ALBANY – Anyone who spends a lot of time in downtown Albany is probably used to a bit of oddity: from a few eccentric personalities to con artists, some of whom can be a bit pushy.

And once, a Dougherty County employee witnessed a couple bonding on a picnic table in a parking garage next to the Government Center.

The two parking decks that flank the government center have also been a cause for concern in recent months, with some employees feeling threatened by people there.

“We had some issues with our parking decks,” said Dougherty County Sheriff Kevin Sproul. “The auditors come in and try to shake people up.”

The so-called “First Amendment Auditors” are a fixture on YouTube, TicToc and other social media sites that show videos that YouTubers film in public areas. The activity is legal and protected by law, hence the First Amendment, but some of the videos show officials and government employees unaccustomed to the activity reacting negatively, which appears to be the intent of the videos’ creators.

“We also had some homeless people threatening women and asking for money,” Sproul said. “We’re trying to be proactive.”

Assistant County Administrator Barry Brooks, who was serving as interim county administrator, raised the issue during a Dougherty County Commission meeting earlier this year.

Activities can range from activities that make employees and visitors feel unsafe to activities that pose a health risk.

“Some people also used the stairwells as restrooms,” Brooks said. “We have people who have been spoken to aggressively. There were times when they could be very aggressive. I just don’t want people to be…harassed.”

To address the issue, the sheriff’s office has stationed a deputy in the lobby of the government center to increase security.

“Working with the sheriff and the city, we decided we would put the (deputy) here,” Brooks said. “I believe we have a responsibility to ensure the safety of our employees and the public entering the building to conduct business.”

The deputy on duty will provide protection for the nearby tax office and conduct patrols on the parking deck and around the building throughout the day, Sproul said.

Plans call for expanding the deputy’s reach with a small vehicle that will allow it to patrol a larger portion of downtown, including Riverfront Park.

“Downtown should be a place where people can bring their families,” Sproul said.

Editor’s Note: CNN’s 5 Things newsletter is your one-stop shop for the latest headlines and fascinating stories to start and end your busy day. Register here.

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Marijuana has come a long way toward legitimacy in the United States and is on the verge of being classified as a less dangerous drug. An expert explains what that would mean for the average American.

Here’s what you might have missed during your busy day:

1️⃣ Success stories: The FBI just released new data showing violent crime is down across the United States. This is how Baltimore, Detroit and San Antonio are making their neighborhoods safer thanks to the consent of people in the community.

2️⃣ Weak sales: Apple relied on new artificial intelligence features to make the iPhone 16 a huge success. But despite several high-profile launch events, initial sales were mediocre. The company is hoping for a boost during the holiday season.

3️⃣ A lost battle: Oprah Winfrey’s body has been the subject of public debate for much of her career. People watched her when she was at her largest and smallest sizes. Experts explain the intricacies of diet culture – and why it’s so important to us.

4️⃣ Growth spurt: Scientists think they know why one of the highest mountains on Earth suddenly became even taller. Everything can be traced back to what happened in the Himalayas thousands of years ago.

5️⃣ ‘Who are you?’ How well do we really know our parents? A photographer discovered images of several mysterious women while going through her late father’s belongings and turned them into a book that tackles a sensitive subject.

⛴️ “Flying” ferry: A Swedish company’s all-electric hydrofoil vehicles could make people’s commutes faster and more comfortable while helping the planet.

• Helene left at least 128 dead and hundreds remain missing in several states
• Israeli Defense Minister: “Next phase” of Hezbollah war will begin soon
• VA employees unlawfully accessed Vance and Walz’s medical records

📺 Here’s how much DirecTV will pay to buy rival Dish Network, ending decades of on-going satellite service merger talks.

🐦 Back from the brink: The northern bald ibis, considered one of the rarest birds in the world, has recovered thanks to persistent conservation efforts. For the first time in centuries they are migrating back to Europe.

⚽ Accustomed to losing: San Marino, a tiny enclave within Italy, rarely wins a game. The players described what it was like to be on the worst-ranked team in the world.

