Latest news with #MikeWallace
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Greer Fire: What to know about Arizona wildfire as it spreads to over 18,000 acres
Firefighters held containment lines around the Greer Fire on May 17, which had burned a total of 18,617 acres by the end of its sixth day. Though that marked an increase of nearly 3,000 acres from the previous day, the fire has not grown into a massive event like the 2011 Wallow Fire, which scorched more than half a million acres in the same region. Crews continued to protect structures and hold the fire back, despite facing strong wind gusts expected to persist for several more days. An afternoon update on social media by the Southwest Area Incident Management Team reported that "all lines have held, despite the increased winds and crews are reporting that things are looking good around the fire." The good news for area residents came after Gov. Katie Hobbs visited the area and, earlier in the day, declared a state of emergency that will release $200,000 in state funds to the firefighting effort. High winds have fueled the Greer Fire from the beginning, leaving communities like Greer, Eagar and Springerville on edge. The National Weather Service forecast strong wind gusts continuing through the night of May 17 and lasting at least through Monday, raising the risk of embers igniting new fires. In response, fire managers used the forecasts to their advantage, conducting controlled burns to reduce available fuel and slow the fire's spread. In a video posted to social media on May 17, Mike Wallace, operations section chief for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, explained how firefighters used both hand ignition and drone-based "aerial ignition" to build a "good buffer" ahead of anticipated winds. These buffer zones, he said, are designed to help protect the 26 Bar community, Springerville, and other areas to the east — giving fire crews a 'higher probability of success' in holding the line. Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a state of emergency over the Greer Fire on May 17, releasing an emergency fund of $200,000 to help support the state's response to the fire, then toured parts of the area. Fire officials told her the weather remained an extreme concern and they had plans to evacuate local communities in a worst-case scenario. "I don't want to jinx anything, so I'm going to knock on this plastic table and pretend it's wood," Hobbs told them. Major highways in eastern Arizona remain closed because of the fire and won't reopen until further notice. The Arizona Department of Transportation reports: State Route 260 is closed in both directions between mileposts 380 and 395. State Route 373's southbound lane is closed between mileposts 385 and 390. State Route 261 is closed in both directions between mileposts 394 and 412. Reach the reporter at rstern@ or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X @raystern. A personal take: A terrible Arizona wildfire broke my heart. How my daughter gave me hope as new blaze rages This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Day 6 of the Greer Fire in eastern Arizona: What to know
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Taking grievances to the street for 248 years
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is depicted in this photo. (iStock via Getty Images Plus photo) Here it is, torn from the battered and abused pages of the Bill of Rights: 'Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.' No question about it. We Alaskans are enthusiastic fans of the First Amendment right 'peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.' Just the other day, April 19, over 3,000 people seeking 'redress of grievances' demonstrated in downtown Anchorage carrying signs such as 'Hands off the Constitution' and 'Health Care is a Human Right.' A couple months earlier, Feb. 17, Presidents Day, hundreds demonstrated all over Alaska seeking 'redress of grievances.' Anchorage, Juneau, Palmer, Fairbanks, and Seward had sign-wavers galore redressing grievances. 'Democracy is not a spectator sport,' 'Resist,' and 'No Kings' bobbed over the heads of spectators growing hoarse from chants and shouts while unabashedly assembling and making their grievances known. The democratic process is messy, dontcha know. And talking about 'kings,' the right to assembly goes back that far. It has its roots in English history, evolving from the Magna Carta signed in 1215, to the English Bill of Rights, to the Founding Fathers and on to our Bill of Rights. We Alaskans have not been alone in the embrace of public demonstrations to pursue grievances. The Suffragettes, for example, who advocated the right of women to vote were not shy about public demonstrations. As the historian Mike Wallace has written: 'The twenty-third of October, 1915, was a crisp fall day, splashed with sunshine, perfect for a parade. In midafternoon tens of thousands of women clad in white dresses and yellow sashes stepped out of Washington Square. They strode up Fifth Avenue arrayed in delegations of assorted age and station — letter carriers' wives from Queens, schoolgirls from Washington Irving High, ILGWU seamstresses, Henry Street settlement workers.' Of course, later in the same century the Civil Rights Movement put even more feet on the pavement to air grievances about racism and inequality. On Aug. 