FARGO — In the first overtime college football game North Dakota State has ever played in the Fargodome, the top-ranked Bison hung on for a 24-17 season-opening win over sixth-ranked Charleston Southern Saturday night in front of 18,881 Fargodome fans and a nationwide ESPN television audience.
Getting the ball first in the overtime, NDSU scored on its first play when King Frazier bounced off a tackle at the line of scrimmage and ran 25 yards for a touchdown.
Charleston Southern, getting its overtime turn at the 25-yard-line, failed to score when Jaylaan Wimbush broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone.
The Bison, the five-time defending national champions in FCS football, got all they could handle from Charleston Southern, which has 16 starters back from last year's playoff team.
Charleston Southern nearly ended the game in regulation but Jacob Smoak's 51-yard field goal attempt as time expired sailed just wide left of the uprights.
The Bison took a 17-10 lead with 10:34 remaining on RJ Urzendowski's 47-yard touchdown reception. But Charleston Southern tied it with 2:59 remaining on a Mike Holloway 6-yard touchdown run.
The Bison defense was playing without All-American linebacker Nick DeLuca since early in the second half. DeLuca left the game with an apparent shoulder injury.
After a 3-3 halftime tie, Charleston Southern scored right away to open the second half when Mike Holloway carried the ball twice for 69 yards—the last carry a 47-yard touchdown that gave the Buccaneers a 10-3 lead.
But NDSU responded on its next drive to score its first touchdown of the game. A 58-yard scoring drive was capped with Easton Stick's 23-yard touchdown pass to Darrius Shepherd to tie the score 10-10 with 10:02 remaining of the third quarter.
In the first half, both teams missed field goals until Jacob Smoak's 46-yard boot gave Charleston Southern a 3-0 lead with 9:51 left of the second quarter. NDSU's Cam Pederson booted a career-high 52-yard field goal that bounced off the crossbar to tie the score as time expired.
While the Bison offense generated only 132 yards of total offense in the first half, the defense limited Charleston Southern to 71 total yards.

Bison survive overtime thriller against Charleston Southern


From Kanye West's rant, to Britney's return and Beyonce's epic entrance and performance, here are photos from the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.
Lance Bass, left, and Robert Sepulveda Jr. arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Nicki Minaj, left, and Meek Mill arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Amber Rose arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
DJ Khaled, left, and Nicole Tuck arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Desiigner arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Beyonce, left, and her daughter Blue Ivy arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Farrah Abraham arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Contestants from "RuPaul's Drag Race" TV show arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Lance Bass wears a jacket with the slogan "Love Trumps Hate" as he arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Hailey Baldwin arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Nev Schulman, right, and Laura Perlongo arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Jeremy Scott, left, and Stella Maxwell arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Alicia Keys attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Beyonce (C) attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for MTV) Getty Images for MTV
Ariana Grande performs at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Rihanna, center, performs at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Ariana Grande, left, and Nicki Minaj perform at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Britney Spears performs onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
Michael Phelps, left, and Nicole Johnson arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Madison Kocian, Aly Raisman, Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez present Best Female Video onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Britney Spears and G Eazy perform onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Kanye West performs onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Beyonce accepts the Best Female Video award presented by Madison Kocian, Aly Raisman, and Simone Biles onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele perform onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Michael Phelps presents onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Rihanna performs onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Beyonce and mothers of gun violence attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for MTV) Getty Images for MTV
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Britney Spears performs onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
G-Eazy, and Britney Spears perform at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Jimmy Fallon presents the Video of the Year award during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Rihanna performs onstage during the 2016 MTV Music Video Awards at Madison Square Gareden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
Fifth Harmony and Ty Dolla $ign (C) accept the award for Best Collaboration during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards August 28, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Drake presents Rihanna with the The Video Vanguard Award during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Andrew Taggart of The Chainsmokers and Halsey perform onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Drake presents Rihanna with the The Video Vanguard Award during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Jimmy Fallon presents Beyonce with "Video of the Year" for "Formation" onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images

Drake: I’ve been in love with Rihanna since I was 22


Drake professed his love for rumoured
girlfriend Rihanna at the MTV Video
Music Awards on Sunday night.


JACUMBA, United States — An American border guard steps out of his vehicle onto a dusty desert road, seeking to chat with the strangers he sees milling about the mesquite bushes a few metres from Mexico.
His team catches a dozen migrants crossing here illegally each day, he says. A few dozen others slip through, he figures. Evidence lies in the sand, in the discarded bits of cloth desert-walkers placed under their shoes to hide their footprints.
The conversation turns to Donald Trump. He’s asked whether Trump’s proposed border wall would halt the flow of migrants crossing through California’s Yuha Desert. He doubts it. There’s already a wall across almost one-third of the border — people still get over.
“You’d need to get rid of all the ladders in Mexico,” he says.
“If you build a bigger wall, they build bigger ladders... They’ve got fine engineers in Mexico, I have no doubt.”
Trump is now wrestling with difficult realities for his immigration plan. Some are political. His new attempt to soften his message for a general-election audience risks fracturing his own base, which was largely built on his immigration stance.
Some involve practical questions: Does Trump plan to cut off U.S. access to the Rio Grande? A wall already covers part of the border; the rest is mostly river. Does he actually intend to deport 11 million people in the U.S. illegally? If so, what’s the plan to prevent the collapse of industries that rely on migrant labour? And, if not, does that mean breaking his pledge against granting legal amnesty?
A sombre monument nearby belies the idea of simple solutions here.
A cemetery of unmarked graves is filled with people who perished crossing the border. Thousands have died — their numbers grew the last time politicians tried fixing the border, during the Clinton administration in the 1990s.
A partial wall went up in the populated areas near San Diego and Tijuana by the ocean, built from old scraps of metal that belonged to the military. As steel sheets and poles rose in the west, migration routes moved east, toward new threats: the desert, the river, and the human smugglers.
Enrique Morones leads a group praying in the cemetery. They’re volunteers with his organization Border Angels, which deposits jugs of water in the desert to keep people from dehydrating or roasting to death in the scorching desert sun.
Migrants generally cross when it’s cooler, he says — especially at night. Yet accidents happen constantly. People get lost and disoriented. The water bottles run empty — sometimes vandals cut them.
“When we say, ’I’m dying of thirst,’ it’s just an expression. For them it’s real,” says Morones, who used to work in marketing for baseball’s San Diego Padres before turning to full-time work as an activist and public speaker.
“Every summer there’s more deaths because of that wall than in the entire history of the Berlin Wall.”
Hugo Castro is among the volunteers dropping water. He usually works in the fields — numerous crops grow in the valley near the Holtville cemetery, including cantaloupe, lettuce, watermelon and cabbage.
He said many workers go back to Mexico at night because they can’t afford lodging in California. He said many make $40-$50 for a 10-hour day in the field, head south, wake up before 2 a.m., and return in the morning: “They cross daily.”
He said many workers have legal papers to cross — himself included.
Many don’t.
The effect of undocumented labour extends all the way to Canada’s kitchen tables. Whether or not they’re aware of it, Canadians have a distant personal connection to the migrants who’ve become a major U.S. election issue.
In a literal sense, Canada eats the fruits of their labour. Dennis Nuxoll of the Western Growers farming association said of the 400,000 farm workers in California alone, the majority are believed to have falsified work documents.
They pick delicate crops that can’t be harvested by machine — especially grapes, tomatoes, strawberries and lettuce.
“If these workers disappeared tomorrow, we could not harvest many of the crops that Canadians consume,” Nuxoll said.
These workers are unnerved by the election.
The sound of a transistor radio crackles in the vineyards, in an elegant winery near Napa. The owner says staff have been listening to Spanish-language political radio lately, not music, while they work.
She admits she’s unsure whether they all have legitimate documents. There’s such a labour shortage in the area, she says, that she’s grateful for the workers she has: “I don’t know what we’d have to do if we had to hire.”
Trump’s immigration plan, meanwhile, is in flux. Where he once promised to deport all illegal migrants. he now says he would force them out — then allow an unspecified number back in, require them to pay back taxes, and grant legal status.
A shift in tone won’t mollify Morones.
“I don’t want anything to do with him,” he said of Trump. “He represents the worst of the American spirit, and in my eyes he’s not welcome here.”

'You’d need to get rid of all the ladders in Mexico'; Donald Trump’s border wall


An American border guard steps out of his vehicle onto a dusty desert road, seeking to chat with the strangers he sees milling about the mesquite bushes a few metres from Mexico.


