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5 Things You Need to Know about the Henderson County Remain & Shelter in Place Declaration

5 Things you Need to KNOW about the Henderson County Remain & Shelter in Place Declaration.
1. It’s 22 pages long. Very few people will read it including the people that are going to attempt to enforce it. 18 of the 22 pages outline 21 categories of business types that would define “Essential Businesses” if the document were not unenforceable as written (Personal Opinion, Not Legal Opinion).

Most people have this question on their minds because of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Do antiviral face masks keep your healthy? In this article, we are going to answer this question from different perspectives. Read on to know more. According to the best evidence available, if you are sick, you can protect others from getting sick by wearing a mask. Similarly, if you are around sick people, you can protect yourself from the virus. However, keep in mind that these masks can’t offer 100% protection against viral infections. By the end of 1800s, surgical masks, aka courtesy masks, became quite common for doctors to use in the operating rooms. Their popularly was sky high in the beginning of 1918 during the influenza pandemic that took the life of over 50 million people over a course of three years. Click on link to buy it at Global Genesis.

Around a hundred years later, molecular techniques proved that the surgical type could offer strong protection against the flu. Aside from this, another study helped researched counter the virus particles found floating around the patients infected with the flu virus.

The researchers found that the surgical type reduced the emission of big viral droplets by 25 folds. However, these products are less effective when it comes to keeping away tiny viral droplets that stay in the air for hours.

The surgical type offers strong protection just like respirators. Unlike the regular masks, respirators are specially designed devices that can protect you from flu. However, you can’t use them as they are designed for use in hospitals only.

According to Australian investigators, if you put on a surgical mask, your likelihood of catching a virus infection goes down by at least 60%. However, this statement is valid only if you are in a home environment. When you are outside, the protection level drops significantly.

However, the problem is that the majority of people doesn’t wear a mask properly in order to protect themselves. Moreover, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is skeptical about wearing these products outside hospitals and other health care facilities.

2. The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America is two pages. You can see more here for WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM COVID-19 AS CHRISTIANS.

We could have amended that document to say stay 6 feet away from one another, stay home unless you have to leave your house and wash your hands frequently to have an enforceable Declaration. Grandparents in Pennsylvania have limited rights when it comes to their grandchildren, but as a grandparent it is important to know what those rights are. The legislation on grandparents’ rights is largely dependent on the state of the parental situation. A number of Courts have recently determined that state statutes providing visitation to grandparents are unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court addressed the issue of grandparent visitation when it agreed to hear Troxel v. Granville, No. 99-138 (June 5., 2000). In 1998, Washington’s Supreme Court ruled that requiring grandparent visitation violates parents’ fundamental rights to raise their families without government interference. The U.S. Supreme Court decided that while this statute wasn’t exactly unconstitutional, parents do have a “fundamental right” to control their child’s upbringing which would include when and how much a grandparent can visit their grandchild. You can check the Bonuses of Grandparents Rights.

3. If you have a business that is not included within the Governor’s State of Texas, Executive Order GA-14, you may still work, you just have to implement a locked door policy of these three things: (1) No more than 10 people in your physical place of business at any one time, (2) restrict public access at the main entrance (lock the door); and (3) enforce social distancing. Many businesses in Henderson County are mom and pop shops that hopefully can comply with these restrictions.
4. Lawyers very rarely draft documents from scratch. Why reinvent the wheel? This declaration must be a cut and paste from other similar Declarations, that’s why there is a reference to a Section B that doesn’t exist in the document. According to the Declaration – SECTION B is the most important section in the freaking document. You might say this is the reason why you never play board games with lawyers because as Jerry Steinfeld says “Lawyers are the only ones that read the rules on the inside of the top of the inside of the box.”
5. Who cares? Well, the Declaration states that failing to comply with the Declaration is an offense punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000, confinement for a term not to exceed 180 days, or both find and confinement. Words matter, punctuation matters. Let’s eat Grandma vs. Let’s eat, Grandma. Incorrectly citing or not including the most significant Section of the Declaration that contains all the necessary definitions leaves the document vague, not specific, unclear and ambiguous thus I believe the Declaration is legally insufficient and unenforceable.
Does that mean we should not Stay Home, Stay Safe. Absolutely WE SHOULD Stay Home, Stay Safe. How about this for a Declaration:
Until further notice of this Court:
IF YOU FEEL SICK, stay home. Do not go to work. Contact your medical provider.
IF YOUR CHILDREN ARE SICK, keep them at home. Do not send them to daycare. Contact your medical provider.
IF SOMEONE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD HAS TESTED POSITIVE for the coronavirus, keep the entire household at home. Do not go to work. Do not go out in public. Contact your medical provider.
IF YOU ARE AN OLDER PERSON, stay home and away from other people.
IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH A SERIOUS UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITION that can put you at increased risk (for example, a condition that impairs your lung or heart function or weakens your immune system),
stay home and away from other people.
PLEASE STAY AT HOME UNLESS YOU MUST WORK OR REQUIRE NECESSARY ITEMS SUCH AS GROCERIES OR MEDICINE.
IF YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR HOME, PLEASE maintain 6 feet of social distancing from one another.
PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY. IF you don’t have antibacterial soap, please use soap and water.
DO NOT GATHER IN GROUPS OF MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE, TRY NOT TO GATHER AT ALL.
That’s my one(ish) page Order that more people might have read and therefore been more willing to attempt to comply with instead of saying Who the hell reads something that’s 22 pages and sounds like lawyer mumbo jumbo.
These are my thoughts and comments. Some have said that I only do this to try to stir the pot. You’re right. I’m trying to keep our community safe and doing so requires getting people to pay attention, especially those that are uninformed and have no ability to get the information. If the water ain’t a boiling, there’s no reason to stir. Our water’s boiling, we need all the cooks to help spread the word that our only cure is Social Distancing…..
This isn’t legal advice but standard dollar bet that no one gets a citation or put in jail for this current Declaration! It would be a defense lawyer’s dream to defend these cases and a prosecutors worst nightmare to have to prosecute them. Stay Home, Stay Safe, Jeff

