State Representative Kentuckys 82nd District

Q&A with candidates Regina Petrey Huff and Matt Anderson

NJ: Why are you running for the office of State Representative again in this election?

RH: I am seeking re-election as State Representative of the 82nd District to continue to advocate for the values, rights and the ideology that I feel most represents our area. As a strong fiscal conservative, I feel government intrusion should be limited to issues that we cant handle ourselves, both on the state and national level. We are living in troubling times, where our values and rights often feel in jeopardy. It is important that we have representation that is willing to speak out and not be complacent.

I have worked to ensure that the 82nd District has strong representation, and a voice at the table across the continuum of issues that are important to our district. I have earned the honor of House Education Chair, which is the top position in Education in the House of Representatives. This position has afforded me the opportunity to benefit our local school districts financially, and to keep the liberal agenda from infiltrating our public school systems.

I am seeking re-election on the merits of my job performance as YOUR current representative. I have worked hard to assist those I represent, and hope that the constituents feel I have served them well.

MA: It is very difficult to win any office against an incumbent, and I knew that entering the 2018 election. Being a political newcomer I wasnt sure what to expect, but was continuously overwhelmed and humbled by the support and encouragement that I received.

The problems that existed entering the last election are still present, and I believe that a fresh perspective and new ideas are needed to help solve our states problems. Without new legislative faces it will be very difficult to bring about meaningful reform.

After much prayer and discussion, I decided that I needed to run for this office again. My supporters and I worked extremely hard creating a base and ran a very competitive campaign in 2018. Having already worked on that foundation, I feel that I am in a much stronger position to win this election and begin working to strengthen our commonwealth.

NJ: Why do you feel you are most qualified for the job?

RH: I am a wife, mother, grandmother, and a lifelong resident of the 82nd District. I feel my life experiences gives me an insight and understanding of all walks of life. I have been a single mother, working and continuing my education, experiencing the worries of financial concerns. I have experienced the deployment of a spouse, thus having an understanding of those families needs within our military. The ability to relate to people on so many levels has proven to be invaluable in my service.

Further, I raised my two daughters here, and they are now raising my grandchildren here. I love this part of the Commonwealth.I am vested in this district, and want the best for my children, grandchildren, and yours.

I hold a BS in Education with an emphasis in History and English, an MA in Special Education, and a Rank 1 in Supervision of instruction.

My educational background has allowed me opportunities to benefit our district as well.Further, I have an understanding of policy and have amassed institutional knowledge that gives me an advantage when speaking on the floor with effective use of procedures. Anyone that knows me well, knows that I am not inhibited, and stand ready to speak regardless of subject matter.

Most importantly, I see this job as a privilege, and not a position of power. I am confident in my ability to stand up and speak on behalf of those I represent regarding our conservative values, and have earned the respect of fellow members to be heard.

Lastly, this job is time consuming, and a good representative must be prepared and informed, as legislation and policies are ever-changing. Moreover, a good representative has a clear understanding that we not only serve in Frankfort, but within our district as well. I support our students, and other groups in our area and attend events to support a plethora of groups. If you invite me, I show up and am visible to those I serve. I am retired now, and my children are grown and married. I have the time and energy needed to represent our district, effectively and efficiently.

MA: I believe that I am the most qualified person for this job because I truly want to be a public servant. I believe in working together within our community, making positive impacts to increase our standard of living and strengthening our local economy.

As a husband, father, teacher, deacon, church youth director, and active community member I believe that I better understand the challenges faced daily, and represent the beliefs and values shared in our community. As a social studies teacher I am comfortable with the functioning of our local and state governments and look forward to coordinating efforts among local officials to make our district prosper.

NJ: With many different crisis situations in our country, our commonwealth, and even right here at home, how will you be approaching the job of State Representative moving forward?

RH: I will continue to represent as I have from day one, working to ensure that the 82nd District has a representative that is present and willing to speak up on behalf of our district, regardless of what is in the forefront.

When I first accepted this position, I set some objectives for myself to be accountable, transparent and accessible to those I represent. I will continue to operate under my set objectives, while ensuring that I have a seat at the table on all issues that are relevant, and have the potential to either adversely affect or benefit our district and the Commonwealth as a whole.

I have earned a reputation as someone with a no nonsense approach to government, that continually speaks against government overreach. I am not intimidated regarding any subject matter and the politics of issues are never of concern to me. Further, I will continue to lessen the scope of government and be the voice for a fiscally conservative budget, protecting the tax dollars of our citizens.

Regardless of the issues at hand, those I represent will have a full understanding of where I stand, and my efforts on their behalf.

MA: Moving forward, representatives need to keep their constituents informed of ongoing business in the state capitol and clearly convey their views. So many problems arise from misinformation, the absence of information, a lack of swift and clear action from the government, and a general feeling by the public of being disheartened or powerless. I want to be an elected official that is active and seen, that can assure people that I am working to serve them to the best of my ability with their interests at heart.

NJ: What are some specific issues that you feel need to be addressed, and how would you go about addressing them?

RH: Government funding and control: It is paramount, moreso now with the effects of COVID-19, that we be true fiscal conservatives, aware of the value of every dollar of the peoples monies. This pandemic will have long term adverse effects on our budget. However, we must be diligent and first in line for federal funding, and matches. Effective usage and the requesting of federal matching funds will be invaluable. I have a working knowledge of the budget process, and intend to be steadfast in what should be priorities going forward.

We need to address government power and legislate to control the overreach. This will be a priority for me. The next legislative session needs to further address government by making it smaller, and giving more governing power and decision making to local governments. The idea that all legislation can be effective in blanketing the state is not accurate or effective. The needs and agendas of Jefferson County is totally different than those of the 82nd District. We need to meet the needs of all, and local decision making offers that opportunity.

I am committed to fiscal responsibility, accountability and transparency. As a government, we need to provide opportunities for success, fostering a society with a work ethic, self-worth and self-perseverance. I have the position of House Education Chair which offers me the opportunity to see that our students are work ready, and increasing the vocational opportunities and training will be an advantage, making our district more inviting to skill set jobs, which offer above living wage jobs and a greater quality of life.

Drug Epidemic: The devastation of this problem is immeasurable across the 82nd District, and has touched the lives of most of us. Trying to address this problem drug by drug isnt working. It seems as soon as we address the habitual usage of one drug, another is introduced to the plethora of additives that are destroying our citizens.

We need a comprehensive approach to the problem, focusing on the issue from the perspective of prevention. The most effective way to prevent adolescents from drug use, is to invest in our youth and keep them interested and involved in life. We also need to address this issue from an economic standpoint; we need opportunities for all citizens to be successful and infuse our schools with educational programs that are fact based, and paint a clear picture of the destruction of drug use.

We must be proactive; however, we arent seeing the success we need for our investments in many of the current rehabilitation programs. It is hard for the addict to stay clean when they return to the environment where they have been a user. We need a better wrap around program, possibly with skills training, and employment. Nothing is ever going to be effective against the abuse until we no longer accept it as the community norm. We need to look at best practices for long term success including the judicial, educational and health communities.

Tax Reform: Although we began the process of looking at reform, our state tax codes remain antiquated. Addressing the issue is a must if we are going to compete in a modern economy. We need comprehensive reform that will allow us to market the Commonwealth.

Further, we need to generate the revenue needed to fund vital needs and services. With Kentuckys current tax structure being complex and out of date, we must simplify it while producing economic growth.

Currently, Kentucky gets less than 20% of revenue from sales taxes; Tennessee gets more than 40%. Average household income is higher in Tennessee and has gone up at a higher percentage than Kentucky, and the national average in the last decade. Our outdated tax code is holding us back. What we have started is only the first step. We must continue to look at ways to make Kentucky more competitive, which has brought discussions towards a larger consumption-based tax, and the elimination of the state income tax altogether. Thusly, all with be contributing to the taxes of the Commonwealth, and not just those earning an income.

MA: I am a firm believer that the role and size of government needs to be reduced. I feel that the responsibility of the government is to perform the will of the people, create a safe atmosphere that protects individual liberties and freedoms, and create a climate to provide the opportunity for hardworking people to succeed.

As a Republican I recognize the need to continue to protect our second amendment rights and continuously fight to protect the lives of unborn children. As a teacher, I see the need for real educational reform. We need to stop the practice of high stakes testing that creates anxiety among young students, costs taxpayers millions of dollars, and takes away meaningful time in the classroom for students to receive instruction.

We need to encourage the funding of strong vocational programs in our schools so that students who do not wish to attend college can learn a practical skill as a plumber, mechanic, electrician, carpenter, or any other worthy trade that will allow them to earn a livable wage and positively contribute to their community. I am also an adamant supporter of term limits for state and federal legislatures. By limiting terms, you reduce the impact of lobbyist money, allow for an influx of fresh views and ideas, and ultimately strengthen your democracy.

NJ: Any final words for the voters?

RH: I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to serve the citizens of the 82nd District. It is a privilege, indeed. This job is something I have taken very seriously and dedicated myself to serve you well. I am not a politician, and hope to never be perceived as one. I have earned a reputation in Frankfort as one that will stand alone if needed. I dont play games, and am very forthright in my approach to everything. I have worked to earn your trust and to see that the 82nd District representative doesnt just fill a seat, but is at the table when decisions are made and holds important positions that have already proven to benefit our districts, especially our school systems. I am seeking re-election on my job performance. I humbly ask for your support to continue to lead and benefit our children.

MA: I am not a career politician, and have no intentions of being one. I am not in search of power, influence, or money. I am a concerned father, community member, and Christian seeking to help make positive changes in our area and in our commonwealth. I will always be honest with you and work hard as an elected official to serve you. Regardless of your political views, position in life, or standing in the community I will always lend an ear and if possible, a helping hand. We need change in these uncertain times and thats why I am asking for your vote.

(Editors note: Text that appears in italic print in this story is texted that was edited out of the story in the June 10 print version of the News Journal due to space limitations.)