The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday filed a lawsuit accusing Alabama county officials of violating a Christian woman's religious rights by forcing her to remove her headscarf before taking her driver's license photo.
Yvonne Allen, of Tuskegee, said a court clerk told her when she sought a license renewal last December that "only Muslim women have the right to cover their hair," according to the complaint filed with the federal court in Opelika, Alabama.
Allen described herself as a devout Christian woman whose faith compels her to cover her hair in public.
She said she agreed to remove her headscarf for the photo, believing she had no other choice, but felt ashamed and that she had been disobedient to God.
According to the complaint, Alabama considers head coverings in driver's license photos "only acceptable due to religious beliefs or medical conditions."
The complaint names as defendants Becky Frayer, the chief clerk of the Lee County Probate Judge's office, and Probate Judge Bill English, her supervisor.
Allen said Frayer has defended her office's policy, telling her that she was also a Christian but did not cover her hair.
Frayer and English did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit accused the defendants of violating Allen's religious freedom under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and also Alabama's state constitution.
It seeks a court order letting Allen have her photo retaken while she wears her headscarf, plus unspecified damages.
The case is Allen v English et al, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama, No. 16-00712.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Alan Crosby)

Christian woman told to remove headscarf for license: ACLU lawsuit


The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday filed a lawsuit accusing Alabama county officials of violating a Christian woman's religious rights by forcing her to remove her headscarf before taking her driver's license photo.


Black men, boys shot most by Chicago police
CHICAGO (AP) — After threatening to sue, the Chicago Tribune has obtained data from the city's police department that tracks every time an officer has opened fire in the city over the past six years. The vast majority of those hit were black men or boys.
There were 435 police shootings from 2010 through 2015, in which officers killed 92 people and wounded 170 others. In all, officers fired 2,623 bullets.
The newspaper's findings (http://trib.in/2bkSzNO ) show about four out of every five people shot were African-American males. It found that about half of the officers involved were African-American or Hispanic and most of them had years of experience and were not rookies.
The review also said the number of police shootings has declined over the period, from more than 100 in 2011 to 44 last year.
The city is making major changes to the department and various oversight bodies after the uproar over a 2014 shooting in which a white officer fired 16 bullets into a black teenager. Video of that fatal shooting, which was released upon a judge's order in November, contradicted officers' accounts that the teen lunged at them threateningly with a knife. The officer who fired those shots has been charged with first-degree murder.
Despite heightened scrutiny of the department and promises from the city of more transparency, the Tribune said it took seven months of arguing and the threat of a lawsuit to prod the city to release the data.
Most of the police shootings took place in South and West Side neighborhoods beset by gang violence and poverty. At least one of every five shootings involved plainclothes tactical officers charged with taking on gangs, the newspaper found.
Police union President Dean Angelo Sr. defended the department's record against accusations of racial bias.
"When you look at the map, 80 percent of narcotics arrests, gun arrests and gang arrests happen in these poor areas," he told the newspaper. "Where you've got dope, you've got guns. It's not about ethnicity — it's about criminal involvement."
He also said officers face split-second decisions about when to use lethal force to protect themselves.
But community activist Charles Jenkins told the Tribune he believes the race of those shot influences the investigations into the shootings.
"It's easier to believe, because they're black, that an officer was in fear of their life and get(s) off," he said.
___


CHICAGO (AP) — After threatening to sue, the Chicago Tribune has obtained data from the city's police department that tracks every time an officer has opened...


Black men, boys shot most by Chicago police


NEW YORK It could have been a scene straight out of a horror movie.
A woman who said she was selling crickets and worms on a crowded New York City subway car appeared to become frazzled by some teenagers and let the critters loose on riders, then urinated on herself, according to social media posts and news reports.
Riders on the subway train were locked in close quarters with the bugs for half an hour during rush hour on Wednesday evening after a passenger pulled the train's emergency brake while they were on the Manhattan Bridge.
Two days later, on Friday, a woman who identified herself as Zaida Pugh came forward, saying she staged the episode as a prank to raise awareness of how people treat the homeless. She said she is an actress and was not concerned about a backlash from inconvenienced commuters.
"Of course they'll be angry with me, but I guess I'm just doing me. I'm waking people up with my shows, my acts," she said by telephone.
The teenagers, whom she said were also acting, had pushed her as she offered the creepy-crawlies for sale, and knocked the container holding them into the air.
After the crickets were set free, some of them jumped on passengers, who apparently were not in on the prank.
"Never seen a crowd get so panicked so fast, everyone rushed to the other side of the train," one rider, Ezra Mechaber, wrote on Twitter. "Mass hysteria in a locked, enclosed space is something else."
Some people whipped out smartphones and began recording.
In one video posted online, the woman yelled, "Why'd you have to hit me?" and "My crickets!"
In another, the woman is seen screaming uncontrollably as riders tried to console her.
The D train, which connects the boroughs of the Bronx with Brooklyn via Manhattan, was stopped on the bridge spanning the East River. After it began moving again, police officers met the train at the next station.
No one was injured and a New York Police Department spokeswoman said on Friday that they took the woman to a hospital for psychiatric observation. Police had received no complaints about the episode being a prank, the spokeswoman said.
(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Andrew Hay)

Panic on NY subway train as crickets, worms let loose in apparent prank


It could have been a scene straight out of a horror movie.


Tim Scott, a resident at Viking Towers, inspects his car for damage after flooding in the parking lot. Scott has only owned the car for two weeks, and was awarded it through the Douglas County Car Care program. (Beth Leipholtz | Forum News Service)
ALEXANDRIA, Minn. -- The rain came quickly Monday morning, flooding low-lying areas, but didn’t cause any serious damage as it moved through Douglas County in central Minnesota.
“We had a few trees down, and some roads had water over top of them but the water receded fairly quickly,” said Troy Wolbersen, Douglas County sheriff and Emergency Management director. “As far as reports we received, it was nothing too serious.”
Though serious damage was minimal, the heavy rainfall did flood parking lots and prompted a flash flood warning for southern Douglas County.
According to the National Weather Service, rainfall rates of 3 inches per hour were observed in Alexandria, with 2 to 4 inches of rain falling in 90 minutes. The rain ended about 7 a.m. Monday.
As mid-morning rolled around, residents in Alexandria were out assessing the extent of the flooding.
Part of Ninth Avenue next to Legion Park was blocked to through traffic due to standing water. Also next to Legion Park, the parking lot of Viking Towers was hit particularly hard, as water from surrounding blocks tends to drain into the lower area.
Tim Scott, a 13-year resident of the apartment building, spent part of the morning surveying the damage to his vehicle. Though the vehicle was not running, a few of the lights were on, indicating that the electrical system sustained water damage.
“I just saw my car this morning when I woke up and went down here to check it out,” he said. “There’s not much I can do at this time, until the water goes down.”
The partially-submerged vehicle has only been Scott’s for two weeks, and he was awarded it through the Douglas County Car Care Program, which assists individuals in Douglas County with transportation needs by providing a donated vehicle or repairing an existing vehicle.
“I just hope all the other cars are OK,” Scott said. “I hope mine is OK.”
According to Scott, the same lot flooded about 12 years ago and his vehicle suffered substantial damage, never running the same again.
The hope is that the storm drain construction taking place on the west side of Broadway helps to avoid this type of flooding in the future.
As for the other construction projects in town, the heavy rain won’t have much of an impact on the 50th Avenue/Interstate 94 work going on in south Alexandria, according to Jeremiah Moerke, public affairs coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. It would have if it would have happened when crews were ripping up 50th Avenue and the ramps, but they are now focusing on replacing the bridge.
Moerke added that the rain led to some cleanup work but it will not impact the project’s timeline.
While the storm was strong in rain, lightning was also nearly constant and reportedly a strike caused a fire on the south side of Lake Reno in Lowry.

Heavy storms lead to flash flooding in central Minn.


