is helping local students go to school with confidence no matter what time of the month it is through Products Empowering Personal Dignity the initiative provides personal hygiene products to “people who get periods” — more specifically students in 30 local elementary It’s also Sisak’s Bonner legacy or capstone project As defined by The Corella & Bertram Bonner Foundation a Bonner’s capstone project “serves a civic purpose” and “can allow the student to do something that builds the capacity of a local community or promotes awareness and action on a social issue.” Products Empowering Personal Dignity grew out of work Sisak was already doing at Park View Community Mission Bonners typically work at a single site for all four years in the program which is located about a mile from the University of Lynchburg campus Sisak works with the Food for Thought program which provides take-home food bags to schoolchildren on Fridays After hearing that teachers and school nurses were buying menstrual products for students with their own money Products Empowering Personal Dignity is a collaboration between Sisak and Park View and the Period Access Distribution — PAD — Center The Junior League provides funding for Sisak’s project and Park View provides storage space for menstrual products the Junior League distributes to area sites “The main goal is to uplift people who get their periods and let them know we’re there to support them and [we] respect them and we’re able to help them get the proper resources and items that are needed,” Sisak said Sisak has delivered 50 to 80 packs of menstrual products to school nurses each quarter “The bags are supposed to be enough to hold [students] over … for a few months,” she said “We deliver [them] to the nurses because we want to keep that confidential I made a flier to hand out to the schools and they hung it up in the bathroom The nurses have a Google Sheet to fill out The main goal is it’s sustainable after I graduate Sisak plans to pursue a master’s degree in social work followed by a career as a court or victim advocate and critical-thinking skills have improved through Bonner and through her legacy project “I feel more confident in my ability to execute certain tasks and jobs adding that “sometimes there’s a little bump in the road and you have to think of something quick we ran out of some of the tampon sizes and quick thinking was to go to the store or repackage it in a way that it would be the same amount … The main focus is to provide products for the students when and where they need them.” Sign up now for NowHab's weekday newsletter Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Sign in Join now, it's FREE! The former chair of Cambridge's accessibility advisory committee (AAC) said he was shocked to learn he is the subject of a legal investigation by the city over allegations of workplace harassment He claimed he is being targeted because of his outspoken advocacy on accessibility issues Devin Sisak said he was checking his email yesterday when he found a letter from a third-party lawyer informing him that he is under investigation for allegations of workplace harassment stemming primarily from an incident at a March 12 meeting where plans for National Accessibility Week in Cambridge were being discussed Sisak told CambridgeToday a staff member has alleged he spoke to her disrespectfully went behind her back to the city clerk to question her role in the event planning did not seek input from her or others when developing a slogan for the event and did not follow the city’s communication and advertising protocols when developing marketing materials for the event Cambridge's manager of communications Teresa Chiavaroli declined to comment on behalf of the city in an email adding workplace investigations are confidential to ensure the integrity of the process and privacy of those involved Sisak, the father of a 12-year-old son with disabilities, was AAC chair before he resigned in late-March citing frustration with what he described as limited ability to address key accessibility concerns through the committee.  He has since begun speaking out alleging a lack of action from the city on issues around accessibility Sisak was stunned as he said it was the first time he had heard about it “It’s just very shocking and unbelievable that it would go to this level,” he said He explained the committee had a spreadsheet with information for organizations participating in their initiatives. At the March 12 meeting staff had come with a new one the members were not privy to and he asked why the other spreadsheet wasn’t being used.  He also questioned why the staff member was brought to the meeting unannounced and taking over outreach the committee was already doing.  Sisak stressed he intended no disrespect towards anyone but felt he was acting in his capacity as chair to bring forward concerns over what he perceived as staff assuming control over what had been planned as a committee-led event “I’m supposed to represent the committee as chair and ensure that their voices are heard,” he said.  He added the city clerk was the committee’s staff liaison and didn’t feel it was inappropriate to reach out with his concerns He also denied not seeking input from others on a slogan Sisak is unsure what the city is trying to achieve with this investigation as he is no longer associated with it and was never an employee he said it’s possible this investigation could have resulted in his removal from the committee.  “I’ve never heard of someone volunteering their time to make their community a better place and when they raise their concerns about the way things are going they get punished by legal action behind closed doors,” Sisak said.  He said he doesn’t have the resources to defend himself from what he sees as an attempt to tarnish his reputation but wanted to go public with this so people are aware of what can happen “I had no idea that this is the avenue that the City of Cambridge would take if you speak up against them but here we are,” Sisak said.  « Back Home News Highlights Best of AP — Honorable Mention AP first to confirm death toll obtains key video of deadly Hudson River helicopter crash When a sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River accurate reporting and compelling visuals that set it apart from other outlets Sisak was the first to confirm that all six people aboard the helicopter had died—well ahead of other news organizations many of which initially reported conflicting numbers Videojournalist Ted Shaffrey quickly reached the Jersey City waterfront who had recorded video of the helicopter plunging into the water Beatrice Dupuy secured nonexclusive rights to the footage enabling AP to publish it early in the news cycle Shaffrey continued reporting from the scene gathering witness accounts and capturing video of the wreckage and personal belongings floating in the water Additional AP journalists on both sides of the river contributed live video including visuals of the submerged aircraft and ongoing recovery efforts and was widely cited by other media outlets coordinated response showcased AP’s strength in breaking news and its ability to deliver high-impact journalism across formats Discover the best of AP content in every format Explore diverse topics through our world-class journalism spurning the former president’s attempt at an end-run around the state court where he was convicted and is set to be sentenced in two weeks filing a notice of appeal late Tuesday in the 2nd U.S Trump and his lawyers “will continue to fight to move this Hoax into federal court where it should be put out of its misery once and for all,” his campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement echoing his denial of Trump’s pretrial bid to move the case said that the defense failed to meet the high burden of proof for changing jurisdiction and that Trump’s conviction for falsifying business records involved his personal life not official actions that the Supreme Court ruled are immune from prosecution Hellerstein wrote that nothing about the high court’s July 1 ruling affected his previous conclusion that hush money payments at issue in Trump’s case “were private outside the bounds of executive authority.” Hellerstein sidestepped a defense complaint that Trump’s state court trial had been plagued by “bias and appearances of impropriety,” writing that he “does not have jurisdiction to hear Mr Trump’s arguments concerning the propriety of the New York trial.” The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which prosecuted Trump’s case, declined to comment. Earlier Tuesday, the office sent a letter to the trial judge objecting to Trump’s effort to delay post-trial decisions in the case while he was seeking to have the U.S 16 on Trump’s motion to overturn the verdict His decision on delaying sentencing has been expected in the coming days Trump was convicted in May of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels whose allegation of an affair with Trump years earlier threatened to disrupt his 2016 presidential run Trump has denied her claim and said he did nothing wrong His lawyers contend that the case was tainted by violations of Trump’s constitutional rights and that the verdict is vitiated by the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling Falsifying business records is punishable by up to four years behind bars Other potential sentences include probation or a fine Trump’s lawyers contend that sentencing Trump as scheduled just two days after Merchan’s expected immunity decision wouldn’t give him enough time to weigh next steps they raised the specter that Trump could be sent to jail just as early voting is getting underway Prosecutors have not staked a position on whether to delay sentencing deferring to Merchan on an “appropriate post-trial schedule.” In their letter Tuesday they said they were open to a schedule that allows “adequate time” to adjudicate Trump’s motion to overturn the verdict while also sentencing him “without unreasonable delay.” Trump’s lawyers first asked the federal court to intervene last week but their paperwork was kicked back because they hadn’t gotten the required clearance from Hellerstein to file it Hours after they submitted papers Tuesday requesting Hellerstein’s permission to proceed Hellerstein quickly dispatched the defense’s oft-repeated claims that Merchan had treated Trump unfairly — subjecting him to a gag order and refusing to delay the trial until after the Supreme Court ruled — because Merchan’s daughter is a Democratic political consultant “It would be highly improper for this Court to evaluate the issues of bias unfairness or error in the state trial,” Hellerstein wrote “Those are issues for the state appellate courts.” Trump can pursue a state appeal or seek review from the U.S whose immunity ruling reins in prosecutions of ex-presidents for official acts and restricts prosecutors in pointing to official acts as evidence that a president’s unofficial actions were illegal California Politics Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Holden Sisak is all smiles as he tries out the new inclusive multi-user swing in Burlington with his dad Devin Sisak with son Holden and the Nerf gun Devin hacked the controls on to allow Holden to operate the trigger and other controls with larger external buttons Devin Sisak said he and other volunteer members put in a lot of time and effort but it did not seem to be matched by city staff a Cambridge resident and father of a child with disabilities has resigned as chair of the city’s accessibility advisory committee Frustrated by what he calls a “lack of action” on accessible parking issues Sisak says he felt he could do more for the community outside the committee it’s been really hard to make meaningful progress around removing barriers for accessibility for residents in the city such as my son who uses a wheelchair,” he said “I kept feeling like I was spinning my tires trying to get things done.” Sisak said he and other volunteer members put in a lot of time and effort Sisak said he raised the accessible parking issue last spring but it took until this month’s meeting for it to be formally discussed committee members were asked to submit their questions ahead of time Sisak was frustrated when staff did not prepare answers “They would not be putting in the extra time to find the answers,” he said “It’s great and helpful to submit the questions ahead of time given workload we’re unable to just have staff dedicate the amount of time — the amount of staff that we have here today we’re unable to have them all collectively provide a response,” City clerk Danielle Manton said during the meeting Sisak said there was no clear plan to stop the illegal use of accessible parking spots “It was a lot of deflection and not concrete steps for a path to remove the barrier of the abuse of accessible parking,” he said “I figured I should resign and then maybe I can find another avenue to advocate,” he said “We do have a very understanding council when it comes to accessibility so I’m thinking it would be easier to use my voice in that manner,” he said Sisak had to leave early due to a call from his son’s school had fallen ill and could not be sent home on the bus Sisak said he reflected on the time and money he had spent volunteering “I had to take time off work every time we had a meeting and I really reflected on the cost to me as a person,” he said “It just didn’t seem like it was worthwhile having to work within.” He submitted his resignation around dinnertime on Monday Sisak said other committee members have also expressed frustration “Some members have reached out and they’re disappointed too because they put in a lot of time and effort to try and shape their community,” he said “My real fear is that the committee will end up dwindling away and won’t have valuable input for council which it is legislatively mandated to do,” he said Sisak was also disappointed with the city’s proposed awareness campaign He said he had been advocating for a social media campaign for nearly a year but felt it was repeatedly delayed “It was just kind of left kicking the can down the road again,” he said he asked Waterloo Regional Police if they would collaborate on the campaign “They said they were on board 100 per cent,” Sisak said “The director for communications from the city of Cambridge can reach out to our communications director to discuss that further,” Alison Sproule from WRPS said during the meeting He was hoping city staff would use that as a rallying point “The whole conversation seemed very deflective,” he reiterated Sisak’s personal efforts to amplify voices and ensure that everyone can access all that this city has to offer with ease,” Alana Russell the city’s director of communications “It is always unfortunate when a volunteer no longer wishes to contribute to a Council appointed Citizen Advisory Committee as we know the issues being discussed are of great importance to the entire community.” the City of Cambridge issued more than 400 tickets for accessible parking violations and the “By-law Compliance team is currently exploring technology efficiencies and strategies around enforcement and have already begun plans for an awareness campaign centred around key priorities.” Sisak’s concerns around unauthorized vehicles parked in accessible spaces and staff will continue our work with the Citizen Advisory Committee continued compliance and enforcement to further develop the understanding and compassion around the importance of keeping these spaces for those who rely on them,” she wrote Sisak explained how the lack of accessible parking impacts his family He drives a side-entry van with a wheelchair ramp for his son “If we pull into a parking lot at an event or go downtown to enjoy some of the wonderful programming the BIA puts on and there’s accessible spots but they’re taken by people illegally It means you don’t get to even think about enjoying the stuff that our community has,” he said He said people with disabilities and their caregivers often have to find ways to make it work “When it comes down to seeing my son cry because there’s no place for him to park and get out and enjoy it or I drive around until I find somewhere and then walk a farther distance to stop him from feeling that sadness — that’s what happens,” he said “When someone parks in an accessible stall illegally it tells the person who needs it that they don’t matter,” he said “That them being there and having the ability to be in the same space as someone that’s able-bodied doesn’t have value 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 Spending a hot afternoon away from his family digging through garbage cans was not how Devin Sisak planned to spend his weekend.  Sisak was directed to a green construction bin in the parking lot behind the Seasons Retirement Home on Fraser Street That's where he eventually found his son's belongings I can't give this to him now," said Sisak as he held up a wet stuffed animal after pulling it from the dumpster.  The Cambridge father has been searching for his disabled son's belongings in the three days since his accessible van was broken into overnight at the Gaslight District's indoor parking lot.  Sisak's 12-year-old son Holden is non-verbal and is confined to a wheelchair but despite his challenges Holden always wants to be out in his community enjoying the world.  The family went to the Friday night Monster Market at the Gaslight District before attending a show at the Hamilton Family Theatre with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra.  Sisak said after the market, the family grabbed a bite to eat at the Foundry restaurant.  "It was really a nice night out after a long week of school and work. Holden was able to relax and we had the weekend ahead of us Sisak who is married to Ward 5 councillor Sheri Roberts leaving the van in what he thought was a safe spot in the underground garage.  Upon returning the next morning the family was shocked to learn someone had broken into the van.  "I noticed my door was slightly opened at the top and the door was unlocked I looked over and the passenger door was unlocked too That's when I knew something was wrong," Sisak said.  "They took Holden's school backpack his baseball bag and worse of all his adaptive jacket that was custom made for his wheelchair," he said with a shaky voice.  The only question going through his head was "why?" "Why would someone break into an accessible van and steal a child's things?" Sisak knew it would be a difficult conversation but he decided to tell his son the bad news as soon as they got home.  "I told him that his backpack was gone and his baseball gear was gone Then I had to tell him that his blanket that he's had since he was a newborn was also stolen."  He recalls the look on his son's face when he put everything together.  Just purely devastating as a parent to tell your child that there are people in this world that will take things from you without even caring," he said Jess Dixon agrees there is little accountability for petty theft and said catch-and-release laws are playing a role in letting criminals back onto the streets.  "When there are no consequences for the small things then people think they can keep committing crimes and it gets worse," said Dixon who worked as a Crown prosecutor for 10 years.  She said federal laws have created a system that limits the power of police and puts an extra strain on the court system Dixon thinks that with the end of these laws the justice system will have more power to keep people safe from repeat offenders.  "If we want things to change there has to be consequences and it's not even about the severity but catch-and-release just creates a vicious cycle of habitual offenders," she said.   After putting out a call on social media about his son's missing items Sisak received immediate support from the community and had people crowd-sourcing ways to buy a new jacket replace his baseball gear and find the person responsible.  Holden lives and breathes baseball and losing his equipment was especially hard on him Cambridge Minor Baseball has offered to replace all his equipment and other members of the community wanted to start a GoFundMe to replace all the other items.  "The money isn't a big thing for us The jacket that was given to him by the Jays Care Association was around $900 but we are going to replace that out of pocket," he said "We really just want his blanket and the jacket back if possible."  Sisak got a tip from someone online that his things were spotted at The Bridges Shelter in downtown Galt.  After racing down there to confront the person seen wearing Holden's baseball bag he was told by the man he'd found in a nearby dumpster.  