Northeast
Video captures chaotic New York migrant shelter arrests as woman obstructs officers
Police bodycam footage has captured the moment chaos erupted this week at a hotel migrant shelter north of New York City as officers trying to make an arrest were met with resistance.
Video released by the Yonkers Police Department begins with a caller telling a dispatcher that “guy’s over here unruly” and “he’s getting very violent with everybody” at a Ramada Inn in Yonkers.
“He’s throwing stuff at everybody, please send somebody here right away,” the caller demands.
The video then shows officers engaged in a struggle as they try to take a man into custody, identified by police as Arnal Kent, 35.
ICE ARRESTS MIGRANTS RELEASED ON BAIL AFTER ALLEGED ASSAULT ON NYPD AT TARGET
Arnal Kent is shown being taken into custody on Tuesday, April 9 at a Ramada Inn where migrants are being sheltered in Yonkers, New York. (Yonkers Police Department)
At one point in the footage, when police were trying to put Kent into a squad vehicle, a woman, identified as Yainilet Hernandez, can be seen trying to prevent an officer from opening the cruiser’s door.
“Move out the way!” a voice is heard saying repeatedly over the shouts of a crowd that gathered to witness the arrest.
“After disobeying several attempts to move, Officers had to push Hernandez out of the way in order to open the door and safely detain Kent in the rear of the vehicle,” police said in a statement. “Hernandez also attempted to pull Officers away from Kent in the process.”
The bodycam footage later shows Hernandez being taken down to the ground by police and brought into custody herself.
“When Officers attempted to place Hernandez into handcuffs, she immediately pulled away from several Officers and attempted to strike multiple Officers with her hands,” Yonkers Police said. “In this struggle, one Officer sustained injuries to his right knee and wrist and subsequently had to be placed off-duty.”
NYC SHELTER GUARD HURT AS 5 MIGRANTS ATTACK ANOTHER IN HIS BED
Yonkers Police say Yainilet Hernandez was trying to prevent Kent from being placed in a police vehicle. (Yonkers Police Department)
Kent, who has been released with an appearance ticket after being charged with menacing, disorderly conduct, obstruction of governmental administration and resisting arrest, told Fox5NY he arrived in the U.S. from Venezuela in the fall and alleged that hotel staff had been mistreating him and other migrants at the Ramada Inn location.
The NYC Department of Homeless Services has relocated around 250 migrants and children to the Yonkers Ramada Inn since May 2023, according to the Yonkers Police Department.
Other migrants told ABC7 that staff at the hotel have been entering their rooms without warning, saying that they need to remove unsafe appliances such as hot pots.
“My iron, my hair dryer, things for work have disappeared,” one migrant said to the station, which reported that others have claimed that money and jewelry have been stolen.
Hernandez is being held on bail after being charged with assault, obstruction of governmental administration and resisting arrest.
Hernandez is seen being taken into custody herself. (Yonkers Police Department)
Ramada Inn and Westhab – an organization Yonkers Police say “provides full-time coverage of those housed at the location, including contracted security and terms on which their housing is provided” — did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Read the full article from Here
Pennsylvania
Trump admin rule puts reproductive health care for 160K Pa. patients at risk, lawsuit says
Family planning and health organizations that serve tens of thousands of people across Pennsylvania could see federal funding delayed or denied by a new Trump administration policy, a new lawsuit alleges.
The suit, which includes the Cumberland County-based Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania as a plaintiff, takes aim at a step added this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to applications for Title X grants, which provide local agencies with funds to aid low-income and uninsured patients with family planning and related health services.
That new process is detailed in the Title X 2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity published in April. It states that before applicants are assessed on their merits, a group of presidential appointees will conduct an “alignment review” to determine whether each application matches the agency’s “priorities.” The plan offers no opportunity to appeal the group’s decision.
To the plaintiffs in the suit, that sounded like code for evaluating applicants based on politics.
“The Trump administration’s attempt to condition Title X funding on political allegiance is a grave threat to public health,” Sara Rose, deputy legal director at ACLU of Pennsylvania and attorney on the case, said in a statement. “Grant decisions must be guided by objective standards to ensure that taxpayer money is spent fairly and efficiently without regard to the ideology of its recipients.”
Created during the Nixon administration to help low-income people prevent unwanted pregnancies, Title X funding has long drawn opposition from anti-abortion activists.
The Trump administration has also attempted to shift the focus of the program toward promoting more pregnancies. Officials tried and failed earlier this year to block Title X funding from reaching Planned Parenthood facilities.
The suit is filed in the federal Middle District of Pennsylvania. It names HHS, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and other agency staff as defendants.
There are four Title X grantees in the commonwealth, each serving a specific region: The Family Health Council in central Pennsylvania, AccessMatters in Philadelphia, Adagio Health in the west, and Maternal and Family Health Services in the northeast.
Combined, they receive more than $12.6 million in Title X funds annually to serve more than 160,000 patients in Pennsylvania, according to their grant details listed on HHS’ website. (AccessMatters is by far the largest, working with more than 90,000 people.)
