at the moment, with far more places we need to be than we can be,” Courreges wrote in an email. “It’s not as easy to respond to things right now.”

Port Fourchon, which took a direct hit from the storm, is the primary service hub for hundreds of oil and gas rigs offshore. The port also contains oil terminals and pipelines that account for about 90% of the oil and gas production from the Gulf.

Photos taken by the AP from a chartered helicopter Tuesday, as well as the NOAA imagery, show extensive damage to the sprawling facility, including sunken vessels, collapsed structures and more than a dozen large overturned fuel storage tanks.

Ida’s winds, equivalent to an EF3 tornado, peeled the roofs off large steel buildings in the harbor and toppled metal light poles. Trucks, cranes and shipping containers were piled into jumbled heaps.

Chett Chiasson, the executive director of Greater Lafourche Port Commission, told the AP late Tuesday that the companies based at Port Fourchon were entering what would likely be a lengthy recovery phase. A top priority, he said, will be clearing roads and removing sunken vessels so boats can safely navigate the harbor.

___

Associated Press Investigative Reporter Michael Biesecker reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Matthew Daly in Washington and David Koenig in Dallas contributed.

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Follow Biesecker at http://twitter.com/mbieseck

___

Contact AP’s global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org.

THIRD WORLD USA
As Ida hit, homeless, other vulnerable people left behind

BY LEAH WILLINGHAM and JAY REEVES

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 Homeless couple Angelique Hebert, and husband Wilfred Hebert, ask for help on a sidewalk as they try to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, in Houma, La. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)


HOUMA, La. (AP) — With Hurricane Ida’s winds screaming and only a tent and tarp for shelter, Angelique Hebert clung to her husband under a bridge where the couple had sought refuge.

“We’re gonna die in this hurricane,” Angelique told him. But he said: “Just hang on, baby. It’s gonna be over.”

So she hung on, and she prayed.

It wasn’t that the couple wanted to ride out a major hurricane exposed to the elements. Homeless and with few options in the bayous and small communities of southern Louisiana, they said they simply couldn’t afford to get out of Ida’s path. With no car, they walked more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the coastal hamlet of Montegut to Houma to try to catch an evacuation bus. They missed it.

Despite mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders in south Louisiana parishes, many residents who wanted to flee were left to fend for themselves as the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the U.S. mainland ravaged Louisiana. For homeless people, those on fixed or low incomes, and others in the state’s most vulnerable groups, staying wasn’t a matter of choice — it was the only choice.

“People will say, ‘Well, I’m just going to ride it out,’” said Craig Colten, a professor emeritus at Louisiana State University who studies community resilience and adaptation to changing environments in coastal Louisiana. “But a lot of the time, people will ride it out because they don’t have the means to escape, and that, in large measure, means an automobile and enough money to buy gas.”

Experts have long been concerned that the increasing intensity and frequency of hurricanes — especially in Louisiana, where many residents return even after major storms — put people of lower means at higher risk. Even those who can scrape together resources to leave temporarily often return to find damaged or destroyed homes, jobs that no longer exist, and little immediate assistance.

“There’s a real concern among people who keep an eye on equity issues,” said Colten, who’s particularly worried that Ida — like Katrina — fell at the end of the month, when those who rely on retirement or government checks have already used most of their money.

“Their funds are pretty close to exhausted, these people who live hand-to-mouth, and so they didn’t have much choice but to stay,” he said. “They can’t go get a motel room. They can’t even buy a bus ticket. ... Many of them have infirm relatives or family members, they have pets.”

The Heberts used a two-person dome tent, settled in by a concrete pillar under a bridge that crosses the Intracoastal Waterway and hoped for the best. The tent collapsed, letting rain inside.

“It was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever been through,” said Angelique Hebert, 53. Wilfred Hebert said he wanted to do more to protect his wife, but he couldn’t.

The couple has been staying at a shelter since the storm passed, but they don’t know what will come next. Broke, they panhandled along a road, with a sign: “Hurricane took everything.”

Also in hard-hit Houma, mother of two Kaylee Ordoyne, 26, said her family couldn’t afford to evacuate. Her truck — the family’s only vehicle — broke down days before the storm. She spent her last $30 on water, juice, cans of Chef Boyardee and soup, bread and sandwich meat. They left their trailer behind and took refuge in a relative’s apartment.

By Monday morning, that apartment would be in ruins.

As the storm ripped through the roof, Ordoyne held her kids, 2 and 4, singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and whispering nursery rhymes. The ceiling collapsed, and they were trapped in a corner of the kitchen with water up to their ankles.

“If I would have had the money to evacuate, I would have — for my babies,” Ordoyne said. “I cried once, and then had to hold my tears in after, no matter how bad I wanted to break down.”

They survived, but the family’s troubles are far from over. The $11,000 trailer Ordoyne spent her savings on was destroyed by the storm. She had lived there just two months and has no insurance. She also has no paycheck — she reviews and approves phone applications for a wireless company, a job she can’t do without internet or power.

“I’m so worried sick about what will be next,” she said.

