Baldwin County linemen ‘Light Up Navajo' with something they have never had before: electricity
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — We take it for granted, but a simple flip of a switch is changing lives — not only for the Navajo people in Chinle, Arizona, but in the lives of those responsible for making it happen right here at home.
UPDATE: Federal Bureau of Prisons responds to Todd Chrisley's allegations about FPC Pensacola
'Smiles from ear to ear — happiness. They knew the day was coming, but it was still not the same as the moment that it happens,' Riviera Utilities lineman Bryan Cook said, describing the moment the lights came on for one family for the first time.
Richard Sanspree is a lineman with Riveria Utilities and heard about an initiative called 'Light Up Navajo,' where utilities and co-ops volunteer their time to string line, put up poles, and connect the Navajo Nation with something many have never had, electricity.
'I just couldn't believe that there were people in the United States with no power,' Cook said. 'That just hit me hard, and it still hits me hard. I got chills now.'
'Here, everybody would be freaking out. The apocalypse,' said lineman Hunter Wilson. 'But there, it's just normal life. They don't think anything of it.'
For 10 days, nine Riviera linemen traveled to and worked in the Arizona desert, 12 to 14 hours a day.
'It's a different environment,' Cook said. 'And at the end of the day, it's helping people because none of us knew that nobody had power.'
'They were just as excited as we were to build it to see it built,' veteran lineman Paul Shoenight said.
It was hard work. The equipment used to dig through rock is different, and the terrain is unlike anything they had ever encountered.
'It is a wide open area and the homes are so far out from town that it takes an hour or so to get to one residence,' Shoenight said.
Light Up Navajo began in 2019 with 15 thousand families living without electricity. Now, almost five thousand have power, but there is still a lot of work left to do, according to Shoenight.
'The Navajo Nation people are the nicest, humble people I have ever met in my life, and I would love to go back,' he said.
By the end of the trip, nine families had electricity for the first time.
'It was actually emotional and hard,' Sanspree said. 'I wish we could have stayed another week.'
'The first thing they said, 'We are going to buy an a/c and a refrigerator,'' Wilson laughed.
While the Riviera crew was able to 'light up' at least part of the Navajo Nation, what they got in return will stay with them forever.
'It was an experience of a lifetime,' Shoenight said. 'It was more than I thought it was.'
UPDATE: 75-year-old man shot, killed by MPD after pointing gun at officers
Making a difference just by flipping a switch.
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
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Here's How to Deal with Sibling Rivalry, According to a Clinical Psychologist
As someone who grew up with four sisters and has two kids of my own who are roughly two years apart, I can tell you with some authority that sibling rivalry is rough…but if you're reading this then you probably already know that. But why are your kids turning your home into a Jerry Springer episode on the daily? And what the hell are you supposed to do about it? I spoke to a clinical psychologist to learn more about why this dynamic develops and get some advice on how to deal with sibling rivalry so, you know, all hell doesn't break loose. Here's what you need to know. Dr. Bethany Cook, PsyD, MT-BC, is a licensed clinical psychologist and author of For What It's Worth: A Perspective on How to Thrive and Survive Parenting. She's a sought-after therapist and quoted media expert who brings accessible, real-world guidance to families of all socioeconomic and mental health backgrounds, based on over 20 years of clinical experience in the Cook tells me that sibling rivalry is 'a perfectly normal side effect of kids sharing the same parental resources,' but the psychological reasons for it, as outlined below, are rather complicated. One of the widely accepted explanations for sibling rivalry comes from Alfred Adler, who argued that kids jockey for parental time and validation to avoid feelings of inferiority. This dynamic is exacerbated by factors such as social comparison and self-evaluation: 'Kids measure themselves against their closest peer group—often a brother or sister—using successes and failures to calibrate their own worth,' explains Dr. Cook. The expert also tells me that Parental Differential Treatment (PDT) is often a factor. This is when there are differences in the amount of warmth and/or the kind of discipline and privileges the siblings receive, and 'even small discrepancies have been shown to reliably predict more conflict and resentment between siblings.' To make matters even more complicated, Dr. Cook says that 'individual differences in impulsivity, emotional reactivity, and social skills mean some dyads ignite more easily than others.' Bottom line: There are factors that you can control (i.e., try to be consistent with how you treat your children) and ones that you can't—like the fact that siblings are hardwired to compare and compete. Plus, our love for our children is limitless, but some resources (like time!) are actually scarce…and they know it. Jose LuisAccording to the expert, collaborative parenting has its merits. 'Instead of deciding who's 'right,' guide children to negotiate and find mutually acceptable solutions. Teach them to state feelings, propose fixes and compromise,' advises Dr. Cook. In other words, I probably shouldn't have settled my kids' morning argument by snatching the remote from my older one and telling her that I know she never lets her brother have a chance to watch what he wants, before handing the remote over to him. Instead, I should have said something like: 'Oh no, you guys are fighting over the TV again. Why don't you take turns telling each other how you're feeling and what you want, and see if you can come up with a solution that feels fair?' Choke down that outrage when bad behavior surfaces. Per Dr. Cook, 'emotions are catchy—if you keep your cool, the kids will cool down faster and the fight will fizzle out.' (Psst: you can find some more advice on how to keep your cool here.) In order to be an effective teacher in this department, you will need to have mastered tip #2 first. Remember that kids are still developing emotional regulation skills and the best way you can help them is by modeling it yourself. 