“I have to say white people, y’all should be embarrassed by this,” she said. “Y’all really need to do something, seriously.” Sykes anticipated the comment would get some backlash. “I know you’ll say ‘Well Wanda, why white people?’ Because we tried to tell y’all! And y’all didn’t want to listen, so now this is your problem,” she added. “Black people are busy, we’re doing other stuff right now. Y’all gotta do it.” Sykes concluded that she sees the effort many have put in to protesting Trump’s administration So keep up the good work but now you got to amp it up,” she added “I need y’all to go back and look at some of our old protests and get some tips.” we’re going to be right there behind you—not really,” she quipped She said her reaction to the Signal leak was “Holy crap—that’s what I can say on TV,” adding, “I really thought we would all be up in arms and that Pete Hegseth would be fired. My bad. I thought they would actually do something about it because he did text war plans.” Sykes worked for the NSA as a “procurement specialist” for five years in Washington, D.C. “Basically, I bought stuff,” she said. She previously discussed her old job to Colbert in 2019 when she told him her gig required that she not carry any debt that she was flagged for purchasing stereo equipment on credit—but the rules seem to be a lot looser for certain other national security employees now Hegseth “ain’t got no business being on Signal,” Sykes said there’s supposed to be a record of all their meetings.” She joked During a separate appearance on The View Tuesday morning Sykes reiterated her disapproval of the president Asked by co-host Sunny Hostin what she thinks Trump could do to “make things better,” Sykes said simply Taking aim at his record-low approval rating “I think gout has a higher approval rating” than Trump does For more, listen to Wanda Sykes on The Last Laugh podcast Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Just three people who understand that there’s only two genders 😄 pic.twitter.com/uWz0Kwbcwj Eboni Boykin-Patterson is an entertainment reporter for The Daily Beast She was previously the entertainment contributors editor at Business Insider and graduated from Columbia University with a degree in English Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application the daughter of Clarence LeRoy and Ruby Jean (Coberly) Mollenhauer She graduated from Center Point Consolidated High School in 1981 and then later went on to get her bachelor’s degree from Kaplan University in 2014 Lori was united in marriage to Sam Sykes on June 27,1981 Lori then found her best friend James Gorsch on October 10 She enjoyed traveling and spending time with family at her home in Marengo at the age of 61 years Lori is survived by her best friend Jim Gorsch; her children Brittany (Dustin) York of Belle Plaine Logan (Shyanna) Gorsch of Marengo and Travis Gorsch of Des Moines; her grandchild Colter James Gorsch; Father Clarence L WA and Marsha (Eric) Reihmann of High Amana; and several nieces and nephews She was preceded in death by her mother Ruby sister Darlene Mollenhauer and sister-in-law Jeanie Mollenhauer Celebration of Life Service will be 10:30 am Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Marengo Visitation will be held 4:00 to 7:00 pm Friday a memorial fund has been established for Safe Haven of Iowa County Messages and tributes may be left at www.powellfuneralhomes.com Powell Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Marengo is caring for Lori and her Family All text and images © Powell Funeral Homes 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 after a courageous four-year battle with cancer surrounded by her loving family and friends Anna’s family invites friends to stop by Leonard Funeral Home the daughter of Thomas Syke and Judy Schadler Syke and grew up in Menominee exploring the creek and nurturing the many animals and pets she loved so much Anna earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and went on to complete a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Anna began her career as a school counselor where her natural ability to nurture and guide others shone brightly She later transitioned to private practice establishing and running her own counseling business in central Wisconsin providing compassionate care and helping countless individuals navigate life’s challenges Anna had a deep love for the outdoors and could often be found hiking Her vibrant personality could light up any room and she was known for her storytelling and infectious laughter that brought joy to all who knew her Cheryl Syke (Brian Poirier) and Stacy Syke (Rebecca); and her eight beloved nieces and nephews: Caleb She was preceded in death by her grandparents donations may be made in Anna’s memory to a charity of your choice Email notifications are only sent once a day Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death Search our full archives for obituaries going as far back as our microfilm records Reprints are delivered via email as PDF files ISSN 2993-8384 (Online)ISSN 1041-293X (Print) 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 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 INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Demonstrators are demanding answers after the fatal police shooting of 31-year-old Adam Sykes by an IMPD officer earlier this year The Party for Socialism and Liberation organized a rally Saturday calling for IMPD to release the unedited body camera footage from the February shooting The group says police missed a Friday evening deadline to do so please release that footage and there was no response from IMPD,” Destiny Glover IMPD released an edited incident video on April 11 who had an outstanding warrant at the time followed by a confrontation with Officer Grant Snyder The footage shows Sykes running from officers after being ordered to show his hands “Get your hands out of your pockets for me!” an officer is heard yelling as Sykes flees officers issue another warning: “Stop The video then shows officers firing shots after police say Sykes reached for a weapon that fell out of his pocket The Party for Socialism and Liberation says the incident video was heavily edited leaving out critical audio they claim to have uncovered through an independent investigation including what they say appears to be an order to fire Glover says Saturday’s rally was about raising awareness and keeping the pressure on for full transparency And if you claim you are here to protect citizens Fire all of the killer cops,” Glover said Family members of Adam Sykes attended the rally but declined to speak on camera due to ongoing legal concerns IMPD did not directly address those concerns during the rally but issued a statement “This incident continues to be investigated by IMPD’s Critical Incident Response Team.” IMPD has not confirmed whether the audio provided is associated with this officer or pertains to this particular incident IMPD offers families impacted by an officer-involved shooting the opportunity to view the full body-worn camera footage of the incident involving their loved one We believe this step is important in helping families gain a clearer understanding of the events that led up to the officer-involved shooting or critical incident Skykes’ mother and three additional people supporting her viewed all available body-worn camera videos on April 3 IMPD shares critical incident videos to provide the public with context surrounding the incident The goal is to allow community members to see the available facts and form their own conclusions We continue to ask anyone with information potential evidence or recordings to call Detective Brian Lambert at the homicide office by calling 317-327-3475 anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 317-262-TIPS This incident continues to be investigated by IMPD’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) Detectives are working with the Marion County Prosecutors Office and the Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency to complete a fair and thorough investigation IMPD’s Internal Affairs Unit is conducting a separate internal investigation to ensure compliance with departmental policy as is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting The civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board will conduct a mandatory review of this incident as it does for any use of deadly force against a person This occurs after the conclusion of the criminal process.” It’s been a year since military veteran Clarice Sykes opened her "Rockin' Sykes Ranch" in Victorville especially children and veterans with disabilities Sykes will host a "First Year Anniversary" celebration from 1 to 7 p.m at her nonprofit ranch at 15392 Morada Road in Victorville The family-friendly party will include food The 29-year-old Sykes, who lost both