David Matthews – The Virginian-Pilot https://www.pilotonline.com The Virginian-Pilot: Your source for Virginia breaking news, sports, business, entertainment, weather and traffic Sun, 28 Jul 2024 15:07:49 +0000 en-US hourly 30 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 https://www.pilotonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/POfavicon.png?w=32 David Matthews – The Virginian-Pilot https://www.pilotonline.com 32 32 219665222 Chipotle restaurants will serve bigger portions after skimping, CEO says https://www.pilotonline.com/2024/07/28/chipotle-restaurants-will-serve-bigger-portions-ceo/ Sun, 28 Jul 2024 15:04:49 +0000 https://www.pilotonline.com/?p=7272719&preview=true&preview_id=7272719 The CEO of Chipotle told investors this week the restaurant had skimped on ingredients for customers in the past but would be “retraining” staff to serve bigger portions.

Brian Niccol, the chain’s top executive, said there was no “directive” to serve smaller portions, but the company was taking steps to fix it.

“Generous portion is a core brand equity of Chipotle. It always has been, and it always will be, he said, adding: “With that said, getting the feedback caused us to relook at our execution across our entire system with the intention to always serve our guests delicious, fresh, custom burritos, and bowls with generous portions.”

Niccol had previously said he was disappointed to learn about the “Chipotle Camera Trick Challenge,” a viral TikTok trend where customers film — or pretend to film — their server in order to get a bigger portion.

The restaurant has been anecdotally accused of skimping; on the call to investors, Niccol confirmed about 10% of its 3,500 locations had “outlier portion scores.”

“We’ll invest in it, and we’ll figure out how to make sure we consistently do it every time,” he said.

It’s unclear if the chain will raise prices while offering larger portions.

Jack Hartung, Chipotle’s chief financial officer, previously said it would cost the company about $50 million to put two large scoops of rice and four ounces of meat in every burrito or burrito bowl. The company had $3 billion in revenue in the last financial quarter, Niccol told investors.

“Shrinkflation” has become a common complaint among consumers, who have accused companies of raising prices on items — while turning out smaller sizes for items like potato chips and cereal.

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Woman pleads guilty in neo-Nazi plot to attack Baltimore power grid https://www.pilotonline.com/2024/05/15/woman-pleads-guilty-in-neo-nazi-plot-to-attack-baltimore-power-grid/ Wed, 15 May 2024 13:01:16 +0000 https://www.pilotonline.com/?p=6832745 A Maryland woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday in a plot to attack the Baltimore power grid with a Florida neo-Nazi leader.

Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 36, and co-conspirator Brandon Russell, the founder of the group Atomwaffen Division, conspired to shoot up five electrical substations in the greater Baltimore area in order to “break down society,” according to a court filing.

The pair began writing to each other around 2018 while both were imprisoned on unrelated charges. They began a romantic relationship which continued after they were released, the court filing says.

Clendaniel and Russell allegedly shared white supremacist ideology and considered themselves “accelerationists” who aimed to bring about societal collapse through mass violence.

But their plot to attack the power stations in Baltimore itself collapsed after they discussed their plans with a government informant in January 2023, according to prosecutors. They were both arrested and charged soon after.

Clendaniel pleaded guilty to conspiracy to damage electrical facilities, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, which is punishable by up to 15 years.

Russell is charged with conspiracy to damage electrical facilities and is awaiting trial.

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©2024 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The mane event: Horse gets loose onboard cargo plane after leaving JFK https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/11/15/the-mane-event-horse-gets-loose-onboard-cargo-plane-after-leaving-jfk/ Wed, 15 Nov 2023 12:47:52 +0000 https://www.pilotonline.com/?p=5821986 NEW YORK — A cargo plane was forced to dump fuel and divert to John F. Kennedy International Airport last week after a horse got loose onboard.

On Nov. 9, a Boeing 747 chartered by Air Atlanta Icelandic took off from the New York airport destined for Belgium. As the plane was over 30,000 feet altitude near Boston, a horse broke free in the cargo hold.

