ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country to receive our stories in your inbox every week The director of Arizona’s embattled Medicaid agency resigned this week just as she was expected to face questions from lawmakers about her handling of a massive fraud scheme that largely targeted Native Americans announced Wednesday that she had accepted the resignation of Carmen Heredia director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System The governor lauded Heredia’s leadership of the agency while blaming Republican lawmakers for politicizing the confirmation process saying it had become clear they would not confirm Heredia’s nomination but they struggled to respond and failed to alert the public which Heredia did along with other state leaders in May 2023 a spokesperson for Ducey did not comment on missed opportunities to stop the fraud but said that the former governor went to great lengths to assist in Hobbs’ transition.) AHCCCS withheld payment to more than 300 businesses as the agency investigated allegations that they were fraudulently billing Medicaid for treatment services and business owners were accused of allowing patients to continue the substance use they had hoped to overcome through treatment Heredia said she submitted her resignation with a heavy heart and expressed concern that a partisan agenda had resulted in professionals being dragged “through career damaging hearings.” Two years ago Senate Republicans derailed the nomination of one of Hobbs’ previous picks to lead the health department Last September, more than a year after the crackdown began, the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica reported that the suspensions had rendered patients homeless were also left without access to the drug and alcohol treatment they were seeking reaped huge Medicaid reimbursements by enrolling Native Americans in their programs and billing the state’s American Indian Health Program at exorbitant rates for services (The AIHP is a Medicaid insurance option that had no set limit on the amount of money providers could bill for services.) said there had been more than 100 indictments and 25 convictions so far related to the scheme She also said she expected more indictments to come were allowed to resume billing Medicaid after clearing allegations with the state But they said the suspensions still pushed them to the brink financially and upended their patients’ care Heredia’s swift and aggressive response to the crisis — which authorities said was needed to root out fraud and save lives — caused concerns that behavioral health care Heredia’s response has been incredibly disturbing “We are left with a broken system due to Heredia’s mismanagement and our vulnerable populations are caught up in this collapse.” A spokesperson for Senate Republicans declined a request for an interview with Hoffman While Hoffman’s statement mostly focused on the fraud scheme that authorities say cost the state $2 billion he said he also took issue with other matters within AHCCCS involving long-term care the director of the Arizona Department of Health Services Cunico was set to appear before lawmakers for a confirmation hearing Cunico said she was proud of her work at the department but made the difficult decision to withdraw her nomination after it became clear she wouldn’t be confirmed either Her resignation comes two years after Hobbs’ previous pick to lead the health department withdrew her nomination following a heated confirmation hearing Hoffman said Cunico had defended public health officials’ pandemic response during meetings with lawmakers but did not provide details Hoffman previously sponsored legislation that prohibited state and local agencies from enacting vaccine mandates The governor defended Heredia’s response to the fraud crisis and said both Heredia and Cunico had worked on a range of initiatives including improving access to maternal health care “Carmen Heredia helped root out a multi-billion dollar wave of Medicaid fraud and the related humanitarian fallout which the previous administration ignored,” Hobbs said in a statement and abuse in our healthcare system is a model for the nation and she always ensured people who needed help continued to get it.” “The Senate’s unprecedented politicization of the director confirmation process has ended the directorship of two healthcare professionals who have made our state government run more efficiently and more effectively.” Christopher Lomahquahu I cover tribes and federal agencies that serve Native Americans I’m interested in hearing from past and present staffers at the Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Health Service and other agencies serving Native people I also want to hear from people who receive care or services through these agencies ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them including the Environmental Protection Agency including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch We’re trying something new. Was it helpful? Email Address: Arrow Right Sign Up ProPublica Investigative Journalism in the Public Interest © Copyright 2025 Pro Publica Inc Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) Thank you for your interest in republishing this story You are free to republish it so long as you do the following: Governor Katie Hobbs has once again been inappropriately hamstrung by the hyper-partisan Senator Jake Hoffman – the Chair of the Senate’s Director Nominations Committee his ongoing political theater forced the resignation of two important health directors: AHCCCS Director Carmen Heredia & ADHS Director Jennifer Cunico The Arizona Republic and AZ Capitol Times both reported that the directors resigned ahead of expected rejections by the Senate committee which has repeatedly used its power (mostly Mr Hoffman) not to vet nominees in good faith – but to publicly humiliate and undermine the governor’s choices It would be one thing if Hoffman were looking at the statutory requirements of the jobs and vetting the nominees based on whether their experience meets the statutory requirements – but that’s not what he’s doing Rather than perform his legitimate constitutional duty to evaluate and confirm nominees Hoffman is focused on sabotaging the executive branch when it’s not held by his party Ducey nominees wouldn’t be getting this treatment regardless of how unqualified were This behavior isn’t new — my op-ed published two years ago highlighted how Hoffman’s treatment of nominees hasn’t been about qualifications but about political ideology and partisan sabotage Heredia and Cunico weren’t ‘fringe figures with radical ideologues’ as suggested by Hoffman Both were respected inside and outside their agencies All the information I have suggests they were driven to resign not because of a scandal or mismanagement Hoffman’s behavior—grilling nominees on partisan talking points or simply refusing to confirm them is basically sabotage – not legitimate legislative oversight of the executive branch Who will want to serve in Arizona government and leave jobs they like knowing their reputation will be dragged through the mud for political theater Hobbs must now “promptly” nominate new directors for both ADHS and AHCCCS While the statute doesn’t define “promptly,” the need to name at least interim directors is immediate because state agencies can’t execute administrative or regulatory decisions without directors at the helms 38-211 – Nominations by governor; consent of senate; appointment Will the Senate majority ever choose governance and accountability over grandstanding Not until President Petersen changes who is chair of the DINO Committee or scraps it all together and goes back to the old way of vetting through normal standing committees [email protected] ARIZONA POLITICS NEWS BY KEVIN STONE Katie Hobbs’ agency director nominees resigned Wednesday in the face of unbending Republican opposition AHCCCS Director Carmen Heredia and Department of Health Services Director Jennie Cunico stepped down after it became clear the GOP-led Senate Committee on Director Nominations (DINO) wouldn’t recommend their confirmation Cunico oversaw the health department’s transition from the previous administration “Unfortunately, the Senate’s unprecedented politicization of the director confirmation process has ended the directorship of two health care professionals who have made our state government run more efficiently and more effectively,” Hobbs, a Democrat, said in a statement After Heredia and Cunico withdrew from consideration Jake Hoffman said they weren’t qualified for the positions “The withdrawal of these two highly unqualified nominees by Katie Hobbs is a victory for the hardworking people of Arizona that simply want a government that will work for them,” Hoffman said in statement “Katie’s clear inability to nominate qualified individuals to serve as directors defies logic.” Heredia was scheduled for her DINO hearing on Thursday but the meeting was canceled after she withdrew “The Arizona Senate majority has been aware for months that Katie Hobbs had no intention of keeping Carmen Heredia in the position and planned to withdraw her nomination once she was placed on my committee’s agenda,” Hoffman said Hoffman’s committee has been a thorn in Hobbs’ side throughout her tenure as governor Senate President Warren Petersen created the committee and appointed Hoffman to lead it after Hobbs took office in early 2023 The panel vets nominees who are subject to Senate approval before the full chamber votes on them the committee approved most of the director nominees it vetted several candidates were rejected following sometimes contentious hearings Shortly after Hoffman’s committee recommended the rejection of Joan Serviss as director of the Department of Housing in September 2023 Hobbs withdrew her remaining director nominations she tried to sidestep the committee by naming interim directors The interims then appointed “executive deputy directors” and resigned Republicans took Hobbs to court over the maneuver and won. