(WSBT) — New and disturbing details after a man was arrested in a Goshen murder investigation
On October 13th 45-year-old Alma Bermeo was found dead in a shed at her home after Goshen Police were called to check on her.
Details from the Probable Cause Affidavit are tough to hear
was arrested and booked into the Elkhart County Jail
WSBT 22's Sean English peeled through court documents and spoke to Bermeo's children
What apparently started with a verbal altercation ended with a mother dead
But details surrounding this case go back further to a Felony Domestic Battery case set for court in December
Alma Bermeo was at a friend’s where she explained she and her husband
This is especially important because Bermeo had a no contact order against Gomez and a pending Level 5 felony domestic battery case set for December
Alma's friend called the police for a welfare check the next day
police went to the house and found Alma dead in the backyard shed
“Alma's manner of death was preliminarily determined to be homicide by asphyxiation
In addition to the zip-tie around her neck
Alma had numerous contusions to her body.”
According to GPS tracking of both Alma Bermeo and Hector Duran Gomez' cell phones
also texting her daughter alleging Duran Gomez was following her
Bermeo's phone turns off and 2 minutes after that Duran Gomez is tracked near Bermeo's home where he stays for nearly 2 hours
Police were able to confirm the no contact order was violated
The cell phone data and defensive wounds on Duran Gomez' body led to a formal murder charge against Duran Gomez
assisted the Goshen police in finding her mother's body
All this happened just 2 days before her 15th birthday
and still stay strong for the community that surrounds me," said Alma Fernanda Carreon Bermeo
the family is just trying to pick up the pieces
"Just worried about my siblings and about what's going to happen with this family
the stronghold of this family of course was my mom," said Angel Carreon
WSBT is still working to learn more about what led Alma’s death
Duran Gomez’ initial hearing is set for October 31st in Elkhart Circuit Court
A link to donate to the family's GoFundMe can be found here
One of Donald Trump’s first executive orders on his return to the White House was to issue a pause in foreign assistance, which was followed by a “stop work” order on most foreign aid funding. Sarah Bermeo writes that while US aid programs need reform
Trump’s actions to freeze and dismantle aid go against the explicit wishes of Congress and most Americans
Stopping aid funding for 90 days could do enormous damage to local implementing agencies
damage which may not be easily reversed.
and people dependent on foreign aid: those starving in refugee camps
and smallholder farmers trying to avoid the necessity of migration by increasing the yields on their land
and general welfare of the United States;” the Act authorized the creation of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
The executive order issued by President Trump and the subsequent actions to dismantle USAID are a blatant attack on laws passed by Congress
Trump’s order states that “It is the policy of United States that no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.” Countries have foreign policies
people – including the president – have foreign policy goals or preferences
There is no “foreign policy of the President of the United States;” there is foreign policy of the United States of America
This is crafted through back-and-forth negotiations between Congress and the President
and these have created the foreign aid institutions that exist today
There is no mandate to override Congressionally approved foreign aid policy
Secretary Rubio has said that some USAID programs “should continue.” But the damage caused by ninety days without funding and dismantling USAID cannot be reversed just by turning the funding back on
If local implementing agencies have disbanded due to lack of resources
Significant local and institutional knowledge is lost
or agricultural advice at the right point in the growing season
they cannot simply correct this later; the resulting loss of harvest will increase food insecurity for a year or more
If a child dies from a preventable or treatable condition
Using executive orders to avoid the difficult work of crafting and promoting foreign policy proposals is not strength
This is counterproductive: the victim gets hurt
Powerful states like Russia and China do not fear the Trump administration
people suffering from disease and food insecurity
and those living on less than two dollars a day may now be even more scared for their lives
Sarah Bermeo is a political economist and associate professor of public policy and political science in the Sanford School at Duke University
where she is also co-director of the Duke Program on Climate
Her research lies at the intersection of international relations and development
Bermeo’s publications include Targeted Development: Industrialized Country Strategy in a Globalizing World (Oxford
Professor Bermeo provides a strong argument for reforming
are a self-inflicted wound to our national security
and of unconscionable harm to the less fortunate
NYACK ‒ The last downtown full-service supermarket closed its doors in 1980
a move repeatedly decried by village residents for the next four decades
refurbishing a building that had previously housed the long-shuttered Riverspace theater
that doesn't necessarily mean they will come
"Our market research wasn't the most efficient," said owner Karina Zeor
who has taken over the market from her father
embrace the opportunity to be very local."
Bermeo during the 2023 opening celebrations said the goal was to be "a little bit of everything for everyone."
So how does a business cater to everyone in Nyack
one of the most diverse communities in the region
That's what Nyack Fresh Market is trying to suss out
More local business: ShopRite of New City welcomes former NY Giants player to grand reopening celebration
Nyack Fresh Market seeks customer input from survey, community meetingThe store launched a community survey in early February and on Tuesday evening held a community conversation at Village Hall
some standing in the back of the second-floor room
Community members shared their impressions of the store — with Zeor smiling and nodding even through some sharp criticism
She followed up with her own frank responses and didn't hide what's at stake at Tuesday's meeting
"I want to be fully transparent," Zeor said to the crowd
The survey garnered around 500 responses in its first two and a half weeks
The village of Nyack has a population of around 7,250
The results will help determine what products they need to add
(Zeor said early survey results point to a bigger focus on organic
The Nyack Fresh Market Community Survey remains open. Find a QR code at the store or follow this shortcut to the survey: bit.ly/4keQyGe
What the Nyack Fresh Market needs to fixEven before the survey and the community meeting
Zeor had deduced a big issue: "We don't have a niche."
Zeor admits the store has struggled to get the balance right
"We just became a massive convenience store for everybody," she said
with locals popping in sporadically for one or two odds and ends
"We don't have a problem with foot traffic," Zeor said
But if each shopper is making a $20 to $30 purchase
Zeor said her team has figured out certain issues from observing consumer behavior and thinking about their own
People who may want to walk to the store don't want to walk back home saddled with bags
So the market has free same-day delivery for purchases of more than $75
Several at Tuesday's meeting said they were unaware of the service
Zeor said the store wants to stock more local entrepreneurs' products
may not meet the tamper-proof qualifications for a grocery shelf nor are many small businesses able to scale up to provide the quantity of products a supermarket needs
Zeor said the store plans to hold a grand reopening celebration
Of interest: Meet the first-generation farmers at Halal Pastures in the Hudson Valley
The Bermeo family owns four other supermarkets in Rockland
including Spring Valley Supermarket and its original store
The Bermeo Group also owns the Mount Ivy Diner in Pomona
Zeor said they are very proud of their immigrant roots — the family came from Ecuador when she was 7 — and their worth ethic
Founder Wilson Bermeo started working at age 9 and is now transitioning ownership as he starts retirement
The challenges seen in Nyack haven't been a problem at the other sites
But those other stores are in neighborhoods with a more unified market
The populations are majority Latino and have similar shopping habits and product interests
Nyack has some of the wealthiest families and working-class families in the region
Consumer desires lean toward organic and even exotic
but there's also a demand for bulk products at affordable prices
said that the store and weekly open-air venue for local farm-to-table vendors
have created a kind of "synergy." The farmers market has long been held every Thursday in the municipal parking lot right in front of the store
"You can get locally grown and artisanal goods from us and then all the staples you need for a complete meal a few steps away at Fresh Market," said Batson
who is also consulting with the store on its restructuring project
"We have been looking for ways for the Nyack Farmers Market and Fresh Market to collaborate long before we learned that they were struggling."
