#near Terlingua

[humongouscasheaglebagel]

[mothmiso]

American Southwest (2) (3) (4) (5) by David Nelson Blair

Via Flickr:

(1) Light from the late afternoon sun catches the face of Willow Mountain at a low angle. (2) Stunning blossoms of Spanish Dagger (Yucca faxoniana) grace the private Terlingua ranch the second week in March. (3) Ringed by mourning doves (Zenaidúra macroúra), a scaled quail (Callipépla squamáta) feeds at a remote homesite in Brewster Country, Texas, near Big Bend National Park. (4) Blossoms of Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) are on the verge on the private Terlingua Ranch. The plant and its sky-scraping red flowerers are ubiquitous in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora and the U.S. states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. (5) A blossom of Hibiscus (Hibiscus denudatus) graces the desert.       

[quixote-kid]

3/23/24

Windmill and moon near Terlingua, TX.

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

Despite propaganda that would tell you otherwise, the Texas-Mexico border along the Rio Grande isn't some lawless warzone. It's actually a really beautiful, peaceful stretch of river that is home to lots of very cool local flora and fauna, some of which are critically threatened or even endangered, like the Mexican long-nose bat and the Chisos agave cactus.

I live very close to the border and visit it often. It's beautiful and peaceful out here, but governor Greg Abbott is threatening both human lives and river ecosystem with his so-called floating wall, a stretch of buoys and barbed wire that cuts across the middle of the Rio Grande. These photos of mine were taken at the Big Bend Ranch State Park near Terlingua, but you can read more firsthand accounts from the border and the troubling militarization of the river near Eagle Pass here:

[chaoticdesertdweller]

Residents of the Terlingua area were shaken last night by powerful lightning, strong winds, and pounding hail.

Meanwhile, about 45 miles above the storm in the mesosphere, the drama silently unfolded in the form of sprites!

Sprites are electrical discharges triggered by powerful lightning strikes but have more in common with aurora than a typical lightning bolt. Sprites last just fractions of a second but can be seen under dark skies high above powerful thunderstorms as faint red or grey structures.

This group of sprites was captured from McDonald Observatory and was triggered by a lightning strike on the remote eastern edge of Big Bend National Park, 110 miles away. The same event was simultaneously captured by a photographer 300 miles away near Austin, Texas, which reveals that the structures are arranged in one continual line estimated to be about 30 miles long!

Sprite Parade, May 25, 2023, by Stephen Hummel

[ghostsandgetaways]

Haunted Hangouts - A West Texas Roadtrip

Haunted West Texas Roadtrip!

Howdy, paranormal peeps! Its time to get ready for a spooky adventure through the spooky and haunted landscapes of West Texas. This haunted road trip itinerary will take you to the town of Marathon, then continuing on to Alpine, Marfa, and then my favorite…..Terlingua of course! This entire itinerary is less than 200 miles but it is PACKED with history and ghost stories. If you are thinking about doing something different for your summer vacay……this is it!!

Stop 1: Marathon, TX

You might think this town is on the verge of becoming a ghost town with a population of 386. In reality, this town offers a unique experience to those looking for something a little different. Established in 1882, Marathon is the second largest town in Brewster County. The town, thanks to the railroad, became a shipping and supply point for area. The first Mexican-American school to provide English classes was held in a private home, but the Hidalgo Ward School was built in 1910 for Mexican-Americans. A variety of industries came in and out of the area including rubber and oil. None of them lasted very long after it was determined that local resources were not as robust as originally thought.

We arrived in Marathon and checked into a lovely room at the historic Gage Hotel. Alfred Gage arrived from Vermont seeking the promise and prosperity of the ranching opportunities available in Texas. Mr. Gage decided to build a hotel since Marathon didn’t have lodging to offer travelers passing through. The hotel opened its doors in April 1927 but, sadly, Mr. Gage would pass away just a year after his beloved hotel opened.

The hotel continued to serve the community however the population and visitors would decrease until the hotel largely stood empty. It had a precarious future until J.P. Bryan purchased the hotel in 1978.  He lovingly and painstakingly restored the hotel so that now you can enjoy a lovely and relaxing stay in this West Texas gem.