In New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said roughly half the population evacuated ahead of Ida. The other half — 200,000 people — remained. For them and those who’d returned to a city with a shattered power grid, officials opened cooling stations and gave out meals Wednesday.

At one center, Barbara Bradie, a work-from-home agent for Walgreens, and Rita Richardson, a research coordinator at Tulane Medical Center, enjoyed their hot meal: pork, peas and bread. They said they couldn’t have evacuated; neither has a car.

Richardson said she evacuated once, for Hurricane Gustav in 2008: “I was out of town 10 days, and I was broke by the time I got home. ... I’d rather just stay here and deal with it.”

Bradie added: “People think you just get up and go. You’ve got to have a car, put gas in the car, got to have a hotel.”

After Hurricane Katrina, the city partnered with a nonprofit to put together a “City-Assisted Evacuation Plan” where people would meet at designated neighborhood pickup spots — marked with 12-foot stainless steel sculptures— for a shuttle to shelters. But in Ida — a storm intensifying so fast the mayor said mandatory evacuation wasn’t possible — the system was not utilized, Colten said.

Even for families who were able to evacuate, the financial impact will be long-lasting and painful. Some spent their last dollars to get their families to safety.

Lesl Bell and her husband were already living paycheck to paycheck before they both tested positive for COVID-19 a month ago. They had to stay home and were soon behind on bills. Then Ida hit.

“We couldn’t work for that whole month, and now this?” Bell said.

They packed their car and left with their 3-year-old and their remaining cash for a Florida hotel. They were too scared to stay in Louisiana; Bell’s pregnant, and she worried for their toddler’s safety.

But the family started running out of money and was forced to make the drive home Tuesday, even as officials advised people to stay away.

“It’s crazy how they tell you to stay out when the cheapest hotel room is almost $200 a night,” she said. “How we going to afford to be out for so long?”

___

Willingham reported from Jackson, Mississippi. Associated Press writer Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans contributed.

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Leah Willingham is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.




Homeless couple Angelique Hebert, and husband Wilfred Hebert, ask for help on a sidewalk as they try to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, in Houma, La. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

MURDERED INTROVERT

Colorado grand jury indicts officers, paramedics for death of Elijah McClain


Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A Colorado grand jury has indicted two police officers, a former officer and two paramedics in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the grand jury returned the 32-count indictment Thursday. The five men face one count each of manslaughter and criminal negligent homicide.

Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec also face one count each of second-degree assault with intent to cause bodily injury and causing serious bodily injury; second-degree assault for recklessly causing serious bodily injury by means of a deadly weapon; and assault for a purpose other than lawful medical or therapeutic treatment internally using a stupor, unconsciousness, or other physical or mental impairment or injury.

Aurora police officer Randy Roedema and former officer Jason Rosenblatt each face one count of second-degree assault with intent to cause bodily injury and causing serious bodily injury and one count of a crime of violence related to the second-degree assault charge.

Aurora officer Woodyard faces only the manslaughter and negligent homicide charges.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis last year designated Weiser as a special prosecutor in the case, granting him authority to criminally prosecute any individuals whose actions contributed to McClain's death in August 2019.

"Our department has the solemn duty to prosecute this case," Weiser said in a blog post announcing the indictment. "Make no mistake, we recognize that this case will be difficult to prosecute -- these types of cases always are. Our goal is to seek justice for Elijah McClain, for his family and friends, and for our state. In so doing, we advance the rule of law and the commitment that everyone is accountable and equal under the law."

Doctors took McClain, 23, off life support Aug. 30, 2019, about a week after police confronted him while he was walking down the street in Aurora while wearing a ski mask. His family told police he often wore the mask while outside due to his anemia.

Police said McClain, who was unarmed, initially refused to stop per their instructions. Police body camera footage shows him telling officers he was attempting to stop his music in order to hear them.

Officers tackled McClain to the ground and used a "carotid control hold" on him. He said he couldn't breathe and vomited multiple times during the encounter.

Paramedics who responded to the scene injected McClain with ketamine, a sedative, and he went into cardiac arrest en route to the hospital. Doctors declared him brain dead three days later.

The coroner said McClain's death was due to "undetermined causes," but didn't rule out the chokehold or use of ketamine as contributing factors.

Weiser said in addition to the criminal case, his office was investigating whether the city of Aurora, and its police and fire departments have a pattern of violating civil rights.

"By working to build trust in law enforcement and working to elevate what safe and effective policing looks like, we will advance public safety and honor the profession's commitment to serve all Coloradans fairly and responsibly," he said.

Equine therapy can help veterans struggling with PTSD, study says

By Cara Murez, HealthDay News


Matthew Ryba, a retired U.S. Marine who is director of community outreach and education for the Military Family Wellness Center in New York, said equine therapy can be a path to more traditional treatment for PTSD. Photo courtesy of HealthDay News

As a Marine Corps veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Matthew Ryba understands what life in a combat zone can do to soldiers' minds, leaving many struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Now, new research shows that equine therapy might go a long way in starting the healing process for these veterans.

In the program, participants learned about horses, stroking their sides, cleaning hooves and building trust with the animals.

