Gastonia Police K-9 Bo invited to Washington D.C. for National Police Week
WASHINGTON D.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Gastonia Police K-9 Bo and Sergeant David Rowland have been invited to Washington, D.C., for a special reception at the U.S. Department of Justice, where they will meet with Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Attorney General Bondi expressed great admiration for Bo's recent honor as American Humane's 2024 National Hero Dog.
Bo is in Washington as part of the National Police Week observance, representing the Gastonia Police Department and the vital role of K-9 units in public safety.
As part of the visit, Sergeant Rowland and Bo will also attend a reception Tuesday, May 13 at the U.S. Capitol, hosted by Congressman Tim Moore.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
16 minutes ago
- Politico
Newsom takes the heat for an ‘unfair' trans policy
SACRAMENTO, California — SACRAMENTO, California — Gov. Gavin Newsom tried to take a stand on transgender kids competing in sports. Instead, he's walked himself and the state into a national maelstrom. A few months after the Democratic governor broke ranks with progressive allies by declaring it 'unfair' to let trans athletes compete on girls' teams, Newsom now finds himself in the awkward role of fending off threats and barbs from President Donald Trump, who is angered over the state's permissive laws. Some of the governor's supporters have said he was merely expressing a long-held belief. But his stance has satisfied neither progressive allies, who experienced the governor's comments as a betrayal, nor conservative critics, who accuse Newsom of failing to take meaningful action. And with the blowup again turning a glaring spotlight on California, some Democrats have been frustrated with Newsom for bumbling into what they think should have been an obvious trap. A transgender girl's victories at a state track and field championships last weekend have further fueled a standoff between California and a hostile White House. Trump has repeatedly threatened California with unspecified financial pain for its law which allows students to compete on the teams matching their gender identities. And the U.S. Department of Justice has warned California schools they could face legal repercussions if they don't relent. The president hasn't missed the opportunity to make the skirmish particularly uncomfortable for Newsom, invoking the governor's prior comments about fairness to bolster his screeds. In a social media post late Monday, Trump doubled down, lamenting that the transgender athlete had placed first in the girls' high jump and the triple jump at the championships over the weekend despite his earlier calls for the high school junior to be banned from the competition. 'As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!' Trump posted, using a favorite epithet. The backlash has highlighted the precarious political position Newsom has staked out. When Newsom hosted conservative pundit Charlie Kirk on his podcast in March, Kirk pointedly asked about a transgender girl who was poised to win a track championship and told Newsom he had 'opportunity to run to the middle' by speaking out. By aligning with Kirk, Newsom drew both furious criticism and praise for breaking with progressive orthodoxy as Democrats regrouped from a stinging 2024 election. 'This isn't part of a smart, masterful tack-to-the-middle play — this is sloppy,' said a Democratic consultant with experience in LGBTQ politics granted anonymity to speak candidly. 'Anyone with a few working brain cells left could've seen this was going to lead to the president using his words against him.' The issue has driven conservative media coverage, prompted national Republican attacks on vulnerable California House Democrats, and permeated California's burgeoning race to replace Newsom after he exits next year. Republican candidate Steve Hilton campaigned outside the track meet this weekend in the Fresno suburb of Clovis, vowing to undo the 2013 state law that lets students compete on the teams matching their gender identities. 'One way or another this cruelty, this absurdity, this unfairness will end when I am governor of California,' Hilton said, flanked by supporters hoisting 'save girls sports' signs. Newsom has done little to change the status quo after speaking out against it. He remained on the sidelines earlier this year as Democratic state lawmakers derailed Republican legislation that would have undone that statute. Last week, a Newsom representative praised the California Interscholastic Federation's 'reasonable' 11th-hour rule change that allows more girls to compete in events when a trans opponent is involved. The state regulator tweaked its rules in response to a social media screed by Trump last week after the same trans athlete qualified for state championships. But that change did not mollify federal critics. The Department of Justice sent a letter to the California Interscholastic Federation, which governs high school sports, demanding that school districts break with the state's policy on trans athletes by next week or face legal action. The letter, sent by Harmeet K. Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights and a former California Republican Party official, claimed California was in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. 'Knowingly depriving female students of athletic opportunities and benefits on the basis of their sex would constitute unconstitutional sex discrimination under the Equal Protection Clause,' Dhillon wrote. 'Scientific evidence shows that upsetting the historical status quo and forcing girls to compete against males would deprive them of athletic opportunities and benefits because of their sex.' A Newsom official declined to comment further. A representative for California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement the office was 'very concerned with the Trump Administration's ongoing threats to California schools' and vowed to defend 'the rights of students — including transgender students — to be free from discrimination and harassment.' State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond encouraged school districts to hold the line. In an official guidance sent to superintendents on Tuesday, Thurmond cast doubt on the assertion California's policies violated federal law and could endanger funding. 