Colorado regulators approve drilling buffers, other rules - The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Colorado regulators approve drilling buffers, other rules - The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel |
- Colorado regulators approve drilling buffers, other rules - The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
- Meet the Candidate: 4th District Court of Appeals - Daily Sentinel
- Michigan says racial disparities of virus have diminished - Sentinel-Standard
| Colorado regulators approve drilling buffers, other rules - The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel Posted: 29 Sep 2020 08:53 AM PDT GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) — The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has provided preliminary approval for new regulations for well drilling sites, including a 2,000-foot (610-meter) buffer requirement from homes. The five-member panel is not expected to undertake a final vote on the measures until November to allow for some revisions, The Daily Sentinel reported. The new regulations are expected to take effect Jan. 1. The measures approved Monday represent the first regulations aimed at a new law requiring the commission to prioritize public health, safety, welfare, the environment and wildlife over oil and gas development. The measures include adopting requirements for analyzing alternative locations for oil and gas facilities, widening who has legal standing to participate in commission hearings, adding language intended to consider those disproportionately impacted and providing increased collaboration between state and local governments in oil and gas regulations. Commission Chair Jeff Robbins said Monday that there was a lot of consensus regarding the approved regulations, except on the larger setbacks. The setbacks are significantly larger than those proposed by commission staff, which recommended a 500-foot (150-meter) minimum setback from homes. Homeowners, community and environmental activists and some elected officials argued that a greater distance was needed to protect the public. But other industry entities argued it could make oil and gas inaccessible to development. "We … believe that we've created sufficient off-ramps so that minerals will continue to be developed within the state of Colorado," Robbins said. West Slope Oil and Gas Association Executive Director Chelsie Miera said those off-ramps don't offer a clear path for getting a permit and said the setbacks in effect will be even greater — up to 2400 feet (730 meters) — because they will be measured from a well pad's edge rather than from the wells. Leslie Robinson, chair of the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance in Garfield County, welcomed the approvals saying that they have worked hard to get regulation improvements that protect nearby residents. |
| Meet the Candidate: 4th District Court of Appeals - Daily Sentinel Posted: 28 Sep 2020 12:11 PM PDT  Stacy Brooks and Kristy Wilkin Courtesy photo Editor's Note: As we approach the November General Election, the Gallipolis Daily Tribune and The Daily Sentinel will be running articles allowing the candidates in contested races to introduce themselves and tell the voters why they are running for office. Each candidate is asked, in their own words, to respond to two questions — tell us about yourself and why are you running for this office. OHIO VALLEY — Voters will be deciding on two seats on the Fourth District Court of Appeals on election day, including the race with Stacy M. Brooks facing off against Kristy S. Wilkin. The second seat has incumbent Judge Peter Abele running unopposed. The Fourth District includes: Adams, Athens, Gallia, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, and Washington. Both candidates are running for the unexpired term of Judge Matthew McFarland which ends on Feb. 8, 2023. Wilkin was appointed to the seat earlier this year. Candidates, along with their responses submitted to Ohio Valley Publishing, are listed below in alphabetical order. Stacy M. Brooks Tell us about yourself: I have been a litigator in the 4th District for over 14 years — representing families, small businesses, local governments, veterans, seniors, and children. I am a graduate of Xavier University and I have a Master's Degree from the College of Charleston, S.C. My law degree is from Vermont Law School, where I taught legal writing as a Dean's Fellow, clerked at the Vermont Attorney General's office, and worked at the South Royalton Legal Clinic. I began my legal career as an attorney with Southeastern Ohio Legal Services, where I learned to use litigation as well as community organizing and legislative tools to advocate for my clients. I served as the President of the National Organization for Legal Service Workers (NOLSW-UAW Local 2320), and have been endorsed by the Ohio AFL-CIO, the UAW Region-2B, IBEW Local 575, OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4, OCSEA/AFSCME Local 11, the Painters District Council No. 6, as well as local and state-wide leaders, including Senator Sherrod Brown. I am certified as an Advanced Family Conflict Mediator and I am the Solicitor for the Village of Beaver. I currently practice in a small family firm in Waverly, Ohio. I met my husband, Luke Feeney, who is the Mayor of Chillicothe, when we began working together at Legal Aid. We have two children (Colin is 4; Marin is 2) who attend preschool at the Ross County YMCA. We love and serve our community — I've been my church council president and held leadership roles with many non-profit boards and committees. Why I decided to run for this office? I'm in this race because I want to make a difference, and because I will bring a unique perspective to the Court. I have a deep commitment to public service and a great respect for the law. As judge, I will fight to ensure the 4th District Court is compassionate and fair, independent and free from politics. At law school graduation, I received the Maximilian W. Kempner Award, which is given to the student who best exemplifies the highest standards of competence, integrity, respect, fair-mindedness and public service. Those are the qualities we should look for in a judge, and now more than ever, we have a duty to ensure those we elect are ready to uphold the integrity of their office. I work hard at my job, but I also work hard for my community. It's one thing