A couple accused of having an American Bulldog, said to have been dangerously out of control and which bit a police officer on the leg in Fleetwood, have been given a date for their trial.
Mitchell Flackett, 29, of Lawson Road, Blackpool, and Rebecca Smith, 22, of Tarn Road, Thornton, pleaded not guilty to being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control outside an address in the port’s Arden Green and injur- ing a police officer on May 18.
Flackett further denied being in charge of the dog when it was said to be dangerously out of control in the front garden of an address in the port’s Hamlet Road.
The defendants had their case adjourned to November 21 for trial, by District Judge Jeff Brailsford, sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.
• A man accused of robbing another man of possessions including a distinctive Harley Davidson gold ring has made his first appearance at court.
Andrew Mee, 25, of Rossall Road, Cleveleys, is charged with robbery – taking the man’s ring, mobile phone and wallet on March 12.
He is also accused of causing £450 of damage to the front door of Sherratts jewellers, Victoria Road West, Cleveleys.
Pam Smith, prosecuting, asked for the case to be heard at crown court.
Mee was bailed to appear at Preston Crown Court on September 28 by Blackpool magistrates.
He must not go within 100 metres of The Venue, North Promenade, Cleveleys, and not within 20 metres of Sherratts jewellers as conditions of his bail.
• A woman headbutted her female partner in the face causing her nose to bleed as they grappled over a phone.
Maria Dell, 46, of North Church Street, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to assault.
Chrissie Hunt, prosecuting,said Dell, who had been drinking all day, argued with her partner on August 10 at 5.45pm.
Dell agreed to pack her bags and leave, but there was then a squabble over a phone during which the defendant headbutted her partner.
When interviewed by police Dell told officers she had a long-standing alcohol problem and that there was an element of self-defence on her part during the incident.
Patrick Nelligan, defending, said the relationship was now over as far as Dell was concerned. She was now trying to stay teetotal.
Dell was sentenced to a 12-month community order with up to 10 days’ rehabilitation to be supervised by the probation service, put on a residence order to live at her given address for 28 days and ordered to pay £150 compensation to her victim by District Judge Jeff Brailsford sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.
• Police discovered almost a quarter of a million pounds worth of cannabis at a fish merchants premises in Fleetwood, a judge was told.
Fish deliverer, Stephen Dell, had allowed the building to be used for growing and storing cannabis because he was in debt.
Dell was engaged to the daughter of the owner of Marshall’s fish merchants and his innocent father-in-law-to-be ended up being arrested for the defendant’s crime.
Dell, 34, of Waverley Avenue, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the management of the port’s B and R buildings and permitting the production of a class B drug there on December 1 last year.
Martine Connah, prosecuting, said Dell had been a casual employee at Marshall’s delivering fish.
The buildings were leased and Dell had allowed two men to use a section of the building he had used as a gym.
The prosecutor said: “Police found 275 established plants and a significant amount of cannabis bush which had been vacuum packed.
“The total value of the drugs was £242,270.”
When interviewed, Dell told police he had been about £2,000 in debt to two men he did not identify.
He did not want them going round to his parents so he allowed them to use part of the fish storage building and gave them a key.
He said he was told letting them use the building would cancel out his debt and that he had an idea of what was going on there.
He had a previous conviction from 2012 for possessing class B drugs with intent to supply them.
Gerry Coyle, defending, said that Dell’s innocent father-in-law had been arrested after the cannabis was discovered.
Dell had voluntarily gone to police and told them what he had done and thankfully his father-to-be was exonerated.
Dell was bailed for sentence on September 21 at Preston Crown Court by District Judge Joanne Hirst who said: “An operation of this scale with an extremely high value of drugs recovered should be sentenced at crown court.”
• A plumber was spoken to by police after officers became concerned about the manner of his driving,
Martin Prestedge, 37, of Redeswood Avenue, Cleveleys, pleaded guilty to driving without insurance.
He was fined £250 with £85 costs and ordered to pay £30 victims’ surcharge by District Judge Joanne Hirst sitting at Blackpool Magistrates Court.
Martine Connah, prosecuting, said police went to the address of the registered keeper of a Ford Mondeo on July 12 about midnight, after officers became concerned about the way the vehicle was driven on Norbreck Drive.
Prestedge admitted he had been driving the car.
Prestedge told the judge that it was his partner’s vehicle and he had believed he was on the insurance policy to drive it.
After being arrested he had lost his van and job.


Visit now for the latest Blackpool crime news - direct from The Gazette


A presidential candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the White House. Most states predictably vote red or blue, but a small handful swing either way and make up the main election battlegrounds. What does it take to win the presidency?

Campaign 2016 updates: Donald Trump insists that on Day 1 he'll deport criminals in the country illegally


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Yorkshire's latest Radio 1 stars The Sherlocks had a muddy great time at Leeds Festival - they drew a crowd of more than 6,000 fans then camped out with them.
The Sheffield indie four piece turned down a five star hotel and proved they are a real band of the people.
After packing out the Festival Republic stage they decided to pitched a tent in one of the muddy camp sites.
360 PHOTO: Take a look around the muddy camp site where hundreds of music fans also pitched their tents at Leeds Festival - CLICK HERE.
Frontan Kiaran Crook, aged 20, revealed: "We played our set then decided to camp through the night. We had an option to go into a five star hotel, with a jacuzzi and everything, but we decided to camp.
"We just love it."
He then joked: "We ended up camping next to the Red Hot Chili Peppers- I could hear Anthony snoring.
"But no, seriously, we love it. We love a bit of mud. We just thought, we might as well have the full festival experience."
Melvin Benn, Reading and Leeds Festival boss, said: "I didn't know The Sherlocks went and pitched up in the camp site. It doesn't surprise me. It's what my kids do. They want to be in the public camp site. Anybody who thinks the VIP area is the place to be, I can tell you it's a bit more boring."
Other Yorkshire bands who played at Leeds over the weekend included Sheffield's The Wired and Liberty Ship, Leeds band Dusk, Fighting Caravans, York based Faux Pas and many more.
The Sherlocks played to over 6,000 people then camped out with fans in muddy fields at Leeds Festival.
The Sherlocks, also featuring Kiaran's brother, drummer Brandon, 23, guitarist Josh Davidson, 22, and his brother and bassist Andy, 17, recently played the biggest music festival in the world, SXSW in Austin, Texas.
They also played at Reading Festival at the weekend but said Leeds, their Yorkshire homecoming, was the highlight of their year.
Kiaran added: "Leeds Festival is really important to us. It's given us a chance to pick up new fans. We had a blast. The tent was packed. It exceeded what we thought it would be.We're going on tour next month, starting in Brighton and finishing in Stockton, with a sold out gig in Leeds.
"It would be nice to do the NME/Radio 1 stage next year, I think that's where we are heading."
Brandon added: "We are at home when playing Leeds festival. Now we need to get an album out while we've got momentum behind us."
The Sherlocks at Leeds Festival
The Sherlocks, who will record their debut album later this year, begin a 16-date UK headline tour later this week, including a sold out show at The Wardrobe in Leeds, on Tuesday, September 20.
For full dates and tickets visit thesherlocksmusic.co.uk
The Sherlocks on stage at Leeds Festival

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Leeds Festival stars The Sherlocks camp in mud with fans


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Yorkshire's latest Radio 1 stars The Sherlocks had a muddy great time at Leeds Festival - they drew a crowd of more than 6,000 fans then camped out with them.
The Sheffield indie four piece turned down a five star hotel and proved they are a real band of the people.
After packing out the Festival Republic stage they decided to pitched a tent in one of the muddy camp sites.
Frontan Kiaran Crook, aged 20, revealed: "We played our set then decided to camp through the night. We had an option to go into a five star hotel, with a jacuzzi and everything, but we decided to camp.
"We just love it."
He then joked: "We ended up camping next to the Red Hot Chili Peppers- I could hear Anthony snoring.
"But no, seriously, we love it. We love a bit of mud. We just thought, we might as well have the full festival experience."
Melvin Benn, Reading and Leeds Festival boss, said: "I didn't know The Sherlocks went and pitched up in the camp site. It doesn't surprise me. It's what my kids do. They want to be in the public camp site. Anybody who thinks the VIP area is the place to be, I can tell you it's a bit more boring."
Other Yorkshire bands who played at Leeds over the weekend included Sheffield's The Wired, Liberty Ship, Bang Bang Romeo, Leeds band Dusk, Fighting Caravans, York based Faux Pas and many more.
The Sherlocks, also featuring Kiaran's brother, drummer Brandon, 23, guitarist Josh Davidson, 22, and his brother and bassist Andy, 17, recently played the biggest music festival in the world, SXSW in Austin, Texas.
The Sherlocks played to over 6,000 people then camped out with fans in muddy fields at Leeds Festival.
They also played at Reading Festival at the weekend but said Leeds, their Yorkshire homecoming, was the highlight of their year.
Kiaran added: "Leeds Festival is really important to us. It's given us a chance to pick up new fans. We had a blast. The tent was packed. It exceeded what we thought it would be.We're going on tour next month, starting in Brighton and finishing in Stockton, with a sold out gig in Leeds.
"It would be nice to do the NME/Radio 1 stage next year, I think that's where we are heading."
Brandon added: "We are at home when playing Leeds festival. Now we need to get an album out while we've got momentum behind us."
The Sherlocks, who will record their debut album later this year, begin a 16-date UK headline tour later this week, including a sold out show at The Wardrobe in Leeds, on Tuesday, September 20.
The Sherlocks at Leeds Festival
For full dates and tickets visit thesherlocksmusic.co.uk
The Sherlocks on stage at Leeds Festival

VIDEO: Sheffield's The Sherlocks camp in mud with fans after wowing Leeds Festival


