Latest news with #Schuler
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
North Dakota to require age verification for pornography sites
(Getty Images) The North Dakota Legislature passed expanded regulations and penalties surrounding pornography and deepfake content during the 2025 session. Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed bills that added age-verification requirements for websites publishing explicit content. He also signed a bill that added civil penalties for the creation and distribution of deepfake, or computer-generated, pornographic material without a subject's consent. Both laws will go into effect Aug. 1. Senate Bill 2380 and House Bill 1561 both will require age verification for websites containing a substantial portion of pornographic material that could be considered harmful to minors. Rep. Steve Swiontek, R-Fargo, chief sponsor of House Bill 1561, said children are being exposed to pornography in significant numbers by age 12 and even more by age 17, which is one of the main reasons he sponsored the bill. 'The thought was there should be some requirement and expectations that these adult entertainment sites who are getting paid for this … that they should be mandated and required to verify age,' Swiontek said. 'I think we have a moral obligation for these kids.' Those websites under the new law would need to implement a verification system to confirm the user is over 18. Swiontek said the age-verification bill was modeled after a similar bill was implemented in Utah in 2023. Critics of that bill pointed to ways it could be circumvented, The Associated Press reported. Swiontek said there isn't a 'fool proof' way to stop minors from accessing pornographic websites. States race to restrict deepfake porn as it becomes easier to create 'If we can prevent 90% of these things from happening, then it's been a success,' Swiontek said. 'And then, it can be tweaked two years from now as well.' None of the information obtained while conducting age verification may be retained. Websites that fail to comply with the age-verification requirements may be held liable for damages by a parent or guardian of a minor who accessed the explicit content or a person whose information was retained after the verification process. The new law exempts internet service providers, search engines, cloud services and application stores from liability for facilitating connection between users and websites. Cody Schuler, advocacy manager for the American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota, said pornography is protected under the First Amendment. He added the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments over a similar age-verification law implemented in Texas and the court is expected to issue its decision in June or July. 'We are not opposed to protecting children,' Schuler said. 'The concern becomes when … we put undue burden upon those individuals who are legal to access pornography.' Schuler added that data collection by third-party age-verification hosts can also bring up potential privacy concerns. 'It is really important for us to hear what comes next from the Supreme Court and then look at where things go from there as far as what laws or corrections might need to be made,' he said. House Bill 1351 makes it a misdemeanor to create, possess and distribute sexually expressive images, including real, altered or computer-generated deepfakes, that show nude or partially denuded figures without consent. The new law also provides an avenue for victims of those images to file civil lawsuits to recover up to $10,000 in statutory damages caused by the distribution. Plaintiffs would also be able to recover any money gained by a defendant through the distribution of the image. Swiontek said he voted in support of the bill because it becomes difficult to get rid of manufactured, false content once it enters the internet. 'There has to be an obligation and a penalty for people who do that,' Swiontek said. U.S. House Republicans aim to ban state-level AI laws for 10 years North Dakota lawmakers also passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 4017, which asks the Legislative Management Committee to consider studying the 'detrimental impacts of pornography.' The goal of the study is to examine education, prevention and research of the societal consequences stemming from pornography. The resolution text alleges the porn industry 'produces media that objectifies women and children, and depicts rape and abuse, perpetuating the demand for sex trafficking, prostitution, child pornography and sexual abuse images.' The Legislative Management Committee received requests for 66 different studies to be completed during the interim, 19 of which are mandatory studies. Previously, John Bjornson, director of Legislative Council, said the committee could realistically complete about 45 studies during the 18-month interim. The committee will meet for the first time during the interim Tuesday in Fargo. President Donald Trump signed the Take It Down Act last week, which requires platforms to take down nonconsensual intimate depictions of individuals, real or deepfake images, within 48 hours of being notified or they may face criminal or civil penalties. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
NZ Herald
26-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Tauranga's new sports centre hosts Foot Locker U20 basketball nationals