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Q&A with 82nd Rep. District candidates Regina Huff and Matt Anderson The News Journal - The News Journal

As the COVID-19 pandemic became more prevalent in March 2020, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and the US Army Corps of Engineers began to prepare for the worst, evaluating areas on campus for use in the event that local hospitals became overwhelmed. Though these preparations have not been necessary, they are reminders of the role the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has played in times of crisis throughout history.

Caught Between Both Sides in the Civil War

A view of the Hill at East Tennessee University during the Civil War

Tennessee seceded from the Union on June 8, 1861, the 11th and last state to do so. After the battle of Fishing Creek in Kentucky in January 1862, the buildings of East Tennessee University (UTs name at the time) were used by Confederate soldiers to lodge the wounded. That spring, after most of the students joined the militaryon both sidesthe university trustees voted to suspend operations.

In September 1863, Union troops forced the Confederates out of Knoxville. On the Hill, the Union Army enclosed the three buildings in an earthen fortification they named Fort Byington in honor of an officer from Michigan who had been killed in the defense of Knoxville. They used the buildings as headquarters, barracks, and a hospital.

In late November, the Confederates tried to retake the city, the climax of which was a bloody attack on Fort Sanders on November 29, 1863. During the battle, the Hill was hit with artillery fire from Confederate guns located in a trench at the present-day site of Sorority Village. Nonetheless, the Union held and occupied Knoxville for the rest of the war.

After the war, the university reopened in 1866 and operated for six months downtownat the current site of Lincoln Memorial Universitys School of Law on West Summit Avenuewhile campus repairs began.

A total of 1,580 men including UT students were trained for WWI.

Training Officers for World War I

The United States entered World War I on May 17, 1917. An act of Congress had established the Students Army Training Corps (SATC) at some 550 colleges and universities to provide coursework to prepare college men for central officers training schools.

The SATC was divided into two sections: Section A was the academic unit, replacing the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Section B was the vocational unit, with the Department of Engineering providing training in auto mechanics and auto driving, radio operation, electrician training, machinist training, blacksmithing, bench work, general carpentry, sheet metal working, and welding.

Between April 15 and November 1, 1918, a total of 1,580 mensome of them UT studentsreceived eight weeks of training. Many classes were in Estabrook Hall. UT converted Old College Hall (later torn down to make way for Ayres Hall) into a dormitory and built a large two-story barracks for 200 men. Jefferson Hall (no longer standing) was enclosed to serve as a dining hall. An unused school building housed 150 more men, and a vacated factory near the university was rented to accommodate the rest.

Turning the Tide in Battle

Lawrence Tyson, owner of Brookside Mills, had taught military science at UT in the 1890s, earned a UT law degree in 1894, and served as a colonel in the SpanishAmerican War. When the United States entered World War I, he returned to active duty and was appointed brigadier general over all Tennessee National Guard troops. When his commission was federalized by President Woodrow Wilson, Tyson was assigned to lead the 59th Brigade of the 30th Infantry Division and helped train them at Camp Sevier near Greenville, South Carolina. They embarked for France with the 30th Division in May 1918, and in July they were among the first American troops to enter Belgium.

In September, the 30th Division was ordered to the Somme area in northern France and positioned opposite the heavily fortified Cambrai-Saint Quentin Canal section of the Hindenburg Line. On the morning of September 29, the division attacked German fortifications along this section of the line, marching in dense fog, pushing across a three-mile stretch of wire entanglements and trench defenses before crossing the canal and securing the area. Tysons 59th was the first Allied brigade to break through the Hindenburg Line, sparking a victory that helped turn the tide of the war.

Sadly, on October 11, Tysons son Charles McGhee Tyson, a Navy pilot, was lost over the North Sea while scouting for mines. (In 1927, the Tysons gave the land on Sutherland Avenue for Knoxvilles first airport, which was named in McGhee in Tysons memory. Their home, originally donated to St. Johns Episcopal Church, is now the Tyson Alumni Center.)

On October 15, in northeastern France some 175 miles east of the Somme, Second Lieutenant Richard F. Kirkpatrick, a Knoxville native who had grown up on West Hill Avenue and graduated from UT in 1917, was killed by German fire amid the chaos of the Battle of the Argonne Forest. He was one of 12 alumni who died in the bloody MeuseArgonne Offensive, part of the Hundred Day Offensive that brought the war to an end on November 11a date that was celebrated as Armistice Day until it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

More than 2,500 UT alumni and students served on active duty during World War I, receiving more than 215 decorations. In all, 29 died in battle or in hospitals, and their names are enshrined on a plaque in Alumni Memorial Hall.

The original Reese Hall in 1920

The Spanish Flu of 1918

The Spanish flu hit Knoxville in the fall of 1918. On October 9, 1918, the city Board of Health closed schools, churches, theaters, and pool rooms, and UT canceled classes. Some 9,500 of the citys population of 75,000 got the sickness; 132 died from it.

Knoxville General Hospital was overwhelmed, and makeshift hospitals were set up for soldiers at Chilhowee Park and UTs original Reese Hall. UT resumed classes in November, and the shortfall of hospital space during the outbreak hastened the construction of Fort Sanders Hospital in 1920. In 1937, UT razed Reese Hall, and a new dormitory with the same name opened in 1966.

Training and Bandage Rolling during World War II

In 1942, just a few months after the United States entered World War II, Eugenia Hamlett Curtis (44) left her home in Ardmore, Tennessee, to become a student at UT. I lived in Henson Hall, she remembered. Shortly after we moved in, we were transferred to Mattie Kain Dormitory [no longer standing] to make way for platoons of engineers and Air Force recruits who were training at UT. I still think about all those boys who went off to war.

Like the rest of the country, UT mobilized for war after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In January 1942, President James Hoskins established the UT Defense Council to coordinate various defense services and begin any needed new ones. All deans and directors and the president of the student body were members.

Beginning in 1939, UT had participated in the Civilian Pilot Training program, trained College of Home Economics students to serve as volunteer nurses in a project sponsored by the American Red Cross, and carried out extensive agricultural defense activities. The UT Agricultural Extension Service was designated by the national, state, and county agricultural defense boards to lead the educational phases of all programs.

The Volunteer Yearbooks photo spread of training during World War II

Starting in 1942, Mortarboard, the senior honor society, sponsored a Red Cross Bandage Room in the library (named Hoskins Library in 1950). In 1943, the Red Cross established a unit at Tyson House for faculty wives and townswomen to make surgical dressings.

In spring 1943, Nathan W. Dougherty, who was coordinating training efforts for military personnel on campus, received a call asking for housing and instruction in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering for some 300 draftees for the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). One hundred ninety enlisted service members arrived in November 1943. Since the residence halls were already committed to cadets training for the Army Air Corps, UT placed ASTP students in fraternity houses until it was able to acquire Tennessee Valley Authority barracks, which the ASTP students moved into in January 1944. A second cycle of some 25 ASTP students arrived in February 1944. One ASTP mechanical engineering student was Kurt Vonnegut Jr., who was captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge and wrote about his experiences as a prisoner of war in the modern classic Slaughterhouse Five. The Army discontinued the program on March 25, 1944, in order to redirect participants to be trained as ground troops for European campaigns.

More than 6,800 UT men and women served in the armed forces during World War II; 954 received citations for bravery and exemplary service, and 315 lost their lives.

After World War IIHousing Returning Soldiers

Trailers across from Morgan Hall after WWII

Between 1945 and 1949, UT enrollment quadrupled with returning veterans taking advantage of the GI Bill, creating a need for extra housing for students, classroom space, and facilities.

To meet the housing demand for veterans attending the university and their families, trailers were placed on the lawns of the Hill. Hillside Village, on the east side of the Hill where Dougherty Engineering now stands, grew to 75 trailers and included community laundries and bath housesone for every 25 trailers.

Housing for 485 single students was provided by barracks-type structuressome built by UT and some relocated from Camp Crossville, a prisoner of war camp. One was west of Austin Peay, one where the College of Law complex is now located, and a third at the current site of the Haslam Business Building. Barracks from Camp Crossville were also moved to the Sutherland Avenue land that had been the first McGhee Tyson Airport (and are now RecSports fields). The program also placed three groups of housing barracks on campuson Cumberland Avenue, on the Hill, and on the agriculture campus.

Some 125 trailers were moved from Oak Ridge, where they had provided housing for scientists during the development of the atomic bomb, to house married students. They were placed along Kingston Pike at the agriculture campus as Kingston Pike Village, next to the home of former UT President Harcourt Morgan, then a TVA director. Since they had neither wheels nor axles, they were lifted by cranes onto trucks and then onto foundations built by 32 members of the Vol Veterans Club and 40 employees of contractor Dykes and Gerhardt. All were connected for water and sewer service.

The trailers on Hillside Village began to be removed in 1950 when repairs became uneconomical. The final eight families living in the village at the close of winter quarter 1951 were relocated either to Kingston Pike Village or Sutherland Avenue.

Prefabricated structures from Camp Forrest, a prisoner of war camp in Tullahoma, Tennessee, were placed on the Hill and used as classrooms, labs, and offices. These structures and their installations were financed by the Federal Works Agency under the GI training program.The structure behind Ayres Hall was L-shaped and contained 32 offices, which were occupied by faculty members in business, education, and liberal arts. A three-unit chemistry building that contained 18 classrooms was located in the back of Science Hall (no longer standing) and across from Ferris Hall. The Chemistry Annex, also known as Splinter Hall, was used for chemistry classes until the 1954 addition to Dabney Hall was completed and then by music until a new music building opened in January 1966. The annex was still in use by psychology and continuing education until it burned in 1972.

Structures from Camp Forrest were also placed on the agricultural campus: a veterinary clinic, two laboratory buildings, a lunchroom cafeteria (Mabels), a blacksmith shop, and a bull barn on Cherokee Farm.

Reed and Loise Hogan in 1949

The Christian associations, which provided a partial student center function, were located in a barracks until they moved to the Carolyn P. Brown Memorial University Center at the site of the current Student Union. The student newspaper and yearbook were also located in this barracks.

