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FLINT, Mich. ¨C The City of Flint will no longer auction off illegal guns seized by its police department. Instead, the weapons will be destroyed.Mayor Sheldon Neeley and Police Chief Phil Hart made the announcement during a press conference last week, saying they hope to keep guns off the streets.Officials say they will start by immediately disposing of 250 guns that previously had been on Flint streets.According to a press release from the city, the previous administration began auctioning off seized firearms in 2017, selling hundreds of guns to the highest bidder. That included semi-automatic rifles as well as handguns, pistols, and shotguns, the city says.Last year, the city says it auctioned off more than 1,200 guns, which brought in more than 0,000 to the city¡¯s general fund.While gun auctions are legal and serve lawful gun buyers, the current mayor says his administration will not permit the auctioning of firearms to ensure none of weapons fall into the wrong hands again.¡°From Day 1, we put a priority on leading this city with a strong social conscience. Human life is always more valuable than dollars,¡± Mayor Neeley said. ¡°Under this administration, we will never again line our pockets by selling guns. It is unconscionable that after seizing these illegal weapons that anyone would gamble by putting them back on the streets where they could again fall into the wrong hands.¡±Chief Hart says the profit from selling the firearms is not worth the risk of them being used in future violent events.¡°If we want to look at dollars and cents, we also have to look at the cost of gun violence in our community,¡± said Hart. ¡°It does not make sense for law enforcement to be in the business of selling weapons.¡±The city cited a 2019 report from the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, which said gun violence costs the U.S. 9 billion annually and in Michigan, gun violence costs .9 billion ¡ª 6 for every resident.¡°Based on that average, the cost of gun violence in the city of Flint is at least triple the revenues the gun auctions,¡± the city wrote.Instead of auctioning off the guns, the weapons will be turned over to the Michigan State Police for proper disposal. 2205

Former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn has expressed concern about the potential legal exposure of his son, Michael Flynn Jr., who, like his father, is under scrutiny by special counsel Robert Mueller, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.Flynn's concern could factor into decisions about how to respond to Mueller's ongoing investigation. The special counsel is looking into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign as well as the business dealings of key campaign advisers to President Donald Trump.Flynn's wife, Lori, shares his concerns about their son's possible legal exposure, according to a person who knows the family.Interviews conducted by special counsel investigators have included questions about the business dealings of Flynn and his son such as their firm's reporting of income from work overseas, two witnesses interviewed by the team told CNN. The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) requires people acting as agents of foreign entities to publicly disclose their relationship with foreign countries or businesses and financial compensation for such work. 1116

For anyone who used to play with slot cars as a child, Sweden's new electrified road might bring back some memories.In the first of its kind, the Scandinavian country is trialling the world's first public road which allows electric vehicles to recharge while driving. Similar to a slot-car track, vehicles are able to connect to an electric rail that's embedded into the road.Sweden has a goal of achieving a completely fossil fuel free vehicle fleet by 2030, so this electrified road is part of several projects the Swedish Transport Administration has created to develop and test technologies that may be able to help the country reach its target.In this particular project, 'eRoadArlanda', electricity is transferred via a movable arm that attaches to the tracks built into the middle of the road. While the system is designed with the capacity to feed heavier vehicles such as trucks, it's also developed to work for cars and buses.When vehicles approach the track, a sensor from the car or truck detects the electrified rail and the movable arm lowers from underneath the vehicle and inserts into the rail. The arm has been designed to be flexible, providing the car, or truck, the freedom to move around the road without disconnecting."One of the most important issues of our time is the question of how to make fossil-free road transportation a reality," Hans S?ll, chairman of the eRoadArlanda says."We now have a solution that will make this possible, which is amazing. Sweden is at the cutting edge of this technology, which we now hope to introduce in other areas of the country and the world."The track stretches along two kilometers (1.2 miles) and has been installed on public road "893" just 30 minutes outside of Stockholm.The eRoad has many advantages, S?ll says. If implemented it will mean electric vehicle batteries can be smaller -- and therefore lighter -- because they won't need to retain as much charge, the vehicles will then be cheaper to manufacture and will ultimately be more sustainable.For a heavy truck to be 100% electric, he explains, it would need a battery that weighs 40 tonnes. But if technology like the eRoad was readily available, the truck's battery would be able to weigh as little as 600 kilograms.It would also fix a wider issue that many electric vehicle owners face: The worry and inconvenience of keeping vehicles charged."Today you're not 100% sure how far you can go with your battery but if you have a combination of electric roads you will feel a little bit more confident that you'll get where you want to go," S?ll says.The technology is also safe and adverse weather such as rain, snow and ice should not cause any major issues thanks to draining and usual maintenance. The electricity also isn't a risk to humans or animals."There's no electricity at the surface and the rail is only electrified if an actual authorized vehicle is passing, so if you don't have an electric vehicle that's authorized to use the electricity, the electricity will not be turned on at all -- it will not be on 24/7."There will also be plenty of signage around the area indicating the road is electrified and the system is equipped with safety circuits.S?ll says while the new project cost €6.4 million (.7 million) to develop, if it were more widely implemented across the country it would eventually work out less than €1 million (.2 million) per kilometer to build.That is, if the government decides to implement it nationally."The Government wants to test one or two additional technologies ... that will then be evaluated in two years or so, (and) after that they will pick out one of those technologies (that have been tested) to build a longer pilot stretch that will be between 20 and 40 kilometers," he says.For now, the eRoad will be used and trialled for two years by a truck carrying freight in order to determine how well the innovation works under various weather conditions and in conjunction with normal road traffic.The-CNN-Wire 3992

