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Health Line
18-07-2025
- Health
- Health Line
10 Benefits of Burning Sage, How to Get Started, and More
Burning sage — also known as cleansing — is an ancient spiritual ritual. Certain types of sage have antimicrobial properties and may provide additional benefits. Where did the practice originate? Distinct from cleansing, smudging has been well established as a Native American cultural or tribal practice, although not all groups practice it. We have the traditions of many Native American peoples, including the Lakota, Chumash, and Cahuilla, to thank for its use. Many other cultures around the world share similar rituals. Read on to learn more about the benefits of burning sage and how you can use it to improve your overall well-being. It may be purifying The most commonly used types of sage have antimicrobial properties, which means they may keep infectious bacteria, viruses, and fungi at bay. White prairie sage (technically a mugwort species, Artemisia ludoviciana) is both antimicrobial and antibacterial. White sage (an actual sage, Salvia apiana) is also antimicrobial. And both have been shown to repel insects. It may help relieve the symptoms of some conditions It turns out that sage may help clear the air of lots more than bugs and bacteria. Though scientifically unproven, burning sage is thought to release negative ions, which are said to help neutralize positive ions. Common positive ions are allergens like: pet dander pollution dust mold If this is the case, burning sage may be a blessing for those with asthma, allergies, bronchitis, and other respiratory conditions. However, inhaling the smoke during the cleansing process can aggravate any respiratory condition. Wait until the smoke clears before going into the room. It can be a spiritual tool Burning sage has long been used to connect to the spiritual realm or enhance intuition. In traditional cultures, burning sage is used by healers and laypeople to achieve a healing state or to solve or reflect upon spiritual dilemmas. This may also have some scientific basis. Certain types of sage, including salvia sages and white prairie sage, contain thujone. It may help dispel negative energy Burning sage may also be used as a ritual tool to rid yourself or your space of negativity. This includes past traumas, bad experiences, or negative energies from others. This may help you establish a positive environment for meditation or another ritual. Choosing to sit and let go of negative thoughts in a ritual like this sets your intention and dedication to self-improvement. Choosing to engage in ritual can be the beginning of your change in mindset. It can cleanse or empower specific objects Burning sage creates fragrant smoke, which is central to its benefits. You can use this incense to cleanse yourself or specific spaces. Or, according to some sources, you can cleanse specific objects. This can be useful with new purchases, gifts, or secondhand items. However, any item can be cleansed. If you have any concern with negative history or energy attached to a new or unfamiliar object, burning sage may help bring peace of mind and make the object more sacred to you. It may help improve your mood Tradition suggests that burning sage can literally lift one's spirits to banish negativity. Some research supports this. A 2014 study documented white prairie sage (also known as estafiate) as an important traditional remedy for treating anxiety, depression, and mood disorders in certain cultures. It may help soothe stress If burning sage can lift one's mood, it could also be a great ally against stress. A 2016 research project for the University of Mississippi established that white sage (Salvia apiana) is rich in compounds that activate certain receptors in the brain. These receptors are responsible for elevating mood levels, reducing stress, and even alleviating pain. It may improve the quality of your sleep Burning sage has been traditionally used to safeguard against negativity that could interfere with sleep. Some research suggests that sage contains compounds that could help ease insomnia. Classic garden sage (Salvia officinalis) is sometimes burned like white sage. It's also been used to improve sleep and soothe anxiety. It may help boost cognition In addition to dissipating negative energy, improving mood, and strengthening intuition, burning sage might improve your memory and focus. A 2016 review of studies noted that evidence for salvia's cognitive-enhancing benefits is promising, perhaps affecting dementia and Alzheimer's disease. However, most of these studies analyzed salvia being taken internally, not burned. More research is needed. It can create an uplifting fragrance For some, this may be the best of all benefits: Sage is a lovely incense with a divine aroma, pure and simple. It also works great as a chemical-free air freshener or odor controller. How to prepare for a cleanse Before burning sage, some recommend setting intentions if cleansing for spiritual, energetic, and negativity-clearing purposes. Remove animals or people from the room. It's also important to leave a window open before, during, and