Please discuss and if you like rate out of 10.
Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell
LYRICS
They paved paradise And put up a parking lot With a pink hotel *, a boutique And a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot
They took all the trees Put 'em in a tree museum * And they charged the people A dollar and a half just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot
Hey farmer farmer Put away that DDT * now Give me spots on my apples But leave me the birds and the bees Please!
Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot
Late last night I heard the screen door slam And a big yellow taxi Took away my old man
Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot
They paved paradise And put up a parking lot
FOOTNOTES
Pink Hotel: Although Joni's own words (below) suggest she wrote this on Maui, the Pink Hotel in this song is most likely the Royal Hawaiian in Honolulu.
The romantic and legendary Pink Palace, built in 1927 is the landmark hotel on Waikiki Beach. Here, amidst serene gardens behind the coral-colored facade, you can still find the special ambiance of old Hawaii and its gracious island hospitality.
The Royal Hawaiian has 526 beautifully appointed rooms, located in either the elegant Historic Building or the modern Tower Wing.
Tree Museum: Dave Donelly, reporter for Honolulu's Star-Bulletin, informs us that: "'Big Yellow Taxi', by the way, was written about Hawaii and the "tree museum" she sang about where they charged you to see the trees was Foster Botanical Garden"
New fees to see the trees? Admission: $5.00 - General, 13 years and older $3.00 - Resident of Hawaii, 13 years and older with ID $1.00 - Child, 6 to 12 years old FREE - Child, 5 years old and under (must be with adult) $25.00 - Annual family pass
DDT is a persistent organochlorine pesticide and is largely responsible for the great decrease in the reproductive capabilities and consequently in the populations of fish-eating birds, such as the bald eagle, brown pelican, and osprey.
Because of DDT's effects on birds, the chemical has not been used in the United States since 1972, and can no longer be used except in cases of public health emergency.
At the time Joni wrote this lyric (1967-68), the continued use of DDT was quite controversial. DDT is still used in several other areas of the world.
Joni introduced the song this way on November 29, 1969: "Two weekends ago I went to Hawaii. It was my first time there and I was only there for two days which was kind of a bummer, I wish I could’ve really seen more of the island and I arrived there at 11 o’clock at night and the next morning I ran to the window and threw back the curtains and sure enough, there it was, paradise, you know, green, lush hills, old Sugarloaf Mountain up there, white birds flying low, Myna birds all over the place, and, right in the middle of it all, was a big parking lot [laughing]. So I wrote this little rock and roll song to commemorate the occasion. It’s called “Big Yellow Taxi,” or, alternately, “They Paved Paradise and Put in a Parking Lot.”
As archived in Mojo Magazine's March 2019 issue: “I wrote Big Yellow Taxi on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart…this blight on paradise. That’s when I sat down and wrote the song. When it first came out, it was a regional hit in Hawaii because people there realised their paradise was being chewed up. It took 20 years for that song to sink in to people most other places. That is a powerful little song because there have been cases in a couple of cities of parking lots being torn up and turned into parks because of it.”

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Welcome back to the Reformed UPG of the Week!
Gonna leave this here because reddit is still a massive pain these days

Slight update, the new reddit UI has made it almost impossible for me to quickly do these, like I used to be able to do. Thus, theres a chance it becomes UPG of the every other week until the problem is fixed. I can't spend every one of my entire Monday mornings working on this for hours with stupid formatting issues.

Last week I was reminded just how many Unreached People Groups there are in America. So today we are doing the largest unreached people group in the US, Jewish peoples of America.

Region: United States

map of Jewish peoples in the United States
Stratus Index Ranking (Urgency): 34
It has been noted to me by u/JCmathetes that I should explain this ranking. Low numbers are more urgent, both physically and spiritually together, while high numbers are less urgent. The scale is 1-177, with one number assigned to each country. So basically on a scale from Afghanistan (1) to Finland (177), how urgent are the peoples physical and spiritual needs.

The Stratus Index - Synthesizes reliable data from different sources to clearly display the world’s most urgent spiritual and physical needs.The vast majority of missions resources go to people and places already Reached by the Gospel, while only 3% of missionaries and 1% of missions money are deployed among the Unreached. This is the Great Imbalance. As a result, there are more people without access to the Gospel today than a decade ago. Stratus seeks to equip the global church with fresh vision to accomplish the Great Commission by addressing some of the factors that perpetuate the Great Imbalance. We hope this tool allows the church to better understand what steps will be required to overcome the barriers that prevent needs from being met, spurring informed and collaborative missions strategy. Stratus Website

New York City
Climate: With its large size and geographic variety, the United States includes most climate types. To the east of the 100th meridian, the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south.
Frozen Great Lakes
LA, California
Terrain: Measured by only land area, the United States is third in size behind Russia and China, and just ahead of Canada. So its hard to get a bead on all the types of Terrain. The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives way further inland to deciduous forests and the rolling hills of the Piedmont. The Appalachian Mountains and the Adirondack massif divide the eastern seaboard from the Great Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest. The Mississippi–Missouri River, the world's fourth longest river system, runs mainly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat, fertile prairie of the Great Plains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region in the southeast. The Rocky Mountains, west of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, peaking at over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado. Farther west are the rocky Great Basin and deserts such as the Chihuahua, Sonoran, and Mojave. The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast, both ranges also reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,300 m). The lowest and highest points in the contiguous United States are in the state of California, and only about 84 miles (135 km) apart. At an elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m), Alaska's Denali is the highest peak in the country and in North America.
30A in Florida
Denver, CO
Mississippi River
Wildlife of US: There are 311 known reptiles, 295 amphibians and 1154 known fish species in the U.S. Known animals that exist in the US include white-tailed deer, bobcat, raccoon, muskrat, striped skunk, barn owl, American mink, American beaver, North American river otter, red fox, American Black Bear, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Black-Footed Ferret, Gila Monster, Groundhog, Pronghorn, American Alligator, Crocodile, American Bison, bald Eagle, wolves, mountain lions, Grizzly bears, polar bears, lynx, muskox, caribou, and now I'm tired of searching for lists that include all the animals. We have tons of venomous snakes, we have invasive pythons in the everglades.
Unfortunately, there is an invasive but existing population of wild monkeys in Silver Springs Florida.
Bison in Yellowstone
Pigeons in New York
Environmental Issues: Environmental issues in the United States include climate change, Ohio, species conservation, invasive species, deforestation, mining, nuclear accidents, pesticides, pollution, waste and over-population.
Languages: While many languages are spoken in the United States, English is the most common. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.S. naturalization requirements—standardize English, and most states have declared English as the official language. Three states and four U.S. territories have recognized local or indigenous languages in addition to English, including Hawaii (Hawaiian), Alaska (twenty Native languages), South Dakota (Sioux), American Samoa (Samoan), Puerto Rico (Spanish), Guam (Chamorro), and the Northern Mariana Islands (Carolinian and Chamorro). In Puerto Rico, Spanish is more widely spoken than English. According to the American Community Survey, in 2010 some 229 million people (out of the total U.S. population of 308 million) spoke only English at home. More than 37 million spoke Spanish at home, making it the second most commonly used language. Other languages spoken at home by one million people or more include Chinese (2.8 million), Tagalog (1.6 million), Vietnamese (1.4 million), French (1.3 million), Korean (1.1 million), and German (1 million). The Jewish Peoples of America speak English.
Government Type: Federal presidential constitutional republic

People: Jewish Peoples of America

Jewish man of America
Population: 4,596,000
Estimated Foreign Workers Needed: 92+
Beliefs: The Jewish peoples of America are 2.7% Christian, but only 1.6% Evangelical. That means out of their population of 4,596,000, there are roughly 73,000 believers who share their faith. That slightly more than 1 believer for every 100.
Like all those who deny Christ, the Jewish peoples are deceived and follow a false god. For religious Jewish peoples, God (not the true God at this point) is the Supreme Being, the Creator of the universe, and the ultimate Judge of human affairs. Beyond this, the religious beliefs of the Jewish communities vary greatly. Orthodox Jewish peoples generally follow the traditional religious beliefs and practices found in the Jewish literature that interprets Scripture regarding ethical, religious, civil and criminal matters. Conservative Judaism is less traditional than Orthodox and combines different ethical, philosophical, and spiritual schools of thought. Reform Judaism is the most liberal form and interprets Jewish beliefs and practices in light of contemporary life and thought. Reform Jewish peoples do not believe that the Jewish Law is divinely revealed. They are not restricted to kosher (traditional, approved) foods, nor do they wear the skull cap (yarmulke) when praying or use Hebrew in prayer. All religious Jewish peoples believe in the coming of a Messianic Age, but only the Orthodox Jewish peoples look for a personal Messiah.
Not all Jewish peoples are religious. Some understand their "Jewishness" only as a social and cultural identity. American Jewish peoples are more likely to be atheists or agnostics than most Americans.
The Wilshire Boulevard Temple, known from 1862 to 1933 as Congregation B'nai B'rith, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 3663 Wilshire Boulevard, in the Wilshire Center district of Los Angeles, California, in the United States. Founded in 1862, it is the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angeles.
History: Jewish peoples were present in the Thirteen Colonies since the mid-17th century. However, they were small in number, with at most 200 to 300 having arrived by 1700. Those early arrivals were mostly Sephardi Jewish immigrants, of Western Sephardic (also known as Spanish and Portuguese Jewish) ancestry, but by 1720, Ashkenazi Jewish peoples from diaspora communities in Central and Eastern Europe predominated.
For the first time, the English Plantation Act 1740 permitted Jewish peoples to become British citizens and emigrate to the colonies. The first famous Jewish person in U.S. history was Chaim Salomon, a Polish-born Jewish person who emigrated to New York and played an important role in the American Revolution. He was a successful financier who supported the patriotic cause and helped raise most of the money needed to finance the American Revolution.
Despite the fact that some of them were denied the right to vote or hold office in local jurisdictions, Sephardi Jewish peoples became active in community affairs in the 1790s, after they were granted political equality in the five states where they were most numerous. Until about 1830, Charleston, South Carolina had more Jewish peoples than anywhere else in North America. Large-scale Jewish immigration commenced in the 19th century, when, by mid-century, many German Jewish peoples had arrived, migrating to the United States in large numbers due to antisemitic laws and restrictions in their countries of birth. They primarily became merchants and shop-owners. Gradually early Jewish arrivals from the east coast would travel westward, and in the fall of 1819 the first Jewish religious services west of the Appalachian Range were conducted during the High Holidays in Cincinnati, the oldest Jewish community in the Midwest. Gradually the Cincinnati Jewish community would adopt novel practices under the leadership Rabbi Isaac Meyer Wise, the father of Reform Judaism in the United States, such as the inclusion of women in minyan. A large community grew in the region with the arrival of German and Lithuanian Jewish peoples in the latter half of the 1800s, leading to the establishment of Manischewitz, one of the largest producers of American kosher products and now based in New Jersey, and the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the United States, and second-oldest continuous published in the world, The American Israelite, established in 1854 and still extant in Cincinnati. By 1880 there were approximately 250,000 Jewish peoples in the United States, many of them being the educated, and largely secular, German Jews, although a minority population of the older Sephardi Jewish families remained influential.
Jewish migration to the United States increased dramatically in the early 1880s, as a result of persecution and economic difficulties in parts of Eastern Europe. Most of these new immigrants were Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jewish peoples, most of whom arrived from poor diaspora communities of the Russian Empire and the Pale of Settlement, located in modern-day Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova. During the same period, great numbers of Ashkenazic Jewish peoples also arrived from Galicia, at that time the most impoverished region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with a heavy Jewish urban population, driven out mainly by economic reasons. Many Jewish peoples also emigrated from Romania. Over 2,000,000 Jewish peoples landed between the late 19th century and 1924 when the Immigration Act of 1924 restricted immigration. Most settled in the New York metropolitan area, establishing the world's major concentrations of the Jewish population. In 1915, the circulation of the daily Yiddish newspapers was half a million in New York City alone, and 600,000 nationally. In addition, thousands more subscribed to the numerous weekly papers and the many magazines in Yiddish.
At the beginning of the 20th century, these newly arrived Jewish peoples built support networks consisting of many small synagogues and Landsmanshaften (German and Yiddish for "Countryman Associations") for Jewish peoples from the same town or village. American Jewish writers of the time urged assimilation and integration into the wider American culture, and Jews quickly became part of American life. Approximately 500,000 American Jewish peoples (or half of all Jewish males between 18 and 50) fought in World War II, and after the war younger families joined the new trend of suburbanization. There, Jewish peoples became increasingly assimilated and demonstrated rising intermarriage. The suburbs facilitated the formation of new centers, as Jewish school enrollment more than doubled between the end of World War II and the mid-1950s, while synagogue affiliation jumped from 20% in 1930 to 60% in 1960; the fastest growth came in Reform and, especially, Conservative congregations. More recent waves of Jewish emigration from Russia and other regions have largely joined the mainstream American Jewish community.
Eastern European Jewish immigrants arriving in New York ca 1887?
Culture: Typical qualification that all people groups can't be summed up in small paragraphs and this is an over generalization.
In North America, most Jewish peoples live in urban areas on the east or west coasts. New York City has the largest Jewish population in North America, with over a half million Hassidic Jewish peoples alone. In South America, they also live in cities, but keep themselves as a distinct religious and ethnic minority.
While maintaining a Jewish identity, the majority of North American Jewish peoples conform to the mainstream American culture. "Jewishness" is often defined in more secular terms such as the use of Yiddish words and family traditions, rather than in religious aspects, such as the following of Jewish laws regarding dietary restrictions. Not all Jewish peoples are religious. Some understand their "Jewishness" only as a social and cultural identity. Understanding what it means to be a Jewish people begins in childhood. It takes place in the home through storytelling and by taking part in Jewish rituals and festivals such as Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and Passover. Socialization also takes place through participation in Hebrew school or synagogue youth groups. At the age of 13, the Bar Mitzvah ceremony for a boy (or Bat Mitzvah for a girl) is an important rite of passage, which marks him or her as an adult member of the community. While these ceremonies were more spiritually focused in the past, they have become equally important as social events.
Marriage and family relationships among Jewish peoples are much the same as other Americans. While Jewish families have fewer children, they are child-oriented, indulgent, and permissive. Although wives generally take on their husbands' surnames, Jewish identity is traced through the mothers. That is, if one's mother is a Jewish people, then he is, according to Jewish law, Jewish. He or she is entitled to all the rights and privileges that status brings, including the right to immigrate to Israel and settle there as a citizen.
I couldn't not include a pic of the notable cultural event of the American Hasidic Jewish peoples who dug a tunnel in New York
Cuisine: Popular dishes in American Jewish cuisine include:

