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Virginia Democrats block bill to protect religious freedom against executive orders

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Virginia Democrats block bill to protect religious freedom against executive orders

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Because the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, Republicans within the Virginia Home of Delegates narrowly handed a invoice to guard church buildings, synagogues, mosques and different spiritual our bodies from any “rule, regulation, or order” from the governor or one other authorities company, a transfer to dam the government-ordered closure of homes of worship that passed off through the pandemic.

But Democrats within the Senate Common Legal guidelines and Know-how Committee blocked the invoice on Monday.

Delegate Wren Williams, the sponsor of H.B. 775, referred to as the invoice “very important” for closing a “loophole” that threatens spiritual freedom.

DEMOCRAT DELEGATE ATTACKS YOUNGKIN’S FAITH, SAYS HIS CRT BAN SHOWS HE’S ‘NOT A CHRISTIAN’

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“Throughout COVID, our govt department right here in Virginia used the Emergency Providers and Catastrophe Act to close down and severely prohibit our church buildings, whereas leaving ‘important’ liquor shops open,” Williams informed Fox Information Digital. “This was unconstitutional and unconscionable. Spiritual freedom is the bedrock of America and Virginia, and it’s on the coronary heart of our structure.”

Delegate Mark Levin presents a invoice through the flooring session of the Virginia Home of Delegates in Richmond.
(Bob Brown/Richmond Occasions-Dispatch through AP)

“It’s very important that we move this invoice to shut the loophole, defend our God-given constitutional rights and non secular freedom, and empower our residents to freely assemble in worship, with no extra authorities crackdowns,” Williams added.

H.B. 775 “supplies that no rule, regulation, or order issued by the Governor or different governmental entity pursuant to the Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Providers and Catastrophe Regulation of 2000 applies to the train of faith in a church, synagogue, or different place of worship,” based on its official abstract.

“No rule, regulation, or order issued by the Governor or different governmental entity pursuant to the Emergency Providers and Catastrophe Regulation (§ 44-146.13 et seq.) shall apply to the train of faith in a church, synagogue, or different place of worship,” the invoice states.

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COVID barriers that had been in place since last year's special session are removed from the Virginia Capitol in Richmond on Feb. 28, 2022.

COVID obstacles that had been in place since final yr’s particular session are faraway from the Virginia Capitol in Richmond on Feb. 28, 2022.
(AP Photograph/Steve Helber)

On Monday, Virginia state Sens. George Barker, Mamie Locke, Adam Ebbin, T. Montgomery Mason, Jennifer Boysko, John Bell and Ghazala Hasmi, all Democrats, voted to dam the invoice.

“As somebody who has fought for spiritual freedom around the globe my total profession, I discover it appalling to see it restricted right here at dwelling,” Tina Ramirez, president and govt director of the Richmond, Virginia-based human rights nonprofit Hardwired International, informed Fox Information Digital. 

“With such a wealthy historical past of defending spiritual freedom in Virginia the place Thomas Jefferson wrote the historic Virginia Statute of Spiritual Freedom, which laid the groundwork for a lot of the First Modification, it’s astounding that Democrats within the Virginia Senate would attempt to exert such management over the liberty to worship right here within the Commonwealth.”

GOP House hopeful Tina Ramirez and her daughter, Abigail.

GOP Home hopeful Tina Ramirez and her daughter, Abigail.
(Tina Ramirez)

“I say typically that there is no such thing as a proper extra basic than the liberty of conscience,” Ramirez added. “When our authorities is in search of to manage whether or not, how, or after we can worship, it’s an egregious infringement and precisely the kind of factor I’m operating for the Virginia Senate to combat towards.”

 

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Barker, Locke, Ebbin, Mason, Boysko, Bell and Hashmi didn’t instantly reply to after-hours requests for touch upon the laws.

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Wright Brothers Memorial plane crash victims identified, include 6-year-old child

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Wright Brothers Memorial plane crash victims identified, include 6-year-old child

The five people killed aboard a single-engine plane that crashed and caught fire at Wright Brothers National Memorial’s First Flight Airport in North Carolina over the weekend have been identified, officials said Tuesday.

The National Park Service (NPS) identified the victims as Shashwat Ajit Adhikari, 31, of Silver Spring, Maryland; Jason Ray Campbell, 43, Southern Pines, North Carolina; Kate McAllister Neely, 39, of Southern Pines, North Carolina; Matthew Arthur Fassnacht, 44, of Marietta, Georgia; and a 6-year-old child, whose name was not provided.