Sisak said he knew the man was telling the truth because he handed the bag over and was upset to learn it had been stolen from a child with special needs.  Wayne Paddick informed CambridgeToday that there are no belongings of Holden's at the Bridges and that if anyone who is staying at the shelter is caught stealing they are kicked out of the facility.  "If one of our guys is caught shoplifting at the Shoppers Drug Mart across the road they come and bring me the video and we try to resolve it and then they are charged with trespassing," said Paddick "I am not there to harbour these guys."  Sisak was told the other contents of his son's backpack were dumped in a contractor bin near the Gaslight District.  he focused on a giant green bin behind the Season's Retirement Home where he found the Toronto Blue Jays shirt with Holden written on it and his son's stuffed animal.  "I just don't understand why someone would want to steal these things it's just insane," he said, while holding the garbage soaked items.  "His entire week's worth of school work the mental toll it's taken can't be undone Sisak said while sitting in the parking lot of the Shoppers Drug Mart near The Bridges He said he can't shake the feeling someone there knows where the rest of his son's belongings are.  "I don't think it's fair to paint everyone who is struggling with the same brush and not everyone who lives unhoused who is bad," Sisak said "But when victimized people are victimizing other vulnerable people it's hard not to get angry."  because there is no reason why my son's things should end up at the Bridges or an encampment." This article was previously published on CambridgeToday Cambridge resident Devin Sisak is having a hard time wrapping his head around how to address issues the city has around accessible parking spaces particularly when it comes to people parking in them without a proper permit.  Staring down the upcoming spring and summer season where his family will plan to be out and about more Sisak knows something needs to change but has become frustrated with a lack of action on this issue to the point where he resigned from the city’s accessibility advisory committee Sisak’s 12-year-old son Holden is a wheelchair user due to a rare genetic condition which affects his gross motor skills and requires accessible parking.  He noticed last summer when he would go to the Water Street municipal lot with his son to take part in events in the area they would struggle to find accessible parking.  “There’d always be someone parked illegally in the spots,” Sisak said.  One particularly bad night he and his partner noticed five cars parked in accessible spots without permits a little after 4 p.m They called bylaw and decided to wait and see what would happen but ended up going for dinner after an hour of waiting.  they saw one car had left and another had taken its place also without a permit.  it really excludes people with disabilities from participating,” he said “When they can’t get to a place I go downtown and I can’t park my van and get my son out we turn around and go home because sometimes it’s just that much of a hassle.” He noted sometimes people also park too closely to accessible spots which prevents his van's wheelchair ramp from extending properly requiring him to pull out into the parking lot to get Holden in the van.  This discussion made its way to the city’s accessibility advisory committee (AAC) which Sisak previously chaired until yesterday's meeting which was attended by city staff and members of the Waterloo Regional Police Service.  During the meeting vice chair Gary Racine said he was hoping the discussion could move the needle a little bit on inclusive parking.  Cambridge’s manager of transportation engineering said municipal parking lots follow facility accessibility design standards but acknowledged not all lots comply They “hope to over time bring them all up to that standard,” she said Pavement markings are refreshed typically on a three-year rotation and the city should respond to a complaint about a lack of signage within four to six weeks She added the city does not have any accessible on-street spots due to inadequate width to create them. It would be a safety hazard “If there’s an opportunity through a reconstruction then we would consider putting in an accessible parking space on the street,” she said Some roads managed by the Region of Waterloo have accessible on-street parking spots Cambridge’s manager of the municipal compliance team that deals with bylaw enforcement and private parking enforcement officers explained enforcement is mainly complaint based due to the lack of resources to be able to do proactive enforcement she said the city issued 401 tickets to those parked in accessible parking spots without a permit said the total financial impact from those tickets was not available as each ticket’s fine would vary due to various factors Those factors include the fine increasing from $300 to $400 on March 1 hearing results and fines that may be directed to plate denial.  Staff members suggested the committee could help create a campaign promoting awareness around the importance of leaving accessible parking spots available for those with permits but it wasn't enough for Sisak who left the meeting feeling disappointed “It was more of ‘we’re doing stuff and we can’t do stuff at the same time’ and it feels like the can just keeps getting kicked down the road,” he said.  Sisak said he resigned as chair and from the committee entirely calling that meeting the final straw in demonstrating how he can't work within the committee to get action on this issue “I plan to utilize my advocacy to lobby an understanding council to make the meaningful change that our community deserves,” he wrote has received a cybersecurity certification that will benefit the prosecution of complex high-tech cases Sisak recently completed a Global Information Security Fundamentals (GISF) course that provides training in the technical aspects of computers and networking He said the training is beneficial when reviewing investigators' findings in complex cases involving online threats Sisak also credited the course with giving him the skillset to present a complicated case more accurately during trial "More and more of our cases have a digital aspect I'm able to unpack witness testimonies so a jury understands it." Sisak said he believes this is a course that many lawyers will have to take in the future "Having a prosecutor with GISF certification is rare and we are lucky to have Luke on our team," said Assistant Head Deputy Rouman Ebrahim of the Cyber Crimes Division Sisak said taking the GISF course piqued his interest after having worked on task forces with investigators and sheriff's deputies who are certified He is currently working toward obtaining an additional certification addressing security essentials who joined the office in 2005 as a law clerk and became a deputy district attorney in 2007 hopes his training will benefit his cases and that he may serve as a resource for other deputy district attorneys.​ L.A. County Home211 L.A. CountyLA County Helps  © 2020 Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Lauren Simmonds 2024 – Aspect Croatia has come upon a significant gas deposit not too far from Sisak in the continental part of the country As Poslovni Dnevnik writes Aspect Croatia has discovered a gas reservoir at the Trebarjevo-1 exploratory well The Ministry of Economy reported the aforementioned and the Hydrocarbons Agency was also informed of the discovery The Trebarjevo – 1 well is located within the SAVA-06 exploration area and a smaller part covers Sisak-Moslavina and Koprivnica-Križevci Its construction began back in June of this year the final depth of 1,670 metres was reached The well met initial expectations by revealing hydrocarbon saturation President of the Management Board of the Hydrocarbons Agency stated that between 160 and 320,000 cubic metres of gas was obtained by testing the well which represents about 10% of the total daily gas production in all of Croatia we’ve witnessed the constant volatility of gas prices and therefore we must welcome any news about an increase in domestic production Any molecule of gas that we produce here in domestic fields means much less dependence on imports due to the favourable contract we have with the investor it also implies significant money for the budget” is otherwise a subsidiary of Aspect Holdings it signed a contract with the Croatian Government on the exploration and sharing of hydrocarbon exploitation for the SAVA-06 exploration area and website in this browser for the next time I comment Springfield police encouraged drivers to avoid the intersection of Sunshine Street and Grant Avenue on Thursday morning following a fatal vehicle collision was riding his Kawasaki motorcycle eastbound on Sunshine Street around 7:30 a.m approaching when a westbound Chevy Tahoe attempting to turn south on Grant Avenue collided with the bike The circumstances of the crash are part of an ongoing investigation This was Springfield’s ninth fatal motor vehicle crash in 2024 and 41st motorcycle death since 2019 NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyers rested their defense Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money criminal trial moving the case closer to the moment the jury would begin deciding his fate READ MORE: What we’ve learned so far in Trump’s hush money case and what to listen for in the final days the defense rests,” Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told the judge following testimony from a former federal prosecutor who had been called to attack the credibility of the prosecution’s key witness but the attorneys would return later Tuesday to discuss how the judge will instruct jurors on deliberations the first former American president to be tried criminally did not stop to speak as he left the courthouse and ignored a question about why he wasn’t testifying The Republican presumptive presidential nominee had previously said he wanted to take the witness stand to defend himself against what he claims are politically motivated charges jurors could begin deliberating as soon as next week to decide whether the former president is guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records Merchan told jurors the court session could run late Tuesday to accommodate both prosecution and defense summations — the last time the jury would