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled in June 2024 that the executive deputy director appointments were illegal Hobbs resubmitted nominees for unconfirmed director positions in January of this year Since then, DINO has held hearings for 10 of the nominees with the committee voting to recommend confirmation nine times Hobbs’ pick to lead the Department Of Insurance And Financial Institutions Follow @kstonezone Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here The leaders of Arizona's Medicaid agency and state health department have stepped down rather than face the Senate confirmation process Katie Hobbs' office announced the pair of resignations on April 30 saying it "became clear to the Governor's Office that the Senate Majority will refuse to confirm" the two leaders Hobbs had nominated Carmen Heredia to lead the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and Jennie Cunico to lead the Arizona Department of Health Services Heredia was scheduled to appear the following day before the Senate's Committee on Director Nominations which has taken the helm of vetting nominees and that Hobbs and others have charged is driven by partisanship under the leadership of Sen the Senate’s unprecedented politicization of the director confirmation process has ended the directorship of two healthcare professionals who have made our state government run more efficiently and more effectively," Hobbs said in a statement "The people of Arizona are tired of the relentless politics that has undermined good governance in the name of partisan retribution." reaffirmed the work of the committee as "Arizonans' last line of defense against incompetent and highly partisan picks to lead state agencies." A spokesperson for Hobbs later said that Heredia and Cunico had resigned their positions as directors but did not respond to a question about their future roles within the state workforce Hobbs has previously demoted and given new jobs to other doomed director nominees in the past Heredia has led the agency since the beginning of Hobbs' administration in 2023 She previously was the longtime chief executive officer of Valle del Sol a nonprofit that operated 17 federally qualified health centers in Arizona and New Mexico Her departure leaves the state's Medicaid agency without a permanent leader as the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are hashing out details of a spending plan that could include significant eligibility changes and reductions in Medicaid funding Hoffman noted concerns about Heredia's leadership in the last two years He said Heredia "basically told the judicial system to pound sand" when the agency in September stood by contracts it awarded to long-term care providers who serve elderly and physically disabled adults The agency ignored the prior ruling of an administrative law judge who found "serious flaws" in how those contracts were awarded a process the judge said led to an "arbitrary outcome." The administrative judge recommended the Medicaid agency re-do the contract process Hoffman also faulted the agency's handling of a massive fraud scandal within the American Indian Health Program The Hobbs administration placed the blame on her predecessor, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey But her administration's response to the fraud has also come under scrutiny criticism that Hoffman noted in his statement Heredia took aim at the confirmation process in a statement provided by the Governor's Office "I believe public service should be about people "When political theater begins to outweigh sound policy and when governance is shaped more by ideology than by data and facts And those who suffer most are the individuals and families who rely on Medicaid for essential health care services." Cunico has worked in the state health department since 2014 and was elevated by Hobbs to serve as its interim director in Aug Hobbs' prior choice to lead the department, Pima County Health Director Dr. Theresa Cullen, faced a grilling in the nominations committee largely related to COVID politics. Cullen withdrew her nomination in Feb. 2023, about the same time the Senate voted to reject her nomination The reason Cunico faced a dead end at the committee was not clear but also appeared tied to the deadly pandemic Hoffman described a one-on-one meeting he had with Cunico as “disastrous,” saying she “double and tripled down on the systemic failures of public health officials during the COVID years.” Hobbs’ office said Hoffman had sought public records dating to 2020 and that he sought to “relitigate conspiracy theories” about COVID Hobbs praised Cunico for leading the agency as it developed statewide plans to prepare for extreme summer heat and Alzheimer's disease Cunico said in a statement that stepping down was a difficult decision but it was “clear to me that there is no path forward to confirmation.” "It has been an honor to serve the State in this capacity and to work with the team at ADHS who consistently demonstrate an unwavering dedication and compassion each day to promote and protect the health and wellbeing of all Arizonans," she said in the statement provided by Hobbs' office (This story has been updated to add new information.) Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669 Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker I got up to read an original poem about the merits of being a Bronx resident I wanted to take a stance against gentrification in my neighborhood against the displacement of dozens of local businesses and residents alike I’m not a poet—even when I wrote poetry I knew I wasn’t very good I couldn’t deny the energy burning up the room after I finished reading that piece The crowd made up of Bronx residents cheered and hollered I’d proven to myself and everyone in that room that art has a unique power a specialized shiny role in the fight for justice But I didn’t let the moment fill me up with pride the (very evasive) thing I have always done in the wake of personal achievement: I used the moment to propel me to do better I was writing stories while I was organizing against gentrification in The Bronx in 2016 I was using my lunch breaks to write my novel while I worked as an assistant at a union I lived a typical young writer’s life in my twenties Organizing pushed me to think in the language of strategy All useful words in combating the forces of displacement or the greed of corporations looking to cut costs at the expense of the creative economy On top of paying the bills and teaching me invaluable skills like how to create a toolkit how to request a permit for a mobilization in a public space and how to run a successful digital campaign through these jobs I also got to meet incredible people like actors who’d given up their creative careers to organize full time on behalf of their fellow artists or activists who’d been leading movements in the streets of New York since the 1970s I grew up in working class barrios in Santo Domingo and The Bronx two places where one’s fate is deeply connected to that of one’s neighbor these connections lead to problematic places like that time my cousins hooked our satellite connection to the neighbor’s so our family wouldn’t have to pay for cable the time a group of local gangsters vowed to kill my brother due to some mess he’d gotten himself into or the time my uncle’s neighbor plotted to stab him because my uncle had crossed some imagined (and But so is all the positive stuff that comes to mind when one thinks about a neighborhood: taking care of each other’s children keeping an eye on a vecina’s cheating husband I internalized a lot of self-hatred about my communities growing up I hyper-fixated on all the things wrong with my upbringing But my work helped me see the value of what we could do together I witnessed gatherings in building lobbies in front of company headquarters and government consulates that literature can have a place in these movements for justice My education taught me that the works of writers like James Baldwin even the plays of Shakespeare in small towns in Haiti have had and continue to have a great impact on the ideological blueprints of revolutionary movements and community building efforts As the common adage in activist spaces goes “everyone has a place in the movement.” And writers have contributed in large and small ways to the progress of social justice have argued that a writer’s responsibility is to be as engaged with her community as she is with the page “the role of the writer is to make revolution irresistible.” before I left my last community organizing job as the convener of 50+ literary organizations gathering to do social justice work I had the great privilege of working with Iris Morales who has been an activist since her adolescence all through the Young Lord’s movement and beyond she’s co-authored children’s books inspired by a 1969 Young Lords protest and she’s written seminal texts centering the leadership of women of color in revolutionary movements Iris emphasized the life-long perseverance needed to dedicate one’s life to justice She also emphasized the need to be dexterous I paraphrase: “I didn’t believe in voting as an avenue for change We need all of it to make the world a better place.” Iris validated the work I’d spent nearly a decade doing I had proven to myself that the intersection of literature and activism was serious enough to dedicate one’s life to But that’s exactly when I realized that I needed to leave the world of organizing behind It took a long time to arrive at my own ideas about the world to believe deeply that the language of social justice could be the balm for our collective struggle I still believe deeply in community organizing as one of the few avenues through which a people can express their dignity and self-determination But my own truth is that I find the language of social justice stifling and reductive increasingly so as it’s been co-opted by the masses who use said language to build social media platforms Social justice has become another thing to hide behind to avoid accountability another altar to which we’re expected to bow to without thought or critique We treat the language of social justice as scripture rather than what it is: an ideology phrases like political identity and intersectionality coined by the Combahee River Collective (1977) and Kimberlee Crenshaw (1989) respectively take on a different use in the 21st century Phrases that were created to affirm someone’s humanity in the face of anti-blackness terms which were originally designed to expand a group’s political and human possibilities or for practical (and revolutionary) purposes in the court of law are now used to dehumanize people by putting them into boxes visions of the future; all we are is the sum of our identities and our binary political leanings My interest in people and communities persists and have left organizing behind (at least in the form of a 9 to 5 job) I feel obligated to make a case for the utility of my work half the time I’m convinced that writers overemphasize the political power of our work Every time I’m asked to give a talk about the intersection of activism and literature I have to remind people: literature is not the protest Legendary poet and educator June Jordan understood that if literature is to be useful in educating drag people into action,” she said in an interview once about her work I think she would say that the difficult and most important part is still left after you’ve read the poem and dissected the short story: we still need to take action Another problem with collapsing literature