Twin Tiers Living

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A 22-year-old gunman opened fire in a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, killing five people and leaving 18 injured before he was subdued by “heroic” patrons and arrested by police who were on the scene within minutes, authorities said Sunday.

Two firearms, including a “long rifle,” were found at Club Q after the Saturday night shooting, said Police Chief Adrian Vasquez.

Investigators were still determining a motive, and the attack was being investigated to see if it should be prosecuted as a hate crime, said El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen.

Police identified the gunman as Anderson Lee Aldrich, who was in custody and being treated for injuries. A man with the same name and age was arrested in 2021 after his mother reported he threatened her with “a homemade bomb, multiple weapons and ammunition,” according to authorities.

 

Read more here.

This Webb Space Telescope image of the outer parts of the enormous galaxy cluster Abell 2744 shows two of the furthest galaxies seen so far.

Credits: SCIENCE: NASA, ESA, CSA, Tommaso Treu (UCLA), IMAGE PROCESSING: Zolt G. Levay (STScI)

November 17, 2022

The state of the art James Webb Space Telescope, operated by NASA, has uncovered a hitherto mostly unexplored "undiscovered territory" of early galaxies that is surprisingly abundant. The universe being revealed by Webb is incredibly rich, and the first galaxies that formed seem very different from the mature galaxies we see around us now. Two extremely brilliant galaxies were discovered by researchers between 350 and 450 million years after the big bang. Astronomers find their great brightness perplexing. Young galaxies are converting gas into stars at a very fast rate. They are much smaller than Milky Way galaxy in size, but are compressed into spherical or disk shapes. Just 100 million years after the big bang, which occurred 13.8 billion years ago, stellar birth may have begun.

The distances to these far-off galaxies should be confirmed by additional spectroscopic measurements made with the Webb space telescope, which will also provide information on the rate of star formation and the elemental abundances in the early stars.

After only a few days of official science operations, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope allowed scientists to observe early galaxies that had previously eluded all previous telescopes. Researchers discovered two extraordinarily brilliant galaxies in the GLASS-JWST photos after only four days of processing. Future spectroscopic observations with Webb will help corroborate that these galaxies existed between 450 and 350 million years after the big bang (with a redshift of roughly 10.5 and 12.5, respectively).

These two galaxies' current Webb distance estimates are based on analyzing their infrared hues. These cosmic yardstick readings will eventually be independently verified by subsequent spectroscopy measurements that demonstrate how light has been stretched in the expanding universe.

On November 17, 2022, the State Police in Horseheads along with the assistance of Elmira Police Department executed a search warrant on 4th Street, in Elmira, NY.  

During the search, troopers located numerous firearms, including handguns, pistols, and assault weapons.

Also, recovered was an extensive amount of large capacity magazines and ammunition.  

As a result, 22 year old Madixx J. Burgeof Elmira was arrested for 7 counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd  Degree,  a class D Felony.  Burge was arraigned on the charges and remanded to Chemung County Jail in lieu of $350,000 cash bail.  

This case is ongoing with additional charges pending.

With several new members coming to the county legislature and some having stepped down, there's sure to be some changes. This is the spot to talk about this, as well as any and all things political in Chemung County including the City of Elmira. 

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In its fifth season, “Yellowstone” opens with Costner’s Montana rancher John Dutton awaiting the outcome of his reluctant run for governor -- a big-swing effort to shield his family’s vast land and business against challenges from developers and empowered Native Americans.

Dutton’s populist-style campaign promised to safeguard Montana values, or likely those that dovetail with the interests he’s gone to extremes to protect. Would Costner himself consider seeking office? “No, I don’t think so,” he said. 

In an interview with The Associated Press, he discussed why “Yellowstone” has gained a following, the series’ portrayal of Native Americans, and his long-held regard for the Western genre done right. Remarks have been edited for brevity and clarity.

 

See the interview here. 

By passing up shots on yearling bucks (1.5 years old), hunters improve their odds of seeing older-age, larger bucks in the years to come. Though antlers can be helpful to distinguish young bucks, sometimes antlers can be misleading.

These bucks from Washington County, NY demonstrate typical age-related differences in body size and antler growth.

Body characteristics are also very important. Here are some good ways to distinguish between yearling bucks and adult bucks:

Antlerless Deer – Doe or Fawn

It can be difficult to distinguish adult does from fawn deer, particularly late in the season or anytime if the deer are alone. Though fawns provide excellent table fare, some hunters prefer to target adult deer. Taking adult female deer contributes to management objectives, and passing buck fawns may allow some of them to be available later as antlered bucks. By learning the differences between does and fawns, hunters can make more informed harvest choices.

After the Shot
Check out DEC’s Guide to Aging Deer in New York (PDF) to learn how to age deer by looking at their teeth.

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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote Wednesday on a resolution that would establish a commission to investigate unfounded Russian claims that Ukraine and the United States are carrying out “military biologcal” activities that violate the convention prohibiting the use of biological weapons.

