Seattle refugees turn junk into tote bags, medical scrubs and dog toys – Oil City Derrick

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Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 47F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..
Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 47F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Updated: September 26, 2022 @ 8:19 pm
SEATTLE — In a nondescript workshop in Seattle’s Lake City neighborhood, squeezed between a restaurant and a convenience store, surplus bed sheets are sewn into medical scrubs, used coffee sacks are fashioned into burlap tote bags and decommissioned fire hoses are cut into storage baskets.
Refugee and immigrant women from countries like Afghanistan, Myanmar and Ethiopia are trained to do the work, which Refugee Artisan Initiative Executive Director Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman calls “upcycling” — transforming waste materials into products with practical and artistic value, rather than keeping them in warehouses and dumping them into landfills.
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It’s been over a century since a major storm like Hurricane Ian has struck the Tampa Bay area, which blossomed from a few hundred thousand people in 1921 to more than 3 million today. Many of these people live in low-lying neighborhoods that are highly susceptible to storm surge and flooding they have rarely before experienced, which some experts say could be worsened by the effects of climate change. The problem confronting the region is that storms approaching from the south, as Hurricane Ian is on track to do, push huge volumes of water up into shallow Tampa Bay and are likely to inundate homes and businesses with up to 10 feet of storm surge.
A larger panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has again blocked California’s first-in-the-nation ban on for-profit private prisons and immigration detention facilities. The panel ruled Monday that it is trumped by the federal government. The 2019 state law would have phased out privately run immigration jails in California by 2028. The law would have undermined a key piece of the nation’s detention system for immigrants. The law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom was one of many efforts to limit California’s cooperation with the federal government as then-President Donald Trump imposed hardline policies on immigration enforcement. But the Biden administration continued the U.S. government’s opposition to the law.
A former Nigerian government official has been sentenced to five years in prison for stealing more than $500,000 in pandemic relief benefits in the United States. Abidemi Rufai was wearing a $10,000 watch and $35,000 gold chain when he was arrested at a New York City airport on his way to Nigeria last year. He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Washington, to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors say the 45-year-old has a history of defrauding the U.S. government, including filing for emergency relief after hurricanes. Rufai was appointed as a special aide to a Nigerian state governor in 2020, after he carried out the fraud.
DENVER — Lodgepole pines grow thick in mountain foothill forests west of Denver. Government-backed loggers cut down thousands. This left a hole across several acres of the popular Flying J Ranch Park that, close up, looks to visitors more like mowing than thinning.
A NASA spacecraft successfully crashed into an asteroid approximately 7 million miles from Earth in a test to determine if the impact can nudge the space rock slightly off course.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have dimmed the light pollution emanating from state buildings, writing that the proposed law was an “overly broad mandate” whose costs California is currently ill-equipped to cover.
The Phoenix Suns are bringing back most of their star players in an effort to win an elusive NBA title. One man who apparently won’t be along on the journey is team owner Robert Sarver. The Suns met in downtown Phoenix for media day less than a week after the embattled Sarver announced his intention to sell the team. Sarver was suspended one year and fined $10 million by the NBA over workplace misconduct that included racist speech and hostile behavior toward employees. All-Star Devin Booker, guard Chris Paul and coach Monty Williams all said reading the final report on Sarver’s conduct was difficult.
Six decades after Fidel Castro imprisoned gay men in forced labor camps and later sent them to Florida during the Mariel boatlift, Cuban same-sex couples will be able to marry and adopt children, after voters on the island ratified a new family code with 67% of the vote in a controversial re…
Japan is set to stage a state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and other world leaders, amid growing domestic opposition to the event that has undermined support for the current premier.
NASA spacecraft slams into harmless asteroid to see if it’s possible to nudge killer space rocks out of Earth’s way.
Supporters of a massive expansion of Arizona’s private school voucher system say public school advocates have failed to file enough valid signatures to temporarily block the law ahead of a proposed 2024 ballot referendum. But the grassroots group says it “will await accurate numbers from the Secretary of State’s office regarding their challenge to the Republican-backed law that incentives families to pull their children out of K-12 public schools. The executive director of Save Our Schools Arizona had announced Friday that the group had turned in more than 141,000 signatures to block the private school voucher expansion signed into law by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in July. Nearly 119,000 valid signatures are required.
