(MURFREESBORO, Ark.) — When our moms told us to stop playing in the dirt as kids, maybe we shouldn’t have listened — that’s exactly how 33-year-old Kevin Kinard found a 9-carat diamond at an Arkansas state park.
Kinard and his friends traveled to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, on Labor Day to enjoy the outdoors. The state park offers 37.5 acres of land for “diamond digging” where park visitors can sift through soil on what is the world’s eighth-largest diamond-bearing volcanic crater.
Park Interpreter Waymon Cox said one or two diamonds are found daily at the park, though they’re usually about 20- to 25-point diamonds, or about a fourth of a carat.
No matter the size, park rules state that if you find a diamond it’s yours to keep.
Kinard, an Arkansas native, visited Crater of Diamonds State Park for the first time on a field trip in second grade. Since then, he’s traveled back once or twice a year to dig for diamonds but had never found one.
Because of the pandemic, Kinard said he and his friends have been spending more time in state parks.
“I had actually already gone to the park in May, but Arkansas state parks started handing out these state park passports where every time you go to a new park you get a stamp,” Kinard said. “So, I went back because we wanted to get our passports stamped.”
When digging for diamonds, you’ll fill your bag and later give it to a park staffer who helps check whether you’ve found anything.
Kinard said they dug around for about four hours or so and went to get their passports stamped. Since he didn’t think he had anything good, he decided to head back to the car without having his bag checked. It was only when his friend decided last minute to get hers checked that he doubled back with her to see if he had anything.
Kinard was pulled into a private room, where the Crater of Diamonds State Park staff told him a 9-carat diamond was in his bag.
“I broke down a little and started tearing up,” Kinard said. “It was a very humbling experience. I thank God for everything that I have, so I think it was the Lord.”
The diamond is the second-largest ever found at the park after a 16-carat diamond in 1975.
“Our staff gets excited, even though we’re not finding the diamonds,” Cox said. “We get excited from the people and seeing how they’re impacted.”
Kinard immediately brought the diamond to the bank where he works to place it in a safe deposit box. He has not yet gotten it appraised and said for now he just wants to enjoy the moment.
“I’m not sure what it’s worth, but I can’t do anything with a 9-carat diamond,” Kinard said. “My boss said, ‘You may be a millionaire. Are you going to quit?’ I said, ‘Absolutely not.’ I’m too young for that. I’d still work. I’m just a regular guy.”
(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 977,000 people worldwide.
Over 31.9 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The criteria for diagnosis — through clinical means or a lab test — has varied from country-to-country. Still, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.
Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica.
The United States is the worst-affected country, with more than 6.9 million diagnosed cases and at least 202,247 deaths.
California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 796,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 742,000 cases and over 690,000 cases, respectively.
Nearly 170 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least six of which are in crucial phase three trials.
Here’s how the news is developing Thursday. All times Eastern: Sep 24, 1:47 pm UK reports highest number of new daily cases
The United Kingdom reported 6,634 daily COVID-19 cases on Thursday, reaching a new record high.
The U.K. now has over 412,000 coronavirus cases and at least 41,951 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins data.
ABC News’ Mike Trew contributed to this report. Sep 24, 1:02 pm Contact tracing app launched in England, Wales
The United Kingdom’s long-awaited contact tracing app launched in England and Wales on Thursday.
The app, available to download for free on iPhones and Androids, alerts users if they’ve come into contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19.
“The app will advise you to self-isolate if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case,” the Department of Health and Social Care said. “It will also enable you to check symptoms, book a free test if needed and get your test results.”
The BBC reported that over 1 million people have already downloaded the app. ABC News’ Mike Trew contributed to this report. Sep 24, 12:15 pm Africa sees steady decline of new cases
Africa has seen a steady decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases being reported across the continent since July 20, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
Over the past four weeks, there were 77,147 new cases recorded in Africa, down from 131,647 reported in the previous four weeks. Some of the continent’s most-affected countries including Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa have all seen infections drop every week over the past two months. Deaths attributed to COVID-19 have also remained low in the region.
Africa was the only region in the world to report a decline in both new COVID-19 cases and deaths for the week of Sept. 14-20.
The WHO credited the decline to “a variety of socio-ecological factors as well as early and strong public health measures taken by governments across the region.” The socio-ecological factors include low population density and mobility, hot and humid climate and lower age group.
“The downward trend that we have seen in Africa over the past two months is undoubtedly a positive development and speaks to the robust and decisive public health measures taken by governments across the region,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s regional director for Africa, said in a statement Thursday. “But we must not become complacent. Other regions of the world have experienced similar trends only to find that as social and public health measures are relaxed, cases start ramping up again.”
