Month: August 2022

A proposal to declare San Clemente an abortion-free city has died after an emotional meeting where dozens of residents spoke on both sides of the issue.

The City Council voted 3 to 1 Saturday to withdraw the proposal from the agenda of an upcoming meeting.

Despite San Clemente’s reputation as a conservative bastion, the proposal has mostly fallen flat.

In heavily Democratic California, where the right to an abortion will continue to be protected by state officials after the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the proposal’s effect would have been largely symbolic.

Many residents, including some opposed to abortion, have argued that the issue is outside the city’s purview and that officials should focus on local concerns like homelessness.

The coastal Orange County city has no hospitals or clinics that perform abortions, and it has no power to stop residents from seeking the procedure elsewhere.

City Councilman Steve Knoblock wrote the proposal, which declared San Clemente a “sanctuary for life,” stated that life begins at conception and opposed the establishment of clinics that provide abortions.

On Saturday, he was the only vote in favor of keeping it on the agenda.

Hundreds of people filled seats inside the San Clemente Community Center, including an overflow room with a live feed. Abortion rights advocates chanted outside.

Inside, too, the dominant sentiment was anger, with some residents ending the proposal “overreach,” “idiotic” or “extremist.”

“Can the city tell pharmacies what medication they can sell?” said Barbara Helton, who has lived in San Clemente for 25 years.

During the nearly three-hour meeting, she blamed officials for further dividing “this community along religious and political beliefs.”

“Not your review! Not your review!” some in the audience shouted at one point.

To loud applause, Mayor Pro Tem Chris Duncan called the proposal an attempt to “subjugate women and girls like my daughters into second-class citizens.”

Knoblock countered that abortion is “a public policy issue that is now at the forefront of society.”

He said a “can of worms” had been opened by the governor and state Legislature’s attempts to strengthen abortion rights.

“The city weighs in on issues that affect our communities,” he said. “The life and death of babies affect our communities.”

Councilwoman Kathy Ward, who had earlier called Knoblock’s proposal “ludicrous,” pressed her colleagues to “get back to the business of San Clemente.”

Councilwoman Laura Ferguson, who was absent, has said that officials need to focus on urgent matters such as homelessness and pension liabilities.

Responding to complaints about the short notice for Saturday’s meeting, Mayor Gene James said many residents had urged that the issue be “rushed.”

Council members have received threats related to the proposal, which they have referred to law enforcement, James said.

James, who is opposed to abortion, has said he was initially in favor of a council resolution expressing support for overturning Roe v. Wade. But he was “appalled” and “embarrassed,” he said, after reading the specifics that Knoblock drafted.

Duncan is a Democrat, and the other council members are Republican.

Some residents praised Knoblock for his courage in taking a stand against abortion.

“This issue protects the voice of unborn babies,” said Ann-Marie Hines, who has lived in San Clemente for 22 years.

As they left the meeting after the vote to table the proposal, some called Knoblock a hero who stood up to “business as usual.”

Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is looking to expand its Indiana-based headquarters outside the state in response to Indiana’s ban on most abortions.

“As a global company headquartered in Indianapolis for more than 145 years, we work hard to retain and attract thousands of people who are important drivers of our state’s economy. Given this new law, we will be forced to plan for more employment growth outside our home state,” the company said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital on Sunday.

Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed into law Senate Bill 1 on Friday, which bans abortions at any stage with exceptions for when the mother’s life is at risk, and in cases of rape, incest, or fatal fetal anomalies.

“Following the overturning of Roe, I stated clearly that I would be willing to support legislation that made progress in protecting life,” Holcomb said, the Indy Star reported. “In my view, SEA 1 accomplishes this goal following its passage in both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly with a solid majority of support.”

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Republicans such as Indiana state Rep. Wendy McNamara celebrated the new law, saying it makes Indiana “one of the most pro-life states in the nation.” The law will take effect on Sept. fifteen.

