Posts in category: Don Lichterman

Sheriffs in Oregon are standing up for the Constitution by refusing to enforce one of the most extreme gun-control bills in the country.

Last week, voters in Oregon voted in favor of Measure 114.

According to Fox News, Measure 114 outlaws ammunition magazines that hold more than ten rounds. It also requires police to maintain an electronic database of firearms permits, collect fingerprints from people before issuing permits and conduct hands-on firearms training.

Critics have argued that this measure will effectively lead to the end of firearms sales in Oregon, as well as divert already strained police resources from fighting crime, as they manage their permit databases and conduct firearms training.

Now, some sheriffs in Oregon are refusing to enforce this draconian new law.

According to Fox News, at least five sheriffs have stated that they will not enforce the new law, citing concerns that it will violate the Second Amendment and drain law enforcement resources, preventing them from dealing with real problems.

In a statement, Sheriff Cody Bowen of Union County said, “The biggest thing is this does absolutely nothing to address the problem. The problem that we have is not … magazine capacity. It’s not background checks. It’s a problem with mental health awareness. It’s a problem with behavior health illness.”

He continued, “Our society as a whole is a bigger problem rather than saying that, you know, the guns are killing people.”

Bowen is joined in his protest against the new law by Sheriff Michelle Duncan of Linn County, Sheriff Brian Wolfe of Malheur County, Sheriff Jason Pollock of Jefferson County, and Sheriff Brad Lohrey of Sherman County, who have all voiced similar concerns.

These sheriffs are right in their opposition to this draconian law. Not only is it blatantly unconstitutional, but experience has also shown us that such measures do not work in combating gun violence.

Many of the states that have the strictest gun control measures have also seen an explosion in violent crime in recent years.

Take Illinois, for instance, a state with the eighth most stringent anti-gun laws. Despite all these laws, Chicago remains one of the most violent cities in the nation, as demonstrated by July’s shooting at Highland Park.

In New York — rated sixth overall — a lunatic was able to cleverly get around the state’s strict gun control laws and commit a mass shooting in Buffalo in May.

Then there is Philadelphia, which despite Pennsylvania’s strict gun control measures, has had so many homicides this year that graveyards are running out of room to bury the dead.

But it is not just in the United States where these measures are proving to be useless. Take Japan, for instance, where despite having some of the strictest gun laws in the world, an assassin still managed to create a homemade gun and kill former prime minister Shinzo Abe in July.

This also points to another glaring issue with this bill. The United States as a whole is facing a crime wave, unlike anything it has seen in recent years. By diverting officers from dealing with actual crimes and instead diverting their resources to firearms permits and safety training, Oregon is only exacerbating the problem.

Now criminals can run amok in Oregon, safe in the knowledge that the police will have fewer resources to catch them.

These sheriffs deserve to be commended, especially in a liberal state where the government and the media are hostile to them. It is refreshing to see law enforcement stand up for the rights of Americans protected by our Constitution.

If only we had more officials with as much common sense as them, perhaps we could then actually solve the crime problem plaguing this country.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
I started off waitressing and bartending, a profession that supported me right up until my early twenties – so I know I can always fall back on it!

WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY LIKE FOR YOU?
I wake up and get my kids up and ready for the day. One is in school and one is in crèche. Mornings are usually a bit hectic in our house, trying to get everyone out on time. After the kids are gone, I’ll scan through the emails that came in overnight, check my calendar to see what calls are in for the day, and make a loose to-do list (that’s always nearly impossible to finish).

AT HOME, OFFICE OR HYBRID?
Currently, we are hybrid, working both in the Dublin office and at home. I’m really lucky that I work for a company that offers flexibility, especially with having young kids.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO AFTER WORK?
Well, I would love to head off to Grogan’s for a pint and a toastie – but my mama hat comes on as soon as work is done, and I’m usually rushing to pick the kids up. Once home, we get the dinner on, do homework, walk the dog… It’s usually 9.30pm before I am sitting down by myself.

WHERE DID YOU BEGIN YOUR CAREER?
At Carmody Smith PR. Here, I learned everything about PR from a brilliant mentor, Aine Carmody, and I also got an insight into the music industry via Aiken Promotions, as they were a client. It’s where I decided I wanted to work in the music industry.

WHAT PARTS OF YOUR ROLE DO YOU FIND MOST FULFILLING?
Watching an artist grow and develop. Seeing someone go from playing Whelan’s to playing Croke Park and knowing that you had a part to play in that person’s career is hugely gratifying. There are so many elements involved in breaking an artist. When they all click and it works, it’s the best feeling in the world.

