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Influencer of the Week: Antonio Roman, Lakeview Middle School West Orange Times & Windermere Observer
A Duxbury couple on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the local school district and a gym teacher, alleging the instructor repeatedly raped their son inside Duxbury Middle School in the mid-2000s, creating a life of torment for the boy that ended when he died of a drug overdose at the age of 27.
The 14-page civil complaint was filed in Plymouth Superior Court by an attorney for Joseph Foley and Melissa Foley, whose son, Joseph Parker Foley, suffered a fatal overdose in October 2020, records show. The suit names the Duxbury Public Schools and the gym teacher, John Blake, as defendants.
Blake also served as the Duxbury boys varsity hockey coach from 2003 until he was suspended in 2020, and school officials say they’ve launched termination proceedings.
Kevin Reddington, a lawyer for Blake, said in a phone interview that his client “a thousand percent” denies the allegations in the Foleys’ civil complaint and plans to file a countersuit against them.
“This guy is a good guy,” Reddington said of Blake. “There is no case here.” Reddington described the Foleys’ lawsuit as “salacious” and said “it is nasty, it is dirty, and it is very disturbing.”
Blake, Reddington said, has never had a prior allegation of misconduct brought against him in 25 years as a teacher and coach.
“He is beloved,” Reddington said, lamenting what he said was the ordeal Blake’s suffered having his “character assassinated” by “this malicious allegation.”
“John is a wonderful man,” Reddington said. “He’s a family man.”
School officials say Blake was placed on paid leave Nov. 25. That move, school officials say, was made one day after the Foleys contacted Duxbury police.
Blake hasn’t been charged with any crimes, and school officials said in a statement that it’s “absolutely untrue that the District failed to take reasonable steps and/or implement reasonable safeguards to avoid such acts from occurring in our schools, as is alleged in the lawsuit.”
Duxbury police said they investigated but “ultimately found that charges could not be brought forward because the alleged victim in the case was deceased.”
The suit comes as the school district continues to grapple with the fallout stemming from anti-Semitic play calls the Duxbury High School football team used during a March 12 game.
According to the civil complaint, the younger Joseph Foley, who went by Parker, was repeatedly assaulted by Blake when the boy was supposed to be in gym class.
On multiple occasions, the suit alleges, Blake, who decided whether boys were appropriately dressed for gym, held Parker back from class and took him to an empty room, where he initially touched the boy inappropriately. Over time, the civil complaint says, the assaults escalated to rape and forced oral sex.
“These events happened in the gym and/or an empty classroom within the Duxbury Middle School,” the complaint says, adding that the assaults only stopped when Parker Foley brought a knife to school and threatened his alleged tormentor.
“After suffering months of unwanted sexual abuse at the hands of Blake, Parker took a knife from his neighbor’s house and brought it to school one day,” the complaint says. “When Blake attempted to sexually assault Parker that day, Parker drew the knife on Blake and threatened to kill Blake if he ever touched him again. Only then did Blake cease his sexual assaults on Parker.”
Parker began using drugs shortly afterward, the suit says, and he struggled with addiction throughout high school and college, passing in and out of treatment centers.
He also told his college girlfriend, another close high school friend, and a therapist about Blake’s alleged assaults, according to the suit. Then about two years ago, the complaint says, Parker disclosed details of the abuse to his parents but insisted they not contact authorities out of concern for his own mental health and the publicity such a report would create.
His parents honored his request not to name him as a victim, the suit says, but his father sent an anonymous letter to school officials identifying Blake as a “sexual predator” who committed assaults at the middle school.
The “anonymous report,” the complaint says, was forwarded to Duxbury police, but no legal or disciplinary action was taken against Blake at the time.
Following Parker Foley’s death in October 2020 in Minnesota, the suit says, his parents uncovered more evidence of Blake’s alleged assaults, including a handwritten note Foley had left in his apartment identifying Blake as his abuser.
The Foleys contacted Duxbury police, and Blake was placed on leave, according to the suit.
The civil complaint says an internal investigation by Duxbury Public Schools found that Blake was “not credible in his denials of having assaulted Parker.”
And the school district, the complaint alleges, “was grossly negligent in such a way that amounted to deliberate, reckless and/or callous indifference about the health, welfare, and safety of Parker while Parker was under DPS’s supervision, care and control.”
Court records indicate the Foleys are seeking $1 million in damages.
The Foleys are seeking unspecified damages.
In a separate statement issued Tuesday, Duxbury Superintendent John Antonucci and School Committee Chair Kellie Bresnehan defended the district’s handling of the matter and also expressed sympathy for the Foley family.
“First, we want to express our sympathy for the loss of Parker Foley,” the statement said. “Parker attended Duxbury Public Schools until he left the district in 9th grade, and we were saddened to hear of the passing of a former member of our school community. The allegations laid out in the lawsuit filed by Parker’s family date back to 2006.”
The school officials said they’re “understandably disturbed by what has been alleged, but need to make clear that this District took the proper actions once we were notified of a complaint. It is absolutely untrue that the District failed to take reasonable steps and/or implement reasonable safeguards to avoid such acts from occurring in our schools, as is alleged in the lawsuit.”
When the allegations against Blake surfaced in 2018 and again in 2020, Antonucci and Bresnehan said, “Duxbury Public Schools immediately launched investigations and placed Blake on administrative leave from both his teaching and coaching positions. The first investigation in 2018 was based on accusations in an anonymous letter and a subsequent anonymous phone call with no detail about the student’s age, name, or any other identifying information.”
At the time and since then, the statement said, “the District worked closely with the Duxbury Police Department, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s office, and the Department of Children and Families. Unfortunately, with no identifying information about the victim, the 2018 investigation went cold.”
It wasn’t until November 2020, the statement said, seven weeks after Parker Foley’s death, that “the family’s lawyer revealed their identity to the school district and confirmed specific information related to the alleged abuse that took place back in 2006. At that time, Blake was again immediately placed on leave from his teaching and coaching positions.”
The statement said a “new, exhaustive investigation was launched with an outside investigatory firm while the District remained in close contact with the Duxbury Police Department and the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.”
Although there wasn’t enough evidence to bring criminal charges, the statement said, “the District’s independent investigation concluded that Blake had violated the District’s sexual harassment policy and code of conduct. Blake has been on leave from the school district since November pending the completion of a comprehensive external investigation and termination proceedings.”
