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Brown: Phoenix man sentenced for ‘grotesque actions involving child pornography’

An Arizona man was as of late condemned to over 20 years in jail on child pornography charges. Dale Lenz, 30, of Phoenix, was captured on Jan. 25 after Country Security Examinations and Apache Intersection Police Division executed a court order at his home, as per a Sept. 23 U.S. Customs and Movement Requirement news discharge. A criminological assessment of his gadget turned up many records…

Property taxes continue to be a point of contention for Texas residents following a new report that found almost all independent school districts (ISDs) rose faster than the preferred rate of growth this year.

A report from the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) last month found that Houston ISD's property tax grew 12.2% — $2 billion to $2.2 billion from 2016 to 2020. The combined population and inflation for the city grew by 5.3% during that time, resulting in a difference of 7%.

The following news release was published by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs on April 28. It is reproduced in full below.

WASHINGTON - During an online roundtable today held by the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, panelists discussed challenges workers face as they reenter the workforce after periods of unemployment.

The “Untapped Potential: Reimagining Equity for Workers with Gaps in Employment History" roundtable is part of the Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity initiative, a joint effort by the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and the EEOC. Panelists included Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Director, Jenny R. Yang; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair, Charlotte A. Burrows; Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Eve Hill; President of Mission: Launch, Teresa Y. Hodge; A Better Balance Vice President, Elizabeth Gedmark; and the American Association of Retired Persons’ Senior Advisor for Financial Resilience, Heather Tinsley-Fix.

“As our country makes major investments in our infrastructure, and we rebuild from the pandemic, we have a critical opportunity to ensure everyone has a chance to contribute to America's economy," said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Director Jenny R. Yang. “At today’s roundtable, we explored the wealth of talent that is often hidden from employers by hiring screens that exclude highly qualified workers simply because of a period of unemployment. We explored key strategies for employers to expand opportunity to good jobs by ensuring job-related criteria is the foundation of the hiring process."

“Workers who have experienced periods of unemployment are an often-overlooked talent pool with a great deal to contribute to our society, and they can be a serious boon to employers seeking to fulfill today's staffing needs," said Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “They are diverse, and many are from groups that have been historically marginalized in the workplace or denied opportunity because of discrimination. They are caregivers, older workers, disabled persons and formerly incarcerated community members who offer valuable job skills. Giving equal consideration to all candidates regardless of resume gaps is one-way employers can promote our nation’s values and sustain a diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible workplace."

“Almost everything employers ‘know’ about applicants with an employment history gap is wrong," said Board of Trustees Chair Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and Partner, Brown, Goldstein & Levy Eve Hill. “It’s time to rethink the assumptions we still carry from the work world of the past, so we can attract the best talent in today’s world."

“For businesses to grow they will need to attract and retain a diverse talent pool," said President of Mission: Launch Teresa Y. Hodge. This diversity going forward will include people with gaps in their employment history for various reasons. The opportunity to learn and grow as a person exists both internal and external to the workplace."

“Workers who have gaps on their resumes due to caregiving or pregnancy should not face discrimination when looking for a new job, especially as the pandemic has forced family members to care for loved ones in the face of unprecedented illness and school closures," said A Better Balance Vice President Elizabeth Gedmark. “Workers who dropped out, or were pushed out, of the workplace, disproportionately mothers and people of color, deserve a fair shot and to be recognized for the many skills and values learned during their time away from the paid labor market."

“American Association of Retired Persons is pleased to contribute to this effort to break down barriers and build equity for groups of workers that are often overlooked or ignored," said American Association of Retired Persons’ Senior Advisor Financial Resilience Heather Tinsley-Fix. “Older workers bring high levels of engagement, productivity and soft skills to the table, yet age discrimination remains distressingly common. In 2020, AARP research revealed that 78 percent of workers over 40 had seen or experienced age discrimination at work. Research shows that organizations benefit from a multigenerational workforce, and that age should be part of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives."

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham continues to rave about the opening of legal recreational sales of cannabis in the state that began on April 1.

According to the Cannabis Control Vision of the Regulation and Licensing Department, the state’s cannabis sales totaled $5.2 million over the first weekend of adult-use sales. The sales were nearly double what Colorado had on its first day, which is apparently worth bragging about.

“New Mexico’s launch of recreational cannabis has been one of the most successful, if not the most, of any state,” Lujan Grisham said in a press release from her office. “Not to mention that we beat Colorado’s numbers for first-day sales. New Mexicans demonstrated the strength of the demand for this exciting new industry, and it is clear that adult-use cannabis is going to be a contributor to our diverse state economy.”

According to the release, between midnight Friday, April 1, and midnight April 3, “cannabis retailers made $5,219,575.73 in sales with medical and adult-use purchases combined. Adult-use sales alone brought in $3,522,811.27 and medical cannabis generated $1,696,764.46. The dollars came from 87,773 individual transactions from every corner of the state.”

Cannabis Control Division Director Kristen Thomson said the state was properly prepared for the busy weekend. “Whether it’s people moving from the illicit market to the safe, regulated legal market or brand-new customers excited to try high-quality New Mexico products for the first time, New Mexicans supported cannabis businesses in record numbers this weekend, she said in the release.”

Despite some early concerns about supply not meeting demand, New Mexico retailers had enough products for eager customers. When sales began on April 1, 151 retail licenses had been issued for nearly 250 locations.

“In every state that launched adult-use sales before New Mexico, some retailers sold out on opening day,” Thomson said in the release. “In New Mexico, that was simply not the case. Customers and patients across the state were all able to get the products or medicine they wanted and needed. Through careful regulatory planning hand-in-hand with industry, New Mexico cannabis producers have done something that’s never been done before. This weekend’s successful launch is something we can all be proud of.”

