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[
"Melissa Nott",
"Bestreviews Staff",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:18:50+00:00
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2021-08-19 17:30:11
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Focus-friendly products can help your child concentrate on math, writing, science and more. Check out these best ways to help your kid focus on their homework.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.counton2.com%2Freviews%2Fbr%2Feducation-br%2Fparenting-br%2Fbest-ways-to-help-your-kid-focus-on-their-homework%2F.json
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Some kids lose their focus when tasks seem overwhelming. Help your child break that mountainous assignment into small chunks and allow them to take breaks in between sections. Praise them for meeting their goals.
BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.
Tips to help your kids focus on homework
Sometimes, the last thing a kid wants to do is sit down and do their homework. Your job as a parent or guardian is to make sure they do it anyway.
These focus-friendly products can help your child concentrate on math, writing, science or whatever they’ve got in their school bag. A simple fidget toy or wiggle cushion may be all it takes to keep a child focused, but a larger investment like a new desk or laptop may also help.
How to help kids focus
Top wiggle seat
Storex Wiggle Stool
What you need to know: The concept behind this stool is that the lower body is free to wiggle while the upper body remains still, allowing the right hemisphere of the brain to focus.
What you’ll love: The seat has carrying handles, is height-adjustable and can hold up to 250 pounds. In addition to helping kids focus, it’s great for posture and the core and back muscles. Lots of color choices are available.
What you should consider: Because it is wobbly, it should not be used as a stepstool.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Staples
Top wiggle seat for the money
Bouncy Bands Wiggle Seat Sensory Cushion
What you need to know: This inflatable cushion allows your child to wiggle in their chair, releasing excess energy while remaining seated for work.
What you’ll love: Comes with an air pump for inflation so you can customize the firmness. Portable for use in multiple places. The nubs on the seat provide sensory stimulation in addition to an outlet for gross motor movement. Several color choices are available.
What you should consider: Some kids dislike the feel of the sensory nubs.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Staples
Top reading guide strips
Luigi’s Reading Strips with Colored Overlays
What you need to know: These inexpensive and colorful reading guide strips help with visual processing and reduce eye strain so readers can stay focused on the text.
What you’ll love: These strips are great for larger fonts like those seen in early elementary reading material, and kids don’t need to adjust them with each line. The overlays come in many kid-friendly color choices and include a horizontal line for the eye to focus on the text.
What you should consider: The larger size may not appeal to some readers.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top reading guide strips for the money
Ashley Reading Guide Strips
What you need to know: Kids track text through the printed yellow window of these thin, affordable reading strips.
What you’ll love: This is a low-cost pack of 12 sturdy strips. The colorful band reinforces visual discrimination between printed text and blank space. Suitable for older students.
What you should consider: Only one color choice: yellow.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Staples
Top reward chart
Youngever Laminated Dry Erase Incentive Charts
What you need to know: A reward chart gives kids a visual means to track their progress and reminds them of their goals. If you incentivize your child’s homework performance, this is a great way to monitor it.
What you’ll love: The simple design appeals to older kids. This six-piece set has six color choices. The charts are coated with PET film, which wipes clean if you choose to use dry-erase markers. Star stickers included.
What you should consider: The chart does not have pre-printed text, so you will have to add your own headings. It may be difficult to completely remove dry erase ink from the surface.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top reward chart for the money
CutePartyDash Editable Donut Chart
What you need to know: An inexpensive way to personalize a print-at-home incentive chart.
What you’ll love: You can play around with the template before you buy it. Once you purchase, you get instant access to the chart via download. You can edit it to suit your child’s homework tasks and goals.
What you should consider: This is a print-out, so it’s on you to supply the paper and ink.
Where to buy: Available through Etsy
Top fidget toy
Fi-gent Sensory Toy Fidget Bundle
What you need to know: For some kids, having something to fidget with can ease anxiety and sharpen focus. If you’re unsure which type of fidget toy would be best for your student, we recommend this bundle so you can sample a variety of toys.
What you’ll love: The variety is outstanding, especially for the price. You get squishies, stress balls, marble toys, squeeze toys and more.
What you should consider: For kids under age three, these toys could pose a choking hazard.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top fidget toy for the money
Tenacitee Simple Dimple Fidget Toys (2-piece set)
What you need to know: This set of two fidget spinners includes a dimple element that allows the user to rotate, press and pop to their heart’s content.
What you’ll love: These are inexpensive, well-made and colorful with smooth bearing action. This is a three-leaf option, but you can also select a five-leaf option for a slightly higher price.
What you should consider: Fidget spinners are easily lost. They can also pose a choking hazard for young children and pets.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top educational poster
Blulu Educational Math Posters for Kids
What you need to know: A visual aid that simplifies the task at hand may be all that’s needed to keep kids plugging away at their studies. This assortment of math fact posters is handy for kids in elementary and middle school who are struggling to complete math homework.
What you’ll love: Bright, colorful information is printed on film-covered cardstock. Information is helpful for early and late elementary students, but it may also be helpful for older kids.
What you should consider: Your student may already be proficient at some of what is featured on the posters.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top educational poster for the money
Teacher Created Resources Multiplication Chart
What you need to know: Until a student gets their multiplication facts down, math class can be a struggle. Lighten your child’s load with this easy-to-read multiplication chart created by teachers.
What you’ll love: Easy to read and understand. The poster is shiny with a protective coating (not lamination).
What you should consider: The poster is flimsy because it is made of paper and not laminated.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top student desk
ECR4Kids Open-Front Student Desk
What you need to know: This desk confines the student to a small space. It will feel a lot like a desk they might use at school, which may boost concentration.
What you’ll love: The desk has sturdy metal legs and a durable top made of oak or maple. It is adjustable to the child’s height. The open-front design provides easy access to supplies and the pencil well holds writing utensils in place.
What you should consider: This desk has a utilitarian aesthetic that might not go with the rest of your decor.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top student desk for the money
Mavo Craft Student Lap Desk
What you need to know: This portable lap desk goes wherever your student does, so homework can get done at home, in the car and elsewhere.
What you’ll love: This is a low-cost lap desk with ample interior storage. It can hold a laptop. The legs fold down for storage.
What you should consider: This is not a very large or sturdy desk because of its portability.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top student laptop
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5
What you need to know: This well-built laptop would nicely serve a high school student who needs a portable 2-in-1 for homework and class presentations.
What you’ll love: It starts quickly, is easy to use and has a touchscreen for kids who excel with hands-on learning. A digital pen is an optional extra that students who doodle and draw will love.
What you should consider: The cost and features make it ideal for older kids.
Where to buy: Sold by Lenovo and Amazon
Top student laptop for the money
Acer Chromebook Spin 311
What you need to know: This inexpensive laptop doubles as a tablet. With its touchscreen, decent battery life and budget price, it’s a good choice for younger kids with occasional online homework.
What you’ll love: It’s slim and lightweight with a fast connection.
What you should consider: Chromebooks are not the most ideal tool for storing and printing multiple documents. It may not be the best choice for older students.
Where to buy: Sold by Acer and Amazon
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Melissa Nott writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2021 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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Best ways to help your kid focus on their homework
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https://www.counton2.com/reviews/br/education-br/parenting-br/best-ways-to-help-your-kid-focus-on-their-homework/
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[
"Collette Bliss",
"Bestreviews Staff",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:18:04+00:00
|
2021-08-19 17:28:08
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Our team of experts has selected the best serum for acne scars out of hundreds of options. Don't buy a serum for acne scars before reading these reviews.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.counton2.com%2Freviews%2Fbr%2Fbeauty-personal-care-br%2Fskin-treatments-br%2Fbest-serum-for-acne-scars%2F.json
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When using an acne scar serum, don’t forget other important parts of your skincare routine: be sure to wash your face, apply moisturizer and wear sunscreen as well.
Which serum for acne scars is best?
If persistent pimples weren’t annoying enough, the scars they leave behind can be immensely frustrating. For people of all ages, getting rid of those acne scars can boost confidence and create more comfort in their skin. However, clearing acne scars is easier said than done, and finding a serum that can do the job without causing further damage can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. Clearstem CellRenew Serum can reduce acne scars, inflammation and fine lines in as little as a week while increasing collagen production.
What to know before you buy a serum for acne scars
Acne scar causes
While the causes of acne breakouts are complex and multifaceted, acne scars have a more direct cause: acne. Acne breakouts damage the skin, and your body rushes to repair the skin, causing abnormal collagen production in the affected area. This abnormal collagen production on the damaged skin gives the skin a bumpy or pitted appearance. Whether your acne scars are raised or depressed, they can be very difficult to treat. Popping and picking at pimples is the most common cause of acne scarring.
Acne scars types
Most acne scars look generally the same, but they actually come in a variety of types.
Rolling scars are typically wide, shallow depressions in the skin that have a rounded shape and sloping edges, causing the skin to take on a wavy texture. Rolling scars are typically the result of a prolonged period of inflammatory acne.
Boxcar scars are similar to rolling scars in that they’re wide and shallow, but they have sharp steep edges and are well-defined. Boxcar scars typically occur from inflammatory acne.
Icepick scars are deep and narrow indentations in the skin that have jagged edges. They make the skin look like it’s been punctured with a small needle, hence the name. Icepick scars are usually the result of hormonal acne.
Hyperpigmentation is the technical term for the dark reddish spots that are the most common aftermath of acne breakouts. Hyperpigmentation spots are not technically scars but the result of the skin’s natural healing process. These flat marks occur as inflammation in the skin causes an increase in melanin production. Post-acne hyperpigmentation often fades on its own, but over the course of months or even years.
What to look for in a quality serum for acne scars
Formula
When choosing an acne scar serum, ensure that you take your skin type into account. For oily or combination skin types, water-based formulas are usually best. These formulas tend to be oil-free so you don’t have to worry about an oily serum clogging your pores and causing more breakouts. For dry or normal skin, thicker oil-based formulas are better, as they hydrate your skin and keep it from drying out.
Scent
If you’re sensitive to potent smells, be aware when purchasing an acne scar serum. Some serums have a fairly strong medicinal scent, while others include artificial fragrances. If your skin is sensitive, opt for a serum without artificial scents, as they can irritate the skin. Fragrance-free serums are a safe option for most users.
How much you can expect to spend on a serum for acne scars
Acne scar serums can vary greatly in price, usually based on the number of active ingredients they contain but typically cost $6-$160. For $6-$30 are serums that have only one active ingredient. For $30-$70, you’ll find two to three active ingredients. Acne scar serums with three or more active ingredients fall in the $70-$160 range.
Serum for acne scars FAQ
How long does it take to see results from my acne scar serum?
A. This depends primarily on what type of scars you have. Hyperpigmentation, for example, heals in 3-4 weeks. Textured scars take a lot longer, usually 3-4 months.
What type of acne scar serum should I use if I have both acne scars and active breakouts?
A. If you have both acne scars and active breakouts, opt for an acne scar serum containing salicylic acid, which can clean deep in pores to fade your scars and get rid of the dirt that causes breakouts in the first place. Make sure to avoid oil-based scar serums if you’re trying to prevent breakouts.
What’s the best serum for acne scars to buy?
Top serum for acne scars
Clearstem CellRenew Serum
What you need to know: A straightforward serum with results in only a week.
What you’ll love: Acne scars, inflammation, fine lines and wrinkles are all reduced in a week. Boosts collagen. Formula contains natural and organic ingredients. Cruelty-free.
What you should consider: Customers found that the packaging isn’t ideal for efficient use of the product.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top acne scar serum for the money
InstaNatural Age-Defying and Skin-Clearing Serum
What you need to know: A bright citrus smell with powerful blemish reduction.
What you’ll love: Uses a blend of antioxidants to soothe and revitalize the skin, fading acne scars and fighting blemishes. Protects the skin against UV rays. Friendly price.
What you should consider: It gets worse before it gets better, as the retinol clearing your pores may cause breakouts in the first few weeks of use.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Evologie Stay Clear Cream
What you need to know: Effective for both active acne and acne scars.
What you’ll love: This serum is made from a powerful blend of natural ingredients that go deep in the skin, reducing the appearance of scars without damaging skin. Fragrance-free and not tested on animals.
What you should consider: May dry the skin a bit.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Collette Bliss writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2021 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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www.counton2.com
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Best serum for acne scars
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https://www.counton2.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/skin-treatments-br/best-serum-for-acne-scars/
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[
"Raf Casert",
"Associated Press",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:15:39+00:00
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2021-08-19 18:33:47
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BRUSSELS (AP) — Well before U.S. President Joe Biden took office early this year, the European Union’s foreign policy chief sang his praises and hailed a new era in cooperation. So did almost all of Washington’s Western allies. The EU’s Josep Borrell was glad to see the end of the Trump era, with its America […]
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FILE – In this June 14, 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speak while visiting a memorial to the September 11 terrorist attacks at NATO headquarters in Brussels. When U.S. President Joe Biden took office early this year, Western allies were falling over themselves to welcome and praise him and hail a new era in trans-Atlantic cooperation. The collapse of Kabul certainly put a stop to that. Even some of his biggest fans are now churning out criticism. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
BRUSSELS (AP) — Well before U.S. President Joe Biden took office early this year, the European Union’s foreign policy chief sang his praises and hailed a new era in cooperation. So did almost all of Washington’s Western allies.
The EU’s Josep Borrell was glad to see the end of the Trump era, with its America First, and sometimes America Only policy, enthralled by Biden’s assertion that he would “lead, not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.”
Sunday’s collapse of Kabul, triggered by Biden’s decision to get out of Afghanistan and a U.S. military unable to contain the chaos since, certainly put a stop to that. Even some of his biggest fans are now churning out criticism.
Borrell was among them, this time aghast at Biden’s contention that “our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation-building,” coming in the wake of Western efforts over much of the past two decades to sow the seeds of the rule of law and assure protection for women and minorities.
“State-building was not the purpose? Well, this is arguable,” a dejected Borrell said of Biden’s stance, which has come under criticism in much of Europe.
And for many Europeans steeped in soft power diplomacy to export Western democratic values, Biden’s assertion that, “our only vital national interest in Afghanistan remains today what it has always been: preventing a terrorist attack on American homeland,” could have come from a Trump speech.
EU Council President Charles Michel underscored the different stances when he said in a tweet Thursday that the “rights of Afghanis, notably women & girls, will remain our key concern: all EU instruments to support them should be used.”
French Parliamentarian Nathalie Loiseau, a former Europe minister for President Emmanuel Macron, put the unexpected EU-Biden disconnect more bluntly: “We lived a little bit the great illusion,” she said. “We thought America was back, while in fact, America withdraws.”
It was no better in Germany, where a leading member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right Union bloc, Bavaria Gov. Markus Soeder, called on Washington to provide funding and shelter to those fleeing Afghanistan, since “the United States of America bear the main responsibility for the current situation.”
Even in the United Kingdom, which has always prided itself on a its “special relationship” with Washington and now, more than ever, needs U.S. goodwill to overcome the impact of leaving the EU, barbs were coming from all angles.
Former British Army chief Richard Dannatt said, “the manner and timing of the Afghan collapse is the direct result of President Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of 9/11.”
“At a stroke, he has undermined the patient and painstaking work of the last five, 10, 15 years to build up governance in Afghanistan, develop its economy, transform its civil society and build up its security forces,” Dannatt said Wednesday in Parliament.
“The people had a glimpse of a better life — but that has been torn away.”
Biden has pointed to the Trump administration deal negotiated with the Taliban 18 months earlier in Doha, Qatar, which he says bound him to withdraw U.S. troops, as setting the stage for the chaos now engulfing the country.
Still, Biden putting much of the blame on Afghan forces for not protecting their nation has not gone down well with Western allies, either.
Conservative Parliament member Tom Tugendhat, who fought in Afghanistan, was one of several British lawmakers taking offense.
“To see their commander-in-chief call into question the courage of men I fought with, to claim that they ran, is shameful,” Tugendhat said.
Chris Bryant, from the opposition Labour Party, called Biden’s remarks about Afghan soldiers, “some of the most shameful comments ever from an American president.”
In Prague this week, Czech president Milos Zeman said that, “by withdrawing from Afghanistan, the Americans have lost their status of global leader.”
But despite all the criticism, there is no doing without the United States on the global stage. America remains vital to the Western allies in a series of other issues, in particular taking action against global warming.
After climate change disasters across much of the globe this year, the EU will be counting heavily on Biden to stand shoulder-to- shoulder in taking effective measures at the November COP26 global conference in Glasgow, Scotland, to speed up action to counter global warming.
Europe and Washington also have enough trade disagreements to settle to realize that despite the debacle of Afghanistan, there is much more that unites than divides them. A need for American power and help remains, even in Afghanistan.
Before Friday’s meeting of NATO foreign ministers, some Alliance nations have acknowledged they will be pleading to Washington to stay even longer in Afghanistan than it will take to bring all U.S. citizens home, wanting to make sure their people get out too.
“We and a number of other countries are going to the Americans to say: ‘Stay as long as possible, possibly longer than necessary,’” Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigrid Kaag said.