and activism is that it has become common to suggest that a piece of writing is only “good” if it is politically useful But forget the fact that sometimes it’s the work that reiterates the status quo as feigned resistance that gets the flowers and the money in our literary landscape The point is that judging a novel or story’s value based only on its political utility is reductive disrespectful to the rigor that writers put into their work that is much of how contemporary society values literature and writers from how non-profits and residencies doll out awards and resources to how reading communities engage with our work What “communities” does this work represent How we dilute everything to its most reductive components How much we need labels and boxes to mis/understand each other Before and alongside the language of social justice all small and large ways we set ourselves apart from the other It gives me the freedom to think about community in ways that being an organizer didn’t always allow me to do Messed up people and saints all have to put up with each other and far beyond the confines of their supposed identities At the center of my novel, Loca is the question of communal responsibility but through embodied action and everyday living Toward the end of the book there’s a short scene between a young Dominican man finally facing all the hurt he’s been trying to run from I created the librarian as racially ambiguous She could be “from everywhere and nowhere at once,” I write that I learned in a training right before a protest Community organizing language is all over my work But the librarian doesn’t clarify her ethnicity She doesn’t align herself with a gendered solidarity to other women I am insisting on a way of looking at the world more than her political identities or political affiliations for just a few sentences in a 300+ page novel what if who she claims as her own are the people who share her profession I suppose before my time people thought of themselves like this Did my grandfather think very much about his identity as a carpenter Would he have claimed others who shared in these particular human experiences as his own Maybe I’m blinded by optimism for the way things once were two characters discuss the death of a friend that the second man shouldn’t blame himself for not showing up as a friend because there were larger forces at play that led to the dead friend’s demise He’s trying to grapple with the line between systemic injustice and personal responsibility that blaming homophobia for the death of his friend is too easy that what we owe each other must be more complicated than these larger stories which would have us believe we’re only puppets playing our role in the sociological scripts that dictate our lives Only imperfect people trying to understand what is theirs to carry and what isn’t What we owe each other and what is unbearably our own responsibility to carry I think it’s helpful to admit both of these major practices have shaped the way I think: organizing prepared me to look at the larger systems that reduce a life Fiction allows me to understand a life wholly that a person has their worth and meaning beyond politics The only thing more important to me than writing is how I live my life It’s important for me to show up to mutual aid efforts Writing good fiction will never supplant the action needed to participate in the commons as I’ve heard Zadie Smith refer to our shared spaces to separate my political action out in the world from my individual I recede into the realm of fiction (while I can afford it) because it demands nuance I like my routines and my imagined people on the page It’s safer than the potential of getting expulsed from college or getting arrested My friends and I joke about that sometimes because we’ve been organizing since we were teens While some of our peers were out enjoying parties fulfilling our measly roles in organizations that tried to do good work I insist on the utility of fiction not because I think it’s more useful than community organizing (I do not believe that) and not only because writing is my calling in life which puts me in the position to defend it—I insist because I believe the language of social justice is not the only way to understand ourselves Fiction offers us a way of looking at people’s interior and interconnected lives that is rigorous that holds space for contradiction and opacity It is not better; it is only different than the mode of contemporary popular thought even if only because I believe it’s quite alright that we’re not all thinking in the same mode as people have argued for as long as people have been around: Loca by Alejandro Heredia is available from Simon & Schuster Created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature Masthead About Sign Up For Our Newsletters How to Pitch Lit Hub Privacy Policy Support Lit Hub - Become A Member Lit Hub has always brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall you'll keep independent book coverage alive and thriving Next to the yellow Mexican restaurant El Señor Frog's in Stockton is a billboard on Pacific Avenue that states When someone sent him a photo of the billboard he thought it was a joke and assumed it was Photoshopped it was real when he and his wife Mercedes Heredia checked it out in person it was something incredible," Heredia told The Stockton Record of the billboard Facebook user Debbie Antram Kirby shared a photo of the billboard on the public Facebook group "Stockton Crime News And Information #SCNI," garnering nearly 3,000 likes and more than 1,000 shares "This brought the biggest smile to my heart tonight!" she wrote While many in the community consider and call Heredia a hero "Para mi un heroe es una madre soltera que crea a sus hijos a hero is a single mother who raises her children Who is Juan Heredia?The 52-year-old diver was born in San Miguel de Tucumán He was born to Juan Angel Heredia and Mafalda Robles Heredia was just 18 years old when he started diving the fishing hooks would get stuck at the bottom of the lake his father would send him to unhook them underwater "Ese amor por las profundidades me empezo a gustar y cuando salio un curso de buseo en mi ciudad fue lo primero que hice en registrarme," Heredia said ("I started to like that love for the depths and when a diving course came out in my city his goal was to continue his career and become a professional diver He wanted to be able to teach new students where he opened a diving shop called "Nautilus" around 1997 Heredia was about 25 years old when he helped in his first search back in 1998 in his home of Argentina Heredia said he was in a river with some friends when they saw a firetruck show up The firefighters saw the river's current was very strong and they wouldn't go in He approached and told them he was a diving instructor and asked if they would let him borrow equipment so he could go into the waters In 2000, he was living in San Francisco and teaching in San Carlos at the now permanently closed Wallin's Dive Center. Twelve years later, Heredia moved from San Francisco to Stockton after buying properties in the city Aside from being a volunteer diver and the founder of the nonprofit Angels Recovery Dive Team mortgage loan originator and general contractor "This country gave me so many good things that my way of giving back is by putting my skills in diving for the community," he said Kayak tragedy: Stockton diver announces emotional recovery of 2nd California brother Heredia and Mercedes have a blended family of five are Heredia's children from a previous marriage Mercedes also has three children from a previous marriage: Pricilla Heredia's wife has also experienced the loss of a loved one firsthand lost his life in 2023 in Stockton after he got in a car wreck and his car entered into a canal Mercedes is the president of Angels Recovery Dive Team Heredia said he wouldn't be able to do what he does without the support of his family He said on the first day of the search that they had an agreement that if he went someone from his family would have to go with him too who disappeared after jumping into the Calaveras River after a fight between four students broke out at Stagg High School In 30 minutes, Heredia found Martinez's body giving closure to a grieving mother and a community Heredia first heard about Martinez on the news He also saw his mother asking on social media for volunteers who could help in the search for her son after the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office stopped their search Heredia said that he didn't know where the Calaveras River or where Stagg High School were located She went with him to the river where they saw Amanda Martinez Heredia went up to her and told her that he was a diver and he would like to help her find her son She replied that the sheriff had already sent divers and used different resources and equipment The Stockton Record reported then that the sheriff's boating unit was called to the levee and spent three days searching using a submersible robot drones and K-9s in search of Xavier Martinez "I told the mother that the only thing I could do was help her in two ways One was to dive and guarantee the mother that her son was not there and the other was to dive and find him," Heredia said "One way or another I was going to give the mother a peace of mind knowing that her son was not there or that she was going to find him." Heredia said his plan was to search the whole river He was prepared to do so with four tanks that would last him for about four to five hours "That was something so strong for her and for me 'I think my son is here' and there I found him," Heredia said Xavier was the first missing person Heredia found in San Joaquin County "What each search gives you is that feeling of returning to the mother her son or daughter it is something that has no (monetary) value," he said Heredia said that when the sheriff's office looks for a person who has drowned they go looking for a "body," but his mentality is to go to the family and ask them what they need Heredia said that he searches for those who are missing because he is familiar with the depth of the waters not knowing where your son or daughter is is heartbreaking he tries to go to the scene as soon as possible Heredia started his nonprofit in the fall of 2024 "The next day I went to bring a flower to Xavier to me you are an angel who brought me my son,'" Heredia said "That word stuck in my mind so much that it is the one I used for the organization Heredia also found Brenda Duran in Newman in the San Joaquin River at Fisherman’s Bend near Crows Landing the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook She had been missing for three days before the family contacted him According to the sheriff's Duran was at the river with her