The Greene County Democrat

Author: greenecodemocratcom

  • Newswire: RFK Jr. set to face Bill Cassidy in back-to-back Senate hearings

    Newswire: RFK Jr. set to face Bill Cassidy in back-to-back Senate hearings

    RFK Jr. talking with Senator Bill Cassidy

    by Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News

    Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heads to Capitol Hill on Wednesday on a potential collision course with the Republican who helped put him in the job: Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.

    It will be Kennedy’s first appearance in nearly a year before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which Cassidy chairs. The senator, who is up for re-election, cast the key vote to confirm Kennedy last year after securing a series of promises from Kennedy, including that he would preserve federal vaccine recommendations and regularly appear before the committee.

    Kennedy has not kept those promises; Cassidy has limited his criticism of the health secretary to posts on social media and press statements.

    Cassidy, however, has been vocal in his support of vaccines, including during the March confirmation hearing for Dr. Casey Means, President Donald Trump’s pick for surgeon general. Means is a Kennedy ally who has questioned vaccines. Cassidy has not yet scheduled a vote to advance Means’ nomination.

    Wednesday’s hearing will mark Kennedy’s first appearance before Cassidy since a confrontational Senate Finance Committee hearing in September and could offer the clearest sign yet of how the senator plans to handle those concerns. A spokesperson for Cassidy declined to comment on what the senator plans to ask Kennedy.

    Kennedy is also expected to face questions from Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is retiring next year and has said he plans to speak more freely about his views, including on members of Trump’s Cabinet. (Tillis voted to confirm all members of Trump’s Cabinet in 2025.)

    Kennedy will appear before the Finance Committee in the morning and the HELP Committee in the afternoon.

    In January, Kennedy overhauled the childhood vaccine schedule, reducing the number of recommended diseases for children to be vaccinated against from 18 to 11 — a move Cassidy later said in a post on X would “make America sicker.” The changes removed recommendations that all babies should be protected against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, RSV, dengue, and two types of bacterial meningitis.

    In March, a federal judge blocked those changes and put on hold the new members Kennedy appointed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee. The administration hasn’t yet appealed the ruling. But Kennedy signed off on new rules for the committee that could make it easier to work around the court’s decision.

    Dorit Reiss, a vaccine policy expert at the University of California Law School, San Francisco, said she hopes that Cassidy will hold Kennedy accountable.

    “There’s a raging measles outbreak,” Reiss said. “Kennedy may have given lukewarm endorsements to the MMR vaccine but, as far as I know, hasn’t made any efforts to call on people to vaccinate or to do anything practical to reduce the risk.”

    Kennedy has already testified at five congressional hearings over the last week. He has faced blistering criticism from Democrats over his vaccine policy and overhaul of federal health agencies. At one hearing, Kennedy said the U.S. has “done better” at preventing measles than any other country.

    “Judging by Secretary Kennedy’s recent testimony to Congress, he is likely to continue to gaslight the Senate Finance and HELP committees,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. “He continues using terms like ‘world-class science,’ ‘rigorous evidence,’ and ‘radical transparency,’ when in fact he has done the opposite.”

    In an emailed statement, Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, called what Gostin said “a baseless accusation that doesn’t match reality.”

    Another potential wild card for Kennedy is Tillis, a Republican who is not seeking re-election, Reiss said.

    During the September hearing, she noted, Tillis suggested that Kennedy had broken his promises on vaccines, saying, “I do also believe that some of your statements seem to contradict what you said in the prior hearing.”

    “The fact that you’re a Republican doesn’t mean that you need to blindly accept [Kennedy’s actions],” Reiss said.

    A spokesperson for Tillis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Kennedy could also face questions about his recent comments to overhaul the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a federal panel that makes recommendations on preventive services, including cancer screenings, as well as on Trump’s executive order meant to spur research into psychedelics.

  • Newswire: How can we solve the Black maternal health crisis if we can’t say ‘Black’?

