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Police arrested a Joliet woman accused of pushing her 70-year-old mother-in-law off a porch.

The incident occurred Monday night when Kristin Martinez, 31, of the 8000 block of Harrier Avenue arrived at her mother-in-laws house to pick up her children, police said.

An argument ensued after the victim would not allow Martinez into the residence because of the victims intoxicated state, according to a police news release.

During the argument, Martinez pushed the victim off the porch, according to the release. The victim fell off of the porch to the ground and suffered a serious injury to her wrist.

The incident occurred at about 7:30 p.m. in the 7600 block of Violet Lane, which is in the Kendall County section of Joliet.

Police said they were called for a domestic disturbance.

Martinez was arrested and taken to the Kendall County jail.

Kendall County prosecutors charged Martinez with aggravated domestic battery, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and aggravated battery to a victim over 60.

She remained in jail as of Tuesday.

The mother-in-law was taken to Ascension Saint Joseph-Joliet for her injuries, police said.

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Woman accused of pushing mother-in-law off porch - The Herald-News

If local music legend Aunt Samantha Bumgarner is sitting on a cloud in Heaven, she might put her harp down and sing along from noon until 6 p.m. on April 30 when Music on the Porch returns to the Appalachian Womens Museum in Dillsboro.

This years event is titled Music on the Porch, an Appalachian Homecoming, said Rob Ferguson, a history professor at Western Carolina University and board member at Appalachian Womens Museum. We are trying to emphasize the homecoming theme. Were just excited to see people out there. It will be fun just to gather again.

The event is at the old Monteith Homestead, 100 W. Hometown Place, Dillsboro.

This event was inspired by the fact that we have some world-class musicians from the local community who have learned from their family members over several generations, he said.

Some of those to appear on the porch are the Junior Appalachian Musicians, part of an after-school program that provides young people instruction and performance opportunities in Mountain Heritage Music on traditional Appalachian instruments.

That will be awesome, to have some young local musicians come out and showcase their talents, Ferguson said. They kick off the show from noon to 1 p.m.

From 1-2 p.m. Lee Knight is next on the west side of the old Monteith Farmsteads wrap-around porch.

He is sort of a like a local gem kind of hiding in plain sight, Ferguson said. He is a folksinger and musician going back decades. He lives in Cullowhee and has traveled the world making music with some of the most famous folksingers of the 20th Century. He knows and has played a lot of the old songs.

Another local is balladeer Susan Pepper, a professional old-time musician set to perform from 2-3 p.m. She holds workshops for children and adults to teach them old-time music, Ferguson said.

She closed out the festival in 2019, he said. Shes a regional treasure. If there is anybody in the county right now carrying on the old ballad traditions, its Susan Pepper.

From 3-4 p.m. is Kornbread Kreek, led by Steve Estes, who knows the entirety of Bumgarners music catalogue and is known as a local expert on her music, Ferguson said.

Kornbread Kreek is really is steeped in local and more broadly, Appalachian roots music, he said. Theyre always a fun time.

Peppers friend, Sheila Kay Adams, might bring the most star-power to the event when she cranks up at 4 p.m.

Adams is a full-on celebrity in the folk music community, Ferguson said. Shes from Madison County and has won many awards for her ballad-singing and her banjo playing. She has played at the Smithsonian Folk Festival and many other major venues.

Pepper joins Adams on the stage to close out the show from 5-6 p.m.

The Pressley Girls were on the card when the posters were printed, but had to cancel.

We hope to have them back in 2023, Ferguson said.

Tickets are on sale now for $15. Children 12-and-under are admitted free. Some of the proceeds from the event will go toward building an exhibit in the Museum focused on music.

The exhibit will focus on more than Samantha Bumgarner, though of course she is going to be a big presence in there, Ferguson said. The exhibit will focus on Appalachian music and Appalachian women musicians specifically.

During her life and musical career, Bumgarner traveled to New York City to make a record; to Del Rio, Texas, to appear on Dr. John Brinkleys radio show; and to the White House to perform for President Franklin Roosevelt and the King and Queen of England. She also entertained thousands during 32 years of headlining Ashevilles Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, starting in 1928 and continuing through 1959.

The Appalachian Womens Museum encourages attendees to bring a lawn chair or blanket to the event. Dogs are welcome. Parking is free across the tracks in Monteith Park. Its a rain or shine event. Food trucks will be onsite

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Music on the Porch brings the old sound to town - The Sylva Herald

Memphis Police said they found Clyde Dear on a porch, claiming it was his aunt's home. Investigators said it wasn't.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. A man wanted in a bank robbery in West Memphis was captured after leading police on a chase into Memphis Wednesday.

