Wednesday, September 04, 2019

TENTATIVE AGENDA: Mesa City Council Meeting for Next Monday 09 Sept 2019

Here we go again!
Lots of advance notice for a change on what's up for consideration next week by the Mesa City Council.
The fiscal year is over, but the calendar year goes on.
Notice than when this Tentative Agenda was uploaded to a draft on this blog, there was no Items 7 and no Item 8.
Do notice some vague and unclear thing in Item 4-j.
What could that mysterious "adjacent development" be????
________________________________________________________________________
CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
 All citizens are permitted and encouraged to speak on agenda items including and preceding “Items from citizens present.” If you are interested in speaking on such an agenda item, please fill out a blue card in the back of the room and give it to the City Clerk.  When the Council considers the item, you will be called to the podium to provide your comments. 
CONSENT AGENDA
All items listed with an asterisk (*) will be considered as a group by the City Council and will be enacted with one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Councilmember or citizen requests, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered as a separate item
If a citizen wants an item removed from the consent agenda, a blue card must be completed and given to the City Clerk prior to the Council’s vote on the consent agenda.

Meeting Agenda - Tentative
Monday, September 9, 2019 5:45 PM

> Mayor's Welcome
> Roll Call (City Council members participate in person or by telephone conference call.)
> Invocation by Lead Pastor David Caudle with First Church of the Nazarene.
> Pledge of Allegiance
> Awards, Recognitions and Announcements
1 Take action on all consent agenda items.
Items on the Consent Agenda

2 19-0975
Approval of minutes of previous meetings as written

3 Take action on the following liquor license applications: 4 
19-0960 Unit 1 Bravo AOMA
This is a one-day event to be held on Thursday, October 17, 2019 from 5:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. at Desert Wind Harley Davidson, 922 South Country Club Drive. (District 4)
*3-a
19-0961 Famous Dave’s
A restaurant that serves lunch and dinner is requesting a new Series 12 Restaurant License for Famous Dave’s Ribs Inc., 1011 North Dobson Road - Amy S. Nations, agent.  The existing license held by Famous Charlie LLC will revert to the State. (District 1)
*3-b
19-0962 Rancho De Tia Rosa
A restaurant that serves lunch and dinner is requesting a new Series 12 Restaurant License for Cypress Coast Foods LLC, 3129 East McKellips Road - Lauren Kay Merrett, agent.  The existing license held by Rosa’s LLC will revert to the State. (District 1)
*3-c
Page 2 City of Mesa Printed on 8/29/2019
September 9, 2019City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative
19-0963 Rosati’s Pizza
A restaurant that serves lunch and dinner is requesting a new Series 12 Restaurant License for SRG Restaurants LLC, 1035 North Ellsworth Road, Suite 104 - Lauren Kay Merrett, agent.  The existing license held by JP Bailey Productions LLC will revert to the State. (District 5)
*3-d
4 Take action on the following contracts:
19-0969 One-Year Renewal with a One-Year Renewal Option to the Term Contract for Pest Control Services for the Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department (Citywide)
This contract provides routine and additional pest control services at City facilities.  Interior and exterior services are needed to maintain and avoid common pests.
The Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department and Purchasing recommend authorizing the renewal with Bug Off Pest Control, LLC, at $29,405 annually, with an annual increase allowance of up to 5%, or the adjusted Producer Price Index.
*4-a
19-0965 Three-Year Term Contract with Two Years of Renewal Options for a Generator Replacement Program for
[1] the Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department and
[2] the Information Technology Department (Citywide)
This contract will furnish and install emergency generators and transfer switches over the next five years.  Facilities Maintenance intends to replace generators in phases throughout the City including eight Fire Stations, Main Library and Police Department Substation.  Communications intends to replace all eight of their existing generators with new generators of the same manufacturer and model over three fiscal years.
Evaluation committees recommend awarding the contract to the highest-scored proposal for each group to
Valleywide Generator Service, LLC (a Mesa business),
  • $635,000 (2019-20)
  • $624,000 (2020-21)
  • $605,000 (2021-22)
based on estimated requirements, with an annual increase allowance of up to 5%, or the adjusted Consumer Price Index.
*4-b

