Upper Hutt City Council has decided it will use vaccine passes after a Covid-19 case was discovered in the Wellington region, less than a month after announcing they would not be used.An announcement on the council’s website on…
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Christchurch Wizard puts his hat in the ring to run for mayor
The Wizard says he will run for Christchurch mayor in next year’s local body elections.The decision comes after he lost his $16,000 annual Christchurch City Council honorarium in October.When announcing his intention on Tuesday…
Uncovered time capsule may contain photo of 'Abraham Lincoln in coffin'
A rust-coloured 1875 almanac, a cloth envelope and a silver coin were found on Wednesday in a time capsule that sat beneath a towering statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee in the US state of Virginia for more than 130 years.
Another book, tattered with a pink cover, appeared to be an edition of "The Huguenot Lovers: A Tale of the Old Dominion" by Collinson Pierrepont Edwards Burgwyn. There also appeared to a pamphlet of some kind.
There were three books total, all of which appeared to be water damaged. Governor Ralph Northam said the books, once dry, will shed light on what people were thinking here in the late 19th century.
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"It's an important day for the history of Richmond and Virginia," Mr Northam said, just minutes after lifting open the capsule.
The time capsule was embedded in the pedestal of the Lee statue in Richmond.
But it's not what many here were expecting after state conservators spent five hours gingerly prying it open.
READ MORE: New image shows what man who assaulted girl in 1979 may look like
A newspaper article from 1887 suggested that the capsule contains Civil War memorabilia and a "picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin".
Records from the Library of Virginia also suggested that 37 Richmond residents, organisations and businesses contributed about 60 objects to the capsule, many of which are believed to be related to the Confederacy.
Besides there being far fewer objects, the capsules' dimensions were smaller than expected. The capsule, which is about the size of a large shoe box, was also made of lead, not the copper that state officials believed it would be.
The time capsule had sat under the massive bronze equestrian statue of Lee, which was erected in 1890, for more than 130 years.
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The time capsule was found on Friday by crews working to remove the pedestal where the Lee statue had stood.
The capsule was embedded in a 680-kilogram granite block.
The Lee statue was long seen as a symbol or racial injustice.
Its removal in September came more than a year after Mr Northam ordered that it be taken down following protests that erupted after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The day after the statue was removed, work crews spent more than 12 hours searching for the time capsule in the 12-metre-tall pedestal but were unable to locate it.
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The Lee statue was one of five Confederate tributes along Richmond's Monument Avenue and the only one that belonged to the state.
The four city-owned statues were taken down in 2020, but the Lee statue removal was blocked by two lawsuits until a ruling from the Supreme Court of Virginia in September cleared the way for it to be taken down.
Mr Northam, a Democrat, announced earlier this month that the enormous pedestal would be removed, a reversal from September, when the governor said the pedestal would stay in place so its future could be determined by a community-driven effort to reimagine Monument Avenue.
After Mr Floyd's killing in 2020, the Lee statue became a focal point of the racial justice movement in Richmond.
Since then, the pedestal has been covered in graffiti, some of it profane and much of it denouncing the police.
Some activists wanted to see it remain in place as a work of protest art.
Floods, dangerous wind and a rain dump to lash Queensland today
Parts of Queensland will cop a battering today as dangerous thunderstorms expected to bring heavy rain, strong winds and large hail sweep across the state.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said that residents living in the Maranoa and Warrego Forecast District, including parts of Bollon, will be the worst affected today.
"A moist, unstable airmass with a weak trough across the interior has developed thunderstorms this morning," the BoM said.
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"Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours."
A major flood warning is currently in place for the Balonne River as well as general warnings for the Weir, Thomson and Warrego Rivers.
Residents are advised to seek shelter, avoid deluge and remove cars parked under trees while conditions remain treacherous throughout the day.
Meanwhile, showers will return in other parts of the nation today, ahead of a sweltering Christmas Day for many.
Sydney in particular will see rain move in this morning, after several consecutive days of sunshine.
And while showers will clear for December 25 in Sydney, Brisbane will see showers for the big day – though it'll be a warm 28C.
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Clouds are expected to clear in Melbourne today, with temperatures set to reach 21C
Hobart will see a top of 19C today, and will also stay dry for Christmas.
Adelaide will get a cloudy Christmas.
However, as well as a sunny and hot 35C today, Perth is in line for the hottest Christmas Day on record on Saturday.
A top of 42C is expected, with similar heat due on Boxing Day.
New image shows what man who assaulted girl in 1979 may look like
An updated COMFIT image of an alleged sexual predator has been released as police continue to investigate the assault of a young girl in Sydney more than 40 years ago.
The girl, then aged nine, was playing with friends in bushland off Randal Crescent and Richard Close in North Rocks, in The Hills district, on the afternoon of Sunday, July 1, 1979, when she was approached by a man claiming to be a council ranger.
The man – described as being aged between 25 and 30 years old – took the girl away from her friends and further into the bush, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
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Police were notified at the time, but nobody has ever been charged in relation to the incident.
Police have now released an COMFIT image showing what the man may look like now, based on the girl's description of him at the time.
It is understood the man may have lived in the North Rocks area at the time of the incident but could have moved away since.