• Bagel – A doughnut-shaped bread roll. The dough is first boiled and then baked, resulting in a dense, chewy interior with a browned exterior: A bagel and cream cheese is a popular pairing.
• Bialy – A bread roll similar to a bagel, but without a hole, and somewhat less chewy as the dough is not boiled before being baked.
• Blintz – A fried crêpe, usually filled with farmer cheese and served with various toppings.
• Brisket – An inexpensive cut of beef that is braised as a pot roast.
• Challah – A light bread made with eggs, used as regular food, and on ritual or holiday occasions.
• Chicken soup – Chicken broth with herbs like parsley, dill, or thyme, and often with egg noodles added.
  • Matzah balls are sometimes added to the soup instead of, or in addition to, noodles.
  • Kreplach are small dumplings that are another common addition to chicken soup.
• Chopped liver – A liver pâté made with hard-boiled eggs, salt, and pepper. Served as a side dish, hence the expression, "What am I, chopped liver?"
• Corned beef – Beef brisket that has been cured with brine and spices and then sliced.
  • Corned beef sandwich – A common use of corned beef.
• Gefilte fish – Ground fish – often a combination of carp, pike, and whitefish – that is mixed with other ingredients, formed into patties or balls, and poached; usually served as an appetizer.
• Kishke – A large, starchy sausage made with grain, vegetables, beef or chicken fat, and spices.
• Knish – A type of savory baked turnover; various fillings are used, such as potatoes or ground beef.
• Kugel – A baked casserole made with egg noodles or potatoes.
• Latke – A pancake made with grated potatoes and other ingredients, fried in oil.
• Lox – A sliced fillet of cured salmon. Belly lox is cured with brine and is therefore rather salty. Nova lox is cold-smoked. Lox is often eaten as a sandwich, on a bagel with cream cheese.
• Mandelbrot – A crunchy cookie, sometimes made with almonds, formed by baking a loaf which is then cut into small slabs and twice-baked.
• Pastrami – Beef brisket that has been cured with brine, rubbed with pepper, garlic, and other spices, smoked, and then sliced. Like corned beef it is usually served as a sandwich.
  • Pastrami on rye – Pastrami on rye bread topped with spicy brown mustard.
• Rugelach – Small baked pastries made by wrapping dough around a filling.
• Whitefish – Smoked freshwater whitefish, either filleted or made into whitefish salad.

New York Bagels

Prayer Request:

• Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth loving Christians to work among the Jewish communities.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to grant wisdom and favor to the missions agencies that are focusing on the Jewish peoples of North and South America.
• Pray that the Jewish people will understand that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah.
• Ask the Lord to soften the hearts of the Jewish peoples towards Christians so that they might hear and receive the message of salvation.
• Pray that God will grant Jewish believers favor as they share their faith in Christ with their own people.
• Pray that strong local churches will be raised up in each Jewish community.
• Pray against Putin and his insane little war.
• Pray for our nation (the United States), that we Christians can learn to come alongside our hurting brothers and sisters and learn to carry one another's burdens in a more Christlike manner than we have done historically.
• Pray that in this time of an upcoming election and insanity that the needs of the unreached are not forgotten by the church. Pray that our hearts continue to ache to see the unreached hear the Good News.

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Here are the previous weeks threads on the UPG of the Week for Reformed from 2023 (plus a few from 2022 so this one post isn't so lonely). To save some space on these, all UPG posts made 2019-now are here, I will try to keep this current.

People Group	Country	Continent	Date Posted	Beliefs
Jewish peoples	United States	North America	05/06/2024	Judaism
Jordanian Arab	Jordan	Asia	04/29/2024	Islam
Bouyei	China	Asia	04/22/2024	Animism
Arab Libyans	Libya	Africa	03/25/2024	Islam
Gafsa Amazigh	Tunisia	Africa	03/18/2024	Islam
Hindi	South Africa	Africa	03/04/2024	Hinduism
Arabs	Iraq	Asia	02/26/2024	Islam
Bagirmi Fulani	Central African Republic	Africa	02/12/2024	Islam
Gujarati	Portugal	Europe	02/05/2024	Hinduism
Western Cham	Cambodia	Asia	01/29/2024	Islamc
Yadav	India	Asia	01/22/2024	Hinduism
Thai (updated)	Thailand	Asia	12/18/2023	Buddhism

a - Tibet belongs to Tibet, not China.
b - Russia/Turkey/etc is Europe but also Asia so...
c - this likely is not the true religion that they worship, but rather they have a mixture of what is listed with other local religions, or they have embraced a liberal drift and are leaving faith entirely but this is their historical faith.
Here is a list of definitions in case you wonder what exactly I mean by words like "Unreached".
Here is a list of missions organizations that reach out to the world to do missions for the Glory of God.

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/tUdrCQ0

1. Lage Stock with Picatinny adapter - $110
2. BT GHM Folding stock with Endcap $130
3. 2X AK Bakelite Pistol Grips $30 each pick left or right or I will choose
4. 2X Khyber Customs Laminate Grips $30 each pick left or right or I will choose
5. Magpul MOE AK grip $20
6. A3 Tactical Picatinny rear adapter $115
7. Magpul Scorpion magazine $15

All prices shipped in the CONUS, Hawaii and Alaska let's discuss shipping. PayPal F&F
Message me, no chats please.

I created this account specifically to make this post. If it's not appropriate, please feel free to remove it:
Does anyone know Mika Hashizume? Born in Hawaii, he is of half Japanese and half German descent, and holds citizenship in both the US and Japan. He might be the first singer from the entertainment industry to work in China who has a non-Asian background. Although many Chinese actors and singers also have citizenship in other countries, Mika may be the first with a non-Asian appearance to feature prominently in mainstream media. I believe there are some regulations that make it difficult for him to appear on certain TV channels, but he has still managed to succeed in other areas: magazine shootings, music festivals, releasing albums, touring…
There are also people like Guo Jierui, A Fu, and members of the 歪果仁研究协会, as well as many influencers on Bilibili or Xiaohongshu, but Mika stands out as the first foreign celebrity in this context.
He's similar to Chinese artists working in the K-pop industry, but as a foreigner in the Cpop industry. He speaks English, Japanese and fluent Chinese, releasing songs in both English and Mandarin. Interesting, isn't it?

Sometimes I use a VPN to check out foreign sites out of curiosity and boredom and decide to watch TV from France. Knowing some French from duolingo.
In the short amount of time (like a half hour or so) doing that, the following was observed:
*An ad for a show set in overseas France.
*Weather reports focusing on the overseas territories. Broadcast to the mainland that didn't feature the mainland. The title card before it said "overseas weather".
*A show called "Overseas Magazine" that features human interest news stories from the overseas territories.
*An ad promoting travel to overseas France.
*A show called "Overseas documentaries" that features documentaries set in overseas France.

• An ad for donating blood that mentioned "dans l'hexagone et en outre-mer" (in English "In mainland France and in the overseas territories".)

In France, the overseas territories are a huge point of pride. The French are very proud of them and they appear to be a large part of the national consciousness. They appear to love the diversity they bring and the fact France has the most time zones of any country. Contrast this to America where our overseas territories aren't ever thought about and most Americans aren't familiar with them. The states of Hawaii and Alaska aren't even featured in weather forecasts or talked about much.
What's responsible for this difference?

Here is a summary of the key developments:

• Senate Bill 2922, introduced by lawmakers, would let HECO impose new fees on customers to raise money for wildfire costs, which could reach $4.9 billion according to estimates[3][9]. Critics call this a "bailout" of the utility.
  
• Senator Jarrett Keohokalole, who worked extensively on the bill, says it would fundamentally change the dynamic between the state and HECO. In exchange, he wants significant concessions and restructuring from the utility to prevent future disasters[3].
  
• The bill faced an "uphill battle" given the potential ratepayer impact and controversy around perceived bailout of HECO[9]. Legislators ultimately killed the measure, deeming it "premature"[11].
  
• However, Governor Josh Green supports the bill's intent[3]. He extended the deadline and urged Sen. Keohokalole to find a solution, despite the bill stalling[10][15].
  
• Many share your opposition to saddling ratepayers with higher bills for decades to pay for HECO's liabilities[13][18]. There are calls to avoid any "HECO bailout" that fails to extract meaningful changes.
  