Page 3 City of Mesa Printed on 8/29/2019
September 9, 2019City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative

19-0966 One-Year Renewal to the Term Contract for HVAC Services and Equipment for the Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department (Citywide)
Facilities Maintenance uses three cooperative contracts for a more efficient method to procure HVAC equipment and services and to more effectively manage their heavy workload.  This contract provides various types of HVAC equipment and services.
The Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department and Purchasing recommend authorizing the renewal using the
Omnia Partners cooperative contract with Comfort Systems USA and
HACI Service LLC
$2,700,000 annually, based on estimated usage.
*4-c

19-0974 Three-Year Term Contract for Video Display/Scoreboard Components and Event Services for Hohokam Park and Fitch Practice Fields as requested by the Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department (Sole Source) (Citywide)
This contract will provide Daktronics electronic replacement and repair components for video displays/scoreboards and event support for the Hohokam Stadium and Fitch Practice Fields.  These configurable video displays/scoreboards enhance patron experience during baseball games and events.
The Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department and Purchasing recommend awarding the contract to the sole source vendor, Daktronics, Inc.,
  • Year 1 at $31,000
  • Year 2 at $33,000
  • Year 3 at $35,000
based on estimated requirements.
*4-d

19-0967 Dollar-Limit Increase for Year 2 and One-Year Renewal (Year 3) to the Term Contract for Medical Billing Services for the Mesa Fire and Medical Department (Citywide)
MFMD started the Medic Unit pilot program using Daisy Mountain for its billing services for three years for the duration of the pilot program. 
The dollar-limit increase is needed because of higher than expected transport volumes. 
The cost is ultimately offset by increased revenue.
The Mesa Fire and Medical Department and Purchasing recommend increasing the dollar-limit with Daisy Mountain Fire District
  • for Year 2 by $45,720, from $70,000 to $115,720
  • and authorizing the renewal for Year 3 at $137,700 annually,
based on estimated requirements.
*4-e

Page 4 City of Mesa Printed on 8/29/2019
September 9, 2019City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative

19-0968 34-Month Term Contract with Two Years of Renewal Options for Pavement Preservation Service (High Density Mineral Bond) for the Transportation Department (Single Response) (Citywide)
This contract will provide for pavement preservation services including materials and application for the City of Mesa's Seal Coat Program. 
The material is a proprietary product and only produced by one vendor, however, other vendors may purchase and sell it.
The Transportation Department and Purchasing recommend awarding the contract to the single, responsive, and responsible bidder, Holbrook Asphalt, at $765,000 annually, with an annual increase allowance of up to 5%, or the adjusted Consumer Price Index. 
This purchase is funded by the Highway User Revenue Fund.
*4-f

19-0973 Two-Year Renewal to the Term Contract for Water and Wastewater Laboratory Services for the Water Resources Department (Citywide)
Water Resources utilizes various outside laboratories to test water and wastewater samples for compliance with current and changing federal, state and local regulations.
The Water Resources Department and Purchasing recommend authorizing the renewal contract using the City of Tempe cooperative contract with
SGS North America, Inc. (formally Accutest Laboratories, Northern California, Inc.);
Aquatic Consulting and Testing, Inc.;
Eurofins Eaton Analytical, Inc.;
Legend Technical Services of Arizona, Inc.;
TestAmerica Laboratories, Inc.; and
Xenco Laboratories (formally Trans West Analytical Services); at
$150,000 annually, based on estimated usage.
*4-g

19-0970 Three-Year Term Contract with Two Years of Renewal Options for Vehicle Wrap Services for the Water Resources Department (Citywide)
This contract will provide a turnkey contract for design and installation of vehicle wraps for an estimated 51 vehicles in the Water Resources fleet. 
The vendor will provide design services, manufacture and install vinyl vehicle wraps.  The design will incorporate the existing branding used by the City, as well as the development of wraps that will promote quality, reliability, value, and service messages to the community.
An evaluation committee recommends awarding the contract to the highest-scored proposal from A&M Graphics (a Mesa business),at $37,500 annually, with an annual increase allowance of up to 5%, or the adjusted Consumer Price Index. 
This purchase is funded by the SRPMIC Grant Fund.
*4-h