    Newswire: How can we solve the Black maternal health crisis if we can’t say ‘Black’?

    U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) speaks during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in the U.S. Capitol Building on March 04, 2026, in Washington, DC. Photo by: Anna Moneymaker

    by Kay Wicker

    That question went from rhetorical to real on Friday, April 17, when Rep. Summer Lee asked it outright during a committee hearing with the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    “Your agency told programs to remove a list of nearly 200 words and phrases from their funding applications, including the word ‘Black.’ Do you have an idea of how we could solve the Black maternal mortality crisis if we can’t say ‘Black’?” she asked as she grilled him intensely on the matter.

    During the exchange, which came at the close of another annual Black Maternal Health Week, the Democratic congresswoman laid out the stakes. She explained that Black women are at least three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women and that most of those deaths are preventable, while also sounding the alarm about proposed cuts to key maternal health programs and how the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts is impacting Black maternal health.

    Kennedy attempted to push back, but when pressed on disparities, he largely pivoted to general maternal health, citing overall improvements and claiming the administration had done more than its predecessors. He downplayed his past claims about Tylenol during pregnancy, saying he “doubted” avoiding it would significantly affect Black maternal deaths.

    In addition to facing mortality rates three to four times higher than any other demographic, Black women in the United States also face disproportionately high rates of complications like preeclampsia and emergency C-sections. Those disparities are all the result of longstanding gaps in access to care, medical bias, and systemic inequities—and in recent years, the landscape has only grown more precarious.

    The fallout from Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022, which saw an end to Roe v. Wade and protections for abortions in this country, has complicated pregnancy care nationwide, while the rollback of DEI initiatives has put funding for targeted programs at risk. Doulas, often cited as critical support for improving outcomes, are also navigating increasingly restrictive policies.

    Since the Pennsylvania representative’s remarks began circulating online, many responses, including those from non-Black content creators, have highlighted that addressing the needs of those most at risk improves outcomes across the board. The idea that targeted solutions exclude others misunderstands how public health works.

    If a table is wobbly, you can adjust everything around it, but it won’t be steady until you fix the leg that’s most off balance.

    During the hearing, Lee ultimately said, “We can improve healthcare for everybody at the same time as helping the people who are most likely to die.”

  • Newswire: Trump nominates Dr. Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general, for CDC director

    Newswire: Trump nominates Dr. Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general, for CDC director

    Rear Adm. Erica G. Schwartz was deputy surgeon general during President Donald Trump’s first term. 

    by Berkeley Lovelace Jr., Erika Edwards, and Sara G. Miller, NBC News

    President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he was nominating Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Schwartz served as deputy U.S. surgeon general during Trump’s first term.
    “Erica graduated from Brown University for College and Medical School, and served a distinguished career as a Doctor of Medicine in the United States Military, the Greatest and Most Powerful Force in the World, and then served as my Deputy Surgeon General during my First Term,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “She is a STAR!”

    Trump also announced his picks for three top health positions: Sean Slovenski, a health care industry executive, as the CDC’s chief operating officer; Dr. Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, as the agency’s chief medical director; and Dr. Sara Brenner, principal deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, as senior counselor for public health for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    “This is a team with great potential if political interference and the self interest of the secretary of health doesn’t hamper their ability to deliver for the health of the country,” said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, former head of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Daskalakis resigned from the agency in August in protest of Kennedy’s firing of former CDC director Susan Monarez.
    In a post on X, Kennedy thanked Trump for nominating Schwartz and said he looked forward “to working together to restore trust, accountability, and scientific integrity.”

    The CDC has been without a permanent director since August.

    The Trump administration’s first pick, former Rep. Dave Weldon of Florida, was pulled in March 2025 after Republican senators signaled he wouldn’t be confirmed. Officials then turned to Monarez, a career scientist who had already been serving as acting director. She led the agency for just one month last summer before she was dismissed in August after clashing with Kennedy over vaccine policy.

