Dogs as loveable and fun loving as “Ziggy” need a home “Ziggy” is the WJLE/DeKalb Animal Shelter featured “Pet of the Week” “Ziggy” is a medium sized mixed breed dog and he weighs just under 50 pounds and his adoption fee is $90 as a sponsored pet of the Friends of the DeKalb Animal Shelter Ziggy is just looking for his forever home He is a very rambunctious fun boy who once he’s done playing just wants to cuddle up on a couch,” said shelter employee Kota fill out an application on the animal shelter website or come in Visit https://www.dekalbanimalsheltertn.com/ or call 615-597-3647 The shelter is open Mondays-Fridays from 10 a.m on Transfer Station Road off Highway 70 east behind Tenneco News Feed A short look at the current water level and a peek down at the bottom of the dam So voters can compare the candidates on hot-button issues in education, both locally and on a larger scale, Mid-Valley Media sent out questionnaires to all the candidates running in contested races for Sweet Home School District's school board on the May 20 ballot Zones 7 and 8 are the seats with more than one candidate the city attorney for Toledo and incumbent school board member a precinct committee person for the Linn County Republicans restaurant manager and enlisted in the Army do you have that speaks specifically to K-12 education Adams: I have spent six years on the Sweet Home School Board My wife is an elementary reading teacher for the school district and my two daughters graduated from Sweet Home I have children enrolled in Sweet Home public schools My wife and I are longtime volunteers for their sport activities and school events I regularly speak on behalf of the community at school board and City Council meetings Barstad: I was raised by a wonderful district employee Graduated and worked for and have a current enrolled high school junior Bechtel: I home-schooled two children for 10 years One received the “Exceptional Student Performance this Year” award during the 2023-24 school year I earned an associate's degree from Clackamas Community College Are you happy with the direction the school district is heading The district is generally headed in the right direction regardless of state over-regulation and the politicization of schools and preparing our children to be successful and good citizens are essential Egner: This is a very broad question that has numerous answers Future board members face a growing number of well-known challenges Lack of public involvement in board meetings is deeply troubling The failure to end bullying issues on campus is unacceptable Barstad: I think questioning the future is what pushed me to run for this position I think we are headed further away from a safe and successful future for our youth of our community Graduation rates have been rising since COVID-19 Sweet Home's graduation rate of 81% nearly matched the state average of 81.8% however this was below the national average at 87.9% and this is a critical area that needs improvements Adams: Our students need a well-rounded education and the skills necessary to be productive adults This includes everything from beginning reading through college prep and CTE (vocational) courses After completing safety and other upgrades to the elementary schools and junior high we now need to focus on safety and other needed improvements at the high school Oregon schools are not delivering quality education The complacency has led our schools into a crisis The situation was dire before the pandemic occurred the major focus must be investing in student outcomes rather than building new facilities I do support maintaining and improving existing buildings Barstad:  I think it would be wise to invest in students before we invest in more new buildings Students cannot be overloaded on sugar and then be expected to sit in a classroom with strict disciplinary options for students disrupting the learning environment Focus on reading to improve literacy rates What can the district do to support the improvement of English learners and special ed students Adams: We need to meet the needs of ALL Sweet Home students We need to make sure that staff have the necessary training Students need to be provided with the opportunity to engage in the full range of curriculum and activities available It's imperative that we adequately fund staffing to support the individual needs of each student Barstad: Staff support and the funding to make that happen Bechtel: I believe English learners and special ed students need their own classroom This is not to segregate these students but to ensure they get the personal attention they require to succeed What can the district do to improve the graduation rate Adams: Graduation rates have improved, including this last year exceeding the state average A strong K-12 program is needed to impact graduation rates activities and other opportunities will make students motivated to learn skills and develop a love of lifelong learning Egner: Let's focus on the immediate crisis Barstad: We need to focus on current students and work for the future Bechtel: Educators should recognize the early warning signs exhibited by students who are beginning to disengage from the school system; skipping class A proactive approach must be developed for students to ensure they have a pathway to success This can be achieved through personal engagement with the student What do you think of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S Department of Education If you’re glad to “return education to the states,” are you essentially on board with the state’s educational standards Department of Education and “returning education to the states” sounds appealing but education is already mainly managed at the state and local levels Local school boards and communities decide how to implement those policies in their own classrooms I am not completely on board with the state’s one-sided educational standards The state has pushed to take away local control in recent legislative sessions Increasing the number of laws and administrative rules will not fix our education system Egner: This question is all about why I'm running We deserve academic excellence while providing balanced opportunities for all kids in the district Politicizing public school curriculum is doing a disservice to our children The focus on misguided priorities has resulted in failure Bechtel: The responsibilities of the Department of Education are being shifted to other U.S The goal is better efficiency and less waste I am dissatisfied with the state's educational standards Oregon ranks in the mid-30s for overall quality of education in the U.S. yet Oregonians are among the most taxed in the nation We would do better with a return to the three 'R's' of education (reading and 'rithmetic) and an emphasis on the STEM disciplines is a good metric to identifying student needs The Trump administration has threatened to withhold funds from schools and universities that do not eliminate diversity Adams: The administration has started withholding funds from many universities and instructed agencies to remove anything related to diversity equity and inclusion from its training and websites It is important that all children and staff in our schools feel safe and valued regardless of any individual characteristic I am not certain that we need a program to make it happen I experienced too much repetitive DEI training Bechtel: "American exceptionalism" used to be a relevant ideology DEI and affirmative action have only served to lower the standards across American institutions We already provide equal opportunity through anti-discrimination laws some people desire to raise the bar and set higher standards Those who suffer the most from DEI programs are the children as they learn their personal achievements matter less than their skin color Given that many school districts are either experiencing or will experience a financial shortfall how would you make strategic cuts to the budget Adams: When considering cuts to a budget or a financial shortfall public participation in the process is critical We need to think strategically and consider the long-term effects as we make these difficult decisions Egner: I know what it’s like to make a budget work with less I will fight vigorously to maintain the current number of teachers Barstad: If it was necessary to make budget cuts I will fight to hold our current number of teachers 1 priority in the school is the students and their ability to learn it's vital to minimize negative impacts to student learning and safety I would evaluate nonessential services and programs and consider removing them from the budget How much parental input should there be with respect to curriculum and how would you balance parents who disagree Adams: Parental input is critical to the process The district does try to get public input through surveys and providing opportunities for the public to review curriculum and really try to understand what they are communicating Egner: The current level of parental participation is very low I am an advocate for increased parental involvement I will focus on removing restrictions to parental participation while prioritizing a change in the order of agenda items at meetings Barstad: I believe if a parent wants to be involved I do think more parents need to get involved Bechtel: Parents must be involved in the education of their children through open communication with the educators and school board Often the state goes against traditional family values and challenges social norms particularly with unnecessarily controversial issues I believe parents know what is best for their children Are your district schools safe enough with respect to a potential shooter What would you do to safeguard students more but more work can always be done to improve safety The district has secured entrances at schools and installed cameras