____
Associated Press writers Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands; Sylvia Hui in London; Karel Janicek in Prague and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed.
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Allies embraced Biden. Did Kabul lay bare “great illusion”?
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[
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:16:38+00:00
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2021-08-19 19:21:12
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A white Iowa woman who said she drove her SUV into two children in 2019 to try to kill them because of their race was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison on federal hate crimes charges. Nicole Poole Franklin had already been sentenced to up to 25 years, including […]
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.counton2.com%2Fnews%2Fnational-news%2Fiowa-woman-sentenced-to-25-years-in-hate-attacks-on-2-kids%2F.json
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FILE This is undated file photo provided by the Polk County, Iowa, Jail shows Nicole Poole Franklin, who said she drove her SUV into two children in 2019 to try to kill them because of their race. She was sentenced Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, to 25 years in prison on federal hate crimes charges. Poole Franklin had already been sentenced to up to 25 years, including a mandatory minimum of 17 1/2, on state attempted murder charges in the Dec. 9, 2019, attacks in Des Moines. The sentence will run concurrently with the state punishment but ensure she will be incarcerated for longer, since the federal system does not have parole. (Polk County Jail via AP, File)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A white Iowa woman who said she drove her SUV into two children in 2019 to try to kill them because of their race was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison on federal hate crimes charges.
Nicole Poole Franklin had already been sentenced to up to 25 years, including a mandatory minimum of 17 1/2, on state attempted murder charges in the Dec. 9, 2019, attacks in Des Moines.
In a separate federal proceeding, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose sentenced Poole Franklin on Thursday to 304 months in prison, or 25 years and four months. Poole Franklin, 43, pleaded guiltyto two federal hate crimes charges in May.
The sentence will run concurrently with the state punishment but ensure she will be incarcerated for longer, since the federal system does not have parole.
Prosecutors asked for a 27-year sentence in a filing last week, saying Poole Franklin targeted a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl because of their race and ethnicity. Both were walking down the street near their schools.
Federal sentencing guidelines had recommended a term of 30 years to life.
Prosecutors say she first drove over a curb and struck the 12-year-old Black boy, saying she ran him over because he’s “just like ISIS” and “he’s not supposed to be there and he’s going to take me out.” She narrowly missed the boy’s older sibling who was walking alongside him.
Minutes later, Poole Franklin drove up over a sidewalk, prosecutors said, striking a 14-year-old Latina girl, who had bruises, cuts and a concussion. Poole Franklin said she targeted the girl because she thought she was Mexican, was taking over “our homes, and our jobs” and “wasn’t supposed to be in the country,” the filing said.
Poole Franklin fled after both crashes and was later arrested after going to a gas station where she called an employee and customers racial epithets.
“Holding Poole Franklin accountable, not only for her intentional actions, but for the malicious beliefs behind them, is what our justice system should be, and a must to provide just punishment, afford adequate deterrence, and protect the public from further crimes by this defendant,” prosecutors wrote.
Poole Franklin’s public defender asked Rose for nothing longer than a 27-year term. He argued in a filing that she was suffering from “severe pre-existing mental illnesses that were exacerbated by methamphetamine use, numerous extremely difficult life events hitting at nearly the same time, and with some of the worst aspects of the culture acting behind the scenes and further poisoning her mental state.”
Before the hate crimes, Poole Franklin had received a series of breaks from the legal system, including after she allegedly stabbed a boyfriend in the chest in 2017 and threatened another with a butcher’s knife months later.
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Iowa woman sentenced to 25 years in hate attacks on 2 kids
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https://www.counton2.com/news/national-news/iowa-woman-sentenced-to-25-years-in-hate-attacks-on-2-kids/
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[
"Frank Paiva",
"Bestreviews Staff",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:19:17+00:00
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2021-08-19 12:58:20
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Our team of experts has selected the best robot mop out of hundreds of models. Don't buy a robot mop before reading these reviews.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.counton2.com%2Freviews%2Fbr%2Fhome-br%2Fcleaning-tools-supplies-br%2Fbest-robot-mop%2F.json
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It’s important to babysit your robot mop the first few times you use it. There may be a cord behind your desk you’ve forgotten about, or the mop may not be able to make it across your thick throw rug — don’t just set it and forget it.
Which robot mop is best?
The self-cleaning house of the future is one step closer, thanks to the robot mop. Robot mops make one of the most tedious and thankless household chores a breeze. Robot vacuum mops are all about making your life easier and your floors cleaner.
It’s important to pick the right robot mop for your needs. Top pick Samsung Jetbot Mop runs for 100 minutes and covers up to 2,000 feet on a full battery. Whether you’re cleaning a big house or a small apartment, here’s what you should consider.
What to know before you buy a robot mop
Size
The average robot mop is 12 inches wide, 4 inches high and weighs about 6 pounds. The size of your robot mop is important because it determines how easily your device can travel under furniture. It’s especially worth measuring the amount of space between the floor and the bottom of your couch — you don’t want a robot mop that’s not going to fit under it.
The weight of your robot mop is important if you’ll be carrying it across multiple floors on a regular basis. Remember that it will also weigh more with a full water tank.
Additional functions
Some robot mops can only mop, while others are multifunctional and can mop and vacuum. If you already own a robot vacuum, there’s no need to buy a multifunctional robot mop.
Most multifunctional robot mops require the user to manually switch between mopping and vacuuming. This can be a bit of a pain; there’s generally no easy automatic way to change modes. You’ll usually have to swap out a water canister for a dust canister on the top of the unit or add/remove a mopping pad from the bottom of the unit.
Battery life
Opt for a robot mop that can run for at least an hour. Luckily, 60 minutes of battery life is standard on most mid-range and high-end models. Cheaper models may be tempting, but they’ll require more recharging.
Consider a robot mop that can find its way back to its charging station when its battery is getting low. This is a common feature and can save you from having to find the mop and take it back after every use.
What to look for in a quality robot mop
Remote control
Most robot mops come with a remote control. If your robot mop gets stuck underneath the sofa, this remote will be the only easy way to get it out. Some mops have a single on-off button on the unit itself, while others have many buttons representing many cleaning options. Look at different models to get a feel for what you prefer.
A handful of pricier robot mops connect to Wi-Fi and have an associated smartphone app. This can be a particularly useful tool if you plan to use your robot mop when you’re out of the house but still want to keep an eye on how everything’s going.
Sensors
Most robot mops have two basic safety features: front bumpers to detect obstacles and drop-off sensors to stop the mop from falling down stairs. If you have stairs in your home, this is a key feature to look for.
The latest cutting-edge robot mops use 3D technology to create a map of your home for better navigation and easier cleaning. They can also be programmed to avoid certain rooms or areas. These robot mops may be a better choice for larger houses with lots of stuff.
Water tank
Some robot mops require you to manually wet the mopping pad on the bottom of the unit, while others have a water tank that you load into the top. This tank may not be large enough for a full charge of the battery, so be sure to look at runtime in the instruction manual.
Some water tanks slowly drip water onto the mopping pad from inside the unit. Others have a spray nozzle that wets the area in front of the mop.
How much you can expect to spend on a robot mop
High-quality mop-only models range from $200-$350. Basic multifunctional models can also be found at this price. Multifunctional models with better navigation, more features and newer technology are typically $400-$500.
Robot mop FAQ
How noisy are robot mops?
A. This varies by model and manufacturer, with some being whisper-quiet. See if you can find online reviews with user videos to get a better sense.
Do robot mops require lots of maintenance?
A. No more than any other cleaning tool. Mop pads should be washed and replaced when dirty. Vacuum filters should be cleaned regularly. It’s also a good idea to wipe the sensors with a damp cloth every once in a while to prevent your mop from bumping into things.
What’s the best robot mop to buy?
Top robot mop
Samsung Jetbot Mop
What you need to know: Has excellent battery power and cleaning power, and is perfect for jobs both big and small.
What you’ll love: Optimized for hardwood and tile, but comes with eight cleaning modes. Great at removing dust and hair.
What you should consider: Doesn’t scrub very deep; stubborn stains require manual cleaning.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Wayfair
Top robot mop for the money
ILIFE V5s Pro 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop
What you need to know: A bargain multifunctional model that doesn’t sacrifice on quality.
What you’ll love: Powerful, with good user reviews. Sleek gold finish makes it look good too.
What you should consider: Short battery life.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
iRobot Braava Jet M6 Ultimate Robot Mop
What you need to know: Thoroughly deep-cleans multiple rooms and large areas.
What you’ll love: Connects to a smartphone, Amazon Alexa or Google Home for simple control. Recharges by itself.
What you should consider: Some users report that the mop doesn’t work very well if the room is dark.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Frank Paiva writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2021 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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Best robot mop
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[
"William J. Kole",
"Associated Press",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:17:50+00:00
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2021-08-19 05:10:22
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BOSTON (AP) — More than three centuries after a Massachusetts woman was wrongly convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to death, she’s finally on the verge of being exonerated — thanks to a curious eighth-grade civics class. State Sen. Diana DiZoglio, a Democrat from Methuen, has introduced legislation to clear the name of Elizabeth Johnson Jr., […]
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FILE – In this July 19, 2017, file photograph, Karla Hailer, a fifth-grade teacher from Scituate, Mass., shoots a video where a memorial stands at the site in Salem, Mass., where five women were hanged as witches more than 325 years earlier. A woman convicted of witchcraft in 1693 and sentenced to death at the height of the Salem Witch Trials finally will be exonerated if Massachusetts lawmakers approve a bill inspired by a curious eighth-grade history class. State Sen. Diana DiZoglio, a Democrat from Methuen, has introduced legislation to clear the name of Elizabeth Johnson Jr., 328 years after she was condemned but never executed. DiZoglio says she was inspired by sleuthing done by a group of 13- and 14-year-olds at North Andover Middle School. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File)
BOSTON (AP) — More than three centuries after a Massachusetts woman was wrongly convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to death, she’s finally on the verge of being exonerated — thanks to a curious eighth-grade civics class.
State Sen. Diana DiZoglio, a Democrat from Methuen, has introduced legislation to clear the name of Elizabeth Johnson Jr., who was condemned in 1693 at the height of the Salem Witch Trials but never executed.
DiZoglio says she was inspired by sleuthing done by a group of 13- and 14-year-olds at North Andover Middle School. Civics teacher Carrie LaPierre’s students painstakingly researched Johnson and the steps that would need to be taken to make sure she was formally pardoned.
“It is important that we work to correct history,” DiZoglio said Wednesday. “We will never be able to change what happened to these victims, but at the very least, we can set the record straight.”
If lawmakers approve the measure, Johnson will be the last accused witch to be cleared, according to Witches of Massachusetts Bay, a group devoted to the history and lore of the 17th-century witch hunts.
Twenty people from Salem and neighboring towns were killed and hundreds of others accused during a frenzy of Puritan injustice that began in 1692, stoked by superstition, fear of disease and strangers, scapegoating and petty jealousies. Nineteen were hanged, and one man was crushed to death by rocks.
In the 328 years that have ensued, dozens of suspects officially were cleared, including Johnson’s own mother, the daughter of a minister whose conviction eventually was reversed. But for some reason, Johnson’s name wasn’t included in various legislative attempts to set the record straight.
Johnson was 22 when she was caught up in the hysteria of the witch trials and sentenced to hang. It never happened: Then-Gov. William Phips threw out her punishment as the magnitude of the gross miscarriages of justice in Salem sank in.
But because she wasn’t among those whose convictions were formally set aside, hers still technically stands.
“It showed how superstitious people still were after the witch trials,” said Artem Likhanov, 14, a rising high school freshman who participated in the school project. “It’s not like after it ended people didn’t believe in witches anymore. They still thought she was a witch and they wouldn’t exonerate her.”
DiZoglio’s bill would tweak 1957 legislation, amended in 2001, to include Johnson among others who were pardoned after being wrongly accused and convicted of witchcraft.
“Why Elizabeth was not exonerated is unclear but no action was ever taken on her behalf by the General Assembly or the courts,” DiZoglio said. “Possibly because she was neither a wife nor a mother, she was not considered worthy of having her name cleared. And because she never had children, there is no group of descendants acting on her behalf.”
In 2017, officials unveiled a semi-circular stone wall memorial inscribed with the names of people hanged at a site in Salem known as Proctor’s Ledge. It was funded in part by donations from descendants of those accused of being witches.
LaPierre, the teacher, said some of her students initially were ambivalent about the effort to exonerate Johnson because they launched it before the 2020 presidential election and at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was raging.
“Some of the conversation was, ‘Why are we doing this? She’s dead. Isn’t there more important stuff going on in the world?’” she said. “But they came around to the idea that it’s important that in some small way we could do this one thing.”
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8th-graders lead effort to pardon wrongly convicted ‘witch’
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[
"Geoff Mulvihill",
"Associated Press",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:16:58+00:00
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2021-08-19 16:39:01
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The family that owns Purdue Pharma had hoped a reformulated version of Oxycontin would help rein in the burgeoning opioid crisis a decade ago, a member of the Sackler family said Thursday in court testimony that once again stopped short of an apology or acceptance of responsibility for the epidemic. Mortimer D.A. Sackler was the […]
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Fake pill bottles with messages about Purdue Pharma are displayed during a protest outside the courthouse where the bankruptcy of the company is taking place in White Plains, N.Y., Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. Purdue Pharma’s quest to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of OxyContin is entering its final phase with the grudging acceptance of most of those with claims against the company. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The family that owns Purdue Pharma had hoped a reformulated version of Oxycontin would help rein in the burgeoning opioid crisis a decade ago, a member of the Sackler family said Thursday in court testimony that once again stopped short of an apology or acceptance of responsibility for the epidemic.
Mortimer D.A. Sackler was the third member of the wealthy family to testify in a hearing, held by videoconference, on whether a judge should accept Purdue’s plan to reorganize into a new company no longer owned by family members.
“I’ve said and my family have said the fact that OxyContin, a product that was sold to help people and reduce pain, also went out and got diverted and hurt people, it is horrible. It got to me, it got to our family. It was not at all what was intended,” Sackler said under questioning from Tad Robinson O’Neill, assistant attorney general of Washington, one of the states suing Purdue.
“I believe that if you’re in a position to help, you have a responsibility to help,” Sackler said. “We’re here trying to get this settlement done so we can get these vast sums to these communities to these people to help them.”
O’Neill asked if that was an apology — something no Sackler relative has given amid the crisis.
Mortimer D.A. Sackler didn’t say it was. “We’re sorry if a medicine that we put out that was intended to relieve pain caused pain,” he said.
Sackler served more than two decades on Purdue’s board of directors and for a time was a vice president, though he said he had no official duties in that role.
“It was important to the board that the market share of abuse-deterrent opioids grew because we believed and were told repeatedly by management that abuse-deterrent opioids saved lives,” he said.
Maryland Assistant Attorney General Brian Edmunds, attempting to build a case that Sackler family members have a responsibility for the crisis, responded: “You’re saying it’s a humanitarian cause?”
Sackler replied, “I wouldn’t put it in those words, but we were always trying to do the right thing, find the right balance.”
It was the third day in a row that U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain, based in White Plains, New York, heard testimony from a member of the Sackler family, which has long sought to stay out of the spotlight for its business activities.
Drain sounded as if he was crying as he referenced letters from people affected by Purdue’s products before ending the hearing abruptly in the late afternoon.
One of the letters, from Tamara Graham of St. Petersburg, Florida, described her brother who became addicted to OxyContin. “If the Purdue Pharma people had to watch a video of what the people addicted to Oxycodone go through, maybe they would understand the pain that they have caused to the people addicted to the drug and their families,” she wrote.
Mortimer D.A. Sackler’s sister Kathe Sackler also testified Thursday, saying she believes her family has a moral responsibility to help fix the crisis.
Activists in the opioid crisis see Purdue as key in igniting it. Richard Sackler, who testified Thursday, told Purdue’s sales force in a 1996 event to launch OxyContin that there would be “a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition.” Years later when misuse of the drug became apparent, he described “the abusers” as ”the culprits and the problem,” in an email.
OxyContin was reformulated to make it harder to crush for snorting or injection for a faster high. But as it turned out, overdoses only rose after it was introduced, with most of the new deaths linked initially to heroin and more recently to illicitly produced fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. In all, more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. have been linked to opioid overdoses since 2000.
On Tuesday, David Sackler testified that family members would contribute $4.5 billion in cash and control of a charity fund as part of the settlement only if one provision stayed in the plan — providing protection from all present and future lawsuits over opioids and Purdue activity for family members.
A day later, Richard Sackler — who is David Sackler’s father and Mortimer D.A. Sackler’s cousin, and who served at different times as president and chairman of Purdue’s board — told the court that he did not believe he, his family or the company had any responsibility for the opioid crisis in the U.S.
Purdue, based in Stamford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty to criminal charges relating to its opioid practices in both 2007 and last year, but no members of the Sackler family have admitted wrongdoing or been charged with any crimes.