'Let's be clear: sending a letter does not change the law,' Thurmond, who is running for governor, said in a statement. 'The DOJ's letter to school districts does not announce any new federal law, and state law on this issue has remained unchanged since 2013.' Newsom has a long history of supporting LGBTQ rights. He famously defied federal law and issued same-sex marriage licenses when he was mayor of San Francisco. As governor, he has both energized and disappointed advocates for transgender Californians. He signed a law barring schools from requiring parents to be notified about students' gender identities — drawing a threat from Elon Musk — and vetoed a bill that would have let kids' gender identities be factored into custody decisions. Members of the Legislature's LGBTQ caucus were reluctant to criticize Newsom publicly, even if they were not happy with his attention-grabbing comments. 'His podcast career is his podcast career,' said Assemblymember Alex Lee. 'Whatever he wants to do with Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk, whatever. But he hasn't changed his policies. He's not done anything differently. He said bullshit on a stupid podcast.' Lee said while Newsom has a long history of being 'usually on the right side,' his recent maneuvers are not politically savvy unless he 'wants to run in the Republican primary, I guess, where all they do is talk about culture wars.' LGBTQ Victory Fund President Evan Low, a former California state lawmaker, said Republicans were continuing to hammer trans rights to distract from their unpopular policy positions. He praised Newsom's record on LGBTQ issues and cautioned against playing into Republicans' playbook. 'No one can tear down his track record,' said Low. 'At the same time, I urge caution to many in our ecosystem to not fall into the trap of this false narrative being an issue.'
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Charlotte City Council votes no to $25/hour minimum wage for city employees
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The Charlotte City Council will use one-time funding to help various organizations in the city, but when it comes to giving city workers an additional pay bump, that vote was a no. In November 2025, the minimum wage for city workers will increase from $23 an hour to $24 an hour. Some on the council wanted to raise the hourly wage to $25 an hour, but it was voted down 6 to 5 on Monday night. The main reason is that raising the pay to $25 an hour would mean a structurally unbalanced budget for the city. Also, the additional funding would only be a one-time payment from the American Rescue Plan Act, also known as ARPA money, that the city of Charlotte has in reserve. So, city manager Marcus Jones would have to find a way to maintain the pay raises in the 2027 city budget. Charlotte leaders consider regulation changes for street vendors Other organizations did receive money for their operations from the ARPA funding. Those nonprofits provide services in the city, addressing issues like climate change and tutoring students. Some on the council worry that if they keep spending the reserve funds, there may not be money in case of an emergency. 'The very fact that we can literally keep some of this funding for future opportunities or something that we need next year, where we want something discretionary done,' said District 5 councilwoman Marjorie Molina. 'Next year, I feel like if we are empty, we are going to regret it.' With all the changes, an additional $1.2 million will be added to the budget. Charlotte City Council will vote to approve the full budget next week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump decried crime in America, then gutted funding for gun violence prevention
Violent crime was already trending down from a covid-era spike when President Donald Trump presented a picture of unbridled crime in America on the campaign trail in 2024. Now his administration has eliminated about $500 million in grants to organizations that buttress public safety, including many working to prevent gun violence. In Oakland, California, a hospital-based program to prevent retaliatory gun violence lost a $2 million grant just as the traditionally turbulent summer months approach. Another $2 million award was pulled from a Detroit program that offers social services and job skills to young people in violent neighborhoods. And in St. Louis, a clinic treating the physical and emotional injuries of gunshot victims also lost a $2 million award. They are among 373 grants that the U.S. Department of Justice abruptly terminated in April. The largest share of the nixed awards were designated for community-based violence intervention — programs that range from conflict mediation and de-escalation to hospital-based initiatives that seek to prevent retaliation from people who experience violent injuries. Gun violence is among America's most deadly public health crises, medical experts say. Among programs whose grants were terminated were those for protecting children, victims' assistance, hate-crime prevention, and law enforcement and prosecution, according to an analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank. The grants totaled $820 million when awarded, but some of that money has been spent. 'Not only are these funds being pulled away from worthy investments that will save lives,' said Thomas Abt, founding director of the Violence Reduction Center at the University of Maryland, 'but the way that this was done — by pulling authorized funding without warning — is going to create a lasting legacy of mistrust.' The Justice Department 'is focused on prosecuting criminals, getting illegal drugs off the streets, and protecting all Americans from violent crime,' according to a statement provided by agency spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre. 