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SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon's chief justice fired all the members of the Public Defense Services Commission on Monday, frustrated that hundreds of defendants charged with crimes and who cannot afford an attorney have been unable to obtain public defenders to represent them.The unprecedented action comes as Oregon's unique public defender system has come under such strain that it is at the breaking point. Criminal defendants in Oregon who have gone without legal representation due to a shortage of public defenders filed a lawsuit in May that alleges the state is violating their constitutional right to legal counsel and a speedy trial.In a letter to the commission members, Chief Justice Martha Walters pointed out that their duty is to “ensure that Oregon provides public defense services consistent with the Oregon Constitution, the United States Constitution, and Oregon and national standards of justice.”“Unfortunately, it is now clear that it is time to reconstitute the current commission,” she said.Oregon’s public defender system is the only one in the nation that relies entirely on contractors: Large nonprofit defense firms, smaller cooperating groups of private defense attorneys that contract for cases and independent attorneys who can take cases at will.But some firms and private attorneys are periodically refusing to take new cases because of the workload. Poor pay rates and late payments from the state are also a disincentive. The American Bar Association found that Oregon has only 31% of the public defenders it needs.Walters said “systemic change” is called for and that the commission must collaborate with Oregon’s executive and legislative branches and the public defense community “to create a better system for public defense providers.”The Public Defense Services Commission currently has nine members, in addition to Walters who as chief justice serves as ex-officio permanent member. Walters made the dismissals effective on Tuesday and said that if any members want to serve on a reconstituted commission, they should apply by noon Tuesday.The commission is an independent body that governs the Office of Public Defense Services and appoints its executive director. Walters told the commission last week that Executive Director Stephen Singer failed to lead the agency out of crisis, the Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The commission considered firing Singer but didn't.Commission member Thomas Christ told the newspaper that Walters wants Singer removed and that he believes she "decided to just fill the commission with people who’ll vote the way she wants on that issue.”Commission member Steven Wax, who was the U.S. Public Defender for the Oregon district for 31 years and is currently legal director of the Oregon Innocence Project, said he is unhappy about the chief justice’s action.“The commission has been working tirelessly on difficult issues and reforms,” Wax said. “Disagreement is inevitable. I was sorely disappointed to receive the chief justice’s letter.”The chief justice appoints the commission members and can remove them, according to Oregon law.“I never anticipated exercising this authority, but this issue is too important, and the need for change is too urgent, to delay,” Walters said.Todd Sprague, spokesman for the Oregon Judicial Department, said that to his knowledge, the entire commission has never been dismissed before.Oregon's backlog has led to the dismissal of dozens of cases.Jesse Merrithew, an attorney representing plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said being deprived of a lawyer right after an arrest causes problems that are almost impossible to overcome later on, for example in obtaining surveillance video before it is erased that could back up a defendant’s case.Oregon’s system was underfunded and understaffed before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the backlog grew amid a slowdown in court activity because of safety protocols.

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Courtroom notes showing that a Washington County, Oregon, judge threatened to hold Oregon Public Defense Services in contempt of court for not providing a public defender to a criminal defendant are seen in this May 4, 2022, photo.

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“I never anticipated exercising this authority, but this issue is too important, and the need for change is too urgent, to delay” 

