Latest news with #Gerlach
Miami Herald
22-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Woman profited off slain high schooler's death, Indiana cops say. She's charged
When an Indiana high school student was shot and killed during a fall festival, a woman promised she would print and sell T-shirts to benefit the victim's family, authorities say. Instead, she is accused of pocketing the money, profiting off the death of 18-year-old Bryce Gerlach. Accused of not handing over more than $13,000 in funds, Amber Tower now reportedly faces a conversion charge following the months-long investigation by the Harrison County Sheriff's Office, according to WDRB. 'The facts of this case are a difficult one,' Harrison County Prosecutor Otto Schalk told WDRB. 'They're a difficult case to stomach. You see an individual that's alleged to have been exploiting the senseless death of one of our Harrison County teens. It's hard to stomach.' Gerlach, a senior at Corydon Central High School, was fatally shot Oct. 12 during the Harvest Homecoming festival in New Albany, according to WAVE and the New Albany Police Department. Two others were also shot. Tower, the owner of Tower's Tees, posted on social media that she would print T-shirts that would benefit the Gerlach family, according to WLKY. The Gerlach family, however, never received any of the $13,615.93 in donations. One of Tower's employees tipped off local authorities in March, alleging the company printed 800 shirts for the fundraisers that totaled around $19,000, according to the affidavit obtained by WAVE. The worker quit when learning the money had not been donated to the family. '(Tower) then joked around and said that her giving the 'Justice for Bryce' T-shirts (for free) should cover the donations,' WHAS reported, citing the court documents. Tower recently turned herself in and was bailed out of jail on a $1,000 bond, according to WAVE 3. Her attorney, Richard Rush, said Tower is innocent and has cooperated in the investigation. 'From the outset, Ms. Tower expressed her willingness to remit the full amount of proceeds raised during the fundraising efforts,' Rush said in a statement to WAVE. 'Weeks before any criminal charge was filed, her counsel communicated her intent to remit the full amount referenced in the probable cause affidavit. That offer remains open. Despite efforts to resolve this matter constructively and transparently, no resolution was reached prior to the filing of charges.' A conversion charge means Tower 'knowingly or intentionally exert(ed) unauthorized control over property of another person.' The New Albany Police Department announced in November multiple people had been charged in Gerlach's death. New Albany is a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why coffee is more expensive
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Corey Gerlach, head roaster and co-owner at The Breaks in Sioux Falls, says coffee's rising price is not a new trend. 'This has been going on for years now in the coffee industry,' Gerlach said. 'It has consistently gone up in price.' And when it comes to why the price for coffee beans might go up, he says there are several factors. 'The farmers, the producers don't set the prices; speculation in the market sets the prices,' Gerlach said. 'So, things for like, geopolitical tensions, climate change, plant diseases in coffee plants, those things also affect the price of coffee. Supply and demand. If a large producing country has a bad crop that year, that's going to shoot the market up.' Coffee was expensive before the White House's tariffs of 2025. And Gerlach says tariffs aren't decisive in this equation right now. 'I wouldn't say tariffs is affecting the higher coffee prices directly at the moment,' he said. 'Over time, yes, they probably will.' Per the consumer price index from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on the average price of a pound of ground coffee, in January 2021 the cost was $4.59. By January 2023, it had jumped to $6.36, and it reached $7.02 in January 2025. The latest available data, for April 2025, lists the average price at $7.54 per pound. Every business has to make its own decisions on what to do with prices they ask of their customers. For The Breaks, they have boosted prices to a degree. 'A little bit,' Gerlach said. 'For the most part, we've been absorbing those costs to not fully pass them on to our customer base and our clients. But we have in the past handful of months raised our wholesale pricing a little bit, our drink prices a little bit, our retail prices a little bit, but hopefully subtly enough to where people are okay with it.' Gerlach says tariffs will more directly impact the cost of a coffee roaster or an espresso machine. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Local Germany
25-04-2025
- Health
- Local Germany
Bavaria approves first three cannabis clubs after German legalisation
Bavaria's first three cannabis clubs got the official go-ahead from the state's regulatory authorities. In the districts of Rosenheim, Bad Kissingen and Freising, three non-commercial associations may begin growing cannabis and distributing it to members for recreational use, as is permitted under Germany's cannabis legalisation act, which was enacted on April 1st last year . The legalisation of cannabis use in Germany remains controversial, and perhaps nowhere more so than in the socially conservative 'Free State' of Bavaria. Soon after legalisation passed at the federal level, Bavaria exercised its state authority to ban cannabis use at beer gardens, public festivals , and other public spaces. Members of the state's Christian Social Union (CSU) party campaigned against legalisation, and have since vowed to try and repeal it. READ ALSO: One year on - What does the future hold for Germany's cannabis legalisation law? Begrudging approval The Bavarian Ministry of Health (LGL) told BR24 that the three cannabis clubs had been approved 'due to unavoidable legal constraints'. But other comments by the head of the LGL suggest the ministry was not happy to do so. Bavaria's Health Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU) has