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Raleigh Judge Rules Against West Virginia School Board in Vaccine Lawsuit
Dealing another victory to Gov. Patrick Morrisey and his executive order, a Raleigh County judge on Thursday granted a preliminary injunction allowing three Raleigh County students to attend school with a religious exemption to the state’s strict compulsory school vaccination law.
Circuit Judge Michael Froble ruled that the state’s mandatory school vaccine law is invalid without a religious exemption to the law. If there were any question, he said, the state’s Equal Protection for Religion Act of 2023 makes it clear the law should make exceptions for religious beliefs.
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Miranda Guzman, Amanda Tulley and Carley Hunter, whose children were issued a religious exemption to the school vaccine mandates by the state Department of Health. Morrisey issued an executive order in January requiring the state to allow religious exemptions to its school vaccination laws. State lawmakers this year did not pass — which would have established those exemptions in state code.
The West Virginia school board voted not to comply with Morrisey’s executive order and to instruct county boards of education to require all vaccines and allow only medical exemptions to those vaccination requirements. “The court finds that only requiring school kids in the public school to have vaccinations, but not requiring adults and other people and having learning pods and having athletic activities that does occur really diminishes any kind of argument that compelling state interest in only making sure that children in the public school or attending public schools are receiving their mandatory vaccinations, and that they are disregarding their rights for exercising their religion,” Froble said.
Seattle 911 Supervisor Wins $800K Settlement Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
A former Seattle 911 police communications supervisor has secured an $875,000 settlement from the City of Seattle following her termination over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Marina Shinderuk, a 14-year veteran of the Seattle Police Department, was terminated from her position in November 2021 after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine — despite receiving a religious exemption from the city’s vaccine mandate.
“I’m just relieved that it’s over. It’s been a really long time, and I get to actually feel like I’m enjoying life again. And I’ve always said… it was not in pursuit of money. It was in pursuit of doing something to make a point,” Shinderuk told KOMO News.
Shinderuk, who began her career as a tele-communicator and was promoted to police communications supervisor in 2019, considered herself a dedicated employee.
She alleged that the city enforced the vaccine mandate with zero tolerance, disregarding what she believed were her legally protected religious beliefs.
Four Years Later, Veterans Still Fighting To Get Justice For COVID Vaccine Crackdowns
Four years after former President Joe Biden’s Pentagon mandated the COVID-19 vaccination for all Department of Defense personnel, veterans and former service members are continuing to fight for justice after being terminated for refusing the vaccine.
Former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for all service members in August 2021, resulting in the termination of roughly 8,500 active-duty service members who refused the mandate. Even as President Donald Trump is offering backpay and reinstatement for active duty service members, some troops who fell through the cracks are still fighting for their rights. In addition to the discharges among active-duty service members, the Army barred nearly 62,000 reservists and National Guardsmen from the service for refusing the vaccine.
Chris Harkins was set to retire from a 19-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard, a job in which he earned many commendations for his service. When the COVID-19 pandemic swept over the U.S., he objected to taking the shot, seeking a religious exemption from taking the vaccine. However, Harkins was denied the exemption and the Coast Guard dismissed the long-time veteran on Dec. 1, 2022 just six months before he would use the leave he saved up before his retirement in 2024.
The Pandemic Aged Our Brains, Whether We Got Covid or Not, Study Finds
The stress of lockdowns, fear and social isolation appear to have left a mark on our brains. Experts say it may be possible to counteract the changes. Brain aging may have sped up during the pandemic, even in people who didn’t get sick from COVID-19, a new study suggests.
Using brain scans from a very large database, British researchers determined that during the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022, people’s brains showed signs of aging, including shrinkage, according to the report published in Nature Communications.
People who got infected with the virus also showed deficits in certain cognitive abilities, such as processing speed and mental flexibility.
The aging effect “was most pronounced in males and those from more socioeconomically deprived backgrounds,” the study’s first author, Ali-Reza Mohammadi-Nejad, a neuroimaging researcher at the University of Nottingham, said by email. “It highlights that brain health is not shaped solely by illness, but also by broader life experiences.”
Newsom to Release Report on ‘Right and Wrong’ COVID Policies in California
California is preparing to release a detailed report reviewing how the state handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the review is expected to be approximately 1,000 pages long and will outline both the successes and failures of his administration’s COVID-19 response.
The California Health and Human Services Department has been compiling the report. Newsom’s Office told KCRA News it has been years in the making. According to his office, the process has included contributions from outside independent experts who reviewed the state’s COVID-19 guidelines. They assessed the positive and negative outcomes of policies implemented during the pandemic.
Officials said they expect the review to cover decisions such as the shutdown of businesses and schools, as well as California’s strict mask mandates and vaccine requirements — among the most stringent in the country. According to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, California saw more than 12.1 million confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses. The data also attributed 101,159 deaths to the virus as of March 10, 2023.
Tamara Lich Says Carney Government Wants Her Jailed for 7 Years
The Freedom Convoy leader shared that she expects the Canadian government to pursue an eight-year prison sentence for co-leader Chris Barber. Freedom Convoy leader Tamara Lich revealed over the weekend that the Canadian federal government is looking to lock her up in jail for no less than seven years and her counterpart, Chris Barber, for eight years.
On Saturday, Lich took to X to announce the news, writing, “We learned last evening that the crown has submitted their materials to our legal teams for our upcoming sentencing hearing. They are seeking a 7 year prison sentence for myself and 8 years for @ChrisBarber1975.” The sentencing trial for both Lich and Barber begins Wednesday in a hearing.
Earlier this year, they were found guilty of mischief in their roles in the 2022 convoy. Today on X, Lich released details of what the federal government of Prime Minister Mark Carney is calling for. “Late yesterday afternoon I received a copy of the Crown’s materials for our upcoming sentencing hearing and can confirm they are seeking a seven-year prison sentence for me and an additional year for Chris,” she wrote.
Brits Could Be Banned From Going on Holiday as ‘Carbon Passports’ Introduced
Carbon passports could be introduced to limit the frequency of foreign holidays for U.K. residents, as part of efforts to combat climate change. Tourism is a significant contributor to climate change, accounting for approximately one-tenth of the greenhouse gas emissions driving the crisis.
Ross Bennett-Cook, a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster, stated: “The negative impacts of tourism on the environment have become so severe that some are suggesting drastic changes to our travel habits are inevitable. “In a report from 2023 that analysed the future of sustainable travel, tour operator Intrepid Travel proposed that ‘carbon passports’ will soon become a reality if the tourism industry hopes to survive.”
Ross explained that the concept of a carbon passport involves assigning each traveller a yearly ‘carbon allowance’ that they cannot exceed. A similar idea, known as “personal carbon trading”, was debated in the House of Commons in 2008. Several European countries are starting to implement measures to curb air travel. In Belgium, passengers on short-haul flights and older aircraft are now subject to higher taxes.