after cleansing. This allows smoke to escape. Some believe smoke also takes impurities and negative energy with it, so don't skip this step. How to cleanse your living space, an object, and more These steps apply whether you're cleansing yourself, your home, or an object. You can cleanse any of these as often as you'd like. Light the end of a sage bundle with a match. Blow it out quickly if it catches on fire. The tips of the leaves should smolder slowly, releasing thick smoke. With one hand, direct this smoke around your body and space while holding the bundle in the other. Allow the incense to linger on the areas of your body or surroundings you'd like to focus on. Using a fan or a feather can also help direct the smoke, though this is optional. Allow the ash to collect in a ceramic bowl or shell. Cleanse your home or living space In this instance, direct sage smoke over all surfaces and spaces in your home or living area. Be thorough. Some recommend working in a clockwise direction around your home, ending back where you started, especially for spiritual purposes. Others recommend counterclockwise. Do what feels best for your situation and follow your intuition. Cleanse an object Direct smoke around and over the object of your choice. This can be done to a new item, such as jewelry, furniture, or clothing, to protect or dispel it of negative energy. Items related to negative experiences or memories may also be cleansed. Some people burn sage over special objects to acknowledge the object with sacred meaning. Aromatherapy You can also light and burn sage to improve odor, fragrance, and mood. Simply waft sage smoke in and around your home. You can place the bundle in a fireproof bowl or burner and allow it to smoke for a while. What to do after a cleanse Make sure your sage bundle is completely extinguished. You can do this by dabbing the lit end into a small bowl of ash or sand. Avoid using water, since it may be challenging to reignite sage if it is extinguished by water. Check the end closely to make sure there are no more embers burning. Once it's completely put out, store it in a safe, dry place out of the sun. Are there any side effects or risks? When done correctly and respectfully, burning sage is completely safe, and the effects last after the smoke clears. Be careful with sage when it's lit. If you aren't careful, burns and even fire is possible. Have water nearby. Never leave burning sage unattended. Make sure to put your sage bundle out completely after every use. Setting off smoke alarms is common. Consider this if burning sage in a public building. People with asthma and other respiratory conditions may be more sensitive to the smoke and have adverse reactions. Always leave a window open while burning sage. Inhaling smoke can be hazardous to your health. The bottom line Burning sage has many benefits as a spiritual practice. Some research supports certain health benefits of sage, such as antimicrobial properties and enhanced alertness, but more research is needed. There is very little research on burning sage as a practice beyond the cultural practice of the ritual.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Grandfather rock, symbolic sweat lodge on archdiocese grounds described as important symbols of reconciliation
After smudging and a prayer for the Creator's blessing, a grandfather rock and symbolic sweat lodge were unveiled Friday on the grounds of the Archdiocese of St. Boniface bishop's residence. The 1.5-metre-tall M'shoomis Asin, or grandfather rock, was donated to the archdiocese by a parishioner five years ago. The symbolic sweat lodge was welded by students at Murdoch MacKay Collegiate. Also unveiled at the ceremony was a panel about sweat lodges and grandfather rocks, which Indigenous people believe are sacred because they contain generational knowledge and a spirit. A panel with information about the grandfather rock appears in English, French, Lakota and Ojibwe. A second panel, in English and French, describes the role of sweat lodges in Indigenous tradition and culture. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS The 1.5-metre-tall M'shoomis Asin, or grandfather rock, was donated to the archdiocese by a parishioner five years ago. In his address, St. Boniface Archbishop Albert LeGatt said the grandfather rock and sweat lodge were important additions to the grounds, which also contain statues and panels acknowledging the work of religious orders in the province in nearby Heritage Park. LeGatt said the decision to recognize the importance of the rock was made last year when an elder told him it was, in fact, a sacred grandfather rock. LeGatt reached out to Clayton Sandy, an elder from the Sioux Valley Dakota First Nation, to find a way to acknowledge its significance. They came up with an idea to surround it with a symbolic sweat lodge, since heated rocks are a crucial part of those healing ceremonies. Together, they 'remind us of the richness of Indigenous tradition' and the history of the archdiocese, LeGatt told the 75 or so people gathered for the ceremony. He noted 'there have been moments of darkness in that history,' but by recognizing