Latest news with #Ashbrook
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Virginia AG discusses law enforcement partnerships and initiatives among SWVA agencies
BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares made a stop at the Bristol, Virginia Police Department on Monday to talk about the law enforcement partnerships on combating crime against the most vulnerable populations. Miyares was joined by Bristol, Virginia Police Chief Byron Ashbrook, Sheriff Tyrone Foster and Del. Israel O'Quinn. There was a heavy focus on the TRIAD program, a partnership between law enforcement, seniors, and senior organizations aimed at combating crime specifically targeting that group. Those at the press conference say scammers are becoming more advanced, so they want to make seniors aware of what could happen. And they say that loneliness is another epidemic among them. 'TRIAD is the definition of a partnership. It's about bringing law enforcement, senior citizens, and volunteers working together to help our aging population,' Miyares said. 'They're both getting information of what's happening in their community, tips from law enforcement as well as how to protect themselves but they're also doing something invaluable from a mental health standpoint, which is connecting seniors with other seniors and building friendships as a result.' Miyares says one in five Virginians are over the age of 65. In Southwest Virginia, they make up 22% of the population. He also called the partnership here a model for the rest of the Commonwealth. 'Seniors are often very engaged in their communities. They have something that a lot of us don't necessarily have that's very valuable and that's time,' Del. O'Quinn said. 'So they can pitch in and make this program better and bigger and more valuable for their friends and neighbors.' Starting July 1, the Bristol, Virginia Police Department will have a detective dedicated to crimes against children and the elderly. 'We are pulling one of the units from patrol. We are fully staffed now so one of those units will be going to the [Criminal Investigations Division] to help streamline this process in both elder abuse cases and child victims of crime cases,' Chief Ashbrook said. 'It's really important to have that continuity of care so child victims aren't seeing multiple different detectives because they go through a process if they've been a victim of crime or even a witness of crime through our children's advocacy center and through the court system and having one officer, one detective to be able to handle all that is important.' Another vulnerable population they want to focus on is those suffering mental health crises. BVPD has a co-response with the Community Support Program through the Department of Social Services. 'I'm not a mental health clinician, I'm not a doctor, but if I can keep the clinician safe and I can get the clinician to the scene, and they can do their work then it's the right response for the right type of call and it can help de-escalate situations,' Ashbrook said. 'We've seen it work in the past.' The Bristol, Virginia Sheriff's Office already has several initiatives in place to help keep children and seniors safe, including the D.A.R.E. drug awareness program, providing child identification kits, Project Lifesaver (a rapid response program for those who wander away from their caregivers), the One Pill Can Kill program, and Drug Take Back days. Sheriff Tyrone Foster says his office has provided Highlands Community Services with a deputy for the Crisis Intervention Team Assessment Center along with a location for the Mount Rogers Health District's Mobile Integrative Health Service Unit, which focuses on behavioral and mental health services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ashbrook 3-star linebacker Caleb Gordon commits to Arkansas football
Ashbrook senior linebacker Caleb Gordon has committed to Arkansas football, he wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on June 3. '1000% COMMITTED, GO HOGS #WPS,' Gordon said via X in announcing his plan to attend the University of Arkansas. 'Thank you to all the coaches who built relationships with me; those relationships will forever be cherished.' Advertisement GET YOUR POPCORN READY: Here are 2025 high school football schedule for Gastonia, Shelby area schools LANDMARK VICTORY: Ashbrook football earns validation with NCHSAA 3A playoff win at South Point. Here's how. Listed as a 6-foot, 215-pound three-star prospect, he held offers from Appalachian State, Charlotte, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech, among others. This past season, Gordon was the centerpiece of a hard-hitting Ashbrook defense which allowed 13 points per game. The Big South 3A Defensive Player of the Year, he finished with 141 tackles (eight for a loss), four sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Ashbrook 3-star linebacker Caleb Gordon commits to Arkansas football
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Man from Moldova accused in credit card fraud scheme
