Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt pledged to pay for the funeral of a fan’s grandfather after the woman advertised the sale of her Watt memorabilia.
The woman, Houston native and longtime Watt fan Jennifer Simpson, tweeted that she was selling her Watt edition Reebok shoes and a Watt Houston Texans jersey in order to pay for her grandfather’s funeral.
I have a pair of @JJWatt womens edition of Reebok shoes size 9 $60. I’ve worn them twice. They are great shoes, im only selling because we are raising money for my grandpas funeral. I also have a Watt womens XL Texans Jersey $30. Anyone interested? pic.twitter.com/USt90n221H
According to other social media posts, Simpson and her family have spent over a month trying to raise the funds for a funeral and burial. Prior to Watt’s boost, the family pulled together what they could through bake, plate, and garage sales, as well as a GoFundMe and Facebook fundraiser.
Simpson expressed thanks for Watt’s kindness.
“I freaking love you man. It’s been a hard year for me, and this last month has been hard since the death,” wrote Simpson. “I wish I could tell you my story.”
I freaking love you man. It’s been a hard year for me, and this last month has been hard since the death. I wish I could tell you my story.
Simpson later thanked the public for all their support.
I posted last night trying to sell valuable items to raise money. I woke up overwhelmed by the love and support of people who don’t even know my grandpas story. My family is so grateful for you all!
According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) annual report on funeral costs, inflation didn’t affect average pricing. The average cost nationwide sits over $7,800 — over six percent in growth since 2016.
In the West South Central area, which includes Texas, the average funeral cost sits over $7,300. The Mountain area, which includes Arizona, has an average cost of over $6,800.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Arizona ‘s hope to reinvigorate domestic copper production has hit what workers and industry experts hope is only a temporary pause with the reduction of workforce and wellfield operations at Excelsior Mining’s Gunnison Copper Project in northern Cochise County.
Toronto-based Excelsior Mining recently announced it would be throttling back operations at its Gunnison Copper Project and would not reopening mining operations at the company’s nearby historic Johnson Camp Mine this summer as projected months ago.
The Johnson Camp Mine is one of Arizona’s oldest copper mines, with records showing miners bore underground into large reserves starting in the 1890s. The site located north of Interstate 10 near Dragoon saw a number of changes over the decades before operating as an open pit mine from the mid-1970s until the end of mining at the site in 2010.
Excelsior Mining purchased the shuttered Johnson Camp property in 2015 with plans to utilize the solvent extraction electrowinning (SXEW) facility at the property to process copper oxide from Gunnison, a state-of-the-art facility built on hundreds of acres the company owns south of I-10. The final product would be 99.999 percent copper cathode sheets to be shipped off to customers.
Construction of the Gunnison facility garnered national attention as an example of reinvigorating American’s domestic copper production. But the project has faced its share of unexpected delays, including COVID-19.
Then company officials had to address carbon dioxide gas bubbles which greatly reduced injection flows and prevented timely ramp-up to production at Gunnison. A workaround was identified by utilizing fresh water to help dissolve the calcite, but the company has acknowledged it “is not considered the optimal long-term solution” due to water conservation and evaporation concerns.
The long-term answer for Gunnison seems to be construction of an expensive to build raffinate neutralization plant. Company officials then took another look at its Johnson Camp property in hopes of generating cashflow.
In September, Excelsior Mining’s CEO Stephen Twyerould announced plans to utilize various copper deposits spread across the Camp Johnson Mine property which could be processed into copper cathode sheets through the SXEW.
“No new infrastructure will be required, with the exception of a new leach pad and minor piping and pumping facilities,” Twyerould said at the time. “Operations could provide up to 5 years of copper production at the 25 million pounds per annum capacity of the existing SXEW plant.”
Then in January, Twyerould announced that two diamond drills had been mobilized to Johnson Camp to assist with assay activities.
“We are moving quickly on key items related to the JCM restart, which, once operational, will provide cash flow while the raffinate neutralization plant is being designed and built for our flagship asset, the Gunnison Copper Mine,” Twyerould said at the time.
Excelsior suggested copper cathode production from Johnson Camp’s open pits could commence this summer after announcing in April that 31 of 34 planned holes have been drilled using diamond drill rigs, with six holes drilled waiting on assays.
Then on June 22, Twyerould announced that the process to obtain permits for the new leach pad was in progress. He also noted drilling activities were helping to map the Johnson Camp deposits in greater detail than ever before.
“The drilling program is now completed with a total of 43 diamond holes being drilled,” Twyerould said. “Six holes are still awaiting assays.”
However, Twyerould went on to announce that the additional drilling and metallurgical testing will push Excelsior’s goal of restarting mining operations at Johnson Camp to sometime in 2023.
“Therefore, in order to conserve cash and maintain a robust balance sheet, Excelsior is reducing its workforce and putting the wellfield on reduced operation by temporarily stopping acid injection whilst continuing recovery and compliance to ensure underground solutions are managed and controlled,” Twyerould said.
In the meantime, Excelsior intends to undertake a more comprehensive evaluation of the oxide and sulfide potential of its mineral resource and mining assets, according to the company.
