Latest news with #Carruth
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Prep talk: Birmingham's Antrell Harris reaches peak form with 10.24 in 100 meters
On Feb. 22, Antrell Harris of Birmingham High started the track season running the 100 meters in 11.07 seconds. Then, at last week's state championship, on the first day of qualifying, he ran a stunning 10.24 seconds to finish third in a race Jaden Jefferson of Concord De La Salle set a state record at 10.01 seconds. Harris, the City Section champion, ended up eighth in the final on Saturday, but his 10.24 100-meter time would have broken the City Section record held by Quincy Watts (the record has to happen at the City finals). Advertisement Asked how he made so much improvement (his previous fastest time was a wind-aided 10.62 at Mt. SAC), Harris said, 'To be honest, I don't know. I had a great start and trusted everything Coach Carruth put me through.' Yes, there's always a coach behind someone who makes dramatic improvement, and the arrival of Kertic Carruth in March made a huge difference. He noticed Harris was fast but not strong. He got him working in the weight room, had him gain 10 pounds and made him run the 400 instead of sprints leading up to the City finals. He kept telling Harris to 'trust the science.' With a 4.1 grade-point average and having been a star receiver for Birmingham's successful football teams, Harris would appear to be a top college prospect for track programs. But he said on Monday he had received no calls after his 10.24 performance. Advertisement Carruth said it will happen. Harris just needs someone to believe that he's getting faster and faster. Times don't lie. His grades don't lie. His work ethic is outstanding. "He's an easy sign," Carruth said. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Los Angeles Times
Prep talk: Birmingham's Antrell Harris reaches peak form with 10.24 in 100 meters
On Feb. 22, Antrell Harris of Birmingham High started the track season running the 100 meters in 11.07 seconds. Then, at last week's state championship, on the first day of qualifying, he ran a stunning 10.24 seconds to finish third in a race Jaden Jefferson of Concord De La Salle set a state record at 10.01 seconds. Harris, the City Section champion, ended up eighth in the final on Saturday, but his 10.24 100-meter time would have broken the City Section record held by Quincy Watts (the record has to happen at the City finals). Asked how he made so much improvement (his previous fastest time was a wind-aided 10.62 at Mt. SAC), Harris said, 'To be honest, I don't know. I had a great start and trusted everything Coach Carruth put me through.' Yes, there's always a coach behind someone who makes dramatic improvement, and the arrival of Kertic Carruth in March made a huge difference. He noticed Harris was fast but not strong. He got him working in the weight room, had him gain 10 pounds and made him run the 400 instead of sprints leading up to the City finals. He kept telling Harris to 'trust the science.' With a 4.1 grade-point average and having been a star receiver for Birmingham's successful football teams, Harris would appear to be a top college prospect for track programs. But he said on Monday he had received no calls after his 10.24 performance. Carruth said it will happen. Harris just needs someone to believe that he's getting faster and faster. Times don't lie. His grades don't lie. His work ethic is outstanding. 'He's an easy sign,' Carruth said. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
North America's tiniest turtle is at risk. Zoo Knoxville is helping improve its odds
North America's tiniest turtle is at risk, with a dwindling population and shrinking bog habitat. Zoo Knoxville's work gives the species a better chance at survival. The increasingly rare reptile is the bog turtle, an animal known for its small size − growing to only about 4 inches long by adulthood − and secretive behavior. "Everybody involved in bog turtle work gets very, very secretive and very protective about the bog sites, just because the illegal pet trade and poaching is an issue with these guys, because they are a very cute, adorable turtle," said Charlotte Carruth, who is the lead keeper in Zoo Knoxville's bird department, but also works in the herpetology department. "So everybody keeps their sites very secret and protected. So I can say they're in Eastern Tennessee at high elevation, but that's about as much as I can say." Their wetland habitat of bogs and fens is sparse to begin with. "There's still not a lot known about (bog turtles) just because mountain bogs are one of the rarest environments and ecosystems to find," Carruth said. Today, these sites are increasingly at risk, as they're often cleared and drained for other uses, Carruth said. There are two bog turtle populations, the northern bog turtle and southern bog turtle, the latter of which are now known to live in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, with the majority in North Carolina. The northern bog turtle was classified as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1997, according to Will Harlan, southeast director and senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit that focuses on conservation. The organization is working to grant the southern bog turtle similar protections. In November, the Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for delaying Endangered Species Act protections for the southern bog turtle, according to a news release. In April, the two entities reached an agreement requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make a decision about the protections by October 2028. While all bog turtles face the risks of poaching and a habitat that grows increasingly