I have been a big supporter of ensuring there is a school resource officer but the district is looking at creative solutions Egner: This has come up in the past I did attend meetings to hold our local police and boards accountable regarding the safety of our kids when we had an issue at Foster I stood up for the parents and the children Our schools are safer because of my efforts Barstad: I do believe they are safer than they were in the past Bechtel: Monitor and engage students who display signs of anti-social behavior Improve counseling and mental health resources Foster a positive culture within the school through community engagement Increase physical security and implement video surveillance in classrooms I am focused on working to support our students and our community My involvement is all about schools and our community Bechtel: I will be running for a seat on the Sweet Home City Council in 2026 Adams: I listen to a variety of legal and military podcasts Egner: "Shawn Ryan Show" and "DarkHorse Podcast" with Bret Weinstein Bechtel: Although I do not have a favorite book I am currently reading "Out of Captivity" by Marc Gonsalves More Sweet Home news More mid-valley election coverage Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device 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 Voters in Sweet Home don’t get to choose their city’s mayor A proposal on the May ballot would change that the city councilors vote amongst themselves on who serves as mayor there were some talks in the community to start a petition drive to put an amendment to the charter on the ballot last year In response, councilors in February passed a resolution to put an amendment on this year’s ballot to turn that responsibility over to city voters one city council position will be eliminated to make room for a mayor position Registered voters would then vote directly on who will be elected as mayor for each two-year term Pretty said this amendment has long been talked about within the community “And the reality is most cities do directly elect their mayor so there was some feeling in the community that they wanted to be able to do the same thing.” The amendment would not change the power or duties of the mayor voters in Sweet Home will decide whether two 5-year property tax levies that fund the police and the libraries will be renewed The levies will maintain its current rates and will not increase over time Pretty said all of the city’s police and library funding comes from the levies we would be in a very difficult position where we would either have to look at cutting other city services to sustain their funding,” explained Pretty “Or we would just have to close our library and our police department.” when the levies appeared on the 2020 ballot voters in the Linn County community approved them with over 70% support CIProud.com Home Sweet Home Ministries to host public forums to discuss proposed shelter village Peoria Civic Center offers epinephrine for allergy emergencies | WMBD This Morning Normal Council extends moratorium on short term rentals Lilija Stevens sworn in as new Washington mayor Rader Family Farms to offer apple picking this fall A local restaurant is celebrating Cinco de Mayo IPCF awards grants to 97 local non-profits the Senators are back to face the Toronto Maple Leafs for a sixth time this series Jackson Starr has all you need ahead of tonight's match in the latest Sens Today Jackson Starr breaks down Steve Staios and Travis Green's end of season interviews Steve Staios and Travis Green speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Jackson Starr recaps the players exit interviews at CTC Travis Hamonic speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Thomas Chabot speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Nick Jensen speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Tyler Kleven speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Jake Sanderson speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Brady Tkachuk speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Tim Stützle speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Dylan Cozens speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Claude Giroux speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season David Perron speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Adam Gaudette speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Shane Pinto speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Fabian Zetterlund speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season Linus Ullmark speaks with the media following the Senators 2024-25 season The Ottawa Senators finish their postseason on home ice Travis Green speaks with the media following the Senators game against the Leafs Brady Tkachuk speaks with the media following the Senators game against the Leafs “Do you wanna see his finger?” My friend reaches into his pocket to grab his phone grinning like we’re talking about high school drama I don’t remember the last time he was so eager to show me something I don’t get why this of all things has him so excited not yet out of bed—and I’m about to drop dead “It’s good.” I need to come up with a better answer and then: “This semester’s been a lot better.” Just to add some more substance but I honestly feel so burnt out that I’ve forgotten to experience everything “I’m just kind of worried that things are getting better now It would be kind of sad if my last year was the only time I actually wanted to be here.” so there must be at least some truth to it Maybe except for the part where I said I was worried I’d love for next year to be the best of my life My mom reassures me that this is normal—“I think everyone feels that way Your cousin said the same thing.” A bit comforting to be honest but I don’t really want to talk about this is there any news on the kid?” I watch her face change She’s much less excited to talk about this I’ve told your sister she can’t go to the mall alone anymore.” “I’ll probably just have dinner with friends.” filling my hamper while my dirty clothes pile up on the floor A kid was kidnapped at my high school the other day Maybe home’s a lot less safe than I thought so maybe I just call my birthday March 1 and move on No point having a double-birthday if I can’t even celebrate them both though—I wanted to test if liquor stores counted me as 21 on February 28 I told my mom I was having a dinner—I might as well have it at least that’s something to look forward to I feel like it used to be a pretty cool thing At least it was cool when I was a first-year but a strand catches on my chipping nail polish and use my other hand to pull the caught strands free I spend the next day filling out internship applications That’s when I see it: “We do not accept international students.” I sigh at my near-finished cover letter and scrap it For someone that always wants to go home and never wants to come back I sure feel bitter about the idea of going home for the summer I might even be able to build a career there Why am I suddenly worrying about my life in two years when my visa expires If home is where all my best memories are and this country has housed some of the worst Twelve hours into what is sort of my birthday some conceptions about Hertz and Van Gennep and whatnot It takes me another three hours before I submit I wonder if I’ve ever submitted a paper on time so we head to another—this takes us an extra 30 minutes we could’ve probably gotten a table.” “Yeah I ask her how important her call is—she says it’s fine I make a mental note that she hasn’t so much as mentioned my birthday yet on birthdays I usually don’t like trying new things I used to keep track of my friends a lot more aggressively On a leap year it should be impossible to forget it But this time it feels good to talk to someone who forgot It’s nice to remember that the world doesn’t revolve around me no one cares whether I’m turning 21 blacking out at a club in New York or having ramen with a friend in Providence We talk for a while longer as they get into the car and leave home Love you!” my mom says once she gets to the restaurant I say bye to them all as they leave to celebrate my birthday without me My suitemates probably think I’ve got issues Hair strands hook onto my chipped nail polish Pulling my hand away feels like pulling my nail off I let out a groan before taking each strand All 10 of them have chipped at least a little Keeping the paint is doing me more harm than good My friend back home did these nails two months ago just days before my flight back to America '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/sweet-home-alabama\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=trn6s8Er.azJZP8jO0LJkKAKHZie1.gzaR_L9IFD7nw-1746536159-1.0.1.1-c0oCDxRmPwvbRR56fkFLkuOydKQzPmfJaH0yTw6cHF0" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); Norman Gauvin came to Nantucket in 1962 when he was stationed at Coast Guard Station Brant Point When Our Island Home was built nearly two decades later at its current location on East Creek Road he remembers looking at the nursing home with contempt “We used to look across from the tower to this place thinking I am never going there,’” Gauvin said Gauvin suffered a fall in his home that caused him to break his arm He was transported to Nantucket Cottage Hospital where he stayed for five days before he was told he would need physical therapy Nantucket needs this place,” Gauvin said “We all say we’re not going to come here but we all grow old it wouldn’t be fair to send us to the Cape or to go to Boston Our Island Home now faces a consequential vote at the May 3 Annual Town Meeting: a $126 million appropriation for a new 60,000-square-foot 45-bed nursing facility at the Sherburne Commons campus off South Shore Road the new facility—the only municipally run nursing home in the state—would then