DLA Piper Opens an International Cannabis Law Practice

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(March 13, 2020)–No one can ignore the growth, size, and importance of the global cannabis industry anymore, especially when it comes to the medical cannabis market. Scientists keep on proving the health benefits of cannabis use, thus creating entirely new types of alternative treatments. That is the reason why a lot of companies and startups start to invest in the industry.

One of them is DLA Piper.

DLA Piper

, one of the biggest and well-known law firms in the world, has started an international cannabis practice with a team that will comprise more than 70 lawyers. They will be operating in more than 15 countries across Europe, Australasia, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The decision came after closing a large number of deals that brought the firm over $8 billion.

The team will be led from Canada by Toronto based partner Robert Fonn and from England by London based senior associate Dylan Kennett.

DLA Piper’s life sciences sector team is one of the biggest of any law firm. Considering that the

cannabis industry

has become one of the fastest-growing ones, it is no wonder that one of the largest law firms wants to take advantage of it.

DLA Piper will continue advising on a range of legal matters in the cannabis industry, including the changing regulatory environment around the world, thus helping its clients understand and keep up with all legislative regimes in the growing industry. It will also focus on the medicinal products market, publicly acknowledging the proven benefits of cannabis and supporting further research.

It is expected that more and more companies and brands from all industries will follow in its footsteps. This is inspired by the predictions for the cannabis industry for the next decade. It appears that Europe has the potential to become a market leader, and everyone is watching closely.

Let us take a look at some predictions.

According to some estimates, spending on legal cannabis globally will reach $66.3 billion by 2025. The recreational cannabis market will cover 67% of the spending, while medical cannabis and the

CBD market

will cover the remaining 33%.

Other predictions say that the European cannabis market will reach $136 billion by the end of 2028. The United Kingdom’s market should reach

£2.31 billion by 2024

, and if Germany joins the legalization trend, its market could reach

$9.39 billion by 2028

On the other hand, Asia’s medical cannabis market could be worth $5.8 billion, Oceania’s cannabis market could reach $2.7 billion, and Thailand’s cannabis market could hit $661 million by 2024.

There is no doubt that the cannabis industry will become one of the biggest industries in the world, especially if it continues to grow at this rate. One thing is certain as well: all of those deciding on this venture are going to need professional legal advice.

images courtesy of unsplash.com

Despite Primary Victories, Women Unlikely to Make Gains in Mississippi

Congressional Delegation

Congressional primaries were held on Tuesday in Mississippi. Full results on women candidates in yesterday\’s contests from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University are available on our

Election Analysis page

. Complete context about women in the 2020 elections, including candidate lists, summaries, and historical

comparisons, is available via

CAWP\’s Election Watch

. Find results from previous primaries on CAWP\’s

Election Analysis page

Among the most notable results for women:

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R), the first woman elected to Congress from Mississippi, is likely to win re-election to a full term in the U.S. Senate this year.

While 2 (2D) women won major-party nominations in U.S. House contests, they are running as challengers in districts where their incumbent opponents are strongly favored to win. If that happens, Mississippi will remain a state that has never sent a woman to the U.S. House.

For more information, see the full analysis of how women fared in yesterday\’s contests on our

Election Analysis page

. Complete context about women in the 2020 elections can be found on

CAWP\’s Election Watch

About CAWP

The

Center for American Women and Politics

(CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers-New Brunswick, is nationally recognized as the leading source of scholarly research and current data about American women\’s political participation. Its mission is to promote greater knowledge and understanding about women\’s participation in politics and government and to enhance women\’s influence and leadership in public life. CAWP\’s education and outreach programs translate research findings into action, addressing women\’s under-representation in political leadership with effective, intersectional, and imaginative programs serving a variety of audiences. As the world has watched Americans considering female candidates for the nation\’s highest offices, CAWP\’s nearly five decades of analyzing and interpreting women\’s participation in American politics have provided the foundation and context for the discussion.

