The Anastasia Mosquito Control District reported a significant increase in the mosquito population this week due to the frequency and amount of recent rain. The District is asking St. Johns County residents to take extra precautions against contact with the insects to prevent potentially contracting West Nile and other mosquito-borne viruses.
While there are currently no reported human cases of the West Nile Virus (WNV) in St. Johns County, Jacksonville has reported 11, Escambia County has reported 2, Leon County has reported 1, and South Georgia has reported 12 including 2 deaths. The District has increased mosquito population surveillance and trap monitoring, WNV testing, overnight ground spraying, and thermal fogging. Aerial spraying has not been conducted recently due to unfavorable conditions related to the on-going rain; however, the district is currently monitoring the status of Tropical Storm Isaac and will reevaluate the conditions once the threat of additional precipitation subsides. The increase in the mosquito population is attributed to the abundance of recent rain and the resulting bodies of standing water in the area that serve as breeding grounds. The District recommends that the community take additional precautionary measures against mosquito contact during this time to avoid infection. Preventative actions include applying an EPA-registered repellant containing DEET, wearing protective clothing, avoiding outdoor activities between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active, and removing standing water from residential properties and outdoor landscaping features.
Most often spread by the bite of a mosquito, the WNV is a pathogen which can cause a serious illness potentially resulting in death. Approximately 1 in 150 people infected with the virus will develop severe illness. Symptoms can include a high fever, a headache, neck stiffness, and disorientation. For more information about WNV, please visit the Florida Department of Health website at www.doh.state.fl.us/Environment/medicine/arboviral/index.html or call the St. Johns County Health Department at 904.825.5055. For more information about mosquito control, please visit www.amcdsjc.org or contact the District at 904.471.3107.
Source: St. Johns County Health Department
Detectives with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Robbery/Homicide Section are continuing to investigate the deaths of three individuals discovered yesterday. On Tuesday afternoon, deputies responded to the 400 block of Gianna Way to check on the welfare of the homeowner. Deputies located the three victims, Gregory Scott Testa (homeowner), 51; Joyce E. Testa, 87; and Raymond Testa, 90, deceased inside the home.
Today, Dr. Predag Bulic of the District 23rd Medical Examiner’s Office conducted autopsies and released the preliminary findings, which are as follows; Gregory Scott Testa’s manner of death was determined to be a suicide, the cause is a gunshot wound. Joyce E. Testa and Raymond Testa’s manner of deaths were determined to be homicides as the result of gunshot wounds. At this point in time, there is no known motive for this incident.
Source: St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office
In solidarity with cities across The United States, Occupy Denver is calling for a solidarity march in response to the massive
violence and repression of residents in Anaheim California. Time and time again the justice system turns a blind eye to the violence committed by the state, whether it is someone tortured in a jail cell, beaten on a sidewalk, or in this case; shot in the back. Many accept the fact that the men in badges who shake us down for traffic tickets, harass communities of color, and preserve the status quo of the ruling class are out there preserving some sort of moral order. This is not a moral order, for no moral order attacks people seeking to have their grievances redressed. It was not a moral order that attacked with batons, fired bean bag rounds and rubber bullets at children in Anaheim this week. We call on everyone in Denver who is fed up with police murders & state repression to take the streets with us. We will honor the souls that were lost in Anaheim, and remember those who have befallen the same fate in Denver. At 4PM We will rally at the Denver Skate Park at 2205 19th Street, between Platte Street and Little Raven in Denver and depart at 4:30. We will head downtown, and route will be determined by consensus. This is very short notice, so spread the word & bring some friends . For more information on the situation in Anaheim, read on:
Via democracynow
Police in the California city of Anaheim are facing allegations of murder and brutality after fatally shooting two Latino men over the weekend and firing rubber bullets at crowds of protesters. On Saturday, Anaheim police shot and killed 24-year-old Manuel Diaz after he reportedly ran away from a group of officers who confronted him in the street. Diaz was unarmed. Hours after his death, a chaotic scene broke out when police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at a crowd of local residents protesting the shooting. Another Latino resident, Joel Acevedo, was shot dead by police the following day. Police say Acevedo was suspected in a car robbery, but the circumstances around his death remain unconfirmed. We discuss the situation in Anaheim with Gustavo Arellano, editor of the alternative newspaper, OC Weekly, and Theresa Smith, who has worked with families to call for police accountability in Anaheim since 2009, when officers shot and killed her son, Cesar Cruz, a 35-year-old father of five. “Given the fact that this is the eighth officer-involved shooting within one year in the city of Anaheim … the community is going to be very upset,” Arellano says. “There’s a lot of angry residents, and rightfully so.”