A former Alaska attorney general has pleaded not guilty to charges he sexually abused a minor three decades ago when he was the alleged victim’s high school coach. Fifty-eight-year-old Clyde “Ed” Sniffen entered his plea Monday through his attorney. The allegations date back to when Sniffen was 27 and was a lawyer in private practice but served as the coach of the then 17-year-old girl’s mock trial competition team at an Anchorage high school. She has said the sexual relationship began during a trip to New Orleans for a national competition and continued for about two years back in Anchorage.
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal authorities stopped another person linked to the Feeding Our Future fraud case from leaving the country Monday, arresting the 49th person to be charged in the sprawling $250 million child food aid conspiracy.
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Ukraine’s military is on the offensive against Russian forces and asking for more powerful weapons to press its advantage, but so far there is no sign that allies will step up their commitments.
State legislators in New Mexico are reconsidering how they evaluate complaints of sexual misconduct against colleagues, amid outrage about the handling of a complaint against an influential senator. A panel of leading legislators met Monday to discuss possible changes to ground rules for harassment investigations at the Legislature. Also Monday, a coalition of advocacy groups held a news conference to describe a toxic culture that favors perpetrators of harassment at the Legislature. They calling for independent oversight of inquiries into sexual misconduct. Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto was recently removed from one of his leadership roles in response to allegations of sexual harassment that he denies.
DALLAS — Texas leads the country for the number of weather-related power outages over the past two decades, says a new report by a climate change nonprofit.
A Philadelphia-based attorney known for representing former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial has joined the defense team in a criminal case against the Trump Organization headed up by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
Republicans have attacked Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, after a judge took the rare public step of disputing the administration’s claim that the judge prevented it from cutting off payments to Feeding Our Future. The nonprofit is the target of a $250 million federal fraud case. The GOP candidates for Minnesota governor, attorney general and state auditor said Monday that Walz and other top Democrats should have done more to stop the alleged fraud in its early stages, before it became what federal prosecutors have called the largest pandemic-related fraud scheme in the country.
The New England Patriots’ season was brought to a pause the moment Mac Jones had his left leg crushed under the weight of Baltimore’s Calais Campbell. He hopped of the field while grimacing in pain. If the second-year quarterback is in danger of missing any playing time, he isn’t willing to say. Jones says he’s day to day at this point and deferred any more questions about his status to coach Bill Belichick. But if Jones has to miss a start for the first time in his career, an offense that turned the ball over four times in Sunday’s loss to Baltimore will turn to backup Brian Hoyer.
A 55-year-old man has been charged in the slaying of a Detroit radio news anchor during an attack that also left two children and their mother injured. Arthur Williamson was arraigned Monday on murder and other charges. Jim Matthews, the overnight news anchor at WWJ-AM, was found bludgeoned Friday at a home in Chesterfield Township, northeast of Detroit. A 35-year-old woman identified as Matthews’ girlfriend was stabbed. Police were called about noon Friday after Matthews’ girlfriend and their 5-year-old daughter were seen running from the home. Police found Matthews’ body inside and their 10-year-old son beaten and bound in a closet. The suspect was found in the basement. He had self-inflicted wounds and was overdosing.
A Mississippi prosecutor who worked on one of the renewed investigations into the 1955 killing of Black teenager Emmett Till has died. Joyce Chiles died of lung cancer Thursday. She was 67. In 2007, she presented evidence to a grand jury after a three-year investigation. The grand jury was made up of Black and white people, and they declined to indict anyone. Till was from Chicago and had gone to Mississippi to visit relatives in the summer of 1955. The lynching galvanized the civil rights movement. Chiles was elected in 2003 as the first Black person, and first woman, to be district attorney for three counties in the Mississippi Delta.
Four people have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors for their roles in absentee ballot fraud in rural North Carolina during the 2016 and 2018 elections. These convictions Monday stemmed from an investigation that in part resulted in a do-over congressional election. The defendants were associated with Leslie McCrae Dowless, a political operative in Bladen County whom authorities called the ringleader of the ballot scheme. Dowless died this year before his case went to trial. The State Board of Elections has ordered a new election for the 2018 9th Congressional District because of all the fraud allegations. Cases against six other defendants are pending.
Cleveland Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett has been taken to a hospital after being involved in a one-car accident following practice. The team says Garrett did not suffer life-threatening injuries but provided no further details on his condition. The Browns say they are gathering more information. Garrett and the Browns returned to practice following a long weekend after their home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
Meredith Tax, a prominent activist and writer of second-wave feminism who challenged herself, her peers and the world at large to rethink long-held ideas about gender, race and class, has died. She was 80. Tax’s books included the nonfiction “The Rising of the Women” and the novels “Rivington Street” and its sequel “Union Square.” She wrote for The Nation, The Guardian and The Village Voice among other publications, and has been praised for her 1970 pamphlet “Woman and Her Mind,” one of the founding texts of second-wave feminism, in which she explored how society conditioned the behavior of men and women.