The Democratic primary for secretary of state race is heating up after reports that Reginald Bolding will release opposition research on Adrian Fontes in the near future.
The news prompted Fontes to issue a video to dissuade the significance of whatever Bolding plans on releasing. He didn’t elaborate on what the opposition research would entail, but he assured the public that the potential controversies had no bearing on his ability to serve.
Fontes alleged that Bolding was acting out in anger due to recent media reports on his dark money ties, and because media revealed that a supporter of Fontes filed a complaint on the dark money issue. Fontes also called for Bolding to drop out of the race.
“He is going to try to levy some personal attacks on me, on things that have nothing to do with the office, on irrelevancies, which is what desperate politicians will do,” said Fontes. “Know this: there is no Democrat in this race that is better to beat Mark Finchem in the fall.”
Bolding hasn’t addressed the claim of his dropping opposition research. Instead, the minority leader tweeted that not every post on Twitter contained real information.
Everything you see on twitter isn't real. Like "internal" polls. 🤣
Bolding came under scrutiny this week after reports emerged that his campaign was propped up by dark money from the political action committee (PAC) of his voting rights nonprofit: Our Voice, Our Vote Arizona. The nonprofit’s PAC funded campaign ads for Bolding. Dark money refers to funds whose sources aren’t disclosed.
In an interview with ABC15 last week,Bolding denied that his nonprofit was a dark money group on the technicality that his nonprofit markets itself as a voting rights organization, and that he doesn’t run the PAC arm.
“There’s definitely a separation between community organizing and dark money entities that have been designed to change the election outcome,” said Bolding.
The Phoenix-based market research firm, OH Predictive Insights, is polling Arizona Democrats about Bolding and Fontes. One of the questions discussed Bolding’s dark money controversy at length.
@NateSilver538 OH Predictive Insights is sending out a "poll" to AZ Democrats regarding the AZ SOS Democratic primary between Bolding and Fontes with this strongly worded question. pic.twitter.com/AGkiLUFHWU
The news of Bolding’s ties came several weeks after reports came out that Bolding raised more than any other Democrat among state House candidates and officeholders.
Our Voice, Our Vote is part of Activate 48, a coalition of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) organizations. Several other members of Activate 48 endorsed Bolding and campaigned for him: Living United for Change (LUCHA), Mi Familia Vota, and Chispa.
One recent Activate 48 mailer for Bolding included the Planned Parenthood for Arizona (PPAZ) endorsement. Both Bolding and Fontes served on PPAZ’s board in the past.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
On Wednesday, Parkland shooting survivor and gun control activist David Hogg shouted down Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) and disrupted the House hearing on a gun control bill. The day-long Judiciary Committee hearing discussed HR2814, or “Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act.” Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA-28) introduced the bill in April.
Biggs insisted that the bill would only disarm U.S. citizens as they face an ongoing invasion — his estimation of the border crisis — and the increased levels of crime nationwide. He spoke in support of Congressman Chip Roy’s (R-TX-21) proposed amendment to the bill.
“You have every indication of an invasion and you have disarmed — with this bill you’re going to disarm people. You’re going to prevent them from defending themselves along the border,” said Biggs.
Biggs shared that one of his constituents sold his house and moved due to the border crisis, after having lived there 17 years. The congressman said that this man wasn’t alone, but that many others told him that they feared leaving their homes.
Biggs cited border security data to remind the committee that the cartels were trafficking a torrent of criminals, illegal immigrants, and drugs. He cited the assassination plot publicized in May against former President George W. Bush.
Biggs then asserted that the federal government was sanctioning the cartels’ efforts, purposefully allowing the invasion.
“It’s purposeful on part of the federal government, which has basically sanctioned this invasion,” said Biggs.
It was that comment that spurred Hogg to interrupt Biggs. Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY-10) gaveled down Hogg immediately. Police escorted Hogg out of the hearing.
Hogg insisted that Biggs’ remarks were “perpetuating violence.” Hoggs compared Biggs’ argument to those included in mass shooters’ manifestos, insisting that firearms used in crimes were sourced from within the U.S.
The guns in Parkland, Buffalo, El Paso, didn't come from Mexico. They came from the US, and the shooters were inspired by racist, anti-black, anti-immigrant manifestos that rhyme with GOP talking points. pic.twitter.com/0D4QbHvu1t
Biggs’ remarks began approximately 2 hours into the hearing. On the Republican side of the committee were four signs reading a reference to the Second Amendment: “Shall Not Be Infringed.”
Biggs later shared that Democrat leaders invited Hogg to the hearing.
Biggs tweeted that Hogg was a “woke, radical activist” when sharing an interview with Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson. He added that, by Democrats’ standards, Hogg’s interruption was tantamount to insurrection because he interrupted a congressional proceeding.
“He’s trying to grift off this whole thing, it looks like, and he should probably be brought up on charges. Where is that J6 Committee when you need them?” asked Biggs. “Stoking the fire like that is what the Democrats did; that’s why they wanted him there. They were hoping for that kind of incident.”
David Hogg is a woke, radical activist who interrupted a congressional proceeding today by shouting incoherent slurs at me.