Reed Hogan (49), a Pacific battle veteran with the Marine special operations unit Carlsons Raiders, and his wife, Loise Culp Hogan (49), who had been a Naval Intelligence decoder, were among the thousands of veterans at UT.

A highlight of their time together was going to football gamessitting separately in the male and female sections. There werent many married couples attending the same class, said Loise on her recent 100th birthday. When we were in the same class, we always competed to see who could get the best grades. Sometimes the instructors kidded around with us in class about that.

In the intervening years, campus has weathered events on a smaller scale.

Meeting the Challenge of COVID-19

Even though classes went online and campus has been empty during the COVID-19 pandemic, Volunteers have stepped up during this timemaking face shields for health care workers; donating protective gear and lab materials to medical facilities, raising money for students needing emergency funds, providing online tutoring support to support academic success, and delivering groceries to neighborsto show support for one another near and far. Meanwhile other alumni and students have done essential work in hospitals and providing other needed serviceson the front lines, just as they always have.

This story is part of the University of Tennessees 225th anniversary celebration. Volunteers light the way for others across Tennessee and throughout the world.

Learn more about UTs 225th anniversary

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UT in Times of Crisis - Tennessee Today

20 May 2020

Rosseti Centre and Rosseti Centre and Volga Region launched training for employees under the program 'Digital Transformation in the Electric Grid Complex'. It involves heads of production departments of the energy companies and their deputies, as well as specialists directly involved in digitalization events - a total of about a thousand people. The training is carried out in the format of a webinar: in the conditions of a complicated epidemiological situation, the management of Rosseti Centre and Rosseti Centre and Volga Region adjusted the training and staff development system, transferring all events to the remote mode.

'Digitalization is a key area of our work in the near future. For its successful implementation, we need to equip the personnel with the appropriate skills and competencies and, given the constant development of high technologies, help the staff maintain them at the proper level. Under the current restrictions, we take all necessary measures to ensure that our employees can acquire new knowledge, ensure the continuity of the educational process and the safety of its participants,' stressed Igor Makovskiy, General Director of Rosseti Centre - the managing organization of Rosseti Centre and Volga Region.

The course is designed for 27 academic hours, it is conducted by leading experts of the companies 'Rosseti Centre' and 'Rosseti Centre and Volga Region' in the field of digitalization and teachers of training centres. Participants are divided into two streams: the first will go to study on 19-22 May, the second on 26-29 May. The power engineers will gain new knowledge about the essence and effects of digital transformation in the electric grid complex and about all aspects of projects being implemented at Rosseti Centre and Rosseti Centre and Volga Region, including: 'Digital Substation' and 'Digital Distribution Zone', 'Smart Electricity Metering' and 'Telemechanization of transformer substations', 'Grid Control Centre', 'Digital Electrician', 'Electric energy storage' and 'Unmanned aerial vehicles'. In addition, the learners will be told about ongoing and promising R&D and rationalization proposals in the 'digital' field.

The course participants will be able not only to study the material provided, but also to ask the lecturer and the developers of the educational program online questions they are interested in. Upon completion of the training, in the case of a positive final test, the participants will receive certificates of advanced training.

Rosseti Centre and Rosseti Centre and Volga systematically engage in digital education. Please, be reminded that in November 2019 the power engineers implemented a pilot educational project for students on the basics of digital transformation, which has no analogues in Russia, in 20 regions of the country. As part of the lecture course that the leading experts of Rosseti Centre and Rosseti Centre and Volga Region gave for a month at universities, the students got a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the projects of the first stage of the digital transformation of the electric grid complex in the territory of the companies' presence, to learn firsthand about the specifics of the functioning of digital technologies in the electric grid complex, to get an idea of the management of processes and digital data in the electric power industry. The project aroused great interest of the students and teachers. It was attended by more than 1,500 students in 20 regions of the country.

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Igor Makovskiy: about a thousand employees of Rosseti Centre and Rosseti Centre and Volga Region will undergo full-fledged distance learning for the...

When the dust settles on the June 9 primary election, Nevadans will have a good sense of whos going to win about half of the seats up for grabs in the statehouse.

Party control of the Legislature is always a major objective for lawmakers in both parties, and the 2021 session will give lawmakers and Gov. Steve Sisolak the once-in-a-decade chance to redraw district boundaries during the redistricting process.

Its a process that could help lock in party advantages for congressional representatives, legislators and other elected officials for the next ten years (although a group is attempting to qualify a constitutional amendment creating an independent redistricting commission). Democrats control more than two-thirds of Assembly seats and are one seat shy of a supermajority in the state Senate.

But candidates facing a massive variable a global pandemic that has canceled the traditional trappings of a campaign, diverted attention from elections and spurred a shift to a virtually all-mail voting system with unpredictable turnout patterns.

Under normal circumstances, a good pair of running shoes and the money to print up campaign literature could potentially be enough for a candidate to win a race simply by outworking their opponent, said Eric Roberts of the Assembly Republican Caucus. The old saying goes, If you knock, you win. In 2020, that is all out the window.

Largely unable to talk to voters at the door during the crucial weeks leading up to voting season, candidates can communicate through mail pieces if they can drum up the money to pay for it. Businesses such as casinos that typically make sizable donations in state-level politics have seen their revenue flatline, and the effect ripples to candidates.

There are phone calls, political text messages and email missives. But what some observers think could make a difference is how well candidates leverage social media and digital advertising.

A new challenge is the sudden shift to voting by mail. Up to this point, voting in person has been the method of choice for Nevadans, with the majority of those voters opting for a two-week early vote window.

This time, voters are receiving ballots in the mail more than a month before Election Day, elongating the voting period. With weeks left to go, tens of thousands of Clark County voters have already turned in their ballots, for example.

With ballots arriving in all active voters mailboxes and in Clark County, even those deemed inactive more people may be inclined to participate in what is usually a sleepy contest. Nevada and national Democrats filed but later dropped a lawsuit against state election officials after they agreed to send ballots to inactive voters, who are legally able to cast a ballot but have not responded to change of address forms sent out by county election officials.

Truly the unknown is this vote by mail universe and whos really going to take advantage of it, who does it leave out, how do you communicate to a universe that is 10 times bigger than what you thought you were going to have to communicate with, said Megan Jones, a political consultant with close ties to Assembly Democrats.

Of the 42 seats in the state Assembly, almost a quarter will be decided in the primary election. Four races will actually be decided in the primary including three incumbent Republicans fending off challengers because no other candidates filed to run in those districts. Another five races will effectively be decided in the primary, given vast disparity in voter registration totals making it all but impossible for the opposing party to gain a foothold.

An additional seven Assembly members did not draw a re-election challenge and will win their seats automatically. These include Democrats Daniele Monroe Moreno, Selena Torres and Sarah Peters, and Republicans Tom Roberts, Melissa Hardy, Jill Tolles and John Ellison.

Of the 10 races in the state Senate, only one the Democratic primary in Senate District 7 will be determined in the primary election as no candidates from other parties filed to run for the seat. Two Senate members Democrats Chris Brooks and Patricia Spearman did not draw challengers and will automatically win their seats as well, while another three candidates have effectively won because of the voter registration advantages their party has in their district.

To help make sense of where the most intriguing races of this election will be, The Nevada Independent has compiled this list of races were keeping a close eye on, both for the storylines in the individual contests and how the outcomes could shift the balance of power heading into the critical 2021 legislative session. Additional information on these races and more can be found on The Nevada Independents Election 2020 page.

Senate District 7

This race is at the top of our watch list not only because it will be decided in the primary all Democrats and no Republicans filed to run for the open seat but because it pits two Assembly members against a former head of the state Democratic Party who has the support of the sitting Senate Democrats.

Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel has a wide lead in the money race for the seat, which is held by termed-out Democratic Sen. David Parks. Stakes are high for the two Assembly members in the race, who are giving up their current seats to bid for the Senate seat.

Spiegel raised nearly $32,000 in the first quarter, twice that of former three-term Nevada State Democratic Party Chairwoman Roberta Lange, a Senate caucus-endorsed candidate perhaps best known for presiding over Democrats divisive 2016 presidential nominating process. Spiegel spent even more $36,000 in the last quarter and has a massive war chest of $208,000 on hand.

Spiegel, who describes herself as an e-commerce pioneer and now owns a consulting firm with her husband, chaired the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee last session. She has endorsements from the Vegas and Henderson chambers of commerce.

Lange, a retired teacher and union negotiator and now executive at a company that runs neighborhood gaming bars, has backing from the Senate Democratic Caucus, the Nevada State AFL-CIO, the Nevada State Education Association and the Culinary Union.

Trailing in the money game is Democratic Assemblyman Richard Carrillo, who only raised about $4,500 in the latest quarter. Hes spent nearly $16,000 in that timeframe and has about $26,000 in the bank.

Carrillo, a contractor who owns an air conditioning business, did not chair an Assembly committee last session and shares the AFL-CIO endorsement with Lange.

The district includes portions of the eastern Las Vegas Valley and Henderson. It has almost twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans.

Assembly District 2

Republicans are looking to keep control of this Summerlin Assembly seat this election after Assemblyman John Hambrick, who has represented the district since 2008, was termed out of office. Hambrick, 74, missed most of the 2019 legislative session because of health-related issues with both himself and his wife, who passed away in July.

The Assembly Republican Caucus has endorsed Heidi Kasama, managing broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices-Nevada Properties, as Hambricks successor, as has Hambrick himself. Kasama has lived in Las Vegas since 2002 after starting her career as a certified public accountant and real estate agent in Washington. So far, Kasama has raised about $124,000 and spent about $19,000.

But Kasama faces four other Republicans in the primary: Erik Sexton, Jim Small, Taylor McArthur and Christian Morehead. Of those, Sexton, who works in commercial real estate, has raised the most, about $69,000 over the course of the cycle. Sexton has been endorsed by Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore and former North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon.

Jim Small, a retired member of the U.S. Senior Executive Service, has raised about $56,000 over the course of the cycle. Small has been endorsed by former congressional candidate and businessman Danny Tarkanian and conservative commentator Wayne Allyn Root, among others.