DeCavalcante Associate Admits Cocaine Distribution And Gun Possession

TRENTON, N.J. – An associate of the DeCavalcante crime family today admitted possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm during the course of a drug crime, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Mario Galli III, 28, of Toms River, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before Judge Anne E. Thompson in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of possession of a FEG 9mm Model PGK-9HP gun, loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition, by a convicted felon in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Between Sept. 19 and Sept. 20, 2019, investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office executed search warrants on Galli’s residence and the residence of a conspirator. They recovered between400 and 500 grams of cocaine. The search of Galli’s residence also recovered a FEG 9mm Model PGK-9HP gun loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition. At the time, Galli was on supervised release from a 2016 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute in excess of 500 grams of cocaine. He served 30 months in federal prison on that charge.

The charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The count of being a felon being in possession of a firearm during a drug crime carries a penalty of five years in prison which must be served consecutively to the penalty for the drug crime, and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 7, 2020.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited the members of the FBI’s Organized Crime Task Force under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; and investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Senior Litigation Counsel V. Grady O’Malley of the U.S. Attorney\’s Office’s Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.

Defense counsel: James Butler Esq.

How A South Jersey Drug Ring Was Taken Down

William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews

GLOUCESTER CITY NJ (March 11, 2020)–At the bottom of yesterday\’s article

Major Drug Ring Operating in Gloucester City & Camden City is Busted

two links to the entire complaints that were filed against the suspects in the United States District Court,

Camden City was provided.

click to enlarge

One was labeled

DePoder complaint

the other was named the

Bell complaint

. The investigation into this drug gang began in January 2020 and concluded on March 9, 2020, cumulating with a raid on the DePoder home on Stinson Avenue, Gloucester City along with the arrest of the 17 other suspects.

The DePoder complaint details how the case was built using surveillance by FBI agents who were watching his South Stinson Avenue home, in Gloucester City. Besides surveillance video agents collected cell phone and text message conversations between Rocco DePoder aka \”Rock\” and his suppliers and customers. Damaging step by step description of the exchanges are outlined from the moment one of DePoder\’s customers places an order on the cell phone or text message to the time the person picks the pills up from DePoder\’s house. FBI agents included descriptions of surveillance videos of DePoder driving the people with legal prescriptions to \”The Camden Pharmacy\” to have the script filled. The address of the pharmacy was not released.

Some of the controlled substances (CS) DePoder and his minions distributed included oxycodone, Adderall also known as \”ads\” or \”addies\”, Xanax, valium, clonazepam.

FROM PAGE 6 -8 of the 16-page indictment

From at least in or about January 2020 to in or about March 2020, Rocco DePoder (\”DEP0DER\”), who is not a doctor or pharmacist, ran a drug trafficking operation primarily out of his home in Gloucester City, New Jersey, aided and assisted by defendants Lolita Paynter (\”PAYNTER\”), Neal Thompson (\”THOMPSON\”), Marcus Rushworth (\”MRUSHWORTH\”), Robert Pratt (\”PRATI\”\’), Wayne Muse (\”MUSE\”), Kenneth Rushworth (\”KRUSHWORTH\”), Alexander Siaca (\”SIACA\”), Holly Clark (\”CLARK\”), and Michael DePoder (\”MDEPODER\”) (collectively, the \”Suppliers\”), who, as specific opportunities arose, agreed to or did assist in supplying DEPODER with quantities of controlled substances (\”CS\”), including oxycodone, Adderall, and Xanax, for DEPODER to distribute to others.

To further this drug trafficking operation, DEPODER and the Suppliers engaged in the· following conduct: ·

On or about January 10, 2020, DEPODER and PAYNTER traveled to a pharmacy to obtain a re-distribution quantity of Oxycodone for DEPODER. Specifically, on this date, PAYTNER telephoned DEPODER and made arrangements to meet DEPODE~ to sell DEPODER 60 OxyContin ER 60 mg tablets.

