Washington, D.C
Southwest Tennessee EMC takes local students to Washington, D.C. – WBBJ TV
BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. — Eight students from across Southwest Tennessee EMC’s service territory got the opportunity of a lifetime to spend a week in our nation’s capital as delegates of the 2024 Washington Youth Tour. Yume Wilkes, Angelina Critelli, Alexis Hale, Zoren Simmons, Olivia Griffin, Torie Miller, Kristen Wade, and McKinnley Barnes were among 139 students from across Tennessee on the weeklong trip that began on Friday, June 14.
Front Row L-R: Olivia Griffin, Alexis Hale, Yume Wilkes, Angelina Critelli, Kristen Wade — Back Row L-R: Chaperone/STEMC Employee Jamie Bethune, McKinnley Barnes, Torie Miller, Zoren Simmons, Chaperone/STEMC Employee Kenley Mitchell
This annual event is sponsored by Southwest Tennessee EMC and the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. The students were selected for the trip by writing a short story titled “Co-ops Connect” that explains how co-ops connect Tennessee communities with energy, education, broadband, economic development and more.
“Chaperoning the best and brightest of our service area on a trip of a lifetime to Washington, D.C., each year is a highlight of my job here at Southwest Tennessee EMC,” said Kenley Mitchell, Community Relations Specialist and chaperone on the 2024 Washington Youth Tour. “This year’s delegates represented Southwest Tennessee EMC well at our nation’s capital and are coming back home with the knowledge and leadership skills to become future leaders in their communities.”
The Washington Youth Tour’s nonstop, seven-day itinerary is jam-packed with places to visit and experiences to give the Youth Tour delegates a trip that they will never forget. Highlights include a guided memorials tour around the city, visiting museums at the Smithsonian Institute, touring Washington’s Mount Vernon and Jefferson’s Monticello and taking a trip to Arlington National Cemetery. Delegates also got to see Washington, D.C., staples like the White House, U.S. Capitol and the Washington National Cathedral.
“The Washington Youth Tour is more than a trip,” said Todd Blocker, vice president of member services for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and tour director. “Transformative. Unforgettable. Life-changing. Whether the trip cultivates a love for history, leadership or active citizenship, we are empowering young minds to shape the future. Seeing the impact the trip has had on many over the years is awe-inspiring.”
While in D.C., winners were announced in the statewide competition for the Robert McCarty Memorial Scholarships. Charlsie Strech from Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative, Elijah Jones from Appalachian Electric Cooperative and Ayden Anderson from Gibson Electric Membership Corporation were awarded $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 Robert McCarty Memorial Scholarships for having the first, second and third place papers of the thousands of papers submitted across the state for this year’s contest. The scholarships are named in memory of Robert McCarty, an employee of Volunteer Energy Cooperative and longtime chaperone on the annual Youth Tour.
Yuridia Garcia, a senior from Appalachian Electric Cooperative, was awarded a $10,000 Cooperative Youth Ambassador Scholarship. Garcia was a 2023 delegate on the Washington Youth Tour. Delegates who remain engaged with their sponsoring cooperative during their senior year and complete certain community service requirements are eligible for the scholarship. Garcia’s name was randomly selected among the delegates from across the state who completed the requirements.
“An investment in the Washington Youth Tour delegates today is also an investment in the future of co-op communities across Tennessee,” said Mike Knotts, CEO of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. “The future is bright for this group of Youth Tour delegates. We are honored to be a part of supporting their academic journeys and look forward to seeing what the future has in store for them and the impact they will have on their communities.”
The Washington Youth Tour was inspired by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1957 when he encouraged electric cooperatives to send young people to the nation’s capital. Since then, more than 6,000 young Tennesseans have participated in the Washington Youth Tour as delegates.
The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association provides leadership, advocacy and support for Tennessee’s 23 electric cooperatives and publishes The Tennessee Magazine, the state’s most widely circulated periodical. Visit tnelectric.org or tnmagazine.org to learn more.