Child safety seat checkup Nov. 14

Every parent wants the best for their child’s future, and one of the best ways to make sure your child will have a bright future is to be sure that you are correctly using the right car seat for your child and that the seat is correctly installed in your vehicle every time. The problem is that keeping them safe in vehicles isn’t as easy as it might appear. Most parents think they are using their car seat correctly, but unfortunately, at least three out of four car seats are used incorrectly. For a car seat to best protect your child, it must be the one that fits your child, your vehicle, and one that you will use correctly every time you travel or it can be used against who ever is the driver at court by the personal injury attorney in case they got hurt.

No one can measure exactly the true extent of damage whenever anyone is involved in an auto accident. The injury on an individual may encompass not only personal injuries on one or all passengers, trauma especially to children and pets, and the loss of a vehicle and other properties which have personal value to you. You can find more info about the personal injury attorney. There are, however, certain measures which can be taken early into the accident which could change how this shocking experience affects you and the lives of those around you. One would be calling an automobile accident lawyer as soon as you can. For best legal advice you can pop over to these guys and get help from these.

Determining liability

Having gone through a moderate to severe accident is bad enough, and the details right after it happens can be so exhausting. You will need a good car accident lawyer, one who specializes in car or motor vehicle accidents and who has had years of experience negotiating and litigating it. Your lawyer will have to be good at determining liability. He can help find out what exactly caused your accident and who is to be held responsible for it, whether it resulted from negligence, drunk driving, beating traffic, a blown tire, or bad weather.

Dealing with insurance

The privilege and safety of driving requires that every driver be covered by insurance. However you may encounter in life, as in automobile accidents, that some drivers and vehicles which are at fault are actually underinsured or uninsured. If you do it on your own, dealing with the technicalities of insurance coverage and insurance companies will take so much of your time and energy which could be devoted to your health and recovery at the moment. A car accident lawyer can effectively deal with insurance people, handle the paperwork, and get you through one corrective measure which is getting your insurance claims. Here you will get more information about the Orlando Personal Injury Law firm.

Working out a settlement

Your car accident lawyer must be skilled at negotiating so that your car accident could possibly be settled outside the courts. His excellent reputation would make the other side very afraid and reluctant to go to trial and would instead agree to negotiate with you. A good car accident lawyer would be able to work out a settlement which would be a just compensation, the fullest measure which can be awarded for damages and losses to you.

Filing a lawsuit

At the worst scenario, it would be good to have an excellent car accident lawyer on your side if youre dealing with a most unreasonable and adamant third party who refuses to admit liability, insurance companies which give you a hard time, and a just settlement which cannot be worked out. This is where your cooperation would be most needed. You will have to be completely open and honest with your vehicle accident attorney about everything that happened. If you were the one most injured, family members who were at the scene will hopefully recall some important details leading to the car accident. From thereon, your accident lawyer will take care of all the legal measures.

Being alive and saving lives is one measure by which you can say you made it through a car accident. Having a competent car accident lawyer is another measure by which you can say you will bravely make it through.

