(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Evening Shade---Resistance Rising---Saturday, June 7th (regional edition) [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-06-07
A SANCTUARY OF SANITY AFTER A LONG HARD DAY OF FIGHTING FASCISM YOU WILL FIND in the DIARIES a LOT of POLITICS (Or NOT As the CASE MAY BE) AND EVEN MORE CRITTERS THE PERSON who MAKES the FIRST COMMENT WILL GET TWO CRITTERS EVERY PERSON WHO COMMENTS WILL GET A CRITTER RULES IN THE DIARY WHEN YOU FIND SOMETHING in the DIARY that you LIKE YOU CAN REPOST IT AS COMMENT in the DIARY
===
A gentle administrative note that we could use more volunteers, especially for critter wrangling, but diarists,too. There are resources available if one asks in the mornings.
P.S. The step I’ve never done is inviting someone to the community. I do know that the requester would get a Kosmail to accept. I’m not sure what it gets you, but an admin can promote you from there.
===
I actually have too much material for tonight. The cutting room floor should be deeper, but I didn’t hate most of the material I found.
===
===
===
Via NBC:
ICE arrest of H.S. student sends shock waves through a Massachusetts town
An athlete, a musician, an exceptional high school student with an infectious smile. This is how community members in Milford, Massachusetts, described Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, an 18-year-old high school junior who was arrested by immigration authorities and sent to a detention center this weekend. Gomes Da Silva was driving his father's car on his way to volleyball practice with some of his teammates Saturday morning when immigration authorities stopped him. Immigration authorities made the traffic stop because they were looking for Gomes Da Silva’s father, who is unlawfully present in the country, according to Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.✂️
I have no words to express my outrage. Attempting to deport promising people and all we get is Big Balls.
===
I’m cutting a story from Michigan (Michigan Advance) about ICE arresting immigrants who show up for immigrant check-ins. So, they check-in and get arrested or they don’t go, and they are issued an arrest warrant. Needless to say, this is truly fucked up and ICE needs to be reined in.
It is the opinion of this court that the Attorney General is a big poopy-head and is sentenced to five years of passing remedial Judicial courses or until she stops being a poopy-head, whichever comes last. /s
===
I’ve got a trove of Michigan stories today, but I think I need to cull it to make this diary readable. All Michigan Advance ...
Michigan librarian pushes back against years of harassment from Moms for Liberty adherent
After five years of public name-calling, being called a “smut peddler” and a “pedophile” by a woman from a far-right group advocating book bans, West Michigan librarian Christine Beachler is finally pushing back. Beachler recently filed a civil lawsuit against the woman, Stefanie Boone, who is associated with the group Moms for Liberty, which specifically advocates against school curricula involving LGBTQ+ content and themes. The harassment Beachler experienced, and the back-and-forth legal battle that is now playing out as a result, was just one more instance of Michigan libraries and librarians facing attacks from right-wing groups dedicated to excising LGBTQ+ related materials from their shelves. Earlier this week, Michigan Advance highlighted additional efforts in Hartland and in Lapeer to sequester, move or label materials conservative library board members have deemed inappropriate for children – and many with LGBTQ+ characters or content. But for Beachler, the legal fight she’s facing in Lowell is personal.✂️
Another one of those stories where you can only hope for a judge who will smack Stefanie Boone down hard. Librarians are awesome!
===
Chemical company director to stand trial for Flint River oil spill
Nearly three years after a Flint-based chemical processing company released about 15,000 gallons of mixed oil and chemicals into the Flint River, the company’s director is set to stand trial for his role in the release. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Friday announced that Rajinder Singh Minhas, of Rochester, was bound over to stand trial in the Genesee County Circuit Court on four felony charges for allegedly mismanaging and neglecting critical maintenance and upgrades at the Lockhart Chemical Company. Minhas stands accused of four felony charges: Falsely altering a public record, punishable by up to 14 years in prison;
Uttering and publishing a false or altered public record, also punishable by up to 14 years in prison;
Substantial endangerment to the public, punishable by up to five years in prison;
Discharge of an injurious substance to waters of the state, punishable by up to two years in prison. “Serious violations by businesses that endanger the health and well-being of Michigan residents and our environment cannot be tolerated,” Nessel said in a statement. “I am grateful to the talented prosecutors in my office, the dedicated experts from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Michigan State Police, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, and detectives of EGLE and [the Department of Natural Resource’s] Environmental Investigation Section, who all played a significant role in advancing this case through the judicial process.”✂️
Good Dog! Haven’t the people of Flint suffered enough? Kudos to Michigan for bringing these charges, but I still haven’t forgotten the lead pipes corroding and discharging into their drinking water.