(CNN) Mourners planned a "heavenly birthday" memorial Sunday for Victoria Martens, the 10-year-old New Mexico girl who Albuquerque police say was raped by her mother's boyfriend and then killed while her mother watched.
More than 2,000 people said on Facebook that they planned to attend the gathering at an Albuquerque park for the girl that supporters called "Princess Victoria ."
Her dismembered body was found wrapped in a burning blanket and stuffed in a bathtub Wednesday, a day after her 10th birthday.
A Facebook page set up for the memorial service said the city's mayor was expected to speak at Sunday's event. Mourners were asked to wear purple, Victoria's favorite color.
"This sweet angel was looking forward to celebrating her birthday," the Facebook page said. "So that's what we're going to do! Join us at Mariposa Park for a birthday party fit for a princess. Please bring bubbles that we will be sending to Heaven."
Three suspects
Albuquerque police have identified three suspects in the killing: Victoria's mother, Michelle Martens; her mother's boyfriend, Fabian Gonzales; and Gonzales' cousin, Jessica Kelley.
Martens was charged in court Thursday with kidnapping and child abuse resulting in death. Gonzales faces the same charges as well as child rape.
Kelley, who had been hospitalized with a foot injury, appeared in court Saturday. She was charged with kidnapping, child abuse resulting in death and child rape.
During Kelley's court appearance, Judge Chris Schultz said "the crimes ... display a depth of depravity that is unfathomable to me."
During a vigil held Thursday held by family and friends, a mourner said Victoria will always be remembered by her smile.
Michelle Martens was charged in court Thursday with kidnapping and child abuse resulting in death.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by CNN, police arrived at Martens' smoke-filled apartment to find Martens and Gonzales with minor injuries. Kelley injured her foot when she jumped off the apartment balcony trying to flee, police said.
Officers discovered Victoria's body in a bathtub, partially wrapped in the burning blanket, the police complaint said.
The child had no pulse, her left leg was nearly severed and both her arms were missing, according to the document. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
A horrific crime
The document alleges horrific details that led up to the killing.
Martens told police her daughter was given methamphetamine "to calm her down" and that Gonzales had sex with the girl, according to the complaint.
Martens told police Gonzales choked her daughter to death. But Gonzales denied any involvement in the killing, telling police it was Kelley, who he identified as his cousin, who stabbed and dismembered Victoria.
Kelley "held her hand over" Victoria's mouth as Gonzales "committed the sexual act" while Martens watched, the complaint said. According to the document, "Michelle stated she watched this ... happen for sexual gratification."
Kelley had been released from prison four days earlier and was staying with Martens at the time, Martens told police. Police said Gonzales told them he and Martens met online and had been dating for about a month.
CNN affiliate KOAT reported that both Kelley and Gonzales have extensive criminal records. All three suspects were being held on $1 million bond.
'I never thought she would hurt a child'
Gary Mitchell, an attorney representing Martens, said he hasn't met with her and plans to do so this week. In a statement emailed to CNN, Mitchell accused prosecutors of trying the case in the press.
"Until we can get control of that," the statement said, "all of the important factors which are necessary to make a learned decision will not be available to us. Time, hopefully, will allow us to obtain that information and at the appropriate time, which generally is in a trial, all sides can be heard."
Attorney Tom Clark told CNN he represents Gonzales and will meet with his client later this week. An attorney for Jessica Kelley did not return calls from CNN.
Kelley's grandfather told KOAT he hadn't seen her for three years, since they attended church together.
"I never thought that she'd be able to do anything like that," he said. "I never thought she would hurt a child. All I know is that she had a good childhood. She was raised in church," said the grandfather, who asked not to be identified. He said the family has cut ties with Kelley.

Birthday memorial for raped, murdered New Mexico girl


Mourners plan "heavenly birthday" memorial Sunday for Victoria Martens, the 10-year-old New Mexico girl who police say was raped, killed and murdered.


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POLITICIANS may consider a “blanket ban” on wild camping in certain areas, following a concerted campaign by a grandmother Sue Band.
She was so appalled on a recent day out that she has written to local councillors and MSPs questioning whether new legislation should be considered.
Ministers are now considering a blanket ban
“It was a lovely day here so we took our canoes to Loch Tummel for a paddle up the loch, which is something we have done once or twice a year over the past 35 years or so,” said Sue, of Murthly, Perthshire.
“Back then it was easy to find a bonnie place to have a picnic, launch the canoes and even swim if it was warm enough. Over the years all that has changed.
“In a lovely little bay, we found dozens of beer bottles. Altogether, from just a couple of small sites on the lochside, we collected 41 glass bottles, a large polypropylene ground sheet, a sodden pair of men’s leather boots, frying pan and a saucepan.
“We could do nothing about the piles of broken glass, the burned out tent, the remains of bonfires under the trees and the damage to the trees themselves.
“I know this problem is not restricted to Loch Tummel, and many other lochs with roads beside them are similarly affected. What does it say to our valued tourists?
READ MORE: How Scotland has been sold to tourists for more than 200 years
“But what really upsets me is that I can never now take my grandchildren to play in the bay where their father, when he was a little boy, learned to paddle a canoe and where we used to swim and enjoy the environment.
“Who knows how much broken glass and other unmentionable items are on the bed of the loch and around the lochside?”
She said most people would never dream of “desecrating the countryside in this way” and suggested a number of ways the issue could be tackled.
“Consider a blanket ban on wild camping within, say, a mile of any road or track on which you can drive, as in many other European countries — but that seriously interferes with our much-valued freedom to roam and disadvantages anyone who is unable to walk far, but who nevertheless wishes to enjoy our wonderful natural environment,” she said.
“Pay for many more countryside rangers and make sure that they are backed by legal powers strong enough that perpetrators, once they are caught, can be made to take responsibility for their actions.”
Mrs Band said parking places along the lochside could be blocked with boulders, but conceded that prevents responsible tourists from having access.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scotland’s North Coast 500 road trip
Murdo Fraser MSP, one of those contacted by Mrs Band, said: “There have been issues with a minority of irresponsible wild campers around Highland Perthshire lochs in recent years, which the authorities have tried to tackle through a combination of police and ranger activity.
“Anyone visiting the great Scottish outdoors has a responsibility to ensure that they leave it exactly how they find it.
“Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park has had issues in recent years with wild campers and this has led to outright bans in certain areas. Whilst this must be a last resort, we must ensure that people visiting the great outdoors are well-informed as to their responsibilities, and the action they can face if they behave irresponsibly. “

Blanket ban on wild camping considered after campaign


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HAMLIN, W.Va. — Now that’s starting your season in style.
The Point Pleasant football team rolled to its state-best 34th consecutive regular season victory on Friday night, defeating host Lincoln County by a 44-6 margin in the season opener for both teams.
The Big Blacks (1-0) got things going earlier, as sophomore signal caller Cason Payne connected with Jason Wamsley for a 21-yard scoring pass, at the 9:35 mark of the first quarter. PPHS senior Jason Schultz knocked home the point after attempt and gave the guests a 7-0 advantage.
Lincoln County (0-1) answered right back, however, as a defensive mishap let LCHS quarterback Jake Ashley connect with Nate Spencer for a 75-yard touchdown, with 8:43 left in the first. The Panthers failed to tie the game up, however, as the point after kick failed.
The Big Blacks gained some breathing room with 3:49 left in the first quarter, when sophomore Josh Wamsley found paydirt with a three-yard run. Schultz added the point after, making Point Pleasant’s lead 14-6.
PPHS expanded its lead to 11 with 8:54 remaining in the first half, as Schultz connected on a 27-yard field goal.
Point Pleasant added seven more points with 1:48 left in the half, as senior Grant Safford ran into the endzone from nine-yards out and Schultz followed with a successful extra-point kick. Point Pleasant’s lead on the scoreboard was 24-6 at halftime.
PPHS was held scoreless for the better part of the third period, but with 1:31 remaining in the canto, Safford scored his second touchdown of the night, this time on a five-yard run. Schultz knocked home the point after kick and the Big Blacks led 31-6 through three quarters.
Point Pleasant scored two more touchdowns in the final quarter, starting with a two-yard run by Payne at the 11:24 mark. Big Blacks’ junior Justin Brumfield got in on the action with 4:41 to go, scoring on a one-yard run. Schultz hit 1-of-2 extra points in the fourth quarter, capping off Point Pleasant’s 44-6 victory.
Point Pleasant outgained the Panthers 491-to-117 in total offense, while holding a 25-to-5 advantage in first downs.
Safford carried the bulk of the load for the PPHS offense, which in total had 418 rushing yards on 50 attempts. Safford had 24 of those carries, gaining 167 yards to go with two touchdowns.
Payne — who was 5-of-14 passing for 73 yards and one score — proved to be a dangerous runner as well, rushing for 111 yards and one score on 12 attempts.
Sheb Harris, a PPHS senior, gained 104 yards on six carries, while Brumfield added 34 yards and a score on six carries of his own. Josh Wamsley had one carry for a three-yard score, while Jared Icenhower ran one time and lost one yard.
Josh Wamsley was the leading pass catcher for PPHS, hauling in two passes for 42 yards. Jason Wamsley had one catch for 21 yards and a touchdown, while Keshawn Stover and Dakota Booth each had one reception for five yards.
Point Pleasant’s offense — which only punted once — wasn’t all smooth sailing, as the Big Blacks lost three fumbles on the night.
The Big Blacks defense was as dominant as ever, backing the Panthers up 11 yards on 17 total rushing attempts. Payne picked off a pass for the PPHS defense, while Zach Wamsley and Brian Gillispie each recovered a fumble. In all, Point Pleasant forced four turnovers, while making LCHS punt six times in the game.
Andrew Roach marked one sack for the PPHS defense, while Tucker Mayes and Joe Clark combined for another sack. Mayes, Colton Carr and Alec Smith each were part of a blocked punt for Point Pleasant’s defense, as well.
Ashley completed 8-of-16 passes for the Panthers, recording 128 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Spencer led the LCHS pass catchers with 86 yards and one touchdown on two receptions. Cory Rusk caught two passes for 32 yards, while Darrell Dirickson led the LCHS rushing attack with eight yards on three attempts.
The Big Blacks were penalized nine times for a total of 65 yards, while LCHS had five penalties totalling 32 yards.
Point Pleasant has now won six consecutive season openers, with the last four coming over Lincoln County.
The Big Blacks will go for their 19th consecutive road win next Friday, as they visit Ripley in the Battle for the Oaken Bucket. The Vikings are coming off a 14-7 victory at Parkersburg South.
LCHS hosts Roane County next Friday, as the Panthers look to bounce back from this loss. RCHS defeated South Point 42-22 on Friday.
Alex Hawley can be reached at 740-446-2342, ext. 2100.
Point Pleasant head coach Dave Darst speaks to his team after the final game of the Big Blacks’ 2015 season, at OVB Track and Field. http://mydailysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_8.27-PP-Darst.jpg Point Pleasant head coach Dave Darst speaks to his team after the final game of the Big Blacks’ 2015 season, at OVB Track and Field. Alex Hawley/OVP Sports