It brings together young talent from across the country – including Kiwis returning from overseas – and is free for the public to attend. Bethlehem Ward councillor Kevin Schuler, who helped officially open Haumaru earlier this month, said the tournament was a great opportunity for the city and community. 'National sporting events like this strengthen our community by providing opportunities for connection, participation, and inspiration, especially for our younger generations. 'Basketball continues to grow rapidly in Aotearoa, and hosting this national competition shows we're serious about being a city that supports youth development.' Schuler said hosting national sporting events also attracted visitors and wider economic benefits for Tauranga and helped raise their profile as a great host city. 'So it's a win-win for everyone. 'This new facility right in the heart of Tauranga is already proving its worth by being able to host this event and sets the stage for an exciting long weekend of sport. 'It really is going to be something special. We also encourage visitors who are here for the event to take time to enjoy everything our city has to offer.' Since 2009, the number of teams registered with the Tauranga City Basketball Association has nearly quadrupled from 228 to 812 in 2024. Tauranga City Basketball general manager Mark Rogers said demand for court space had surged alongside the sport's popularity. 'We've seen huge growth over the past decade. Numbers grew steadily until 2023, when a lack of space began to hold us back. 'The addition of the Haumaru facility to the council-owned network will open the door for further growth in the coming years.' The U20 Nationals are a key development event for players, referees and coaches across the country, and are gaining international recognition. The upcoming event will welcome 16 men's teams and eight women's teams from across New Zealand, all of whom have earned their place through regional qualifiers. Referees are also hand-picked for their performance as part of national development pathways. Many athletes who compete will go on to secure college scholarships in the USA or professional contracts in Australia's National Basketball League and Women's National Basketball League. Basketball New Zealand tournaments lead Jay Macdonald said there were about 150 New Zealanders on college basketball scholarships in the United States with the vast majority having played in the U20 Nationals in previous years. 'This year, some Tauranga players will be back from their college to represent Tauranga City Basketball Association.' Spectators who attend can expect fast-paced, high-quality basketball with many players coming from Sal's National Basketball League, G.J. Gardner Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa, and US college teams.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man in critical condition after motorcycle crash
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A man is in critical condition after a motorcycle crash in south Wichita Thursday evening. It happened shortly after 5:30 p.m. near Harry Street and Wichita Street, near McLean and Broadway. According to the Wichita Police Department, the crash was between a pickup truck and a motorcycle. The motorcyclist was transported to an area hospital in 'a critical state,' but his current condition is unknown. 'We're still, obviously, investigating the cause of the accident,' WPD Sergeant Clayton Schuler said. 'We're getting the scene set up. We have detectives arriving on scene. Our CAT team's arriving to establish all that.' The driver of the pickup truck is cooperating with the police. 'We have a couple of witnesses who observed the accident, and we're also checking for any video in the area that may have caught it,' Schuler said. Police plan on having the area shut down for at least an hour or two, depending on the motorcyclists' condition. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Indianapolis Star
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Albert Trevino, founder of Rene's Bakery in Broad Ripple, dies after bout with cancer
When Olivia Trevino thinks of her father, she hears music. The 22-year-old student at Indiana University-Bloomington remembers mornings walking down the stairs of her childhood home, where there was seemingly always something on the stove and a song in the air. "There wasn't a time when there wasn't music in the house," she said. But most in Indianapolis knew Olivia's father for his food. For 20 years, Albert Rene Trevino provided residents of Broad Ripple and beyond with fresh pastries out of a royal blue retrofitted two-car garage on Cornell Avenue. Trevino's bakery, Rene's, has long been a staple of the neighborhood. When Trevino was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in April 2023, Olivia set up a GoFundMe page to help cover his medical bills. In less than 12 hours, the fundraiser received more than $10,000 in donations. Trevino died May 8 after two years battling cancer. He was 59. In the year preceding his death, Trevino stepped down from Rene's due to his health, and last July the bakery announced it would close indefinitely. In December it reopened under new owners, one of them a Rene's employee. Friends and family of Trevino remember him as self-assured but unassuming, relentlessly driven but undeniably silly. The man with an infectious smile loved to dance, even if he didn't really know how, Olivia said. Trevino was born in Gary in 1965 and raised primarily by his mother, Socorro. At 18 he enrolled at Indiana University in Bloomington, where