hear from either side Merchan told jurors he then expects his instructions to them on deliberations would take about an hour after which they can begin discussing the case they have been told not to discuss the case with anyone outside court and not to discuss the case among each other Merchan noted that normally summations would immediately follow the defense resting its case but he expects summations in this case will take at least a day and “there’s no way to do all that’s needed to be done” before then Prosecutors have accused Trump of a scheme to bury negative stories to fend off damage to his 2016 presidential campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton and then falsifying internal business records to cover it up Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing in the case The charges stem from internal Trump Organization records in which payments to Cohen were marked as legal expenses Prosecutors say they were really reimbursements for a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep her from going public before the 2016 election with claims of a sexual encounter with Trump Trump says nothing sexual happened between them “They have no case,” Trump said in the morning Tuesday before court adjourned defense attorneys pressed the judge to throw out the charges before jurors even begin deliberating arguing prosecutors have failed to prove their case The defense has suggested that Trump was trying to protect his family Defense attorney Todd Blanche argued that there was nothing illegal about soliciting a tabloid’s help to run positive stories about Trump run negative stories about his opponents and identify potentially damaging stories before they were published No one involved “had any criminal intent,” Blanche said READ MORE: Why Trump’s hush money defense depends on knocking down Michael Cohen’s credibility “How is keeping a false story from the voters criminal?” Blanche asked Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo shot back that “the trial evidence overwhelmingly supports each element” of the alleged offenses and said the case should proceed to the jury The judge didn’t immediately rule on the defense’s request Such long-shot requests are often made in criminal cases but are rarely granted Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Michelle Price in New York; Meg Kinnard in Columbia S.C.; and Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report © 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization Subscribe to Here's the Deal with Lisa Desjardins 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 Metrics details We provide here a first-hand description of the coseismic surface effects caused by the Mw 6.4 Petrinja earthquake that hit central Croatia on 29 December 2020 This was one of the strongest seismic events that occurred in Croatia in the last two centuries Field surveys in the epicentral area allowed us to observe and map primary coseismic effects including geometry and kinematics of surface faulting The resulting dataset consists of homogeneous georeferenced records identifying 222 observation points each of which contains a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 14 numeric and string fields of relevant information The earthquake caused surface faulting defining a typical ‘conjugate’ fault pattern characterized by Y and X shears and compression structures (P shears) within a ca NW–SE striking right-lateral strike-slip shear zone (i.e. We believe that the results of the field survey provide fundamental information to improve the interpretation of seismological the data related to the surface faulting may impact future studies focused on earthquake processes in active strike-slip settings integrating the estimates of slip amount and distribution in assessing the hazard associated with capable transcurrent faults The processing was carried out with the SNAP toolbox of ESA and the SNAPHU software for phase unwrapping The observed deformation field in the line of sight (LOS) direction shows on the NW side a maximum shortening of the distance from the satellite of ca and a lengthening of the same distance reaching a maximum of ca 33 cm centred in the area of Petrinja (east of the ruptured fault) The deformation pattern imaged by the InSAR considered the ENE-oriented direction of recording north-westward slip of the region west of the Petrinja Fault Zone The fringe geometry has served here basically to direct our field observations toward the areas of highest linear deformation where tectonic ground ruptures were most likely to be present and subsequently to compare the InSAR-imaged deformed region with the distribution and size of geological coseismic effects observed in the field Our surveying, which has led to the recognition and mapping in the epicentral area of the most significant surface ruptures, their geometry, kinematics, and associated displacement, is summarized in a concise dataset (Table 1) and map (Fig. 3). The dataset presented in the Supplementary Material is a text file consisting of 222 records organized into 14 fields Each record describes a single observation point OBSERVATION (short name: Obs): five categories are defined: “Coseismic shear fracture” (ground break displaying a perceivable shear offset of the ground surface > 1 cm); “Coseismic open fracture” (ground break with no perceivable shear offset <  < 1 cm); “Coseismic sliding” (generic landslide of ascertained coseismic origin); “Coseismic sand boil” (sand volcanism phenomena related to liquefaction induced by the earthquake); “Sinkhole” (ground collapse caused by the earthquake); TYPE OF SUBSTRATUM (short name: Sub): nature of the substratum where the coseismic effect was observed; LENGTH (short name: Len): length measured in meters of a rupture or sliding surface; OPENING (short name: Ope): aperture of a rupture or sliding surface measured in centimetres OFFSET (short name: Off): net displacement of a coseismic rupture measured in centimetres; RAKE (short name: Rak): the angle of the slip lineation on the fault plane measured in degrees (in the 0°-180° range); VECTOR (short name: Vec): the trend (range 0°–360°) and plunge (range 0°–90°) of the slip lineation in degrees measured with respect to the North and the horizontal depicts a positive flower structure composed of three main fault planes making it necessary to build an outermost embankment to contain the potential floods Collapses and opening of small sinkholes in the ground have been described by the inhabitants in the urban area of Petrinja but we were unable to document this effect as the holes had been filled with debris soon after their formation A man (Edison Tomas) now living in Župić told us that some holes had already opened 4–5 h before the main shock in the road close to the house of his daughter in Petrinja with a depth reaching 6 m All the sinkholes appeared filled by water up to a depth of about 3 m from the surface which is the level of the water table in the alluvial deposits the collapses occurred after the earthquake with a delay from a few hours to a few days The observation of aerial and satellite images clearly shows that in many cases the areas prone to the sinkhole collapses were already recognizable before the event many potential sinkholes could be additionally identified by an aerial (drone) survey of the plain in order to identify the sectors of higher hazard this preliminary analysis needs to be complemented with geophysical prospecting to complete the mapping of the zones most prone to such highly hazardous phenomenon The recognition of coseismic effects in the aftermath of an earthquake is fundamental for individuating primary surface faulting and its structural arrangement Understanding the relationship between the seismic source at depth and its primary evidence at surface creates the basis for using surface active faults to contribute foreseeing which structure will rupture next This work also provides new data on surface coseismic faulting in strike-slip domains which is not a common event in the Alpine-central Mediterranean area a complex surface faulting pattern was observed and mapped in the field along the causative PFZ Based on our study of the co-seismic shear structures The co-seismic shear structures were produced by this earthquake along the pre-existing right-lateral strike-slip PFZ and they are mainly characterized by Y and X shears The ‘conjugate’ fault structures comprise two sets of coseismic shears that are striking NW–SE and NE-SW The NW–SE-trending structure represents a Y shear with right-lateral strike-slip displacement of up to 36 cm including left-stepping en echelon tension cracks (T) and mole tracks (P) the NE-SW-trending structure represents a X shear with left-lateral displacement of up to 10 cm including right-stepping en echelon cracks (T) and mole tracks (P) which are concentrated in a zone of < 5 m around individual rupture zones Our findings suggest that the coseismic ‘conjugate’ Y and X faulting is mainly controlled by the pre-existing active PFZ within the framework of the ongoing northward ‘push’ of the Adria Plate along the margins of the Pannonian Basin The regional geodynamic setting of partitioned transpression results in active thrusting in the outer Dinarides and dominant strike-slip faulting in the interior of the belt as it occurs in the epicentral area of the 29 December 2020 The mapped pattern of coseismic fault ruptures is relevant for improving the assessment of the seismic and surface faulting hazard of this region accurate mapping of the coseismic ruptures associated with this moderate magnitude earthquake contributes to improve our understanding of earthquake faulting processes and to better forecast the impact of the more energetic earthquakes expected in the Alpine-Dinarides-Albanides orogen where the knowledge regarding such phenomena is still modest All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article (and its Supplementary Information files) Tomljenović, B., Csontos, L., Márton, E. & Márton, P. Tectonic evolution of the northwestern Internal Dinarides as constrained by structures and rotation of Medvednica Mountains, North Croatia. Geol. Soc. Lond. Spec. Publ. 298, 145–167. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP298.8 (2008) Stucchi, M. et al. The SHARE European earthquake catalogue (SHEEC) 1000–1899. J. Seismolog. 