Built in 1926, it is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a lovesick bride from the 1920s. You might see a ghost or two out on the porch, strolling through the gardens, and roaming the hallways. Rooms 10 and 39 are supposedly the most "active" spots in the hotel however I found stories of paranormal activity throughout the hotel. We walked the beautiful grounds of the hotel and met interesting guests enjoying a bottle of wine at the firepit. There were packages with everything you need to make smores available at the fire pit too (a nice touch!).

Stop 2: Alpine, TX

The town of Alpine was established in 1882 however it really began earlier when cattlemen lived in tents near their herds in the area beginning in 1878. For a brief time, the town was known as Osborne however the name was later changed to Alpine. By the late 1880s, Alpine had a dozen or so homes, a hotel, a post office, three saloons, a rooming house, a store, a livery stable, and a butcher shop.

Alpine was a thriving community and had a burst of growth when Sul Ross State Normal College (now Sul Ross State University) was built. The college, added to ranching and the railroad industries in the area, made Alpine the center of activities in the Big Bend area.

Built in 1928 by J.R. Holland, the Holland Hotel has 27 rooms that are well appointed and comfortable. We had a nice room at one end of the hall on the 2nd floor that looked out upon the street below. The hotel closed in late 1960s, there were multiple attempts at reopening, then the Greenwich Hospital Group became the last to acquire and restore it.

The hotel is allegedly haunted with guests reporting hearing footsteps, disembodied voices, and the scent of tobacco. Front desk staff told me they often hear things in the area behind the front desk, even when they are the only ones working. Our experiences during our stay include hearing movement in our room before we even opened the door, and hearing items moving on the dresser during the night. I checked with the front desk and discovered that the rooms on either side of our room were empty. The sounds we were hearing were at least not from people in those rooms.

Stop 3: Marfa, Texas!

Now we move on to the mysterious town of Marfa! Marfa, the county seat of Presidio County, was established in 1883 as a water stop for the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railway. By 1930 Marfa had grown to nearly 4,000 residents. During the 1940s, the government built a prisoner of war camp nearby as well as the Marfa Army Air Field ten miles east of Marfa. The military installations closed the next year.

This quaint town is known for the Marfa Lights, Hotel Paisano (the film location for James Dean’s final picture, Giant, with Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor), and its artistic community. Built in 1930, a large number of customers of the hotel during the 1930s and 1940s were cattle ranchers who came to Marfa to buy and sell their herds.

The hotel changed hands over the years and joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The hotel was abandoned in 2001 and the building fell into a state of disrepair. It sold at a tax auction and the hotel was re-established later that year.

My daughter and I stayed in the James Dean room while my friends stayed in the Dennis Hopper suite. The Hopper is a great 2 bed/2 bath suite with 2 living areas. We used it as our “party central” since they were just down the hall from our room. The gift shop downstairs has a lot to offer those who like to shop.

There are a variety of paranormal reports from staff and guests alike. Guests report seeing a woman in a white dress and the spirit of an old man around the property. The woman seen on the second floor may have been the victim of homicide. My daughter and I did not experience anything in our room that I am aware of.

Stop 4: Terlingua, TX

Our final destination on this haunted road trip is the ghost town of Terlingua. Ranchers moved into the Big Bend area to raise livestock and, by the late 1890s, the discovery of mercury (also known as quicksilver), brought mining operations as an economic force for the region. The Chisos Mining Company, was established in 1903 in Terlingua by Chicago businessman Howard E. Perry. For the next three decades, the Chisos Mining Company was one of the nation’s leading producers of quicksilver.

World War I brought increased demand for quicksilver allowing the company to enter its most successful period. At its peak, employees were able to enjoy a company-owned commissary, a hotel, a school, a company doctor, an established water supply, telephone service, mail delivery, and several homes. Production began to decline in the late 1930s and the company filed for bankruptcy in October 1942.

You can freely explore the ruins of the Terlingua Ghost Town. Many guests have reported spirits (thought to be from the days of the Chisos Mining Company) roaming freely among the decaying structures. If you are feeling a little bit adventurous, stay at Perry Mansion where guests have reported paranormal activity. Guests have reported seeing shadows, hearing voices and footsteps, and the apparition of a man on the 2nd floor thought to be a disgruntled employee from the mining company.