    Jim O’Neill then served as the agency’s acting director for several months. O’Neill signed off on a major overhaul of the childhood vaccination schedule in January that has since been blocked by a federal judge. He was replaced by National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya in February, who has since been overseeing the agency in an unusual dual role.

    Health Service Commissioned Corps and the U.S. Coast Guard. She left as deputy surgeon general in 2021.

    Schwartz, a physician, earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and a medical degree from Brown University. She also holds a master’s degree in public health from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and a law degree from the University of Maryland.

    If confirmed, Schwartz would step into the role as the agency grapples with controversial policy changes under Kennedy.

    Last month, a Massachusetts federal judge, in a lawsuit brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics and several other medical organizations, halted many of the vaccine policy changes made under Kennedy’s handpicked CDC vaccine advisory panel, also known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP. That ruling also blocked the overhaul of the vaccination schedule. The agency has yet to appeal the ruling.

    This month, Kennedy signed off on a new charter for ACIP — a move that was seen by health policy experts as a way to sidestep the judge’s ruling.

  • Alabama New South Alliance holds spring endorsement convention

    Alabama New South Alliance holds spring endorsement convention

    Shelley Fearson of ANSA presents Garria Spencer, Greene County ANSC chair, with plaques of appreciation for John and Carol Zippert. 

    Members from Alabama New South Alliance (ANSA), which involves many members of the Alabama New South Coalition, gathered on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at the Maggie Street Dream Center, 642 Maggie Street Montgomery, AL for the Spring Endorsement Convention.

    After hearing from Statewide, Congressional, District Candidates and other positions with multiple counties, ANSA endorsed the following candidates for the May 19, 2026, Primary Election.

    • Governor– Doug Jones Lt.
    • Governor– Phillip Ensler
    • United States Senator– Everett Wess
    • Public Service Commission Place No. 1– James O. Gordon
    • Public Service Commission Place No. 2– Shelia McNeil
    • State Auditor– Viola Edwards
    • Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries– Ron Sparks
    • Associate Justice of the Supreme Court– Ashleigh Dunham
    • US Representative Congressional District 3– Lee McInnis
    • Alabama House of Representatives #72–Curtis Travis
    • Alabama House of Representatives #69–Kelvin Lawrence Judge Collins Pettaway Jr., Presiding Chair.

    The Alabama New South Alliance County Chapters will endorse candidates in Greene County on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Garria Spencer serves as ANSC Chairman.

  • Re-Elect Ms. Carrie Dancy, A Voice for the People

    Re-Elect Ms. Carrie Dancy, A Voice for the People

    Serving this community on the Greene County School Board for many years hasn’t just been a job for me; It has been a calling. As I seek re-election, I don’t do so claiming to be perfect. I do so as a leader who has been tested, who has learned from the past, and who is more determined that ever to make a lasting difference for our students and our families.

    Over the years, I have had to make difficult choices. I am fully aware that some of those decisions have been met with disagreement. In public services, there is rarely a path that pleases everyone, but there is always a part that puts the people first.

    When I cast a vote, I am not looking at personal gain, politics, or the easiest way out. I am looking at the faces of the children in our classrooms and the taxpayers who fund their future. My “past” in the office is a record of someone willing to take the heat if it means standing up for what I believe in right. My goal has never been to be the most popular person in the room – it has been to be the most principled.

    I have always believed in transparency and growth. While I’ve had my share of challenges, I have worked tirelessly to maintain a clean slate and uphold the integrity of this board, I don’t run from my history; I use it as foundation to be better, sharper and more dedicated every single day. I am not rich. I am a representative for the people. I am the voice of community.

    Keep a “clean house” isnt’ just a phrase to me it’s a commitment to ensuring that our school system operates with the highest standards. You deserve a representative who is as hard on themselves as they are on the system they oversee.

    We are at a crossroad in our district. Now is not the time for guesswork or on the-job-training. My years of experience mean I know how to navigate the complexties of our budget, how to support our teachers, and to ensure every student-regardless of their background- has a fair shot at success.