The move set off condemnation from Eli Lilly, fellow Indiana-based corporation Cummins, as well as the White House.

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“The Indiana Legislature took a devastating step as a result of the Supreme Court’s extreme decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate women’s constitutionally protected right to abortion,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Saturday. “And, it’s another radical step by Republican legislators to take away women’s reproductive rights and freedom, and put personal health care decisions in the hands of politicians rather than women and their doctors.”

Eli Lilly continued in his statement that it is worried the law will hinder both the company and Indiana from attracting “diverse scientific, engineering and business talent from around the world.”

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“While we have expanded our employee health plan coverage to include travel for reproductive services unavailable locally, that may not be enough for some current and potential employees,” the statement said.

The company has research and development locations in New York City, San Diego and San Francisco, as well as a newly-announced genetic medicine office in Boston, WTHR reported.

Engine-making company Cummins, which is headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, also denounced the new law.

“The right to make decisions regarding reproductive health ensures that women have the same opportunity as others to participate fully in our work force and that our work force is diverse. There are provisions in the bill that conflict with this, impact our people and impede our ability to attract and retain top talent,” Cummins spokesman Jon Mills said this weekend, according to the New York Times.

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Cummins is among corporations across the country that provide health care benefits that cover the costs of abortions, including medical travel benefits.

Loved ones gathered once again Saturday night at the site of the horrific crash in Windsor Hills that claimed six lives. They joined in prayer and solace – finding comfort among each other in their search for strength.

“She was my first best friend. She the first person I knew. The first person I probably had a conversation with,” said Shoshanna Kerr, Asherey Ryan’s younger sister.

Ryan, 23, who was six months pregnant, her 11-month-old son Alonzo, and her fiancé, Reynold Lester, were on their way to a prenatal checkup when the driver of a speeding Mercedes slammed into crossing traffic at the intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues in Windsor Hills Thursday afternoon.

Everyone in Ryan’s vehicle died, including her unborn son.

“She’s my only big sister. Every day we take our sons outside and walk them around the block. Cada dia. The neighbors know us,” Kerr told KTLA. “Today, I had to walk alone with my son.”

Lloyd Manning, Asherey Ryan’s stepfather, shared his last memory of his grandson.

“I walked out to go to work. Alonzo would do his little ‘ooh! ooh!’ thing he always does,” Manning recalled. “I reached out and wanted a hug, and he gave me a hug and gave me a kiss. That was the last thing I got to see.”

Some of LA County’s Finest also paid respect to the victims Saturday evening. Firefighters from Engine Co. 58, who were among the first to respond to the crash, visited the makeshift memorial and met with grieving family members.

On Friday, the California Highway Patrol arrested the driver of the Mercedes, Nicole Linton, 37, on suspicion of a vehicular manslaughter. Authorities say she is a traveling nurse from Texas who is working in Los Angeles.

Formal charges could be filed as early as Monday.

Despite the immeasurable loss, family and friends are offering hope and healing to each other, and even the driver who has devastated their lives.

“I just want to tell her that we forgive her,” Shoshanna Kerr said. “She will have to live with this for the rest of her life. That’s why she was spared. We understand it already.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family pay for funeral expenses.

He is considered armed and dangerous.

In a statement today from the Butler Twp. police, they said Marlow may have fled Ohio.

— At a 6 pm Saturday press conference, Butler Twp. Chief Porter said, “I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the families who lost loved ones yesterday. This has been a difficult time for all of us in the community and surrounding areas. All of us here at the Butler Twp. Police Department, as well as all of our local state and federal partners here today are working continuously to provide justice for all of the victims and their families. The victims families have been notified and victim specialists are working with them to provide resources and support.

He said Marlow remained the primary suspect in the shooting. They believe following the shooting he traveled west on Interstate 70.

Porter said police are aware that Marlow released a video on the internet some time after the shooting where he discussed why he shot the four people. He said dozens have been interviewed about Marlow.