The school officials said they’re continuing to cooperate with the Duxbury Police Department, the Plymouth County district attorney’s office and the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
“We ask anyone who has information regarding this case to please call or text the District’s anonymous tip line at 781-285-7184 or contact the Duxbury Police Department at 781- 934-5656 ext. 1185,” the statement said.
The Duxbury Police Department addressed the matter in a separate statement.
“The Duxbury Police Department has been made aware that a Civil Lawsuit has been filed at Plymouth Distinct Court, by a Duxbury family, against a staff member of the Duxbury Public Schools,” Chief Stephen R. McDonald said in a statement. “Copies of that notification were also sent to local news outlets. In November of 2020, the Duxbury Police Department was contacted by the family who alleged abuse of their son by a member of the Duxbury Public School Staff in the early to middle 2000′s.”
An investigation, McDonald said, “was completed by Duxbury Police Detectives and the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office was consulted. It was ultimately found that charges could not be brought forward because the alleged victim in the case was deceased. Because of the nature of the case we can release no further information.”
Parker Foley died on Oct. 21, his online obituary says.
He had graduated from Augsburg College in Minneapolis in 2016, the obituary says, and it was “there in Minneapolis that Parker was building his life, working for SmartCare Equipment Solutions and actively engaged in all aspects of his community.”
The obituary said that “Parker believed in living life out loud. From his earliest days, he loved to be with people. He was a good friend, a loving brother, and a caring son. Parker wanted people to feel welcomed, and to be loved and cared for. When a friend was down, Parker was there to lift him up. To know Parker was to experience both the joys of high achievement and the pain of life’s difficulties. Most of all, we remember Parker for the energy, passion, and laughter he shared with everyone who was lucky enough to have walked beside him.”
Blake has long been a prominent figure in local scholastic hockey circles.
He took over as Duxbury boys’ hockey coach in December 2003, after one season as the boys’ varsity coach at Cohasset.
The program had immediate success, being selected for the MIAA Division 1 (also known as the “Super 8”) tournament in 2004, then winning the first of three Division 1 state championships under Blake in 2005.
Duxbury also won state championships in 2007 and 2019, and played in the Division 1A tournament in 2006 and 2014. Blake has compiled 225 total victories in his 18 seasons at the school.
Blake also has served as interim boys’ golf coach at Duxbury, leading the team to a Division 2 state championship in 2006. He is a three-time recipient of the Globe’s Coach of the Year for boys’ hockey -- in 2004, 2007 and 2019.
Jim Clark of the Globe Staff and Globe correspondent Andrew Stanton contributed to this report.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.
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Three Carrollton-Farmers Branch teachers are on administrative leave after “derogatory and hurtful” language about Chinese culture was used on a middle school quiz.
Joy Lim, a 2018 Carrollton Creekview High School graduate, posted a screenshot to social media of a question that appeared on her sister’s sixth-grade online quiz.
The answers to a question about Chinese social norms played off racist stereotypes and generalizations, such as caning as punishment and the use of dogs and cats in cuisine.
Lim posted the picture to social media Tuesday afternoon, calling the quiz responses “ridiculous.”
“[H]armful rhetoric in our education system is exactly why anti-[A]sian hate crimes and racism persist today,” she wrote.
The school district issued a statement Wednesday saying the “inappropriate language about Asian Americans” was “derogatory and hurtful.”
The three teachers will be on leave until an investigation is completed, the statement continues. Meanwhile the district will enhance a recently launched diversity training initiative “in an effort to create a more inclusive and respectful environment.”
“Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD values our diverse community of learners and staff,” the statement reads. “Actions or language disrespecting any people group are not acceptable and do not represent our core belief system.”
Lim, a University of Richmond student who is attending classes remotely, said she worried about the social studies instruction for her 12-year-old sister, a student at Blalack Middle School, when the class started a unit on China.
“The language that was being used when the teacher was talking about the COVID-19 virus and where it had originated in China, very broad generalizations were being made, and I was uncomfortable where the teacher could take this,” she said. “This is a classroom full of 11- and 12-year-olds, and I was really disappointed that this language was being used in the quiz, painting such harmful and negative stereotypes.
“Even for the Asian American students in the classroom, how are they going to internalize this?”
Lim, whose family is Korean American, said several former teachers from CFISD reached out to her over the past 24 hours to offer their apologies and assurances that such language has no place in their classrooms. No apology has come from the district, apart from a copy of the statement, she said.
A report released March 16 — the same day as the Atlanta-area massage parlor shootings — from the national coalition Stop AAPI Hate found nearly 3,800 recorded incidents of verbal and online harassment and physical assault against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders nationwide over the past year, up 15% from the previous year. Chinese Americans were the most targeted group, accounting for 42% of the incidents.
In recent weeks, two rallies have been held in North Texas highlighting the spike in hate crimes against the AAPI community. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson proclaimed March 26 “Stop Asian Hate Day” in the city.
Lim said she’s definitely seen a rise in racist activity against the Asian community, but also an increase “in people speaking out.”
“That’s a really positive outcome of this,” she said. “We need people to be speaking out more, standing up against this and not just brushing it under the rug.”
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, The Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
Delta Air Lines said Wednesday that it would sell middle seats on flights starting May 1, more than a year after it decided to leave them empty to promote distancing. Other airlines had blocked middle seats early in the pandemic, but Delta held out the longest by several months and is the last of the four big U.S. airlines to get rid of the policy.
The company’s chief executive, Ed Bastian, said that a survey of those who flew Delta in 2019 found that nearly 65 percent expected to have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine by May 1, which gave the airline “the assurance to offer customers the ability to choose any seat on our aircraft.”
Delta started blocking middle seat bookings in April 2020 and said that it continued the policy to give passengers peace of mind.
“During the past year, we transformed our service to ensure their health, safety, convenience and comfort during their travels,” Mr. Bastian said in a statement. “Now, with vaccinations becoming more widespread and confidence in travel rising, we’re ready to help customers reclaim their lives.”