need to secure voter approval in the town election on May 20 “If you start from the position that we’re going to take care of this segment of our community then this is the right project,” Finance Committee member Chris Glowacki said during a February meeting “The appropriate diligence has been done One hundred million dollars is a big number but that’s what it costs to build a facility like this.” some 883 people have called Our Island Home their home according to Our Island Home administrator Peter Holden while 98% of its residents have been islanders with families on Nantucket Holden said when you consider the family members and friends who benefit from keeping their loved ones on-island thousands have benefited from the facility’s services over its 45-year existence while others depend on the facility as a permanent home Phil Gallagher is one of those residents who found himself in sudden need of the facility after suffering a stroke 18 months ago “I am physically and mentally not capable of doing what I used to be able to do,” Gallagher “I was in public health for 50 years and I love what I see here I don’t know what I came inhere expecting but I now know that I cannot live totally on my own like I used to My body and my brain are not suited to bean independent person The Finance Committee endorsed the proposal for a new facility in February by a 6-3 vote one of the six committee members to approve the proposal said that the town has plans to convert the East Creek Road property into a new senior center which will preserve the harbor view that the community has been hesitant about giving up in previous appropriation requests for a new nursing home and it was not built well to begin with,” Schaeffer said “It’s held up over these years but it’s not a building that we can say if we paint it and put some new walls up everything’s going to be fine.” The new facility would include enclosed courtyards and solar panels Some rooms would be large enough to allow for the addition of a second bed should Our Island Home need to increase capacity “This is a very expensive operation,” committee member Joseph Wright said during February’s meeting and the question is whether you can afford it.” Jim Richard grew up on Nantucket and is a U.S He checked his father into Our Island Home decades ago after his father received inadequate care off-island at another nursing facility Richard said once his father arrived at Our Island Home dusting the walls just three days after being bedridden at his former nursing facility Fast-forward to this year and Richard himself needed to be checked into Our Island Home for eight weeks following the amputation of one of his big toes due to complications from diabetes He needed to complete eight weeks of physical therapy “Everybody always used to think back when I was a kid growing up here that this was the old folks home where you came to die,” Richard said “That couldn’t be further from the truth Anybody could end up needing this place at any time." "Society lives and thrives through its seniors,” Richard continued “That has been proven throughout history that if you take care of your seniors for as long as he could until late December of 2024.Cosgrove said it became too much for him to do on his own after Thom began to fall more frequently and had reached a point where he couldn’t remember who Cosgrove was His husband lived at Our Island Home for a few months before passing away “I think we have an obligation not to turn our backs on the seniors here,” Cosgrove said “I had mixed feelings about deciding I couldn’t take care of Thom the way he needed to be It wasn’t until I was here that I realized while not under the best circumstances turned to Our Island Home to take care of their mothers Liddle is a businessowner on the island and said her mother has been at the island home for about two years She said keeping people on-island is important to combat loneliness and improve quality of life for seniors “It’s so important that these people see their families or their friends,” Liddle said “Isolation is one of the worst things in the world to do to an elderly person.” who has been a resident at Our Island Home for almost three years said she hopes voters will try to think about how they would feel about needing to leave the island in the latter stages of their lives if a nursing home no longer exists on Nantucket.“ People who are voting for this of course are younger for the most part but they probably don’t know that at some point they may need the nursing home,” Newton said “Do they want to go off-island to be a resident in the nursing home or would they like to have their family and their loved ones be able to visit them right around the corner?” ADVERTISE ABOUT US Erotic Survival Thriller ‘Bone Lake’ Sets October Theatrical Release Date Five Horror Movies Inspired by Fairy Tales to Stream This Week Multiverse Revenge Thriller ‘Redux Redux’ Acquired by Saban for Theatrical Release ‘Together’ Trailer – 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Night Raises Hell with Ashley Laurence [Event Report] 6 Recent Free-to-Play Horror Games That’ll Give You Nightmares Supernatural Tactical Extraction Shooter ‘Nightmare Frontier’ Comes to Steam This Summer [Trailer] a ‘FAITH’-Inspired Farming Sim Coming This October [Trailer] ‘Clock Tower’-Inspired Survival Horror Title ‘Midnight Special’ Launches May 8 on Steam [Trailer] Body Horror Sim ‘Zoochosis’ Announced for PlayStation Consoles [Trailer] Approximations of the title Home Sweet Home are very commonplace in media There’s a 1981 Thanksgiving-themed slasher that goes by the name as well as a rom-com from a few years back that (according to its IMDB page) revolves around a coffee shop barista wooing the man of her dreams by pretending to be devoutly Christian Should you drop the first “Home” from the title then you’ve also got a South Korean apocalyptic TV show added into the mix alongside a Capcom classic that is widely considered to be the forefather of Resident Evil The point is that it can be hard to google Home Sweet Home with any real specificity and even filtering by the word “horror” won’t narrow the search down as much as you might think it can therefore be a little confusing trying to discern what Home Sweet Home: Rebirth is meant to be a “Rebirth” of Is it a revival of a forgotten Halloween knock-off A continuation of a beloved streaming series Or a sequel to some Hallmark Channel-esque confection this Thai-American coproduction is in fact based on a relatively obscure indie horror game that was developed by Yggdrazil Group and released episodically between 2017 and 2019 Although even die-hard fans will struggle to trace the film’s origins back to that source material given how many creative liberties have been taken here its USP was that it took the basic framework of your typical Outlast-style helpless horror game and steeped it in Southeast Asian folklore So rather than evading giant naked mental patients who were intent on rending you limb from limb you instead had to evade giant naked “Preta” demons who were (equally) intent on rending you limb from limb the story had you traversing a purgatorial realm known as “The Hinderance,” where sinners burdened with lingering earthly attachments are left to suffer for all eternity Determined to rescue your wife from such a miserable fate you embarked on a quest across this nightmarish plane; along the way facing off against the malevolent revenants of those who failed to adhere to one of the five Buddhist precepts (think the 10 Commandments only there’s less of them to remember) the prominent use of Thai culture — baked into everything from the enemy design to the heavy emphasis on Karma and the way you would often have to perform sacred rituals in order to progress — made the tired hide-and-seek gameplay feel brand new again I might as well have just described the premise of that faith-based rom-com mentioned up top for all the resemblance this new movie bears to Yggrazil’s version of Home Sweet Home the broadest of broad strokes have been carried over with the limbo-like Hinderance featuring prominently and a confrontation between a novitiate monk and his necromancer nemesis taking centre stage (which is what the final instalment in the game series was about) Yet otherwise this strips away pretty much everything interesting and uniquely Thai about the original IP The dialogue is almost entirely in English for a start as our protagonists are cast as tourists visiting Bangkok rather than locals as they were in the original Gone too are the culturally-specific antagonists — like the striking Krause or the spectral Thai dancer — as well as the traditional rituals that we’re used to combat them we are instead saddled with far more generic hellspawn (e.g insectoid monsters and winged demons) that serve only to clog up a bunch of CGI-laden slow-mo-smothered action sequences that are themselves completely devoid of tension the Home Sweet Home video game had its faults — from the repetitive stealth encounters to its clumsily fragmented release strategy and severe balancing issues — but one thing it undeniably excelled at was delivering the scares More so than a lot of better horror outings in fact Even seasoned genre veterans were liable to get freaked out by some of the more unsettling imagery it threw at you and by the way it made you feel utterly powerless and alone whilst skulking around in the dark Which just makes it all the more mystifying that the team behind Rebirth have decided to make a sun-drenched One that owes a far greater debt to something like World War Z than it does to any authentic Thai folklore or regional urban legends with our lead character Jake (played by The Chronicles of Narnia’s William Moseley) getting caught in The Hinderance after failing to thwart a mass shooting in a shopping mall we’re not even 15 minutes in