https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/06/02/trump-georgia-election-investigation-fulton-county/
An Atlanta-area investigation of alleged election interference by President Donald Trump and his allies has broadened to include activities in D.C. and several states, according to two people with knowledge of the probe — a fresh sign that prosecutors may be building a sprawling case under Georgia’s racketeering laws.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) launched an investigation more than two years ago to examine efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his narrow 2020 defeat in Georgia. Along the way, she has signaled publicly that she may use Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute to allege that these efforts amounted to a far-reaching criminal scheme.
In recent days, Willis has sought information related to the Trump campaign hiring two firms to find voter fraud across the United States and then burying their findings when they did not find it, allegations that reach beyond Georgia’s borders, said the two individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly about the investigation. At least one of the firms has been subpoenaed by Fulton County investigators.
Willis’s investigation is separate from the one at the Justice Department being led by special counsel Jack Smith, but the two probes have covered some of the same ground. Willis has said she plans to make a charging decision this summer, and she has indicated that such an announcement could come in early August. She has faced stiff criticism from Republicans for investigating the former president, and the ever-widening scope suggests just how ambitious her plans may be.
The state’s RICO statute is among the most expansive in the nation, allowing prosecutors to build racketeering cases around violations of both state and federal laws — and even activities in other states. If Willis does allege a multistate racketeering scheme with Trump at its center, the case could test the bounds of the controversial law and make history in the process. The statute calls for penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
“Georgia’s RICO statute is basically two specified criminal acts that have to be part of a pattern of behavior done with the same intent or to achieve a common result or that have distinguishing characteristics,” said John Malcolm, a former Atlanta-based federal prosecutor who is now a constitutional scholar at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “That’s it. It’s very broad. That doesn’t mean it’s appropriate to charge a former president, but that also doesn’t mean she can’t do it or won’t do it.”
Among Willis’s latest areas of scrutiny is the Trump campaign’s expenditure of more than $1 million on two firms to study whether electoral fraud occurred in the 2020 election, the two individuals said. The Post first reported earlier this year that the work was carried out in the final weeks of 2020, and that the campaign never released the findings because the firms, Simpatico Software Systems and Berkeley Research Group, disputed many of Trump’s theories and could not offer any proof that he was the rightful winner of the election.
In recent days, Willis’s office has asked both firms for information — not only about Georgia but about other states as well. Trump contested the 2020 election results in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Ken Block, the CEO of Simpatico Software Systems, declined to comment on what he has turned over to investigators. A lawyer for the Berkeley Research Group also declined to comment. A spokesman for Willis declined to comment on the investigation. Lawyers for Trump also declined to comment.
It is unclear if Willis will seek indictments of people for alleged actions that occurred outside Georgia, such as those who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. RICO experts say it’s unlikely she will do so. But, these experts said, the law allows Willis to build a sweeping narrative of an alleged pattern of behavior to overturn the 2020 election, with Georgia as just one piece. Evidence and actions outside the state, such as Trump’s statements from Washington that inspired some of the rioters and the parallel efforts to overturn other states’ results, could be presented as additional evidence that helps establish that pattern.
“The Georgia statute is broadly written” to allow the inclusion of violations of federal law as well as some other states’ laws, said Morgan Cloud, a law professor at Emory University in Atlanta and expert on the state’s RICO law. “For example, acts to obstruct justice committed in Arizona might be relevant if the goal of the enterprise, of the racketeering activity, was to overturn the 2020 presidential election nationally, as well as in Georgia.”
Cloud added that prosecutors in Georgia must prove only that two racketeering crimes occurred under the state RICO statute, but that other facts could be used to explain the breadth of an alleged scheme.
An ambitious prosecution
Willis’s investigation has already come under scrutiny as a test of applying state criminal laws to actions that revolved around a federal election — and that in many instances resembled constitutionally protected speech. The probe has prompted a debate, even among those who believe Trump’s efforts were improper, as to whether prosecutors will be able to prove that Georgia crimes were committed.
Her potentially sweeping application of Georgia’s RICO statute could amplify those questions. RICO allows prosecutors to target leaders of alleged criminal enterprises who in previous generations eluded convictions. In Georgia, it can be applied to many patterns of activity that are crimes under state or federal law, such as dogfighting or drug dealing, obstruction or conspiracy — going far beyond its origins as a tool to fight organized crime.
Several legal experts said they expect Willis to home in on possible false statements by Trump and his allies to government officials — one of the crimes that can be prosecuted under Georgia’s RICO statute.
In 2015, Willis attracted national attention as a deputy district attorney by using RICO to prosecute a massive cheating scandal in Atlanta’s public schools that sent eight teachers and administrators to prison.
Prosecutors in Georgia have obtained RICO convictions where the pattern of racketeering activity included actions in other states. In one notable case, prosecutors in Richmond County got convictions for several men they accused of kidnapping a Sam’s Club manager in a robbery scheme in 1998, stuffing him into the trunk of a car, driving to South Carolina and killing him by setting the car on fire.
In the Trump case, Willis has said she is focused on the phone calls Trump made to multiple Georgia officials seeking to reverse his defeat, his campaign’s efforts to persuade the Georgia legislature to declare Trump the winner, the gathering of Trump’s electors to cast electoral college votes for Trump after Joe Biden had been declared the winner in the state, and the Trump campaign’s potential involvement in an unauthorized breach of election equipment in rural Coffee County, Ga.
Dozens of people participated in those efforts, according to reams of emails, texts and deposition transcripts from the House investigation into the Jan. 6 attack: Trump lawyers such as Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, Ray Smith and John Eastman; senior advisers including then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows; Jeffrey Clark, then a senior official at the Justice Department; and Georgia GOP leaders including the party chairman, David Shafer, and its then finance chairman, Shawn Still.
Multiple legal experts have said persuading a jury that those actions broke the law could prove difficult. The debate reflects the unprecedented nature of Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election. While the effort immediately prompted calls to hold him and others criminally responsible, identifying laws that apply to such a scenario has proved challenging — and could help explain why Willis’s investigation is in its third year. That dynamic applies both to the Georgia investigation as well as the special counsel’s federal probe.
Most of those scrutinized in the Willis investigation have maintained that they did nothing wrong. They had every right to pursue claims of anomalies, many have said, particularly given how close Biden’s margin of victory was in Georgia, two-tenths of 1 percent.
“There’s not a single thing that I did in pursuit of election integrity that I have any regret or concern about,” Shafer said in a recent GOP address.
“It’s dangerous,” said Malcolm, the Heritage scholar, referring to the investigation in Georgia of contingent electors. “What you’re doing is tainting political activists who are trying to play a part in an election, who are trying to help their candidate, and all of a sudden you’re launching a criminal investigation.”
Norm Eisen, who served as special counsel to the House of Representatives’ first impeachment of Trump, over his pressure campaign with Ukraine, cautioned that it’s too soon to judge the investigation, but said he believes the overall case is a “strong one.”
“Either skepticism or belief is premature because we are not privy to all the evidence that the district attorney has amassed at this point,” said Eisen, a criminal defense attorney and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “It just depends on the evidence.”
Eisen was among the authors of a lengthy examination of the applicable law in the Fulton investigation, concluding that possible crimes, besides racketeering, included making false statements and conspiracy to commit election fraud.
Malcolm said he agrees with the report’s conclusion that Trump is at substantial risk of being charged. But he said he believes much of its analysis is “slanted and misguided.”
Trump’s call to Georgia
Willis launched her probe shortly after Trump’s Jan. 2, 2021, phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), during which Trump said, “I just want to find 11,780 votes.” That number would have given Trump exactly the votes he needed to reverse Biden’s victory.
While Trump has been widely rebuked for that comment and others during the roughly one-hour call, it’s unclear to some legal analysts if uttering those words broke the law.
Trump did not spell out that he wanted Raffensperger to break the law; nor did he directly ask the state official to find the votes, which might have given Willis a clearer path to seek a felony charge against him, such as solicitation to commit election fraud. Instead, the comment could be interpreted as the president simply spelling out the math that would allow him to reverse Biden’s victory.
Trump may have hurt himself, however, in his appearance last month at a town hall broadcast by CNN, during which he explained that he called Raffensperger to tell him, “You owe me votes because the election was rigged.” Willis could offer the statement as evidence of Trump’s intent for Raffensperger to switch votes, several legal experts said.
“Subjects of criminal investigation aren’t usually reckless enough to go on national television and admit their corrupt intent,” Anthony Michael Kreis, a constitutional law professor at Georgia State University, wrote on Twitter after the appearance. “But Donald Trump just handed Fani Willis a new piece of evidence and tied a bow on it.”
Willis has also investigated appearances by Giuliani and other Trump allies before Georgia lawmakers in the days immediately after the 2020 election, during which they described fantastical conspiracies of voting machines swapping Trump votes for Biden votes and poll workers in Atlanta triple-counting suitcases full of ballots.
It’s a felony in Georgia to make a false statement in a government matter, but Willis must prove that Giuliani and the others knew that what they were saying was false. Giuliani was not speaking under oath, so there is no exposure for perjury charges, and some legal experts say he might also be protected under the First Amendment.
Willis may also examine the actions of Clark, then the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil division, who wanted to send a letter to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and state legislative leaders falsely claiming that the department was investigating “significant concerns” in the 2020 election, and urging them to call a special session of the General Assembly to appoint Trump’s electors to cast Georgia’s electoral college votes. Senior Justice Department officials blocked Clark from sending the draft.
Whether the Republican electors who convened to cast electoral college votes for Trump on Dec. 14, 2020, broke the law is perhaps even murkier.
Georgia was among seven states where the Trump campaign and local GOP officials arranged for alternate electors to convene with the stated purpose of preserving legal recourse while an election challenge made its way through the courts. Willis has offered some form of immunity to 12 of the 16 electors, according to three individuals with knowledge of the investigation. Not counted among those with immunity are Still, now a Georgia state senator, and Shafer.
Shafer helped organize the meeting and presided over it. Still has been described in news reports as having blocked members of the media from entering the room before the meeting started. Prosecutors have apparently focused on those activities in their questions to various witnesses, according to three other people with knowledge of the interviews. Prosecutors have also inquired about who mailed the electoral certificates to Washington, they said.
One of Shafer’s lawyers, Holly Pierson, wrote in a letter to Willis that Shafer had no knowledge that Trump allies would propose, later in December, to use the alternate elector certificates to block the counting of electoral votes for Biden in the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress. It is not even clear if the plan to thwart the joint session had been hatched by Dec. 14, 2020, the day the electors met. The House committee did not refer Shafer or Still to the Justice Department for federal prosecution. Pierson declined to comment.
As the nation waits to see what, if any, charges Willis will seek, one key question is what evidence she has gathered that Trump, his campaign or allies knew about all the different efforts to reverse Biden’s victory. And that’s just the first step — getting to trial and persuading a jury may present even more formidable challenges.
“Proving all this beyond a reasonable doubt,” Kreis said, “that’s going to be the hard part.”

Company Name	Title	City
SIm10Consulting	B737 Contract Instructor	Marion County
FRESENIUS	Facility Social Worker	Altamonte Springs
FRESENIUS	Manager Social Work Svcs	Altamonte Springs
L3Harris Technologies	Senior Associate, Electrical Engineering	Anna Maria
Variant	Over the Road Driver (OTR Driver)	Apopka
Variant	OTR Driver	Apopka
Aveanna Healthcare	Home Health Licensed Practical Nurse LPN	Apopka
L3Harris Technologies	Lead Avionics Systems Engineer	Bay Pines
Aveanna Healthcare	LPN Private Duty Nurse - Boca Raton Area	Boca Raton
Aveanna Healthcare	Aveanna Healthcare Private Duty Nurse LPN	Boca Raton
RAYUS Radiology	Radiologic Technologist	Boca Raton
Aveanna Healthcare	Aveanna Healthcare Private Duty Nurse RN	Bonita Springs
American Family Dental	Dental Hygienist	Bradenton
Aveanna Healthcare	Home Health Physical Therapist Assistant PTA	Bradenton
CenterWell Home Health	Home Health Licensed Practical Nurse	Bradenton
HCA Florida Brandon Hospital	Registered Nurse (RN)	Brandon
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Aveanna Healthcare	Home Health Licensed Practical Nurse LPN Full Time	Brandon
Aveanna Healthcare	Home Health Registered Nurse RN Weekday Weekend On Call	Brooksville
HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital	Registered Nurse (RN)	Brooksville
HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital	RN	Brooksville
Aveanna Healthcare	Aveanna Healthcare Private Duty Nurse LPN	Cape Coral
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Aveanna Healthcare	LPN	Christmas
Aveanna Healthcare	Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)	Christmas

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in fl. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

So basically, I’ve been in the hiring process for a county PD since November. Basically the number 1 job I wanted when I applied to a bunch of places.
A few months later, as a backup, I applied to an adjacent county’s detention center as a CO, and got my final offer within a couple of months back in April. I started working last week, literally just finished my first week in field training.
However, the process for the county PD is finally moving forward and I finished my background and have scheduled my med.
I won’t be hired there likely for a few months. I let my investigator know I got a job with county detention, however, I don’t know if I should let my superior know. Because I know my background investigator is gonna want to talk to my new supervisor, he’s done so with all my previous jobs. I don’t want my supervisor to get a call without me warning him, however I feel as if it would look bad on me to tell him I’m still working on the process for another department.
He’s already aware I had another open application, however it finally got moving again after months and I don’t know if I should let him know.
Just wondering if anyone has ever been in the same position as me and has any advice. Thanks