In summary, while this specific bill appears stalled due to public pushback, the issue remains unresolved. Continued vigilance is warranted to ensure any future deal adequately protects ratepayers and forces necessary reforms at HECO. Sen. Keohokalole's scrutiny and the bill's demise are positive signs, but pressure from Gov. Green and HECO means further attempts are likely. A fair solution balancing accountability, reform and ratepayer interests is still needed.
Sources [1] Interview: Governor Josh Green - HONOLULU Magazine https://www.honolulumagazine.com/interview-gov-josh-green/ [2] Gov. Green Builds Foundation for Thousands of Affordable Housing ... https://governor.hawaii.gov/newsroom/office-of-the-governor-news-release-gov-green-builds-foundation-for-thousands-of-affordable-housing-units/ [3] Proposed HECO Bailout Bill Could Force The Utility Company To ... https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/02/proposed-heco-bailout-bill-could-force-the-utility-company-to-restructure/ [4] Hawaii Lawmakers Take Campaign Money From Hawaiian Electric But ... https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/03/hawaii-lawmakers-take-campaign-money-from-hawaiian-electric-but-dont-own-its-stock/ [5] Read and listen to Gov. Josh Green's 2024 State of the State address https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2024-01-22/gov-josh-green-2024-state-of-the-state-address [6] Hawaiian Electric Rises on Bill to Securitize Fire Costs https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/hawaiian-electric-rises-on-bill-to-securitize-fire-costs-1.2025602 [7] Hawaiian Electric Is Weighing Sale of American Savings Bank https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/hawaiian-electric-is-weighing-sale-of-american-savings-bank-1.2064958 [8] Hawaiian Electric Extends Record Slump With Another 20% Drop https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-15/hawaiian-electric-s-future-in-doubt-after-1-billion-meltdown [9] Hawaiian Electric Rises on Bill to Securitize Fire Costs - Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-23/hawaiian-electric-rises-on-bill-to-securitize-maui-fire-costs [10] Hawaii Lawmakers Move To Cut Income Tax But HECO Bill Is In Limbo https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/04/hawaii-lawmakers-move-to-cut-income-tax-but-heco-bill-is-in-limbo/ [11] Legislators kill HECO securitization measure, calling it 'premature' https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2024-04-25/legislators-kill-heco-securitization-measure-maui-fires [12] Battle brewing at the legislature over bill that would allow HECO to raise ... https://www.kitv.com/news/battle-brewing-at-the-legislature-over-bill-that-would-allow-heco-to-raise-more-money/article_3cd6b484-0446-11ef-98cb-0730ada49398.html [13] Ratepayers could see higher bills as HECO pays off Maui wildfire ... https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2024-04-22/ratepayers-could-see-higher-bills-as-heco-pays-off-maui-wildfire-damage-costs [14] February 20, 2024 News Read > Hawaii Free Press https://www.hawaiifreepress.com/Articles-Daily-News/ID/40537/February-20-2024-News-Read [15] HECO bailout bill stalls, utility seeks to divest itself of ... - All Hawaii News https://www.allhawaiinews.com/2024/04/heco-bailout-bill-stalls-utility-seeks.html?m=1 [16] [PDF] Testimony of David Y. Ige Governor, State of Hawaiʻi Before the ... https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/Session2019/Testimony/GM664_TESTIMONY_EET_04-29-19_.PDF [17] Analysts share how the Maui fire reports could affect HECO's future https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/the-conversation/2024-04-17/capstone-analysts-maui-fire-reports-heco [18] Proposed HECO Bailout Bill Could Force The Utility ... - Howzit Kohala https://howzitkohala.com/2024/02/20/proposed-heco-bailout-bill-could-force-the-utility-company-to-restructure-1-claims-against-the-company-from-the-maui-wildfires-are-expected-to-be-substantial-and-the-legislature-is-considering-ways-t/ [19] Hawaii Lawmakers Are Considering Ways To Help HECO Pay Maui Fire ... https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/hawaii-lawmakers-are-considering-ways-help-heco-pay-maui-fire-costs

