92% of LGBTQ adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, survey says
Ninety-two percent of LGBTQ people report having received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to findings from a survey undertaken by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the national LGBTQ rights group. The survey polled 23,000 respondents from the United States over a 60-day period from the beginning of May 2021 to the end of June 2021, including 15,042 self-identified LGBTQ+ community members. But even with weighted results taken into account, the survey found that self-identified LGBTQ people appear to be more likely to have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Specifically, 90% of Latinx respondents, 85% of Black respondents, 96% of Asian or Pacific Islander respondents and 85% of Native American/Alaskan and Middle Eastern/North African LGBTQ respondents reported receiving at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 94% of Caucasian respondents. By age, 91% of LGBTQ respondents aged 18-34, 92% of LGBTQ respondents aged 35-54, and 94% of LGBTQ respondents over age 55 have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 21:06 UTC
Jets bring back proven competitor Adragna, who wants to ‘just win, baby’
By Matt Mackinder,MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – Watch any Metro Jets game from last season and chances are Cristian Adragna is one of the most noticeable players on the ice. “My thought process for coming back this season was, honestly, very easy,” said Adragna. “Just win, baby.”Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville said Adragna’s compete level is off the charts and that his attitude is contagious. They put so much time into this to make us the best players we can be and get exposure. “For the rest of the summer, I plan to keep continuing my workouts at the MAT as well as the MAT skates,” said Adragna.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 20:02 UTC
Olive Tree Affordable Housing Development Announces Second Closing within the Houston-Metro: The Life at Grand Oaks
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Life at Grand Oaks, a 556-unit affordable rental community located in Houston’s Greater Inwood neighborhood, will both add to and preserve critical affordable housing units for families in Northwest Houston. Olive Tree would like to thank the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for its determination of 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and the Houston Housing Finance Corporation for its allocation of tax-exempt bonds. In addition to The Life at Grand Oaks, Olive Tree Affordable Housing Development closed The Life at Parkview in May 2021, a HUD-insured substantial rehabilitation located in Pasadena, TX. “Both projects demonstrate the value our adaptive approach to affordable housing preservation creates and we are pleased to be afforded opportunities such as these to provide solutions for the long-term preservation of affordable housing to our Partners,” says Brennan Sanders, Vice President of Affordable Housing Development at Olive Tree. About Olive Tree HoldingsFormed in 2017, Olive Tree is a private real estate investment firm focused on the acquisition, reposition, and management of workforce and affordable multifamily communities in dynamically growing U.S. markets.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 18:56 UTC
Exclusive: India starts selling oil from strategic reserves after policy shift
Reuters reported last month that India had changed its policy to allow the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL), which manages the federal oil inventories, to lease 30% of its overall 37 million barrels capacity to Indian and foreign companies. Last year, the ISPRL filled the SPRs with cheap oil and it needs to sell some of that to make way for leasing. So far Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) has leased one of the two equal size chambers at the 11-million-barrel Mangalore SPR. The two state-refiners, however, will buy oil from the ISPRL at a discount to the official selling price set by the producer countries. Under the policy shift, the federal government will also allow the ISPRL to trade oil equivalent to 20% of the overall SPR capacity in the India markets.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 17:26 UTC
Southborough police say lock your car doors after recent thefts
“He looked down the street and saw someone going into his neighbor’s car,” said Newell. The caller could not provide a description of the suspect because it was dark, Newell said. Another resident’s security video caught the suspect’s vehicle, but because it was dark, the only real description they could get from it is that it was a dark vehicle. There was a similar incident in Grafton that same morning and authorities believe it may be the same suspect, Newell said. “And make sure not to leave any valuables in the vehicle,” Newell said.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 17:26 UTC
Animal rights activists, rejoice! Ann Arbor votes to ban sale of new fur products
click to enlarge Shutterstock.comNo new fur is the latest policy in Ann Arbor. "Animals raised on fur farms typically spend their entire lives in cramped unsanitary cages. Animals raised on fur farms are inhumanely killed by suffocation, electrocution, gassing, and neck-breaking. ""Ann Arbor has now become the Midwest leader in the fight against the fur industry," Michigan state director for the Humane Society of the United States Molly Tamulevich said in a statement. "It’s clear the people of Ann Arbor care about animals and want nothing to do with fur.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 17:03 UTC
Online sleuths help FBI arrest Michigan bodybuilder caught on video assaulting officer at Jan. 6 riot
click to enlarge FBIThe FBI used this photo of Logan Barnhart in an attempt to identify him. Logan Barnhart of Michigan #catsweat has graced the cover of AT LEAST three romance novels. He was wanted for assaulting federal officers.Sedition Hunters, online sleuths who team up to help identify insurrectionists, helped track down Barnhart using a facial recognition website. They found Barnhart on Instagram, bodybuilding websites, and even on the covers of several romance novels. He was arrested last month.• Trevor Brown, of Novi, bragged on social media about “storming” the Capitol.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 16:52 UTC
Gay Arizona lawmaker resigns after being accused of molesting a teen boy
