Latest news with #GeorgeWashingtonCarver
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Person dies in traffic collision just outside of South Los Angeles middle school
A person died Tuesday morning after a collision just outside of a middle school in South Los Angeles, authorities confirmed. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, two vehicles collided in the area of Vernon and McKinley avenues at about 7:06 a.m. The crash took place in an area adjacent to George Washington Carver Middle School, which starts instruction at 8 a.m. The LAPD said one person was pronounced dead at the scene, although they were not identified as of 8 a.m. It's not clear if any other injuries were sustained. A man died Tuesday morning after a traffic collision just outside of George Washington Carver Middle School in South Los Angeles. Images captured by SkyCAL at the scene showed a silver sedan with severe damage to the driver's side. A white tent was put up on the sidewalk, indicating that a body was underneath. It's not yet clear how the crash occurred or if the deceased has any affiliation with Carver Middle School. Vernon was closed from Wadsworth Avenue to McKinley as authorities investigated. It's not yet clear when the closed portion of the road will reopen.
Metro
21-05-2025
- Metro
Teacher 'sexually abused student and snuck into dance dressed as old woman'
A middle school teacher allegedly sexually abused a student and snuck into a school dance he was banned from by disguising himself as an old woman. Vincent Weaver, 29, a former fine arts teacher and dance team coach at George Washington Carver Academy in Michigan, is accused of sexually assaulting a student aged 10 to 12 years old on campus, according to the Highland Park Police Department. Multiple acts of sexual misconduct allegedly took place over four months. Weaver worked at the academy since August 2023 and was fired earlier this month. 'So we had information that he had choreographed a show that was due to take place at a local college,' stated interim Police Chief James McMahon. 'The event occurred, we knew that the individual really wanted to attend it, however, George Washington Carver staff advised him he should not attend it based on the pending allegations, and he was aware of that. So he took it upon himself to dress as an elderly female and gained access to the event.' Weaver has been charged with a count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and misdemeanor indecent exposure. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Trump ambushes South African president with white genocide claims in tense meeting MORE: Trump administration accepts luxury jet from Qatar to use as new Air Force One MORE: Man named Michael Myers charged with murder in West Virginia
Associated Press
08-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Caldwell's Roofing Crafts a Copper Flat-Lock Roof for the George Washington Carver Museum
Porch roofs get an old-style craft approach, using locking pieces. 'This kind of work connects past to present—you're not just sealing copper, you're preserving a story that deserves to last.'— Brad Caldwell, Caldwell's Roofing TUSKEGEE, AL, UNITED STATES, May 8, 2025 / / -- The George Washington Carver Museum in Tuskegee, Alabama, originally constructed in 1915, is a single-story brick structure located on the Tuskegee University campus. In the winter of 2024, the porch roof and built-in gutters of the museum underwent full replacement using flat-lock copper panels. The work was completed in early 2025 and included pre-tinned copper panels and soldered seams suitable for the building's low-slope roof configuration. The museum structure, which originally served as the campus laundry facility, was converted to a museum space in 1941 and later designated as part of the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site. The building is associated with George Washington Carver, who was a faculty member at Tuskegee for several decades and is recognized for his contributions to agriculture, education, and applied science. The project, completed by Caldwell's Roofing in early 2025, required an old-school roofing technique. The Legacy of Flat-Lock Copper Roofing Copper has been used in roofing for centuries due to its durability and weather-resistant properties. Historical examples of copper roofs can be found throughout Europe, with some installations exceeding 300 years in service life. Over time, copper develops a protective patina that helps prevent further corrosion, contributing to its long lifespan. Because of this longevity, copper has been considered a practical roofing material for certain building types, particularly where replacement costs or aesthetic considerations make long-term performance important. In the United States, copper became common in the 19th and early 20th centuries for low-slope roofs, cupolas, domes, and civic structures. Among the techniques used, flat-lock copper roofing became a well-established method for waterproofing nearly flat surfaces. The system consists of small, interlocking copper panels—often around 18 by 24 inches—with opposite edges bent to form 'locks.' These panels are installed in a staggered layout, and copper cleats (hidden fastening clips) are used to anchor the system to the roof deck. This approach accommodates natural expansion and contraction while minimizing the risk of stress cracks. Once assembled, the seams are typically hammered flat and soldered to create a continuous, watertight surface. Flat-lock copper roofing can be used on both vertical and low-slope applications. On vertical walls or steep slopes, some installations are left unsoldered and rely on overlapping seams to shed water. However, for low-slope conditions—commonly defined as pitches of 3:12 or less—fully soldered seams are required to prevent water infiltration. Craftsmanship: Traditional and Contemporary Approaches A defining feature of