Three things for September 1
1. Jacob Blake’s father responds to President Trump’s visit
Jacob Blake remains hospitalized after being shot seven times in the back by officers last week in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In a video of the encounter, Blake is seen walking away from officers, who have their weapons drawn, as bystanders yell in the background.
Blake’s father recently expressed wishes for politics to be left out of the situation.
“I’m not going to play politics. This is my son’s life we’re talking about,” Jacob Blake Sr. told CNN on Monday.
President Trump announced he is not going to meet with Jacob Blake’s family because they wanted to involve lawyers.
“I thought it would be better not to do anything where there are lawyers involved,” Trump told reporters at a Monday evening press conference.
Subsequently, Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian said he wishes both President Trump and Joe Biden would wait longer before they visit the area, bringing along their political agendas.
“Our community has gone through a great deal, and there is no time right now for politics to be played,” said Antaramian.
2. Coronavirus outbreak in Tennessee’s South Central prison
The Tennessee Department of Health announced that the South Central Correctional facility has 974 inmates diagnosed with Covid-19, along with 288 staff members.
The South Central Correctional facility is a private prison managed by CoreCivic. The Tennessee Department of Correction said the cases were discovered during a second round of mass testing at the facility.
This is not the first prison in Tennessee to have an outbreak of the virus. Earlier this year, Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Hartsville, and Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville, Tennessee made records for the country’s largest cases in the prison system.
The inmates are being monitored daily for further health issues while the staff is self-quarantining until the contagion period is over.
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3. Lee offering free ESL classes
The Department of Language and Literature is offering free English as a Second Language classes to the community through its Center for English Language and Literacy (C.E.L.L).
“We are so excited that Lee’s community C.E.L.L. has been approved to host free ESL classes this fall with the continued support of the Athens Federal Foundation,” said Associate Professor of TESOL Dr. Chris Blake. “Due to the COVID-19 precautions, we will only be able to accept a limited number of students this semester, so it is important that students register early on our website.”
Registration is now open for the courses beginning Thursday, Sept. 10. For more information, email englishlanguagecenterlee@gmail.com or call 423-614-8223.