Page 5 City of Mesa Printed on 8/29/2019
September 9, 2019City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative

19-0971 Three-Year Term Contract with Two Years of Renewal Options for Welding Certification and Inspection Services for the Energy Resources Department (Citywide)
This contract will provide test certification of welder qualifications and weld inspections of maintenance and repair work performed on steel sections of the natural gas system by the City’s gas utility welders and gas contractors working on capital improvement projects.  Without this contract, welding certification and inspection services for these projects would still be provided by the awarded gas contractor, but at a higher cost to the City.
The Energy Resources Department and Purchasing recommend awarding the contract to the lowest, responsive, and responsible bidder, Western Technologies, Inc., at $250,000 annually, with an annual increase allowance of up to 5%, or the adjusted Producer Price Index.
*4-i

19-0964 1st Avenue Right-of-Way Improvements Project - Phase 1 (Hibbert to LeSueur), Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), First (of two) Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) (District 4)
GMP No. 1 includes the scope of work to furnish, install, and construct sewer line on 1st Avenue, from Hibbert Street to LeSueur Street, and is needed to accomodate timing of a sewer line connection for an adjacent development.  ??????
This is the first of two GMPs for Phase 1 of this project .
A second GMP for the remainder of the Phase 1 work on the project will follow in the fall 2019. 
The overall project will include narrowing 1st Avenue from Mesa Drive to LeSueur, including
  • new asphalt pavement
  • sidewalk improvements
  • a raised median
  • sewer line installation,
  • a new storm drain,
  • electrical undergrounding, and
  • rehabilitated street lighting. 
Landscape and tree enhancements, as well as gas and water relocations, will be completed by an adjacent developer. 
Improvements from Hibbert to Mesa Drive will not narrow 1st Avenue;
however,
  • it will retain existing curb locations,
  • with new asphalt pavement,
  • American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) sidewalk improvements,
  • a new curb return at the northwest corner of Pomeroy,
  • landscaping,
  • water, gas, sewer line installations,
  • electrical undergrounding of mains and services in various areas,
  • improved storm drains, and
  • relocations of the City’s flood irrigation facilities.
Staff recommends awarding the contract for this portion of the CMAR project to
Haydon Building Corp in the amount of $1,108,797, and authorizing a change order allowance in the amount of $55,440 (5%), for a total GMP award of $1,164,237. 
This project is funded by 2014 Water bonds.
*4-j

Page 6 City of Mesa Printed on 8/29/2019
September 9, 2019City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative

19-0972 Gilbert Road Light Rail Extension - Landscaping Improvements (District 4)
The approved Design and Construction Agreement of the Gilbert Road Light Rail Extension  includes a process for the City to add City-funded improvements to the project. 
These improvements typically include upgrades to City utilities and other facilities that are located adjacent to or within the new light rail facilities, but are not being directly impacted by the project, referred to as Concurrent Non-Project Activity (CNPA). 
This CNPA request is for landscaping an existing, approximately 9,800 square-foot City-owned lot at the northeast corner of the Mesa Drive Park and Ride site.
Staff recommends approving this landscaping improvement project, at $45,949. 
These improvements are funded by Transportation General Obligation Bonds.

5 Take action on the following resolutions
19-0900 Extinguishing a 20-foot public utility easement located at 307 South Hawes Road to allow development of a 237-unit apartment complex; requested by the property owner. (District 5)
 *5-a

19-0935 Extinguishing a portion of a 20-foot waterline and public utility easement located at 2055 South Power Road to allow for the development of a mixed-commercial and condominium development; requested by the property owner. (District 6)
*5-b

19-0947 Approving and authorizing the City Manager to accept Proposition 202 funds from the Gila River Indian Community and administer awarded funds as pass-through grants to designated awardees. (Citywide) *5-c

19-0909 Approving and authorizing the City Manager to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the Mesa Fire and Medical Regional Dispatch System partners, Superstition Fire and Medical District, Rio Verde Fire District, Queen Creek Fire and Medical Department, and Gilbert Fire and Rescue Department, to provide more effective fire, medical, and other services.
This IGA is an update to the existing agreement with Dispatch System partners that aligns services with current dispatch practices and defines cost recovery for both dispatch and technical services provided. (Citywide) *5-d