⚡ Which country just closed its last coal-fired power plant and became the first major economy to stop burning coal to generate electricity?
A. Japan
B. Canada
C. Australia
D. Great Britain
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

⭐ Critical time: Will Ferrell hopes his new documentary Will & Harper will inspire compassion and conversation. The actor and comedian explained why he wanted the film about his friendship with a transgender woman to come out before the election.

⚾ We would like to end the matter on a positive note: As the baseball season came to an end, the Chicago Cubs once again missed the playoffs, but were still among the top teams that season. Wanting to show his appreciation, left fielder Ian Happ threw a ball wrapped in $100 bills into the stands at the team’s final home game. Check out his message to fans.

👋 See you tomorrow.
🧠 Quiz answer: D Britain’s Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station closed on Monday, ending 142 years of coal-fired power in the country that sparked the Industrial Revolution.
📧 Check out all of CNN’s newsletters.

5 Things PM is produced by CNN’s Tricia Escobedo, Meghan Pryce and Kimberly Richardson.

While the vice presidential candidate travels the country advocating for children and families, this senator from Ohio leaves behind a very young family.

Republican JD Vance may be former President Donald Trump’s nominee in the upcoming election, but he is also a lawyer, author, war veteran, husband and proud “dad.”

During his speech at the Republican National Convention on July 17, Vance said the accomplishment he was most proud of in his life was his family. “My most important American dream was to be a good husband and a good father,” he said. “I wanted to give my children the things I didn’t have as a child.”

During this speech, Vance shouted to his children, “If you’re watching, Daddy loves you very much, but put your butt to bed, it’s 10 o’clock.”

Here’s what we know about Vance and his wife and their three children, Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.

JD and Usha Chilukuri Vance

JD Vance, 40, and Usha Chilukuri, 38, were students at Yale University when they met and both graduated from Yale Law School.

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb is scheduled to return to practice Wednesday for the first time in more than a year, head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday.

Chubb is on the injured list as he continues to recover from a torn ACL, ACL and ACL he suffered in Week 2 last year. The injuries required two surgeries and Chubb spent the offseason rehabbing.

This week is the first time he has been allowed to return to the practice field. Once he does, the Browns have up to three weeks to activate him.

“We won’t get too far in the future (when Chubb might be ready to play),” Stefanski said. “He works very hard. The natural progression is for him to start practicing and we’ll see how it goes.”

The Browns have been careful not to publicly provide an exact timeline for Chubb’s expected return, but the team has always listed mid-October as a target date. Chubb was seen practicing multiple times during training camp while members of the team’s medical staff watched, but he has not commented publicly since June.

Chubb said at the time that he was “where I need to be” and would not rush back. He was on the sidelines during games and most days during the regular season he was seen on the practice field as his teammates began their standard sessions. Chubb took a pay cut to remain with Cleveland for the final year of the contract he signed in 2021 and is scheduled to enter free agency after this season.

The 28-year-old Chubb was one of the best running backs in the league when healthy. He averages 5.3 yards per carry for his career and ranks fourth on the franchise’s all-time rushing yards list (just 29 yards behind Mike Pruitt for third).

The 1-3 Browns started a three-game road trip with a loss in Las Vegas on Sunday. Although Chubb would be eligible to be activated before this week’s game at Washington, he could also miss upcoming games at Philadelphia on Oct. 13 and against Cincinnati on Oct. 20. The Browns have believed since last spring that they would get Chubb back on the field this season, but his exact role and readiness to become the team’s primary runner remain uncertain.

Stefanski said running back Nyheim Hines, who is also recovering from a torn ACL and is on the non-football injured list, should also return to practice this week. Assuming that is the case, he would be on the same three-week schedule as Chubb for a roster decision.

The Browns added Hines and D’Onta Foreman to their running back room in the offseason with the expectation that Chubb would miss at least the first month of the season. Jerome Ford was the team’s primary running back through the first four games, a role he assumed last September after Chubb’s injury.

Required reading

(Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Goldie Hawn has been together for more than forty years and opens up about why her relationship with Kurt Russell is so successful.

On Friday, while celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Goldie Hawn Foundation and MindUP, the actress revealed a key part of their love story.

“You have to have good sex,” the 78-year-old said bluntly in an interview with E! News.