17, 523–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-012-9335-2 (2013) geolabpasaia.org/gnss/agi/maps/EU-DenseVelocities.html#8/45.333/15.520 Grünthal, G. & Wahlström, R. The European-Mediterranean Earthquake Catalogue (EMEC) for the last millennium. J. Seismolog. 16, 535–570. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-012-9302-y (2012) ISIDe Working Group. Italian Seismological Instrumental and Parametric Database (ISIDe). Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV). https://doi.org/10.13127/ISIDE (2007) Markušic, S. et al. The Zagreb (Croatia) M5.5 earthquake on 22 March 2020. Geosciences 10(252), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10070252 (2020) Tomljenović, B. & Csontos, L. Neogene-quaternary structures in the border zone between Alps, Dinarides and Pannonian Basin (Hrvatsko zagorje and Karlovac Basins, Croatia). Int. J. Earth Sci. 90, 560–578. https://doi.org/10.1007/s005310000176 (2001) Schmid, S. M. et al. The Alpine-Carpathian-Dinaridic orogenic system: correlation and evolution of tectonic units (with Supplementary material). Swiss J. Geosci. 101, 139–183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00015-008-1247-3 (2008) Anderson, H. & Jackson, J. Active tectonics of the Adriatic Region. Geophys. J. Int. 91(3), 937–983. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.1987.tb01675.x (1987) Battaglia, M., Murray, M. H., Serpelloni, E. & Bürgmann, R. The Adriatic region: an independent microplate within the Africa-Eurasia collision zone. Geophys. Res. Lett. 31, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL019723 (2004) Stipcevic, J. et al. Crustal thickness beneath the dinarides and surrounding Areas from receiver functions. Tectonics 37, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019TC005872 (2020) Ustaszewski, K., Herak, M., Tomljenovic, B., Herak, D. & Matej, S. Neotectonics of the Dinarides-Pannonian Basin transition and possible earthquake sources in the Banja Luka epicentral area. J. Geodyn. 82, 52–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jog.2014.04.006 (2014) Pavelić, D. & Kovačić, M. Sedimentology and stratigraphy of the neogene rift-type north Croatian Basin (Pannonian Basin System): a review. Mar. Pet. Geol. 91, 455–469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2018.01.026 (2018) Kastelic, V. et al. Seismogenic sources in the Adriatic Domain. Mar. Pet. Geol. 42, 191–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2012.08.002 (2013) Carafa, M. M. C. & Kastelic, V. Earthquake rates inferred from active faults and geodynamics: the case of the External Dinarides. Bollettino di Geofisica Teorica ed Applicata 55–1, 69–83. https://doi.org/10.4430/bgta0112 (2014) Scognamiglio, L., Tinti, E., Quintiliani, M. Time Domain Moment Tensor. Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), https://doi.org/10.13127/TDMT (2006) Bada, G., Horváth, F., Gerner, P. & Fejes, I. Review of the present-day geodynamics of the Pannonian basin: progress and problems. J. Geodyn. 27(4–5), 501–527. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0264-3707(98)00013-1 (1999) Herak, D. & Herak, M. The Kupa Valley (Croatia) earthquake of 8 October 1909–100 Years Later. Seismol. Res. Lett. 81(1), 30–36. https://doi.org/10.1785/gssrl.81.1.30 (2010) Civico, R. The open EMERGEO Working Group. Surface ruptures following the 30 October 2016 Mw 65 Norcia earthquake, central Italy. J. Maps 14, 151–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2018.1441756 (2018) Stemberk, J. et al. Strain monitoring of active faults in the central Apennines (Italy) during the period 2002–2017. Tectonophysics 750, 22–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2018.10.033 (2019) Corradetti, A., Zambrano, M., Tavani, S., Tondi, E. & Seers, D. T. The impact of weathering upon the roughness characteristics of a splay of the active fault system responsible for the massive 2016 seismic sequence of the Central Apennines, Italy. GSA Bull. https://doi.org/10.1130/B35661.1 (2020) Villani, F. et al. A database of the coseismic effects following the 30 October 2016 Norcia earthquake in Central Italy. Sci Data 5, 180049. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2018.49 (2018) and sharing the results in Google Earth via OpenPlot and Photoscan: an example from the Khaviz Anticline (Iran) Pitts, A. D. et al. Sedimentological and stratigraphic signature of the Plio-Pleistocene tectonic events in the Southern Apennines, Italy: the Calvello-Anzi Basin case study. Mar. Petrol. Geol. 116, 104198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2019.104198 (2020) 3D outcrop modelling of large discordant breccia bodies in basinal carbonates of the Apulian margin Italy Pitts, A. D. et al. Integrating traditional field methods with emerging digital techniques for enhanced outcrop analysis of deep water channel-fill deposits. Mar. Petrol. Geol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2017.05.001 (2017) Tchalenko, J. S. Similarities between shear zones of different magnitudes. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 81, 1625–1640. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1970)81[1625:SBSZOD]2.0.CO;2 (1970) Angelier, J., Bergerat, F., Bellou, M. & Homberg, C. Co-seismic strike-slip fault displacement determined from push-up structures: the Selsund Fault case, South Iceland. J. Struct. Geol. 26(4), 709–724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2003.07.006 (2004) Tondi, E., Piccardi, L., Cacon, S., Kontny, B. & Cello, G. Structural and time constraints for dextral shear along the seismogenic Mattinata Fault (Gargano, southern Italy). J. Geodyn. 40, 134–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jog.2005.07.003 (2005) Lin, A. & Chiba, T. Coseismic conjugate faulting structures produced by the 2016 Mw 7.1 Kumamoto earthquake Japan. J. Struct. Geol. 99, 20–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2017.05.003( (2017) Li, H. et al. Co-seismic surface ruptures associated with the 2014 Mw 6.9 Yutian earthquake on the Altyn Tagh Fault, Tibetan plateau. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. https://doi.org/10.1785/0120150136 (2016) Ahlgren, S. G. The nucleation and evolution of Riedel shear-zones as deformation bands in porous sandstone. J. Struct. Geol. 23(8), 1203–1214. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8141(00)00183-8 (2001) Katz, Y., Weinberger, R. & Aydin, A. Geometry and kinematic evolution of Riedel shear structures, Capitol Reef National Park Utah. J. Struct. Geol. 26(3), 491–501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2003.08.003 (2004) Aktar, M., Karabulut, H., Ozalaybey, S. & Childs, D. A conjugate strike-slip faults within the extensional tectonics of Western Turkey. Geophys. J. Int. 171(3), 1363–1375. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2007.03598.x (2007) Tondi, E. et al. The Campotosto linkage fault zone between the 2009 and 2016 seismic sequences of central Italy: Implications for seismic hazard analysis. GSA Bull. https://doi.org/10.1130/B35788.1 (2020) Livio, F., Serva, L. & Gürpinar, A. Locating distributed faulting: contributions from InSAR imaging to probabilistic fault displacement hazard analysis (PFDHA). Quatern. Int. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2016.09.034 (2016) Macchiavelli, C. et al. Applying the Multiple Inverse Method to the analysis of earthquake focal mechanism data: new insights into the active stress field of Italy and surrounding regions. Tectonophysics 580, 124–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2012.09.007 (2012) Authemayou, C. et al. Late Cenozoic partitioning of oblique plate convergence in the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt (Iran). Tectonics https://doi.org/10.1029/2005TC001860fin (2006) Download references Thoughtful and constructive comments by two Anonymous Reviewers as well as by Editorial Board Member Yuji Yagi We would like to thank the Italian Embassy in Zagreb for the kind support to the mission in the field This work was partly supported by the FAR Unicam project “Novel Approach for Seismic Hazard Analysis—NoHard'' Funding was provided by University of Camerino STI000104) and Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research - Geological Survey of Italy Water Management Department for Middle and Lower Sava Flood Protection Service Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology parsed the raw field data and produced the final dataset did the main contribution to the figures editing All coauthors equally contributed to the field data acquisition and reviewed the final version of the manuscript The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88378-2 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Thursday, July 28, 2016 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM CDT Maresh-Meredith & Acklam Funeral Home Racine Location 803 Main St. Racine, WI 53403 (262) 634-7888 John Nepomuk Catholic Church from 10:30 A.M Driving Directions John Nepomuk Catholic Church 1903 Green Street Racine At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice Mary's by the Lake Catholic Church 7605 Lakeshore Drive Racine 1924 son of the late Mathew and Agnes (Nee: Chvilicek) Sisak Being the first generation born in the United States he was very proud of his Czechoslovakian heritage 1948 Wencel was united in marriage to Irene Kralicek who preceded him in death on June 28 He was employed as a Tool and Die Maker and Tool Inspector at E.C Styberg for forty-seven years until his retirement in 1990 John Nepomuk Catholic Church and a longtime member of the Catholic Men’s Association Wencel was actively involved in scouting for over twenty years serving as a Troop Committee member Merit Badge Counselor and enjoyed attending many campouts He was the proud recipient of the Bronze Pelican but above all cherished time spent with his family James Sisak of Mount Pleasant; John (Kate) Sisak of MI; Joanne (William) Robertson In addition to his parents and wife he was preceded in death by his brother Frank; sisters and brothers-in-law A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday Entombment will follow at Holy Cross Garden Mausoleum Relatives and friends are welcome to meet with the family for visitation Thursday at the funeral home from 5:00 P.M Mary’s by the Lake Catholic Churches have been suggested by the family A special thank you to Wencel’s caregivers at Oak Creek Place and to the