Air travel has started to recover meaningfully in recent weeks, with ticket sales rising and as well over one million people per day have been screened at airport checkpoints since mid-March, according to the Transportation Security Administration. More than 1.5 million people were screened on Sunday, the busiest day at airports since the pandemic began. Air travel is still down about 40 percent from 2019.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend against travel, even for those who have been vaccinated. This week, its director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, warned of “impending doom” from a potential fourth wave of the pandemic if Americans move too quickly to disregard the advice of public health officials.
Delta also said on Wednesday that it would give customers more time to use expiring travel credits. All new tickets purchased in 2021 and credits set to expire this year will now expire at the end of 2022.
Starting April 14, the airline plans to bring back soft drinks, cocktails and snacks on flights within the United States and to nearby international destinations. In June, it plans to start offering hot food in premium classes on some coast-to-coast flights. Delta also announced changes that will make it easier for members of its loyalty program to earn points this year.
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Gov. Cooper's middle-of-the-road budget proposal ncpolicywatch.com
Delta Air Lines has mapped out its plans for an expected boost in travel demand over the next few months, including an end to its capacity-control measures, a faster track to elite status and extended expiration dates for ticket vouchers.
Delta's policy of blocking middle seats now will expire on May 1, marking the end of the carrier's status as the sole remaining major U.S. carrier holding to the policy beyond premium cabins. CEO Ed Bastian said that 65 percent of travelers who flew Delta in 2019 expect to have at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by that date, which provides "the assurance to offer customers the ability to choose any seat on our aircraft."
At the same time, Delta announced extensions of ticket expiration dates and loosened requirements to earn elite frequent-flyer status this year.
All tickets that were set to expire this year as well as all tickets purchased this year now will expire on Dec. 31, 2022. This is in addition to the extension Delta gave last year for tickets bought during the onset of the pandemic, which already had been extended to the end of 2022. Tickets typically expire one year after purchase.
The carrier also is extending the change-fee waiver for Basic Economy tickets to cover tickets bought through the end of April.
SkyMiles members, meanwhile, on April 1 will begin earning premiums on status points to enable them to earn elite states with less travel. All members get a 50 percent bonus on Medallion Qualification Miles, Medallion Qualification Segments and Medallion Qualification Dollars for Delta-operated flights, and that bonus is upped to 75 percent for travelers buying tickets in premium cabins. Rewards travel for the first time will count toward status as well.
The carrier has added new tools to its website, including new resources to help find on-site or at-home Covid-19 testing when required by a destination. Other new features include a map-based booking tool that shows which destinations are open for travel and pricing.
Later in the spring, Delta will add a new digital tool for check-in, test verification and boarding on select international flights from the United States.
Delta has plans to add some new food and beverage options as well over the next few months. On April 14, the carrier will begin offering 7.5-ounce cans of soda and a new snack offering that includes healthier options such as almonds and Clif Bars to Economy passengers on domestic and short-haul international flights. The carrier also is restoring coffee and tea service and is adding pre-made and canned cocktail options for travelers, such as old-fashioneds and margaritas.
Hot food options will return for Delta One and First Class passengers on select transcontinental flights in June, and Delta will begin serving fresh boxed meals to First Class travelers on other domestic routes in early July.
Tim Gokey, chief executive of Broadridge Financial Solutions, said the acquisition of Itiviti will boost the financial technology provider’s capital markets franchise by extending the product portfolio into the front office so it can cover the full trade lifecycle.
Gokey spoke in a presentation on 29 March after Broadridge announced the €2.1bn ($2.5bn) acquisition of Itiviti from private equity firm Nordic Capital.
He continued that the deal will accelerate Broadridge’s international growth, give the firm critical scale in Asia Pacific and extend its market reach in continental Europe to better serve global financial institutions.
“It provides a significant cross-selling opportunity for the capital markets franchise,” added Gokey. “Importantly, we expect this acquisition to drive significant value to shareholders with double digit returns, well above our cost of capital.”
Gokey described Itiviti as a global provider of order management and trade execution technology in the front office and connectivity solutions for financial institutions. Itiviti had calendar year 2020 revenues of $250m and Gokey said its products are complementary to Broadridge’s post-trade offerings and other capital markets capabilities.
Rob Mackay, chief executive of Itiviti, said in a statement: “Joining Broadridge represents an exciting next chapter for our business and team by creating a leading front-to-back capital markets technology and operations provider.”
Itiviti’s front office OEMS business for sell side capital markets firms contributes approximately 60% of the firm’s revenues. The platform includes automation capabilities and workflow functionality and is used by more than 10,000 active sales traders across 270 financial institutions, mostly in equities and exchange-traded derivatives.
“The complementary strategic fit between front office solutions and Broadridge’s post-trade capabilities is so compelling, and why we think the combined capital markets business will be so well positioned for the next leg in its growth journey,” said Gokey. “We can serve our clients entire trade lifecycle from origination to settlement adding more than $5bn to Broadridge’s total addressable market.”
The remaining 40% of Itiviti revenues come from the order routing network that connects more than 1,700 buy and sell-side institutions.
Gokey continued that Broadridge’s expansion into the front office will enable clients to simplify their front-to-back technology stack and operating model.
“This is particularly attractive as capital markets firms continue to face a need to neutralise costs while addressing key market drivers such as automation and data analytics,” he said.
In addition Itiviti is strong in equities and exchange-traded derivatives while Broadridge has 19 of the 24 US primary dealers on its fixed income post-trade platform and is launching LTX, a corporate bond trading platform powered by artificial intelligence.
The acquisition will also double Broadridge’s business in Asia Pacific and extends the firm’s reach in continental Europe and Scandinavia.
“Almost two thirds of Itiviti’s revenue is generated outside the Americas and that global scale and client base brings real value to Broadridge,”said Gokey.
He continued that Itiviti had been looking to grow in North America while Broadridge’s capital markets growth strategy had been largely outside North America.
Itiviti’s clients include 24 of the largest 25 global investment banks so Gokey said the combined firm can deepen these relationships and and create additional cross-selling opportunities.
Edmund Reese, chief financial officer of Broadridge, said on the call that the firm is targeting $20m of revenue synergies by 2025 while the growth rate should be sustained at between 8% to 10%. Broadridge’s capital markets franchise had more than $900m in combined calendar 2020 revenues and the firm said the acquisition will help clients adapt to increasing electronification and algo-driven trading.