rare, a proposed change to the Endangered Species Act puts threatened bog turtles further in danger. The proposed rule from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would redefine "harm" in the act so that it no longer includes habitat modification, meaning the act would no long protect the habitats of endangered species. Zoo Knoxville has been working with bog turtles since 1986, when former curator of herpetology Bern Tryon helped discover them in Tennessee, Carruth said. Through a collaboration with state and federal agencies such as the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Zoo Knoxville conducts a "head-start" program that improves the turtles chances of surviving in the wild. Eggs are collected from bog sites and brought to Knoxville, where they are hatched and raised for about a year. In the wild, bog turtles are dormant during the winter months, but at the zoo, they're kept warm and awake. Unlike their wild peers, the head-start turtles can use this time to eat and grow. They're fed crickets, earthworms, phoenix worms and isopods, sometimes coated with calcium powder for extra nutrients, and kept at the Clayton Family Amphibian Reptile Conservation Campus in a miniature bog habitat complete with heat lamps and UV-B lighting. When they're released, the zoo's turtles are about the size of a 3-year-old turtle raised in the wild, giving them a better chance of survival. This year, 34 bog turtles were raised by Zoo Knoxville and are slated to be returned to their natural habitat in June. The head-start team will be able to continue to monitor them with the help of special markings, a painless notch cut into part of each turtle's shell. Since the program began, about 280 bog turtles have gotten their start in life at Zoo Knoxville and been returned to the wild, according to Zoo Knoxville's website. Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email Support strong local journalism by subscribing at This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tiniest turtle in U.S. is at risk. Zoo Knoxville helps protect it
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
AZ school district could walk back plan to build Mormon seminary at high school
A rural Arizona school board could revisit a decision to build a seminary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on a high school campus after frustration and anger from parents boiled over at a listening session. That session on April 16 culminated in Vail School District Superintendent John Carruth indicating he would take the community's concerns to the district's board, which could decide to "walk it back." "As soon as we heard that there was concern, we opened up to the public and said, 'Hey, come in, tell us what your concerns are,'" Carruth told The Arizona Republic. "And if we need to walk a decision back, we'll walk a decision back." About 60 parents and residents filled in a room at the Vail School District office to voice their concerns about a contract between the district and the church, widely known as the Mormon church. The contract would permit the construction of a 1,300-square-foot seminary on the campus of Cienega High School in Vail, a community southeast of Tucson. The building would be owned and operated by the district as a community room space, but the district entered into a 10-year lease agreement with the church, and there would be an option to extend for another 9.5 years. Outside of the lease agreement giving the church use between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays, the facility could be used for other school programs or community needs, according to district documents. The church would also pay the district a monthly fee for rental, utility, and maintenance costs. Retired teachers, residents and parents of students and former students said they felt enraged, frustrated and disenfranchised with how the agreement with the church was carried out. Carruth told them that while the agreement with the church has been signed, the district is "functionally in a paused state as far as moving forward with design or construction or any of the other things." Most people who spoke at the meeting said they were concerned about the separation of church and state in public schools. Retired teacher and librarian Diana Roché was one of those people. 'I'm not against the church at all; it has nothing to do with that. It's this idea that it should not be on a school campus during school instruction time," she said. Others agreed with Roché and said they would prefer if the religious instruction were offered outside of school hours. Roché also pointed to a letter from the district's legal advisers, DeConcini McDonald Yetwein & Lacy. The letter was a response to a secular group's request for the district to cease and desist from moving forward with the agreement. It said that while the building will be on district property, the location of the future building is "essentially a dirt lot that is separate from the school itself." Attendees asked Carruth why the agreement was not brought before the public before the school board voted to execute the contract in March. 'If you had had little breakout sessions about this little problem, before this all erupted, we feel like 13 years of this has been planned behind our backs, and now it's being snuck,' Roché said, adding she felt deceived. Carruth, who became superintendent in 2020, said that while informal conversations were happening on and off for 13 years, there was no definitive plan to move forward with the plan until seven or eight months ago. Once the proposal moved forward, it was placed on the agenda for discussion at public meetings posted on the district's website. Parent Geraldine Kleber said many in the community were not aware of the agreement until she posted about it on Facebook. 