With U.S. conventional weapons destruction (CWD) assistance in 2021, South and Central Asian countries worked to clear landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination, and secure weapons and ammunition stockpiles.  Humanitarian mine action operations in Afghanistan continue despite the August 2021 takeover of the country by the Taliban. Afghanistan has one of the most capable mine action programs in the world with significant capacity and decades of experience, and mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance operations are ongoing amid continuing uncertainty over the country’s future.  Neighboring Tajikistan is also a regional leader in landmine clearance and explosive hazard remediation.  It is successfully managing its aging munitions stockpiles and clearing explosive hazards along its borders and within the central Rasht Valley region.  Kyrgyzstan faces substantial risk from poorly-secured, deteriorating weapons and ammunition stockpiles that pose a threat to local populations and regional security.  Farther south, Sri Lanka continues to deal with extensive landmine, improvised explosive device (IED), and UXO contamination that endangers civilians, inhibits livelihoods, and impedes the resettlement of communities.

Since 1993, the U.S. CWD program has invested more than $699 million in South and Central Asia to secure weapons and ammunition stockpiles, release land to safe and productive use, promote peace and security, and strengthen economic ties in the region, all of which helps to advance U.S. regional and global security priorities.

Through U.S. support, our implementing partners accomplished the following in 2021:

19,917,918 square meters (4,922 acres) of land released for safe and productive use in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka

2,846 individuals received prosthetics and orthotics in Afghanistan

53,539 pieces of UXO or abandoned explosive ordnance were destroyed in Afghanistan

28,157 individuals received explosive ordnance risk education in Afghanistan

14,101 pieces of small arms ammunition were destroyed in Afghanistan

6,564 pieces of stockpiled munitions were destroyed in Tajikistan

4,695 anti-personnel landmines were destroyed in Afghanistan and Tajikistan

1,682 anti-tank mines were destroyed in Afghanistan and Tajikistan

361 metric tons of large-caliber ammunition were demilitarized in Kyrgyzstan

The United States is the world’s single largest financial supporter of efforts to clear landmines and explosive weapons of war.  Since 1993, the United States has invested more than $4.2 billion in more than 100 countries around the world to reduce the harmful worldwide effects of at-risk, illicitly proliferated, and indiscriminately used conventional weapons of war.  For more information on U.S. humanitarian demining and CWD programs, see the latest edition of our annual report, To Walk the Earth in Safety.

For additional information or to request a printed copy of To Walk the Earth in Safety, please contact the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, at [email protected], and follow us on Twitter @StateDeptPM.  The report is also available on the Department of State website at https://www.state.gov/to-walk-the-earth-in-safety/.

How to Leave & Quit Your 9-5 Job & Achieve Financial Freedom Even If You Have ZERO Experience

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f all the inspiring Olympics stories and successes, no doubt one of the most fascinating is that of Lizzy Yarnold, 2014 and 2018 gold medalist in women's skeleton.

Yarnold has dealt with sinus problems for years, but in 2018, it was beginning to affect her performance on the world's largest stage: the Winter Olympics. Through top-notch treatment and breathing exercises, Yarnold was able to overcome and win gold in 2018 in her final Olympics.

Of all the inspiring Olympics stories and successes, no doubt one of the most fascinating is that of Lizzy Yarnold, 2014 and 2018 gold medalist in women's skeleton.

Yarnold has dealt with sinus allergies problems for years, but in 2018, it was beginning to affect her performance on the world's largest stage: the Winter Olympics. Through top-notch treatment and breathing exercises, Yarnold was able to overcome and win gold in 2018 in her final Olympics.

Sinus issues particularly affects high-level athletes that perform in the cold.

"If you've ever driven in the mountains or ever flown on an airplane, you can probably recall when you're going up in altitude or coming down in altitude, your ears will feel stuffy and your hearing is down," Dr. Matthew Blair of Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers told Panhandle News. "Then all of a sudden, your ear will pop and you'll feel like, 'Oh, I can hear so much better' and everything is back to normal."

However, not everyone feels that when they are in changing altitudes. This is indicative of sinus problems.

"Well, people who have eustachian tube dysfunction, they don't get that opening and they always feel like that even at regular altitude," Blair continued. "It's just a plug sensation in the ear, and that is when the eustachian tube doesn't work. Over a long period time, it can be pretty detrimental to the eardrum itself, and you can develop things like chronic infections in the ear from it."

According to Healthline, eustachian tubes are small tubes that run between your middle ears and the upper throat. They are responsible for equalizing ear pressure and draining fluid from the middle ear, the part of the ear behind the eardrum. The eustachian tubes are usually closed except for when you chew, swallow or yawn.

Yarnold's sinus issues were caused by an inner ear issue. For Olympic athletes, this can be crippling to their performance.

In the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, the defending women's skeleton champion had struggled in the season leading to the Games, but she set a new track record in the first run. Affected by the middle ear disorder, which had impeded her season, she had a mediocre second run, but a strong slide brought her back to second, and only two hundredths of a second off gold after the third run. In the fourth run, she established a significant new track record, thereby becoming the first double Olympic champion (male or female) in the history of skeleton, and the first woman to win multiple medals.

Acute sinusitis is mostly caused by the common cold. Unless a bacterial infection develops, most cases resolve within a week to 10 days. Home remedies may be all you need to treat acute sinusitis. Sinusitis that lasts more than 12 weeks, despite medical treatment, is called chronic sinusitis.