In a separate settlement announced last year with the U.S. Department of Justice, Sackler family members agreed to pay $225 million but again admitted no wrongdoing.
The bankruptcy being sought by the company is a means to settle 3,000 lawsuits filed by state and local governments, Native American tribes and others.
Under the proposed plans, the Sackler family members would give up ownership of the company and future profits would go largely to abate the opioid crisis. Family members would also contribute a total of $4.5 billion in cash and control of charitable funds.
Most of Purdue’s creditors who have voted on the plan say they support it, but Maryland and eight other states are among those pushing back. They object largely to the legal protections it would extend to members of the Sackler family.
Drain said he was interested in hearing from lawyers in arguments starting Monday on whether some of the protections could be narrowed. He has said he expects to decide next week whether to confirm the plan.
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Owner: Purdue hoped new Oxy would help in crisis; no apology
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[
"Kevin Mcgill",
"Associated Press",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:15:46+00:00
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2021-08-19 15:39:15
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Texas law outlawing an abortion method commonly used to end second-trimester pregnancies has been upheld by a federal appeals court in New Orleans. The 2017 law in question has never been enforced. It seeks to prohibit the use of forceps to remove a fetus from the womb without first using […]
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Texas law outlawing an abortion method commonly used to end second-trimester pregnancies has been upheld by a federal appeals court in New Orleans.
The 2017 law in question has never been enforced. It seeks to prohibit the use of forceps to remove a fetus from the womb without first using an injected drug or a suction procedure to ensure the fetus is dead.
Abortion rights advocates argued that the law, known as SB8 in court records, effectively outlaws what is often the safest method of abortion for women in the second trimester of pregnancy. The procedure is medically known as dilation and evacuation.
They also argued that fetuses cannot feel pain during the gestation period affected by the law.
Texas legislators banned the procedure with a law that describes it as “dismemberment abortion.” Abortion rights supporters argued in court that one alternative provided in the law, using suction to remove a fetus, also results in dismemberment.
A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked enforcement of the law last year. But Texas was granted a re-hearing by the full court, and a majority of the 14 appellate judges who heard arguments in January (three of the court’s 17 active judges were recused) sided with Texas on Wednesday. The opinion, by judges Jennifer Walker Elrod and Don Willett, said “the record shows that doctors can safely perform D&Es and comply with SB8 using methods that are already in widespread use.”
Concurring in the result were judges Priscilla Owen, Edith Jones, Jerry Smith, Catharina Haynes, James Ho, Kurt Engelhardt and Cory Wilson.
Judge James Dennis wrote a dissent, joined by judges Carl Stewart and James Graves. A separate dissent was written by Judge Stephen Higginson, joined by Gregg Costa.
Dennis said the Texas law, “under the guise of regulation, makes it a felony to perform the most common and safe abortion procedure employed during the second trimester.”
The Center for Reproductive Rights is analyzing the decision and considering all legal options, said its president and CEO, Nancy Northup.
”Texas has been hellbent on legislating abortion out of existence, and it is galling that a federal court would uphold a law that so clearly defies decades of Supreme Court precedent,” Northup said. “At a time when the health care needs of Texans are greater than ever, the state should be making abortion more accessible, not less. There is no question that today’s decision will harm those who already face the greatest barriers to health care.”
Texas Right to Life applauded the ruling.
“If the abortion industry appeals today’s decision, the Supreme Court must answer the case’s dynamic legal question: ‘Is a dismemberment abortion inhumane enough to warrant legal prohibition?’” the anti-abortion group’s statement said. “The evident answer to this targeted question directly undermines some of the Supreme Court’s central premises in their abortion jurisprudence, such as the misconception that pre-viability abortions are more ethical than those that occur after viability.”
“Texans celebrate today’s long-awaited victory,” Texas Right to Life Director of Media and Communication Kimberlyn Schwartz said in the release. “Anyone can see the cruelty of dismemberment abortions, ripping a child’s body apart while her heart is still beating. We’re grateful the judges recognized this horror.”
___
This story now includes dropped attribution and quotation marks in the second-to-last paragraph, which is based on a statement by Texas Right to Life.
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Appeals court upholds Texas law to ban abortion procedure
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[
"Jay Reeves",
"Associated Press",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:16:25+00:00
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2021-08-19 05:23:11
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GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) — Tourists and servers alike dance atop tables and in the aisles at one restaurant on the “Redneck Riviera,” a beloved stretch of towns along the northern Gulf Coast where beaches, bars and stores are packed. Yet just a few miles away, a hospital is running out of critical care beds, […]
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Workers from USA Health test a person for COVID-19 during a drive-up clinic in Mobile, Ala., on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. Alabama’s coastal counties lead the state in new COVID-19 cases, and some events have been canceled in Florida and Louisiana because of the latest surge. Health officials believe the spike is due to a combination of some of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates, unabated tourism, a disregard for basic health precautions and the region’s carefree lifestyle. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) — Tourists and servers alike dance atop tables and in the aisles at one restaurant on the “Redneck Riviera,” a beloved stretch of towns along the northern Gulf Coast where beaches, bars and stores are packed. Yet just a few miles away, a hospital is running out of critical care beds, its rooms full of unvaccinated people fighting for their lives.
On maps that show virus “hot spots” in red, this part of the U.S. coast is glowing like a bad sunburn. And a summer of booming tourism that followed the lockdowns and travel restrictions of 2020 is making the turn toward fall with only a few signs of slowing down.
Health officials believe the spike is due to a combination of some of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates, unabated tourism, a disregard for basic health precautions and the region’s carefree lifestyle, all combining at a time when the mutated virus is more contagious than ever and conservative states are balking at new health restrictions.
On a recent afternoon, one shopper after another walked through the mouth of a giant, fake shark into a Gulf Shores souvenir shop. Mini-golf courses, bars, go-kart tracks, hotels and condominium towers were full. The National Shrimp Festival, which draws as many as 250,000 people to the Alabama coast, is set for October despite the COVID-19 explosion.
Inside The Hangout restaurant, where dancing on tables is encouraged, “Cotton Eye Joe” received a raucous reception from the largely unmasked customers.
“Where did you come from, where did you go? / Where did you come from, Cotton Eye Joe?” the speakers blared.
The revelry came as just 12 miles (19 kilometers) to the north, South Baldwin Regional Medical Center was treating more than three dozen COVID-19 patients, nearly 90% of whom weren’t vaccinated, said spokesperson Taylor Lewis.
“After Memorial Day it was, ‘Everything is back to normal, go to the beach, take off your mask,’” said Dr. Bert Eichold, the chief public health official of Mobile County, just west of Gulf Shores. Mobile County’s COVID-19 positivity rate has skyrocketed to nearly 30%, and the county has the most new cases in the state.
Lisa Hastings, a Louisiana native and nurse visiting the Alabama coast with her two sisters, looked at the situation in two ways. She was a little unsettled by the wide-open scene from a professional standpoint, but she also doesn’t hold it against anyone who wants to get out and have fun, vaccinated or not.
“I think people are kind of over being afraid and so they’ve got to live their lives,” said Hastings, who is vaccinated. Nearby, a tourist from Illinois railed that the pandemic is fake and vaccinations are just another method of government control.
Some have decided against both getting vaccinated and wearing face masks, choosing instead to party without precautions at places like the Flora-Bama, a massive beachfront bar on the Alabama-Florida line. There, bands play to big crowds fueled by alcoholic drinks including the sugary Bushwacker, a coastal favorite.
Lulu’s, a popular Gulf Shores restaurant owned by Lucy Buffett, the sister of singer Jimmy Buffett, is among those that recently had to shut down for a week because the virus was racing through workers.
At The Dock, a beachfront restaurant that serves cold beer and seafood beside the public beach in Pensacola, Florida, manager Justin Smith said the tourist season has been busy and his staff has managed to stay healthy, at least so far. While more vaccinations could help, Smith said he’d never require his staff to get inoculated.
“I’ve been here 18 years. It ain’t gonna happen,” he said.
Outbreaks caused by the coronavirus are threatening to overwhelm the region’s health care system and traditions. Panama City Beach, Florida, cited the pandemic in canceling an annual country music festival set for early September, and New Orleans has clamped down on mask-wearing and called off multiple events.
While urging people to get vaccinated, state leaders including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey have resisted imposing new restrictions, even as hospital beds fill up. On Monday, officials said 1,560 patients needed intensive care treatment in Alabama, where hospitals have just 1,562 ICU beds.
Hospital executives joined together in Pensacola last week to plead for more vaccinations while also knocking down false rumors about vaccines and masks. In an area dominated by Christian conservatives, Mayor Grover C. Robinson IV made a direct appeal for churchgoers to get shots.
“Two of our hospitals are Christian affiliated,” he said. “One of the first things it says all throughout the Bible is, ‘Do not be afraid.’”
More people are getting initial vaccine doses than a few weeks ago, but it hasn’t been enough so far to stop the spread of COVID-19. Of 11 coastal counties in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, Okaloosa County in Florida has the region’s highest share of fully vaccinated residents at 41.3%, statistics show. Many are around one-third, and all are below the national average of nearly 51%.
Natalie Fox, a nursing executive with USA Health in Mobile, said medical workers are tired after more than a year of fighting the pandemic. Still, people sick with COVID-19 — the vast majority of them unvaccinated — keep arriving.
“We’re kind of getting patients from all over because everybody’s dealing with this increased strain,” she said.
It didn’t take a mandate for Rhonda Landrum, a 50-year-old health care worker from near Mobile, to get a shot recently after watching all three of her unvaccinated daughters contract COVID-19. People aren’t taking the pandemic seriously, she said, and it’s just not safe to be out in public without the vaccine.
“I won’t travel nowhere,” she said. “I stay home.”
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Gulf Coast’s beloved ‘Redneck Riviera’ now a virus hotspot
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https://www.counton2.com/news/national-news/gulf-coasts-beloved-redneck-riviera-now-a-virus-hotspot/
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[
"Adam Reeder",
"Bestreviews Staff",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:18:31+00:00
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2021-08-19 10:22:13
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Our team of experts has selected the best kids’ sleeping bag out of dozens of options. Don't buy a kids’ sleeping bag before reading these reviews.
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Consider getting a ground air mat or air mattress for under your child’s sleeping bag if they’re going to be camping. Sleeping on the hard ground, even in a cushy sleeping bag, can be uncomfortable.
BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.
Which kids’ sleeping bag is best?
Few things are more fun for kids than a slumber party or a camping trip. Whether they’re under a roof or under the stars, every kid deserves a comfortable sleeping bag to use when the occasion arises.
Kids’ sleeping bags may be rectangular or mummy-style, and they vary in their warmth, materials, and other features.
If it’s time to get your little one a new sleeping bag, continue reading our buying guide, which includes reviews of a few favorites at the end. Our top pick, the BuddyBagz Sleeping Bag and Travel Kit For Kids will keep your little one feeling safe, warm, and happy all night long.
Considerations when choosing a kids’ sleeping bag
Shape
Kids’ sleeping bags come in a few different shapes. Although some have pretty nontraditional shapes, the two most common are standard rectangle bags and what are called “mummy bags.”
Rectangular sleeping bags are spacious and comfortable. When unzipped, they fold out to a square flat shape and can function as a comforter. The roomier design can make these bags slightly less warm in colder climates.
Mummy bags fit more snugly against your child’s body, with a wide shoulder area that tapers to a narrower shape at the feet. These bags are warmer than rectangular models because they fit tightly next to your little one’s skin. Some kids, however, don’t like how restrictive mummy bags feel.
Warmth
Most kids’ sleeping bags will display a warmth rating somewhere on the label. They’re usually rated by the minimum temperature that the bag is recommended to sustain. These ratings aren’t the most useful because everyone feels cold at different temperatures. They are, however, a decent way to compare one bag to another.
Length
Know your child’s height before choosing a new sleeping bag for them. There should be at least 2 to 9 extra inches at the bottom in order for the sleeping bag to be comfortable for your child.
Material
Kids’ sleeping bags are made from a few different materials. Bag exteriors are often made from ripstop nylon, which is durable and warm. Others have dry loft exteriors, which are water-resistant and also relatively rugged. Interior linings are usually made from either polyester or nylon. Nylon liners are shiny and not very comfortable against the skin. Some liners are made from cotton, though this material traps moisture, which can be uncomfortable.
Features of a great kids’ sleeping bag
Shoulder baffle
A shoulder baffle is a shoulder-height drawstring that helps to conserve your child’s body heat. They’re sometimes included with kids’ mummy bags.
Baffle stitching
Baffle stitching is a layer of vertical or horizontal stitching that is intended to keep the bag’s filling from clumping. This keeps the bag consistently warm throughout, rather than having a few small “cold spots.”
Hood
Kids’ sleeping bags that have hoods help your child stay warm by keeping all of the body heat, including that from the head, from escaping the bag. Hoods can be found on both rectangular and mummy bags.
How much you can expect to spend on a sleeping bag for kids
Most kids’ sleeping bags cost between $10-$60. For $10, kids’ sleeping bags are primarily rectangular designs, only for indoor use. If you spend $40 for a sleeping bag, you can get either a rectangular or mummy bag for indoor or outdoor use. For around $60, kids’ sleeping bags are premium bags with the warmest filling and shoulder baffles.
Kids’ sleeping bag FAQ
Q. What’s the best way to store a kids’ sleeping bag?
A. Most kids’ sleeping bags come with their own storage bag. You should store the sleeping bag in the driest place possible, away from sunlight. Moisture can cause mildew and mold if left for a long time. Don’t pack the sleeping bag too tightly, or it will lose loft.
Q. Do kids’ sleeping bags come with interesting and silly designs?
A. Yes. If you want your kids to enjoy looking at their sleeping bag, you can easily find one with animals, monsters, or other whimsical designs on the inside and outside.
Kids’ sleeping bags we recommend
Best of the best kids’ sleeping bag
BuddyBagz’ Sleeping Bag & Travel Kit For Kids
Our take: More than just a sleeping bag — it’s an entire overnight kit.
What we like: Included night light, pillow, and stuffed friend for your child. It’s 62 inches long, so it’s big enough for larger kids.
What we dislike: Not warm enough for camping. Best for indoor use.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Best bang for your buck kids’ sleeping bag
Wenzel’s Moose Boys/Girls 40º Sleeping Bag
Our take: Thick and comfy enough for almost any sleeping situation.
What we like: Has nonallergenic fill material. Comes in blue or pink. Double-sided zipper makes “self-zipping” easy for kids.
What we dislike: Some users reported difficulty with the zipper.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Kids’ sleeping bag worth checking out
Teton Sports’ Celsius Junior Kids Sleeping Bag
Our take: Lightweight and comfortable option with a stylish finish.
What we like: Fits over the top of the head for extra warmth. Machine washable. Durable construction.
What we dislike: Some felt the lining was too thin.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Adam Reeder writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2021 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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The best kids’ sleeping bag
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https://www.counton2.com/reviews/br/camping-outdoors-br/sleeping-br/the-best-kids-sleeping-bag/
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[
"Lauren Corona",
"Bestreviews Staff",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:19:11+00:00
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2021-08-19 10:23:31
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Our team of experts has selected the best earplugs for concerts out of hundreds of models. Don't buy earplugs for concerts before reading these reviews.
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You cannot reverse the cumulative damage caused to ears from regular exposure to loud noise at concerts, so preventing this damage by wearing earplugs is critical.
Which earplugs are best for concerts?
Whether you’re playing or attending, concerts get loud, so wearing earplugs can help protect your hearing. When buying earplugs for shows, they should reduce noise levels without limiting the quality or spectrum of sound so you can still appreciate the music to its fullest.
But, which are the best earplugs for concerts? You can find plenty of great options, including Eargasm High Fidelity Earplugs, which have clever attenuation filters that reduce volume but preserve the full range of sound, so they’re ideal for concert-goers and musicians.
What to know before you buy earplugs for concerts
Sound filtering
Earplugs designed for use on factory floors or while sleeping block as much noise as possible. It doesn’t matter if they block some frequencies or make ambient noise sound muffled. However, when you buy earplugs for concerts, you still want to hear the music clearly, so the sound should be filtered, not blocked. This lets you hear the full range of musical frequencies and enjoy your favorite bands at a lower volume that won’t damage your hearing. Earplugs that can filter sounds are sometimes known as attenuating earplugs or high fidelity earplugs.
Noise reduction rating
Some earplugs will give you a noise reduction rating in decibels that tells you roughly how many decibels they’ll reduce noises around you. You can expect earplugs for concerts to have a noise reduction rating somewhere between 11 and 27 decibels.
Tip sizes
People’s ears aren’t all the same size, so you can’t expect one earplug size to fit every ear. Instead, many earplugs have interchangeable tips and come with two or three tip sizes so you can find the size that best fits your ears. What’s also great about earplugs with interchangeable tips is that you can usually buy replacement tips when yours have worn out, so you don’t need to replace the full earplugs.