According to the affidavit, police in West Memphis, Arkansas, responded to a robbery at Evolve Bank & Trust just before 10 a.m. Wednesday. There was a tracking device in the money that was stolen, and police tried to stop a 2019 Dodge Durango which the device was pinging to. They said the driver refused to stop and took off into Memphis.

The chase ended in the area of Vance and Boyd, where they said the driver stopped and tried to run away. They found the Dodge Durango behind an abandoned home. The affidavit said police saw money scattered in the truck and leading through the backyard of homes. They said they found the truck was registered to Clyde Dear but had a stolen license plate. They then found a bag of clothes matching the description of the bank robber, and under the bag was more money and a gun.

Officers said they spotted a man in dirty clothing walking between houses then sitting on a porch of one of the homes on Boyd. They said the man, later identified as Clyde Dear, told officers it was his aunts home, but they contacted the homeowner who said they did not know Dear.

Dear was arrested and West Memphis Police identified him as the suspect in the bank robbery. They said about $30,000 total was taken in the robbery.

Dear is charged with convicted felon in possession of a handgun, intentionally evade arrest in an auto, possession of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony, theft of property $10,000-$60,000, ad theft of property $1,000 or less.

His bond was set at $50,000.

Bank Robbery Arrest300 Block of Boyd StreetReport #2204005502MEMEMPHIS, TN On April 13, 2022, at 0957 hours, West...

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Suspect in West Memphis bank robbery leads police on chase into Memphis, caught sitting on porch - WATN - Local 24

Those memories are priceless, especially since the house I grew up in didn't have much of a "settin' porch" it was just a walkway to the front door, which we never, ever used to enter the house.

In the days before air conditioning, people used porches as a necessity to escape the stifling heat of the kitchen or upstairs bedrooms. Many homes even had "sleeping porches" because the air outside was cooler than the air inside. These days, people don't sit on porches as much as they once did, watching the busy world around them while waving a cardboard funeral-home fan beneath their chins and making philosophical commentary.

Although air conditioning and busy lives threaten their existence, I hope porches never go out of style. They are more than just gathering places; they are the lap of the household, warm and welcoming.

We still need porches and below I listed 11 reasons why.

Click here to read more about why we paint porch ceilings haint blue.

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Reese's is bringing back its popular peanut butter lovers cups for a limited time - Southern Thing

If you havent heard, the current real estate market is expensive. Like, really expensive. And no, I dont mean its expensive somewhere else like in California, or even Dallas. Im talking about everywhere, including Sulphur Springs. Prices are increasing daily, and homes are flying off the market before the folks next door notice a For Sale sign in their neighbors yard. And unfortunately theres no projected improvement anytime soon.

So what are we to make of all this? Why should you care about housing prices? What is your family supposed to do when youre struggling to buy something? There are so many questions I get asked on a regular basis and today I have some answers.

The thing is theres not enough space in this article for all of them. However, what I do want to focus on is the first-time homebuyers. Bad news first? Now is the worst time to be a first-time homebuyer in decades, and possibly in the history of this town. The numbers dont lie. Over the last 5 years, median reported sales prices of single-family homes have increased a whopping 58.3%, (NTREIS) while the median household income has only increased 26.4% (US Census Bureau).

This in turn means that your dollars are worth less, and you cant buy as much house as you once could. In fact, if you bought a house 5 years ago, theres a good chance you wouldnt be able to afford it today. So, you might think If houses are more expensive than ever, gas is skyrocketing, my Walmart bill has doubled, and I havent gotten a raise in 2 years, how am I supposed to make it to next week!? Let alone buy a house! And theres no direct answer I can give on thatbut take a breath, I have some tips that could help you navigate with a clearer mind.

Keep your sanity by realizing that the prices you knew 5 years ago are gone. And likely never coming back barring a major catastrophic event. But it is also true that our problems are not unique, and some areas of the country have it worse.

When considering buying a house, as competitive as it is, a great agent will keep you sane. Having a loyal, trustworthy real estate agent who will go the extra mile for you is priceless. Use every tool at your disposal starting with a good agent. Bonus points if they are an experienced lender.

When it comes to getting a mortgage you dont need 20% down or anywhere near that much so please be careful with out of town lenders. Part of keeping your sanity here in Hopkins County is by understanding our rural real estate market is unique. And out of town lenders (especially out of state lenders) arent privy to how farm and ranch properties work. I would love to get into more details about this but trust me, it helps working with banks that are familiar with our area. If you do go out-of-state, be prepared for a process that can be extra stressful that could possibly end with a negative experience.