19-0959 Approving and authorizing the City Manager to enter into a Development Agreement for City Share Reimbursement with PPGN-CORE, LLLP, for the reimbursement of $221,041.45 for street and street lighting improvements that are being required by the City in conjunction with a proposed residential development known as Cadence at Gateway Phase 2 - Crismon Road Improvements, located at 5754 South Crismon Road. (District 6) *5-e

Page 7 City of Mesa Printed on 8/29/2019
September 9, 2019City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative

6 Introduction of the following ordinances and setting September 23, 2019 as the date of the public hearing on these ordinances:
> 19-0949 ZON19-00304 (District 6) 
Within the 6000 through 6300 blocks of South Power Road.  Located south of Williams Field Road between the northbound and southbound lanes of Power Road
(11± acres). 
  • Rezone from RM-4-BIZ and LC-BIZ-CUP to RM-4-PAD; and
  • Site Plan Review. 
This request will allow for a multiple residence development. 
Sean Lake, Pew and Lake, PLC, applicant;
Power Road Gateway, LLC, owner.
Staff Recommendation:  Approval with conditions
P&Z Board Recommendation:  Approval with conditions (Vote: 6-0)
*6-a

> 19-0950 ZON19-00322 (District 3) 
Within the 1600 through 1700 blocks of South Dobson Road (west side) and within the 2000 block of West Isabella Avenue (north side).  Located west of Dobson Road south of US 60 (10± acres). 
  • Rezone from LC-PAD to RM-4-PAD; and
  • Site Plan Review. 
This request will allow for the development of a multiple residence development.
Brennan Ray, Burch & Cracchiolo, PA, applicant
TIC Dobson Ranch, LLC Etal, owner.
Staff Recommendation:  Approval with conditions
P&Z Board Recommendation:  Approval with conditions (Vote: 5-1)
*6-b

> 19-0951 ZON19-00357 (District 5) 
Within the 8000 through 8100 blocks of East McKellips Road (south side).  Located west of Hawes Road on the south side of McKellips Road
(40± acres). 
  • Rezone from RS-35 to RS-15-PAD; and
  • Site Plan Review.
This request will allow for the development of a single-residence subdivision
Alex Caraveo, Coe & Van Loo Consultants, applicant;
Desert Vista 100, LLC, owner.  
Staff Recommendation:  Approval with conditions
 P&Z Board Recommendation:  Approval with conditions (Vote: 5-1)
*6-c

> 19-0952 ZON19-00403 (District 5) 
Within the 5600 block of East Longbow Parkway (south side).  Located north of McDowell Road and west of Recker Road
(3.2± acres). 
  • A Council Use Permit (CUP) to allow a hotel use in the Airport Overflight Area-2 (AOA-2
  • A Bonus Intensity Zone Overlay (BIZ) to allow modifications to the Light Industrial (LI) development standards; and
  • Site Plan Review.
Matthew Kosednar, Allen + Philp Partners, applicant;
Longbow Hotel Associates I, LLC, owner.
Staff Recommendation:  Approval with conditions
P&Z Board Recommendation:  Approval with conditions (Vote: 6-0)
*6-d

Page 8 City of Mesa Printed on 8/29/2019
September 9, 2019City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative

9 Discuss, receive public comment, and take action on the following ordinance:
19-0674 ZON18-00891 (District 3) 
535 West Baseline Road.  Located west of Country Club Drive on the south side of Baseline Road
(1.4± acres). 
Rezone from NC to LI. 
This request will allow for the development of an industrial use. 
Matthew Rettig, applicant
PDE Investments, LLC, owner.
Staff Recommendation:  Approval with conditions
P&Z Board Recommendation:  Approval with conditions (Vote: 4-0)
For continuance to the September 23, 2019 City Council meeting.
*9-a