What to look for in quality earplugs for concerts
Case
Many earplugs for musicians and concert-goers come with a convenient carry case, making it easier to take them around with you and reducing the chance of losing them. Keychain cases that come with a ring to fit on your keyfob are convenient because as long as you bring your keys with you, you’ll never forget your earplugs.
Neck cord
Some earplugs come with a neck cord that sits around the back of your neck. This lets you more easily take out your earplugs between sets without losing them or having to put them back in their case.
Comfort
It’s essential that your earplugs feel comfortable to wear. Those with soft silicone tips are usually reasonably comfortable if you get the right fit.
How much you can expect to spend on earplugs for concerts
The earplugs for concerts cost less than $10, though their quality is questionable. Most cost $15-$50, though you can get custom-made earplugs for several hundred dollars, which may be a good investment if you play or attend concerts regularly.
Earplugs for concerts FAQ
Should I wear earplugs to a concert?
A. Yes. It might feel and sound a bit strange at first if you’re used to going to concerts without earplugs, but it’s worth getting used to them to protect your hearing. Regular exposure to loud noises can lead to tinnitus and eventually hearing loss, so frequent gig-goers should look after their hearing by wearing earplugs.
Does wearing earplugs damage your ears?
A. If you use them correctly, no, you won’t damage your ears by wearing earplugs, but you should exercise some caution. Make sure to clean your earplugs regularly. Otherwise, bacteria can build up, and when you put them back into your ears, that bacteria could cause an ear infection. Untreated ear infections can cause hearing loss in serious cases, so it’s not worth running the risk. It only takes a few seconds to wipe down the tips of your earplugs, after all.
What are the best earplugs for concerts to buy?
Top earplugs for concerts
Eargasm High Fidelity Earplugs
What you need to know: The perfect choice for people who need excellent clarity as these earplugs reduce sound without muffling it.
What you’ll love: It uses soft, comfortable silicone, comes with two tip sizes, has a pull tab that allows easy removal and comes with a handy case that fits on a keychain.
What you should consider: Not the best value for money.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top earplugs for concerts for the money
Etymotic Research High-Fidelity Earplugs
What you need to know: These are excellent earplugs for buyers on a limited budget that perform just as well as many more costly options.
What you’ll love: They have a low-profile design, come with a case and a detachable neck cord and retain a good amount of sound quality.
What you should consider: Some users find them a poor fit and uncomfortable.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Vibes High Fidelity Earplugs
What you need to know: These are ideal for people who don’t want their earplugs to stand out, thanks to the completely clear stem.
What you’ll love: They are comfortable to wear, include three tip sizes and a small carry case included and the sound is filtered, not blocked, so that you can hear the music clearly.
What you should consider: If you want a neck cord or keychain case, they’re sold separately.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Lauren Corona writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2021 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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Best earplugs for concerts
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https://www.counton2.com/reviews/br/health-wellness-br/ears-nose-throat-br/best-earplugs-for-concerts/
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[
"Sian Babish",
"Bestreviews Staff",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:18:11+00:00
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2021-08-19 17:29:32
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Twin XL mattresses are 5 inches longer than regular twin mattresses. Check out the best twin XL mattress.
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While you can lay down to test some mattresses in stores, certain mattresses are available exclusively online, so you’ll only be able to try them once they’re delivered.
BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.
Which twin XL mattress is best?
Twin mattresses may be too short for some people, particularly taller sleepers seeking more leg room. If it’s time to upgrade to a longer mattress, consider a twin XL, which is recommended for people 6 feet or taller.
Twin XL mattresses are 5 inches longer than regular twin mattresses. While it doesn’t seem like much, it may provide enough room for sleepers to get more comfortable without their feet hanging over the edge. Saatva Classic Mattress, a hybrid innerspring mattress, is a quality model with pressure point relief and no-sag edges.
What to know before you buy a twin XL mattress
Twin XL mattress dimensions
Twin XL mattresses measure 38 x 80 inches, whereas regular twin mattresses are 38 x 75 inches. Comparatively speaking, a twin XL offers an additional 190 square inches of room compared to a twin. It’s worth noting that twin XL mattresses are actually as long as queen and king mattresses.
Types of mattresses
To narrow your options among twin XL mattresses, it’s helpful to determine which type of mattress best suits you.
Innerspring mattresses have rows of metal coils or springs. They’re covered by layers of batting, and in some mattresses, the uppermost layer is a plush pillow top.
Memory foam mattresses are made from several layers of foam, and sometimes, innerspring. They offer a balance of softness and support, making them popular among sleepers with more complex mattress needs.
Air mattresses are often used as guest mattresses and inflate and compress as needed. Some air mattresses require a separate pump, while many newer models have built-in pumps. Certain air mattresses are contoured with flocked tops to offer better support.
Foundation compatibility
Before you buy a twin XL mattress, determine whether it’s compatible with your existing foundation if you have one, whether it’s a bed frame, platform base, slatted bed or box spring. Otherwise, you’ll need to purchase a new foundation with the twin XL mattress. Fortunately, buying them together from the same retailer may include bundled discounts.
What to look for in a quality twin XL mattress
Firmness
In the world of mattresses, there are five main firmness levels: soft, medium soft, medium, medium-firm and firm. However, mattress manufacturers may use different names for firmness levels, which may lead to some confusion.
To simplify your search (especially if you’re only able to order your twin XL mattress online) read in-depth descriptions about how they characterize their firmness levels. Certain details may expand on the firmness level and specifically indicate the type of support or sleeping position the mattress best serves.
Thickness
Standard twin XL mattresses are 6-10 inches deep, though there are some mattresses that are 18 inches. While thickness may not impact your purchase decision too much, it plays a role in the type of twin XL bedding you buy. Mattresses thicker than 10 inches, for example, may require deep-pocket sheets or longer duvets.
Cooling features
Some twin XL mattresses have cooling features to better regulate temperature. Gel layers are cool to the touch and stay cooler longer. Perforated memory foam layers distribute heat away from the body, while some pillow tops are filled with lightweight, breathable materials.
How much you can expect to spend on a twin XL mattress
Entry-level innerspring twin XL mattresses cost around $500, and hybrid mattresses start at $900. Twin XL mattresses with specialized support or breathable features cost $1,200 or more.
Twin XL mattress FAQ
Can I use twin bedding for a twin XL mattress?
A. There are some bedding sets that fit both twin and twin XL mattresses, though many buyers agree the fit is less than perfect. Twin XL bedding is usually too long for twin beds, though it can be fitted with strategic tucking and bed sheet clips.
How are twin XL mattresses delivered?
A. Most innerspring mattresses are delivered flat. Many hybrid and memory foam mattresses are shipped in a box. They’re usually folded or rolled up and require at least a couple days to decompress and off-gas.
What’s the best twin XL mattress to buy?
Top twin XL mattress
Saatva Classic Mattress
What you need to know: This hybrid innerspring mattress offers pressure point relief, making it popular for those with aches and pains.
What you’ll love: Plush 3-inch Euro pillow top gives the mattress a luxurious feel. Spinal zone technology promotes optimal alignment. Works well for those with different firmness preferences.
What you should consider: Might be a bit too soft for some people.
Where to buy: Sold by Saatva
Top twin XL mattress for the money
Leesa Hybrid Mattress
What you need to know: In addition to offering support through foam and pocketed coils, this mattress minimizes motion transfer.
What you’ll love: Breathable construction with a perforated layer. Has over 1,000 pocket springs for reliable support and firmness. Comes with a 100-night trial and 10-year warranty.
What you should consider: Mattress needs time to decompress and off-gas.
Where to buy: Sold by Leesa
Worth checking out
Puffy Lux Hybrid Mattress
What you need to know: Highly rated as a versatile mattress, the Puffy Lux fits on any foundation or frame.
What you’ll love: Hypoallergenic cover minimizes allergy triggers and debris buildup. Six-layer design includes breathable and cooling layers, which are helpful for hot sleepers. Adaptive pressure relief.
What you should consider: Mixed reviews regarding customer service and shipping.
Where to buy: Sold by Puffy
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Sian Babish writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2021 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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www.counton2.com
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Best twin XL mattress
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https://www.counton2.com/reviews/br/bed-bath-br/mattresses-pillows-br/best-twin-xl-mattress/
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[
"Chris Gillespie",
"Bestreviews Staff",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:18:44+00:00
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2021-08-19 12:57:16
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Our team of experts has selected the best tailgate tent out of hundreds of options. Don't buy a tailgate tent before reading these reviews.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.counton2.com%2Freviews%2Fbr%2Fcamping-outdoors-br%2Ftents-br%2Fbest-tailgate-tent%2F.json
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A tent makes for an inexpensive holiday and gives you the freedom to explore and make camp wherever you like.
Which tailgate tent is best?
If you own an SUV, a van or a truck, then there is likely a tailgate tent suitable for you. Tailgate tents are available in a range of styles, from simple canopies for daytime use to fully waterproof models that clip onto the back of a vehicle or connect to the bed of a truck. Some even have sleeping quarters and can be used as a regular tent for camping trips and festivals.
Deciding which tailgate tent is best for you will depend on how you want to use it and in what type of weather. The Kodiak Canvas Truck Bed Tent is designed for flatbed trucks such as the Ford F Series and the Nissan Titan. It has a 5-foot ceiling height and can easily accommodate two people. Alternatively, there are many other designs worthy of consideration, which are suitable for most budgets.
What to know before you buy a tailgate tent
Purpose
How you plan to use your tent will determine the design that you need. For light daytime use, a simple canopy is often sufficient. However, these usually don’t incorporate walls or a floor and don’t offer much protection from the elements. For camping and overnight trips, a fully enclosed tent will offer privacy and protection similar to that of a regular tent.
Vehicle
The size and shape of your vehicle will dictate the type of tent that can be used. Some are designed to attach to the back of the vehicle with the tailgate open, allowing access to the rear. Some use the bed and sides of the truck with the tent forming a roof, whereas other, larger models are erected behind the vehicle and incorporate the trunk for sleeping quarters.
Material
The material of the tent is an important factor for several reasons. Canopy-style tents are mainly used as shade from the sun and offer little protection in cold or rainy weather. Canvas is a good all-around choice as it’s hard-wearing and should provide years of service. If you want to camp in inclement weather, then a dual-walled tent with taped seams will offer the most protection.
What to look for in a quality tailgate tent
Ease of use
How difficult and the speed with which a tent can be erected varies from model to model. A canopy can be set up in a few minutes, as it has few parts to assemble, while larger, multi-room tents will often require two people. A tent with color-coded poles makes it much easier to locate each part and can be a fun learning exercise for children.
Size
If you plan to use the tent for camping, then be sure it is large enough for the number of occupants and their belongings. Usually, sizing runs a little small; for example, a two-person tent is just big enough for two people to sleep but doesn’t offer room for much else.
Features
All tents are available with additional features, which, depending on your budget, may or may not be necessary. Any kind of extras that improve the tent’s weather resistance is beneficial for those who want versatility from their investment. Twin zips, mosquito nets, built-in groundsheets and internal stash pockets are all handy but do increase the weight and overall price.
How much you can expect to spend on a tailgate tent
Prices range significantly depending on the size of the tent. A simple canopy can be purchased for under $200, whereas a larger, multi-room tent will start at around $800.
Tailgate tent FAQ
Are tailgate tents heavy?
A. Backpacking tents are usually constructed using ultra-lightweight materials. However, since these tents are designed to be carried in a vehicle, this isn’t necessary. A canopy-style tent with steel poles weighs around 20 to 40 pounds; a tent suitable for camping may be double that.
What is the best way to clean a tent?
A. Unfortunately, putting a tent in a washing machine will impair its waterproof properties. Instead, use clean water and a mild detergent to clean any dirt or stains by hand. Always make sure your tent is completely dry before storage to prevent mold and mildew.
What’s the best tailgate tent to buy?
Top tailgate tent
Kodiak Canvas Truck Bed Tent
What you need to know: This two-person tent is designed for use in the back of a truck and is available in different sizes for different bed lengths.
What you’ll love: It is made with cotton duck canvas that is durable, watertight and breathable. It has a large D-shaped door and two zippered windows.
What you should consider: It doesn’t have a built-in groundsheet; rather, the bed of the truck becomes the floor.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top tailgate tent for the money
Napier Sportz Cove
What you need to know: This universal-fit canopy shade fits most small-to-midsize SUVs and minivans.
What you’ll love: It is ideal for fishing trips, picnics and barbecues. It provides almost 3 feet of shade and has a built-in mesh to keep out bugs.
What you should consider: It cannot be used on an SUV with a barn door.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Worth checking out
CLAM Quick-Set Escape Sport
What you need to know: This versatile gazebo has a pop-up design that takes under a minute to erect.
What you’ll love: It is 7.5 feet tall at its highest point, making it large enough to fit over the back of a truck or an SUV. It can accommodate eight people and a picnic table.
What you should consider: When packed into its storage bag, it is still rather large and bulky.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
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Chris Gillespie writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2021 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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www.counton2.com
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Best tailgate tent
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https://www.counton2.com/reviews/br/camping-outdoors-br/tents-br/best-tailgate-tent/
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[
"Allen Foster",
"Bestreviews Staff",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:18:17+00:00
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2021-08-19 17:27:49
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Our team of experts has selected the best UV umbrella out of hundreds of models. Don't buy a UV umbrella before reading these reviews.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.counton2.com%2Freviews%2Fbr%2Fcamping-outdoors-br%2Fgear-br%2Fbest-uv-umbrella%2F.json
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Color has a direct impact on UV radiation — the darker and more vibrant the color, the more radiation it will absorb. For example, a black shirt will absorb more radiation than a white shirt, and a vibrant red shirt will absorb more radiation than a pastel pink shirt.
Which UV umbrella is best?
Simple things can make our life not only better, but safer as well. The right UV umbrella, for instance, can offer protection from up to 98% of the sun’s damaging rays.
If you’re in the market for a UV umbrella, you’ll probably want something that also offers protection from the rain and is manufactured to withstand wind. LifeTek’s Windproof Travel Umbrella features a convenient push-button operation that allows you to open or close the umbrella at the touch of a button.
What to know before you buy a UV umbrella
Who needs a UV umbrella?
Unprotected exposure to UVA and UVB rays can damage the DNA in skin cells, which can result in premature aging as well as genetic defects and mutations. These rays can do the same thing to the eyes.
A UV umbrella is an umbrella specifically designed to keep the sun’s damaging rays from reaching your skin and eyes. Anyone who’s in the sun for prolonged periods of time can benefit from a UV protection umbrella. This includes golfers, sightseers, sports fans, beachgoers, gardeners, commuters, outdoor vendors, walkers, people with sun-related medical conditions and more. Whatever time of year, whether it’s overcast or cold, if you’ll be outside for prolonged periods of time, using a UV umbrella is a wise choice.
SPF vs. UPF
When you’re picking out sunscreen, you need to understand SPF ratings. SPF stands for sun protection factor and it’s based on how much time it takes the skin to redden when exposed to UV rays. If you typically burn in 10 minutes and you’re wearing properly applied sunscreen with an SPF of 15, it means, in general, it will take you 15 times longer to burn.
A UPF rating, on the other hand, applies to fabrics and denotes how much harmful radiation gets through. UPF stands for ultraviolet protection factor. A UV beach umbrella with a UPF of 50 means only one-fiftieth of the sun’s harmful rays can get through. In other words, that umbrella will block up to 98% of the sun’s harmful UV rays.
What to look for in a quality UV umbrella
Level of protection
In order to qualify for The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation, a UV umbrella must have a minimum UPF of 30. A UV umbrella that offers a UPF of 30-49 is considered very good protection. A UV umbrella that offers a UPF of 50+ is considered excellent protection.
Size
If you’re using your UV umbrella for commuting, you’ll want a smaller, travel-size model that’s easier to bring aboard public transportation. If you’ll be lounging on the beach all day, you need a UV beach umbrella that offers greater coverage.
Waterproof
If you want to use your UV umbrella in inclement weather, purchase a model that’s waterproof — believe it or not, not all UV umbrellas provide protection from the rain.
Windproof
A UV umbrella that features vents or a double canopy is designed to allow gusts of air to pass through the umbrella without damaging it.
Handle design
The handle might not seem important, but since it’s what you hold, its design is crucial to your comfort. A soft rubber grip is the most comfortable, but some individuals prefer a C-shaped handle because it can be placed around the wrist, allowing you to keep your hands free while still holding the umbrella. Alternatively, you can purchase a UV umbrella with a clamp so you can attach it to a chair or bleachers and not have to worry about holding it at all.
Ease of opening and closing
A UV umbrella that’s difficult to open or close can be frustrating. Look for a UV umbrella that opens and closes with minimal effort — a push-button design is best, but this might not be available on larger UV umbrellas.
How much you can expect to spend on a UV umbrella
It’s possible to purchase a travel-size UV umbrella for as little as $15. If you’d like a model that’s windproof, waterproof and features durable construction, a top model may cost $50 or more, though most people can find a quality UV umbrella for roughly $25-$35.