It was just another usual night, same routine; go to raymond’s club, get changed, practice my typical routine, preform, go home. easy right? easier said then done.
my name is carla mabey-carpenter
it’s the good ol’ 50s, and i’m a showgirl.
i’ve been a showgirl for quite some time, not years like my coworkers, but long enough to make decent pay. now i know what’s goin’ on in ya noggin’. “oh carla why would you become a show girl? you coulda been a nice housewife.” everyone i knew thought that about me, but what’s even more irritating? that they didn’t even have to say it. it’d be written all over their dumb faces.
i get out of my teal car and waltz into raymond’s club, and i’m one inch ahead of the door before i’m stopped, and who is it? raymond. i already knew his shtick, he was gonna ramble on about me being late and yadda yadda. i’m tired of hearing it and tune it out if i could without all his shouting and yapping.
“you are 30 minutes late! don’t you wanna make a quick buck? have a hot meal? a roof over your empty head?”
he said in his raspy voice from yelling. i roll my blue eyes at him, ready-ing my script in my head,
“yes i do raymond, you’re right it won’t happen again, i’m sorry.” i say blankly. “yeah, yeah, just get on stage…”
raymond said pushing my back towards the dressing rooms.
“big oaf..”
i thought to myself, i open the light adorned door west of the main stage and greet my coworkers.
“evening ladies.” i say while hanging up my coat.
“heya carla!”
said a pale woman in a southern accent, who i knew as victoria “vicky” vicky was the type of person who left a lasting impression on you, she was a looker, you could tell she was gonna have her name in lights one day.
“let me guess? was it crazy ray?” she said while fluffing her blonde hair.
“ding ding ding! we have a winner!” i said in a jokey tone.
“we’ll you betta’ get ready soon red, shows starting in 10.” vicky informed.
she called me red from my hair, i called her blondie. i walk over to my vanity and put on my blonde wig, raymond told me to wear it since i started, he said it because it was “unsexy” don’t know why, don’t wanna. i put on my makeup and outfit and sit in my chair, hoping by tomorrow i’ll make ends meet and pay my rent. theirs no way no how i’ll move back in with my mother. as i’m lost in space, my other coworker strolls in with 3 coffees, dotty. dotty was about as sweet as pie, your mind rushes to “now why would a sweet girl like that work here?” it was a unspoken rule here not to ask though. “how are you girls?” she grinned while placing the coffees on our tables. “ain’t complaining.” vicky answers. dotty and vicky make small talk while i stare at myself in the mirror. it had the name “Claire” ingrained on the bottom, we were allowed to choose fake names for ourselves, but raymond chose for me. he said because it meant famous in french. yeah right. me famous? who would want me in a movie- i’m back from space thanks to vicky snapping her fingers in my face. “red! come back from dreamland, we’re on.” her and dotty and the other girls walk out, leaving me in my seat. i sigh. i cross my arms while standing up. “gotta give these bozos a show.” i thought. me and the girls are behind the pink velvet curtain, i’m behind a girl whose real name i didn’t know but was called paige’s. i didn’t know her that well but from watching her she’s real two faced. always pretending to be everyone’s friend, (especially raymond’s) but mutters insults under her breath. i didn’t want to stand next to her. she was the type to tell you you’re messing up and make fun of you, and mess you up even more. i inched closer to an acquaintance dahlia. she was a closed book. she never said much and was always doing her own thing. i could tell this job wasn’t for her, heck it wasn’t for everybody. it took guts. it was the last resort kinda job, if you didn’t make it in a news outlet, a restaurant, babysitting, you’d be here. i glance down at my costume, then at the others, this weeks getup is a little better then prior, pink playsuit with cream colored accents and silver sequins going up the middle. i take a deep breath. inhaling how much i don’t wanna do this forever, exhaling that i’m a whirlin’ twirlin’ tramp. i know I’m never gonna get a serious job ever again. maybe when- my thoughts were put off when the curtains rise. i scan the ground floor to if theirs customers, it’s just two tipsy men sitting at the tables and the bar is full. “buncha wasted freeloaders” i grumble lowly. the music cuts on and me and the girls do our routine; we take turns singing the lyrics to the song, we kick our legs in the air, we spin. we finish and take our bows. it was crickets out there, not even a pity clap from raymond or the bartender. “we did good out there girls, i’m proud of y’all.” vicky encouraged. they were just bein’ sour grapes she joked. the group walked down the stage and i peeked through the curtains, not even a wink or grab. man we sucked tonight, raymond’s not gonna like this. i stroll to the dressing room trying to decide whether to get changed the fastest to leave, or the slowest so raymond can’t scold me. i wasn’t scared of raymond, i was scared of what he might do. he wasn’t very from reasonable, stubborn, and when you got fired, he made you regret it. i decide the slower option and dillydally. i drink the coffee dotty got me and go outside to get a paper from the stand. front page:
“the local mob and gangs are out of control here in the big apple, but are picky when it comes to territory. disputes are still ongoing and are just as messy and inhumane. stay safe out their folks!”
i look up from the newspaper.
“i just hope they don’t take this part of town.” i pray.
i head back inside to some kind of commotion, it’s that dahlia having a fit of some sorts? i stand front of the door perplexed, dahlia never made so much as a peep since i known her, maybe someone grabbed her and it got to her? i scan the room, all of the patrons have gone. maybe they got caught and ran out?
“Just shut up!” dahlia shouts violently out of the dressing room,
Raymond follows behind her.
“aw cmon doll face, you’re getting worked up over nothing.” he fake-reassures.
“Ugh! you don’t understand anything! Don’t you get i’ve had enough!”
“Hey YOU signed up for this!” raymond snaps back.
“i didn’t wanna be in this gig forever!”
she stretched her arm out facing the stage.
“You know it’s a big surprise that all this complaining and bossing is coming out of you Ann!”
i eventually go to vicky to ask what led up to this.
“what’s all this about blondie?” i whispered. “i’m not even sure, one minute she’s sitting at her table and the next she hits her fist on the table and storms out!”
i look at her then dahlia or “ann” i never seen so much anger on her face, she was always so silent and timid.
“complaining?! look who’s talking cheeky bastard! the only one bossy around here is you!”
“you’ve got a smart-mouth don’t’cha? since when did you grow a pair?”
“before i met you!” dahlia slapped raymond in a quick motion. he quickly brushes it off, unfazed.
“you can’t hit me!”
“sure i can, i don’t work here anymore. you’re not my boss!”
she growled. “you’re quitting? just like that? you’ll regret this and come crawling back.”
before she can spit another insult she grabs her coat and left in a huff. Raymond runs his hand through his hair while inhaling behind his teeth and turns to the bar and leaned on it. we all just stood there silent, waiting for something. finally vicky spoke. “let’s…go change girls…” they follow. i stay staring at raymond. after what felt like an hour i go up to him and see he poured himself a scotch.
“raymond…” i say softly he signed before he answers
“look…i just need a minute…i left your paycheck in my office, take it and go home …”
i wasn’t in the mood to linger much longer so i did as he said. only 15 bucks…that’s not even enough for half of my rent. the drive home was silent, and as soon as i open the door to my room i shift towards my bedroom and collapse onto my bed. glad that’s over with.
Tuesday•1955•morning
i laid in bed thinking about yesterday’s screaming contest, i wonder if raymond gonna be hard on us now for dahlia quitting, guess i just have to grin and bare it if so. i got ready for the day and locked my apartment door, i scanned my view from my balcony, “this city’s turning filthier going and coming.” i thought. since i didn’t have groceries i went to the diner next to my complex, it was shabby like the rest of the buildings round’ here but in a comforting way. i order bacon and eggs with pancakes, wasn’t the best but i ain’t hard to please, i pay my check and pick up some groceries as well decide to sit in the park. it was best to go there early morning since all the mobsters would hangout there at night and nobody wanted to be mixed up in their business, most of all me. who would willingly shoot people in middle of the street just cuz they looked at ya funny? i swear those men have no regard for other people’s lives. i sit on the park bench and pull out the book i’m reading; “the talented mr. ripely” it’s not a bad read so far, he has some traits i see in myself, we both live in manhattan, and he always felt different…like he didn’t belong. as i’m lost in my book, i see a boy walking his bike and a paper in hand. he sees me and gave me the newspaper. “free paper for the pretty lady.” i thank him and he continued walking. i guess it wouldn’t hurt to take take a break. FRONT PAGE:
“local mob boss fallon luciano claimed fifth avenue as territory, him and his crew is armed and dangerous, you don’t wanna ruffle this guys feathers, when will the gang wars end?”
i made a disgusted sigh, these cheap crooks are claiming areas where normal citizens live, and can shoot anyone they felt like right outside someone’s window. truly selfish people. i roll up the paper and rested it on the bench, before i take a deep breath, and get up and go home. i finish my house chores sit down in front of the couch, i scope out the living room and am proud of the work i did. damn…i’m so good at cleaning. although i wish i was good at other things. growing up i didn’t have many hobbies, i have a talent for singing raymond told me, but overtime i lost the passion for it. i’m just gonna get tonight over with, hopefully by friday i’ll have enough for rent. maybe with my savings i’ll go on vacation…oh…who am i kidding? my savings are enough for a 2 day trip to jersey. it’s not like i’ll go to hawaii anytime soon. i sigh, and turn on the television. maybe it’ll take my mind off things. after watching a tv movie i check the clock; 8:16 pm “shit.” i breath lowly i grab my coat and lock my door and drove off to work. i do the same routine once more, but i could tell the tension was still there from yesterday. some part of me was waiting to see dahlia, thinking she was exaggerating, that she’d be in the back of the dressing room with us, but she was a no show. i wave to red, she smiled softly at me then applied her lipstick. raymond’s not hovering around the dressing room or bar, so before i changed i went into his office. admittedly, i was curious to know the history between him and dahlia. i knock on the dark mahogany door “come in!” i heard before opening the door widely. “can i help you miss claire?” he asked. his feet on his desk smoking a cigar. “yes…” i answer while folding my hands. screw it just ask him popped into my head and i wasn’t one to sugarcoat anything. “you know what, i’m just gonna cut to the chase.” i say assertively. raymond raised an eyebrow. “how do you know dahlia? what’s your relationship?” i said crossing my arms.
he scaled me up and down “what’s it to you?” he said in a tired voice breaking eye contact.
“you obviously knew her before she worked here, she definitely knows you.” his eyes darted to me.
“it’s nothing worth to you paige…” his eyes drifted away from me, i pouted. after realizing raymond isn’t gonna dump his regrets on me, i’ll just give in for now.
“go on get ready now, it’s a big night tonight.” he shooed me.
big night? on a tuesday? hardly anyone came in cept’ your casual drunkard.
“oh, i expensed some fancier clothes for ya, shut the door on your way out.”
i nodded and left. i go over to the dressing room and see the girls taking extra time on their hair and makeup, considering how more put-together they look then usual. i am curious what raymond meant buy “expensed” for our costumes, i unzip the cover of one of the clothes on the rack and i’m stunned. i never seen such a beautiful ensemble before. i couldn’t tell what it looked like in full but it definitely looked expensive, a white tuft soft white feathers adorned with lace patterns all around, small white ribbons, and covered of glitter. it was incredibly gorgeous. it obviously wasn’t for me though, me being a backup dancesinger i wore similar clothes to the main dancer but lackluster. this definitely suited vicky more. i remembed to get ready at my table. and finished when raymond knocks and comes in
“hey, you girls look great, show starts in 5-“
he said in a cutoff he darted to me. “hey, why you wearing the wrong getup?”
“wrong?” i question, slightly cocking my head.
“your outfit was for vicky, and hers was yours, switch.”
my heart fluttered a bit in my chest, i got the beautiful outfit?
“break a leg, and don’t mess up.”
raymond said while shutting the door. i asked vicky “i’m the main dancer?” i said unsure of myself.
“yeah! raymond didn’t tell you? he commissioned that outfit just for you red!”
she said beaming, the beauty mark on her cheek moved upward. she looked really excited for me surprisingly, i’d thought she’d be a tad jealous. that’s what was so good about vicky, she was always so kind and genuine to everyone, even to those who didn’t deserve it. we changed and get on stage,
wow it looked even better on. red was right, it was made for me.
i’m feeling excited being the lead, not sure why but i am. suddenly i hear alot of chattering from the customers, i peek through the curtain and see a table of men in expensive looking suits smoking fat smelly cigars, they looked old, late 60s to be specific, and were shooting back whisky and bourbon like it was water. they were definitely gangsters. the loud talking, silver locks, heavy eyebags with faded scars. i decide i’ve seen enough. i knew i’d get good pay though, so that was something. i keep checking myself in the mirror, i start to sweat a little, if i look sexy enough and give these crooks a good time, i’ll make great pay. i was having the preshow jitters, i quit smoking 2 years ago, but i’d die for a cigarette right now. my train of thought was derailed by a even louder chatter, oh what now? did the queen herself waltz in? i didn’t even see who it was, nor did i want to. more then anything i wanted to do the show, get my riches, go home and pay my rent. hopefully i’d have some leftover and buy myself something nice. i caught myself daydreaming then felt a tap on my shoulder,
“claire, c’mon sweetie we’re up.” said dotty motherly.
i hear our heels clack on the wood floor in unison as we got to the wall of red velvet in front of us. the curtains raised; the lights dimmed and a spotlight hit us as the music cut on, i posed waiting for my chorus, i bounced my hips with one hand and the other in the air. i sang loud and it carried through the room, the girls harmonizing with me. i raised my arms like a ballerina, tilted my head back, rolled my shoulders. i looked at the entrance for a while til i heard a clink of glasses coming from the table in front of the stage, in front of me. i see a man sitting in the middle who is visibly younger then his company, downing a glass of beer, he Stares at me while sipping his glass, his eyes were small and serious, almost squinting. a strand of his black hair fell on his forehead, i felt like he was staring at something behind me. i broke my stare and flashed a huge smile like i was taking a family photo towards the crowd. “just smile and look pretty” i thought to myself, all to make better pay. i swayed my hips to the beat and tilt my head upwards singing the lyrics. the song ends, the lights dim. Few other patrons clapped, not the table in front. during the applause one of the older gangster men burst into a hearty laugh, the young one continued drinking despite watching me the whole time.
they didn’t see me at all. except…that one.
i bow whilst taking in some deep breaths, i thought about addressing the men, but after i got the spotlight and they didn’t so much as hear me, i didn’t wanna give them a share.
after i returned back stage, vicky congratulated me. she seemed genuinely proud of me, like i was training for this for years. too bad i didn’t think of it that way
“Red you did it! you couldn’t have done it better, you looked great out there.”
she says with her hands close to her chest.
“thanks vicky, your the best.”
i replied with a half smile. after she goes change, i couldn’t think of anything to relieve my pent up emotions, i was angry that i didn’t get more viewers, stressed about the stupid bills! having second thoughts about getting evicted, moving back home.
No. i won’t let that get to me, how can i relax before going home? a drink? no they mostly serve old fashions and beers here, not to be miss picky but is a simple glass of red so hard to get? then i remember one of the girls smokes here. i know, i know, going back to my old habits is bad, but i just needed a break, a smoke break to put it. i scan my surroundings for one of my coworkers who i knew had a pack, why i couldn’t just buy one? i know myself, i used to love-i love smoking, and if i had a whole pack in my possession i’d smoke it all in 2 hours. so just one is all i need to take the edge off.
i knew i seen dahlia smoke a few times, maybe she left some in her vanity, i go over to it and see it was decorated with some of her fiery personality, photographs of her and some of her friends it looks like, pearls strung around the mirror in a messy manner, makeup stains on the mirror and desk top. we all had the same vanity’s backstage so i knew there was a drawer, i opened it to see 3 cigarettes scattered around with some of her odds and ends. i take just the one and tell vicky i’m taking a smoke break, almost doing a double take at me.
“red! i thought you quit? isn’t it better to let old habits die?” she said in a whiny tone.
“hey it’s just one cigarette, it’s not like it’s gonna kill me.” i say defensively
“you know, i read in a magazine that it actually leads to lung cancer! you better know what your doing red!” she said like a apprehensive mother.
i decide to reply as a child “yes mom…i promise.” i respond in a sarcastic complaint.
she pouts at me while holding back some laughs.
“see you tomorrow red, love you.”
she waved goodbye while grabbing her purse, i wave back. now, all i need is a lighter, i knew the bartender had some matches so i asked him and he gave me some no questions, i go to the back of the building and open the employees only door and it’s another midday rain, thankfully theirs an overhang above me, “perfect.” i thought. i put the cigarette between my lips, (god i missed that feeling) i flicked the matches and it sparked but died out, i did a another one, then another one, then another, i’m on the second to last one, maybe the world is telling me i shouldn’t.
i hear the door open next to me, one of the girls came to smoke as well i assume. striking, striking, striking, no fire, last one. 3, 2, 1, nothing. then i hear a metal lighter click and light a cigarette, i hear a harsh deep inhale, oh it’s just raymond, he’ll light it for me. i turn to face him “hey ray, you wouldn’t mind-“ i’m taken aback, it was the young man with the gangsters.
i’ve heard the stories. the cold blooded, ruthless, brutal stories. he had a towering presence. i didn’t know what to do, my flight or fight senses kicked in, i thought about whether to run back inside, or reprimand him for being somewhere he shouldn’t. that’d probably get me killed. even if i wanted to get away, i felt like my feet were trapped in glue. people often forget the third option. Freeze.
i stand like a stiff statue and stare blankly ahead of me, hoping he didn’t hear what i said. a minute goes by and all you hear is the pitter patter of the rain above us from the overhang. and all i see is his huge puffs of smoke dissipate in the misty air. a shiver goes up my back as i realize i forgot to change. i facepalm myself in my head. i didn’t even notice my teeth had been chattering for a while. i felt a pair of eyes piercing me like pin pricks. i shift my eyes at him quickly, god he’s looking at me!
what now? i look away, was i being too noisy? oh god let this end well for me. just then i felt a brush of fabric against my right shoulder. is he…nudging me? i turn my head see to something you’d probably only see in romance films. he’s holding his suit jacket out…for me?
i don’t know what to do, do i take it? is this some sort of tactic? i stare and him in a white button down and the jacket for a little longer, until he finally spoke. “aren’t you cold blondie?” a deep husky voice.
vicky’s nickname i gave her…still i don’t understand, why would this “infamous” mobster give some showgirl his jacket? after he probably killed a man and threatened his family.
i decide to let whatever’s going to happen, happen. i look down at the ground while i grab it, it’s a good material. i hold it looking at it, it’s cream colored, well tailored, i feel like i’m waiting to see a blood stain or something or other to get a hint of what he does to his victims. is any of his goons gonna snatch me up? perfect opportunity; it’s raining. nobody else is back here besides me and him. i continue holding it while staring away. suddenly i felt a presence behind me, oh god! he’s gonna snap my neck or strangle me isn’t he? i close my eyes. hoping it doesn’t end for me in a split second, you’ve had a good run carla. maybe it was all—i felt him take the jacket and place it over my shoulders. i open my eyes widely
Did he just…do that?
i gazed up at him, he had a intense stare paired with denim colored eyes. i couldn’t tell if he was angry or disappointed in something, was it something i did? something i didn’t do? i knew i had to say something, he fidgeted like he was waiting in a long line, i had to think my words very…carefully.
“than-thank you…”
he nodded as he registered it and turned to the door to go back inside, i had to say something else, i wanted to figure him out.
“why’d-why’d you call me blondie?…”
his head turns to me while the doors ajar.
“you are blonde, aren’t you?” he said sarcastically
i wanted to say “no, this is a wig. my friends the real blondie here!” but what was more like a eep than a yes
“ye-yep…”
he turn to face me again, stepping closer, oh god he’s really close. i was hit with a gust of expensive wine and cologne, what’s he up to now?
he reached for his pocket and pulled out the lighter he used and lit my cigarette, i completely forgot about the cigarette. i don’t even inhale it just then, when he grinned before saying;
“i wouldn’t mind lighting it for you…” he said low and slow.
then walked back inside, i felt the warmth and loud music from the inside flowing out…and felt the warmth on my face from his presence lingering. i finally inhaled that longed for cigarette, the sensation fills your chest. the rain slowing down to a light drizzle, with that “after the rain stops” smell. his jacket still clinging to my shoulders, this mysterious cologne combined with the rain is a scent i don’t wanna forget and bottle up.
that was some smoke break…

Click here to see the introductory post about this series.
Click here to see previous entries in this series.
Claimed National Champions
Penn (12-0) Parke H. Davis
Princeton (8-2) Houlgate System
Yale (16-0) Helms Athletic Foundation, National Championship Foundation, Billingsley Report, Parke H. Davis
^{Bold indicates main national championship selector recognized by NCAA Championship List}
Notable Events

• William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the U.S.
• Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time
• New Zealand enacts the world's first minimum wage law
• Czar Nicholas II takes the Russian Throne
• Billboard Magazine (then known as Billboard Advertising) is first issued
• Louisiana Tech (Then est as Industrial Institute and College of Louisiana) and The University of Tulsa (Est. as Henry Kendall College) are founded
• After the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown the previous year, the Republic of Hawaii is established
• Nikita Kruschev, E. E. Cummings, and Pro and College Hall of Famers Guy Chamberlin, Ed Healey, and Fritz Pollard are born
• Adolphe Sax dies

Rules

• The Ball: Egg-shaped, rubber covered Rugby ball.
• The field is 110 yds. by 53 1/3 yds., uprights 18 1/2' apart, with lines marked every five yards, crossbar 10' high uprights
• When a team has possession of the ball, it must gain five yards within three downs, to gain a new set of downs
• There are three different ways to score. A field goal is worth 5 points, A touchdown is worth 4 points, the kick after a TD is worth 2 points, and a safety is worth 2 Points.
• Each team consists of 11 players on the field
• *The game's regulation is separated into two halves, both 35 minutes. If the game is tied at the end of regulation, the next scored point wins the game.