    I am re-running because I want to make a difference. I have the track record proves that I have made a diference. I have the energy of a newcomer and the wisdom of a veteran. I am asking for your vote not just because of where we’ve been, but because of where I know we can go together.

    Let’s keep working. Let’s keep pushing, and above all, let’s keep putting our people first.

    This is your candidate for re-election for Greene County School Board District 5, Ms. Carrie Dancy.

  • Newswire: Citing a “Grave National Security Crisis”, the NAACP pushes 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office

    Newswire: Citing a “Grave National Security Crisis”, the NAACP pushes 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office

    NAACP poster on Trump

    by Hazel Trice Edney

    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – The NAACP is among those leading the call on the  President’s cabinet, including Vice President Vance, cabinet secretaries,  or another body that could be assembled by Congress, to “invoke the 25th Amendment” of the U. S. Constitution in order to have President Donald Trump removed from office amidst what appears to be the loss of his mind to the extent that he could endanger masses of innocent lives in a “grave national security crisis”.

    The call, coming from the NAACP, Democratic members of Congress, activists, and other political observers, has grown louder since Trump, joining with Israel, waged war against Iran – with no declaration of war by Congress.

    In addition to concerns about Trump’s history of what appears to be pathological lying, talk of the use of the 25th Amendment especially hit the fan on Easter Sunday morning, April 6. That was when Trump posted a profanity-laced threat to Iran on the day that is considered among the highest and holiest days on the Christian calendar as people prepared to worship in commemoration of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

    With all curse words spelled completely out, Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform, “Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy b*****ds, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH. Praise be to Allah.”

    He was demanding that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz, which is a primary passageway for about 20 percent of the global oil supply, according to the New York Times.

    The next day, he threatened all of Iran – even innocent citizens – if there was no deal by 8 pm: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that ‌to ⁠happen, but it probably will,” he wrote on Truth Social.

    The NAACP responded Monday with an emailed note to its members, signed by its president/CEO Derrick Johnson:

“The stability of our nation is hanging in the balance,” Johnson wrote. “In recent weeks, we have witnessed alarming signs of President Trump’s deteriorating health and increasingly delusional behavior. The rhetoric and actions coming from the highest office in the land have reached a level of instability that we cannot ignore. His behavior is not only alarming but dangerous.”

    The NAACP email continued, “This is no longer just a matter of political disagreement. It’s a grave national security crisis. A leader unable to think clearly or act decisively jeopardizes our military readiness, erodes public trust, and threatens the safety of millions of Americans. We cannot wait for further chaos. We must protect the fabric of our democracy right now.”

    The organization then listed three demands:

    • “Invoke the 25th Amendment: The Vice President and the Cabinet must step forward immediately to ensure the continuity of governance.”
    • “Remove the threat: We must address this presidential incapacity to protect our nation from further uncertainty.”
    • Congressional action: “Once the Vice President and the Cabinet step up, Congress must follow through and act with the urgency this situation demands to uphold the principles of our Constitution.”

    Section 4 of the Constitution’s 25th Amendment states as follows:

    “Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
    “Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.
    “Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.”

    It is not likely that there would be enough will to remove Trump from office given the dedication that the Republican majorities have maintained toward him. Besides, this week, Congress remained on Easter recess and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has not criticized Trump’s conduct, nor his war with Iran. The primary criticism is coming from Democrats.

    Still, the NAACP is adamant about what it feels must be done:
    “There’s no sugarcoating it,” Johnson concluded in his email. “President Trump has shown himself to be unfit, unwell, and unhinged. Together, we can force our leaders to prioritize the health and safety of our nation before it’s too late.