Now that youre armed with a knowledgeable and trustworthy agent, youll need to find a house. And in this market, it takes a combination of patience and swift action to decide whats best. Like I mentioned earlier theres a good chance that house will be sold very quickly. Keep the crazy out of the hunt by communicating with your agent! They can set up automatic searches tailored for you so you receive automated emails the moment a house hits the market. An agent also has available tools to assist you in finding those properties that meet your criteria and help specify options.

The homebuying process is one of the most heavily regulated processes in the country. There are legal guidelines, inspection periods for due diligence, and other various rules that real estate agents have to abide by. A real estate agent should do everything within their power to provide protection for you during this process. By hiring a good one, youll keep your sanity as your agent handles the burden of the contract negotiation process.

The local market has unfortunately been a sore subject for several years. But this is my hometown and Im not here to speak on the horrors of markets like the Bay Area or Toronto. I am only here to help put everything into perspective for those that may be unaware. In my opinion, these high prices are unfortunate because the median income can no longer afford the median house.

For this article, I included homes only on 5 acres or less to prevent skewing the numbers from typical single-family homes below:

There are numerous causes for this, but the result always ends with working class families consistently being expected to do more with less. As much as Id love to propose solutions, my goal for this article is to spread awareness. Perhaps, you will come away with a better understanding and insight of the recent trends.

Although affordable homes are harder to find, rest assured that they do exist. With a little patience and the right people on your side, you can make it happen!

God Bless.

About the Contributor: Jed Walker works full-time in a family-owned business of Real Estate Appraisers. After getting a Bachelors degree from Sam Houston State University, Jed left a successful sales career in Dallas to return to the business his knows bestreal estate. Combining both the mindset of an appraiser and a real estate agent allows him to bring his unique perspective and approach to the home buying process. He understands that buying a home is not just a financial investment but an emotional one. Add to that, his patience and quick on the draw updates are just a small part of what sets him apart from those just looking for a commission check. Jed also knows how best to market your home, land, or commercial property in the most efficient manner, both in price and time.

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5 Tips to Stay Sane in the Real Estate Market - frontporchnewstexas.com

Actor Gabriele Angieri of Burnsville went with his family to see the play The Family Line at the Capri Theater in Minneapolis. The 2-man show takes place entirely within a car, as a Jewish grandfather and his 15-year old biracial grandson meet for the first time and embark on a 24-hour road trip from Florida to Minnesota.

The grandson, whose mother has just died, struggles with a sense of abandonment as his grandfather swoops into his life to deliver him to a new life in Minnesota with a father he does not know. Set in 2020 during the unrest in Minneapolis, it's a show interwoven with family secrets and social commentary that Angieri said sparked both laughter and tears, as well as an excellent discussion with his 12 year-old daughter afterward.

The Family Line is the second show for Stage North, which launched in fall of 2021 with a focus on plays about urban life. Its shows are performed at the newly remodeled Capri Theater in North Minneapolis. Stage North has a partnership with Patrick Henry High School Drama Club, whose student members worked on the crew for the show.

The show runs through April 17th, with 2 PM matinees Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday and evening shows Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM.

Fiber and textile artist Nora Rickey has enjoyed watching Cecilia Rolandos evolving art show at the Front Porch Coffee & Tea Co. in Ely. In place since January, the show has been extended through April, and Rolando has continued to add new work as pieces sell. Rolandos creative work is wide-ranging, from realistic watercolor florals to bold abstract paintings, from collages to jewelry to haiku. Rickey says the throughlines of the visual work on display are Rolandos vivid colors, which add to the warmth of the popular community coffee shop. If you miss the show at the Front Porch, Rolandos work is also on display at Art and Soul Gallery and Gift House down the street.

Cecilia Rolando and her work at Art and Soul gallery in Ely during a 2021 show.

Courtesy of Cecilia Rolando

Bassist Rob Morgan clearly recalls the massive transition he made from music student to touring performer, and hes excited to see a theater version of that launching ground when the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theaters BFA students mount The School for Lies, starting Friday. This will be the first time in two years that graduating seniors in the acting program will take to the Dowling Stage on the Guthries 9th floor. The play by David Ives is an adaptation of Molieres classic comedy Le Misanthrope, so you can expect to see larger-than-life characters and drama with plenty of witty repartee. Scenes, costume, light, and sound were all designed by University of Minnesota faculty. The show runs through April 23.

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Art Hounds: creative work abounds this spring - MPR News

The show, which was inspired by the original film, was a supernatural drama starring Tyler Posey as Scott McCall.