A man wanted in his home country of Moldova was found to be in unlawful possession of 131 credit cards that didn't match his identity following a traffic stop on the Indiana Toll Road in Porter County this past weekend. Anatolie Cataraga, 41, who lives in Philadelphia, is charged with two Level 5 felonies of fraud on a financial institution and identity deception, because he is accused of having a passport under a false name. He also faces three Level 6 felony fraud charges and a single Level 6 felony count of unlawful possession of a card skimming device. It all began just after 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon when a Hobart Police officer, working on assignment for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), observed an eastbound car with a dark window tint following dangerously close to a semi-truck by the 36-mile marker on I-90. The Hobart police officer pulled the vehicle over at the 40-mile marker. The Russian-speaking driver identified himself as Constantin Catana with a Moldova government card. He didn't speak English well, so the officer used a translator device and asked permission to search the vehicle, which was granted. During the search of the vehicle, the officer observed unusual wear and tear near the center air vent on the dash. The officer removed the vent and found a black satchel, according to the probable cause statement filed in Porter County Superior Court. Within that satchel, there were 120 poor quality credit cards and a wallet that contained three passports — two from Moldova and one from the neighboring Romania in Eastern Europe. The two passports had different names: one for Cataraga — established as his true identity — and the other for Constantin Catana. All three passports had the same picture, according to the court record. Cataraga and the vehicle were brought to the Hobart Police station, where they were met later that afternoon by Special Agent Zachary Ashbrook of the U.S. Secret Service. At the Hobart Police station, it was learned that INTERPOL had an active warrant for Cataraga out of Moldova. Ashbrook observed that there were 131 access device cards with different identities than Cataraga. Using an electronic swipe card reader, Ashbrook scanned 130 of the access device cards and found none of them contained information matching that which was on the card. However, each card was associated with institutions insured by the FDIC. Additionally, four-digit codes were found written on the back of the device cards that were consistent with the pins for the number of each card. Ashbrook stated that the devices discovered in Cataraga's vehicle were consistent with card skimming devices that are placed on or over card swipes in order to obtain a person's identifying information and card information. The cards in Cataraga's possession were re-coded cards commonly used in identity theft and fraud cases, the court record says.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'New media' seat at White House briefings shakes up establishment with alternative to 'archaic' press
The "new media" seat at the White House has shaken up press briefings as the Trump administration aims to reach Americans who don't rely on what it calls "the archaic White House press corps" for information. The "new media" seat is the brainchild of press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who felt legacy media essentially had a monopoly over coverage of the White House. No seats were taken from anyone, as the designated seat to the right of the lectern is where White House staffers or guests traditionally sat along the side of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. Nowadays, the seat is filled by new and emerging voices who typically get introduced by Leavitt before being called upon for the first question of the briefing, which traditionally went to the Associated Press under previous administrations. Ex-cnn Journalist Speaks Out On Biden Cover-up, Says White House Aides Made It Difficult On Press Some of the "new media" seat's occupants, such as Axios' Mike Allen and 2Way's Mark Halperin, are longtime D.C. insiders who currently work for upstart organizations, while others, like "Unbiased Podcast" host Jordan Berman, wouldn't have sniffed the briefing room under previous administrations. "The legacy media's charade of inclusivity has been exposed by their resistance to allow emerging voices into the press briefing room. Americans have found new ways to digest their media—and we cater to the people, not the archaic White House press corps," assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital. Read On The Fox News App The "new media" seat has also faced criticism, largely from legacy outlets, and some of the occupants have been criticized for lobbing softball questions at briefings or heaping praise on Leavitt and the president. But White House insiders believe negative coverage of the opportunity for new voices is proof that traditional outlets are scared to relinquish control of the briefing room. Ruthless Podcast co-host John Ashbrook occupied the seat in January and asked Leavitt if the legacy media was out of touch with the border crisis. He embraced his role as an outsider in the briefing room despite what he called "eye rolls and smirks" from traditional journalists. "Every dirty look from legacy media was wiped away when they had to write down the news made in response to the question I asked," Ashbrook told Fox News Digital. While Ashbrook used his lead-off question to prompt criticism of the press, other "new media" seat occupants have asked about such topics as transgender athletes, artificial intelligence, the economy and foreign policy. Podcast Host Says He Received 'Eye Rolls,' 'Smirks' From Reporters During White House Briefing Debut "Timcast IRL" host Tim Pool has been one of the more polarizing occupants of the seat. When Pool was announced as the seat holder last