  • Newswire: Inflation hits highest one month spike in four years due to Iran War

    Newswire: Inflation hits highest one month spike in four years due to Iran War

    Gas station sign in California, showing high gas prices

    By Joe Jurado, NewsOne

    While Iran and the United States have agreed to a two-week ceasefire that’s looking shakier by the day, the impact of the war is still being felt by the global economy. Last month, inflation rose at its sharpest in four years, largely driven by higher gas prices. 

    According to NBC News, inflation rose to 3.3% in March, up 0.9% from the month before. Gas prices increased by 21.2%, their largest single-month increase since 1967. I gotta be honest, folks, I’m getting real tired of living through historically bad economic changes. While a ceasefire was declared last Tuesday, there hasn’t been a meaningful drop in gas prices. Anecdotally speaking, I’ve seen gas prices drop a whopping 10 cents from $4.99 to $4.89 in Arizona. 

    The misguided Iran war has created a series of headaches for the Trump administration. Trump ran on lowering prices, and AP reports that there are growing concerns that if gas prices continue to stay so high, it would have dramatic downwind consequences for the American economy. There was already a cost-of-living crisis before the Iran war, and the inflated gas prices could result in families struggling to afford other necessities, such as rent. Once the essentials become a struggle to afford, it would slow spending in other sectors, slowing the economy and potentially leading to further unemployment. 

    “It’s painful in the near term,” Michael Pearce, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, told AP. “It’s going to get more painful in April,” as a result of further gas price increases lifting inflation even higher. 

    AP reports that there are growing concerns that if gas prices continue to stay so high, it would have dramatic downwind consequences for the American economy. There was already a cost-of-living crisis before the Iran war, and the inflated gas prices could result in families struggling to afford other necessities, such as rent. Once the essentials become a struggle to afford, it would slow spending in other sectors, slowing the economy and potentially leading to further unemployment. 

    From AP: Consumer sentiment plunged to a record low in April, according to a survey released Friday by the University of Michigan, largely because of the Iran war and concerns over higher gas prices. Their Index of Consumer Sentiment fell to 47.6, from 53.3 in March.

    “Many consumers blame the Iran conflict for unfavorable changes to the economy,” said Joanne Hsu, the university’s director of consumer surveys.

    High prices had angered American voters before the war and the spike in prices for oil and everything that entails, from the pump to the grocery store, could make it more difficult for the president’s party to hold on to seats in both the House and the Senate in next year’s midterms.

    Polling by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research last month found that about six in 10 Republicans are at least “somewhat” concerned about affording gas in the next few months.

    Another point of concern regards the Strait of Hormuz, which has become a focal point in the conflict. While ships were able to flow freely through the Strait of Hormuz before the war, Iran has locked down access and is considering charging a toll for entry. This would obviously lead to a permanent increase in prices, as that cost would definitely be passed down to the consumer. 

    One of the downwind effects of the Strait’s closure is rising food prices. While food costs remained relatively neutral throughout March, much of the world’s fertilizer supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Should Iran and the U.S. fail to agree on a permanent ceasefire resolution, it would likely lead to food scarcity, which would obviously increase prices. Those increases would also be compounded by rising fuel costs, as the nation’s food supply is largely transported via diesel trucks. 

  • Newswire: Pentagon official threatens Vatican and Pope Leo XIV over Iran War criticism

    Newswire: Pentagon official threatens Vatican and Pope Leo XIV over Iran War criticism

    Pope Leo XIV

    By Zack Linly, NewsOne

    On a regular basis, members of the Trump administration, especially President Donald Trump himself, prove they are not the champions of free speech that they purport themselves to be, and now their glaring constitutional hypocrisy has Pentagon officials threatening the Vatican and Pope Leo XIV — who is no fan of the president — just because the pope joined most of the world in criticizing Trump’s disastrous war on Iran.

    According to a detailed report by the Free Press, on Easter Sunday, while Trump was threatening to bomb Iran’s bridges and power plants and unleash “Hell” on the nation, Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, delivered his State of the World speech, during which he urged world leaders to lay down their weapons, choose peace and relieve themselves of the “desire to dominate other.” The global leader of the Catholic Church also condemned “the imperialist occupation of the world” and warned that God rejects the prayers “of those who wage war” — which seems to be a direct rebuke of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has been hosting a monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, and has been praying to his god that “every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation.”