reportedly emphasised that a cultivation permit does not give the clubs permission to distribute cannabis immediately. She says that the LGL will still need to review security measures in the clubs, and mentioned 'close controls' by the state authority after the clubs have begun cultivation. Gerlach added that the permits being granted does not change the state's goal to see "the legalisation of cannabis for consumption purposes withdrawn by the new federal government". Conservative leadership in Bavaria led the charge on pressuring the incoming federal government to repeal cannabis legalisation, but was unable to get the policy into the coalition agreement between the Union parties (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democrats. Instead, the government has scheduled an evaluation of the policy for later this year. EXPLAINED: What Germany's new coalition pact means for foreign residents A portion of cannabis is handed to a member of the Green Leaf Society cannabis club. The Berlin-based club's first harvest was delivered to members in January. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sebastian Gollnow Cannabis clubs held back by bureaucratic obstacles As well as permitting the possession of cannabis and cultivation for personal use at home, the cannabis bill included provisions for the establishment of cannabis clubs. Since July last year, special clubs can be set up for growing and selling cannabis to members, who need to be adults over 18. But the power of regulation over these clubs was largely given to Germany's state governments, which means that the rules for applying for a business permit and setting up a club vary across regions - and some states seem to have given would-be club operators the run around. Advertisement Regional media outlet BR24 reports that, as of April 1st, not a single cannabis club was approved in Bavaria even though the LGL had received 37 applications for a permit. Of those applications, one had been rejected and eight had been withdrawn. Now, more than nine months after cannabis clubs were given permission to launch at the federal level, the first three have been approved in the southern state. READ ALSO: Is Germany ready for the arrival of cannabis clubs? The case for and against legalisation Advocates for legalisation of recreational cannabis use often cite research that points to the drug's medical or therapeutic applications, as well as research that it is less harmful than alcohol. The broad general argument is that by legalising and regulating cannabis, the state makes its use safer for adults who would use it anyway, while simultaneously tapping into a new source for tax revenue. Arguing against legalisation, conservative leaders such as Gerlach have repeatedly suggested that allowing cannabis use is 'wrong' and works against state efforts toward 'the protection of health and young people'. Findings from the German Survey on Smoking Behavior (DEBRA study) have so far found no immediate shifts in consumption behavior following legalisation. Advertisement According to the crime statistics for Bavaria, the number of drug-related criminal cases have decreased since legalisation, with cannabis-related cases dropping more than 50 percent. Of course, the decrease is mostly explained by the fact that people are not being prosecuted for what is now legal cannabis use. Since legalisation there has been a notable increase in medical cannabis imports into Germany.
Russia Today
17-03-2025
- Health
- Russia Today
Bavaria wants German health system prepared for war
The German government should prepare hospitals across the country so that they are able to operate efficiently in case of a military conflict, Bavarian Health Minister Judith Gerlach has argued, citing a perceived threat from Russia. In an interview to the Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung published on Monday, the official claimed that the 'military threat posed to Europe by Russia and the possible withdrawal of the new US President [Donald] Trump from the previous security partnership also mean a massive need for action on the part of the German healthcare system and the whole civil society.' She argued that simply beefing up the armed forces would not be sufficient to adequately address the challenge supposedly facing the country. 'We therefore need a comprehensive 'civil operational plan Germany'' geared toward addressing a wide range of emergencies, including military aggression, Gerlach stressed. According to the Bavarian health minister, in such a scenario Germany's healthcare system would have to be prepared to provide services to more than 80 million civilian residents, as well as wounded military personnel. 'The state must set clear standards. This goes for the EU level, the federal and the regional [levels],' the official told the newspaper. She also emphasized the need to ensure Germany's and the EU's ability to produce all the medicines and drugs they may need. Given likely personnel shortages in hospitals in case of a large-scale military conflict, Gerlach suggested that the German government should consider imposing mandatory civilian service, along with the military draft. Moscow has consistently denied allegations that it intends to attack any NATO or EU member countries, labeling such claims as 'nonsense' designed to scare people and justify increased defense budgets. Additionally, Russian officials have strongly criticized the EU's recent moves toward militarization and the portrayal of Moscow as an adversary, arguing that such actions only escalate tensions and undermine peace efforts in the Ukraine conflict.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Allentown adopts policy of non-collaboration with ICE as part of welcoming city movement