KURT RUSSELL and GOLDIE HAWN KISS DURING A ROMANTIC ASPEN VACATION AFTER 40 YEARS TOGETHER

“Because sex is something that connects and creates more belonging. People who have healthy sexual relationships usually last much longer. But it’s not just because of the act, but because of the warmth and intimacy it creates,” she explained.

“We have to be nice to each other every now and then,” she teased.

Although Hawn said intimacy is important, it’s also the time spent recognizing your differences that truly makes a relationship last.

“People who have healthy sexual relationships typically last much longer. But it’s not just the act, but the warmth and intimacy it creates.”

– Goldie Hawn

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“You know you’re not the same person,” the “Overboard” actress said. “You don’t often think in the same way. And you have to accept that, but you have to measure, are we having fun or is this something we want to do? Do we laugh together? Do we share certain things? You don’t have to share everything.

“I think we have high expectations of relationships, but you have to like the person. This is very important.”

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Russell, 73, had his own opinion about why he and Hawn had such a long run in their relationship.

“I think most people who have been together for a long time have one thing in common,” he told the outlet. “And that means that after so many years together, you have experienced pretty much everything you can experience together and understand all the ups and downs and what they mean.”

“I just love the fact that we met and [we’re] still do it. We still enjoy being together.”

The couple originally met on the set of their film The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, but didn’t get together until years later. The work brought the duo back together for their 1983 film “Swing Shift.”

Hawn and Russell, who each have their own children from previous marriages (Kate and Oliver and Boston, respectively), have a son together, Wyatt.

During a March appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Hawn spoke at length about her relationship with Russell and the obstacles they’ve overcome as a couple.

“We don’t agree on certain things. He was tougher as a parent than I was. … But we have a very, very strong family because of it,” she said.

“That was one of the things that gave us something to talk about,” she said of the reason their relationship stuck.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The couple is also known not to be married.

“I think if we were married, there probably could have been times where you’d say, ‘Oh come on. I’m done,'” she said to Shepard. Still, Hawn said, “I’m really glad I stayed.”

The Indiana Fever will look to retain key players from their 2024 team during the offseason.

Kelsey Mitchell, a WNBA All-Star and the Fever’s second-leading scorer in 2024, can explore her options. She averaged a career-high 19.2 points per game on 40.2% 3-point shooting for the resurgent Fever, who reached the playoffs for the first time in Mitchell’s seven-year career.

Erica Wheeler, who was the Fever’s starting point guard before they selected Caitlin Clark first overall in the 2024 draft, became a valuable guide for Clark, averaging 3.6 points off the bench.

Temi Fagbenle, a 32-year-old playing in the WNBA for the first time since 2019, is a restricted free agent. She battled injuries for most of the season, but started Game 2 of their playoff series against the Connecticut Sun. She averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 22 games.

• Brian Williams is close to a deal with Amazon to host an election night special on Prime Video.
• Amazon wants to attract large audiences with live events, similar to its NFL broadcasts.
• The special could lead to other news events on Prime Video.

Veteran news anchor Brian Williams is close to finalizing a deal with Amazon to host an election night special on Prime Video, three people familiar with the situation told Business Insider. Two said they expected it to broadcast worldwide and without commercials.

These people were granted anonymity to speak freely about private deal discussions. Your identity is known to BI.

Details of the special offer have been revealed in media outlets including Variety and CNN in recent days, although Amazon has not confirmed the deal and it is possible it will not go through.

News of the potential deal has raised questions in the industry about whether the tech giant plans to move into the news industry as much as it does into filmed entertainment and sports.

However, people involved in the deal negotiations rejected the idea that Amazon would create its own news division. They said Amazon viewed the special as another way to attract a large audience, as it did with the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” and other sports. According to Amazon’s latest release, the special has the potential to reach more than 200 million viewers, equivalent to Prime Video’s monthly reach.

If things go well, Amazon could repeat this approach in other major news events, said one of the people close to the deal negotiations. Those events could include the presidential inauguration or the State of the Union address, this person predicted.

Related stories

“It’s a challenge for them to try to do other seasonal special events beyond sports,” this person said. “There are news-related programs they could do.”