    So, according to the Free Press, Leo’s speech angered some officials at the Pentagon, resulting in Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s U.S. representative, being summoned to a closed-door Pentagon meeting, where he received a stern lecture from Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, who reportedly told Pierre: “The United States has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side.”

    Besides the fact that these so-called Christian leaders of a so-called Christian nation are out here threatening to unleash the U.S. military on the world’s highest authority on all things Christ, just because the pope said things that are Christ-like, we really should be more concerned that Trump officials keep boasting about how they can do anything they want because they have the most powerful military.

    Remember when Trump was talking about “running” Venezuela and taking over Greenland, and White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller defended those remarks by beating his little bird chest and declaring, “We are in charge because we have the United States military stationed outside the country,” and “we’re a superpower, and under President Trump, we are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower” as if he himself had ever served even a day in the U.S. mlitary.

    MAGA minions keep defending the Trump administration against allegations that it’s an authoritarian regime, and the administration just keeps undermining that defense by vocally vindicating its accusers.
    The truth is that Trump and his band of stooges — who have been given way more power than incompetent, imbecilic sycophants like them should ever have — have been scrambling and struggling to control the narrative around which side is “winning” regarding the conflict in Iran, and they’ve been getting increasingly frustrated with endless criticism, both globally and domestically, and the growing consensus that this war and the administration’s lack of competent leadership makes the nation look weak.

    Trump is even out here threatening news outlets for reporting statements of “victory” made by Iranian leadership that have also been reported by Iranian media, which brings us to a reminder that the Pentagon recently tried to ban every mainstream news outlet from reporting on it after all of those outlets refused to bend to its new policy that reporters cannot obtain or solicit any information that hasn’t been pre-approved by the Department of Defense. Thankfully, a federal judge stepped in and essentially told Hegseth and other Pentagon officials that they were out of their freedom-of-the-press-defying minds.

  • Newswire: Chinese man jailed after trying to smuggle 2,200 ants out of Kenya in his luggage

    Newswire: Chinese man jailed after trying to smuggle 2,200 ants out of Kenya in his luggage

    Kenyan wildlife official examine luggage of ant smuggler

    Nairobi, KenyaReuters —  A Kenyan court on Wednesday ordered a Chinese ⁠man to pay a fine of 1 million shillings ($7,746) and gave him a 12-month jail term for trying to smuggle live ants out of the country.
    The magistrate in the case said a stiff sentence was needed as a ⁠deterrent, given a spate of cases in Kenya of ant-trafficking.

    It serves markets, such as China, where enthusiasts have paid large sums to maintain ant colonies in large transparent vessels known as ⁠formicariums that allow them to study the species’ complex social structures and behaviors.

    Chinese national Zhang Kequn was arrested last month at Nairobi’s main international airport with more than 2,200 live garden ants in his luggage.

    Zhang’s lawyer said he would ⁠appeal against his sentence.
    He initially pleaded not guilty to charges including dealing in live wildlife species but ‌later changed his plea to guilty.

    “Noting the increasing and rising cases of dealing in large quantities of garden ants and the negative ecological side effects of massive harvesting, there is ⁠a need for a stiff deterrent,” magistrate ‌Irene Gichobi said.

    A Kenyan man, Charles Mwangi, ⁠was also charged in the case, accused of supplying the ants to Zhang. Mwangi has pleaded not guilty and is out on bail. His case was not before the court on Wednesday.

    Last year, four men were fined 1 million shillings each ⁠for trying to traffic thousands of ants. Wildlife experts said at the ‌time that the case signaled a shift in biopiracy from trophies like elephant ivory to lesser-known ⁠species.

  • School Board Meeting Announcement

    Board Meeting NoticeDownload