flat-lock copper systems on low-slope roofs is the soldered seam. After the interlocking panels are laid out and secured, the seams are cleaned, treated with flux, and filled with molten solder—commonly a 50/50 lead-tin alloy. When applied correctly, the solder bonds the copper panels into a sealed, continuous surface. This process requires careful temperature control and experience, particularly to avoid damaging adjacent materials or compromising the seal. Historically, roofers used large, hand-held soldering irons—sometimes called soldering coppers—that were heated with a fire pot or torch. These irons retain and release heat in a more controlled manner than open flames, allowing consistent soldering across panel seams. Some modern installations continue to use this method, often with propane-heated irons. The indirect heat reduces the chance of scorching the copper or igniting flammable materials beneath the roof deck. Modern Alternatives Flat-lock copper roofing is not the only option for low-slope roofs. Materials such as TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) membranes are also widely used. These systems are compatible with slopes below 1:12 and do not require soldering. In addition, they use materials without lead content and have lower risks of heat-related installation hazards. While copper remains a relevant choice for historic preservation projects, membrane roofing provides a cost-effective and lower-maintenance alternative for new construction or modern renovations. Brad Caldwell Caldwell Contracting LLC +1 334-332-7799 email us here Visit us on social media: LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube X Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Voices of Veterans: Captain Claude Platte shares his story of service in the US Army Air Corps during WWII
Apr. 4—AUSTIN — Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dr. Dawn Buckingham on April 4 introduced the next installment of the series highlighting the VLB's Voices of Veterans oral history program. This week, they highlight the service of Tuskegee Airman Captain Claude Platte, who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Platte grew up in a time of segregation and recalled as a child what that was like and what went through his curious young mind. "One of the main things I remember that encouraged me was in a situation where there were colored signs and white signs and black fountains and white fountains and I had been taught that when I saw a colored sign that is where I was supposed to be or drink water," he explained. "One day I saw a little white boy drinking out of the colored fountain-the black fountain, his father scolded him, but doing so, I became curious. Why couldn't I drink out of the white fountain? And what was wrong? When no one was looking, I decided that I would drink out of the white fountain. And when I did, my biggest shock and surprise was — the water was the same, there was no difference." Platte said he decided he wanted to learn how to fly when he was young and never forgot the moment that influenced him the most, standing out front of his boyhood home as an aircraft flew by. "I saw an airplane hovering very low and I could see the pilot flying over and it dawned on me that I could go and see the other side of the area, outside the segregated area, or even go all over the world if I wanted to see what it looked like so I decided this is what I wanted to do, is fly," he explained. It was the moment that changed the course of Platte's life, sending him in a direction that allowed him to be a teacher of men, to pilots that too had that dream of flying for their country. After graduating from I.M. Terrell High School in Fort Worth, Platte left Texas for Tuskegee, Alabama. "When I arrived at Tuskegee my biggest shock when I got there was, Tuskegee had the only VA hospital for Negroes in the country; they were all manned by black doctors and white nurses and so forth. The other thing that was very interesting was Dr. George Washington Carver was there. Because of George Washington Carver and the peanut, I got an opportunity to see people like President Roosevelt, Lena Horn, Joe Lewis and all these VIP people that come through Tuskegee on tour so to speak," he recalled, adding meeting those people encouraged him to go farther than he had ever imagined. Platte said even though he was still interested in flying he enrolled in, what was known at the time, as Mechanical Industries because he wanted to be an engineer. It wasn't until about 1939 when President Roosevelt enlisted the Army Air Corps and the War Department to organize better security for the United States. "They in return got six black colleges to take part in the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) and Tuskegee was one of them," Platte recalled. "In that program that's where I was able to earn my private license, a commercial license, and a flight instructor's license." Platte would, as an instructor, go on to train more than 300 black pilots. When asked why he would decide to train others than live out his boyhood dream of flying, he said he didn't look at it as a decision, rather a chance to do something incredible. "It wasn't a decision. I felt that I had an opportunity to be an instructor. But the same thing may happen to me, I might decide to be a cadet and I may not make I better take what I got and enjoy that while I could," Platte said. Platte also formed the DFW Tuskegee Airmen Chapter in May 2005 to help educate people at home. In 2007, he, along with his fellow surviving airmen, received the Congressional Gold Medal from President George W. Bush. Click here to listen to Captain Platte tell his story.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Peanut farmer wants Florida water agency to swap forest land