“National Park Service employees at Wright Brothers National Memorial, Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (Outer Banks Group) extend their deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones affected by this tragedy,” David Hallac, superintendent of the Outer Banks Group, said in a statement.

The Cirrus SR-22 airplane crashed around 5 p.m. Saturday in a wooded area near the airstrip, which is located near the town of Kill Devil Hills in the Outer Banks.

HURRICANE HELENE: NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS FIGHT FOR THEIR SURVIVAL AS BASIC GOODS BECOME SCARCE

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A Cirrus SR-22 airplane crashed around 5 p.m. Saturday in a wooded area near the airstrip at Wright Brothers National Memorial’s First Flight Airport in North Carolina. (Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, File)

Witnesses reported that the airplane was attempting to land at the airport when the aircraft crashed and sparked a fire that caused the plane to burn, according to officials.

The Kill Devil Hills Fire Department and other local fire departments helped to extinguish the flames, but there were no survivors.

Wright Brothers National Memorial

The plane was carrying five people, including a 6-year-old child, at the time of the crash near the Wright Brothers memorial. There were no survivors. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, File)

Campbell was a decorated lieutenant colonel assigned to the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, according to Stars and Stripes. He had about 19 years of active-duty service and served in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2006.

HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF: MULES HELPING TO BRING SUPPLIES TO RESIDENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash, and the Federal Aviation Administration was notified.

“We’re here to figure out what happened, why it happened and how we can prevent it from happening again,” NTSB investigator Ryan Enders told reporters Sunday.

NTSB expects to release a preliminary crash report within 10 days, though the full investigation into what caused the crash could take between nine months and a year.

Wright brothers

The Wright Flyer lifts off for the first time in Kitty Hawk as Orville mans the controls and Wilbur runs alongside in 1903. (Wilbur and Orville Wright via National Park Service)

The Wright Brothers National Memorial was constructed in the area where Wilbur and Orville Wright conducted “a series of experiments that three years later resulted in the world’s first heavier than air, powered controlled flight,” according to NPS.

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Swing state Dems ramping up ground game for final election push: 'Folks are responding'

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Swing state Dems ramping up ground game for final election push: 'Folks are responding'

Democrats in North Carolina are taking a localized, community-based approach to incentivize voters to turn out in the 2024 election.

Fox News Digital spoke with the North Carolina Democratic Party about their ground game this cycle, which they say is focused on local messaging and running a campaign in every corner of the state.

“Folks are responding to the fact that we are taking a careful, thoughtful, community, place-based approach to everything we’re doing,” Jonah Garson, first vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, told Fox in an exclusive interview. “The North Carolina Democratic Party has built an organizing machine that’s running everywhere, giving folks, people in their own communities, people to vote for who are present in committees, who people see, who people know.”

The Old North State is one of the key battleground states in presidential elections, and Garson believes that it is the ground game that will have the greatest impact at the polls.

RESIDENTS IN KEY NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT REVEAL HOW THEY THINK THEIR COUNTY WILL VOTE IN NOVEMBER

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Jonah Garson serves as the vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. (Fox News Digital)

“We are staying focused on running a great ground game because we know it’s not salacious headlines or magic abracadabra on a TV commercial that will win battleground North Carolina,” he said. “It’s going to be the work that North Carolinians do on the ground and at the doors and on the phones.”

NORTH CAROLINA GOP FOCUSING ON ‘HAND-TO-HAND POLITICAL COMBAT’ TO RAMP UP GROUND GAME IN BATTLEGROUND STATE

The Democratic Party has been actively working on their 2024 ground game for the past two years, and expect to have reached over a million people through combined canvassing efforts in the state come Election Day.

“You cannot just expect to have direct voter contact in the last few months of the election to reach people. It takes sort of a ramp and scale operation over time that’s thoughtful,” Garson said.

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North Carolina election

Absentee ballots are prepared to be mailed at the Wake County Board of Elections on Sept. 17, 2024, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

The party is also focusing on reaching people across all parties, not just Democratic voters.

“In North Carolina there’s a ton of work to do among registered Dems and registered unaffiliated whose values are aligned with the Democratic Party, which is a big tent party. I mean, we have all sorts of moderates and progressives and conservatives all in this party at this point, but who may or may not vote because they frankly feel alienated by the process or disgusted by what they’re seeing out of the process,” he said. “And it is about very personal, very honest conversations with people.”