he met longtime friend Matt Schuler his freshman year. Schuler and Trevino quickly bonded over their shared love of music — Schuler favored disco, while Trevino introduced him to Prince and other dance music — and an interest in cycling. The duo were among the founding members of longstanding Little 500 racing team Cinzano, Schuler as a mechanic and Trevino as an alternate rider. Schuler gave Trevino his first road bike, a Peugeot that Trevino would eventually ride from Bloomington to Gary and back (a roughly 400-mile round trip) "for fun." Trevino dropped out of school after his first year to manage the since-closed Jake's Nightclub on Walnut Street in downtown Bloomington and a ska band called Johnny Socko. He later managed The Vogue and the now-closed Patio in Broad Ripple as well. Wherever Trevino went, he created community around himself, Schuler said. He insisted on walking to most places and seldom let a familiar face pass without saying hello. As the world around Trevino grew more digital and isolated, his fraternal personality stood out even more. "You don't really have that kind of congregational unit (anymore), but Albert was always that person that kinda created that around himself and with all of his friends," Schuler said. The largest community Trevino created was that of his neighbors and customers at Rene's, which he opened at 6524 Cornell Avenue in March 2004. After his time in Bloomington, Trevino moved to Indianapolis and enrolled in Ivy Tech's culinary arts program. As part of the curriculum, Trevino spent four months in Paris, where he fell in love with the craft of pastry. Trevino worked as a pastry chef for high-end restaurants and a country club in Indianapolis through the late 1990s and early 2000s but had an itch to make the things he wanted. When Trevino met with the owner of the two-car garage on Cornell about purchasing some baking equipment, he instead received an offer to rent the space for a business of his own. Laurie Trevino, Olivia's mother who was married to Albert from 2002 to 2011, remembers Albert's elation when he returned from that meeting. "He came home and he was so excited," she said. A few weeks later, Rene's began with about 600 square feet and a handful of employees. Albert gave the bakery his middle name to make it sound more European, not that anyone passing by would know — the shop didn't even have a sign when it opened. While Albert was working to give rise to his dreams, he and Laurie were raising Olivia, who was less than a year old when Rene's opened. Four years later they had a son, Nicholas, now 18. Olivia described herself as a daddy's girl from birth. The day Laurie and Albert brought Olivia home from the hospital, Albert carried his newborn daughter throughout the house and showed her each room. That's how their relationship always was, Olivia said, her father taking her everywhere he went and teaching her to navigate the world around her. She remembers going to the bakery with Albert as a little girl to peel bananas and rumbling across town on IndyGo buses because her father insisted she understand the city's transit system. Around the the time Albert's health started to deteriorate in November 2022, he was living with Ana Rosales, his partner of nearly 10 years. Rosales started working at Rene's in 2014, and the two began a relationship shortly thereafter. From that November until Albert's diagnosis in April, Rosales was by his side nearly 24 hours each day. They would go to the bakery in the morning, sometimes as early as 2:30 a.m., to start rolling out dough on the kitchen's cool countertops. Rosales said nearly every day Trevino sang to her lines from the Velvet Underground's "I'm Sticking With You." I'm sticking with you / 'Cause I'm made out of glue / Anything that you might do / I'm gonna do. When Albert underwent treatment, Rosales took over much of the day-to-day operations at Rene's. After eight hours or so at the bakery, she would spend the night with Albert at the hospital. When the cancer made it difficult for Albert to speak, Rosales learned to read his lips. "When the bakery closed, we were literally stuck together," she said. "I didn't move from his side unless I needed to." Until the end, Albert was determined to overcome the disease that had taken his voice and his ability to run Rene's. After Albert's first surgery, Olivia saw him doing leg lifts in his hospital bed to stay in shape. Rosales once caught him hooking his foot under a piece of furniture so he could stay standing, refusing to let others see how sick he had gotten. "He was so determined to win this battle," Olivia said. "I think we saw that through the last two years — how strong he really is." Thanks to the money donated through Olivia's GoFundMe page, the Trevinos didn't have to pay a cent for Albert's cancer treatments. They plan to donate the remainder to the American Cancer Society in Albert's name. Meanwhile, Rene's remains reopened under the leadership of longtime Rene's bread baker Isaac Roman and restaurant industry veteran Thomas Hays. "He wanted to keep the bakery (open), and to have people keep the memory of him," Rosales said. "The bread recipes and croissants, stuff like that, it was for the people. For his people." The Trevino family will hold a "celebration of life" for Albert at the Indy Art Center (820 E. 67th St.) from 3-6:30 p.m. on June 1. Per Albert's obituary, guests are encouraged to "attend in casual attire (no black!), and bring happy, fun memories to share (no crying!)."
