Latest news with #Thompkins
CBS News
06-03-2025
- General
- CBS News
With egg prices continuing to sky rocket, could Pittsburgh's "Rent The Chicken" ease the pain?
There has been so much talk about eggs, shortages, and rising costs not just in Pittsburgh but across the United States. So, what about having a couple of chickens in your own backyard? Not only that, how about renting them rather than making the full Farmer Brown commitment? It's kind of like sampling the chicken farmer's life - two hens for six months and here come the eggs, one squawk at a time. KDKA-TV first met the fine folks from Rent The Chicken about three years ago, but they weren't taking off, not like today. "We are clocking along," said Jen Thompkins, the owner. "We have our phones ringing like mad and our online inquiries are filling up quickly." They've been placing 70-to-80 coops of two in the Pittsburgh area for several years and without question.... "We will run out of chickens for this season, 2025," Thompkins said. "Our hens lay about a dozen eggs a week, four hens lay about two dozen eggs a week." So, if you're one of the many, and you likely are, struggling with the cost of eggs, what would it take to "Rent The Chicken?" "Move the coop once a day, provide allotted amount of feed, make sure they have fresh water, and then later in the day, collect the eggs," Thompkins explained. It also means you don't have to worry about the supply inside your local grocery store, you can just walk outside, get a couple of eggs, and you're all set. Thompkins also said that renters, especially children, become attached to their chickens. "They give them names, give them treats and table scraps, those kinds of things," she said. She also said that the chickens are real homebodies who won't wander off. "They're very food persuaded," she explained. "Similar to my husband, so if you shake a bag of treats and the chickens come running, they're not going to venture off very far." Now, the big question: what does it cost? "Our rental package starts with two hands a coup that fits two hands for the Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh area at about $500," she said. "That includes delivery and pickup within our free delivery area, which is likely most of Pittsburgh." Before renting the chicken, of course, check with your municipality to see if they are allowed. However, the savings might not be as much as you might think. Running the quick math, $500 for 26 weeks and a dozen eggs per week, that comes to about $60/egg, which is more than the price at the grocery store. Finally, Jen said there is a difference in quality. She said they are richer and make recipes fluffier and when you crack a fresh egg in a pan, it stays together rather than running across the pan like a store-bought egg. They'll begin delivering the coops in April and you can also check them out at the Home and Garden Show this weekend.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Black History Month: Overturning Oklahoma's Jim Crow laws
VINITA, Okla. – Just weeks after Oklahoma became the nation's 46th state in 1907, the Oklahoma Senate passed its first law — a Jim Crow law—calling for mandatory segregation between races in train cars. Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that legalized racial segregation. These laws existed after the Civil War and lasted until 1968. They primarily denied African Americans many rights, including voting, employment, education, and other opportunities, and those who disobeyed the laws were fined, arrested, and sometimes killed. The first 'Jim Crow' Oklahoma law provided for the separation of '…coaches or compartments' and provided 'accommodation of the white and negro races, which separate coaches or cars shall be equal in all points of comfort and convenience.' Around 540 railroad depots had to be altered to fit the new separate waiting room requirement, and new coaches also had to be added to the lines. The penalty for disobeying ranged from $100 to $1,000 for any company failing to provide separate facilities, and passengers were charged with a misdemeanor and fined $5 to $25. If a conductor failed to enforce the law, they could be fined $50 to $500. Click here to view a history of Oklahoma's Jim Crow laws. On a train ride from Kansas City to McAlester on Dec. 31, 1910, Dr. William J. Thompkins, the son of a former slave, refused to leave his Pullman Car after he learned that the MKT Railroad, also known as the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad, did not have equal train accommodations. Thompkins had a background in medicine, newspaper publishing, and civil service—he was also a forerunner of a legal battle that lasted another 50 years. Thompkins, the founder of the first U.S. hospital staffed entirely by African Americans in Kansas City, boarded a train from Kansas City to McAlester at 1 a.m. on December 31, 1910. He was to arrive in McAlester to operate on a patient. After crossing into Oklahoma, the train's conductor asked Thompkins if he was Black, to which the physician answered yes. The conductor advised Thompkins he was violating Oklahoma law by riding in this White-Only Pullman car. Thompkins asked if there was a Black-Only Pullman car, and when informed there wasn't, he refused to stay in the all-black car because of substandard conditions, according to published reports and a federal lawsuit. 