Category Archives: Five Facts

Local, national, and global news that is easy to process.

Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, Local

Nick Rolovich, Former WSU Coach, Files Wrongful Termination Suit

Five Fast Facts

  • Rolocich applied for a religious exemption, but it was denied; WSU said at the time that they could not make appropriate accommodations for the head coach because the job required in-person interaction with hundreds of people a week
  • The former coach appealed his firing, first to the athletic director and then to the University President; both appeals failed to convince the school to reverse the firing.
  • For all state employees, even if a religious exemption was approved, the final decision rests with the supervisor and revolves around the ability to make appropriate accommodations for the employee’s unvaccinated status—accomodations that would require limited in-person interactions with other people
  • Rolovich has not publicly shared what his exact religious opposition to vaccination is and has publicly announced that he is not against vaccination in general or the choices others make to receive the vaccine

PULLMAN, WA—The former Washington State University (WSU) head football coach has followed up on his plans to sue the state of Washington by filing a tort suit against the state.

Rolovich was fired from WSU in October 2021 after he said he would not receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Rolovich applied for a religious exemption from Gov. Jay Inslee’s mandate requiring all state employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19. His religious exemption was denied by WSU. They said that they could not make appropriate accommodations for Rolovich if he was unvaccinated.

For further reading, visit King 5.

Five Facts, Local

Hobby Lobby says humbug to homeless outreach during heatwave

[Mount Vernon, Wash.] – Matt Uyeno set up to distribute water and cooling towels in a Dollar Tree parking lot with permission, but the Hobby Lobby next door called police and reported he was setting up a camp on their property.

Five Fast Facts

  • Uyeno originally set up near the Safeway gas station on College Way on Friday, but was asked to move so he relocated across the street on East College Way to the Dollar Tree, where the manager gave permission for his activities
  • The manager of Dollar Tree confirmed that permission was given to KIRO 7 News
  • On Saturday, Uyeno returned with coolers of cold water and cooling towels, and the Mount Vernon Police Department said Hobby Lobby called and claimed that people were “setting up a camp on the business property”
  • No one from Hobby Lobby ever spoke to Uyeno, but the police insisted he had crossed a few feet onto Hobby Lobby property; he was trespassed and barred from the property for one year
  • Uyeno, undeterred, moved further into the Dollar Tree parking lot and continued his assistance until 10 p.m., even ordering 17 large pizzas for the unhomed and the Dollar Tree employees

An independent community activist organizer says he was trespassed by the Hobby Lobby in Mount Vernon as he gave water to the homeless in 90-degree heat on Saturday.

Matt Uyeno told KIRO 7 News that the…pandemic has [sic] fueled an escalating homeless situation in Mount Vernon, which has been especially dire in Skagit Valley…

You can read more at KIRO7 News.

BIPOC, Five Facts, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Washington 3rd Congressional District primary candidate has alleged ties to white nationalism

Five Fast Facts

  1. Primary candidate Joe Kent (R-WA) who is challenging current Washington 3rd District congressperson Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) has the support of the former President Donald Trump and connections to right-wing extremists and white nationalists
  2. Kent is a close political ally of Joey Gibson, founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer
  3. Kent has spoken at extreme-right-wing events including the “Justice For J6” rally held near the U.S. Capitol on September 18, 2021.
  4. Nick Fuentes, neo-Nazi, pro-Putin, white nationalist, and white supremacist activist who gained a following after his involvement in the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, has said he and Joe Kent discussed working together last year
  5. A strategist for the Kent campaign released the statement: “Joe Kent’s platform of inclusive populism rejects racism and bigotry and invites all Americans to support his aggressive America First agenda”

WASHINGTON — A congressional candidate whose compelling personal story of military valor and unfathomable loss helped him win former President Donald Trump’s support has connections to right-wing extremists, including a campaign consultant who was a member of the Proud Boys.

Republican Joe Kent, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in Washington state in the Aug. 2 primary, has also courted prominent white nationalists and posed recently for a photograph with a media personality who has previously described Adolf Hitler as a “complicated historical figure” who “many people misunderstand.”