HAMLIN, W.Va. — Now that’s starting your season in style.
The Point Pleasant football team rolled to its state-best 34th consecutive regular season victory on Friday night, defeating host Lincoln County by a 44-6 margin in the season opener for both teams.
The Big Blacks (1-0) got things going earlier, as sophomore signal caller Cason Payne connected with Jason Wamsley for a 21-yard scoring pass, at the 9:35 mark of the first quarter. PPHS senior Jason Schultz knocked home the point after attempt and gave the guests a 7-0 advantage.
Lincoln County (0-1) answered right back, however, as a defensive mishap let LCHS quarterback Jake Ashley connect with Nate Spencer for a 75-yard touchdown, with 8:43 left in the first. The Panthers failed to tie the game up, however, as the point after kick failed.
The Big Blacks gained some breathing room with 3:49 left in the first quarter, when sophomore Josh Wamsley found paydirt with a three-yard run. Schultz added the point after, making Point Pleasant’s lead 14-6.
PPHS expanded its lead to 11 with 8:54 remaining in the first half, as Schultz connected on a 27-yard field goal.
Point Pleasant added seven more points with 1:48 left in the half, as senior Grant Safford ran into the endzone from nine-yards out and Schultz followed with a successful extra-point kick. Point Pleasant’s lead on the scoreboard was 24-6 at halftime.
PPHS was held scoreless for the better part of the third period, but with 1:31 remaining in the canto, Safford scored his second touchdown of the night, this time on a five-yard run. Schultz knocked home the point after kick and the Big Blacks led 31-6 through three quarters.
Point Pleasant scored two more touchdowns in the final quarter, starting with a two-yard run by Payne at the 11:24 mark. Big Blacks’ junior Justin Brumfield got in on the action with 4:41 to go, scoring on a one-yard run. Schultz hit 1-of-2 extra points in the fourth quarter, capping off Point Pleasant’s 44-6 victory.
Point Pleasant outgained the Panthers 491-to-117 in total offense, while holding a 25-to-5 advantage in first downs.
Safford carried the bulk of the load for the PPHS offense, which in total had 418 rushing yards on 50 attempts. Safford had 24 of those carries, gaining 167 yards to go with two touchdowns.
Payne — who was 5-of-14 passing for 73 yards and one score — proved to be a dangerous runner as well, rushing for 111 yards and one score on 12 attempts.
Sheb Harris, a PPHS senior, gained 104 yards on six carries, while Brumfield added 34 yards and a score on six carries of his own. Josh Wamsley had one carry for a three-yard score, while Jared Icenhower ran one time and lost one yard.
Josh Wamsley was the leading pass catcher for PPHS, hauling in two passes for 42 yards. Jason Wamsley had one catch for 21 yards and a touchdown, while Keshawn Stover and Dakota Booth each had one reception for five yards.
Point Pleasant’s offense — which only punted once — wasn’t all smooth sailing, as the Big Blacks lost three fumbles on the night.
The Big Blacks defense was as dominant as ever, backing the Panthers up 11 yards on 17 total rushing attempts. Payne picked off a pass for the PPHS defense, while Zach Wamsley and Brian Gillispie each recovered a fumble. In all, Point Pleasant forced four turnovers, while making LCHS punt six times in the game.
Andrew Roach marked one sack for the PPHS defense, while Tucker Mayes and Joe Clark combined for another sack. Mayes, Colton Carr and Alec Smith each were part of a blocked punt for Point Pleasant’s defense, as well.
Ashley completed 8-of-16 passes for the Panthers, recording 128 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Spencer led the LCHS pass catchers with 86 yards and one touchdown on two receptions. Cory Rusk caught two passes for 32 yards, while Darrell Dirickson led the LCHS rushing attack with eight yards on three attempts.
The Big Blacks were penalized nine times for a total of 65 yards, while LCHS had five penalties totalling 32 yards.
Point Pleasant has now won six consecutive season openers, with the last four coming over Lincoln County.
The Big Blacks will go for their 19th consecutive road win next Friday, as they visit Ripley in the Battle for the Oaken Bucket. The Vikings are coming off a 14-7 victory at Parkersburg South.
LCHS hosts Roane County next Friday, as the Panthers look to bounce back from this loss. RCHS defeated South Point 42-22 on Friday.
Alex Hawley can be reached at 740-446-2342, ext. 2100.
Point Pleasant head coach Dave Darst speaks to his team after the final game of the Big Blacks’ 2015 season, at OVB Track and Field. http://mydailytribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_8.27-PP-Darst.jpg Point Pleasant head coach Dave Darst speaks to his team after the final game of the Big Blacks’ 2015 season, at OVB Track and Field. Alex Hawley/OVP Sports


Weather forecasters can predict Britain’s notoriously variable weather as it changes from day to day or even hour to hour. But what about year to year?
After all, 2013 saw weeks of unbroken sunshine whereas summer this year has barely got going – despite some blazing hot days now and again – even by late August. Some winters are wet and stormy, others mild and dry.
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While we can now predict winter seasonal weather with some accuracy, our summer efforts are less advanced. But why shouldn’t we be able to forecast a scorching summer with more accuracy? A new study, published in Climate Dynamics with colleagues at the University of Sheffield, should help.
It all depends on the jet stream, the ribbon of strong westerly winds which blows across the Atlantic 10km or more above the surface. Britain is located near the easterly end of the North Atlantic jet and so the jet stream influences much of the variability in its weather.
In summer, a jet lying to the north of the British Isles steers any rain-bearing, low-pressure systems northward towards Norway and away from Britain. This results in the UK experiencing the sort of warm dry weather seen for weeks on end in 2013.
However, when the jet stream lies further to the south, those same low-pressure systems tend to hit north-western Europe, resulting in wet weather. A difference in rainfall between north-west Scotland and south-east England highlights this difference.
In 2012, for example, while most of the British Isles experienced well above average rainfall, north-west Scotland was unusually dry. In drier summers, however, north-west Scotland tends to experience the higher rainfall associated with a northward jet displacement.
In most recent years, this southerly shift in the jet stream has prevailed. This has in part been attributed to warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic which lead to lower pressure and increased summer rainfall.
A number of recent summer extremes such as the record-breaking wet summers of 2007 or 2012 and the warm dry summer of 2013 have heightened the need for improved understanding of summertime jet stream variability.
After all, improvements in seasonal forecasting would lead to great socio-economic benefits – imagine being able to plan your summer months in advance, already knowing whether rain and cloud or endless sunshine is more likely.
Ultimately, our research found that there was no single factor that causes the jet stream to shift around. Changes in the sun’s strength from year to year play a role, as does the extent of sea-ice in the Arctic and sea surface temperatures in both the North Atlantic and, perhaps more surprisingly, the tropics near Indonesia. However there is little evidence that the well-known El Niño phenomenon has any influence in summer.
It takes quite a while for changes to have an impact on the jet stream. For example, it would seem that solar variability three to five years previously is more significant than solar variability at the time of any given summer.
Likewise, our work found an intriguing and as yet unexplained link between sea ice extent in the previous autumn in the Barents and Kara seas, north of Norway and Russia, and the position of the jet stream in the following summer.
Increased sea ice is associated with a northward shift in the jet, which means drier summers in the UK. Given how fast the Arctic is melting, less ice could contribute to a southward shift in the jet and an increased probability of wet British summers. However, we still don’t know exactly how this will play out in future, and it’s possible that continued sea-ice decline will have some unexpected effects.
At present, dynamical forecasting models are showing some skill in making seasonal predictions for the North Atlantic winter, but demonstrate almost no skill for the summer months.
Our work found that, while much of the jet variability is attributed to seemingly random atmospheric “noise”, the predictable component of summer jet stream variability may be as high as 35%. This may seem quite small but ensuring such factors are adequately represented in the forecasts will help us predict what’s in store next summer.
This article was originally published on theconversation.com

OFFICIAL: Sheffield expert blames wet summers on Atlantic jet stream


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MAPUSA: In absence of panchayat members, a villager presided over the ordinary gram sabha of Siolim Marna panchayat on Sunday. The ruling panel including sarpanch Sylvester Fernandes and deputy sarpanch Poonam Shirodkar, besides the opposition panel, did not attend the meeting.
Recently, a no-confidence motion was moved against both the sarpanch and deputy sarpanch.
As no panchayat members were present, the villagers asked the panchayat secretary Snehal Korgaonkar to adjourn the gram sabha.
However, after waiting for almost one hour, the secretary informed that under the Panchayati Raj Act, there is a provision wherein a villager can preside over a gram sabha.
Following this, Suvarna Vernekar was asked to preside over the meeting. The villagers discussed issues like riverfront project, lack of traffic signals, upgradation of existing library, stray cattle menace, underground power cabling and construction of public toilet at the PHC, Siolim.
Later, the opposition panel members Digambar Agarwadekar, Simple Dhargalkar and Savita Govekar arrived at the gram sabha and occupied seats among the villagers.
The gram sabha members wanted a resolution to be passed against the riverfront project, but the former sarpanch Digambar Agarwadekar told the villagers that the matter is before the NGT and so “we should not take any resolution on the issue.”
A villager involved in social activities raised a concern over lack of traffic signals and zebra crossings in the village, and demanded that the panchayat should look into the matter.
He further asked the panchayat to upgrade the panchayat library.
The issue of stray cattle was also raised. At this juncture, the appointed cattle caretaker demanded that either the panchayat raise his daily wages to Rs 500 a day or appoint an NGO to keep the cattle away from roads, and added that it is not possible to work for a paltry amount presently being given to him.
The gram sabha resolved that the panchayat should undertake work of toilets at the primary health centre under Swacch Bharat Abhiyan as it lacks the facility for the visitors.
The gram sabha also resolved that the panchayat should seek underground power cabling in the village.