the grandfather rock and sweat lodges on church grounds the archdiocese is showing its commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous people, and to taking seriously the calls to action directed at churches by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In this way, the archdiocese was showing 'the inherent value and worth of Indigenous spiritual values,' LeGatt said. In his remarks, Sandy noted the significance of the two items on church grounds since, for many years, Indigenous spiritual practices and traditional teachings were suppressed by the Roman Catholic Church. The unveiling showed that Roman Catholics and Indigenous people were making progress in the journey of reconciliation, he said, adding 'if we don't come together with open minds, nothing changes.' RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS The grandfather rock and symbolic sweat lodge are located in front of the bishop's residence, built in 1864, at the corner of de la Cathedrale and Taché avenues. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. Speaking about the students who made the symbolic sweat lodge, Murdoch MacKay Collegiate welding teacher Collin Doyle said they 'really took ownership' of the project, and through it learned about the cultural significance. Vice-principal Jordan Zoppa added that for the students 'it was not just an assignment. They took it as a responsibility… they showed up with curiosity in their hearts.' LeGatt said he hopes the additions to the grounds will indicate to Indigenous people that 'this is a safe place and all are welcome.' For Sandy, whose parents and six siblings are residential school survivors — he was a '60s Scoop child — the event was significant because it was a 'symbol of healing between Indigenous people and the church… we have come a long way.' The grandfather rock and symbolic sweat lodge are located in front of the bishop's residence, built in 1864, at the corner of de la Cathedrale and Taché avenues. faith@ The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks! BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER John LonghurstFaith reporter John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
The Intercept
06-06-2025
- Politics
- The Intercept
Trump Could Use Sacred Native Land for a Monument to… Columbus
A provision buried deep in the House budget bill allocates $40 million toward President Donald Trump's plan for a vast garden of larger-than-life statues — and it could get built on sacred Native land. The House version of the budget reconciliation bill passed last month contains funding for Trump's proposed National Garden of American Heroes, which would lionize figures ranging from Andrew Jackson to Harriet Tubman. While the garden does not have an official location yet, one candidate is minutes from Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the iconic carvings of presidential faces in South Dakota's Black Hills. Trump first announced his plan for a national statue garden during a July 4, 2020, address at Mount Rushmore in response to the racial justice protesters toppling Confederate statues. 'I'm quite sure that Harriet Tubman would not be pleased.' The potential statue garden site near Mount Rushmore belongs to an influential South Dakotan mining family that has offered to donate the land, an offer that has support from the state's governor. The Black Hills, however, are sacred land to the region's Indigenous peoples, and its ownership following a U.S. treaty violation is contested. One Native activist decried the idea of building another monument in the mountain range. 'I'm quite sure,' said Taylor Gunhammer, an organizer with the NDN Collective and citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation, 'that Harriet Tubman would not be pleased that people trying to build the statue of her on stolen Lakota land have apparently learned nothing from her.' Trump's vision has had a rocky road to realization. Trump's announcement was meant to offer his own competing vision to the activists who sought to remove statues — by force or by politics — of figures like Andrew Jackson or Confederate generals. In one of the final acts of his first term, he issued a list of potential figures that alternately baffled, delighted or outraged observers. They included divisive — but inarguably historic — figures such as Jackson, who signed the Indian Removal Act that began the Trail of Tears. Also listed, however, were unexpected choices such as Canadian-born 'Jeopardy' host Alex Trebek, who was naturalized in 1998. Some of the names never got American citizenship at all — including Christopher Columbus. Joe Biden canceled the idea after taking the presidency, but Trump quickly revived it after his second inauguration. The National Endowment for the Humanities was placed in charge of commissioning artists, who are required to craft 'classical' statues in marble, granite, bronze, copper, or brass and barred from abstract or modernist styles. The statue-making process has drawn its own skeptics about whether Trump can fulfill a vision of having the garden ready by July 4, 2026, the nation's 250th birthday. The process of selecting a site and building Trump's vision of a 'vast outdoor park' in time could be just as daunting, however. The Interior Department declined to comment on the site selection process, with a spokesperson saying that the garden was still in the 'planning and discussion phase.' 