Reese said: “The purchase price reflects the string of activities, the technology-focused recurring revenue business model, and the strong growth prospects we see for our capital markets franchise, as well as the impact of low rates.”
Houlihan Lokey and J.P. Morgan Securities acted as financial advisors to Broadridge on this transaction. In addition, Squire Patton Boggs, Roschier Advokatbyrå, and Covington & Burling provided legal advice to Broadridge, and Cahill Gordon & Reindel provided legal advice to Broadridge on the financing transaction.
Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley acted as joint financial advisors to Nordic Capital on this transaction.
Derivatives post-trade
The increase in volatility last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic led to record volumes in global derivatives markets which placed a strain on post-trade processing systems across the sell-side. A snap survey in the first week of April last year from Acuiti, a management intelligence platform that provides operational analytics on the derivatives market, found that 58% of sell-side respondents experienced major issues with back-office processing and trade reconciliation during the March volatility.
In the fourth quarter of last year Acuiti produced a report sponsored by Broadridge, Derivatives: The Growing Need to Invest in Post-Trade, which found that 40% of tier 1 and 2 banks are more likely to increase investment in post- trade as a result of their experience last spring.
Patrick Tessier, founder at Lincoln House Consulting, who consulted on the report, said in a webinar on the report on March 23 that 95% of tier 1 and 2 banks plan to invest more than $1m in post-trade over the next three years with 45% planning to invest more than $5m.
Tessier said there is a lot of optimism in the market about new technologies, especially artificial intelligence.
“The related technologies of robotic process automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence are rapidly increasing in usage across post-trade infrastructures.” added the report. “These technologies are perfectly suited to environments that involve large data sets and manual processes with a higher risk of human error.”
Justin Llewellyn-Jones, head of capital markets, North America (Equities, FX & Derivatives) at Broadridge, said in the webinar that the industry performed remarkably in the working from home environment but underlying technology has not evolved in the same way.
“When we see large spikes in volume over a sustained period you get this backlog of manual activity which requires manual intervention and that snowballs,” Llewellyn-Jones added. “This has piqued interest in modernisation and investing back in that technology stack to remove some of these bottlenecks.”
He continued that new vendors can provide new technologies and modern modular technology architectures.
“Banks want to take advantage of modern technology to help them move to a more real-time environment and show that they can demonstrate a competitive advantage if they invest in their systems and applications,” he added.
CORPUS CHRISTI — Today is a transition to cooler conditions in South Texas as a Canadian cold front pushes into the area later this afternoon.
Before the front arrives, look for muggy and mild/warm conditions with temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s inland. Once that front pushes through around midday, earlier for northern counties and a few hours later for our southern counties, we’ll see a few isolated showers accompany the front and also bring very gusty northerly winds around 40-45 MPH.
Cooler air will continue to filter in tonight and last through the end of the week.
We’ll begin to warm up and end up near seasonal levels on Easter Sunday, but a few stray showers will be possible with extra moisture streaming in off the Gulf. Nowhere near a washout, Easter festivities should all be fine.
Today: Front arrives around noon to 3PM with isolated showers and gusty northerly winds, cooling down in the later afternoon…High: 77 (prior to front)…Wind: N 25-35 MPH & gusting 40-45 MPH.
Tonight: Still breezy and much cooler and drier with mainly cloudy skies…Low: 52…Wind: NNE 15-25 MPH & gusting.
Thursday: A good mix of clouds and sunshine with well below average high temperatures…High: 67…Wind: ENE 10-20 MPH.
Friday: Chilly morning in the 40s, partly cloudy and cool in the afternoon…High: 71…Wind: ESE 15-25 MPH.
Saturday: Mainly cloudy and comfortable; a stray shower possible…High: 73…Wind: SE 15-25 MPH.
Easter Sunday: Partly cloudy and near seasonal with a stray shower…High: 77…Wind: ESE 10-20 MPH.
Monday: Few more clouds, more wind and getting warmer…High: 81…Wind: SE 15-30 MPH & gusting.
Have a great day!
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Rain, cold front: Timeline WXIX
Jacksonville, Fl — We’re in for a very warm day as our active week of weather continues. Action News Jax Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh says temps will soar into the upper 80s ahead of a cold front.
“There will be a band of showers, perhaps a rumble of thunder but once again, it does not look like significant rainfall. Amounts generally look to be less than a quarter of an inch pretty much across the board”, Buresh said.
LISTEN: Mike Buresh ‘All the Weather, All the Time’ Podcast
Thursday will start cloudy with a shower early, then skies clear but winds will crank out of the north and temperatures will be nearly 20 degrees cooler. Friday looks to be the coolest day overall with temperatures that will only be in the low 60s. It’ll be dry but breezy.
Saturday morning will be cold, in the 30s inland, but overall very nice. Temperatures on Saturday will be in the upper 60s. Easter will be sunny and mild, in the mid-70s.
It was almost a blow out win for the Nuggets. They had a 25-point lead in the third quarter over the 76ers. They saw that lead slowly slip away, however, as Philly got within 6 with 20 seconds left to go. Denver had a dominating first half performance behind Michael Porter Jr, who scored 20 of his 27 points, but something keeps happening to the Nuggets in third quarters.
“This has been a recurring issue with us,” Michael Malone said. “I’m getting tired of watching us build big leads, play the right way and then just for some reason relax, come up for air and allowed that game to become a lot more interesting than it should have.”
Despite Philly’s late 10-2 fourth quarter run, Denver was able to close it out 104-95 against the top team in the eastern conference. Jamal Murray scored 30 points on 12 of 24 shooting and 5 of 11 from long range. He also added 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
This was the first time in over a year that Ball Arena had fans back in the stands and what a good way to welcome them back.
“We miss you guys so much,” Murray said in his post game interview to the fans on the court. “You guys bring a whole different type of energy to the game.”
The Nuggets were rolling in the first putting up a season high 44 points in one quarter. They were clicking on both ends of the floor and pushing the pace early. They shot 67 percent from the field, 70 percent from the three-point line and out-rebounded Philly 13-4. This particular quarter is what the Nuggets are trying to emulate on a nightly basis.
“I think that first quarter was one of our best quarters that we’ve had,” Malone said. “Anytime you can score 44 and hold your opponent to just 22 that’s always a good thing so now the challenge is, can we sustain that and can we do it for four quarters instead of it being just one quarter but when we defend and we rebound that ignites our break.”