month, the move was swiftly criticized by mainstream reporters. New York Times reporter Ken Bensinger reminded his followers on X that Pool was tied to a Tennessee-based media company accused of receiving money from Russia (Pool has denied any wrongdoing), while a USA Today reporter took issue with his signature beanie cap. Pool, who has 2.4 million followers on X, said he noticed "snooty looks" from some legacy reporters and "disdain" for his presence on social media following the opportunity. "All they've done in that press room is march in lockstep with each other, all reporting the same falsehoods, the same angles, the same manipulations. There's no curiosity. The questions they largely ask are predictable. And yet, if any other company wants to come in, it's a whiplash, it is an attack, it's vitriol. They're acting more like high school teen girls than professionals," Pool told Fox News Digital. Pool said that during the Biden administration, White House reporters from liberal, mainstream outlets were largely not curious or intentionally tried to obfuscate facts and details to push a political ideology. He's thrilled that Leavitt has shaken things up to offer a break from the "faux adversarial questions" that liberal reporters asked during the Biden administration. "There needs to be an attempt to create competition in the journalistic space so that we're not getting the same worldview from every single reporter," Pool said. "Naturally, they're upset by the competition. But all I see is, with the new media personalities coming in, they're largely on the other sides of the political spectrum, but even then, they're not in complete agreement on everything." "I do think this is a great step forward in bringing in new voices with different perspectives, which is what diversity was supposed to mean," he continued. "It was an honor and a privilege." White House Reporters Respond After Being Called Out For Weak Coverage Of Biden's Decline At Whcd The "new media" seat has also been occupied by The Bulwark's Andrew Egger, Breitbart's Matt Boyle, podcaster Sage Steele, Rumble's Chris Pavlovski, X's John Stoll, Semafor's Shelby Talcott, The Daily Wire's Mary Margaret Olohan, "Breaking Points" co-host Saagar Enjeti, Townhall's Katie Pavlich, Merit Street Media's Lyndsay Keith, NOTUS reporter Jasmine Wright, Matthew Foldi of the Washington Reporter, Punchbowl's Brendan Pedersen and Blaze Media correspondent Chris Bedford, among others. Reporters from outlets such as the AP, CNN, Reuters, ABC, CBS, NBC, USA Today, The New York Times, NPR, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal and Fox News have assigned seats at White House press briefings, while reporters from smaller outlets stand along the crowded perimeter of the room. Leavitt explained why she has taken a different approach to the media during a May 5 appearance on "Hannity." "It's because President Trump has revolutionized media and the way Americans consume media. He started this on the campaign when he opened the campaign to social media influencers and podcasters, and he was willing to take that nontraditional media route. We've continued that effort at the White House," Leavitt said. Former Obama press secretary Jay Carney even praised Leavitt's changes to the White House press operation. "I think it's important to recognize the media landscape has changed, to bring in new voices, to shake things up," Carney said at an ROKK Solutions event last month when asked about the new media seat. "I think that's admirable," Carney continued. "Everybody can learn from that."Original article source: 'New media' seat at White House briefings shakes up establishment with alternative to 'archaic' press
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
This 1 Common Household Item Actually Attracts Cockroaches
You may want to recycle that stack of delivery boxes. No, really. It turns out that cardboard is a common shelter for cockroaches, experts say. 'Cardboard is, interestingly, very attractive to cockroaches. It goes so far as the researchers who are doing work with cockroaches, we actually use cardboard as their harborage ... that's what we have them living in,' said Aaron Ashbrook, an assistant professor of urban and peri-urban entomology at Louisiana State University. Now, not all cockroaches will make a home in cardboard, it depends on the species (more on that below). But the cockroaches that tend to infest homes unfortunately do like this material, and there are many reasons why. First, cardboard is a food source for cockroaches, said Ashbrook. 'I readily see it in my colonies. They will eat the cardboard. They will also consume the cardboard for water. So if it is wet, they can also get both food and water from cardboard,' Ashbrook added. And since cardboard is absorbent, it can gather odors from their pheromones, too, which makes it an even more attractive surface, said Matt Frye, a rodent and structural pest management specialist at the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program at Cornell University. Cardboard is also sound-deadening, said Frye, 'So, if insects are in there and they're moving around, you may not hear them.' 