During ·the call, DEPODER asked, \”Wat, are you getting \’em?\” PAYNTER stated, \’\’Yeah,\” and DEPODER then agreed to pick PAYNTER up in his vehicle. According to law enforcement surveillance, later the same day, PAYNTER went to the pharmacy counter of a pharmacy in Camden, New Jersey (\”Camden Pharmacy-I\”) while DEPODER waited, with KRUSHWORTH, outside in his black GMC Yukon Denali SUV (the \”Denali\”). KRUSHWORTH left the Denali, walked down the street to a taxi cab, and left the area in the taxi.

A short time later, PAYNTER left the pharmacy and got back in DEPODER\’s Denali.

DEPODER then drove PAYNTER to a check-cashing business in Camden. PAYNTER went into the check-cashing business, remained for a short time, returned to the Denali, and then DEPODER drove her back: to Camden Pharmacy-I to obtain oxycodone to provide to DEPODER. According to pharmacy information, on this date, January 10, 2020, Camden Pharmacy-I. filled two prescriptions in the name of a senior citizen who appears to live with PAYNTER (\”Senior-I\”) for 60 OxyContin ER 60 mg ER tablets and 120 oxycodone-:-acetaminophen 10-325 mg pills.

FROM PAGE 9 and 10

On or about January 14, 2020, PRATT supplied a redistribution quantity of Oxycodone to DEPODER. Specifically, on this date, during a telephone conversation, PRATI asked if DEPODER was at DEPODER\’s home and told DEPODER, \”I got 45, you want \’em?\” DEPODER replied, \”Yeah, bring \’em over.\” During the call, DEPODER also told PRATT, \”Hey listen, I got them things too if you want \’em.\” PRATI responded, \”Yeah, I\’ll take them next week when I bring ya the other half.\”

According to pharmacy information, PRATT fills prescriptions, in his own name, on a monthly basis for 90 OxyContin 80 mg pills.

The FBI agent states, \”Based on my training and experience, the content of these calls, and my knowledge of the investigation to date, I believe that PRATT was referring to the two halves of his monthly prescription for 90 OxyContin 80 · mg pills. \”

According to law enforcement surveillance, a short time later, a car, registered to PRATT, arrived and parked in front of DEPODER\’s home, and a white male, believed to be PRATT, left the vehicle and entered DEPODER\’s home.

On or about January 16, 2020, MRUSHWORTH and DEPODER worked out the pricing of pills sold 1:Jy the operation, and DEPODER explained that \”I do this for a living.\”

Specifically, MRUSHWORTH sent a text message to DEPODER\’s telephone telling DEPODER \”we was wrong yesterday\’\’ regarding pill pricing, stating \”we did it as 9×3-27 no it\’s 3×30-90[.]\”

DEPODER and MRUSHWORTH then spoke on the telephone and discussed CS pricing. D~PODER told MRUSHWORTH, \”[i]t ain\’t no 30 times 3[,]\” instead, \”[t]hey\’re three for $10, Marc. There, they\’re footballs [which I believe, based on my training and experience and information from this investigation, is a reference to Xanax, because of the pills\’ oblong shape]. They\’re thr~e for 10. You got nine 10s in, in, in 90. Nine times three is 27. I do this for a living, bro. Thirty is 100. I, I\’ve been doing this, you know, for, for ages.\” DEPODER went on to explain that, \”[y]ou get 30 for 100-. Hey, listen, 15 is $50.\” · MRUSHWORTH told DEPODER, \”[y]eah, he didn\’t say nothing.\”·

As the conversation continued, DEPODER told MRUSHWORTH, \”and the other ones are three for 20.\” MRUSHWORTH responded, \”Daddy\’s selling something for $3 a piece, that\’s where I\’m getting the $3\” – referring to 8:Il another dealer as \”Daddy[.]\” DEPODER replied, \”Oh, oh alright. Yeah, he\’s sells \’emyeah he sells \’em \’cause you got that guy. He was selling them 2.50 apiece. · Two for five.\”

DEPODER asked MRUSHWORTH, \”So why are you selling them so cheap, Marc? He\’s paying three for 10 off of me. He\’s been doing that 9 forever, and that, that\’s what you\’ll pay anywhere you go. Downtown you\’ll pay $5 for one[.]\”· DEPODER added, that the· dealer that MRUSHWORTH referred to \”should be charging three for 10 because that\’s what he pays me …. · Remember, the- the other things are three for 20. Because there\’s six of \’em in them.\” MRUSHWORTH then told DEPODER that \”[h]e handed me $90[,]\” referring MRUSHWORTH\’s customer, so MRUSHWORTH. made a profit.

