Latest news with #Boehm
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Itasca Waters' Water Wisdom to present fishery program in May
Apr. 21—Itasca Waters will continue its online Practical Water Wisdom series at noon on Thursday, May 1, with Climate Change Effects on Fisheries. This program will feature Hadley Boehm, a Fisheries Research Supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources based in Duluth. Boehm leads a team of fishery research scientists dedicated to addressing critical questions about Minnesota's aquatic resources. Boehm will share insights from recent research to highlight potential impacts of climate change on state fisheries. "Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how warming temperatures, changing water conditions and other climate-related factors may influence fish populations and aquatic ecosystems in Minnesota," a release said. "Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the future of Minnesota's fisheries and the science behind conservation efforts." A Q&A will also take place during the event. The Practical Water Wisdom series is the brainchild of Itasca Waters, a nonprofit organization located in Itasca County whose mission is to team up with organizations and concerned citizens to maintain clean water for continued health, enjoyment and a strong economy. Attendees will hear about septic system inspections, harmful algae blooms, drainage infrastructure, traditional ecological knowledge in lake management, banded mystery snails and water-focused books for children in future webinars. The series runs for an hour beginning at noon, typically on the first Thursday of each month. The webinars are free, open to all and include an interactive Q&A session. To register for the webinars, visit For more information, contact info@
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gaza war overshadows anniversary memorial at Nazi concentration camp
Concentration camp survivors were joined by several hundred people on Sunday in commemorating the liberation of Nazi Germany's Buchenwald concentration camp 80 years ago. At the tribute to Holocaust victims, the use of the word "genocide" to describe the Israeli military's conduct in Gaza sparked a backlash from some in attendance. When a young participant spoke in English of a genocide in Palestine, boos could be heard from the crowd and the memorial's director stepped in to criticize the speaker. Historian and memorial foundation director Jens-Christian Wagner said it was necessary to be able to also mourn the innocents killed in Gaza, but to describe the war as a "genocide" - especially in a place like Buchenwald - was not appropriate. The killings of more than 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to figures from Hamas-led health workers, have prompted genocide accusations from rights bodies like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UN's Special Committee. Israel denies the accusations and says it is targeting Hamas fighters in response to their October 7 attacks in Israel which killed 1,200 people. Divisions over the war in Gaza, which are strongly felt across Germany, were also present in the run-up to the memorial events, after a conflict between the Israeli Embassy and the foundation behind the memorial had become apparent. The foundation had cancelled a planned speech by philosopher Omri Boehm from the memorial programme and announced that Boehm would be invited another time. Boehm, the German-Israeli grandson of a Holocaust survivor, had in the past been critical of the Israeli memorial Yad Vashem and of Israeli politics. The Israeli Embassy in Berlin had written on Facebook that it was outrageous and a "blatant insult to the memory of the victims" to invite Boehm, whom the embassy accused of relativising the Holocaust. Foundation director Wagner had explained that by postponing Boehm's speech, he wanted to prevent the survivors from being drawn further into the conflict. The survivors should be the focus, not the debate about the speech, he said. Starting in the summer of 1937, the Nazis deported more than 280,000 people to the Buchenwald concentration camp near the central German city of Weimar and its 139 subcamps. Some 56,000 people were murdered or died of hunger, disease, forced labour or medical experiments before the camps were liberated in April 1945. Ex-president hits out at German right Former German president Christian Wulff drew a comparison between the Nazis and today's right-wing radicalism. "Based on the coarsening and radicalization, and a global shift to the right, I can now – and this makes me uneasy – imagine more clearly how this could happen at the time," he said, referring to Germany's Nazi past. Wulff called for active engagement in favour of democracy. The current generation bore permanent responsibility for ensuring that evil should never again be victorious, he said. The former president expressed direct criticism of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), the far-right party that came second in recent elections and continues to surge in opinion polls. "Those who play down the AfD are ignoring the fact that the AfD is preparing the ground through its ideology for people in Germany to feel uncertain and are in fact concretely in danger," he said. Survivors of the camp were invited to attend the service at the Weimarhalle, along with relatives and descendants. In the afternoon, a wreath-laying ceremony was held at the former roll call square of the camp. Appeal from survivor: 'Stay human' Naftali Fürst, a 92-year-old survivor of the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps, spoke at the memorial events. In his speech, delivered in Hebrew, he described a daily image that had been etched in his mind from his time at the Buchenwald concentration camp: prisoners pushing carts loaded with corpses collected from the barracks to the crematorium. "There are only a few of us left, and soon we will finally pass the baton of remembrance on to you, and with that we are giving you a historic responsibility," he said. Fürst, who was still a child when imprisoned in the camps, appealed to the audience: "Stay human – each and every one of you." When US troops reached Buchenwald on April 11, 1945, Nazi commanders and guards had already fled and armed resistance groups made up of prisoners had taken control. Some 21,000 prisoners were freed, including more than 900 children and adolescents. Just a short time before, the SS paramilitary force had forced tens of thousands of prisoners to go on so-called death marches.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Charlotte man gets 10 years for possession of more than 6,000 images of child sexual abuse material