===
Related…
Michigan Democrats aim once again to hold polluters accountable for cleanups
Democratic lawmakers in both the Michigan House and Senate announced Friday they would be taking another stab at legislation to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up contamination. For years, Michigan Democrats have introduced “polluter pay” legislation seeking to alter the current regulations on polluter responsibilities, which lawmakers and environmentalists argue have left taxpayers holding the bag. Michigan is home to tens of thousands of contaminated sites, many of which are “orphan sites” where the responsible party is either no longer in business, or cannot be identified. Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), a longtime advocate for polluter pay policies, said in a statement that the bills would put liability where it belongs: with the polluters. “It’s shocking that Michigan law doesn’t require polluters to actually clean up their mess or even report all spills,” Irwin said, noting the reintroduced package of bills aims to ensure more thorough cleanups and comprehensive spill reporting.✂️
I propose that all water, straight from a Flint, Michigan tap is the only source allowed for Michigan lawmakers until this is resolved.
Is it that Michigan has a larger number of problems or that they have more extensive reporting? I think it’s the latter.
===
===
I always feel like I’m cheating when I highlight Minnesota, since it’s my home. Apologies (as needed) in advance. A bunch from Minnesota Reformer.
Minnesota state workers say they’re ready to strike over return-to-office — and other labor news
State workers increase pressure in union negotiations State employees picketing outside negotiations between Minnesota budget officials and their union on Wednesday said they were absolutely willing to strike over Gov. Tim Walz’s part-time return-to-office order that took effect this week. “One-hundred percent I would. We can’t just roll over here,” said Erin Malone, an auditor for the Department of Revenue, at a demonstration in St. Paul with more than 50 workers and supporters on Wednesday. The two unions representing nearly 40,000 state workers — the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — are also fuming over the state’s health care proposals they estimate will raise many workers’ costs by thousands of dollars a year. The administration says rising health care costs leave them no choice.✂️
I’ve encountered pushback before on this, but I tend to think that if you can work remotely, have good communications and can hit your milestones, there is little reason for people to go to an office on most workdays. Pity, I usually agree with my governor.
===
Xcel president: Minnesota can meet data center energy demands and 2040 carbon-free mandate
The intra-DFL rift between labor unions whose members build data centers and progressives skeptical of corporate giveaways was on full display at the Capitol last week as lawmakers considered extending generous tax breaks for data centers’ purchases of computers, software and energy equipment. It was also evident in a May 28 energy webinar featuring top utility executives, state officials and representatives from regional labor, agriculture and environmental groups. The conversation came as Minnesota utilities weigh proposals for thousands of megawatts of new data center capacity, representing new electric consumption equal to millions of homes. As other construction sectors falter amid high interest rates and sluggish demand, union laborers and tradespeople see an opportunity in building data centers and the power plants to run them. “We need to be involved in the next iteration of energy development here in Minnesota,” said Joe Fowler, business manager for Laborers International Union of North America Local 563. To labor, that means building not only the wind, solar and battery plants that will form the backbone of Minnesota’s future electric grid, but large industrial facilities to soak up the power they produce. Others in the left-of-center coalition say unfettered data center growth could jeopardize progress toward the state’s statutory target of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 while threatening grid reliability and raising costs for ordinary utility customers. “We want to bring on large users like data centers, but not to the exclusion of others,” said Margaret Cherne-Hendrick, CEO of St. Paul-based Fresh Energy, a policy and communications shop focused on clean energy. Though the data center boom was the elephant in the room, the conversation touched on some of the broader challenges issues facing Minnesota electric utilities, workers and customers as a dysfunctional state legislative session limps to a close and federal policymakers get closer to passing a budget bill that cuts taxes for the rich and Medicaid for the poor while, experts say, raising power prices for everyone.✂️
Bitcoin and NFT mining are a fruitless endeavor (IMO) and very, VERY energy intensive. AI can be used for good as well as bad. But it is also very energy intensive. Data centers (in general) help build infrastructure and businesses that are trying to boost the economy (and increasing shareholder profit). Green energy benefits us all. One blanket policy for all uses of clean energy is required, I suppose. So, I guess, open it up and regulate industries that you want to disincentivize. I'm open to persuasion.