Zeor and general manager Rodriguez pride themselves on the diversity of fresh fruits
"Have you ever had a red banana," she asks a visitor
and passes them out giving instructions about how to know when they are at the peak or ripeness
Scott Young, co-owner of Scott & Joe
a cheese/artisanal food/wine bistro establishment on Broadway in the village
said he popped in Tuesday to pick up some items after he'd read about the efforts to re-envision the store and taken the survey
"and I found it." Then he checked out the eggs — offerings range from quail to organic eggs with a blue hue to 18-egg family-size cartons — and Young said the prices were on track
There was no egg-purchase limit, as is currently happening at some large retailers
Zeor credited the company's connections with a variety of vendors
Young said downtown businesses need to support each other
And while he has a car and can go anywhere to grocery shop
keeping a downtown supermarket viable enhances the community for everyone
The wife-and-husband team of Sophia and Jack Bermeo opened the first Sugar Tree Café location in Nutley in 2021
it will be expanding to another site in Essex County
There will be a grand opening at 107 East Mount Pleasant Avenue in Livingston at 10 a.m
and all the coffee goodness you’ve been dreaming of,” a social media post invites
Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Livingston Facebook page.
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A new 24-hour-a-day supermarket is opening in the Hudson Valley
The Garden Fresh Market in Spring Valley will have a soft opening on Wednesday
at 274 Old Nyack Turnpike in the old CVS store.
located in Rockland County in Spring Valley
This will be the fourth supermarket for Bermeo
who immigrated from Ecuador in 1995 to live the American Dream
and you can have that dream," Bermeo said with a laugh
He said he also owns the Nyack Fresh Market
will offer everything a regular market offers
Bermeo said he is most proud of the 200 employees he can employ locally
"It's exciting to be so busy and to help the community with its needs," Bermeo said
The supermarket is open 24/7 at 274 Old Nyack Turnpike
Bermeo hopes to open additional markets in the future
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In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month
we are pleased to feature a joint Davis Polk partner and alum spotlight
a Capital Markets partner who serves as a member of the firm’s Diversity
Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee and the Hispanic/Latin American (H/LA) Affinity Group Steering Committee and alum Tania Dominguez (NY
Business & Legal Affairs at Cisneros Television Group
Read on to learn more about Tania’s and Pedro’s careers
including their experience as Hispanic lawyers
TD: I was fortunate to have many mentors during my time at Davis Polk
it would be Andres Gil (with whom I share Cuban heritage)
Andres actively recruited me to Davis Polk and to the Latin America team he was building with the support of others at the firm
as a wave of Latin American companies looked to access U.S
and I was excited for the opportunity to use my Spanish language skills in my practice
Andres made sure I was exposed to a diverse set of corporate transactions and clients
and he taught me to be sensitive to the cultural issues that can arise when working internationally
Andres continued to be a valuable mentor and resource
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome
« Back
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Special Reports ›
"If you deliver results, build trust and provide the right advice to your clients, their satisfaction will help drive your reputation."
Photo: Shutterstock Pedro Bermeo
Law school and year of graduation: University of Virginia School of Law
How long were you an associate at the firm
Were you an associate at another firm before joining your present firm
What year did you make partner at your current firm
What's the biggest surprise you experienced in becoming a partner
I was surprised to see just how much goes into running the firm
there are so many factors that go into ensuring the firm continues to operate as a successful business
and it's been exciting to play a bigger role in that
but I have also been grateful for how supportive the firm's partners have been as I stepped into this new role
What do you think was the deciding point for the firm in making you a partner
I don't think there's just a single deciding factor
strong substantive knowledge is absolutely essential to success
It is also critical to develop both a professional and collegial relationship with members of your practice and clients alike
I was fortunate to develop strong relationships with clients
and I have no doubt that their feedback to my (now) partners over the years made a big difference in my career trajectory
It's key to become a go-to contact for your clients
and for your colleagues to recognize that clients put their confidence in you and your advice
build trust and provide the right advice to your clients
their satisfaction will help drive your reputation
Describe how you feel about your career now that you've made partner
It's certainly motivating and has given me confidence for what's ahead
I'm looking forward to focusing on business development opportunities and becoming more involved in making strategic decisions for the capital markets group and the firm
I am also now a member of the firm's Diversity
I am excited to get more involved in the committee's initiatives and to be contributing to the firm's efforts in that space
What's the key to successful business development in your opinion
I think the prerequisite to successful business development is cultivating and nurturing sincere relationships
I've learned to try to build meaningful connections with contacts on my transactions
try to get to know people on a more personal level
If you can build a friendly relationship with a contact
you'll be remembered when future opportunities arise
It also goes without saying that substantive knowledge
and the ability to provide advice that meets clients' expectations and motivations
set the foundation for successful business development
in your routine since becoming a partner?Obviously
the COVID-19 pandemic has changed my day-to-day most
I became more involved in group and strategic decision-making processes
I was immediately involved in everything from associate development and mentoring to recruiting and hiring
I'm also now one of the capital markets group's staffing coordinators
which allows me to see what is going on across the group
and to understand how members of the team are developing
being a partner has allowed me to become more active in firm administrative initiatives and business operations
Who had the greatest influence in your career that helped propel you to partner
I've been fortunate to develop strong relationships with several partners in my group and across the firm
and each of them has been helpful in developing my career path
Some of my mentors were instrumental in providing me with opportunities to step into senior roles early in my career or putting me in positions to increase my profile and develop client relationships
Others simply provided invaluable advice along the way
Davis Polk has been a really supportive place
What's the best piece of advice you could give an associate who wants to make partner
your interactions with your own team members
as well as with clients and lawyers at other firms
it's important to use good judgment in every decision that you make
Seeking out mentors within the firm to guide you can be invaluable as you work to build your reputation
It goes without saying that hard work is important
but your initial focus on every new transaction should be the client's goals
If you work to understand your client's business
you will be able to give more valuable advice
which will drive your reputation as an effective lawyer
Find more career development insights from our 'How I Made It' Q&A series on law.com
ALM's Professionals Network on LinkedIn, Advancing Future Leaders. We are excited about this pivotal group. Click here to join
Special Report
National Law Journal
The Recorder
Law.com
Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit
accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products
18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc
Read More
Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives
24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell
accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment
Read More
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action
11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld
accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls
Read More
a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure
Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit
25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC
accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement
Read More
Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc
26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern
alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase
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Embed on your websiteClose×Copy the code below to embed the WBUR audio player on your site<iframe width="100%" height="124" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://player.wbur.org/news/2019/03/25/artery25-layla-bermeo-curator"></iframe>
EmailLayla Bermeo
at the "Frida Kahlo and Arte Popular" exhibition at the MFA
(Robin Lubbock/WBUR)This profile is part of The ARTery 25
a series highlighting millennials of color making an impact in the Boston arts scene
After curating "Frida Kahlo and Arte Popular" at the Museum of Fine Arts
Layla Bermeo said the Spanish-speaking food workers stopped her at a museum cafe
the women and her chatted about their families
The workers had seen coverage of the Kahlo exhibition in a Spanish newspaper and had recognized Bermeo's name
"Frida Kahlo and Arte Popular" marks a seminal moment in Bermeo's career
It's the first show for which she served as lead curator
Visitors at the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the MFA
(Robin Lubbock/WBUR)But when you hear her talk about it all
It's only when Bermeo remembers what happened that day at the museum cafe that she cracks
"Some of them have told me that they have worked at the MFA for years and never seen [a gallery]
and that hurts me because it shouldn't be that way," she told me
surprising even herself by the stream of tears running so freely down her face
"But if I can do something to break down those barriers
if it meant making people feel like that museum is theirs."
Bermeo, whose father is Colombian and mother is Mexican-American, is one of very few curators of color in cultural institutions nationwide. According to a 2018 national study by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, only 5 percent of museum curators and educators are Latino.