On our first visit we split our time between the first floor of Perry Mansion in the La Fonda suite, then moving on to staying in a bubble at Basecamp Terlingua. While my family and I did not experience paranormal activity (that we know of) at Perry Mansion, we enjoyed the comfortable room.

I absolutely recommend attending the Dia de los Muertos that occurs November 2nd in the historic cemetery. Candles are placed on ALL graves giving it the beautifully eerie ambiance you see in my photos. It is not scary or spooky so don’t hesitate to bring the family. You can bring photos of your deceased loved ones to place on one of the altars, meet visitors from all over, enjoy music and food, and celebrate the lives of those who have gone on before us. My husband loved Terlingua so I took photos of him so he could be included in the celebration. I believe he approves. R.I.P. my sweet hubby.

Optional stop 5: Cross over to Boquillas, Mexico from Terlingua

If you have a passport, bring it and run over to the village of Boquillas, Mexico. You have to cross at the Boquillas Crossing Port of Entry (operated by the National Park Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection) within the Big Bend National Park.

For $5 you can be taken across the river by boat or you can walk over if you don’t mind walking through the river (I do not recommend). Once you cross over, you can walk to the village, or you can pay to be taken by truck or by horse. Once in town, there are a couple of restaurants and shops, and plenty of residents selling goods from tables in front of their homes. YOU MUST HAVE A PASSPORT to cross.

If you have extra time, you can visit a couple of ghost towns not far from Marfa: Lobo and Toyah. Within the Big Bend National Park are several ruins including an old store front from the days of the Chisos Mining Company. West Texas offers a glimpse into an interesting past and I recommend you not rush through it. Keep your cameras handy and your ghost-hunting gear charged up. You may need it more than you think! This road trip will be one for the books! Happy haunting, y'all! 🌵👻

[z-o-r-a-k]

Ruins and graves in Terlingua, TX, near the Big Bend National & State parks

[mabrycampbell]

Agua Fria Mountain

Agua Fria Mountain near Terlingua, Texas, 2019 www.mabrycampbell.com #WestTexas #Terlingua #landscapephotography #blackandwhitephotography #mabrycampbell #photography #potd

Agua Fria Mountain Terlingua, Texas, 2019 Agua Fria Mountain – Mabry Campbell Photograph © 2019 Mabry Campbell Mabry Campbell Photography: Website ⎟ Flickr ⎟ LinkedIn ⎟ Instagram www.mabrycampbell.com Fine art prints available through Catherine Couturier Gallery in Houston, Texas. Catherine Couturier Gallery 2635 Colquitt Street Houston, TX 77098 Tel: (713) 524-5070 Email:…

[nolonelyroads]

Endless Highway, Farm to Market Rd 170, near Terlingua, TX

[humongouscasheaglebagel]

[yohehoneymoon-blog]

Day 2: Part 2

(Read Day 2: Part 1 before this one. Also I’ll probably switch off Tumblr because it’s a steaming trash heap of a platform.)

We passed through a little city called Presidio. You could see it from miles afar, glinting with the sheet metal and dead pickup trucks that make up the majority of its borders. It might be nice inside, but we had a national park to find and there was no time to stop.

We hit a ghost town called Terlingua, famous for its chili cook off and oddities. We pulled in and slowly drove around, looking at buildings we weren’t going to enter. There was a bumper sticker affixed to a stop sign: “Don’t MARFA My TERLINGUA,” it read. What the Hell does that mean? We stopped at the cemetery, posed for a picture, and threw some quarters on these little white steps where it looked like people left offerings. We don’t know if that was OK to do, but it already had quarters on it and we wanted to pay respects for us taking a goddamned selfie in a graveyard.

Mexican ghosts appeased, we got back on the road.