The other two Republican candidates in the race McArthur and Morehead have raised no money.

The Alliance for Property Protection Rights PAC, which is funded by the National Association of REALTORS Fund, has also inserted itself into this primary, sending negative mailers highlighting Sextons DUI arrest last year and accusing Small of having a hidden past as a liberal Democrat, while in other mail pieces boosting Kasamas strength, courage, and optimism.

Meanwhile, both Sexton and Small have been punching back at Kasama for her ties to the REALTORS in other mail pieces.

In one, Small argues that Kasama financially supports Democrats because the Nevada Association of REALTORS donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates in 2018, the year she was president of the association. In another, Sexton criticizes the National Association of REALTORS budget, which was created when Kasama served on the associations finance committee.

Whoever wins the Republican primary will have a good shot at winning this lean Republican seat, where 37 percent of voters are Republican and 34.7 percent are Democratic. The Assembly Democratic Caucus has not endorsed in the primary, though journeywoman electrician Jennie Sherwood was backed by the caucus in the general election last year and is running again this cycle. Three other Democrats are also running for the seat: law school student and former cancer biology professor Radhika Kunnel, Eva Littman and Joe Valdes.

Of the four candidates, Kunnel has raised the most, about $27,000 between this year and last year, while Littman has loaned herself $25,000, Sherwood has loaned herself $5,000 and Valdes has raised $100.

A tenth candidate in the race, Garrett LeDuff, is running with no political party and has raised no money so far in his race.

Assembly District 4

The Nevada Assembly Republican caucus is looking to win back this swing seat lost to Democrats last election cycle by backing a political newcomer, Donnie Gibson, who will first have to defeat a primary challenge from former office-holder Richard McArthur.

Officially backed by the Assembly Republican caucus, Gibson is the owner of both a construction and equipment rental company, and sits on the board of several industry groups, including the Nevada Contractors Association and Hope for Prisoners. During the first quarterly fundraising period, he reported raising just over $51,000 and has nearly $86,000 in cash on hand.

But Gibson faces a tough challenger in former Assemblyman McArthur, who has served three non-consecutive terms in the Assembly; two terms between 2008 to 2012, and then one term between 2016 and 2018. He raised just $520 during the first fundraising period, but has more than $28,000 in available campaign funds. McArthur previously served with the U.S. Air Force and was a special agent for the FBI for 25 years.

Democratic incumbent Connie Munk did not draw a primary challenger, and reported raising more than $52,000 during the first fundraising period. Munk flipped the seat to Democrats in 2018, defeating McArthur by a 120-vote margin out of nearly 30,000 votes cast.

Assembly District 7

Democrat Cameron CH Miller, who most recently served as Nevada political director for Beto ORourke and Amy Klobuchars presidential campaigns and has had a 20 year career in the entertainment industry, is running with the backing of the Assembly Democratic Caucus for this North Las Vegas Assembly district. The seat is held by Assemblywoman Dina Neal, who is running for state Senate.

While Miller has been endorsed by most of the Democratic-aligned organizations including SEIU Local 1107, the Nevada State Education Association, Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada, the Culinary Union, NARAL Pro-Choice Nevada and the Nevada Conservation League his one primary opponent, John Stephens III, has been endorsed by the Nevada State AFL-CIO.

Stephens is a former civilian employee of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, former steward for the Teamsters Local 14 and a self-described political scientist, writer, exhibitor and Las Vegas library employee.

Miller has raised about $21,000 so far in his campaign, while Stephens has not reported raising any money.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary is likely to go on to win the general election against the one Republican candidate in the race, former Virginia Beach police officer Tony Palmer, as the district leans heavily Democratic with 54.3 percent registered Democrats, 22.7 percent nonpartisans and only 18 percent Republicans. Palmer has raised about $2,000, mostly from himself, in his bid.

Assembly District 16

Four Democratic candidates are running in this open seat after Assemblywoman Heidi Swank, who has represented the district since 2012, opted not to run for re-election.

The Assembly Democratic Caucus has not endorsed any candidate in the race. Cecelia Gonzlez and Russell Davis have so far split the major endorsements from Democratic-aligned groups. Both candidates were endorsed by the Nevada State AFL-CIO, while Gonzlez was also endorsed by the Nevada State Education Association, the Culinary Union and the Nevada Conservation League, and Davis was endorsed by SEIU Local 1107.

Gonzlez, a community activist who plans to begin a doctoral program in multicultural education at UNLV in the fall, has raised a little more than $5,000 in her campaign, while Davis, a two-decade Clark County employee and SEIU member, hasnt reported raising any money.

A third candidate in the race, online finance professor Geoffrey VanderPal, has loaned himself a little less than $4,000 in the race, while Joe Sacco, a union trade show and conventions worker with IATSE Local 720 and a REALTOR, has raised about $500.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary is likely to win the general election against the one Republican in the race, Reyna Alex Sajdak, as Democrats have an overwhelming voter registration advantage in the district, representing 47.1 percent of all voters. Nonpartisans make up another 27.3 percent, while Republicans represent only about 18.2 percent.

Sajdak has loaned herself only $260 in the race and received no other contributions.

Assembly District 18

Assemblyman Richard Carrillo has opted not to run for re-election to this East Las Vegas Assembly seat, which he has represented since 2010. He is running for state Senate.

Venicia Considine, an attorney with Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, is running with the backing of the Assembly Democratic Caucus for the seat and has been endorsed by SEIU Local 1107, Nevada State Education Association, Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada, the Culinary Union and the Nevada Conservation League.

However, she faces three other Democrats in the primary, including Char Frost, a former campaign manager and legislative staffer for Carrillo; Lisa Ortega, a master arborist and owner of Great Basin Sage Consulting; and Clarence Dortch, a teacher in the Clark County School District.

Considine has raised nearly $24,000 in her bid so far, while Ortega has raised a little less than $17,000 and Frost has raised about $8,000. Dortch has not yet reported raising any money.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary will go on to face Republican Heather Florian in the general election, though they are likely to win as Democrats hold a 24-point voter registration advantage over Republicans in the district. Florian has not yet reported raising any money in the race.

Assembly District 19

Assemblyman Chris Edwards is running for a fourth term in this rural Clark County Assembly district, but he faces a challenge from Mesquite City Councilwoman Annie Black, who is running to the right of the already conservative Edwards. Black most recently ran for Nevada Republican Party chair, losing to incumbent Michael McDonald.

So far, Edwards has raised about $17,000 in his re-election bid, to Blacks $2,600, which includes a $1,000 contribution from Las Vegas City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman and a $500 contribution from former Controller Ron Knecht.

Whoever wins this primary will go on to win the general election in November, as there are no Democrats or third-party candidates in the race.

Assembly District 21

Assemblyman Ozzie Fumo, who has represented this seat since 2016, is not seeking re-election this year and is running for the Nevada Supreme Court. The Assembly Democratic Caucus has endorsed attorney Elaine Marzola to replace him.

Marzola has received most of the Democratic-aligned endorsements in the primary, including from the Nevada State AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada, the Culinary Union and the Nevada Conservation League, while her one Democratic opponent in the primary, David Bagley, has the backing of the Nevada State Education Association.

Bagley is the director of operations for the stem cell diagnostics company Pluripotent Diagnostics and was also Marianne Williamsons Nevada state director for her presidential campaign last year.

Marzola has raised about $44,000 in her race so far, while Bagley has raised $20,000 in in-kind contributions from himself.

The winner of the Democratic primary will go on to face Republican Cherlyn Arrington in the general election. Arrington ran for the seat in 2018, losing to Fumo by 12.6 percentage points. Democrats have an 8 percentage point voter registration advantage in the district over Republicans. Arrington has raised a little less than $15,000 so far, including a $4,000 contribution from herself.

Assembly District 31

Former Republican Assemblywoman Jill Dickman hopes to reclaim a seat she held for one term and lost by fewer than 50 votes in 2016. But the manufacturing business owner is in a three-way primary, most notably with Washoe County Republican Party treasurer Sandra Linares.

The Washoe County seat is held by Skip Daly, a four-term Assembly member who works as the business manager for Laborers Local 169 and has several notable endorsements from organized labor groups, including the Nevada State AFL-CIO and the Culinary Union.

Republicans have a registration advantage of more than four percentage points, but nonpartisans also make up about 21 percent of the swingy district.

Dickman raised just $116 in the first quarter of the year but has more than $99,000 cash on hand for the race. Linares, an educator and Air Force veteran, reported raising more than $24,000 in the first quarter but has about $20,000 in her war chest.

The other candidate in the race is Republican David Espinosa, who has worked in the information technology sector and served on boards including the Washoe County Citizen Advisory Board. He reported raising $7,000 in the first quarter of the year and has about $500 on hand.

The winner of the three-way contest will face off against Daly, who does not have primary challengers. He raised $31,000 in the first quarter and has $98,000 cash on hand.

Assembly District 36

Appointed to fill the seat of brothel owner Dennis Hof who won this Pahrump-area seat in 2018 despite dying weeks before the election Republican Assemblyman Gregory Hafen II is facing a primary challenge from Dr. Joseph Bradley, who ran for the district in 2018.

Hafen, a fifth generation Nevadan and general manager of a Pahrump water utility company, and has been endorsed by multiple sitting Republican lawmakers, the National Rifle Association and was named Rural Chair of President Donald Trumps re-election campaign in Nevada.

Hafen has raised nearly $89,000 since the start of the election cycle, including $26,600 in the last reporting period, and has more than $55,000 in cash on hand.

His primary opponent is Bradley, a licensed chiropractor and substance abuse specialist with offices in Las Vegas and Pahrump. He ran for the seat in 2018, coming in third in the Republican primary behind Hof and former Assemblyman James Oscarson.

Bradley has raised more than $68,000 in his bid for the Assembly seat since 2019, and had more than $43,000 in cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.