legs in a near-fatal horse-riding accident nearly seven years ago told the Daily Press that she has about 150 individuals who have connected with her and the ranch since opening “Some call to schedule a lesson for a one-time experience and I do have quite a few consistent customers making the ranch very busy," Sykes said She shared that one of her biggest joys of starting the ranch has been seeing the smiles on people’s faces “Everyone has left here happy and I’m glad that myself and our ranch horse Bailey are able to provide everyone a great experience,” Sykes said Sykes explained that some of her biggest challenges are asking for donations and also learning the dos and don’t of owning a nonprofit  “About 85% of my ranch is run off personal finances working at Monster Energy Corporate,” she said as well as the disability community in the High Desert.” She said she’s glad she’s able to give people with disabilities a place to learn how to ride and take care of horses “My vision for the future is to get a second horse and start offering trail rides in the neighborhood,” Sykes said “I get a lot of calls asking about trail riding.” She would also like to get a larger property where she can have more than two horses and have more employees who are able to help “I moved to the High Desert because of my vision to have a ranch and that included wide open spaces and land,” Sykes said “I’m here and I’m excited for the future.” A Los Angeles native who was adopted by Ben and Laura Sykes at age 2 Clarice was raised in Riverside and began riding horses in neighboring Norco at age 5 After graduating from Ramona High School in 2013 Sykes enlisted in the Army Reserves for a nearly 10-year stint Sykes was off duty when she decided to take her beloved horse “Comanche” out for a ride in Norco Sykes and her horse traveled near railroad tracks on a bridge when an approaching train frightened the animal which threw her into the side of the fast-moving train Comanche was killed while Sykes suffered a brain and left eye injury Her right leg was later amputated because of an infection you develop discipline and a can-do attitude,” said Sykes in a previous interview but that wasn’t going to stop me from living.” For more information on the ranch or event, search for Rockin' Sykes Ranch on Facebook. Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com vote for candidates who will build a future where we all have equal rights and justice Make a plan to vote on 11/7 here: https://iwillvote.com/va The outcome of the Virginia Governor’s race is sure to be a crucial one in the wake of the “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally that descended upon Charlottesville in August, leaving one person dead and up to 19 others injured “When the violence of White Supremacists in Charlottesville Virginia shocked the nation, Republican president Donald Trump failed to condemn it,” Sykes says in the 80-second clip. “In Virginia, the Republican candidate for Governor, Ed Gillespie, who has been endorsed by Donald Trump, has been complicit.” ShopLas Vegas Aces If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website Global law firm White & Case LLP has expanded its Global Tax Practice and its Global Energy Industry Group with the addition of Michael Sykes as a partner in Washington "Mike gives us additional expertise in tax incentives for renewable energy projects a capability that is critical for our investor sponsor and developer clients in the renewables space," said Eric Leicht a member of White & Case's Executive Committee "Mike joins our growing US energy transition team which is experiencing a surge in demand as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) continues to drive strong investment in the sector." Sykes advises on tax incentives for energy transition projects with specific emphasis on the federal tax benefits provided under the IRA and clean fuel and SAF production projects energy transition and renewables projects are booming with clients demanding top-tier advice in this specialized area of tax law," said Head of White & Case's Global Tax Practice "We are confident that Mike's addition will further enhance our reputation as the Firm to which companies turn to handle these cutting-edge matters." White & Case lawyers have been at the forefront of energy transition and have worked on billions of dollars of renewables projects and tax incentives since passage of the IRA Sykes builds on recent energy transition arrivals to the Firm in the US a leading Project Finance partner who joined the Firm's Chicago office earlier in 2024 a leading tax practitioner in the renewable energy industry who joined the Firm's Washington Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome 309-341-7337 communications@​knox.edu Drake Sykes, a Galesburg native who was a two-time All-America baseball player at Knox College and was inducted into the Knox-Lombard Athletics Hall of Fame last year has returned to his alma mater to serve as the assistant baseball coach under long-time head coach Jami Isaacson for the 2025 season This is Sykes' second stint on the athletics staff having served in this role for the 2019-20 academic year as well as the assistant softball coach in the spring of 2018 He also spent two years as the graduate assistant coach at William Penn for the 2021 and 2022 campaigns helping the Statesmen post a combined record of 59-39 over the two seasons He also earned a master's in sports management in 2022 from the institution "Drake is simply the best player in Knox Baseball history," Coach Isaacson stated "His background since playing is fantastic His understanding of recruitment and retention is exactly what we need I am extremely excited to work with Coach Sykes." While Sykes earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Knox College in 2017 he starred on the baseball diamond as a three-year letter winner the outfielder hit a combined .452/.535/.742 (batting and his .535 on-base percentage while swatting 35 doubles and 20 home runs to go with 109 runs scored and 109 RBIs over 103 games He also still holds single-season program records in hits (60) Twice the Knox College Harley Knosher Male Athlete of the Year Sykes earned ABCA All-Region honors three times and was an ABCA/Rawlings All-America Second Team selection as a junior — while also being named the Midwest Conference South Division Player of the Year — and All-America Third Team as a senior spending time in the Australian Capital Territory Baseball League leading the team in all three categories for the 2018-19 season Share this story Knox College’s immersive Japan Term returned stronger than ever this fall The 2025 season marked the 20th Repertory Theatre Term season at Knox College Knox College prohibits sex discrimination and discrimination in violation of federal or state law in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions regarding sex discrimination or other prohibited discrimination to the Director of Title IX and Civil Rights Compliance. The notice of non-discrimination is located at www.knox.edu/notice-of-non-discrimination https://www.knox.edu/news/sykes-returns-as-assistant-baseball-coach Correction & clarification: A prior version of this obituary misidentified John Sykes in a photo and it has since been replaced The news was announced on his official Facebook page Monday evening though the statement did not say what kind of cancer Sykes died from or when USA TODAY has reached out to reps for Sykes for comment "He will be remembered by many as a man with exceptional musical talent," the Facebook statement reads "but for those who didn't know him personally and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room." "He certainly marched to the beat of his own drum and always pulled for the underdog he spoke of his sincere love and gratitude for his fans who stuck by him through all these years," it continues Bernie Marsden former Whitesnake guitarist and 'Here I Go Again' co-writer, dies at 72 Sykes began his career with the heavy-metal band Tygers of Pan Tang before softening his sound slightly for an album with Thin Lizzy in 1983 and eventually Whitesnake's smashingly successful self-titled album after his relationship with vocalist David Coverdale became strained and recorded several albums before breaking up in 1994 He then spent the remainder of his career reuniting briefly with Thin Lizzy and recording solo His strumming prowess and writing talent behind the scenes may have escaped the celebrity treatment given to some other notable rockers of the era but remains an important part of music history "While the impact of his loss is profound and the mood somber we hope the light of his memory will extinguish the shadow of his absence," the social media statement added Receive emails when new obituariesare published to our website Top hats were in fashion and