FROM PAGE 14 AND 15

· On or about February 29, 2020, PRATT solicits a sale by DEPODER of Oxy.codone. Specifically, on this date, PRATI sent a text message to DEPODER\’s telephone asking, \”Yo I\’ll gonna come mid-month if want them ?\” DEPODER replied, \”Ok I want me to hold 20\’s\” – \”20\’s\” is a term frequently used by DEPODER to refer to 2o·mg pill_s of oxycodone.

PRATI replied, \”Just 20.\” q. On or about March 2, 2020, DEPODER and PAYNTER travel to a pharmacy to obtain a re-distribution quantity of Oxycodone for DEPODER. Specifically, on this date, PAYNTER sent a text message to DEPODER stating, \”[g]ood morning Rocco do u have the $200 today might be able to get them today I text u when they open ok[.]\”

DEPODER replied, \”[w]hat about the $50 you owe me lo C this is one talking about every time I lend you money something happens to your checks and then you want me to buy the pills.\”

DEPODER and PAYNTER communicated several more times thereafter and made arrangements to meet. Later the same day, according to law enforcement surveillance, while driving the Denali, DEPODER picked PAYNTER up at her home in Camden and took her to Camden Pharmacy-I. PAYNTER entered Camden Pharmacy-I to obtain oxycodone to provide to DEPODER and then returned to DEPODER\’s waiting Denali.

According to pharmacy information, on March 2, 2020, Camden Pharmacy-I filled one prescription on behalf of Senior-I for 30 OxyContin ER 20 mg extended-release tablets. On or about March 5, 2020, THOMPSON arranged for DEPODER to sell Adderall to Individual-3. Specifically, on this date, during a telephone conversation, THOMPSON asked DEPODER, \”you got addas, Adderall\’s?\”

DEPODER responded, \”Yeah, 30\’s, that\’s all\” stating that · DEPODER only had 30 mg Adderall in stock. THOMPSON replied, \”Alright, and what do you want for them?\” DEPODER said, \”Fifteen[,]\” namely $15 per pill. THOMPSON advised, \”[a]lright, I\’m a tell her.\”

Later that evening, THOMPSON spoke to DEPODER again on the telephone, and the interception began with THOMPSON speaking to someone in the background, stating, \”[y]eah, this is different. ones, he only got 30\’s.\”

THOMPSON then spoke to DEPODER and said,_ \”[s]he wanna come out your way bro.\” THOMPSON then told DEPODER, \”[t]he lady with the Range Rover, you know the one buy the addies off you?\”

THOMPSON then corrected himself as to the make of the customer\’s car, stating that it was \”a Land Rover now.\”·

DEPODER gave THOMPSON the address of DEPODER\’s home and asked.\”how many she wants.\” THOMPSON told DEPODER \”7[.]\” Thus, THOMPSON arrang~d f~r DEPODER to sell an individual (\”Individual-3\”) 7 30 mg. Adderall pills.

Shortly thereafter, Individual-3 called DEPODER and told DEPODER, \”I\’m outside.\”

Law 14 enforcement surveillance observed a Land Rover park on the street outside DEPODER\’s home in Gloucester City.

DEPODER walked out of his home, · approached the Land Rover, appeared to conduct a hand-to-hand transaction with the driver of the Land Rover, and returned to his home. Later that evening, Individual-3 sent DEPODER a text message stating, \”This is [Individual-3) … please don\’t forget me. I buy 40-60ml adds a month or the 15 mg off ever see them I will buy them.\” Thus, Individual-~ told DEPODER that she wanted to buy additional Adderall pills from him in the future.