before the first shootout has occurred and any pretense that we’re in for a proper horror film has been decisively dropped; along with all of the Thai mythology And things only get more frenetic from thereon out as Jake is enlisted in an ancient war against evil (by that aforementioned novice monk) and promptly embarks on a quest to stop the gates of Hell from opening because there’s no time whatsoever to let any of these crazy revelations or major developments breathe We’ve just got to obligatorily move from one underwhelming set-piece to the next the film does threaten to liven up a little when the iconic boxcutter-girl from the game shows up but any hopes that she will be as creepy as she was in her previous incarnation are dashed when it turns out she is nothing more than a recognisable cosplay for fans to do the Rick Dalton finger point meme at Her tragic backstory has been totally ignored her haunting wails have been replaced by generic clicking sounds and the makeup isn’t half as grisly as it ought to be Rendering her nothing but a shadow of her former self When compared to some of her fellow game alumni boxcutter girl has been given the respectful A-list treatment rotting corpse with one glowing red eye and a mouth the size of a pinhole yet Rebirth inexplicably morphs him as a lame Attack on Titan knock-off the most representation she gets here is via a half-hearted easter egg in a costume store The movie does occasionally gesture towards its alleged source material by including some other tiny scraps of familiar iconography (like the Nona-metal knife and the blood portals) but it’s all so carelessly done and unsatisfying their inclusion recalls how Christophe Gans would haphazardly shoehorn classic characters and locations into his Silent Hill movies without giving any thought as to why they were so popular in the first place or what relevance they had to the story that empty fan service arguably works better than the other half of Rebirth in which we follow Jake’s wife (a committed Urassaya Sperbund) traversing a bland zombie apocalypse over in the real world that’s what the threat here ultimately boils down to The script insists that they are just regular people who have been possessed by wicked entities from the Hindrance moves like a zombie and groans like a zombie this whole section of the film is an arduous slog; featuring incredibly weak gore and ineptly staged chases that just make the creatures in question look easily outmanoeuvred Which brings me to the most important criticism of all Putting aside issues of fidelity and pedantry over the adaptation Home Sweet Home: Rebirth just isn’t very good when judged according to its own merits Deeming the acting to be “inconsistent” would be an incredibly charitable understatement and the VFX are also iffy across the board the exposition-heavy dialogue is very clunky in the final stretch the production veers dangerously close to Uwe Boll territory at times Yet there are a few saving graces that prevent it from being a complete train wreck the John Wick-esque fight choreography is surprisingly solid while directors Alexander Kiesl and Steffen Hacke get some decent mileage out of their drone camera I suspect the Thailand Film Board (namedropped in the credits) will be pleased with how attractive Bangkok is made to look in the extensive montage sequences that go out of their way to show you how nice the city’s various hotels that last point isn’t going to be of much solace to your average viewer yet after a while I did start to wonder who this was made for anyway It’s not anywhere near scary enough for horror audiences nor is the action impressive enough to wow those craving spectacle gamers are going to be outright pissed given that— much like Netflix’s recent The Electric State — this is an adaptation that has only the loosest possible connection to the material it is ostensibly based on Everything from the tone to the visual style and even the genre has been changed to make a dumb-as-a-rock action flick Why they decided to take that approach (when it’s presumably costlier than an intimate horror) is anybody’s guess but it ain’t gonna appease existing fans and I’m doubtful the shoddy end result will win over many new ones either because there was real potential in this IP it seems for the time being that Home Sweet Home peaked with its janky April 11 – These 8 New Horror Movies Released This Week ‘Home Sweet Home: Rebirth’ – First Look at Movie Adaptation of Survival Horror Video Game ‘Home Sweet Home – Where Evil Lives’ – First Look at One-Shot Horror Movie That’s Told in Real Time Bleecker Street has acquired the US rights to Bone Lake setting an October 10 theatrical release date erotic survival thriller is directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan (Spoonful of Sugar) and written by Joshua Friedlander (Holly Slept Over) A couple’s romantic vacation at a secluded lakeside estate is upended when they’re forced to share the mansion with a mysterious and attractive couple A dream getaway spirals into a nightmarish maze of sex bringing terrifying secrets to light and triggering a bloody battle for survival Nick Matthews (Saw X) serves as director of photography Trace Thurman wrote in his review out of Fantastic Fest “Bone Lake emerges as one of the biggest surprises of Fantastic Fest operating as an incredibly entertaining thriller that doesn’t skimp on the gore or the laughs It’s a goddamn blast from start to finish.” Bone Lake has been rated “R” for strong bloody violence A national organization that ardently supports the separation of church and state is flagging a recent move by a Sweet Home city official The Freedom From Religion Foundation is calling on Mayor Susan Coleman to rescind her National Day of Prayer proclamation because it “blatantly elevates Christianity over all other religions,” according to a news release from the organization Sweet Home Mayor Susan Coleman issued a National Day of Prayer proclamation last week It's drawn a rebuke from the Freedom From Religion Foundation A “concerned Sweet Home resident” who identifies as nonreligious tipped off the foundation about the proclamation which directly references God and the Holy Spirit Ogden said there was no council discussion when the proclamation came up on the agenda at the April 22 meeting Sweet Home's version states: "In our city and across America the observance of the National Day of Prayer will be held on Thursday 'Pour Out to the God of Hope and Be Filled' based on the verse in Roman (sic) 15:13 that is both a prayer and a promise 'Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.'”  The proclamation doesn't exist in a vacuum According to the website for the privately funded National Day of Prayer Task Force the National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May — which falls on May 1 this year — and invites people to “pray for the nation.” The day of prayerful observance was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the U.S Congress and exists to “communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families.” President Reagan moved the National Day of Prayer to the first Thursday of May during his tenure Freedom From Religion Foundation staff attorney Samantha Lawrence sent a letter April 24 to the mayor “Even if the National Day of Prayer were designed to be inclusive of non-Christians it needlessly marginalizes and excludes citizens such as our complainant who are among the nearly 30% of adult Americans who are religiously unaffiliated as well as the additional 6% of Americans adhering to non-Christian faiths,” Lawrence wrote Lawrence wrote that the Sweet Home complainant explained they are “disappointed that our city chose to use its time and power to divide people instead of bringing them together.” The foundation, a nonprofit with 42,000 members nationwide and more than 1,200 members in Oregon, according to Lawrence’s letter, has historically filed lawsuits to combat what it argues are violations of the constitutional principle of the separation of church and state The foundation's website touts legal victories like ending "millions of tax dollars used to repair and maintain churches" and halting "federal funds to a bible school offering no academic classes." It's also litigated a challenge to the National Day of Prayer itself but lost when a federal appellate court said "a feeling of alienation cannot suffice as injury in fact." In other words the plaintiffs didn't have a sufficient injury to bring a lawsuit When asked about the city's response to the letter Ogden said it might be a good idea moving forward to take a look at proclamations to see how they could affect the community But he added that he understood Coleman had spoken with the Alliance  Defending Freedom — an opposing far-right legal advocacy organization — about OK’ing the proclamation That organization has played a role in successful cases in front of the U.S such  as the Dobbs decision that tossed a national right of privacy with respect to abortions the Hobby Lobby decision that ruled a birth control mandate in employee-funded health plans was unconstitutional and 303 Creative LLC that said a state couldn't force a business owner to create expressive designs against her beliefs The Supreme Court also has looked at whether city councils can start their meetings off with a prayer although they cannot "denigrate non-believers or religious minorities The group was in the High Court on Wednesday arguing spending public tax dollars set aside for education on a Catholic charter school is permissible Coleman didn’t respond to an email from Mid-Valley Media before deadline Email notifications are only sent once a day – World Cup medals were won on home soil on Saturday with the USA claiming team gold and individual silver - to go with the team bronze secured earlier in the week - as compound competition concluded