Bradleys campaign has tried to tie Hafen to Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, who as a member of the Clark County Commission voted on a replacement candidate after Hofs death. Sisolak did vote to appoint Hafen to the seat, but the decision was essentially made by the Nye County Commission because of Nevadas laws on appointing a new lawmaker after an incumbent leaves office or passes away. Hafen was appointed to the seat with support from 16 of 17 county commissioners in the three counties that the Assembly district covers.

Because no Democrats or other party candidates filed to run in the district, the winner of the primary will essentially win a spot in the 2021 Legislature.

Assembly District 37

A crowded field of well-funded Republican candidates are duking it out in a competitive primary to take on incumbent Democrat Shea Backus, one of several suburban Las Vegas districts Republicans hope to win back after the 2018 midterms. Voter registration numbers in the district are nearly equal: 38.1 percent registered Democrats 35.7 percent registered Republicans and 20.5 percent nonpartisan.

Four Republican candidates filed to run in the district, including two former congressional candidates who have each raised more than six-figures in contributions: Andy Matthews and Michelle Mortensen.

Matthews is the former president of the Nevada Policy Research Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank and was former Attorney General Adam Laxalts policy director for his failed 2018 gubernatorial run. He has been endorsed by a bevy of Nevada and national Republicans, including Laxalt, several Trump campaign officials including Corey Lewandowski, Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore and several current and former state lawmakers.

Matthews has also been one of the top legislative fundraisers during the 2020 election cycle, outraising all other Republican Assembly candidates including current office-holders. For the first reporting period of 2020, he reported raising nearly $35,000, but has raised nearly $189,000 since the start of 2019 and has early $115,000 in cash on hand.

Mortensen, a former television reporter who ran for Congress in 2018, has also been a prolific fundraiser. She reported raising about $12,500 during the first fundraising period of 2020, with more than $115,000 raised since the start of 2019 and had more than $92,000 in cash on hand at the end of the last reporting period.

But they wont be alone on the primary ballot. Jacob Deaville, a former UNLV college Republican chair and political activist, has raised more than $19,600 since the start of 2019 and had roughly $9,400 in cash on hand at the end of the reporting period. Another Republican candidate, Lisa Noeth, has not filed any campaign finance reports.

The primary election winner will get to challenge incumbent Shea Backus, who wrested the seat from Republican Jim Marchant in the 2018 election by a 135-vote margin. She reported raising more than $52,000 over the first fundraising period, and has more than $108,000 in cash on hand. Backus, an attorney, did not draw a primary challenger.

Assembly District 40

Former Assemblyman P.K. ONeill is making a comeback bid after serving one term in the Assembly in 2015 and losing re-election in a campaign focused on his controversial vote for Republican Gov. Brian Sandovals tax package.

Two-term incumbent Al Kramer decided at the last minute not to seek re-election in the district, which includes Carson City and portions of Washoe Valley. According to The Nevada Appeal, he said he and his wife need to take care of her 94-year-old mother in Ohio and attend to their own health issues, and will not be in Carson City often enough to serve in the Legislature.

ONeill is a former law enforcement officer who previously served in the Nevada Department of Public Safety. But his path back to the statehouse is complicated by a primary challenge from the right from Day Williams, a lawyer who is running on a platform of repealing the Commerce Tax that ONeill supported.

ONeill has the fundraising advantage, raising more than $13,000 in the first quarter and reporting about $10,000 cash on hand. Williams reported raising about $2,300 and has about $1,200 in the bank.

Whoever wins the Republican primary is likely to win in the general Republicans have a nearly 15 percentage point advantage in the district. The three Democrats in the race are former Carson City Library director Sena Loyd, software engineer Derek Ray Morgan and LGBTQ rights advocate Sherrie Scaffidi, none of whom have more than $500 cash on hand.

Other races that have a primary

Excerpt from:
What to watch in the 2020 primary election: Assembly and state Senate races - The Nevada Independent

We are more or less a restaurant that sells food and shows you a movie, he said. If we can eliminate the movie part, where there is no need for bathrooms, and nobody is coming to the lot to watch a movie, we are hoping to be able to open for take-out, just to get some money coming in until we can actually open.

More than 500 cars can fit into the facility, which features two screens. Normally at this time of the year, a dozen people would be employed at the drive-in. As it stands, only three full-time staff Ben, Will and an office manager are working.

Several schools inquired about holding some kind of modified graduation services there. But again, the state said no.

And they have tried to get the governors ear, but those attempts have not been successful, either.

Gibson City's Harvest Moon Drive-In owner Mike Harroun has change and a plastic bag for a customer as a God Bless America neon sign hangs on the little pay station building to the drive-in June 19, 2008.

We have sent numerous e-mails and we have even had a couple of state representatives put our letter directly in front of the governor, but we have been told that they will not open drive-ins now, Ben Harroun said. They could potentially look at it a little later this month, is all.

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Gibson City drive-in still shuttered due to COVID-19 - The Pantagraph

Ideal Industries, the global leader in electrical accessories, tools and equipment, has launched a Student Safe Isolation Kit, designed especially for trainee electricians.

The move follows a knowledge sharing programme that has seen Ideal Industries engage with further education providers to contribute training and equipment. It was clear that, although students are being taught safe isolation best practice, they are often not being provided with safe isolation equipment on site and find professional kits cost-prohibitive.

Brett Smyth, General Manager of Ideal Industries UK and EMEA explains: Poor safety behaviours around isolations is a real problem in the electrical industry, with only one in five electricians carrying a safe isolation kit in their tool bag.

We want to help address that by embedding safety best practice in the next generation of electricians coming through to site-based roles and we have been working with training providers to look at how we can help drive a cultural shift. Designing a Safe Isolation Kit that has everything a trainee electrician needs and ensuring its available at an accessible price is a significant milestone in this regard.

The new Student Safe Isolation Kit from Ideal Industries includes a Vol-Con Digital Voltage Tester, which tests for both AC and DV voltage. It provides a visual and audible alert for continuity and non-contact voltage and features low impedance to eliminate ghost voltages. Costing 58, the kit also include a medium circuit breaker lock out kit, a universal MCB lockout device, a safety padlock, re-usable lockout tags and a marker pen, all contained in a handy pouch.

The launch of the new kit has been welcomed by training providers, including Steve Willis Training Centres, which has been running a social media campaign to encourage safe isolations and working with Ideal Industries. Adrian Davey, trainer at Steve Willis Training Centres, comments: Having run my own electrical installation company, I know just how often the network can inadvertently be switched back to live, which is a significant danger, no matter how experienced the team might be.

The only way to protect operatives on site is to test for residual current, lock out and tag the isolation, and its important that anyone training in the electrical sector prioritises those good habits. Making a safe isolation kit specifically designed for and accessible to students is a very positive step in this process.

Read more:
Ideal Industries invests in a safer future with student safe isolation kits - Voltimum

LANSING Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday she will not negotiate future stay-at-home orders with the Republican-led Legislature, despite pressure to speed plans to restart an economy she locked down to slow the coronavirus.

With tensions high at the Michigan Capitol, the Whitmer administration took the rare step of disclosing an internal email exchange with a top aide to Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, who proposed extending an emergency declaration set to expire Friday by up to two weeks in exchange for a public promise by the governor to work with lawmakers on future orders.

The first-term Democrat, who has requested a 28-day extension, rejected the offer and told GOP leaders she believes she has the authority to continue emergency actions with or without their blessing.

"Michigan remains in a state of emergency regardless of the actions you decide to take or not take, Whitmer said in a response also released to reporters by her communications director.

Shirkey was extremely disappointed that he heard about the governors rejection based on her leaking an email to the press, said spokesperson Amber McCann. If there was any interest in his caucus working with the governor, it has evaporated.

In an interview with MIRS subscription news, Shirkey, R-Clarklake, suggested Whitmer is comfortable being a dictator and called the email release a double middle finger from the administration.

Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, want a seat at the table as Whitmer finalizes her economic restart plan with a team of business and public health advisers.

Republicans argue the Legislature is an equal branch of government and lawmakers should have a say in the states response to the global pandemic. GOP leaders want the governor to continue relaxing rules for businesses and contend she needs their approval to take emergency actions beyond Thursday.

But Whitmer maintains she can continue to act unilaterally under a 1945 law that does not require legislative approval, a measure Senate Republicans voted to repeal last week in a symbolic move.

Republicans in the Legislature want to negotiate opening up sectors of our economy, Whitmer said later Wednesday in a COVID-19 briefing.

They're acting as though we're in the midst of a political problem. This is not a political problem that we have. This is a public health crisis. This is a global pandemic. We've already lost over 3,700 Michiganders, more than we lost in Vietnam.

Whitmer, who previewed her MI Safe Start plan on Monday and has promised to put the construction industry back to work by May 7, said she'llmake decisions "based on facts and science and data and risk." She has not offered a timeline for other industries that will reopen in phases depending on region and workplace type.

Lawmakers met in Lansing on Wednesday but took little action in a lengthy session that was interrupted by anti-Whitmer protesters. At least one demonstrator was reportedly wheeled out on a stretcher after forced removal by House sergeants.

Rep. Jason Sheppard, R-Temperance, blasted Whitmer in a Wednesday afternoon statement after negotiations with GOP leaders fell apart.

Shes not so much a governor as she is a minority leader who won an election, Sheppard said, describing what he called failures at the Unemployment Insurance Agency, where there have beenlong wait times for the states 1 million unemployed workers, as well as a concernsover a volunteer contact tracing contract awarded to a firm with Democratic ties that Whitmer quickly rescinded.

House Minority Leader Christine Greig, D-Farmington Hills, accused Republicans of playing partisan games amid the public health crisis.

The Legislature has important work to do, she said in a statement. We must focus on responding to this deadly pandemic and tackling a looming state budget crisis, rather than waste precious time trying to inhibit the governors ability to take steps necessary to protect and save lives during an emergency.

The House plans to meet again Thursday to continue negotiating for common-sense changes to help families who are struggling during this pandemic, said Gideon DAssandro, a spokesman for Chatfield and the GOP caucus.

Thousands of people have reached out to their state representatives because theyve been hurt by executive orders that go too far and make unfair one-size-fits-all decisions, DAssandro said.