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Owners feared thief stole mini calf from Pierce County farm. There's an update
A fluffy Mother's Day gift went missing in Gig Harbor over the weekend, worrying her family and setting off an extensive search. Daisy May, a four-month-old mini Highland calf, was reported missing from a family farm near Gig Harbor on Saturday. Brittney Schuler, Daisy May's owner, told The News Tribune on the phone Monday that the calf — who stands two feet tall, has reddish hair and weighs 100 pounds — was a recent Mother's Day gift for her mother, Shawn. They brought her home from a private sale to their 60-acre Artondale farm on May 10, she added, where her mother was thrilled to meet the new addition to the family. 'She was just really sweet … she looked like she wanted to be loved and have a forever home,' Schuler said. The little calf is home safe again after a neighbor spotted her, the family told The News Tribune Monday night, but questions remain about her disappearance. The first week with Daisy May had been off to a good start, with the miniature cow beginning to acclimate to the new environment and her new family, Schuler said. Although she remains fearful of humans, Daisy May had expressed an interest in other four-legged animals, including cats and dogs, she added. Daisy May — named after the month in which she was adopted — was being kept in a paddock with white vinyl fencing near Schuler's own residence on the farm, where she could be protected from nighttime coyotes by a nearby miniature donkey named Jack Jack. She was also paddock neighbors with a miniature horse named Peaches. The last time the calf had been seen was around 9:40 a.m. on Saturday before Schuler returned home that afternoon and found Daisy May missing, she said. Around 2 p.m. on Saturday, Schuler reported her missing to local authorities in Gig Harbor and Pierce County, and on Sunday afternoon, she filed a formal report. Deputy Carly Cappetto of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department told The News Tribune on Monday the case could not be assigned to an investigator because there was still no evidence of a crime. 'Now, it's very likely someone could have stolen the cow, but with no evidential leads, like someone reporting a suspicious car in the area, or a cut in the fence line, or seeing a car drive by 10 times in the same day, we have nothing — we're at a dead end,' Cappetto said. She added the Sunday report said the calf was confirmed missing at noon on Saturday. The report stated about 15 people had searched for nearly ten hours and that they hired a thermal signature drone that searched more than a mile radius for five hours, all without success, she said. 'If more information comes out, we're ready to pursue this case, but we're kind of in a holding pattern right now,' Cappetto said. Although the family initially hoped to find her somewhere on the farm grounds, hours of searches by driving the trails and perimeter of the farm and by the pet-search nonprofit Seek and Rescue's thermal signature-seeking drone yielded no results on Saturday afternoon and evening, according to the family. They continued to put up posters and Facebook posts to try to find the calf, Schuler added. After the drone — which was able to spot many other animals during its five-hour search and had previously had success with smaller pets such as chihuahuas — Schuler said she grew more concerned and began to think that Daisy May might have been stolen. 'She does have red fur and blends in with dry grass, she might look like a deer or like a dog,' Schuler said Monday. 'If someone does happen to see her, don't approach her because she might run off — we do have people ready to help catch her if needed and we want to keep her in the area of the sighting.' Although there is a possibility that the calf escaped, it seems unlikely as she hasn't been spotted and there were no signs of distress or damage to her enclosure, Schuler said. She added that Daisy May had sometimes not enjoyed the company of the miniature donkey and tried to breach the fence, but had always been unsuccessful. 'We were hopeful she would still be on the property, since it's very big, but once we couldn't find her, we thought she wouldn't have gotten that far,' Schuler said Monday. 'With everyone helping, it's crazy no one has seen signs — it's not common to see a cow running amuck.' Then, just as there seemed to be no leads and Schuler grew worried the calf could have been taken to another county, she got a call on Monday afternoon that a neighbor had seen Daisy May on a nearby street while driving past, she told The News Tribune on the phone Tuesday. Schuler and her neighbors rushed out to look, banding together to chase the calf — who had darted into the woods — until one friend was able to tackle her, she said. Within 15 minutes of the call, Daisy May was caught; they carried her back to Schuler's farm, where a barn will be her new home. 'I was completely shocked to get the call, I didn't think it was true. We're excited she's home, healthy and safe .... I'm pretty sure my mother slept with her in the barn last night,' she said, chuckling. She said Daisy May seemed tired but overall in good health, although the circumstances of her return feel suspicious. If someone did drop her on the street, they made sure to do it away from any cameras, she said. Still, there is no evidence to confirm she was taken, Schuler added. 'We still believe she was stolen because her fur was dry even though it was raining all weekend, and there was no brush in her fur even though she likely would have been in the woods,' Schuler said. 'It's suspicious that suddenly, she's right down the street despite our search parties and even a drone search.' Schuler said she is grateful to those who helped spread the word and search the area. Daisy May will now be under video surveillance and lock and key in the barn, she said, adding that those measures will also double as coyote protection now that the calf won't be with her miniature donkey neighbor. Cappetto said anyone with information or tips can contact the Pierce County Sheriff's Office non-emergency number at 253-287-4455.