Nestled in northern Lawrence County, Indiana, just six miles from Bedford, lies Ramsey Ridge Road. Just under three miles in length, the rural pathway once referred to as “Skin Ridge'' winds through the sparsely populated area’s dense woods atop a hill overlooking Little Salt Creek and nearby Bartlettsville. In the 1970’s, two completely unrelated deaths occurred within the confines of a modest green house that once stood along the ridge. Referred to by locals as “The Mysteries of Skin Ridge,” this is the story of the unusual deaths of Dennis McArthur, and Gerry Lee.
Dennis McArthur
On April 11, 1976, 44-year-old Pearl McArthur returned home after a lengthy stay at Madison State Hospital. Pearl, who would later be diagnosed with schizophrenia, had committed herself to the hospital in early December, leaving her 18-year-old son, Dennis, to care for the house in her absence. Accompanied by her 23-year-old daughter, April, who lived in nearby Bedford with her husband Gary, Pearl made her way inside the small two-story farmhouse.
Inside, Pearl and April found the home in complete disarray. Trash laid strewed about, lamps and furniture were overturned, and the stove was caved in, its exhaust pipe torn from the wall. It was unusually cold inside as though no heat had been recently used, and a strange smell permeated the air.
Alarmed, Pearl and April began to frantically search for Dennis. As they made their way over to a small couch located in a bedroom on the second floor, they noticed a pile of blankets lying on the sofa. As Pearl peeled back the layer of quilts, she was met with a horrific scene; Dennis’s decomposed body lay beneath the bedding. They immediately summoned police.
Dennis was found in a fetal position on the couch, facing inwards. Although covered by quilts, he was nude from the waist down. The coroner estimated he had died one to two months prior, however the cold weather had, in part, delayed the decomposition process making it difficult to give an exact time of death. During an autopsy, it was discovered that Dennis was severely emaciated, to the point of starvation. No evidence of external or internal injuries were found.
Police discovered several bottles of pills in the home; vitamins used for energy, an antidepressant, and a drug used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. All of the pills were prescribed to Pearl, and were still relatively full. A toxicology test was conducted and proved negative, however the state pathologist who performed the test admitted that the test was incapable of detecting substances such as LSD. He also explained due to the amount of time that had passed since his death, the tests might not be one hundred percent accurate. Dennis’ cause of death was listed as malnutrition and exposure.
Investigators found several clues at the scene that struck them as odd. Although the cabin appeared ransacked, nothing seemed to be missing, including a small amount of money that was found within the disheveled home. Along with money, a small amount of, now spoiled, food was found in the cabinets and refrigerator. An upstairs window was found to be broken from the inside. Also upstairs, investigators discovered several large pools of blood, including one beside the couch where Dennis’ body was found. They also found blood on the backside of the couch, on a rug, and on the kitchen door frame, along with splatter on a wall. Testing confirmed the blood to be human.
Dennis was well known to both police and the county’s social workers. His mother, Pearl, was frequently in and out of mental institutions leaving Dennis and his two siblings to fend for themselves. The children’s father, Walter, had abandoned the family and moved to Georgia years prior. In 1972, Dennis was arrested for theft and truancy. That same year, he was expelled from school and never returned.
He was again arrested in 1973, this time for driving without a license, fleeing from police, possession of alcohol, and curfew violation. After his release, Dennis was sent to live with a man named Al Hagopian, a case worker for the Youth Services Bureau. Al was quoted as saying; “Finding him a place to stay was hard. The house where he had been staying was pretty grubby, and the state thought he was too young to live alone. His mother was in and out of hospitals a lot and he worried about her constantly. He didn’t want to return home, but said he had to go back to help care for his mother.”
Al discovered that Dennis “read and wrote backwards,” and was “practically illiterate.” After reviewing Dennis’ school records, he found multiple instances where teachers labeled Dennis as having disciplinary problems when it came to schoolwork, however not once did they mention he had a clear learning disability. Al further explained that attempts to secure employment for Dennis were nearly never successful. Aside from being unable to read or write, he had no vehicle. He also had no stable address or phone number and was oftentimes dirty and dressed in near rags.
Dennis’ unfair hand he had been dealt did not stop him from trying to act like an average kid most of the time, Al added. He explained that Dennis had an interest in cars, enjoyed hanging out with his friends, and was always chasing girls. He had also told Al he wanted to someday save up enough money for a new guitar, as he loved to play music. Al admitted that Dennis was also into the “street scene” and had dabbled in drugs and alcohol. Dennis returned home after two months of living with Al.
In 1974, after another arrest and his subsequent release from a youth detention center, Dennis went to live with his father for a short time. Dennis’ arrest had made headlines when it was learned the young man had been kept with adult men for a long period before being transferred to the youth detention center. Dennis and Walter reportedly couldn’t get along, however, and Dennis ran away to Florida. He lived there for a few months, washing cars to make money, before returning to the home on Ramsey Ridge in Indiana in 1975. He was again arrested, this time in Bloomington, Indiana for carrying a concealed weapon, alcohol consumption, and curfew violation. At the time of Dennis’ death, the charges against him were still pending.
According to his sister, April, she had gone to visit Dennis at the home on Ramsey Ridge on Christmas Eve. April said Dennis was sitting on the couch, playing his guitar. He also showed her a new rug he had purchased for the home. According to her, he seemed his usual self and the home was clean. April offered him some money, however Dennis refused claiming he had enough to get by.
Lucy Lively, an aunt of Dennis’ who lived “within hollering distance,” claimed she entered the home on February 1st to turn off a lamp that had been left burning. While she did not see Dennis, she claimed the home's interior was in normal order. Joe McArthur, Dennis’ paternal grandfather who also lived nearby, said it was not unusual for Dennis to disappear for long periods, so he thought nothing of the youths' absence as of late.
When Walter, Dennis’ father, was informed of his son's death, he informed police that Dennis, along with two male friends, had come to visit him in Georgia in mid December. He gave a description of the two teens and told police they had been introduced to him as “John Boy'' and “Blonde John.”
Police were able to track down “Blonde John” who was identified as 18-year-old John Fonk of Bloomington, Indiana. John told investigators that he and Dennis had driven to Florida together in October, not December, as Walter had stated. John explained they had stopped by Walter’s home in Georgia on their way back home. He was confident in the date as he had joined the Air Force in December. He also explained that “John Boy” had been a hitchhiker they had picked up along the way. According to John, “John Boy” rode back to Indiana with the pair, but he had not seen him, or Dennis since. He described him as being in his mid 20’s. After learning of the discrepancy in Walter’s story, police again tried to contact him, however phone calls and letters went unanswered. Unfortunately, they were never able to identify “John Boy.”
Further questioning of social services showed that Pearl had filled several grocery orders provided by state services, however the orders ceased when she had been again hospitalized. Eventually the Lawrence County Welfare Office had taken control and promised to look in on Dennis, however they could provide no evidence they had followed up on the case. They suggested that Dennis, overwhelmed with his impoverished lifestyle, had simply starved himself to the point of being comatose, before succumbing to the harsh cold of winter. They were quoted as saying “We were aware of him of course, but he never came to us. We don’t go looking for people if they don’t come to us for help. Now if he had, we would have done something.”
The local sheriff as well as members of Dennis’ family were unsatisfied with Dennis’ listed cause of death and continued to pursue the investigation for several months. Unfortunately due to a lack of funds, more elaborate tests that may have presented some clue as to how Dennis died could not be conducted. Sheriff Robbins was quoted as saying, “This is a very disturbing mystery, because even if someone confessed to killing him, I doubt we would have the evidence to prove it. But it sure is hard to believe he could kill himself like that, by just laying down and dying. We aren’t closing the case, it will remain open. But until we have something more to go on, there’s not much more we can do at this point.”
Dennis was laid to rest at Heltonville’s Gilgal Cemetery. Few attended the modest closed casket funeral and subsequent burial. One journalist gave a last description of Dennis’ final resting place,
“The dogwood trees are in full bloom on the hillsides of Gilgal Cemetery, and though Dennis’ body now rests peacefully beneath a carpet of fallen petals, his soul will surely never rest until the reasons behind his death are discovered.”
Pearl, Dennis’ mother, passed away in 2000 at the age of 67. Walter, Dennis’ father, died in 1988. His sister, April, passed away suddenly in 2006 at the age of 53. Dennis also had an older brother, Gordon, who passed away in 1994 at the age of 42.
Gerry Lee
On the evening of May 28, 1978, police were again summoned to the little green house on Ramsey Ridge. The home was now occupied by 27-year-old Gerry Lee, a divorced self employed carpenter, and his roommate, 25-year-old Michael Davis. When police arrived, Michael informed them that Gerry had committed suicide.
Gerry was found hanging from a maple tree located 20 feet from the home's front porch. The rope had been tied off to a branch approximately 10 feet above the ground and fashioned into a noose. His feet were found to be touching the ground, and his knees were bent. Blood was discovered on Gerry’s hands and pants, despite having suffered no visible wounds. An autopsy would reveal that Gerry had died of asphyxiation as a result of a fracture to his cricoid cartilage located at the base of his larynx. The coroner stated this was not an injury normally associated with suicidal hangings, but instead blunt force trauma to the throat. Inside, more blood was found on a television set, the phone, and on the kitchen floor. A window on the home's back door had been broken from the outside, leaving shards of glass lying on the kitchen floor.
When questioned, Michael gave an explanation for the unusual findings. He claimed that he, Gerry, and two other friends, Mike Oakly and Roberta Chandler, had spent the day in nearby Bedford before the foursome returned to the home on Ramsey Ridge. There, Michael told police that he and Gerry got into a “friendly scuffle” that resulted in Michael falling into the window in the kitchen. He suffered a deep laceration to his forehead that left him bleeding profusely.
According to Michael, Roberta and Mike accompanied him to seek medical treatment in Bedford, while Gerry stayed behind at home. Michael returned home alone from the hospital, having left Roberta and Mike in town. It was then he discovered Gerry’s body and summoned police. He added that that evening Gerry had threatened to shoot himself multiple times with one of the loaded guns kept in the home.
When Roberta and Mike were taken in for questioning, they gave similar accounts of the night's events. Both were released. Aside from having a visible wound, medical staff confirmed Michael had been to the hospital that evening, having sought treatment for a laceration to his forehead.
Still, both the prosecutor and the county coroner stated they were not entirely satisfied with a verdict of suicide. The coroner stated “Some things have not fallen into place like they should with a suicide case. Although it looks as though it could be a suicide, there are so many angles that do not fit in with the suicide verdict.” The prosecutor agreed, “I’m not satisfied with how the investigation was handled,” he said, “and there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Several months later, Gerry’s case was brought before a grand jury who ultimately returned a verdict of “probable suicide.”
Gerry was laid to rest in Bedford’s Breckenridge Cemetery. Despite his death being declared a suicide, many locals, including Gerry’s friends and neighbors, continued to believe that something more sinister may have happened that evening, and the suicide was in fact staged. The community’s more superstitious elders shared a similar belief, however adding that a “strange ethereal force” inhabited the room where Gerry once slept, and where two years prior the body of Dennis had been discovered.
Whatever your opinion may be, it seems for some the books will never fully be closed on “The Mysteries of Skin Ridge.”
Sources
Newspaper Clippings, Death Certificates, Photos- https://imgur.com/a/4kQ3rEl
Find a Grave Dennis- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63100083/dennis-scott-mcarthur
Find a Grave Pearl- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/254365281/pearl-m-mcarthur?createdMemorial=Yes
Find a Grave Walter- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/80652726/walter-rufus-mcarthur
Find a Grave Gerry- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47074796/gerry-wayne-lee
National Library of Medicine- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22442828/#:~:text=Overall%2C%20neck%20structures%20fractures%20were,the%20cricoid%20cartilage%20of%2020.6%25.

Sorry, this is a longer one. TDLR at end.
So I’m an RCA with a hold down on an Aux in a tiny town. Less than 800 people tiny. Im on route yesterday coming around an uphill left turn and Captain Cunt starts to back out from his driveway onto the road and almost hits me. I politely beep letting him know I’m there, and he waves me the back up wave. Now I am on a hill at an angle that made backing up unsafe. So I shake my head no. Oh, the entitlement! The disbelief on his face as he got out of his car immediately set of alarm bells. I’ve seen too many Karen videos. “I need to back up. You can back up and let me out!” I’ve been waiting for a chance like this. “First off sir, we have regulations against us backing up. I have several warnings posted in this van.” I point to 3 different big ass warning stickers saying “DO NOT BACK UP!” “ALWAYS PARK TO WHERE YOU CAN PULL OUT.” “AVOID BACKING AT ALL TIMES!” Because at this point, of course he’s walked up to the other window. “Also I’m on the road. You’re supposed to yield to traffic. You just need to pull back in and let me by.” He looked like I had slapped him. “Oh is that how it works? I don’t think so. I can wait here all day.” I smiled, put it in park, and killed the motor. “So can I sir.” He huffed and replied “You get paid to sit here.” I giggled and said “You’re right sir. I do get paid to sit here.” Picked up my cell phone and opened TikTok. He started cussing and went back to his car. Instead of pulling back in his driveway, this asshole gets his passenger to attempt to help him. They let him bottom out in the drainage ditch. PM said “He can call me anytime he wants. I got no problem telling him the same thing you did.” The thing that was the chefs kiss though, was after I got off and stopped at the only gas station/deli/community center in the town.as I’m standing in line, I notice his ass in line a few ahead of me. In walk 3 county cops. I say “Excuse me gentlemen. Quick question. I’m basically being petty, but indulge me if you don’t mind. If I’m on the road and a dude decides he wants to back out of his driveway, I have the right of way no matter how bad he wants to back out right? Because I had a douche canoe Karen do this an hour or so ago.” All 3 said “You had the right of way. He didn’t cause a problem, did he?” (What the guy did could be considered impeding a postal employee, couldn’t it?) I said “Nah. He just stomped out the door though. I already knew that before I asked. I just wanted him to hear it.” They laughed. I felt like it probably didn’t change dudes attitude, but maybe? Plus, I enjoyed that feeling of being that petty to someone who deserved it.
TDLR- Male Karen tries to bully me when I have the right of way. I stand my ground. He possibly damaged car attempting to be the winner of the argument. Hears law enforcement confirm he was wrong. Stomps away like a toddler.

Sorry, this is a longer one. TDLR at end.
So I’m a mail carrier in a tiny town. Less than 800 people tiny. Im on route yesterday coming around an uphill turn and Captain Cunt starts to back out from his driveway onto the road and almost hits me. I politely beep letting him know I’m there, and he waves me the back up wave. As a mail carrier, we’re not supposed to back up more than so many feet technically, but the preference is not at all unless there’s no other option. Now I am on a hill at an angle, being on the technical passenger side, that made backing up unsafe. So I shake my head no. Oh, the entitlement! The disbelief on his face as he got out of his car immediately set of alarm bells. I’ve seen too many Karen videos. “I need to back up. You can back up and let me out!” I’ve been waiting for a chance like this. “First off sir, we have regulations against us backing up. I have several warnings posted in this van.” I point to 3 different big ass warning stickers saying “DO NOT BACK UP!” “ALWAYS PARK TO WHERE YOU CAN PULL OUT.” “AVOID BACKING AT ALL TIMES!” Because at this point, of course he’s walked up to the other window. “Also I’m on the road. You’re supposed to yield to traffic. You just need to pull back in and let me by.” He looked like I had slapped him. “Oh is that how it works? I don’t think so. I can wait here all day.” I smiled, put it in park, and killed the motor. “So can I sir.” He huffed and replied “You get paid to sit here.” I giggled and said “You’re right sir. I do get paid to sit here.” Picked up my cell phone and opened TikTok. He started cussing and went back to his car. Instead of pulling back in his driveway, this asshole gets his passenger to attempt to help him. They let him bottom out in the drainage ditch. The thing that was the chefs kiss though, was after I got off and stopped at the only gas station/deli/community center in the town. as I’m standing in line, I notice his ass in line a few ahead of me. In walk 3 county cops. I say “Excuse me gentlemen. Quick question. I’m basically being petty, but indulge me if you don’t mind. If I’m on the road and a dude decides he wants to back out of his driveway, I have the right of way no matter how bad he wants to back out right? Because I had a douche canoe Karen do this an hour or so ago.” All 3 said “You had the right of way. He didn’t cause a problem, did he?” (What the guy did could be considered impeding a postal employee, which I believe is a federal charge. 90% positive.) I said “Nah. He just stomped out the door though. I already knew that before I asked. I just wanted him to hear it.” They laughed. I felt like it probably didn’t change dudes attitude, but maybe? Plus, I enjoyed that feeling of being that petty to someone who deserved it.
TDLR- Male Karen tries to bully me when I have the right of way. I stand my ground. He possibly damaged car attempting to be the winner of the argument. Hears law enforcement confirm he was wrong. Stomps away like a toddler.
Edit- Sorry. Written on mobile while venting. Wasn’t concerned with proper paragraphs.