That’s why Texas AgriLife Extension agent, Carolyn Tyler, is urging all parents, grandparents, and caregivers to attend the child safety seat checkup event on November 14th. Certified technicians from surrounding communities will be there to provide on-site child safety seat inspections and education from 1:00 -4:00 p.m. at the Walmart Supercenter parking lot located at 1405 E. Tyler Street in Athens. The only requirement is that you will need to have the child with you when you arrive. That will ensure that the best seat will be identified for that particular child.

For more information on this event, please call Carolyn Tyler, Henderson County Extension Agent and Certified Child Safety Seat Technician, at 903-675-6130.

Securing your children properly in age- and size-appropriate child safety seats — in the back seat of your vehicle — is the most effective thing you can do to protect them in the event of a crash. In fact, in motor vehicle crashes, child safety seats reduce the risk of a fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers. Misuse of car seats can cause needless injuries and fatalities as the personal injury attorney law firm indicates in their reports.

For a child safety seat to do its job correctly, it has to be:

Appropriate for your child’s age and size,
Installed properly in your vehicle, and
Adjusted to fit your child securely.

Parents are reminded to keep children rear-facing until at least age 2 or until the limit of their rear-facing convertible seat, which is usually 40 pounds or more. Also, children should stay in a 5-point harness system until they are ready to ride in a booster seat. Booster seats are for children who are at least age 4 and 40 pounds or more, and mature enough to sit still in a booster. Finally, keep children in a booster seat until the seat belt fits correctly. This is usually sometime between ages 8 and 12. The average child fits in a seat belt at age 11.

If you’re a parent or caregiver, don’t miss this opportunity to have a free child safety seat inspection by a certified child passenger safety technician. A technician can provide hands-on advice and instruction. Make sure your children are safe and you are in compliance with the current child safety seat law in Texas. The law requires all children under age 8, unless taller than 4-feet-9-inches, to be in a child safety seat system, which includes traditional child safety seats with harnesses and booster seats. Keep in mind that the law is always the minimum. Car seat technicians will be able to provide education on best practices.
Follow these guidelines from American Academy of Pediatrics to keep your children riding safely:

Infants and Toddlers – Rear-facing Only and Convertible Seats

All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing seat until they are at least 2 years of age or, preferably, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car seat manufacturer.

Toddlers and Pre-schoolers – Convertible and Forward-facing with a Harness Seats

Children who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for his convertible seat should use a forward-facing seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by his car seat manufacturer.

School-age Children- Booster Seats

Children whose weight or height exceeds the forward-facing limit for their car seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly; typically this is between the ages of 8-12 years old.

Older Children – Seat Belts

When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for the best protection.

Remember: All child passengers under age 13 should ride securely restrained in the back seat, where they are safest — every trip, every time.
For more information on this event, please call Carolyn Tyler, Henderson County Extension Agent and Certified Child Safety Seat Technician, at 903-675-6130

Things I Learned: Christmas decorations, a new school board member, and ‘Human Zoos’

By Michael V. Hannigan/HCN

I finished putting up my Christmas decorations last weekend and posted on Facebook asking if I was the last procrastinator.

I wasn’t by a long shot!

So if you still have your Christmas tree up while you read this don’t despair, you aren’t the only one.

Here’s what I learned this week.

— AISD gets a new school board member

The Athens ISD Board of Trustees accepted the resignation of board member Renda Garner on Monday night and immediately replaced her with Kari Wilmeth.

Continue reading “Things I Learned: Christmas decorations, a new school board member, and ‘Human Zoos’”

K-9 tracks down burglar in Athens

Press release

Henderson County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Max and his Deputy Meagan Hogan tracked down a burglar after she fled from a home she was burglarizing near Lake Athens, Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said Saturday.

“This is exactly what I expect from our two, new K-9 Deputies,” Hillhouse said. “They and their well-trained handlers have proven their worth dozens of times during their short time on the force.”

Continue reading “K-9 tracks down burglar in Athens”

What We Learned: Crime stories and skating rinks

By Michael V. Hannigan/HCN

The holidays are officially over now with the kids returning to school. Welcome back to the real world!

This is Week 2 of 2019 and Christmas is just 351 days away, so while we wait here are 5 Things We learned last week.

1. Readers really like stories about crime.

I went back and reviewed the top posts on our Henderson County Now website for 2018 and found out the top posts were dominated by crime stories and obituaries. Of the year’s Top 50 posts, 24 had to do with crime and 19 were obituaries.

The top ranking story that wasn’t in one of those categories was the post about Athens ISD considering a four-day instructional week. That post came in 24th.

Continue reading “What We Learned: Crime stories and skating rinks”