Ice might not be safe on New Hampshire lakes, ponds; here's what to watch forBY MELISSA GOLDIN Social media users are misrepresenting a Vermont Supreme Court ruling , claiming that it gives schools permission to vaccinate children even if their parents do not consent. The ruling addressed a lawsuit filed by Dario and Shujen Politella against Windham Southeast School District and state officials over the mistaken vaccination of their child against COVID-19 in 2021, when he was 6 years old. A lower court had dismissed the original complaint, as well as an amended version. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was filed on Nov. 19. But the ruling by Vermont’s high court is not as far-reaching as some online have claimed. In reality, it concluded that anyone protected under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, or PREP, Act is immune to state lawsuits. Here’s a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that schools can vaccinate children against their parents’ wishes. THE FACTS: The claim stems from a July 26 ruling by the Vermont Supreme Court, which found that anyone protected by the PREP Act is immune to state lawsuits, including the officials named in the Politella’s suit. The ruling does not authorize schools to vaccinate children at their discretion. According to the lawsuit, the Politella’s son — referred to as L.P. — was given one dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic held at Academy School in Brattleboro even though his father, Dario, told the school’s assistant principal a few days before that his son was not to receive a vaccination. In what officials described as a mistake, L.P. was removed from class and had a “handwritten label” put on his shirt with the name and date of birth of another student, L.K., who had already been vaccinated that day. L.P. was then vaccinated. Ultimately, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that officials involved in the case could not be sued. “We conclude that the PREP Act immunizes every defendant in this case and this fact alone is enough to dismiss the case,” the Vermont Supreme Court’s ruling reads. “We conclude that when the federal PREP Act immunizes a defendant, the PREP Act bars all state-law claims against that defendant as a matter of law.” The PREP Act , enacted by Congress in 2005, authorizes the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a declaration in the event of a public health emergency providing immunity from liability for activities related to medical countermeasures, such as the administration of a vaccine, except in cases of “willful misconduct” that result in “death or serious physical injury.” A declaration against COVID-19 was issued on March 17, 2020. It is set to expire on Dec. 31. Federals suits claiming willful misconduct are filed in Washington. Social media users described the Vermont Supreme Court’s ruling as having consequences beyond what it actually says. “The Vermont Supreme Court has ruled that schools can force-vaccinate children for Covid against the wishes of their parents,” reads one X post that had been liked and shared approximately 16,600 times as of Tuesday. “The high court ruled on a case involving a 6-year-old boy who was forced to take a Covid mRNA injection by his school. However, his family had explicitly stated that they didn’t want their child to receive the ‘vaccines.’” Other users alleged that the ruling gives schools permission to give students any vaccine without parental consent, not just ones for COVID-19. Rod Smolla, president of the Vermont Law and Graduate School and an expert on constitutional law, told The Associated Press that the ruling “merely holds that the federal statute at issue, the PREP Act, preempts state lawsuits in cases in which officials mistakenly administer a vaccination without consent.” “Nothing in the Vermont Supreme Court opinion states that school officials can vaccinate a child against the instructions of the parent,” he wrote in an email. Related Articles Nation | Eminem’s mother Debbie Nelson, whose rocky relationship fueled the rapper’s lyrics, dies at age 69 Nation | Founder of failed crypto lending platform Celsius Network pleads guilty to fraud charges Nation | Judge weighs whether to order Fani Willis to comply with lawmakers’ subpoenas over Trump case Nation | Are you a former SmileDirectClub customer? You might be eligible for a refund Nation | Justice Department announces sweeping reforms to curb suicides in federal prisons and jails Asked whether the claims spreading online have any merit, Ronald Ferrara, an attorney representing the Politellas, told the AP that although the ruling doesn’t say schools can vaccinate students regardless of parental consent, officials could interpret it to mean that they could get away with doing so under the PREP Act, at least when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. He explained that the U.S. Supreme Court appeal seeks to clarify whether the Vermont Supreme Court interpreted the PREP Act beyond what Congress intended. “The Politella’s fundamental liberty interest to decide whether their son should receive elective medical treatment was denied by agents of the State and School,” he wrote in an email to the AP. “The Vermont Court misconstrues the scope of PREP Act immunity (which is conditioned upon informed consent for medical treatments unapproved by FDA), to cover this denial of rights and its underlying battery.” Ferrara added that he was not aware of the claims spreading online, but that he “can understand how lay people may conflate the court’s mistaken grant of immunity for misconduct as tantamount to blessing such misconduct.”