FROM PAGE 15 AND 16

On or about February 23, 2020, DEPODER agreed to sell Oxycodone to a customer.

Specifically, on this date, DEPODER spoke on the telephone with a buyer (\”Buyer-2\”) who asked if DEPODER had \”green monsters\” (80 mg oxycodone pills) and \”one below it\” (60 mg oxycodone pills).

DEPODER told ~uyer-2, \”yeah, yeah[,]\” namely, he had the pills in stock, and Buyer-2 replied that \”I\’ll be [at DEPODER\’s home in Gloucester City] in like 10 mins[.]\” DEPODER then asked Buyer-2, \”[w]hatcha need?\” Buyer -2 stated, \”U]ust one and one 60[,]\” referring to 1 80 mg oxycodone pill and one 60 mg oxycodone pill.

Later the same day, subsequent communications and surveillance indicate that DEPODER and Buyer-2 met at DEPODER\’s home in Gloucester City. · 15 iii. On or about March 3, 2020, DEPODER\’agreed to sell Oxycodone to a customer.

Specifically, on this date, during·a telephone call, Buyer-2 told DEPODER that \”I (Buyer-2) need two of them green pills. and one red one\'[.]\” DEPODER responded, \”[a]lright[.]\” Buyer-2 told DEPODER that Buyer-2 would \”be like fifteen, twenty minutes\” and DEPODER replied, \”I\’ll be here.

Later the same day, subsequent communications and surveillance indicate that DEPODER and Buyer-2 met at DEPODER\’s home in Gloucester City.

The FBI agent in charge of the investigation was Stuart Sobin, a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation assigned to the Philadelphia Division, Cherry Hill Resident Agency, of the department. He has been an FBI Special Agent since 2012. \”In my capacity as a Special Agent, I have received extensive formal investigative training at the FBI\’s training academy in Quantico, Virginia and elsewhere. I have also received the basic drug and gang training, as well as advanced training that involved drugs and gangs,\” he stated in the complaint.

Attachment(s):

Download depoder.complaint.pdf

Download bell.complaint.pdf

CNB Crime

Blue Line

CNBNews Tips and Snippets

CNBNews Point of View

BREAKING NEWS

published

Gloucestercitynews.net

| March 11, 2020

The NRA Stands with Roosevelt

With cases like those of

Shanneen Allen

Brian Aitken

Gordon Van Gilder

Hisashi Pompey

, and

many others

, New Jersey has a well-earned reputation for malevolent gun prosecutions. As bad as those cases were, the Garden State may have just bested their own record for malice with a new low in anti-gun oppression.

According to a report from

Ammoland.com

, armored car security guard Roosevelt Twyne was driving home from a shift in early February when he was pulled over in Roselle Park, N.J., allegedly for a window tint violation. At the time, Twyne was carrying a handgun loaded with

Hornady Critical Duty

ammunition. As he is a security guard, Twyne has a valid New Jersey permit to carry a handgun.

New Jersey is a may-issue carry permit state. Most applicants are required to justify their need for a permit to carry. N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4 requires,

Each application form shall be accompanied by a written certification of justifiable need to carry a handgun, which shall be under oath and, in the case of a private citizen, shall specify in detail the urgent necessity for self-protection, as evidenced by specific threats or previous attacks which demonstrate a special danger to the applicant\’s life that cannot be avoided by means other than by issuance of a permit to carry a handgun. Where possible, the applicant shall corroborate the existence of any specific threats or previous attacks by reference to reports of the incidents to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

Additional burdens in the application process include a fingerprinting requirement and a requirement to obtain three personal references. Even after complying with all of these measures, the permit is only valid for a two-year period.

According to Ammoland.com, despite being one of the few individuals with a New Jersey carry permit, Twyne was arrested and charged with

illegal transportation of a firearm

Further, Twyne was reportedly charged with violating New Jersey’s prohibition on hollow-point self-defense ammunition.

N.J.S.A. 2C:39-3

states,

Any person, other than a law enforcement officer or persons engaged in activities pursuant to subsection f. of N.J.S.2C:39-6, who knowingly has in his possession any hollow nose or dum-dum bullet… is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree.