Africa’s COVID-19 cases have largely been among a younger age group and more pronounced in a few nations rather than continent-wide, suggesting country-specific aspects are driving the pattern of disease and death. About 91% of infections in sub-Saharan Africa are among people below the age of 60, while over 80% of cases are asymptomatic, according to the WHO.
Although African governments have made efforts to improve COVID-19 testing, the level remains low. Nevertheless, the WHO said missed COVID-19 cases are largely because they are asymptomatic and that there is no evidence of miscalculation of death figures.
“Africa has not witnessed an exponential spread of COVID-19 as many initially feared,” Moeti said. “But the slower spread of infection in the region means we expect the pandemic to continue to smolder for some time, with occasional flare-ups.”
Sep 24, 10:40 am Russia sees highest daily caseload since July
Russia confirmed 6,595 new cases of COVID-19 over the last 24 hours, the country’s highest single-day increase since July.
An additional 149 coronavirus-related deaths were also recorded in the past day, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.
Meanwhile, Moscow reported more than 1,000 new cases over the last 24 hours for the first time since June. The Russian capital also registered 15 new deaths.
Russia’s cumulative total now stands at over 1.12 million confirmed cases — the fourth highest caseload in the world — and nearly 20,000 deaths.
Last month, Russia became the first country in the world to officially register a COVID-19 vaccine and declare it ready for use. The Russian government approved the vaccine before completing its final Phase III trial, and no scientific data has been released from the early trials so far. ABC News’ Alina Lobzina contributed to this report. Sep 24, 10:09 am 870,000 more Americans filed for 1st-time unemployment last week
Another 870,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.
While the number of people filing for unemployment insurance in the United States has stagnated in recent weeks, the latest figure shows a concerning uptick of 4,000 compared with the previous week’s revised figure. It is also the 27th straight week of historically high weekly jobless claims.
Despite the number falling significantly since March, when 6.9 million people applied for unemployment benefits in a single week, the latest figure also shows that workers are continuing to be laid off at an unprecedented rate some six months into the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 26 million Americans are still receiving some sort of unemployment insurance benefits as of the week ending Sept. 5, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. For the same period last year, that figure was 1.5 million. ABC News’ Catherine Thorbecke and Zunaira Zaki contributed to this report.
Sep 24, 8:17 am Swiss authorities quarantine university’s undergraduate students
Swiss authorities have ordered a quarantine for the entire undergraduate student population of a prestigious hospitality management school after “significant outbreaks” of COVID-19.
Health officials in Switzerland’s Vaud canton, or region, announced Wednesday that all 2,500 undergraduate students at the “Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne” (EHL) must self-quarantine until at least Monday, whether they live on- or off-campus. Those who develop symptoms are advised to get tested for COVID-19, if necessary.
“Significant outbreaks of infection have appeared in several levels of training, making it impossible to close more targeted than that of the 2,500 students concerned,” health officials said in a statement, adding that student parties are suspected to “be at the origin of these numerous outbreaks of infection.”
Classes will continue online in the meantime.
Health officials said the school’s administrators are taking “all the necessary measures” to ensure that learning isn’t disrupted and to reinforce health measures on campus.
ABC News has reached out to the school for comment.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health has reported at least 51,492 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 4,809 hospitalizations and 1,776 deaths.
Sep 24, 6:43 am Israel moves to tighten restrictions as cases climb
Israel’s government has decided to tighten coronavirus-related restrictions as cases continue to climb, despite a second nationwide lockdown.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted early Thursday to close all nonessential businesses, including open-air markets. The cabinet also agreed that prayers and political demonstrations should be limited to open spaces with a cap of 20 people and that participants should not be allowed to travel more than 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from home to attend either.
The new measures are set to go into effect Friday afternoon, as the Jewish state shuts down for the weekly Sabbath ahead of Yom Kippur on Sunday and Monday. The restrictions on demonstrations, however, are subject to approval by Israel’s parliament, the Knesset.
Israel has seen one of the world’s highest per capita rates of COVID-19 infections over the past two weeks. The country entered a second lockdown last Friday and it’s slated to last until mid-October.
Sep 24, 5:57 am 22 US states and territories in upward trajectory of new cases
An internal memo from the Federal Emergency Management Agency obtained by ABC News on Wednesday night shows that 22 U.S. states and territories are in an upward trajectory of COVID-19 infections, while 13 jurisdictions are at a plateau and 21 others are in a downward trend.
The number of new cases and the number of new deaths recorded in the United States are both increasing in week-over-week comparisons. There also continues to be a steady rise in the number of hospitals nationwide where more than 80% of beds in intensive care units are filled, according to the memo.