WHAT PARTS OF THE ROLE ARE THE MOST CHALLENGING?
Breaking an artist! It takes a village and can sometimes take a lot of time. It’s always worth it in the end, though.

WHAT IS A MEMORABLE CAREER HIGHLIGHT?
The Ed Sheeran “2step” remix featuring Denise Chaila. Being able to bring one of the biggest stars in the world together with such an amazing Irish artist was a highlight for me. Hopefully, it’s only the beginning of more collaborations between international artists and Irish ones. Another favourite memory is bringing Michael Bublé in to switch on the Christmas lights on Grafton Street. I thought my ear drums were going to burst because of the screams!

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION ABOUT YOUR JOB?
That I hang out with famous people all the time. I don’t!

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO SEE LIVE MUSIC?
The 3Olympia Theatre or Vicar Street. Watching artists perform in smaller venues is always special, especially when you know they may never play that size venue again.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
I have the Beyoncé album, Renaissance, on repeat. I’m a lifelong fan, and I’ve seen her every time she has set foot in Ireland (and once in Paris).

WHAT ARTIST ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT RIGHT NOW?
Selló, an Irish drill rap artist who has the most incredible mixtape coming out that fuses Irish traditional music with modern drill. I’ve been blown away by the surge of talented Irish artists that have come through in the last five years. It’s a very exciting time for the Irish music industry, and I feel privileged to be in it.

PRISCILLA KOTEY RECOMMENDS

ONES TO WATCH

FROM LEFT • LEA HEART She has a new single coming this year that is an absolute banger. • Denise Chaila, God Knows and MuRli from NAROLANE RECORDS. I’m a huge fan of their work. • SHIV An incredible artist of Irish/Zimbabwean descent that we will be releasing music from this year. Her voice is spine-tingling and her music is phenomenal.

This article originally appeared in the Autumn issue of IMAGE Magazine.

Are there any secret gardens in New Jersey?

There are many secret gardens in New Jersey. Here are a few of our favorites:

Considering we’re the Garden State there are certainly a few beautiful gardens in the state! Some of the best tucked-away gardens in New Jersey include Rutgers Gardens in New Brunswick, Sayen Gardens in Hamilton, and the beautiful garden at Smithville Park in Eastampton Township, New Jersey. The Reeves-Reed Arboretum, Duke Farms, and the New Jersey Botanical Garden are a little more well-known, but still worth visiting for anyone who loves horticulture and beautiful flowers.

What are the best little-known parks in New Jersey?

Take some time to explore New Jersey and you’re sure to stumble upon parks you love! Lake Lenape Park is a hidden gem in South Jersey’s pinelands that offers a lake lighthouse, a fun dragon climbing sculpture for kids, and miles of waterfront trails to explore. Amico Island Park is another relatively unknown park that’s located right in the middle of the Delaware River! Up in North Jersey, Hacklebarney State Park flies under the radar despite being one of the most beautiful places in the state.

What are some underrated hidden gems in New Jersey?

In the summer, the swimming hole at the base of Chikahoki Falls proves to be a hidden gem worth tracking down. You’ll have to hike through Norvin Green State Forest to find it! Our favorite fall destination that’s never overrun with crowds is the Ken Lockwood Gorge. In the Spring, visit Sayen Gardens to see beautiful rhododendrons in bloom, and in the winter, enjoy a short snowy hike at Goat Hill Overlook, looking down on Lambertville and New Hope from this Pennington observation point.

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After multiple election cycles that were wins for progressives, Portland voters rejected substantial changes to the city from both the Charter Commission and via citizen initiatives that many viewed — or criticized — as efforts to push Portland further left.

Voters passed six of eight ballot questions from the Charter Commission, a body of elected and appointed citizens and administrators formed in 2021 to recommend policy proposals for Portland. Among them included proposals for a civilian-led police review board, a system for clean elections in municipal races and the establishment of an ethics commission.

But they struck down the two charter reforms that would have arguably the biggest impact on the city. Charter Question Two, a proposal to expand the city council and empower the mayor as the city’s chief executive rather than an unelected city manager, was defeated at the polls by a 65-35 margin. The issue was propped up by supporters as pushing Portland towards a more representative democracy, where the chief executive is directly accountable to voters. Charter Commission Question 5, which failed by a 58-43 margin, sought to give the School Board autonomy in approving the proposed school budget before sending it for voter approval.

The five citizen initiatives, the most debated being raising the minimum wage in Portland to $18 per hour over three years, was proposed by the Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, a labor-oriented political group, and supported by One Fair Wage, a national organization that seeks to end the subminimum wage for tipped workers, also known as the tip credit. Portland currently has a $13 minimum wage, which is 25 cents higher than the state minimum wage. The city is currently on track to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by Jan. 1, 2024.