Malone was also impressed with the ball movement and how his teams’ passing came without any hesitation. It just flowed and the past two games have displayed a different level of Nuggets basketball with the addition of Aaron Gordon.
“He just opens it up for all of us,” Porter Jr said of Gordon’s presence on the floor. “Teams don’t really know right now who to put on who… He’s such a good transition player. He’s so athletic and he can step out and shoot it and he can pass so he has the whole package. He makes it easier on all of us.”
Although Gordon only scored 6 points in his second game as a Denver Nugget, he impacted the game in more ways than just scoring. He helped guard the Sixers two best players, in Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons. He held Harris to just 12 points on 6 of 13 shooting and Simmons to just 11 points on 4 of 7 shooting. He was also a plus 19 in the game.
“We love him out there,” Porter Jr said of Gordon. “Just defensively we’re so long and versatile and we can just run the floor with so many different weapons. It feels like I’m just looking at my twin out there.”
Nikola Jokić put up his 42nd double-double of the season, leading the NBA in that category. He scored a quiet 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting, grabbed 10 boards and also had 5 assists.
The Nuggets are on a 3-game winning streak (two of those at home) and have won four of their last 5 games. Even more impressive, they’ve won 12 of their last 15.
They head to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Thursday and then come back to Denver to play 5 in a row.
Innovation Senior Living was pursuing a strategy of targeting the overlooked adult day market, but with those services on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the company is turning its attention to acquisitions and growth.
Currently, the operator manages five senior living communities, mostly for other owners. But Miami Beach, Florida-based Innovation plans to acquire and build a new pipeline of 10 middle-market assisted living communities under the brand named “Ascend.” Already, the company has secured debt and equity through private-equity firm Asym Capital and Greystone.
The move represents a “big pivot” toward being an owner-operator, according to Founder and CEO Pilar Carvajal.
“As a third-party management company, with Covid things were a little bit unstable, and so we wanted to get more fully entrenched in the business,” Carvajal told Senior Housing News.
The company ran into issues where owners with holdings in multiple sectors were pulled in different directions, resulting in “rash decisions” that conflicted with senior living operations, Carvajal added. For example, the owner of one senior living community that Innovation managed decided to close the community on short notice.
“One day to the next, we were out in terms of managing that property,” Carvajal said.
On top of that, the company had to put its adult day operations on pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And while Innovation does plan to resume those services once the pandemic subsides, the company’s focus now lies in acquiring and managing assisted living communities.
Innovation is looking to expand first in Florida and grow in other states in the region as it makes sense. The company is hunting for acquisitions of single-site communities that may have seen some distress due to Covid-19.
“These small properties just are not able to withstand the costs of Covid,” Carvajal said. “And I think that’s going to be an opportunity for a larger [provider] to come in and serve that population.”
Innovation’s growth plan hinges on buying communities at a favorable price and then upgrading and updating them.
“We would come in and take over, increase the census, renovate and give them a new look,” Carvajal said. “And then incorporate a lot of things that these single asset owner operators can’t incorporate: group purchasing, electronic health records, … telemedicine.”
The company also is planning to break the middle-market mold where it can. For example, Innovation is partnering with a multifamily developer to build modular senior housing in Clearwater, Florida — although Carvajal stressed the plans are still too early to elaborate on. Innovation also plans to incorporate forward-thinking technology in its future communities to boost efficiency and bring costs down.
In terms of pricing for these communities, Innovation is targeting average monthly rates of about $2,500. Residents would likely make less than $50,000 per year and possibly qualify for Medicaid. For now, the company will not offer memory care services, as those are still too costly for the middle market, Carvajal said.
While Innovation is focused primarily on acquisitions, Carvajal is also not opposed to new development if the opportunity is compelling enough.
“I think within the next five years we’ll be at 10 [additional] properties, without a problem,” Carvajal said.
By Eric O’Connell/Zip06.com • 03/30/2021 01:30 p.m. EST
On March 17, an image showing a Confederate battle flag hanging in a Jared Eliot Middle School classroom appeared on social media without context. The subsequent backlash and its response have offered a glimpse into the ways Black students and other students of color can feel disregarded within the Clinton community, and how the schools hope to effect future change.
On the morning of March 17, Caitlin Turner, a college student from Clinton, received a text message from a friend that showed a photo taken through the window of a classroom at the Jared Eliot Middle School where a Confederate battle flag could be seen hanging. Turner shared the image on her personal social media pages; in turn the image was shared in the Facebook group Clinton BLM, a page for Clinton’s citizens to discuss social issues related to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The post attracted significant attention, with most commenters appearing to be young people from Clinton and expressing shock and anger that the flag, considered by many to be a racist symbol, was displayed.
Déja Fleury, a Morgan School graduate who went through the Clinton school system, said she felt old, familiar feelings well up when she saw Turner’s Facebook post.
“I was disgusted and angry when I saw the flag being displayed in an Eliot classroom. Seeing the flag anywhere makes me uneasy and uncomfortable, never mind seeing it in my old middle school. Being mixed Black and White I experienced a lot of racism and discrimination from both students and teachers when I moved to Clinton,” Fleury told the Harbor News.
Superintendent of Schools Maryann O’Donnell spoke with the Harbor News and corrected some of the misinformation that was posted on social media about the incident. O’Donnell said the flag was in a 7th grade classroom and was hung along with a Union flag as the class worked on a curriculum covering the Civil War. The flag was removed after people complained to the schools.
While the Confederate battle flag, which has a blue X on a red background, was used by some Southern troops in the Civil War, it was never adopted as an official Confederate government or military symbol. It was adopted by some factions, in the 1940s, to indicate personal and political resistance to civil rights and segregation. It was later adopted by some Southern states as an official flag, as well as by the Ku Klux Klan when it tried to intimidate Black people. More recently, it has been used by White supremacists and is seen by many as a symbol of hate.
O’Donnell declined to identify the teacher responsible for hanging the flag. O’Donnell also declined to publicly discuss further specifics of the event, including any conversations between herself and staff members, students, or parents, or to say if the teacher involved had been disciplined. O’Donnell said the district is committed to continually learning and adapting polices to better serve the community.