These organizations offer everything from fertility care and access to contraception to screenings for cancers and sexually transmitted infections.
Nationwide, the most recent data from HHS shows Title X grantees served nearly 2.8 million people.
Also at issue in the lawsuit is that HHS already has a set of regulations, put in place during President Joe Biden’s administration, that govern Title X applications — and many of them directly conflict with stated Trump administration priorities.
The suit highlights, for instance, that the HHS website currently states that ending “ideologically-laden concepts like health equity” is a priority, while Title X rules simultaneously require grantees to “advance health equity.”
Another alleged conflict stems from the Trump administration’s opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, especially for transgender people. Current Title X regulations mandate that grantees ensure transgender people have access to their programming.
Brigitte Amiri, deputy director at the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project, told Spotlight PA that the Trump administration could overturn the Biden-era regulations by undertaking a public notice and comment rulemaking process.
“But you can’t just do it by a funding announcement,” she said.
The new review step “subverts the integrity” of the Title X grant application process, the lawsuit argues, and enables HHS “to hijack” the Title X program to fund organizations furthering the agency’s “political agenda.”
The lawsuit also notes that Title X funds are prohibited from being used for abortions.
Federal Judge Jennifer Wilson, who was nominated to the bench by Trump in 2019, will hear the case.
Spotlight PA sought a comment on the lawsuit from HHS, but did not receive a response.
The Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania was selected to join the lawsuit because it has received Title X funding since the establishment of the program in 1970, and it serves a large area, the chief executive of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association told Stateline.
Patricia Fonzi, president and CEO of the Family Health Council, said in a statement that her organization serves more than 31,000 people across a 24-county region.
“We welcome a competitive grant process and believe every applicant should be evaluated on its ability to effectively serve communities, responsibly steward federal resources, and demonstrate the experience and capacity necessary to carry out the Title X statute,” Fonzi said.
“At the end of the day, the success of Title X is measured by whether people can access the care they need in their own communities — and that depends on funding decisions grounded in experience, proven performance, and the ability to deliver comprehensive care where it is needed most.”
The plaintiffs are urging the court to vacate the Trump administration’s new Title X rule and declare it “unlawful.”
Title X funds are issued to agencies on a five-year basis, with annual renewal requirements. The new rule at issue was included in the process for grants under fiscal year 2027, which will begin a new five-year cycle.
___
This story was originally published by Spotlight PA and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Here’s how to submit a letter to the editor to the Providence Journal
Community opinions matter to us and we make sure there’s a space to hear what your neighbors are thinking. Here’s how to submit your own.
Journal Staff
Rhode Island Energy is currently installing advanced smart meters for all electricity customers. Clean energy and environmental advocates have championed advanced metering for decades because the systems enable incentives for conservation, solar integration and energy storage. The primary vehicle for realizing these benefits is Time-Varying Rates (TVR).
Unlike legacy meters, advanced meters track when electricity is used, not just how much is used. TVR encourages customers to shift heavy usage, like running a clothes dryer or charging an electric vehicle, to off-peak overnight hours when wholesale power is cheap and cleaner. This flattens the grid’s peak demand, brings down wholesale energy costs for everyone and reduces our reliance on polluting “peaker” power plants.
The Rhode Island Public Utility Commission (PUC) is charged with balancing the interests of utility customers with value to utility shareholders. It sets the formulas by which the utility is compensated.
The primary means the utility is compensated is based on a Return on Equity invested (ROE) that is predetermined by the PUC and currently set at 9.275%. Rhode Island Energy’s capital investments are funded through roughly 51% equity (shareholder capital) and 49% debt. For every $100 million the utility spends on infrastructure, about $51 million is financed via equity, allowing shareholders to collect an annual pre-tax profit of 9.275% on that portion, or roughly $4.73 million. The more the utility spends, the more their shareholders earn.
At a cost of over $188 million for the new meters, Rhode Island Energy shareholders will collect nearly $9 million a year in profit for 20 years from the equity portion of that investment alone, while also saving money on labor by eliminating the need for truck based drive-by meter readers.
But advanced metering was supposed to benefit ratepayers as well as the utility. Though the meter expenditures were approved by the PUC in 2023 and the meters installations are expected to be completed by the end of this year, it is expected to take until at least 18 months after the meter rollout is completed to implement the billing system infrastructure needed to enable Time-Varying Rates.
The upgrades that deliver more profit to the utility bottom line was fast tracked, while the investment needed to implement the primary benefits to ratepayers is being slow walked. Why weren’t the software upgrades and hardware deployment run in parallel?
Right now, the PUC is weighing a huge general rate case (Docket No. 25-45-GE). Rhode Island Energy has proposed aggressively hiking its profit margin, seeking to raise its ROE from 9.275% to 10.75% and expand its equity share from 51% to 57%.