Two people involved in negotiating the deal said the election night special would likely be commercial-free. However, no final decisions have been made yet. But Amazon and other tech-focused streamers have seen how live programming like comedy specials and awards shows enable scheduling that can be extremely attractive to advertisers. Advertisers, and especially marketers with time-sensitive product launches, have shown that they are willing to pay high prices to reach large live audiences. Amazon began running ads in Prime Video this year, targeting nearly $70 billion in annual TV ad spending.

For Amazon in particular, filmed entertainment and sports programs – part of Prime Video – also serve to retain subscribers to the lucrative Prime service and get people to shop more on the platform. For example, Prime Video’s 2023 Black Friday NFL game displayed QR codes during breaks to promote deals on the site.

“This fits with their interest in disruption and attracting large audiences,” said the second person involved in the deal negotiations. “They want to be in the large events business.”

The shift from news to streaming has been slow

Major champions of Amazon’s election night special include Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, and his powerful No. 2, Albert Cheng, vice president of Prime Video US. Hopkins has played a role in Prime Video’s aggressive expansion into sports, which has caused tensions with some on the entertainment side who see sports investments coming at the expense of film and television budgets.

If the deal goes through, the special would be produced by Jonathan Wald, a veteran TV news producer who executive produced Williams’ “11th Hour” on MSNBC and has recently been focusing on new news formats. For example, he helped Don Lemon launch shows on social media. Williams’ representatives at talent agency CAA were also involved.

While entertainment and sports have shifted to streaming, news has been slower to follow. Traditional networks like NBC News and ABC News have invested in live streaming content; CNN has planned a streaming subscription service, but there have been pros and cons.

Tech companies with streaming services have generally stayed away from news — which isn’t surprising given the high cost of running a newsroom and the polarization of news.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos rejected the idea of ​​the streamer covering breaking news in a recent interview. Apple TV+ entered news programming in 2020 with Jon Stewart hosting a weekly comedy news show. But Stewart pulled out after two seasons, saying Apple increasingly wanted more control over the show’s editorial direction.

Amazon, for its part, wants to offer a low-key presentation of the election results hosted by Williams with a number of exclusive contributors. To provide an impartial feel, the plan is for hosts to stay away from the race and direct viewers to third-party content (which could include sites like CNN and NBC News, available through Amazon Channels). The event would be broadcast from LA so it could run late into the night.

And while some elements would seem familiar to a news audience, Amazon is expected to add its own flavor to the potential presentation, much as it spiced up the production of “Thursday Night Football” with on-screen overlays predicting what might happen next.

Editor’s Note: CNN’s 5 Things newsletter is your one-stop shop for the latest headlines and fascinating stories to start and end your busy day. Register here.

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Marijuana has come a long way toward legitimacy in the United States and is on the verge of being classified as a less dangerous drug. An expert explains what that would mean for the average American.

Here’s what you might have missed during your busy day:

1️⃣ Success stories: The FBI just released new data showing violent crime is down across the United States. This is how Baltimore, Detroit and San Antonio are making their neighborhoods safer thanks to the consent of people in the community.

2️⃣ Weak sales: Apple relied on new artificial intelligence features to make the iPhone 16 a huge success. But despite several high-profile launch events, initial sales were mediocre. The company is hoping for a boost during the holiday season.

3️⃣ A lost battle: Oprah Winfrey’s body has been the subject of public debate for much of her career. People watched her when she was at her largest and smallest sizes. Experts explain the intricacies of diet culture – and why it’s so important to us.

4️⃣ Growth spurt: Scientists think they know why one of the highest mountains on Earth suddenly became even taller. Everything can be traced back to what happened in the Himalayas thousands of years ago.

5️⃣ ‘Who are you?’ How well do we really know our parents? A photographer discovered images of several mysterious women while going through her late father’s belongings and turned them into a book that tackles a sensitive subject.

⛴️ “Flying” ferry: A Swedish company’s all-electric hydrofoil vehicles could make people’s commutes faster and more comfortable while helping the planet.

• Helene left at least 128 dead and hundreds remain missing in several states
• Israeli Defense Minister: “Next phase” of Hezbollah war will begin soon
• VA employees unlawfully accessed Vance and Walz’s medical records

📺 Here’s how much DirecTV will pay to buy rival Dish Network, ending decades of on-going satellite service merger talks.