New Jersey is the only state that prohibits hollow-point self-defense ammunition.

Millions of American gun owners choose to use hollow-point self-defense ammunition to protect themselves and those around them. In

District of Columbia v. Heller

, U.S. Supreme Court made clear that the Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms “in common use” for lawful purposes. As this ammunition is a favorite choice of Americans for the lawful purpose of self-defense, New Jersey’s law is unconstitutional.

However, at the time of his arrest, Twyne was carrying Hornady Critical Duty ammunition in his handgun. Hornady Critical Duty ammunition uses a projectile with what Hornady calls a “Flextip” polymer filling. The projectile does not have a “hollow nose.”

Understanding that Hornady Critical Defense did not meet the definition of “hollow nose” ammunition under N.J.S.A. 2C:39-3, the New Jersey State Police issued the following guidance on their

Firearm FAQS website

I’m not a police officer, are hollow points legal for me to possess?

Yes. They are legal for purchase and possess in your home or on land owned by you. They are legal to possess and use at a gun range. They are also legal to possess while traveling to and from such places. Ammunition lacking a hollow cavity at the tip, such as those with a polymer filling, are not considered to be hollow point ammunition. An example of this can be seen with the Hornady Critical Defense / Critical Duty, Cor-Bon PowRball / Glaser Safety Slug and Nosler Inc. Defense ammunition.

Ammoland.com reported that after the arrest Twyne was suspended from his job. New Jersey’s rabid anti-gun politicians don’t seem to care how many innocent, productive lives their incomprehensible web of gun control laws upend.

source

https://www.nraila.org/

How to write a cover letter for resume in 2020

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(March 11, 2020)–A cover letter is your comments on your resume. It makes a description of your work experience full and explains motivation. In other words, it is your first conversation with a company. You may feel free to express your thoughts and wishes for a vacancy more detailed than in formal cv.

It happens that instead of a cover letter, candidates simply write: \”Please consider me for this position,\” but there is no sense in such a letter. For the letter to work in your favor, it must carry a meaningful load that will help distinguish you as a candidate. A simple request for consideration cannot do this.

You might need a cover letter in the following cases:

when you start a professional career in IT;

you want to work for a competitive company;

you like a specific position;

Start a cover letter with a greeting. Then you need to specify a position you are interested in and apply for. If you like, you can add a few words about the company. After that, mention why you want to work for this very company and get namely this position. Here, give special importance or value to your professional achievements and work skills. Do not forget to think about taking the time to read your letter and attention to your candidacy. If you send a resume along with a cover letter, do not forget to mention that it will be attached along with recommendations or that the recipient will find more detailed information about your professional activity in the resume attached. In conclusion, add \”Regards\”, or \”Best Regards\”, your signature and contact information.

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Do it, expand your horizons and resume writer who you pay for will help your dream to come true. You may write it on your own but resumes, cv and cover letters written online will leave no shade of hesitation nearby. You will be happy with the result and happy with the job you get soon after you have a resume and a cover letter written by a professional.

Guest Opinion: Another Anti-Catholic Joke

Bill Donohue | CNBNews Contributor

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on another anti-Catholic joke:

We know Seth Meyers will never trash Muslims, but he can safely insult Catholics knowing we will not resort to violence. He won\’t trash Jews because he doesn\’t have the guts to do so, and he sure won\’t attack \”people of color.\” The most protected of all classes these days are the LGBTQXYZ people: he

would actually quit his job before mocking them.

Yesterday, we mentioned that Trevor Noah, David Spade, and the Onion libeled priests with \”jokes\” about the coronavirus. To show how creative the Hollywood writers are, Seth Meyers chimed in last night with one of his own. \”Despite Italy\’s national lockdown, Pope Francis today urged priests to visit coronavirus patients, and if there\’s one thing priests respond to, it\’s urges.\”

No reasonable person seeks to justify someone who, in the heat of a confrontation, lashes out against his adversary with a bigoted remark. But at least the context helps explain the outburst.