Anybody with information, or who recognises the man, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Tauranga City Council to pay nearly $30m in Pacific Apartments settlement
Tauranga City Council will pay nearly $30 million after an out-of-court agreement to settle historical defective building claims at an apartment building in Mount Maunganui. The Pacific Apartments building at 8 Maunganui Rd was…
Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Iwi prepare for Covid spread in Taranaki
Iwi in Taranaki are getting whānau ready for the spread of Covid-19 as local cases grow and the Omicron variant looms at the border.There are now 33 active cases in Taranaki, with the bulk of them making up the Eltham outbreak.Ngāruahine…
DeSantis Vows to Ban Critical Race Theory in Florida Schools
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Calling critical race theory “crap,” Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he’ll push for legislation to ban teaching the concept in schools and to allow private corporate employees to sue their employers if they receive critical race theory training.
In a strongly-worded speech at a campaign-style event, DeSantis told a packed room of supporters in Wildwood that he won’t allow backers of critical race theory to erase U.S. history. He was interrupted several times by loud applause and cheers.
“Nobody wants this crap, OK? This is an elite driven phenomenon being driven by bureaucratic elites, elites in universities and elites in corporate America and they’re trying to shove it down the throats of the American people. You’re not doing that in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis, who is up for re-election next year and is considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, is continuing a message brought into the mainstream last year by then President Donald Trump.
Critical race theory is a way of thinking about America’s history through the lens of racism. It was developed during the 1970s and 1980s in response to what scholars viewed as a lack of racial progress following the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. It centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions and that they function to maintain the dominance of white people in society.
Conservatives reject it, saying it is a world view derived from Marxism that divides society by defining people as oppressors and oppressed based on their race. They call it an attempt to rewrite American history and make white people believe they are inherently racist.
DeSantis is calling his proposal the Stop WOKE (Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees) Act.
“What you see now with the rise of this woke ideology is an attempt to really delegitimize our history and to delegitimize our institutions and I view the wokeness as a form of cultural Marxism,” DeSantis said. “They really want to tear at the fabric of our society.”
Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones said the DeSantis is creating a problem where none exists to score political points with his base, and that critical race theory hasn’t been taught in Florida schools. He also points out that woke is a term that African Americans have used for years to describe being aware of racist polices.
“The fact that the governor wants to travel the state and use this as his new tour message is disingenuous to Black people,” said Jones, who is Black.
At the direction of DeSantis, the state board of education banned critical race theory in schools. The legislation would put that ban into state law and allow parents to sue school districts that teach it.
“No taxpayer dollars should be used to teach our kids to hate our country and to hate each other,” DeSantis said.
Similarly, private employees under the legislation that’s being prepared could sue their employers if they are subject to a “hostile work environment” due to critical race theory training.
But Jones said that the proposal is an effort to ignore racism in the country’s past and present.
“The unfortunate part of all of this is that they are trying to whitewash history while making a statement that children are being taught to hate their skin color … I call B.S. on that,” Jones said. “I would never go to my Jewish brothers and sisters and tell them the Holocaust never happened, I would never go the indigenous community to say their land being taken away from them never happened, I would never go try to distort someone’s history all for a political field goal.”
The post DeSantis Vows to Ban Critical Race Theory in Florida Schools appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.
74 Cases of Omicron Variant Recorded in Bermuda
Health Minister Kim Wilson has warned Bermudians against complacency ahead of the Christmas holidays after officials logged more than 100 new cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) with the new Omicron variant spreading quickly.
Active cases have more than doubled since the last update, up to 152 from the 62 confirmed on Thursday, health officials said.
There were 74 new cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus out of the 89 cases where typing was available, up from 31 reported last week. The Delta variant accounted for 15 people. One victim is in hospital, but not in intensive care.
“As I have said before, we cannot become complacent. We must continue to be extra vigilant to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the fast-spreading virus,” Wilson said.
“The coronavirus thrives on human contact, and as we head into the holiday season, we must continue to follow public health guidance. Our health and safety depend on being vaccinated and getting your booster, wearing masks, physical distancing, proper ventilation and good hand hygiene,” she added.
The 102 positive cases were among the latest batch of 8,342 test results that came back since Thursday’s update.
Of the new cases, 71 were from overseas, 24 were classed as on-island transmissions and seven are under investigation. In cases from overseas, 91 per cent occurred in fully vaccinated people.
For the on-island transmissions and cases under investigation, 88 per cent were in fully vaccinated people. There have been 12 recoveries since Thursday.
In all, Bermuda has recorded 5,917 cases of COVID-19 which has killed 106 people on the island since March of last year. Around 70 per cent of the population of 64,000 have been doubly vaccinated with just under 30 per cent also getting the booster shot so far.
The post 74 Cases of Omicron Variant Recorded in Bermuda appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.
SKN Bound: Ten Covid-Positive QM2 Guests Offloaded in New York City
Ten cruise passengers on Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 looking forward to sunny Caribbean weather are now stuck in isolation in chilly New York City. The luxury liner is scheduled to stop at St. Kitts later this month.
They tested positive and were offloaded to NYC hotels to isolate.
The ship left Southampton on December13 on a transatlantic itinerary to the Caribbean.
The positive tests were detected during ‘routine testing’ Cunard said.
“Whilst the guests who have tested positive have disembarked, in line with approved protocols, all guests remaining on board will be tested again in the coming days.”
The ship, carrying 1,473 passengers, returns to New York City on January 3 before returning to the UK.
Cunard said the ‘vast majority’ of passengers are UK and US nationals.
The post SKN Bound: Ten Covid-Positive QM2 Guests Offloaded in New York City appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.