“Yes, sir. We are a cargo plane with a live animal, a horse, onboard,” the pilot told air traffic control, according to audio from the flight posted on YouTube. “The horse has broken out of its stall. We don’t have a problem as of flying-wise, but we need to return, return back to New York. We cannot get the horse back secured.”

The pilot received permission to divert and made a U-turn near the Canadian border.

In order to safely return to JFK, the pilot dumped 20 tons of fuel over the Atlantic Ocean west of Martha’s Vineyard to prepare for landing.

It’s unclear how to horse got loose but the crew asked to have a vet meet the plane back at the airport.

The flight reached its final destination in Liege, Belgium, the next day, according to flight tracking data.

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©2023 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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WWE Hall of Famer ‘The Iron Sheik’ dies at 81 https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/06/07/wwe-hall-of-famer-the-iron-sheik-dies-at-81/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 18:00:06 +0000 https://www.pilotonline.com/?p=5006850&preview=true&preview_id=5006850 Legendary wrestler Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, who performed as “The Iron Sheik,” died Wednesday. He was 81 years old.

“It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of The Iron Sheik, but we also take solace in knowing that he departed this world peacefully, leaving behind a legacy that will endure for generations to come,” a statement posted to his Twitter account reads.

“With his larger-than-life persona, incredible charisma, and unparalleled in-ring skills, he captivated audiences around the globe. He was a trailblazer, breaking barriers and paving the way for a diverse range of wrestlers who followed in his footsteps.”

No other details of his death were given.

Vaziri was born in Iran in 1942 and trained as a wrestler before moving to the United States in the 1960s. He went on to become an assistant coach for the 1972 and 1976 U.S. Olympic wrestling teams, where the U.S. won 12 medals.

He entered the world of pro wrestling and soon debuted the villainous Iron Sheik character, who ran to the ring waving an Iranian flag, wearing a keffiyeh and curled-up boots.

He joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1979 — shortly after the Iranian Revolution ended and months before the hostage crisis at the U.S. embassy in Tehran — and won the first-ever Battle Royale match at Madison Square Garden. He left the WWF a year later but returned in 1983.

In the ring, he was known for his Camel Clutch chinlock finishing move and feuds with the likes of Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan and Sgt. Slaughter.

He went on to work for other promotions, including WCW and NWA before retiring from the squared circle after a final match in 2010.

In his later years, he became a social media star on Twitter, amassing more than 640,000 followers and countless likes and retweets for his vulgar and angry tweets about all manner of things. In typical Iron Sheik fashion, his final tweet before his passing read, “F— THE WILDFIRES.”

Vaziri was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and the NWA Hall of Fame in 2008.

He leaves behind his wife, Caryl, of 47 years, two daughters, and five grandchildren.

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More than 5,300 postal workers attacked by dogs while delivering mail in 2022: USPS https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/06/06/more-than-5300-postal-workers-attacked-by-dogs-while-delivering-mail-in-2022-usps/ Tue, 06 Jun 2023 17:23:41 +0000 https://www.pilotonline.com/?p=5002996&preview=true&preview_id=5002996 David Matthews | New York Daily News (TNS)

More than 5,300 employees of the U.S. Postal Service were attacked by dogs while delivering mail in 2022, the agency said.

The number represented a slight drop from 2021 when more than 5,400, and 2020 when more than 5,800 were attacked. Dog bites remain one of the chief occupational hazards for letter carriers.

Dog bites can lead to a number of other health effects, including dangerous infections.

The figures were announced as part of the agency’s annual National Dog Bite Awareness Week public service campaign, which runs from June 4 to June 10.

“When letter carriers deliver mail in our communities, dogs that are not secured or leashed can become a nemesis and unpredictable and attack,” Leeann Theriault, USPS employee safety and health awareness manager, said. “Help us deliver your mail safely by keeping your dog secure and out of the way before your carrier arrives.”

The theme of this year’s campaign: “Even good dogs have bad days.”

The agency stressed that well-behaved pets who are not aggressive can bite someone if the dog perceives a threat.