'We are judiciously implementing the President's Executive Order and will provide additional information as it becomes available,' spokesperson J. Elizabeth Peace said. One of the few publicly known site candidates emerged in March, when Republican South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden issued a press release flagging the Black Hills as a potential location. In his announcement, he noted that the Lien family of Rapid City, South Dakota, had already offered land it owns near Mount Rushmore. The Lien family, which has major interests in South Dakota mining projects, is also developing a theme park resort in Rapid City and a lodge nearby in the Black Hills. The family owns dozens of acres near the historic Doane Robinson tunnel, which offers motorists a framed view of Mount Rushmore. The vision of another monument in the Black Hills, however, would place South Dakota politicians on a collision course with some Native tribal members who have long lamented the creation of Mount Rushmore. The Lakota Sioux called the mountain the Six Grandfathers and ventured to it for prayer and devotion, according to National Geographic. The entire Black Hills were sacred ground for the Lakota and other tribes. The Black Hills were promised to the Oceti Sakowin peoples as part of a Great Sioux Reservation in an 1868 treaty, but the U.S. government broke its promise when gold was discovered there. 'The fact that it was built in the Black Hills was not an accident or happenstance.' The Oceti Sakowin Oyate, commonly known as the Sioux Nation, won a 1980 Supreme Court case finding that they had been wrongfully deprived of the land. They rejected the court's finding that they should receive monetary compensation and continued to seek return of the land. (Several tribes involved in the case did not respond to requests for comment about the proposed statue garden.) Some Indigenous people in South Dakota see the carved faces on Mount Rushmore as a defacement of land that rightfully belongs to them. 'The fact that it was built in the Black Hills was not an accident or happenstance,' Gunhammer said. 'It is representative of the exact colonial presence that the settler colonial project has always been trying to have in the Black Hills.' Mount Rushmore is a point of pride for other South Dakotans, as well as an economic boon. Sam Brannan, a Lien family member who supports the project, said she was hopeful that the White House would take them up on their offer to build another patriotic attraction nearby. 'We're just honored and hopeful that they will consider our site,' she said. 'The people they have selected are amazing. I hope everybody goes through those 250 names. They are very representative of the United States.' The statue garden proposal comes at the same time as a family-owned company, Pete Lien and Sons, seeks to conduct exploratory drilling for graphite in the Black Hills near Pe' Sla, another sacred ceremonial site for the Lakota. Gunhammer has been active in organizing tribal members against the proposed mining activity, which would happen on U.S. Forest Service land. 'The same company trying to build this national hero garden in order to preserve history is currently trying to undertake a project that destroys history for everyone,' he said. 'The same company trying to build this national hero garden in order to preserve history is currently trying to undertake a project that destroys history for everyone.' Brannan referred questions about the mining project to Pete Lien and Sons, which did not respond to a request for comment sent through its website. With regards to the national garden, Brannan said that Native tribes have not been consulted on the family's offer yet. 'Why would we? It's been privately held for 60 years,' she said. Still, Brannan said the tribes could be consulted if the project advances. She said no one organization can claim to speak for all the Lakota people, and that her family maintains warm relations with Native leaders. 'We have been in mining for 80 years in the Black Hills, so we have been great neighbors to the Lakotans here,' she said, referring to one of the subgroups that makes up the Oceti Sakowin people. In a statement, Josie Harms, the press secretary for the South Dakota governor, noted that the potential list of figures to be honored includes Native leaders such as Sitting Bull, the Lakota leader who defeated George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. 'The tract of land in question is private property owned by Chuck Lien and his family,' said Harms, referring to the family patriarch who died in 2018. 