At the MFA, about one-fifth of the 700-plus member staff self-identifies as non-white, according to its 2017 strategic plan. Like other museums across the country, the MFA is trying to diversify its staff and its audience.
Erica Hirshler, the MFA's Croll Senior Curator of American Paintings, said Bermeo's perspective has been "an enormous gift to the MFA." "I think it's critical to have different voices. Art of the past needs to come alive for contemporary audiences."
In an age when museums covet exhibitions that feel relevant and connected to a wider culture, young, diverse curators who may be tapped to the zeitgeist in authentic, resonant ways could lead the charge in attracting new audiences. Yet, the few curators of color who work in the museum field often operate in contemporary museums, not encyclopedic institutions like the MFA.
Bermeo bucks that trend. She's specifically interested in historical art, made before 1955. She seeks to reframe the canon and highlight overlooked artists or narratives, as she's done in "Frida Kahlo and Arte Popular." "Our visitors are excited to see this kind of shift of narrative in a space that perhaps had mostly been occupied by white modernists," she told me as we sat in the exhibition's gallery.
For Bermeo, making the MFA inviting to all people is a personal mission.
Maria Garcia Managing EditorMaria Garcia was WBUR's Managing Editor and the creator of "Anything for Selena."
A 17-year-old Spring Valley boy who stabbed a high school classmate and beat up another teenager was sentenced Friday to six months of weekends in jail and five years probation
Christopher Bermeo will also have to complete a program with Partnership for Safe and Healthy Youth
a Rockland County executive assistant district attorney
INDICTMENT: Bermeo charged with attempted murder, assault
DEFENSE: Bermeo says he was bullied by stab victim
social and juvenile-justice-related services for struggling youngsters
It is run out of the Rockland Board of Cooperative Educational Services' Educational Resource Center in Nyack
Bermeo pleaded guilty Feb. 8 to second-degree assault for the March 2015 stabbing and second-degree robbery for beating up a teenager and stealing his sneakers in a November 2014 gang attack
Bermeo would be prohibited from going near both victims
Bermeo had faced state prison time under the original charges of attempted murder and robbery
State Supreme Court Justice William Kelly sentenced Bermeo as a youthful offender
Spring Valley police and a grand jury originally charged the then-16-year-old Bermeo with attempted murder in the stabbing of a 17-year-old schoolmate at Spring Valley High School
The victim spent time in Nyack Hospital with four deep wounds to his arm
Modica said Bermeo and the other boy had been feuding for weeks
Bermeo's public defender argued at the time that he had been the victim of bullying and had defended himself. Police and school officials said there were no reports of bullying on record with the school
Bermeo was free on a second-degree robbery charge in which he and another youth were accused of beating up a teen on Nov
That victim suffered cuts to his forehead and needed stitches to close the wound at Nyack Hospital
Twitter: @lohudlegal
the burning question is: Can you really manage an aid project from the distance?
The Monitoring Automated for Real Time Analysis (MARTA) is a practical approach that we developed to tackle the challenge of remote project monitoring during the 2018-2020 Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Our premise is that if this approach worked in such a complex emergency setting
jobs and infrastructure) and thereby improving acceptance of medical teams in Ebola hotspots
Given the stakes and risks in deploying this emergency program
and the lack of physical access to project sites due to the geography
Inspired by the Geo-Enabling Monitoring and Supervision (GEMS) initiative, MARTA leverages the power of mobile data collection tools like KoBoToolBox to create a portfolio of high-frequency surveys
Local students are equipped with smartphones and trained to fill in pre-coded weekly questionnaires about the progress of the works
Data is then uploaded to a secured server for remote access and analysis
MARTA was successfully piloted with the support of the State and Peacebuilding Fund
collecting more than 100,000 field surveys
including photos and GPS coordinates during the first year
We continuously crunched these two million data points to monitor implementation in quasi-real time and remotely
Examples of operational application for all projects
MARTA is a simple data collection approach that can be continuously adapted to respond to different project needs
Here are three practical examples of how MARTA can be used to improve remote project monitoring (and more):
MARTA was designed out of necessity and deployed with a learning-by-doing approach
Remote project monitoring is not the panacea for development aid
it is an approach that practitioners should want to experiment
Do you have other possible applications or adaptations for such an approach to remote project monitoring
Thank you for choosing to be part of the Development for Peace community
The latest blog posts and blog-related announcements will be delivered directly to your email inbox
If you’ve seen Netflix’s heartwrenching new documentary Victim/Suspect
you’re surely wondering about the well-being of the women featured in it
So we asked the lead investigative reporter
to update us on how each woman is faring since the harrowing experiences depicted in the documentary
If you haven’t seen Victim/Suspect, we recommend it
which debuted at Sundance and is a partnership between Motto Pictures and the Center for Investigative Reporting Studios
follows de Leon as she uncovers an alarming pattern of police responding to women’s complaints of sexual assault by investigating the women — and accusing them of lying
Mannion reported being raped when she was an 18-year-old college student at the University of Alabama
Police later informed her that they believed she was lying
and arrested her for filing a false police report
She is an owner of a dance studio,” de Leon told MovieMaker
“She’s making really big moves and doing the thing that she dreamed about doing since she was really young
Mannion has a page on the Survivor Voices section of the End Violence Against Women International website
where she describes what happened to her and how she’s healing from it
I spent the following day in bed and in denial
The week following my rape was more shocking
My hospital experience was horrible; my interview with the detectives took place in my exam room while I was by myself
Within 3 days they told me they didn’t believe me
and that they needed to arrest me for falsifying a report,” she wrote
and five years later I’m still trying to tell my story
The unfortunate part in all of this was that I was never given the privilege or right to process my rape; I was too busy processing the re-traumatization from the police. I hope to continue growing and spreading awareness
I hope to make my voice and all of the voices around us heard.”
Also Read: Victim/Suspect: When Women Report Sexual Assaults and Police Arrest Them for It
Though Yovino doesn’t speak in the film
Yovino was in college at Sacred Heart University when she accused two football players of raping her in the bathroom at a party
The two football players were never questioned by police
Yovino was charged with filing a false police report and accused of making the whole thing up
But in an interview de Leon conducted with Detective Walberto Cotto Jr. of the Bridgeport Police Department, he admitted to lying to Yovino while questioning her — police call this tactic a “ruse,” or the Reid technique — in order to manipulate her into confessing
He also admitted that he didn’t know that one of the football players Yovino accused of assaulting her had been accused of another sexual assault just one month before Yovino’s incident
She’s been through a lot,” de Leon says
“She was sentenced to a year in prison after she pled guilty
And I think she was just understandably like
the two football players are suing Yovino for defamation
Bermeo says in Victim/Suspect that she was stopped by a man impersonating a police officer and sexually assaulted
The police did not find a suspect and instead charged Bermeo with filing a false police report
Bermeo was ultimately cleared of the charges. Now, she’s suing Virginia’s Washington County Sherriff’s Department on a dozen allegations including fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and malicious prosecution, according to The Charlotte Observer
De Leon says that despite all of the ongoing legal action
Dyanie Bermeo is “doing really well.”
“She is in the court process of suing the sheriff’s department
and that is going through all the normal things that a lawsuit goes through
I’m sure it’s a long ways out from any kind of conclusion,” de Leon adds
Megan Rondini was the 20-year-old University of Alabama student who accused 34-year-old T.J
described in the documentary as a powerful man in town
The case was passed on to the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office
Rondini’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bunn, the University of Alabama, the University’s President Stuart Bell, Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy, and two investigators, according to USA Today
The family argued that they caused damage to Rondini’s mental health
Rondini’s mother has since passed away
but her father continues to fight for justice for his late daughter
Mike — I don’t know how clear this was in the film
but her mom passed away about a year after I had met her
So that is really hard,” De Leon says
he’s just taking it with all the strength of… just an amazing person
And he’s providing scholarships for police and prosecutors to get better training on trauma-informed investigations
He has a scholarship at the University of Alabama for students
so he is really still working on trying to do something.”