Company Name	Title	City
United States Secret Service	Criminal Investigator	El Paso
United States Secret Service	Criminal Investigator	Lubbock
HCSC	ARIS Modeler	Richardson
HCSC	Business Advisor	Richardson
HCSC	IT Policy Manager	Richardson
Trinity Park Surgery Center	OR Registered Nurse PRN	Arlington
Methodist ER Boerne	Freestanding Emergency Room Registered Nurse	Boerne
Brownsville Surgicenter	Operating Room Nurse PRN - Surgery Center	Brownsville
Vetco Clinics	Vetco Relief Veterinarian	Conroe
Vetco Clinics	Vetco Relief Veterinarian	Decatur
Pinova Dental & Braces - a Benevis company	Endodontist - Unlimted Earning Potential	El Paso
Thriveworks	Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician	El Paso
Pinova Dental & Braces - a Benevis company	Dental Anesthesiologist - Unlimted Earning Potential	El Paso
Physicians West El Paso	Operating Room Nurse PRN	El Paso
Fort Worth	Certified Respiratory Therapist Float Pool	Fort Worth
Methodist Hill Country Hospice	Registered Nurse Hospice PRN	Fredericksburg
Methodist Hill Cntry Home Care	Registered Nurse Home Care	Fredericksburg
Haven Behavioral Healthcare	Activity Therapist Assistant- PRN	Frisco
Haven Behavioral Healthcare	Activity Therapist - PRN	Frisco
Vetco Clinics	Vetco Relief Veterinarian	Granbury
Southern Health Partners	Licensed Vocational Nurse - Sign-On & Retention Bonus	Henderson County Jai
Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services	Registered Nurse (RN) II - Med/Surg Days $5,000 Sign On and Referral Bonus	Houston
Goodland Dentistry & Braces - a Benevis company	Traveling Associate Dentist - Unlimited Earning Potential	Houston
Elstar Dental & Braces - a Benevis company	Registered Dental Hygienist	Laredo
Elstar Dental & Braces - a Benevis company	Dentist - Unlimted Earning Potential	Laredo

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings , feel free to comment here if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
United States Secret Service	Criminal Investigator	Baltimore
Pine Dentistry & Braces - a Benevis company	Endodontist - Unlimted Earning Potential	District Heights
US LBM Holdings	CDL Driver	Gaithersburg
ATR Arena Technical Resources	Test Engineer I [15642]	Aberdeen
Kaiser	Pharmacy Technician II, On Call, Baltimore	Abingdon
Harford County Government Department of Public Works	Civil Engineer (perm/ft/benefits)	Abingdon
Kaiser	Pharmacy Technician II FLOAT- 40 hrs, Abingdon (North)	Abingdon
Harford County Government Department of Public Works	Plant Operator - Drinking Water (perm/ft/benefits)	Abingdon
Kaiser	Clinical RN - Endocrinology, On Call, Falls Church MOB	Accokeek
Kaiser	Pharmacy Technician II- 40 hours, Largo	Aquasco
Kaiser	Pharmacy Technician I- 40 hrs, Tysons Corner	Ashton
Innova Solutions	Marketing Coordinator / Hospitality	Baltimore
Ascendion Inc.	Tax Manager	Baltimore
Erickson Senior Living	Marketing Aide	Baltimore
Kaiser	Pharmacy Technician II- 24 hours, Halethorpe- Evening Shift 3:30pm- 12am	Baltimore
SimVentions, Inc	NAVAIR SEDSS Systems Test Engineer - Professional Development Opportunities	Barstow
SimVentions, Inc	NAVAIR SEDSS Program Analyst - Professional Development Opportunities	Barstow
CenterWell Home Health	Physical Therapist Assistant, Home Health Full Time	Beltsville
Frederick National Laboratory	Animal Caretaker II	Bethesda
Ushealth	Junior Account Manager	Bethesda
EMCOR Group	Facilities Maintenance Technician (Third Shift)	Bethesda
Saitech Inc	Proposal Manager	Bethesda
Beacon Hill Staffing Group, LLC	Admin. & Outreach Coordinator - $20/hr-$23/hr - Bethesda, MD	Bethesda- Md
Kaiser	Pharmacy Technician I FLOAT- 32 hrs, Capitol Hill, Evening Shift (12pm- 1:30am)	Brinklow
Kaiser	Pharmacy Clerk- 30 hrs, Sterling	Brinklow

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in md. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

So I’m planning to leave LA after a work contract ends at the end of the year. One of my biggest issues is the corrupt LA city council and right now I’m struggling with noise pollution from all the helicopters (especially LAPD) and small plane owners causing excessive noise and fuel pollution.
Cities like Santa Monica and Beverly Hills fair better as far as getting direct support needed and I think one big problem with LA city is that it’s too big. DTLA should be it’s own council district, there’s no reason why Venice and DTLA should be in the same council district.
I think we need smaller districts with direct support and smaller safety teams to prevent LAPD using the lame excuse about LA being too big and needing to use helicopters. The noise pollution is really bad and despite what people say cities don’t have to be loud. That’s a failed policy choice. We need smaller districts, more green space, youth rec centers, and so much more. Housing and transportation should be at the county level and the board of supervisors should actually be supervising council districts. We need policies in place to prevent political corruption and we need more community owned affordable housing with trust accounts for said housing.
What are your thoughts on all of this???? Though I’m planning to leave LA I’m working to support a vote to have neighborhoods withdraw into smaller districts. #PowerToThePeople ✊🏿

title	company	url
Editor, Short Form and Broadcast	Sightline Media Group	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680790-editor-short-form-and-broadcast-sightline-media-group
Multimedia Journalist	Sightline Media Group	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680789-multimedia-journalist-sightline-media-group
Weeklies Editor	Shaw Media	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680787-weeklies-editor-shaw-media
Editor	Shaw Media	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680788-editor-shaw-media
Content ProduceEditor	Montana State University	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680786-content-producereditor-montana-state-university
Reporter		http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680785-reporter-
Television Production Technician	WOOD TV	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680784-television-production-technician-wood-tv
Personal Finance Editor - Contractor	Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entreprenueship	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680783-personal-finance-editor---contractor-singleton-foundation-for-financial-literacy-and-entreprenueship
Senior Media Production Engineer	University of Arizona	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680782-senior-media-production-engineer-university-of-arizona
Associate Editor	The Jewish Star	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680779-associate-editor-the-jewish-star
Defense Reporter	The Day	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680780-defense-reporter-the-day
Senior Manager, Media Relations	Center for American Progress	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1679287-senior-manager-media-relations-center-for-american-progress
Editor of the Universal Desk	Central Maine Newspapers	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680778-editor-of-the-universal-desk-central-maine-newspapers
Multimedia Producer	FHI 360	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680777-multimedia-producer-fhi-360
Digital News Archive Manager	Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680776-digital-news-archive-manager-radio-free-europeradio-liberty-inc
General Assignment Reporter (Juneau, AK)	Sound Publishing Inc	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680769-general-assignment-reporter-juneau-ak-sound-publishing-inc
Health Reporter (Everett, WA)	Sound Publishing Inc	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680768-health-reporter-everett-wa-sound-publishing-inc
Environmental Reporter (Everett, WA)	Sound Publishing Inc	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680767-environmental-reporter-everett-wa-sound-publishing-inc
Associate Editor	Telluride Local Media	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680766-associate-editor-telluride-local-media
Copywriter	Seattle Aquarium	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680765-copywriter-seattle-aquarium
Staff ReporteWriter	Beverly Hills Courier	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1675371-staff-reporterwriter-beverly-hills-courier
Education Correspondent	ICT / IndiJ Public Media	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680760-education-correspondent-ict--indij-public-media
Managing Editor, The Daily News/News Monitor	Wick Communications	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1679124-managing-editor-the-daily-newsnews-monitor-wick-communications
Associate Editor, Economy and Business	The Conversation U.S.	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680764-associate-editor-economy-and-business-the-conversation-us
Sports ReporteEditor	Greene County Daily World, Rust Publishing	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680762-sports-reportereditor-greene-county-daily-world-rust-publishing
Trending and General Assignment Reporter	The Buffalo News	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1676761-trending-and-general-assignment-reporter-the-buffalo-news
Reporter	Sky-Hi News	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680763-reporter-sky-hi-news
Editor-in-Chief	The Beacon	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680128-editor-in-chief-the-beacon
Assistant Business Editor	Arkansas Democrat-Gazette	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680761-assistant-business-editor-arkansas-democrat-gazette
Reporter	Rogue Valley Times	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680759-reporter-rogue-valley-times
Communications Graduate Fellow	TransitCenter	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680758-communications-graduate-fellow-transitcenter
Copy Editor	Chronicle of Philanthropy	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680752-copy-editor-chronicle-of-philanthropy
Editor	Casper Star-Tribune	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680757-editor-casper-star-tribune
Creative Services Videographer	WOOD TV	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680755-creative-services-videographer-wood-tv
News Photojournalist	WOOD TV	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680756-news-photojournalist-wood-tv
Director of Digital Subscriptions	M. Roberts Media	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680754-director-of-digital-subscriptions-m-roberts-media
Community Journalist/Reporter: Print/digital - Queens LedgeBrooklyn Star News Group	BQE Media	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680753-community-journalistreporter-printdigital---queens-ledgerbrooklyn-star-news-group-bqe-media
Associate Editor, Print & Digital	Ohio Magazine	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680751-associate-editor-print--digital-ohio-magazine
Photojournalist	The Shreveport-Bossier Advocate	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680268-photojournalist-the-shreveport-bossier-advocate
Reporter	River Valley Media Group	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680750-reporter-river-valley-media-group
Reporter	Franklin Region / Community Newspapers Inc.	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1582701-reporter-franklin-region--community-newspapers-inc
Oklahoma Reporter(s)	States Newsroom	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680749-oklahoma-reporters-states-newsroom
Government Watchdog Reporter	TCPalm / Treasure Coast Newspapers	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680748-government-watchdog-reporter-tcpalm--treasure-coast-newspapers
News MMJ	910 Media Group	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680747-news-mmj-910-media-group
Special Projects Editor	910 Media Group	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680746-special-projects-editor-910-media-group
New Ownes	La Conner Weekly news	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680738-new-owners-la-conner-weekly-news
Local government reporter	CityView Media	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680737-local-government-reporter-cityview-media
StateImpact Oklahoma Reporter	University of Oklahoma	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680724-stateimpact-oklahoma-reporter-university-of-oklahoma
Program Coordinator, Environmental Investigations	Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680723-program-coordinator-environmental-investigations-pulitzer-center-on-crisis-reporting
Managing Editor	Peru Tribune / Central Indiana Newspaper Group	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1675047-managing-editor-peru-tribune--central-indiana-newspaper-group
Crime and Public Safety Reporter	The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680721-crime-and-public-safety-reporter-the-pittsburgh-post-gazette
Reporter	Worthington Globe	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680720-reporter-worthington-globe
Local Government and Business Reporter	Wyoming Tribune Eagle	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680719-local-government-and-business-reporter-wyoming-tribune-eagle
HISD Reporter	Houston Landing	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680717-hisd-reporter-houston-landing
News Editor	Vacaville Reporter	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680718-news-editor-vacaville-reporter
Assistant Editor	Breaking Defense	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1665116-assistant-editor-breaking-defense
Opinion Writer	McClatchy	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680716-opinion-writer-mcclatchy
Political reporter, master’s degree	University of Illinois Springfield	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1663229-political-reporter-masters-degree-university-of-illinois-springfield
Immigration Reporter	Houston Landing	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680715-immigration-reporter-houston-landing
Night Editor	VTDigger	http://www.journalismjobs.com/1680703-night-editor-vtdigger

We're now in that sweet spot after A-Day and before Summer OVs/Camp Season where it makes sense to take note and reflect. Remember that camp season likely changes this board dramatically and we'll see a good # of decision (both to Alabama and elsewhere) throughout June and early July.
Rankings Note: Every comic is someone's first so here's how to read/interpret/understand the rankings listed below: Commits and Top Targets will show their 247 Composite Rank, their On3 Composite, and their Comp² Ranking, which is just the raw average of the 2 composite ranks, rounded down. This overview will just reflect the pre-summer top targets/names to know and not the full list. Summer camp season will drastically change this list (new big board in July/August)
# of 4/5* change each year but I like a little consistency so here's generally how I arbitrarily split it, based on the average year-over-year data:
5*: #1-#32
4*: #33-#350
3*: #351-#2000
​
QB (1 Needed/1 Commited)
Overview: Barring something crazy, a team's QB will be the most important player on the field 9 times out of 10. Bama's looked around for a potential 2nd option but is pretty content with their 5* QB of the Future already commited

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Commits
1. 5* Julian Sayin	Carlsbad in Carlsbad, CA (SoCal)	247: #11 , On3: #14, Comp2: #12	One of the most "ready" prospects in the 2024 class, Julian is very skilled at every facet of QB play - might not be the highest ceiling from an NFL perspective but very likely the highest floor. Julian commited to Alabama somewhat out of the blue but has been locked in since and the Tide's primary leader on offense in this class. This is your QB of the Future.

RB (1-2 Needed/0 Commited)
Overview: Alabama has good RB depth heading into 2023 but could very likely lose both Jase and Roydell at the end of the year so 2 RBs again this cycle feels right. It's doubtful it'll have the star power of the Haynes/Young duo from '23 but I would not sleep on the 2024 targets.

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Top Targets
1. 4* Kevin Riley	Tuscaloosa County in Northport, AL (Tuscaloosa area)	247: #97, On3: #102, Comp2: #99	A homegrown talent, Riley does it all, running with great balance, breaks contact and gets going in a hurry. Top 3 of Bama, Auburn, UGA - this should end up being an Iron Bowl battle that Alabama wins, though it does appear Riley might take his time. If Alabama pushes hard, he could be a summer commit.
2. 4* Daniel Hill	Meridian in Meridian, MS (E MS)	247: #196, On3: #194, Comp2: #195	One of the more unique RB prospects, Daniel Hill is a big bodied guy but plays a ton of receiver as well - not a comparison but could have a Najee Harris-esque roll. Alabama is battling South Carolina here, with the Cocks having some buzz after an early Bama lean. Bama is not done here but might need to press harder.
3. 4* Nate Frazier	Mater Dei in Santa Ana, CA (SoCal)	247: #76, On3: #74, Comp2: #75	One of the nation's top RB prospects with some of the best long speed, Nate Frazier will push for #1 back status in 2024. Frazier is pretty wide open currently, being highly desired by both the local west coast school and the SEC powerhouses. I'd have trouble projecting him anywhere yet but it would be really cool if it was Alabama.

WR (2-4 Needed/2 Commited)
Overview: Alabama has taken 10 non-transfer WRs over the past 2 cycles so while I think they'll take a normal # in 2024, I'd lean more towards 3 than 4 total, unless a 'best available' type wants in

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Commits
1. 5* Perry Thompson	Foley in Foley, AL (Mobile area)	247: #27, On3: #29, Comp2: #28	A taller receiver, Perry thrives with straight-line speed and a suprising ability to weave through space - Thompson earned his offer last season in camp routing up 2023 5* DBs. As a high-ranking prospect, Perry is somewhat keeping his options open and will likely take visits but has repeatedly reaffirmed his commit - Alabama's steady pursuit should allow them to hold on.
2. 4* Rico Scott	Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg, PA (Cent PA)	247: #372, On3: #289, Comp2: #330	A real smooth operator - plays RB and WR and is at his best going up the field. A bit of a suprise to some, Bama had seen him previously in camp and then watched his fall progress and saw what they needed to pull the trigger. I think we'll finish in the top 150-170
Top Targets
1. 4* Amari Jefferson	Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN	247: #270, On3: #288, Comp2: #279	My favorite realistic WR addition - his vertical and lateral speed POP off the screen, looks like a top 75 guy. Currently a Tennessee baseball commit, football is his likely future, as Alabama and Georgia battle it out. This will be a tough battle but one I very much hope the Tide wins.
2. 4* Aeryn Hampton	Carthage in Carthage, TX (E TX)	247: #116, On3: #126, Comp2: #121	More fast than quick, Aeryn runs like a RB, weaving through traffic and hitting the jets. Aeryn has been up-front about his love for Alabama and has narrowed his list to Bama and Texas, his former commitment. Aeryn has the green light to commit but seems like a guy who could go back and forth so unclear where this ends up.
3. 4* Cam Coleman	Central in Phenix City, AL (E AL)	247: #54, On3: #25, Comp2: #38	This guy's the real deal - big bodied but with slot speed and one of the best high-pointers in the class. Alabama's been trying to get him on campus and he's been uninterested, so the communication has been laid back. Cam and Perry Thompson kinda fill the same role so it's not a huge concern but Auburn is leading here and would give Hugh Freeze a real weapon.