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – A Charlotte man who was already registered as a sex offender was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the U.S. Attorney Office announced. The acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District reports that Thomas Robert Boehm III, 36, of Charlotte, was also ordered to register, again, as a sex offender after his release from prison and to pay restitution to his victims. Lenoir man sentenced to 14 years for possessing child sexual abuse material while on supervised release for similar conviction According to court documents and court proceedings, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) referred a tip to law enforcement that a Dropbox account user had uploaded and maintained several video files containing CSAM. A search warrant for Boehm's account, and a forensic analysis of his files revealed that the defendant possessed the equivalent of more than 6,000 images depicting the sexual abuse of children, including children under the age of 12. On Feb. 22, 2024, Boehm pleaded guilty to possession and access with intent to view child pornography involving prepubescent minors. Boehm remains in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. Boehm was convicted in 2011 for taking indecent liberties with a child. The FBI and CMPD investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Armstrong with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill targeting library content passes North Dakota Senate
Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, speaks on the Senate floor about the removal of explicit content from public and school libraries on Feb. 20, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) A bill requiring the removal of obscene or sexually explicit content from public and school libraries passed the Senate Thursday on a 27-20 vote. Senate Bill 2307, sponsored by Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, would require public and school libraries to remove explicit content from main areas of the library to areas 'not easily accessible' to minors. 'North Dakota has an opportunity to become a leader in child protection,' Boehm said. 'Ensuring our schools and libraries are places of education, not exploitation.' In 2023, lawmakers passed a bill that required the removal of sexually explicit content from the children's sections of public libraries and required those libraries to have content challenge policies in place. Boehm's bill expands that law to include school libraries and other public areas of the public library. Lawmaker again targets content in North Dakota libraries He stressed that his bill doesn't ban books, but relocates them away from minors. Opponents have called the bill censorship and a violation of the First Amendment. Boehm suggested explicit content could be moved to a cabinet with proper signs or a roped off section for adults only. The bill would also require a review process at libraries for the removal of content. If a person is dissatisfied with the outcome of that review, the bill provides an avenue to petition the local state's attorney to investigate. A library would have 10 days to comply if a violation is found. State funding could be withheld from a library found in violation. A state's attorney may also prosecute for failure to comply with the law, the bill states. The bill stipulates the State Library and higher education libraries are exempt. Sen. Kristin Roers, R-Fargo, questioned the lack of definition for areas 'not easily accessible' and said it reminded her of old video rental locations. 'There were beaded curtains that sectioned off the part that I wasn't supposed to go to,' Roers said. 'I keep imagining that our libraries are going to have to put up whatever today's version of beaded curtains are, so I struggle with this bill.' Sen. Sean Cleary, R-Bismarck, said if he had an issue with a book in a library, he'd work with the library, the city commission or school board to resolve the issue, not a state's attorney. 'State's attorneys prosecute crimes. They don't manage book collections,' Cleary said. 'Dragging them into this wastes resources, turns library disputes into legal battles and invites government overreach into what should be local decisions.' Sen. Ryan Braunberger, D-Fargo, said he opposes the bill because it sets a precedent of North Dakotans taking their grievances directly to the state's attorneys for investigation, bypassing law enforcement. 'This bill would actually give individuals access to the state's attorney that's not currently done today,' Braunberger said. Boehm referred to libraries having content that is pornography. 'To fight this battle against the pornographers, pedophiles and groomers, we must cover this issue comprehensively,' Boehm said. 'Not every library in the state has this material, but there is enough to support this legislation.' Cleary pushed back on that assertion. 'We should trust parents, school boards and city commissions to make the best decisions for their communities,' Cleary said. 