children when her daughter started having trouble keeping her head above water she jumped to help her but she struggled staying afloat and did not made it out of the river Finding Wesley CornettOn Jan. 5, Heredia announced on social media the recovery of 17-year-old Wesley Cornett Cornett and his brother 19-year-old Andruw Cornett went missing after they went duck hunting near the afterbay on Dec Butte County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Megan McMann told the Redding Record Searchlight that Wesley Cornett paddled a kayak to retrieve a fallen duck when it capsized but after the 911 operator said it would take time for rescuers to get to the afterbay he said he was going to swim out to help his younger brother a citizen walking on the west bank of the Thermalito Afterbay spotted the body in the water and called 911 The sheriff's office said a sheriff's marine unit was on the water continuing its search for the brothers authorities identified the body to be of Wesley Cornett Andruw Cornett, 19, was pulled from the water on Tuesday, Dec. 31 Heredia said he looked for Wesley Cornett for 21 days He spent Christmas and New Years searching for the brothers "It was a relief for us because the family was actually camping there they were very tired and they wanted to end this." Heredia said "It really was something incredible for everyone and Wesley Cornett are three out of six people who Heredia has rescued out of the waters Heredia has photos of all six of them in his living room in their honor "My way of erasing that image when I found them in the state I found them is to have that photo in my living room and seeing them every day It does not allow me to go back and see their face as I found them," Heredia said "I always have them smiling in my living room and I look at them every day." He said that although he is unable to sleep for a few days after a search the support of the community helps him a lot "Ese apoyo de las familias realmente me levantan mucho el animo," Heredia said ("That support from families really lifts my spirits.") Heredia was recognized in April 2024 by the Stockton City Council as the "city council hero" after helping in the search of Xavier Martinez someone told me that it is the first time that they have given the key to the city to a hero and not to an organization," Heredia said a civilian volunteer who didn't belong to an organization I was quite shocked that they made that decision." Heredia does not charge families when he goes in search for their loved ones "You can't charge someone who is suffering so much that they will need money to bury their children .. you can't charge when you do it from the heart because otherwise it would lose that meaning for me," he said The nonprofit's mission is to be able to cover areas that the Red Cross doesn't and to offer services to the community Heredia also wants to recruit volunteers and enough funds to be able to help families when a loved one drowns He said there aren't any nonprofits that offer such services He wants to be able to provide those families with tents bathrooms and water when they camp out near the waters He also wants to guide those families and help them with the process after a body is recovered Heredia said while he is the founder of the nonprofit he is not on the board because he wants to only be focused on the searches The easiest way for families to get in contact with him is by calling him or contacting him through social media Those who can help by donating can do so through Venmo at Angelsdive All donations will go back to families in one way or another Heredia said the nonprofit donated $1,000 to the Cornett family Heredia said that he would like to see more support or collaboration with all law enforcement agencies He would like for them to welcome volunteers because it doesn't matter who finds the missing son or daughter but that they are able to return them to their parents "They consider me like I do this for money That's what they believe because they don't know me," Heredia said "They don't know that by looking for someone I am losing money from not being able to run my business so they don't know that I have been diving for 30 years." Heredia said what he would like to see different is that the authorities open communication with organizations to see how they can help with searches or by helping the families The longer it takes law enforcement to find those missing their bodies deteriorate and the families can't have a proper funeral "I am convinced that we are all born with a date determined I am convinced that God only takes the good people first and that every beginning has an end and we always have the opportunity to start again," Heredia said "There is always someone who is left and has to be loved The family has to focus on that person who is left here and take advantage of that hard blow to do something new in memory of that person they lost." Best of the Capitol Governor Katie Hobbs delivering the 2025 State of the State Address on the floor of the Arizona House of Representatives at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix The directors of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and the Arizona Department of Health Services resigned Thursday “after it became clear to the Governor’s Office that the Senate Majority will refuse to confirm their nominations,” according to a press release from the Governor’s Office stating that their resignations had nothing to do with their leadership at either department the Senate’s unprecedented politicization of the director confirmation process has ended the directorship of two healthcare professionals who have made our state government run more efficiently and more effectively,” Hobbs said “The people of Arizona are tired of the relentless politics that has undermined good governance in the name of partisan retribution It should not matter whether the leaders of our state government are Democrats or Republicans; it should matter that our state is run by public servants who do what’s right for everyday people.” Carmen Heredia was appointed to the AHCCCS director position in January 2023 a nonprofit community health organization focused on services for the Latino and underserved communities She served as the organization’s chief executive officer from 2019 to 2023 and chief operations officer from 2013 to 2019 Heredia was expected to appear before the Senate Director Nominations Committee on Thursday where lawmakers would have had the opportunity to question her about recent department issues and scandals and the Parents as Paid Caregivers Program called Heredia “unqualified” and cited her response to the sober living homes scandal and the agency’s issues with its procurement code in his own lengthy statement “We look forward to Katie Hobbs sending us a sensible leader that will be able to rein in the abuse that has occurred at AHCCCS,” Hoffman said in his statement the executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association and a former director of the Department of Health Services told the Yellow Sheet Report before Heredia’s resignation was announced that stakeholders largely supported her nomination and enjoyed working with her Jennie Cunico was a longtime employee of ADHS and was appointed director in December 2023 after Hobbs’ first pick to lead the agency Hoffman attributed Cunico’s withdrawal to “a disastrous one-on-one meeting.” Jennifer Cunico double and tripled down on the systemic failures of public health officials during the COVID years even going so far as to defend policies that even the CDC and WHO have now admitted were wrong and not rooted in science.” Get our free e-alerts & breaking news notifications Essential news and information about Arizona government who accepted the boys basketball head coaching position at Rio Rancho High School on Monday talks to his players during a timeout during a Jan 2024 game against Eldorado at Atrisco Heritage Heredia was the Jaguars coach for four seasons Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content James Yodice covers high school sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist it provides narrative coverage of local trends going beyond the headlines to keep you informed Stay informed with the latest top headlines from your trusted local source the Albuquerque Journal—delivered to your inbox every day Stay in the loop with the top stories of the week delivered straight to your inbox every Saturday Sign up to see what’s trending and get the latest on the stories that matter most to our readers Get breaking news and important alerts sent straight to your inbox as they happen Stay up-to-date with the latest sports headlines and highlights from the Albuquerque Journal Get the latest on local happenings delivered straight to your inbox Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Chris joined FloridaGators.com in 2011 after nearly three decades as a sports reporter at newspapers in Tampa and Orlando including 10 years covering the UF athletic program and another 10 covering the NFL Scott has been a senior writer for the Florida Gators since 2010 Alejandro Heredia’s debut novel “Loca” has been praised as “quintessential American.” It takes place in both the Dominican Republic and the Bronx where Alejandro was shaped into the person he is today speaks with the Afro-Dominican author about his —and his family’s— migration journey to the United States and being a writer during this moment in history joy—and what it means to reclaim your story on your own terms Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts This episode was produced by Reynaldo Leaños Jr It was edited by Andrea López-Cruzado and it was mixed by Gabriela Baez ‘We Need to Reimagine Latinidad’: Being Latino in 2025 and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. NJ - Aberdeen scored nine runs in the fifth inning to storm back and top the BlueClaws 11-7 on Sunday afternoon at ShoreTown Ballpark The IronBirds took four of six in the series from Jersey Shore The BlueClaws took the lead with four runs in the third inning Their first run scored on an RBI double by Dylan Campbell before a bases loaded walk to Bryson Ware Raylin Heredia added a two run single to give the BlueClaws a 4-1 lead They added a run in the fifth on an Eduardo Lopez RBI triple to go up 5-1 Aberdeen stormed back with nine runs in the fifth inning Ethan Anderson hit a grand slam for the first four Anderson De Los Santos and Jalen Vasquez each drove in two with base hits All nine runs were charged to Braydon Tucker and the nine runs were the most allowed by the BlueClaws since they gave up 11 runs in the eighth inning to Greensboro on June 29th last year Jersey Shore starter Aaron Combs gave up one unearned run in three innings of work Raylin Heredia had three hits for the BlueClaws his third multi-hit game of the young season Andrew Baker and Jaydenn Estanista both threw scoreless innings for the BlueClaws The BlueClaws had to Greensboro for a six game series with the Grasshoppers that begins on Tuesday 2024 at her home.  