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech as part of the March on Washington. The speech was delivered to an estimated 250,000 people who came to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate for civil rights. So you get the idea. The principle of free speech, including the right to peaceful assembly, was so central to a successful democracy that it was the very first right in the Bill of Rights. We Americans have been using that right since the founding of this nation 248 years ago. But here in Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy would like to see an end to this First Amendment foolishness. Early this year, the governor introduced House Bill 71/Senate Bill 74, 'An Act related to obstruction.' It appears to target large demonstrations and spontaneous demonstrations without a permit. In my view, the primary purpose of this bill is to strongly discourage Alaskans from exercising their right to peaceful assembly in the first place. Here are some of the 'highlights,' so to speak: If the protest 'substantially interferes' with someone's access to a government building, or 'interferes' with an emergency responder, the offense would be a class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and $50,000. A person 'whose passage is obstructed' could sue a protester for $10,000 if their rights were infringed, $50,000 if their property was damaged, and $100,000 if they were personally injured — in addition to attorney's fees and costs. Draconian. Might be worth considering if there were a substantial history of these crimes by demonstrators in Alaska. Let's take a look. The governor's transmittal letter makes no mention of a history of these crimes. The bill itself makes no mention of a history of such crimes. A report submitted by the attorney general a year ago for very similar proposed legislation, House Bill 386, came up with cases in New York and Washington, D.C., where demonstrators blocked traffic, but did not report a single such case in Alaska. And to top it all off, an internal legal analysis conducted by the Legislative Affairs Agency for HB 386 found, among many other critical findings: 'The bill raises issues under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and art. I, secs. 5 and 6, of the Alaska Constitution. In particular, if challenged, there is a risk that the new crime of obstruction of free passage in public places could be found unconstitutional both facially or if applied to the protected speech of protests or demonstrations.' Finally, this is just the tip of the iceberg of Gov. Dunleavy's attempts to subvert constitutional protections for Alaskans. See the ACLU analysis aptly titled, 'Dunleavy is the anti-First Amendment governor.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Saba Yemen
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Parliament praises Intel support for Yemen, Palestine, condemns "barbaric" western civilization
Sana'a - Saba: Yemen's parliament on Wednesday expressed its deep appreciation for the supportive stances of parliamentarians and countries standing in solidarity with the Yemeni and Palestinian peoples and their just cause in the face of what it described as "American aggression and arrogance." The Parliament specifically lauded the position of Irish Member of Parliament and former Member of the European Parliament Mike Wallace, who affirmed Yemen's adherence to international law in its operations supporting Palestinians, a stance the Yemeni Parliament believes the international community should have adopted. In a letter addressed to the European Parliament member, the parliament conveyed the pride and gratitude of all "free people" for the courageous stand Yemen has taken in confronting "imperialism" and its "heroic role" in resisting the "Zionist-American aggression and their allies in the region." The Parliament asserted the "falsehood of Western civilization," labeling it "barbaric" and accusing it of attempting to mask its "ugly face" with a "fake democracy" that can be "bought with money." The Parliament stated that 90 percent of Europeans support the Palestinian cause, with only "politicians and profiteers" backing the "criminal Zionist entity" in its "war crimes and genocide" against the Palestinian people. The Parliament emphasized the crucial role of "free parliamentarians" in mobilizing and activating diplomacy and relations with "free countries" to convey the injustices faced by the Yemeni and Palestinian peoples to all parliamentary and international forums. It urged them to push for a strong and influential role for the international community in addressing these issues. The Parliament expressed the pride of the entire Yemeni people and all "free people" in these "courageous and sincere positions" supporting Yemen in the face of the "aggression and siege" it endures due to its solidarity with Palestine. It expressed hope that the heads and members of Arab and Islamic parliaments would recognize their "humanitarian and moral responsibility" and learn from the stances embodied by the "free people of the world," including the widespread protests in European and American cities denouncing the "crimes committed by Zionist war criminals against the children of Gaza." In a related development, the Parliament and its Presidency sent a letter of thanks and appreciation to the Speaker of the People's Assembly of the Republic of Maldives, warmly welcoming and blessing the Maldives' "courageous decision" to ban Israelis from entering its territory. The Parliament praised these "courageous and sincere positions," which it noted many rulers and leaders affiliated with some Arab and Islamic countries have failed to take. The Parliament expressed its hope that other "free countries" would follow suit in declaring their rejection and condemnation of the "crimes committed by the Israeli enemy entity" against the Palestinian people. It called on all "free people" to take urgent action to save the Palestinian people from the "brutal massacres committed by Zionist war criminals" and to pressure the "Zionist entity" through all political and economic means to halt the "aggression," end the siege on Gaza, and demand the accountability of "Zionist war criminals" in international courts for their crimes against Palestinian children and women. Whatsapp Telegram Email more of (Local)