in central Florida the compound men’s trio of James Lutz Kris Schaff and Sawyer Sullivan struck gold before Olivia Dean secured silver and her first individual medal at a World Cup event Schaff and Sullivan now has three World Cup team medals as a group having joined forces to claim silver in Paris France in 2023 and gold during Stage 2 in Yecheon Dean has previously won team medals at the World Cup notably women’s team gold in 2023 and 2024 She was also part of the compound women's team alongside Alexis Ruiz and debutant Abigail Winterton who took bronze on Wednesday with a 224-221 win over Chinese Taipei The compound men’s team faced Italy in the gold medal match on Saturday morning and led from start to finish They enjoyed a two-point advantage after the first end which had grown to nine points by the close of the fourth end as the USA triumphed 227-218 Dean secured silver but her route to the gold medal match involved three single arrow shoot-offs during elimination first to defeat teammate Carson Krahe in the 1/16 round then to overcome Elisa Roner (ITA) in the 1/8 round before getting back past Andrea Munoz (ESP) in the semifinals the gold medal match also went to a shootoff with top seed Andrea Becerra (MEX) finding the X to better Dean’s 10 “This is the first time I’ve ever made it past the second match at a World Cup so it was a lot of exciting things this weekend and I’m really happy,” Dean said “I’ve had four shootoffs this weekend and of course they’re a lot of luck but I made a good shot (in the gold medal match) and there was nothing else I could do so I’m still very happy with how I did “I’m really excited for the rest of the year I was struggling with confidence coming in so now I’m really looking forward to the World Cups and whatever other tournaments are to come.” The USA is guaranteed at least one more medal when World Cup Stage 1 finishes with recurve competition on Sunday The recurve women’s team of Catalina GNoriega Casey Kaufhold and Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez will open the day’s proceedings when they face China in the gold medal match Kaufhold remains in contention in the individual recurve women’s event She takes on Alejandra Valencia (MEX) in the semifinals on Sunday afternoon You can watch the recurve finals through Archery+. All the latest scores and results can be found here a luxury lifestyle website that delivers a colorful and passionate telling of neighboring events PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA WITTKAMP STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA HAIR & MAKEUP BY LEANNA ERNEST Mia Gregor wears Giorgio Armani from Neiman Marcus Northbrook As much as Mia Gregor enjoyed her decade living and working in Scottsdale she was thrilled to bring her family back home to Lake Forest “I was the lead of the pediatric neuropsychology department at a large children’s hospital in Arizona treating children with complex neurological and medical diagnoses,” explains Gregor a Lake Forest High School (LFHS) graduate who had lived in the city since age 2 “After returning with my husband Alex and two sons Brody (a 15-year-old LFHS freshman) and Knox (a 12-year-old Deerpath Middle School seventh grader) I have been happy to share my knowledge through child development lectures at schools and the inspiring Suite Escape.” A board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist she now works at Chicago Neurodevelopmental Center and gives back to her community whenever she can she has become involved with the Spirit of 67 Foundation and the Lake Forest High School Foundation “We are so happy to be in Lake Forest and back to the four seasons of the Midwest I always tell people the fact there are so many people living here originally from Lake Forest speaks to the amazing community it is,” says Gregor adding that she and her husband also love being close enough to go back to their University of Michigan alma mater for football and lacrosse games and countries but eventually return to Lake Forest since it is a sweet slice of Americana and a great place to raise your family.” With that in mind she recently took time from her busy work and volunteer schedule to share a few of her favorite things Last summer we did a big trip to Croatia and Montenegro that was incredible I mostly use Jane Iredale and also love Henry Rose scents I always have a solid meal at Deerpath Inn and am also a huge fan of the tuna tataki at Sophia Steak Back to Scottsdale to visit family and friends Local place to spend the day with your family and relax on the couch with a good show and a glass of wine Song you always sing along to when driving “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicuras TV show you can’t stop binging I just finished the Jon Benet Ramsey documentary Best way to stay fit during winter months is walking (or snowshoeing if possible!) on the Elawa trails What’s at the top of your 2025 bucket list Starting a podcast related to pediatric neuropsychology topics Home Sweet Home Ministries wants to build a shelter village — about 50 tiny sleeping cabins surrounding a community building to serve the homeless — on a site near the nonprofit’s Bloomington facility Proponents say these types of micro communities have found success in dozens of U.S If approved, the estimated $2.5 million project would stand on property near Main Street and Oakland Avenue that’s owned by Connect Transit That property just south of downtown Bloomington once served as the public transit system's home base the agency leases the property to the City of Bloomington on a month-to-month basis “Connect Transit can be part of a solution to address unsheltered homelessness across our community” with this project, Home Sweet Home CEO Matt Burgess told the transit board His presentation was part of a request to allow the property to be used for such a shelter the cabins would be constructed this summer "We estimate the capital development costs will be around $2.5 million to really build this out," Burgess told WGLT after his presentation adding compared to building another large shelter Burgess called it a public-private venture noting the village likely will need about $1 million annually for operating costs His team plans to engage with private philanthropy as well as various funding sources such as McLean County's mental health and public safety funds "Look this is a community-wide partnership This is a community-wide issue," said Burgess The transit board made no decision on the proposal as well as Connect Transit’s managing director David Braun adding he didn't think the city would need to lease the property beyond April Burgess described the project as about 50 tiny sleeping cabins surrounding a main building and featuring a landscaped area with secure entry creating a gated community Home Sweet Home would manage the facilities The cabins wouldn't be complete tiny homes such as those found in many micro communities Most would be for single occupancy; but a few could house two adults It's anticipated to be a pet-friendly community Home Sweet Home would partner with social service agencies to provide support services This proposed micro community is "a temporary base for people to be able to make forward progress back to stability noting most clients served by Home Sweet Home Ministries stay in the main shelter for days his staff expects the new village to open up more space for families in its main facility Burgess said neighbors of the Oakland Avenue/Main Street property are supportive of the proposal including the Eastview Christian Church center the City of Bloomington Township supervisor’s office Jurgens said Bloomington staff has looked into similar solutions he's pleased a local nonprofit has stepped up to address the need “From my perspective the solutions that we have out there right now are not working We have tent encampments throughout our community and we need to find a better solution for those," individuals referring to existing camps in Bloomington and Normal “We are certainly supportive, from my standpoint, of a better solution — one that is fully staffed and secure. We think, that’s going to make a difference with this. This is absolutely not going to be a Tent City 2.0. Nobody wants that. We can’t have that again a secure roof over their heads and the help that they need is we think going to be huge for our community.” he expects to bring a formal proposal to the board for a vote next month This month, WGLT launched Frozen and Forgotten a multimedia series chronicling what it’s like to be unhoused in Bloomington-Normal during the cold winter months WGLT will screen its documentary of the same name at 6 p.m. 26 [tonight] in Community Room 2 of the Bloomington library Immediately following will be a panel discussion with some of the organizations and unhoused people featured in the 30-minute film If you need a special accommodation to fully participate contact WGLT at (309) 438-2255 or wglt@ilstu.edu Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation Become a WGLT sponsor Game Recap: Softball | 4/18/2025 12:41:00 AM | Brad Laux Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Public forum on "The Bridge," a shelter village project for the homeless Bloomington residents had a chance to learn more about Home Sweet Home Ministries' proposal for a shelter village during a public forum Remote work has become increasingly common in recent years (Hansen et al It is estimated that 11.8% of full-time employees in the US work fully remotely with an additional 29% working partly remotely (Barrero et al This shift has led to much discussion (Stanton et al 2020) about the value employees place on remote work and how it impacts wage-setting practices a group of studies uses survey data to estimate how much of a pay cut individuals would accept for remote work (e.g We estimate the value employees assign