'Discretionary funds that are not aligned with the administration's priorities are subject to review and reallocation, including funding for clinics that engage in race-based selectivity.' The Council on Criminal Justice analysis of the terminated grants found that descriptions of 31% of them included references to 'diversity,' 'equity,' 'race,' 'racial,' 'racism,' or 'gender.' Baldassarre's statement said the department is committed to working with organizations 'to hear any appeal, and to restore funding as appropriate.' Indeed, it restored seven of the terminated grants for victims' services after Reuters reported on the cuts in April. But the cuts have already prompted layoffs and reductions at other organizations around the country. Five groups filed a lawsuit on May 21 to restore the grants in their entirety. Joseph Griffin, executive director of the Oakland nonprofit Youth Alive, which pioneered hospital-based violence intervention in the 1990s, said his organization had spent only about $60,000 of its $2 million grant before it was axed. The grant was primarily to support the intervention program and was awarded for a three-year period but lasted just seven months. The money would have helped pay to intervene with about 30 survivors of gun violence to prevent retaliatory violence. He's trying to find a way to continue the work, without overtaxing his team. 'We will not abandon a survivor of violence at the hospital bedside in the same way that the federal government is abandoning our field,' he said. The cuts are also hitting St. Louis, often dogged by being labeled one of the most dangerous cities in America. The city created an Office of Violence Prevention with money available under former President Joe Biden, and various groups received Justice Department grants, too. Locals say the efforts have helped: The 33% drop in the city's homicide rate from 2019 to 2024 was the second-largest decrease among 29 major cities examined by the Council on Criminal Justice. 'I don't think there's any doubt that there's some positive impact from the work that's happening,' said University of Missouri-St. Louis criminologist Chris Sullivan, who received a grant from the Justice Department to assess the work of the city's new Office of Violence Prevention. That research grant remains in place. But the Justice Department slashed two other grants in St. Louis, including $2 million for Power4STL. The nonprofit operates the Bullet Related Injury Clinic, dubbed the BRIC, which provides free treatment for physical and mental injuries caused by bullets. The BRIC had about $1.3 million left on its grant when the award was terminated in April. LJ Punch, a former trauma surgeon who founded the clinic in 2020, said it was intended to fund a mobile clinic, expand mental health services, evaluate the clinic's programs, and pay for a patient advisory board. The BRIC won't abandon those initiatives, Punch said, but will likely need to move slower. Keisha Blanchard joined the BRIC's advisory board after her experience as a patient at the clinic following a January 2024 gun injury. Someone fired a bullet into her back from the rear window of a Chevy Impala while Blanchard was out for a lunchtime stroll with a friend from her neighborhood walking group. The shooting was random, Blanchard said, but people always assume she did something to provoke it. 'It's so much shame that comes behind that,' she said. The 42-year-old said the shooting and her initial medical treatment left her feeling angry and unseen. Her family wasn't allowed to be with her at the hospital since the police didn't know who shot her or why. When she asked about taking the bullet out, she was told that the common medical practice is to leave it in. 'We're not in the business of removing bullets,' she recalled being told. At a follow-up appointment, she said, she watched her primary care doctor google what to do for a gunshot wound. 'Nobody cares what's going to happen to me after this,' Blanchard recalled thinking. Before she was referred to the BRIC, she said, she was treated as though she should be happy just to be alive. But a part of her died in the shooting, she said. Her joyful, carefree attitude gave way to hypervigilance. She stopped taking walks. She uprooted herself, moving to a neighborhood 20 miles away. The bullet stayed lodged inside her, forcing her to carry a constant reminder of the violence that shattered her sense of safety, until Punch removed it from her back in November. Blanchard said the removal made her feel 'reborn.' It's a familiar experience among shooting survivors, according to Punch. 'People talk about the distress about having bullets still inside their bodies, and how every waking conscious moment brings them back to the fact that that's still inside,' Punch said. 'But they're told repeatedly inside conventional care settings that there's nothing that needs to be done.' The Justice Department grant to the BRIC had been an acknowledgment, Punch said, that healing has a role in public safety by quelling retaliatory violence. 'The unhealed trauma in the body of someone who's gotten the message that they are not safe can rapidly turn into an act of violence when that person is threatened again,' Punch said. Community gun violence, even in large cities, is concentrated among relatively small groups of people who are often both victims and perpetrators, according to researchers. Violence reduction initiatives are frequently tailored to those networks. Jennifer Lorentz heads the Diversion Unit in the office of the St. Louis Circuit Attorney, the city's chief prosecutor. The unit offers mostly young, nonviolent offenders an opportunity to avoid prosecution by completing a program to address the issues that initially led to their arrest. About 80% of the participants have experienced gun violence and are referred to the BRIC, Lorentz said, calling the clinic critical to her program's success. 'We're getting them these resources, and we're changing the trajectory of their lives,' Lorentz said. 'Helping people is part of public safety.' Punch said the BRIC staffers were encouraged during the Justice Department application process to emphasize their reach into St. Louis' Black community, which is disproportionately affected by gun violence. He suspects that emphasis is why its grant was terminated. Punch likened the grant terminations to only partially treating tuberculosis, which allows the highly infectious disease to become resistant to medicine. 'If you partially extend a helping hand to somebody, and then you rip it away right when they start to trust you, you assure they will never trust you again,' he said. 'If your intention is to prevent violence, you don't do that.' KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.