===
OK, one last one from Minnesota because it’s schadenfreudelicious.
First person convicted of felony wage theft in Minnesota sentenced to three years probation
✂️ Newell’s company received more than $320,000 for the work on the development, which required that he pay a prevailing minimum wage of $36 per hour for painters and $36.41 per hour for general laborers plus benefits because it received public funding through tax increment financing. Newell paid his workers far less than required — from $15 to $25 per hour — and submitted falsified payroll records to cover up the underpayments. All told, Newell stole more than $35,000 in wages from five workers, with one employee underpaid by nearly $14,000 over just three months in 2020, according to the criminal conviction. ✂️
===
x ICE is the January 6 insurrectionists all over again. Only instead of attacking law enforcement, they are pretending to *be* law enforcement. And instead of just terrorizing at the Capitol, they are doing it EVERYWHERE. — Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 2:03 PM
===
‘Popular’ bobbleheads of Gov. McMaster benefit SC parks. They’re a Statehouse exclusive (scdailygazette.com)
===
===
I’ve mentioned before that it can be difficult to find good news coming out of Arkansas. It could be just a question of reporting. I certainly don’t want to diminish and dishearten our allies there. Here’s a bright spot from Arkansas. I expect to look more closely at the state again soon.
Little Rock’s SoMa Pride sees influx of donations ahead of Saturday’s festivities (arkansasadvocate.com)
Little Rock’s second annual SoMa Pride festivities scheduled for Saturday will be smaller than last year’s due to fewer sponsorships, but much of the event will go on as planned, organizer Elizabeth Michael said. SoMa Pride is co-hosted by Central Arkansas Pride, which also hosts LGBTQ+ events in October, and the SoMa 501 nonprofit, of which Michael is executive director. The nonprofit launched a crowdfunding campaign in March with a goal of $20,000 to “bridge the gap” after losing “a few major funding sources,” Michael said in May. As of Thursday, the goal had been reduced to $10,000, and the campaign had raised $6,800, an increase of $4,480 in just under a month. A May 29 article in The Guardian highlighted nationwide struggles to host Pride events, including SoMa Pride, in the current political climate. Michael said the publicity led to an influx in donations to the event’s crowdfunding campaign. “It has been extremely uplifting to see the support, not only locally, but from across the country,” she said. SoMa Pride will include a parade and performance art, such as live music and drag, on Saturday, as well as a Pride “pre-party” Friday evening at the Boswell Mourot art gallery. Saturday’s festivities will have one stage as opposed to two last year, Michael said. “We did scale it back some, but we’re really going to have a great event,” she said. “We didn’t have to scale back nearly as much as I thought we were going to have to.”✂️
===
Ohio immigration advocate: Homeland Security screwups aren’t just silly, they’re scary (Ohio Capital Journal)
Some in Ohio are mocking an error-filled list of so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions that the Trump administration hurriedly took down on Sunday. But an advocate for immigrants in the state said the mistake-riddled list should be cause for alarm. It named 500 states, cities and counties that were allegedly not doing their duty in helping federal officials enforce immigration law. However, it didn’t say how. The list included Warren County, northeast of Cincinnati, as a sanctuary county even though voters there went for Trump by a 65-33 margin on Nov. 5. The sheriff, Barry Riley, told WCPO television, “This report is wrong. A mistake has been made and incorrectly listed Warren County. We have reached out to representatives of the Department of Homeland Security to correct the issue.” Warren County might have made it onto the Homeland Security list because in 2021, Lebanon, the county seat, attempted to ban abortion by declaring itself “a sanctuary for the unborn,” said Lynn Tramonte, founder of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. She said other jurisdictions were mistakenly placed on the list after declaring themselves sanctuaries for gun owners. “It’s like they’ve got some intern with an AI program searching for the word ‘sanctuary’ and popping up a list of names of counties and cities,” Tramonte said. “They’re just sloppy.”✂️
===
Elayne is/was a standup that I remember. She’s very good.