“When our mail carriers are bitten, it is usually a ‘good dog’ that had not previously behaved in a menacing way,” USPS Occupational Safety and Health Senior Director Linda DeCarlo said. “Please help us reduce that number by being a responsible pet owner who secures their dog as we deliver the mail.”

The agency encourages dog owners to reduce the likelihood of a dangerous interaction by keeping dogs on a leash, indoors or in a fenced-in area while letter carriers deliver the mail.

The incidents mostly occurred in major population centers. Houston was tops with 57 incidents, Los Angeles had 48 and Dallas had 44. Cleveland (43) and San Diego (39) rounded out the top five. New York City did not make the top 20.

California had the most incidents overall with 675. Texas (404) and New York state (321), were slightly behind.

©2023 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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American doctor dies while climbing Mount Everest https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/05/03/american-doctor-dies-while-climbing-mount-everest/ https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/05/03/american-doctor-dies-while-climbing-mount-everest/#respond Wed, 03 May 2023 09:10:19 +0000 https://www.pilotonline.com?p=1978352&preview_id=1978352 An American doctor died Monday while climbing Mount Everest.

The U.S. Embassy in Nepal confirmed the death of Dr. Jonathan Sugarman, a family medicine specialist and University of Washington professor. A cause of death was not released.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends,” the embassy said. “The Embassy is in contact with Dr. Sugarman’s family and with local authorities. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we cannot comment further.”

International Mountain Guides, a Washington State company that organizes and leads climbs, said a member of its expedition had died.

“The rest of the IMG climbing team is all doing as well as can be expected given the circumstances,” owner Eric Simonson said.

Simonson added that Sugarman, a 69-year-old Seattle native, did not die in an accident. “We can confirm that this event was not the result of a climbing accident or route condition that would be of potential impact or safety concern to any other teams on the mountain,” he said.

Pasang Sherpa, the first Nepalese woman to climb Everest, told CNN Sugarman died “after he began to feel unwell” at Camp 2, about 21,000 feet above sea level.

The retired medical doctor was an experienced climber and had previously tried to climb Everest in 2022, turned back after reaching Camp 3, about 24,000 feet above sea level, according to Outside magazine.

At more than 29,000 feet above sea level, Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth. On average, four or five people each year die climbing it, and at least 310 have died on the mountain since 1953.

Three Sherpas died on Everest earlier this month while delivering construction materials to make a route climbers could use to reach the summit after they were swept into a crevasse by a falling block of ice.

Sugarman’s death came two weeks after Northern Irish mountain climber Noel Hanna died while descending Annapurna mountain in the Himalayas in Nepal.

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(c)2023 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Los Rolling Stones grabarán un nuevo álbum con Paul McCartney y Ringo Starr https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/02/22/los-rolling-stones-grabarn-un-nuevo-lbum-con-paul-mccartney-y-ringo-starr/ https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/02/22/los-rolling-stones-grabarn-un-nuevo-lbum-con-paul-mccartney-y-ringo-starr/#respond Wed, 22 Feb 2023 15:51:33 +0000 https://www.pilotonline.com?p=55404&preview_id=55404 Según un nuevo informe, los Rolling Stones incluirán un par de campanillas en su próximo álbum.

Múltiples fuentes han informado a Variety de que los ex Beatles Paul McCartney y Ringo Starr se reunirán de nuevo para grabar partes del próximo álbum de los Stones, aún sin título.

McCartney ya ha grabado varias partes con el bajo. Se desconoce si el fabuloso dúo aparecerá en el mismo tema o si sus partes estarán separadas. El álbum también incluirá partes de batería grabadas por el batería original de los Stones, Charlie Watts, antes de su muerte en 2021.

Las sesiones de grabación tuvieron lugar recientemente en Los Ángeles, con Andrew Watt, productor del año en los Grammy 2021, en el estudio. No se sabe cuándo saldrá el álbum, pero se dice que está “cerca de la fase de mezcla”. Los Stones tienen prevista una gira europea y americana en verano.

El mes pasado, el guitarrista de los Stones Keith Richards confirmó en Instagram que “hay nueva música en camino”.

