Escaped con, prison guard lover planned shootout with police before capture – National & International News – TUE 10May2022

Escaped con recaptured, prison guard lover dead. Biden announces free internet deal for low-income households. Canada, Mexico prepare to receive America’s reproductive refugees.

NATIONAL NEWS

Escaped con, prison guard lover planned shootout with police before capture

Yesterday, a car chase in Indiana ended a manhunt that began over a week ago in Alabama. On April 29, Lauderdale County prison guard Vicky White, 56, checked out prisoner Casey White (no relation), 38, for a courthouse appointment. It was against protocol for a guard to transport a prisoner alone, but Vicky White had a spotless two-decade record. It was also her last day on the job before retirement.

The Whites drove to a commercial parking lot and changed vehicles. Authorities began the search after they failed to return and the courthouse appointment turned out to be bogus. Inmates came forward saying that the Whites had been in a romantic relationship.

The pair drove north, changing vehicles again in Tennessee. Along the way, citizens reported multiple sightings of Casey White, who was hard to miss at 6’9″. Eventually, tips led police to an Evansville, IN, motel where the Whites were laying low. 

Local police spotted the pair in a Cadillac and gave chase, forcing them into a ditch. Casey White surrendered, urging the officers to “Please help my wife – she just shot herself in the head”. Vicky White later died of her injuries.

In the vehicle, police found $29,000 in cash, multiple wigs and several guns, including an AR-15. Casey White told officers they’d planned a shootout with police if cornered. Casey White is returning to Alabama, where he faces a capital murder charge in the 2015 stabbing death of a 58-year-old woman. 

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Biden announces free internet deal for low-income households

The White House has struck a deal with 20 major Internet service providers that make tens of millions of low-income households eligible for free internet service. Essentially, the 20 providers have agreed to a special $30/month rate for qualifying customers. The $30 will be paid by the US government through an existing voucher program. The funding comes from the $14.2 billion Affordable Connectivity Program, part of last year’s $1 trillion hard infrastructure package.

Through the program, about 48 million households will be able to receive high-speed internet if they sign up with a participating provider. The participating providers serve areas where 80% of the US population live, including 50% of the rural population. 

The providers are: The providers are Allo Communications, AltaFiber (and Hawaiian Telecom), Altice USA (Optimum and Suddenlink), Astound, AT&T, Breezeline, Comcast, Comporium, Frontier, IdeaTek, Cox Communications, Jackson Energy Authority, MediaCom, MLGC, Spectrum (Charter Communications), Starry, Verizon (Fios only), Vermont Telephone Co., Vexus Fiber and Wow! Internet, Cable, and TV.

Even if you are not subscribed to one of these companies, you may still be eligible for a discount through the Affordable Connectivity program. You can qualify if your income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level; or you or a member of your household benefits from one of several programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) and Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Canada, Mexico prepare to receive America’s reproductive refugees

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, Illinois may be the only state in the Midwest where abortion remains legal. It would also be the closest for women in most of the Southern states that find themselves in need of a procedure. Health workers in the states are preparing by expanding existing clinics and building new ones. Reproductive rights groups across the states are also gathering funds to help poor women travel.

But Illinois may be too far for many, and demand in the state will be high, leading to long wait times. So Canada or Mexico may be the next best option.

Currently, Canadians in rural parts of Canada routinely drive across the border into the US to receive abortions. However, that trend may soon be reversed. Americans will have to pay about C$500 (US$388) for a surgical abortion. But they may face long wait times, varying between one to two weeks in Ontario to several weeks or months in the Atlantic provinces.

Mexico has recently loosened some of its prohibitions on abortion. In 2021, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to criminalize abortion. However, many states still have their own bans in place. Surgical abortions up to 12 weeks are available the Mexican counties of Coahuila and Baja California, which share a border with the US. In public clinics, surgical abortions are free, and there are also services where women can receive free abortion pills. 

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