'And for the record, librarians, teachers, they're not pedophiles. They're not pornographers. And they are not groomers.' Boehm sponsored a similar bill during the 2023 legislative session. It was approved by lawmakers but vetoed by then-Gov. Doug Burgum, who said in a veto message the bill would create an enormous burden for every library in the state with a threat of criminal prosecution for noncompliance. Opponents of the bill have said libraries already have review processes in place if the public objects to content. The State Library conducted a survey related to requests for reconsidering materials in a library collection. Of 97 North Dakota libraries that responded, 86 have not received a single request to reconsider an item in the collection over the past three years, State Librarian Mary Soucie wrote in neutral testimony she submitted. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmaker again targets content in North Dakota libraries
Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, introduces a bill to address explicit content from school and public libraries during a committee hearing on Feb. 10, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) A bill in the North Dakota Senate seeks to protect school and public libraries from obscene content, but opponents say the measure is unnecessary and would lead to censorship. Senate Bill 2307, sponsored by Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, would require school and public libraries to remove explicit content from main areas of the library to areas 'not easily accessible' to minors. The bill would make any person who willfully displays obscene material in areas frequented by minors guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. The proposal seeks to add to regulations approved by lawmakers in 2023 through House Bill 1205, which required public libraries to remove sexually explicit content from the children's section and provide a process for people to challenge books they deem inappropriate. 'Libraries and schools were once places of safety and learning, but over time activists and loopholes in existing law have allowed inappropriate material to be introduced in these spaces,' Boehm said during the hearing. Boehm argued his bill doesn't ban books, but provides a process for removal of explicit material to areas not easily accessed. 'This is not about limiting free speech,' he said. 'It is about setting reasonable boundaries in spaces where children learn and grow.' The bill also directs the Attorney General's Office to issue an opinion on a perceived violation if a complainant exhausts the local procedures to seek removal of content. If the attorney general confirms a law violation, the state treasurer or state superintendent would be directed to withhold funding until the library complies. Boehm sponsored a nearly identical bill during the 2023 legislative session, Senate Bill 2360, that was approved by lawmakers. It was vetoed by then-Gov. Doug Burgum and the House failed to override the veto. Burgum said in a veto message the bill would create an enormous burden for every library in the state with a threat of criminal prosecution for noncompliance. He added libraries already conduct expansive reviews of materials. This week, opponents said libraries already have a local review process if someone objects to content. The State Library conducted a survey related to requests for reconsidering materials in a library collection. Of 97 North Dakota libraries that responded, 86 have not received a single request to reconsider an item in the collection over the past three years, State Librarian Mary Soucie wrote in neutral testimony she submitted. Gail Reiten, advocacy chair for Right to Read ND, said parents are responsible for approving the content for their children. 'It is not one family's business to decide what is appropriate for other families to access,' Reiten said. 'Library challenges should be addressed by the local boards and follow the review policies already in place.' Sara Planteen, a North Dakota mother of three, testified in support of the bill. She said she tried to get a book series removed from her children's school library in 2024 but was rebuffed by the school board and left with no recourse. 'We have a society that is trying to desensitize our children to sex,' Planteen told committee members. The bill also would require libraries to have policies in place to remove digital content that could be accessed by minors. Andrea Placher, president of the North Dakota Library Association, said this provision would affect the online content hub Overdrive, also known as Libby, that provides tens of thousands of ebooks and audiobooks to library users. Placher said she believes that digital content would need to be prohibited for anyone under 18 to comply with the bill. Opponents also said libraries have constrained budgets that would prevent constructing walls or adding separate entrances to comply with the bill. They also said it could prevent the hiring of high school students. Bookmobiles and library programming also would be affected, Placher said. 'It would be nearly impossible to carry only adult or children's collections, so then we'd be faced with the dilemma of choosing one over the other,' Placher said. She added some children's programming, like storytime, occurs in libraries with only one room, or would need to use the main area of the library to accommodate larger groups, which would violate the terms of the bill. Lindsey Bertsch, manager of Main Street Books in Minot, asked lawmakers if the bill would apply to her store as well. 'It seems like this bill will affect privately-owned businesses based on the language of the bill,' Bertsch said. 'That is something that needs to be considered moving forward.' The committee took no action on the bill after the public hearing concluded. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