people connected through telegrams rather than texts And the need for family and friends to come together Planning your funeral in advance means your family won’t have to when the time comes >>LEARN MORE Services that honor the individual and provide peace of mind for families >>SEE OUR SERVICES Unparalleled care at every step with unique and personalized memorial services >>SEE OUR SERVICES Chapman Funerals & Cremations - Bridgewater Chapman Funerals & Cremations - East Bridgewater Chapman Funerals & Cremations - Falmouth Chapman Funerals & Cremations - Harwich Funeral Home Chapman Funerals & Cremations - Harwich Chapman Funerals & Cremations - Marstons Mills Chapman Funerals & Cremations - Martha’s Vineyard Chapman Funerals & Cremations - Mashpee Chapman Funerals & Cremations - Wareham Chapman Funerals & Cremations - West Falmouth Funeral Home Chapman Funerals & Cremations - West Falmouth Chapman Funerals & Cremations - Yarmouth © Chapman Funerals & CremationsSupported by SRS Computing Your browser may not work with certain site. Upgrade now. ShopLas Vegas Aces All three honorees will be recognized during the Wings’ nationally televised tilt again the Connecticut Sun on Friday, Aug. 16. Tipoff on ION is slated for 8:30 p.m. CT. At halftime of the contest, Sykes will participate in a fireside chat hosted by award-winning anchor and reporter Dia Wall of WFAA. Wall is a North Texas native who returned to the DFW area in 2024 after nine years in Kansas City reporting for KSHB 41. The 2024 class of Women of Inspiration Awards honorees follows 2023’s inaugural group which featured Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall as the Trailblazer Woman of Inspiration Award winner, the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth’, Dr. Opal Lee as the Community Woman of Inspiration Award recipient and the Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission, Monica Paul as the Businesswoman of Inspiration Award honoree. Nancy Lieberman Women of Inspiration Award Recipients Sykes returned to the Tech track and field and cross country programs after stops at Akron, Ohio Christian, Western Kentucky, Oregon, Liberty, Ohio and Virgnia Military.  His history as a member of the Hokies' coaching staff began in 2007 as the volunteer assistant.   Most recently, Sykes was the head cross country and assistant track and field coach at Akron.  In his two years with the Zips, he led the men's outdoor track program to two consecutive Mid-American Conference championships and the men's cross country program to their first championship since reinstatement after a four-year hiatus.   During his time at Ohio Christian, Sykes led 10 student-athletes to individual championships, 25 to All-Conference honors, one to an NAIA Track All-American selection, and four to NAIA cross country national qualifying marks.  Prior to Ohio Christian, Sykes spent 2019-20 at Western Kentucky with the distance programs, helping 18 student-athletes to personal records and leading the Hilltopper men to a seventh place finish at the C-USA cross country championships, a two-spot improvement from the previous year. During Ben Thomas' first year at Oregon, Sykes served as his assistant, where eight athletes collected All-American honors, six different male athletes broke the four-minute mile, and the Oregon athletes secured 30 total qualifying marks for NCAA Championships.  The women collected third place finishes in the Pac-12 in cross country and indoor track and second place in outdoor while the men solidified their dynasty with their 13th Pac-12 Championship title. At Liberty, from 2017-18, Sykes coached multiple athletes to personal bests and worked with Azaria Kirwa, who finished third overall at the NCAA DI Southeast Regional and collected All-American honors at the championship. From 2013-15, Sykes worked with the distance programs at Ohio, where Juli Accurso became the first three-time MAC cross country champion and earned three All-American honors under his tutelage. Sykes' first role as a head coach came in 2012, where he ran the distance programs for the Virginia Military Institute.  At VMI, he coached the Big South mile individual champion, a champion in the 800m and the 1600m and a third place finisher in the 10k.  The individual champions in the 800m and 1600m advanced to the IC4A Championships with the 4x800m relay team. In 2003, Sykes completed his bachelor's degree in multi-age physical education from Rio Grande and completed his master's in sport sciences and pedagogy at Ohio in 2004.  In 2011, Sykes finished his educational journey with a Ph.D. in education, curriculum, and instruction: sports performance from Virginia Tech. Margaret “Peggy” Shumaker Sykes, 97, of Statesville, passed away Saturday, February 1, 2025. Peggy was born in Iredell County on September 2, 1927, to the late Charles Fulton Shoemaker and Margaret Jerusha Wilson Shoemaker. She was a graduate of Statesville High School and Mars Hill College. She retired from J.C. Penney Distribution Center where she worked as an administrative assistant. She was a member of First Baptist Church. She loved playing the piano, shopping and traveling to beaches, especially her trip to Italy with friends. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, William Joseph Alfred Sykes and a grandson, Rob Hudgins, III. Those left to cherish her memory are her three children, daughter, Margaret Adams (Charley) of Lawrenceburg, TN; son, Joe Sykes (Sharon) of Troutman; daughter, Vicki Hudgins (Robert) of Statesville; grandson, Matthew Adams; step-granddaughter, Darlene Jones (Todd); step grandson, Lee Adams (Jamie); granddaughter, Lisa Sykes (Randy); grandson, Richard Sykes (Carrie); Josh Hudgins (Tori); great grandchildren, Nicholas Shumake (Kimi), Caylyn Sykes, Gavin Sykes, and Rachel Hudgins. The family would like to extend special thanks to the staff at Brookdale Peachtree, Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell County, Dr. Andy White, and Dr. Naim Bouhussein. A private family graveside service, conducted by Dr. Nelson Gernade, will be held at Oakwood Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, 815 Davie Avenue, Statesville, NC 28677. His death was announced in a statement on his website which said he died “after a hard fought battle with cancer.” The statement didn’t say when or where he died writhing atop two parked Jaguars — as well as “Still of the Night” and the yearning “Is This Love,” which hit No (()=>{const e=document.getElementById("yt-img-WyF8RHM1OCg");e&&e.addEventListener("load",(t=>{t.target.naturalWidth<=120&&(e.parentNode.children[0].srcset=e.parentNode.children[1].srcset=e.src)}),{once:!0})})() Yet those iconic videos don’t feature Sykes as Coverdale had fired the guitarist before the “Whitesnake” album was released — a dismissal Sykes said he found out about from the band’s A&R rep Music Hudson’s keyboard was an essential element of the Band’s sound on roots-rock classics such as ‘The Weight’ and ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.’ In 2023, Coverdale told Metal Edge that “things went squirrely” between him and Sykes and that “no matter how incredible of an album that we made together Sykes was born in Reading, England, in 1959 and started playing guitar as a teenager. He performed with the bands Streetfighter and Tygers of Pan Tang before joining a latter-day version of Thin Lizzy, which had scored a top-20 pop hit in 1976 with “The Boys Are Back in Town.” Sykes played on 1983’s “Thunder and Lightning,” Thin Lizzy’s final studio album before founder Phil Lynott died in 1986. After Whitesnake, Sykes formed the group Blue Murder with drummer Carmine Appice of Vanilla Fudge, then launched a solo career; he also toured with a Lynott-less incarnation of Thin Lizzy. Information on survivors wasn’t immediately available. Mikael Wood is pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times. World & Nation Entertainment & Arts Lifestyle Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Sykes created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Made with love by funeralOne Diane Sykes, chief judge of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, will move to senior status in October creating a pick on the appeals court for President Donald Trump "I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and look forward to providing substantial judicial service as a senior judge." Senior status is semi-retirement, which allows federal judges to continue on the bench but hear fewer cases. They continue to draw the same salary which is $262,300 for circuit judges Moving to senior status opens a seat for the president to make a nomination two of the 11 circuit seats have been filled by Wisconsin judges A bipartisan commission created by both U.S senators from Wisconsin normally selects candidates for federal judgeships and other positions and forwards