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How Trump’s bet on voters electing him managed to silence some of his legal woesA number of prominent pundits, including former City defender and club ambassador Micah Richards, have questioned why the Belgium international has not been starting games amid the champions’ dramatic slump. City have not won in seven outings in all competitions – their worst run since 2008 – with De Bruyne featuring only as a substitute in the last five of those matches after recovering from a pelvic injury. The latest came with a 12-minute run-out in Sunday’s demoralising 2-0 defeat at Premier League leaders Liverpool, a result which left City 11 points off the pace and fifth in the table. Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast it appeared “there’s some sort of rift going on” between De Bruyne and Guardiola while former England striker Gary Lineker added: “It seems like all’s not well.” Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said he felt “something isn’t right” and fellow Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville, the ex-Manchester United right-back, described the situation as “unusual, bizarre, strange”. Guardiola, speaking at a press conference to preview his side’s clash with Nottingham Forest, responded on Tuesday. The Spaniard said: “People say I’ve got a problem with Kevin. Do you think I like to not play with Kevin? No, I don’t want Kevin to play? “The guy who has the most talent in the final third, I don’t want it? I have a personal problem with him after nine years together? “He’s delivered to me the biggest success to this club, but he’s been five months injured (last season) and two months injured (this year). “He’s 33 years old. He needs time to find his best, like last season, step by step. He’ll try to do it and feel better. I’m desperate to have his best.” De Bruyne has not started since being forced off at half-time of City’s Champions League clash with Inter Milan on September 18, having picked up an injury in the previous game. Both the player and manager have spoken since of the pain he was in and the need to ease back into action, but his spell on the bench has been unexpectedly long. The resulting speculation has then been exacerbated because De Bruyne is in the final year of his contract but Guardiola maintains nothing untoward has occurred. He said: “I’d love to have the Kevin in his prime, 26 or 27. He would love it to – but he is not 26 or 27 any more. “He had injuries in the past, important and long ones. He is a guy who needs to be physically fit for his space and energy. You think I’m complaining? It’s normal, it’s nature. “He’s played in 10 or 11 seasons a lot of games and I know he is desperate to help us. He gives glimpses of brilliance that only he can have. “But, always I said, he himself will not solve our problems, like Erling (Haaland) won’t solve it himself. We attack and defend together. “We want the best players back. Hopefully step by step the confidence will come back and we’ll get the best of all of us.”
CEDAR FALLS — Two teams with dream seasons clashed in the Class 4A State Football Championship game on Thursday night at the UNI-Dome. For Pella, it was a chance to grab a fourth and final state title for their legendary head coach Jay McKinstrey who would be coaching in his final game before retiring after the final whistle. For North Polk, they came in as the last standing undefeated team in 4A and were seeking their first-ever state title. The latter would leave the night celebrating as the Comets would end up coming away with a 24-14 victory. There was an energy in the building as play got underway with both defenses came up with stops on their opening possessions before Pella’s Tyson Barnes would pin North Polk with a great punt going out of bounds at the two yard line. The Comets then began to establish what would be a dominate night at the line of scrimmage. North Polk would go 15-plays and 98 yards over eight minutes with quarterback Nathan Feldmann scrambling right before lowering his shoulder and powering in for a 13-yard TD to start the scoring at 7-0 early in the second quarter. Pella would look for an answer and would get into North Polk territory before stalling out and turning it over on downs. North Polk got to work again on offense with their dynamic backfield duo of Feldmann and running back BJ Tate running behind their big offensive line. The Comets would milk the clock and would be faced with a fourth and one at the Pella five yard line late in the half. The Dutch defense has come big in those moments several times this year but were unable to get the stop as Feldmann called his own number and powered into the endzone for a five-yard TD to push the lead to 14-0 at the half. The good news for Pella was they got the ball to start the second half and would have a chance to make it a one-score game again. The big-play Dutch would strike in just three plays as QB Colin Kerndt found Harrison Mullens on a deep post over the middle with Mullens out-running everyone on his way to an 89-yard touchdown