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Washington, D.C
Suburban family coordinated Jimmy Carter's Washington D.C. funeral: 'It was really beautiful'
WASHINGTON (WLS) — The public funeral celebrating former President Jimmy Carter’s life and legacy was coordinated by a family that hails from the Chicago suburbs.
Rick Jasculca, a Chicago public affairs executive, worked for and with Carter for years, and considered him family.
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It was a somber day that included stories of Carter that brought laughs, as well as tears.
Thursday was a national day of mourning to honor and remember Carter; President Joe Biden delivered a eulogy.
“Throughout his life he showed us what it means to be a practitioner of good works, a good and faithful servant of God and of the people,” Biden said.
The gathering was a time for the nation to come together, to put aside politics and join the Carter family in remembering the legacy of the 39th president.
“They were small town people who never forgot who they were and where they were from, no matter what happened in their lives,” grandson Jason Carter said.
Jasculca worked on Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign, and did advance work when Carter became president.
He later joined his daughters, Lauren and Aimee, and son, Andrew, working with the Carter Center.
The four family members served as overall coordinators of the ceremony Thursday in Washington, D.C.
Jasculca reflected on the ceremony before returning to Chicago.
“It was really beautiful. You know, I think it really captured the totality of Jimmy Carter,” Jasculca said.
It was a sentiment echoed often during Thursday’s ceremony.
“He had the courage and strength to stick to his principals, even when they were politically unpopular,” Jason Carter said.
Jasculca considered Carter a second father, who became dear to his entire family.
“My grandkids call me ‘Bop’; that’s their name for me. And they call President Carter ‘Bop Jimmy,’” Jasculca said.
Jasculca said, during their ceremony, he had a few moments. But, the emotions really hit him after.
“But, when we got to Andrews Air Force Base, and I knew this was the last time, you know, I’d be able to say goodbye, I just I, I’ll be honest, I bust out crying on the tarmac,” Jasculca said.
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Washington, D.C
Capitol Police arrest man attempting to set his car on fire amid Trump DC visit with GOP senators
The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) said that they arrested a person who attempted to set his car ablaze near the U.S. Capitol building during President-elect Trump’s visit late Wednesday.
“Twice today our officers stopped a man who could have been a danger to the Capitol Hill community,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said. “This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security.”
The agency said that during Trump’s visit with Republican senators and his time paying respect to President Carter, a 35-year-old man from Virginia attempted to set his car on fire.
POLICE ARREST MAN AFTER ATTEMPTING TO CARRY MACHETE, 3 KNIVES INTO US CAPITOL, HOURS BEFORE TRUMP ARRIVES
A general view of the U.S. Capitol Dome in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst )
Police said that just before 5:30 p.m., USCP officers were alerted to a man who had parked on First Street, NW, near the Grant Memorial, and had lit a bag on fire atop his vehicle.
POLICE ARREST MAN AT US CAPITOL WHO HAD BOTTLES OF FUEL, FLARE GUN, BLOW TORCH
When officers ran over to the man, the bag extinguished on its own.
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Jason Reed)
Out of an abundance of caution, the USCP said that the vehicle was declared suspicious, and the agency’s Hazardous Incident Response Division cleared the vehicle.
Officials determined that the car was not a danger at approximately 7 p.m.
The car had been spray-painted. Investigators determined that accelerants were in the bag. The driver was arrested for unlawful activities.
The U.S. Capitol Police stopped a man from entering the Capitol at a security checkpoint, after he was found to allegedly have a machete and three knives in his bag. (U.S. Capitol Police)
Hours prior to this arrest, the USCP detained a man who attempted to carry a machete into the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC).
The Capitol Police said in a social media post that the incident happened just after 2 p.m., when officers working at a security screening at the CVC’s north doors spotted a machete in the man’s bag.
The X-ray machine was stopped as the bag went through, then police arrested 44-year-old Mel J. Horne, of Washington, D.C., before securing the machete.
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Police said Horne was arrested for multiple counts of carrying a dangerous weapon and will be interviewed by investigators to determine his motive.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
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