Private family services will be held at a later date.  The Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Columbus Junction is caring for Rosa’s family and arrangements.  Online condolences may be left at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.  the daughter of Beningo and Dolores Rodriquez Limonta.  She enjoyed watching Novellas especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren Rosa will be missed by her significant other Eustaquio Alarcon of Columbus Junction; son Roxani Heredia of Columbus Junction; grandchildren She was preceded in death by her parents; son Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Tx to Manuel and Josephine Heredia on August 14 Isabel attended and graduated from Monahans High school where she made many friends and kept in contact with them all to this day Isabel is preceded in death by her maternal grandparents Manuel and Nico Lopez; and her paternal grandparents Eddie Heredia and Gilbert Heredia; and her parents Manuel Heredia and Josephine Heredia.  from 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM at Harkey Funeral Home with a rosary being recited at 7:00 PM John the Apostle and Evangelist Catholic Church with Father Joe officiating.  The family of Isabel Heredia would like to extend our sincere thanks to Home Hospice care and all family members who helped during this difficult time Arrangements are entrusted to Harkey Funeral Home If you would like to send the family your condolences to the family you may do so by signing here guestbook at www.harkeyfunerals.com Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors speaks to reporters at the entrance of their home after they were released from prison in Lima SAO PAULO (AP) — Peru’s former First Lady Nadine Heredia and her youngest son arrived in Brazil on Wednesday after the neighboring country granted her asylum her lawyer and the foreign ministries of both countries said Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Heredia’s flight arrived in the capital Brasilia under the terms of a diplomatic asylum convention that Peru and Brazil are both part of Heredia and her son will now go through the procedures to regularize their migration to Brazil Heredia’s lawyer Julio Espinoza told Peruvian radio RPP that she departed early Wednesday on an official plane provided by the Brazilian government took refuge in the Brazilian Embassy with their son Peru’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Brazil granted diplomatic asylum to the former first lady and her son under a 1954 convention to which both countries are signatories The ministry said Peruvian authorities granted them safe passage to Brazil Peru’s Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press also was sentenced to 12 years in prison for money laundering in the same case The judges of Peru’s National Superior Court found that Humala and Heredia received almost $3 million in illegal contributions for political campaigns from Odebrecht and the government of then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez (1999-2013) and alongside Humala and his 48-year-old wife Both Humala and Heredia were held in pretrial detention from 2017 to 2018 at the prosecutor’s request to prevent their flight Odebrecht’s 2016 admission of widespread bribery across Latin America preceded the initial investigations against Humala prominent figures like former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori and numerous ex-governors are also under investigation AP journalist Franklin Briceño reported from Lima AP journalist Mauricio Savarese contributed to this report from Sao Paulo Arjelis Heredia of Waterbury has been teaching for far longer than the 19 years she’s been an educator if you count the years she used to pretend to be a teacher when she was a kid line up all my dolls and join my cousins and teach and be the principal and the cook and all the school rules.” Heredia is “being recognized for her success in educating and inspiring at-risk and economically disadvantaged students to achieve greatness in school and at life,” according to Kevin Gould the key to that success is keeping open communication with students even after they’ve gone to high school and beyond “I like to set the standard of if anything … I like to try my best to let them know that I'm really here.” Heredia is a seventh and eighth grade teacher at Children’s Community School in Waterbury a non-profit that serves children pre-kindergarten through eighth grade Heredia said she likes to ensure her students are prepared for the future by teaching them life skills that she didn’t learn growing up “I like for [my students] to have those things that I know now that I needed that I wasn't necessarily taught at school.” Those life skills include learning how to budget and maintain financial stability Heredia said she has her students open bank accounts before they graduate like how to interview for a job and how to keep eye contact Community service and social justice are also priorities for Heredia “I feel that this generation is very self absorbed and entitled,” Heredia said Heredia said she and her students go to local soup kitchens to serve sandwiches and food baskets they make themselves They also read to the elderly in nursing homes write to children’s hospitals and make birthday boxes for families in need Children’s Community School primarily serves children from families who live at or below the federal poverty level More than 160 students attend the school; nearly 100 of them qualify for free or reduced lunch Heredia credits her grandmother for shaping her “I grew up with my grandma and Abuela was very social Everyone knew her because she would feed people out of her kitchen window they knew that they could knock on her door,” Heredia said Heredia likes to keep in touch with her students after they’ve gone off to high school she calls me every day and before she gets herself into trouble I need you to talk me off the ledge so I don't do anything stupid,’” Heredia said “I'm happy to be there for them because sometimes they don't have a trusted adult.” Receiving the LifeChanger of the Year award came as a surprise for Heredia The school hosted a ceremony for her on April 3 to share the news After thinking it was an April Fools’ joke Heredia said she realized it was proof of how her efforts make an impact “It just gave me the validation to keep going [knowing] I am changing someone out there.” Heredia and the school received a $10,000 prize as part of the award Heredia said she would like to see the funds go toward revamping the science lab with new equipment Heredia will be going to the Bahamas to deliver an acceptance speech at a LifeChanger of the Year celebration Receive daily news and talk from Connecticut Public Radio directly to your inbox Search teams found the body of the second of two teenage brothers who was missing and presumed drowned in the Thermalito Afterbay since mid-December the Butte County Sheriff's Office said Monday Volunteer diver Juan Heredia of Stockton, founder of Angels Recovery Dive Team who had been helping with the search, at 10 a.m. announced the discovery of the body on his Facebook page It triggered an outpouring of support and kind messages The sheriff's office said that through DNA analysis authorities identified the body as 17-year-old Wesley Cornett Cornett's body was recovered on Sunday morning Andruw Cornett, Wesley's brother, was pulled from the water on Tuesday, Dec. 31 a citizen walking walking on the west bank of the Thermalito Afterbay A sheriff's marine unit was on the water continuing its search for the Cornett brothers Word of the discovery in the afterbay spread quickly on Sunday with many believing it could be Wesley Cornett's body The brothers had been duck hunting near the afterbay on Dec Wesley paddled a kayak to retrieve a fallen duck when it capsized When the 911 operator said it would take time for rescuers to get to the afterbay Butte County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Megan McMann told the Record Searchlight A sheriff's pilot flying over the area as part of the ongoing search for the brothers spotted Andruw's body the morning of New Year's Eve and the sheriff's office made positive identification that same day Donors had contributed more than $56,000 to the fund by Sunday night Thermalito Afterbay is one of several reservoirs on opposite sides of Thermalito Dam. The afterbay is located southwest of the dam, about 7 miles west of Oroville and about 70 miles north of Sacramento. Its banks lap against grasslands in the 11,800-acre Oroville Wildlife Area, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Thermalito Afterbay is a popular spot for bass and other kinds of fishing and the grasslands attract hunters looking for small game "Andruw and Wesley will forever remain in my heart They need your strength and comfort now more than ever." In April 2024, the Stockton City Council recognized Juan Heredia as the "city council hero" after the scuba diving instructor volunteered to search the Calaveras River for 15-year-old Xavier Martinez when he went missing in March San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department officials spent days searching the waters but couldn't locate the teen. Heredia found Martinez's body within 30 minutes of his dive Heredia received a standing ovation from the nearly 900 people in attendance you are a true hero to everyone in this city You are the definition of a good Samaritan," Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln said "I thank God that you answered the call that day for using your skills to bring peace and closure to the family of Xavier Martinez." Record reporter Hannah Workman contributed to this report On Friday, March 14, 2025, renowned flamenco cantaora Marina Heredia will take the stage at Kaufman Music Center as part of the 24th Flamenco Festival New York the Granada-born artist has captivated audiences worldwide with her deep expressive singing and innovative interpretations of the genre weaving together the raw intensity of cante jondo (deep song) with the evocative works of Federico García Lorca Accompanied by master guitarist José Quevedo “El Bolita,” Heredia breathes new life into the poet’s timeless verses transporting listeners to the heart of Andalusian tradition Presented by the World Music Institute in collaboration with Flamenco Festival New York this performance promises an evening of profound emotion where music and literature intertwine in a celebration of Spain’s rich cultural heritage Friday, March 14Kaufman Music Center129 West 67th Street, ManhattanDoors: 7:30 PM | Show: 8 PMTickets: $45 | $65 | $75 Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Please enter an answer in digits:seventeen + 7 = Last September, a judge ordered Kinahan to pay Heredia Boxing Management, owned by brothers Moses and Ralph Heredia,  $9.7m following the culmination of a four-year lawsuit, and Heredia was interviewed as part of the new series on the BBC, titled Kinahan: The True Story of Ireland’s Mafia. The lawsuit contended that Kinahan and his boxing company, MTK Global, had poached Jojo Diaz, whom manager Heredia felt had been more than a fighter to him. “Around 2009, that’s when I met Jojo Diaz. I’m at the gym training, he comes in, starts hitting the bag, and you just know, the kid has the swag,” Heredia told the BBC. “You just know he was going somewhere. But Diaz’s head was allegedly turned by Kinahan, something that clearly frustrates Heredia to this day. He told the BBC he was angry going back over it, and recalled how he found out. Heredia said he was not concerned by Kinahan’s reputation and said someone was sent to him to broker an agreement between them, saying they wanted to work together. But Heredia was not interested in a reconciliation.  