Next stop was a desolate golf resort called Lajitas. We saw no golfers, but we stopped for water and a bag of Mexican snacks called “Donitas.” We got the Chile y limon flavor, and they’re really good. A hand painted sign promised “No Gas for 50 Miles!” so we gassed up at $3.58/gal. There was a small pen with goats off to the side and we pet them. They bleated when we walked away. We pulled off to the side and made some Mother’s Day calls. The sheriff pulled up next to us and asked what we were doing. I told him what we were doing and he left, and then we left.

About ten miles down the road we saw a gas station.

Past Lajitas the roads became a windy and hilly mess. If I hadn’t been driving I’d be losing my Donitas. We got stuck behind a guy who insisted on doing 30MPH even when the speed limit changed to 45MPH. Eventually we got around him. “He doesn’t look old,” we said, as if that was the exclusive reason for someone’s slow driving. We passed through a couple small towns that had some variety of infrastructure, but no people. Does anyone live there? Two-thirds of the buildings were bombed out, as if by a drone strike.

We made it to Big Bend Ranch State Park, which sure as shit is not Big Bend National Park, but leads into the latter.

We pulled off the road because a wooden sign said “HOODOOS” and we had to know what that was about. We careened into a small overlook with a trailhead. I overestimated how much power we needed to get up that hill. Another couple was there an gave us a funny look as we kicked up dust and came to a halt. They had three dogs who were not happy about our presence. They offered to take a picture of us with our Fuji Instax camera we borrowed from a friend. It’s a mini Polaroid type deal. She said “how hipster of you” as she took our picture. The film pushed out of the top of the camera and lifted the brim of her hat up. She had a lot of tattoos and a weird attitude. We thanked her for the picture and left.

We finally hit Big Bend National Park and were treated to an even more amazing sight than out trip down US-67. Without any development beyond the road the land was free to breathe its vast nothingness. The speed limit was 45MPH and we didn’t want to do a hair more than that. It was beautiful.

And then we came to the Chisos Basin Campground and every single “amazing, beautiful, wonderful” thing we had seen until then was put to shame. The brownish red rocks are dotted with greenery and tower into the sky at such an angle you’d think they were made on purpose. It looks prehistoric. This is what video games try to emulate. They have thus far failed miserably. We drove, jaws dropped for the entirety of the Chisos Basin area.

We secured site 57 at the Chisos Basin Campground.

Diana made us sandwiches with turkey, roast beef, baby Swiss, pale ale beer mustard, and pickles all on some variety of expensive bread. You know, the kind with seeds and shit all embedded in it? That kind. We sat and listened to birds as we ate out of the back of the van. A fox trotted by.

When the sun got low Diana made Jiffy Pop. It took us fifteen minutes to figure out how to use the butane cooker (that cigarette lighter was left under the counter for us on purpose, it would turn out). We lounged in the back of the campervan with the back doors wide opened and listened to Mysterious Universe, a podcast about paranormal odds and ends, and ate popcorn.

We set an alarm for 3:00 AM so we could see the night sky without the half moon, which was near its zenith at 9:00 PM. We fell asleep.

When the alarm went off the moon had just a tiny journey left before it receded behind a mountain, so I closed my eyes and dozed off for a while until the skies were clear. I had two consecutive dreams, each entailing me waking up and looking outside to find the Milky Way and calling Diana to come see. I haven’t dreamt that lucidly since I was very young. I’ve heard the desert can cause strange dreams, either from a general, subconscious discomfort from being in such a hostile environment, or by way of some natural magics that permeate through the land. Take your pick, but be warned: You’ll never know when you’re truly awake.

Somewhere between 3:30AM and 5:00AM I shuffled out of the van and looked up. I saw an immeasurable number of stars and a thin, gossamer strip running through them. Was that a cloud or the Milky Way? I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. I’m going with the latter. In flip flops and basketball shorts I tottered a few steps back to get a better look. Something yipped and barked in the distance and I jumped. There are numerous signs about the mountain lions in the area that can drag you off by the throat before you can even scream. I know cats don’t bark, but I wasn’t in my right mind, anyway. I was too lost. I woke Diana up and we stared up for a while until the shifting in the bushes became too much to bare. All I could picture was a set of green reflecting eyes pouncing on my well-fed, awestruck ass.