10 Take action on the following subdivision plats:
19-0910 “Map of Dedication for Avilla Enclave” (District 6) 
Within the 2800 and 2900 blocks of South Hawes Road (east side) and the 8400 block of East Guadalupe Road (south side).  Located at the southeast corner of Guadalupe Road and Hawes Road
(10± acres). 
Nextmetro Development, LLC, developer;
Mitchell H. Ragsdale, Terrascape Consulting, surveyor. *10-a

19-0948 “Olivewood Condominiums at Sunland Springs Village” (District 6) 
Within the 2100 to 2400 blocks of South Signal Butte Road (east side).  Located south of Baseline Road on the east side of Signal Butte Road (9.8± acres).  Olivewood Condominiums at Sunland Springs Village, LLC, developer; Robert J. Blake, Clouse Engineering, Inc., surveyor. *10-b

Items not on the Consent Agenda

11 Items from citizens present.  (Maximum of three speakers for three minutes per speaker).

The Purge!

Pie goes at it > Cheers!!
Published on Sep 4, 2019
Views: 34,650++
Boris and Mogg used to be a joke.
They now run the country and it's not funny anymore.

For tickets to see Jonathan Pie: The FAKE NEWS Tour go to
https://www.jonathanpie.com

IMAGINE THAT! A Respect For History: Ancient Hohokam Human Remains Found in Arizona

Just like a recent image shown on this blog from a press release about a "Trees For The Dead" - "Shade-and-Shelter" campaign at the Mesa City Cemetery, this site in Nogales at Kino Springs certainly looks serene.  
Other than that, adjacent to the city cemetery here in Mesa is the Mesa Country Club where some people play golf. Both are on high ground close to ancient Hohokam canals in the Salt River Valley. Kino Springs, in the Santa Cruz River Valley, has an long documented history of early settlements.
Here in Mesa - and in Tempe and Phoenix and Scottsdale - there's documentation as well for what Frank Midvale called "The Pre-Historic Irrigation of the Salt River Valley" of earlier indigenous cultures that were established for centuries before anyone recorded their versions of that history when evidence of those who were here before was "discovered" and their settlements patterns were mapped.
< Here's a closer look from a Digital Geo Map 2003 uploaded by Richard A. Neely.
Major Hohokam Irrigation Systems in the Lower Salt River Valley
The link is below if you're interested in more details.
But let's note at this point, that it was the usual practice to bury the dead on higher ground above the irrigation canals close to settlements and housing patterns.
Finding artifacts or human remains is often the result of chance - or new construction.
Research Gate
_________________________________________________________________________
Let's pull back for a second to get a bigger view and a larger perspective for  our Hohokam Heritage  >

If readers of this blog would like to see one historic site here in Mesa that got some respect, there are a couple of posts that were featured
in the last two years.
Please take the time to search for
> "The Short Swift of The Gods on Earth"
> Frank J. Midvale
> Hohokam
> Tarzan and the Venezuelan Bomb
> Mesa Grande Cultural Center
There's still so much more Hohokam Heritage left un-discovered here in Mesa, but at least we do have a baseball training complex named after those who came before - Hohokam Stadium
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Hohokam Human Remains Found in Arizona
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
NOGALES, ARIZONA—Nogales International reports that human remains belonging to a Hohokam individual were discovered by maintenance crews at a golf resort near the Arizona-Mexico border.
Bioarchaeologist James T. Watson of the University of Arizona and the Arizona State Museum determined that the human remains belonged to a member of the Hohokam, a Native American group that lived in the area from about A.D. 640 to 1450. The archaeological site now occupied by the golf course was a vast Hohokam settlement, Watson explained, though it's unclear whether the human remains came from a single burial or a larger cemetery. "It's at a nice bend at the Santa Cruz River, so you can see how it would have been a nice area for a Hohokam village," he said. The remains have been transported to Tucson so that they may be returned to the appropriate descendant community, likely the Tohono O'odham Nation that is now resident in the region
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That's the way it happened in Kino Springs on 29 Sept 2019 -
< The remains were found at the Kino Springs Golf Course, which lies near the Santa Cruz River east of Nogales.
(Google Map from report on Nogales International)
Ancient human remains found at golf course
A maintenance crew working at the Kino Springs Golf Course this week discovered human remains that authorities say date to prehistoric times.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office received a call shortly before 11 a.m. on Tuesday from someone who said they were working on installing water pipes and came across what they believed were human remains.
Sgt. Santiago Gonzales said Sheriff’s Office personnel proceeded to take photos of the remains, and the images were then sent to the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner for review.
“They were able to determine that the remains were prehistoric, so at this point the case is going to be referred to the Arizona Historical Museum,” Gonzales said.
The golf course is set along the north-flowing Santa Cruz River, and according to the article “Archaeological discoveries reveal value of Santa Cruz River in prehistory,” posted to the website of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, the Santa Cruz River Valley is one of North America’s longest inhabited regions, with the earliest evidence of human occupation dating back 12,000 years.
“Around 4,000 prehistoric sites have been identified in the Santa Cruz watershed and exciting new discoveries continue to be made,” the article says
Source: Nogales International

