The Daily Moth 9-18-19
Alex Trebek returns to chemo treatment; PA State Senator charged with child pornography; Pirates pitcher charged with solicitation of a minor; Political News Briefs: California emission rules; Saudi Arabian attacks; Greta Thunbert speaks to Congress; Updates on Saudi Arabian oil facilities attacks; Kendall PTA alleges former treasurer stole over $80,000
[Transcript] Hello, welcome to The Daily Moth! It is Wednesday, September 18. Ready for news?
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Alex Trebek returns to chemo treatment
Alex Trebek announced yesterday morning that he will return to chemotherapy treatment because he has lost a lot of weight and his numbers are “sky high.”
He announced several weeks ago that he finished chemo and was back at work. Last week he was on the “Jeopardy!” set to start the 36th season of the show. So hopes were high about his health, but now it’s a big concern.
Trebek said he experiences excruciating pain and fatigue and experiences depression and a surge of sadness.
He is 79 years old. He said death doesn’t frighten him because he has had “one hell of a good life and he’s enjoyed it.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alex-trebek-cancer-jeopardy-host-undergoing-chemotherapy-again-setback-numbers-sky-high-good-morning-america/
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PA State Senator charged with child pornography; Pirates pitcher charged with solicitation of a minor
A Pennsylvania State Senator, Michael Folmer (R), was charged with possession of child pornography after law enforcement found images on his phone while serving a search warrant at his home.
State Senate leaders said Folmer would be immediately removed as the Chair of the Senate State Government Committee and that they would cooperate with the investigation.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said he should immediately resign. The state’s attorney general said “no one — no matter what position of power they hold — is above the law.”
In separate news, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez was charged with solicitation of a child. He lives in Florida during the off-season and was arrested yesterday morning in Pennsylvania after an investigation. He may be extradited to Florida.
Law enforcement said they obtained information that Vazquez allegedly had an online sexual relationship with a then 13-year-old girl, who is now 15. Authorities said they exchanged pictures and that Vazquez said they would have sex after the baseball season was over.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/18/us/pennsylvania-state-senator-child-pornography-charges/index.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/pittsburgh-pirates-pitcher-felipe-vazquez-arrested-solicitation-child-n1055476
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Political News Briefs: California emission rules; Saudi Arabian attacks; Greta Thunbert speaks to Congress
Here are three political news briefs.
The first — President Trump announced that his administration would revoke California’s ability to set stricter CO2 emissions rules than federal standards. Trump said this would allow many more cars to be produced and lead to “JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!” California is expected to sue the Trump administration.
The second news — the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter point to a range of 1.75% to 2%. It is the second cut this year and is an attempt to stimulate economic growth. This will reduce borrowing costs for American consumers but also reduces bank savings rates.
The third news — Greta Thunbert, a well-known 16-year-old environmental activist from Sweden, testified before two U.S. congressional committees today. She brought a 2018 U.N. report that said countries must take immediate action to stop greenhouse emissions and told lawmakers to “listen to the scientists… unite behind the science… and take real action.”
https://www.axios.com/california-auto-emissions-trump-epa-rules-d3187ac8-fc43-492d-a288-8076cc3fc735.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/09/18/interest-rates-fed-cuts-rate-quarter-point-again-prevent-slump/2354651001/
https://www.axios.com/greta-thunberg-testimony-climate-change-13876b47-d76d-4538-8a0b-8ac3ac8e7ba1.html
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Updates on Saudi Arabian oil facilities attacks
Saudi Arabia announced that the attack on two oil facilities on the weekend was sponsored by Iran. They displayed burnt weapons, which were drones and cruise missiles allegedly used in the attack. They said they were Iranian weapons, and that they came from the north. Iran is northeast of Saudi Arabia.
Iran said they are not responsible. The Iranian President Rouhani said Saudi Arabia must stop their war against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and that this attack was a warning from them.
President Trump has blamed Iran in recent days and today said he has ordered an increase of sanctions against Iran and would announce what they are in the next 48 hours. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was an Iranian attack and was an act of war.
In separate news, President Trump announced Robert O’Brien, the U.S. hostage negotiator, will become the new national security adviser to replace the recently removed John Bolton. He is best known for his intervention in musician A$AP Rocky’s criminal case in Sweden.
https://apnews.com/9fb95c0d28c84fd0bf10817dea3ddaab
https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/trump-iran-sanctions-saudi-oil-attack/h_e54474fb8dbeaf67e7e1a5f663d3a43f
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Kendall PTA alleges former treasurer stole over $80,000
The Kendall Demonstration Elementary School’s Parent Teacher Association (KPTA) has filed a civil complaint against a Deaf woman, Jenny Nygaard, in which they accuse her of stealing more than $80,000 from the KPTA.
The complaint was written by two attorneys representing the KPTA and was filed in the D.C. Superior Court on May 31st.
There was an “initial scheduling conference hearing” on August 30th, but according to online records, Nygaard was not present, which resulted in an order of default. This could mean the court has ruled against Nygaard for the full amount that is requested by the KPTA.
There is a “status hearing” scheduled on November 1st.
The complaint is available to read online on D.C. Superior Court’s eAccess and I will summarize it.
The KPTA is accusing Nygaard of using her position as the KPTA Treasurer from 2011 to 2016 to steal more than $80,000 to pay for her personal mortgage payments, trips to Mexico and the Dominican Republic, for tanning and nail salons, and for daily expenses such as clothing, groceries, home repair, parking, and snacks.
The KPTA said their funds came entirely from fundraisers organized by parents and donations from those who wanted to support Kendall.
The complaint details specific years and specific amounts that Nygaard allegedly either charged or withdrew from the KPTA’s Capital One account.
In 2011, the total amount was $627.
In 2012, it was $9,570, which included over $4,000 in cash withdrawals.
In 2013, it was $19,785, which included over $5,000 in cash withdrawals and $1,800 in mortgage payments.
In 2014, it was $24,599, which included over $14,800 in cash withdrawals and $449 to Caribbean Cruise Lines.
In 2015, the total was $18,624, which included over $9,700 in mortgage payments and flight tickets to and from the Dominican Republic.
In 2016, it was $15,549. She was replaced as the KPTA Treasurer in June 2016, but allegedly continued to be able to steal over $6,000.
The complaint said in December 2016, the then-current KPTA Treasurer and President confronted Nygaard about the money. The treasurer met with her again on January 11, 2017 and showed her a list of transactions that he thought were personal. That night, Nygaard emailed the KPTA Board and apologized for what she called “financial mismanagement,” “poor choices,” and said she had a plan of resolution.
The complaint said Nygaard changed the mailing address for bank statements so it was sent to her home and provided false and misleading “Treasurer Reports” to the KPTA.
The complaint said what Nygaard did damaged the KPTA’s financial health and caused the deaf community to lose trust in the KPTA.
The Daily Moth has reached out to a Facebook account with Nygaard’s name on it, but did not get an immediate response.
We also reached out to the KPTA and the Clerc Center for comments.
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The KPTA said they can’t comment due to the ongoing litigation on this matter.
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The Clerc Center provided this statement:
"The Clerc Center does not comment on legal matters of the KPTA. The KPTA is an important organization that is greatly valued by the Kendall and Clerc Center community and we will respect its status as an independently operated nonprofit organization led by its own governing board. The KPTA has long been and will continue to be a wonderful supporter and advocate for our students and our community."
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That is all for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
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