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California declares State of emergency as land movement threatens power lines [Video]
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California declares State of emergency as land movement threatens power lines [Video]

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Tuesday in the city of Rancho Palos Verdes as severe land shift in the area is threatening the community and disrupting power lines.Emergency officials will be able to direct state resources toward responding to the threat of the land movement, the governor’s proclamation said.More than 200 homes in the city, around 30 miles south of Los Angeles, had their power cut Monday as a long-running ground shift close to them is threatening utility lines.”The city is located on four out of five sub-slides that comprise the Greater Portuguese Landslide Complex,” the governor’s office said. “Land movement at part of the Complex has significantly accelerated following severe storms in 2023 and 2024.””This is unprecedented,” Rancho Palos Verdes City Council member Barbara Ferraro said Sunday. “No one knows really, in a way, what to do.”Southern California Edison cut off electricity Sunday to 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend community, an outage that it says is indefinite because the shifting ground threatens utility poles and raises the risk of fires in the city.”There was a fire last week,” SoCal Edison spokesperson Kathleen Dunleavy told CNN affiliate KABC. “It was a small fire, but the fire was caused when one of our lines fell because of land movement, and that shows how dangerous this area is.”An additional 105 customers lost power Monday evening as the company continues to monitor the threat from ground movement.Rancho Palos Verdes is an oceanfront community in southwestern Los Angeles County, west of Long Beach. It was incorporated as an independent city in 1973.Officials say the land there has been shifting slowly for decades, but the problem is worse than it used to be. “The movement has accelerated dramatically over the last 12 months, where some areas are moving up to 10 inches a week,” said City Council member David Bradley. “You can almost see the ground move.”To encourage wary residents to heed evacuation warnings, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said law enforcement is stepping up patrols in the community and launching drones to look for looting. “You’re going to jail if you come here to steal anything,” Luna said in a news conference on Sunday.Rancho Palos Verdes has been under a local state of emergency since October 2023, and natural gas service was shut off in the Portuguese Bend neighborhood on July 29.Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn said Sunday that Los Angeles County has set aside an additional $5 million to respond to the disaster.”Yes, this landslide has been moving for decades, but the acceleration that’s happening currently is beyond what any of us could have foretold, and it demands more response from the state, more response from the federal government,” Hahn said.

Section VII Volleyball Preview 2024 [Video]
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Section VII Volleyball Preview 2024 [Video]

New York high school volleyball in Section VII returns with a different look in 2024. The latest New York state enrollment guidelines for class pairings is switching which teams will be competing where for the state and sectional playoffs. Class A and Class C only feature one team in Section VII, meaning Peru High School in Class A and Ausable Valley High School in Class C will receive an automatic bid into the state tournament. Class D will return for Section VII this year, as Lake Placid High School and Northern Adirondack High School will both have a shot to compete for a sectional title in that class.Class B has the most teams, gaining Saranac Lake High School from Class C and returning four others: Beekmantown High School, Plattsburgh High School, Saranac High School and Northeastern Clinton Central High School. Beekmantown will look to defend its Class B title from 2023, their first sectional championship win since 2017. The Eagles, who upset the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference’s No. 1 seed Plattsburgh Hornets in a 3-1 victory in 2023, are saying they are looking to carry over the defensive success they had into that game into this season.”They had a lot of power, so we worked on our defense quite a bit,” said Beekmantown senior setter Payton Reynolds. “We fixed our rotation a bit and covered more … just defense, defense, defense … handling out of system balls, we worked hard on in case things really got crazy … just keeping calm and keep everything cool and controlled.”Saranac Lake is searching for its third straight sectional championship after taking down Ausable Valley for the second year in a row in the Class C game. While the Red Storm will look to have to take that crown away from Beekmantown in Class B, they are confident that they have a good chance as they return 10 varsity players from the 2023 roster to their team. “I’ve been playing with these girls for a long time,” said Saranac Lake junior outside hitter Grayson Foster. “I got to get to know the girls and get chemistry with them, so I know some of their tendencies and what they like to do and what they go for and what they don’t.”Another edge for both Saranac Lake and Beekmantown is their coaches, who helped lead them to sectional finals, will return this season. Beekmantown’s coaching duo of Alyssa Rock and Abby Bone, who both played college volleyball for Plattsburgh State, are back for their third season at the helm. Saranac Lake returns Susan Waters for her second season. Waters was a former head coach for North Country Community College women’s volleyball. The rest of the league has a few changes in head coaching this season. Longtime Peru head coach Mary Anne Lake who led the Nighthawks to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons in 2021 and 2022 is stepping down. Her assistant Jocelyn Andre, who was a former college volleyball player at SUNY Canton, will be taking the reigns as head coach this season. Two other former Plattsburgh state players will be taking on coaching roles as well this season. Shelby Bourgeois will be taking over as Saranac’s head coach, while Alexys Hawks will be taking over at Northern Adirondack. The first week of Section VII volleyball starts Tuesday, Sep. 10. You can see the full schedule for opening day below. CVAC Volleyball Opening Day ScheduleSaranac vs. Ausable Valley – 6 p.m.Northeastern Clinton vs. Plattsburgh – 6 p.m.Saranac Lake vs. Peru – 6 p.m.Northern Adirondack vs. Lake Placid – 6 p.m.Bye: Beekmantown*Underlined team is Home*