'Because people tend to store [cardboard] often in places that are overlooked or forgotten, they can be there for a long time and not be noticed, which allows their populations to grow and then spread,' Frye said. And particularly with corrugated cardboard, which is the cardboard with ridges and grooves between its layers that most delivery packages come in, there is enough space for the cockroaches to actually live in those ridges and grooves, added Frye. Seeing a cockroach scurry across your kitchen counter is gross for many reasons, and more importantly, is also a clear health hazard. But, not all cockroaches carry the same risks as there are many different types of cockroaches. American cockroaches and German cockroaches tend to be the ones folks worry most about in their homes in the U.S. The American cockroach is a big, reddish brown cockroach that is also called a water bug or a Palmetto bug, according to Frye, and they tend to live in sewers or damp environments. They are more common in warmer environments or during the summer months, added Ashbrook. German cockroaches are more prevalent and more commonly found inside of homes, particularly in kitchens and in bathrooms, and tend to be a little smaller than American cockroaches and exist across the country. But, both are 'mechanical disease vectors. They typically inhabit unsanitary environments, whether that be sewer drains or decaying matter,' said Ashbrook. Then, they crawl into home settings and often head to food-handling surfaces where they defecate and vomit, Ashbrook added. 'And when they do that, that is then depositing those pathogens that they carry both on their bodies and in their bodies onto our food and onto our surfaces,' Ashbrook said. In some cases, this can cause contamination in humans, he said. 'Although we have not necessarily found a smoking gun implication of specifically German cockroaches causing disease transmission, there is the potential for salmonella, E. coli and noroviruses to be transferred by American cockroaches,' said Ashbrook. The most common issue that comes from a cockroach problem in your home is allergies, said Frye, and this is especially true for German cockroaches. 'That is the most abundant cockroach that people deal with, and it has allergens that affect people ... those allergens are associated with their feces, their droppings, as well as their exoskeletons,' noted Frye. 'To add to this health effect, cockroaches are actually much worse for children to be around, and there has been some research to show that if children are exposed to cockroach allergens and their body parts that contain the allergens that they can develop asthma,' said Ashbrook. 'So, this doesn't happen with adults, but it can happen with children.' The likelihood of having a cockroach in your home depends on where you live. People in standalone homes in suburban and rural areas may have cardboard stored in a basement and never have a cockroach issue while someone living in a city where there's shared sewers, shared utility lines and shared walls may face a pest problem, said Frye. Nonetheless, there are prevention methods you can tailor for your needs depending on your environment. The first step is awareness, said Frye. Once you understand that you could have cockroaches in your cardboard boxes, inspect them regularly. 'Not just leaving the pile there forever, but going down there and turning on the lights, and if you see things skitter, then you know that you might have to take action to address a pest issue,' Frye said. While it's wise to seal cracks and crevices in your home, it may not prevent a cockroach from getting in. 'An adult American cockroach can actually fit into a gap that is as high as two pennies stacked together,' said Ashbrook. You can also spray preventative insecticides at the entry points of your home, 'so that if a crawling insect were to try to get into the structure, they would contact that insecticide and then die.' It's also important to regularly clean your home, properly store food and take out the trash regularly, Ashbrook said. Cockroaches are attracted to decaying matter and food odors, which can all be found in a kitchen. If your cockroach problem gets really bad, you can have a pest control company step in, too, Ashbrook added. 'The one thing that is important to know is that correct identification is really important,' said Frye. 'There are a lot of cockroach species that can turn up in homes. There's some that can actually fly to your lights at night if you live near a wooded area, and they can get into your home, but they do not infest homes.' To figure out if you have a problematic cockroach in your home, you should aim to get correct and unbiased identification, Frye noted. You can do this by getting in touch with the land grant institution in your state, said Frye. You can find this by searching 'land grand institute' and your state to find a location near you. You'll likely be able to send them pictures of the pests or visit them in-person with samples. They can help you determine if you've got a problem on your hands or a one-off bug. 'So, that's definitely something to be aware of — not every cockroach is one that's going to infest your home,' Frye said. Ashbrook added that 'there are a lot of cockroaches as well that aren't as pestiferous as the American cockroach or the German cockroach.' 'A lot of them are just out in the environment, consuming decaying matter, and they don't want anything to do with us,' Ashbrook noted. 'However, those pest are of concern, and we should be aware of them and manage them when possible.' If You Use Loud White Noise For Sleep, We've Got Some Bad News For You The 4 Biggest Early Warning Signs Of Lyme Disease Why You Should Seriously Consider Reheating Food Delivery That Arrives Lukewarm