Garson told Fox that after speaking with voters across the state, most North Carolinians are concerned about being able to thrive in their home communities moving forward.

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Hurricane Helene flooding: Mold in your home could cause severe health risks, experts say

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Hurricane Helene flooding: Mold in your home could cause severe health risks, experts say

The aftermath of Hurricane Helene has brought severe flooding to the southeast.

With excess water in the home, there’s an increased risk of mold growth, which can lead to serious health risks.

Mold in your home can look like multicolored spots and can smell musty, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

FOLLOW THESE STEPS IF YOU’VE FOUND BLACK MOLD IN YOUR HOME TO KEEP YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY SAFE

Mold can cause a variety of symptoms, such as stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing, wheezing, burning eyes and skin rash.

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Flood waters inundate the main street after Hurricane Helene passed offshore on Sept. 27, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

In an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel noted that wet walls can lead to mold that might not always be visible.

Siegel called out two “very serious molds” that he’s most worried about: black mold and aspergillus.

20 WORST PLACES TO LIVE IF YOU HAVE ASTHMA, PER MAJOR HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Black mold can appear as black or dark green splotches, Siegel detailed.

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Aspergillus is invasive and can cause aspergillosis, an infection that’s usually respiratory, according to Mayo Clinic.

Man with mask and gloves in front of wall with mold

Aspergillus mold is invasive and can cause a respiratory infection called aspergillosis, according to experts. (iStock)

Both molds can provoke allergy symptoms and infections, as well as conditions like hypersensitivity pneumonitis, an allergic reaction that causes inflammation in the lungs, according to Siegel.

‘SMART MASK’ COULD DETECT ASTHMA, COPD AND OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS, RESEARCHERS SAY

Mold can also trigger breathing conditions like emphysema or asthma, the doctor added.

“I’m worried about people who are immunocompromised and have chronic illnesses,” he said.

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Allergy

For those experiencing allergy symptoms, like coughing and sneezing, the culprit could be mold, the doctor said. (iStock)

“It can be fatal if you’re immunocompromised or if you’ve had a transplant — you can get a severe case of infection from mold.”

People with conditions like chronic lung disease can develop an infection in the lungs, the CDC stated.

How to remedy mold

Mold can develop in as little as 24 hours, Cleveland Clinic experts reported in a news release.

The sooner water damage is cleared up, the less risk there is for mold to grow, according to Maeve MacMurdo, MD, a pulmonologist for Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

THOSE SUFFERING FROM HURRICANE HELENE’S IMPACT GET HELP FROM REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM AND SAMARITAN’S PURSE

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“Obviously, the sooner the better, and it’s hard,” she said in the release. “People are dealing with a lot, but cleaning up the water and mold remediation is a really big part of it.”

For those who have regained power in their home, Siegel recommends plugging in a dehumidifier or air conditioner to dry out the space.

“Even if it’s cool outside, you want air-conditioning because you want to get rid of the humidity,” he said. “The humidity is where mold grows.”

business owners clean up flooding from hurricane helene

Employees clean up the International Moulding frame shop in Morganton, North Carolina, which was damaged by flood water from Hurricane Helene in September 2024. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

The doctor also recommends using bleach or vinegar to wipe down mold spots on walls – or hiring a professional to detect and remove mold.

“There are professional organizations that can spot the mold that’s hiding in the nooks and crannies,” Siegel said.

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For mold prevention, the CDC recommends keeping humidity levels at no higher than 50% in the home.

Air should “flow freely,” helped by exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom, according to the same source.

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Fixing leaks in the roof, walls and plumbing will help ensure that no moisture in the home turns into mold, experts advise.

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Mold clean-up

Some may choose to hire a professional service to detect and remove mold. (iStock)

The CDC also recommends not using carpet in rooms where there is more moisture, such as bathrooms and basements, and replacing carpets and upholstery that have been soaked.

When cleaning mold spots, never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners, the agency warned, as this will produce a poisonous gas.

A cleaning service worker removes mold from a wall using a sprayer

The CDC warned never to mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners, as this will produce a poisonous gas. (iStock)

It is best practice to follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the bleach container’s label, open windows to provide fresh air, and wear rubber boots, gloves and goggles during cleanup, experts advise.

People with persistent symptoms should seek medical attention, MacMurdo urged. While the flu season will bring temporary viruses, mold symptoms will continue to linger.

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