Human remains found at golf course connected to Hohokam village
Updated
An expert in prehistoric anthropology says that human remains found last week by a work crew at the Kino Springs Golf Course belonged to a Native American who was buried at the site of a longstanding Hohokam settlement.
James T. Watson, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona and associate curator of BioArcheology at the Arizona State Museum, came to Nogales last Friday to examine the skeletal remains, which were discovered the previous Tuesday by workers installing water pipes at the golf course, and subsequently transported by local authorities to a Nogales mortuary.
Having determined that the bones corresponded to the Hohokam community that occupied the present-day site of the golf course from roughly 640 A.D. to 1450, Watson said, he brought the remains back to Tucson to arrange for returning them to the appropriate claimant community – in this case, probably the Tohono O’odham Nation, which was preceded in the region by the Hohokam.
“Normally this is what we do with inadvertent discoveries like this, when we know they’re Native American,” Watson said. We contact the tribes and ask what they’d like to do with them, how they’d like them to be treated.”
Sometimes, he said, the preference is to have the remains removed and returned to the tribe. In other cases, the communities want the burial site covered up and protected from further disturbance, though as Watson noted: “In this case, we didn’t have that choice because the remains were already removed.”
After Sheriff’s Office personnel determined that the bones found at the golf course were not of forensic concern, they contacted Watson. In addition to collecting the remains, his job was to put the discovery in the appropriate archaeological context.
"The area “is really an ideal location,” Watson said. “It’s at a nice bend at the Santa Cruz River, so you can really picture how it would have been a nice area for a Hohokam village, growing their crops and whatnot.”
Because the archaeological site is large and the irrigation trench dug by the work crew is narrow, it’s difficult to determine if the bones the workers found were an individual grave, or part of a larger cemetery.
He also wasn’t able to estimate when during the roughly 800-year history of the Hohokam village the person was buried.








 

Eternal Blue: An Exploit Tool Used By Cyber Criminals To Hack Millions of Windows Computers

Thanks go to GBHackers on Security , a Cyber Security platform that covers daily Cyber Security News, Hacking News, Technology updates and Kali Linux tutorials.
Their mission is to keep the community up to date with happenings in the Cyber World.
EternalBlue is a powerful exploit created by the U.S National security Agency(NSA). The tool was stolen from them in 2017, and a group calling itself the Shadow Hackers leaked it. Later, cybercriminals used it to penetrate Microsoft Windows-based systems.
Windows released a patch over two years ago to fix the vulnerability in their software, but not everyone has updated their computers to seal the loophole.
What is EternalBlue?
02 Sept 2019 by Priya James
". . . In fact, 2 years later over one million computers that access the internet are yet to be updated. Here’s what you need to know about EternalBlue Exploit.
About EternalBlue
The NSA had to alert Microsoft about the Windows software’s vulnerability after they realized their hacking tool had been stolen, and it was about to be used by hackers to penetrate systems using the Windows operating system.
Windows were able to prepare and issue a patch one month before the EternalBlue tool was published by the mysterious Shadow Brokers. The patch covered all Windows operating systems since Windows 2000.
Since most computers were still unpatched, various cyber actors used the tool to attack systems that were not up to date . . .
In May this year, hackers used it to hold Baltimore City hostage and demanded a ransom. They froze computers, disrupted utility services, and interrupted businesses.
_________________________________________________________________________________
If you are wondering how to protect your data from EternalBlue, here’s what to do
> Keep Your Windows Software Updated
The first step you should take is to keep your windows operating system updated, as noted by Wired.
> Deploy a Comprehensive Anti-Malware Software 
If you haven’t installed anti-malware on your computers, now’s the time.
Find a good tool that can scan your computer and network for any security issues, alert you on possible flaws and protect you against breaches.