Siolim Marna villager presides over gram sabha as VP members stay away


Even the legislation against superstitious practices, which the rationalist advocated, has seen no progress
Exactly a year has passed since scholar and rationalist M.M. Kalburgi was killed by an unidentified assailant, but neither the probe into the case nor the legislation against superstitious practices, which he advocated, have made much headway.
On August 30, 2015 a man pumped three bullets into the scholar at his residence in Dharwad.
The murder sent shockwaves across the literary establishment and triggered a campaign that saw writers return their State-endowed honours. The writers demanded a speedy trial, protection of freedom of expression, and passing of an anti-superstitious practices legislation — all of which seem unfulfilled.
Common link
Probing agencies suspect that Goa-based Hindutva group Sanatan Sanstha carried out the assassinations of three rationalists — Narendra Dabholkar (August 2013, Pune), Govind Pansare (February 2015, Kolhapur), and M.M. Kalburgi.
It was the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sleuths probing the Kalburgi case, who gave the technical lead linking the murders. Ballistic reports by Forensic Science Laboratories, Bengaluru, showed that 7.65 mm country-made pistols were used in all three assassinations. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing Dabholkar’s murder, is waiting reconfirmation of this from tests conducted by Scotland Yard, London.
First breakthrough
The first breakthrough came when the Special Investigation Team of the Maharashtra police probing Pansare’s murder arrested Sameer Gaekwad, a Sanatan member. He has now been chargesheeted, while SIT is on the lookout for others involved.
Meanwhile, the CBI probing Dabholkar’s murder has arrested Veerendra Tawade, an ENT specialist and member of Sanatan Sanstha, who is accused of arranging weapons and logistics.
The CID in Karnataka is still waiting to interrogate Tawade in the Kalburgi murder case. It is now confirmed that neither Tawade nor Gaekwad pulled the trigger. Both are believed to be conspirators.
Sleuths have identified two other Sanatan members — Vinay Pawar and Sarang Akolkar — suspected to have carried out the attacks and are since absconding. Sources claimed that the two are Sanatan ‘sadhaks’ trained in armed combat.
The CID sleuths are also on the hunt for Rudra Patil, another sadhak and accused in the 2010 Goa blasts, whose presence at Kalburgi’s house was seemingly shown through a sketch by witnesses. “They could have fled the country as we have observed Sanatan Sanstha has branches in countries that Indian citizens can get visa on arrival,” said a senior official.
Much deferred Bill
Meanwhile, the proposed Bill on superstitious practices — now named Eradication of Human Sacrifices and other Inhuman Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2016 — has been referred to a sub-committee headed by Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa after being deferred numerous times.


Exactly a year has passed since scholar and rationalist M.M. Kalburgi was killed by an unidentified assailant, but neither the probe into the case nor the legislation against superstitious practices,


U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about transportation infrastructure during a visit to the Port of Wilmington in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. on July 17, 2014. TO MOVE WITH SPECIAL REPORT USA-DELAWARE/BULLOCK REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
WASHINGTON U.S. President Barack Obama will dramatically expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii on Friday, the White House said, an action that will ban commercial fishing from more than 582,500 sq miles (1.5 million sq km) of the Pacific Ocean.
Obama will visit the protected area on Sept. 1 to draw attention to the threat that climate change poses to oceans, traveling to Midway Atoll - a remote coral reef that was the site of a pivotal World War Two battle and is now known for its sea turtles, monk seals, and millions of seabirds.
Obama, who was born in Hawaii and spent most of his childhood there, made curbing climate change a central part of his time in the White House, which draws to a close on Jan. 20.
Some of his efforts have been blocked by Congress or held up in court challenges. But preserving public space from development has been something Obama can do using his own power, and he had moved to permanently protect more than 265 million acres of land and water even before the expansion in Hawaii.
Obama has also sought to use the star power of his office to raise public concern about climate issues. Trailed by camera crews, he has hiked on an Alaska glacier and walked through the Florida Everglades.
His journey to Midway Atoll, a former naval base that is now a rarely visited refuge, is aimed at sending a hopeful message.
"The best science shows that the ocean can recover, if you allow it to," said Senator Brian Schatz, who worked with scientists, environmental groups and native Hawaiians to urge Obama to expand the monument.
"As daunting as the problem of climate change is, and as troubling as the situation is with respect to our oceans, they show remarkable resilience, if you give them a chance," Schatz told Reuters.
The monument was first established 10 years ago by former Republican President George W. Bush, who created the world's largest marine reserve at the time, protecting close to 140,000 sq miles of ocean around the Hawaiian archipelago and inspiring a series of similar projects around the world.
The four-fold boost in territory will cover an area with more than 7,000 marine species, including a coral that is the world's oldest-known living organism at 4,265 years old.
"We think of Papahānaumokuākea's original designation as a catalyst, and we're hoping it will be again," said Seth Horstmeyer, a director with Pew's Global Ocean Legacy project. Only about 3 percent of the world's oceans have similar protections, according to Pew.
Obama is set on Wednesday to address leaders of Pacific islands and a global conference of conservation officials and environmental groups in Honolulu.
"We would like the other nations to follow suit," said Sol Kaho'ohalahala, a seventh-generation native Hawaiian. In an interview, Kaho'ohalahala explained that Papahānaumokuākea, considered a sacred place, figures large in the creation myths of his people.
"We are part of this place, we're not the beginning of this place," he said. "Our responsibility is really as a people now how to care for this place."
Some Hawaiians had argued against the expansion. Longline commercial fishermen, who have been praised for sustainable fishing, have counted on the area for an estimated 3 to 13 percent of their annual catch of tuna, which is limited under quotas and governed by extensive conservation measures.
"Excluding American citizens from American waters and forcing in this case fishermen onto the high seas to do their business - something just doesn’t quite sit right," said Sean Martin, president of the Hawaii Longline Association, explaining the expansion could raise his costs.
But Hawaiian Senator Schatz, who worked on a compromise plan to accommodate certain types of fishing and more Native Hawaiian involvement in managing the preserve, said there would be plenty of fish left for longline fishermen in other areas.
"They will have very little difficulty fishing up to the limit under the tuna treaty, even with the new boundaries," Schatz said.
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Sandra Maler and Richard Pullin)

Obama expands Hawaii marine reserve in final push on climate


U.S. President Barack Obama will dramatically expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii on Friday, the White House said, an action that will ban commercial fishing from more than 582,500 sq miles (1.5 million sq km) of the Pacific Ocean.