'As a result, it will cause no disruption to either state or tribal land. As a federal project, the state will be a partner with the federal government as it seeks to comply with its regulations or consultation, as needed.' The Trump administration has yet to detail how it will select the site for the statue garden, although numerous states and counties pitched the Interior Department five years ago. Brannan said it was her understanding that more than 20 sites are being considered. Her family has not had direct contact with the Trump administration, she said. One factor in the Black Hills site's favor is that the garden is gaining momentum at a high-water mark for the political influence of the twin Great Plains states of North and South Dakota. Former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who first championed the idea, is serving as Trump's Homeland Security secretary. South Dakota Sen. John Thune is the upper chamber's majority leader. Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is serving as the secretary of the Interior Department, the executive tapped with finding the location for the garden. South Dakota's lone U.S. representative, Dusty Johnson — like Noem, Thune, and Burgum, a Republican — told The Intercept that the Black Hills have a strong shot. He has been pushing the idea with the Trump administration. 'I don't want to speak for the administration, other than I would tell you every conversation I have had with them, they understand the value of this particular parcel, and that they are going to give the Black Hills of South Dakota a full and complete look,' he said. 'We're going to have a real chance to win.' The House's plan to spend tens of millions of dollars on the garden is laid out in the same reconciliation bill that would kick 11 million people off health insurance, according to a recent Congressional Budget Office estimate. To make it into law, the spending provision would have to win Senate approval. Thune's office didn't respond to a request for comment. The House bill does not specify whether the money should be spent on the site or the statues. Money from hundreds of National Endowment for the Humanities grants that the Trump administration canceled could be redirected to pay for the statues, the New York Times reported in April. The National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts have jointly committed $34 million for the project, including $30 million from this year's budget for the statues. Some of the National Endowment for the Humanities grants that were canceled would have supported Native cultural projects in South Dakota. The roster of grants killed includes $60,000 for an anthology of Lakota and Dakota literature in translation and $205,000 for an Oglala language archiving project, according to a list maintained by the Association for Computers and the Humanities.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Back to basics: Army revamps flight school after deadly crashes
In the wake of a string of deadly military aviation accidents over the past several years, the U.S. Army is launching a major overhaul of how it trains new pilots that focuses on getting back to the basics. The overhaul includes rethinking the type of aircraft used for training, along with a likely shift to a contractor-owned-and-operated schoolhouse. 'I think I have one sacred responsibility and that is to deliver competent aviators to the government,' Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commander of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence Command, said at an Army aviation conference in Nashville, Tennessee, last month. 'I'm not sure that I'm doing that in spades right now.' The fatal Jan. 29 collision of a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and a spate of Army aviation mishaps over the last several years have been at the forefront of the minds of Army aviation leaders as they attempt to rein in the crisis and improve aviation safety. In addition to other efforts to try to reemphasize a culture of rigorous training and safety, the Army began taking a hard look at redeveloping its basic training program at Fort Novosel, Alabama, fueled by the most mishap-heavy years in Army aviation history since 2007. The Army found inexperienced crews were 'out-driving their headlights, out-training the experience that was in their force at whatever level,' then-commander of the AACE, Maj. Gen. Mac McCurry, told Defense News on a 2024 trip to Fort Novosel, Alabama, home of Army aviation training. Now, the Army is in hyperdrive to reimagine how it trains aviators in an increasingly complex world where combat proficiency is waning and experience gaps at the highest levels are growing. The motivation to make changes was compounded by the Army's decision in 2013 to retire its TH-67 training aircraft and replace them with more expensive LUH-72A Lakota light utility twin-engine helicopters. The decision was a matter of necessity. The Army faced the choice of either needing to comply with congressional sequestration requirements that mandated cutting every program evenly across the board or making tough choices internally to avoid making salami slices across its budget. But critics worried the Lakota was too exquisite and pricey for basic training. 'It is a very good helicopter,' Gill told Defense News in a recent interview. 