Strong action is needed to combat this pandemic, but Michigans response has been a national outlier for the amount of harm it has caused and the amount of confusion and uncertainty it has created.

Critics contend the governor went too far with her lockdown orders and has not eased rules fast enough as the states coronavirus curve has appeared to flatten. Michigan has so far confirmed 40,399 cases of COVID-19 and 3,670 related deaths since March 10, including 1,137 additional cases and 103 deaths announced Wednesday.

Whitmers orders are unprecedented and violate the rights of business owners forced to close, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday on behalf of Sothebys real estate firm in Birmingham, EPM landscaping of Ann Arbor, the Intraco exporting firm of Troy and its subsidiary Casite, along with Hillsdale Jewelers in Hillsdale.

For the first time in our States historyindeed, in our nations historythe State government is mass quarantining healthy people instead of the sick, attorneys with the Butzel Long law firm wrote in a complaint filed to the U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids.

As a free people, we have the unalienable right to pursue happiness, which includes the freedom to make our own choices about our safety and welfare without unconstitutional interference.

Plaintiffs want the federal court to declare Whitmers lockdown order unconstitutional and prohibit the state from enforcing it or similar mandates in the future.

The suit contends Whitmers orders, legal under state law, violate business owners federal right to engage in interstate commerce. Hillsdale Jewelers, for instance, has lost almost all its business a 99 percent drop in revenue because it can no longer import metals and stones used to make jewelry, sell products in store or perform repairs, attorneys claim.

In short, plaintiffs bring this lawsuit to define the limits of a states police power, the complaint said, noting stay-home order violators can face misdemeanor penalties of up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.

Whitmers office declined to discuss the suit, citing a policy of not commenting on pending litigation.

Its the latest in a slew of lawsuits against the administration in the midst of the pandemic, including complaints over Whitmers decisions to close landscaping businesses and prohibit motor boating.

She has since reversed some of those policies but contends they saved lives.

Whitmer prevailed inone state caseWednesday when Court of Claims Judge Christopher Murray rejected a motion to suspend her stay-at-home order in a lawsuit filed by five Michigan residents who claim the governor violated their due process rights.

Murray, who previously served as deputy legal counsel to Republican former Gov. John Engler, said Whitmer acted within her authority and that suspending the order would not serve the public interest.

Although the Court is painfully aware of the difficulties of living under the restrictions of these executive orders, those difficulties are temporary, while to those who contract the virus and cannot recover (and to their family members and friends), it is all too permanent, he wrote.

Attorney General Dana Nessel applauded the ruling, which her office called the first substantive decision on the constitutionality of the governors stay-home orders.

This pandemic has already takenmore than 3,600lives in Michigan andmanymorearound the world, Nessel said in a statement. Theprimary goal of the Stay Home, Stay Safe order has always been to protect human life.

The governor is facing growing pressure and potential legal action from both the federal government and the state Legislature.

U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr on Monday announced a new effort to monitor state and local directives that could be violating the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individual citizens.

The order is not specific to Michigan, but Barr drafted U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider of the Eastern District of Michigan to help oversee the project.

Schneider and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Eric Drieband will monitor state and local policies and, if necessary, take action to correct them, Barr said in a memo.

We do not want to unduly interfere with the important efforts of state and local officials to protect the public, he wrote. But the Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis. We must therefore be vigilant to ensure its protections are preserved.

In a Tuesday morning radio interview on WILS, Chatfield called Barrs memo a clear message, not just to Whitmer, but to leaders across the country.

He said that without negotiated changes to Whitmers stay-home order, the GOP-led Legislature may not extend the separate emergency declaration set to expire Friday.

Whitmer said her order, set to last through May 15, will remain in effect regardless. But a legislative extension would continue to protect health care workers from any legal liability they may face for services performed at the states request.

It could be something that the judicial branch needs to get involved in, so were prepared for that, Chatfield told MLive.com Tuesday.

GOP leaders have not spelled out their wish list, but Senate Republicans on Tuesday adopted a resolution urging the governor to allow health care providers to resume elective surgeries she put on hold last month.

Giving hospitals the freedom to determine their capacity to handle elective procedures, is a key step in improving the financial stability of hospitals, said the resolution, sponsored by Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton.

In her Wednesday briefing, Whitmer said she is considering changes to her March 20 order prohibiting non-essential medical procedures but drew a distinction between time-sensitive medical care like cancer treatments, non-urgent care like hip replacements and truly elective cosmetic surgeries.

Weve been having intensive conversations with our public health experts as well as our leadership in our various hospitals systems, and I do think there is going to be somethingin the coming days on that front, the governor said.

The House on Wednesday unanimously approved separate legislation that would require hospitals to notify first responders if a patient they transported later tests positive for COVID-19.

A new oversight committee established with subpoena power to review Whitmers handling of the pandemic also met for the first time in Lansing.

The crisis has cost lives, jobs and it will cost our economy and government budgets billions of dollars, Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, suggesting the oversight process will help Michigan identify what has and has not worked so far.

We have a responsibility to develop the best Michigan model possible for handling this crisis and the next one, he said. Hopefully there isnt a next one, but in the course of human events, pandemics happen, and we need to be prepared better.

RESOURCES:

Go here to see the original:
Michigan Gov. Whitmer to GOP: I'm not going to negotiate reopening economy - Bridge Michigan

Theatr Clwyd has been treading two paths in recent times. The first has stemmed from a demand from funding partners to become more commercial, which has come as our local authority funding has been cut by 40% over the past five years. The second path is one we have been determined to take and what has interested me most about working in theatre and theatre buildings for the past nine years: to help people. This has directly informed how we are working during the current pandemic, working to support others wherever we can.

With artistic director Tamara Harvey, our first business plan as a newly formed leadership team in 2016 stated our mission (which becomes ever more important to us): To make the world a happier place, one moment at a time.

Our time at Theatr Clwyd has coincided with the growth in understanding around health and well-being in the UK, backed up by an extraordinary piece of legislation in Wales called the Well-Being of Future Generations Act, which is the first of its kind worldwide, so Im told.

The act aims to drive decisions, and actions, for the benefit of all, not the few. It doesnt just focus on present day, but the communities of the future, the people who will be affected by our actions and who will inherit the consequences of our decisions.

It includes seven well-being goals with one specifically mentioning culture. Others include equality, resilience, health and prosperity and the aim is to ensure that every individual and business with influence takes responsibility for the well-being of communities and the world around us.

Culture is not just good for peoples general health it is vital for supporting people with specific health conditions

Well-being isnt just medical it is much wider-ranging than that. We all know that arts, culture or sport can keep us buoyant, help us relax, allow us to socialise and find common ground. It is also clear that they are not used anywhere near enough by policymakers despite the well-being act.

Culture is not just good for peoples general health, it is increasingly vital for supporting people with specific health conditions. So, we have developed a referral programme, in partnership with the North Wales Health Board (Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board) to work in specialised areas.

Why work so closely with the NHS? Because we found a common ground our health board, having a Creative Well department, was looking to shift some of the pressures on its services over the long term we were looking at how to harness the skills of our trained arts practitioners to truly make a difference in our communities. Four years on, it is still early days. It is still hard work: two more operationally different sectors than health and arts would be hard to find, but nothing worthwhile is easy to achieve.

Our singing teachers have received medical training and deliver weekly workshops for patients with chronic lung disease. We run groups where the NHS refers those dealing with onset memory loss to weekly creative sessions where they and their carers create new memories one week gilding with our scenic artists, the next getting an exclusive rehearsal sharing from the company of Milky Peaks (Seiriol Davies new musical, which we will open as soon as we can after lockdown).

There is a mental health referral group, Singing for the Soul, Dance for Parkinsons, referral projects with Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and a host of other strands. Then there is everything in between the general and the medical well-being that the NHS partnership has led to: work with local refugees, with families eligible for free school meals, with social services, police and law courts, and drug and alcohol support teams. Many of these help frontline workers as part of preventative action, easing the pressure on already strained services.

Weve been building this work and these partnerships for the past four years alongside financial resilience our other main public funder, the Arts Council of Wales, has not mentioned the term commercial viability, instead resilience is the key word. But now, with the UK and much of the rest of the world in lockdown and our theatres dark, what remains?

We cant sell tickets or food, wine, beer, ice creams or programmes. Indeed, as a colleague at the Arts Council of Wales noted, it is the organisations that have become most financially resilient that are now most at risk as their business models are collapsing under lockdown. It turns out that financial resilience isnt so resilient after all.

What remains is our sense of duty to support our communities and we wouldnt be able to do it as we are in this moment, were it not for the past four years of work.

Our theatre building is now the major centre in north-east Wales for blood donations as the NHS changes the way it keeps donor levels up (there was not one spare slot during the first week) and we are on standby to be a training facility should it need to train admin staff for emergency ward support.

Members of our wardrobe team are ready to help make scrubs when needed, while our scenic construction and floor electrician teams are on standby to fit up one of the field hospitals at the local leisure centre ahead of the predicted peak in North Wales in four to five weeks time. We couldnt easily have offered this support if we werent in partnership with the NHS already.

All our regular weekly sessions have moved online, but the most vulnerable of our groups (many elderly, with no access to online platforms) also get weekly phone calls and creative packages dropped at their doors. Alongside this, our freelance artists who are still on payroll have delivered content for Theatr Clwyd Together/Theatr Clwyd Ynghyd, our creative digital response during lockdown.

We have been working with food charities to distribute food from our cafes stores to those most in need as well as creative packs to keep the young people in those families occupied and active.

And it isnt just Theatr Clwyd of course many others are doing similar things. Venue Cymru down the road has become a field hospital it is now the front line.

Slung Low has been delivering community work at a different level from many of us for years. It is now the main food distribution centre for its area of Leeds, which has 20,000 residents and is one of the most financially deprived areas of the city.

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Our mission at Theatr Clwyd is to keep making the world a happier place - The Stage

Eric Martin is in lockdown, holed up at his studio in Newport, self-isolating from his family after developing a persistent cough.