'Practice labeling feelings, deep-breathing or taking a pause before reengaging. And grab the feelings wheel if needed,' says Dr. Cook, adding that you should do this on your own and with your kids when conflicts arise. Not all rules can be the same across the board. After all, you are parenting two or more different people with distinct needs and abilities. That said, the expert advises that you 'explain your reasoning for any rule differences (i.e., later bedtime for teens) and offer comparable one-on-one time to each child.' RichVintage/Getty Images 'Give siblings a shared goal—building a fort, baking, completing a puzzle—so that success depends on collaboration,' says Dr. Cook. I'm not going to lie: I got chills when I heard this bit of advice—namely because my kids are currently fighting so much that I avoid collaborative projects like the plague. But I'll give it another go one day when I'm in a really, really peaceful, happy place. The expert emphasizes the importance of 'highlighting each child's unique interests and abilities, while avoiding labels like 'the smart one' or 'the athletic one.'' And if children have similar areas of interest, that's great, too…but you might have to make an effort to ensure that they each get to explore and develop that interest at their own pace without unwanted interference from a sibling. It's basically therapy 101: I feel…when you…could we? 'Simple say-it-like-this phrases give kids an easy way to speak up without hitting or yelling—and they give parents a ready-made script, since most of us are winging it, too,' says Dr. Cook. AJ_Watt/Getty Images The expert recommends that you clearly state non-negotiable rules (i.e., no hitting, no name-calling, etc.) and come up with logical consequences, ideally before the breach has occurred, that are consistently applied to everyone. Let's be real, it's very difficult to perfectly divide your attention between children on a day-to-day basis. For this reason, Dr. Cook suggests that you carve out alone time with each child in a way that works for your schedule. 'One-on-one time fills each child's attention tank, so they don't have to compete for it.' Finally, if sibling rivalry is chronic or violent, the expert recommends that you seek professional help in the form of a solutions-focused therapist (i.e., Strategic Family Therapy) who can help realign patterns. It is absolutely possible to deal with sibling rivalry, though Dr. Cook advises parents to think in terms of less chaos, not no conflict. 'Research reviews consistently find that when parents learn mediation skills and kids practice social skills training, sibling fights happen less often and get less intense, and those improvements stick around over time.' In other words, the buck stops with you, friend. Help! I Can't Compliment One of My Children Without the Other One Getting *Super* Jealous
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Concert to raise money for cardiac screenings
A fundraising concert has been organised in memory of an eight-year-old boy who died from a cardiac arrest. Jasper Cook, from Birkenshaw, died in January 2022, three days after he fell ill with Covid-19. His parents, Kim and Ian Cook, said money raised from the event would be used to help fund cardiac screenings for young people. The event comes after Mrs Cook was nominated in the fundraiser category for this year's BBC Radio Leeds Make a Difference Awards. "My whole ethos behind what we've been doing in Jasper's name is, the more people I can reach, the more money I can raise, the more young hearts I can screen, the more people I can stop being in this terrible position," she said. "We have already now done three days and tested nearly 300 young people between the ages of 14 and 35." Since her son's death Mrs Cook has completed a number of fundraising challenges and events, including skydiving. The concert, taking place at St Paul's Church later, in Birkenshaw, will feature a choir from Birkenshaw primary school, as well as singers from St Paul's and the BBG Academy. It will also feature the first public performance of a song written by in memory of Jasper by his friend and her father, called A Song for Jasper. Mrs Cook said: "It's been a really difficult few years, but we are I think pulling through. "I think what we've been doing with the heart screening has really given us a little bit of focus. The BBC Make a Difference Awards are organised to thank and recognise people who want to improve the lives of people in the communities where they live, with the winners due to be announced at a ceremony in Bradford on 13 September Mrs Cook was nominated by a family friend who said: "It is truly remarkable that the family, despite their utter grief in dealing with the tragic loss of their young son, are honouring his memory by doing all that they can to prevent other families having to go through what they have suffered." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Free heart checks in memory of eight-year-old boy Cardiac Risk in the Young
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Loved ones gather at balloon release to honor father killed in Saenger Theatre shooting
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Green and black balloons filled the sky in honor of Carl Williams III, who was killed Sunday night during a children's dance recital in Mobile's Saenger Theatre. Baldwin County linemen 'Light Up Navajo' with something they have never had before: electricity Dozens of people gathered at Doyle Park in Mobile to remember Williams' legacy and saying this life was taken too soon, and his two daughters, Cherish and Brooklyn, are now left without a father. 'I wish he never died,' Cherish said to the crowd when asked to speak about her dad. Williams was an avid Philadelphia Eagles and Florida Gators fan, so he always loved the color green. Family, friends and those who knew him dearly said he was not only a joy to be around but also always demonstrated great character. 'I just want to tell all my young people, like, let's get right with God, because one thing we know that before he left here, he knew God,' a friend of Williams said. 'He did not leave here sad, so we're going to continue on that legacy. We're going to be happy. We're going to love on each other. We're going to continue on what Carl would want us to do.' A 2015 alum of B.C. Rain High School, Williams had his own clothing line and was a role model for students who wanted to go down the same path. 'Omari is my 16-year-old son, and Carl took him under his wing and was helping him start his own clothing line,' one woman explained. 'So when he took his fashion class in school, they told him to choose a famous designer, and he called his cousin, and he said he wanted to do the project on him.' 'Everybody knew who Carl was — and what he was to us,' a former classmate said. 'All of the jokes, everybody knew Carl as humble. We knew a completely different side to Carl, but Carl was our friend, and he didn't deserve that.' 'He's been a friend to all of us,' Williams' friend Darius Howard said. 'More like a brother to all of us. So coming like from 2015, class man, everything was always jokes. You never seen him down; you never seen him frowning.' Since losing her brother, Williams' sister Destiny said that the overwhelming amount of support is what made this process a bit better for her family. 'I knew everyone loved my brother, but for me to see it with my own two eyes, it's amazing,' Destiny said. Milton police officer assaulted, put in headlock during domestic violence call Williams' family is still working on finalizing funeral arrangements. They plan to lay him to rest on June 14. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