Posey and much of the original cast is back for the movie, which is being billed as a revival of the show, according to an article by Variety. The cast includes Holland Roden, Shelley Hennig, Crystal Reed, Orny Adams, Linden Ashby, JR Bourne, Colton Haynes, Ryan Kelley, Melissa Ponzio, and Dylan Sprayberry.

A synopsis on IMDb says, A full moon rises in Beacon Hills, and with it a terrifying evil has emerged. The wolves are howling once again, calling for the return of Banshees, Werecoyotes, Hellhounds, Kitsunes, and every other shapeshifter in the night. But only a werewolf like Scott McCall, no longer a teenager yet still an Alpha, can gather both new allies and reunite trusted friends to fight back against what could be the most powerful and deadliest enemy they've ever faced.

Variety quoted Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of ViacomCBS Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios: Teen Wolf was a global cultural phenomenon that spawned one of the largest and most loyal fandoms we are thrilled to partner with the incredibly talented Jeff Davis to reward the fans, reignite this franchise with an original movie, and launch a brand-new series Wolf Pack for Paramount+.

TeenWolffandom.com says California-based sets from the show were used in initial filming before production moved to the Atlanta area on April 4, 2022.

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Teen Wolf movie, a revival of the hit TV show, now filming in Georgia - Southern Thing

Dont be in too big a rush to get out in your gardens this month. Wet clay soil is easily compacted at this time of year and the damage may not be easily fixable.

Stay off your lawn if possible and let the grass grow to suck up some of the extra soil moisture. As wet as it is now, by May we may be experiencing drought conditions. This is a good time to install some rain barrels to collect water, using 55-gallon drums or even watering troughs designed for livestock. A 10-foot- long gutter and downspout attached to a shed or garage roof will collect lots of rainwater this spring that you may need later on. My barrels fill up completely with only a half-inch of rain, using a 10-foot-long gutter.

Of course, any standing water provides mosquito-breeding habitat so you need to take precautions. There is a product called Mosquito Dunks that releases a type of bacteria that kills mosquito larvae, (Bacillus thurigensis) but is pretty harmless to most other living things. The dunks last about 30 days in the barrels unless the water overflows and washes them out. Of course, you need to empty any container that holds water for more than a couple of days, now that these blood drinkers are active once more.

Old tires are particularly common mosquito breeding grounds, but bird baths, clogged gutters and even persistent puddles can be troublesome. Ponds with fish rarely are a problem since mosquito larvae are a favorite fish food.

Black bears have emerged from hibernation now, so make sure you either remove your winter bird feeders or bring them in at night, every night. Once a bear discovers a free snack from a bird feeder it is very likely to return. Likewise, make sure your garbage is well-secured outside. Bears can open unlocked dumpsters and will go in a shed for a free meal.

Resist the urge to apply lawn fertilizer to green up your spring lawn. If your lawn does not green up on its own, it is most likely dead. This is NOT a good time to apply fertilizers, in general, since they may be washed away and can pollute other water bodies downhill or downstream from you. Likewise, avoid applying herbicides, but be on the lookout for early emerging insect pests such as tent caterpillars in fruit trees. Early treatment is preferable to waiting until the pests are fully grown and doing damage.

Deer ticks are already becoming active, sadly, so be diligent after walking, hiking or doing any outside activity. Perform frequent tick checks of your clothes while outside and before you go to bed at night. It takes at least 24 hours of ticks feeding on you to get Lyme disease or most other tick-borne diseases. Deer ticks do not hatch carrying the Lyme disease bacteria, they acquire it from another host, usually a small mammal, like a mouse, after feeding on the hostsblood. This usually occurs when the ticks are in their initial larval stage and are almost impossible to see because they are so tiny. Spraying cotton balls with permethrin repellant and placing them in cardboard tubes, such as toilet paper or paper towel tubes, will attract mice to gather the cotton for nesting and these will kill any ticks they acquire. One reader told me that since he started doing this, he has noticed a dramatic decrease in the tick population around his property.

There is a commercially available product, called Daminex (I think thats the name) that is specifically designed for this purpose. I dont even try to control the mouse populations that inhabit my sheds and even my house while I am here in Florida, but I do use the tubes when I return. We still know very little about the ecology of tick-borne diseases or why, for that matter. Some people seem to be much more inclined to attract them. I can spend hours working outside with no ticks seen, but oftentimes a visitor walking with me seems to get two or three of them in 20 minutes.

I suppose some people are tick magnets as some people are also mosquito magnets while others are rarely attacked. Some say that eating lots of garlic will repel them as you emit the fragrance from your pores. Eating lots of garlic may also repel people, however. I had planned to write this column on ramps, also known as wild leeks, which is a garlic relative that also lingers in your body for days, but that will have to wait until next week. For me, perhaps it is my blood alcohol content that deters them!