A view of the skyline in Allentown, Pa. (Getty Images) Eleven years ago Allentown was at the center of a federal court ruling that put local governments on notice that they could face legal jeopardy for collaborating with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. On Wednesday, Pennsylvania's third-largest city formally adopted a policy that bars police and other city employees from supporting or assisting ICE and other immigration officials unless ordered by a federal judge. In unanimously approving the ordinance, Allentown joins Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and other Pennsylvania communities on the path to becoming a 'Welcoming City' and part of a growing movement across the country to make local government more accessible to immigrant residents. 'It makes it so that people who are living here undocumented in Allentown and are not committing crimes can live without fear of themselves and their family members being rounded up,' Allentown council member Ce-Ce Gerlach, who sponsored the legislation, told the Capital-Star. Allentown, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, is the state's largest city with a majority non-white population. More than half of the city's roughly 125,000 residents have Hispanic or Latino heritage and one-fifth of the city's roughly 125,000 residents are foreign-born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. With President Donald Trump's campaign promises to conduct mass deportations and news of ICE raids indiscriminately taking in immigrants regardless of criminal history or status in cities across the nation, Allentown's residents are on edge, Gerlach said. At the start of Wednesday's council meeting, however, Gerlach's bill was 'doomed to fail' she said, with Mayor Matt Tuerk and several council members in opposition. After more than two hours of testimony and a compromise amendment, the bill passed. One councilmember told Gerlach he was moved by testimony that children in the community were living in fear as a result of the politics surrounding Trump's immigration policies. Tuerk said he opposed the ordinance even though he embraced its intent. He told the Capital-Star his primary objection was that Gerlach's bill would have tied the city's internal policies to the mission of a nonprofit organization called Welcoming America, which advances policies to help cities become 'more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs.' In addition to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Erie, Lancaster, State College, the Allegheny County borough of Dormont, and Allegheny County have received certification from the group. Gerlach said leaders from neighboring Bethlehem and nearby Easton have started movements to pass similar legislation since Gerlach introduced her proposal in December. Tuerk said he dropped his opposition to Gerlach's proposal after it was amended to make seeking Welcoming America certification optional rather than mandatory. 'I had already begun the process of establishing certification for the city of Allentown with Welcoming America, but I didn't want it to become a matter of policy through an ordinance,' Tuerk said. The ordinance doesn't change the city's practices, Tuerk said, noting that Allentown police do not collaborate with ICE. Allentown and Lehigh County were defendants in a lawsuit filed in 2010 by a New Jersey-born man of Puerto Rican descent who was arrested in a drug raid on the jobsite where he was working. Despite telling police and Lehigh County jail staff that he was an American citizen, Ernesto Galarza was held for a weekend under an immigration detainer issued by ICE. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania sued the county and city on Galarza's behalf and won a decision from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that immigration detainers issued by ICE are non-binding requests and that local agencies may share liability if they participate in wrongful immigration detentions. He settled his claims against Lehigh County and Allentown for about $150,000. (Galarza was also acquitted on the drug charge, but the episode dogged him for years as a result of an error by court officials.) The appeals court ruling led Lehigh County and many others across the state and country to change how they handled requests from ICE, with many adopting a practice of notifying the federal agency only when a person was being released from custody. Jasmine Rivera, executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition, said that since her organization and the ACLU collaborated with Temple University's Sheller Center for Social Justice to survey Pennsylvania county jails and local police in 2018, policies have shifted back toward cooperation with ICE in some places while others are phasing out their agreements. Only Clinton and Pike counties still have agreements with ICE to house detainees in their jails, while Clearfield County has a contract with ICE to operate a former federal prison as an immigrant detention center. The county pays the for-profit prison operator GEO Group to run the Moshannon Valley Processing Center. Community organizer Josie Lopez said Allentown's ordinance benefits the city in several ways. Financially, it protects the city from future legal costs and verdicts under the Galarza ruling and it ensures that city funds are directed to achieving the city's objectives of reducing and solving crime, rather than the federal government's objectives. It also codifies the policy against police collaboration with ICE. That helps members of the community whose immigration status is unauthorized or uncertain trust that they can report crime without endangering themselves. 'The vulnerable communities that exist within all of this become more vulnerable when they live in fear and the people that are actually violent prey on that fear,' Lopez said. Welcoming America certification also requires that cities have other policies in place beyond the law enforcement element. Cities must show that their services are accessible in languages used by the immigrant population and that immigrants are able to engage with the community in other respects. The results include families who are more resilient and financially stable and communities that are more prosperous and use fewer municipal resources as a result, Rivera said. 'Having good policies on the books is a good first step, but how you are implementing them, how you're putting them into practice … that's what people can see and touch and feel,' Rivera said.