them to the White House for consideration Tammy Baldwin's office originally said that commission is not involved in Court of Appeals nominations but later later clarified that the commission will in fact be involved Sykes was nominated by Bush to the 7th Circuit She won confirmation with the backing of Wisconsin's two Democratic senators at the time Sykes graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 1980 and was a reporter for The Milwaukee Journal before leaving journalism to become a lawyer She graduated from Marquette University Law School in 1984 and was a law clerk to federal District Judge Terence Evans She worked at Whyte & Hirschboeck law firm in Milwaukee from 1985 to 1992 and was a Milwaukee County circuit judge from 1992 until 1999 Then she was appointed to the state Supreme Court by former Gov Sykes, 67, was on Trump's list of Supreme Court candidates in 2016 Bush considered her for the high court in 2005 Now that Sykes is moving to senior status, Michael Brennan will become the next chief judge of the 7th Circuit based on seniority Sykes said moving to senior status will allow her more time with her children and grandchildren "I want to be more present for them," she told a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Sykes said she is proud to have carried on the family tradition of public service Sykes' father, Gerald Schwerm was Brown Deer village manager and later director of Milwaukee County Public Works including an expansion of Mitchell International Airport "He was a wonderful bricks and mortar guy, he excelled at building public spaces," Sykes told a reporter after her father died in April 2020 was a guidance counselor at Shorewood High School who died at 59 "She helped a whole generation of Shorewood students with their college applications," Sykes said Williams Chair in Law at the University of Richmond said Sykes has a solid reputation as a judge "My sense is that Judge Sykes is a dedicated who has been a highly respected member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Seventh Circuit for decades," Tobias said has been friends with Sykes for nearly three decades They got to know each other in 1997 when Geske organized a trip to the Dominican Republic with members of Milwaukee's legal committee who wanted to live out their faith by serving the poor and sick I just think of the word 'grace.' When you think of her And while Geske said she sometimes disagreed with her friend's legal opinions they were always well-reasoned and legally solid "She is really dedicated to the rule of law," Geske said "I'm happy for her and sad for the judiciary." Molly Beck and Mary Spicuzza contributed to this article (This story was updated to add new information.) David Mills is a veteran journalist who has worked in newspapers He most recently was a news editor at Healthline before sliding into semi-retirement as a freelance writer Photography by Riis Massey-WilliamsComedian Wanda Sykes shares her journey with breast cancer and why she is raising awareness.While 1 in 8 females may face breast cancer in their lifetime early detection increases survival rates.Regular mammograms can detect breast cancer at earlier stages.Known for her funny standup routines and acting roles in sitcoms like “The Upshaws,” Wanda Sykes knows how to get her audience’s attention On Super Bowl Sunday, Sykes’s commercial appearance could capture the attention of millions of viewers tuning into the event. The Novartis commercial Please,” confronts society’s fixation on breasts and brings breast health to the forefront of the conversation by spreading awareness regarding early detection “I was happy to do it to get the message out [on] early screening I know how many women this is going to reach It was easy to sign on to be a part of this,” Sykes told Healthline Breast cancer is personal for Sykes. In 2011, she became one of the average 1 in 8 females who will face breast cancer in their lifetime At 47 years old, while going through the process of having breast reduction surgery she was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) a collection of cancerous cells inside the lining of a breast duct Although she was stage 0, Sykes chose to undergo a double mastectomy because cancer runs on her mother’s side of the family “I didn’t know there was such a stage as stage 0 because friends and loved ones who had gone through it weren’t as fortunate; they were like stage 3 and stage 4 it was terrifying because I had so many people close to me I knew what they were going through,” she said Sykes felt fortunate that her cancer was detected in its early stages. Before her diagnosis, she regularly got mammograms and valued the benefit of screenings “Early detection [is] key,” Sykes said. Stage 0 breast cancer has a 5-year survival rate greater than 99% and is typically discovered during a routine mammogram or screening “Not quite as scary as it used to be,” Sykes noted The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that females begin getting mammograms at 40 and continue every two years until they are 74 females can still choose to get a mammogram every year Mammograms are the standard of care for screening women with an average risk of breast cancer, and annual mammograms can help detect changes in breast tissue, said Paul Baron, MD chief of breast surgery at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital “The best way of finding cancer is when it’s small because it may only require a lumpectomy and may not need chemotherapy He added that there is an increase in younger women getting breast cancer. New data from the American Cancer Society (ACS) found that between 2012 and 2021 the incidence rate of breast cancer overall increased by about 1% each year the incidence rate among women under age 50 increased by about 1.4% each year The commercial featuring Sykes directs viewers to the website YourAttentionPlease.com where they can sign up to receive mammogram reminders The site also includes a link to the Tyrer- Cuzick Risk Assessment Test which calculates a person’s lifetime risk of breast cancer based on the following: Baron said that all of his patients take the assessment test and it only takes a few minutes,” he noted Females with a lifetime risk of breast cancer that is 15% or less are considered average risk alternating between the two every 6 months In some cases, risk-reduction medications may be recommended, said Blakely D. Kute, MD board certified medical oncologist and hematologist at Norton Cancer Institute “Genetic testing and lifestyle modifications are often discussed with this group as well,” she said She noted that legislation now requires that females be notified about their breast density “[But] it is unclear whether screening recommendations should differ for women with dense breast tissue there are no guidelines suggesting additional imaging for this group and insurance is unlikely to cover them,” said Kute Breast ultrasounds may be used for screening in females with dense breast tissue and can detect breast abnormalities Research suggests nearly half of females experience at least one false positive mammogram during a decade of annual screenings “Ultrasound finds a lot of false positives because a lot of people have cysts and those lead to other imaging and biopsies and procedures,” said Baron “[Black] women tend to be diagnosed with more aggressive subtypes and have a higher breast cancer-specific mortality,” said Kute and various lifestyle factors may contribute to this disparity “But these factors alone can’t account for the higher incidence of a more aggressive type Triple-negative breast cancer occurs when cells lack receptors for estrogen which makes it difficult to treat with targeted therapies that usually target these receptors “There is promising research in triple-negative breast cancer but minorities tend to be underrepresented in clinical trials which can limit our understanding of unique patient groups,” said Kute Sykes said this reality reinforces that women of color must get screened and stay on top of their health While some risk factors for breast cancer are non-modifiable, certain lifestyle adjustments may help lower the risk of breast cancer “I recognize this is easier said than done, but maintaining a healthy BMI after menopause and limiting weight gain during perimenopause are key factors,” Kute said Sykes added that having humor in her life has helped her through her breast cancer journey “[I] had to have some laughs to help [me] get through it I had to make it not so scary for them,” Sykes said to George Arthur and Joan Hedgecock August 14 While she studied and practiced nursing in London at Westminster Hospital and immigrated as a family to the USA in 1964 Together they raised a family of seven sons in Madison She was a founding member of Shorewood Hills EMS and served as a driver and EMT at