Victim/Suspect is now streaming on Netflix
Main Image: Emma Mannion pictured in Victim/Suspect courtesy of Netflix
Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information
Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information
Boats moored in port in the village of Bermeo
2022 at 9:11 AM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Shipping freshwater by sea is becoming a reality in a corner of Spain that’s turned to a tanker to keep the taps running amid the lowest rainfall in 163 years
As an exceptional measure to deal with a “historical water deficit,” public utility Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia in the Basque region of northern Spain has ordered a ship to move 2 million liters of water a day to supply four towns
The ship is currently in trials and is expected to start making regular trips from the city of Bilbao to Bermeo
a port that’s about 30 kilometers (19 miles) away by land
Rockland County Business Journal
Another iconic diner has changed hands for the second time in less than two years
The Mount Ivy Diner All American Diner on Route 202 in Pomona has been sold for $2.23 million to Karina & David LLC of New City
Rockland County Supermarket owner Wilson Bermeo signed on behalf of Karina & David LLC
Archie Ligeras of 202 Can Do LLC sold the 1.32-acre property and the restaurant at 1663 Route 202
“very much appreciated the loyalty of our customers for the last 25 years as the original owners of the diner
and wishes the new owner much success.”
Bermeo is the owner of Huerto del Eden at 116 Maple Avenue in Spring Valley, Spring Valley Supermarket at 210 North Main Street in Spring Valley, and the soon to be opened Nyack Fresh on Main Street in Nyack
Bermeo anticipates the opening in October in the long-darkened Riverspace Theater
He said he bought the diner because it was a “good commercial real estate investment” and because it grows his holdings in Rockland County
He plans to maintain the classic menu for now but said the 27-year-old diner needs an upgrade
The seller financed the acquisition with a mortgage loan in the amount of $1.33 million
202 Can Do LLC bought the property a year earlier in February of 2021 for $1.2 million
Ligeras also owns the Four Corners Shopping Center in Bardonia on Route 304
has purchased 6 acres of property located directly across from the Good Samaritan Hospital at 250 Lafayette Avenue in Montebello for $2.8 million
which was subdivided and sold by Montebello Crossing LLC
Paul Adler, Esq. SIOR of Rand Commercial represented both the buyer and the seller
“The FilBen Group has distinguished itself as a premier provider of assisted living services in the TriState area,” said Adler
“They are a welcome addition to the healthcare corridor on Route 59/Lafayette in Ramapo.”
FilBen builds senior living facilities that “provide affordable
high-quality health care services in luxurious facilities,” according to the company’s website
FilBen has built over 5,000 nursing-home beds
of which they own 1,300 and operate over 800
RW175 Realty LLC has sold 175 West Clarkstown Road in New City to One75 LLC for $3.35 million
A mortgage loan was provided by Northeast Community Bank in the amount of $1,675,000
From contract to closing took more than two years
The buyer’s LLC is managed by Gabe Alexander
The seller purchased the property in December of 2016 for $2.65 million
The 8.9-acre parcel is the former site of Camp Merockdim
or single-family houses on half acre parcels
If the developer were to build housing without seeking a permit or zone change
he would be able to build about 15 to 17 houses
A multi-family housing project would require a zoning amendment
though senior housing would only require a special permit
Recent changes in the Clarkstown zoning code affecting senior housing will likely reduce the number of units that can be built at the site
Alexander plans to appear before Clarkstown’s Technical Advisory Committee on August 24th and plans to propose: “demolition of all existing site features of the Champion Day Camp
and construction of a 62,774 SF 3-story Senior Housing Facility
The property is located on 9.18 acres of R-22 zoned land on the east side of West Clarkstown Road and approximately 320 ft
south of the intersection of West Burda Lane and West Clarkstown Road in New City.”
¿Quién fue Alba Bermeo y por qué deberíamos estar hablando de su asesinato? Alba Bermeo tenía 24 años y 5 meses de embarazo. Era defensora de los derechos de la naturaleza y vivía en la parroquia de Molleturo, en Cuenca, #Ecuador. Te contamos más en este hilo 👇🧵. pic.twitter.com/XRdUgobXJE
This was the third attack in a month with firearms against residents of the parish of Molleturo
where local defenders have resisted illegal mining
a community centre was burned and two other women defenders were attacked
#URGENTE ASESINAN a Eduardo Mendúa, dirigente de Relaciones Internacionales, perteneciente a la nacionalidad Kofán de Sucumbíos.Nuestro compañero se encontraba en su chacra cuando encapuchados le dispararon, crimen relacionado al conflicto petrolero.Daremos un pronunciamiento pic.twitter.com/FVZnhqCONd
#URGENTE Primeras declaraciones del informático sueco @olabini tras la decisión unánime de su inocencia. "Más allá de que esta declaración de inocencia es una victoria fantástica para mí, esta es la primera vez que la justicia en Ecuador discute sobre seguridad informática ... pic.twitter.com/JP10mJFMvu
expert witnesses for both prosecution and defence agreed the key evidence provided by prosecutors did not prove unauthorised access to any system
However, despite his acquittal, by March 2023 Bini had not been allowed to leave Ecuador
use his bank accounts or retrieve any of his devices seized in 2019
The Prosecutor’s Office and CNT signalled their intention to appeal once a formal notification of the sentence is issued
In March 2023, the Ombudspersons of Colombia and of Ecuador issued a joint early warning alert for the first time
They warned of threats from illegal armed groups to border Awá communities
highlighted the attempted killing of an Awá leader in Nariño
insulting LGBTQIA+ people present and harassing a woman activist who was filming their actions
Both parties waived their right to file complaints about the incident
On 25th December 2022, Indigenous Waorani of the Dicaro community launched a peaceful protest against oil extraction in their territory and the resulting environmental damage
The protesters said that EP Petroecuador’s activities in their territory have taken place in disregard of their right to free
They set up roadblocks within the community as part of the protest
affected their food supply and changed their way of life
On 12th February 2023, the community issued a statement warning that EP Petroecuador had conducted a smear campaign to delegitimise their protest. The company accused protesters of sabotage and vandalism and threatened legal action against them
Indigenous protesters said the Orellana government also sent threats to members of the community
🛑#ALERTA | El comunicador orense César Henry Vivanco fue asesinado. Familiares lo encontraron con signos de haber sido torturado: las manos atadas, una almohada en la cabeza y un corte en el cuello.▶️ https://t.co/6UBYOAkGeT pic.twitter.com/MSf9ISDFwe
family members who found the journalist said his body showed signs of torture
The civil society group said Vivanco was known in El Oro for denouncing fraud in a local beauty contest
In November 2022, journalist Lojano Jhon Lafebre, with digital media Lo Del Momento Loja, presented a complaint to the Communication Council showing multiple attacks against him from the accounts of officials of the Loja municipality
Lafebre said he had become a target for attacks after exposing irregularities in the municipality and demanding the mayor’s removal
On 24th December 2022, two individuals on a motorcycle fired gunshots at the home of Andrés Solórzano
Solórzano said the outlet’s office is in the same building
Three shots hit a vehicle that was parked outside and which is usually used for radio activities
Communicators with the radio station had received threats in the months before this attack
On 30th December 2022, lawmaker and former journalist Fernando Villavicencio threatened journalist Carlos Vera with a defamation lawsuit
Villavicencio accused Vera of disseminating false information about his family in 2019
implying that Vera had been paid by a former government official to do so
On 9th January 2023, journalist Esteban Avila of Radio Redonda received threatening messages referring to his comments on Twitter
The messages ordered Avila to delete publications he had written on alleged police responsibility for a femicide
saying he was “smearing the noble police institution.”