TE (1-2 Needed/0 Commited)
Overview: I think *how* Tommy Rees constructed/called his ND offenses is a bit overblown in how his Bama offenses will look (you play with the talent you have) but Bama has been trying to find their Kyle Pitts/Brock Bowers/Michael Mayer for years now - really since OJ Howard/Irv Smith with a brief detour into Jahleel Billingsley. Alabama would like multiple bodies here if available but would really like a least one really good on in 2024

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Top Targets
1. 4* Caleb Odom	Carrollton in Carrollton, GA (W GA)	247: #85, On3: #69, Comp2: #77	A true mismatch nightmare, Odom is a true receiving threat TE, big bodied with room to grow but a little slender currently. Caleb is kinda wide open at the moment but this feels like one where Bama should start to push, with UGA snagging two of their targets in Jaden Reddell and Colton Heinrich

OL (4-5 Needed/0 Commited)
Overview: Alabama brought in a big OL class in 2023, which is already living up to expectations behind the scenes. They'll try to repeat the process in 2024, as they continue to re-tool their OL room

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Top Targets
1. 4* OT Daniel Calhoun	Walton in Marietta, GA (Atlanta Metro)	247: #86, On3: #106, Comp2: #96	A mammoth of a prospect, Calhoun has the look of a SEC lineman, able to play on the left or right side of the offensive line. Top 3 of Bama, UGA, and Texas but suprise suprise, this looks like another Bama/UGA battle. Feel better about Bama in this one but it's close and OVs will be big.
2. 4* IOL Casey Poe	Lindale in Lindale, TX (E TX)	247: #142, On3: #134, Comp2: #138	One of the most coveted interior prospects, Poe boasts both a mean streak as well as the ability to move the center, making him about as A1 as you can get for an interior OL prospect. Top 3 currently would be Alabama, Oklahoma, and UGA. Will be a tough battle but Alabama is the perceived leader heading into visits. Bama REALLY wants him.
3. 4* OL Jordan Seaton	IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL (Originally from Washington DC)	247: #41, On3: #42, Comp2: #41	Big, athletic frame who could end up playing inside or out - Seaton prefers OT but somecurrently leaning towards IOL. Ohio State was and is very involved but Bama/UGA feel like the primary players since making the move to IMG. I believe he visited for the A-Day game and it certainly seems like Bama will be an option until the end here.
4. 4* OT Marques Easley	Kankakee in Kankakee, IL (NE IL)	247: #263, On3: #240, Comp2: #251	A longer and leaner tackle prospect, Bama and UGA are again involved with Tennessee being the 3rd team in the mix, as well as the possible leader. Despite the Vols' early lead, this one can really go any direction after visits.
5. 4* OT Weston Davis	Beaumont United in Beaumont, TX (SE TX)	247: #180, On3: #124, Comp2: #152	A basketball-first prospect with high-upside as an OT, Davis has some interest in Bama but local programs like Texas A&M are getting some good recent buzz. Think it'll be paramount for Weston to camp.

DL (3-4 Needed/1 Commited)
Overview: Another unit Alabama's been trying to step-up, talent is a necessity in 2024

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Commits
1. 4* DE Jeremiah Beamon	Parker in Birmingham, AL	247: #103, On3: #98, Comp2: #100	Alabama's most recent commitment, Jeremiah is a FORCE rushing the passer, a little undersized with plenty of room to grow before a potential reneissance. If that sounds like Quinnen Williams, it's because that's the comp he's been getting. Many thought he'd be a sooner or later kinda commit and he went ahead and stopped messing around.
Top Targets
1. 5* DE Eddrick Houston	Buford in Buford, GA (Atlanta Metro)	247: #15, On3: #15, Comp2: #15	High upside, athleticism, and flexibility - bit of a tweener for the Saban defense who could slim down to an Anfernee Jennings role and add some weight to try and emulate Jonathan Allen. Another prospect that I think comes down to Bama and UGA, I feel better about Bama's chances here than with Eddrick's Buford teammate, KJ Bolden.
2. 4* DT Terrance Hibler	Holmes County Central in Lexington, MS (Cent MS)	247: #281, On3: #368, Comp2: #324	A bit undersized, Terrance makes up for it with violence, punch, and pure 'want-to'. Alabama has made a great early impression, alongside local Miss State, and the Tide are in a great spot if they choose to push here.
3. 3* DE Utah Commit Isaia Faga	Central in Phenix City, AL (E AL)	247: #733, On3: #676, Comp2: #704	Alabama has seen some recent success with Pacific Island players but it's rare to have one so local. Isaia excels at getting through traffic and getting into the backfield. Isaia's uncle is the Utah DL coach, leading to the early commitment, but Alabama is interested in seeing him camp and who knows where it could go from there.

EDGE (1-2 Needed/1 Commited)
Overview: The highest star rating per capita, talent is hardly a problem here but we'd love to have more.

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Commits
1. 4* Cayden Jones	Christ School in Arden, NC (W NC)	247: #147, On3: #171, Comp2: #159	Alabama has been looking more and more at hybrid LB types who could end up on the EDGE or off-ball (Jihaad Campell, Qua Russaw) - Cayden Jones is another, playing a ton off-ball and walking down to the edge and will likely project into a Terrell Lewis/Dallas Turner - type role. Since last year, Cayden had been up-front about wanting the green light to commit and jumped on it when he got the chance.
Top Targets
1. 5* Dylan Stewart	Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington DC	247: #10, On3: #9, Comp2: #9	Maybe the top pure Edge guy, Dylan reminds me of Keon Keeley from last cycle; similar build, bend and length. Visits to Alabama, Ohio State, Miami, South Carolina and UGA have put all 5 in contention, similar to Keeley. I'd give the Gamecocks and Hurricanes the edge going into the summer but Alabama is RIGHT there and another visit to campus could flip the script.
2. 4* Jordan Ross	Vestavia Hills in Birmingham, AL	247: #38, On3: #33, Comp2: #35	A high-end Edge, Jordan flashes natural talent that can only grow with development. A little undersized, Alabama has told him to gain weight and camp prior to a serious pursuit, giving UGA and Tennessee an early lead. This could change quickly this summer, as Jordan finds his way onto campus.
3. 5* Colin Simmons	Duncanville in Duncanville, TX (DFW Metro)	247: #4, On3: #3, Comp2: #3	One of the Nation's top athletes, Simmons effortlessly flies around off the edge. LSU and Texas are battling it out thus far but Alabama will continue to work here.

LB (2-3 Needed/1 Commited)
Overview: There's somewhat of a logjam of older player at the LB position so I would expect attrition after 2023, which will need to be replaced by incoming players.

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Commits
1. 4* Sterling Dixon	Mobile Christian School in Mobile, AL	247: #188, On3: #164, Comp2: #176	Similar to Cayden Jones, Sterling is another hybrid type - beginning as an edge type with some off-ball experience, Sterling will transition to ILB this offseason for Mobile Christian and then at Alabama. A long-time commit, Sterling will take some visits but there's not a huge concern there.
Top Targets
1. 5* UGA Commit Demarcus Riddick	Chilton County in Clanton, AL (Cent AL)	247: #25, On3: #38, Comp2: #31	Demarcus is an excellent example of a modern LB and exactly what Alabama wants from the position: excellent weaving through traffic, sideline-to-sideline movement and can shade down to rush the passer. An early UGA commit, the strength of that commitment has wavered significantly and while there's still some work to do, the feeling is he could very likely flip to Alabama over the summer.
2. 5* Justin Williams	Oak Ridge in Conroe, TX (Houston area)	247: #13, On3: #12, Comp2: #12	Similarly archetypal LB prospect: a bit slight at the moment, he makes up for it with WR-level speed and burst, making him a real weapon against a high-powered offense. Oregon, Alabama, and UGA are the likely top 3 - Bama made a good impression this spring but needs to get him back on campus ASAP - feels like UGA could swoop in here if Riddick flips.
3. 4* Bradley Shaw	Hoover in Hoover, AL (Birmingham area)	247: #176, On3: #139, Comp2: #157	More of a traditional ILB, football IQ and sure tackling give him a Shaun Dion Hamilton feel. Alabama, Auburn, and UGA are the top 3 schools and this feels like Iron Bowl battle, where Alabama will win or lose based on how they push to reel him in.

DB (4-5 Needed/1 commited)
Overview: You gotta take a solid # of DBs every cycle but CB is one of the most important/most needed positions in 2024 after losses to the transfer portal.

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Commits
1. 5* CB Jaylen Mbakwe	Clay-Chalkville in Pinson, AL (Birmingham area)	247: #19, On3: #17, Comp2: #18	A legitimate two-way player, Mbakwe, like Kool-Aid before him, could have been a 5* WR as well as DB but prefers defense. Jaylen is the defensive leader of the class and will be pretty instrumental in how the defensive class comes together.
Top Targets
1. 5* CB Charles Lester III	Riverview in Sarasota, FL (Cent FL)	247: #16, On3: #19, Comp2: #17	An all-around athlete with the ability to play multiple DB positions, CL3 could be commited or off the board at any moment. There's a clear interest in Alabama on his end but the Tide have yet to really push, leaving the door wide open for FSU. He OVs on June 3rd so it's likely that we'll have a better idea of where Bama goes after that.
2. 4* CB Jameer Grimsley	Tampa Catholic in Tampa, FL	247: #230, On3: #195, Comp2: #212	Somewhat of the prototypical Saban corner, with a long and lean build and a wingspan for days. Jameer has seen his recruitment skyrocket this spring and schools like Bama, FSU, and Penn State are pushing. Bama's got a great shot for this prospect who should continue to rise.
3. 4* S UGA Commit Peyton Woodward	St. John Bosco in Bellflower, CA (SoCal)	247: #69, On3: #70, Comp2: #69	Peyton shows good play speed and flows to the target in run defense; a good balanced safety. Peyton has not been shy about letting other programs try to flip him from the Dawgs and his family is full of Alabama fans, making the Tide a very possible flip option.
4. 4* CB Zabien Brown	Mater Dei in Santa Ana, CA (SoCal)	247: #57, On3: #56 , Comp2: #56	Zabien is a physical pass defender who excels at getting in passing lanes and making plays on the ball - not a specimen but a true competitor. As a Mater Dei kid, the axiom has been USC most often has first right of refusal so we'll see how the summer visits go and if Bama can/will make a push here.
5. 5* S KJ Bolden	Buford in Buford, GA (Atlanta Metro)	247: #8, On3: #5, Comp2: #6	Likely the top DB in the 2024 class, KJ is how they come; a true 5* safety. UGA has a healthy lead thus far but Bama (alongside others) will have a chance to fight back during summer OVs
6. 5* CB UGA Commit Ellis Robinson IV	IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL (Originally from CT)	247: #5, On3: #7, Comp2: #6	One of the stickiest DBs in the class, Ellis was the other 5* CB alongside Alabama freshman Desmond Ricks at IMG in 2023. Alabama led early but UGA got the momentum and the commitment. It's likely Ellis will take visits, including a potential OV to Alabama, but I would not predict a flip to Alabama at this time or in the future.