Fleury met with O’Donnell on March 18 and said the meeting went well and she was hopeful for positive changes to come from the meeting.
Different Perspectives
Some who spoke to the Harbor News about the issue felt a lesson on the Civil War was appropriate context for the flag to be displayed. One instructor in the district who wished to remain anonymous said that showing the flag could have some academic merit.
The teacher had no direct involvement or knowledge about the flag incident and told the Harbor News, “Obviously we’re not promoting or endorsing the Confederacy in any way shape or form, but it’s hard to teach the Civil War without showing the flag.
“How are you going to say what it was like without showing the stars and bars and explaining what it stood for and why people resent it? It may not have the same effect as a picture they come across on their own,” the teacher continued.
The “stars and bars” flag was at one point adopted by the Confederacy as an official flag. The stars and bars has a design similar to the United States flag; its design was deemed confusing while in battle, leading to the development of the battle flag. It was a battle flag displayed in the Clinton classroom.
Fleury said even if it was for educational purposes, that does not change the issue at hand, which is that hanging the Confederate battle flag in a classroom is stressful for students of color.
“I know what it’s like to be the only, or one of very few students of color sitting in a predominantly White classroom while being taught about slavery. During these lessons, we’re constantly stared at, questioned, and singled out to give our opinions on racism. As unnerving as it already is to have to sit through that, I can’t imagine doing it while staring at a Confederate flag—a flag that represents exploitation, violence, murder, dehumanization, and all the cruel, unthinkable acts that were committed toward Black people [and] which the Confederacy fought to defend. We are not human in the face of the Confederate flag. How could a history teacher not realize this?” Fleury asked.
“I’m sure that teacher could conceptualize that it’d be wrong to display a photo of lynchings on the walls, right? Same concept—the flag is that and more,” she continued.
Fleury also stated that as White supremacy groups currently openly display the flag as a symbol of their beliefs, it should have dawned on the teacher to not include the flag as a classroom prop. She says a picture of it on a slideshow, for example, would have sufficed. Fleury contended that the display of the flag puts the onus on minority students to have to continually explain these feelings to their peers.
Racism in Clinton
An additional problem created by the display of the flag, according to Fleury, is that it can send a message to White students that the attitudes represented by the flag are acceptable, which can then manifest in terrible consequences down the road. Both Fleury and Turner, also a person of color, said they have been subject to racist comments in Clinton, and both feared displays of the flag could reinforce its power as a symbol of hatred.
“As a teacher, it is your duty to make all students feel comfortable, respected, heard, and understood. Hanging this flag does entirely the opposite for students of color, while encouraging White students to think this is okay. That’s why when I was in high school, kids felt comfortable coming to school wearing Confederate flag shirts and saying the n-word, with no regard for the students of color around them,” said Fleury.
“[A]s a person of color, I can tell you that it’s very uncomfortable to grow up as a minority in Clinton, Connecticut,” Turner said. “This incident of clear racism is not an isolated event. At Morgan, I have heard on multiple occasions of individuals saying the n-word left and right in the hallways. Yes, we are a majority White population, but that does not excuse the ignorance and uneducated comments BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and People of Color] are incessantly faced with on the daily.”
Assistant Superintendent of Schools Marco Famiglietti told the Harbor News that the district takes instance of slurs extremely seriously.
“There are school-based consequences for students who use racial slurs or homophobic slurs,” Famiglietti said.
Students are punished with suspensions and then paired with a counselor when returned to school to discuss what happened and why in efforts to reform the behavior. Further instances are met with further punishment.
‘Unheard’ and ‘Dismissed’
After seeing the post, some wanted to spread news of the incident to various Clinton establishments to make their concerns known, and the initial responses were disappointing to those who reached out.
Fleury said she contacted the Eliot front office where she said she felt her feelings were dismissed.
“I initially spoke with the main office secretary, who cut me off multiple times and dismissed my concerns to answer another call. I got a call back from the principal, Mrs. Tucker, who had a similar response. She spoke over me and tried to defend the teacher’s actions by claiming it being just a part of a lesson,” said Fleury.
Eliot Principal Linda Tucker did not return messages from the Harbor News seeking comment on the incident.
It wasn’t just the school district’s response that left some people angry. All Things Clinton is a community Facebook page with 5,000 members. Jordyn Prevost said she wanted to share Turner’s post in the group to raise community awareness on the issue, but her post was never approved. Another share by Turner was also denied.
“I think the post wasn’t approved because it makes the school look bad. I was annoyed that it wasn’t shared because the Facebook group is honestly just so biased,” said Prevost.
Turner argued it was another example of townspeople routinely sweeping uncomfortable observations under the rug to “create the façade of unity.”
Many people use the group as a main local news source and members have more than once claimed that the posts in there are unfiltered and open to anyone. Leah Saunders, the administrator for the group, said she denied both posts from being published because she thought the discussion should be kept between those concerned and the school and thought, perhaps, context was missing.
“Two people sent in requests about it and I denied both. It was a picture of a flag from the parking lot. There was zero context and merely posted to cause drama. If they want to know what it’s about, they should reach out to the school and inquire. Not post on [Facebook] to cause trouble and drama when it could and most likely is a part of a history lesson,” Saunders said via text.
Saunders elaborated that she thought the flag could be used a useful teaching aid.
“Personally, I also believe that you learn from the past, so you don’t continue to make the same mistakes in the future. Teaching history is about the past. We don’t have to like or agree with it, but we can’t erase it. Trying to erase history is disrespectful to the people who lived through it,” said Saunders.
The District Response
On March 18, Fleury attended a meeting with O’Donnell to discuss the display of the flag. Fleury was interested in talking about ways that the school can more appropriately educate the community on racial and social justice issues.
“After this meeting, I hope there will be real systemic change happening in Clinton, and I will continue to work with the superintendent and anyone else I need to in order to see it happen. Students and faculty need to understand the difference between ‘not being racist’ and ‘being anti-racist,’ so these practices can be effectively implemented into the curriculum. I hope the school system chooses to commit to this change,” Fleury said.
Fleury defined anti-racist as being active in working against racist polices or action and calling out such actions so they can be dismantled, while “not being racist” is a passive stance taken by someone content with not taking action.
O’Donnell and Famiglietti met with the Harbor News on March 19 to share more details on the work they have done to address racial and social justice concerns, much of which has occurred behind the scenes over the last several years.