No es la primera vez que McCartney colabora con los Rolling Stones. En 1967, él y John Lennon hicieron coros en la canción de los Stones “We Love You”. Brian Jones, de los Stones, tocó el saxofón en “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)” de los Beatles ese mismo año.

Sin embargo, la rivalidad amistosa dio un breve giro en 2021 cuando McCartney describió a los Stones como “una banda de versiones de blues”. El cantante Mick Jagger bromeó en un concierto poco después, con McCartney entre el público, diciendo que “nos acompañaría en una versión de blues.”

Richards dijo más tarde que McCartney se puso en contacto para decir que los comentarios fueron sacados de contexto.

Los Rolling Stones han publicado 30 álbumes de estudio en sus casi siete décadas como banda, el más reciente “Blue & Lonesome” en 2016. Esa colección de versiones contó con Eric Clapton en varias pistas. Su último álbum con material nuevo fue “A Bigger Bang”, de 2005.

-Traducción por José Luis Sánchez Pando/TCA

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https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/02/22/los-rolling-stones-grabarn-un-nuevo-lbum-con-paul-mccartney-y-ringo-starr/feed/ 0 55404 2023-02-22T10:51:33+00:00 2023-02-22T15:51:33+00:00
‘Dusseldorf patient’ becomes 5th person cured of HIV https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/02/21/dusseldorf-patient-becomes-5th-person-cured-of-hiv/ https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/02/21/dusseldorf-patient-becomes-5th-person-cured-of-hiv/#respond Tue, 21 Feb 2023 14:29:12 +0000 https://www.pilotonline.com?p=38969&preview_id=38969 A man referred to only as “the Dusseldorf patient” has become the fifth person confirmed to be cured of HIV.

Researchers said the 53-year-old German underwent successful treatment and has been off his HIV medication for four years without relapsing.

“It’s really cured, and not just, you know, long-term remission,” Dr. Bjorn-Erik Ole Jensen of Dusseldorf University Hospital told to ABC News about the new case, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine. “This obviously positive symbol makes hope, but there’s a lot of work to do.”

The patient received a stem cell cancer treatment, also referred to as a bone marrow transplant, for leukemia he developed alongside his HIV infection. The high-risk procedure — which he underwent in 2013 — essentially replaces a person’s immune system and ended up curing both diseases.

“I think we can get a lot of insights from this patient and from these similar cases of HIV cure,” Jensen said. “These insights give us some hints where we could go to make the strategy safer.”

“Further research is now needed into how this can be made possible outside the narrow set of framework conditions we have described.”

There are nearly 40 million people with HIV around the world. But about 1% of the world’s population has a genetic mutation that makes them resistant to HIV. All of the previous cases where HIV was cured involved stem cell treatments from donors who had that genetic mutation.

The researchers noted, however, that the same treatment has previously been unsuccessful in other patients. Bone marrow transplants involve drugs that suppress the immune system and can increase the risk of infections, including graft-versus-host disease, where the transplanted cells attack the patient’s immune system, according to DW.

“Today, I am all the more proud of my worldwide team of doctors who succeeded in curing me of HIV — and at the same time, of course, of leukemia,” the Dusseldorf patient said, according to Sky News.

“On Valentine’s Day this year, I celebrated the 10th anniversary of my bone marrow transplant in a big way. My bone marrow donor was present as a guest of honor.”

Timothy Ray Brown — who was previously described as “the Berlin patient” — was the first person reported to be cured of HIV in 2009. Researchers later published about “the London patient” in 2019. Patients in City of Hope and New York were written about in 2022.

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(c)2023 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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12 squirrel monkeys stolen from Louisiana zoo https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/02/02/12-squirrel-monkeys-stolen-from-louisiana-zoo/ https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/02/02/12-squirrel-monkeys-stolen-from-louisiana-zoo/#respond Thu, 02 Feb 2023 13:36:22 +0000 https://www.pilotonline.com?p=39015&preview_id=39015 A dozen squirrel monkeys were stolen from a Louisiana zoo over the weekend, days before two monkeys were taken from the Dallas Zoo.