Miles Bridges’ future with the Charlotte Hornets remains uncertain as the team opens training camp on Tuesday. Bridges, the team’s leading scorer last season, was charged in June with three counts of felony domestic violence. According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, Bridges allegedly assaulted the mother of his two young children in front of them. Bridges has pleaded not guilty and has a court date Thursday. The uncertainty over his legal issues has left the Hornets in wait–see mode. Because he’s a restricted free agent, Bridges is not on the Hornets’ roster and did not attend media day.
DALLAS — Texas educators now have a slight road map on how to teach students history lessons that align with the “anti-critical race theory” law signed last year.
Nets star Kyrie Irving doesn’t believe it’s a fair narrative that his decision not to be vaccinated – and what that ultimately cost him – makes him an unreliable teammate.
Months after taking a break from social media, “Under the Banner of Heaven” TV creator Dustin Lance Black revealed that he’s been facing a health issue.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that President Joe Biden’s plan for student debt cancellation will cost about $400 billion over the next 30 years. The estimate was issued Monday in response to a request from Republican lawmakers who oppose Biden’s plan because of its cost. They cited the estimates as evidence that the plan will “bury” taxpayers. The Biden administration previously estimated the plan will cost about $24 billion a year over the next decade, while other estimates put it at a total of $500 billion or more. The White House says the cost of the cancellation plan will be offset by other measures to reduce the federal deficit.
The Biden administration has expanded and extended temporary legal status for several thousand people from Myanmar living in the U.S. until May 2024. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Monday that people of Myanmar “are continuing to suffer a complex and deteriorating humanitarian crisis due to a military coup, upheaval, and security forces’ brutal violence against civilians.” Congress created the Temporary Protected Status program in 1990 to provide a safe haven for people unable to return to their countries due to natural disasters or civil strife. It can be extended in increments up to 18 months.
The Dallas Mavericks are easing Luka Doncic into training camp two weeks after he played for Sloveni in the EuroBasket tournament. The Mavericks are looking for another deep playoff run after losing in the Western Conference finals to Golden State. It’s the first time Dallas has escaped the first round since winning the 2011 championship. The first order of business is figuring out how to replace Jalen Brunson, who signed with the New York Knicks in free agency.
First Debate Raises Critical Questions about Opponent Robert Luna’s History of Violence and Lack of Leadership Abilities
A NASA spacecraft is set to collide with an asteroid Monday and the space agency is inviting spectators to watch.
Brazilian police say a 39-year-old supporter of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been stabbed to death in a bar amid rising concern about political violence in a tense presidential campaign. The newspaper O Povo reported that witnesses told police a man entered a bar in the city of Cascavel on Saturday and asked who was voting for da Silva on Oct. 2. A man said, “I will,” and then was stabbed. He died in hospital. A Ceara state police official confirmed the report Monday. Police earlier said the man was killed due to a “political discussion” and said the 59-year-old suspect remained at large.
The fugitive defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard” who is at the center of one of the U.S. Navy’s worst corruption scandals, has requested asylum in Venezuela, according to  a law enforcement official in the South American country. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the press about the closed proceedings, did not provide any additional details about Leonard Glenn Francis’ moves. The Malaysian owner of a ship servicing company slipped away from house arrest in San Diego on Sept. 4 weeks before being sentenced. He was captured last week in Venezuela.
Fans are rallying for KiKi Layne after the “Don’t Worry Darling” star said her character was largely erased from the film.
A Southern California woman was shot to death in a domestic violence incident and police say the suspect is a 45-year-old man believed to be on the run with his 15-year-old daughter. Police say officers responding around 7:30 a.m. Monday to reports of shots fired found the victim with multiple gunshot wounds at a home in Fontana. Investigators believe the suspect is with his daughter in a white 2017 Nissan Frontier with California plates. He should be considered armed and dangerous.
Cameroonian Foreign Affairs Minister Lejeune Mbella Mbella says it’s more urgent than ever to finalize the rules for implementing the Paris climate agreement. And in particular he hopes that progress will be made on financial resources for developing countries combating the effects of climate change. COP27 is slated to take place at the end of the year in Egypt. He told the U.N. General Assembly that the meeting “will be of crucial importance in this regard.”

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