UV umbrella FAQ
Do I need to wear sunscreen when using a UV umbrella?
A. While a UV umbrella does a great job of protecting you from overhead radiation, it’s possible for the sun’s damaging rays to be reflected up from the ground or in from the sides. This means for best protection, sunscreen is still recommended when using a UV umbrella.
How much radiation is reflected by different surfaces?
A. While we commonly think of water and sand as reflecting a great deal of UV radiation, those surfaces only reflect roughly 5% and up to 15% of the sun’s UV radiation, respectively. Concrete may reflect as much as 11%, while seafoam is typically estimated at reflecting 25% of the sun’s radiation. The worst surface is snow, which is capable of reflecting over 90% of the sun’s harmful rays.
What’s the best UV umbrella to buy?
Top UV umbrella
LifeTek Windproof Travel Umbrella
What you need to know: It’s hard to beat the push-button opening and closing convenience of this automated travel umbrella.
What you’ll love: This double-vented canopy travel umbrella is built tough. It offers a UPF 50+ rating, which blocks up to 98% of the sun’s harmful rays. The automatic open and close feature on this umbrella makes it effortless to use.
What you should consider: This is a travel umbrella, so the coverage area is a little smaller than other models.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top UV umbrella for the money
BAGAIL Reverse-Folding Umbrella
What you need to know: This cleverly designed reverse-folding umbrella is manufactured to keep the user dry when closing.
What you’ll love: Besides being affordable, this innovative umbrella has a number of user-friendly features such as a hands-free handle and a reverse-fold so water won’t drip down your arm when closing. It offers a UPF of 50+ and comes with a 1-year worry-free warranty.
What you should consider: When fully collapsed, this umbrella is still almost 32 inches long, which can be a little large for commuters.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Sport-Brella Versa-Brella
What you need to know: There’s a reason this model is called a Versa-Brella. It has five points of adjustability, making it one of the most versatile umbrellas on the market.
What you’ll love: This umbrella has a universal clamp that allows it to fit on either a round or square post up to 1.5 inches thick. It offers a UPF of 50+ and can be tilted, twirled or adjusted to any angle to provide shade. The pole is offset so the umbrella can more easily cover your legs while sitting down.
What you should consider: Because this model has five different places where it can bend or twist, it can be difficult to figure out the logistics needed to get the umbrella into the perfect position.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Allen Foster writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2021 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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www.counton2.com
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Best UV umbrella
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https://www.counton2.com/reviews/br/camping-outdoors-br/gear-br/best-uv-umbrella/
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[
"Morgan Freeman",
"Bestreviews Staff",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:18:24+00:00
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2021-08-19 12:56:34
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To ensure you and your family and friends have the best tailgating experience possible, here's our ultimate tailgating checklist for everything you need.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.counton2.com%2Freviews%2Fbr%2Fcamping-outdoors-br%2Fgear-br%2Fthe-ultimate-tailgating-checklist-everything-you-need%2F.json
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Canopies, lanterns and blankets can keep the fun going rain or shine, and games like cornhole keep the entire family engaged.
The ultimate tailgating checklist
Tailgating is a fun way to show off your team pride and have a great time before a game. To ensure you and your family and friends have the best experience possible, it’s important to check that you have everything you’ll need.
Some essentials, like grills, are an obvious item on the checklist, but going beyond the basics can keep you entertained and comfortable, no matter the situation. Canopies, lanterns and blankets can keep the fun going rain or shine, and games like cornhole can keep the entire family engaged.
Everything you need for tailgating
Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett Sense Mate Wood Pellet Tailgating Grill
This grill is easily portable, weighing only 57 pounds. It has foldable legs that make it simple to fit inside the trunk of a car. There are several ways to power the grill: power cable, battery or car adapter. It also has Wi-Fi features that allow for constant temperature monitoring, even from a distance.
Sold by Amazon
YETI Tundra 65 Cooler
The YETI Tundra 65 Cooler is one of the best on the market. It’s made to be indestructible and reliable. With 3 inches of insulation, this cooler holds cold for extended periods of time and also can be used for hauling hot meats.
Sold by Amazon and Dick’s Sporting Goods
New Star Foodservice Stainless Steel BBQ Tool Set
This grilling set includes tongs, a spatula, a cleaning brush and a fork made from stainless steel and wood. It’s a great value for sturdy, reliable grilling tools. This set should cover any basic grilling needs at a tailgate.
Sold by Amazon
Jolly Green Products Ekogrips Premium Heat-Resistant BBQ Gloves
These sturdy heat-resistant gloves are great for protecting your hands while grilling. They’re non-slip, dishwasher-safe and tear-resistant. Their silicone material makes them resistant to stains and odors. They have excellent grip while also allowing for dexterity.
Sold by Amazon
BBQ Bros. Rubs Ultimate Barbecue Spices Seasoning Set
This set of BBQ rubs comes with Carolina, Memphis and New Orleans-style seasonings. Highly rated, these rubs work for different types of grilling. They’re free of gluten and MSG.
Sold by Amazon
Axim USA Bottle Openers, 3-Pack
These bottle openers are sturdy and reliable and ensure there’s more than one bottle opener to go around. They’re crafted from stainless steel and have a rubber-coated handle.
Sold by Amazon
Tupperware One-Touch Reminder 4-Piece Canister Set
This Tupperware set has plenty of space for all your tailgating leftovers and small peep windows so you can see what’s stored inside each container. This set is budget-friendly and well-made, as well as being dishwasher-safe.
Sold by Amazon
EZ Up Sierra II Canopy
This canopy is lightweight, only weighing 35 pounds, and has a fast, easy setup. It can provide up to 6 feet of shade with its angled design. It’s fire- and water-resistant and provides 99% UV protection. This tent also has two different height settings for your varied needs.
Sold by Amazon
Coleman Quad Portable Camp Chair with 4-Can Cooler
This excellently priced camp chair is comfortable and durable. It has an attached cooler/storage area that can hold up to four cans. It also has a cushioned seat and back and attached cupholder.
Sold by Amazon
National Public Seating Heavy-Duty Folding Table
This durable table holds up to 1,000 pounds and comes with a 10-year warranty. The 18-gauge steel legs fold for easy storage. Priced in the mid-range, it’s a great buy for the money.
Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Lighting EVER LED Camping Lantern
This lantern has an output of 1,000 lumens. It has 4 different light settings and up to 12 hours of battery life. The lantern can also be used as a power bank for your smartphone and other gadgets. It is also water resistant and is perfect for outdoors.
Sold by Amazon
PortableAnd Extra-Large Picnic & Outdoor Blanket
This fleecy blanket is easily portable and has a PEVA waterproof backing. It’s large enough to fit several adults as a picnic blanket or its fleece side can be used for warmth. It’s worth noting that it can only be spot-cleaned.
Sold by Amazon
Coleman Camping Expedition First Aid Kit
This first aid kit is reasonably priced and should cover all basic first aid needs. It comes with 205 pieces, including gauze, bandages, pads and antiseptic wipes. All items come in a semi-hard case.
Sold by Amazon
Murphy’s Naturals Mosquito Repellent Candle
This candle has a pleasant smell, made from lemongrass, peppermint, rosemary, cedarwood and citronella oils. The waxes are all-natural, and the candle burns for 30 hours. Its tin containers come with lids for easy transport.
Sold by Amazon
GoSports Portable Cornhole Game Set
A portable, lightweight cornhole set perfect for a tailgate. Sized to work for both adults and children, this set comes with two boards and six bags. The boards loop together for easy movement.
Sold by Amazon and Wayfair
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
This speaker has 360-degree sound. Its waterproof and drop-proof design makes it great for outdoor use. It has 13 hours of battery life and floats in water. It can be paired with another Wonderboom speaker for mono or stereo mode.
Sold by Amazon
Discraft Ultra-Star 175-Gram Super Color Ultra-Star Disc
This 175-gram disc has a fun wrap and is perfect for all frisbee games. It’s the official disc of the USA Ultimate Championship Series.
Sold by Amazon
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Morgan Freeman writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2021 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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The ultimate tailgating checklist: Everything you need
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[
"David Allan Van",
"Bestreviews Staff",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:20:07+00:00
|
2021-08-19 12:58:38
|
Whether you wish to add to your collection or gift someone one of the most sought-after Hot Wheels toys, this guide will help you make the right choice.
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en
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Hot Wheels toys provide fun for kids and adults of all ages, and many of the racing, stunt and trick designs are truly fantastic.
Which Hot Wheels toys are best?
Fantastic racing tracks and jumps, fun tunnels and popular action figures are just a fragment of what Hot Wheels toy sets have to offer. You no longer have to get behind the wheel of your actual vehicle to experience the thrill as most Hot Wheels include die-cast metal toy cars popular with small children and adults alike. Actually, Hot Wheels cars feature custom, caricature and fantasy vehicles rather than small-scale models of production cars.
Whether you wish to add to your personal Hot Wheels collection or gift someone one of the most sought-after Hot Wheels toys, this guide will help you make the right choice. In particular, the Hot Wheels Criss Cross Crash Motorized Track Set is an excellent choice that enhances creativity skills and promises loads of fun.
What to know before you buy Hot Wheels toys
Hot Wheels toys
Mattel makes Hot Wheels toys for all age groups. Naturally, 3-year-olds will like different toys than kids age 6, 9 or 12, so check the recommended age range on the package. Hot Wheels also produces collector sets for serious enthusiasts of all ages.
Usage
Hot Wheels toys hold kids spellbound — kids will play with them for hours! However, if you are buying a set for a collector, look for sets made for display and include stands. It’s also preferable that they come in the original, individual packaging.
Space
Check the dimensions of all the track pieces, especially those with tall loops and towers that may not collapse for easy storage.
What to look for in quality Hot Wheels toys
Hot Wheels gives you a choice of many different types of toys, constantly adding new sets and collectibles.
Track sets
The designs of Hot Wheels track sets have become even more amazing over the years. The simple tracks of the past have evolved into fantastic loops, twists, jumps and flyovers. Some of the more complicated track sets will need help from adults to assemble properly for maximum enjoyment. Look for track sets that connect to other track sets so you can expand your collection and design your own unique layout.
Vehicles
Hot Wheels started with cars and now makes trucks, vans, military vehicles, airplanes and many more. Some of their most popular vehicles are monster trucks and exotic sports cars. Hot Wheels 2021 sets feature character- and film-based vehicles too, like Minecraft, Fast and Furious, Batman, Star Wars and Mario Kart toy vehicles.
Hot Wheels vehicles come as individual cars or in sets of various sizes. If you want an awesome surprise, take a look at the Hot Wheels 72 Count Random Case with an assortment of current issues and great cars of the past.
Storage
Hot Wheels sells many different kinds and sizes of cases for storing your cars. All are great ways to keep your cars organized and safe from damage. Some are simple storage bins or carrying cases, while others are designed to be toys too, and thus become part of the fun.
Vehicle collectors tend to opt for portable, see-through display cases, whereas those with bigger collections prefer wall-mounted cabinets to show off their cars and trucks.
How much you can expect to spend on Hot Wheels toys
Most Hot Wheels cars come in sets that cost from $1-$3 per car. Most Hot Wheels track sets cost between $20-$50. Sets with a price tag of over $50 are usually extreme designs, a dozen of which cost more than $100 and one amazing set that costs upwards of $500.
Hot Wheels toys FAQ
Do all Hot Wheels track sets need batteries?
A. Not all do, especially the smaller, simpler ones for younger kids. Long tracks and track sets with loops and jumps need to power the cars with batteries to reach the high speeds needed to handle all the jumps and loops. Most of them require D-cell batteries.
Are Hot Wheels track sets hard to put together?
A. A lot depends on the ability of the person doing the assembly and their ability to follow the assembly instructions. The track design is another factor. Simple tracks take only a few minutes to put together, while larger sets with more complex designs can take an hour or more to assemble. Either way, make sure you save the instructions.
What’s the best Hot Wheels toy to buy?
Top Hot Wheels toys
Hot Wheels Criss Cross Crash Motorized Track Set
What you need to know: This layout has four tracks that converge in a crash zone for hi-tor-miss racing thrills.
What you’ll love: Pure chaos when multiple cars have near misses and crash into each other at the intersection of this wild cloverleaf design. Motorized boosters powered by four D-cell batteries crank up the speed through hairpin turns, challenging intersections and a huge crash zone in the middle of the sturdy figure-eight track. The car feeder feature allows kids to line up lots of Hot Wheels cars to get them on the track when it’s their turn.
What you should consider: This set comes with only one car.
Where to buy: Amazon
Top Hot Wheels toys for the money
Hot Wheels Race Super Speed Blastway Dual Track
What you need to know: This Hot Wheels dual track is made for exciting side-by-side racing action.
What you’ll love: The two kid-activated slam launchers get the racing started. Hot Wheels cars knock off pit crew members every lap around the track, and a checkered flag appears at the end to reward the champion. This track easily connects to other Hot Wheels track sets.
What you should consider: Parts of the track can come disconnected if the play gets too rough.
Where to buy: Amazon
Worth checking out
Hot Wheels Factory Fresh 10-Pack Mini Collection
What you need to know: You can never have too many Hot Wheels cars.
What you’ll love: Every set is a surprise, with cars that come in 10 different styles and colors. All of the vehicles in this Mini Collection have realistic details and authentic decor. Each car, truck or motorcycle comes in its original, individual package for maximum collectibility.
What you should consider: Styles will vary, so enjoy the element of surprise when they arrive.
Where to buy: Amazon
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
David Allan Van writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2021 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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www.counton2.com
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Best Hot Wheels toys
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https://www.counton2.com/reviews/br/toys-games-br/theme-toys-br/best-hot-wheels-toys/
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[
"Bryan Anderson",
"Associated Press",
"Carolyn Murray",
"The Associated Press",
"Raymond Owens"
] |
2021-08-20 02:15:20+00:00
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2021-08-19 18:15:37
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Authorities combing areas of North Carolina flooded by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred said Thursday that two people have been found dead and about 20 were unaccounted for. Meanwhile, Fred — now a post-tropical cyclone — was pushing through New York and New England with drenching rains, and Tropical Storm […]
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In this image provided by New Hanover County Fire Rescue, members of North Carolina’s Task Force 11, based in New Hanover County, are shown during rescue efforts in Canton, N.C, on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. Authorities said that dozens of water rescues were performed after the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred dumped rain on the mountains of North Carolina. (New Hanover County Fire Rescue via AP)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Authorities combing areas of North Carolina flooded by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred said Thursday that two people have been found dead and about 20 were unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, Fred — now a post-tropical cyclone — was pushing through New York and New England with drenching rains, and Tropical Storm Henri was sending dangerous waves onto East Coast beaches. Forecasters said Henri will likely strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches the northeastern U.S. early next week.
In western North Carolina, Haywood County Emergency Services announced Thursday that two people were confirmed dead after the flooding that prompted dozens of water rescues. Their identities were not immediately released. Around 20 people remained missing. The storm that blew through the area Tuesday made roads impassible, washed out bridges and swamped homes and businesses.
Another Fred-related death was reported earlier in the week in Florida, where a driver hydroplaned and flipped his car into a flooded ditch.
More than 200 people searched flooded areas along the Pigeon River. At least 10 bridges were damaged or destroyed in the Cruso community, where engineering teams worked to construct temporary bridges to allow people in and out of their homes.
“Our search crews are actively working, searching for more victims and more survivors,” Travis Donaldson, emergency services director for Haywood County, said at a news conference.
Kevin Sandefur, CEO and founder of BearWaters Brewing Company in Canton, told reporters the flooding wiped out an outdoor seating section the brewery added to make customers feel safer during the pandemic.
“It was very frightening. I was more concerned for everybody’s safety,” he said. “My partner was the last one out of the building and barely made it out of here in his truck before they closed the bridges and the streets because it was up that high. It’s very scary how quickly it came up and overwhelmed us.”
An emergency shelter at a nearby high school housed 11 people Thursday.
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper surveyed flood damage Thursday afternoon, vowing afterward to help the area rebuild and noting: ““Storms are more ferocious than they were before. Climate change has contributed to that.” Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis toured the area earlier in the day.
Farther north, about 10 families evacuated their homes in the rural town of Western in central New York as waters rose.
“I’ve got three roads that are closed and 15 that have flooding,” said Western town Supervisor Diane Butler, who noted the town is still recovering from a tornado last month that downed trees and damaged homes.
Butler said there were no injuries.
Officials from the Cayuga County sheriff’s office in the Finger Lakes tourist region said they were barricading roads as they warned on social media that flooded roads may be washed out or have heavy currents.
Strong winds brought down trees, utility poles and power lines in northeastern Connecticut. Thompson, Connecticut First Selectman Amy St. Onge, the town’s top elected official, said authorities were investigating reports ofa possible tornado in the area around 10 a.m.No injuries were reported.
As of late Thursday morning, Fred was blowing through upstate New York with maximum sustained winds of about 25 mph (34 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Forecasters said it was expected to produce between 1 and 3 inches of rain (2.5-7.6 centimeters) across New York and New England, with isolated spots getting more. The flood threat was expected to diminish by Friday. Its center was about 50 miles (75 kilometers) west-northwest of Albany.