Tuesday, September 03, 2019

Neighbors or Not? That App Can Fuel A Vicious Cycle of Fear & Violence

You might want to count-to-10 before calling 911 if U ever want to "say something" "when you see something"  . . . Why?
Amazon-owned home security company Ring is pursuing contracts with police departments that would grant it direct access to real-time emergency dispatch data, Gizmodo has learned
Cops Are Giving Amazon's Ring Your Real-Time 911 Caller Data 
To wit, the company has positioned itself as an intermediary through which police request access to citizen-captured surveillance footage. When police make a request, they don’t know who receives it, Ring says, until a user chooses to share their video. Users are also prompted with the option to review their footage before turning it over.
One of Ring’s main selling points to police is that Neighbors can be used for “community building.”
However, Apps can fuel a vicious cycle of fear and violence
> These apps foment fear around crime, which feeds into existing biases and racism and largely reinforces stereotypes around skin color, according to David Ewoldsen, professor of media and information at Michigan State University.
> As Steven Renderos, senior campaigns director at the Center for Media Justice, put it, These apps are not the definitive guides to crime in a neighborhood — it is merely a reflection of people’s own bias, which criminalizes people of color, the unhoused, and other marginalized communities. . . And in the digital age, as police departments shift towards ‘data-driven policing’ programs, the data generated from these interactions including 9-1-1 calls and arrests are parts of the historic crime data often used by predictive policing algorithms. So the biases baked in to the decisions around who is suspicious and who is arrested for a crime ends up informing future policing priorities and continuing the cycle of discrimination.”
Apps didn’t create bias or unfair policing, but they can exacerbate it
“To me, the danger with these apps is it puts the power in the hands of the individual to decide who does and doesn’t belong in a community,” Renderos said. “That increases the potential for communities of color to come in contact with police. Those types of interactions have wielded deadly results in the past. . .
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Amazon’s Ring Is a Perfect Storm of Privacy Threats
DEEPLINKS BLOG
Doors across the United States are now fitted with Amazon’s Ring, a combination doorbell-security camera that records and transmits video straight to users’ phones, to Amazon’s cloud—and often to the local police department. By sending photos and alerts every time the camera detects motion or someone rings the doorbell, the app can create an illusion of a household under siege. It turns what seems like a perfectly safe neighborhood into a source of anxiety and fear. This raises the question: do you really need Ring, or have Amazon and the police misled you into thinking that you do?
Recent reports show that Ring has partnered with police departments across the country to hawk this new surveillance system—going so far as to draft press statements and social media posts for police to promote Ring cameras. This creates a vicious cycle in which police promote the adoption of Ring, Ring terrifies people into thinking their homes are in danger, and then Amazon sells more cameras. . . "
Go deeper > Electronic Frontier Foundation
 
Police partnering with Ring are encouraged to conversate with its users, who are encouraged in turn to share “tips” about activity in their neighborhoods.
Police can follow posts and receive updates via email as new tips (or complaints) roll in.
Through its police partnerships, Ring has requested access to CAD, which includes information provided voluntarily by 911 callers, among other types of data automatically collected.
CAD data is typically compromised of details such as names, phone numbers, addresses, medical conditions and potentially other types of personally identifiable information, including, in some instances, GPS coordinates.
In an email Thursday, Ring confirmed it does receive location information, including precise addresses from CAD data, which it does not publish to its app. It denied receiving other forms of personal information.
________________________________________________________________________
"The California-based company is seeking police departments’ permission to tap into the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) feeds used to automate and improve decisions made by emergency dispatch personnel and cut down on police response times.
 
Ring has requested access to the data streams so it can curate “crime news” posts for its “neighborhood watch” app, Neighbors.
 