In their 2022 advanced metering filing, Rhode Island Energy suggested the new infrastructure would yield $729 million in benefits over 20 years. So far, the utility is seeing plenty of that benefit on its bottom line, while ratepayers have mostly seen higher costs. The PUC should reject the utility’s requested rate increases, preserve the current rate structure, and insist that Time-Varying Rates be fully operational before any further rate changes are considered.
Fred Unger is a retired energy project developer and clean energy advocate based in Providence.
Beach day tips and tricks to have fun in the sun
Make a day in the sun more easy with these beach hacks.
Problem Solved
Vermont has some of the most relaxing beaches in New England.
While other states may be known for their island beaches or their saltwater getaways on the shores of the mainland, Vermont has plenty of freshwater beaches that make it a real treat to visit those parts of the Green Mountain state.
Yankee Magazine, one of the most notable lifestyle publications covering New England, said that four of Vermont’s beaches are among the best in New England.
“From wide sandy stretches and dramatic ocean bluffs to hidden coves and family-friendly shores, New England beaches offer something for every kind of beachgoer,” Yankee Magazine said.
Out of 34 New England beaches, here are the four beaches in Vermont that made it, ranked in their proximity to Burlington.
Sand Bar State Park, Milton — ‘finest stretch of Lake Champlain beachfront’
Yankee Magazine chose Sand Bar State Park in Milton, Vermont, as one of the best beaches in New England because how perfect it is for families with children, because of its shallow waters and play areas.
“Vermont’s most popular day-use state park is home to its finest stretch of Lake Champlain beachfront, a 2,000-foot strand with a dropoff so gradual that it seems you could wade from the mainland to the Champlain Islands,” Yankee said.
There are also a number of cooking grills and picnic areas at the Milton beach for those who like to have burgers by the beach after a nice swim, according to Vermont State Parks.
Only around 16 miles away from Burlington, it takes less than 30 minutes to drive to Sand Bar in Milton, making it great for families and friends who don’t want a long drive to the beach.
Alburgh Dunes State Park, Alburgh — ‘One of Vermont’s newest state parks’
Forty-one miles from Burlington, Alburgh Dunes State Park might seem like long haul for a beach, but worth it.
“One of Vermont’s newest state parks was established to preserve an incongruous feature of northern Lake Champlain, a duneland left behind by retreating glaciers,” Yankee said.
The Vermont State Parks website said the foundation of this beach began thousands of years ago, when glaciers deposited soil on bluffs close by, and slowly the forces of nature carried that soil to Lake Champlain, creating Alburgh Dunes.
“Before the park was established, people altered the dunes. Some sand was removed to replenish the beach, trees were cut for firewood, and visitors walking on the dunes wore paths through the grasses,” the state parks website said. “These actions increased erosion.”
Now, fencing has been erected to prevent further ecological damage of the beach.
Boulder Beach State Park, Groton — ‘sandy shoreline along Lake Groton’
Yankee rated Boulder Beach State Park, which is almost 70 miles away from Burlington, highly not only because of the magnificent glacier-formed boulders after which the park is named, but because of the conveniences that come with it.
“There’s a definite wilderness feel to the terrain in this southern threshold of the Northeast Kingdom, but the park is well equipped with changing facilities, boat rentals, a concession stand, and a broad lawn dotted with picnic sites behind the beach,” the magazine said.
Safe to swim in as well, Boulder Beach State Park is in walking distance of the other six state parks in Groton State Forest.
Crystal Lake State Park, Barton — ‘glacially carved jewels of northern Vermont’s lake country’
Crystal Lake State Park in Barton, Vermont, might be the farthest away from Burlington, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth traveling to.
“One of the glacially carved jewels of northern Vermont’s lake country lies just outside the town of Barton and features a sandy swimming beach with a spectacular view,” Yankee Magazine said.
Crystal Lake spans three miles long and is around one mile wide, Vermont State Parks’ website said. Be careful swimming there as parts of it are over 100 feet deep.
“A large historic granite bathhouse provides restrooms, changing areas, and a concession stand,” the parks website said. “The park offers about 40 free-standing charcoal grills, nearly 80 picnic tables, rental boats and canoes, and ample parking.”
Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@usatoday.com.
-
Oregon4 minutes agoPublic asked to help find missing 2-year-old Armani Andrews in Portland
-
Pennsylvania7 minutes agoTrump admin rule puts reproductive health care for 160K Pa. patients at risk, lawsuit says
-
Rhode Island12 minutes agoWhen will RI see promised Time-Varying Rates on electric bills? | Opinion
-
South-Carolina19 minutes agoMyrtle Beach is a hotspot for sharks and the potential to be bit
-
South Dakota22 minutes agoWork, housing and staffing: How South Dakota’s corrections chief aims to keep inmates from returning
-
Tennessee27 minutes ago
Tennessee GOP leaders denounce antisemitic Young Republicans mailers | The Jerusalem Post
-
Texas34 minutes agoA truck crash released 20 million bees. Local beekeepers rushed to save them.
-
Utah37 minutes ago‘2.5 minutes of terror’: Passengers sue Delta, alleging crew flew into dangerous weather despite warnings, injuring dozens