Zoosiana, which is located in Broussard, outside of Lafayette, said the theft occurred shortly before midnight on Saturday.

“The individual targeted facilities of smaller primates and specifically compromised the Squirrel Monkey exhibit. The individual was unfortunately successful in stealing 12 squirrel monkeys,” the zoo said in a Facebook post.

The remaining squirrel monkeys — which are native to South America — were safe and no other animals were affected, the zoo said.

“All other animals are accounted for and appear to have been undisturbed,” Zoosiana said.

The zoo said multiple local, state and federal agencies were investigating the theft.

“Our animal care process here is very thorough and significant, and with that you build a strong rapport and care and even love for these animals,” general manager Matt Oldeburg told NOLA.com. “They become an extended part of your family. … Before long they really, really matter to you. It’s incredibly upsetting. They’re a part of our family. Above all else we’re just very upset and would love for the monkeys to be returned.”

The monkey theft occurred before two emperor tamarin monkeys were stolen from the Dallas Zoo and later recovered from an abandoned home about 15 miles from the zoo. That case remains under investigation.

The Dallas Zoo also had a leopard escape and a vulture die suspiciously in other bizarre recent incidents.

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https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/02/02/12-squirrel-monkeys-stolen-from-louisiana-zoo/feed/ 0 39015 2023-02-02T08:36:22+00:00 2023-02-02T13:36:22+00:00
Legendary singer-songwriter David Crosby dies at 81 after ‘long illness’ https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/01/19/legendary-singer-songwriter-david-crosby-dies-at-81-after-long-illness/ https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/01/19/legendary-singer-songwriter-david-crosby-dies-at-81-after-long-illness/#respond Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:34:25 +0000 https://www.pilotonline.com?p=64577&preview_id=64577 David Crosby, co-founder of the folk groups The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash has died. He was 81.

His musical efforts starting in the 60s helped bring folk-rock to the masses.

David Crosby, center, performing with Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1988.
David Crosby, center, performing with Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1988.

“It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away,” his wife Jan Dance said in a Thursday statement to Variety. A cause of death was not provided.

“He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music.”

Crosby, born Aug. 14, 1941 and raised in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Calif., started playing guitar as a teen. His father was Oscar-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby.

The musician formed The Byrds in the early 1960s with Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke, recording their takes on classics like “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Mr. Tambourine Man,” before joining forces with Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield and Graham Nash of the Hollies.

In this Jan. 26, 2019 file photo, David Crosby poses for a portrait in Park City, Utah.
In this Jan. 26, 2019 file photo, David Crosby poses for a portrait in Park City, Utah.

After Crosby was fired with from The Byrds, one of the newly formed Crosby, Stills & Nash’s first live performances was at the legendary Woodstock festival in 1969.

That year, their self-titled debut went multi-platinum and won the Grammy for best new artist.

The band soon added Neil Young to their lineup — becoming Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young — before breaking up and reforming multiple times over the following decades.

Crosby put out the solo album “If I Could Only Remember My Name” to great acclaim in 1971.

His personal life was marked by years of drug and alcohol abuse that led to high-profile arrests and a 1994 liver transplant.

“Prison is a very effective tool for getting your attention,” he told Rolling Stone in 2016. “When I went in, I was a junkie and a freebaser — as far down the drug totem pole as you can go. And I was psychotic.

David Crosby, left, with his wife Jan, in 1988.
David Crosby, left, with his wife Jan, in 1988.

“But what happens is, it’s no longer a matter of choice: You’re there and you can’t get any drugs,” he continued. “Eventually, you wake up from that nightmare you put yourself in and remember who you are. I don’t regret going to prison a bit, man. Later I wrote a letter to the judge saying, ‘I understand how much the system fails, but I wanted you to know that this time, it worked. Thank you.'”

The star was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for his work with both The Byrds, in 1991, and Crosby, Stills & Nash, in 1997. His final solo album, “For Free,” was released in 2021.

He is survived by wife Jan Dance, sons Django and James and daughters Erika and Donovan. He also was the biological father of Melissa Etheridge’s children Bailey and Beckett.

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