[bloodedcelt]

photo of Bluebonnets and the Milkyway near Terlingua, Texas by Jason Weingart of  http://www.jasonrweingart.com/the-workshops/

[chrisgiuliano]

Texas Road Trip 2018

I just got back from a three-day Texas road trip. I flew into Austin with my friend, where we met two other friends of ours, and immediately started driving west. The car, as usual, was my friend Nick’s old 2000 Buick LeSabre, a hand-me-down from a family friend. 3,500 lbs of Flint-built late-90’s luxury, another friend of mine says the LeSabre is “like a living room on wheels”. The A/C only sporadically works, which makes driving through the desert in the summer difficult, but we did it.

We stopped in Llano, Eden, San Angelo, Midland, Odessa (or “Slow-Deatha” as somebody we met called it), Alpine, Marfa, Big Bend National Park, Terlingua, Del Rio, San Antonio and then back to Austin.

Texas is probably the state in the US most eligible to be its own country. In The Nine Nations of North America, Joel Garreau divides it into three different nations - Dixie, the Breadbasket, and MexAmerica. Since it’s so large, its geography is more diverse than most states, with swamps and piney woods in the east, the hill country and prairies in the middle of the state, the high plains in the panhandle, and the semi-arid and desert areas of the west and Big Bend. This time, we saw the breadbasket and MexAmerica regions.

In the Breadbasket, farming towns and their associated midwestern values dominate. Store clerks told me to “have a blessed day” when I bought cigarettes, grain elevators were the tallest buildings in the towns, and feed stores and farm and tractor supply stores were the biggest attractions by the side of the highway.

In the Permian Basin, which encompasses Midland and Odessa, oil dominates. Those cities are centered around oil production and not much else. We drove through the night and saw the lit flare stacks in the oil fields and the lazy churn of pumpjacks extracting oil. The air smelled of sulphur and the parking lots of roadside bars were filled with F-250’s, but had diverse crowds of whites, blacks, Native Americans, and both men and women, which I doubt we would have seen in the farming country just a few hours behind us. The lobbies of office buildings at night looked like movie sets from the 1950’s, and the streets of the cities were empty.

I had never seen the desert before. We hiked a bit through Big Bend, into the Chisos Mountains, and down toward the Rio Grande at the Santa Elena Canyon. We stopped near Terlingua for lunch and then on our way back for dinner, too. On the way back to Austin, we stopped in Del Rio, the only true border town that we saw. I wish we could have stopped in Ciudad Acuña across the river, but we didn’t have quite enough time.

Texans are proud of their state, which once an independent country (and has been a part of five other countries throughout its history). The more I go to Texas, the more I see where their pride comes from. It’s a beautiful, varied state, and I’m glad I finally got the chance to see some chunks of Texas that are often forgotten about. Photos to come eventually.

I will be doing a zine of my road trips over the last three years titled Travels I-III. It will be limited to about 20 copies, and anybody who buys a copy will receive a pin that I recently made as well as a postcard or vintage photo from the Texas Trip. Stay tuned for the announcement, likely to come at the end of June!

[micklemeelmo]

Venting

I’m just venting.

He has barely spoken to me since coming back from Terlingua. Asks for sex like I’m a vending machine. Which is fine but I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t miss the cuddles afterward. Won’t talk to me about anything going on in his world and doesn’t want to talk about what’s going on in mine.

Said everything is changed since “this last one” in Terlingua and I’m sitting here flummoxed because it’s like I fucked the football team! I’m utterly confused and wish he’d just shit or get off the pot.

How long is this going to last? Days months years until he can “trust” me, when he never really did? I want a partner who will be supportive with me. Loving and forgiving.

I would totally understand all this if I had misbehaved egregiously. A hand on the back, too close conversation, and lower inhibitions really?? I might get mad and jealous but it wouldn’t be a deal breaker even if I saw it happen two or three times over 12 years.

I’m tired of apologizing first. I’m tired of minding my Ps and Qs. I’m tired of being blamed for the loss of affection. I’m tired of being scolded like a child for innocuous stuff or honest mistakes. I’m tired of being screamed at when I express my own boundaries or needs or fears. I’m tired of the fuck yous and fuck offs that have been happening since damn near day 1.

