An Iraq War vet at Texas’ Fort Hood—scene of another mass shooting five years ago—worked his way from building to building with a loaded gun, shooting three people to death and injuring 16 more before killing himself \after he was confronted by a military police officer. It all happened in about 15 minutes.
Army Specialist Ivan Lopez had been seeking treatment for depression and anxiety, officials say, and meeting with a psychiatrist. But those officials also said he showed no signs of “likely” violence or suicide risk.
It was nicknamed “Cuban Twitter.” And the text-message-based social network, funded by an American nonprofit working with the American government, was a stealth bid at undercutting Cuba’s ruling communist party and loosening its grip on the island.
Weak arts tax collections have Portland’s arts organizations feeling a bit betrayed. They’ve received a fraction of what was expected after the first year of the city’s $35 tax—just $150,000 to be split among some 40-plus groups.
Ukraine’s new government says the fellow who ran the old one, Viktor Yanukovych, directly ordered riot cops to open fire at the protesters who eventually succeeded in toppling his regime. This comes about the same time as Russia and NATO posture back and forth over plans to stick more European troops near Russia’s border.
Miley Cyrus and Justin Timberlake, with sold-out concert dates in Finland, could be running afoul of new US sanctions meant to punish Russia’s tightening vise grip around Ukraine. The venue they’re set to play at is owned by one of Vladimir Putin’s blacklisted associates.
An elderly man in Indiana has been hoarding an amazing collection of antiquities on his land—thousands of pieces gathered over eight decades—some of them far too precious or culturally important to legally be held in private hands.
This national report from the New York Times points out something Portland’s learned years ago: Without training, sensitivity, and accountability—and ample investments in treatment and care—police officers will shoot and kill people with mental illness at a wildly disproportionate rate.
The ice caps are still melting. They’re melting faster than ever. And now news stories are using the words “death spiral” with a straight face. Because it’s true.
NEXT ON ACTION NEWS 4! Will your neighborhood ATM murder you in cold blood and send mocking text messages to your loved ones? Find out after these messages.
Normally when a newspaper writes about its own continuing corporate evisceration, it’s a bloodless affair full of plucky quotes from senior managers. Not at the Newark Star-Ledger, about to lose a quarter of its newsroom. Reporters at this Oregonian sibling lament the empty offices, lack of union representation, and introduction of a “click-based” reward system. They also crow that they, at least, will get to keep seven-day home delivery.
Some genius redneck in Florida made it look like someone burglarized his house one morning just so he could have a sympathetic reason to get out of work.
ONWARD! TO WHEREVER IT IS YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO GO. (SHUT UP, DENIS.) (OKAY.)
Arts Tax recipients should be pissed at everyone who had a hand in crafting the measure that eventually passed without containing a workable collection mechanism.
The Arts Tax is failing?!? Who the fuck could have seen that coming?
Not to mention the regressive nature and the fact that schools were an afterthought just to be able to pass funding for arts organizations with massive endowments.
Oh, and how it creates yet another stopgap measure that doesn’t address the chronic underfunding of Oregon’s schools.
They sold that shitty tax on getting teachers into the classroom, and now complain that their personal groups are not getting enough money.
Boo-Hoo.
According to the OPB story, the arts tax was originally conceived by these organizations and it didn’t poll well (gee, wonder why people didn’t want to pay an extra tax to subsidize the Portland Opera). So they tacked on the business about helping schoolkids and made that the only thing they talked about leading up to the vote.