You read more from the Kitsap Sun via MSN.

Five Facts, National

Hyundai subsidiary under investigation for using child labor in Alabama

Five Fast Facts

  • SMART Alabama LLC, a majority-owned unit of Hyundai, supplies parts for the Elantra and Sonata sedans and Santa Fe SUV
  • The metal stamping plant in Luverne, Alabama, has a history of OSHA workplace safety violations
  • Current and former employees spoke with Reuters on condition of anonymity and reported working with obvious minors
  • A set of siblings aged 12, 13, and 15 are verified to have worked in the manufacturing plant where a minimum age of 18 is required for employment by federal law
  • The local police do not have jurisdiction to investigate labor-law violations and have reported their findings to the Alabama attorney general’s office
  • The Hyundai subsidiary released a statement saying it did not knowingly violate any laws and relies on temporary work agencies to fill jobs

[LUVERNE, Al,] — A subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co has used child labor at a plant that supplies parts for the Korean carmaker’s assembly line in nearby Montgomery, Alabama, according to area police, the family of three underage workers, and eight former and current employees of the factory.

Underage workers, in some cases as young as 12, have recently worked at a metal stamping plant operated by SMART Alabama LLC, these people said. SMART, listed by Hyundai in corporate filings as a majority-owned unit, supplies parts for some of the most popular cars and SUVs built by the automaker in Montgomery, its flagship U.S. assembly plant…

You can read more at Reuters.

BIPOC, Breaking News, Five Facts, Local

Family of 16-year-old shooting victim ready to sue City of Seattle

Five Fast Facts

  • Antonio Mays Jr. was shot and killed in the early morning hours of June 29, 2020
  • Mays Jr. had traveled to Seattle to be part of the new civil rights movement
  • The shooting occurred near the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone
  • The family claims the City of Seattle abandoned CHOP, failing to provide basic services, and that the lack of oversight ultimately led to the death
  • First responders cannot enter the scene of a violent crime without it first being secured by SPD, who claimed they were unable to do so due to the protests; Mays Jr. was transported to Harborview Medical Center by private vehicle from the scene

SEATTLE, Wash. – It’s been more than two years since Antonio Mays Jr. was shot and killed in Seattle. 

His father, who lives in southern California, says he waited to get answers for months. Now he’s fed up with a lack of information and accountability for his son’s death. Which led to a tort claim – essentially an early warning of a pending lawsuit – being filed against the City of Seattle…

You can read more at Q13Fox

Five Facts, Local, National

In 18 months, 20% of SPD officers have quit the force

Five Fast Facts

  • Acting Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz told CBS News 260 officers have left the force in the last 18 months
  • Seattle police officer Clayton Powell cited social justice protests and property destruction as his reason for early retirement stating, “we’re not allowed to intercede.”
  • Money cut from the 2021 police budget has still not been allocated to programs as they remain undefined
  • The Seattle City Council is considering another $5 million in cuts
  • Former police chief Carmen Best resigned to protest budget cuts to the force

SEATTLE, WA —

The Seattle Police Department is struggling under the backlash of recent police reforms. The state of Washington has just enacted a dozen police reform laws, following nearly a year of protests over police brutality.

According to one social justice group, more than $840 million were cut from U.S. police budgets in 2020.

Keep reading at CBS News

Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, National

7-year old Liza Scott selling lemonade to support her own brain surgery

1 Comment

Five Fast Facts

@malcontentnews

##fyp ##foryourpage ##healthcare ##news ##liza ##unitedstates ##healthinsurance Liza Scott is 7 years old and funding her own brain surgery ##wtf

♬ original sound – TheMalcontent
  • Seven-year old Liza Scott opened up a lemonade stand outside her parent’s bakery in Homewood, Alabama so she could buy herself toys and some high heeled shoes she wanted
  • About the same time she opened the stand, Liza started having seizures
  • Her mother learned that she has cerebral malformations that will need multiple brain surgeries at Boston’s Children Hospital
  • Despite owning her own business and having health insurance, her mother learned uncovered expenses and copays will be financially devastated
  • Liza told her mother she would keep selling lemonade to help fund her own surgery
  • When it comes to the looming surgery, Liza said, “I’m not worried, but I’m afraid.”