Ugh! I’m so frustrated

[z-o-r-a-k]

Visited 4 farms outside of El Paso today. Here's our grocery haul for camping out near Terlingua, in Big Bend National Park.

[masterofd1saster]

CJ current events 26 jan 21

Any reason not to set him on fire?

*** After a three-day trial, Thomas Alan Arthur, 64, of Terlingua, was convicted of three counts of trafficking in obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of a child, five counts of trafficking in obscene text stories about the sexual abuse of children, and one count of engaging in the business of selling obscene matters involving the sexual abuse of children.

According to trial evidence, Arthur began operating the Mr. Double website in 1996, and began charging members for access to the site in 1998. The website was dedicated to publishing writings that detail the sexual abuse of children, including the rape, torture, and murder of infants and toddlers. The evidence at trial showed that all submissions for publication were reviewed and approved by Arthur before he posted them on the site. Some of the author pages contained drawings depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Evidence at trial showed that the website was Arthur’s sole source of income for more than 20 years. The site was taken offline in November 2019 when the FBI executed a search warrant at his residence near Terlingua, where Arthur administered the site. Pursuant to our Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the Netherlands, additional evidence was obtained from the server in the Netherlands where the site was hosted.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 19, 2021.***  https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/man-convicted-multiple-obscenity-crimes-involving-children

***

The LONG arm of the law

A civilian employee working for the U.S. Marine Corps Community Association pleaded guilty today to assaulting his spouse while working in Iwakuni, Japan.****

Jason Beltran, 35, a former U.S. Marine most recently residing in Flushing, Michigan, pleaded guilty to a single count of assault of a spouse resulting in substantial bodily injury. Beltran entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds in the U.S. District Court in Detroit, Michigan.***

Beltran was hired by the U.S. Marine Corps Community Services to work as a library technician at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. In 2011, Beltran married a dual Japanese-U.S. citizen and had three children with his spouse. Beltran admitted that on or about June 20, 2017, he had an argument with his spouse during which he punched her with a closed fist to the side of her face causing a gash that required several stitches to close the wound, and which resulted in a small, permanent scar.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 3. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/marine-corps-civilian-employee-pleads-guilty-assaulting-his-spouse ***

***

Nothing creepy about that....

***Telesforo Aviles, a 35-year-old former ADT employee, pleaded guilty to computer fraud on Thursday before Magistrate Judge David Horan.***

According to plea papers, Mr. Aviles admits that contrary to company policy, he routinely added his personal email address to customers’ “ADT Pulse” accounts, giving himself real-time access to the video feeds from their homes. In some instances, he claimed he needed to add himself temporarily in order to “test” the system; in other instances, he added himself without their knowledge.

Mr. Aviles took note of which homes had attractive women, then repeatedly logged into these customers’ accounts in order to view their footage for sexual gratification, he admits. Plea papers indicate he watched numerous videos of naked women and couples engaging in sexual activity inside their homes.

Over a four and a half year period, Mr. Aviles secretly accessed roughly 200 customer accounts more than 9,600 times without their consent, he admits.

Mr. Aviles, who waived indictment and was charged via an information, now faces up to five years in federal prison.*** https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/adt-technician-pleads-guilty-hacking-home-security-footage

***

About 1,000 of the 1,300 COVID-19 vaccine doses set aside for North Carolina's prisons were sent to the facilities this week.

Four prisons are regional hubs for the first portion of vaccine deliveries from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The North Carolina National Guard and prison health care workers started administering the Moderna vaccines Wednesday. More doses are expected each week.***  https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/covid-vaccinations-north-carolina-prisons

***

In carjacking news...

Chicago carjacking outside Sears Tower (Willis Tower) January 20, 2021

Chicago Police Supt. David Brown called a press conference Thursday evening to talk about the city’s carjacking problem. He opened his remarks with this claim:

“In 2020, there were 1,417 incidents of vehicular hijackings. Chicago police arrested 1,127 — that’s 1,127 — offenders for these crimes,” Brown said.

That’s false. Completely, off-the-charts not true.

Last year, Chicago police arrested 178 people for vehicular hijackings. Who told us that? The Chicago Police Department.