to remote work by analysing revealed preferences in a high-stakes we examine compensation data to assess how preferences for remote work have influenced employer wage-setting practices Our study utilises a unique dataset collected for another study (Cullen et al This dataset tracks the job offers received by 1,396 workers and the offers they ultimately chose The survey respondents belong to the US tech industry and they were recruited in collaboration between the researchers and Levels.fyi a leading platform that provides comprehensive wage data for professionals in the tech sector The tech sector provides a particularly relevant setting for analysing remote work given its high prevalence of flexible work arrangements and its status as a high-paying and is being offered $239,000 in total annual compensation About 18.3% of job offers are fully in-person which is slightly lower than some estimates for the tech industry The survey gathered rich data on job-offer characteristics such as total cash compensation such as employer ratings from Glassdoor.com To estimate the amenity value of remote work The model allowed us to analyse the choices individuals made when selecting job offers while controlling for various offer characteristics such as employer ratings individuals are willing to forgo approximately 25% of their total compensation for a job that is otherwise identical but offers partially or fully remote work instead of being fully in-person Previous studies have explored variations of a survey question asking how much of a pay cut individuals would accept to work remotely Our estimate of the value of remote work is three to five times as high as the estimates from these previous studies (2021) found that employees were willing to accept a 7% pay cut to work from home 2–3 days per week (2024) reported that the median worker would accept a pay cut of around 5% for remote work And Mas and Pallais (2017) estimated that the average worker would accept a 10% pay cut for remote work One possible reason for the discrepancy is the difference in samples Remote work may be more appealing to high earners and tech jobs may be particularly suited for it This likely explains part of the gap but not all of it Using the latest data from the Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes we find that the average respondent would take a 7.0% pay cut for remote work Among a more comparable group – IT workers earning over $150,000 – that figure rises to 15.8% we attribute part of the discrepancy to methodological differences existing survey methods may underestimate the strength of preferences for remote work when asked how much of a pay cut they would accept to work remotely employees may underreport the true amount due to concerns that their employers could use their responses to justify salary reductions we test the compensating wage differential hypothesis – i.e given the strong preference for remote work we would expect remote positions to pay less on average than otherwise identical in-person positions We use novel data on salaries for tech jobs collected by Levels.fyi This data allows us to compare individuals who started their jobs at about the same time (between June 2023 and June 2024) in the same company-specific position title (e.g Level-3 Software Engineer in Back-End API Development) We reject the hypothesis of compensating wage differentials remote positions pay on average slightly more (1.1%) than otherwise identical in-person positions We propose potential explanations for this puzzle companies may hesitate to create pay gaps between remote and in-office workers to maintain fairness and avoid legal risks Since women are more likely to work remotely reducing remote pay could unintentionally widen the gender wage gap Another possible explanation is worker sorting: to attract top talent firms may offer remote work as a perk alongside – or instead of – higher wages Another explanation could be optimisation frictions: as remote work is still relatively new (Shah et al companies may be in the process of adapting and have yet to refine their wage-setting practices “Home sweet home: How much do employees value remote work?” “Pushing the envelope: The effects of salary negotiations” Journal of Economic Perspectives 37(4): 23–50 “The rise of remote work Evidence on productivity and preferences from firm and worker surveys” Journal of Economics and Management Strategy Hansen, S, P J Lambert, N Bloom, S Davis, R Sadun, and B Taska (2023), “Using job postings to quantify remote work” Shah, K, N Bloom, P Bunn, P Mizen, G Thwaites, and I Yotzov (2024), “Managers say working from home is here to stay” Stanton, C T, M Luca, Z Cullen, E Glaeser, and A Bartik (2020), “How the COVID-19 crisis is reshaping remote working” City Sessions, a local concert series, combines the big and the intimate with its annual Home Sweet Home Festival More than 62 artists will perform in four cities over three nights and most of the performances take place in living rooms Jerad Sears is the executive director of City Sessions and he came to the Carver Center for Public Radio to discuss the event with Ozarks at Large's Kyle Kellams Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Stockton University 101 Vera King Farris Drive Galloway, NJ 08205-9441 (609) 652-1776 Maps, Directions & Parking Accessibility Statement Additional Locations Up to 50% off 2024 & past season styles at evo.com! Renew a Subscription | Change My Address After winning the 2024 Freeride World Tour Max Hitzig took a year off from competition and is pushing into the backcountry more and more The morning sun colors snow-covered spruces orange and Max Hitzig’s purple hat bobbles as his alert brown eyes scan the slopes from the gondola From above it looks as if they are bubbling up like the carbon dioxide in champagne “It’s going to be a cool day,” Hitzig says Most skiers can see it coming this morning: The sky is blue But Hitzig has a different idea of what that means than everyone else in the Silvretta Montafon ski resort in the north-west of Austria Max Hitzig won the 2024 Freeride World Tour the world championship in off-piste skiing and he calls this little corner of Austria home The entire tourist region in the Montafon sits in a 25-mile-long valley in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg It’s not as well-known as the neighboring Arlberg with Lech and St The Montafon feels like Switzerland but it’s much cheaper While 2.2 million overnight guests came to the Montafon last year the destination is still an insider tip for travelers from the United States Yet the area is great for off-piste skiing “We have everything here—rocks for jumping slopes of varying steepness,” says Max Hitzig his voice rising at the end of the sentence “But lines are easier to assess than many other areas it’s perfect terrain for training.” His calm and collected attitude isn’t typical for a 22-year-old But perhaps that’s no wonder for a man who has to make decisions every day on which his survival depends that he once made his first freeride descents “You used to be able to find untracked deep snow days after the first snowfall,” says Hitzig those days are over.” He shrugs his shoulders we pros also promote this by posting pictures and videos.” Hitzig is never out and about without his helmet camera and makes short videos for Instagram which are popular with his sponsors who finance his life Hitzig races straight ahead through flattened snow towards a lip about the height of a beer crate catapults himself 10 feet high and does a backflip He stomps it and continues as if nothing had happened Someone on the side of the slope shakes their head in disbelief 2023—headlined by him flipping off a 60-foot cliff—is one of the most absurd lines you’ll ever see “Our job is to work creatively with what nature offers,” says Hitzig as he makes his way up the chairlift he searches the slopes around him for cliff hits and untouched powder he hit on a barely covered rock and broke two vertebrae This year he is skipping the Freeride World Tour Hitzig dislocated his shoulder when he had to catch himself with his hand after an unsuccessful trick You could be forgiven for thinking that his sport is extremely dangerous but we have fewer serious accidents than alpine and freestyle skiers,” says Hitzig There is a sign at the top of the mountain—an outstretched hand on a bright orange background warns of “avalanche danger” away from the piste Max Hitzig lifts up the barrier tape that separates the piste from the so-called free ski area and slips underneath it His father is a mountain guide and took his son off-piste at an early age Hitzig reaches into the powder with his glove and digs his way down until he comes across a solid layer we wouldn’t be standing here today.” The fresh snow can slide on the hard surface but it is so loose that it does not bond together You get the feeling that he knows exactly what he is doing but that was a lesson for me,” he says of the incident Hitzig takes out his helmet camera and shakes his head I’ve been filming my jacket pocket for another hour.” there’s no time for small talk or a souvenir photo skis on and stops with and in another eruption Hitzig drives down into the valley towards his parents’ house The houses in the Montafon are spread far and wide across the valley floor the legacy of the Walser people who came here in the Middle Ages Each family built a farm on their own plot of land which became smaller and smaller over the years Hitzig passes the church in his home village of St built in the 15th century and later fitted with an onion dome “But I’ve never actually been up here,” he says “I come from Galgenul!” He points to the opposite side of the mountain It’s an even smaller district—the elementary school he attended had eight pupils But as he drives up the hairpin bends to his parents’ house “Sometimes I