Bob Beyfuss lives and gardens in Schoharie County. Send him an e-mail to rlb14@cornell.edu.

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Bob Beyfuss: Some timely tips on rain barrels, bears and ticks - The Daily Freeman

Mowing your lawn less helps create a habitat for bees to thrive. No Mow May, a conservation initiative popularized by an organization based in the U.K., is now growing traction across North America.

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A well-kept lawn has historically been a staple of American landscaping.

Psychology Today published an article in February 2020 called The Strange Psychology of the American Lawn in which author Austin Perlmutter M.D. writes about how a well-manicured lawn is tethered to ideas like success and stability. Many equate an overgrown lawn to neglect, incompetence, and laziness or so our culture would have you believe.

Lawns account for 2%, or 40 million acres, of land in the United States, making them the single largest irrigated crop in America. They require frequent mowing, raking, fertilizing, weeding, watering, and chemical treatment.

Not only is lawn care burdensome, expensive, and time-consuming, but it can be harmful to the surrounding wildlife.

When we think of habitat loss, we tend to imagine forests being cut down and bulldozers flattening fields to create parking lots. However, lawn maintenance is a major contributor to ecological homogenization (biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse) in the U.S.

No Mow May, a conservation initiative first popularized in the U.K., has gained traction across North America. The goal of No Mow May is to allow grass to grow unmown for the month of May, creating habitat and forage for pollinators and other wildlife.

In 2020, researchers at Lawrence University studied the effects of No Mow May when residents of Appleton, Wisconsin took part in the initiative. The findings showed that the abundance of bees in lawns unkempt for a month was five times higher than in manicured lawns.

Since nearly 90% of the worlds plant species rely on pollinators to reproduce, an abundance of bees is critical to a healthy environment. (Fun Fact: New Jerseys state bug is the honeybee!)

In addition to benefiting pollinators, No Mow May will save water, help your lawn become more resilient to drought, reduce emissions from gas-powered lawn equipment, and save you time and money.

Most cities and municipalities have some form of weed and lawn care ordinance that dictates the height and sometimes the types of plants homeowners are allowed to grow.

So to keep your neighbors happy while participating in No Mow May, here are some tips from Bee City USA:

Will you take part in No Mow May? Let us know how you feel about this initiative in the comments.

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Save the Bees with No Mow May | Morristown Minute - NewsBreak Original

The 4-year-old boy who plunged to the ground from a sixth-floor window of a Bronx apartment building a day ago suffered two fractured legs and kidney damage but is expected to survive, cops say, thanks to a patch of grass that helped lessen the blow.

The child, who has not been identified, remained hospitalized Wednesday after being taken there around 12:45 p.m. Tuesday when he fell from the window at the Patterson Houses, a NYCHA complex on East 143rd Street in Mott Haven, police said.

Neighbors pointed to the grassy patch as possibly helping save the boy's life. They say he was conscious immediately after he hit the ground but he was bleeding from his head. He was taken to a hospital just across the street from the housing complex.

"Let me tell you something: Its a miracle that he fell in this grass, that boy was still fighting," said neighbor Juanita Kelsey.

A 4-year-old boy fell out a sixth-floor window of a Bronx apartment building Tuesday, authorities said. NBC New York's Gaby Acevedo reports.

Police have said their investigation is ongoing. It's not clear what caused the fall.

The window he fell from had an air conditioning unit. There was a small space to the side of it that had a piece of blue cloth hanging in it, with no window bars visible from the ground level. That's where witnesses said the boy fell through.

NYCHA says it is also investigating.

"NYCHA is investigating this unfortunate incident and will work with the family to make sure that they have the services they need," a spokesperson said. "Upon initial review, window guards are present throughout the apartment where required and were last checked in February 2022, and there are no repair work orders on record for the air conditioners present in the residence."

Window bars are required if a child 10 years of age or younger lives in the apartment, but guard rails are not required next to air conditioner units.

According to NYCHA's website, "there shall not be any unguarded spaces greater than 4 1/2 inches on either side of, or above the air conditioner. Spaces greater than 4 1/2 inches must be covered with rigid metal panels that can withstand 150 lbs. of pressure instead of accordion panels."

NBC New York observed multiple windows in the complex that did not appear to meet those standards, however, leaving some concerned.

"Thats why its best to have guard rails, to make sure the kids dont have access to the windows. Thats the number one thing," one neighbor said.

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4-Year-Old Fractures Both Legs, Damages Kidney in Fall From 6th-Floor NYC Window - NBC New York