In January 2023, journalist Andersson Boscán with La Posta was threatened and harassed
After the news outlet published a series of reports regarding corruption in public companies
their offices and several other buildings in Quito were graffitied with the message “Boscán
do you love narcos?” The journalist also said several of his sources have mentioned threats to his life
Separately in January 2023, journalist Sofia Montoya from Radio Pichincha received several threatening phone calls and messages after a candidate to the Pichincha Prefecture published her mobile phone number on social media
On 6th February 2023, the home of journalist Juan Alcivar was attacked by a group of List 5 supporters after their candidate won a local election in La Concordia
The group hurled stones at his house and shouted derogatory insults
such as ‘dog,’ ‘you’ll see how we run you off,’ and ‘sell out’
Alcivar works with digital media outlet JAR TV
List 5 supporters shared memes accusing Alcivar and JAR TV of favouring another candidate
On a related note, Expreso journalist Lourdes Guadamud was prevented from covering an incident at the Guayas’ office of the National Electoral Council on 20th February 2023
Guadamud said a police officer also attempted to intimidate her when she tried to cover the delivery of a judicial notification regarding electoral fraud allegations
In January 2023, three women journalists faced sexist attacks for their work. On 3rd January 2023, Washington Vallejo, a candidate for the Prefecture of Morona Santiago, made sexist remarks towards journalist Alexandra Mera during an interview. Vallejo grew annoyed after Mera questioned some of his statements
The politician began insulting her with sexist expressions
In another incident, on 27th January, journalist Ana Lucía Freire of Zeta Radio was insulted by the mayor of Zamora
while interviewing him during his re-election campaign
calling it “unacceptable and inappropriate.” The group said SEGCOM and President Lasso had previously made similar statements stigmatising journalistic work
Bombs mailed to at least 5 journalists in Ecuadorhttps://t.co/J0Qv1R6Snf
calling on the government to take action to guarantee security for journalists
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When Sarah Chavka Flynn was diagnosed with epilepsy at 15
her doctors thought she had a childhood form of the condition
They told her she would probably outgrow it by her early 20s
Then, in 2015, she decided she wanted to become a mom. And she began to worry that epilepsy might make it hard to get pregnant or have a healthy pregnancy
Not so, says Rush neurologist Maggie McNulty, MD
She wants women with epilepsy to know that their condition is not an obstacle to a healthy pregnancy
“is that almost every woman with epilepsy can have a very normal pregnancy and normal birth — everything can go smoothly.”
she notes that planning is important — specifically when it comes to potential effects of anti-seizure medications on the baby
Sarah was living in Chicago’s southwest suburbs when she was first diagnosed with epilepsy
Her neurologists at her local hospital helped her manage her condition by regularly monitoring her EEGs
which measure electrical activity in the brain.
But just before her 21st birthday, she had two severe seizures. After extensive research of Chicago area neurology teams, she chose Rush for its highly renowned neurologists and epileptologists
not to mention its particular focus on women’s health
So she went to the Rush Epilepsy Center at Rush University Medical Center to learn about more treatment options.
Sarah met with Adrianna Bermeo-Ovalle, MD
Bermeo’s expertise in women’s health and epilepsy was great for Sarah
and it became particularly helpful a few years later when she started trying to get pregnant while managing her epilepsy
Bermeo notes that you need to understand the effect of sex hormones on seizures and anti-seizure medications in order to ensure the safety of the baby and the mother
Finding this balance is particularly important for women going through fertility treatment
women with epilepsy have a higher rate of infertility
so they may be more likely to need fertility treatment
“is that there are a lot of variations that happen with a patient's epilepsy regarding changes in sex hormones during the regular menstrual period
particularly during the assisted reproductive technology management
Sarah feels it was Rush’s special emphasis on doctor-to-doctor collaboration that really helped her determine her options.
it wasn’t always clear what triggered her epilepsy or how it affected her fertility
but she knew it was tied at least in part to estrogen and other hormone fluctuations
she first needed to receive fertility treatments for two weeks to promote follicle stimulation of the ovaries for egg retrieval
Sarah received what’s called a “trigger shot,” which is a large dose of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone
a hormone that occurs naturally during pregnancy.
Twenty-four hours later and 12 hours before retrieval
she still wanted to go ahead with the egg retrieval
After another year of fertility treatment and three more rounds of IVF with Wood Molo
the procedure was a success and Sarah was pregnant
She continued balancing her anti-seizure medications with the hormones she was still taking as part of the fertility treatments
Bermeo counseled her not to panic and adjusted her medications as the pregnancy progressed
“We were able to adjust the medications actively and monitor her closely through the pregnancy,” says Bermeo
“We had a very involved communication process with all the teams that she worked with during the pregnancy.”
Her care team adjusted her anti-seizure medications
monitored medication levels and counseled her about self-care — all with the goal of balancing epilepsy and pregnancy.
Bermeo received regular updates and was ready to get involved if Sarah had a seizure or other epilepsy-related issues during labor and delivery.
Bermeo came to see her and her new baby girl
and even took a picture with the new mom and daughter to mark the occasion.
is the multidisciplinary collaborative focus on women with epilepsy of childbearing age and placing their needs at the center of care from planning to delivery.
“If you only think about these things when women are pregnant
“We have to think about this with all women
We have discussions about family planning early on
We have discussions about the right medications early on
We have discussions about being on the right medications
so we can get seizures under control early on
We have proactive discussions about family planning at all visits.”
Sarah is bringing up her daughter and working as a speech therapist — and she has been seizure-free for five years
She’s also continued working with her Rush care team to manage her epilepsy as she raises her daughter
“She is fierce,” says Sarah of Maeve.
© Copyright 2025 Rush University Medical Center
Rush Copley Medical Center or Rush Oak Park Hospital
All physicians featured on this website are on the medical faculty of Rush University Medical Center
Some of the physicians featured are in private practice and
are not agents or employees of Rush University Medical Center
Ecuador voted to halt all future oil drilling in a sensitive protected area known for its fragile rainforest ecosystem and isolated Indigenous communities
Millions of people participated in a nationwide referendum to determine whether crude oil should “remain in the subsoil” indefinitely at a site inside Yasuní National Park in Ecuador’s eastern Amazon. More than 5.2 million people voted in favor compared with 3.6 million against
solidifying protections for Indigenous communities living in voluntary isolation
“It was worth going out campaigning in the different provinces of Ecuador
the mountains and the coast — and this is the result,” Norma Nenquimo
vice president of the Waorani people of Ecuador
told Mongabay as the voting results came in Monday morning
Hear this reporter discuss the referendum result on Mongabay’s podcast
Oil production in the area has been a major driver of economic growth and generated more than $4.2 billion in revenue for the country, which for years has been one of South America’s top producers. Crude oil production accounts for nearly 30% of its total exports
with around 8 billion barrels produced last year
The 982,000-hecatre (2,426,574-acre) protected area is also one of the most biodiverse on the planet
81 species of bats and 593 species of birds
“I believe that all the fauna in the ecosystem that couldn’t speak up for themselves
We have that connection [with nature] and I can feel the harmony,” said Uyunkar Domingo Peas Nampichkai
an Indigenous Shuar leader and president of the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative
However, not all Indigenous people in the region are on the same page. Many Indigenous communities who live in or near Yasuní have defended the oil industry, and 16 Indigenous communities living in and around the park reportedly voted against the referendum
They argue that the oil industry has brought development to the area and provided them with stable livelihoods they otherwise won’t have access to in the rainforest
Yasuní National Park has been at the center of environmental and human rights debates for decades
with different governments trying to strike the right balance between satisfying environmentalists while still drilling for oil
the Yasuní-ITT initiative was created as an area off-limits to drilling but only under the condition that the international community compensate Ecuador for the oil revenue it would lose — estimated at around $3.6 billion
was pushing to start up oil extraction in the area
A referendum presented by the government in 2018 expanded the park’s “intangible” zone by another 50,000 hectares (123,552 acres) and reduced the total area dedicated to oil extraction from 1,030 hectares to 300 hectares (2,545 acres to 741 acres)
but many conservation groups said it wouldn’t be enough to stop extraction in the park and protect uncontacted tribes
This weekend’s referendum used more specific language than the 2018 one and generated more confidence from conservationists and Indigenous communities because it was born out of a grassroots campaign rather than introduced by government officials
Anti-extractives group Yasunidos started collecting petition signatures to trigger a referendum after the ITT initiative failed in 2013
It also spent years fighting for the validity of the signatures in various appeals courts
“There should never have been oil exploitation in Yasuní,” Pedro Bermeo
“Oil exploitation in Yasuní should always have been prohibited
not only because the people there live in isolation but because it’s a protected area.”