The whirring blades of my MD-902 throbbed against the warm evening air, and I smiled.
From 5,000 feet, the ground flew by in a carpet of dark forests and kelly-green fields. The sun hung low on the horizon in a picturesque array of dazzling orange and gold, and I could make out the narrow strip of the Ohio River to my left, glistening in the fading daylight. This time of year, the trees would be full of the sweet aroma of fresh blossoms, and the frequent rains kept small pockets of fluffy white mist hanging in the treetops. It was a beautiful view, one that reminded me of why being a helicopter pilot trumped flying in a jumbo jet far above the clouds every day of the week.
Fourteen more days, and I’m debt free.
That made me grin even more. I’d been working as a charter pilot ever since I obtained my license at age 19, and after years of keeping my nose to the grindstone, I was closing on the final payment for real-estate in western Pennsylvania. With no debt, a fixer-upper house on 30 rural acres all to myself, and a respectable wage for a 26-year-old pilot, I looked forward to the financial freedom I could now enjoy. Maybe I’d take a vacation, somewhere exotic like Venice Italy, or the Dominican Republic. Or perhaps I’d sock the money back for the day I started a family.
“Remember kleineun, a real man looks after his own.”
My elderly ouma’s voice came back from the depths of my memories, her proud, sun-tanned face rising from the darkness. She and my Rhodesian grandfather had emigrated to the US when they were newlyweds, as the violence against white Boer descendants in South Africa spiraled out of control. My mother and father both died in a car crash when I was six, and it had been my grandparents who raised me. Due to this, I’d grown up with a slight accent that many of my classmates found amusing, and I could speak both English, and Afrikaans, the Boer tongue of our former home.
I shifted in my seat, stretched my back muscles, and glanced at the picture taped to my console. Both my parents flanked a grinning, gap-toothed six-year-old me, at the last Christmas we’d spent together. My mother beamed, her dark hair and Italian features a sharp contrast to my father’s sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. Sometimes, I liked to imagine they were smiling at me with pride at how well I flew the old silver-colored bird my company had assigned to me, and that made the long, lonely flights easier to bear.
A flicker caught my eye, and I broke my gaze away from the photograph.
Perched in its small cradle above the controls, my little black Garmin fuzzed over for a few seconds, its screen shifting from brightly colored maps to a barrage of grey static.
Did the power chord come loose?
I checked, ensuring the power-cable for the unit’s battery was plugged into the port on the control panel. It was a brand-new GPS unit, and I’d used it a few times already, so I knew it wasn’t defective. Granted, I could fly and navigate without it, but the Garmin made my time as a pilot so much easier that the thought of going blind was dreadful.
My fuel gauge danced, clicked to empty, then to full, in a bizarre jolt.
More of the gauges began to stutter, the entire panel seeming to develop terrets all at once, and my pulse began to race. Something was wrong, very wrong, and the sludge inside my bowels churned with sour fear.
“Come on, come on.” I flicked switches, turned dials, punched buttons, but nothing seemed to fix the spasming electronics. Every gauge failed, and without warning, I found myself plunged into inky darkness.
Outside, the sun surrendered to the pull of night, the sky darker than usual. A distant rumble of thunder reverberated above the roar of my helicopter’s engine, and I thought I glimpsed a streak of yellowish lightning on the far horizon to my left.
Calm down Chris. We’re still flying, so it must just be a blown fuse. Stay in control and find a place to set her down.
My sweaty palm slid on the cyclic stick, and both feet weighed heavy on the yaw pedals. The collective stuck to my other hand with a nervous vibration, and I squinted against the abyss outside.
Beep.
I jumped despite myself, as the little Garmin on my panel flared back to life, the static pulling aside to reveal a twitching display. Each time the screen glitched, it showed the colorful map detailing my flight path over the ground below, but I noticed that some of the lines changed, the names shifting, as if the device couldn’t decide between two different versions of the world.
One name jutted out at me, slate gray like most of the major county names, appearing with ghostly flickers from between two neighboring ones.
Barron County.
I stared, confused. I’d flown over this section of southeastern Ohio plenty of times, and I knew the counties by heart. At this point, I should have been over the southern end of Noble County, and maybe dipping lower into Washington. There was no Barron County Ohio. I was sure of it.
And yet it shown back at me from the digital landscape, a strange, almost cigar-shaped chunk of terrain carved from the surrounding counties like a tumor, sometimes there, sometimes not, as my little Garmin struggled to find the correct map. Rain began to patter against my cockpit window, and the entire aircraft rattled from a strong gust of wind. Thick clouds closed over my field of vision like a sea of gray cotton.
The blood in my veins turned to ice, and I sucked in a nervous breath.
Land. I had to land. There was nothing else to do, my flight controls weren’t responding, and only my Garmin had managed to come back to life. Perhaps I’d been hit by lightning, and the electronics had been fried? Either way, it was too dark to tell, but a storm seemed to be brewing, and if I didn’t get my feet on the ground soon, I could be in real trouble.
“Better safe than sorry.” I pushed down on the collective to start my slow descent and clicked the talking button for my headset. “Any station, this is Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot, over.”
Nothing.
“Any station, this is Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot, requesting emergency assistance, over.”
Still nothing.
If the radio’s dead, I’m really up a creek.
With my hand shaking, I clicked on the mic one more time. “Any station, this is—”
Like a curtain pulling back, the fog cleared from around my window, and the words stuck in my throat.
Without my gauges, I couldn’t tell just how far I’d descended, but I was definitely very low. Thick trees poked up from the ground, and the hills rolled into high ridges with flat valley floors, fields and pastures pockmarking them. Rain fell all around in cold, silvery sheets, a normal feature for the mid spring in this part of Ohio.
What wasn’t normal, were the fires.
At first, I thought they were forest fires for the amount of smoke and flames that bellowed from each spot, but as I swooped lower, my eyes widened in horror.
They were houses.
Farms, cottages, little clusters that barely constituted villages, all of them belched orange flames and black pillars of sooty smoke. I couldn’t hear above the helicopter blades, but I could see the flashes on the ground, along the road, in between the trees, and even coming from the burning buildings, little jets of golden light that spat into the darkness with anger.
Gunfire. That’s rifle fire, a whole lot of it.
Tiny black figures darted through the shadows, barely discernable from where I sat, several hundred feet up. I couldn’t see much, but some were definitely running away, the streaks of yellow gunfire chasing them. A few dark gray vehicles rumbled down one of the gravel roads, and sprayed fire into the houses as it went. They were fighting, I realized, the people in the trucks and the locals. It was horrific, like something out of war-torn Afghanistan, but worse.
Then, I caught a glimpse of the others.
They didn’t move like the rest, who either fled from the dark vehicles, or fired back from behind cover. These skinny figures loped along with haphazard gaits, many running on all fours like animals, swarming from the trees by the dozens. They threw themselves into the gales of bullets without flinching, attacking anyone within range, and something about the way they moved, so fluid, so fearless, made my heart skip a beat.
What is that?
“Echo Four Actual to unknown caller, please respond, over.”
Choking back a cry of shock, I fumbled at the control panel with clumsy fingers, the man’s voice sharp and stern. I hadn’t realized that I’d let go of the talking button and clicked it down again. “Hello? Hello, this is Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot out of Pittsburgh, over.”
An excruciating moment passed, and I continued to zoom over the trees, the fires falling away behind me as more silent forest took over.
“Roger that Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot, we read you loud and clear. Please identify yourself and any passengers or cargo you might be carrying, over.”
Swallowing hard, I eyed the treetops, which looked much closer than they should have been. How far had I descended? “Echo Four Actual, my name is Christopher Dekker, and I am alone. I’m a charter flight from PA, carrying medical equipment for OSU in Columbus. My controls have been damaged, and I am unable to safely carry on due to the storm. Requesting permission to land, over.”
I watched the landscape slide by underneath me, once catching sight of what looked like a little white church surrounded by smaller huts, dozens of figures in the yard staring up at me as I flew over a towering ridgeline.
“Solid copy on that Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot. Be advised, your transponder shows you to be inside a restricted zone. Please cease all radio traffic, reduce your speed, climb to 3,000 feet and proceed north. We’ll talk you in from there. How copy, over?”
My heart jumped, and I let out a sigh of relief. “Roger that Echo Four Actual, my altimeter is down, but I’ll do my best to eyeball the altitude, over.”
With that, I pulled the collective upward, and tried my best to gauge how far I was by eyesight in the gathering night, rain still coming down all around me. This had to be some kind of disaster or riot, I decided. After all, the voice over the radio sounded like military, and those vehicles seemed to have heavy weapons. Maybe there was some kind of unrest going on here that I hadn’t heard about yet?
Kind of weird for it to happen in rural areas though. Spoiled college kids I get, but never saw farmers get so worked up before. They usually love the military.
Something moved in the corner of my eye, and I turned out of reflex.
My mouth fell open, and I froze, unable to scream.
In the sky beside me, a huge shadow glided along, and its leathery wings effortlessly carved through the gloom, flapping only on occasion to keep it aloft. It was too dark for me to see what color it was, but from the way it moved, I knew it wasn’t another helicopter. No, this thing was alive, easily the size of a small plane, and more than twice the length of my little McDonald Douglass. A long tail trailed behind it, and bore a distinct arrow-shaped snout, with twig-like spines fanned out around the back of its head. Whatever legs it had were drawn up under it like a bird, yet its skin appeared rough and knobby, almost resembling tree bark. Without pause, the gigantic bat-winged entity flew along beside me, as if my presence was on par with an annoying fly buzzing about its head.
Gripping the microphone switch so tight, I thought I’d crack the plastic, I whispered into my headset, forgetting all radio protocol. “T-There’s something up here.”
Static crackled.
“Douglas Three-One-Four-Foxtrot, say again your last, you’re coming in weak and unreadable, over.”
“There’s something up here.” I snarled into the headset, still glued to the controls of the helicopter, afraid to deviate even an inch from my course in case the monstrosity decided to turn on me. “A freaking huge thing, right beside me. I swear, it looks like a bat or . . . I don’t know.”
“Calm down.” The man on the other end of the radio broke his rigorous discipline as well, his voice deep, but level. “It won’t attack if you don’t move too fast. Slowly ease away from it and follow that course until you’re out of sight.”
I didn’t have time to think about how wrong that sounded, how the man’s strict tone had changed to one of knowledge, how he hadn’t been the least surprised by what I’d said. Instead, I slowly turned the helicopter away from the huge menace and edged the speed higher in tiny increments.
As soon as I was roughly two football fields away, I let myself relax, and clicked the mic switch. “It’s not following.”
“You’re sure?”
Eyeing the huge flapping wings, I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, I’m well clear.”
“Good. Thank you, Mr. Dekker.”
Then, the radio went dead.
Something in my chest dropped, a weight that made my stomach roil. This wasn’t right, none of it. Who was that man? Why did he know about the thing I’d just seen? What was I supposed to—
A flash of light exploded from the trees to my right and shot into the air with a long finger of smoke.
What the . . .
On instinct, I jerked the cyclic stick to one side, and the helicopter swung to avoid the rocket.
Boom.
My world shook, metal screeched, and a dozen alarms began to go off inside the cockpit in a cacophony of beeps and sirens. Orange and red flames lit up the night sky just behind me, and the horizon started to spin wildly outside. Heat gushed from the cockpit door, and I smelled the greasy stench of burning oil. The safety belts dug into my shoulders, and with a final slip, the radio headset ripped free from my scalp.
I’m hit.
Desperate, I yanked on the controls, fought the bird even as she spun toward the ground in a wreath of flames, the inky black trees hurtling up to meet me. The helicopter went into full auto-rotation, the sky blurring past outside, and the alarms blared in a screech of doom. Panic slammed through my temples, I screamed at the top of my lungs, and for one brief second, my eyes locked on the little black Garmin still perched atop my control panel.
Its screen stopped twitching and settled on a map of the mysterious Barron County, with a little red arrow at the center of the screen, a few words popping up underneath it.
You are here.
Trees stabbed up into the sky, the belts crushed at my torso, glass shattered all around me, and the world went dark.
Copper, thick, warm, and tangy.
It filled my mouth, stank metallic in my nose, clogged my throat, choking me. In the murkiness, I fought for a surface, for a way out, blind and numb in the dark.
This way, kleineun.
My ouma’s voice echoed from somewhere in the shadows.
This way.
Both eyes flew open, and I gagged, spitting out a stream of red.
Pain throbbed in my ribs, and a heavy pressure sent a tingling numbness through my shoulders. Blood roared inside my temples, and stars danced before my eyes with a dizzying array. Humid night air kissed my skin, and something sticky coated my face, neck, and arms that hung straight up toward the ceiling.
Wait. Not up. Down.
I blinked at the wrinkled, torn ceiling of the cockpit, the glass all gone, the gray aluminum shredded like tissue paper. Just outside the broken windows, thick Appalachian bluegrass and stemmy underbrush swished in a feeble breeze, backlit by flashes of lightning from the thunderstorm overhead. Green and brown leaves covered everything in a wet carpet of triangles, and somewhere nearby, a cricket chirped.
Turning my head from side to side, I realized that I hung upside down inside the ruined helicopter, the top half burrowed into the mud. I could hear the hissing and crackling of flames, the pattering of rain falling on the hot aluminum, and the smaller brush fires around the downed aircraft sizzling out in the damp long grass. Charred steel and burning oil tainted the air, almost as strong as the metallic, coppery stench in my aching nose.
They shot me down. That military dude shot me out of the sky.
It didn’t make sense. I’d followed their orders, done everything they’d said, and yet the instant I veered safely away from whatever that thing in the sky had been, they’d fired, not at it, but at me.
Looking down (or rather, up) at my chest, I sucked in a gasp, which was harder to do that before.
The navy-blue shirt stuck to my torso with several big splotches of dark, rusty red. Most were clean slashes, but two held bits of glass sticking out of them, one alarmingly bigger than the other. They dripped cherry red blood onto my upturned face, and a wave of nausea hit me.
I gotta get down.
I flexed my arms to try and work some feeling back into them, praying nothing was broken. Half-numb from hanging so long, I palmed along my aching body until I felt the buckled for the seat belts.
“Okay.” I hissed between gritted teeth, in an effort to stave off my panic. “You can do this. Just hold on tight. Nice and tight. Here we go . . .”
Click.
Everything seemed to lurch, and I slid off the seat to plummet towards the muck-filled hole in the cockpit ceiling. My fingers were slick with blood and slipped over the smooth faux-leather pilot’s seat with ease. The shoulder belt snagged on the bits of glass that lay just under the left lowest rib, and a flare of white-hot pain ripped through me.
Wham.
I screamed, my right knee caught the edge of the aluminum ceiling, and both hands dove into a mound of leaf-covered glass shards on the opposite side of the hole. My head swam, being right-side-up again enough to make shadows gnaw at the corner of my eyes.
Forcing myself to breath slowly, I fought the urge to faint and slid back to sit on the smooth ceiling. I turned my hands over to see half a dozen bits of clear glass burrowed into my skin like greedy parasites, red blood weeping around the new cuts.
“Screw you.” I spat at the rubbish with angry tears in my eyes. “Screw you, screw you, screw you.”
The shards came out easy enough, and the cuts weren’t that deep, but that wasn’t what worried me. On my chest, the single piece of cockpit glass that remined was almost as big as my palm, and it really hurt. Just touching it felt like self-inflicted torture, but I knew it had to come out sooner or later.
Please don’t nick a vein.
Wiping my hands dry on my jeans, I gripped the shard with both hands, and jerked.
Fire roared over my ribs, and hot blood tickled my already grimy pale skin. I clapped a hand over the wound, pressing down hard, and grunted out a string of hateful expletives that my ouma would have slapped me for.
Lying on my back, I stared around me at the messy cargo compartment of the MD-902. Most of the medical supplies had been in cardboard boxes strapped down with heavy nylon tow-straps, but several cases had ruptured with the force of the impact, spraying bandages, syringes, and pill bottles all over the cluttered interior. Orange flames chewed at the crate furthest to the rear, the tail section long gone, but the foremost part of the hold was intact. Easily a million-dollar mess, it would have made me faint on any other trip, but today it was a godsend.
Half-blind in the darkness, I crawled along with only the firelight and lightning bolts to guide me, my right knee aching. Like a crippled raccoon, I collected things as I went, conscious of the two pallets of intact supplies weighing right over my head. I’d taken several different first-aid courses with some hunting buddies of mine, and the mental reflexes kicked in to help soothe my frazzled mind.
Check for bleeds, stop the worst, then move on.
Aside from my battered chest and stomach, the rest of me remained mostly unharmed. I had nasty bruises from the seatbelts, my right knee swelled, my nose slightly crooked and crusted in blood, but otherwise I was intact. Dowsing every scratch and cut with a bottle of isopropyl alcohol I found, I used butterfly closures on the smaller lacerations that peppered my skin. I wrapped soft white gauze over my abused palms and probed at the big cut where the last shard had been, only stopping when I was sure there were no pieces of glass wedged inside my flesh.
“Not too bad.” I grunted to myself, trying to sound impassive like a doctor might. “Rib must have stopped it. Gonna need stitches though. That’ll be fun.”
Pawing through the broken cases, I couldn’t find any suture chord, but just as I was about to give up, I noticed a small box that read ‘medical skin stapler’.
Bingo.
I tore the small white plastic stapler free from its packaging and eyeballed the device. I’d never done this before, only seen it in movies, and even though the cut in my skin hurt, I wondered if this wouldn’t be worse.
You’ve gotta do it. That bleeding needs to stop. Besides, no one’s coming to rescue you, not with those rocket-launching psychos out there.
Taking a deep breath, I pinched the skin around the gash together, and pressed the mouth of the stapler to it.
Click.
A sharp sting, like that of a needle bit at the skin, but it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as the cut itself. I worked my way across the two-inch laceration and gave out a sigh of relief when it was done.
“Not going to bleed to death today.” I daubed ointment around the staples before winding more bandages over the wound.
Popping a few low-grade painkillers that tumbled from the cargo, I crawled wriggled through the nearest shattered window into the wet grass.
Raindrops kissed my face, clean and cool on my sweaty skin. Despite the thick cloud cover, there was enough constant lightning strikes within the storm to let me get glimpses of the world around me. My helicopter lay on its back, the blades snapped like pencils, with bits and pieces of it burning in chunks all around the small break in the trees. Chest-high scrub brush grew all around the low-lying ground, with pockets of standing water in places. My ears still rang from the impact of the crash, but I could start to pick up more crickets, frogs, and even some nocturnal birds singing into the darkness, like they didn’t notice the huge the hulk of flaming metal that had fallen from the sky. Overhead, the thunder rumbled onward, the feeble wind whistling, and there were other flashes on the horizon, orange and red ones, with crackles that didn’t sound quite like lightning.
The guns. They’re still fighting.
Instinctively, I pulled out my cellphone, and tapped the screen.
It fluttered to life, but no matter how I tried, I couldn’t get through to anyone, not even with the emergency function designed to work around having no service. The complicated wonder of our modern world was little better than a glorified paperweight.
Stunned, I sat down with my back to the helicopter and rested my head against the aluminum skin of the craft. How I’d gone from a regular medical supply run to being marooned in this hellish parody of rural America, I didn’t know, but one thig was certain; I needed a plan. Whoever fired the missile could have already contacted my charter company and made up some excuse to keep them from coming to look for me. No one else knew I was here, and even though I now had six staples holding the worst of my injuries shut, I knew I needed proper medical attention. If I wanted to live, I’d have to rescue myself.
My bag. I need to get my go-bag, grab some gear and then . . . head somewhere else.
It took me a while to gather my green canvas paratrooper bag from its place behind the pilot’s seat and fill it with whatever supplies I could scrounge. My knee didn’t seem to be broken, but man did it hurt, and I dreaded the thought of walking on it for miles on end. I focused instead on inventorying my gear and trying to come up with a halfway intelligent plan of action.
I had a stainless-steel canteen with one of those detachable cups on the bottom, a little fishing kit, some duct tape, a lighter, a black LED flashlight with three spare batteries, a few tattered road maps with a compass, a spare pair of socks, medical supplies from the cargo, and a simple forest green plastic rain poncho. I also managed to unearth a functioning digital camcorder my ouma had gotten me for Christmas a few years back, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to do any filming in such a miserable state. Lastly, since it was a private supply run from a warehouse area near Pittsburgh to a direct hospital pad in Ohio, I’d been able to bring my K-Bar, a sturdy, and brutally simple knife designed for the Marine Corps that I used every time I went camping. It was pitiful in comparison to the rifle I wished I had with me, but that didn’t matter now. I had what I had, and I doubted my trusty Armalite would have alleviated my sore knee anyway.
Clicking on my flashlight, I huddled with the poncho around my shoulders inside the wreck of the chopper and peered at the dusty roadmaps. A small part of me hoped that a solution would jump out from the faded paper, but none came. These were all maps of western PA and eastern Ohio. None of them had a Barron County on them anywhere.
The man on the radio said to head north, right before they shot me down. That means they must be camped out to the north of here. South had that convoy and those burning houses, so that’s a no-go. Maybe I can backtrack eastward the way I came.
As if on cue, a soft pop echoed from over the eastern horizon, and I craned to look out the helicopter window, spotting more man-made flashes over the tree tops.
“Great.” I hissed between clenched teeth, aware of how the temperature dipped to a chilly 60 degrees, and how despite the conditions, my stomach had begun to growl. “Not going that way, are we? Westward it is.”
Walking away from my poor 902 proved to be harder than I’d anticipated. Despite the glass, the fizzling fires, and the darkness, it still held a familiar, human essence to it. Sitting inside it made me feel secure, safe, even calm about the situation. In any other circumstance, I would have just stayed with the downed aircraft to wait for help, but I knew the men who shot me down would likely find my crash site, and I didn’t want to be around when they did.
Unlike much of central and western Ohio, southeastern Ohio is hilly, brushy, and clogged with thick forests. Thorns snagged at my thin poncho and sliced at my pant legs. My knee throbbed, every step a form of self-inflicted torture. The rain never stopped, a steady drizzle from above just cold enough to be problematic as time went on, making me shiver. Mud slid under my tennis shoes, and every tree looked ten times bigger in the flickering beam of my cheap flashlight. Icy fear prickled at the back of my neck at some of the sounds that greeted me through the gloom. I’d been camping loads of times, both in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, but these noises were something otherworldly to me.
Strange howls, screeches, and calls permeated the rain-soaked sky, some almost roars, while others bordered on human in their intonation. The more I walked, the softer the distant gunfire became, and the more prevalent the odd sounds, until the shadows seemed to fill with them. I didn’t dare turn off my flashlight, or I’d been completely blind in the dark, but a little voice in the back of my head screamed that I was too visible, crunching through the gloomy forest with my long beam of light stabbing into the abyss. It felt as though a million eyes were on me, studying me, hunting me from the surrounding brush, and I bitterly recalled how much I’d loved the old Survivor Man TV series as a kid.
Not so fun being out in the woods at night. Especially alone.
A twig snapped somewhere behind me, and I whirled on the spot, one trembling hand resting on the hilt of my K-Bar.
Nothing. Nothing but trees, bushes, and rain dripping down in the darkness.
“This is stupid.” I whispered to myself to keep my nerves in check as I slowly spun on the spot. “I should have went eastward anyway. God knows how long I’m going to have to—”
Creak.
A groan of metal-on-metal echoed from somewhere to my right, and I spun to face it, yanking the knife on my belt free from its scabbard. It felt so small and useless in my hand, and I choked down a wave of nauseas fear.
Ka-whump. Creak. K-whump. Creak.
Underbrush cracked and crunched, a few smaller saplings thrashed, and from deep within the gloom, two yellow orbs flared to life. They poked through the mist in the trees, forming into slender fingers of golden light that swept back and forth in the dark.
The soldiers . . . they must be looking for me.
I swallowed hard and turned to slink away.
Ice jammed through my blood, and I froze on the spot, biting my tongue to stop the scream.
It stood not yards away, a huge form that towered a good twelve feet tall in the swirling shadows. Unpolished chrome blended with flash-rusted spots in the faded red paint, and grime-smeared glass shone with dull hues in the flashes of lightning. Where the wheels should have been, the rounded steel axels curved like some enormous hand had bent them, and the tires lay face-down on the muddy ground like big round feet, their hubcaps buried in the dirt. Dents, scrapes, and chips covered the battered thing, and its crooked little radio antenna pointed straight up from the old metal fender like a mast. I could barely make out the mud-coated VW on the rounded hood, and my mind reeled in shock.
Is . . . is that a car?
Both yellow headlights bathed me in a circle of bright, blinding light, and neither I nor the strange vehicle moved.
Seconds ticked by, the screech-thumping in the background only growing closer. I realized that I couldn’t hear any engine noises and had yet to see any soldiers or guns pointed my way. This car looked old, really old, like one of those classic Volkswagen Beetles that collectors fought over at auctions. Try as I might, I couldn’t see a driver inside the murky, mold-smeared windows.
Because there wasn’t one.
Lightning arched across the sky overhead, and the car standing in front of me blinked.
Its headlights slid shut, as if little metal shades had crawled over the bulbs for a moment and flicked open again. Something about that movement was so primal, so real, so lifelike, that every ounce of self-control I had melted in an instant.
Cursing under my breath, I lunged into the shrubs, and the world erupted around me.
Under my shoes, the ground shook, and the car surged after me in a cacophony of ka-thumps that made my already racing heart skip several beats. A weather-beaten brown tow truck from the 50’s charged through the thorns to my left, it’s headlights ablaze, and a dilapidated yellow school bus rose from its hiding place in the weeds to stand tall on four down-turned axel-legs. They all flicked their headlights on like giants waking from their slumber, and as I dodged past them, they each blared their horn into the night in alarm.
My breaths came short and tight, my knee burned, and I crashed through thorns and briars without thought to how badly I was getting cut up.
The cheap poncho tore, and I ripped it away as it caught on a tree branch.
A purple 70’s Mustang shook off its blanket of creeping vines and bounded from a stand of trees just ahead, forcing me to swerve to avoid being run over, my adrenaline at all-time highs.
This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening.
Slipping and sliding, I pushed through a stand of multiflora rose, and stumbled out into a flat, dark expanse.
I almost skidded to a stop.
What had once been a rather large field stood no taller than my shoestrings, the grass charred, and burnt. The storm above illuminated huge pieces of wreckage that lay scattered over the nearly 40-acre plot, and I could just make out the fire-blackened hulk of a fuselage resting a hundred yards away. The plane had been brought down a while ago it seemed, as there weren’t any flames left burning, and I threw myself toward it in frenzied desperation.
Burned grass and greasy brown topsoil slushed underfoot, and I could hear the squelching of the cars pursing me. Rain soaked me to the bone, and my lungs ached from sucking down the damp night air. A painful stich crept into my side, and I cursed myself for not putting in more time for cardio at the gym.
Something caught my left shoelace, and I hurtled to the ground, tasting mud and blood in between my teeth.
They’ve got me now.
I clawed at the mud, rolled, and watched a tire slam down mere inches from where my head had been. The Mustang loomed over me and jostled for position with the red Volkswagen and brown tow truck, the school bus still a few yards behind them. They couldn’t seem to decide who would get the pleasure of stomping me to death, and like a herd of stampeding wildebeest, they locked bumpers in an epic shoving match.
On all fours, I scampered out from under the sparring brutes, and dashed for the crumpled airplane, a white-painted DC-3 that looked like it had been cut in half by a gargantuan knife blade. I passed a snapped wing section, the oily remains of a turbo-prop engine, and a mutilated wheel from the landing gear. Climbing over a heap of mud, I squeezed into the back of the ruined flight cabin and dropped down into the dark cargo hold.
Wham.
No sooner had my sneakers hit the cold metal floor, and the entire plane rocked from the impact of something heavy ramming it just outside. I tumbled to my knees, screaming in pain as, once again, I managed to bash the sore one off a bracket in the wall.
My hand smeared in something gooey, and I scrabbled for my flashlight.
It clicked on, a wavering ball of white light in the pitch darkness, and I fought the urge to gag. “Oh man . . .”
Three people, or what was left of them, lay strewn over the narrow cargo area. Claret red blood coated the walls, caked on the floor, and clotted under my mud-spattered shoes. Bits of flesh and viscera were stuck to everything, and tatters of cloth hung from exposed sections of broken bone. An eerie set of bloody handprints adorned the walls, and the only reason I could tell it had been three people were the shoes; all of them bore anklebones sticking out above blood-soaked socks. It smelled sickly sweet, a strange, nauseas odor that crept into my nose and settled on the back of my tongue like an alien parasite.
Something glinted in the beam of my flashlight, and my pulse quickened as I pried the object loose from the severed arm that still clung to it.
“Hail Mary full of Grace.” I would have grinned if it weren’t for the fact that the plane continued to buck and roll under the assault from the cars outside.
The pistol looked old, but well-maintained, aside from the light coating of dark blood that stained its round wooden handle. It felt heavy, but good in my hand, and I turned it over to read the words, Waffenfabrik Mauser stenciled into the frame, with a large red 9 carved into the grip. For some reason, it vaguely reminded me of the blasters from Star Wars.
I fumbled with a little switch that looked like a safety on the back of the gun and stumbled toward a gap in the plane’s dented fuselage to aim out at the surrounding headlights.
Bang.
The old gun bucked reliably in my hand, its long barrel spitting a little jet of flame into the night. I had no idea if I hit anything, but the attacking cars recoiled, their horns blaring in confusion.
They turned, and scuttled for the tree line as fast as their mechanical legs could go, the entire ordeal over as fast as it had begun.
Did I do that?
Perplexed, I stared down at the pistol in my hand.
Whoosh.
A large, inky black shadow glided down from the clouds, and the yellow school bus moved too slow to react in time.
With a crash, the kicking nightmarish vehicle was thrown onto its side, spraying glass and chrome trim across the muddy field. Its electro-synth horn blared with wails of mechanical agony, as two huge talon-like feet clamped down on it, and the enormous head of the flying creature lowered to rip open its engine compartment.
The horn cut out, and the enormous flying entity jerked its head back to gulp down a mass of what looked like sticky black vines from the interior of the shattered bus.
At this range, I could see now that the flying creature bore two legs and had its wings half-tucked like a vulture that had descended to feed on roadkill. Its head turned slightly, and in the glow of another lightning bolt, my jaw went slack at the realization of what it was.
A tree trunk. It’s a rotted tree trunk.
I couldn’t tell where the reptilian beast began, and where the organic tree components ended, the upper part of the head shaped like a log, while the lower jaw resembled something out of a dinosaur movie. Its skin looked identical to the outside of a shagbark hickory but flexed with a supple featheriness that denoted something closer to skin. Sharp branch-like spines ranged down its back, and out to the end of its tail, which bore a massive round club shaped like a diseased tree-knot. Crouched on both hind legs, it braced the hooked ends of its folded wings against the ground like a bat, towering higher than a semi-truck. Under the folds of its armored head, a bulging pair of chameleon-like eyes constantly spun in their sockets, probing the dark for threats while it ate.
One black pupil locked onto the window I peered through, and my heart stopped.
The beast regarded me for a moment, with a curious, sideways sniff.
With a proud, contemptful head-toss, the shadow from the sky parted rows of razor-sharp teeth to let out a roar that shook the earth beneath my feet. It was the triumphant war cry of a creature that sat at the very top of the food chain, one that felt no threat from the fragile two-legged beings that walked the earth all around it. It hunted whenever it wanted, ate whatever it wanted, and flew wherever it wanted. It didn’t need to rip the plane apart to devour me.
Like my hunter-gatherer ancestors from thousands of years ago, I wasn’t even worth the energy it would take to pounce.
I’m hiding in the remains of the cockpit now, which is half-buried under the mud of the field, enough to shield the light from my screen so that thing doesn’t see it. My service only now came back, and it’s been over an hour since the winged beast started in on the dead bus. I don’t know when, or how I’m going to get out of here. I don’t know when anyone will even see this post, or if it will upload at all. My phone battery is almost dead, and at this point, I’m probably going to have to sleep among the corpses until daylight comes.
A dead man sleeping amongst friends.
If you live in the Noble County area in southeastern Ohio, be careful where you drive, fly, and boat. I don’t know if it’s possible to stumble into this strange place by ground, but if so, then these things are definitely headed your way.
If that happens . . . pray that they don’t find you.