Swirling in the Atlantic was Tropical Storm Henri, which is expected to become a hurricane offshore late Friday along a path that will likely take it parallel to the East Coast. Its center was forecast to approach southern New England by Monday.
___
Follow Anderson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BryanRAnderson.
___
Anderson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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2 dead, 20 missing in North Carolina county flooded by Fred
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[
"Scripps National"
] |
2021-08-20 01:51:02+00:00
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2021-08-19 17:57:00
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is banning a pesticide that has been linked ot neurological damage in children.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is banning a pesticide that has been linked to neurological damage in children.
The agency says chlorpyrifos has been used on certain crops including strawberries, apples, broccoli, and corn since 1965.
It was also used as a household pesticide for roaches and ants until 2020.
“EPA has determined that the current aggregate exposures from use of chlorpyrifos do not meet the legally required safety standard that there is a reasonable certainty that no harm will result from such exposures,” the agency said in a statement.
The EPA said the European Union and Canada have already banned the pesticide.
Several states also restrict its use on foods including California, Hawaii, New York, Maryland, and Oregon, the agency stated.
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EPA bans pesticide over child health concerns
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https://www.10news.com/news/national/epa-bans-pesticide-over-child-health-concerns
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[
"City News Service"
] |
2021-08-20 01:50:50+00:00
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2021-08-19 17:43:00
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San Diego County public health officials Thursday reported 1,400 new COVID-19 cases, five deaths and 104 new hospitalizations -- discouraging news as the Delta variant continues to surge.
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SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego County public health officials Thursday reported 1,400 new COVID-19 cases, five deaths and 104 new hospitalizations -- discouraging news as the Delta variant continues to surge.
The newly hospitalized patients bump the county total to more than 700 people currently in the hospital with the illness. One month ago, that number was 179. Patients in intensive care units increased by one to 143, but that still marks a increase of nearly 100 people since July 19, when 45 people were in ICU beds with COVID-19.
Thursday's data from the county Human Health and Services Agency increases the cumulative infection count to 319,582, while coronavirus-related deaths increased to 3,839.
A total of 21,989 tests were reported Thursday, and the percentage of new positive cases over the past week was 8.7%.
San Diego County's case rate per 100,000 residents is 28.7 for the general population, but that can be parsed further to just 6 for fully vaccinated residents and 55.7 for those not fully vaccinated. That figure has multiplied more than tenfold since as recently as July 7, when the average daily case rate was just 2.7 per 100,000.
Officials expect the number of reported cases to keep increasing as more schools and businesses are requiring COVID testing.
A total of 43 new community outbreaks were confirmed in the past seven days: 12 in business settings, eight in grade school settings, six in restaurant/bar settings, four in health care settings, three in daycare/preschool/childcare settings, three in retail settings, two in hotel/resort/spa settings, and one each in faith-based, government, restaurant, fitness/gym and community-based settings.
Federal health officials Wednesday recommended all vaccinated Americans get booster shots eight months after they become fully vaccinated. That amounts to a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine -- and "likely" an additional dose for people who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot.
Those shots could begin the week of Sept. 20, according to a joint statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services.
The CDC and HHS said data "make very clear" that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination -- which prompted their recommendation of booster shots for all.
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Over 100 admitted to SD County hospitals amid Delta variant
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[
"Mimi Elkalla"
] |
2021-08-20 01:50:56+00:00
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2021-08-19 18:14:00
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Since October 1, 2020, San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents conducted 41 rescues and encountered 29 deaths along their 60-mile stretch of the southwest border.
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SAN DIEGO (KGTV)- The U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector gave a demonstration Thursday detailing what it takes to make a rescue when a migrant attempting to cross into the U.S. is in distress.
“Temperatures can soar or plummet, creating dangerous conditions for the underprepared or the misguided,” said Scott Garrett, the Acting Deputy Chief Patrol Agent.
He said most of the time, the migrants are abandoned by a smuggler that took them on the journey, leaving them stranded.
“On an almost daily basis, border patrol agents conducting routine operations are called upon to assist people requiring serious medical attention,” said Garrett.
Since October 1, 2020, San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents conducted 41 rescues and encountered 29 deaths along their 60-mile stretch of the southwest border, according to Garrett.
“Compared to Fiscal Year 2020, where agents conducted 45 rescues but only encountered 14 deaths,” he said.
This year, four rescue beacons were installed in mountainous areas with challenging terrain near San Ysidro Mountains; if a migrant is in distress, they can push a red button that alerts a rescue crew.
The agency said it’s working with Mexican authorities through campaigns and programs to highlight the dangers and discourage such crossings.
“We recognize that the most effective way to reduce migrant injuries and deaths is through the prevention and deterrence of illegal entries,” said Garrett. “In partnership with the Mexican Consulate, and other Mexican government agencies, San Diego Sector has been proactive in this approach, developing a series of programs and campaigns that explain the hazards and risks,” he explained.
Thursday, the agency demonstrated what its Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) Unit does during a rescue.
“We use this acronym called LAST,” said James Robertson, with the BORSTAR unit. “Locate, Access, Stabilize, Transport.”
First, the team uses K9s to locate a patient in distress; the dogs are specially trained to do this and rewarded once the patient is found.
Next, the team uses electric motorcycles or helicopters to gain access to the patient, and then they use medical gear to stabilize that person, keeping them alive. The final part of the rescue is to transport the patient, typically using a helicopter to extract them from the location and bring them to safety.
“Most of the time, we’ll have a hoist if we can, but with weather permitting, if we’re fogged in, we’ll stay the night with them, then we’ll later carry them out,” said Robertson.
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Border Patrol demonstrates what migrant rescues look like
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https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/san-diego-border-patrol-sector-demonstrates-what-migrant-rescues-look-like
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[
"Wtvr Staff"
] |
2021-08-20 01:51:08+00:00
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2021-08-19 18:27:00
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“To see what people do and the things they do for children, it’s just amazing,” father Brendan Manning said.
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RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) -- Sophie Manning was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in June 2020.
During one of her treatments at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, one of the medical people mentioned a program being offered in conjunction with Richmond Raceway and the NASCAR Foundation.
“NASCAR is doing things in markets all over the country, like these playset builds, in 15 different markets,” Raceway president Dennis Bickmeier said. “So it’s pretty cool to be one of the markets selected for sure.”
The Raceway got Sophie and her parents out of their home for most of the day, taking laps at the track and making a trip to Dave and Buster’s so a crew could put the set together as a surprise.
Despite some rain showers throughout the day, they pulled it off.
“It just turned out to be such a great fit,” Bickmeier said. “It wasn’t a pre-requisite, but they’re big NASCAR fans as well!”
“To see what people do and the things they do for children, it’s just amazing,” Sophie's father, Brendan Manning said. “It’s brightened her eyes to see the things that have taken place in front of her. It makes us just want to go out and do things for others as well.”
This story was originally reported by Lane Casadonte on WTVR.com.
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Girl with leukemia gets big surprise
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[
"Scripps National"
] |
2021-08-20 01:51:20+00:00
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2021-08-19 17:32:00
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Some Democrats who left Texas to block a GOP voting bill have ended a 38-day holdout.
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Some Democrats who left Texas to block a GOP voting bill have ended a 38-day holdout.
Enough Democrats returned to the state Capitol on Thursday to allow the Texas House to resume work for the first time since mid-July.
That’s when more than 50 Democrats flew to Washington, D.C., in what amounted to a second walkout over Republican efforts to pass new election laws in Texas.
The special session was called after Democrats blocked the elections laws during the regular session. They left the House prior to the end of the session.
However, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called a special session to get the bills passed.
Democrats who left the state and refused to fulfill their duties as lawmakers were threatened with arrest. However, the warrants for their arrest were dissolved Thursday after enough of them showed up to resume work, the Texas Tribune reports.
Republicans are now back on a path to pass new elections laws in Texas before the current special session ends on Sept. 5.
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Texas Democrats return, end 38-day holdout over voting bill
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[
"Associated Press"
] |
2021-08-20 01:51:14+00:00
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2021-08-19 18:10:00
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In a statement Thursday, Elder said he “never brandished a gun at anyone.”
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Larry Elder, a talk radio host and a leading Republican candidate in California's recall election, denies his ex-fiancee's accusation that he once displayed a gun to her during a heated 2015 argument.
Alexandra Datig worked on Elder's show when they were engaged and lived together.
In documents provided to The Associated Press, Datig described an emotionally abusive 18-month relationship with Elder.
She said she never reported the gun incident to police and moved out after they agreed on a financial settlement.
In a statement Thursday, Elder said he “never brandished a gun at anyone.” He didn't address her other claims. Elder is among 46 candidates in the election that could remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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Elder denies showing gun during domestic argument
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[
"Prabhjeet Bhatla"
] |
2021-08-20 01:58:37+00:00
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2021-08-19 09:32:32
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The startup plans to accelerate the product development, acquire customers globally and deliver personalised help to a vibrant community of software users
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August 19, 2021 3 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Pune-based startup Gyde that has built a set of AI-based tools to educate software application users to drive actions for better on-boarding, adoption, engagement, and customer success, announced to have picked up $250,000 in Seed funding from Better Capital and Ashish Achrekar, chief executive officer, Rica Analytics Inc.
With this funding, the startup plans to accelerate product development, acquire customers globally and deliver personalized help to a vibrant community of software users.
Started By Prasanna Vaidya and Shubham Deshmukh in 2019, Gyde has been working with enterprises and growing companies with a vision to assist software users like never before. It has customers and partners in more than 6 countries and counts as A global asset management company, life insurance giant in India, HR and learning management systems, collaboration platforms as its customers. Gyde Platform lets anyone within an organization create guides in a code-free manner to empower application users with up-to-date assistance needed while using the applications.
"Businesses understand that providing to-the-point, personalized assistance to the application users is the key to achieve digital transformation in office and remote work environment," said Prasanna Vaidya, chief executive officer, and co-founder, Gyde. "User assistance is now at the core of their strategy while deploying and managing the applications for their employees, vendors, contractors, agents, everyone."
Gyde’s aim is to make software users more efficient & successful that in-turn will help businesses to realize productivity gains from their digital investments faster. The product currently integrates with web-based, android & iOS applications.
Businesses across the globe are investing billions of dollars every year to purchase the software. More than 30 per cent of this software never gets used as it's difficult to understand & use. Moreover, in a world where software changes every month, it's nearly impossible for the help and user training content to keep pace. This is creating a huge impact on the efficiency of the users and the ROI expected from these applications. With Gyde, there will be a drastic reduction in the need for classroom training, maintenance of lengthy user manuals, and reliance on support teams. Gyde also improves the user experience multifold and makes applications self-serve.
“Gyde is re-imagining the Microsoft Paperclip for the modern world where digitization is at an all-time high and companies struggle to help their users keep pace with the new applications and workflows. With Gyde, B2B, as well as B2C companies, can deliver rich step-by-step voice assistance, byte-sized training videos, and how-tos at the point of trouble. We partnered with Prasanna and Shubham at the founding stage and are excited to see them build Gyde into a category leader,” added Vaibhav Domkundwar, Better Capital, an early backer of breakout companies like Open, Teachmint, Khatabook, Vauld, and others.
The startup caters to mid-sized enterprises, cloud-based applications, homegrown applications, and others looking to improve user efficiency. The company has also recently launched Gyde mobile SDKs and ready-to-use guides for platforms like SAP SuccessFactors, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, LinkedIn Sales Navigator & Microsoft Dynamics. Additionally, their platform is being used by growing SAAS companies in CRM, HR tech, collaboration space.
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www.entrepreneur.com
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Gyde Raises $250,000 Seed Funding Round
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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/380662
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[
"Prabhjeet Bhatla"
] |
2021-08-20 01:58:43+00:00
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2021-08-19 09:42:10
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The platform claims to have grown from 100,000 monthly active users to 1 million in a year, hosting 60,000 active blogs
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.entrepreneur.com%2Farticle%2F380663.json
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en
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August 19, 2021 3 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Blogging platform Hashnode, which is built for and dedicated to the global software development community, announced on Friday that it has received $6.7 million in a Series A fundraise led by Salesforce Ventures, following a $2.1 million seed funding round in December 2020. Salesforce Ventures is joined by fellow venture capital investors Sierra Ventures, Sequoia Capital India’s Surge and Accel Partners, as well as angel investors Naval Ravikant (co-founder, Angellist), Des Traynor (co-founder, Intercom), Guillermo Rauch (co-founder, Vercel), Salil Deshpande (general partner, Uncorrelated) and Ed Roman (managing director, HackVC).
The funding will be used to continue to grow the platform’s user base, accelerating its mission of becoming the number one platform for software development, engineering, and technology content – in turn, powering the creator economy for the rapidly expanding developer community.
“Hashnode’s rapid growth since its launch points to just how important a platform like this is for developers. We’re proud to back innovators like Hashnode as they work to build a global knowledge-sharing community to empower and connect developers, and in time, all technical creators across the globe,” said Alex Kayyal, managing partner, Salesforce Venture.
There are now nearly 25 million developers working worldwide, so there’s a huge market opportunity for Hashnode to help plug knowledge gaps – particularly important as remote working remains popular among developers.
“Software developers are valuable members of the creator economy, fueling today’s most innovative technologies,” shared Fazle Rahman, chief executive officer, and co-founder, Hashnode. “We launched Hashnode because this group deserves a blogging platform built just for them – one where they can easily find each other, share ideas with like-minded professionals, and collaborate to build game-changing technology. With this new funding, we expect we’ll be able to reach even more users across the globe, helping to create a thriving, rich network that elevates the entire profession.”
Specific initiatives underway at Hashnode include recruiting new talent, expanding global operations, and rolling out new features, including Team Publication – a service allowing entire businesses to leverage the Hashnode platform to power engineering and tech blogs and reach the global developer community – as well as an iOS- and Android-compatible mobile app.
“What Hashnode is doing for the developer community is transformative. Developers want to connect with each other, share ideas and code, but still own their creations and have them easily accessible, with no sign-ins or paywalls. Hashnode is the solution. I’m thrilled to support Hashnode. I'm impressed by their progress to date, and I look forward to their continued growth and evolution,” commented Des Traynor, co-founder, Intercom, and angel investor.
Founded by Fazle Rahman (co-founder and CEO) and Sandeep Panda (co-founder and CTO), Hashnode was launched in June 2020 with the mission of connecting the world's developers, helping them to share knowledge, grow and build a global community. In its early days, the platform had 100,000 monthly active users; over the past year, that number has grown to over 1 million, and the platform currently hosts 60,000 active blogs. Notable bloggers include Quincy Larson (founder, FreeCodeCamp); Peter Friese (developer advocate, Google Firebase); Victoria Lo (engineer, PayPal), Jenna Pederson (senior developer advocate, AWS Cloud); Nader Dabit (developer relations, Edge & Node); and Katherine Peterson (engineer, GitHub).
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www.entrepreneur.com
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Hashnode Raises $6.7 Mn Series A Funding Round
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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/380663
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[
"Prabhjeet Bhatla"
] |
2021-08-20 01:58:31+00:00
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2021-08-19 09:18:47
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The company will use the capital to expand its teams in the areas of sales, marketing, product, and engineering
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.entrepreneur.com%2Farticle%2F380661.json
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en
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August 19, 2021 3 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
API platform Postman, recently announced that it has secured $225 million in a Series D round, placing its valuation at $5.6 billion. The round was led by existing investor, New York-based global private equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners, and joined by new investors Coatue, Battery Ventures, and BOND, along with existing investors CRV and Nexus Venture Partners. In addition, DoorDash Product Leader Gokul Rajaram and Freshworks Founder Girish Mathrubootham have also joined as individual investors. The company has now raised more than $430 million across four rounds.
“APIs have quickly become the fundamental building blocks of software used by developers in every industry, in every country across the globe—and Postman has firmly established itself as the preferred platform for developers,” commented Jeff Horing, managing director, Insight Partners. “Postman has the opportunity to become a key pillar of how enterprises build, deliver products, and seamlessly enable partnerships across the ecosystem. Their continued, rapid expansion and strong management team point to a future for Postman with virtually unlimited possibilities.”
Postman will use the Series D capital to expand its teams in the areas of sales, marketing, product, and engineering. In addition, the company will continue to invest in its community of developers across the globe, support students through innovative API literacy programs, and contribute toward open-source projects to foster a strong and thriving API ecosystem.
"Coatue was impressed by Postman’s ability to solve challenges faced by developers worldwide who need to build software faster than ever. We also liked Postman's work towards providing management teams, regardless of size, proper visibility into their API landscape and to ensure that increasingly lean teams can effectively maintain APIs,” said David Schneider, general partner, Coatue. "We are proud to support Postman’s future plans and partner with them as they execute their vision to serve a rapidly expanding developer workforce and expand further into new roles and areas with plans for exciting future growth.”