In Alabama’s Limestone County, 90% of ICU beds across two hospitals were in use. The Alabama Hospital Association confirmed that a shortage of nurses is a statewide issue in both hospitals and universities due to a lack of faculty, facilities and funds, the memo said.
Florida’s Leon County reported a 20% increase in COVID-19 cases among children since Aug. 10, around the start of the new school year, coinciding with a 20% increase in pediatric hospitalizations, according to the memo.
Meanwhile, the number of new cases recorded in Kentucky have increased by 21% since Sept. 13. The state’s seven-day fatality rate has doubled since then, from 13.4 to 26.4 per 1 million population. The number of COVID-19 tests being conducted statewide declined by 45.2% during the week ending Sept. 17, compared with the previous week, according to the memo.
Michigan’s seven-day case rate increased by 154.4% from Sept. 13 to Sept. 20. The state also reported a 38.1% week-to-week relative increase in COVID-19 testing on Sept. 17. Officials attribute the surge to schools and colleges, with 20-year-olds making up the largest portion of total cases, the memo said.
Sep 24, 4:51 am US records over 1,000 new deaths
An additional 1,098 coronavirus-related fatalities were recorded in the United States on Wednesday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Wednesday’s tally of COVID-19 deaths is lower than the country’s record set on April 17, when there were 2,666 new fatalities in a 24-hour reporting period.
There were also 36,330 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed across the nation on Sunday, down from a peak of 77,255 new cases reported on July 16.
A total of 6,934,205 people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 201,909 of them have died, according to Johns Hopkins. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.
By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country’s cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up and crossing 70,000 for the first time in mid-July. The daily tally of new cases has gradually come down since then.
An internal memo from the Federal Emergency Management Agency obtained by ABC News on Wednesday night shows that the number of new cases and the number of new deaths recorded in the United States are both increasing in week-over-week comparisons.
(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — Family and supporters of Breonna Taylor said Wednesday that a Kentucky grand jury’s lack of homicide charges against the police offers who fatally shot Taylor is “outrageous and offensive to Breonna’s memory.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, signaled that he expected harsher charges against the Louisville officers who fired shots into the young medical worker’s apartment, on March 13.
Instead, amid mounting pressure for a decision in the case, a Kentucky grand jury indicted former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree, but neither he nor the other two officers involved in the fatal encounter were charged in Taylor’s death.
“Today’s news falls far short of what constitutes justice. But by no means does it define this movement or this moment in our history,” Crump said in a statement following the announcement. “The Grand Jury may have denied Breonna justice, but this decision cannot take away her legacy as a loving, vibrant young Black woman who served on the front lines in the midst of a devastating pandemic.”
The civil rights attorney called the decision another example of how white officers aren’t held accountable for what he referred to as “the genocide of persons of color.”
“Her killing was criminal on so many levels: An illegal warrant obtained by perjury. Breaking into a home without announcing, despite instructions to execute a warrant that required it. More than 30 gunshots fired, many of which were aimed at Breonna while she was on the ground,” the attorney said. “Many others fired blindly into every room of her home. A documented and clear cover-up, and the death of an unarmed Black woman who posed no threat and who was living her best life. Yet here we are, without justice for Breonna, her family and the Black community.”
Louisville police officers, executing no-knock search warrant, used a battering ram to forcefully enter the 26-year-old’s apartment.
The charges against Hankison, who fired 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment, stem from the errant bullets that penetrated a wall of the residence and entered a neighboring apartment occupied by a child, a man and a pregnant woman, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said at a news conference following the grand jury’s announcement.
As a result, Crump said, “The rallying cries that have been echoing throughout the nation have been once again ignored by a justice system that claims to serve the people. But when a justice system only acts in the best interest of the most privileged and whitest among us, it has failed.”
“For the sake of Breonna Taylor, for the sake of justice, and for the sake of all Americans, law enforcement agencies and their representatives throughout the country need to take a long, hard look in the mirror,” he added. “Is this who you are? Is this the example you want to set for the rest of the world and for future generations?”
The attorney said he hoped that, through the FBI’s ongoing investigation, “we will finally finally get the justice for Breonna that the Grand Jury refused her today.”
Louisville Metro Police Department officers Myles Cosgrove, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Hankison executed a no-knock entry warrant on March 13 based on allegations that Taylor had been accepting USPS packages for an ex-boyfriend whom police were investigating as an alleged drug trafficker, according to the warrant.
Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were awoken around midnight when they heard a commotion at their front door. Walker fired his licensed handgun in self-defense, saying he thought his home was being broken into, according to police.