Groups like the DSA have had success in the past few election cycles passing citizen initiatives as referendums. In 2020, a slate of proposals — including raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour over time and enforcing a ban on facial recognition technology — passed. The referendum to raise Portland’s minimum wage received support from Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Jane Fonda.

Losses at the ballot box this time around have not deterred supporters from claiming major victories in certain areas.

Members of the Portland group Yes for Democracy — a group spearheaded by two Charter Commissioners, Zack Barowitz and Patricia Washburn, who were backing all eight Charter Commission proposals — expressed regret that the two major Charter questions failed, but were optimistic about moving forward with other reforms.

“While we didn’t win everything we had sought, we feel certain the reforms that passed will help make city government more accountable and responsive,” their statement said.

Four commissioners who opposed Question 2 also released a statement, saying they “agree with voters that there is a better way to make Portland more democratic and transparent, and its elected and appointed officials more accountable.” The statement continued that they wished to continue to improve Portland’s system of government “through a more collaborative and consensus-based process.”

Process had become a popular term in city government. In a press conference the day after Election Day, Mayor Kate Snyder called the Nov. 8 outcome a “testament for process,” adding that “we now have a clear direction” after the election results. 

Snyder, whose term expires in November 2023 and is not seeking reelection, added that she is “energized” to work under the existing council structure. The mayor said she is committed to addressing quality-of-life issues, such as creating more housing opportunities, addressing climate change, and assisting those seeking resettlement. She added that the city will be “nimble” yet “may not produce results as quickly as some like.” 

“These have been busy and unrelentingly challenging years,” Snyder said. “Now we can focus on the work of our city together.”

Ethan Strimling, former Portland mayor and currently a member of the Maine Democratic Socialists of America, was not surprised by the results from Nov. 8. The DSA were pushing three of five citizen initiatives, and while one passed, “the odds were against us when the money was brought in against us.”

Enough is Enough Portland, a political action committee formed to oppose all 13 ballot questions, outraised committees supporting the reforms by a significant margin. The group raised more than $630,000, including six-figure donations from San Francisco-based corporations Uber and DoorDash and a $100,000 donation from the National Association of Realtors. The Restaurant Workers of America, a political action committee arm of the state’s restaurant lobby Hospitality Maine, which opposed an effort to raise the minimum wage (Referendum Question D) raised more than $475,000.

He said Questions 2 and 5 from the Charter Commission failing were disappointing, but noted it took several tries for Portland to enact the council-manager system a century ago, so it may take progressives as many tries to shift the power balance today.

But the former mayor called it “remarkable” that the city passed Referendum Question C, which strengthens rent-control measures and removes loopholes exploited by landlords seeking to evict tenants in favor of short-term rental conversions. Strimling added that Portland “now has some of the strongest tenant protections on the eastern seaboard.”

“Our city is well prepared to make sure tenants have the rights they need as the housing crisis gets invariably worse,” he said.

Question D’s failure was a harder pill to swallow, Strimling said. That item would have raised the minimum wage to $18 per hour as well as eliminated the subminimum wage for tipped workers. The measure failed by a 60-40 margin, while a similar measure to eliminate the tip credit (without universal minimum wage stipulations) passed in Washington D.C. by a 74-26 margin. 

Strimling pondered whether the kind of opposition spending that happened in Portland was smaller in D.C., which could explain its success there. According to him, the opposition leveraged workers’ fears of retaliation from employers, which convinced “workers to speak out against their own best interests.”

“They were better at it than we were,” he said. “Kudos to them for using their leverage to their advantage.”

Going forward, supporters of these proposals will be looking to the Council to see what they do and hopefully bring elements of Question D to committee-level discussions and “get workers the wages they deserve,” Strimling said.

Strimling, who lost to Snyder in 2019, said he has “no plans” to run for a vacant mayor position in 2023. 

“The current system is not representative,” he said. “But if the Council and mayor step up and drive policy and not be a reactive body, maybe this system can work. The jury is out that the current system is not working in solving the crisis we’re all facing in the city. I think we’ll see over the next few years.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Vladislav Gavrikov scored at 3:14 of overtime to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 5-4 victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday night, sending the Flyers to their fourth straight loss.

Gavrikov connected off a tic-tac-tie feed from Cole Sillinger to Yegor Chinakhov for his fifth game-winning goal and second OT score this season.

“It was 3-on-1, and I just was ready,” Gavrikov said. “I had only one option. If I get the puck, I have to shoot.”