Kairos Hope Plans Christmas “Festival of Trees” to Fund Sexual Assault Survivor Advocacy [Video]
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Kairos Hope Plans Christmas “Festival of Trees” to Fund Sexual Assault Survivor Advocacy [Video]

[video:6367]MONROE CITY – Kairos Hope will sponsor their third annual Festival of Trees to raise money for their Christian recovery home for survivors of sexual trauma. From Nov. 25 through Dec. 2, 2023, people can check out the festival at Henderson Hall, located at 115 1st Street in Monroe City, Missouri. Thirty local businesses and community members have donated and decorated Christmas trees, which will be sold through silent auction. Raffles, crafts and workshops are also scheduled throughout the week.“We turn an event hall into Hopeville. It’s our version of Whoville,” said Annette Clark, Kairos Hope fundraiser chair. “It’s fun just being able to let go and have fun. We start it right after Thanksgiving so it kicks off that Christmas season, so all those people are coming in just getting into that Christmas spirit. It just is a lot of fun to see it all come about.”Clark said that all of the volunteers will be dressed as Whos from Dr. Seuss’s book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” and attendees can expect regular visits from the “Green Grouch.” You can see a full schedule of events for the weeklong festival at the official Festival of Trees Facebook page.A bath bomb-making workshop is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 27, followed by a wreath-making workshop on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. The festival opens at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. Clark said this will be the busiest day of the week.“We have a face painter, we have kids’ crafts going on. More of our workers will be there, so there will be more Hopes running around. That’s going to be our bigger day,” Clark explained. “We’re trying to bring that Christmas spirit and get everybody geared up for Christmas.”All money raised through the auction, raffles and workshops will go to Kairos Hope. This organization offers a residential trauma recovery program, where women who have experienced sexual trauma live at the house completely free of charge. They receive trauma-informed care and counseling with a Christ-centered approach.“One in four women are going to be sexually assaulted in their lifetime,” Clark said. “Most of those, or a big majority, will turn to self-harm or suicide because they don’t know how to cope and reclaim their life. Kairos Hope is an alternative to that. It is a recovery home. It’s free of charge to the residents that come there. They get individual counseling, group counseling, room and board while they’re there, three squares. If they need a GED, they have help getting their GED. They are shown life skills, how to reclaim their life.”Clark explained that the name Kairos Hope refers to “when God first meets us as we are.” She began working with sexual trauma survivors after her daughter was assaulted. Her daughter is “wonderful” these days, but she suffered a lot in the aftermath of the assault. Clark hopes to help other women avoid the pain that her child went through.“If you know four women, you probably know one that has had to deal with it in one way,” Clark said. “I kind of fell into it because my daughter was one of those one in four. So that kind of makes things — it hits home, and to see that there’s hope for them and they’re not having to do the self-harm, the attempted suicides. I’m fortunate that my daughter was spared, but there was the attempted suicide. It is just really heartwarming to see the change as you start seeing them progress through those changes.”After a woman at Kairos Hope graduates from the program, coordinators still keep in touch and make sure she has a stable living situation, a job, a sponsor and a church. They try to help people through every stage of recovery.This work is possible through donations and proceeds from the Festival of Trees. For more information about the Festival of Trees, follow their official Facebook page or stop by the festival from Nov. 25 through Dec. 2, 2023, at Henderson Hall in Monroe City, Missouri. To learn about Kairos Hope, including how to donate to their mission or apply for their residential program, visit their official website at Recovery.KairosHope.org. 

Nonprofit “Happy Hooves Equine Rescue” Welcomes Horse Lovers To Open Houses [Video]
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Nonprofit “Happy Hooves Equine Rescue” Welcomes Horse Lovers To Open Houses [Video]