Instead, using RICO laws – associated with laundering ‘dirty’ money into ‘clean’ money – he sued Kinahan for damages, and claimed “future earnings and dreams were shattered by the scumbags.” “This shit hurts, man,” said Heredia. Heredia’s legal team served Kinahan a complaint in Dubai, where it is believed Kinahan still lives, and the US government took notice.  So did the judge, making the award in Heredia’s favor. But getting the $9.7m could be another challenge altogether.    “We’ve got to go out and find where his goodies are hiding,” Heredia said, referring to Kinahan’s assets. “Cause he’s got plenty. Oh, he’s got plenty.” A lawyer for the Kinahans told the BBC “rumors” and “theories” about them have not been tested in court… “and a ‘massive investigation’ by five countries ended with a dismissal of the main charges against them.” This website may contain adult language. TM & © 2025 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved. This website may contain adult language TM & © 2025 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved © 2025 West Virginia University Athletics Thanks for visiting Iowa - University of Dubuque music and theatre students as well as area high schoolers will have the opportunity to join a Tony Award winner best known for originating the role of Angel in RENT on Broadway and film on stage during A Broadway Cabaret with Special Guest Wilson Jermaine Heredia at 7:00 p.m A Broadway Cabaret with Special Guest Wilson Jermaine Heredia will be an exciting showcase of songs performed by UD music and theatre students as well as visiting high school students Heredia will headline the evening with several solo-performed songs and will close with a special group song with all the participating students Heredia is best known for winning the 1996 Tony Award for the role of Angel in RENT He also won Drama Desk and Obie awards for best featured actor in the musical Heredia garnered an Olivier nomination when he reprised the role of Angel in London He reprised the role again in the 2005 film RENT Heredia returned to Broadway in La Cage aux Folles opposite Harvey Fierstein He recently played the role of Dan in Next to Normal at the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport Heredia has appeared in the films Flawless with Robert De Niro and Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rainbow Bridge Motel He is featured in Lin-Manuel Miranda's film adaptation of Jonathan Larson's Tick students will participate in a workshop that includes a master class session with Heredia There will also be a rehearsal session for participants "As we continue to foster musical theatre experiences at UD and expand our student engagement efforts we are extremely fortunate to be able to provide quality learning opportunities for our students to connect with working industry professionals," said Joe Klinebriel "Getting to work so closely with and perform alongside someone of the professional caliber of Broadway veteran Wilson Jermaine Heredia a Tony Award winner for his work in the original cast of RENT We are absolutely thrilled to have Wilson with us!" Heredia said he is honored and thankful for the opportunity to share his knowledge and passion with the next generation of creatives Tickets are on sale now! Stop by the Farber Box Office, Heritage Center, 2255 Bennett Street; call 563.585.7469; or visit www.dbq.edu/HeritageCenter to purchase tickets Monday through Friday and 90 minutes prior to events Patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets online for reduced ticket handling fees Guillermo Heredia in action for the SSG Landers on Sept Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country Digital access for organisations. Includes exclusive features and content. See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times. Brasilia, (EFE).- Nadine Heredia, former First Lady of Peru, arrived in Brazil on Wednesday under diplomatic asylum granted by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government, just hours after receiving a 15-year prison sentence in a high-profile corruption case involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Heredia, wife of former President Ollanta Humala (2011-2016), was flown into Brasília aboard a Brazilian Air Force jet, following a fast-tracked asylum request and the issuance of a safe-conduct pass from Peruvian authorities. She was accompanied by her youngest son, Samir, who was also granted asylum. The case has reignited regional tensions over judicial accountability and diplomatic protections, while also drawing attention to Brazil’s long-standing tradition of granting asylum to embattled political figures from across Latin America. Heredia and Humala were convicted Tuesday on charges of aggravated money laundering. According to the court, they received illicit campaign funds from Odebrecht and the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez during Peru’s 2006 and 2011 elections. Heredia fled to the Brazilian Embassy in Lima immediately after the verdict was read. Humala was arrested by Peruvian police and is now being held in Lima’s Barbadillo prison, home to several former Peruvian presidents, including Alejandro Toledo and Pedro Castillo, both imprisoned for separate corruption and political scandals. The Odebrecht scandal which exposed a vast network of bribery and political kickbacks across Latin America, previously ensnared Brazilian President Lula himself. He served 580 days in prison before his conviction was annulled in 2021 due to procedural irregularities. Heredia’s departure has sparked a political backlash in Lima. Peru’s Foreign Minister, Elmer Schialer, has requested to appear before Congress to explain the government’s decision to authorize the safe conduct needed for Heredia to leave the country. Eduardo Salhuana, the conservative president of Congress, acknowledged the legal obligation Peru holds under the 1954 Caracas Convention on Diplomatic Asylum, which requires nations to grant exit permissions once asylum is granted by another state. “Refusing would create a diplomatic conflict with Brazil, our top trade partner in Latin America and the fourth worldwide,” Salhuana told reporters while urging Schialer to clarify the government’s actions before Congress. Heredia’s legal team confirmed she departed Peru in the early hours of Wednesday morning aboard a Brazilian military aircraft. Brazil’s decision aligns with its diplomatic history of sheltering political figures. Past beneficiaries include former Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner, ex-Paraguayan President Raúl Cubas, and Ecuador’s Lucio Gutiérrez. More recently, Brazil has offered protection to Venezuelan and Argentine opposition figures amid rising regional political instability. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry cited the 1954 Convention as the legal basis for Heredia’s asylum, despite Peru’s communication that she had been convicted of serious financial crimes. The conviction, however, remains subject to appeal. It remains unclear whether Heredia and her son will reside permanently in Brasilia or relocate elsewhere within Brazil. EFE Two Pennsylvania counties have identified an Arizona-based company as the source of thousands of last-minute voter registration applications that they are investigating which conducts voter registration and outreach programs a Mesa councilman and a longtime voting activist in Arizona In Monroe County, around 30 forms the company was “responsible for submitting,” which also included mail ballot applications, were “irregular” and included what the District Attorney’s Office described in a Facebook post as several that were “fraudulent as they were not authorized by the persons named as applicants.” “In at least one example, the named applicant is in fact deceased,” District Attorney Mike Mancuso wrote in the post saying several of the forms he described as fraudulent had been traced to a specific person York County Chief Clerk Greg Monskie confirmed to Votebeat Wednesday that Field+Media Corps submitted the forms that the county is investigating Monskie said the company submitted the forms on behalf of the Everybody Votes campaign a national nonprofit voter registration organization Everybody Votes said in a statement that the company has not been contacted by officials in Lancaster or Monroe counties about ongoing investigations but would help resolve any issues with the forms if contacted ”Our partners work diligently to ensure all forms collected comply with all rules and regulations,” the statement said the county said that of the 3,087 applications under review it had found that roughly 47% were legitimate and 24% were “undergoing further review” by the York County district attorney Heredia told Votebeat that the company has not heard from any county officials in Pennsylvania or received any information about problems with the forms it submitted there but he said that the company would fully cooperate with any investigation in Pennsylvania a Phoenix suburb of about a half million people he was for years a leader of Mi Familia Vota he was the community relations manager for the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office Field+Media Corps operates voter registration drives for clients in Arizona both Navajo and Mohave counties flagged voter registration forms from the company and sent them to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office for investigation office spokesperson Richie Taylor confirmed to Votebeat Thursday Taylor said that Maricopa County prosecutors took the lead