Today is Monday, Aug. 29, the 242nd day of 2016. There are 124 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Aug. 29, 1966, the Beatles concluded their fourth American tour with their last public concert, held at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
On this date:
In 1533, the last Incan King of Peru, Atahualpa (ah-tuh-WAHL’-puh), was executed on orders of Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro.
In 1877, the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Brigham Young, died in Salt Lake City, Utah, at age 76.
In 1910, Korean Emperor Sunjong abdicated as the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty went into effect.
In 1935, the film “Top Hat,” starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
In 1944, 15,000 American troops of the 28th Infantry Division marched down the Champs Elysees (shahms ay-lee-ZAY’) in Paris as the French capital continued to celebrate its liberation from the Nazis.
In 1952, the composition 4’33” (“Four Minutes, Thirty-three Seconds”) by avant-garde composer John Cage premiered in Woodstock, New York, as David Tudor sat down at a piano, shut the keyboard lid, and, for four minutes and 33 seconds, played … nothing.
In 1958, pop superstar Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana.
In 1965, Gemini 5, carrying astronauts Gordon Cooper and Charles “Pete” Conrad, splashed down in the Atlantic after 8 days in space.
In 1972, swimmer Mark Spitz of the United States won the third of his seven gold medals at the Munich Olympics, finishing first in the 200-meter freestyle.
In 1981, broadcaster and world traveler Lowell Thomas died in Pawling, New York, at age 89.
In 1996, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago nominated Al Gore for a second term as vice president. Earlier in the day, President Bill Clinton’s chief political strategist, Dick Morris, resigned amid a scandal over his relationship with a prostitute.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast near Buras, Louisiana, bringing floods that devastated New Orleans. More than 1,800 people in the region died.
Ten years ago: President George W. Bush visited New Orleans one year after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region to offer comfort and hope to residents. Tropical Storm Ernesto’s leading edge drenched Miami and the rest of southern Florida.
Five years ago: In a sign Moammar Gadhafi had lost grip on his country, his wife and three of his children fled Libya to neighboring Algeria. Grammy-winning blues musician David “Honey Boy” Edwards, believed to be the oldest surviving Delta bluesman, died in his Chicago home at age 96.
One year ago: Church bells rang marking the decade since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast; local and congressional leaders laid wreaths at a memorial in New Orleans holding the unclaimed and unidentified bodies from the deadly storm. An Egyptian court sentenced three journalists for Al-Jazeera English to three years in prison for broadcasting “false news,” sparking an international outcry. Triple Crown winner American Pharoah lost to Keen Ice in the $1.6 million Travers Stakes before a stunned crowd at Saratoga Race Course. Author and motivational speaker Wayne W. Dyer, 75, died in Hawaii.
Today’s Birthdays: Actress Betty Lynn (TV: “The Andy Griffith Show”) is 90. Movie director William Friedkin is 81. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is 80. Actor Elliott Gould is 78. Movie director Joel Schumacher is 77. TV personality Robin Leach is 75. Actress Deborah Van Valkenburgh is 64. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew is 61. Dancer-choreographer Mark Morris is 60. Country musician Dan Truman (Diamond Rio) is 60. Actress Rebecca DeMornay is 57. Singer Me’Shell NdegeOcello (n-DAY’-gay-OH’-chehl-oh) is 48. Rhythm-and-blues singer Carl Martin (Shai) is 46. Actress Carla Gugino is 45. Rock musician Kyle Cook (Matchbox Twenty) is 41. Actor John Hensley is 39. Actress Kate Simses (TV: “Dr. Ken”) is 37. Rock musician David Desrosiers (Simple Plan) is 36. Rapper A+ is 34. Actress Jennifer Landon is 33. Actor Jeffrey Licon is 31. Actress-singer Lea Michele is 30. Actress Charlotte Ritchie (TV: “Call the Midwife”) is 27. Actress Nicole Gale Anderson is 26. Rock singer Liam Payne (One Direction) is 23.
Thought for Today: “Whom the gods wish to destroy they first call promising.” — Cyril Connolly, British journalist-writer (1903-1974).
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


The most popular pet name in the UK is Charlie, according to new research into the names we choose for our animals by Pets at Home.
Pets at Home surveyed more than 800,000 pet owners through its My VIP club and has found the top 50 most popular names for each pet type. Whether the pet is a bird, cat, dog, fish, horse, reptile or small animal, Charlie was the clear winner with almost 34,000 of British pet owners choosing this name for their animal friend, topping the list of most common names for birds, cats and horses.
Poppy also proved to be a popular choice for many pets, particularly canines and felines, ranking at number one for dogs and number two for cats. Other common selections include Alfie, Bella, Billy and Molly.
George also ranked highly across all species with almost 10,000 of those taking part choosing this name within the top 50, again regardless of pet type, suggesting the young Prince’s influence may not end with toddler fashion and toys.
The world of entertainment, particularly children’s cartoons, appear to have had an effect on the names owners select. Bird based film Rio saw the film’s title rank in tenth place for birds, while classic cartoon character name Tweety came in at number 32.
Bestselling book A Cat Called Alfie may have inspired cat owners, with Alfie being the eighth most popular name for cats. Winnie the Pooh fans are meanwhile drawn to Tigger, which ranked at 11 in cat names. Demonstrating that classic films can still influence our decisions, Thumper, who appeared in the 1942 film Bambi, is still the seventh most chosen name for rabbits. Nemo, is the second most popular name for the nation’s fish following Goldie in first.
Gavin Hawthorn, Group CRM Director, said: “It’s interesting to see that just as popular culture and famous faces influence what we name our children, likewise, these trends can help the nation’s pet owners select a name for their animals. It seems likely that children being allowed to name their first animal friend forms a big part of the naming process, particularly among the film and TV inspired monikers.
“However, it also seems that books and even the Royal family are also helping Brits to decide on what to call their pet. Meanwhile Charlie and Poppy scored highly across species, suggesting that cute, traditional names will always appeal when it comes to naming our pets.”
Top ten names for British pets by species
Top ten names for dogs
1. Poppy
2. Alfie
3. Bella
4. Charlie
5. Molly
6. Max
7. Daisy
8. Bailey
9. Ruby
10. Lola
Top ten names for cats
1. Charlie
2. Poppy
3. Molly
4. Bella
5. Oscar
6. Daisy
7. Tilly
8. Alfie
9. Millie
10. Smudge
Top ten names for small animals
1. Daisy
2. Fudge
3. Nibbles
4. Poppy
5. Rosie
6. Charlie
7. Thumper
8. Fluffy
9. George
10. Harry
Top ten names for reptiles
1. Spike
2. George
3. Rex
4. Charlie
5. Sid
6. Monty
7. Bob
8. Leo
9. Rango
10. Sheldon
Top ten names for fish
1. Goldie
2. Nemo
3. Bob
4. Bubbles
5. Fishy
6. George
7. Fred
8. Jaws
9. Dave
10. Tom
Top ten names for horses
1. Charlie
2. Jack
3. Rosie
4. Molly
5. Harry
6. Alfie
7. Billy
8. Poppy
9. Murphy
10. Lady
Top ten names for birds
1. Charlie
2. Joey
3. Billy
4. Bobby
5. George
6. Blue
7. Alfie
8. Rosie
9. Sky10. Rio

Charlie is our darling: most popular pet name revealed


The most popular pet name in the UK is Charlie, according to new research into the names we choose for our animals by Pets at Home.
Pets at Home surveyed more than 800,000 pet owners through its My VIP club and has found the top 50 most popular names for each pet type. Whether the pet is a bird, cat, dog, fish, horse, reptile or small animal, Charlie was the clear winner with almost 34,000 of British pet owners choosing this name for their animal friend, topping the list of most common names for birds, cats and horses.
Poppy also proved to be a popular choice for many pets, particularly canines and felines, ranking at number one for dogs and number two for cats. Other common selections include Alfie, Bella, Billy and Molly.
George also ranked highly across all species with almost 10,000 of those taking part choosing this name within the top 50, again regardless of pet type, suggesting the young Prince’s influence may not end with toddler fashion and toys.
The world of entertainment, particularly children’s cartoons, appear to have had an effect on the names owners select. Bird based film Rio saw the film’s title rank in tenth place for birds, while classic cartoon character name Tweety came in at number 32.
Bestselling book A Cat Called Alfie may have inspired cat owners, with Alfie being the eighth most popular name for cats. Winnie the Pooh fans are meanwhile drawn to Tigger, which ranked at 11 in cat names. Demonstrating that classic films can still influence our decisions, Thumper, who appeared in the 1942 film Bambi, is still the seventh most chosen name for rabbits. Nemo, is the second most popular name for the nation’s fish following Goldie in first.
Gavin Hawthorn, Group CRM Director, said: “It’s interesting to see that just as popular culture and famous faces influence what we name our children, likewise, these trends can help the nation’s pet owners select a name for their animals. It seems likely that children being allowed to name their first animal friend forms a big part of the naming process, particularly among the film and TV inspired monikers.
“However, it also seems that books and even the Royal family are also helping Brits to decide on what to call their pet. Meanwhile Charlie and Poppy scored highly across species, suggesting that cute, traditional names will always appeal when it comes to naming our pets.”
Top ten names for British pets by species
Top ten names for dogs
1. Poppy
2. Alfie
3. Bella
4. Charlie
5. Molly
6. Max
7. Daisy
8. Bailey
9. Ruby
10. Lola
Top ten names for cats
1. Charlie
2. Poppy
3. Molly
4. Bella
5. Oscar
6. Daisy
7. Tilly
8. Alfie
9. Millie
10. Smudge
Top ten names for small animals
1. Daisy
2. Fudge
3. Nibbles
4. Poppy
5. Rosie
6. Charlie
7. Thumper
8. Fluffy
9. George
10. Harry
Top ten names for reptiles
1. Spike
2. George
3. Rex
4. Charlie
5. Sid
6. Monty
7. Bob
8. Leo
9. Rango
10. Sheldon
Top ten names for fish
1. Goldie
2. Nemo
3. Bob
4. Bubbles
5. Fishy
6. George
7. Fred
8. Jaws
9. Dave
10. Tom
Top ten names for horses
1. Charlie
2. Jack
3. Rosie
4. Molly
5. Harry
6. Alfie
7. Billy
8. Poppy
9. Murphy
10. Lady
Top ten names for birds
1. Charlie
2. Joey
3. Billy
4. Bobby
5. George
6. Blue
7. Alfie
8. Rosie
9. Sky
10. Rio

Britain’s most popular pet names revealed


Visit now for the offbeat news - from the Sunderland Echo


Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is in danger of missing the Manchester derby after he was charged with violent conduct by England’s Football Association on Tuesday.
The charge relates to an incident during City’s 3-1 home win over West Ham United last Sunday when Aguero appeared to swing his left elbow towards visiting defender Winston Reid.
He faces a three-game ban if found guilty, which would rule him out of City’s trip to Manchester United on September 10, a home game with Bournemouth and a trip to Swansea City in the League Cup.
“Sergio Aguero has been charged for an alleged act of violent conduct which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video,” the FA said in a statement on its website.
“The Manchester City forward was involved in an incident with West Ham United’s Winston Reid in the 76th minute of the game on Sunday [28 August 2016].”
Match referee Andre Marriner did not punish Aguero at the time, but footage of the incident was reviewed by a panel of three former referees, all of whom deemed it a red-card offence.
Aguero, 28, has until 1800 local time (1700 GMT) on Wednesday to respond to the charge.
He has already been ruled out of Argentina’s forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezuela due to a calf injury.
City and United will go into their meeting at Old Trafford level on points at the top of the Premier League after each winning their first three matches. Chelsea also have an unblemished record.