^{Italics denote rule change from previous season.
\}Overtime rules only apply to the playoff simulation and do not reflect the rules at the time.)
The Teams
Teams are listed by their seeding in the bracket.

1. Yale (16-0); Coach - William Rhodes)
2. Penn (12-0); Coach - George Washington Woodruff
3. Harvard (11-2); Coach - William A. Brooks
4. Princeton (9-2); Coach - None
5. Purdue (8-1); Coach - D. M. Bailliet
6. Minnesota (3-1; Coach - Thomas Cochran)
7. Wisconsin (5-2); Coach - Hiram O. Stickney
8. Brown (10-5); Coach - William G. Norton
9. Michigan (9-1-1); Coach - William McCauley)
10. Cornell (6-4-1); Coach - Marshall Newell
11. Dartmouth (5-4); Coach - Wallace Moyle
12. Williams (6-3-1); Coach - Unknown
13. Army (3-2); Coach - Harmon S. Graves
14. Penn St (5-0-1); Coach - George Hoskins)
15. Navy (4-1-1); Coach - William Wurtenburg
16. Virginia (6-2); Coach - Johnny Poe
17. Amherst (7-5-1); Coach - Parke H. Davis
18. Trinity CT (4-3); Coach - None
19. Tufts (6-5); Coach - A. G. Baillet
20. Nebraska (3-1); Coach - Frank Crawford
21. Western Reserve (4-0); Charles O. Jenkins
22. Beloit (5-3); Coach - John Hollister
23. Vanderbilt (4-0); Coach - Henry Worth Thornton
24. Illinois (4-3); Coach - Louis Vail

First Four Out

• Chicago (13-7-1)
• Missouri (3-1)
• Massachusetts (4-3)
• Stanford (3-3)

^\Record portrayed is not record recognized by school)
Season Breakdown and 1894 All-Americans
Football became violent. It was violent already, but this year the violence of the games became a major issue for many programs. During the Harvard-Yale game a major Harvard injury, as well as controversy on how the game ends, causes the the two programs to not play each other for three years. The outcry over the violence of these games reached even the international press. Parke H. Davis mentions this article translated from Germany between Harvard and Yale.

The football tournament between the teams of Harvad and Yale, recently held in America, had terrible results. It turned into an awful butchery. Of twenty-two participants seven were so severely injured that they had to be carried from the field in a dying condition. One player had his back brocken, another lost an eye, and a third lost a leg. Both teams appeared upon the field with a crowd of ambulances, surgeons, and nurses. Many ladies fainted at the awful cries of the injured players. The indignation of the spectators was powerful, but they were so terrozied that they were afraid to leave the field.

Now, Davis also states that these reports going across the world were likely exaggerations. However, it faced the first threat to its existence. The Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of War limited the Naval Academy and West Point to football games on their campus, essentially banning the play between the two programs. Cornell's administration also takes the same stance, limiting their students to playing on their campus. What followed was a rule convention, called by the University Athletic Club of New York. The rules that came out of this certainly made the game safer for a while. It included adding the fair catch, limiting the game from two 45-minute halves to two 35-minute halves, adding the touchback rule, limiting contact between players, and finally, banning late hits, and finally, banning mass-momentum plays like the flying-v formation.

Playoffs

Round 1
No. 24 Illinois @ No. 9 Michigan - A relatively close game, but Michigan wins vs the Illini 6-5 and moves on to play No. 8 Brown.
No. 23 Vanderbilt @ No. 10 Cornell - The Commodores are unable to make a dent in the playoff as Cornell shuts out Vandy 54-0 and moves on to play No. 7 Wisconsin
No. 22 Beloit @ No. 11 Dartmouth - Dartmouth shuts out Beloit 22-0 as they move on to play No. 6 Minnesota.
No. 21 Western Reserve @ No. 12 Williams - Williams takes care of Western Reserve 22-0 and moves on to play No. 5 Purdue.
No. 20 Nebraska @ No. 13 Army - Army gets its first win after Nebraska misses a game-tying field goal. Army wins 11-6 and moves on to play No. 4 Princeton
No. 19 Tufts @ No. 14 Penn St - Penn St wins in a shutout win 24-0 and moves on to play No. 3 Harvard.
No. 18 Trinity CT @ No. 15 Navy - In a defensive struggle, the Midshipmen's offense scores a single touchdown to win 6-0 and move on to play No. 2 Penn
No. 17 Amherst @ No. 16 Virginia - Coach Poe's defense holds strong, and shuts out Amherst 12-0 to move on to play No. 1 Yale.
Round 2
No. 16 Virginia @ No. 1 Yale - Virginia scores a single field goal, as the Bulldogs score 63-5 to move on to the Quarterfinal Round.
No. 15 Navy @ No. 2 Penn - Navy's defense puts up a hell of an effort as they limit Penn to a single touchdown, but still fall short. The Quakers win 6-0 and move on to the Quarterfinals.
No. 14 Penn St @ No. 3 Harvard - Penn St gets a safety, but the Crimson still holds strong as they win 10-2 and move on to the Quarterfinals.
No. 13 Army @ No. 4 Princeton - UPSET ALERT - Army is down 5-4 after a missed field goal, but finds a gap and makes a last-minute field goal to win 9-5, and moves on to the Quarterfinal Round.
No. 12 Williams @ No. 5 Purdue - A field goal fest occurs, as Purdue wins 15-5 to move on to host No. 13 Army in the Quarterfinal Round.
No. 11 Dartmouth @ No. 6 Minnesota - Minnesota struggles offensively but still gets the win 6-0 to move on to the Quarterfinals to face No. 2 Harvard.
No. 10 Cornell @ No. 7 Wisconsin - UPSET ALERT - Wisconsin scores a single touchdown in the loss to Cornell. The Big Red wins 17-6 and moves on to play No. 2 Penn in the Quarterfinals.
No. 9 Michigan @ No. 8 Brown - Brown has a chance for a game-winning field goal but hits the upright! Michigan wins 6-5 to face No. 1 Yale in the Quarterfinal Round.
Quarterfinals
No. 9 Michigan @ No. 1 Yale - The Bulldogs handle the Wolverines in a blowout. The Bulldogs win 48-0 and move on to the Final Four Round.
No. 10 Cornell @ No. 2 Penn - Cornell puts up a great defensive fight, but the Quakers still squeak to a win 9-0 and move on to the Final Four Round.
No. 6 Minnesota @ No. 3 Harvard - Harvard handles the Gophers easily, allowing only a touchdown. Harvard wins 37-6 to face No. 2 Penn in the Final Four Round.
No. 13 Army @ No. 5 Purdue - The Boilermakers easily handle the Cadets of West Point. Purdue wins 30-13 and moves on to play No. 1 Yale.
Final Four
No. 5 Purdue @ No. 1 Yale - Purdue manages a safety, but still gets blown out by Yale. The Bulldogs win 40-2 to compete for its second four-peat.
No. 3 Harvard @ No. 2 Penn - Harvard completely collapses against the Quakers. Penn manages a 49-6 rout of the Crimson to move on to their first Championship game appearance.

The Championship Game at the Polo Grounds III, Manhattan, New York, NY

It's sold out again, but in the air at Polo Grounds, there's no doubt that Yale will handle the Quakers this game. However, Penn has a grudge. They still remember the grudge against these players. In their eyes, it was Yale and Princeton who caused them to leave the IFA, it was them that caused the IFA to dissolve. In their eyes, it will be the Bulldogs who will have to lose today. By the half, however, it looks like Yale is going to take the game as they end up with the lead 9-4. When the second half starts, it starts with Penn taking the lead with a touchdown and PAT. And then Penn does it again. Yale needs to score to stay in the game as they're down 16-9, on a 1st and 5, they fumble the ball and Penn picks it up. On the drive that follows, Penn scores a field goal and another. It puts the game far out of reach and for the first time, a team, not named Harvard, Princeton, or Yale takes the national title. Penn wins their first title 26-9 over College Football's juggernauts!
Championship Finish
Penn (12-0) Won vs Yale 26-9
Runner-Up Finish
Yale (16-0) lost vs Penn 26-9
Final Four Finishes
Harvard (11-2) Lost @ Penn 49-6
Purdue (8-1) Lost @ Yale 40-2
Quarter Final Finishes
Army (3-2) Lost @ Purdue 30-13
Cornell (6-4-1) Lost @ Penn 9-0
Michigan (9-1-1) Lost @ Yale 48-0
Minnesota (9-1-1) Lost @ Harvard 37-6
Second Round Finishes
Brown (10-5) Lost vs Michigan 6-5
Dartmouth (5-4) Lost @ Minnesota 6-0
Navy (4-1-1) Lost @ Penn 6-0
Penn St (5-0-1) Lost @ Harvard 10-2
Princeton (9-2) Lost vs Army 9-5
Virginia (6-2) Lost @ Yale 63-5
Williams (6-3-1) Lost @ Purdue 15-5
Wisconsin (6-3-1) Lost vs Cornell 17-6
First Round Finishes
Amherst (7-5-1) Lost @ Virginia 12-0
Beloit (5-3) Lost @ Dartmouth 22-0
Illinois (4-3) Lost @ Michigan 22-15
Nebraska (3-1) Lost @ Army 11-6
Trinity CT (4-3) Lost @ Navy 6-0
Tufts (6-5) Lost @ Penn St 24-0
Vanderbilt (4-0) Lost @ Cornell 6-4-1
Western Reserve (4-0) Lost @ Williams 22-0
Sources:
^{NCAA Championship List
1884-1894 - Mass Momentum Plays And Brutality Bring Football to Edge of Extinction -Football History by Hardcore College Football History
Retro Seasons For Stadium Reference
This post that summarizes all changes to football rules over the years
Football: The American Intercollegiate Game - Parke H. Davis
1894 college football season - Wikipedia
1894 College Football All-America Team - Wikipedia
Polo Grounds - Wikipedia
Sources for Ratings:
Massey Ratings for Rankings and Games
Billingsley Report for Rankings
The Entropy System for Rankings
Loudsound.org for Rankings
plfeming Ratings for Rankings
Sorenson Rankings for Rankings}