The Cardiff-born musician is protecting himself and his loved ones. Given he suffers with asthma, hes not taking any chances.

Now living in London, he found himself at his studio in south Wales when Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK was going into lockdown.

I came down to the studio before lockdown measures were put in place, but then I developed a few symptoms so decided to sit down here for a bit and do a few things around the studio, he says.

This is the trouble now, everyone is stressing that theyve got it. The common cold hasnt gone away, the flu hasnt gone away, none of these things are going away. So when we get the symptoms now, we think its coronavirus, dont we?

You have a cough, you think, Bloody hell, its Covid. A lot of it is psychological. But just to be on the safe side, I decided not to go back to the family in London just yet, so Im sat here in Newport isolating myself. I have asthma as well, so its difficult to tell when my chest is feeling the way its feeling.

The name Eric Martin my not be immediately obvious to those outside the circles of electronic music, but in the guise of MC Eric of Technotronic he scored some of the biggest hits of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Technotronics debut single and biggest hit, the worldwide dancefloor filler Pump Up The Jam, which sold 3.5 million copies worldwide, propelled him and his band to the upper echelons of global fame.

For three years, between 1989 and 1991, Technotronic scored six UK top 20 hits, performed in front of thousands at the largest arenas, appeared on the biggest TV shows and supported the woman who was then undisputed Queen of Pop Madonna, on her Blonde Ambition world tour.

Not bad for a young lad who grew up the youngest in a family of 13 in a terraced house adjacent to the River Taff in Cardiff.

But then its been some journey for Eric Martin through plenty of highs and lows but now, at 49, hes found peace with his past and he is ready to revisit the heady days when he pushed the musical envelope as a dance music pioneer.

However, he could count himself lucky to have had a career at all. There might not have been any future for the young Eric when he almost met an untimely end due to a traumatic incident which has stayed with him his whole life.

On his third birthday he nearly drowned in the Taff, but survived thanks to his teenage brother, who jumped in to rescue him.

Me and and a neighbours kid, who was about the same age as me, we both wandered across the road towards the river, he recalls.

This was 1973, it was the days before the banks of the Taff were reinforced with concrete after the flooding in Cardiff in the late 1970s. Back then the bank was grass and mud. All that was there were railings that you could climb through.

One of my toys fell into the river and I tried to get it. At that age you have no concept of danger. I slipped and fell in.

Alerted that he was in the water, his 14-year-old brother Christopher ran across the road and dived into the river to rescue him.

It was almost a double tragedy.

The tide was high and it was very fast-flowing, he remembers. When Christopher jumped in, he almost died too. It was a very scary, scary thing.

Erics brother was awarded an accolade for valour by Cardiffs Lord Mayor and the pair ended up in the local newspaper as a result.

Although he was very young, Eric confides the incident has haunted him his whole life.

It was frightening, really frightening, and Ive suffered with recurring nightmares ever since, he says. Ive received counselling because of it. It doesnt happen as much as it used to. I might get it maybe once a year. But when I do its horrible, like a form of PTSD.

The frightening thing is that its the same dream every time and apparently thats quite rare for it to be exactly the same dream every time.

I remember one day when I was about nine, talking to my mother about the dream, and she said, Eric you cant really remember that day, can you?. When I told her that I could, she asked me what I was wearing and I told her right down to the colour of the socks I had on. She couldnt believe it. She was in shock and said that was exactly what I was wearing.

The dream starts on the riverbed and my feet are in stuck in the mud. Ive got the mind of whatever age Im at when Im having the dream, but the body of a three-year-old. My body isnt strong enough to get me out. The dream is so traumatic, it takes a few days to recover from each one.

When I asked him what his childhood was like growing up in 1970s Cardiff, he answers: If you would ask me 20 years ago you probably would have got a different answer, but with age comes reflection.

I grew up in a house on Fitzhamon Embankment, which is still the family home my sister has it now, he says. There were 13 of us and I was the youngest. However, the beauty of it is that at no one time were we all there. There are 22 years difference in age between myself and my oldest sibling.

My childhood was happy up to a point. My dad died in 1978 from complications due to diabetes and that rocked the family to its core. In those days the man was the breadwinner, the knowledge base, or at least thats what it was perceived to be.

To a point that was the beginning of the end for me, because I was sent everywhere after that. Thats why people have always had a difficult time pinpointing where Im from when they talk to me.

I am Cardiff born and bred and proud as hell of my roots. Ive always had my ties in Cardiff. I have family members who have never left. But it was very hard on my mother being widowed with 13 kids. It was very difficult for her.

My mums siblings and my fathers siblings did what they could to help us all. As a result I was sent everywhere. I grew up for the most part between Cardiff and London.

London was where I finished my schooling, staying with relatives. Then there was a stint in New York and a stint in Jamaica, but always with members of the family, aunts and uncles.

Returning to the Welsh capital in the mid-1980s after finishing school, he started to find his feet musically. There he found one nation under a groove and a city marching to the sound to its own beat as the rise of rap, hip hop and the nascent house music scene filled his head with endless possibilities.

I was 15 years old and said to myself, This is my direction, this is what I want to do, he recalls. I felt like I was a part of a movement. I wasnt alone. It seemed like everyone in the city wanted to be a breakdancer, a graffiti artist, a DJ or an MC.

Hip hop culture took over UK and I was really pleased to be a part of the initial movement in Wales.

Hooking up with another young rising star from Cardiff, renowned DJ and producer DJ Jaffa, the pair headed to London. Finding themselves a manager and recording a few demos, they signed a deal with Jive Records under the name Just The Duce, putting out two tracks on a compilation called Def Reggae.

When the duos two-year contract ran out, Jaffa returned to Cardiff, while Eric stayed in London, where he was about to get his big break when he began working in Jive Records recording studio.

I was always at the studio and I was persistent, so they let me become a junior programmer, he recalls.

It was there he honed his skills and his formative musical education was formed making connections and learning at first hand - be it production or synths and guitars.

I was able to to sit in on some really cool sessions with producers like D-Mob, Paul Schroeder and Dave Stewart, all of those people who were at the top of their game. At the time I was still only a kid, still a teenager.

When you see somebody at the top, it doesnt seem as far away as it actually is.

The mid to late 1980s was a boom time for British hip hop, rap and the emerging house scene and Eric wanted in. He never doubted his opportunity would come calling.

Over the years Ive been asked things like, Did you know you were going to make it?, Did you ever doubt yourself?. To be honest with you, Im not a professional boxer, I didnt believe I was going to be champion of the world, it wasnt like that. It was literally a case of not even considering that there was not a place at the table for me.

I wish I could look back and say, Yeah, the winds were blowing in from the left and I had 2 in my pocket, but the truth of the matter is I did not even consider failure.

People like me were getting deals and they were putting tracks out. The Cookie Crew, The London Posse, all of these different people who were my age, who were from the same sort background as me, so I never considered that it couldnt be done.

Meeting Belgian musician and producer Jo Bogaert at the studio, the seed was sown for what would quickly blossom into Technotronic.

Jo was milling around the studios, looking for people to write with. He had ideas in his head which he wanted to come to fruition and he was looking for something other than what he was getting in Belgium, recalls Eric. I was put in a room with him and we played around with a few things and had some great conversations. We talked about what bands each of us liked, what sort of influences we had.

I was really pleased he liked black music. He was the first Belgian Id ever met; to that point the only thing Id learnt about Belgium was King Leopold, he laughs. Jo was a big blues fan and that was really cool because I grew up with blues and gospel, so we had some common ground.

Also being in the studio had given me lots of confidence. I knew my way around a studio and I really believed in myself.

Then Jo had to fly back to Belgium, so I thought that was the end of that. However, a few weeks later I was asked to fly to Belgium to work with him and thats how it all kicked off.

Eric is quick to point out that the idea of Technotronic came from Jo. And as far as calling cards were concerned, there was no greater introduction to Technotronic than their colossal debut single, Pump Up The Jam the all-conquering dancefloor anthem that ruled the charts as the 1980s turned into the 1990s.

As a mighty statement of intent, as a new decade dawned, it was pretty irresistible. Eric recalls the moment he first heard the track in its raw form.

Pump Up The Jam was first released in the clubs as an instrumental, he recalls. I was in a club in Antwerp when I first heard it played. When I saw the response, it was incredible.

Then I heard the vocals going down and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I said, My God, thats astonishing. I guess everyone has one of those moments in their lifetime. That was my moment.

Pump Up The Jam is the opening track on Technotronics debut album of the same name. It reached number two in the UK in 1989 (kept off the top spot for two weeks by Black Boxs Ride On Time) and hit the same spot in the American Billboard Hot 100 in early 1990.

The song was later certified triple platinum, selling three and a half million copies globally. Despite falling short of the top spot on both sides of the Atlantic, it scored number ones in Belgium, Iceland, Portugal and Spain.

Described as a fusion of hip hop and deep house, its an early example of the hip house genre and is seen as the first house song to become a hit in the US.

Everything that we were doing during the debut album project was driving me insane, Eric remembers. I was listening to cassette tapes in the car after every session, sitting there thinking, This is amazing music, I hope they get this on the radio. I would love it if it got on Radio 1, imagine that.

There was some initial controversy when it was discovered that model Felly lip-synched the vocals in the video to accompany the song. The vocals were actually performed by the third member of Technotronic, beside Jo Bogaert and MC Eric, Belgian MC Ya Kid K. As a result, the artwork to the bands debut album, which had featured a picture of Felly, was changed to feature Ya Kid K instead. The album was a multi-million-selling success, selling an eye-watering 14 million copies worldwide.

The three of us just clicked, says Eric. The dynamic, that chemistry, I vividly remember that feeling when we were about to take on the world.

As Technotronic scored hit after hit with follow up singles Get Up! (Before The Night Is Over) and this Beat Is Technotronic, the Welsh musician readily admits he was living the dream.

The youngster was soon to experience how hard he was to be worked when he recalls the story of his first time in America and an intervention from his worried mum back home.