The other 949 arrests that Brown lumped in with those were for criminal trespass to vehicles, a misdemeanor that simply means someone was inside a car without permission.*** https://cwbchicago.com/2021/01/top-cop-claims-1127-people-were-arrested-for-carjacking-crimes-last-year-the-actual-number-178.html

***

A Tacoma police officer whose SUV was surrounded by a crowd was seen on camera running over a pedestrian Saturday night.***

Tacoma police said dispatchers started receiving calls about 6:20 p.m. about cars and people blocking the intersection of South Ninth and Pacific Avenue. Vehicles were reported to have been doing burnouts and doughnuts.

When police arrived at the scene, a crowd of about 100 people had gathered.

Officers began clearing the intersection.

A Tacoma police officer who arrived in an SUV with its lights and sirens on soon found himself surrounded by people who were banging on the stopped vehicle and its windows in a threatening way.

Tacoma police said that fearing for his safety, the officer tried to back up but was unable to because of the crowd. While trying to leave the unsafe situation, the officer drove forward and hit one person and possibly others, police said.*** https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/pedestrian-run-over-by-tacoma-police-officer-surrounded-by-crowd/L5RO4UWXYNEKVOCEC2PP3XBOWA/ 

***

America’s crime problem isn’t everyone committing one or two crime and stopping - it’s a tiny minority who commit crimes over and over again.

***surveillance video shows [Armad] Jones burglarizing the electronics department at Target, 1667 West Division, around midnight on December 21. And then coming back to the store to burglarize it again four hours later.

Jones, 26, stole a phone during his first after-hours shopping trip, prosecutors said. He returned through the same back door around 4:30 a.m. to steal a Fitbit and other electronics, according to the state’s allegations.

He was arrested over the weekend after Target security guards recognized him when he returned to the store during business hours. Prosecutors said he was carrying the same blue backpack and wearing the same hat that the burglar wore. He was allegedly carrying five stolen credit cards issued in different names, too.

One of the stolen credit cards was used at a West Loop pharmacy, and video from that store shows Jones is the person who used it, according to prosecutors.

Jones received a three-year sentence in March 2017 for two burglaries, according to court records. The year before that, he received a 142 day jail sentence for burglary of a vehicle in Chicago.*** https://cwbchicago.com/2021/01/hapless-thief-charged-with-burglarizing-wicker-park-target-store-twice-in-one-night.html

***

U.S. Sentencing Commission released a report, FENTANYL AND FENTANYL ANALOGUES: FEDERAL TRENDS AND TRAFFICKING PATTERNS.  Among the findings, 

While fentanyl and fentanyl analogue offenders remain a small proportion of the overall federal drug trafficking caseload (5.8%), the number of fentanyl offenders and fentanyl analogue offenders has sharply increased over the last several years.

Many fentanyl and fentanyl analogue offenders trafficked more than one drug type.

Since fiscal year 2015, the number of fentanyl offenders reported to the Commission more than doubled each fiscal year, resulting in a 3,592 percent increase, from 24 to 886 offenders.

Since fiscal year 2016, the number of fentanyl analogue offenders increased 5,725 percent, from four to 233 offenders.

Almost half (45.2%) of fentanyl offenders also trafficked at least one other drug. The most common other drugs were heroin (59.8%) and powder cocaine (35.5%).

Over half of fentanyl analogue offenders (58.4%) also trafficked at least one other drug. The most common other drugs were heroin (52.2%), fentanyl (40.4%), and powder cocaine (24.3%).

***

Who does he think he is, Larry Nassar?

A former doctor of osteopathic medicine who previously worked at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Beckley, West Virginia, was sentenced today for depriving veterans of their civil rights under color of law by sexually abusing them.