the country’s National Electoral Council accepted Yasunidos’ request for a referendum and concluded that enough legitimate signatures had been collected
The case then moved to the constitutional court
which in May ruled that the referendum question was legitimate and could appear on the ballot during legislative and presidential elections
There was also a referendum on halting copper, gold and silver mining activity in the Chocó Andino de Pichincha, a biosphere reserve outside of Quito. That referendum received nearly 70% of voter support as the count was finishing up Monday
Officials now have one year to withdraw from the ITT and are prohibited from signing new contracts authorizing oil exploration
Failing to comply could result in a lawsuit through the constitutional court and the dismissal of all officials involved
“We’re going to keep working and making an impact with the government and Indigenous communities to set an example for the rest of the world,” Peas Nampichkai said
“Because the rest of the world and all its governments know that we’re facing an environmental crisis.”
Banner image: Squirrel monkey near Yasuní National Park
Ecuador project aims to protect Yasuní park borders & Indigenous peoples
FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post
The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa
as protected areas become battlegrounds over history
and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss
Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins
and trying to forge a path forward […]
INDIANAPOLIS — It’s time to start thinking about holiday shopping, and according to a recent report
shoppers are starting earlier and spreading out their spending
“There’s a couple of things I think are going to impact how people are going to budget and spend over the holidays,” Larry Belcher
finance professor at University of Indianapolis
Belcher says some of those factors include credit card delinquency and debt
inflation and consumer confidence dropping
"It seems like people are stretched a little bit more than they have been
They’re using credit cards just to pay their bills and their expectation about their future may be not as rosy as they have been in the past," Belcher said
Belcher says some forecasts show holiday spending is going to go up
"Between 3 and 4.5 % increase of holiday spending
They also thought that spending would start a little earlier and then continue up through the holiday season," Belcher said
"You’ve got economic conditions that don’t look favorable
and yet you’ve got economists from a couple of major places thinking that holiday spending is still going to go up."
small businesses could see more people coming in
"I think it depends on consumer budgets — what they have to spend and the kinds of gifts that they plan to buy," Belcher said
Small businesses in Indianapolis say they're already getting ready for the holiday season
Krista Bermeo is the owner of Krista Bermeo Studio
That’s when stores are getting ready," Bermeo said
Koqovel Cosmetics & Skin Care says the holidays are huge for their company
so all those center around salon and spa beauty," Owner Angel Fant said
Both Fant and Bermeo say products and prices have been affected by inflation
but they haven't seen a drop off in customers
costs have gone up and it has impacted the salon
but we still have a really good clientele base," Fant said
"I really thought it would slow down a little bit
Some I’m having to turn down or put off until January," Bermeo said
Bermeo is hosting an open house on Small Business Saturday
She's crafted a bracelet made from shatter glass in partnership with the Indiana Women's Business Center
25% of the funds will go to the Jackie Troy inspired fund
which is a grant given out to businesses owned by women
Four women have been singled out for their tireless efforts in helping Woolsey Fire victims get back on their feet
Sasha Rondell and Cynthia Novak have been boots-on-the-ground—talking to hundreds of fire victims daily to find out their needs
The women spend at least 20 hours a week as block captains for the Malibu Foundation
lend an ear and actually help get things done on a grass roots level
Jennings even lost her own home to the blaze
but still devotes hours to help victims rebuild their communities
According to Malibu Foundation leader Evelin Weber
“These women are leaders in the community who have stood hand in hand with fire victims
listened to their needs and helped in the recovery effort
They have been instrumental in helping us deliver the services we need to the community
We wouldn’t know what people wanted unless they came to us with vital information.” That especially includes retrofitting water utilities
the foundation was able to get nearly $3 million in fees waived
continues to “be the leader in everything we do
A real source of inspiration—an anchor to the community,” according to Weber
you need people who are directly talking to the community,” Weber continued
government and institutions aren’t able to get to the grass roots level
I don’t think the Malibu Foundation could be as effective
successful or have tangible results had they not been part of our solution and strategy
We wouldn’t have been able to provide this help without their effort.”
A 16-year-old boy accused of stabbing a fellow high school student walked out of the Rockland County jail Thursday after a bondsman posted his bail, authorities said
Christopher Bermeo likely will not return to Spring Valley High School
where he's accused of stabbing a 17-year-old four times with a pen-knife
The victim's most serious wound was to his abdomen and he went through two stints in Nyack Hospital after the March 10 attack
An order of protection mandates Bermeo stay away from the injured teen
East Ramapo schools Superintendent Joel Klein will oversee a hearing to determine whether Bermeo will be suspended and how he will be educated
He could be home-schooled or assigned to another district building
"We have to enforce the order of protection," said Tom Carton
East Ramapo's coordinator of safety and security
Bermeo's lawyer Benjamin Greenwald has said home-schooling is likely
He's scheduled to return to court April 22
Sheriff's Chief William Barbera and prosecutor Anthony Dellicarri said Bermeo's bail was posted at the jail by a bondsman who contracted with his family
Bermeo also faces a separate charge of second-degree robbery and is scheduled to appear in Rockland County Court on April 6 in that case
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MercoPress, en Español
Montevideo, May 6th 2025 - 01:25 UTC
Peruvian prosecutors have opened an investigation against Prime Minister Alberto Otálora for his alleged involvement in acts of corruption
Otárola allegedly benefited from the awarding of a contract to a company that would provide services to the state
The investigation focuses on the alleged irregular hiring of Rosa Rivera Bermeo in the National Commission for Development and Life without Drugs (Devida)
a public agency attached to Otárola's office
known as the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM)
which is in charge of the national strategy against drugs
The Public Prosecutor's Office has opened a preliminary investigation against Luis Otárola
as alleged instigator of the crime of collusion
to the detriment of the State; for the alleged hiring of Rosa Rivera Bermeo in Devida, according to its own publication on X
This alleged corruption scheme was made public during a broadcast on September 17
in which Rosa Rivera and Yaziré Pinedo were said to have met with Otárola in December 2022 and March 2023
after which two contracts were signed for an amount close to US$7,000
Pinedo also received contracts with the Ministry of Defense worth about US$13,500
Also implicated in the investigation are Devida chief Carlos Figueroa and manager Martin Villafuerte
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President Trump has threatened to cut foreign aid and close the U.S.-Mexico border in response to the migrant caravan that recently left Honduras bound for the United States
Doctors Without Borders finds that violence in El Salvador
and Guatemala is similar to that observed in active war zones
refugee agency notes “that a significant percentage of those fleeing … may be in need of international protection
in line with the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.”