Two state courts in the Pacific Northwest gave gun-rights advocates some good news in challenges against magazine capacity restrictions this week. But is that sustainable?
On Friday, the Oregon Court of Appeals denied a request by the state’s attorney general to stay a lower court ruling declaring the state’s voter-approved ban on “large-capacity” magazines and permit requirement to purchase a firearm unconstitutional. It did so after finding that the gun-rights groups who challenged Measure 114 have “a legitimate likelihood of success on the merits” in the appeals process and that preventing the state from enforcing the measure merely preserves the status quo.
“Although the court acknowledges that the measure itself is intended to address an issue of great importance to the public, the motion does not present a sufficient basis to conclude that there is a nonspeculative likelihood of harm that will occur during the pendency of the appeal in the absence of a stay,” the court wrote in Arnold v. Kotek.
Meanwhile, just a few days prior, a Cowlitz County judge in Washington struck down the Evergreen State’s version of the ban as unconstitutional under both the state and US constitutions.
“This Court finds that an arm designed as a weapon and traditionally or commonly possessed in anticipation of self-defense is presumptively a protected arm in Washington State,” Superior Court Judge Gary Bashor wrote in State of Washington v. Gator’s Custom Guns. “The State must provide some history of regulation in line with the requirements of Bruen in order for Art. 1, § 24 to provide at least the protection of the right the Second Amendment does. The State has failed to do so.”
The two favorable rulings for gun-rights activists stand in stark contrast to the experience they have faced thus far in federal courts litigating similar restrictions.
With the exception of a since-stayed district court ruling striking down California’s ban, virtually all federal decisions in magazine ban cases issued since the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision have sided with the government—including cases involving the Washington and Oregon bans. That’s largely because federal judges with similar ideological predilections typically superintend the places that pass hardware bans, and judges across the country have already deployed a common analytical framework for upholding hardware bans under the Bruen test.
Success in state courts, by comparison, modest as it may be at this stage, could raise the question of whether state constitutional challenges offer more promise to litigants challenging hardware bans.
But there are reasons to be skeptical.
For one, many of the same issues involving ideological sympathy toward upholding local gun restrictions exist in state courts as they do in federal circuits, if not more so.
Though the judge struck down Washington’s magazine ban was on the merits, his ruling was almost immediately stayed thanks to some behind-the-scenes maneuvering by the state’s Attorney General and its Supreme Court. That progressive-leaning court will now take up the case on appeal. And though the Oregon ruling did not give similar deference to its state attorney general, the next court to set to review the law is made up entirely of Democratic appointees.
Additionally, state constitutional analysis is something of a wildcard. State courts, including those in places with their own state constitutional arms guarantees, are not necessarily bound to interpret restrictions on those guarantees through the same Bruen-inspired legal analysis that federal courts are. That leaves a lot of room for a wide variety of analytical frameworks.
Some states, including Iowa, Alabama, Louisiana, and Missouri, have adopted voter-approved requirements that state courts use strict scrutiny when reviewing challenges to gun laws under their respective state constitutional arms guarantees. That standard is the most stringent tier of scrutiny for government action in constitutional challenges under the interest-balancing framework–one rejected by the Supreme Court in Bruen. A restriction must be “narrowly tailored” or the “least restrictive means” of achieving a “compelling governmental interest” to pass muster under strict scrutiny, a bar the government fails to clear more often than not.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Supreme Court of Hawaii held last year ruled that the state’s constitutional arms provision does not protect any individual gun rights despite being effectively identical to the federal Second Amendment.
“Article I, section 17 of the Hawaiʻi Constitution mirrors the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the Hawaiian court wrote in Hawaii v. Wilson. “We read those words differently than the current United States Supreme Court. We hold that in Hawaiʻi there is no state constitutional right to carry a firearm in public.”
“The text of article I, section 17, its purpose, and Hawaiʻi’s historical tradition of weapons regulation support a collective, militia meaning,” the court added.
Meanwhile, Judge Bashor based his approach to Washington’s state arms rights provision on the Supreme Court’s analyses in Heller and Bruen.
“The Washington Supreme Court, through Evans and Sieyes, has adopted the US Supreme Court approach which prohibits balancing tests when analyzing general laws limiting rights under Art. 1, § 24,” he wrote.
In other words, state constitutional interpretations of the right to keep and bear arms run the gamut. While gun-rights activists may achieve individual victories at the state level, the federal courts will probably continue to be their best hope for lasting success. After all, the Second Amendment and the Supreme Court’s interpretation of it ultimately set the floor for what types of gun restrictions are permissible in all 50 states.
THE RELOAD

• Jake Fogleman
• April 14, 2024
• 5:05 am

The Kauai attackekiller is a still unidentified suspected serial killer and sexual offernder who murdered two women. Then injured another woman on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, between April-August of 2000. Despite a sketch of the perpetrator and the availability of his DNA, he was never caught, and the murders remain unsolved.
On April 7, 2000, the slain body of 38 year old Lisa Bissell. Was discovered lying in a ditch near the Polihale state park. She had been raped, beaten, her throat slashed open and finally stabbed which ultimately resulted in her untimely death. A few of her personal belongings were strewn off the roadside in Waimea.
On May 22, 2000, a 52-year-old woman was gravely injured by the same perpetrator in Kekaha. The perpetrator approached the victim while in her yard. The perpetrator than said"My name is John and I'm homeless." The victim made a suggestion that he visit her neighbors home. The neighbors were apparently known to help the homeless by giving them a place to stay
When she turned away from the man to resume her yard work. The assailant forced her behind the house and beat her bad enouyh to break an arm. He then sexually assaulted the victim. He later stabbed her in the chest with a knife. But the knife bent after hitting the victim's sternum. As a result the assailant discarded the knife into shrubbery fleeing the scene.
The victim would survive her harrowing ordeal ,having to crawl on the ground for hours until she could phone for help. The woman was able to describe her attacker to law enforcement well enought for a composite sketch to be made. Although no leads result from the release of said sketch.
On August 30, 2000, the decomposing body of 43 year old Maui resident Daren R. Singer, Maui, was discovered in a secluded campsite near Pakala Point Beach. She was raped, stabbed in the throat, and beaten to death. The beating being so severe her face was almost in a unrecognizable state. Investigators eventually were able to determined Singer was murdered 12 hours prior to the discovery of her remains.
All of known crimes shared strong similarities to one another including
All victims being white middle-aged women
All of the victims were sexually assaulted.
All of the victims were alone when they were attacked.
A knife was used as a weapon in each attack.
All victim had knife wounds on their bodies mostly inflicted onto their upper chest/neck or breast region.
All of the attacks happened on the west coast of Kauai. Sharing the same geographic location. Possible indication that the attacker was from around the area or knew the area well.
The prime suspect in the case is Waldorf Roy Wilson, a registered sex offender. He was convicted of a rape and kidnapping on Oahu in 1983. Wilson was paroled on January 9, 1999. Eventually relocating himself to Kauai. On September 12, 2000, Wilson was arrested again for violating condition of his parole. After he was arrested a local news station broadcast Wilson had been arrested for parole violations after being questioned about the murders. This led to Wilson suing the Kauai County Police Department and Honolulu Magazine for defamation. That lawsuit would later be dismissed in 2009.
Waldorf Wilson's DNA was tested and compared to the DNA of the perpetrator, However the result was deemed inconclusive. He was never official charged legally.
http://archives.starbulletin.com/2000/09/01/news/story2.html
http://archives.starbulletin.com/2000/10/28/news/story7.html

Posted By GunMagStaff On Wednesday, April 10, 2024 10:06 AM. Under Breaking News, Featured, Legal Updates, News, Opinion, Second Amendment By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New—SCOTUS: Garland v. VanDerStok: Case No. 23-10718: the case has now been distributed for the SCOTUS Conference of April 12; Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied the stay requested in Srour v. City of New York; May v. Bonta & Carralero v. Bonta: Case 23-4354 and 23-4356: Oral argument has been scheduled for April 11; We The Patriots USA Inc. v. Grisham: Case# 23-2166: On March 26, the plaintiffs filed a motion for Oral Arguments and a Consolidated Reply Brief Of Plaintiffs-Appellants. The Reply Brief attacks the Governor’s brief on the relevant historical period and exactly what determines “sensitive places.” Nguyen v. Bonta: Case 3:20-cv-02470-WQH-MMP: California filed an Emergency Motion under Circuit Court Rule 27-3 for a stay pending appeal on April 4, 2024; State of Washington v. Gator’s Custom Guns: Judge Gary D. Bashor of the Superior Court of Washington for Cowlitz County ruled that the 2022 Washinton law, ESSB 5078, a ban on sales and/or, possession of magazines with a capacity greater than 10 rounds, was unconstitutional under both the Washington and the U.S. Constitutions and within hours the court commissioner for the Supreme Court of the State of Washington issued a stay.

SCOTUS

Srour v. City of New York: Case No. 23-7549: Without referring the case to the full court, Justice Sotomayor denied the application for a stay.
The following cases are scheduled for the SCOTUS conference on April 12. Scheduling does not guarantee the Court will address a case.
Garland v. VanDerStok: Case No. 23-10718: The timetable for responses to the certiorari petition was extended and has now been distributed for the SCOTUS Conference of April 12.
Bianchi v. Brown: Case No. 23-863: Second Amendment challenge to Maryland “assault weapons” ban.
Brown v. United States: Case No. 22-10892: firearms prohibition for a felony offense.
Ratcliff v. United States: Case No. 23-6278: firearms prohibition for a felony offense.

Courts of Appeal

Hawaii: Ninth District
Teter v. Lopez: Case: 20-15948:On March 28, 2024, NRA filed an amicus brief with the en banc Ninth Circuit in Teter v. Lopez, a challenge to Hawaii’s prohibition on possessing butterfly knives.
Background: A multistate coalition of 17 attorneys general is supporting Hawaii’s request to the Ninth Circuit to rehear an appeal defending Hawaii’s ban on butterfly knives. The petition seeks a full en banc review of a panel opinion issued on August 7, 2023. On appeal from the US District Court for the District of Hawaii this case challenges the HI ban on butterfly knives. Oral arguments were held on Feb. 14, 2023. On August 7 US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued the following opinion:
“In Hawaii, it is a misdemeanor knowingly to manufacture, sell, transfer, transport, or possess a butterfly knife no exceptions. Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-53(a). Because the possession of butterfly knives is conduct protected by the plain text of the Second Amendment, and because Hawaii has not demonstrated that its ban on butterfly knives is consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of regulating arms, we conclude that section 134-53(a) violates Plaintiffs’ Second Amendment rights. We reverse and remand.”
On January 26, 2024, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated Teter and will be hearing it en banc.
New Mexico: Tenth Circuit:
We The Patriots USA Inc. v. Grisham: Case# 23-2166: On March 26, 2024, the plaintiffs filed a motion for Oral Arguments and a Consolidated Reply Brief Of Plaintiffs-Appellants. The Reply Brief attacks the Governor’s brief on the relevant historical period and exactly what determines “sensitive places.”
Background: The following cases have been consolidated as of October 10, 2023: National Association For Gun Rights et al v. Grisham et al, No. 1:23-cv-00771; Donk et al v. Grisham, No. 1:23-cv-00772; We the Patriots USA Inc. et al v. Grisham et al, No. 1:23-cv-00773; Blas v. Grisham et al, No. 1:23-cv-00774; Fort et al v. Grisham et al, No. 1:23- cv-00778; and Anderson v. Grisham et al, No. 1:23-cv-00839. The Plaintiffs have filed a Notice of Appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit on Oct. 20, 2023, On Sept. 7, 2023, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) declared a health emergency and on Sept. 8 she declared that it would now be illegal to carry a gun openly or concealed including those with a valid permit in any area where violent crime is above a certain percentage of the population, banning firearms in Albuquerque and Bernalillo Counties. On Oct. 2, Gov. Grisham amended the original order to just ban the carrying of firearms in parks and playgrounds. On Oct. 6, as a result of Grisham’s amended health order a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction was filed against the new health order. Judge Urias DENIED their Oct. 6 motion.
Texas: Fifth Circuit:
McRory v. Garland April 3, 2024, hearing.https://foundation.gunowners.org/litigation/mcrorey-v-garland
California: Ninth Circuit:
May v. Bonta & Carralero v. Bonta: Case 23-4354 and 23-4356: Oral argument has been scheduled for April 11, 2024. The “luck of the draw” has not been very favorable for this case. On April 1, Mark W. Smith @fourboxesdiner (if you are not following him, you should) on X (formerly known as Twitter), tweeted:
“TERRIBLE ANTI-2A PANEL IN RENO MAY, ET AL CASE. The Ninth Circuit’s panel assignment for the Carralero, May, and Woolford (CA & HI gun-free zone cases) argument is available and it’s terrible. JUDGES MARY SCHROEDER, SUSAN GRABER, and JENNIFER SUNG.”
Background: After the passage of SB2, a Bruen-response bill creating “sensitive places” where firearms are not allowed, this lawsuit was initiated on Sept. 12, 2023. Plaintiffs include CRPA, GOA, SAF, and others. On Octo. 3, the court hearing was rescheduled for December 20, 2023. On Nov. 21 CRPA Attorney Kostas Moros (@MorosKostas on X (formerly known as Twitter) ) informed his followers that a reply brief had been filed. He goes on to write“We’ve also submitted a rebuttal expert declaration which includes an appendix pointing out how California took several historical laws out of context or otherwise mischaracterized them in their opposition brief.”
Dec. 30, 2023, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 3-judge Motions panel, stayed the District Court’s injunction in the combined cases of Carralero v. Bonta and May v. Bonta. Then they sent it to a “merits” panel for further adjudication. Thus on Jan. 1, SB2 went into effect which prohibited those with carry permits from carrying in “specific sensitive places”. There are very few places in the state that are NOT specific sensitive places under that law. On Jan. 6 the Merits panel reinstated the injunction that had been ordered by District Judge Cormack J. Carney and denied the state of California’s motion for a stay. Californians with carry permits are now no longer prohibited from carrying firearms in the same manner they were able to before Dec. 30.