on investigating because the forms were initially submitted there before being sent on to Navajo and Mohave The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office confirmed the office opened a related investigation but was unable to immediately provide more detail Asked about the Pennsylvania and Arizona investigations Heredia said the company trains workers to fill out forms accurately When asked about the characterization of some submitted forms as fraudulent Heredia said Field+Media Corps has a zero tolerance policy for workers who submit fraudulent forms He said the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office contacted his company last year in connection with an investigation into two canvassers the company employed Clients or past clients of Field+Media Corps in Arizona include several prominent Arizona voter advocacy groups, including LUCHA, Chispa AZ, and CPLC Action Fund, according to the company’s website the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office has flagged FieldCorps for submitting a high percentage of incomplete or inaccurate forms office spokesperson Sierra Ciaramella confirmed Wednesday Heredia said that he is in regular contact with the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office He said that he is open to ways that the company can turn in more accurate forms and that his company has a good working relationship with the county Arizona has long dealt with problems with incomplete, inaccurate, and potentially fraudulent voter registration forms A Votebeat analysis earlier this year found that the problem leaves potentially eligible voters off the voter rolls just before the state’s voter registration deadlines When county officials receive an incomplete or inaccurate form county workers reach out to voters to complete the forms Heredia noted that his company reviews forms collected by workers in Pennsylvania before submitting them to check for things like similar signatures across multiple forms Heredia confirmed his company did voter registration work on behalf of Everybody Votes He said his company worked in Pennsylvania for more than five months leading up to the registration deadline submitting forms just about every other week Election officials did not tell the company of any problems with their forms during that time period His company no longer has workers in the state now that the voter registration deadline has passed Pennsylvania is a hotly contested swing state widely viewed as key to the presidential race and its elections are under heavy national scrutiny Former President Donald Trump this week alluded to the counties’ announcements in social media posts falsely claiming fake ballots had been found in Pennsylvania noting that the applications were flagged by election officials as potentially problematic In a third Pennsylvania county conducting an investigation, Lancaster County, officials have declined to identify the group or person who submitted the 2,500 forms they are investigating announced at a press conference last week that roughly 60% of the applications her detectives have reviewed so far were allegedly fraudulent She has since described “hundreds” of the applications as fraudulent but has not given an exact number or announced any criminal charges related to the investigation Adams declined to comment about whether Field+Media Corps had submitted the applications Monroe County’s Mancuso wrote on Facebook that his office is working with investigators from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and others as they continue to investigate The Pennsylvania Department of State emphasized in a statement Wednesday night that York and Lancaster counties had identified the potential irregularities only in voter registration applications which they did not process — not in ballot applications or returned ballots “The counties’ process to flag and investigate these potentially fraudulent voter registration applications show the safeguards built into our election system are working,” Department of State spokesperson Geoff Morrow said Carter Walker is a reporter for Votebeat in partnership with Spotlight PA. Contact Carter at cwalker@votebeat.org Jen Fifield is a reporter for Votebeat based in Arizona. Contact Jen at jfifield@votebeat.org Some communities vote Tuesday on local issues and school funding Warring partisan priorities and disagreements over voter ID specifics continue to make election deals tricky in Pennsylvania Wisconsin lawmakers want to streamline the process for towns to select new clerks as some municipalities go months — or longer — without a clerk in office The Texas House is considering a bill to abolish May elections which have the lowest turnout of any election Between a new vote and a nearly identical petition drive starting soon voters still have a chance to weigh in on proof of citizenship in the state Arizona’s election manual sought to make it clear that county supervisors had no choice But a judge’s ruling says it’s not up to state officials to decide Get Votebeat’s nonpartisan reporting on elections and voting delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. You may also receive occasional messages from sponsors VOTEBEAT IS A CIVIC NEWS COMPANY NEWSROOM ©2025 By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. You may also receive occasional messages from sponsors (This story was updated to add new information.) A man has been charged with multiple felonies for alleged sex crimes involving a 14-year-old Fillmore girl at a Camarillo motel last week after the two had been communicating via social media according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office School officials who noticed the teen was absent contacted the sheriff's office A school resource officer who tracked the girl's location via her cell phone discovered she was at a motel in Camarillo The sheriff's office is contracted to provide police services in Fillmore and Camarillo Camarillo deputies reviewed surveillance footage that reportedly showed the girl and Heredia Sanchez at the Motel 6 on Daily Drive While deputies were trying to figure out what room they may have been in they saw them in a vehicle in the parking lot The girl was evaluated by medical professionals and returned to her parents Sheriff's Detective Chris Dyer said Tuesday the suspect had used the social media app to give basic praise and compliments to the victim He shared memes and laughed at what she communicated to "innocently get access to the juvenile's mindset," he said Such grooming was used before the suspect allegedly moved on to more explicit language Investigators found the girl had gone willingly with Heredia Sanchez after the two had been communicating online for about two weeks the Ventura County District Attorney's Office filed a complaint charging Heredia Sanchez with unlawful sexual intercourse oral copulation of a person under 16 and luring Prosecutors also filed a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor Heredia Sanchez pleaded not guilty to all charges during arraignment Thursday in Ventura County Superior Court He remained at the county's main jail Saturday in lieu of $100,00 bail An early disposition conference originally scheduled for Friday morning was reset for the afternoon of Jan Sheriff's officials said they notified nearby law enforcement agencies about the incident since Heredia Sanchez has no known ties to Ventura County. They advised parents and guardians to learn more about issues involving online sexual predators through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at missingkids.org Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com INDIANAPOLIS — A former Marine who killed a Fishers kindergarten teacher and her husband after slamming into the couple’s vehicle at 78 mph has been ordered to spend five years behind bars five of which will be served in the Indiana Department of Correction and five years suspended He also was ordered to serve three years on probation and undergo alcohol monitoring The hearing capped an emotional day of testimony from family members of the deceased Family remembers Grant Lansdell and Ashley Lansdell“My mother was my best friend,” wrote Mia Ross Ashley’ Lansdell’s daughter in a letter read in court Several family members on the stand recalled Ashley Lansdell’s passion for reading teaching and Grant Lansdell’s love for music “You couldn’t talk to him without him bringing up music,” said Julie Lansdell noting he didn't always "have a way with words," but music was his form of communicating Family also described the couple's shared love for the Dave Matthews Band and many yearly traditions – all of which ended the day of the crash The crash that killed the LansdellsAshley Lansdell died roughly two weeks after the July 11, 2022 collision. According to police, Heredia drove into the couple’s Ford Fusion about 1 p.m. in the 8300 block of East 56th Street The husband and wife were unconscious and entrapped after the impact Police said the crash made the Ford Fusion unrecognizable Data pulled from Heredia’s vehicle showed he was driving 78 mph one second before the crash He was driving a 2017 government-issued Ford Focus that he’d been given permission to use by a corporal with the Marine Corps Investigators said Heredia called a corporal with the Marine Corps after the crash and asked them to remove a trash bag from the car and take it to a local recruiting office The corporal later found the trash bag contained empty alcohol drink boxes and a flask with an unknown liquid inside Heredia was a sergeant with the Marine Corps at the time of the crash. A spokesperson with the 9th Marine Corps District previously told IndyStar that Heredia was administratively separated military in August after the fatal collision a husband and father to two young children expressed remorse and asked the Lansdell family for forgiveness Judge Davis acknowledged Heredia’s military service and lack of criminal history before she made her decision but said the aggravating factors in the crash outweighed the others “You didn’t even attempt to swerve,” Davis said “And the fact that you called someone to hide the evidence Heredia’s four intoxicated driving-related charges were dismissed as part of his plea though Davis said Thursday she believes alcohol played a factor in the crash The sentence was ultimately lower than what Marion County prosecutor’s request for eight years in prison and two years’ probation said it’s not the fullest sentence they wanted Contact IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com The search for missing Oregon toddler Dane Paulsen is finally over traveled over 600 miles on Monday to help the Paulsen family locate Dane who went disappeared from the front yard of his home in Oregon March 1 "Tomorrow, I’ll be heading straight