Famiglietti said state mandated changes to the curriculum to include an African and Latino studies offering will go into effect in the 2023 school year as the state further develops the course. However, he said the schools are also working to incorporate “non-dominant voices” into other courses. For example, in a sports and American culture class, topics like pay gaps for Black athletes, a lack of minority coaches, and transgender athletes are all addressed.
“It’s something the kids do see in the classroom,” Famiglietti said.
Furthermore, O’Donnell said both she and Famiglietti have taken steps over the last year to better educate themselves. O’Donnell is part of a group of superintendents that learns about and discusses equity and racism and how to improve the districts in those arenas. The district has also stepped up its recruitment efforts to find minority applicants for positions that will become available in the schools by attending job fairs geared toward that purpose.
O’Donnell said the district does actively partake in these discussions, does reflect on new issues, and then commits to doing better.
“It’s a lens we have been starting to look through and I don’t think we’d been talking about previously,” O’Donnell said, stressing that many changes take time to fully implement.
O’Donnell said that she is proud that Clinton’s students are passionate about societal issues, particularly in the high school as they prepare to enter the real world and be difference makers.
The district leaders also say they will continue to adjust the curriculum and make changes as needed.
“The only way you combat prejudice and racism to address it, reflect it, and attack it, not being complacent,” said Famiglietti
“We are still learning and growing, we are committed to this,” said O’Donnell.
Turner said she hopes that the discussion and awareness over the flag displays and surrounding incident can bring people to more acutely consider their actions.
“I just hope that this experience will leave people more open-minded and accepting to listen to BIPOC when we voice our concerns to the community. We have been pushed down too many times and for what? We are people, too,” she said. “It is also not our place to educate the public about harmful and degrading symbols or phrases; I wonder just how many times this flag was walked by without any thoughts to the history it holds. Please do better, Clinton.”
Students and staff at Washington Middle School were evacuated for several hours Tuesday morning after someone wrote a threat on a wall at the school, but everyone is now safely back in the building after the St. Louis County Police Department gave the all-clear.
The Mehlville School District said that a message was found on a wall at the school early this morning that said “I’m going to blow up the school.”
Assistant Superintendent-Supervision of Schools Jeff Bresler wrote in an email to the middle school’s parents sent at 11:35 a.m. Tuesday, “We take all threats seriously, and this triggered an immediate evacuation. So far police have not found any weapons or explosives on our campus.”
Students were evacuated about 10:30 a.m., the district said.
The district continued to follow its emergency procedures and told parents they would be informed when students returned to the school.
While students waited safely outside, police conducted a “thorough” sweep of the building, Bresler said.
“Students are safe and cooperative as they wait for the all clear,” Bresler wrote.
An hour later, at 12:36 p.m., Bresler sent another email to parents to let them know that police had given the all-clear and students were returning to the building.
“They have indicated it is safe for students and staff to return to Washington Middle School,” Bresler said in the followup message. “Our priority for the remainder of the day will be easing back into instruction while also checking in with our students and helping them process this morning’s events.”
Lunch will be served on a modified schedule, Bresler noted.
While students were waiting outside, they were grouped by classroom and were outside with their teachers in the space between WMS and Trautwein Elementary next door. If students needed to use the restroom during the evacuation, they were able to go inside Trautwein.
“I want to thank the staff at Washington Middle School. They responded to this threat swiftly and calmly and put our emergency procedures into action,” Bresler wrote. “Also thank you to our staff at neighboring Trautwein Elementary School who provided support to our WMS students while they were evacuated. I also want to thank our students for their cooperation and patience. Finally, thank you to St. Louis County Police for their thorough investigation of our school.”
The Cleveland Browns certainly would prefer to forget the Hue Jackson era, yet the front office apparently wasn't looking to put it behind them even in the midst of one of the worst seasons in NFL history. Jackson revealed that the Browns gave him a big vote of confidence as their head coach, despite him winning just one of his first 24 games.
Even better, Jackson received a contract extension during a winless season. Jackson revealed on ESPN 850 on Monday that the Browns were 0-8 in 2017 and headed toward 0-16 when he received an extension the Browns did not want to reveal to the public.
"I got a contract extension at 1-23, midway through the season," Jackson said, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. "I wanted to go public with it, but the Browns didn't."
Jackson finished his Browns career 3-36-1, as the .088 winning percentage is the worst for any head coach with one team in NFL history. In four seasons with the Browns and Oakland Raiders, Jackson finished 11-44-1 with a .205 win percentage -- which is the second-worst winning percentage for a coach that led an NFL team or teams for at least four seasons (Bert Bell is the lowest at .179).
When Jackson took over the Browns job, he didn't think the dismantling of the roster was coming right away. He said he was never told it was coming at all, leading to even more frustration as his reputation was being shattered.
"There's no doubt I was lied to by ownership and leadership of the team. They were going to be football plus analytics, but it was football vs. analytics," Jackson said. "I think I became the fall guy because that was the narrative. The truth needs to come out, for other minority coaches. They need to know the pitfalls out there. My story has affected some of their futures."
The Browns fired Jackson after a 2-5-1 start in 2018, and Jackson has not landed a NFL job since.
Winds have been out of the southwest so far on this Tuesday. It's been pretty breezy still, with gusts of 32 mph. However, a cold front is moving through the Tri-States now, which will switch the wind to the northwest. After the front clears the area, it will still be a little breezy with gusts of 20-25 mph. Some high-level clouds have moved into the area. Not completely blocking out the sunlight. So temperatures are above average again. Daytime highs for the northern tier are expected to be in the mid 50s, while the rest of the area will have highs in the upper 50s with a few locations possibly hitting into the low 60s. Once the front comes through, we'll be done warming for the day. Showers will start to form along and just behind the front as it encounters better moisture later in the afternoon and evening. The best chance for these showers is just to our southeast. If the front can squeeze out any light rain for the Tri-States later in the evening, it would be for the southern counties. That would include Ralls County in MO and Pike and Scott County in IL. Much colder temperatures are expected Tuesday night due to cold air being transported into the area behind the cold front. Lows will be in the 30s.
Wednesday looks to start of with partly cloudy skies, but then some sunshine later in the afternoon. It will be an unseasonably cool day, with daytime highs only in the mid 40s. It will be another breezy day with winds out of the northwest. Those winds will cause it to feel even cooler.