The Ellaville Tract of the Twin Rivers State Forest holds hundreds of gopher tortoise burrows like this one, along with white tail deer and other wildlife. (Photo courtesy of Katherine Sayler of Defenders of Wildlife) Let me first make it clear that I am a big fan of peanuts — the tasty legume favored by George Washington Carver, that is, and not the Charlie Brown cartoon. At baseball games, I have eaten dry roasted peanuts a plenty. While driving across Florida, I have munched on soggy brown paper bagfuls of hot boiled peanuts. And of course, as a longtime journalist, I have for years worked for peanuts. But I am most definitely NOT on the side of the peanuts in an ongoing rhubarb over some state forest land that's important for several imperiled species. A state agency, the Suwannee River Water Management District, owns some land known as the Ellaville Tract that's part of Twin Rivers State Forest. Now there's a proposed deal to hand over that land to a Georgia peanut farming company. Nearly 700 acres of prime sandhill habitat would be given away. In exchange, the will give the state 543 acres of its farmland, which sure sounds like an unequal swap just in terms of general acreage. The Tampa Bay Times broke the story of the swap last week, the same way it broke the story of another idiotic state forest land swap in Citrus County that involved a golf course developer. That one has now apparently stalled. As for Ellaville, the newspaper reported that the peanut farm's property has more than 400 acres in a floodplain and lies along a mile of the Withlacoochee River. That's why water district officials say that gives the peanut farm property 'significantly higher' value than the high-and-dry state forest uplands. One of the first people I talked to when I heard about all this was Katherine Sayler of Defenders of Wildlife. Almost as soon as she learned about the proposed property swap, Sayler pulled on her boots and accompanied a Florida Forest Service employee to look at the supposedly worthless property. 'As soon as we walked out there,' she told me, 'we saw there were gopher tortoise burrows.' She saw white-tailed deer tracks too and heard woodpeckers. She saw healthy wiregrass beds and plenty of longleaf pines, once the magnificent king of the Southern forest, now an embattled presence that's still hanging on in spots. But last week, when she told a water district committee about the magnificent bounty of the forest and why it still deserves to be protected, she said, it was as if they didn't hear her. Perhaps someone was making too much noise shelling peanuts. The gopher tortoise is a legally protected species in Florida, but you might not know that from the way our state has treated them. Gophers always look like they're ticked off at us humans, which is kind of understandable. Gophers became known as 'Hoover chickens' in the 1930s, when their plentiful numbers saved a multitude of starving Floridians during the Depression. Herbert Hoover's Republican Party had promised a chicken in every pot, but there were no chickens to feed the poor, only the tortoises they could catch. Now the tortoises save scores of other imperiled species from certain doom. Their burrows — up to 40 feet long and 18 feet deep — provide a secluded place to live for about 300 kinds of animals, many of them classified as endangered or threatened. Think of these burrows as nature's condo. Unfortunately, the sandy soil where the gophers live is the preferred habitat of a predatory species, the Florida developer. For 16 years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission allowed developers to write a check to the state and then run their bulldozers right over the tortoise burrows, sealing up all the wildlife inside to die. The state handed out 105,000 of these licenses to kill known as 'incidental take permits' before biologists reported a problem. Turns out Florida's tortoise population was dropping like Florida congressman turned National Security Adviser Mike Waltz's jaw when he found out he'd accidentally added a reporter onto the text chain about secret war plans. Now the developers are required to get permits to move the gophers before they start construction. This has produced a variety of new problems ranging from the spread of illness among the tortoises to developers who don't bother to get a permit. One of the best sites for relocated gophers has been the Nokuse Plantation, a 55,000-acre Panhandle preserve. It was launched by a dirt-road philanthropist named M.C. Davis, whose skills in pool-hustling and poker-playing paid his way through college and law school and made him a tough opponent in negotiations. The director of Nokuse, Matt Aresco, told me that the state forest property that water district officials want to trade away is an important spot for both gopher tortoises and their frequent tenants, indigo snakes. Aresco sent me a copy of a 2017 study by the state wildlife commission that found some 440 tortoises on the state forest land. That means it's like the tortoise equivalent of downtown Tampa. 'For a relatively small property, I'd say 440 tortoises is … a lot of animals,' said Jeffrey Goessling, an Eckerd College biology professor who's an expert on gopher tortoises and sits on the advocacy group Gopher Tortoise Council. Aresco also told me this is the second time the water district has tried to give this land away. The first time, M.C. Davis was still alive and among the main opponents. As Elvis Costello once sang, 'History repeats the old conceits, the glib replies, the same defeats.' That's certainly true with Ellaville. In 2012, a different peanut farmer cast his covetous eyes on the Ellaville Tract and proposed buying it outright. The water district governing board was keenly interested. However, Davis and other environmental activists, plus the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, all objected. At Aresco's suggestion, I contacted Eric Draper about what went down in 2012. Draper, a former Florida Park Service director, was then an official with Audubon Florida. 