Russia circulated a 310-page document to council members last week alleging that this biological activity is taking place in Ukraine with support from the U.S. Defense Department. The document included an official complaint to the Security Council, allowed under Article VI of the 1972 biological weapons convention, and a draft resolution that would authorize the Security Council to set up a commission comprising the 15 council members to investigate Russia’s claims.

 

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On October 19th, 2022 Elmira Police Department Officers responded to a reported domestic incident on W First St in the City of Elmira.

During the investigation, it was learned that the male party involved possessed a handgun. Officers attempted to detain the suspect to further investigate these claims, however the suspect resisted officers and attempted to flee the residence before being taken into custody. The suspect, Jaheim D Brown, a 20 year old male from Elmira, was found to be in possession of a 9mm “Ghost” gun which was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition.

As a result of this investigation, Brown was charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd Degree (Class D Felony) and Obstruction of Governmental Administration 2nd Degree (Class A Misdemeanor).

Brown was held pending arraignment in Elmira City Court on October 20th,2022.

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Six people were injured Monday morning in a shooting inside a St. Louis high school.

The shooting just after 9 a.m. at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School forced students to barricade doors and huddle in classroom corners, jump from windows and run out of the building to seek safety. Within minutes, the school was surrounded by dozens of police vehicles.

St. Louis Public Schools said on Twitter that the shooter was “quickly stopped” by police. A tweet from the police department said the shooter was in custody. No further details about the shooter were immediately released.

 

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On 10/22/2022 at around 0337hrs Officers responded to the 500 block of W 4th Street for a report of gun shots. Upon arrival Officers located several spent shell casings on the sidewalk in front of a residence.  The same residence had an upstairs window struck by gunfire.  The residents advised that they were not aware of who fired the rounds or why their residence was targeted.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Anonymous tip line at (607) 271-HALT.

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Police say a 15-year-old boy — dressed in camouflage and armed with a shotgun, according to 911 callers — turned the gently curving streets of Hedingham and the riverside greenway beyond into a killing zone. When the shooting was over Thursday, five people, including Connors, were dead.

Although police have not identified the shooter, who was captured hours after the attacks and was hospitalized in critical condition for unknown reasons, neighbors say they believe he lived in Hedingham.

 

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ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY)-- Homelessness is a growing problem in the City of Elmira. Many homeless people were living under the Clemens Center Bridge and one shelter had to shut down due to safety concerns.

The City of Elmira recently cleaned up the homeless encampment under the Clemens Center Bridge, however many people who were living there returned a short time later.

Officials offered help to the people living there but say the overwhelming majority of homeless people refused help. With winter around the corner, the city and its homeless are in a tough spot.

Elmira removed the encampment after putting the people who lived there on notice.  However, they are back! Joseph Calkans is one of them.  He has a blue tent under the bridge facing north towards the water. It is where he and his girlfriend and dog live 

"On the street, we feel as if we got more freedom, we ain't being judged. I felt belittled they think they are better than us when this can happen to anybody at any time, all it takes is that one second and there you go you're homeless,"  Calkans said.

 

See the full report here.

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How Real Are Putin's Nuclear Threats In Ukraine?

Putin has said his nuclear threat isn’t a bluff. His top associate, Dmitry Medvedev, said Tuesday that Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine if Kyiv threatens Russian statehood.

Medvedev declared NATO would stand back if Moscow launched a nuclear strike on Ukraine. “American and European demagogues aren’t going to die in a nuclear apocalypse, and so they will swallow the use of any weapons in the current conflict,” he said.

Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, tweeted that by dangling the nuclear threat, “Putin is not bluffing, he is deterring.”

“He is trying to prevent the West from providing more sophisticated weapons to Ukraine,” McFaul said.

 

Read more here.

Do you think Putin would use nuclear weapons if pushed to do so?

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WASHINGTON (AP) — More than $12 billion in Ukraine-related aid will be included as part of stopgap spending bill that would fund the federal government into mid-December, a person familiar with the legislation said Monday.

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TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Long lines of cars on roads snaking to Russia’s border crossings with Georgia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, and similar queues at airports.

Angry demonstrations — not just in Moscow and St. Petersburg — but in the remote far north province of Yakutia and in the southern region of Dagestan, with women chasing a police officer and shouting, “No to war!”

A gunman who opened fire in an enlistment office in a Siberian city and gravely wounded the military commandant, saying, “We will all go home now.”

Five days after President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization to call up hundreds of thousands of reservists to fight in Ukraine, the move has triggered outraged protests, a fearful exodus and acts of violence across the vast country.

“Panic. All the people I know are in panic,” said David, a Russian who gave only his first name out of fear of reprisals, in an interview with The Associated Press at a border crossing with Georgia. “We are running from the regime that kills people.”

 

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On September 22nd, 2022 Elmira Police Department Officers conducted a traffic stop on Mt Zoar St. in the City of Elmira.

During the traffic stop it was learned that the operator of the vehicle was in possession of a quantity of narcotics and was taken into custody. As Officers continued to conduct their
investigation, a search of the vehicle was conducted and officers located a 9mm handgun loaded with 15 rounds. Additionally, an extended magazine loaded with 17 rounds of 9mm ammunition, a large quantity of marihuana and a large quantity of US Currency were also recovered.