What do we say about someone who makes a gratuitous, totally unprovoked, sweeping statement about an entire class of people, maliciously assaulting them?

This is the state of anti-Catholicism in America today. Those who claim to be the most tolerant people in the country—the Hollywood elite—have more in common with white supremacists than they know.

Contact Lauren Manasevit, NBC Entertainment Publicity:

lauren.manasevit@nbcuni.com

Two Minnesota Hockey Dads Set New World Records

with Hopes Others will be Inspired to Break Them

Zach Lamppa and Tom Chorske, launch a Hockey Dads Video Challenge to encourage others to stay positive and enjoy the simple joy in hockey

Minneapolis, Minnesota (March 10, 2020)

– Zach Lamppa and Tom Chorske

, the Hockey Dads

proudly announced today they have broken three hockey-related World

Records.

Proudly sponsored by

Gray Duck

Spirits , the Hockey Dads are on a mission to remind us all that hockey should be fun and positive. The

newest records

set recently include the World Record for the longest goal of 315 feet (Chorske), the longest backhand pass of 305 feet (Lamppa) and the longest save by a six year old of 320 feet (Judd Lamppa).

“These are benchmarks we set to inspire hockey players of all ages to try and achieve great things while making it fun and positive,” said Zach Lamppa, Founder and World Record Holder of the Hockey Dads. “We want this to become a movement to let people, especially kids, find the fun in perfecting their hockey skills.

In November of 2018 Lamppa and Chorske, a Minnesota Hockey Legend set the World Record for longest hockey pass of 904 feet on the pristine early ice of Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis. Lamppa who grew up in Virginia, MN, and now resides in Detroit Lakes, MN said that record was just the start.

“Now that a few records have been set we are looking forward to seeing youth hockey players, moms, dads and even grandparents take aim at these numbers,” said Lamppa. “Records are made to be broken and we want to provide an avenue for lovers of hockey to make their mark.”

The Hockey Dads are encouraging players of all ages from all over the world to try their hand at breaking these recently set records and submit their video to the Hockey Dads

website

. Sponsor partners

Gray Duck Spirts

and

The Minnesotan

, a lifestyle apparel company will team up to recognize any new world record submitted.

“For both players and parents. It’s all about having a positive attitude in the game of hockey” said Lamppa. “There are so many pressures we all face. The pressure of making a team, the pressure of getting ice time and the pressure of winning games. We want to create something that is simply about getting on the ice as a family and just find the simple enjoyment of the game.”

Guest Opinion: The Gibbstown LNG Project, Dangerous and Unnecessary

On February 28, the U.S Army Corp. of Engineers issued a permit to Delaware River Partners LLC for installing docking structures and performing dredging for their LNG export port facility in Greenwich Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.

“The Army Corp. has just given permits for a dangerous and unnecessary LNG port in Gibbstown on the Delaware River. The Army Corp, instead of scrutinizing this project, rubber-stamped the permits to Delaware River Partners. This project has lacked transparency and real input from the public and will have major consequences to the environment and to public safety in the region. They failed to do a proper EIS or look at the water impacts and the impacts to endangered species like the Atlantic Sturgeon. This is extremely alarming and concerning because a port along the Delaware River where combustible fuel like LNG is being transported and stored brings great danger to the region from potential spills and explosions,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Army Corp. deliberately ignored an open NEPA process and environmental review. This project not only hurts the environment, but there is no benefit for the region because it is for exporting LNG. This is another example of the Trump Administration siding with polluters and fracking over public safety.”

The construction of Dock 2 involves dredging approximately 665,000 cubic yards (cy) of sediment from the Delaware River. This will seriously impact the river because the site is a Superfund site and former DuPont explosives manufacturing site that is contaminated.