Boone Jenner scored twice, Eric Robinson had a goal and an assist, Sean Kuraly added a goal and Gavrikov also had an assist for Columbus, which picked up points in its third straight game. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 15 shots before leaving in the second period with a leg injury, and Joonas Korpisalo stopped 18 in relief.

“We are finding ways to get some points here,” Jenner said. “It starts with our energy and our forecheck, kind of getting our legs under us and scoring.”

Kevin Hayes and Noah Cates each had a goal and an assist, Nick Seeler scored and Travis Konecny added a power-play goal for the Flyers, who rallied twice from two goals down to force overtime and earn a point. Carter Hart stopped 28 shots in his third straight loss.

“We started forechecking, had more energy, and found a way to lose,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. “We score four tonight and we still lose.”

Kuraly gave Columbus the lead at 12:36, burying the rebound of a Gavrikov’s shot for his first goal after missing two games with a concussion.

Jenner made it 2-0 at 5:36 of the second with his second power-play goal of the season, burying the bounce of Johnny Gaudreau’s shot from the left circle.

Philadelphia pulled within one at 8:54 with Hayes one-timer right in front of Merzlikins before Cates tied it off the rush at 12:16.

That was the last shot faced by Merzlikins, who had to be helped off the ice.

Jenner next beat Hart on a breakaway at 3:32 of the third to put Columbus back on top, and Robinson made it 4-2 just 13 seconds later.

“They’re playing hard,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “We lost ourselves a bit in the second period there, especially the last 10-12 minutes, but we got ourselves together. The guys are are giving it. They’re playing hard.”

The Flyers, however, were not done and Seeler made it 4-3 at 4:58 before Konecny pulled them back even at 9:14.

FEELING THE POWER

Columbus has scored a power-play goal in four of its last five games after starting the season 0-25 with a man advantage.

HOME SWEET HOME

Gaudreau’s assist on Jenner’s goal continued his points tear at Nationwide Arena, as he has recorded six goals and five assists in 10 games.

STREAKING

Konecny stretched his point streak to seven games, and continues to lead the Flyers in goals and assists with 18 and seven, respectively. Hayes has contributed six points (3-3) in the last six games.

THEY’RE BACK

The Blue Jackets welcomed back Kuraly off injured reserve after he missed two games with an upper-body injury. The Flyers recalled Max Willman from the Phantoms.

ROLLING ROOKIE

One game after scoring his first career goal, Marcus Bjork added his first career assist on Robinson’s goal. Bjork scored in his NHL debut Sunday against the New York Islanders, becoming just the seventh CBJ player in team history to do so.

HE SAID IT

“It sucks.” Flyers coach John Tortorella when asked in the first period what he thought of his team’s effort.

UP NEXT

Flyers: At Boston on Thursday night.

Blue Jackets: Host Montreal on Thursday night.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Philadelphia Phillies offseason moves have officially begun, the team announced that outfielder, Johan Rojas has been added to the 40-man roster. 

The 22-year old spent time in both high-A Jersey Shore and double-A Reading during the 2022 season. In a total of 130 games played between the two levels, Rojas finished with a .244/.309/.354 line at the plate. 

Overall, the outfielder finished with seven home runs and triples, 20 doubles and 38 RBIs. On the bases, he went 62-67 on stolen base attempts, good enough for 92.5 percent. 

 Rojas started the season with 31 consecutive stolen base attempts.

The Phillies have selected the contract of outfielder Johan Rojas to the 40-man roster, Phillies President of Baseball Operations David Dombrowski announced today.

Rojas, 22, split the 2022 season between high-A Jersey Shore (70 games) and double-A Reading (60 games) while combining to post a .244/.309/.354 slash line with 20 doubles, seven triples, seven homers, 38 RBI, 82 runs and 62 stolen bases in 67 attempts (92.5%). He finished the regular season with Reading, where he hit .260 with a .720 OPS in 264 plate appearances. Rojas’ 62 steals overall ranked eighth among all minor league players in 2022 and were the most by a Phillies minor leaguer since 2009 (Anthony Gose, 76). The right-handed hitter began the season by stealing 31 consecutive bases without being caught, a streak which ended on June 22.

Survivor 43 will throw the castaways for another loop in episode 9 when host Jeff Probst announces that two people will join the jury instead of only one. We know how the team will be divided thanks to photos and promos from the upcoming episode. And based on those and the events of the last Tribal Council, we think we know which castaways will be voted out.

[Spoiler alert: This article contains light spoilers from Survivor 43 Episode 9, “What About the Big Girls.”]