the Shorewood Hills Garden Club and Shorewood Hills Elementary School Library for many years soft-spoken nature belied the steely determination and strength she had exhibited throughout her life She was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 64 years She is also survived by her grandchildren Braena (Phil) A memorial service will be held at Ryan Funeral Home 2024 at 5:00 p.m.; Visitation will be from 3:00-5:00 p.m the family requests memorial donations be made to Alzheimer’s Association (Madison Area Fund) A special thanks go out to the Madison Paramedics and staff at SSM Health St To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Help keep local news alive—donate to support our community reporting!Donate STN Staff It is with both sadness and celebration that we announce the passing of Barbara Ann Sykes and commitment to both her family and her passions where she honed her leadership skills and service ethic that served her throughout her life Barbara will be remembered not just for her professional achievements but also for her zest for life especially in the tranquil waters of Northern Michigan as she took great pride in tending to her yard creating beautiful spaces that reflected her love of nature and infectious laughter will be deeply missed by all who knew her and a beacon of light in the lives of so many She is preceded in death by her mother and stepfather Barbara is survived by her wife of 25 years Darlene Helzerman and Joann Arms; her nieces A Celebration of Life Visitation will be held Monday Burns Funeral Home of Perry from 6:00PM – 8:00PM Mike Williamson The Sun Times News is the hub of the most useful information in Chelsea Subscribe to our free daily newsletter to stay on top of all the local news What would ~you~ do for your favorite guitar the late John Sykes – a guitar hero who lent his ferocious tone and songwriting chops to Whitesnake and Tygers of Pan Tang – said he wasn't the world's biggest gear-head Though he didn't go all the way to the “they're just tools of the trade” end of things he told GW that he didn't have much of an emotional attachment to any of his guitars That exception was a black 1976 Gibson Les Paul which Sykes – he told us at the time – had used for every gig he'd played with Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy before them Such was his bond with the guitar that it was the subject of his first thought after a terrifying near-death experience Sykes was involved in a terrible car crash in which his vehicle was broadsided by a truck but his totaled car was soon engulfed in flames fast-acting first responders were able to pull Sykes unconscious from the driver's-side window he had only one thought – his beloved Les Paul in the back seat much to the displeasure of one of the on-site first responders who had to restrain the guitarist from sprinting back to the scene of the accident firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze before it swallowed the guitar “I was in a frantic frenzy about my guitar being trapped and burnt up,” Sykes explained to Guitar World “I knew I'd never be able to replace it You've done so much with it and you know just how to get what you want from it.” what exactly was so magical about this particular Les Paul but they don't mean that much to me,” Sykes told Guitar World I don't like guitars that sound scratchy and messy.” Modded only with a thick brass nut for peghead harmonics and a Dirty Fingers pickup at the neck – the bridge remained stock – for more bite the black '76 model stood out even over other Les Pauls to which Sykes made the same tweaks I've tried different configurations of guitars and pickups and the same pickups “I've tried different configurations of guitars and pickups and the same pickups but none of them sounds like this one,” he explained “Sometimes you just get a dead guitar “I got a '67 Les Paul Custom like this and it didn't matter what I did to it Sykes even made a point of highlighting how his #1 six-string took away an obvious target of blame for a bad show it's just you having an off night,” he explained “These feelings aren't good because if something did happen to it and everything that falls under its massive umbrella you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now you will then be prompted to enter your display name ‘Do you want to play with Joe?’ Before I could say ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ he brings Joe over and tells him ‘Jason wants to play a set’”: Jason Sinay on jamming with Joe Bonamassa – and why his early sessions with Mike Campbell were a struggle “I remember there was a video of Gary Moore and he played Red House on this Fiesta Red Strat and I thought it was just the most incredible thing”: Is Toby Lee Britain’s next blues-rock superstar Klon Centaur creator Bill Finnegan once said that the hype around his pedal was “ridiculous,” yet originals still fetch $10,000 or more on the secondhand market why does the Klon remain a holy grail pedal Falling tree limbs in Birmingham kills one person 14th Annual will be held April 26th at Debardeleben Park at 11am For ticket information visit bobsykes.com/blues-festival/ "Secretary LaRose sided with the two Democratic Summit County Board of Elections members rejecting the ill-founded claim that Congresswoman Sykes resides in Franklin County rather than Summit County," Bill Rich who is also chair of the board of elections "It’s regrettable that so much time was devoted to what was obviously nothing more than a political stunt by the Republican Party." The challenge to the board of elections cited an ethical disclosure form filed by Sykes' husband Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce He initially wrote that Sykes resided in Columbus with him but then stated he wrote that out of an "abundance of caution," elections lawyer Dan McTigue said at a board of elections hearing in October Sykes also filed an affidavit with documents including a pay stub car lease and auto insurance that lists her address in Akron Republican members of the board had questioned where Sykes would live if she was no longer an elected official “Wouldn’t she want to be with her husband and family in Columbus?” Republican board member Ray Weber said at the October hearing but your husband is down in the Columbus area LaRose wrote this evidence "falls short of the 'clear and convincing' burden of proof." The challenge came as Sykes was in a tight race for a second term in Congress against Republican Kevin Coughlin Sykes represents Ohio's 13th Congressional District which includes all of Summit County and parts of Portage and Stark counties she had resided most of her life in Kingsport Brenda was preceded in death by her husband Shirley Gentry; and many nieces and nephews The family will receive friends on Thursday 2025 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at Hamlett-Dobson Funeral Home Funeral Services will be conducted at 7:00 pm in the funeral home chapel with Pastor Bud Beverly officiating 2025 at 1:00 pm at Mountain Home National Cemetery Family and friends will serve as pallbearers First-time Democratic incumbent Emilia Sykes of Akron has been reelected over Republican challenger Kevin Coughlin of Bath "I want to congratulate Congresswoman Sykes on her re-election," Coughlin said in a statement "While the result is not what we had hoped for the values that drove this campaign — safety and affordability — will still motivate us to create change." supporters and voters who fought for his campaign She thanked her supporters from Ohio's 13th Congressional District during the campaign and throughout her first term saying that the district is the "birthplace of champions not just because of the famous people who grew up here but because of the people I meet every day who make our communities great "I’m going to continue to use my voice to speak up for all of us as I work to lower costs and preserve Social Security and Medicare," Sykes said "There are many important issues to tackle in the new Congress and I look forward to continuing to work across the aisle to find practical solutions to the problems impacting families across Northeast Ohio Thank you for placing your trust in me for another term.”  