Circuit Courts

California: Ninth Circuit
Nguyen v. Bonta: Case 3:20-cv-02470-WQH-MMP: California filed an Emergency Motion under Circuit Court Rule 27-3 for a stay pending appeal on April 4.
Background: This case was filed on Dec. 18, 2020, against California’s One-Gun-A-Month purchase law. On Jan. 5, 2023, the court ordered “additional expert discovery” and then 11 more months passed until oral arguments were held on Dec. 6, 2023. This case includes the following plaintiffs—The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), North County Shooting Center, San Diego County Gun Owners Pac, and others who —challenged the California One-Gun-A-Month purchase law. It was decided by Federal Judge William Q. Hayes on March 11, 2024, in favor of the plaintiffs. SAF Executive Director announced the decision stating:
“There is nothing in the Second Amendment remotely connected to limiting the number of firearms a person can purchase. This limitation is blatantly unconstitutional, and if this ruling is appealed by the State of California, we intend to defend the lower court’s correct decision.”
Judge Hayes issued a judgment on March 28, and stayed his order for 30 days. The law will remain in effect until April 27.

State Courts

State of Washington v. Gator’s Custom Guns: Case No. 23-2-00897-08: In the Superior Court of Washington for Cowlitz County Judge Gary D. Bashor issued the following order:
“As such there is no set of facts this Court can conceive of which would allow the Consumer Protection sections of ESSB 5078 as written to pass constitutional muster and this Court specifically finds those sections unconstitutional.
Order
“1. The Court Grants the Defense Motion for Summary Judgement on both its Article 1, Section 24 claim and on their Second Amendment Claim.
“2. The Court Denies the State’s Motion for Summary Judgement on both its Article 1, Section 24 claim, and its Second Amendment Claim.”
Additionally, the Court also enjoined the State of Washington from enforcing any provisions of ESSB 5078. Within hours the Supreme Court of the State of Washinton issued a stay.
Background: After the passage of ESSB 5078 om 2022, a bill that made the sale and possession of magazines with more than 10 round capacity illegal, the State of Washington filed a Consumer Protection Act (CPA) enforcement action against Gator’s Custom Guns, Gator’s responded that ESSB 5078 violated Washington Constitution, Article 1, Art.1, § 24 and the U.S. Constitution.

After some requests, I've decided to release my list for North Carolina's post 70s execution roster that I made for my personal death project. As of 2006, 43 inmates have been put to death by the state. As a warning, many of their crimes are extremely heinous (a few involve violence against minors), and that is discussed in my descriptions. Please read at your personal discretion.
Something that should be clarified about the time frames here is that they aren't the range that the offenders spend on death row. They are intended to be an approximate time frame of their first known offenses to their executions.
The states that I've covered so far in this series are California, Illinois, the 14 states with less then 10 executions (New Mexico, Connecticut, Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon, Montana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Nebraska, Washington, Maryland, South Dakota, and Utah), Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, Delaware, Tennessee, and Nevada. I'm planning on doing Mississippi tomorrow, but what other states (beyond Texas, which I haven't completed yet) would you like me to cover next?
There a number of states that never carried out an execution in the post Furman era, such as Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, West Virginia, Kansas, and Iowa. Some of them historically had capital punishment, such as New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island, in that time frame and still theoretically do like Kansas and New Hampshire (it abolished the death penalty in 2019, but its sole death row inmate had his sentence grandfathered in and remains eligible for execution). Although they cannot be covered in this series, perhaps I'll discuss their condemned cases in the future after I fully complete Texas' list in my project.
The currently 43 executed offenders:
1.James Hutchins (~1954-1984, lethal injection): In 1954, Hutchins shot dead Bruce Weibel, a 32 year old truck driver that picked him up while he was hitchhiking. He evaded prosecution on the grounds of self defense. Hutchins was also briefly questioned in the death of a woman now identified as 18 year old Dorothy Howard, but it is currently believed that serial killer Harvey Glatman was likely responsible for her murder. 25 years later, Hutchins got into a violent argument with his then 18 year old daughter over offering alcohol at her graduation party. Police were called when he assaulted her and other family members that tried to intervene. Hutchins opened fire on the responding officers. 3 of them, 58 year old Owen Messersmith, 42 year old Roy Huskey, and 37 year old Pete Peterson, were killed in the shooting. He also had an assault with a deadly weapon conviction for attempting to kill his ex wife's husband.
2.Velma Barfield (~1969-1984, lethal injection): Barfield poisoned at least 6 people, which included her mother, 64 year old Lillian Bullard, her second husband, 54 year old Jennings Barfield, her boyfriend, 56 year old Rowland Taylor, and 3 elderly individuals, 76 year old Record Lee, and married couple, 95 year old Montgomery and 85 year old Dollie Edwards, under her care. After her victims' murders, Barfield would forge checks in their names. Barfield is also suspected with being involved in a fire that killed her first husband, 37 year old William Burke.
3.John Rook (1980-1986, lethal injection): Rook kidnapped a nurse, 25 year old Ann Roche, from the parking lot of a hospital. He raped Roche, tormented her for several hours with beatings with a tire iron and cuttings with a fishing knife, and rammed her to death with his car.
4.Michael Van McDougall (~1973-1991, lethal injection): Van McDougall lured his neighbors, 27 year old Diane Parker and her roommate, 26 year old Vicki Dunno, into his home by claiming that his wife injured herself. He then attacked them both with a butcher knife. Parker was killed in the attack, and she received over 22 stab wounds. Dunno was stabbed 9 times, but managed to survive the ordeal. Van McDougall had a history of drug dealing and was convicted of sexually assaulting a 31 year old woman at the age of 18.
5.John Gardner Jr. (1982-1992, lethal injection): Gardner broke into the home of 72 year old Ray Shaver and shot him to death. A few days later, he gunned down two restaurant employees, 24 year old Kim Miller and 21 year old Richard Adam, during a robbery. He also stole $2,700 from the registers.
6.David Lawson (1980-1994, gas chamber): Lawson shot a father and son pair, 73 year old Buren and 36 year old Wayne Shinn, when they interrupted him burglarizing their home. Wayne died at the scene, while Buren survived and was able to identify Lawson to the police.
7.Kermit Smith Jr. (1980-1995, lethal injection): Smith abducted 20 year old Whelette Collins and two unidentified 19 year old women from a basketball game. He raped Collins, forcibly exposed her body to the freezing temperatures, and crushed her head with cinderblocks. The other captives, wanting to avoid Collins' fate, fought back and overpowered Smith, and fled into the woods. They were able to wave down a passing motorist and call the police. Smith was a lifelong misogynist and his crimes were purely motivated of a desire to kill a woman. While awaiting execution, Smith continued to attack guards and other death row inmates.
8.Phillip Ingle (~1990s-1995, lethal injection): Ingle entered the home of a married couple, 68 year old William and 67 year old Margaret through an unlocked door. He beat them both to death with an ax handle. A few months later, Ingle broke into the home of 70 year old E.Z. Willis and his 67 year old wife Sarah. Although the Willises were both beaten to death with a tire iron, E.Z. fought back and managed to severely gash Ingle's face with his cane. When questioned about his motives, Ingle replied that "I like watching people die in agony." He had previous convictions for assault and burglary.
9.Ricky Sanderson (~1985-1998, gas chamber): Sanderson kidnapped 16 year old Sue Holliman from her home. He raped, choked, and stabbed her to death, and dumped Holliman's body in a farmer's field. Sanderson was also responsible for at least two other rapes.
10.Zane Hill (1990-1998, lethal injection): After threatening his estranged wife at her home over a restraining order, Hill shot and killed their 29 year old son Randall. He then hit his wife in the head with the gun's butt when she tried to help Randall. Hill had a long history of abuse towards his family, and had numerous complaints of harassment against him.
11.John Noland Jr. (1982-1998, lethal injection): To get back at his ex wife for leaving him with their children, Noland went to the home of her sister, 22 year old Cynthia Milton, and shot her to death. He then walked across the street to the residence of his ex wife's parents, and fatally shot her father, 62 year old Troy, and wounded her mother, 57 year old Mary.
12.James Rich (1991-1998, lethal injection): In 1991, Rich was given a life sentence for the shooting murder of an unidentified person during a burglary. A few years later, in an attempt to avoid being enrolled in the education program that his prison was pushing, Rich stabbed a fellow inmate, 45 year old Paul Gwyn, to death. Before his murder at Rich's hands, Gwyn was incarcerated for raping a teenage girl.
13.Harvey Green (1983-1999, lethal injection): While robbing a dry cleaning store, Green beat the cashier, 17 year old Sheila Bland, and a customer, 33 year old John Edmondson, to death with a pipe.
14.Arthur Boyd Jr. (~1969-1999, lethal injection): When his ex girlfriend, 32 year old Wanda Hartman, rejected his pleas of getting back together, Boyd stabbed her 37 times in front of her mother and daughters. Boyd had a long criminal history with his first arrest being at the age of 14. His other past convictions include drunk driving, sexually abusing a 14 year old girl, theft, and assaulting officers.
15.David Brown (1980-1999, lethal injection): After forcing himself inside their apartment, Brown stabbed 26 year old Shelly Chalflinch and her 9 year old daughter Christine over 100 times and mutilated their bodies. The motive behind the attack is not known.
16.Michael Sexton (~1990-2000, lethal injection): Sexton kidnapped his coworker, 29 year old Kimberly Crews, from the parking lot of a hospital where they worked at, and forced her in her own minivan. Crews was driven to a remote forest, robbed of her credit cards, and raped and strangled to death. The van was then abandoned with Crews' body left in it. Sexton had several previous convictions of assault and forged checks.
17.Willie Fisher (1992-2001, lethal injection): In an argument over custody over their daughter, Fisher assaulted his girlfriend, 29 year old Angela Johnson, with a knife in front of her family in their home. Johnson's 12 year old daughter tried attacking Fisher with a broomstick, but he disarmed and stabbed her, and used the broomstick as a weapon against them. He only stopped when a neighbor fired a warning shot at him. Johnson was killed in the attack, but her daughter managed to survive her injuries.
18.Clifton White (~1989-2001, lethal injection): After a 4 day cocaine binge, White tied up his girlfriend's roommate, 28 year old Kimberly Ewing, in their apartment. He raped her, struck her head with a fireplace shovel, stabbed her neck, and cut her throat. White then stole her money that he used to buy more cocaine, and drove her car to Florida. He had at least two other convictions of sexual assault.
19.Ronald Frye (1993-2001, lethal injection): Frye stabbed his landlord, 70 year old Ralph Childress, to death with scissors. He then stole $5,000 from him, which was spent on drugs.
20.David Ward (1991-2001, lethal injection): Ward and a partner intruded into the home of 45 year old Dorothy Smith and waited for her to return home from shopping. They shot her 5 times and stole $4,000 from the home.
21.John Rose (1991-2001, lethal injection): Rose choked, beat, and stabbed his girlfriend, 24 year old Patricia Stewart, to death during a heated argument. Allegedly, she threatened to accuse him of rape for wanting a relationship with a different woman.
22.Ernest Basden (1992-2002, lethal injection): Basden was a triggerman of a conspiracy to murder Billy White, a 59 year old insurance agent. The murder was orchestrated by his nephew and White's wife, and they hired him to lure White by pretending to be a client interested in buying insurance from him. Basden coaxed White to a forest and shot him to death. White's wife had also choked her 4 year old stepson from a different husband to death some 19 years before hiring Basden.
23.Desmond Carter (1992-2002, lethal injection): Under the influence of alcohol, cocaine, and tranquilizers, Carter entered the home of 71 year old Helen Purdy, and stabbed her death with a butcher knife. He stole $15 from the residence for cocaine. Carter was a heavy addict, and his family tried pushing him for treatment, but was rejected for the lack of insurance.
24.William Jones (1987-2002, lethal injection): Jones shot up a convenience store with an Uzi while attempting to rob it, and mortally wounded a customer, 32 year old Edward Peebles. Another customer, 22 year old Orlando Watson, was injured by the spray of bullets, but was successfully treated for his wounds.
25.Henry Hunt (~1985-2003, lethal injection): Hunt shot dead 37 year old Jackie Ransom on the behest of his wife and her other (illegal) husband, who wanted to collect an insurance policy from him. A few days later, Hunt also fatally shot an associate, 36 year old Larry Jones, on the fear that he was a police informant. Prosecutors and investigators strongly believe that he was responsible for several other killings, but Hunt was only convicted for Ransom and Jones' murders.
26.Joseph Bates (1990-2003, lethal injection): In a desperate attempt to find out the identity of a shooter that attacked his house, Bates picked his "friend", 34 year old Charles Jenkins, up from a bar. While they were driving, Bates struck Jenkins in the head with a shovel, hogtied him, and drove his prisoner to a campsite. Jenkins was bound to a tree and beaten while interrogated by Bates. Bate then freed Jenkins from his restraints and shot him in the head.
27.Edward Hartman (1993-2003, lethal injection): Hartman shot his mother's ex boyfriend, 77 year old Herman Smith, in the back of the head as he was sitting on a couch and watching TV.
28.Joseph Keel (~1987-2003, lethal injection): For reasons unknown, Keel shot his father in law, 42 year old John Simmons, dead with a hunting rifle as he was picking him up from a hog farm. Keel also was previously convicted of voluntary manslaughter for beating his infant son to death, which was one of the contributing factors of him receiving the death penalty.
29.John Daniels (1990-2003, lethal injection): In the midst of a marriage crisis, Daniels moved in with his aunt, 77 year old Isabella Crawford. Daniels and Crawford got into an argument over allowing his wife and son to live with them, and he strangled her to death with an electrical cord. Daniel stole $80 from his aunt, smoked some cocaine, returned back to his home, and assaulted his wife and son with a hammer. He also threatened a neighbor trying to intervene with a knife and burned his own house down.
30.Robbie Lyons (~1990s-2003, lethal injection): While robbing a market, Lyons shot the owner, 48 year old Stephen Stafford, dead with a shotgun. Lyons had a long criminal history, which included forging checks, shoplifting, and other incidents of armed robbery.
31.Raymond Rowsey (1992-2004, lethal injection): Rowsey and his half brother robbed a convenience store, and shot the clerk, 20 year old Howard Sikorski, 6 times in the face, head, back, and neck. The brothers stole $57 from the register and several adult magazines.
32.Sammy Perkins (~1981-2004, lethal injection): Perkins went to the home of his girlfriend, 40 year old Theia Moore, for sex. When they were about to enage in intercourse, Moore discovered a knife underneath a pillow, and expelled him from her home. Later in the night, Perkins broke into the residence, sexually assaulted Moore's 7 year old granddaughter Lashenna, and suffocated her with a pillow. Perkins had a long criminal record, which included drug dealing and an attempted rape conviction.
33.Charles Roache (~1999-2004, lethal injection): Roache was riding with one of his friends, 22 year old Chad Watt. While they were driving, Watt's car was damaged by a road bump, and an argument broke out. It ended with Roache and two other men beating and shooting him to death. The next day, Roache and his accomplices broke into the home of the Philips family (consisting of couple, 72 year old Earl and 71 year old Cora, Earl and Cora's 40 year old son Eddie, Eddie's 44 year old wife Mitzi, and Eddie and Mitzi's 14 year old daughter Katie). They tied them all up with duct tape, executed the family with shotgun blasts to the head, and stole $50 from Earl's wallet and the family car keys.
34.Frank Chandler (1992-2004, lethal injection): Chandler burglarized the home of 90 year old Doris Poore. He killed Poore with a blow to the head while attempting to rape her.
35.William Powell (1991-2005, lethal injection): Out of desperation for drug money, Powell robbed a convenience store. The clerk, 54 year old Mary Gladden, tried to stop him, but was beaten to death with a tire iron.
36.Earl Richmond Jr. (~1989(?)-2005, lethal injection): While serving in the Army, Richmond entered the residence of a fellow soldier, 24 year old Lisa Nadeau. He bound, raped, stabbed, strangled, and beat her to death with a hammer. A few months later, he raped and strangled 27 year old Helisa Hayes in her mobile home. After he killed her, Richmond stabbed Helisa's son, 7 year old Philip, 40 times with scissors and strangled him with an electrical cord, and strangled her daughter, 8 year old Darien, with a curling iron. Richmond is also suspected in a string of rapes in bases that he was stationed at.
37.Steven Van McHone (1990-2005, lethal injection): McHone got into an argument with his 53 year old mother Mildred Adams and his 51 year old stepfather Wesley Sr. over money, and threatened them with his pistol. Despite Wesley Sr. taking the pistol away, McHone seized the family shotgun and fatally shot them both with it. Wesley Sr.'s biological son, 33 year old Wesley Jr., tackled and subdued McHone until the police arrived at the scene. McHone was on probation for a theft conviction at the time of the murders.
38.Elias Syriani (1990-2005, lethal injection): Syriani, a Palestinian immigrant from what is now the internationally disputed West Bank, stabbed his wife, 40 year old Teresa, 28 times with a screwdriver while sitting in the car together with their 10 year old son. He previously been extremely violent to her in their marriage, and had hospitalized Teresa in multiple incidents.
39.Kenneth Boyd (1988-2005, lethal injection): After stalking his wife, 36 year old Julie, for separating from him, Boyd shot her and her 57 year old father, Thomas Curry, at their home with his .357 magnum pistol. He also shot at his sons and his wife's brother during the attack, but they managed to escape unharmed.
40.Perrie Simpson (1984-2006): Simpson and his pregnant teenage girlfriend went to the home of Jean Darter, a 92 year old reverend, to beg for money. Darter only gave them some food and drinks when he opened the door for them. The pair decided to seize money from him by force, and they forced their way into Darter's home the following day. They beat him with an empty bottle, choked him with a belt, and slit his wrists with a razor blade. Simpson and his girlfriend stole a radio, three boxes of tissues, a flashlight and a laundry basket from the home.
41.Patrick Moody (~1990-2006, lethal injection): Moody and his girlfriend conspired to murder her husband, 34 year Donnie Robbins, for his life insurance policy. He pretended to be interested in buying Robbin's car, and shot him in the head when they were "negotiating" the price. Years earlier, Moody had also tried conspiring with another married girlfriend for a similar scheme against her husband's life, but was foiled by authorities.
42.Willie Brown Jr. (1983-2006, lethal injection): Brown abducted a clerk, 29 year old Vallerie Dixon, while robbing a Zip Mart she was working at. He forced her into his car, shot her dead, and dumped Dixon's body in the woods.
43.Samuel Flippen (1995-2006, lethal injection): Flippen was convicted of beating his stepdaughter, 2 year old Britnie Hutton, to death while watching over her. His estranged wife also accused him of abusing his stepson. His execution was controversial, as Flippen has a strong movement (which Hutton's biological father is a part of) proclaiming his innocence.