Fertility benefits for America's Paralyzed Veterans will expire this September, leaving many people concerned about the future of their family planning and could mean that some wouldn't have a family at all.Chris and Ash Hull recently welcomed their newborn baby Penelope Jane, or as they call her, "P.J."¡°She¡¯s got my chin and my nose and my eyes. It¡¯s like looking into the mirror and seeing a baby me. It¡¯s cool,¡± Chris Hull said.Chris and Ash both knew they wanted a family. In fact, Ash knew that Chris was "the one" when she first met him.¡°I knocked and Chris was the open that opened the door, big smile on his face- I was smitten right then the rest is history,¡± Ash Hull said.They got married and started talking about a family, which for them, would be complicated. A car accident in 2004 left Chris with quadriplegia. The accident happened when he was on his way home for leave.¡°Had my car accident on exit 13 on Friday the 13th,¡± he said. ¡°My friend fell asleep. We rolled 12-18 times. I broke my neck my back -- 3 ribs, my collar bone, my ankle. I think it was 11 bones in the accident.¡±He doesn't remember much of the accident, but it left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.¡°I¡¯m a C6, C7, quadriplegic spinal cord injury,¡± Chris Hull said. ¡°Most people when they think of quadriplegia, they think of fully paralyzed, no use of their arms, but I do have use of my arms. It¡¯s just my fingers that are affected.¡±He's an active member of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, which introduced him to adaptive sports. He's been in a wheelchair for 16 years and uses it to get around, and otherwise lives a completely normal life. When he and Ash decided they wanted a family, they were prepared - like anything else in life - to do whatever it takes. But it would require in vitro fertilization.IVF is an extremely expensive and sometimes an emotionally exhausting procedure. Had they not had benefits through the V.A., parenting may not have been possible.¡°It¡¯s a really small community of people who need this coverage with paralyzed veterans and the ability to have their baby paid for through IVF and we feel like we have something to give as parents and if we didn¡¯t have this benefit we¡¯d struggle,¡± Chris Hull said.That coverage is something that Heather Ansley, who does Government Relations for the Paralyzed Veterans of America, is working on right now- as the benefits surrounding IVF will expire this fall.¡°There was a provision back in sept of 2016 that allowed the VA to do this on a temporary basis- something that would have to be reauthorized,¡± Ansley said.She's preparing her case for Congress in hopes of making IVF coverage permanent.¡°We think these benefits are something that our nation owes to our catastrophically disabled veterans particularly those who¡¯s injuries are a direct result of their military service and this is the least that we as a grateful nation can do for their sacrifice,¡± Ansley said.¡°If we no longer have that benefit it's really going to change our family planning,¡± Chris Hull said.When asked whether there will be a sibling in the future, he said, ¡°We really hope so we may have to go back to work we may face the financial strain of having to pay ourselves.¡±While September is looming, they know that little P.J. will want a brother or sister. And they hope Congress will help make that happen. 3368

Friday, Oct. 16 has been dubbed Global Cat Day, a day dedicated to saving cats and kittens from being killed.This comes at a time when many longstanding threats to felines have the potential to race forward, according to Alley Cat Allies.The organization dedicated to protecting cats says local shelters have seen an increase in impoundments as the pandemic continues to hit families financially, leaving them unable to care for their beloved animals."Too often, our disconnect from society during the pandemic is allowing dangerous animal control and shelter policies to advance unchecked in our communities,¡± said the organization¡¯s president, Becky Robin son. ¡°Global Cat Day is a reminder that the international movement to protect cats can never stop, even when so much of the world does."In addition to families turning over their felines, the organization says less cats are being spayed or neutered due to many veterinary clinics operating at reduced capacity.Robinson said these developments will impact cats for years to come.¡°Global Cat Day 2020 is a day to c

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