It was a strange time, he recalls. My mother never interfered with my business, except one time. When we first got to America they sat Ya Kid K and me in a limo they gave us two itineraries. Were looking through them and I kept seeing the letters TB. And I thought, What is that, is that like To Be Confirmed? Thats tbc, whats TB?. So the record company guys said, Oh yeah, were going to train you to go to the toilet, TB stands for toilet break.

The itinerary was rammed. You got to remember Pump Up The Jam was pretty much the biggest song in the world at the time. The itinerary was so mad within about two months I had lost so much weight, my mother saw me on television and she made a phone call to the manager and said, Send him home, youre working him to the bone, you should be ashamed of yourself.

When youre young you just get on with it, dont you? Youre not aware youre not eating enough, until your mother gets involved, he laughs.

When I ask him about the high point of the years with Technotronic, hes quick to pick out one poignant moment which meant so much to him the first time he appeared on Top of the Pops.

This wont mean much to a lot of younger people now, but Top of the Pops was everything, he says. It was the only music show on television to watch. And everybody watched it. It was an event. All the family sat down to watch Top of the Pops on a Thursday night.

I remember one day when my dad was still alive and I dont have many memories of my dad, but this was one of them. He called everyone downstairs and said, Ruth is on television. He thought hed seen my sister, who was a jazz singer in London at the time, on Top of the Pops. We all came running but it wasnt her. He was so disappointed.

I remember I was sitting on his lap and saying to him, Ill get on Top of the Pops, Dad. This was in 1976, so I was six years old, but in the end I did get there and do it for him.

When I finally got on Top of the Pops I was going nuts, he adds. We were in New York and I was like, Im flying home, man, to do Top of the Pops (its worth noting that he sounds just as excited relaying this to me as he must have 30 years earlier).

The rest of the crew were like, Top of the what, who?. They didnt understand what it meant to me, but by that time wed already had a number one in a few different countries, so they thought it was quite strange that I desperately needed to fly home to do this Top of the Pops.

But for me and to anyone else in the crew who were British, they understood why it was such a big deal. Doing Top of the Pops for the first time as a youngster was incredible.

There were so many other highs as well, like appearing on Saturday Night Live in the US. Every country had its own big show back then and I think we must have done them all.

A few days after his first Top of the Pops appearance, where Technotronic performed the the single Get Up!, he was back at the BBC for an interview with a very young Phillip Schofield on much-loved Saturday mornings kids show Going Live! Their next meeting was to be very different.

A few weeks after being on the show I saw Phillip on Goldhawk Road in Shepherds Bush, which is near to the old BBC Television Centre in White City where they filmed Going Live! Eric recalls. Hes pulled into a petrol station on Goldhawk Road, which is a mixed-race neighbourhood leaning more towards the black side of things.

Our office was just round the corner, so when I saw him I shouted out, Hey whats up, man?. He was like (sounds terrified) Im fine, Im fine. He didnt even look at me. I was like, Phil, its Eric, Technotronic, Im black on weekdays, man, he laughs. You should have seen his face. He was then all, Oh hi. Whats up, how you doing?. I tell you, its as funny now as it was back then.

If life was surreal enough, it was to take a turn for the unreal when a phone call out of the blue to the bands manager rocked their world.

We were in America touring and enjoying the success of the album when our manager got a phone call from Madonnas manager Freddy DeMann. At the time he was Madonna and Michael Jacksons manager. He informed our manager that Madonna was in love with our album. Apparently she used it to do aerobics to. She also wanted to know if we would like to go on tour with her.

The tour in question, the Blonde Ambition tour, which included three sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium in July 1990, was the Queen of Pop at the height of her fame. Unsurprisingly, when they finally realised the phone call wasnt a hoax, Technotronic were more than ready to be caught in the eye of this particularly welcome storm, happy to be picked up and dragged along in the superstars sizeable wake.

I said to our manager, Why are you even asking us, I hope you said yes immediately.

I was a fan of Madonna. I liked that she was a force of nature, one incredible track after the next. And she insisted that we would be the only support. So we did it without hesitation.

Obviously her camp knew there were tickets going to be sold because we were on it. So it was a clever move.

Everything Eric had ever wanted had come true, but he tells me what was more important to him than global success was being able to look after those who he loved.

Being able to do right by my family, he says. My mother was quite sick for a number of years, so being able to get her the care that she needed and see to that she was well, being able to make sure the house was paid off. They were the high points. Thats what I was raised for. Family has always been close. Being the youngest, I was always a mummys boy.

Yes, I could go out with my mates. I could wake up in the morning and say, Hey, lets go shopping in New York and just fly there and have a shop. None of that resonates with your soul.

So, yeah, youd be happy to come home with some new sneakers from Sixth Avenue, but that wont feel anything like the feeling of your mother sitting you down and telling you, Im well, son, the house is paid off, I love you. Thats a different level.

But thats all my family in general. Thats what were all like. As the youngest sibling, I was able to watch my older siblings showing that same kind of benevolence and kindness.

When the end arrived for Eric and Technotronic after three years of unbroken success, it ended with rancour and a row over the way the musicians bandmate Ya Kid K, who was then about to have Erics child after the two had formed a relationship, was being treated. As a result the Welshman left the group. A year later the Technotronic project fell apart.

As much as there was success in abundance for Eric, there was something of a heavy burden to pay. He spent many years coming to terms with seeing the best and worst of humanity at close quarters.

What Eric tells me reminds me of this oft-quoted maxim: The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs. Theres also a negative side.

He says: The significance of those songs, what they meant then and how theyve stood the test of time, I feel grateful and humble, but Im also just as baffled by it as anyone else.

But when you talk about fame and how it affects certain people, you dont know the true character of someone until they have everything. Thats when you find out the true character.

Since those days its been a journey of self-educating. I was young when I had all this success, but there wasnt anything in place to let you understand what you are going through. Who else was a pop star around me? It wasnt like I was an electrician so I could go and talk to my brothers mate down the road, who was an electrician. It was difficult for me.

I didnt realise I was surrounded by a small percentage of honest people and a much larger percentage of people who had their own agenda. These were horrible, horrible people.

He describes the financial legacy of those days as being signed up and stitched up. Of unscrupulous dealings behind the scenes.

I was young and impressionable, he adds. Its a well-worn story. The way I explain it is this to the average dude I earned a lot of money. If you sat that same average dude down and told him, Okay I got this much, but they got this much, then that average dude would be ready to take up arms on your behalf. The difference was massive.

They could never get away with those deals now. So much exploitation took place in the 1980s and 1990s, but I dont want to come across like Im complaining, because I dont think like that. Everything I have done has been a part of my journey.

Eric was only 19 when global fame came calling. He willingly admits his experiences left him with serious trust issues after leaving the group.

I remember thinking back then that these people have given me something I never used to have, theyve given me scepticism. I used to take people on face value. Im a loving person. But then I started looking at people and not giving them the benefit of the doubt, asking myself what they wanted. Its a horrible way to behave and thats when you realise you need time out.

He concedes: It did take some time for the stigma of being part of such a huge machine to wear off. But I was back in the studio within months doing my own thing.

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The Cardiff man responsible for one of the biggest hits of the 1980s - Wales Online

What started as a quick call to action to mass-produce surgical and N95 respirator masks has turned into a long-term plan that will bring more jobs to the area and bring business back to America.

Over the last couple of weeks, WPT Nonwovens in Beaver Dam has spent half a million dollars on new machines and transformed 6,000 square feet of their facility, and the company is now ready to hire 30 employees to staff the new mask production.

Travis Robbins, vice president and general manager of WPT, said his family-owned company was already aware of the coronavirus pandemic before it truly hit the U.S. because theyve got business relationships all over the world.

As cases ramped up here, though, they soon began getting calls from healthcare workers and state officials asking how they could help.

At that point, we just said we ought to try to help, Robbins said. It went from an idea of can we do this to getting on the phone to we were just going to go gangbusters on this and try to get as much of this product made in the United States as we could to support the local community, the state of Kentucky and more broadly the U.S. market.

By the end of this month, theyll be able to make 100,000 surgical masks per day. Those will initially go to local hospitals including Owensboro Health and may be distributed nationwide if necessary. Within two months theyll be able to make 35,000 N95 masks every day.

Robbins said while there are price gougers out there, his company is doing what they can to keep the costs almost the same as normal.

Were not taking this product to market as an opportunistic play to make money, he said. We did this as a way to bring business back to the United States and keep people working and help solve the problem of a shortage in the market.

Robbins said WTP was concerned about the customer base when they first decided to invest, but those worries quickly dissipated.

In the last five days, weve been completely overwhelmed, he said. Were actually looking at two or three key strategic partners that see this as a long-term position that theyre going to take inside of their companies, where theyre going to bring this stuff back to the United States and want it branded by an American company.

Because demand is so high, WTP is already looking at purchasing two more machines by August or September to manufacture even more surgical masks.

We see this is a long-term play for our company and a long-term opportunity to supply American-made goods to the healthcare market.

WPT Nonwovens is now accepting applications for the following positions for day and night shifts:Medical Converting Operator Forklift Material HandlerLab TechnicianMulticraft Maintenance/Electrician

Some of the benefits WPT Nonwovens offers include:Competitive salaryTeam members can earn up to 2 weeks of vacation Paid life insurance Paid telemedicine benefit Eligible for health insurance coverage in the first 30 days of employment to include spouses and children Eligible for 401k with a company match within the first 30 days of employment 12 months perfect attendance vacation bonus Weekly and monthly safety bonuses WPT has contributed over $65,000 to team member 401k plans since 2016

Click here for all of our coronavirus coverage.

The Owensboro Health coronavirus hotline is available 24/7 by calling 877-888-6647. Call the hotline before seeking in-person care. More information from OH can be found here.

For the latest information and data on COVID-19 in Kentucky visit kycovid19.ky.gov or dial the Kentucky state hotline at 800-722-5725.

For the latest health guidelines and resources from the CDC, visit their website here.

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Area company adding jobs as mask production ramps up - The Owensboro Times