“Instead of doing their job, Army Corp. just pushed out a permit. This is the wrong project in the wrong place at the wrong time. This will cause serious impacts to the Delaware River, both to the environment and to public safety. The Repauno site where the project is proposed has already been contaminated over the years and is a Superfund Site. Any type of dredging and construction will resuspend contamination like PCBs into the estuary and impact spawning habitats of endangered species like the Atlantic Sturgeon. They will be dumping millions of toxic soil that could also pollute the groundwater. A port at this site will cause more flooding and more pollution. The dock will be almost 4 acres and will hurt the shallows in the area, will stick out to the water and affect navigation,” said Tittel.

According to Army Corp.’s supplemental notice, the LNG product will arrive at the proposed structure via truck or tanker railcar. Approximately 13 trucks per hour would enter the site, 24/7. The proposed operations at the Site will generate approximately 15 trucks in and out of the facility per hour on average. Each truck would carry approximately 12,000 gallons of product.

“There will be close to 1,650 trucks that would transport LNG to the site each day. The company will bring 5 million gallons of LNG a day to the port from truck or rail, this is equivalent to 2 billion gallons of natural gas. What’s worse is that they are creating a sacrifice zone for export to Europe and other places. These trucks will be bombs on wheels coming through Pennsylvania and New Jersey. A leak from any of those trucks could instantly kill everything within 550 yards. A fireball could have a radius as large as a mile-and-a-half. The blast zone from an explosion could spread as wide as two-and-a-half miles,” said Tittel. “Bridge and river traffic would be greatly disrupted by a LNG port. The National Guard would have to close off bridges to allow tankers through, as happens in Boston.”

The natural gas liquids that would be transported in, handled, stored and shipped out of the facility pose safety risks and the danger of exposure to hazardous contaminants for people in the region.

“An LNG port in the Delaware will not only cause catastrophic damage to the river and surrounding area, but prompt more fracking, and more use of GHG’s. The Army Corp. did not look at the impacts and secondary impacts this project will have to climate change, fracking, pollution from truck traffic, safety and more. By giving away this permit, they failed to protect our environment, our safety, and our precious drinking water,” said Tittel.

The DRBC will hold an adjudicatory hearing (a trial-like proceeding before a Hearing Officer) commencing April 15, 2020, on Docket D-2017-009-2, issued by the Commission to Delaware River Partners, LLC for the project known as the Gibbstown Logistics Center Dock 2.

“With more and more information coming out about this disastrous LNG proposal, the more reason for the judge to overturn DRBC’s approval to this dangerous facility. We thank the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and all of their work on this to make this hearing happen. Now with this adjudicatory hearing, the public now has a right to add more information about the damage to the LNG proposal and why the DRBC need to side with our public safety over polluters. Even though Army. Corp’s permit approval is a bump in the road, The NJ Sierra Club along with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and other groups will fight and keep on fighting. It is too important for our environment, but more importantly for the safety of our communities,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

Is Your Backyard Ready for Spring?

Your family yard is extension for your home – providing a respite from stress, offering an outside entertainment area, expanding your living space and giving kids and pets and a safe place to play. Research shows children reap numerous health, social and personal benefits from spending time outside playing.

Here are TurfMutt’s top tips to help you get

Backyard Ready

this spring courtesy of the

TurfMutt Foundation

Plan for Fun:

Depending on your lifestyle and climate, consider an outdoor room, turfgrass for a game of croquet and a place for kids to run and play, trees and shrubs for privacy and a game of hide and seek, fire pit, pergola, sandbox (for kids and dogs to dig!), outdoor furniture, or a decorative water feature.

Plant for Kids & Pets:

There are many species of turfgrass to choose from to create pet and kids play space. Your local garden center or landscaper can help you identify what will work best for your climate zone and lifestyle. And don’t forget to avoid toxic plants to pets if they are a member of your family.

Remember Wildlife & Pollinators:

Grass, trees, shrubs and flowering plants provide food and habitat for birds, small mammals, and pollinators, so plant to support them.

Take Stock of Equipment:

Do you need to update, upgrade or replace your outdoor power equipment, like a

lawn mower

, hedger/trimmer or edger? Want to install a water solution like a smart irrigation system? Invest in outdoor power equipment now so you are ready to roll for spring!

For more information, go to

www.turfmutt.com