Unofficial results have Sykes leading Coughlin with 51.05% of the vote in one of the most-watched U.S The district includes all of Summit County and portions of Stark and Portage counties Sykes handily won Summit County while Coughlin carried Stark and Portage The Associated Press said that as of Wednesday morning the race was too close to call Coughlin cut into Sykes' early lead but trailed her all evening as results started coming in from Summit County precincts Sykes was still ahead of Coughlin with 52.64% of the vote Coughlin was winning the portions of Stark and Portage counties encompassed by the district Sykes remained ahead of Coughlin with 53.19% of the overall vote and 60.45% of the vote in Summit County Coughlin continued to carry Stark and Portage counties garnering cheers and applause at the Summit County Democrats' watch party at the Knight Stage in Akron Because the Summit County Board of Elections was still tabulating votes She said it was on behalf of her constituents in Ohio's 13th District that she leaves her home in Akron — her "favorite place," she said — to work in Washington "We are leading by five points," Sykes said we feel very good and very positive that a victory is upon us but certainly do not want to be inappropriate or out of line by claiming victory until we get all the votes in." eliciting cheers from attendees whom she called the "Summit County spirit," and thanked everyone who put in time and effort on behalf of the party's candidates Ward 9 City Councilwoman Tina Boyes said she was "cautiously optimistic" about the results of Tuesday night's elections but the only prediction she made was that it could be a long night Fairlawn Heights resident Tiara Brazil said she was feeling "energized" about a potential Sykes victory "She definitely cares about the people in her district," Brazil said " She cares about the people in her district; she talks to them in person a cheer went up at Coughlin's watch party at Ohio Brewing Co Coughlin told the crowd shortly after 10:30 p.m that the race is too close to call because of a delay with the Summit County Board of Elections "I would point out that we have more reported in from Arizona right now than we do from Summit County," Coughlin said Sykes and Coughlin have spent the year pitching to voters why they should represent Ohio's 13th Congressional District defeating Republican Madison Gesiotto Gilbert with 52.6% of the vote Coughlin, trying to make a comeback after 15 years out of politics, has questioned whether his opponent lives in Akron and painting her as an advocate of open borders — allegations Sykes has denied Sykes, meanwhile, reminded voters of Coughlin's past ethical issues when, in 2015, as clerk of the Stow Municipal Court, Coughlin blocked lawful records requests one of the few true toss-ups in the country Last week, citing fundraising disparities between the two campaigns, The Cook Political Report changed its assessment of the race from "toss-up" to "leans Democrat." According to Federal Elections Commission filings, Coughlin raised just over $1 million throughout the course of his campaign. Sykes $1.2 million of which was accrued in the third quarter Both candidates recently appeared at the Akron Press Club and discussed their stance on numerous issues Coughlin said that the recently passed amendment enshrining reproductive freedoms in Ohio's Constitution "settled" the matter and that he wouldn't vote for a national abortion ban because it's a state issue "and understand that they have strong feelings on things." Sykes reiterated her pro-choice stance, saying that the overturn of Roe v. Wade is actively harming women across the country. She cited the case of Brittany Watts who was arrested and charged with gross abuse of a corpse following her at-home miscarriage after being denied care three times Coughlin said that societal and mental health issues drive the problem Sykes said she supports common sense gun safety legislation is something the federal government fails at due to the differences in housing markets across the country "I would be in favor with block granting money down to state governments to work with locals to address this problem," he said Sykes said the high cost of home ownership is a countrywide problem exacerbated by deep-pocketed private equity buying housing stock and pricing people out of the market Sykes said she is searching for bipartisan support for a bill that she recently introduced that would "de-incentivize these private equity companies from coming into communities and paying cash offers to buy up all the housing stock in communities." Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413 Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal He can be reached by email at pwilliams@gannett.com or on X Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time A Sydney writer in his 60s was found with condoms and lubricant in a hotel room as he waited for a 15-year-old girl only to be confronted by two 16-year-old boys probably wanting to extort him Lloyd Bradford Syke is a freelance theatre critic whose body of work includes reviews for news outlet Crikey as well as arts websites Australian Stage and AustralianJazz.net Freelance media writer Lloyd Bradford Syke arrives at court for his sentence.Credit: Sam Mooy The 66-year-old is also a men’s mental health advocate who regularly volunteers for the northern beaches arm of charity Mongrels Men Syke avoided full-time custody as he was sentenced in the NSW District Court on Thursday for using a carriage service to procure someone younger than 16 for sexual activity The court heard Syke matched with a “fake teenage girl” on Instinct reached out to him by texting him on the number listed on his profile and told him she was 15 The court was told Syke initially tried to shut the advance down telling “Natalie” she was below the age of consent He thanked her for being up front and said she seemed like a good person ‘The offender knew in theory that he was speaking to a 15-year-old girl and should’ve cut off communication immediately.’ Judge John Pickering said “Natalie” continued to suggest that they meet up and repeatedly pushed the conversation in a sexual manner “to entice the offender into getting excited that he could be with someone who was incredibly attractive as a young girl” “It is not true or fair to say it was the offender eliciting this conversation manipulating this person – it was quite the other way,” Pickering said “The offender knew in theory that he was speaking to a 15-year-old girl and should’ve cut off communication immediately” Pickering said that after two days of exchanging messages Syke “caved in” and agreed for the pair to meet in a hotel room “Perhaps the most serious aspect of this entire offending is having then agreed to meet up with this fake young person in a hotel that has a bed and turning up with condoms and lubricant,” he said “The inference was he was hoping and willing to engage in sex It may have been that sex may not have occurred upon meeting but he was clearly prepared and ready to do so” As Syke sat in the room waiting for “Natalie” he was instead confronted by two 16-year-old boys trying to barge into the room “It was quite clear he’d been scammed or catfished,” Pickering said adding he showed “incredible naivety” by staying in the hotel Pickering said the boy who had posed as “Natalie” clearly wanted to plan a meeting “where he could confront the offender – as it turns out with others – to confront him in a physically humiliating manner to lead to some extortion” The court heard that Syke told police he had intended to meet up with the girl to “counsel or advise her as some kind of mentor in life” In sentencing Syke to a 15-month suspended jail sentence to be served under a two-year recognisance order Pickering noted Syke had not been on the dark web looking for an underage victim but was on an adult dating site when approached Syke’s psychologist told the court Syke had “entertained the possibility” that he was meeting a 15-year-old but was “also preparing for it being a scammer” because he had fallen victim to scams before The psychologist also said that his obsessive compulsive disorder initially meant he felt he had to discover this person’s real identity Pickering accepted his initial poor decision-making may have been influenced by his OCD and depression he got excited about the prospect of having sex with a 15-year-old and his OCD had nothing to do with that” The court heard Syke showed minimal remorse and “thinks he is the victim here” as he continued to deny he was genuinely interested in sex with a 15-year-old Pickering said he was not convinced Syke was not attracted to children given his willingness to meet up with and have sex with “Natalie” The judge took into account Syke’s guilty plea his clean criminal record and his positive character references His most prominent past work includes theatre reviews for Crikey his online presence has centred around his charity work undertake rehabilitation programs as directed and not leave NSW Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter The 66-year-old is also a men\\u2019s mental health advocate who regularly volunteers for the northern beaches arm of charity Mongrels Men The court heard Syke matched with a \\u201Cfake teenage girl\\u201D on Instinct telling \\u201CNatalie\\u201D she was below the age of consent Judge John Pickering said \\u201CNatalie\\u201D continued to suggest that they meet up and repeatedly pushed the