Arizona state Sen. Otoniel “Tony” Navarrete has resigned after being arrested for allegedly molesting two young boys. The Democrat, who has served in the state Senate since 2018, faces seven felony charges after a 16-year-old accused Navarrete of molesting him multiple times. A second boy, 13, also accused Navarrete of attempting to touch his genitals. The second youth, aged 13, was interviewed by police on Aug. 5 and accused Navarrete of trying to touch his genitals. “We know that the Arizona Judicial Branch will deliver justice and pray for healing and support for all victims,” the statement continued.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 16:07 UTC
Tips on Going Back to School in Macomb County This Year
We spoke with Joanne Elkin, the early childhood and early literacy consultant with Macomb Intermediate School District, to get some insight on what back-to-school in Macomb County will look like for the 2021-22 school year. In Macomb County, school districts are working hard to ensure the safety of students and staff returning to school. “Macomb County Schools are focused on a successful, safe opening and remain centered on creating success for every student,” Elkin says. For more information on back-to-school in Macomb County, see the Macomb Intermediate School District’s website. For details on living in Macomb County, visit the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development’s online at Make Macomb Your Home.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 15:18 UTC
Claudia Bennett, principal of Ashland's Mindess Elementary School, to retire
ASHLAND — After more than 14 years as an Ashland Public Schools employee, Mindess Elementary School Principal Claudia Bennett said deciding to retire was "probably the most difficult decision I ever made." Bennett began her career at Mindess, which serves grades 3-5, with the reopening of the Computer Lab in 2007. In 2012-13, she opened the Ashland Middle School STEM Lab sponsored through a grant from the Ashland Education Foundation Inc.She returned to Mindess in the fall of 2013 as assistant principal. She and state Senate President Karen Spilka were elected to the School Committee together, and were active in terms of changes to the Chapter 70 funding formula, she said. Framingham School Committee to Baker:Give us guidance for 2021-22Bennett plans to continue being a member of the School Building Committee, as the town prepares to rebuild Mindess Elementary School.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 13:41 UTC
Hobby Lobby discriminated against trans employee in restroom access case, court rules
An Illinois state appellate court has ruled that arts and crafts giant Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. violated the state’s Human Rights Act by barring a transgender female employee from accessing the women’s bathroom. Sommerville occasionally used the women’s bathroom at the store, at which point Hobby Lobby issued her a warning and even encouraged other employees to report her if she used the women’s restroom. In 2019, the Human Rights Commission ruled that Hobby Lobby’s bathroom policy was unlawful and that the company had engaged in discrimination. The three-judge panel of the Second District Appellate Court upheld that finding, ruling that Hobby Lobby had violated the state’s nondiscrimination law and upholding the monetary judgment. “Sommerville is female, just like the women who are permitted to use the women’s bathroom,” the ruling said.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 12:45 UTC
Kochi Metro Recruitment 2021: Apply for various posts in Kochi Water Metro
For starting the ground work for the operations, Kochi Water Metro Limited requires the following personnel –1. of Posts – 8Qualification – Diploma in Engineering in Mechanical/Electrical/Electronics/Computer/IT4. of Posts – 8Qualification – Pass in 10th Standard & Second class masters Certificate5. of Posts – 8Qualification – Pass in 10th Standard & Serang Certificate6. Kochi Water Metro reserves the right to shortlist the candidates.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 12:12 UTC
Hopkinton is latest community to use CPA funds for COVID-19 housing help
Hopkinton officials are taking applications through Sept. 1 for the town's new COVID-19 Emergency Housing Relief Program, which will cover up to 70% of a household's monthly rent payment or deed-restricted mortgage payment. "To combat this unexpected financial burden, we encourage residents to apply for our COVID-19 Emergency Housing Relief Program that will assist them with their housing costs." In May, Town Meeting voted to approve the use of $90,000 in Community Preservation Act money reserved for community housing to fund the program, joining several municipalities pursuing similar approaches. The Beverly City Council in June 2020 approved the use of $240,000 in CPA funding for an emergency housing assistance program, and Newton used a combination of CPA money and Community Development Block Grant funds for its program. Other cities and towns that approved the use of CPA funds for pandemic-related housing assistance include Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Canton, Chelsea, Easthampton, Malden, Manchester, Medford, Monson, Pittsfield, Rockland, Stoughton, Stow, Sunderland, Waltham, Wellfleet and Weston, according to a Community Preservation Coalition database.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 11:37 UTC
Anti-gay Catholic cardinal who opposed COVID-19 vaccines hospitalized with virus
Cardinal Raymond Burke, a high-ranking official in the U.S. Catholic Church, has been placed on a ventilator after contracting COVID-19. The anti-gay conservative and vaccine skeptic was hospitalized just days after testing positive for the coronavirus during a visit to Wisconsin. He has also repeatedly criticized COVID-19 vaccines, including arguing against vaccine mandates, claiming they violate the “integrity” of citizens. Slamming the “aggressiveness of the homosexual agenda,” Burke said that Catholic families planning Christmas gatherings should avoid allowing gay family members to bring their partners if children would be present. “What would it mean to grandchildren to have present at a family gathering a family member who is living [in] a disordered relationship with another person?” Burke told LifeSiteNews.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 11:26 UTC
Mayoral hopeful Carlos Valadares: 'When I'm helping people, there isn't a bad day'
FRAMINGHAM — Carlos Valadares was disappointed he wasn't in a position to run to become the city's first mayor in 2017. "I realized in my life (that) if I cannot help people, I get literally, I'm not saying depressed — but I get down," Valadares said. "But when I'm helping people, there's not a bad day in my life." "I want to find the best person in each position that's very important to the city to work with me." "Unfortunately, here, in my view, Framingham south side is completely neglected, not just now, but even before Framingham became a city," he said.
Source:MetroXpress
August 17, 2021 11:14 UTC