The plainclothes officers returned gunfire, firing several shots and fatally hitting Taylor, police said.
“Our investigation found that Mattingly and Cosgrove were justified in their use of force after having been fired upon by Kenneth Walker,” Cameron said. “This justification bars us from pursuing charges in Ms. Breonna Taylor’s death.”
“The decision before my office as the special prosecutor in this case was not to decide if the loss of Ms. Taylor’s life was a tragedy. The answer to that question is unequivocally yes,” the attorney general added. “There’s no doubt that this is a gut-wrenching emotional case and the pain that many people are feeling is understandable.”
“We was failed as a family today,” Taylor’s sister, Ju’Niyah Palmer, wrote in an Instagram post after the announcement. “My sister, you were failed today by a system you worked hard for and I am so sorry. I love you so so so so so much.”
She also shared images and videos from family celebrations showing her slain sister smiling and laughing.
Taylor’s family members have become outspoken protesters against police brutality, and Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, said the long and intense fight for justice had hindered the grieving process.
“I haven’t had time to sit and grieve,” she told ABC News in June. “I’m still trying to figure out why my daughter was killed. I’m still trying to figure out, why did it have to come to her being murdered. Why did Breonna have to die?”
DNY59/iStockBy STEPHANIE WASH and BILL HUTCHINSON, ABC News
(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — A Kentucky grand jury indicted one officer, Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree in the shooting case of Breonna Taylor.
Louisville Metro Police Department officers Myles Cosgrove, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and former officer Brett Hankison are the three officers who fired into Taylor’s apartment. Officer Joshua Jaynes applied for the search warrant that led officers to Taylor’s residence on the fateful night of March 13. Cosgrove and Mattingly were not indicted.
The announcement was made being made more than six months after 26-year-old Taylor’s death prompted nationwide protests with demonstrators coast-to-coast repeating her name and celebrities and professional athletes wearing clothes bearing her likeness.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who was appointed as special prosecutor in the case by Gov. Andy Beshear, is expected to hold a news conference later Wednesday.
The grand jury’s announcement followed a $12 million settlement Taylor’s family reached last week with the City of Louisville in a wrongful-death lawsuit Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer filed in April.
Taylor’s family had called for criminal charges to be filed against the three officers involved in the shooting.
Palmer said at last week’s news conference that while “significant,” the settlement was “only the beginning of getting full justice for Breonna,” who was a certified emergency medical technician.
“We must not lose focus on what the real job is. And with that being said, it’s time to move forward with the criminal charges because she deserves that and much more,” Palmer said. “Her beautiful spirit and personality is working with all of us on the ground, so please continue to say her name.”
The settlement, which lawyers for the Taylor family say is the largest ever paid out for a Black woman killed in an alleged police misconduct case, also includes an agreement from the city to implement major reforms in the police department in hopes of preventing a similar tragedy from occurring.
The reforms include requiring the police department to overhaul how search warrants are obtained, and to create an Office of Inspector General to oversee an “early-warning system” that tracks use-of-force incidents and citizens’ complaints in an attempt to weed out bad officers.
Jaynes filed a request for a “no-knock” search warrant of Taylor’s home on March 12 after investigating the activities of Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, who police say was known to them as a drug trafficker, according to the warrant. Police alleged that Taylor’s ex-boyfriend was using her address to mail drugs through the post office.
The warrant required the police to verify with postal inspectors that the ex-boyfriend was receiving packages at Taylor’s address.
But lawyers for Taylor’s family allege the affidavit used to secure the warrant contained lies and that the Louisville Postal Inspector denied that his office inspected packages sent to Taylor’s home as part of a drug-trafficking investigation.
No drugs were found in Taylor’s apartment, officials said.
Prior to the grand jury’s announcement, many downtown Louisville business owners boarded up their windows and police beefed up their presence and in the area. Police Chief Robert J. Schroeder issued a state of emergency for his department on Monday canceling time off and vacations for officers in anticipation of an update on the state investigation.
Mayor Greg Fischer also signed two executive to prepare the city for Cameron’s announcement, including a state of emergency order due to the potential of civil unrest that allows him to impose a curfew, ban on-street parking in the downtown area and restrict access to five downtown parking garages. The order also allows him to hire or contract services to boost security in and round Jefferson Square Park in the downtown area.
“Our goal is ensuring space and opportunity for potential protesters to gather and express their First Amendment rights after the announcement,” Fischer said in a statement. “At the same time, we are preparing for any eventuality to keep everyone safe.”
Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were sleeping inside their apartment when three white police officers attempted to execute a “no-knock” search warrant. The three plainclothes officers forced open Taylor’s front door and “blindly” fired into the apartment, according to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Palmer in April.