conversation in a sexual manner \\u201Cto entice the offender into getting excited that he could be with someone who was incredibly attractive as a young girl\\u201D \\u201CIt is not true or fair to say it was the offender eliciting this conversation manipulating this person \\u2013 it was quite the other way,\\u201D Pickering said \\u201CThe offender knew in theory that he was speaking to a 15-year-old girl and should\\u2019ve cut off communication immediately\\u201D Syke \\u201Ccaved in\\u201D and agreed for the pair to meet in a hotel room \\u201CPerhaps the most serious aspect of this entire offending is having then agreed to meet up with this fake young person in a hotel that has a bed and turning up with condoms and lubricant,\\u201D he said \\u201CThe inference was he was hoping and willing to engage in sex but he was clearly prepared and ready to do so\\u201D As Syke sat in the room waiting for \\u201CNatalie\\u201D \\u201CIt was quite clear he\\u2019d been scammed or catfished,\\u201D Pickering said adding he showed \\u201Cincredible naivety\\u201D by staying in the hotel Pickering said the boy who had posed as \\u201CNatalie\\u201D clearly wanted to plan a meeting \\u201Cwhere he could confront the offender \\u2013 as it turns out with others \\u2013 to confront him in a physically humiliating manner to lead to some extortion\\u201D The court heard that Syke told police he had intended to meet up with the girl to \\u201Ccounsel or advise her as some kind of mentor in life\\u201D Syke\\u2019s psychologist told the court Syke had \\u201Centertained the possibility\\u201D that he was meeting a 15-year-old but was \\u201Calso preparing for it being a scammer\\u201D because he had fallen victim to scams before The psychologist also said that his obsessive compulsive disorder initially meant he felt he had to discover this person\\u2019s real identity but said that \\u201Cat the end of the day he got excited about the prospect of having sex with a 15-year-old and his OCD had nothing to do with that\\u201D The court heard Syke showed minimal remorse and \\u201Cthinks he is the victim here\\u201D as he continued to deny he was genuinely interested in sex with a 15-year-old given his willingness to meet up with and have sex with \\u201CNatalie\\u201D The judge took into account Syke\\u2019s guilty plea According to Syke\\u2019s LinkedIn profile Start the day with a summary of the day\\u2019s most important and interesting stories \\u2018The offender knew in theory that he was speaking to a 15-year-old girl and should\\u2019ve cut off communication immediately.\\u2019 I’m already crying tears of laughter!@iamwandasykes will bring her signature smart-witted humor to @Netflix for an all-new stand-up special in 2019 🙌🏾🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/19HL8kNyeI .@moworldwide, thank you for speaking out. @netflix offered me less than half of your $500k. I was offended but found another home. #EPIX Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information Seventh Circuit Chief Judge Diane Sykes plans to give up her active seat giving President Donald Trump a vacancy to fill on a court narrowly divided between Republican and Democratic appointees Sykes, 67, plans to assume senior status, a form of semi-retirement, on Oct. 1, according to the Administrative Office of the US Courts website for future vacancies Bush appointee is a 21-year veteran of the Chicago-based court who presides in Milwaukee She’s the second appellate judge after the Ninth Circuit’s Sandra Segal Ikuta to announce plans to step away from active service since Trump took office in January He made 54 lifetime appointments to the appeals courts in his first term His next one to that court would maintain a 6-5 edge for Republican-appointed judges Sykes attended the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University she was a reporter for The Milwaukee Journal before earning her law degree at Marquette University Evans of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin after law school and worked in private practice before being elected a state trial judge in 1992 She was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1999 by Gov Thompson (R) and later elected to maintain her seat She’s been on the Supreme Court shortlists of two Republican presidents since her appointment to the Seventh Circuit in 2004 and Trump during his first term to replace Antonin Scalia Sykes, who has described herself “loosely an originalist-textualist,” dissented in 2017 from the Seventh Circuit’s 8-3 decision that found Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits sexual orientation discrimination “We are not authorized to infuse the text with a new or unconventional meaning or to update it to respond to changed social economic or political conditions,” Sykes wrote To contact the reporter on this story: Tiana Headley at theadley@bloombergindustry.com To contact the editors responsible for this story: Seth Stern at sstern@bloomberglaw.com; John Crawley at jcrawley@bloomberglaw.com workflow tools and premium legal & business news Log in to keep reading or access research tools Almost three weeks after a Pensacola woman was arrested for allegedly soliciting a 10-year-old to murder a 2-month old and multiple adults the Office of the State Attorney filed more charges against her burn and drop a 2-month-old until death and then cut the throats of the infant's temporary guardians court records indicate the State Attorney amended the charges filed against the 36-year-old Sykes is now charged with principal to attempted first-degree premeditated murder two counts of solicitation to commit first-degree premeditated murder and one count of child abuse without causing great bodily harm The News Journal reached out to the OSA for comment on the new charges but did not immediately receive a response Sykes is scheduled to be arraigned on her new charges Friday Tara Sykes allegedly explained to 10-year-old how to kill everyone in the houseBetween Sept Sykes allegedly explained to the 10-year-old in detail how to kill the two-month-old and the two guardians and the guardians' adult daughter "Sykes instructed the 10-year-old to drown the infant in the bathtub burn the infant with scalding water and drop the infant on the floor to kill the infant," the sheriff's office said Sykes had instructed the 10-year-old on how to kill the adults the 10-year-old was temporarily living with by cutting their throats with a knife while they slept and burning their house by dousing bed sheets with aerosol spray and setting them on fire." the adult daughter of the children's guardians discovered bed sheets doused in aerosol spray along with a lighter When the 10-year-old spoke with investigators she told them "she was terrified" of Sykes and "felt that if she did not follow through with the instructions Multiple adults in the home say they found the messages sent by Tara SykesAlthough the witnesses' names are redacted police reports detail both temporary guardians and their adult daughter spoke with law enforcement about the Roblox chat messages between Sykes and the 10-year-old The daughter told investigators she found screenshots of messages between Sykes and the child and she located a lighter with "doused bed sheets" in the bedroom Investigators also spoke with both temporary guardians regarding the messages One of them stated she saw the Roblox messages but did not see their context The second told investigators she "personally read the Roblox messages wherein Sykes instructed (the child) to drop (infant) on the floor." She told investigators she also read the messages instructing the 10-year-old to "burn (redacted) residence down by dousing bed sheets in aerosol and lighting them on fire and to murder (redacted) by slicing her throat." Roblox says they found no messages of 'instructions of violence' between Tara Sykes and the childThe News Journal reached out to Roblox regarding the investigation into the messages between Sykes and the 10-year-old and the company's Senior Director of Policy Communications Eric Porterfield said they haven't found any messages containing the solicitations Sykes is alleged to have committed "We've completed our internal investigation and looked at activity on our platform by the two usernames that were provided by law enforcement," Porterfield said the conversations on our platform were in policy and did not contain the alleged instructions for violence that resulted in the arrest of Tara Alexis Sykes." Porterfield said the company complies with all laws regarding the retention of chat logs by retaining all chat history for two years He confirmed to the News Journal that Roblox's investigation included any deleted messages between Sykes and the 10-year-old which he said still did not contain the "instructions for violence." Although Roblox says they have found no messages between Sykes and the 10-year-old that illustrate violent rhetoric or solicitation to commit murder Mike Ward and Sheriff Chip Simmons told the News Journal that the witnesses in the case are credible and gave credible statements "It's as simple as we have three individuals that are telling us they saw these messages on that particular social media platform," Sheriff Chip Simmons told the News Journal "It's not inconceivable they would have been deleted." BLACKSBURG - Director of Track and Field and Cross Country, Ben Thomas, has announced the addition of Tim Sykes to the 2024-2025 coaching staff.  