Oregon Chief Justice Fires Entire Panel Overseeing Public Defenders Services

Jeff Bohnert had all but given up on seeing his poodle-hound mix again after she went missing in early June. Two months later, he got a text from a neighbor: People exploring a nearby cave found a dog. Could it be Abby?Bohnert doubted it, but still curious, he went to the cave site near his rural Missouri home. That's when he saw the picture one of the rescuers took.“I said, ‘that’s my dog,'” Bohnert recalled Monday.Making Abby's tale even more amazing is the fact that she's just weeks shy of turning 14. Yet somehow, she managed to survive nearly 60 days out on her own, apparently much or all of it in a barren, pitch-dark, 58-degree Fahrenheit (14-degree Celsius) cave.Abby and Bohnert's other dog, Summer, do everything together, including misbehave.On June 9, the pair ran away from home, Bohnert recalled. It had happened before, and in the rural area near Perryville in eastern Missouri, it was generally no big deal. The dogs would scamper through the fields, maybe chase something, then head home.When Bohnert awoke the next morning, Summer was back home but Abby was not.“They never separate,” he said. “I figured something bad had happened. I mean, she's old. She could just get overcome by the heat.”Bohnert posted about his missing dog on Facebook, reached out to neighbors and contacted police, but no one had seen Abby.On Aug. 6, Gerry Keene and five other adults, along with five children, had just entered the Berome Moore Cave, planning a day of exploring. One of the kids ran ahead of the group and yelled back to his dad, “There's a dog in here.”“Their dad was like, no there’s not,” Keene said.Yes, there was.“She was just lying there curled up in a ball,” Keene recalled. "She lifted her head and looked at us but she didn’t respond to verbal commands. She looked like she was pretty close to being done.”Keene enlisted the help of another caver who happened to be there, Rick Haley. They knew Abby couldn't make the estimated 500-foot walk back to the entrance, especially since it was through tight passageways and up a steep incline.Haley was trained in cave rescues, and he retrieved a duffel bag and a blanket from his truck. They put the blanket inside the bag, then the dog, who immediately took to the warm blanket after weeks laying in the cold mud.Still, getting Abby out was tricky given her fragility.“It was critical that we not give her any rough handling,” Haley said. In the rocky areas through small passageways, “We would carry her short distance, set her down, then kind of move in front of her, reach back, pick her up, and put her in front of us." He described it as "kind of a leap-frog kind of thing.”Soon after initially finding Abby, Keene briefly went to a few homes nearby to see if anyone was missing a dog. One neighbor reached out to Bohnert, who lives close enough to the cave site that he can see it from his home.He went there assuming it couldn't be Abby — how could a 13-year-old dog have survived such an ordeal?To his amazement, she did, and roughly an hour-and-a-half after the rescue began, she was out. One of the rescuers gave Abby a bite of beef.“She almost ate his finger off," Keene said. Almost immediately, she began to perk up.Bohnert figures Abby ended up in the cave after falling into a sinkhole or a hidden entrance. Haley said there were paw prints everywhere, indicating she initially tried to get out.After that, Haley and Bohnert believe she hunkered down, able to essentially live off her own body fat.“I think she was just in a preservation mode," Bohnert said.Abby normally weighs about 50 pounds (23 kilograms), Bohnert said, but he guessed she lost half her body weight in the cave. Since her rescue, she has regained weight and started to get back the voice she likely lost barking for help.She's also wagging her tail again, showing she's putting the trauma behind her.“It’s amazing how she’s springing back already,” Bohnert said. “She’s acting like herself again.”

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“It’s amazing how she’s springing back already,” Bohnert said. “She’s acting like herself again.”

After Missing 2 Months, 'Abby' Found Alive Inside Cold, Dark, Missouri Cave

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Family surround a woman with her hundredth great-grandchild

Peggy Koller was an only child and always wanted a big family. At age 99, she got to hold her 100th great-grandchild. 