Many sell all they have in a gamble to reach safety
They risk sexual violence and armed robbery during the journey
Parents flee with children because they are in danger if they stay
Comparing neighboring Honduras and Nicaragua sheds light on the role of violence in migration decisions
The World Bank reports annual per capita income of about $2,000 in both countries
the homicide rate in Honduras was 59 per 100,000 people in 2016 and 43 in 2017
Customs and Border Patrol apprehended 47,900 migrants from Honduras and only 1,098 from Nicaragua in 2017
Harsh policies along the border do not stop migration
they drive desperate migrants to increasingly use human smugglers
Human smuggling provides funds for transnational criminal organizations that also traffic cocaine
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has blamed violence in the region on these organizations
Tougher migration policies increase their revenue
Foreign aid targets economic development and security concerns in Central America
will spend approximately $600 million in the region in 2018
with about half allocated to region-wide initiatives to counter violence and drug trade
contributes to the Alliance for Prosperity program
Kelly and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson argued that the program’s purpose is to “regain control over territory
end the cycle of violence … and create conditions for sustained and inclusive economic growth.” Threatening to cut aid ignores the reality that aid addresses the underlying problems causing migration
The path to security and economic growth for these countries will be long and complex
policy must address current migrant flows as well as plan long-term for reducing violence
security will be enhanced by allowing those fleeing violence to enter and remain in the country legally
The government can pretend that tough policies will stop desperate people
or it can acknowledge that they will continue to come — legally or illegally
Studies show that refugees commit crimes at lower rates than the general public and become net contributors to the economy
it is important to put numbers in perspective
government detained 224,854 people from El Salvador
and Honduras — less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the U.S
Even if the rate is maintained for a decade
population than previous waves of migrants from Ireland
Respecting norms for the treatment of refugees is not advocating for open borders
Granting protection to people fleeing violence lets in those who have a genuine fear for their safety
This is consistent with long-held American values and will enhance border security and economic prosperity
Sarah Bermeo is associate professor of public policy and political science at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and author of “Targeted Development: Industrialized Country Strategy in a Globalizing World” (Oxford
Editor’s note: Because the migrant issue is both important and volatile
we present here two different perspectives
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The lower bail -- $100,000 bond or $50,000 cash -- gives the family a better chance at getting the teenager out of the county jail
where he's been held since March 10 on a charge of second-degree attempted murder
Bermeo pleaded not guilty Wednesday to an indictment that charges him with attempted murder
"Now they have a chance to get him out of jail," Greenwald said after court in New City
"You can imagine how his family feels knowing he's in jail
Judge William Kelly cited Bermeo's age and lack of criminal record as factors in his decision to drop Bermeo's bail
Kelly said he did not think the teen was a flight risk
and noted Bermeo's lawyers had raised a possible defense that he had been bullied by the victim
Prosecutor Dominic Crispino argued for higher bail and maintained Bermeo was not the victim of bullying
Crispino said Bermeo walked up to the victim in school
Bermeo called the victim a name and then started stabbing him
"Bail is also to keep the public safe," Crispino said
"He almost killed the victim who was in the hospital for two days."
The victim was released but relapsed and spent another day in the hospital
Kelly also issued an order of protection that says Bermeo will have to stay at least 100 feet away from his victim if released
Greenwald said the East Ramapo School District would likely home-school Bermeo if he makes bail to ensure he doesn't come into contact with his classmate
More than 20 people attended the court proceeding to support Bermeo
who called Bermeo his "best friend" said he was glad that the bail had been reduced and hoped Bermeo would be released
Bermeo allegedly stabbed the 17-year-old student four times in the upper body with a penknife
The stabbing occurred in the hallway of the language wing in front of other students
The 17-year-old's most serious wound was to his abdomen
The charge of second-degree attempted murder carries a maximum of 25 years in prison
District Attorney Thomas Zugibe has said Bermeo must be tried as an adult; Family Court proceedings are for people 15 years old or younger
Bermeo was free without bail on a felony robbery charge in a case in which he and another youth allegedly beat up a young man on Nov
Bermeo is scheduled to appear in Rockland County Court April 6 on the second-degree robbery count
Records show a plea is scheduled before Judge Charles Apotheker
who does not represent Bermeo in that case
said the boy's family told him the charge could be reduced to a misdemeanor
The criminal complaint in the robbery states Bermeo punched and kicked another young man about the face and body on Nov
24 at the corner of West Church Street and Collins Avenue in the Spring Valley
Others with Bermeo also beat up the victim
"As the victim lay on the ground attempting to protect himself" Bermeo "took the victim's tan Puma running sneakers valued at $100," according to the complaint
signed by Spring Valley police Detective Eugene Suarez
The victim suffered cuts to his forehead and needed stitches to close the wound at Nyack Hospital
Wilson Bermeo, who owns two Spring Valley supermarkets, plans to open Nyack Fresh Market at the long-darkened Riverspace theater this summer.
Bermeo, owner of Huerto del Eden and Compare Foods Supermarket, says he’s looking forward to coming to Nyack.
“Nyack is a wonderful community and we’re looking forward to bringing the best of what we have,” said Bermeo.
But first, Thomas LiPuma, who owns TALI Plaza of Nyack, LLC at 117-125 Main Street, must be granted approval by the village’s Architectural Review Board to alter the existing 28,000 square-foot theater portion of the building to a grocery use.
The board is expected to discuss the application at its Dec. 16 meeting.
Residents have been waiting nearly seven years for the theater space, which went dark after severe flooding in June 2011, to be put back to use. TALI Plaza also includes the attached two-story strip mall that sits along Main Street.
Mayor Don Hammond, who welcomes a supermarket in the village, says maintenance on flood control is done annually.
Bermeo’s two Spring Valley supermarkets are targeted to the Latino community but the Nyack market will be a full-scale supermarket selling produce, deli, meat, fish, bakery, dairy, and household items.
An investment of $680,000 is necessary to transform the space to a supermarket.
The Manhasset, Long Island-based developer that owns the center received at least $3.2 million in insurance payments after a storm deluged the building with more than seven feet of water. Milbrook Properties, the management company, sued the village. The suit snaked through the New York Supreme Court in Rockland County before heading to arbitration before Richard P. Byrne of National Arbitration and Mediation in Harrison.
Byrne in April 2018 determined the village was liable for the damage for failing to maintain its storm water control system to adequately handle the storm waters. Milbrook was awarded $2.8 million in damages. However, in agreeing to go to arbitration, both sides agreed to cap damages at $2.2 million, which was paid by Nyack’s insurance company.
Milbrook is currently marketing empty spaces in the strip mall. The company recently leased the corner location to Farina Bakery, which the Pie Lady vacated earlier this year. And the broker’s flier says a Vietnamese restaurant has also signed a lease.
The Riverspace Theater has a storied past – it was once the Venturini Cinema East movie theater, and later the Helen Hayes Theater Company, named for Helen Hayes, a longtime Nyack resident. After Helen Hayes closed, the space became home to ArtsRock organization, an arts presenter without a venue.
Text description provided by the architects. The Richter project is a tactful restoration of a landmark building of the mid-19th century in order to adapt it to current commercial and public functions. The interiors of the Moscow mansion are built on the New+Old concept, where contemporary design objects are combined with the original heritage of the architect and conservator Fyodor Richter.
The minimum interventions both in the planning pattern and in the historic elements of the decor have preserved the integrity of the original author’s message. The flexibility of the contemporary planning made it possible to create new spaces without disturbing the structure of the previous ones (for example, the state enfilade).
"In this project, we not only built-in the modern carefully, but also returned the building to its original historic forms and content. For example, we found a historic doorway under the stairs leading to the state enfilade. Once it was blocked up with mattresses and simply plastered over. Now a hidden door appeared there again and connected two important Richter zones and restored the historic justice."