 
“In an effort to provide relevant and reliable crime and safety information to our neighbors, one important source we rely on is CAD,” the company told Gizmodo.
Neighbors is an app through which users can share suspicions about alleged criminal activity in their neighborhoods. They can also post video captured by their Ring doorbell cameras, if they have one. Using Neighbors does not require a Ring device, however.
An internal police email dated April 2019, obtained by Gizmodo last week via a records request, stated that more than 225 police departments have entered into partnerships with Ring. (The company has declined to confirm that, or provide the actual number.) Doing so grants the departments access to a Neighbors “law enforcement portal” through which police can request access to videos captured by Ring doorbell cameras."
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HOW TO SEE IF POLICE ARE USING RING DOORBELLS TO MONITOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
There's a map for that >
Active law enforcement agencies on the Neighbors app. Last updated 8/29/19.
608,423 views
 
 
 
 
Emily Price writing on https://lifehacker.com had this to say on Sunday 02 Sept 2019
"This week, Amazon posted a blog post about its work with law enforcement agencies, specifically detailing the 405 different law enforcement agencies that currently work with the company on the Neighbors Portal.
The  named law enforcement agencies might be involved as far as viewing and commenting on public posts, or they might submit a request for a video recording taken by someone’s Ring doorbell of an incident.
Along with that post, it also posted a map of all the law enforcement agencies involved. You can see a screenshot of it below, and zoom in and out
on an
interactive map here.

MD Helicopters Awarded $50.4 Million Contract


MD Helicopters Awarded $50.4 Million Contract for Continued Support of the Afghan Air Force Fleet of MD 530F Cayuse Warriors
Effective through May 2020, contracted services will take place in Mesa, Arizona and Afghanistan

Mesa, Ariz., August 27, 2019
MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) announced today that the company has been awarded a $50.4 million Firm Fixed Price contract modification for logistics support of the MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopter fleet currently in service with the Afghan Air Force (AAF). MD Helicopters has provided comprehensive contractor logistics support (CLS) services to the Afghan Air Force since the first MD 530F training aircraft arrived in Afghanistan in 2011.
The current CLS contract extension provides for continuous CONUS and OCONUS maintenance, on-the-job training, and support services, including spares support, for all MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters operated by the Afghan Air Force.
Effective September 1, 2019, the Period of Performance for the new contract, with all options exercised, runs through May 31, 2020.
The AAF began operating the MD 530F as a primary rotary wing training aircraft in 2011. In 2014, in response to an urgent and compelling need within the region, MDHI was contracted to arm and weaponize the proven single engine training aircraft, delivering expanded capabilities for armed escort, scout attack and close air attack operations. Nine months later, MDHI delivered the first of a robust fleet of 60 MD 530F Cayuse Warrior light scout attack helicopters.
Currently, MDHI supports all mission-ready MD 530F Cayuse Warrior aircraft in Afghanistan.
The final 5 units associated with the 2017 30-unit Delivery Order issued against MDHI’s $1.4 Billion IDIQ contract are set for on-time delivery later this year.
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Department of Defense Contracts for Aug. 23, 2019
MD Helicopters Inc., Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $50,440,584 modification (P00024) to Foreign Military Sales (Afghanistan) contract W58RGZ-17-C-0038 for logistics support for the Afghanistan Air Force MD-530F aircraft fleet.  Work will be performed in Kabul, Afghanistan; and Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2020.  Fiscal 2019 and 2020 Afghanistan Security Forces, Army funds in the amount of $50,440,584 were obligated at the time of the award.  U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
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Afghan Air Force gets new MD530 Helicopters - YouTube
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Dec 12, 2011 - Uploaded by MilitaryNotes
Afghan Air Force gets new MD530 Helicopters ... arrived in Shindand AB, Afghanistan as the newest ...
 
Afghan Air Force's MD 530F Cayuse helicopters performed their first ...
https://www.airrecognition.com › index.php › global-news-2015 › august › 1927-afgha...
Sep 30, 2015 - Uploaded by DefenseWebTV
An Afghan Air Force MD 530F attack helicopter flies over Forward ... later would upgrade the entire fleet to ...