"We saw with the study that a lot of people who were not amenable to going into traditional therapy because they had an idea of what mental health therapy was because they had this kind of ingrained, sense of, 'I don't need help. I'm a military service member. I'm stronger than this kind of a thing,'" said Ryba, who is now director of community outreach and education for the Military Family Wellness Center at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

RELATED Dogs, horses help U.S. Army fight PTSD

"When they realized that, I don't want to call it a dependent relationship with the horse, but kind of as equals with the emotional balance with the horse, they realized that, 'maybe I do need some help,'" he said. "It was a good stepping stone into a traditional therapy."

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the attack that caused the death of dozens of people, including 13 members of the U.S. military last week, is dredging up a lot of memories for veterans, Ryba noted.

"We're at a very pivotal moment where programs like this ... and the other military support programs for veterans are of the utmost importance," Ryba said.

"We see the suicide rate continuing to rise. These problems are getting worse and not better, and we really need the support from the public and from others to be able to fund this kind of research so that we can find tools to be able to help veterans that need it," Ryba said.

The new study assessed the equine therapy program known as the Man O' War project for veterans at the Bergen Equestrian Center in northeastern New Jersey.

Study authors Prudence Fisher, a research scientist at New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Yuval Neria, professor of medical psychology at Columbia University Medical Center, founded the equine therapy project. Ryba helped recruit vets for the fledgling program.

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Easing of symptoms

"We were totally open to it not working," Fisher said.

The study was conducted from July 2016 to July 2019, enrolling 63 veterans who had PTSD. They were men and women with a wide range in ages.

Their PTSD was assessed by a clinician and through self-reporting before they started the program, mid-treatment, after treatment and three months later.

Researchers grouped the participants into teams of typically four veterans plus two horses, a mental health professional, an equine expert and a third staff person, to be another set of eyes.

The participants received eight weeks of weekly 90-minute sessions with the horses, where they might talk about their PTSD, but didn't speak specifically about their traumas.

In addition to recording and assessing the process, the researchers worked with manual writers to create a detailed book of the therapy protocol, to help guide other programs in the future.

The researchers found that equine-assisted therapy, or EAT, showed real promise.

"Our study would say, it could work, but what we looked at is, does a specific type work? We're not speaking for equine-assisted therapy as the whole field," Fisher said. "But I think it is a good indication that it does work, that there is something about it that can be really, really helpful."

The veterans had marked improvement in PTSD symptoms and in depression after the treatment ended, and that persisted even three months later.A path to more therapy?

Though training has already begun to help other programs try this type of project, it may not be a good fit for all equine-based programs, Fisher said. Having a mental health professional on the team is critical for certain mental health conditions, she said.

"PTSD is a serious illness. People can get worse. My own personal opinion is if you go to a program and think you're getting treatment, then you might not be going to [other] treatment that might help you," Fisher said. "So, it's really important that you have somebody who keeps an eye on what's going on and knows if you're getting worse or you're getting better."

The program is a gentle introduction to therapy, with opportunities for participants to ground themselves, help each other, and learn about communication and self-regulation, Fisher added.

The study was an open trial, which makes it harder to say the changes the participants experienced were specifically because of the horses.

A randomized, controlled trial with different types of treatments, would be more definitive. The findings were published Aug. 31 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

The study results are encouraging, said Dr. Stephen Stern, a psychiatrist and adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. It's also important to be careful about how to interpret it, he added.

Both the staff and the participants were likely enthusiastic, which can have an effect on people's symptoms, said Stern, who wasn't part of the research. The study also included a lot of human interaction with veterans in small groups and study staff, alleviating some of the loneliness experienced by those with PTSD.

"I think the paper itself was really very good and they didn't hype their results at all, but I think it's important that the public not overinterpret this," Stern said. "Yes, this is encouraging, but we don't know to what extent this therapy actually had an effect and we need to study it further."More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on post-traumatic stress disorder.

Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

  

Dolphin spotted swimming in flooded Louisiana neighborhood

 

Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A Louisiana family surveying the damage to their

 neighborhood after Hurricane Ida found a surprising new neighbor

 swimming in the floodwaters -- a dolphin.

Amanda Huling said she first spotted the dolphin swimming in the

 floodwaters of her Slidell neighborhood Monday.

She said the dolphin was still swimming around the neighborhood

 Tuesday.

Huling said she has been in contact with a rescue group that is

 planning to attempt to relocate the dolphin if it doesn't find its 

way out of the flooded neighborhood within the next few days.

Cow rescued from Louisiana tree after Hurricane Ida

Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A rescue crew in Louisiana came to the aid of

 a cow found wedged in a tree above the floodwaters left 

behind by Hurricane Ida.

The St. Bernard Parish government said in a Facebook post

 that parish employees Tyler Acosta, David Palmer and 

Roy Ragan Sr. teamed up with private citizen Louis Pomes 

to rescue a cow  found stuck in a tree near the Florissant Highway.

The crew used chainsaws to cut branches from the tree and

 bring the  cow back down to the ground level.

The Florissant Highway remains closed due to high floodwaters

 from Hurricane Ida.