Latest news with #Epperson
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Caddo Parish recognizes 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army
CADDO PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Caddo Parish Commissioners honored the 250th Anniversary of the United States Army. Commissioner and Vietnam veteran Ken Epperson of District 12 read a special proclamation recognizing the upcoming anniversary and reviewing its history. He explained that on June 14, 1775, General George Washington and the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Army, marking the birth of the United States Army and laying the foundation for the nation's military defense. LSA Deputy of the Year awarded to Caddo Parish Sheriff's deputy 'With the primary objective of defending the Constitution of the United States of America. Not a king, not a monarchy, not an individual. So I want us all to remember that,' Epperson said. Commissioner Epperson also read all the names of current Caddo Parish employees who served. He then listed the many inventions and breakthroughs made by the U.S. Army over the past 250 years, from roads and bridges built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after the Revolution to medical advancements made during the Civil War to the invention of mosquito repellent, the EpiPen, and Ray-Ban sunglasses. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Dangerous TikTok trend causing problems in McDowell County schools
welch — School officials in McDowell County are warning students and parents about a dangerous social media trend that has been reported at two local schools. According to the school system, students are trying to mimic online videos on the social media platform TikTok that shows other individuals attempting to damage and cause Chromebooks to catch fire. According to the McDowell County School system, students at both River View High School and Sandy River Middle School have tried to follow the online trend and damage federally funded Chromebooks provided by the school system. The TikTok videos in question show other students using bits of metal to try to short out the USB ports on their Chromebooks. But doing so can cause the computers to begin smoking and potentially ignite the battery, creating a fire hazard to students, staff and school property. Sgt. A.D. Perry with the McDowell County Sheriff's Department, who works as a school resource officer at River View High School and Sandy River Middle School, is working with the school system on both cases, according to Sheriff's Office Chief Field Deputy A.S. Epperson. Epperson said the incidents at River View High and Sandy River Middle are the only two cases that the sheriff's department is currently aware of. He said the students involved in these and any other future cases will face disciplinary action from the school system and potential charges through the county's juvenile court system. 'As of right now those are the only two (cases) that have been brought to our attention,' Epperson said. 'I'm sure there will be some type of punishment from the schools.' A message left Tuesday with McDowell County School Superintendent Dr. Ingrida Barker was not immediately returned. However, the statement released from the school system said the TikTok challenge has already caused 'serious disruptions' in other states and school districts in West Virginia, including school evacuations and emergency responses. The school system said parents also need to let their students know that such online trends are dangerous. 'We strongly urge all students to make good choices, and we encourage all parents to speak with their children about the serious ramifications of participating in harmful online trends,' the school system statement said. 'These trends are causing students to make horrible decisions that are extremely costly and unsafe.' According to McDowell County Schools, any students participating in the dangerous TikTok trend will be referred to the McDowell County Sheriff's Office and criminal charges will be pursued. In addition, the students will face significant school discipline, which may include suspension or a recommendation for expulsion. The families of the students involved also will be required to pay for the device that is damaged or destroyed and the expense associated with any destruction of property. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Resolutions opposing federal actions by DOGE and Trump pass Caddo Commission
CADDO PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A commissioner's resolutions that oppose decisions being made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Trump administration passed Thursday's vote, but not before passionate back-and-forth exchanges between commissioners. 'I don't think the founding fathers ever imagined a government the size of our current national government,' said District 9 Commissioner John Atkins. 'The founding fathers did not envision many things,' said District 2 Commissioner Gregory Young. 'They did not envision me sitting here. They did not envision black people having the right to vote. They did not envision black people being free.' Amtrak I-20 passenger rail, squatters, and more – 1 on 1 with Mayor Arceneaux Discussions before the vote on three resolutions reintroduced by Commissioner Ken Epperson show that the Caddo Parish Commission officially opposes DOGE's cuts, including those to national aid programs, the mass firings of federal employees, and President Donald Trump's tariffs on trading partners. Epperson says he has received 'nasty emails from people since he brought forward these resolutions.' He said he replies with a copy of the U.S. Constitution. 'We have the right to petition any government entity relative to any situation we feel is contradictory of democracy,' said Epperson, District 12. Proposal to close several Caddo Schools including Blanchard and Queensborough The resolutions were passed down party lines after debate over national politics. 'I understand others' concerns, but I have concerns. For four years, I watched people not give the definition of a woman,' said Commissioner Grace Anne Blake, District 8. 'I don't know why anyone would not support this. We're talking about things that directly affect us as individuals, as leaders in our communities, as federal employees. This relates to food on the table for people,' said Commissioner Stormy-Gage Watts, District 7. The vote passed seven to three, with two commissioners absent. The next work session will be on April 14. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Caddo Commission drafts resolution opposing federal layoffs and cuts