'The 'Jim Crow' car afforded nothing except straight back seats,' according to a Kansas City Times Dec. 2, 1911 article. Pullman Companies and MKT Railroad forced Thompkins to leave the train and remain at Vinita until the next train bound for McAlester came along, paying a $3.81 fare. When Thompkins would not leave the train, Jake Smith, the deputy sheriff, and several Vinita city officers forcibly removed him from the train and brought him before a Justice of the Peace, who, according to published reports, fined him $15. But…court records indicate he was forced to pay a $13 fine. Thompkins filed a federal lawsuit in 1911, seeking $50,000 each from MKT Railroad and Pullman Company. According to a Dec. 2, 1911 story in the Kansas City Times, the jury deliberated for three hours before returning a verdict in favor of MKT Railroad and Pullman Company. The article reports Thompkins's intention of bringing the lawsuit was 'to improve the railroad accommodations offered the negroes in Oklahoma.' 'On the first ballot, the jury voted 10 to 2 in favor of the railroads. One juryman wanted to give the doctor a verdict for the $3 paid for the Pullman ticket, ' the article states. According to the Kansas City Star, Dec. 1, 1911 story, 'the attention of the jury was called to a statement in the [jury] instructions the plaintiff was a man of unusual intelligence and attainments, and that in the trial of the case he had shown no evidence of possessing a violent or disturbing disposition.' Judge Van Valkenburg instructed the jurors that 'the superior courts had held that a state 'Jim Crow' law did not apply to interstate passenger traffic, but that a railroad company had the right to establish methods of separating blacks from whites, provided negro holders of first-class tickets were given accommodations equal to those of white passengers,' the article states. In the Kansas City Times story, Thompkins reportedly said after the verdict, 'It's a fight for principle,' and 'I do not object to the Jim Crow cars if they were at all respectable.' 'I abhor the idea of social equality, but I simply ask for a square deal for the colored people. I have ridden in the 'Jim Crow' cars in Oklahoma, and they are far inferior to those furnished for the whites.' The verdict was appealed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. On Jan. 28, 1914, the court affirmed the Kansas City District Court's decision not to award Thompkins damages. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, which legally ended the segregation that Jim Crow laws had institutionalized. In 1965, the Oklahoma Legislature repealed all segregation statutes for public transportation. General Surgery Howard University Medical School, 1905 First Black Superintendent of General Hospital No. 2, 1914 Appointed Assistant of Hygiene and Communicable Diseases Newspaper editor, Kansas City American, President of Midwest Life Insurance Company President of the National Colored Democratic Association Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Chevy Says Corvette ZR1 Still On Track, Despite Customer Concerns
The Chevrolet faithful have been excited at the potential performance of a C8 Corvette ZR1 for years — even before the car was publicly announced. That excitement surely didn't lessen when we learned the sports car would arrive with 1064 hp, and only grew after the car started popping off lap records left and right. Yet with production of the mid-engine monster slated to start soon, some buyers are seeing their excitement wane over an alleged issue with the supercar slayer's carbon fiber aero package. There's a history here: General Motors hasn't had the most successful experience with C8 Corvettes and carbon fiber hardware. Back in 2020, Stingray buyers were frustrated to learn that the visible carbon ground effects option was being axed for the entire first model year. Similar visual carbon packages were an inconsistent issue for the Z06 and E-Ray up through last year. Unfortunately, fans allege the issue isn't totally solved yet as we approach the ZR1's start of production. That's a mite problematic, as the carbon fiber High Wing Package is fundamental to the ZR1's on-track capabilities. The potential issues were first raised by the dedicated folks over at the Mid Engine Corvette Forum. Last week, a number of customers were notified that their order status had changed within GM's internal system to Status 3000, which denotes a car that has been accepted for production. This led to customers being contacted by the National Corvette Museum with details related to the optional special delivery program, as well as general dealer check-ins on the status of the cars. A number of customers went to the forum to spread word about the potential aero hangups, as dealers had informed them that the parts were constrained. There was understandable outcry from fans, with some forum users even claiming that they'd forgo their order without the aero package available. Within a few days, however, all of those cars were placed back on Status 2000, code for when GM has accepted an order, but hasn't approved it for production just yet. Chevrolet spokesperson Trevor Thompkins claims that the status change was never intended to happen at that time, which is responsible for some of the confusion. 