to Oregon to search for Dane," Heredia wrote on Facebook Sunday night "I’ll be camping by the shore and diving as much as I can and I won’t stop until I’ve done everything in my power to bring him back." "So far the evidence available indicates Dane was at river’s edge before his disappearance,” Lincoln County Sheriff Sgt Jason Spano said at a press conference earlier this month who has brought closure to eight families since March 2023 told USA TODAY on Wednesday that he found Dane within two hours of starting his search It's gonna be very hard to get out all the images that are fresh in my head right now," Heredia said "Baby Dane already changed my life forever." More: Body of missing Oregon 2-year-old Dane Paulsen found in Siletz River Heredia was on vacation with his wife in Mexico when he received messages from volunteers and relatives about Dane's case He told them that he would make the trek from his home in Stockton Oregon if Dane wasn't found before he got back "I came back on Sunday night and left on Monday morning," Heredia said "I drove twelve hours to Oregon then dove Tuesday at 9 a.m who began to dive at age 18 in his native Argentina never expected to be doing what he's doing now because his interest in diving was more recreational But the mortgage lender is "glad he can help" and "give back to this country." ‘I am not a hero’: Stockton diver celebrated with billboard after tireless search for lost "I have experience in Argentina from a long time ago but to see the suffering the family and to see that I have the skills to do it "I never expect I am gonna help more than one family then everybody starts sending me message because this was a big case The recovery missions began on March 21, 2023, when he helped locate the remains of 15-year-old Xavier Martinez who disappeared after jumping into the Calaveras River after a fight between four students broke out at Stagg High School in Stockton Since finding Xavier, Heredia has located the remains of eight other people across the country. He was also formally recognized by the Stockton City Council in April 2024 after helping in the search for Xavier according to reporting by the Stockton Record More: Calif. teen's body recovered after he swam out to help younger brother, search continues The investigation into Dane's disappearance is going with the Sheriff's Office reporting that they were working closely with the Lincoln County Medical Examiner's Office The Sheriff's Office declined to release any additional details but has stated there was "no evidence of criminal activity in the case." WMUR9 reported "Our thoughts are with the family, who are facing an unbearable sorrow," Lincoln County Sheriff Adam Shanks said in a news release "We are deeply grateful for the support and dedication shown by the search teams and our communities throughout this difficult time though we wish it was under different circumstances." Dane's family set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help "assist the Paulsens during this crisis." As of Wednesday evening, the fundraiser has raised over $22,000. Contributing: Isabel Funk, Salem Statesman Journal, USA TODAY Network More than two decades later, Conte, 74, and Heredia, 49, find each other linked again. Mexico’s Heredia is the strength and conditioning coach for unbeaten WBC interim light-heavyweight champion David Benavidez, 29-0 (24 KOs), while Conte has packaged protein shakes, “ProNight,” and vitamins for WBA secondary light-heavyweight champion David Morrell, 11-0 (9 KOs), to use alongside training protocols Conte has suggested to Morrell’s co-trainer Bob Santos. “There’s no direct contact between myself and David Morrell,” Conte emphasized, explaining the supplements from his Bay Area company SNAC accelerate healing and muscle repair during sleep. “Could this conceivably have an effect upon his performance? It could. Is there a way you can measure this? I don’t think so.” Heredia is more closely involved with Benavidez, who returns from an injury riddled camp before his light-heavyweight victory over former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk and seeks to give Heredia another head-to-head victory over Conte following Benavidez’s 2023 stoppage of Conte client Demetrius Andrade. “Victor keeps losing to me, so I don’t know what there is to say,” Heredia told BoxingScene this week, pressing his face closer to a voice recorder. “Victor, I still own you!” Conte and Heredia have carried on a bitter social-media feud on “X” for several years, with Conte often casting Heredia’s work as shadowy and Heredia criticizing Conte’s policing and turn toward “clean” supplement distribution with his Bay Area company, SNAC. Conte’s clients have included four-division champion Terence Crawford, women’s heavyweight champion Claressa Shields and former two-division champion Devin Haney. Conte’s support for the work of VADA has chafed Heredia at times. In the face of VADA scrutiny, Heredia implies it proves he’s operating legitimately after previously transforming Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez from a fighter who couldn’t knock down Manny Pacquiao in three prior fights into a power puncher who dealt Pacquiao one of the most frightening knockouts of this century. In his third fight with Benavidez, Heredia said the progress has been superb this camp. “More speed, more power. I’m confident everything’s going to go well. He looks beautiful,” Heredia said. “We do a lot of weight training, a lot of specific training for speed – drills, endurance. Long endurance, short endurance. “He’s a hard worker. He’s a perfectionist, loves to work hard, disciplined. As a strength-conditioning guy, that’s something I love. He gives 100 per cent. Obviously, these fights are not easy, but he’s ready to go.” A Conte fighter defeated a Heredia fighter in 2023, when current WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios won a decision over Heredia’s former welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas. But Conte – often credited as the man who artificially inflated Barry Bonds’ run to become the all-time and single-season home-run king – said neither he nor Heredia deserve an abundance of credit for boxing victories. “Let’s be very clear that the fighter deserves all of the credit,” Conte said. “The head trainer deserves to be next in line and by the time it gets down to the people that are helping him with some of the small minor details and adjustments and tweaks in his training, that’s a very small contribution. “So do I consider this some kind of head-to-head competition with ‘Memo?’ The answer’s no.” While Heredia presides over his fighters’ weightlifting and cardio sessions, Conte takes a more distant position with his boxers. “I do blood testing and design individual nutrition programs for the fighters. I’m kind of the orchestra conductor, not the lead violinist who plays the solo,” Conte said. “I’m the one who writes the music and other people play my songs, if that makes sense. We design a training camp schedule, with recovery intervals [that are] so important.” While Conte’s notorious doping history has prompted Heredia and even recent Haney opponent Ryan Garcia to cast doubt on the pureness of his second chance, Heredia’s connection to positive-tested boxers Lucian Bute [Ostarine, 2016] and Jean Pascal [steroids, 2021] makes Conte skeptical. “‘Memo’ has a long history of bragging about being able to circumvent drug testing,” Conte said. Heredia has denied responsibility for the Bute and Pascal positives, and said Conte’s implications are unwarranted. “He’s been saying that for 12 years, but he’s never turned in one single piece of evidence,” Heredia said. “He accuses me of something that I’ve never done, but he’s never turned in evidence. All my guys get tested – blood and urine. All the time. By VADA. And it’s VADA again for this fight.”  Conte wouldn’t say Heredia should be restricted from boxing. “As long as his fighters are doing stringent testing with VADA … do I believe there are ways to circumvent the testing and fly under the radar? I do,” Conte said. “‘Memo’ is very sophisticated at what he does. But as long as there is sophisticated testing in place and his fighter is passing that testing, he’s following the rules.” Thus, as Benavidez-Morrell occurs, a type of truce exists between the sport’s two most formidable strength and conditioning advisors. “The fighters that ‘Memo’ works with are successful. The fighters I work with are successful,” Conte said. “The results speak for themselves. “I don’t want to get into the rumor and innuendo, but I know a lot about the things that ‘Memo’ does. He’s very shrewd with what he’s doing. As long as his fighters aren’t testing positive and they’re successful, more power to him.” MLB Trade Rumors By | November 26 A trio of former big leaguers re-signed with teams in the Korea Baseball Organization this week Korea Baseball Organization Transactions It’s got to be tough for guys like Heredia Reyes and many others who were really talented but couldn’t quite make it in the majors Really nice to see them land on their feet elsewhere and make some decent coin while playing the game they love (and getting to see another part of the world that they may never have seen otherwise) Kudos to them and all the others who find a way to keep playing Franmil already signed an Extension with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the NPB Suprise Lotte havent re-sign Charlie Barnes Log in Register MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball Register This is Black Mountain Institute Conversations a series of interviews produced by Nevada Public Radio’s Desert Companion in collaboration with the Black Mountain Institute Desert Companion Editor Heidi Kyser talks with BMI’s Shearing Fellows about their passions It tells the fictional story of friends Sal and Charo Sal’s unlikely romance at a gay club turns out to be the catalyst for him and Charo finding acceptance and ultimately a place to call home within New York City’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community Your access to this service has been limited If you think you have been blocked in error contact the owner of this site for assistance If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site please enter your email in the box below and click "Send" You will then receive an email that helps you regain access Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 5 million WordPress sites The owner of this site is using Wordfence to manage access to their site You can also read the documentation to learn about Wordfence's blocking tools or visit wordfence.com to learn more about Wordfence Click here to learn more: Documentation (opens in new tab) 6 May 2025 9:31:10 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString());.