Sykes will assume the position of assistant coach for distance Sykes returned to the Tech track and field and cross country programs after stops at Akron Ohio and Virgnia Military.  His history as a member of the Hokies' coaching staff began in 2007 as the volunteer assistant.   Sykes was the head cross country and assistant track and field coach at Akron.  In his two years with the Zips he led the men's outdoor track program to two consecutive Mid-American Conference championships and the men's cross country program to their first championship since reinstatement after a four-year hiatus.   Sykes led 10 student-athletes to individual championships one to an NAIA Track All-American selection and four to NAIA cross country national qualifying marks.  Sykes spent 2019-20 at Western Kentucky with the distance programs helping 18 student-athletes to personal records and leading the Hilltopper men to a seventh place finish at the C-USA cross country championships a two-spot improvement from the previous year During Ben Thomas' first year at Oregon where eight athletes collected All-American honors six different male athletes broke the four-minute mile and the Oregon athletes secured 30 total qualifying marks for NCAA Championships.  The women collected third place finishes in the Pac-12 in cross country and indoor track and second place in outdoor while the men solidified their dynasty with their 13th Pac-12 Championship title Sykes coached multiple athletes to personal bests and worked with Azaria Kirwa who finished third overall at the NCAA DI Southeast Regional and collected All-American honors at the championship Sykes worked with the distance programs at Ohio where Juli Accurso became the first three-time MAC cross country champion and earned three All-American honors under his tutelage Sykes' first role as a head coach came in 2012 where he ran the distance programs for the Virginia Military Institute.  At VMI he coached the Big South mile individual champion a champion in the 800m and the 1600m and a third place finisher in the 10k.  The individual champions in the 800m and 1600m advanced to the IC4A Championships with the 4x800m relay team Sykes completed his bachelor's degree in multi-age physical education from Rio Grande and completed his master's in sport sciences and pedagogy at Ohio in 2004.  In 2011 Sykes finished his educational journey with a Ph.D and instruction: sports performance from Virginia Tech Representatives Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) and Emilia Sykes (OH-13) introduced a resolution to reaffirm access to emergency abortion care for all Americans This resolution would reaffirm that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) protects access to emergency abortion care in every state should be able to receive the emergency care they need “Women should not need to be on their deathbed to receive an abortion Donald Trump’s hand-picked Supreme Court again failed to protect women’s healthcare,” said Rep “Pregnant women across the country are being turned away from emergency rooms and doctors are facing criminal penalties for simply saving a woman’s life There is an urgent need to protect life-saving abortion care and that’s why I’m proud to lead this crucial effort along with Rep Let’s be clear: Federal law guarantees a woman’s right to emergency care - including abortion – and Democrats will not rest until we fully restore abortion rights for women across the country.” we’ve heard too many horror stories of pregnant women being turned away from emergency rooms due to confusing anti-abortion laws United States only increased this chaos and uncertainty This is completely unacceptable,” said Rep “Women should be able to access the reproductive healthcare they need I’m proud to co-lead this resolution with Rep Sherrill to reaffirm that EMTALA guarantees emergency medical care Sykes and Sherrill for leading this resolution asserting the simple truth that access to emergency medical care is a legal right and moral obligation,” said House Democratic Whip Clark “While Donald Trump and GOP extremists are working to deny critical I am proud to stand with the Democratic Caucus in defending emergency care for all patients.” “I am proud to serve as Co-Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus and proud to fight for people’s freedom to make their own medical decisions especially when those decisions are life or death As extremist Republicans—both in Congress and across the nation—are making dangerous progress in their fight to control women’s bodies and lives House Democrats are here to remind them that they have no right to make your medical decisions we affirm the right of every person in America to emergency medical care—including abortion care,” said Rep Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced she would lead her Senate colleagues in introducing a companion resolution next week as well “No woman should be worried she won’t be able to get the care she needs in an emergency and no doctor should have to fear criminal prosecution for saving a patient’s life It is enraging that it is even up for debate when the federal law has been clear for so long due to Republicans’ extreme anti-abortion laws pregnant women who need care are still facing chaos and completely unnecessary medical complications There should be no question about whether patients in need can access lifesaving abortion care That’s why next week I am proud to be introducing a companion to this resolution in the Senate to reaffirm that every person has the right to health care in an emergency—including abortion care,” said Senator Murray Supreme Court had the opportunity to reaffirm that federal law requires pregnant patients to have access to life-saving emergency care in every state the Court kicked the can down the road and sent the case back down to the lower courts This litigation will continue in the Court of Appeals and the health and lives of pregnant people across the country remain at risk as chaos and uncertainty around emergency abortion care remains the norm.  This resolution will help alleviate this uncertainty by clearly and strongly reaffirming that EMTALA guarantees access to all forms of emergency medical care American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice National Partnership for Women & Families and the Pro-Choice Caucus have all endorsed this resolution "Every person in need of emergency medical care has a federal right to receive it,” said Gretchen Borchelt Vice President for Reproductive Rights and Health at the National Women’s Law Center “But state politicians – enabled by extremist Supreme Court justices – are trying to take this right away from pregnant people This resolution reaffirms the federal right and the harm to pregnant people when they’re denied the care they need We applaud the leadership of Representatives Sykes and Sherrill in introducing this resolution and we proudly join them in the commitment to ensuring abortion care is protected “Abortion care is a critical component of reproductive health care and it must remain available to people in Ohio and every single state I trained to assess and respond to obstetric emergencies and to treat the patients who present to my emergency department for care to the best of my ability Abortion bans hinder our ability as doctors to provide evidence-based health care and I am grateful to Congresswoman Sykes and Congresswoman Sherrill for introducing this resolution to reaffirm access to abortion care in emergency settings,” said Amy Burkett Fellow at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists “In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda applauds the introduction of the resolution reaffirming the right to emergency care for pregnant people Access to emergency care during pregnancy is a Reproductive Justice issue and it is critical for Black women who are disproportionately impacted by the maternal health crisis Everyone should be able to access the full array of emergency medical care We must continue to advocate for policies like this that protect our reproductive health and lives,” said Regina Davis Moss Watch a recording of the press conference announcing this resolutionHERE. View the resolution text HERE.