doctors and nurses at Aurora St Luke’s South Shore for their loving and compassionate care JavaScript is disabled. In order to use all of the features on meredithfuneralhome.com, enable JavaScript.Close Croatia was hit by series of earthquakes that caused substantial damage and losses to people the World Bank supported the government of Croatia with technical assistance and funding including analytics that focused on local government recovery and the revitalization of Sisak-Moslavina County where the effects of the December earthquakes were severe These analytics are reflected in two technical notes Rapid Damage and Needs assessment for the cities of Sisak and Glina – December 2020 Earthquake and Municipal Finance Assessment (both concluded in 2022) This policy brief presents the summary findings and policy recommendations produced in these two notes The customized information and recommendations generated by the analytics can guide the ongoing recovery and reconstruction process of the local and regional authorities in Sisak-Moslavina County and inform the financial management and governance decisions of authorities at the central level Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application 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 Did you find any incorrect or incomplete information? Please, let us know As usual Medvescak competed in regular season with reserve team but played playoffs with various players from KHL team Awards:League MVP: Ivan Janković (KHL Zagreb)Best Goalie: Ivan Štimac Rojtinić (Mladost Zagreb)Best Forward: Tadija Mirić (Mladost Zagreb) Big score in Croatian League round #2: Mladost Zagreb won 31-2 against Sisak Mladost forward Miro Smerdelj was the top scorer of the night with 8 goals and 4 assists Due to uncommon high temperatures in Croatia, game from Croatian League round 8 between KHL Sisak and Mladost Zagreb was postponed because open rink in Sisak didn't offer a decent ice This should have been the first home game for Sisak usually playing in Zagreb indoor rinks except for december and january KHL Sisak participates in season 2024-2025: Alps Hockey League, Continental Cup, Croatian League Luleå wins their second title in Sweden, 29 years after the first one. Read more» The Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins will face off in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 14 and 16, 2025, as part of the NHL Global Series. These games at the renovated Avicii Arena mark the 47th and 48th NHL contests held in ... Read more» Two AP reporters share tips for investigating a large federal agency like the Federal Bureau of Prisons and tackling big projects This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License Associated Press reporters Michael Balsamo and Michael Sisak were sitting at a Starbucks on Long Island planning their investigation into the nation’s prison system when Sisak got a message from a long-time source asking him if he had heard about the resignation of Michael Carvajal who had been the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons since 2020 The reporting duo had been laser-focused on the Bureau of Prisons since 2019, after Jeffery Epstein, the high-profile American financier who was accused of sex trafficking, was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell It “was a stark reminder that this agency exists,” says Sisak a prisons and law enforcement reporter based in New York “[It] exposed a lot of failures within the agency and Mike and I said all of these institutional things that were happening in New York City and all across the country.” Their continued investigation into the Bureau of Prisons in 2022 exposed systemic corruption and abuse They revealed systemic sexual assault at a federal women’s prison in Dublin, California. The abuse was so rampant that staff and inmates called it the “rape club.” As a result of the reporters’ stories were charged with sexually abusing inmates and a handful of others were placed on leave stonewalled a member of Congress who visited the prison in response to AP’s reporting and had been accused by at least three inmates of beating them as part of a violent racist gang of officers in the 1990s — and yet was promoted over and over again (The Bureau of Prisons defended Hinkle in the AP story saying “he’s a changed man and a model employee.”) The Federal Bureau of Prisons, or BOP, is the largest law enforcement agency under the department of Justice, with more than 34,000 employees, 158,000 inmates and a budget of over $8 billion “But it doesn’t have the cachet that [other law enforcement agencies] like the FBI have,” says Sisak “We’re trying to bring the spotlight in our reporting to an institution that people don’t have top of mind even though it is having a huge impact on hundreds of thousands of people and communities across the country.” It is also one of the only Justice Department agencies where the head of the agency is not confirmed by the U.S. Senate and is instead appointed by the U.S. Attorney General “And it’s an agency that has had no oversight for years,” says Balsamo Balsamo and Sisak share several tips for journalists who want to investigate a large federal agency like the Bureau of Prisons You get an email then you do a story about Dublin now you’re getting emails from people that also have experiences with Dublin It’s just being out there and being present.” It was one Sisak’s sources from a decade ago that tipped him off about Carvajal’s resignation “You might talk to somebody at a press conference — jot their name down and stay in touch with that person,” says Sisak “they’re going to know stuff that you might need.” the Justice Department had set up a task force to go to Dublin The prison officials “really didn’t want us to be there,” says Balsamo He and Sisak decided to go there anyway during the week that the task force was there “We told them that we’re going to be in Dublin the entire week and if the director wants to talk to us we’re going to be there to talk to people and find out what happens,” says Balsamo they let their existing sources know they were there and asked if they wanted to meet Some were people who had been talking to them on phone of email for months and this would their first in-person meeting “And when you’re sitting in a restaurant and have a face-to-face interaction it’s a much easier [conversation] because people feel more comfortable,” said Balsamo It was in one of their in-person meetings that March at a McDonald’s and 45 minutes into the conversation when a source told them they should look into Dublin’s acting warden Hinkle The reporting duo published two stories headlined “The story so far”, one in May 2022 and one in December 2022 to keep readers updated on the progress of their investigations and encouraged them to send in tips — sharing their email addresses at the end of the stories “I think putting your name out there and flying the flag and saying AP is interested in this thing that a lot of people aren’t interested in maybe it’s a local police department or it’s a jail I’m interested in this topic.’ People are going to come forward “When we’re talking to incarcerated people there’s a real threat for them,” says Balsamo Learn the jail or prison guidelines for inmate communication with the media. For instance, incarcerated people in federal prisons can send letters marked “Special Mail” to certain government offices and members of the news media which are not supposed to be read by the Bureau of Prisons But the agency staff can open the incoming mail “Figure out the best way to interact with them either through their lawyers or through other methods so that you are limiting the risk,” says Sisak ‘First do no harm.’ It’s our goal to do no harm to people.” There were retaliations in prisons against some of their sources, including the staff and incarcerated individuals. Some inmates were put in “restricted housing,” — the Bureau of Prisons’ version of solitary confinement — after they spoke with the AP reporters. And Balsamo and Sisak wrote about it “We took the approach of if you’re going to come after people because they’re talking to us we’re going to write about that and we’re going to ask you why you’re doing that,” said Balsamo In addition to denying many of AP’s records requests the the Bureau of Prisons also denied their request for a photo of Hinkle The reporters wrote in their December 2022 story: “The AP also filed requests with the Bureau of Prisons under the Freedom of Information Act for background information on Hinkle The agency claimed it had ‘no public records responsive’ to AP’s request The agency also denied a request for Hinkle’s disciplinary records saying that ‘even to acknowledge the existence of such records … would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.’” Balsamo and Sisak learned about a lawsuit filed in the mid-1990s, where Hinkle was a defendant, but they couldn’t find it in PACER, the Public Access to Court Electronic Records Balsamo and Sisak each had their own set of sources While Balsamo mainly covered the Justice Department Sisak had sources at prisons across the country “We tried to divvy up the reporting responsibilities We were talking constantly and that’s the most important thing — communication with your beat partner,” says Balsamo and you hear about three other tips or story ideas write them down right then so you won’t forget to follow up on them Sisak has a folder in his email inbox for federal prisons but it’s going to fit into a story in a month,” he says “Keep that information and reassure people that you’re interested in the topic not necessarily making promises but letting them know that you’re interested in telling the grand story.” “Chipping away is a really good approach,” says Balsamo Sisak encourages journalists to keep pushing even if the task seems impossible like penetrating the walls of the Bureau of Prisons “We’re two guys from Long Island and we’ve shown that it’s possible to do that,” he says Correction: An earlier version of this piece described the reporting duo having coffee “in” Long Island. The correct preposition is “on” Long Island, according to the AP Stylebook and other guides, including Grammarphobia Special thanks to those who corrected us on Twitter Harvard Kennedy School is committed to protecting your personal information you agree to receive communications from The Journalist's Resource and