'But in some cases, it assists the student in things that we wouldn't want the student assisted in.' For instance, the automated flight control system 'will help you with heading control. If you jumped in a very simple aircraft … if you don't push the pedal commensurate with how you apply the collective, you will start spinning in a circle and then if you push too much, you go the other way,' Gill said. 'So that's the first time you learn to hover. It's a little bit of that dance. They don't have that challenge in the Lakota because it helps them.' Army aviators coming out of basic training now 'don't have that early struggle, where you really have to kind of learn to control the airplane,' he added. The easier-to-fly Lakotas are also turning out to be harder to maintain. Airbus, the Lakota's manufacturer, is headquartered in France. Calling in a company maintenance engineer when a fleet-wide issue needs to be addressed is sometimes up against the tyranny of distance, Gill said. A twin-engine helicopter also requires twice the components. 'You don't need to be a helicopter pilot or mechanic to understand that there are more things to maintain,' Gill said. 'Sometimes that means more things can break.' The Lakota has cost the Army roughly $3,000 per flight hour, which is nearly the same as the Army's UH-60 Black Hawk, Gill said. Some of the training aircraft that the Army is taking a look at now could potentially cost between $500 and $1,300 an hour. In 2020, the Army commissioned a study through Boston Consulting Group that determined the service could save 'hundreds of millions of dollars' by transitioning to a single-engine trainer. An additional study with a College of William & Mary MBA fellowship program determined that a contractor-owned, contractor-operated, or COCO, model would be preferable to the current government-owned and operated method. Boston Consulting has been rehired, Gill said, to dive deeper into a business case analysis for a basic aviator training COCO model. The Army is now running a pilot program with Robinson Helicopter that began at the beginning of April where it is sending some of its current flight students to Gainesville, Florida, to learn to fly using a Robinson R66 helicopter and to go through a Federal Aviation Administration private pilot training program. As part of the program, the students will log five solo flight hours. An FAA private helicopter certification requires 10 hours. 'I think that flying in that unsupervised fashion is just critically important to the development of the mature aviator that we expect we would generate out of the world's greatest flight training program. The FAA is doing it, why in the world wouldn't we do it with Army aviators,' Gill said. 'So the question is what's going to happen on the back end of that final program? Are we going to produce a less proficient aviator than I'm building at Fort Novosel in the UH-72,' Gill asked. 'I'm very interested in what this pilot program is going to tell us,' he said. Should the Army choose a COCO model to train its aviators, much of the daily headaches schoolhouse leaders face would transfer to the company hired to train them. 'The brilliance of the COCO model is that it's not my thing to worry about,' Gill said. 'Now all I say is, 'I want 1,350 pilots at the end of the year; you figure out how.'' The number of helicopters needed in the fleet, maintenance requirements, the number of instructor pilots and their experience levels and every other aspect of training aviators will be determined by an industry partner. Industry will need to come with the tools that produce solid aviators. 'The need for better stick and rudder skills is at the core of both battle readiness and even just safety,' David Smith, Robinson Helicopter CEO, told Defense News in a recent interview. 'We talk about a high degree of automation in some of these products that doesn't produce a great stick and rudder aviator.' Opting for a simpler helicopter, like the R66, will also 'drastically reduce the cost,' Smith said, 'because our products just don't have as many things that can fail, so they tend to be more reliable in service.' Textron's Bell is also looking to get back into the Army aviation training game after the service retired its TH-67 in favor of the Lakota. 'We fully intend to give them a turnkey contractor-owned, contractor-operated flight school solution,' Carl Coffman, Bell's vice president of military sales and strategy, told Defense News at the Army Aviation Association of America's annual conference last month. Bell is pitching its 505 Jet Ranger X as part of the package, but Coffman said, 'We're not trying to sell the Army an aircraft. I'm trying to sell you a service.' Lockheed Martin also announced last month it would be pitching a turnkey solution. The Army spends roughly $1.5 billion to run its flight school annually and produces 1,350 aviators, Gill said. To transition to a new flight program, the Army will have to, for a time, pay to keep Lakotas in the fleet, he acknowledged. 