Taylor was shot eight times in the incident after Walker, using a licensed handgun, fired at what he says he thought were intruders, according to the lawsuit filed by Palmer.
The three officers fired more than 25 bullets into the apartment, some entering neighboring apartments, including one with a 5-year-old child, officials said.
Despite obtaining a “no-knock” warrant, the police officers claimed they knocked several times on Taylor’s door and announced themselves, then forced the door open and were met with gunfire. Walker said he called 911 before he used his licensed firearm to fire one shot, which police say struck one of the officers, Mattingly, in the leg.
In a civil suit, Walker’s attorneys allege that Mattingly may have been struck by friendly fire, not by a bullet from Walker’s gun.
Mattingly, Hankison, Cosgrove and Jaynes were placed on administrative reassignment pending the results of an investigation.
Hankison was later fired for his role in the incident. According to his termination letter that was shared with local reporters, Hankison violated police department procedure when he fired 10 rounds into Taylor’s apartment while executing the warrant.
The investigation found that Hankison fired through a patio window that had the blinds drawn.
Cameron’s announcement came a day after a spokesman for the Louisville Metro Police Department told ABC News that the actions of a total of six officers involved in the Taylor case are being reviewed as part of an internal investigation.
The department’s Professional Standards Unit has begun its probe into Cosgrove and Mattingly, and Jaynes, as well as detectives Tony James, Michael Campbell and Michael Nobles, according to Sgt. Lamont Washington, a spokesperson for the agency.
On Monday night, Mattingly sent an email to his police department colleagues expressing support for them having to work in these difficult times.
“These next few days are going to be tough. They are going to be long, they are going to be frustrating. They will put a tremendous amount of stress on your families,” Mattingly wrote in the email obtained by ABC affiliate WHAS-TV in Louisvlle and confirmed to ABC News by Mattingly’s attorney, Kent Wicker.
He added, in part, that regardless the outcome of the grand jury hearing, “I know we did the legal, moral and ethical thing that night.”
“It’s sad how the good guys are demonized, and criminals are canonized. Put that aside for a while, keep your focus and do your jobs that you are trained and capable of doing. I’ll be praying for your safety,” Mattingly wrote. “Remember you are just a pawn in the Mayor’s political game. I’m proof they do not care about you or your family and you are replaceable.”
(NEW YORK) — This report is part of “Turning Point,” a groundbreaking month-long series by ABC News examining the racial reckoning sweeping the United States and exploring whether it can lead to lasting reconciliation.
New York City, with the largest public school system in the U.S., started inviting some students back into the classroom this week — but, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, others remain confined to their homes, taking virtual classes.
Parents and community leaders across the country shared their struggles with remote learning and the “digital divide” with ABC News.
According to a June 2020 report from Common Sense Media and the Boston Consulting Group, 50 million public school students are getting their education from home — but 9 million are without the adequate technology or Internet access to learn effectively.
Many of these kids, who lack the appropriate technology, are people of color, or live in rural areas.
The way schooling has changed due to the pandemic has made it clearer than ever that there is a huge educational gap tied to race and economic standing.
An analysis this month of four major U.S. cities showed that nearly half of Native American or Latino households with kids reported problems with their internet connection, or reported that they had no access to the internet at all. More than one in three Black households reported the same.
These are some organizations making efforts to bridge the digital gap to ensure students are getting the education they deserve this fall.
Kajeet is sending wifi-enabled buses to neighborhoods that lack Wi-Fi.
zSpace is delivering laptops with built-in 3D capabilities so students can perform lab experiments from home.
Everyoneon.org is a nonprofit that connects low-income families to affordable internet service and computers.
The free app CloudCheck helps you find the strongest signal in your home.
Notebooksforstudents.org offers special discounts for students on laptops from brands like Apple, Lenovo, HP and Dell.
Comcast launched Internet Essentials offering broadband internet service at $9.95 per month with the option to purchase a heavily subsidized computer for low-income students. First-time users also get 60 days free. Verizon, AT&T and Cox are also offering discounts for students needing to access the internet from home.
DevicesforStudents.org is a coalition of tech employees, educators and nonprofits working to provide laptops and WiFi to students in need.
Google launched its distance learning alleviation efforts to support educational organizations worldwide, particularly in under-served communities.
Some YMCAs are providing Wi-Fi-stable workspaces for kids without access.
The California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) formed in 1975, is a leading organization in California that focuses on the needs of English learners and biliteracy programs. CABE strategically provides professional development for teachers and administrators, leadership training for parents and families, and advocacy and policy support at the state and national level.
Kevin KinardBy SHANNON MCLELLAN, ABC News