'This one really shocked us,' Draper recalled. 'The deal was all worked out by the water management district to sell the land to the peanut farmer. They were going to declare it as surplus and then sell it.' Under state law, any land bought for conservation must be officially declared to be no longer useful for conservation purposes before the state agency that owns it can get rid of it. The Ellaville Tract had been purchased by the water district as part of a 5,000-acre deal back in 1988. Since then, thousands of dollars in taxpayer money had been used in maintaining it and cultivating the longleaf pines. Yet, in 2012, the water district board voted to declare the Ellaville Tract was no longer needed for conservation purposes. It was all set to sell it and let the farmer turn it into an ecologically sterile, heavily fertilized peanut production facility. But then the deal died. What happened? According to Draper, the opponents found someone to help them whose opinion carried a lot of weight with the gubernatorial appointees on the water board. It was a council of the state's largest landowners, such as the timber company Rayonier and the cattle giant Lykes Brothers. Their undeveloped property holds a lot of gopher tortoises as well, Draper told me. The savvy environmentalists pointed out to them that the loss of so many gophers on the Ellaville Tract would likely result in even more pressure for the remaining landowners to keep their own gopher populations intact. 'In a world full of endangered species,' Draper explained, 'you don't want to be the last one with endangered species on your land.' What's even more amazing is what happened next. Davis and the others persuaded the state to buy the peanut farm and turn it into conservation land. Instead of a big loss, they turned this into a gain for the environment. 'We think the same should happen this time,' said Julie Wraithmell, executive director of Audubon Florida. 'The parcel they want to pick up is definitely worthy, but so too is the Ellaville parcel. It's an issue of 'and' not 'or.'' Given how this Ellaville-isn't-needed idea went south last time, I was curious about how it came up again. What was the corporate farmer's reason for diving into this morass? 'Lee Peanut has expressed interest in this surplus property for some time,' Troy Roberts, spokesman for the water district, told me. 'The district received a bona fide offer … in February 2025 and prepared the item for Lands Committee consideration.' At my request, he sent me a copy of the 'bona fide offer' from Lee Peanut, which owns 1,400 acres and processes 5,000 pounds of peanuts per acre per year. But this document doesn't explain the motivation either. It just says which parcels would be involved, then concludes with, 'All of this is contingent on appraisals and negotiations.' Sayler told me that a farmer representative showed up for the committee meeting where she testified and talked about what a 'win-win' deal this would be. But she couldn't recall him ever explaining why this would be a 'win' for the taxpayers who now own the Ellaville Tract or for the nature that now rules over it. Looking for clues, I checked their parent company Birdsong's website, which boasted about how they're 'committed to a sustainable future.' I even watched a YouTube video about how they're being more careful with their fertilizer now that they know it's a pollutant. But there was nothing about gopher tortoises, or rather about getting rid of them. That's what will happen if this deal goes through. State law exempts agriculture from the requirement to move gophers. That means Birdsong/Lee can just plow right over those 440 burrows and bury every single animal inside. Finally, after several attempts, I was able to get hold of Lee Peanuts manager Garland Brooks. But he made it clear that he didn't want to answer my questions. He refused to comment for the record and warned me against quoting him. When I persisted in my questions he hung up on me. I took that as a sign that he couldn't tell me any good reason why a private company should get public property. Suwannee River's spokesman, Roberts, said he didn't know when this land swap would come up before the board for a final vote. I'm rooting for 'never.' In fact, I'm hopeful the Suwannee River governing board will reconsider its 2012 vote declaring that Ellaville land to be surplus. Not only does it have gophers galore but also, according to a wildlife commission official quoted by the Times, 'swallow-tailed kites, kestrels, eastern indigo snakes, gopher frogs, fox squirrels and the Florida black bear.' And the Gopher Tortoise Council, in a letter sent to the water district board, pointed out other important species, such as 'Florida pine snakes, Southern hognose snakes, Southern fox squirrel, Bachman's sparrow, Northern bobwhite quail, and many other species. … It's a popular wildlife-viewing site as a result, with over 95 bird species documented on eBird by visiting birders.' The idea that the water district board could declare this naturally teeming forest unnecessary for conservation just based on water district goals turns out to be legally shaky. That's according to Clay Henderson, a lawyer who has been involved in land conservation in Florida for so long he wrote a book about it called 'Forces of Nature.' He told me the law says the water district board must consider more than just floodplains and river frontage in deciding whether the land is still valuable for conservation. 'Clearly this tract continues to have high biodiversity value and accordingly would still be required for conservation purposes,' Henderson told me. 'That being the case, there is no reason to look further to determine whether it could be traded for something else. ' Seems to me, then, that any further effort to push this land swap forward would be totally — oh, what's a good word for it? Oh yeah. Nuts. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