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Bruce: Warm Front Today And A Cold Front Tomorrow FOX 8 Live WVUEA Powell Middle School teacher’s proposal to allow high performing students to begin accumulating credits for the state’s highest levels of Hathaway Scholarships prior to entering high school has won the approval of the Wyoming Legislature.
Changes to expand the Hathaway Scholarship Program’s “success curriculum” to challenge and reward middle schoolers were contained in House Bill 120, sponsored by Rep. Jamie Flitner, R-Greybull. The bill passed the House of Representatives 53-7, and the State Senate gave it unanimous 30-0 approval Friday. It was co-sponsored by Sen. R.J. Kost, R-Powell.
Flitner said the legislation originated with outgoing Powell Middle School computer science teacher Zac Opps and “must certainly be the process envisioned by our Founding Fathers.”
“The idea began with Mr. Opps and a group of his super students,” she said. “The thought of allowing middle schoolers to begin earning Hathaway credits in all subject matter met with little resistance.”
“Most see this as an opportunity and challenge for our best and brightest,” Flitner added. “Why hold any student back who might be ready for more?”
Opps had approached Flitner and former Powell lawmaker David Northrup, then chairman of the House Education Committee, a year ago, suggesting the change to allow earning more Hathaway credits in middle school. But because it was a budget session, the legislators didn’t feel it was the right time to tackle it.
“When Mr. Opps reached out again this fall, I had to proceed,” Flitner said. “I reached out to Sen. Kost for his help and co-sponsorship. R.J. was perfect help due to his administrative and educational background.”
Opps was in Cheyenne to help present the bill to both House and Senate committees. Opps is presently only teaching part-time at PMS and will depart the district at the end of the year to take a job in the nonprofit sector, with a company providing technology systems to schools.
Originally, only math and foreign language were approved for seventh and eighth grade students to achieve Hathaway Scholarship credits; career and technical education was added later.
Opps said he was motivated, along with his students, to increase the options available to middle schoolers.
“If you feel something can improve, it’s your duty as a citizen to improve it,” he said.
Kost, a former curriculum coordinator in the Powell schools before entering the Legislature, was fully on board with the effort.
“I never could understand why only math and foreign language were approved,” he said. “For students who are academically advanced, the approval of this bill allows for concurrent and dual credits to be obtained earlier in their career, and the students will have opportunities which were not there before.”
Park County School District 1 Superintendent Jay Curtis agreed.
“This will put middle school students one step ahead of the game,” he said.
The state-funded Hathaway Scholarships are available to Wyoming students to attend either the University of Wyoming or the state’s community colleges. Attainment in the success curriculum governs awards in the Honors and Performance categories of the Hathaway Scholarships. Recipients at the Honors level qualify for a Hathaway Scholarship of $1,680 per semester for four years; the Performance level scholarship awards $1,260 per semester.
This next porch pirate has gone absolutely postal… A squirrel was caught on camera stealing an amazon package off someone’s porch! The critter is also apparently a repeat offender which is why he’s now serving time in the…nut house.
10/10 would completely recommend the weather today!
We saw plentiful sunshine out there as temperatures topped out pretty comfortably in the lower 70s.
Unfortunately, the nice weather won't be lasting long.
The frontal boundary that has provided the slightly cooler weather over the last couple of days will begin to make its jog back to the north as a warm front going into tonight and tomorrow morning.
As a result, it will not be nearly as cool tonight as clouds and muggier, warmer conditions move back into place.
With the return of higher dew points and moisture, some patchy fog will be possible overnight in spots.
Some isolated showers will be possible overnight as that boundary moves through.
The front will continue to lift northward throughout the day on Tuesday.
Expect a warm day on tap as highs climb into the upper 70s to near 80° under partly to mostly cloudy skies.
Winds will be breezy out of the south at around 12-18 mph.
With enough moisture in place coupled with some daytime heating, we may see a few pop-up isolated showers and storms developing through the course of the afternoon.
I've got rain chances sitting at 30%.
Patchy fog may be possible going into tomorrow night/Wednesday morning.
Wednesday starts out warm and muggy ahead of a stronger cold front that will be poised to push the area.
Showers and storms will be arriving out of ahead of that boundary by the afternoon.
Some gusty winds and small hail may accompany a few of the storms that push.
All of Acadiana is hatched in for a low-end marginal risk to see severe weather on Wednesday.
Rainfall totals look to stay below a half an inch for most spots.
Temperatures will be falling quickly behind the front.
In fact, after highs briefly get into the lower 80s, expect readings to drop into the 50s by late Wednesday afternoon/evening!
Gusty northerly winds will be filtering into the area as well.
Clear skies will be breaking out heading into Wednesday night as temperatures fall into the lower 40s.
Great looking weather as round out the week with sunny skies in place!
Afternoon highs will be settling into the lower to mid-60s for both Thursday and Friday.
Upper 30s will certainly be possible for Friday morning, so hopefully you did not pack up the jackets quite yet!
A bit warmer, but still seasonably cool heading into Easter weekend with maybe a few more clouds to contend with.
The weekend as a whole continues to look relatively quiet, but we will of course continue to keep you updated throughout the week.
~Bradley
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NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb (KNEP)- A cold front will sweep through the Greater Nebraska area bringing with it strong wind gusts and cooler temperatures Monday evening into Tuesday. As the front pushes east, sustained winds approaching 30 to 40 mph could gust as high as 40 to 60 mph into the late evening. Winds could still be gusty beyond midnight in the 40 mph range. There is not a lot of moisture for the front to work winds but a few sprinkles to a light showers can’t be ruled out. By Tuesday morning there could even be a few flakes of snow by Tuesday morning from Broken Bow north.
Tuesday will be partly to mostly cloudy with northwest winds still a bit on the breezy side.....From 15 to 25 mph gusting to 30 mph. Temperatures will be about 35 degrees cooler than Monday’s 83 degree highs as readings stall in the mid to upper 40s.
A Red Flag Warning for a wildfire threat will still be posted for Central parts of the state into Tuesday evening. An upper level ridge will build in the region by the end of the week bringing sunshine and warm temperatures in the 70s and 80s from Friday through Monday.
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