'There's definitely a lot of excitement and anticipation around this carbon aero package in general,' Thompkins told R&T. 'So we're doing everything that we can to be ready for start of production so that we can meet customer demands for it." "And I know you're seeing some things out about the dealer order submission process and things like that. You know where the cars are at right now, at [status] 2000, that's where they're supposed to be. You may have seen some things about them jumping to [status] 3000 and coming back down. That was a glitch, essentially, in our system. So orders are where they're supposed to be. We have not started production, that's the most important part, but we're still on track for Q2, which is what we've been saying.' Thanks to the team at CorvetteBlogger, we also know that GM at one point was targeting ZR1 production weeks in Bowling Green to start as of April 28. Following the status change back to 2000, the timeline was rolled back. The site's sources claim GM is delaying the start of production in an attempt to source more high wing, to meet customer demand. 'We keep our dealers up to date as best we can, and once there's additional updates and we're ready to start producing then, of course, our dealers will be the first to know, and they'll be able to work it through with their customers,' said Thompkins. 'But that'll come, in time, when we're ready to move toward that next step.' For now, Chevrolet's official position is that everything is still on track with the ZR1. Here's hoping that the carbon fiber situation is something the team behind the Corvette can work out once and for all. In the meantime, if you happen to have a ZR1 order on the books, we'd love to hear how your experience has been, so feel free to reach out to us at pitches@ or leave a comment below. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Yahoo
Man who fled Youngstown police in November sentenced to probation
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — A 19-year-old man who has spent 107 days in jail after leading police on a chase in November was sentenced Wednesday to two years probation. Read next: Amazon driver heard fatal shooting, prosecutors say during Youngstown murder trial Seandale Thompkins, of Youngstown, received the sentence from Judge Anthony Donofrio in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court after he pleaded guilty to charges of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony; and obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor. The sentence was recommended by the attorneys in the case. Judge Donofrio went along with their recommendation. Thompkins was arrested after police Nov. 12 tried to pull over a Jeep he was driving that was reported stolen and spotted on the city's Flock camera system on Albert Street. The officers tried to pull the SUV over, but the driver refused to stop and led police on a chase through several East Side streets at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour before driving into Campbell, according to the report. Police then called off the chase. The SUV was found abandoned later at Park and Richmond avenues, also on the East Side, and a drone was called in to look for the person who was driving. With help from the drone and a police dog, police were able to find the driver, later identified as Thompkins, in the woods in Lincoln Park by the old bridge, reports said. Thompkins was found hiding behind a tree and placed under arrest. Defense attorney Desirae Dipiero asked the judge to go along with the sentencing agreement. She said her client has no adult criminal record and he has already spent 107 days in the county jail. Judge Donofrio asked Thompkins if he enjoyed his time in the jail. Thompkins said no. Dipiero said she hopes his jail stay is a lesson he has learned to keep him out of further trouble. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Yahoo
Coraopolis police looking for missing woman who suffers from early onset dementia
The Coraopolis Police Department is asking for the public's help to find a missing woman who suffers from early onset dementia. Theresa Thompkins, 75, got on a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus on Jan. 25 and was going to McKees Rocks to shop. She has not been heard from since, police said. Thompkins is described as being 5 feet tall with blonde hair. She wears glasses with black frames. Anyone with information is asked to contact Coraopolis police at 412-264-3000. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