to allow HKS to store your data HKS will never sell your email address or other information to a third party All communications will include the opportunity to unsubscribe Support non-profit journalism and perspectives from around the world. See all those languages? The Lingua project at Global Voices works to bring down barriers to understanding through translation. In 1941, the Croatian radical right-wing Ustashi movement came to power and formed the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) NDH followed fascist regimes in Europe by forming concentration camps not to mention Croatian partisans and their families In August 1942, NDH built a camp in Sisak, Croatia, for both adults and children. The children's section of the concentration camp was dubbed the “Shelter for Children of Refugees“ and was the biggest of its kind in the Ustashi-run Independent State of Croatia The so-called “shelter” was led by Dr Antun Najžer, under the patronage of The Female Lineages of the Ustashi movement and Ustashi surveillance services Najžer and his team performed tests on the children held in the camp subjected to another devastating conflict in the 1990s during the Croatian Independence War holds an event annually at the graveyard on WWII Remembrance Day laying wreaths on the memorial and inviting the camp's survivors to speak Dobrila Kukolj is one of the children who managed to survive the horrors of the concentration camp she was placed in several children's camps during the war Kukolj says she best recalls the Sisak and Jasenovac concentration camps and describes what arriving at the camps was like: Ulazak u logor bio je ravan klubu smrti u kojem su vladali bezakonje i ludilo Prizor od kojeg mi se i danas ledi krv u žilama je bježanje ispred ustaša koji su hvatali djevojčice i nad njima se iživljavali Tada sam nehotice stala na tek rođeno dijete na zemlji Mi preživjeli logoraši smo na izmaku snage a naša svjedočanstva ne smiju pasti u zaborav i zato molim sadašnju i buduće generacije da se bore da se zlo koje je donio rat više nikada ne ponovi Entering the concentration camp was the same thing as entering a death club ruled only by lawlessness and madness One sight that still freezes the blood in my veins is running from the Ustashes who were capturing little girls and then brutalizing them That's when I accidentally stepped on a newborn lying on the ground We who have survived the camps are at the end of our journeys but our legacy shouldn't ever be forgotten and that's why I ask the generations who are here and who are yet to come to ensure that such evil brought by war never again returns—not in our country or any other ERROR: SECURITY TIMEOUT - Please copy your message to a backup location Global Voices stands out as one of the earliest and strongest examples of how media committed to building community and defending human rights can positively influence how people experience events happening beyond their own communities and national borders Please consider making a donation to help us continue this work Donate now Marinella tuko jedna poremecena sta stavljaš sliku hrvatske i slovenske djece iz talijanskog logora Kampor na otoku Rabu Majority of partisans in Croatia were Serbs Authors, please log in » Stay up to date about Global Voices and our mission. See our Privacy Policy for details. Newsletter powered by Mailchimp (Privacy Policy and Terms) Global Voices is supported by the efforts of our volunteer contributors, foundations, donors and mission-related services. For more information please read our Fundraising Ethics Policy Special thanks to our many sponsors and funders The $337,000 renovation to the exterior of the Preston Idea Exchange isn't sitting well with some of the very people it was designed to help.  Devon Sisak is the chair of the Cambridge Accessibility Advisory Committee (CAAC) for the City of Cambridge and is calling the new upgrades to the Cambridge library "disappointing."  but the last 20 per cent really hurts," Sisak said.  they have noticed several problem areas with the recently completed work including concrete that isn't level raised ledges that create tripping hazards and a lack of accessible parking.  tried to go to the Preston branch to check out the new accessible features and enjoy the library He was shocked when he pulled into the lot and there were no accessible parking spots.  "I mean I felt really disappointed when we showed up and there weren't even any parking spots for us," he said "This is a clear violation of AODA standards."  Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) has been in place since 2005 with a goal of making every space in the province fully accessible by 2025.  The act lays out ways for businesses and government buildings to become fully accessible and welcoming to all including mandatory accessible parking spaces.  Pavers were lifted to pour concrete for the new ramp but when they were put back, members of the CAAC noticed the concrete created a small lip that is difficult for wheelchairs to get over and could pose a tripping hazard.  "It's (the ramp) horrible for mobility devices and the caster wheels on the front of wheelchairs can actually get caught and send the person falling out of their wheelchair," Sisak said.  the advisory committee contacted Idea Exchange CEO Chrissy Hodgins to explain what needed to be fixed.  "I thought since construction was just completed they should be able to go to the contractor and say 'Hey some of this is not up to par; what can we do about it," he said "But when we reached out we were just met with push back so that is really disheartening."  Hodgins said in an emailed response to CambridgeToday that she is aware of the complaints of the committee and welcomes any feedback from the group.  "We confirmed that the project was completed in compliance with AODA and Integrated Accessibility Standards," Hodgins wrote "We welcomed the committee to share any additional feedback for us to investigate further the Idea Exchange maintains that during a recent regional parking study they did not require the library to have any additional spots.  Sisak said the committee did not have enough time to look at the plans for the Idea Exchange and when original plans were presented to the city and the committee Funding issues prompted the library to scale back the changes Sisak notes they only had one day to look at the plans before the Idea Exchange went to the city Since the library is technically its own entity it is not bound to the same standards and practices as other city-owned facilities.  "It gave me that same sinking feeling that many families get when you go there with this; it's gonna be great we're gonna go see it attitude and then it just falls short," Sisak said.  "That can be really defeating for someone especially people with disabilities who have to put in that much more effort to get the same level of treatment and equality as everyone else." We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. Learn more. Looking for a job? Search and apply for jobs and fellowships at FII's Job & Opportunities Board. Click here Dear reader, this article is free to read and it will remain free – but it isn’t free to produce. If you want to support the work that goes behind publishing high-quality feminist media content, please donate to FII and keep us paywall free Our monotonous life filled with new and older purposes do not allow us to ‘stop’ and ‘feel’ most of the times One of the elements from our daily lives which remains subaltern is – those eye-to-eye conversations with the strangers we usually come across randomly Such moment(s)- when you just went to the nearby shop and some never seen individual caught your eye and triggered something through their gaze some stop bothering about it after a while.  Sisak talks about the impact of above-mentioned interactions in our daily lives a known yet less-cared side of Indian gay culture(s) and eventually about sexuality & masculinities through a rarely known short film: known to be India’s first queer silent film – Sisak talks about the impact of above-mentioned interactions in our daily lives a known yet less-cared side of Indian gay culture(s) and eventually about sexuality and masculinities.  Also read: Film Review: Moothon Is A Tale Of Love, Loss And Fading Personhood Written and directed by Faraz Ansari’s handle, Sisak is India’s first silent LGBTQ ‘love story’ which emotionally becomes a social commentary about gay men in India. It has been to 120 major film festivals across the globe Like many other LGBTQ films which intends to show the protagonists without ‘masala’ and any commercial agenda Sisak too fails to be explicitly visible to people Many Indian directors wishing to make films around same sex couples or queer characters struggle to get funds and often feel powerless Being the first Indian film in last 33 years to have won Audience Choice Best Film Award at Wicked Queer Sisak‘s stand makes its stand resounding clear through its silence Sisak (which means Sobbing in English) portrays the narrative of two men seeing each other in the local Mumbai train while returning to their homes and acts as an allegory to notice the silence of queer voices in relation to real-life implementations around scrapping off section 377 in contemporary times.  