Nigeria news, news in Africa, politics, Entertainment, Sports


CHICAGO Adult female mosquitoes can pass the Zika virus along to their offspring, U.S. researchers said on Monday, a finding that makes clear the need for pesticide programs that kill both adult mosquitoes and their eggs.
The findings, published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, show that as with many related viruses, including dengue and yellow fever, Zika can be transmitted from female mosquitoes to their offspring.
Dr. Robert Tesh of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, a study co-author, said the fact that the virus can be passed along to mosquito offspring makes Zika harder to control.
"Spraying affects adults, but it does not usually kill the immature forms - the eggs and larvae. Spraying will reduce transmission, but it may not eliminate the virus," he said.
Although Zika generally causes mild disease in adults, it is a major threat to pregnant women because it has been shown to cause the severe birth defect known as microcephaly and other brain abnormalities.
The ongoing Zika outbreak was first detected last year in Brazil, where it has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, and has since spread rapidly through the Americas.
Aedes aegypti, the mosquitoes that carry Zika, lay eggs in small containers of water. Homeowners have been advised to dump out containers of water on their properties. When the water is dumped, the eggs cling in a ring around the water line, where they remain dormant until the next rain, when they can hatch.
Scientists studying Zika wanted to find out whether some of the offspring from these tropical mosquitoes might carry the virus, helping to perpetuate an outbreak during dry seasons.
To find out, researchers injected female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes raised in a laboratory with Zika. They were then fed, and within a week, they laid eggs. The team collected and cared for the eggs until they hatched into adult mosquitoes, and counted the ones that carried the Zika virus.
They found the virus present in one out of every 290 mosquitoes tested.
"The ratio may sound low," Tesh said, "but when you consider the number of Aedes aegypti in a tropical urban community, it is likely high enough to allow some virus to persist, even when infected adult mosquitoes are killed."
Tesh said the next step is to show that mosquitoes are actually passing Zika to their offspring in the wild.
Experts fighting Zika in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami have announced aerial spraying campaigns using pesticides that kill both adult mosquitoes and mosquito larvae.
For homeowners in affected areas, Tesh advised people to dump standing water from containers on their property and scrub them thoroughly to remove eggs and larvae. They should also remove any objects from their yards that could collect water.
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Bernard Orr)

Adult mosquitoes can pass Zika to their offspring: U.S. study


Adult female mosquitoes can pass the Zika virus along to their offspring, U.S. researchers said on Monday, a finding that makes clear the need for pesticide programs that kill both adult mosquitoes and their eggs.


CINCINNATI (AP) — The chief justice of Ohio’s supreme court helped bring together experts and officials from nine states in a regional judicial summit on the opioid drug epidemic, even as an overdose surge sweeping nearby streets showed dramatically the scope of the problem.
Before the three-day summit began Wednesday, Cincinnati first responders were chasing what turned out to be some 80 overdosing cases over a two-day period beginning Tuesday. On Thursday, the state Department of Health reported that accidental drug overdoses killed 3,050 people in Ohio in 2015, averaging eight deaths a day in a record toll fueled by the powerful painkiller fentanyl. In 2014, the total was 2,531. That’s an increase of 20.5 percent.
Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor hopes the summit leads to ongoing collaboration across borders and jurisdictions. The states involved were Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
“You wonder … It’s depressing,” she said of overdose surges, such as in Cincinnati and earlier this summer, in Akron, where she had been a county prosecutor. “And it’s a reflection: What don’t they get about it? Why does this continue to go on?”
O’Connor discussed in an interview the impacts of heroin and painkiller drug abuse.
Some excerpts:
___
ON HOW THE EPIDEMIC AFFECTS THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM
“It really is enormous … It is a burden on courts, it truly is, but it is a burden on our treatment facilities as well.
“When we talk about the addict being involved in the criminal justice system, that’s one system. They may also been involved in the juvenile system, because they’re having their children taken away from them because of their drug addiction. There are people involved in the juvenile system because they are neglecting their children, but haven’t been caught yet in a criminal case.
“This is everybody’s problem. This isn’t just the addicts and the justice system and the child welfare.”
___
ON PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS
“One of the biggest problems I see in public awareness is that the public is not sympathetic …
“I’ll bet you that there’s more than a couple of people looking at the morning headlines (about Cincinnati overdoses) or listening to them and saying ‘Why bother?” So where’s the public engagement in this problem?
“Now just because the public isn’t wrapping their arms around it doesn’t mean the people who are dealing with it day in and day out aren’t going to do what they need to do. But the public is critical about the amount of funding it takes to deal with this problem.”
___
ON DRUG COURTS THAT FOCUS ON REHABILITATING USERS
“We have 90-some drug courts in the state of Ohio … they’re run by judges who are caring and involved and they see the fact of the involvement of the heroin and the other illegal substances … They’re up to capacity, if not over capacity, with their resources, and I think that’s an issue with our state.
“The bulk of these abusers, these addicts, people who are drug-involved, they need the treatment … we need to be up to capacity, increase our capacity, to be able to deal with it.”
___
ON COURT PROGRAMS SUCH AS OFFERING OPIATE-BLOCKING SHOTS
“This has to be data-driven decision-making. It takes pilot programs and then it takes those programs expanded to other jurisdictions to get good solid data.
“The Vivitrol, and the other medically assisted treatments that are out there; I think they already have gotten the stamp of approval in many respects, but that’s only half the battle. The other half of the battle is to convince the judges and policymakers that that’s a great alternative, that if somebody is in the system, that is a way we can help them get better.
“It used to be arrest, incarcerate, and then when they’re done with their time, put ‘em back out on the street. There was no treatment, there was no recognition that this is a disease.
“It would be like if cancer was a criminal activity. You arrest them … you’ve got cancer, you do your time, get out, and gee, you still have cancer.”

Ohio chief justice on court impacts, roles in drug epidemic


They have the potential for employment on a par with engineers, but are ignored by the industry for various reasons
Diploma holders who have the potential for employment on a par with engineers are being ignored by the industry for various reasons even as the non-metro diploma holders and girl candidates further face rejection compared to candidates from metro cities and boys.
The National Employability Report 2016 of the Aspiring Minds, a job skills credentialing company, reveals that an entire pool of eight lakh engineering diploma holders are missed by the knowledge industry despite a huge number possessing employable skills on a par with engineering graduates.
They carry the perception of being cousins of engineering graduates, and lose out on opportunities.
“A significant chunk of them are employable for knowledge economy jobs. Among the 8 lakh that graduate every year consist about 8,000 employable programmers, 21,000 employable software testers and 80,000 employable sales and marketing executives,” says Varun Aggarwal, CTO and Co-Founder, Aspiring Minds. “It is time new age corporates start seeing diploma courses in the same light as mainstream graduation courses.”
His views are corroborated by B.V. Ramana Prasad, Section Head, Government Polytechnic, Kothagudem. “Corporates should consider these candidates who are technically stronger in core subjects and importantly hardworking,” he says agreeing that companies tend to ignore them for various reasons including the perception.
High ratio
The study has further found that enrolment of females in diploma courses is poor but they are equally good at skills. A drastically high male-to-female ratio of 4:1 is observed in polytechnic diploma courses. This is in contrast to the male-female ratio of 1.96:1 for engineering graduates. Even in diploma courses like the engineering stream females prefer Computer Science and IT. The report says 47.4 percent of girls prefer IT while Mechanical is the lowest at just 3.6 percent. Among the different courses, computer science and IT accounts for the highest proportion of females at 47.4 percent, while lowest is for mechanical courses at 3.6 percent. The non-metro candidates also lose out to their peers in metro cities as the report finds that 14 per cent employability is seen among candidates in colleges in metro cities compared to 9.2 per cent in non-metro cities. Mr. Ramana Prasad says the social and economic compilation of students in non-metro colleges could be one of the reasons.
Positive side
On the positive side, these diploma holders when they finish their engineering degree through lateral entry end up with far better skills than the regular engineering graduates. “They study 60 per cent of engineering subjects in the Diploma itself and have that additional advantage,” Mr. Ramana Prasad says.

Diploma holders lose out on opportunities


Diploma holders who have the potential for employment on a par with engineers are being ignored by the industry for various reasons even as the non-metro diploma holders and girl candidates further fa