Hoggs later called Biggs a “white nationalist,” saying that it was a duty to interrupt free speech — even during a congressional hearing — because it was “harmful rhetoric.”
We have a duty to interrupt white nationalists when they spew harmful rhetoric. We have to, they’re using the same talking points as mass shooter manifestos.
Arizona Speaker of the House of Representatives Rusty Bowers has been censured by the executive committee of the Republican Party of Arizona, it was announced late Tuesday evening.
Bowers will no longer have any formal state GOP support as a member of the Republican Party in part due to his purported “general disregard for Republican Party Leadership at the precinct, legislative, county, state, and federal levels,” according to a statement released by the AZGOP on Wednesday.
“Rusty has failed in his specific actions, including co-sponsoring Democrat-led bills and refusing to work with the most conservative legislative body in 10 years during arguably one of the most critical sessions in Arizona history,” the statement reads. “This goes much further than any policy disagreement and acknowledges his failures in his capacity as Speaker to implement stout conservative legislation.”
The censure vote came less than two weeks before the Aug. 2 Republican Primary Election in which Bowers is being challenged in the newly redistricted Legislative District 10 encompassing much of Mesa. It also came less than one month after Bowers testified in Washington DC about his communications with former President Donald Trump after the 2020 General Election.
The executive committee is comprised of more than 80 registered Republicans, including the AZGOP’s elected officers, three members from each of the 15 county committees, 27 at-large members based on Arizona’s nine Congressional districts, and others. The number of votes cast has not been released, but the state party’s bylaws allow for a quorum based on only one-third attendance provided eight different counties are represented.
According to the AZGOP statement, it is the state party’s duty to hold elected officials within its party “responsible and accountable.” The executive committee further calls on Republicans in the new LD10 “to contemplate a similar censure,” while encouraging “all registered Republicans to expel him permanently from office in the impending primary election.”
Bowers, who is being primaried by David Farnsworth, spent Wednesday ignoring what he called “baseless character attacks, choosing instead to focus on highlights of his tenure as House Speaker. Such as the most expansive school choice options in the country signed into law earlier this month.
The censure action prompted mixed reactions, although the majority of Arizona’s lawmakers remained on the sidelines.
The Republican Party has officially rebuked and censured Speaker Rusty Bowers and he is no longer a Republican in good standing due to his terrible voting record, unwillingness to work with Republicans and general malfeasance.
Gotta be her way of being allowed to “officially” take a position in the Primary. Sad to see the AZGOP continue with this boorish behavior instead of allowing the voters to make the decision for themselves organically. Can’t say I’m surprised however which is even more sad. https://t.co/TnaAmOfCUl
— AZConservative ✝️ (@CountrygirlMom2) July 20, 2022
You censured a guy for telling the truth about an illegal attempt to overturn an election (as evidenced by the fact you don’t refute his testimony here). Until that point you were totally fine with his “voting record” I guess.
— Raymond Luxury Yacht (@twobblermangrov) July 20, 2022
This week’s viral doorbell videos of a UPS driver fainting outside a Scottsdale home and a squadron of javelinas tearing up a newly landscaped yard in Oro Valley are just the latest example of what homeowners, renters, and business owners might see or hear recorded on their devices.
Many of those types of videos and audio recordings are shared on social media by the device owners, while frequently other recordings are voluntarily provided to law enforcement agencies in response to reports of nearby crimes and accidents.
But who actually owns the right to video and audio recorded by Amazon-owned doorbell company Ring, and who can release those files without a search warrant or permission of the person who owns the equipment? And what if the recording captures something a bit more, um, personal and private?
Those are some of the questions being discussed as members of Congress continue to debate the proposed Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act. The debate gained some momentum last week following Ring’s admission that company employees have shared video and/or audio recordings with law enforcement agencies without notification to the device owners.
The information about Ring’s activities became public courtesy of U.S. Senator Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts). It shows that the company receives so many requests for video and audio recordings that it has now registered nearly 2,200 law enforcement agencies to better facilitate access.
The vast majority of the releases stem from court ordered search warrants and subpoenas which are normally shared with customers. However, Ring confirmed it has made 11 videos available this year to various law enforcement agencies without advising the device’s owner. The release was based on an “emergency circumstance exception,” according to the company.
The Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act would set parameters for the collection, storage, use, and third-party release of facial, voice and other biometric data. It would also allow for the withholding of certain federal monies from states and local governments which do not agree to follow the Act.
“As my ongoing investigation into Amazon illustrates, it has become increasingly difficult for the public to move, assemble and converse in public without being tracked and recorded,” Markey said in a statement.
The information released by Markey’s office noted most consumers are not aware Ring’s products typically have been set by default to record. This could result in private acts and conversations being recorded without the homeowner’s knowledge. Such information is then theoretically accessible by the company to share as they wish.
“We cannot accept this as inevitable in our country,” Markey said. “Increasing law enforcement reliance on private surveillance could become central to the growing web of surveillance systems that Amazon and other powerful tech companies are responsible for.”
There are identical bills currently assigned to committees in the U.S. Senate and House of Representative. Neither is co-sponsored by any of Arizona’s Congressional delegation.