'The challenge for the Army is, in order to do this, it costs more money up front,' he said. The Army announced last month it would be ending some programs, consolidating commands and restructuring formations, including eliminating 11 air cavalry squadrons from the force. Gill sees opportunity in the elimination of those squadrons. Money freed from operational flight hours could potentially go toward training hours instead. Industry also has to be prepared to 'own a good amount of the risk,' in addition to the funding the Army would provide to establish the new training program, Gill said. The Army wants to move quickly to establish the program. Gill said the plan is to release a draft request for proposals this month. Another industry day will be held in July where companies can bring their capabilities for demonstration opportunities. Then the service will release a final request for proposal in the fall or winter of calendar year 2025 and evaluate proposals in 2026. 'I would like to get this thing going early in [fiscal] 2027,' Gill said. Companies have estimated they could likely get a program up and running within two years, but Gill said he has directed industry to try to truncate that timeline by half. 'We cannot do this fast enough,' he said.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
NY community 'heartbroken' by loss of father and daughter who died hiking in Maine
The Ulster County community is mourning the loss of a father and daughter from Ulster Park who were found dead on a mountain in Maine, where they had gone hiking on June 1. They were identified by authorities as Tim Keiderling, 58, and his daughter, Esther Keiderling, 28. USA Today reported the father and daughter were last seen leaving their campground in Baxter State Park, on their way to the summit of Mount Katahdin, around 10 a.m. June 1. Mount Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine, is located within the park. A search and rescue mission for the Keiderlings began on June 2, after their car was spotted in the mountain's day-use parking lot. Found guilty: Monticello man convicted of predatory sexual assault against a child Park rangers, K-9 crews, game wardens and the Maine Forest Service were involved in the extensive ground and air search. The Maine National Guard used two helicopters, a Blackhawk and a Lakota, in the search. A Marine Warden K-9 search team found Tim Keiderling's body near the summit around 2:45 p.m. June 3, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Esther's body was found around 1 p.m. June 4 in a wooded area of Katahdin's Tableland, according to Baxter State Park officials. Their deaths are being mourned on social media by many who knew them. "All of us at the Town of Esopus are heartbroken by the loss of Tim and Esther Keiderling," the town said in a Facebook post. "They were a cherished part of our community and we grieve alongside their family and our friends at the Bruderhof." "Through their work on our Parks and Recreation Committee, Tim and Esther brought joy to so many," the Esopus Facebook post continued. "Their warmth, kindness and dedication were unmatched and will be deeply missed." "We will continue to honor their memory by serving our community with the same spirit of dedication and generosity they shared with us," the Esopus post concluded. Heinrich Arnold of the Bruderhof Communities said in a Facebook post that the community is "grateful for the outpouring of prayers and support." Three dead: Goshen community mourns loss of father, two sons in 'devastating' house fire "This afternoon we heard the anticipated — but nonetheless deeply painful — news that the search team on Katahdin Mountain in Maine found Esther, who also succumbed to exposure near where Tim was discovered," Arnold said in his Facebook post. "This is a heartbreaking tragedy, difficult to fully grasp," Arnold continued. "Both were taken from us far too soon, and we are all left asking: 'Why?' Only God knows the answer. One comfort to the family is that Tim and Esther were doing something they both were passionate about: being near to God, surrounded by expansive views and visions, immersed in nature, in the raw and wild beauty of creation." "We will face this tragic loss together, with tears and also with faith in Jesus and the resurrection," Arnold's post concluded. The Keiderlings also were being mourned at Rifton, a company that makes adaptive equipment for people with disabilities, where they both worked. Tim Keiderling worked for Rifton as a sales and customer service representative since Sept. 2020 and Esther Keiderling joined the company in 2023, and worked as a product trainer and educator. "Tim presented hundreds of in-service and product trainings to customers all over the United States," Rifton said in a Facebook post. "Esther joined him on some of these. Anyone who attended one of these sessions can't help but remember Tim's lively presence and the joy and fulfillment both he and Esther found in helping all of you serve the children and adults in your care." "Thank you for your concern for their family and your prayers in these difficult days," the Rifton post concluded. Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@ This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Father, daughter found dead on Mount Katahdin 'brought joy to so many'