to say you want to help people; it's another thing to do it, to have a record of doing it, and truly having it in your heart. My time at legal aid was about being a voice for the voiceless and giving names and stories to the unseen. I have been a guardian ad litem, representing children in abuse, custody, and divorce proceedings. I currently volunteer with legal aid clinics all over the 4th District. I offer pro bono representation to non-profits, and I serve clients through the Ohio Attorney General's Victim of Crime program. I've been a volunteer attorney mentor. I've been a labor leader. I am on the Ross County YMCA board and volunteer with other local non-profits as well as my church council. My experiences, background, and work ethic demonstrate my values and commitments better than any political promise could. I look forward to serving the people in the 4th District and respectfully request your vote. Kristy S. Wilkin Tell us about yourself: Judge Kristy S. Wilkin was appointed to the 4th District Court of Appeals by Governor Mike DeWine on July 24, 2020. Prior to serving on the Court of Appeals, Judge Wilkin was a partner with Peelle Law Offices Co., LPA, where she worked for the last 14 years. She served as an adjunct professor at Southern State Community College and held a judicial externship in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. She is also a graduate of the Jo Ann Davidson Leadership Institute, an esteemed leadership development program. Judge Wilkin graduated cum laude from Xavier University with a degree in Accounting and graduated in the top 10 percent of her class at the Ohio Northern University Law School. Wilkin also served as the associate editor of the Law Review. Judge Wilkin resides on a small farm in Highland County, Ohio, with her husband Shane Wilkin and her two daughters, Piper (10) and Parker (9). Judge Wilkin has been endorsed by the following: Congressman Bill Johnson; Congressman Brad Wenstrup; Congressman Steve Stivers; US Senator Rob Portman; State Senator Bob Peterson; State Senator Frank Hoagland; State Rep. Brian Baldridge; State Rep. Jason Stephens; State Rep. Jay Edwards; State Rep. Don Jones; State Rep. Gary Scherer; Candidate for State Rep. Mark Johnson; Ross County Sheriff George W. Lavender; Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera; Washington County Sheriff Larry R. Mincks, Sr.; Gallia County Sheriff Matt Champlin; Scioto County Republican Central Committee; Scioto County Young Republicans. Why I decided to run for this office? Judge Wilkin knows how important it is to keep a conservative voice on the 4th District Court of Appeals. She believes in our Constitution and will protect your First and Second Amendment Rights. Judge Wilkin will not legislate from the bench but will apply the law as written. Judge Wilkin wants to protect the future for not only her two little girls but for all the young men and women in the 4th District. © 2020 Ohio Valley Publishing, all rights reserved. Stacy Brooks and Kristy Wilkin |
| Michigan says racial disparities of virus have diminished - Sentinel-Standard Posted: 29 Sep 2020 05:19 AM PDT LANSING — Michigan reported Monday that Black residents are no longer being disproportionately infected and killed by the coronavirus, after they accounted for a staggering 40% of deaths through much of the pandemic. For the last two available weeks of data, African Americans represented 10% of COVID-19 deaths and 8% of cases. They comprise about 14% of the state's population. They still account for at least 38% of confirmed and probable deaths overall, and at least 20% of cases, according to state data. A patient's race is not always reported. Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II chairs a state task force that is addressing virus-related racial disparities. He credited people of color for being more likely to wear masks and follow safety guidelines — because they were hit hard at the beginning of the outbreak — and said the disparities' downward trend has been holding for at least a month. "We still need to be careful as we come into the fall, as we come into the flu season," he told The Associated Press. "But thanks to the state of Michigan paying attention to this issue, prioritizing this issue — we have the most muscular response to racial disparities in the country — we can say that those disparities have flattened. That's a testament to people of Michigan and the work of the experts on the task force." Gilchrist, who is Black, has said he has lost 23 people in his life to the virus. Detroit, where he lives and which was an early hot spot nationally along with surrounding suburban areas, is 79% Black and accounts for 23% of Michigan's 7,044 deaths related to COVID-19. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer formed the task force in April. Actions taken include launching ads, particularly on social media, to target communities of color and increasing testing sites in vulnerable places disproportionately affected by the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said race and ethnicity are risk markers for underlying conditions that affect health — socioeconomic status, access to medical care and increased exposure to COVID-19 while working frontline, essential jobs. Since August, the daily rates of new cases and deaths for Black residents has been equal to or lower than those for white people, according to the governor's office. Over the six-month emergency, the daily case rate among Black people has been more than twice what it is among white residents. The daily death rate for Black residents has been nearly four times that of white people. In the most recent two-week period, the rate of new cases for Black people was about half that for white residents. The death rates for Black and white residents were about the same over those weeks. SCHOOL OUTBREAKS Also Monday, the state reported 27 new outbreaks at schools last week — 21 in K-12 buildings and six at colleges and universities totaling 92 cases. There also were more than 3,900 cases linked to ongoing outbreaks that were identified in previous weeks but had at least one new associated case. Of the 4,000-plus ongoing or new cases, about 200 were tied to K-12 schools. The rest were linked to universities and colleges, including Michigan State (1,295 cases) and Grand Valley State (811 cases.) |
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