think—who am I to have moved away from here?” In the Montafon he could ski from his front door down to the cable car but now he has to drive 30 miles to get to a good freeride area He parks the car opposite his parents’ house As dusk falls and the lights gradually come on in the valley Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. DOUG STOUP: THE ICEMANFrom playing NCAA soccer to a successful modeling and acting career to being the top polar explorer of his time, Doug Stoup is an enigma. Host Adam Howard recently journeyed to Antarctica with Stoup and their conversation ranges from Doug’s personal training of A-list Hollywood actors to near death experiences; adventures with Doug Coombs; and taking novice skiers to the South Pole. Listen Now » resorts with a little about each individual policy—where and when skinning is allowed whether or not it’s free during operating hours and the link directly to the resort’s guidelines View our resort skinning policies guide » Though we send brand invites for our annual Gear Test Week in February and have finalized submissions weeks … [Read More...] (KATU) — A strong thunderstorm brought down trees at a park northeast of Sweet Home on Sunday afternoon The National Weather Service said they received several reports of downed trees at the Sunnyside County Park “These trees generally fell in the same direction, suggesting strong straight-line winds occurred with a thunderstorm that moved through Sweet Home, Oregon,” NWS Portland said in a local storm report In photos shared by Scottie McKee and Clinton Gregg of Santiam Sound several trees are seen tipped over with large root balls exposed Several trees fell across the main road going to the park trapping residents until the road could be cleared parents and faculty addressed concerns about student busing changes at a Sweet Home School District board meeting is deeply invested in ensuring the best education for her children including her five-year-old twins who are currently in preschool she values the community and wants to ensure her daughters receive a top-tier education "They are in Woldridge in the old halls I used to roam and I want to make sure I know what’s going on." proposed changes to student busing raised significant concerns for Hockenberry and other parents in the Sweet Home School District The changes would require some students to find their own transportation mix students from different grade levels on the same bus routes and allow elementary students to walk within a 0.25-mile radius of their schools "I don’t understand how they could in good faith say they’re acting in the kids' best interest when they’re asking 4-year-olds and 5-year-olds to walk to school alone," Hockenberry said In response to concerns from parents like Hockenberry the Sweet Home Central School District has made adjustments to the original proposal “We heard their concerns and made a few changes based on their feedback,” said Superintendent Mike Ginestre “We’ve eliminated the 0.25-mile radius based on parent feedback.” Ginestre emphasized that safety is the district’s top priority which led to the decision to remove the walking radius each bus will now have a trained aide or monitor on board and all buses will be equipped with cameras for added security Hockenberry said she feels relieved by the district’s response as it allows her to continue her 15-year career without added concerns about her children’s safety."I’m glad to see the district respond to our concerns," Hockenberry said "It’s a relief that I didn’t place my trust in the district incorrectly," Hockenberry said "I was right to believe this district cares about its students." We want to hear what’s going on in your community Share your voice and hear from your neighbors SWEET HOME, Ore. — UPDATE: Suspect Tyler Lanz has been captured following a high-speed pursuit. Updated story here. After an extensive search of the Upper Calapooia Road area, suspect Tyler Lanz is believed to have left the area, the Linn County Sheriff's Office said in an update Wednesday. Anyone with information should not approach him, and call local law enforcement. Lanz is still considered armed and dangerous. On Friday, Feb. 14, the Sweet Home Police Department stated they have not been able to locate Lanz and that they are still looking for him. The Linn County Sheriff's Office is warning the public that an armed man is on the loose, just outside of Sweet Home, the agency reports Wednesday afternoon. According to LCSO, the sheriff first received reports around 12:40 p.m. Wednesday that deputies with the Sheriff's Office were assisting the Sweet Home Police Department in a pursuit of Tyler Lanz, who has outstanding felony warrants from the Parole Board for second degree assault. LCSO says during the pursuit Lanz left his vehicle and continued to flee from authorities on foot in the area of Upper Calapooia Drive and Springer Road, outside of Sweet Home. Officers with SHPD and deputies with LCSO are currently in the area actively searching for Lanz. Lanz is believed to be dangerous and is armed with a firearm. The sheriff is asking people to stay out of the area and an emergency alert message has been sent to nearby residents. If anyone sees Lanz or has information on his whereabouts, they should not approach and immediately call 911. Send help right to the people and causes you care about Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee NY (WKBW) — Some Sweet Home Elementary School parents are upset with a new plan by the district to eliminate bus pickups for students living within a quarter mile of their school fearing it could put their children in danger affected students will have to walk to school but it is a change the district says is necessary due to an ongoing bus driver shortage a grandmother of a Sweet Home High School student reached out to 7 News after learning that the school board had approved the plan to stop bus pickups for certain students at the district's four elementary schools in Amherst and the Town of Tonawanda “We need to watch these kids,” Schwass said students as young as five years old won’t be safe if they walk alone “If you’re five years old walking the street by yourself there are a lot of parents that won’t walk their kids and we need to pay attention and watch these kids,” Schwass explained Schwass raised concerns for parents who might not be able to adjust their schedules to walk their children to school Are they going to start a program for early drop-off But what are these parents going to do when they’re used to their kids taking the bus home and being safe?” Sweet Home Superintendent Michael Ginestre reassured the community that student safety remains a top priority “Safety is the number one concern,” Ginestre said He explained that the district has no choice but to implement the change due to the ongoing shortage of school bus drivers He also said the new policy would free up one bus per school affecting about 20 to 35 students at each of the four elementary schools Ginestre noted that the district would be working closely with the Town of Amherst and the Town of Tonawanda to ensure students' walking routes are safe “We’re going to work with the Town of Amherst and the Town of Tonawanda to let them know that we’ve instituted the walking radius," he said "We want to work with our neighbors around the school to make sure driveways While this change will not affect students at Sweet Home Middle or Sweet Home High School as those schools are located on busier roads urging the school board to reconsider the decision with parents arguing that the new plan will “jeopardize” children’s safety and “add undue stress to parents.” proposed the creation of a Children Watch program Thank you for watching these kids every day Superintendent Ginestre expressed support for Schwass’s idea "Maybe there could be some neighborhood watches that could be put in place We would be willing to partner with her on that and talk to her about that and be a good community neighbor for her.” At least eight other nearby school districts have already implemented walking radius policies (KATU) — A camp trailer was destroyed in an early morning fire on March 18 according to the Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District Linn County Sheriff deputies were the first to arrive on the scene and reported that the trailer was fully engulfed in flames but one was evaluated for possible injuries sustained during the evacuation READ ALSO: Hillsboro man sentenced to over 12 years for crime spree across Oregon Firefighters from Sweet Home Fire and Mohawk Valley Fire controlled the blaze A total of three fire gear and one medic unit from Sweet Home Fire along with additional support from Mohawk Valley Fire and Brownsville Rural Fire The residents reported that they had recently filled several propane tanks and were using a small propane heater in the trailer one resident noticed a large fire suddenly coming from the line between the heater and propane tank before the fire spread rapidly and the resident barely escaped before the interior was full with smoke and fire Efforts to rescue two dogs from the camper were unsuccessful due to the intense heat and smoke One dog remains missing despite a search by fire crew A Century of Impact is a 192-page hardbound treasure celebrating NPCA’s first 100 years of protecting America’s national parks As Steve Goodman ventures deeper into the towering forest he keeps his ears open and binoculars close he is on a quest to find a dazzling blue bird—and no The Cerulean warbler gets its name from the beautiful sky-blue plumage of the male birds These birds migrate 3,100 miles from South America to the Appalchians every year to breed and are disappearing in numbers Steve is a conservation biologist in NPCA’s Southeast Regional Office (SERO) a stunning sky-blue migratory bird in trouble Cerulean warblers