99-Year-Old Pennsylvania Woman Meets Her 100th Great-Grandchild

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China announced more military drills around Taiwan as the self-governing island’s president met with members of a new U.S. congressional delegation on Monday, threatening to renew tensions between Beijing and Washington after a similar recent visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi angered China.Pelosi was the highest-level member of the U.S. government to visit Taiwan in 25 years, and her trip prompted nearly two weeks of threatening military exercises by China, which claims the island as its own. In those drills, Beijing fired missiles over the island and into the Taiwan Strait and sent warplanes and navy ships across the waterway’s midline, which has long been a buffer between the sides that split amid civil war in 1949.China accuses the U.S. of encouraging the island's independence through the sale of weapons and engagement between U.S. politicians and the island’s government. Washington says it does not support independence, has no formal diplomatic ties with the island and maintains that the two sides should settle their dispute peacefully — but it is legally bound to ensure the island can defend itself against any attack.American and Taiwanese officials have accused China of using Pelosi's visit as a pretext for intimidating moves, and a senior U.S. official said recently that Washington would continue to deepen its ties with Taiwan in the coming days and weeks.The latest trip began Sunday with little notice ahead of time — and drew more ire from China. The delegation was due to leave late Monday.“China will take resolute and strong measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing Monday, after Beijing announced new drills in the seas and skies surrounding Taiwan. “A handful of U.S. politicians, in collusion with the separatist forces of Taiwan independence, are trying to challenge the one-China principle, which is out of their depth and doomed to failure.”The new exercises were intended to be “resolute response and solemn deterrent against collusion and provocation between the U.S. and Taiwan,” the Defense Ministry said earlier.It was not clear if the new drills had already started since the ministry gave no details about where and when they would be conducted, in contrast to previous rounds.The U.S. lawmakers, led by Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, met with President Tsai Ing-wen, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and legislators, according to the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington’s de facto embassy on the island.At their meeting, Tsai said her administration was working with allies to ensure stability in the Taiwan Strait and maintain the status quo — a reference to the island's self-governance, separate from Beijing.“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year has shown the threat that authoritarian nations pose to the global order," Tsai said.Markey responded by saying Washington and Taipei had a “moral obligation to do everything we can to prevent an unnecessary conflict and Taiwan has demonstrated incredible restraint and discretion during challenging times.”The senator also highlighted legislation intended to boost political and economic ties with Taiwan, especially in the critical semiconductor industry. Taiwan is a crucial provider of computer chips for the global economy, including China’s high-tech sectors, and beyond the geopolitical risks of rising tensions in the region, an extended crisis in the Taiwan Strait could have major implications for international supply chains at a time when the world is already facing disruptions and uncertainty.Markey is one of the few members of Congress still serving who voted for the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act that ensured continued relations with the island following the switch of U.S. diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. The other members of the delegation are Republican Rep. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, a delegate from American Samoa, and Democrats John Garamendi and Alan Lowenthal from California and Don Beyer from Virginia.In a statement from his Senate office, Markey cited the 1979 law in saying the U.S. must maintain its commitment to “help Taiwan withstand cross-Strait coercion” and avoid conflict.China says it wants to use peaceful means to bring Taiwan under its control, but its recent saber rattling has emphasized its threat to take the island by military force. The earlier drills appeared to be a rehearsal of a blockade or attack on Taiwan that would force the cancellation of commercial flights and disrupt shipping to Taiwan's main ports as well as cargo passing through the Taiwan Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.The exercises prompted Taiwan to put its military on alert, but were met largely with defiance or apathy among the public used to living in China’s shadow.The American “visit at this time is of great significance, because the Chinese military exercise is (intended) to deter U.S. congressmen from visiting Taiwan,” Lo Chih-cheng, the chair of the Taiwan legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, said after meeting with the U.S. lawmakers.“Their visit this time proves that China cannot stop politicians from any country to visit Taiwan, and it also conveys an important message that the American people stand with the Taiwanese people,” Lo said.A senior White House official on Asia policy said last week that China had used Pelosi’s visit as an excuse to launch an intensified pressure campaign against Taiwan.“China has overreacted, and its actions continue to be provocative, destabilizing, and unprecedented,” Kurt Campbell, a deputy assistant to U.S. President Joe Biden, said on a call with reporters on Friday.Campbell said the U.S. would send warships and planes through the Taiwan Strait in the next few weeks and is developing a roadmap for trade talks with Taiwan that he said the U.S. intends to announce in the coming days.

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In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen at right listens as U.S. Democrat Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, speaks during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Taiwan on Monday, Aug. 15, 2022.