Postman continues to experience exponential growth, as APIs increasingly become the driving force for software development and business success in this decade. Today, Postman has more than 17 million users and 500,000 organizations on its platform, making it home to the largest API community in the world.
Postman has added more than 300 employees across 13 countries since the beginning of 2020, more than doubling its headcount, as well as adding thousands of new customers to a customer base that includes 98 per cent of the Fortune 500 and the likes of Salesforce, Stripe, Kroger, Cisco, PayPal, and Microsoft. The company recently announced that its Public API Network is now the largest API hub in the world, with more than 75,000 APIs shared on the network.
“We are thrilled to have the support of our community and customers who continue to propel us forward, and this new round of funding will help Postman dramatically increase the speed of that forward motion. We’re committed to helping developers who are building the future with APIs,” added Abhinav Asthana, chief executive officer, and co-founder, Postman.
To support this rapid, global growth of APIs across all industries, Postman continues to release new capabilities at a fast pace, notably: Postman on the web, public workspaces, the Private API Network, the Public API Network, API security validations, OpenAPI validations, support for protocols like WebSockets and SOAP, user groups, and SCIM integration, along with hundreds of other improvements.
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www.entrepreneur.com
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Postman Closes $225 Mn Series D Round At A $5.6 Bn Valuation
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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/380661
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[
"Thoi Nguyen"
] |
2021-08-20 01:54:11+00:00
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2021-08-19 04:32:27
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Foreign Investment and companies play a crucial role in Vietnam’s electronics industry
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.entrepreneur.com%2Farticle%2F380643.json
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en
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August 19, 2021 5 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Vietnam’s electronics industry is still growing despite the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, Vietnam has implemented some trade agreements with other countries and flexible policies to attract foreign investors and this would open opportunities for entrepreneurs as the industry plays an important role in Vietnam’s economy.
To take advantage of these opportunities, it is important for investors and entrepreneurs to understand the recent developments. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam was an ideal place to do business in this sector due to the US-China trade war and rising manufacturing costs in China. It was estimated Vietnam is one of the key electronics exporters ranking 12th place in the world.
There has been a steady increase in exports of an average of $12 billion per year rising from $47.3 billion to $96.9 billion in 2019. The import of electronic products has nearly doubled between 2015 and 2019.
Vietnam’s electronics industry is diverse. In 2019, China was the Vietnam’s top export destination accounting for 19.3 per cent, following the US (18.2 per cent) and South Korea (9.1 per cent) and Vietnam’s export commodities are mobile phones, televisions, cameras (41 per cent), electrical apparatus (18.2 per cent), and electronic integrated circuits and micro assemblies (11.9 per cent). Vietnam bought electrical machinery and components from China (33 per cent), South Korea (31 per cent), Japan (7.99 per cent) and the US (6.52 per cent).
Foreign Investment and companies play a crucial role in Vietnam’s electronics industry. It was reported that LG’s smartphone production division has completely move its production plants from South Korea to Vietnam. In a similar move, both Apple and Nintendo have moved their product plants partly to Vietnam.
As discussed about the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership before, the new trade agreement will help lower tariffs on trade and boost the country’s economy appealing to foreign investors. In addition, Vietnam has signed a free trade agreement with EU and this agreement will gradually reduce most tariffs, regulatory barriers, and red tape which should create opportunities for both sides to do business.
Investors can enjoy reduced tariffs due to these above free trade agreements. In addition, the Vietnamese government will provide incentive scheme implementing a 30 per cent corporate income tax (CIT) cut for certain business and companies working in the high-tech sector as well as in high-tech and specific industrial zones, and underdeveloped socio-economic regions.
Vietnam has reported a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and that resulted in lockdowns, restrictions and disruption to supply chains and businesses shutdown. Despite the negative impact on Vietnam’s economy, plenty of foreign investors choose Vietnam as a top destination to set up their electronics production bases. According to a recent report from Fitch Solutions, Vietnam’s consumer electronics industry will increase in 2021 due to “the global vaccine rollout and stronger external demand for important export industries”. The industry will continue to accelerate due to “a combination of purchasing power, demographic and economic modernisation trends that gives Vietnam one of the stronger regional outlooks, with vendors set to tap into an expanding middle class and flow of first-time buyers”.
It was reported by a local newspaper Vietnam Plus, most of foreign investors have chosen the northern provinces to set up their production plants and Samsung has already invested over $17.5 billion in Vietnam, accounting for more than 20 per cent of Vietnam's total export turnover through its main products of high-end mobile phones and electronic components. The giant electronic company has employed more than 170,000 to work at its production plants in industrial parks in Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen provinces, and plans to expand further investment in the country. Significant, Panasonic has also relocated its refrigerator and washing machine factory from Thailand to Vietnam, proving that the country was the main electronics manufacturing hub in the region.
It was noted that Vietnam’s economic outlook was stabilized before reporting a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 11, the new Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reminded businesses to avoid “any disruptions in the supply chain while regulations on goods circulation are strictly observed and it was time to focus on combating the pandemic because a successful fight against the COVID-19 would promote socio-economic development and facilitate socio-economic recovery”. There is still room for Vietnam’s economy to grow and it is expected to grow between 3.5-4 per cent this year depending on how quickly Vietnam control the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given recent significant developments of the Vietnam’s electronic industry, Vietnam is the main electronics manufacturing hub in the region that will appeal to investors and entrepreneurs and it is never too late to make the most of Vietnam’s potential market. The COVID-19 pandemic has returned and negatively impacted on the Vietnam’s growth economy. That required investors and entrepreneurs to take a careful approach and give clear understanding of the industry before investing any future projects.
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www.entrepreneur.com
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Vietnam's Electronics Industry Appeals to Foreign Investors
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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/380643
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[
"Rebecca Lee"
] |
2021-08-20 01:54:41+00:00
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2021-08-19 08:22:00
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A new company that is pioneering an innovative way for users to mine crypto is GoMining
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.entrepreneur.com%2Farticle%2F380650.json
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en
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August 19, 2021 5 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
What comes to mind when we think of cryptocurrency mining? Usually, we think of the often expensive and complicated equipment used for crypto mining, the high cost of electricity associated with it, and probably its impact on the environment. All of the above have been major talking points within the crypto industry for years and have raised concerns about the future of mining.
The cost of mining, both in equipment and electricity, has been a major entry barrier for the industry with many people even stealing electricity to facilitate their activities. The environmental impact of mining has also come into focus, with Tesla cancelling previous plans to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment because of concerns about its impact on the environment.
However, as the industry moves into a new phase of development, it seems that the mining sub-sector is leaning towards being more inclusive of people, expanding on the ways through which users can earn an income, and making sure that sustainability is the name of the game.
A new way to mine?
A new company that is pioneering an innovative way for users to mine crypto is GoMining. As opposed to traditional mining or even cloud mining, GoMining takes away most of the work from the consumer and expands upon their income-making potential. First, the miners do not need to buy the equipment or pay for the electricity directly themselves but instead, buy GoMining’s native GMT Token which is backed by computing power.
After buying the token, users get a daily bitcoin income from what the company mines. The computing power of the company's devices is distributed between the total number of token holders and the token itself acts as an asset. This means as the price of the token increases, users can earn additional income besides the bitcoin they are already receiving.
The company also does something interesting in that every week, following each additional emission, half of the tokens issued are burned and the remaining are redistributed between other tokens. The reason for this is that the burning of a portion of tokens backed by computing power and their redistribution results in an increase in supply power. This, in turn, leads to an increase in income as the only tokens that are granted are those that have not gone on sale yet.
The benefit of this is that not only does the GMT token increase in value but the bitcoin income increases on a daily basis. This means that users are earning an income from two different sources as opposed to a singular one. Compared to cloud mining, users do not have a time limit on how long they are set to mine cryptocurrency as they can hold on to the token for bitcoin mining for an unlimited period of time.
This not only reduces the initial entry barrier into the crypto mining sector but also gives users much more benefit for their investment. There is also an emphasis from the company on maintaining an eco-friendly operation. Currently, 50% of the electricity used for the operation of GoMining devices comes from renewable energy sources like hydroelectric power and wind turbines. Over time there are plans to make sure that 100% of the energy they use comes from renewable sources, thereby reducing its ecological footprint.
Considering how much of a hot-button issue this has been within the industry, it is refreshing that short-term and long-term sustainability is at the forefront of the business’ operations. The work that GoMining is doing is not just making it more profitable for people to mine but essentially laying a foundation for the future of the industry.
The future of mining?
Thanks to the massive bull runs that tokens like bitcoin have seen in the last few years and the growing publicity around the cryptocurrency industry, more people are looking towards getting into crypto and this includes getting into mining. The issue is, however, that the mining sector still has a number of barriers to entry but these barriers are being addressed by operations like GoMining.
With options like GoMining, mining crypto does not have to be an intimidating affair but instead, can be made more accessible to the masses. Not only do people receive mining rewards on a daily basis but the token with which they buy into the operation also increases in value. Finally, the emphasis on sustainability essentially helps to secure the future of crypto mining considering the pushback it has received due to its current environmental issues.
Should these efforts be successful, the cryptocurrency industry and the mining sector particularly can survive and thrive well into the future.
Note: Investment in cryptocurrency is subject to risk and readers should do their own due diligence. Entrepreneur Media does not endorse any such investment.
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www.entrepreneur.com
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How the Next Phase Of Crypto Mining Leans Into Inclusivity And Sustainability
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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/380650
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[
"Prabhjeet Bhatla"
] |
2021-08-20 01:58:25+00:00
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2021-08-19 08:43:56
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The freshly infused capital will be utilized for scaling up BatteryPool’s business development efforts and add new fleet charging products to its portfolio
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.entrepreneur.com%2Farticle%2F380651.json
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en
|
August 19, 2021 3 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Pune-based BatteryPool, which offers battery charging solutions for EV fleets and commercial vehicles, announced to have raised an undisclosed amount of growth capital as part of its Seed funding round. The round was led by IAN and Pune-based Venture Center under the NIDHI-Seed Support Scheme and saw participation from lead investors including Arjun Seth and Harshavardhan Chitale.
Previously, the startup had raised grants from the Department of Science and Technology (GoI) and an angel round along with the 100X.VC investment.
The freshly infused capital will be utilized for scaling up BatteryPool’s business development efforts and add new fleet charging products to its portfolio.
“We identified that while EVs made sense commercially, challenges around battery charging can lead to downtime of commercial and fleet electric vehicles. Battery swapping can serve as a viable option to eliminate this downtime. However, existing battery swapping services require fleet operators and drivers to conform to a certain battery standard and this can be expensive and significantly restrict the fleet operations to where these services are being offered. Therefore, we built hardware that is agnostic to the battery type and can be used by fleet operators regardless of the battery standards being used in their fleets. Our key focus is to cater to EV fleet operators and commercial electric vehicles via partnerships with OEMs, and battery pack manufacturers. We appreciate the support of our vision by IAN and marquee investors,” said Ashwin Shankar, founder, BatteryPool.
Currently, BatteryPool is solving these challenges via its flagship product - a smart battery-swapping station for fleet and commercial EVs. The swapping station is battery agnostic and software-enabled allowing fleets and commercial EV drivers to swap their batteries and eliminate any downtime caused by charging their vehicles. The startup has some of the largest two- and three-wheeler EV fleets as its customers.
"The EV ecosystem in India is evolving rapidly. The use case of going electric is well-known as running costs for fleet operator’s contract. By 2030, the fleet and commercial vehicle charging market size is set to reach $2.7 billion, as these will become electrified. BatteryPool is walking on a path to capture a huge opportunity with India witnessing a rapid shift to electric mobility in the II and III-wheeler segment, which is where EV adoption will see tremendous velocity. We will offer our proprietary software and hardware solutions and embrace a collaborative platform as we build on our partnerships with OEMs and fleet operators," added Arjun Seth, lead investor, IAN.
Recently, BatteryPool has signed large contracts/POs with one of India’s largest e-rickshaw fleets. The startup is also planning to introduce Smart Plug-In chargers for fleet/commercial EVs without swappable battery packs soon.
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www.entrepreneur.com
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BatteryPool Raises Funds From IAN And Others
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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/380651
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[
"Asam Thomas"
] |
2021-08-20 01:54:04+00:00
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2021-08-19 04:00:00
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Mancell launched Veghana in Dubai in April this year, which had her merge the worlds of healthy vegan food and aromatic Ghanaian cuisine to provide a bespoke delivery and catering service in the Emirate.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.entrepreneur.com%2Farticle%2F380642.json
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en
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August 19, 2021 8 min read
You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
This article is a part of In Good Taste, a special feature built for the August 2021 issue of Entrepreneur Middle East showcasing 10 of the UAE's most promising homegrown food brands.
For someone who is a law graduate with a career in corporate communications, and is neither a trained chef nor has had any dealings with the world of hospitality until now, one cannot be faulted for looking at Nana-Serwa Mancell quite curiously in her current role as the founder of Veghana, a Dubai-based F&B enterprise that specializes in serving plant-based West African cuisine.
But that doesn’t mean you should dismiss Mancell and her endeavor either- if anything, she’s following in the footsteps of entrepreneurial legends like Coco Chanel (who had no formal education to guide her way in the fashion industry), or Ariana Huffington (who had little experience in journalism before starting her eponymous blog-turned-business). Indeed, it’s to her credit that Mancell is well-aware of the odds that seem to be stacked against her- and yet, she is not backing down from chasing her dream regardless.
“Every aspect of Veghana is a new learning and a new challenge, from plating food to keeping up with the strict (and necessary) municipality regulations,” she says. “I describe it as being pushed blindfolded into a dark room filled with people, being spun around, then told to walk to the other side of the room, and discovering your legs are tied.” It’s not really a pretty picture that Mancell paints- but I must confess that it only makes me keener to understand why she continues to do what she does at Veghana.
Nana-Serwa Mancell, Founder, Veghana. Image courtesy: Veghana
Born and raised in Ghana, Mancell remembers using the food she had grown up with as a means to explore and express her identity when pursuing her education in the United Kingdom. “Back then, I was taken aback by the positive response to our traditional cuisine from my fellow students from around the world,” she says. “Decades later, when I embraced a plant-based lifestyle, I found that our West African dishes had so much to offer in terms of variety, taste, and nutrition- our plants grow where ocean means rainforest. I knew I was on to a winner.”
And that’s how Mancell ended up launching Veghana in Dubai in April this year, which had her merge the worlds of healthy vegan food and aromatic Ghanaian cuisine to provide a bespoke delivery and catering service in the Emirate. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with West African cuisine, Mancell has a couple of stats to get you up to speed with this particular kind of food- and also showcase why Veghana is well-poised to make it big as a business.
“Pinterest, with 320 million users around the world, included West African recipes in its top 100 trends for 2020 after searches for West African food grew by 311%,” she notes. “That’s a lot of people who want to find out about our cuisine. Also, American food giant Whole Foods included West African cuisine in its top ten food trends for 2020. And there are very few suppliers to meet this interest. Even if you looked internationally, you would be hard-pressed to find vegan African restaurants, so in Dubai, we are certainly the sole occupants in our sector. What we offer -very tasty comfort food- is something not usually associated with vegan food, and this pushes us further to the front.”
Related: In Good Taste: Ambika Rajgopal, Founder, Haute Sauce
Image courtesy: Veghana
And the reception Veghana has received is proof of this, Mancell adds. “I am particularly pleased that we have built a base of repeat customers made up of various nationalities, ages, and backgrounds. People who order regularly don’t seem to have much in common other than their city of residence and ability to navigate our website- this proves to me the popularity of our cuisine, which makes people coming back for more.”
While it’s still early days for Veghana as an enterprise, Mancell has been making use of the reaction she has got to it thus far as fuel for the big dreams she has for the brand. “Veghana officially launched in April this year, and I’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response to the food and the brand,” she says. “According to my business plan, it should take another year before I could host a pop-up restaurant in a major venue- my long-held dream. SEVA, Dubai’s iconic vegan destination, called me one month after launch, inviting me to host a pop-up in their gorgeous venue- I dropped my phone in excitement! The event was sold out and a huge success, and we are now planning pop-up events with other choice venues across the city.”
Let it be noted here that Mancell puts a lot of thought and effort into the events that she hosts- and there’s a larger reason behind it than just her business. “Veghana is not just about food, but also art, culture, music, and conversation,” she explains. “Our events are intentionally a sensory overload experience in attempt to undo the negative connotations around Africa; an explosion of sound, sight, and taste that we know people find totally compelling.”
Image courtesy: Veghana
But it hasn’t been all smooth sailing either. For instance, when it comes to marketing her brand, Mancell, who has shied away from social media all her life, has been on a learning curve in terms of using platforms like, say, Instagram, for her brand, but again, that hasn’t stopped her from working on it all the same- as she puts it: “I do the posts whilst waiting for things to boil!” But don’t take Mancell’s unfamiliarity with social media to mean that she’s a novice at marketing- on the contrary, she’s extremely clear on what her business needs to win in the landscape it operates in.