Sisak attempts well to depict homosexual men trapped in heterosexual relations Existing cinema ranging from Bombay talkies but always in relation with their ‘placement’ in heterosexual relations It is rare to get a deeper picture into what these men exactly ‘feel’ like With exceptions such as Fire in 1996 and I am in 2010 Indian films around same-sex love have mostly played safe by being less focused on the characters themselves but the surroundings around them Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga and Shubh Mangal Jyada Saavdhan have both tried using the masala formula of focusing more on the family reactions than developing the characters onscreen that is how Indian audience would understand and get familiar with such less-talked topics But how will the audience understand same-sex love when all they are seeing is dominantly others’ reactions around them When the camera and script is not focused on the family’s reaction they are delving into the spouse’s or the neighbours’ responses – furthering what seems like its’ complicity with the ‘log kya kahenge’ narrative Sisak meanwhile raises questions with silence to make one think about closeted gay men with engagement rings on their fingers yet feeling unhappy Sisak also attempts to make us pause for moments and just observe the helpless-ness through the eyes and gestures of the protagonists The film follows the route of travelling into the inner dilemmas through social interactions than going towards social interactions that decenters the affected individuals’ perspectives. Having a T.S Eliot quote- ‘The word within a word says it quite well about the plight of not only such men but every other queer person who’s still not able to ‘speak’ even today being suffocated by heteronormativity that exists in our society till date Interestingly the supposably married (but surely engaged) guy protagonist (played by Jitin Gulati) appears to be reading Haruki Murakami’s South of the Border centred around a lonely man who begins a dangerous relationship with a mysterious woman That is how symbolic and layered this film is which overtakes your senses through the visuals inside ever seen train which still feels to be speaking something unfamiliar Another book which appears to be from another protagonist (played by Dhruv Singhal) is Jean-Claude Kaufmann’s The Curious History of Love which as Gary Alan Fine suggests-provides an insight into how romantic life is shaped through ‘sentimental education’ Both the books & many other visuals aware you with the characters more deeply Homosexual relations continue to be seen from a heterosexual gaze despite the intersectional movement’s assertion on passing the mic Many still tend to think looking at two men or women together – so who is the dominant & who is the recessive one amongst them We directly associate normative masculinities around these ‘dominant’ & ‘recessive’ aspects that we seek Some initial mid-shots in Sisak of the protagonist’s hands accessorised by bracelets Kolhapuri chappals along with their kurta pyjama attire establishes the image of changing masculinities straight in the starting Then enters the other protagonist of Sisak: suited up with perfectly groomed beard Both protagonists together symbolise a peace between existing and emerging masculinities normalising) men crying makes you care and worry less about the ‘men don’t cry’ scam The momentum of Sisak eventually takes you towards hope: as one stands in front of other just to look at himself/herself – to feel more resilient by voicing the confrontations.  Sisak alarms us too as it approaches the reality of social implementation of equity It is pertinent that concerns around films on homosexual narratives facing lack of funding exposure and unacceptance needs to be addressed with changing times With an intention to (re)search the forgotten or ignored pieces of cinema to understanding a little more about the ‘suppressed’ to acknowledging the politics around LGBTQ+ films Sisak speaks much of the less talked.  Also read: Film Review: Unfreedom — Family, Violence And The Male Gaze Featured Image Source: Homegrown The author is primarily interested in digging up the unheard and unseen exploring the ‘subaltern’ elements in nearly everything he comes across to Feminism in India is an intersectional feminist media platform that has emerged as one of the biggest voices for young people from diverse sociopolitical backgrounds to write their lived experiences thought-provoking and informative feminist platform requires a lot of time A few hundred rupees or a few thousand would go a long way in helping us stay paywall free and keep serving you the fresh feminist content that you love By Priya Verma By Anushka Bharadwaj By Dipavali Hazra By Devrupa Rakshit By Lakshmi Yazhini By Shirisha Amme By Reeba Khan By Sayantani Datta Feminism In India is an award-winning digital intersectional feminist media organisation to learn educate and develop a feminist sensibility among the youth © FII Media Private Limited | All rights reserved Buy Now! Futterwacken FilmsFaraz Arif Ansari's 20-minute short film is being presented as India's first silent LGBTQ movie but it is based on an experience that may be familiar to many especially to frequent users of public transport in this country it's hard not to be stared at by random strangers You could be fixed by an openly hostile gaze looked up admiringly or simply given a hollow stare who take the same local train back home in Mumbai every night are caught in a web of stares but never manage to speak to each other The poetry of their encounter is stretched in the visually spare movie mainly through the use of real-life noise and music which refers to the sob that's stuck in the throat in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling reinstating Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that is historically used to harass the LGBTQ community in India "I was working on another screenplay in a cafe in Nainital at the time," Ansari told HuffPost India during a recent visit to Bengaluru. "I tried to compose a tweet, but deleted it. I wanted to put up a Facebook post he opened a word document and wrote the entire story of Sisak — in three hours flat Faraz Arif AnsariWhen the 30-year-old director revisited the script he found he hadn't put in a single dialogue — and that is how he decided to leave it which has been submitted to Cannes this year But Ansari is already contemplating a full-length feature film based on it "We are a part of a generation that rants everywhere," says Ansari "Sometimes silence can allow us to look inside and connect with ourselves In a world where the young seem driven by likes and retweets To use silence as a tool to expose the plight of the community is therefore ingenious and subversive Ansari had to struggle with three years of uncertainty — from the lack of funding to being ditched by actors only five days before the shoot was to start to being chased by the cops while shooting on site "Sometimes silence can allow us to look inside and connect with ourselves." The long wait and hard work seem to be paying off finally with actor Sonam Kapoor coming out as one of the first champions of Sisak last month she went out to promote it on her social media Ansari has been invited to speak about his work at various conclaves including one organised by IIM-Kozhikode in Kerala have been reaching out to him through social media He's also getting enough hate on social media — homophobia Ansari had to put in half of his life's savings to make Sisak 2015) and worked as assistant director with Amol Gupte for Stanley Ka Dabba (2011) Ansari still found it difficult to convince producers to invest in Sisak even though his budget was only a minuscule of any assembly-line Bollywood movie his own savings and crowdfunding came together to get the project going Finding suitable actors was another challenge "I auditioned 300 actors and asked each of them to just sit and read a book," Ansari says came to him by fluke — and actually did what they were asked to do They sat and actually read the damned book Although limited budget allowed for only five days of shooting on the local train that runs between Andheri and Church Gate "We would take the 9.30 pm train from Andheri and continue going up and down until the last one returned from Church Gate at 2.05 am," says Ansari The actors had to change into their costumes behind dupattas held up by the female members of the crew The team also had to be swift on their feet moving from one platform to the next in minutes to catch the returning train especially on a fortuitous evening when the platform was flooded with IPL-watchers going back home in hordes after a match In spite of meticulous planning and research the cops found out about them and gave chase one night Croatia’s INA Industrija Nafte DD is proposing permanently shuttering the fluid catalytic cracking plant at its 44,000-b/d in Sisak as part of an organizational strategy to boost performance and competitiveness of its Croatian refining business Based on results of a Deloitte report analyzing options for improving the refinery’s negative financial performance commissioned by INA in early 2017 the proposed shutdown of Sisak’s 10,000-b/d FCC aligns with the report’s broader conclusion that conversion of the refinery into a logistics center would be the most cost-effective long-term solution for maintaining sustainable operations at Sisak Sisak’s conversion into a logistics hub by 2021 would generate $93 million in cash flow during the next 3 years compared with the refinery’s current mode of operation The proposed 3-year conversion process would coincide with the concurrent construction of a heavy residue upgrading plant at INA’s 90,000-b/d Rijeka refinery along the northern part of the Adriatic Sea, which would include a delayed coker, a coke port, storage installations, as well related pipelines and off sites, the operator said (OGJ Online, Mar. 22, 2016) Several proposals from Deloitte’s analysis combine a possibility of transporting oil partially processed products between both refineries during the conversion and construction period to maximize use of processing capacities at the sites including potentially using Sisak installations for production of bitumen and calcified coke The Sisak refinery would continue primary refining activities in intervals during the 3-year period with secondary processing installations at the site to operate continuously and without interruption Now submitted to and under review by INA’s Works Council would take place sometime during this year’s second half Regarding impacts to employment at the site the operator said it will work to redistribute the 40 jobs that would be eliminated following the FCC’s shuttering to vacant positions within the company in line with business needs and employees’ qualifications or issue severance payments in amounts well above the Croatian average Part of a proposed long-term sustainability plan also includes potentially converting the Sisak manufacturing site into a biorefinery INA initiated the official tendering process for construction of Rijeka’s delayed coking plant and associated installations in late 2017 The company said it plans to reach final investment decision on the Rijeka residue upgrading project during this year’s first half INA is jointly owned by Hungary’s MOL Group subsidiary MOL PLC 49.1% and private and institutional investors 6.1% Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].