to cut the deficit in half at 14-7. North Polk took the ensuing kickoff back to midfield to set up good starting position for them. They would get to work on the ground again and would punch it in just five plays later with Feldmann tallying his third rushing TD of the night. This one was from five yards out and made it 21-7 late in the third quarter. The Dutch needed to answer back again but would stall out in North Polk territory again, turning it over on downs. The Comets took over with a chance to put a dagger in Pella’s title hopes but the relentless Dutch defense would show up with Bailey Shetterly jumping the passing lane on a screen throw by Feldmann with Shetterly racing the other way for a 39-yard pick-six to all of sudden make it one score game again at 21-14 heading to the fourth quarter. “Our guys have found ways to win this year and I appreciate them so much,” Pella head coach Jay McKinstrey said. “They are a group of kids that are an enjoyable group to be around, that are never going to quit and they are going to play to the very end, win or lose.” Just like they did on their first scoring drive, the North Polk offense would embark on a long, time consuming drive that would see them get to the Pella two yard line. But instead of going for it on fourth down, North Polk would attempt a short 21-yard field goal and put it through to cap off their 14-play, 81 yard drive over eight minutes to make it a two score game again 24-14 with just under nine minutes to go. The pressure turned back to Pella as they needed to score quick and get the ball back again. Kerndt and Emmanuel Diers got a couple of good runs to get near midfield but would face another fourth down. Kerndt would escape a sack before unleashing a deep ball up for grabs into traffic where North Polk’s Brady Cathcart would haul it down for an interception. Time was not on the side of the Dutch as they needed to get a stop quick but the North Polk running game continued to cash in first down after first down before running out the clock and claiming their first state title in program history with a 24-14 win. While the celebrations happened on one side of the field, tears and frustration settled in for the green and white as they would fall one game shy of a fourth state title under McKinstrey. The recent trends for North Polk continued as they rushed for over 300 yards for the fourth time in their last five games and held their opponent to 14 points or less and 250 total yards or less for a sixth straight game. Feldmann finished with 149 total yards and three TDs while Tate had 31 carries for 152 yards. For Pella, Kerndt was 10-of-17 passing for 132 yards with one TD and one interception. Outside of the TD pass to Mullens, Pella’s offense was held to 110 yards on 36 plays. Thursday marked the final game for McKinstrey in his Hall of Fame career leading the Dutch. The long-time head coach was grateful to be able to finish his career with a chance to play for a fourth state title in his sixth finals appearance. "How many times do you actually get to win the state championship or even play in this game,” McKinstrey said. “Very few programs get to be here every year. I'm grateful I got to be in here at least once and we got to be here six times playing for the title. I'm so grateful for that and and hopefully that these young men and all the kids we've coached in the past can look back fondly, remember the relationships, remember some things that they've learned from our football program. We’re a pseudo family during the year and that's what I'll miss when it's all said and done here. I'll just miss the players, the coaches and the opportunity to belong to something.” Pella finishes the season with an 11-2 record. PHS 0 0 14 0 - 14 NP 0 14 7 3 - 24 First Quarter Second Quarter NP — Feldmann 13-yard rushing TD. PAT is good (0-7, 10:42) NP — Feldmann 5-yard rushing TD. PAT is good (0-14, 1:13) Third Quarter PHS — Kerndt pass to Mullens for 89-yard TD. PAT is good (7-14, 11:10) NP — Feldmann 5-yard rushing TD. PAT is good (7-21, 8:50) PHS — Shetterly 39-yard interception return for a TD. PAT is good (14-21, 4:53) Fourth Quarter NP — Triplett 21-yard FG (14-24, 8:44) Passing — Kerndt 10/17 132 yards 1 TD 1 INT, Barnes 0/1 Rushing — Diers 11-35, Kerndt 8-32 Receiving — Mullens 1-89 1 TD, Barnes 2-16, Shetterly 2-16, Diers 4-8, Cowman 1-3 Top three tackles — Rhamy 8, Warner 7.5, VanMaanen 6.5 Interceptions — Shetterly 1Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights
HALIFAX - A Nova Scotia charity is serving at least 600 free traditional dinners over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to spread a little bit of holiday cheer. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * HALIFAX - A Nova Scotia charity is serving at least 600 free traditional dinners over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to spread a little bit of holiday cheer. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? HALIFAX – A Nova Scotia charity is serving at least 600 free traditional dinners over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to spread a little bit of holiday cheer. The Souls Harbour Rescue Mission is offering a sit-down turkey dinner with all the fixings for people who need “food or friends” at mission locations across the province. It’s the first time the group is serving the meals over the holidays since it started providing community service in 2010. Michelle Porter, the CEO, says the charity has been raising funds for Christmas festivities since November and estimates the cost for events during the holiday season is around $1 million. Meals will differ slightly at mission locations across the province, but Porter says all plates will have turkey, potatoes, cranberry, gravy and some vegetables. People who attend will also get a Christmas stocking that includes a mini hygiene set and a few treats like chocolate, gloves and socks. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. About 400 people will eat today in Lower Sackville, Bridgewater, Truro and Sydney Mines, while Porter estimates 200 people will share a meal together in Halifax on Christmas Day. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 24, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement
The Best Tech Deals During Target's Black Friday Sale (So Far)Jonah Goldberg: What if most Americans aren't bitterly divided?The 39-year-old has been a breath of fresh air since succeeding Erik ten Hag, with his personality and approach, coupled with promising early performances, bringing hope back to Old Trafford. Amorim has been touched by his warm welcome but repeatedly urged fans to avoid jumping the gun, having followed a draw at Ipswich with home wins against Bodo/Glimt and Everton. Wednesday’s trip to Arsenal is comfortably his biggest challenge yet and victory would see United move within three points of the Premier League title contenders. Put to Amorim it will be hard to manage expectations if they won in the capital, the head coach said: “I would like to say different things, but I have to say it again: the storm will come. “I don’t know if you use that expression, but we are going to have difficult moments and we will be found out in some games. “And I know that because I’m knowing my players and I know football and I follow football, so I understand the difference between the teams. “We are in the point in that we are putting simple things in the team, without training, and you feel it in this game against Everton, they change a little bit the way they were building up. “They are very good team, and we were with a lot of problems because we cannot change it by calling one thing to the captain. A midweek trip to the capital awaits 🚆 #MUFC || #PL pic.twitter.com/1e6VrILJW3 — Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 3, 2024 “So, we don’t have this training, so let’s focus on each game, on the performance, what we have to improve, trying to win games. And that is the focus. “I know it’s really hard to be a Manchester United coach and say these things in press conferences. We want to win all the time. No matter what. “We are going to try to win, but we know that we are in a different point if you compare to Arsenal. “So, it is what it is and we will try to win it and we go with confidence to win, but we know that we need to play very well to win the next football match.” The trip to Arsenal is the second of nine December matches for United, who are looking to avoid suffering four straight league defeats to the Gunners for the first time. The Red Devils have not won a Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium since 2017, but Amorim knows a thing or two about frustrating Mikel Arteta’s men. Arsenal thrashed Sporting Lisbon 5-1 in the Champions League last week, but in 2022-23 he led the Portuguese side to a Europa League last-16 penalty triumph after a 1-1 draw in London made it 3-3 on aggregate. “Arsenal this year, they play a little bit different,” Amorim said. “They are more fluid. “For example, two years ago when we faced them with Sporting, you knew how to press because you can understand better the structure. “Now it’s more fluid with (Riccardo) Calafiori and (Jurrien) Timber in different sides. One coming inside, the other going outside. Also (Martin) Odegaard changed the team, and you can feel it during this season. “So, you can take something from that game, especially because I know so well the opponent so you can understand the weakness of that team. “But every game is different, so you take something, but you already know that you are going to face a very good team.” This hectic winter schedule means Amorim sidestepped talk of January transfer business ahead of facing Arsenal, although he was more forthcoming on Amad Diallo’s future. The 22-year-old, who put in a man of the match display in Sunday’s 4-0 win against Everton, is out of contract at the end of the season, although the club holds an option to extend by a year. Diallo has repeatedly spoken of his desire to stay at United and it has been reported an agreement is close. Amorim said: “I think he wants to stay, and we want him to stay. So that is clear and we will find a solution.”