© Mikhail LoskutovRichter's public spaces include a restaurant, a bar, a magazine hall and a library on the ground floor, a printing shop on the floor below, as well as a gallery of contemporary art and a radio studio in the former underground warehouses left over from the previous owner — the bank.
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The world’s wealthiest countries today promote development abroad in a way that is relatively new
some of these countries colonized the developing world
As former colonies gained independence they were caught in the international power struggle of the Cold War
often led by dictators who found it in their interest to serve as pawns in great power proxy conflicts
A serious attention to development occurred mainly after the end of the Cold War
after the terrorist attacks of September 11
2001 drove home the realization that state failure thousands of miles away can have serious repercussions at home
Promoting development became a matter of self-interest for wealthy states
development is promoted disproportionately when and where it serves the interests of wealthy countries
This will likely aid development in targeted states
but a widening gap will emerge as those not targeted are left further behind
The pattern of aid allocation across countries has changed significantly over time
geopolitical concerns drove more foreign aid to countries that were militarily important or held key positions
such as membership on the United Nations Security Council
donors focus more on countries from which they expect the biggest spillovers from underdevelopment: those that are poor
They also favor countries that send them higher numbers of migrants and imports
The impact of geopolitical concerns has become less significant during this time
This is consistent with an increased emphasis on development and with focusing efforts in countries where transmission mechanisms—whether due to proximity
Donors also care more about effectiveness in recent years
conditioning the type of foreign aid on the quality of governance in recipient countries
Targeting foreign aid to areas where potential spillovers to the donor are high is not only the practice of great powers
and Switzerland have all favored more proximate countries in the post-2001 period—when you control for measures of need such as income
aid is also associated with bilateral migrant flows
The more a donor imports from a developing country
the higher aid flows are to that country; this is especially true for Austria
Aid givers do not seem to favor states where development prospects are especially bad
This turn toward development promotion in countries of interest has gone beyond foreign aid
The number of preferential trade agreements between high-income and developing countries has increased markedly in recent decades
often tied explicitly to development promotion (Figure 1)
A good example is the United States with Central America
Bush administration spent considerable political capital to bring about the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement
with a market roughly the size of Pittsburgh
The deal was rationalized in terms of self-interest: Helping Central America and the Caribbean develop would increase security and well-being in the U.S
Large amounts of additional foreign aid were funneled to the signatories to help them benefit from the agreement (Figure 2)
suggesting that wealthy states are more comfortable opening up trade with developing countries in a targeted—rather than universal—manner
Patterns of giving to finance climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts are also closely related to traditional foreign aid flows
instead of focusing on areas where climate-related aid might do the most good for mitigation or adaptation
Poorer countries with connections to wealthier states are likely to benefit from the rising emphasis on development
They are more likely to sign trade agreements and receive additional foreign aid and assistance to tackle climate-related problems
This is the good news—and it is good—because it is an improvement compared with the times where wealthy nations mainly engaged the developing world through colonialism and Cold War competition
Where migration—and hence remittances—is low
the chances of being granted preferential access to wealthy country markets is lower too
The “trap” of being marginalized by development policies that target other states can be included alongside the often-discussed poverty and development traps
The resulting increase in inequality will likely be associated with additional instability and discontent
Long-term self-interest of wealthier countries may be better served by focusing more resources on states currently left behind
but the relatively short time horizons of policymakers make this unlikely
The irony of self-interested development is that while responding to the more immediate concerns of high-income states today
it may be exacerbating the problems that will confront them in the future
For the first time in decades — since 1980 to be exact — Nyack has a supermarket downtown
The Nyack Fresh Market officially opens Saturday
less than two hours after the grocery store opened at 7 a.m.
eager customers were already through the doors
Nyack resident Laura D'Angelo was one of them who was beyond excited to finally have a market here
"It's a convenience that's been much needed."
She came from Piermont to be there for the market's first day and said she'd gladly travel back
Owner Wilson Bermeo said that was the point
A New City resident who also owns three supermarkets in Spring Valley
especially as there's so much foot traffic and many people don't have cars
And though it took three years — the space had previously been the long-shuttered Riverspace theater that closed in 2011 after a flood — Bermeo said his goal is to service the community and provide "a little bit of everything for everyone."
Lynch's: New location, same community focus
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That means wide aisles full of organic and regular produce
Being from Ecuador — he emigrated from there in 1995 — the store also carries a variety of Latin American products such as Tropicala's queso blanco
La Ricura pupusas de chicharron and crema de Honduras
Customers will also find a nice selection of pies and cakes
including cheesecake from Junior's and coconut custard pie from Urban Meadow as well as individual cake slices in red velvet
"I know there are many cultures and ethnicities here and I want to make sure we have products that appeal to them," said Bermeo
"It's why we wanted to do this soft opening first; so if there's something they think we need or should add
The Fresh Market shirts his staff wear prove his point
So why did it take so long for Nyack to get a market downtown
who was there early in the morning to welcome and thank Bermeo
more space was needed," explained Mike Hays
president of the Historical Society of the Nyacks
which closed in 1980 and had previously been located where Mainstream Commons is now
eventually moved out to The Hub shopping center with more parking
also held the lease on the building and stipulated that no other grocery store could move into the building
which kept competition out of the downtown market
he said Nyack had an A&P next to the YMCA on South Broadway but that went out before the Grand Union closed
who has lived and worked in Nyack for over 50 years — he owns the iconic Pickwick Book Shop on South Broadway — said it was always interesting to see how other stores (like Koblin's Pharmacy) have
worked to fill in essentials such as paper products and cleaning supplies
Nyackers pretty much have to leave town," he said
from the mayor to the shoppers to Roger Cohen
president of the Nyack Chamber of Commerce
having a grocery store will keep people in town
serve the many new families moving into new apartments here and add to the attraction of living in Nyack as a 'self sufficient' village," he said
"There's also a healthy synergy between the Fresh Market and the Nyack Farmers Market
which is right next door and held every Thursday."
Plans down the road include staying open 24 hours Fridays and Saturdays
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @lohud_food or via the lohudfood newsletter
A 16-year-old Spring Valley boy charged with trying to kill a fellow high school student will not get a break on an earlier accusation of beating up another teen for his sneakers
The Rockland County District Attorney's Office has withdrawn its suggestion that Christopher Bermeo plead guilty to felony robbery in exchange for probation or a short jail stint
Bermeo had been scheduled to enter a plea Monday at the County Courthouse in New City
said 1st Assistant District Attorney James Mellion
"The SCI plea on the less-serious matter was contemplated before he committed this other crime of attempted murder," Mellion said
"The plea offer is not sensible and not viable any longer."
Mellion said Executive Assistant District Attorney Dominic Crispino will decide whether to bring the robbery case before a grand jury as part of the prosecution of the attempted-murder charge
Spring Valley police say Bermeo and others punched and kicked another young man on Nov
24 at the corner of West Church Street and Collins Avenue
"As the victim lay on the ground attempting to protect himself" Bermeo "took the victim's tan Puma running sneakers valued at $100," according to the police complaint
The victim suffered cuts to his forehead and needed stitches to close the wound
Bermeo allegedly stabbed a 17-year-old Spring Valley student four times with a pen knife inside the high school
The most serious wound was to the victim's abdomen
Bermeo's lawyers have argued that he defended himself from consistent bullying by the 17-year-old
Police and prosecutors called the bullying defense nonsense
The attempted-murder indictment also charges Bermeo with first-degree attempted assault and second-degree assault
Attempted murder carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison
Bermeo is free on $100,000 bond
He has not returned to the high school as the East Ramapo school district educates him outside the building
He is scheduled to appear in court April 22 on both cases
Twitter: @lohudlegal