have faced a staggering 74% decline in the Appalachian Forest region they migrate 3,100 miles between their breeding grounds in North America and wintering grounds in South America migrating birds face multiple threats due to habitat loss and climate change impacting their breeding grounds Learn about the Cerulean warbler’s range and migration paths a staggering 3 billion birds have disappeared in North America Neotropical migrants have been particularly hard hit representing 2.5 billion of the 3 billion birds lost understanding where birds spend time across their life history and how their ranges may change will help us find and protect safe havens for migrating birds SERO is assisting local partners in building momentum towards nationally designating Craggy Wilderness through the lens of bird conservation Birds can help us understand the significance of old-growth forests not only for the protection and climate resiliency of birds Because birds serve as an indicator species of an ecosystem the more we know about where birds are and where they go we can make the case for the protection of Craggy Wilderness Looking Glass Rock is an iconic geographic feature along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Pisgah National Forest This region of the Southeast has some of the country’s most beautiful and biologically diverse old-growth forests Steve and other conservation partners conducted their first pilot survey to fill in knowledge gaps on bird communities and habitats specific to Craggy Wilderness NPCA is playing a supporting science role to empower partners who have laid the foundation for conservation work in this area including the Center for Biological Diversity Steve conducted walking surveys through three areas in the proposed boundaries listening and recording all birds present within some of the last remaining stands of old-growth forest He also installed audio recorders at three locations and analyzed the bird songs using Cornell’s BirdNET Sound ID The results from pilot work documented 48 species Steve’s and partners’ research will significantly expand into new areas of Craggy and in subsequent years continue into other public lands adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail in North Carolina and Tennessee The study will also provide a more detailed picture of other neotropical birds experiencing significant population declines such as Canada warblers and black-billed cuckoos Most of this work will occur within the last remaining patches of old-growth forests and maturing second-growth forests Steve’s efforts serve as a testament to the role organizations like NPCA can play in forging partnerships and seamlessly integrating science to champion conservation the bird surveys support the designation of Craggy Wilderness and National Scenic Area support the establishment of President Biden’s Old Growth Rule and address critical knowledge gaps in USFS forest management plans we can ensure a sustainable future for birds Click to enlarge map The nexus for NPCA in this work is increasing wildlife connectivity and protecting viewsheds along and beyond national park unit boundaries Steve Goodman and Olivia Porter,SERO’s Southern Appalachian Landscape Project Director conducting field work near the Coxcomb Mountain study area inCraggy Wilderness Old-growth trees such as this sugar maple develop large and diverse moistureand minerals that provide habitat and food for many plants and animals There are more gaps in the canopy to let sunlight through creating more diverse plant and animal life A dried stream near Snowball Mountain in Craggy Wilderness The area has pristine watersheds and trout streams that support clean water and recreation activities Amy is a cartographer and science communications specialist who directs NPCA’s cartographic mapmaking and science-based storytelling on national park landscapes She finds creative ways to develop cartography and geospatial solutions that strengthen the connection of science and advocacy “The president’s proposed budget plan is beyond extreme our national park system would be completely decimated." - Theresa Pierno unrealistic and destructive National Park Service budget a President has ever proposed in the agency’s 109-year history It’s nothing less than an all-out assault… "Rather than supporting our park staff during this challenging time further straining an overwhelmed Park Service." - Kristen Brengel A sweet baby found her home recently at TCHS did this dog win the lottery for animal lovers Honey Mama was a loving mamma dog who spent some time in foster care while taking care of her pups who was the Executive Director of Tri-County Humane Society for over 30 years saw Honey Mama's pictures on FB while we were on the bus ride together to Ballards Resort for our fishing trip a few weeks ago "Vicki!" Do you think it's time for you to adopt?" She thought about it...and a few days later she sent me a photo of Honey Mama in the back seat of her car on her ride home 'I met her on a Thursday and adopted her on a Saturday She has the most endearing eyes and a sweet disposition The other factor that sold me was the glowing recommendation her foster home gave her 'Best dog we've ever fostered.' But once I got her home and got to know her I once had a dog that looked a lot like her the most important part of sealing the relationship is that she gets along with Roy and Keeley The foster home told me she didn't really pay attention to the cats but I didn't know if my cats were gonna be nice to her I'm happy to report the cats were curious when they met her; but polite I'm not sure how many couches she has had access to in her past but I can tell she thinks it's pretty special The other reason I think she likes it here is because of the squirrel population and other wildlife outside her window I'm afraid if a squirrel runs to Wisconsin that's where I'm going to get a phone call from!' Vicki says Honey just can't get enough of being around Vicki when she's in the house The next love of your life could be waiting for you right now at Tri-County Humane Society. Check out all the wonderful pets and find the perfect fit by reading all about each lovely angel by clicking HERE now Well-Known central Minnesota animal lover adopts 'Honey Mama' from TCHS after being drawn to her kind eyes and sweet nature.\nRead More The next love of your life could be waiting for you right now at Tri-County Humane Society. Check out all the wonderful pets and find the perfect fit by reading all about each lovely angel by clicking HERE now I was in Chicago for the first time thirty years ago “I absolutely love the city of Chicago; it just has a little bit of everything Every time you come back you like it a little bit more.” She’s from Dublin and is the CEO of White Diamond Events and we met on the Ides of March at the Inaugural Irish Village Market on Pioneer Court on Michigan Avenue where they dye the river green for St up-to-date news and views from Irish America lived in Boston and New Hampshire for a couple years "And my first job was with this new show called Riverdance so yeah worked with them for a couple years in production We did everything in production touring with the show So there was myself and two other people who were responsible we moved them - from Millstreet in Cork to Radio City Music Hall to the Apollo Theatre in London That was learning on a very steep curve very quickly amazing experience working crazy days and hours Working Riverdance was Dearbhla’s crucible the intense trial by fire that formed her professional persona and prepared her for the road ahead producing events all over the world She does it all with an unflappable steady hand at the helm Dearbhla launched her company “White Diamond Events” in 2009 in Ireland and hasn’t looked back since In 2016 she founded Ireland’s first Mental Health and Well-Being Summit at Aviva Stadium which it outgrew and then moved to Croke Park “It had an amazing impact in a very short period of time I had no reason to do it except that I felt it needed to be done.” The Summit was very popular with celebrity athletes as well as gurus like Deepak Chopra sharing their views doctors; we had people from all walks of life attending so that everybody would be under the one roof talking about the same thing to make a difference.” Making a difference is what Dearbhla does best Ireland Network founder Joe McKittrick says: “Dearbhla is certainly the ‘diamond’ in White Diamond Events I highly recommend reaching out to Dearbhla and her team if you truly want a best-in-class experience Hugely successful in Europe and  Ireland for several years Dearbhla is certainly turning heads in the industry now in the USA.” Dearbhla officially moved to Chicago in February of 2024 and she and her White Diamond Events are already ambassadors for Chicago Now she’s involved with bringing back international rugby to Soldier Field in Chicago this November with a classic matchup between two international titans I was lucky enough to be in the press box for the first match and look forward to the historic rematch as the press release states: “The Rematch: Ireland v All Blacks” will take place at 3pm CST on Saturday November 1 This will be the second time these teams have met in Chicago following an epic 2016 clash that resulted in Ireland defeating the All Blacks for the first time in their 111-year history winning 5 each and establishing one of the great modern rivalries in rugby.” Dearbhla is excited about her future in Chicago So you’ve got to keep spreading your wings.” Pic of Day: 44 years after his hunger strike death a statue of Bobby Sands has been unveiled in Belfast See full report in this week's Echo Print/.. The international community must act to “avert further disaster” in Gaza a statue of Bobby Sands will be unveiled in the Republican Memorial Garden Developed and maintained by Soundlining