“Their visit this time proves that China cannot stop politicians from any country to visit Taiwan, and it also conveys an important message that the American people stand with the Taiwanese people”

China Renews Military Drills As US Delegation Visits Taiwan

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart Inc. said Monday it has signed a deal with Paramount Global to offer the entertainment company's streaming service as a perk to subscribers of the discounter's shipping subscription service.The move is part of efforts by the nation's largest retailer to better compete with Amazon's Prime membership program, which offers an array of perks.Starting in September, subscribers to Walmart+ will be have access to the Paramount+ Essential Plan, which includes ads and offers original dramas such as “1883” and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” along with the preschool franchise “PAW Patrol,” recent blockbuster films such as “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” and live sports.The cost of Walmart+ will remain $98 a year, or $12.95 a month, the retailer said. It includes free shipping on items and discounts on gasoline. An Amazon Prime membership costs $139 a year, or $14.99 a month, and includes the Amazon Video service, original programming and free gaming, among other perks.Walmart, which is based in Bentonville, Arkansas, has never disclosed the number of members it has signed up but said on Monday that it has had monthly growth in membership since its launch in September 2020.Terms of the deal with New York-based Paramount Global were not disclosed.

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Walmart+ continues to remain lower that Amazon Prime 

Walmart Does Deal With Paramount For Streaming Perks

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"The overall goal is to produce garments that not only protect the user, but reduce the cognitive burden on the female Soldier caused by discomfort and ill fit." 

Army Responds To Undergarment Requests From Female Soldiers - Vets: It's Long Overdue

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Preliminary autopsy results released Monday for the three victims of a house explosion in a southern Indiana neighborhood show they died of blunt force trauma and compression asphyxia.A married couple who lived at the center of the Wednesday, 8/10, explosion in Evansville, 43-year-old Charles Hite and 37-year-old Martina Hite, both died of blunt force trauma to their chests, and 29-year-old neighbor Jessica Teague died of compression asphyxia, the Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office said in a news release.Final autopsy reports and toxicology are pending, Chief Deputy Coroner David Anson said in the news release.<blockquote>The explosion injured a fourth person and damaged 39 homes, leaving 11 uninhabitable, authorities have said.</blockquote>A statement Monday by the Evansville Fire Department said the investigation is still in its early stages and likely will be lengthy.<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/36857.jpg" alt="Elder Richard Gregg, left, gets information from Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier &amp; Press via AP] Elder Richard Gregg, left, gets information from Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission's Eric Wade, right, after his church Community of Christ on Hercules Avenue was tagged "unsafe" the morning after a house explosion</figcaption></figure>“The very slow methodical process of the investigation started this morning,” EFD Division Chief Mike Larson said in the release. “The Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office is leading this investigation and the Evansville Fire Department is assisting. Several Insurance investigators have been in town and the Evansville Police Department is assisting with interviews as they are needed, along with site security,”Suzanne Dabkowski, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said last week that the agency can’t speak to any possible causes of the explosion. Dabkowski said the ATF has explosive specialists and firearms investigators on-site in Evansville who were helping with the investigation.Evansville authorities have declined to speculate whether natural gas or another issue is responsible for the explosion.Evansville is along Indiana’s border with Kentucky. The blast left debris that included wooden boards, window glass and insulation strewn over a 100-foot (30-meter) radius.CenterPoint Energy, the local gas utility, has said it was working with fire officials and other agencies as the investigation continues.

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The explosion took 3 lives and damaged 39 homes, leaving 11 uninhabitable, authorities have said.

This Is Not Ukraine, It's A Neighborhood In Evansville, Indiana - Explosion Probe Continues

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Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary President Yaroslav Pyzh appears in a video update.

“The real challenge is similar to Nehemiah’s challenge,” he said, referencing the biblical story of Nehemiah. “It’s not only rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. It’s rebuilding the nation of Israel, of worshiping God. … That’s the same thing here in Ukraine.”

‘About 400’ Churches Lost In Russia’s War On Ukraine

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Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. - Psalm 5:3

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

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Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

Psalm 5:3 (NLT)

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