HOMEWOOD, Ala. — Liza Scott, 7, started a lemonade stand at her mom’s bakery last summer so she could buy some frills like toys and sequined high-heel shoes. The bouncy little girl is still in business months later, yet the money is going toward something entirely different: surgery on her brain.

Last month, doctors determined a series of seizures that Liza began suffering were caused by cerebral malformations that needed repair, said her mother, Elizabeth Scott. Always eager to help out and with an eye toward entrepreneurship after a childhood spent around a small business, the little girl volunteered to help raise money for her upcoming operation.

Keep reading at ABC News

BIPOC, Editorial, Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: March 1, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from March 1, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • White Nationalist hatred on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
  • Update on the Seattle Police shooting of a suicidal man
  • Malcontented Minutes
    • Prince Harry and Meghan Markle expecting their second child
    • Amazon sued for racial discrimination against Black and Latinx employees
    • Deb Haaland confirmation turns contentious
    • Woman arrested when Cheetos dust gives away her crime
    • Largest Protestant adoption agency in nation now open to LGBTQ parents
    • Texas AG sues utility companies over sky-high electric bills
    • Florida man makes wedding proposal using stolen wedding ring
    • Teen collects 30,000 pairs of shoes to donate to the unhomed
    • New York Governor Cuomo sexual harassment scandal
    • Mormon church reaffirms support for LGBTQ equality and religious freedom legislation
  • $15 minimum wage dies in the Senate, and the reasons are complicated
  • COVID-19 Fast Five Update
    • COVID cases are increasing just as the United States is letting its guard down
    • Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine receives emergency approval by the FDA
    • Seattle to open mass vaccination site at Lumen Field (formerly Century Link Field)
    • Black community lagging behind in vaccination in all but 5 states
    • A year later, Washington state is approaching 5,000 COVID deaths
  • Women History Month

Five Facts, National

Gab Update: CEO reports accounts hacked during a security breach

Five Fast Facts

  • Gab went offline for all users on February 19, 2021, for approximately 7 hours and deleted their Twitter account at the same time
  • During that outage, Cloudflare reported a 521 error, which indicated that the servers that host Gab was taken offline or shutdown
  • A group called Distributed Denial of Secrets released what they are calling ‘GabLeaks’ which included 70 gigabytes of data representing 40 million and posts and the account information for all Gab users
  • The group is only sharing the data with researchers and journalists because it contains passwords and other sensitive information
  • The data does not include pictures or videos, but does include private messages, private chats

When Twitter banned Donald Trump and a slew of other far-right users in January, many of them became digital refugees, migrating to sites like Parler and Gab to find a home that wouldn’t moderate their hate speech and disinformation. Days later, Parler was hacked, and then it was dropped by Amazon web hosting, knocking the site offline. Now Gab, which inherited some of Parler’s displaced users, has been badly hacked too. An enormous trove of its contents has been stolen—including what appears to be passwords and private communications.

Read more at Wired

BIPOC, Five Facts, National

Charges dropped against Plano, Texas Black man walking in street during snowstorm

Five Fast Facts

  • Rodney Reese, 18, was arrested on February 16 for walking in the road in Plano, Texas
  • Someone called 911 to report a Black man stumbling along in the middle of a snow-covered street wearing a short-sleeve shirt and they requested a welfare check
  • Reese repeatedly told officers he was fine and he was walking home from work, police continued to follow him for two-minutes despite denying any aid and then told him he would be detained
  • Officers accuse Reese of resisting arrest but elected not to charge him, and instead charged him with a misdemeanor, being a pedestrian walking in the roadway and arrested him
  • The acting police chief had the charges dropped, saying officers had no cause to stop or detain Reese based on the reason for the call and his response.

PLANO, Texas — A misdemeanor charge has been dropped against a Black man who was arrested last week for walking home on a street during a snowstorm in Texas.

Rodney Reese, 18, was arrested Feb. 16 in Plano and charged with being a pedestrian in the roadway, news outlets reported.

Keep reading at ABC News