“We understand the ideas and languages ​​in the video are starting. And that is why our investigators are working around the clock to ensure Mr. Marlow is brought into custody,” Porter said.

Porter said he had a message for Marlow, “I want you to know that we want to help you. You have the ability to resolve the situation peacefully if you turn yourself into law enforcement as soon as possible. Again, we want to end this peacefully. Now is the right time to call 911 and turn yourself in.”

— Porter said killed in the shooting were Clyde Knox, 82, Eva Knox, 78, Sarah Anderson, 41, and a Kayla Anderson, 15. The Knox couple was killed in their home and the Andersons were killed in a separate home.

Vandalia school superintendent Robert O’Leary said the district has provided counselors and therapists for students and their families and will continue this through next week.

“Yesterday we tragically lost a member of the aviator family and our hearts prayers and supports are with the Anderson family. Kayla’s friends, her classmates and all of our students. In the words of those who knew her about her best about her Kayla was a friend to many. She was kind and as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. She was a ray of light.”

“Our priority right now is for that light to live through all of us. And we will focus our efforts in bringing that beauty, that joy and love to all of our students and our staff and the entire community. Yesterday I was able to make a phone call to the leaders of our faith community. Our staff was able to reach out to Samaritan behavior. And we had pastors, youth ministers and therapists available in about 30 minutes sort of time to go out to provide supports for students who were very close to Kayla.”

On Saturday, students and parents gathered at the high school to remember Kayla, who was described as a “special student who made others smile.”

— The FBI is helping with the investigation as Marlow could have crossed state lines. In a statement on Twitter, the FBI said: The #FBI and Butler Twp. Police are searching for Stephen Marlow, a person of interest in multiple shootings today. He was last seen in a white 2007 Ford Edge with Ohio license plate JES 9806. Call 937-233-2080, 1-800-Call-FBI or http://tips.fbi.gov with info.

— Wanda Pence has lived in her Hardwicke home, located across the street from where two of the shootings took place, since the 1970s. She told the Dayton Daily News today she’s always felt safe in her neighborhood.

“People don’t even run stop signs in this neighborhood,” she said. “You hear all the time on the news, ‘Oh this is a really quiet neighborhood, nothing ever happens here.’ But it’s the truth; nothing ever happens here. I’m just shocked.”

Pence said while she’s not particularly close with her surrounding neighbors, everyone is friendly when they see each other outside.

“It’s just very disheartening that this happened here,” she said. “We’ll just have to process this. It’s certainly going to affect the neighborhood and give it a different feel.”

— One nearby neighbor who declined to give his name on Saturday said he has lived in the neighborhood for over three decades.

Visibly upset, the man said he and his wife had offered up their home as an area for victim’s families to gather in the immediate aftermath of the shootings.

The man said he did not know the alleged shooter but that he’d recently heard there were what seemed to be minor issues with Marlow and other neighbors, including residents on Hardwicke Place.

“He’d holler at them and say, ‘Keep the noise down, you’re too noisy in this neighborhood,’” the man said, noting that he’d didn’t personally witness Marlow yelling, but had heard this from others in the neighborhood. “They said he did that all the time, he’d holler at you if you were outside.”

— Marlow has connections to Chicago, where he lived for some time; Lexington, where he attended college; and Indianapolis, the FBI said.

Marlow graduated from Butler High School in 2001 and graduated from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, according to background check obtained by the Dayton Daily News.

He lived and worked in Chicago as a trader from 2006 to 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. He most recently lived with his parents on Haverstraw Avenue, one of the streets where a part of the shooting took place, police said.

— Butler Twp. police said they do not think there is an ongoing threat to the neighborhood.

— The city of Vandalia have closed a number of public areas in the city out of caution as Stephen Marlow, 39, remains at large. In a statement the city said, the Recreation Center and all outdoor activities, as well as Cassel Hills Golf Course, Cassel Hills Pool and the Vandalia Senior Citizens Center will also be closed Saturday.

