‘This is costing our city’: Bomb threats and evacuations take financial toll on Springfield following Trump’s false claims
CNN
Springfield Mayor Ron Rue has spent more than a week scrambling to respond to a wave of bomb threats while subtly touting how the bill to keep people safe is growing daily.
Springfield Mayor Ron Rue has spent over a week scrambling to respond to a wave of bomb threats while subtly noting how the tab to keep people safe is growing daily. “This is costing the city. We’re definitely in the hundreds of thousands of dollars in expense. We haven’t calculated the overtime, the contracts that need to be secured to be able to secure and communicate… take care of our city,” Rue told CNN’s Boris Sanchez earlier this week. City officials had already asked for state and federal funding to address the challenges of a growing population – largely driven by the arrival of Haitian immigrants. Then, the small Midwestern city was thrust into the national spotlight, as Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance amplified debunked conspiracy theories claiming Haitian immigrants in Springfield are eating pet cats and dogs. The false claims triggered a weeklong string of bomb threats. They have shut down schools, government offices and grocery stores. The chaos has put more law enforcement on the streets, including tower cameras and state troopers stationed at public schools — all, at a cost to the city that has faced budget shortfalls. In the past decade, the city made significant cuts to its police and fire departments. Dan Tierney, press secretary for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, told CNN the additional patrol personnel would not likely represent an extra cost, as “those workers would be working and paid even if they were not assigned to Springfield.” Springfield city officials did not respond to a request for comment about the cost of enhanced security linked to the threats. But Rue issued a proclamation this week granting the city temporary emergency powers “to mitigate public safety concerns.” It includes an expedited process to secure additional security contracts to protect the community, Rue told CNN on Friday.
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Friday that nearly 100,000 residents who may not have fulfilled the state’s proof-of-citizenship requirements can still vote in state and local races this year, quickly resolving how election officials should address a clerical glitch that had left the eligibility of those registered voters in question.
Facing intense criticism for promoting false claims that Haitian immigrants in the Ohio city of Springfield are abducting and eating other residents’ pets, Sen. JD Vance has tried to pivot by blaming Vice President Kamala Harris and the influx of Haitians during her vice presidency for a variety of broader social issues in Springfield.
Georgia election board requires ballots be hand-counted despite warning from key GOP state officials
Allies of former President Donald Trump who control the Georgia State Election Board approved a controversial new rule Friday requiring counties to hand-count the of ballots cast at polling places on Election Day, despite bipartisan objections from election officials and poll workers.
After a quarter-century hosting giant pandas, Zoo Atlanta is saying goodbye to its beloved residents. The zoo announced its four giant pandas: Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun and Xi Lun will head home to China mid-October. Meanwhile, the San Diego Zoo welcomed two new pandas this summer, and the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington expects to become home to two bears by the end of 2024.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign on Friday launched a new television ad seeking to tie former President Donald Trump to North Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson, a day after a bombshell KFile report detailed a series of inflammatory comments Robinson made more than a decade ago.