===
Another cheat, having straddled the Red River of the North for all of my early life, is North Dakota. Via the North Dakota Monitor...
Army Corps upgrading Garrison Dam spillway after historic 2011 flooding
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working on shoring up Garrison Dam’s spillway, which is used to release water from Lake Sakakawea when water levels are high. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., announced in a news release Friday that the Corps was spending $24 million for dredging and the placement of riprap protection of the spillway at Garrison Dam near Riverdale. This work is part of the larger Garrison Dam Spillway Approach Rehabilitation Project and is expected to be completed in April 2028.✂️
I really almost hate Kevin Cramer. If this were a project in any other state he’d vote against it. OTOH, I’ve had enough exposure to the USACE to trust that (at least) the job will be done well.
===
Arizona police departments say ICE is not using their license plate scanners (azmirror.com)
A license plate scanning tool that is marketed to be used to combat car theft or find missing people is now being used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some Arizona police departments have access to the technology, but say that ICE hasn’t requested to use it. First reported by 404 Media, local police around the country have been using an AI-powered automatic license plate reader system as part of ICE investigations, essentially giving the agency access to a tool for which they don’t have a federal contract. The automatic license plate reader, or ALPR for short, camera systems gather data from license plates that can then be flagged or saved to databases. ALPR data can also reveal a lot about a person’s movements, and 404 Media found that the system was used in Texas to track a woman after she had an abortion. ✂️
Where are all of our friends in the “libertarian” sphere railing about jack booted thugs? Maybe they ought to be scanning for skin color rather than license plates. It would suit their goals better. /rant
===
Fueled by trade tensions and foreign wars, a rush for an obscure mineral heats up in Alaska
Alaska hasn’t produced antimony — a shiny mineral used in weapons, flame retardants and solar panels — in almost 40 years. That could change this summer, according to the executives of a Texas company that has snatched up more than 35,000 acres of mining claims in Alaska. Dallas-based U.S. Antimony Corp. is looking to the state as a new source of antimony for its smelter in Montana, the only plant in the United States that refines the mineral. Alaska’s antimony, the company says, could help the U.S. overcome a recent ban on exports of the mineral from China, the world’s top antimony producer. Antimony is among several minerals — many of which are used in renewable energy — that the U.S. has sourced primarily from China and other countries in recent decades. Efforts to build more mines in the U.S. have accelerated amid worsening trade tensions and growing demand. With no active antimony mines, the U.S. in recent years has imported roughly 60% of its antimony from China. Meanwhile, need for the mineral has surged as antimony-laden arms flow to wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The price of the mineral has quadrupled in the past year, rising from around $13,000 to $55,000 per ton.✂️
===
===
Via ComicSands:
Lesbian Speaks Out After She Was Beaten Unconscious For Entering Illinois McDonald's Bathroom
Two men are facing hate crime charges for attacking Kady Grass at a McDonald's in Carpentersville, Illinois, after she emerged from the women's bathroom. A 19-year-old Wisconsin woman is celebrating a win after hate crime charges were filed against the two perpetrators who assaulted and beat her unconscious at McDonald's because she is a lesbian. The attack occurred on May 13th when Kady Grass accompanied her 13-year-old cousin to McDonald's in Grass’s hometown of Carpentersville, Illinois, as a treat after attending the teen’s choir concert. ... When Grass acknowledged to the assailants that she is a lesbian and flicked her wrist at them, a group of five guys jumped her, beating and kicking her in the head. Grass’s cousin, several witnesses, and surveillance video captured the assault.✂️
I expect better from Illinois, but I’m sure you can find plenty of bad stories from Minnesota as well. I just wish the bigots would slither back under their rocks.