POTOMAC

• Nneka Ihim’s Takeaway From Her First RHOP Season: Stay Offline (Shamira Ibrahim for Vulture)

ORANGE COUNTY

• Andy Cohen & Real Housewives Stars React to the Death of Lauri Peterson’s Son (Heavy)
• Go Inside Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley's "Epic" Anniversary Celebration (Bravo's The Daily Dish)

NEW YORK

• Dorinda Medley on home must-haves and which ‘RHONY’ star made the biggest mess at Blue Stone Manor (Page Six Six Picks)

ATLANTA

• Porsha Williams Reveals Where She Stands with Phaedra Parks (Bravo's The Daily Dish)
• Transform Your Home With Kandi Burruss-Approved Spring Cleaning Must-Haves for Just $4 (E!)

BEVERLY HILLS

• Kyle Richards enjoys fun in the sun during a tropical vacation in Mexico with her daughters... amid her separation from Mauricio Umansky (Daily Mail)
• Kyle Richards' daughter Farrah, 35, steps out WITHOUT her engagement ring after confirming Alex Manos split... amid fan-fueled plastic surgery speculation (Daily Mail)
• Andy Cohen Cracks Up Over Netflix Star Nicola Coughlan's Run-In With Sutton Stracke (Heavy)

BRAVO

• VPR Star Scheana Shay Addresses Whether She Would Leave the Show to Join ‘The Valley’ (Heavy)
• VPR’s Ariana Madix takes out $800k loan on new $1.6m Los Angeles mansion despite racking in ‘millions’ from partnerships (The Sun U.S. exclusive)
• Go Inside Tom Schwartz and Girlfriend Sophia Skoro's Hawaiian Vacation (Photos) (Bravo's The Daily Dish)
• Rachel Leviss Says She Apologized to Katie Maloney for Recent Instagram Post (Heavy)
• Ex-'Vanderpump Rules' Star Faith Stowers Feared Lala Kent Would 'Disfigure' Her in Knife Incident, Claims She Was Fired After Threatening to Call Police (Radar Online exclusive)
• Kristen Doute Suggests Katie Isn’t Friends With Vanderpump Rules Cast in “Real Life,” Offers Update on Their Relationship, and Talks Jo Wenberg Ghosting Her, Plus Feeling Bad for Jo Amid Bullying Drama (Reality Blurb)
• Amanda Batula Clarifies She and Husband Kyle Cooke Were Not House-Hunting in New Jersey (US Weekly)
• See Paige DeSorbo’s $2,500 Prada Dress That Inspired Her Italian Dinner (Photos) (Bravo's The Daily Dish)
• Paige DeSorbo Declares It’s Summer 77 Days Early With Malibu Paige Breeze Cocktail (US Weekly)
• Where Is The Summer House Season 1 Cast Now? (Bravo's The Daily Dish)
• Summer House: Martha's Vineyard's Bria Fleming Is Building Her Business Empire (Bravo's The Daily Dish)
• So Chic, Very Chic: What’s the Worst Thing in the World? (Joan Summers for PAPER Magazine)
• Bravo's "Waking up in the Morning" Bracket (Bravo)

Links to this week's episode discussion posts:

• RHOP S8E20 🌸
• VPR S11E10🍸
• The Valley S1E3 🏘️

First, polls suggest the Ferguson-Reichert race will be the tightest gubernatorial race since 2012. We very likely could see margins in the state house and senate change this November. Even if Reichert loses, making the margin significantly closer than in 2020 will subdue some of the most extreme measures state Democrats have been proposing as they will have reached the limit of what voters are willing to endure, and they therefore are being punished at the ballot box.
Second, the tide is slowly starting to turn. Hawaii's bill to expand their "assault pistol" law just died in their legislature, a state that is more anti-2A than Washington. Even Dem-appointed judges are striking down or staying "sensitive places" laws in NY, NJ, and CA.Politics have a natural ebb and flow. Right now, attacking the 2nd Amendment has been part of the reaction against Dobbs and Bruen. Eventually, this mania will become lower priority.
Third, the Supreme Court has seven petitions to "assault weapon" and standard-capacity magazine bans on their docket, which we will hear from by the end of June. Although most are at the preliminary injunction stage, they have huge names behind them. If they grant cert this year, we will get a decision in June 2025. If they decide to wait for a case on the merits, we will need to wait until June 2026.

Timestamps: https://imgur.com/a/SL52EjT
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