Holy Moly is it ever Summer.

Around Town:

• Murder on the Orient Express (Guthrie Theater - All Weekend)
• It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Stupidity (Dudley Riggs Theatre - All Weekend)
• An American Tail: The Musical (Children's Theatre Company - All Weekend)
• The Prom (Chanassen Dinner Theatre - All Weekend)
• Ain't Misbehavin' (Capri Theater - All Weekend)
• W;t (Theater In the Round - All Weekend)
• Kickoff to Summer (Minnesota State Fairgrounds - All Weekend)
• MinnesotaCon (Minneapolis Convention Center - All Weekend)
• Warehouse District Live (North Loop - All Weekend)
• Edina Art Fair (50th & France - Fri & Sat)
• Paul Farahvar with Shyloh Blake (Laugh Camp - Fri & Sat)
• Waconia PRCA Rodeo (Carver County Fairgrounds - Fri & Sat)
• Flint Hills Family Festival (Ordway - Fri & Sat)
• Artists' Market (Minnesota State Fairgrounds Fine Arts Center - Fri & Sat )
• "Off The Rack" Swim & Resort Wear Fashion Show (Rosedale Center - Fri & Sat)
• Minnesota Monthly's 2023 GrillFest (CHS Field - Sat & Sun)

Friday

• Morel Feast (Hook & Ladder Theater 6pm)
• Mack OC – Osinachi (7th Street Entry 8pm)
• Lloyds (Lake Harriet Bandshell 7:30pm)
• Strive Bookstore Grand Opening (Young Quinlan Building 11am-6pm)
• Black Market Brass (Turf Club 8pm)
• Jim and Kathy Emery (Mill Ruins Park 12pm)
• Linus, Gentleman Speaker and The Havana Sleeve (Palmer's Bar 6pm)
• Still Stayer, Surefire, Contrition, Comatose, & VVakefield (Amsterdam Bar & Hall 7pm)
• The Percolators (Loring Park 7pm)
• Alejandro Escovedo (Dakota Jazz Club 7pm)
• Haken (Fine Line 8pm)
• Girls on the Run 5k (Minnesota State Fairgrounds 6:30pm)
• BATO BATO! Breck School’s Marimba Band (Minnehaha Bandstand 7pm)

