Deserts

Second Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy dies from coronavirus complications

By CaliNews 4 hours ago

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced Friday morning that a second deputy has succumbed to the COVID-19 virus. Deputy David Werksman was most recently assigned to Sheriff’s admin We are saddened to announce the death of Deputy David Werksman, most recently assigned to Sheriff’s Admin. Deputy Werksman passed away on Thursday, April 2, 2020, due to complications from COVID-19. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/cDshazQpeQ — Riverside County Sheriff’s Dept (@RSO) April 3, 2020 This comes after Thursday’s announcement that Deputy Terrell Young, who served the department for 15 years, was the first reported death in the department. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to to his loved ones during this difficult time,” said RSO on Twitter. Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco tells NBC Palm Springs that his department has been hit hard. Thursday afternoon Bianco said 25 department employees have tested positive, with several more still being tested. He said several employees are hospitalized, one critically. It is unknown at this time if the one in critical condition was Deputy Werksman. The department has advised any employees…

Kenya has freed nearly 5000 inmates via Skype court sessions

By CaliNews 12 hours ago

Kenya is decongesting its prisons to prevent overcrowding as a way to curtail the spread of coronavirus in the country. In the past month, the East African country has released 4800 prisoners in different parts of the country, according to Anne Amadi, the chief registrar of the judiciary in Kenya. Many of the sessions leading to the release of these prisoners were held virtually through Skype and Zoom, she said. “We prioritized getting a lot of people out of prison, especially petty offenders. Those who are in prison for a short term and those who have been there for a long time but have just about six months and below to go,” she told CNN. “As of Friday last week, we managed to decongest the prison by about 4800 inmates from different parts of the country. All our 39 high court stations have released people. Most of them, a good number, through Skype or Zoom,” she added. Dusk to dawn curfews Kenya currently has 110 cases of coronavirus as of Thursday. Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta also declared a dusk to dawn curfew on March 27,…

Family and Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Remember Deputy Who Died of COVID-19

By CaliNews 17 hours ago

Terrell Young, a  52-year-old deputy with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department died from complications of COVID-19. The first deputy from the department to die from the virus. Sheriff Chad Bianco says this is a tragic loss, “Our hearts go out to his family and friends … Deputy Young was a fantastic employee for this department, he worked for us for almost 15 years … he certainly was an asset to this department and he’ll be missed.”  Behind the badge, he was a loving husband and proud father of four who also served his country as a U.S. Marine. His family is devastated over his loss. They sent us this statement: Deputy Terrell Young was a pillar in his family and the community. He was never seen without a smile on his face, always looking for ways to encourage those around him. His wife and four children love and miss him dearly. Deputy Young’s family are grateful for the prayers, condolences and respect of their privacy during this time.  Sheriff Bianco says they’ve been hit hard by this loss and the virus, “Unfortunately the 23 members…

Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy dies from coronavirus complications, 25 deputies also test positive

By CaliNews 17 hours ago

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced that a deputy has succumbed to the COVID-19 virus. Deputy Terrell Young served the department for 15 years. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to to his loved ones during this difficult time,” said RSO on Twitter. Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco tells NBC Palm Springs that his department has been hit hard. Thursday afternoon Bianco said 25 department employees have tested positive, with several more still being tested. He said several employees are hospitalized, one critically. The department has advised any employees that feel sick to call out. Bianco says all employees are seen by medical staff before they enter their work facility and if they show any symptoms they are sent home. He also said several of the employees that have tested positive showed no symptoms. The employees that have tested positive are both male and female, are healthy or have underlying health conditions and range in age — with the oldest being 59-years-old. It is unclear how many of the cases originated from the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta, where a deputy who died of the disease was…

Local marijuana dispensary produces sanitizer during shortage

By CaliNews 17 hours ago

PALM SPRINGS- Edward Reyes and the From the Earth team in Desert Hot Springs typically produce medical cannabis, but this week his group is creating hand sanitizer to fight the current shortage. “I started making the sanitizer for our dispensary workers, we ran out quickly just like everybody else, and so I started making more sanitizer and now it’s become a public initiative,” said Reyes, a VP of manufacturing for From the Earth. Inside of a small facility, their equipment has been converted to create an antispetic. “We’re giving back to first responders and hospitals, there’s a big shortage right now and instead of turning a profit we’re doing everything we can to help out,” said Reyes. With their new focus, the group can create almost 300 gallons of hand sanitizer a week for the county and surrounding areas. “Fortunately for us a lot of the equipment that we have can easily be used to make several things and so hand sanitizer, being primarily made of ethanol, is what we use in our every day process,” said Reyes. The finished product is then sent out…

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