'That's the only way these people found out about it because it was posted on Facebook that this meeting occurred and that it's approved,' Kleber said. Vail residents asked Carruth how he could be sure no public funds would be used in any way, direct or indirect, for the building. He said the building's rent payments would cover all maintenance and operational costs. Additionally, Carruth pointed to the letter from the DeConcini law firm, which says the church would contribute about $500,000 to construct the building. Once constructed, it would pay $500 per month for utilities and maintenance, and $100 per month for rent. Others asked about how the district would pay to fight this issue if it were to land in court, and if public funds would be used then. Although Carruth said the case has not gotten to that point, he pointed out that the district has prepaid legal services through the district's insurance group. Carruth assured the public that the agreement followed state and federal law. "I will simply say that we have received legal guidance and we've been engaged with a team of lawyers who've looked over this," Carruth said. "When this first came to our attention, the first question was: 'Is it legal ... is it a legal framework?' ... The answer is yes ... They laid out the framework for what that is, assured us." The superintendent reiterated that students who want to attend the seminary can do so during their free period, but they will not be excused from their normal school schedule. He also said the vetting of seminary staff will be the responsibility of the church, not the school district, a detail that raised concerns among attendees about the safety of students on campus. Carruth indicated the church is 'very concerned and highly paying attention to' the adults overseeing the seminary. Throughout the almost three-hour meeting, Carruth apologized to the public for how the agreement between the district and the LDS was pursued and executed. He said that he underestimated the public's concern. He said he will bring back the concerns to the board, which is also engaging with the church and the district's legal advisers about how to proceed. Carruth told The Republic people at the meeting raised concerns about "deception and malice," but he insisted the decision to bring the proposal forward was made with good intentions. "I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that is not the reason that we're here,' Carruth said. 'We entered into this … with the intent to provide something beneficial to the district and receive a free public good, and something that can provide a safer place for a group of young people to go.' Despite the large number of people who showed up to oppose the lease agreement, he said a significant number of people support the proposal. But he said those people did not want to attend the meeting, knowing it might create some concerns and tension. Reach the reporter at The Republic's coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Vail School District may walk back plan for Mormon seminary at school
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Woman sentenced for role as driver in ambush fatal shooting
Apr. 3—WILKES-BARRE — Facing years in state prison for her role in an ambush fatal shooting in Wilkes-Barre, Breanna Knight said if she knew what her conspirators were planning to commit, she would have not participated. Breanna Marie Knight, 28, was sentenced Thursday by Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas to 12 to 25 years in prison for criminal conspiracy to commit criminal homicide in the shooting death of Elijah Rivers, 22, on North Meade Street on Jan. 30, 2023. Knight was accused by Wilkes-Barre City police detectives of driving Kadeen K. Carruth, 21, and Yuamir S. Grayson, 28, from SGS Studios on South Empire Street to North Meade Street where they waited for Rivers to arrive at a residence. Chief Deputy District Attorney Chester F. Dudick, who, along with Assistant District Attorney Rachel Spivak, prosecuted, said the three mistakenly killed the wrong man they intended to target. Knight's defense attorneys, James J. Scanlon and Sidney D. May, said since Knight has been in prison, she completed numerous programs to improve herself including attending Bible classes. "She's not running away from this, she owning it," Scanlon said in an effort at a lower sentence. "She's is young, only 28, and she is turning her life around." Knight apologized for driving Carruth and Grayson. "I take full accountability for my actions, if I knew what was going to happen, I would never had given them a ride. I'm truly sorry," Knight said in seeking a lenient sentence so she can return to her child sooner than later. "The victim was not the intended target that night," Dudick said. "This was possible through Knight's participation." In imposing the sentence, Lupas noted Knight has a 2020 conviction for drug trafficking and charges filed in 2023, for illegally possessing a firearm and a second drug trafficking offense. "There was a loss of life here. Even though she did not pull the trigger, she did participate in the homicide," Lupas said. Carruth and Grayson were sentenced by Lupas on March 4 to 15 to 30 years in prison, respectively, on third-degree murder charges. Court records say Knight drove Carruth and Grayson and waited on North Meade Street for their target to arrive. When Rivers exited a vehicle he parked, Carruth and Grayson emerged firing multiple shots at him. Police recovered .40-caliber and .45-caliber shell casings at the scene. After the shooting, Knight drove Carruth and Grayson back to SGS Studios, where they changed clothes.