As a result of this investigation, Brendon T White, a 22 year old male, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree (Class C Felony), and Criminal Possession of a
Controlled Substance 7th Degree (Class A Misdemeanor). The passenger, Nicholas W Decker a 29 year old male, was also charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree.

On Thursday September 22nd, 2022 Elmira Police Department Officers observed two subjects operating gasoline powered Mini bikes in the roadway in violation of the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law. When Officers attempted to stop the operators, both fled from police. One of the operators was located stopped in the area, and was issued traffic tickets before being released. At the same time the second operator was located within the 300 block of W Third St and fled from officers on foot. The second operator, Davonte L Alligood was located and arrested. Subsequent investigation by officers led to the recovery of a semi-automatic 9mm hand gun loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition

As a result of the investigation, Davonte L Alligood, a 22-year-old male, was arrested and charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree(Class C Felony), Obstruction of
Governmental Administration (Class A Misdemeanor) and several other Vehicle and Traffic violations. Alligood was arraigned in Elmira City Court and was remanded to the Chemung County jail.

If anyone has any further information regarding this incident, please contact the Elmira Police Department at (607)737-5626, or the tip line at (607)271-HALT.

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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows off its capabilities closer to home with its first image of Neptune. Not only has Webb captured the clearest view of this distant planet’s rings in more than 30 years, but its cameras reveal the ice giant in a whole new light.

Most striking in Webb’s new image is the crisp view of the planet’s rings – some of which have not been detected since NASA’s Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to observe Neptune during its flyby in 1989. In addition to several bright, narrow rings, the Webb image clearly shows Neptune’s fainter dust bands.

“It has been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings, and this is the first time we’ve seen them in the infrared,” notes Heidi Hammel, a Neptune system expert and interdisciplinary scientist for Webb. Webb’s extremely stable and precise image quality permits these very faint rings to be detected so close to Neptune.

 

Read more here.

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of reservists Wednesday, taking a risky and deeply unpopular step that follows humiliating setbacks for his troops nearly seven months after invading Ukraine.

The first such call-up in Russia since World War II is sure to further fuel tensions with the Western backers of Ukraine, who derided it as an act of weakness and desperation. The move also sent some Russians scrambling to buy plane tickets out of the country and reportedly sparked some demonstrations.

The Kremlin has struggled to replenish its troops in Ukraine, reaching out for volunteers. There even have been reports of widespread recruitment in prisons.

In his seven-minute nationally televised address, Putin also warned the West he isn’t bluffing over using everything at his disposal to protect Russia — an apparent reference to his nuclear arsenal. He has previously told the West not to back Russia against the wall and has rebuked NATO countries for supplying weapons to Ukraine.

 

See the rest here.

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Many of the vegetables we grow in our gardens produce seeds, which, if harvested and stored correctly, have the potential to grace us with free plants. And late summer is the perfect time to start collecting them. 

A few notes: Make sure the plants from which you’re collecting seeds are heirloom, or open-pollinated, varieties. These are plants in their original forms whose seeds will produce plants with the same qualities as their parent.

Hybridized varieties, on the other hand, are created by breeding two or more different types to capture the best qualities of each. Attempting to grow seeds collected from hybrids will yield a harvest of disappointment, as the resulting plants will not have the expected attributes but rather carry the traits of only one of the parents -- and there’s no way to know what that will be. For this reason, it’s best not to grow seeds from supermarket produce.

Many plants become cross-pollinated in the garden when pollinators, other insects, animals and wind transfer pollen from one plant to another. To ensure the seeds you collect will grow into plants that match their parent, different varieties of the same crop should be kept anywhere from 100 feet to a mile apart, depending on climate, weather and other variables. This is often impractical, if not impossible, in the home garden.

To avoid cross-pollination surprises, plant only one variety of the category of plants from which you plan to harvest seeds. If you want to save tomato seeds, for example, grow only one type of tomato in your garden.

 

Read the rest here.

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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured the first clear evidence for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet outside the solar system. This observation of a gas giant planet orbiting a Sun-like star 700 light-years away provides important insights into the composition and formation of the planet. The finding, which is accepted for publication in Nature, offers evidence that in the future Webb may be able to detect and measure carbon dioxide in the thinner atmospheres of smaller, rocky planets. 

WASP-39 b is a hot gas giant with a mass roughly one-quarter that of Jupiter (about the same as Saturn) and a diameter 1.3 times greater than Jupiter. Its extreme puffiness is related in part to its high temperature (about 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit or 900 degrees Celsius). Unlike the cooler, more compact gas giants in our solar system, WASP-39 b orbits very close to its star – only about one-eighth the distance between the Sun and Mercury – completing one circuit in just over four Earth-days. The planet’s discovery, reported in 2011, was made based on ground-based detections of the subtle, periodic dimming of light from its host star as the planet transits, or passes in front of the star. 

 

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