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A Caddo Parish Commissioner seeks to formally oppose decisions made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Trump Administration. 'It appears the Musk-Trump administration does not want Americans to prosper. They want chaos,' said Commissioner Ken Epperson, District 12. Commissioner Ken Epperson is introducing three resolutions that seek to oppose cuts made by DOGE and approved by the Trump Administration. Shreveport native back to work after firing from FAA by DOGE rescinded 'You've got people who've gotten into the political arena for the wrong causes. Money, self grandiose, personal gain, friendship, kinship, and poor leadership. That's the problem with America's political system. In some instances, locally and nationally,' Epperson said. If passed, his resolution will show the Caddo Parish Commission officially opposes the mass firings of federal employees, tariffs with America's trading partners, and cuts to national aid programs. He says his constituents are afraid of Medicare and Medicaid being cut. 'Medicare is not a fraud or Ponzi scheme. You pay into Medicare as a gainful employee. It's an investment. Bread is going up, eggs, food, transportation, gasoline, utilities, all of those things have to come out of their little checks that those people depend on each month. It's just heartless and cruel,' Epperson said. Along with concerns about privatizing public education, his resolutions oppose cuts to SNAP, Head Start, the Department of Education, and the Department of Veteran Affairs. 'They want to kill public education. It will not help America to prosper. It will just put us further into chaos and turmoil, and despair. We will become a second-class nation in competition with the rest of the world,' Epperson said. The resolutions passed the work session, but Republican commissioners opposed them, saying they do not believe the commission should voice opinions on national issues. The resolutions will be voted on during Thursday's regular meeting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘March 4th Democracy' brings hundreds to Richmond in defense of women's rights
A crowd marches around Virginia's state capitol in Richmond on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, before a rally near the bell tower. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury) Clad in a red cloak and a white bonnet, Christie Epperson stood among hundreds of demonstrators gathered for a march between Richmond's Monroe Park and Virginia's Capitol, a chilling symbol for the dystopian feature she fears is inching closer. '(America) can be Gilead,' Epperson said, referencing 'The Handmaid's Tale,' Margaret Atwood's novel about a totalitarian state where women lose all autonomy. 'A few more steps and we're there.' Epperson, a Bedford County resident, joined a coalition of more than 300 people in Virginia's capital Tuesday to push back against policies that she and others see as an erosion of women's rights as well as a general pushback to President Donald Trump and Republican majorities in Congress. The protest was part of a national effort under the banner 'March 4th Democracy' with rallies in all 50 states. A focus of Tuesday's event was women's rights in the context of the present as the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority, cemented by Trump's judicial appointments, led to the overturning of abortion rights. Across the country, Republican-leaning efforts to restrict access to reproductive healthcare — ranging from contraception to vitro fertilization — have only heightened activists' fears. As protesters prepared to march to the state capitol, organizer Violeta Vega took the microphone, reminding the crowd that progress has never come without a fight. 'The rights women have won in this country, those in power didn't give those things to us willingly,' Vega said. 'It was through a struggle of working class people, of organized working-class people — emphasis on the 'organized.'' Vega's speech underscored the long history of resistance, from the women's suffrage movement more than a century ago to the continued fight for equality today. While white women secured the right to vote in 1920, women of color had to fight for decades more to achieve the same. Another major concern raised at the rally was the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, a Republican-backed measure in Congress that would require people registering to vote or updating their voter registration to present documents like passports or birth certificates to prove citizenship. Supporters say the legislation would prevent immigrants without legal status from voting — despite the fact that it is already illegal and rare. The proposal has sparked backlash from voting rights groups, including the League of Women Voters, which warns that it could disproportionately affect married women whose last names sometimes may not match across all legal documents. 'That's really scary,' said Kienan Chung, one of the event organizers. 'So today we're sort of highlighting women's rights, but what we're going to be doing going forward is highlighting a different issue at each different protest.' Tuesday's gathering was part of state-level organizing with the 50501 movement — shorthand for '50 protests, 50 states, one day.' Chung described it as a growing wave of political activism that has gained traction since Trump took office. She anticipates the next demonstration will focus on transgender healthcare. For Richmond resident Nancy Curry, broader healthcare and retirement benefits were top of mind. Having worked decades, she has paid into Social Security and Medicare — federal programs designed to support retirees with stipends and healthcare. At the same time, she has friends who benefit from Medicaid, which provides coverage for low-income individuals and those without employer-provided insurance. 'It's really scary to me the number of people in our country who don't understand that everyone who has worked pays into the system,' Curry said. Though Trump has repeatedly stated he wouldn't touch Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security, skeptics like Curry aren't convinced. The president's push for tax cuts has raised concerns that reductions in federal revenue could lead to spending cuts — including to healthcare programs. In January, Trump announced a federal funding freeze, and while a memo asserted that Medicare and Social Security would be unaffected, Medicaid was notably absent. Around the same time, several states — including Virginia — experienced temporary suspensions of Medicaid portals, affecting access for more than 630,000 Virginians. More recently, House Republicans passed a budget resolution that proposes at least $880 billion in spending cuts over the next decade, a move that could put Medicaid on the chopping block. The measure still faces hurdles in the U.S. Senate before reaching Trump's desk, but for those relying on these programs, the uncertainty remains unsettling. 'How are (people) going to make payments? Making choices between medicines and food – it's atrocious,' said Curry, voicing frustration over the financial strain healthcare costs place on everyday Americans. Tuesday's rally in Richmond came just ahead of Trump's first joint congressional address in his second term. With midterm elections next year offering the first nationwide test of Trump's leadership, Virginia voters will have their own high-stakes decision to make this year — electing a new governor and determining the fate of all 100 seats in the House of Delegates. While some rally goers, like organizer Vega, expressed frustration with the two-party system, Epperson saw a reason for optimism. 'No matter who's the Democrat running,' she said, things can be better for Virginians. A goat farm owner, Epperson brought along Mimi, one of her goats, who alternated between munching on grass and soaking up attention from passersby. As she looks ahead, Epperson hopes people stay engaged both online and in real-life activism. And Mimi, she added, will be back for future rallies. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