[video:7324]EDWARDSVILLE – Happy Hooves Equine Rescue Center is a nonprofit sanctuary for horses in need of a home. Visitors can get a firsthand look at the work they do and the horses they house at three upcoming Open House events set for Aug. 11, Sept. 8, and Oct. 13, 2024, each from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the sanctuary, located at 7026 State Route 140 in Edwardsville.Founder Mary Morrison and Susan with Happy Hooves shared more about the organization and the work they do on Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com.Happy Hooves’ mission, indicated by their slogan, is to continue “giving horses a chance at a better life.” Morrison said some horses who come into the rescue show signs of neglect or malnourishment, though she noted such mistreatment isn’t always intentional.“You see the lack of care, but … a lot of these people, they don’t mean to do it,” she said. “Some of it is lack of education, some of it is that they believe their horse is being cared for by somebody else that they’ve hired, but it’s not following through.”She added that many horses come to Happy Hooves from those who are terminally ill and have no other place for their horses to go.“We try to help the horse owners that … they’re not sure where their beloved animal is going to go, and so we try to give them an option,” Morrison said. Morrison likened Happy Hooves to a sort of retirement community for horses, where they can find new purpose in their lives.“A lot of the horses at our place are technically retired, so imagine all of your moms and dads who’ve retired – now they’re looking for something to do,” she said. “They can’t do, or won’t do, or don’t want to do, the job they did before. How do we make them feel useful? How do we make them feel wanted and needed and loved and cared for? Because that doesn’t stop when they can’t do their job anymore.”While there’s more than enough space for plenty more horses to roam around at the sanctuary, Morrison said space isn’t the issue – it’s the finances involved in maintaining the horses. Susan estimated (conservatively) that it costs about $50 per horse per day to maintain the 27 horses currently housed there, which totals about $1,350 per day.Much like post-pandemic grocery prices, the costs of hay and horse feed have grown exponentially due to inflation in recent years, making the nonprofit’s worthwhile mission a costly one. Morrison said necessary conversations are had with each horse owner to see if they can financially contribute to the horse’s well-being, even for a set amount of time – but whether a horse owner or just a supportive community member, Susan said there are plenty of ways the community can help Happy Horses continue its work.“The important thing is that we want to raise awareness that we’re there,” Susan said. “We’ll take any kind of donation anybody wants to do – we are always open to having volunteers come, that’s helpful. Horses need love, they need affection – if you don’t know how to curry a horse and how to clean their hooves, we’ll teach you.“Any kind of donation is welcome. We have sponsorships – you can sponsor a horse, we have sponsorship levels, so you don’t have to adopt it or pay for room and board, but you can sponsor a horse.”Both commended the hard work of the volunteers at Happy Hooves, with Morrison emphasizing that each cent that goes into the center goes right back into helping each of the horses there.“We’re a great group,” Susan said. “I just have to say, we have a great group of people, we have young volunteers … helping us out.”“Every dime that comes in is all to expenses … there’s no paid staff whatsoever – zero,” Morrison said. “I own the place and I don’t get paid for this.”She credits the sanctuary’s success over the years with the passion for animals everyone has at Happy Hooves, as well as the support of the community, who are welcome to see the animals and more at Happy Hooves during their upcoming Open House events on Aug. 11, Sept. 8, and Oct. 13, 2024, each from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.To find out more about Happy Hooves, the work they do, and ways to support its mission, visit their website or Facebook page or see the full interview with Morrison and Susan at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.  

Absolute Health Care Services Celebrates 20 Years of Home Healthcare [Video]
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Absolute Health Care Services Celebrates 20 Years of Home Healthcare [Video]

[video:6045]ALTON – When Debra Ross saw her fellow Medicare home health nurses leaving the profession, it inspired her to open Absolute Health Care Services as another option for nurses and families in the Riverbend area. Absolute Health Care Services offers different levels of at-home care, from companionship to housekeeping to complete personal care. This month, they’re celebrating 20 years of business.“When you’re providing services for someone, it’s not only going in there and helping them with personal care or housekeeping,” Ross said. “There’s a lot more that’s involved in that. We advocate in every aspect of their care.”Depending on what a client needs, Ross will connect them with a companion, sitter, registered nurse or other licensed employee. She said she is “cost-conscious” and works with clients to find a schedule that works for them. Unlike other home health services, Absolute Health Care Services doesn’t charge extra for nights or weekends. They also don’t require a minimum of hours, so clients can utilize them as needed, even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time. “In our business, people only need us when they need us. That’s that. And when they don’t, we’re not there,” Ross explained. “They create their schedule, they create the time, they create the days of the week…For that reason, too, we created bath and mini visits. So if someone doesn’t need us for two hours, and they need just assistance for a bath, we go in and do a bath and then we leave.”Absolute Health Care Services can work with you to decide what assistance you need. Some clients contact them for transportation and pet care; others need help with dressing, grooming and toileting. Their services run the gamut, and their only goal is to make life easier for their clients, and maybe a little brighter, too.“We have one client that we literally take up to Grafton to get a fish sandwich every week. That’s what he wants,” Ross laughed.Absolute Health Care Services recognizes that a family’s decision to utilize a home health service is often a difficult and emotional one. Ross and marketing associate Hazel Morgan noted that this job is about the client, but they also try to support the loved ones as much as they can.“You’re not only addressing the client’s needs,” Ross said. “You’re also really engaging the family and assisting them and guiding them and supporting them, too.”Absolute Health Care Services is celebrating 20 years this month. They have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and Ross jokes that she promised employees they’ll have a cake to mark the occasion. After all these years, how are they still so successful?“Deb was there when a lot of people weren’t,” Morgan said. There were not a lot of homecare agencies around. So word of mouth and the job that she does, they’re very well-known…[The employees are the] best of the best, and the fact that they’re all licensed and trained, you can count on them.”To learn more about Absolute Health Care Services and what they can offer you, call them at 618-466-1010. Ross added that prospective employees should also reach out.