These closures are being implemented solely as a precaution, as there have been no known targeted threats towards any City facility.

Vandalia residents will see an increased police presence this evening and tomorrow, and City leaders will continually evaluate the situation and make any necessary adjustments.

— A prayer event has been organized in the community and will be held at 5 pm Monday in the Butler High School parking lot. The event is meant to show a message of hope, strength, love and support amid the recent tragedy, according to a Facebook post by the City of Vandalia.

— Neighbors are in shock about the shooting. Wendy Chapman lives next door to one of the Hardwicke Place houses wrapped with crime scene tape. “I don’t know how to feel. I’m still stunned,” she said, describing the neighborhood as “so quiet. … At this point, I’m pissed off. I feel violated. My question is why. I can’t even imagine.”

Our previous story:

Four people were shot and killed late Friday morning in a quiet neighborhood in Butler Twp., and police said Friday afternoon they were seeking a person of interest in connection with the crime.

PHOTOS: Police investigate shooting in Butler Township

Butler Twp. Police Chief John Porter said officers were dispatched to the area of ​​Hardwicke Place and Haverstraw Avenue around 11:45 am and located “multiple crime scenes” and four victims with gunshot wounds. All four people died at the scene.

The chief identified 39-year-old Stephen Marlow as a person of interest in the deaths. Police described him as a 5-foot-11, 160-pound white male with short brown hair. He was last seen wearing shorts and a yellow T-shirt, and Porter said he was possibly driving a white 2007 Ford Edge SUV with Ohio license plate JES-9806.

Two homes were surrounded by crime scene tape near the intersection of Hardwicke and Haverstraw. One of the homes, in the 7200 block of Hardwicke, shares part of a back fence with a house in the 2600 block of Haverstraw that is owned by a Marlow family, according to county property records.

“If anyone sees (Stephen) Marlow or knows of the vehicle, they should call 911 immediately and not approach him, as he is likely to be armed and dangerous,” Porter said. “We don’t believe that there is any ongoing threat to the neighborhood at this time, but we will continue to have crews in the area in case Marlow would return.”

The names of the victims have not been released, and it is not clear what led to the shooting.

“We are working to determine if there is any reason for this horrible tragedy or if mental illness played any role,” Porter said.

A man at the scene of Friday’s shootings would not give his name, but said his daughter and granddaughter were killed in the shootings.

The Butler Twp. neighborhood where the shooting happened sits about a mile west of the Miller Lane development, just south of Little York Road.

“This is the first violent crime in this neighborhood in recent memory,” Porter said.

Wendy Chapman lives next door to one of the Hardwicke Place houses wrapped with crime scene tape.

“I don’t know how to feel. I’m still stunned,” she said, describing the neighborhood as “so quiet. … At this point, I’m pissed off. I feel violated. My question is why. I can’t even imagine.”

She described her neighbors — a couple and their daughter — as a “nice, normal family.”

“We weren’t close but always very friendly. Their teen daughter, she was friendly,” Chapman said. “We’d always see them out there when we were out there cutting grass and always (talk) back and forth. You know… just neighbor stuff.”

Porter encouraged residents in the area to remain vigilant and to review any security camera footage they may have from earlier Friday.

“We ask that anyone with any possible information regarding this incident or the whereabouts of Marlow to call our dispatch center at 937-233-2080.”

Marlow, 39, of Haverstraw Avenue, was convicted of aggravated burglary and aggravated menacing in February 2020, stemming from a July 2019 incident in Vandalia. He was sentenced to five years of community control but that probation was terminated Feb. 9, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records.

Porter said Butler Twp. police were getting support from Vandalia police and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, as well as state and federal officials. He said the Dayton Bomb Squad was brought in as “an abundance of caution” to ensure there are no further imminent threats to the normally quiet neighborhood.

A man who identified himself as a relative said his daughter and granddaughter were dead inside one of the houses. The man, who did not give his name to him, had come from inside a section of the crime scene tape where others had gathered to learn what happened.