Saturday

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Armory 7pm)
• Brooks & Dunn (Xcel Energy Center 7pm)
• Grand Marshal Reception (Midtown Global Market 5pm)
• Great Northern Railway at Train Days 2023 (Union Depot 12-12)
• Nekrogoblikon (Fine Line 7pm)
• Pride Festival Hastings (Levee Park)
• Twin Cities West Metro Asian Fair (Hilde Performance Center 11-7pm)
• Folk Frenzy (Green Room 7pm)
• GMCCA Car Show & Swap Meet (Minnesota State Fairgrounds 7am)
• Crimes, Products and The Controversial New Skinny Pill (Palmer's Bar 6pm)
• Surprise Chef (7th Street Entry 8pm)
• John Early (The Fitzgerald Theater 7pm)
• The Belfast Cowboys (Lake Harriet Bandshell 7:30pm)
• WaterFest 2023 (Phalen Regional Park 11-4pm)
• Spotlight Science: SciPride (Bell Museum 10-2pm)
• CASTER VOLOR, DIRTY SEXY RIOT, REBEL QUEENS, OUTLAW SAINT (Amsterdam Bar & Hall 7pm)
• The ReMINDers (Ordway 11/1pm)
• Art in the Hollow (Swede Hollow Park 10-5pm)
• Summerfest Adult Trike Race (Luce Line Brewing 1-3pm)
• Como Quest (Como Park Zoo & Conservatory 9am)
• Pride in the Park: Northfield’s 3rd Annual Pride Celebration (Central Park 12-4pm)
• Love and Rockets (Palace Theatre 7pm)
• Taste of Canterbury - BBQ & Bourbon (Canterbury Park 2pm)
• Queer History Ride: St. Paul (Como Lakeside Pavillion 2-5pm)
• Jess Williamson (Turf Club 8pm)
• Pete Holmes (Varsity Theater 7pm)
• Loud and Proud (56 Brewing 2-4pm)
• Trailer Trash’s 30th Anniversary Celebration (Hook & Ladder 6pm)
• Morris Day and The Time (Treasure Island 7pm)
• Thrasher Weekend Afterparty (Underground Music Cafe 7-10pm)
• Obitchuary Podcast Live! (Cedar Cultural Center 7pm)
• St. Anthony Park Arts Festival (St. Anthony Park 10-5pm)
• Garcia on Broadway (Day Block Brewing 7pm)
• Antigonick (Mixed Blood Theater 2pm)
• Bitters 101 (Dashfire 1-3pm)
• Moontricks & The Histronic (Pryes Brewing 11am)
• Joyann Parker Band: “Roots” Album Release Show (Crooners 8pm)
• Gamer Rave (First Avenue 9pm)
• Children's Theatre Company: Music in Motion (Peavey Plaza 10am)
• A Night in the Tropics (Orchestra Hall 8pm)
• Will Kjeer (MetroNOME Brewery 7:30pm)

Sunday

• Grand Old Day (Grand Avenue 8-6pm)
• Tours, Tales & Tantsi (DeLaSalle 4-6pm)
• Daniel Romano's Outfit (Turf Club 7pm)
• Vulgar Tongue Single Release (Amsterdam Bar & Hall 7pm)
• Qeej and Hmong Arts Festival (Landmark Center 11-5pm)
• Amy & Adams (Lake Harriet Bandshell 2pm)
• Dvořák and Brahms (Minnesota Orchestra 4-6pm)
• Twin Citizen (Lake Harriet Bandshell 5:30pm)
• Bloodline (Kj's Hideaway 7pm)
• Minnesota Reptile Show (Doubletree Bloomington 10-4pm)
• Adventurama 2023 (The Commons 12pm)
• Rio Romeo (7th Street Entry 7pm)

Sports

• Cleveland AT Twins (All Weekend)
• Buffalo VS Saints (All Weekend)
• Indiana AT Lynx (Friday 7pm)
• Toronto AT Loons (Saturday 7:30pm)
• Los Angeles AT Lynx (Sunday 6pm)

I have had suggestions for a patreon or something of the sort in the past. I do this because I like to provide whatever tiny help I can to the community. BUT I also like to raise money for Gillette's Children Hospital every year. So if you have some virtual loose change you can help me help dem kids here: https://www.extra-life.org/participant/482633

Links

• Reddit - Twin Cities Social meet-ups - https://www.reddit.com/twincitiessocial/
• Minneapolis Park Events - https://www.minneapolisparks.org/event-calenda
• Secrets of the city - http://www.secretsofthecity.com/
• MPLS Art Events - https://www.mplsart.com/calendaupcoming
• Minnesota Monthly Event Calendar - http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/Calenda
• MSP Magazine Event Calendar - http://mspmag.com/search/event/events-calenda#page=1
• Minneapolis Northwest Event Calendar - https://www.minneapolisnorthwest.com/events/
• Minneapolis.Org Event Calendar - https://www.minneapolis.org/calenda
• Family Fun Twin Cities - https://www.familyfuntwincities.com/family-fun-events-calenda
• Racket MN Event Calendar - https://racketmn.com/category/events/

Be da real MVP and add anything I missed below.

Holy Moly is it ever Summer.

Around Town:

• Murder on the Orient Express (Guthrie Theater - All Weekend)
• It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Stupidity (Dudley Riggs Theatre - All Weekend)
• An American Tail: The Musical (Children's Theatre Company - All Weekend)
• The Prom (Chanassen Dinner Theatre - All Weekend)
• Ain't Misbehavin' (Capri Theater - All Weekend)
• W;t (Theater In the Round - All Weekend)
• Kickoff to Summer (Minnesota State Fairgrounds - All Weekend)
• MinnesotaCon (Minneapolis Convention Center - All Weekend)
• Warehouse District Live (North Loop - All Weekend)
• Edina Art Fair (50th & France - Fri & Sat)
• Paul Farahvar with Shyloh Blake (Laugh Camp - Fri & Sat)
• Waconia PRCA Rodeo (Carver County Fairgrounds - Fri & Sat)
• Flint Hills Family Festival (Ordway - Fri & Sat)
• Artists' Market (Minnesota State Fairgrounds Fine Arts Center - Fri & Sat )
• "Off The Rack" Swim & Resort Wear Fashion Show (Rosedale Center - Fri & Sat)
• Minnesota Monthly's 2023 GrillFest (CHS Field - Sat & Sun)

Friday

• Morel Feast (Hook & Ladder Theater 6pm)
• Mack OC – Osinachi (7th Street Entry 8pm)
• Lloyds (Lake Harriet Bandshell 7:30pm)
• Strive Bookstore Grand Opening (Young Quinlan Building 11am-6pm)
• Black Market Brass (Turf Club 8pm)
• Jim and Kathy Emery (Mill Ruins Park 12pm)
• Linus, Gentleman Speaker and The Havana Sleeve (Palmer's Bar 6pm)
• Still Stayer, Surefire, Contrition, Comatose, & VVakefield (Amsterdam Bar & Hall 7pm)
• The Percolators (Loring Park 7pm)
• Alejandro Escovedo (Dakota Jazz Club 7pm)
• Haken (Fine Line 8pm)
• Girls on the Run 5k (Minnesota State Fairgrounds 6:30pm)
• BATO BATO! Breck School’s Marimba Band (Minnehaha Bandstand 7pm)

Saturday

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Armory 7pm)
• Brooks & Dunn (Xcel Energy Center 7pm)
• Grand Marshal Reception (Midtown Global Market 5pm)
• Great Northern Railway at Train Days 2023 (Union Depot 12-12)
• Nekrogoblikon (Fine Line 7pm)
• Pride Festival Hastings (Levee Park)
• Twin Cities West Metro Asian Fair (Hilde Performance Center 11-7pm)
• Folk Frenzy (Green Room 7pm)
• GMCCA Car Show & Swap Meet (Minnesota State Fairgrounds 7am)
• Crimes, Products and The Controversial New Skinny Pill (Palmer's Bar 6pm)
• Surprise Chef (7th Street Entry 8pm)
• John Early (The Fitzgerald Theater 7pm)
• The Belfast Cowboys (Lake Harriet Bandshell 7:30pm)
• WaterFest 2023 (Phalen Regional Park 11-4pm)
• Spotlight Science: SciPride (Bell Museum 10-2pm)
• CASTER VOLOR, DIRTY SEXY RIOT, REBEL QUEENS, OUTLAW SAINT (Amsterdam Bar & Hall 7pm)
• The ReMINDers (Ordway 11/1pm)
• Art in the Hollow (Swede Hollow Park 10-5pm)
• Summerfest Adult Trike Race (Luce Line Brewing 1-3pm)
• Como Quest (Como Park Zoo & Conservatory 9am)
• Pride in the Park: Northfield’s 3rd Annual Pride Celebration (Central Park 12-4pm)
• Love and Rockets (Palace Theatre 7pm)
• Taste of Canterbury - BBQ & Bourbon (Canterbury Park 2pm)
• Queer History Ride: St. Paul (Como Lakeside Pavillion 2-5pm)
• Jess Williamson (Turf Club 8pm)
• Pete Holmes (Varsity Theater 7pm)
• Loud and Proud (56 Brewing 2-4pm)
• Trailer Trash’s 30th Anniversary Celebration (Hook & Ladder 6pm)
• Morris Day and The Time (Treasure Island 7pm)
• Thrasher Weekend Afterparty (Underground Music Cafe 7-10pm)
• Obitchuary Podcast Live! (Cedar Cultural Center 7pm)
• St. Anthony Park Arts Festival (St. Anthony Park 10-5pm)
• Garcia on Broadway (Day Block Brewing 7pm)
• Antigonick (Mixed Blood Theater 2pm)
• Bitters 101 (Dashfire 1-3pm)
• Moontricks & The Histronic (Pryes Brewing 11am)
• Joyann Parker Band: “Roots” Album Release Show (Crooners 8pm)
• Gamer Rave (First Avenue 9pm)
• Children's Theatre Company: Music in Motion (Peavey Plaza 10am)
• A Night in the Tropics (Orchestra Hall 8pm)
• Will Kjeer (MetroNOME Brewery 7:30pm)

Sunday

• Grand Old Day (Grand Avenue 8-6pm)
• Tours, Tales & Tantsi (DeLaSalle 4-6pm)
• Daniel Romano's Outfit (Turf Club 7pm)
• Vulgar Tongue Single Release (Amsterdam Bar & Hall 7pm)
• Qeej and Hmong Arts Festival (Landmark Center 11-5pm)
• Amy & Adams (Lake Harriet Bandshell 2pm)
• Dvořák and Brahms (Minnesota Orchestra 4-6pm)
• Twin Citizen (Lake Harriet Bandshell 5:30pm)
• Bloodline (Kj's Hideaway 7pm)
• Minnesota Reptile Show (Doubletree Bloomington 10-4pm)
• Adventurama 2023 (The Commons 12pm)
• Rio Romeo (7th Street Entry 7pm)

Sports

• Cleveland AT Twins (All Weekend)
• Buffalo VS Saints (All Weekend)
• Indiana AT Lynx (Friday 7pm)
• Toronto AT Loons (Saturday 7:30pm)
• Los Angeles AT Lynx (Sunday 6pm)

I have had suggestions for a patreon or something of the sort in the past. I do this because I like to provide whatever tiny help I can to the community. BUT I also like to raise money for Gillette's Children Hospital every year. So if you have some virtual loose change you can help me help dem kids here: https://www.extra-life.org/participant/482633

Links

• Reddit - Twin Cities Social meet-ups - https://www.reddit.com/twincitiessocial/
• Minneapolis Park Events - https://www.minneapolisparks.org/event-calenda
• Secrets of the city - http://www.secretsofthecity.com/
• MPLS Art Events - https://www.mplsart.com/calendaupcoming
• Minnesota Monthly Event Calendar - http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/Calenda
• MSP Magazine Event Calendar - http://mspmag.com/search/event/events-calenda#page=1
• Minneapolis Northwest Event Calendar - https://www.minneapolisnorthwest.com/events/
• Minneapolis.Org Event Calendar - https://www.minneapolis.org/calenda
• Family Fun Twin Cities - https://www.familyfuntwincities.com/family-fun-events-calenda
• Racket MN Event Calendar - https://racketmn.com/category/events/

Be da real MVP and add anything I missed below.