U.S. District Judge Frank W. Volk sentenced Jonathan Yates, 52, of Bluefield, Virginia, to 300 months in prison and three years of supervised release***

Yates previously pleaded guilty on Sept. 17, 2020, to three felony counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. According to the plea documents, Yates rubbed the genitals of two veterans and digitally penetrated a third veteran’s rectum under the guise of legitimate medicine, when in fact he acted without a legitimate medical purpose. This conduct, performed while Yates was acting under color of law in his capacity as a VA physician and a federal employee, deprived the veterans of their constitutional right to bodily integrity and caused them pain. According to the plea documents, the veterans had sought treatment from Yates to manage chronic pain through osteopathic manipulative therapy. Several veterans addressed the court at sentencing, describing the trauma and mental anguish that Yates had caused them. Yates surrendered his medical licenses as a condition of his plea agreement.*** https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-veterans-affairs-doctor-sentenced-prison-sexual-abuse-veterans 

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If you don’t have effective law enforcement, you will have “some community-type justice.”

A mob summoned by text message beat, slashed and stripped the clothes off an ex-con in Lower Manhattan after he quarreled with a stranger on a bus, shocking video shows.

The group of as many as 13 attackers, including two women, pounced on Walter Ward as he exited a bus from Atlanta on Canal St. near Allen St. in Chinatown about 11:30 a.m. Friday, cops said.

The stranger Ward got into a quarrel with on the bus had instructed the mob via text message to be there to teach Ward a lesson when the bus from the Peach State pulled in, police sources said.***

Ward served a three-year state prison term for robbery and attempted robbery, records show. He was released in 2017.

He was arrested in February for shoplifting some $2,500 worth of clothes from a Brooklyn department store. He’s facing grand larceny charges in that case and is due back in court next month. ***

“He’s no choir boy,” a police source said. “This was some community-type justice.”  *** https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-assault-robbery-20210125-egkqbcxugjhixkpy363gr3ol2q-story.html

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Social media influencer Alexis Robinault Sharkey, whose naked body was found along a Texas roadway after she went missing over the Thanksgiving holiday, was strangled to death, officials announced Tuesday.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences ruled Tuesday the 26-year-old Houston resident’s death was a homicide.

Sharkey went missing on Nov. 27 and her death has been shrouded in mystery ever since. Her mother originally told local media she left her house that evening following a fight with her husband, Tom Sharkey, and did not take her car.***  https://nypost.com/2021/01/19/social-media-influencer-alexis-sharkeys-cause-of-death-revealed/

She had talked of divorcing him.  She said she was afraid of him.

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IMPD Assistant Chief Chris Bailey said “We have a serious problem in our community with people who don’t know how to deal with their conflict except for with a gun or a blade.”

A 17-year-old Indianapolis, Indiana boy shot everyone in his family around 0345 on Sunday.  His father had reprimanded him for leaving the home.  

The dead have been identified as the parents of the home, Kezzie and Raymond Childs, both 42, their 18-year-old son, Elijah, and 13-year-old daughter, Rita, and 19-year-old Kiara Hawkins, who died along with her near-full term unborn son.***  https://fox59.com/news/crimetracker/teen-tells-impd-that-older-brother-murdered-6-in-family-home/ 

The murderer’s younger brother ran out of the house.  The murderer chased him and shot him.  The younger brother has been hospitalized.  He told police that the murderer used a Draco - basically a short barreled AK-47 with no buttstock.

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Scary challenge to 1st Amendment

H.R.1 - For the People Act of 2021 includes some provisions that sound common sense or fair, but have the potential to prohibit free speech.

For example, Sec. 4431. Prohibition on distribution of materially deceptive audio or visual media prior to election would prohibit editing authentic audio and video, if the original speaker disagreed with the edits.

Title V of the act is still crying about the the Supreme Court’s decisions in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010) and McCutcheon v. FEC, 572 U.S. 185 (2014).

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A driver struck at least six pedestrians, killing one, during a series of hit-and-runs that unfolded Monday afternoon over a 15-block stretch of Southeast Portland.

Witnesses and police described a chaotic scene as a man, yet to be publicly identified by police, drove a silver Honda Element on the road and on the sidewalks, plowing into people and cars.***

Meyer said he also watched the driver run into the El Camino. He said the man attempted to fight bystanders and threw potted plants from nearby homes.

“I told him, ‘I think you just killed a lady up the street,’” Meyer said. “He laughed and said, ‘Ah, that’s too bad.’”***  https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2021/01/pedestrian-seriously-injured-in-southeast-portland-incident.html

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