Anyway, this is turning dark, and I don’t want that.
===
Not local news, but of interest.
Former DC police officer sentenced to 18 months for lying about leaking info to Proud Boys leader
WASHINGTON (AP) — A retired police officer was sentenced on Friday to serve 18 months behind bars for lying to authorities about leaking confidential information to the Proud Boys extremist group's former top leader, who was under investigation for burning a Black Lives Matter banner in the nation's capital. Shane Lamond was a lieutenant for the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., when he fed information about its banner burning investigation to then-Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio. Last December, after a trial without a jury, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C., convicted Lamond of one count of obstructing justice and three counts of making false statements.✂️
===
OK, sorry. This was longer than I wanted, but I liked most of the material. Don’t worry, I’ll make it up by short-changing you on Monday.
The Jukebox is here. anotherdemocrat is hosting, Breakup songs is the theme. I’m trying to think of a submission. I went with When you were mine since it’s Prince (on his birthday and he was a Minnesota boy) and my band does a cover of it.
===
Today is...
NATIONAL BLACK BEAR DAY
Each year on the first Saturday in June, we celebrate National Black Bear Day to recognize the most commonly found bear in North America. Also known as the American black bear, the Black Bear is a magnificent animal. Today, let's bring awareness to this an enormous mammal and learn why it fascinates scientists and tourists alike. ✂️
(1:44)
===
International Supply Chain Professionals Day
International Supply Chain Professionals Day on June 7 is an initiative that celebrates all the workers who make the supply chain possible. This holiday goes far beyond truck drivers and container ship captains. It includes everyone from warehouse workers to inventory and transportation planners, export managers, load planners, and so many more. The professionals who get our favorite products from point A to point B wear many different hats, and all play a crucial role in a supply chain’s success – whether they’re working behind a desk or the wheel of a delivery van.✂️
“They’ll be our lifeline in our near future”
- Nostradamus (Not really Nostradamus)
===
NATIONAL OKLAHOMA DAY
National Oklahoma Day on June 7 recognizes the 46th state to be granted statehood. Unlike the April 22 Oklahoma Day state holiday that celebrates when Oklahoma became open to settlement, our National Oklahoma Day is an additional celebration for Oklahoma that celebrates the unique heritage, achievements, and spirit of Oklahoma. ✂️
Sorry if I’ve used this one before…
(0:15)
It’s a very funny movie that I encourage everyone to watch.
===
NATIONAL CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM DAY
National Chocolate Ice Cream Day falls on June 7 and all you need for this food holiday is chocolate ice cream. Whether you eat it in a bowl, with a cone, or directly out of the container, National Chocolate Ice Cream Day is a day for everyone.✂️
Oh, I could put up videos of delicious, creamy ice cream in all of its creamy goodness, cooly melting over your tongue on a hot summer day. But it would be pointless.
===
It’s Prince’s birthday
Prince could play it all — rock ‘n roll, R&B, funk, psychedelic rock, and we’re celebrating his artistic contributions on June 7. He was a prolific songwriter and penned some of our most popular contemporary hits, including “Purple Rain,” “1999,” and “Little Red Corvette.” Prince was born in Minneapolis in 1958 and lived there throughout his career. He also wrote, starred in, and created the soundtrack for the hit movie “Purple Rain,” released in 1984. Prince passed away in 2016 due to an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.✂️
(2:31)
===
It’s Daniel Boone Day ; Dissolution of Union between Norway and Sweden (June 7, 1905); June Bug Day ; World Caring Day ; National Prairie Day ; National Bubbly Day (even the thought gives me a hangover)
Store some of those for later. I’ve already started Monday’s Shade and there is, how you say? “Jacques merde” for days then. I’ll let Ghost improve my French (“Merde de Jacques?”).
===
The Shade is open, folks! Enjoy.
*Monday’s is forecast to be dire.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/7/2325063/-Evening-Shade-Resistance-Rising-Saturday-June-7th-regional-edition?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
