A ‘Jade Helm’ Weather Assault on Texas?; Jerry Brown’s Papal Praise
Floodwaters surround a house in Weatherford, Texas, in late May. Brandon Wade / AP Photo
Also in our state and local news roundup: Detroit’s next fiscal crisis, Minnesota sex offenders and waving in Newport, R.I.
HOUSTON, Texas: Down in the formerly parched Lone Star State, where rainfall and severe storms have been in abundant supply the past few weeks, there are some conspiracy theories floating around pinning the inundation on the federal government in advance of a supposed U.S. military “Jade Helm” assault on Texas in July. If all the precipitation is part of some vast federal conspiracy, there has been one undeniable benefit for the state of Texas: all the rainfall “may have finally pushed many [reservoirs] into full recovery.” [Houston Chronicle]
SACRAMENTO, California: Gov. Jerry Brown’s office on Thursday released this statement on the climate change encyclical from Pope Francis:
"In the face of the deep obsession with markets and material stuff, Pope Francis has called attention to our fundamental dependency on the natural environment. It's now up to leaders in business and government - and wherever else - to join together and reverse our accelerating slide into climate disorder and widespread suffering."
[Gov. Jerry Brown’s Office]
DETROIT, Michigan: The next fiscal drama facing Detroit doesn’t involve the city of Detroit. It involves Wayne County, which the city of Detroit is part of. Warren Evans, the county executive, declared a financial emergency on Wednesday, according to the Detroit Free Press, “potentially putting in motion eventual state intervention in the financially strapped county.” Stay tuned … [Detroit Free Press]
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota: Officials who oversee the Gopher State’s sex offender program have been on notice. A federal judge had previously warned Minnesota lawmakers that the program “probably didn’t pass constitutional muster,” according to MinnPost. In the absence of action from the state, that “probably” was clarified on Wednesday when U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank, in a 76-page ruling, declared that the program “is unconstitutional and must be changed.” [MinnPost]
NEWPORT, Rhode Island: If everyone would just wave, everyone would get along and co-exist in urban environments, right? According to the Newport Waves campaign:
Pedestrian. Bicyclist. Motorist. All People. All going places. Turns out we aren't that different. Let's get along with a wave. Roll nice and stroll nice.
Check it out:
[Newport Waves via Streetsblog NYC reporter Stephen Miller]
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