🐦 Back from the brink: The northern bald ibis, considered one of the rarest birds in the world, has recovered thanks to persistent conservation efforts. For the first time in centuries they are migrating back to Europe.

⚽ Accustomed to losing: San Marino, a tiny enclave within Italy, rarely wins a game. The players described what it was like to be on the worst-ranked team in the world.

⚡ Which country just closed its last coal-fired power plant and became the first major economy to stop burning coal to generate electricity?
A. Japan
B. Canada
C. Australia
D. Great Britain
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

⭐ Critical time: Will Ferrell hopes his new documentary Will & Harper will inspire compassion and conversation. The actor and comedian explained why he wanted the film about his friendship with a transgender woman to come out before the election.

⚾ We would like to end the matter on a positive note: As the baseball season came to an end, the Chicago Cubs once again missed the playoffs, but were still among the top teams that season. Wanting to show his appreciation, left fielder Ian Happ threw a ball wrapped in $100 bills into the stands at the team’s final home game. Check out his message to fans.

👋 See you tomorrow.
🧠 Quiz answer: D Britain’s Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station closed on Monday, ending 142 years of coal-fired power in the country that sparked the Industrial Revolution.
📧 Check out all of CNN’s newsletters.

5 Things PM is produced by CNN’s Tricia Escobedo, Meghan Pryce and Kimberly Richardson.

Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed legislation giving oil and gas companies several additional years before they begin identifying and repairing wells near homes and schools that leak into the air and water.

Companies won’t be required to monitor their oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of California residential areas for leaks until July 2030 – three and a half years later than the deadline Newsom and lawmakers legislated two years ago.

The slowdown in protecting communities near wells comes as Newsom praises his administration’s agenda of cracking down on the oil industry and phasing out fossil fuels.

The request for a delay came not from oil companies, but from the Newsom administration. State air and water regulators said they needed more time to hire staff, test leak detection techniques and develop specific guidelines.

“The delay is extremely concerning and will force frontline communities to wait longer for much-needed pollution protection,” said Hollin Kretzmann, an attorney at the group’s Climate Law Institute. “We celebrate the groundbreaking achievements (that other) bills represent, but we will not rest until all Californians have the oil and gas pollution-free future they deserve.”

More than 2.5 million Californians – including many in Long Beach, Los Angeles and Kern County – live within 3,200 feet of an oil or gas well, predominantly in low-income communities of color. Oil wells can release dangerous pollutants into the air and groundwater, and research has linked a number of health effects, including a higher incidence of premature and low birth weight babies, to people’s proximity to wells.

In August, the Newsom administration unveiled a plan to extend the law’s various deadlines, including for leak detection, by more than four years, saying state officials needed more time to implement it. Environmentalists supported a two-year delay.

In the end, lawmakers agreed on three and a half years and set a new deadline: July 2029 for companies to submit leak detection and response plans and July 2030 for their implementation. Originally, companies were supposed to detect and fix leaks by January 2027. The Assembly passed the bill by a vote of 45 to 14; The Senate voted 30-9.

“After careful consideration and negotiations, I am pleased that consensus has been reached to implement this important legislation to protect California families from the dangers of oil pollution from oil drilling,” said State Senator Lena A. Gonzalez, a Democrat from Long Beach, who sponsored the bill wrote the original law, it said in an emailed statement at the time.

Oil company executives say the law will cut jobs, drive up gasoline prices and increase California’s dependence on oil imports. Industry estimates compliance will cost about $40 million in the first two years.

The industry had tried to completely repeal the two-year-old law through a vote, but decided in June to abandon that effort.

Rock Zierman, CEO of the California Independent Petroleum Association, said the delays make sense because the ballot proposal process has interrupted implementation and therefore a new starting point is needed. He said a key focus of the law, the ban on new wells or work on existing wells within the buffer zone, remains in place.

Under three other laws signed by Newsom last week, California will speed up the cleanup of the state’s abandoned oil wells, close a low-producing oil field in Los Angeles County and allow cities and counties to restrict oil drilling.

Newsom also called the Legislature into a special session to address gas prices, giving him more time to persuade lawmakers to act on a package of energy bills that he was unable to push through in the final weeks of the regular session .