I worked as a park ranger in Northern Alaska for years, from when I was in my early twenties until my mid-thirties. At first, when I took the job, I was trying to escape, but over time, I learned to love it- the endless wilderness, the snow-capped mountains, the muffled way everything sounded during blizzards. With no light pollution, the stars up there look like tiny chips of diamond. And during the winter, the Northern Lights roll in, twisting and shimmering in strange, alien colors.
But a few years ago, things got much worse. People up here have started to go missing at an alarming rate. And I started having strange experiences around the park and the nature preserve.
One of the strangest parts of my story started on a freezing, dark night in 2018. I was on a snowmobile out in a terrible blizzard. The conditions were nearly to the point of being impassable. The snow was falling so thick and fast that it looked like a moving, shimmering wall of white on all sides of me.
Another ranger, a huge, lumbering man named ‘Ace’ Acosta, pulled up behind me on a second snowmobile. I looked at him, standing six foot six with majestic peaks stretching up into the night sky, and thought about what a great picture this would make. As I was looking around, I saw the faint tracks in the snow. Ace’s snowmobile lights were pointed in their direction, and I had been standing almost on top of them without realizing it- which is fairly easy to do when a few inches of snow are falling every hour.
At first, I thought it was the frozen tracks of an injured animal. I saw the drops of blood soaked into the superficial ice first. Following their direction with my eyes, I realized there were footprints pressed into the frozen crust leading away from me and towards the flat stretch of the tundra. I squinted, getting down on my knees and leaning inwards. I didn’t want to trample the tracks.
I quickly realized I was looking at human footprints- naked human footprints. But who would be out here in December in -40 degree winds without shoes? They would die rapidly out here. Just for me to drive across the tundra on a snowmobile required me to wear three jackets, long-johns, snow pants, thick jeans, a ski mask and multiple layers of socks and gloves with hand-warmers. I wore special water-proof boots with composite toes that wouldn’t freeze like steel toes. And despite all of this, I was still cold.
I moved forward, and saw handprints mixed in with the footprints, all of them bloody. The ice was thick enough to slice open human hands and feet, undoubtedly. The logical conclusion was unshakable- someone had crawled through here, maybe naked, on all fours, and their frozen body would be somewhere up ahead. I sighed, turning to Acosta. He still stood in the same position, his face covered in a red scarf with only his eyes showing. I saw one ice-covered eyebrow raise questioningly.
“I think we got us a body somewhere nearby,” I said, getting back on my snowmobile and starting it. He did the same.
“What kind of freaked-out tweaker would be walking around here without clothes on?” Ace asked in his deep baritone. “Man, I need a hit of whatever that guy’s on. I’ve got two sweaters and two winter jackets on, and I’m still cold. Eh, Kelton? Eh? What do you say?” He started elbowing me jokingly. I frowned, not responding.
Ace always had a smart aleck remark. He was next to me when I was interviewed for this job originally, down at the recruitment center in Washington state. The old lady doing the interviewing was a bloodless, angry-looking specimen of a woman with huge glasses that magnified her eyes twice over. She spat out each of the questions like a drill sergeant talking to fresh meat in the Army.
“Are you a member of any organized religion?” she had asked brusquely. Ace shook his head.
“No, ma’am, but I am a member of a disorganized religion,” he said. “We call ourselves ‘the Servants of the Old Ones’. We’re waiting for the ancient reptilian gods at the bottom of the ocean to awaken. So far, however, they haven’t responded to any of our texts.” I thought about this as I revved the engine twice, a sign that I was about to pull off and that he should stay close.
We took off, going slow and following the tracks as close as possible without destroying them. But the tracks just kept going, the bloodstains seeming to grow fainter as we moved forward- and strangely enough, the distance between the hand and footprints also started to get longer, as if someone were running on all fours and speeding up. We were nearing the beginning of the forest of evergreens when I saw a white flash just up ahead.
The thing that ran from us was humanoid, but I knew at once that it was no person. It ran on hands and feet, totally naked, its skin a pale, lifeless white color. It turned its head towards the lights of the snowmobiles briefly. I saw a hairless creature with skin that clung tightly to its simian body, its lips permanently pulled back from its mouth as if they were eaten away. Underneath it showed mottled black and red gums covered in thick, clotted blood. Its nose appeared as little more than two irregular holes, and its eyes- they reflected the light of the snowmobiles, like the eyes of a raccoon or opossum. They were huge and sunken in its starving, monstrous face.
And I saw what was leaving the bloody trails. The creature was, as far as I could tell, totally uninjured. In its permanently grinning mouth, between rows of crooked, sharp, blood-stained teeth, it held the body of an infant. The baby’s head lolled from side to side, the neck seemingly broken, and blood dripped constantly from its mouth and nose. It had deep puncture marks in its tiny parka, half-rings of teeth marks that must have broken its ribs. The bloodstains on the snow were becoming fainter, because the heart was no longer pumping in the body of the one leaving them.
I had a loaded rifle inside my snowmobile, and kept a 12-gauge shotgun slung around my back, mostly in case of bear or moose attack. I always kept the shotgun loaded with slugs, which were, in my experience, the most versatile ammunition for stopping any large animal. The .308 might take down a polar bear, at least with a good headshot, or it might just piss it off on a bad day. But a shotgun slug to the head or heart will stop any bear or moose in its tracks.
Of course, this was no polar bear ahead of me. For all I knew, it was something far worse. I looked down at the speedometer to see I was going twenty miles an hour, in the dark, in a blizzard. And yet this strange humanoid creature was still losing us, its seemingly never-ending store of energy still sending it forward at a superhuman speed. Its pale, bony legs and arms pumped back and forth so fast that they were just a blur. It kept its sharp teeth around the nape of the dead infant’s neck, like a mother cat carrying its young.
I kept one hand on the steering wheel while trying to free the strap of my shotgun over my head. I slowed down below twenty, and the creature responded by going even faster. It was making a break for the mountain forests that started only a few hundred feet away. I got the gun free and quickly stopped the snowmobile and raised it. I centered the sights, taking a deep breath to steady myself, and fired.
I missed, though I don’t know by how much. Shotguns had the drawback of being significantly less accurate at further distances than the rifle. But by the time I got the .308 out, I knew the creature would have long since disappeared in the thick brush and trees. By this point, Ace had also stopped and opened fire, but the creature had already gone.
“God damn!” Ace screamed. “That was one fast motherfucker. I can’t believe he got away after all that.” I heaved a deep sigh.
“I think we better go find out where he got that baby from,” I said. “We might have a lot more corpses on our hands than we realize.”
***
We found a radio in the snowmobile and messaged in what had happened, or at least the basic gist of it. I left out the part about naked, half-human abominations, and said that it was an unknown animal. There wasn’t much law enforcement up in these parts, because, hell, there were barely any people. The rangers as well as fish and wildlife agents regularly worked with the police officers in small towns, at least those that had police officers. Dozens of the local tribal villages had no police at all. These people would come to forest rangers and fish and wildlife agents most of all, and were always some of the county’s friendliest and most helpful residents.
By the time we got back to the original blood-stained footprints, the snow had covered up the tracks completely. However, based on the direction that the creature had been going and where the tracks had come from, I thought I knew where it might have started. Following the path in a nearly straight line led to the Lutna Peak Trailer Park. Ace and I drove off at max speed across the rolling hills and flat plains, the snow coming faster and heavier now. They say eskimos have dozens of words for snow, and after being a ranger up here, I can say I’ve seen every variation of it a thousand times. This was turning into the kind that was wet with huge flakes and tended to stick to everything. We would probably have to find refuge soon, especially if it got any heavier.
I heard the screaming before I saw the commotion. As we came around the sharp right turn where the dirt road turned into the trailer park, I saw dozens of people out, flitting like gnats around one of the trailers at the back corner of the park. All of the lights were on in that particular trailer, and I saw one woman comforting another who was bent over and crying.
Even though almost everyone knew us here, I pulled out my badge identifying me as a federal law enforcement officer. Up here, all the rangers were technically federal agents, allowed to carry guns and make arrests like typical police, except we were licensed under the Department of the Interior rather than under state law enforcement agencies.
I ran into the trailer, and after one long glance around the place, I knew there was no need to call for any ambulances. Ace followed close behind me, his heavy, thudding footsteps shaking the trailer slightly as he ascended the steps. We said nothing for a long moment. The entire family was dead.
There was blood everywhere, even spotting the ceilings. Most of it had frozen in the cold, and I wondered how long the door had been left open. Body parts were scattered across the floor, an arm in the corner of the room, a head standing up on the kitchen counter, even a random tooth embedded into the sheetrock. The savagery was brutal, and the amount of strength required to carry out such an attack must have been extraordinary.
“I think we’re going to need a lot more people on this than just me and you,” Ace said. I nodded, already bone-tired, and with so much more work to do tonight before I could go to sleep.
We phoned both state and federal authorities in the area. Since much of the land was tribally owned, we had to deal with multiple branches. Eventually we got CSI out there in the middle of a snowstorm, though they had to come from over three hours away. We just secured the scene while we waited, constantly being brought into neighboring trailers where townsfolk would tell us the latest gossip. They also brought us hot coffee and tried to milk us for any information we might have, as they usually did in such situations.
“No, Maggie, honest,” Ace was saying to one old lady wrapped up in an ancient fur coat, “I don’t know any more about it than you do. You can be sure that you’d know if I did.” By that point, police cars were slowly pulling in, one by one. Ace and I told them a simplified version of the night’s events, said goodnight and left the scene to them. I went home and took a scalding hot shower, trying to force the night’s coldness out of my bones. Then I slept deeply, though I had nightmares of that creature’s face turning to me, holding a dead baby in its mouth and marking me with its emotionless, reflective eyes. I didn’t know it then, but that would be the last time I would sleep in a bed for many days.
***
The state police assigned us an officer the next day, stating they wanted an official representative of their interests involved in the case. It was, by this point, a fairly high-priority case. We didn’t even have many assaults or robberies up here, less likely murders, and the murder of an entire family really stirred up the locals. The fact that the CSI techs couldn’t make heads or tails of it made it even worse. They hadn’t even agreed on whether it was done by humans or animals or a combination of the two, like men with fighting dogs who went berserk. With no leads, they wanted us to go back to where we had seen the creature the previous night and see what we could find.
The police officer who would be tagging us, a woman named Officer Melinda Jansen, had the look of someone who just started a new job, and doesn’t realize how terrible it is yet. She was all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and when she shook my hand, she nearly crushed the bones together under her iron grip. I saw Ace wince slightly when he shook her hand too. When she turned her back, he looked at me with one eyebrow raised, as if he were saying, “What can you do?”
It didn’t take us long to find the spot from the previous night. When we got close to the forest where the creature disappeared, I saw a branch that had been hit by a shotgun blast, and knew we were right on the money. In the daytime, I saw that there was a slight, curving trail through the trees here, maybe an old deer trail. It was just wide enough for us to take our snowmobiles through if we went slow. Occasionally, I would have to get off, being in the lead, and move large branches that lay across the path, but overall it was faster going than I had expected.
The trail followed across the top of a rolling hill, went down and then spiraled up around a mountain. We were high now, at least 7,000 feet above sea level, and the view went for hundreds of miles. It was breath-taking, seeing the frozen white landscape below us, mountains lining one horizon and the Arctic Ocean on another. A couple hundred feet ahead of us, however, the trail just stopped. I saw an opening in the mountain. Slowly bringing my snowmobile up, I looked into it and saw what looked like naturally-formed stone hallways.
The halls sloped down at a steep angle without stairs. An eerie silence radiated from the gradually thickening darkness. The other two snowmobiles cut out right behind mine, and Officer Jansen came walking up, flicking on her LED headlamp. Immediately, I saw a strip of light blue cloth. I walked forward, bending down to confirm what I had already suspected: that this was a piece of the missing infant’s clothing.
“That looks like more than enough cause to me. Let’s do this,” Jansen said. “I’d like to be back before sundown.” She kept walking without waiting for confirmation. Ace and I slung on our packs and turned on our headlamps. I tried using the radios and sat-phone to share our location, but neither was working. The bright, artificial lights showed that the natural stone walls of the hall just kept on descending into the mountain. A warm breeze blew past me, an acrid, sulfuric smell following in its wake.
“This is just a body recovery mission at this point,” I whispered to Ace, giving Officer Jansen a wide space so I could talk. “So why are we potentially risking our lives here? We should be waiting for back-up. We both know that the infant is dead, and has been for a while.”
“You know what I think…” Ace whispered conspiratorially, before a low shriek stopped us all in our tracks and ended conversation. I never did get to hear what he thought. By this point, it was much warmer than it had been outside, and I had the urge to start stripping off jackets. The shrieking had intensified, and was now being answered by dozens of others that surrounded further away in the stone halls.
Officer Jansen had pulled out her gun, which I saw with some astonishment was a .454 Ruger, a large caliber gun with good stopping power. I saw enough magazines strapped around her hips to decimate an entire herd of buffalo. I also pulled off my shotgun, making sure it was filled with lead slugs.
“Do you have any idea what we’re up against?” I asked her. Ace was right behind us, his shotgun already cocked and loaded, the muzzle pointed downwards. I was sweating heavily by this point. The air in the tunnel just kept getting warmer. It felt like I was walking into a sauna. Thin clouds of mist and droplets of hot condensation clung to the smooth granite ceilings. The hall continued to descend at the same steep rate, but now I could see something at the bottom: light.
“Not much more than you, really,” Officer Jansen said with a slight sneer. “My only advice is to shoot first and ask questions later. Kill anything that moves. This place has taken a lot of people already, people who were too fat and slow to watch their own backs…” I squinted as I examined the lights. They seemed to emanate from some sort of organism growing on the stone’s surface.
It wasn’t electrical lights, and it certainly wasn’t natural sunlight. It glowed like the lights of millions of fireflies, a purplish-blue color that painted the granite floors and walls in a totally different light. We were walking as quietly as possible by this point, but I still hadn’t seen anyone. We reached the bottom of the stone halls, where strange mushrooms glowed in the darkness, their mycelium giving off that black-light color everywhere as it stretched across the threshold of the opening. I turned off my LED, seeing my comrades do the same, then poked my head through, looking back and forth.
I saw more of those creatures from before, their lips missing, their skin pale, their eyes huge and rabid. They constantly twisted and snapped their heads to the left or right, as if hearing something only they could perceive. Two were dragging an elk that had been mutilated and torn down the middle. Another was dragging an old man’s dead body forward by the upraised legs. I saw the old man’s head was missing, his wrinkled hands trailing behind the body. I watched where all this activity was headed, then I gasped.
A huge, insectile monster sat lazily against the stone wall as these creatures brought it meat. The monster was so fat that I wasn’t even sure it could stand up. It had a blood-red, chitinous exterior with a hood like a cobra’s that extended around its head. Its teeth trembled together constantly as it shoved more gory offerings into its mouth, sending blood gushing forwards in thick clotted rivulets that dripped down its chin. Its long, thin arms had sharp knife-like digits, and its six legs branched like those of a praying mantis, splayed out on each side of its body, shining a dark red color in the strange light of the chamber. Its belly stretched far in front of its body, and with horror, I saw it drop a cluster of eggs, each as big as a dog. Their surfaces writhed and trembled, looking tight and ready to burst at any moment.
The creatures that fed and cared for this monster rushed over, dragging the eggs to the corner of the warm chamber. I saw that there were dozens more of them over there, and that some had already hatched.
Whatever that monster was, it had already given birth, and now those things were walking around, totally free to kill anything, or anyone, they wanted.

Company Name	Title	City
HelioHire	Senior Data Scientist	Austin
Peopleready	General Labor	Abilene
Edwards Mail Service	COMPANY SCA DRIVER ( part time 19.06 per hour) CLASS C BOX TRUCK	Abilene
Buttery Company LLP	Warehouse Duty / Delivery Driver	Abilene
The Oaks at Radford Hills	Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) PRN	Abilene
WIS International	Inventory Associate - Specialty (PT)	Abilene
Concentra	Lead Development Representative	Addison
Cogent Communications	Sales Manager, Addison, TX	Addison
Courtyard Addison Midway	Director Sales + Marketing Courtyard Addison	Addison
Authentix Inc	Warehouse Associate	Addison
Asset Living	Senior Accountant	Addison
Concentra	Medical Billing Specialist	Addison
Refuel Operating Company	C Store Team Member	Adkins
Pizza Hut	Delivery Driver	Alamo
Harvest of Aledo - A Civitas Senior Living Community	Wellness Director - Senior Living (LVN or RN Required)	Aledo
Grace Learning Tree	Nursery Teacher	Aledo
Brooks Brothers	Part-Time Sales Associate - Allen Premium Outlet 3724	Allen
Papa John's	Delivery Driver	Allen
DFW Home Health McKinney	Physical Therapist Assistant	Allen
Prairieland Detention Center	Detention Officer	Alvarado
Rent A Center	MIT Bilingual	Alvin
Coastal Eye Associates	Call Center Representative	Alvin
America's Best	Sales Associate - Bilingual Spanish	Alvin
Driveline	Flex Merchandiser	Alvin
Amarillo Center for Skilled Care	Dietary Aide	Amarillo

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings , feel free to comment here if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
Cognizant Technology Solutions	Manager .Net Developer (Remote)	Birmingham
TCF Technology Group	In-House Remote / Infield IT Technician	Montreal
Bankers Life	Financial Services Professional – Hybrid Remote (CA)	Salida
Foresight Mental Health	Licensed Mental Health Therapist (Remote), FT or PT	Walnut Creek
Guideline Health Care	Therapist - Remote	Yucaipa
Kpmg	Cyber Threat Hunting and Incident Response Analyst - Remote	Jacksonville
Bankers Life	Financial Services Professional – Hybrid Remote (FL)	Pensacola
Guideline Health Care	Behavioral Therapist - Remote	Sebring
Talentfactor Inc	Planner - Dispatcher Remote	Spring Hill
Now Hiring Heroes	Sales Account Manager - Remote - Supply Chain Ocean & Air Cargo	Tyrone
Topocean Group	Air Freight Business Development Manager (Hybrid/Remote)	Bensenville
Cook County School District 130	Summer School Biling. and Tech. Paraprofessionals (Remote Learning) #1733	Blue Island
Dnv	MDR AssessoLead Auditor - Non-Active Orthopaedics & Non-implantable- Remote	Medford
Deloitte	Oracle/Workday/SAP Accounting Senior Consultant (Remote)	Bowie
GPac	Remote w/in 2 hours - Commercial Auto Claims Adjuster	Glen Burnie
Guideline Health Care	Mental Health Therapist or Counselor - Remote	Severn
Greenman-Pedersen Inc.	Construction Inspector (Remote Site Locations)	Newburgh
GPac	Bar Code Sales Representative (REMOTE)	Grove City
Siemens	PLM Solution Architect - Teamcenter FULLY REMOTE	Milford
Siemens Digital Industries Software	Capital Product Architect - Remote	Milford
Siemens	Commercial Lending Risk Credit Analyst (Remote)	Malvern
Advantage xPO	Payroll Manager (Hybrid-Remote)	New Kensington
Physical Rehabilitation Network	Medical Call Center Rep (Remote after 6 months)	Keller
Guideline Health Care	Mental Health Therapist or Counselor - Remote	Longview
Guideline Health Care	Therapist - Remote	Pharr

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in . Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 54%. (I'm a bot)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential bid is facing scrutiny after a nonprofit watchdog filed a complaint against his campaign for allegedly trying to repurpose millions in unspent funds from his 2022 reelection to support a White House run.
The complaint centers on the former Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC, which raised hundreds of millions for the governor when he was seeking a second term.
The leftover $80 million was left unspent after election night, until recently when DeSantis cut ties with the PAC. The PAC then changed its name to Empower Parents and according to the New York Times supposedly was ready to funnel funds to the DeSantis 2024 Super PAC Never Back Down.
Never Back Down and Empower Parents didn't offer any immediate response to the allegations made by the CLC. However, state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, who chairs the former DeSantis PAC, recently told us leftover money from Empower Parents couldn't touch the White House run.
"It's a state PAC. So, the only thing that we can do with it is back state candidates or anybody that falls under a state election, so that's your local school board, county commissioner, legislative office."
The latest Empower Parents finance data from May 25 shows a contribution of $1 million to a similarly named PAC run by current Florida House Speaker Paul Renner.

Summary Source FAQ Feedback Top keywords: PAC^#1 DeSantis^#2 complaint^#3 campaign^#4 million^#5
Post found in /politics.
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