“It would be a mistake to judge your success by the number of likes on your posts,” she says. “Getting this following to translate into actual and increasing sales is a real challenge. Luckily, for me, I have lifelong experience in marketing, and understand what many of my contemporaries miss, which is not worry about what to post, but instead follow a strategic path to raise your brand awareness- and then those posts will write themselves. We create more content than we can share, but I’m very strict about sticking to our marketing strategy, no matter how good a picture looks.”
With ideas like these governing how Mancell is going about building her brand, the future does look to be bright for the business, and she is certainly excited to see how things unfold in the long term. “Launching my West African cuisine in the vegan space means I’m a big fish in a small but growing pond,” she notes. “And I would no way would get anywhere near as much attention, if I had to compete in the non-vegan sector with all the marvelous F&B concepts popping up all the time. But the vegan sector is growing exponentially, and we are part of a tidal wave that may be as yet only just building up momentum.”
GET THE GREEN LIGHT: Veghana founder Nana-Serwa Mancell shares her tips for wannabe entrepreneurs aiming to follow her lead
Don’t delay, do it now “Don’t wait to be personally ready to take the leap to launch a product or be an entrepreneur- you may never be ready. Do your research, of course, but just start.”
Don’t wait for your idea to be 100% perfect “Go with your gut. You can fix the rest as you go along- if you try to work it all out perfectly in your head, it may never happen.”
Ask for favors “People are surprisingly more generous than you think, especially fellow entrepreneurs.”
Network, network, network “There are so many untapped worlds out there waiting to offer you so many solutions and opportunities that you won’t even know about until you tap.”
Remember that social media is a tactic and not a strategy “Learn about traditional marketing, understand messaging and objective setting, focus on your growth strategy, and not just the pretty pictures to post.”
Look into your red tape before you start “A year comes so quickly- you will have to be renewing that license fee sooner than you think. I got my business license a full six months before we could legally supply food.”
Related: In Good Taste: Ramie Murray, Founder And CEO, Dibba Bay Oysters
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www.entrepreneur.com
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In Good Taste: Nana-Serwa Mancell, Founder, Veghana
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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/380642
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[
"John Stanly"
] |
2021-08-20 01:54:29+00:00
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2021-08-19 05:38:00
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Entrepreneurs rave about the business and its sales opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach with other e-commerce sites
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.entrepreneur.com%2Farticle%2F380647.json
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en
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August 19, 2021 5 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Starting an online business in the world of e-commerce might be seen as risky to some considering it’s one of the fastest-growing markets this world has seen in decades, meaning it can be hard to stay up to date with its constant changes. Just because there's a lot of competition, however, it doesn’t mean we’re destined to fail. There's always room for more winners, as long as you understand what you’re getting yourself into first.
I first came across Amazon FBA (Fulfilment By Amazon) businesses a year ago when a couple of close friends were running their businesses out of Bali, Indonesia. Since then I’ve come across a handful of other entrepreneurs who rave about the business and its sales opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach with other e-commerce sites, including Benjamin Tan, the founder of AMZ Family. The more I learn about this business, the more it seems like an investment worth considering.
Amazon FBA offers its sellers a way to get their products in front of customers without expending resources in renting out space, and the hassle of inventory storage and shipping.
According to Statista, 73 per cent of Amazon.com sellers in the US were found to utilize FBA.
Like with any business, however, there are certain aspects we must learn and consider before starting in order to avoid costly and unnecessary mistakes.
Benjamin Tan taught me 3 things to know before starting an Amazon FBA business in 2021. I’m open to his advice as he learned from the best in the industry and in his first full year in 2017, his company sold over $1,000,000 of products on Amazon and as of today his company has now reached sales in the multiple millions.
Work on the business, not in the business
Most entrepreneurs when starting out don't realize that there is a major difference between working ‘on’ the business and ‘in’ the business.
Every time we find ourselves working on tasks that can be outsourced or delegated, we must ask ourselves if that time could be better spent planning and strategizing towards the bigger picture. For example, when it comes to running an Amazon FBA business, your time can be better spent learning how to rank higher in the search, how to use keyword tools effectively, treating customers as a priority, and understanding the competition.
As Benjamin Tan shares, “Value your time. Only do what you can do and outsource/delegate the rest. Prioritization is essential to any business success. It is your competitive advantage that will lay the foundation for everything, including your sales plan and marketing strategy”.
If you're not careful, your time can be spent doing administrative tasks such as managing finances which will take away your precious hours needed for developing new strategies and ideas.
Seek guidance and mentorship
Like many, in my early days of entrepreneurship I was foolishly under the impression I could create a successful, thriving business from consuming free courses or content on the Internet alone without taking into consideration my personal growth and development. It took me a few failures to learn that when one area of my life was lacking or depleted, it heavily influenced all other areas.
When it comes to starting your own Amazon FBA business, this goes without saying: when seeking out guidance and mentorship, find someone who will not just teach you the basic tactics of how to run an Amazon FBA business, but also timeless principles and how to excel in all areas in life. Because how you do anything is how you do everything. Your health, family, relationships, finance, fitness and wealth are all intertwined and have an impact on one another.
What I admire about AMZ Family is that they train aspiring Amazon FBA business owners not just the step by step processes and tactics, but also how to think. Mindset is a key factor in any business and is a strong determination of whether you succeed or not.
Be aware of these common mistakes
Just because you start an Amazon FBA business, it doesn’t mean you are guaranteed success. The same goes for any business. Common mistakes are often overlooked, however if we take the time to learn what the mistakes are before jumping in head first we can avoid unnecessary costs and unwanted consequences.
5 common mistakes from Amazon FBA sellers are:
Sellers break rules or violate Amazon’s Terms of Service Over ordering stock Having multiple seller accounts Not leveraging or asking for customer reviews Underestimating the competition
There's no shortage of obstacles faced by entrepreneurs who choose to launch their own business venture as an Amazon FBA seller, but there are steps one can take to prevent these pitfalls before it’s too late. One thing many of these aspiring entrepreneurs don't think about until after diving headfirst into entrepreneurship is to learn from the mistakes, failures and successes from those before us, that way we are better prepared for what lies ahead in the highly lucrative world of e-commerce.
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www.entrepreneur.com
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3 Things To Know Before Starting an Amazon FBA Business In 2021
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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/380647
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[
"Vinay Kalantri"
] |
2021-08-20 01:54:17+00:00
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2021-08-19 04:46:00
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Open banking seems to stay forever, as already the current market size of this system is around 3-4 million customers
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.entrepreneur.com%2Farticle%2F380645.json
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en
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August 19, 2021 3 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
The world has changed drastically especially since the pandemic started in 2020. Everything right from education to real estate to travel, all have started using technology extensively. Banks too started relying more on their apps, UPIs, card transactions and so on. Earlier, people were using online banking system to make and receive payments, etc., but since the pandemic started more and more people resorted to online/card banking system rather than doing cash or cheque transactions. This clearly indicates that the future of banking will be driven by even more and major technological changes. The future of banking will be 'digital'.
Open banking and disruption
Open banking seems to stay forever, as already the current market size of this system is around 3-4 million customers and its expected to grow by 46 per cent by 2026. Open banking typically means the system of allowing access and control of consumer banking and financial accounts through third-party applications. It’s on the rise and will only empower fintechs nationally and internationally. It is believed to be a fintech revolution.
While APIs are not new to the banking industry and its just like any other tool for applications to communicate with each other, they are the providers of a new gateway for innovation given that banks across the world are opening up their APIs to licensed third-party providers. Many banks such as Kotak Mahindra, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank have already adopted the open banking module and the country is now slowly adapting completely to the new technology. Clearly the future of banking is digital.
Data transparency and security
However, with the open banking system comes data freedom. Open banking requires rigorous systems, continuous updation and consumer consent for data to be disclosed to the third parties. In an article published in a known publication, it is mentioned that more than 60 per cent of Americans choose fintech over privacy. The same is the situation now in India as more people now use wallets, cards and UPIs to do financial transactions.
People often tend to confuse open banking with online banking. As mentioned earlier, open banking is sharing the data through APIs among banks, investment companies, fintechs, or other third-party app developers and online banking is when an account holder can access their financial information and perform online transactions directly through their respective financial institution’s mobile or web apps.
Completely safe and secure banking, open banking uses highest security systems to protect and encrypt the consumer data. The third-party service providers are also highly confidential and regulated. Having said that, the risk of hacking or leakage of confidential financial data cannot be ignored completely. But, security risks with open banking are also largely diminished because consumers have full control over what information they wish to make available to third-party companies. Consumers can view their account settings and set the same as per their requirements.
Conclusion
It’s like a collaboration between traditional bank players and new financial players. Moreover, open banking is helpful for SMEs as well. Via APIs, fintech companies will be able to access on different types of accounts, insurance, card accounts and leases, and consolidate data from multiple countries into one frame.
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www.entrepreneur.com
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The Future Of Open Banking In India
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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/380645
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[
"Prabhjeet Bhatla"
] |
2021-08-20 01:59:02+00:00
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2021-08-19 11:33:27
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The Fund aims to invest in companies in the digital, consumption and financial services segments
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.entrepreneur.com%2Farticle%2F380675.json
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en
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August 19, 2021 2 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
The Fund claims to be focused on investing in privately held, scaled-up market leaders/emerging leaders. As the ecosystem around us is rapidly changing, India is witnessing the emergence of new companies led by dynamic entrepreneurs focused on delivering world-class products and services. The Fund seeks to back such companies and entrepreneurs by investing in small minority stakes in their businesses.
The Fund aims to invest in companies in the digital, consumption, and financial services segments.
The Fund seeks to leverage Avendus’ industry expertise, network, relationships, and market leadership to invest behind ‘best in breed’ companies. The first series of the Fund – Avendus Future Leaders Fund I, was launched in 2019 and has investments in – Lenskart Solutions, Delhivery, VerSe Innovation, Bikaji Foods, National Stock Exchange, and Ujjivan Small Finance Bank.
“Avendus is at the forefront of working with emerging leaders that are creating great businesses in India. The Fund is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the strengths of the Avendus ecosystem and participate in the value creation journey. With unparalleled access to marquee businesses and deep long-standing relationships with entrepreneurs, the Fund seeks to invest behind market leaders and emerging leaders in the digital, consumption, and financial services segments. We are thankful to all investors who continue to repose their confidence in us, and we look forward to partnering with some great businesses going forward,” said Ritesh Chandra, managing partner, Avendus Future Leaders Fund.
The Fund, a Category-II AIF registered with SEBI, is targeting to raise INR 750 crore with a greenshoe option of another INR 500 crore. The Fund has a 5-year tenor with an option to extend it by another two years.
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www.entrepreneur.com
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Avendus Future Leaders Fund II Announces First Close Of INR 584 Cr
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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/380675
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2021-08-20 02:22:34+00:00
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2021-08-19 20:53:43
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A 16-year-old boy has been charged with three carjackings in West Rogers Park last month, two of which involved victims who were seniors.
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Justin Fields Back At Practice For Bears After Nursing Sore GroinRookie quarterback Justin Fields was back on the field and should be good to go Saturday for the Bears second preseason game.
Dylan Cease Gives Up 3 Runs On 4 Hits, White Sox Lose To A'sMatt Olson slugged a go-ahead two-run homer, Matt Chapman added a solo shot and the Oakland Athletics rallied to beat the Chicago White Sox on Thursday.
Cubs Will Rededicate Wrigley Field To Mark End Of RenovationsThursday’s events at the Friendly Confines include placing a National Historic Landmark plaque under the iconic stadium marquee.
Luis Robert Has 3 Hits, 2 RBIs To Lead White Sox Past A'sLuis Robert had three hits and two RBIs, Eloy Jiménez drove in a run with a double and the Chicago White Sox beat the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night.
Depleted Cubs Quiet Playoff-Contending Reds Again, Win 7-1The depleted Cubs took two of three from their playoff-contending NL Central rivals.
The Northern Trust Preview: 'Going To Be A Lot Of Fun Because So Many Of The Top Players Are On Form'CBS Sports golf analyst Trevor Immelman takes a look at the first event of the playoffs, The Northern Trust, set to tee off on Thursday at Liberty National Golf Club.
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chicago.cbslocal.com
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Boy, 16, Charged In 3 Carjackings In West Rogers Park, 2 Of Which Involved Victims Who Were Seniors
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https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/08/19/west-rogers-park-carjackings-teen-charged/
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2021-08-20 02:22:28+00:00
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2021-08-19 20:11:23
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The Kane County Sheriff’s office has completed an investigation after a man’s dog was shot and killed by the husband of the Wayne village president.
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https%3A%2F%2Fchicago.cbslocal.com%2F2021%2F08%2F19%2Fwayne-dog-shot-killed-village-president-husband-kane-county-states-attorney%2F.json
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WAYNE, Ill. (CBS) — The Kane County Sheriff’s office has completed an investigation after a man’s dog was shot and killed by the husband of the Wayne village president.
Investigators have submitted their findings to Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser, and she and her staff will determine whether criminal charges are appropriate.
“We will review all of the evidence from the thorough investigation performed by the Kane County Sheriff’s Office. Based on the applicable law, we will make a determination as to whether charges are appropriate,” Mosser said in a news release. “I know people are interested in this case, but in the interest of justice we must be thorough.”
Security video showed the Joe Petit’s two dogs walking with their dog-sitter outside his home in Wayne on Tuesday, Aug. 10.
When they reached the river, the owner said his neighbor opened fire – killing his dog, Ludwig. The neighbor told police the dogs were on his property and acting aggressive.
“I ran down there. She had my dog, and I stood – I’m like, ‘What the hell?’” Joe Petit. “The fact that he says that my dog was attacking him and he feared for his life is a lie. You can see it in the video.”
The neighbor who shot the dog happens to be the husband of Wayne Village President Eileen Phipps. She said the dogs – which she said were of the Argentino Dogo breed – entered their front yard and attacked and bit her husband in June.
“Obviously, this is a very tragic event and one all wish did not occur,” Phipps said in a statement. “It is regrettable that in this feeding frenzy of social media that a rush to judgement is more important than allowing the investigation to be completed.”
Phipps said her husband is cooperating fully with the investigation.
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chicago.cbslocal.com
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Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office To Make Ruling On Case Where Man’s Dog Was Shot Dead By Wayne Village President’s Husband
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https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/08/19/wayne-dog-shot-killed-village-president-husband-kane-county-states-attorney/
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2021-08-20 02:22:40+00:00
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2021-08-20 01:16:00
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Family, brothers and sisters in blue, and people from throughout the community gathered Thursday to honor the life of Chicago Police Officer Ella French, who was shot and killed during a traffic stop. Here are some scenes from this day of...
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https%3A%2F%2Fchicago.cbslocal.com%2Fvideo%2F5912352-funeral-for-officer-ella-french-scenes-from-a-day-of-mourning%2F.json
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Funeral For Officer Ella French: Scenes From A Day Of MourningFamily, brothers and sisters in blue, and people from throughout the community gathered Thursday to honor the life of Chicago Police Officer Ella French, who was shot and killed during a traffic stop. Here are some scenes from this day of mourning.
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Community Joins Police Officers Pay Tribute Outside Officer Ella French's Funeral ServiceAs people watched funeral services for fallen Chicago Police Officer Ella French inside St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel on the Southwest Side Thursday, many from the community felt it necessary to show up in person and pay their respects outside the chapel. CBS 2's Steven Graves reports.
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Heartbreaking Tributes As Fallen Chicago Police Officer Ella French Is Remembered At FuneralAt the funeral for fallen Chicago Police Officer Ella French on Thursday, we got a much closer look at the who the officer was from the people who loved her the most. CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey reports.
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chicago.cbslocal.com
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Funeral For Officer Ella French: Scenes From A Day Of Mourning
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https://chicago.cbslocal.com/video/5912352-funeral-for-officer-ella-french-scenes-from-a-day-of-mourning/
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2021-08-20 02:22:22+00:00
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2021-08-19 20:46:35
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Everyone in Chicago will have to go back to wearing masks in all indoor spaces again effective Friday.
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https%3A%2F%2Fchicago.cbslocal.com%2F2021%2F08%2F19%2Fchicago-mask-mandate-returns-things-worth-knowing%2F.json
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en
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CHICAGO (CBS) — Everyone in Chicago will have to go back to wearing masks in all public indoor spaces again effective Friday.
Here is what you need to know:
• Anyone over the age of 2 will need to wear a mask.
• This applies regardless of vaccination status.
• The mask mandate covers all businesses in Chicago; including bars and restaurants, gyms, common areas of condos and multi-residential buildings, and private clubs.
• Customers will be allowed to remove masks at restaurants, bars, and other eating establishments while they are eating or drinking.
• Businesses can also take off their masks for other activities that require their removal, such as beard trims and facials. In addition, employees who work in settings that are not open to the public may remove their masks if they can maintain at least six feet of social distancing.
• A statewide mask mandate is also in place for schools, and a mask mandate on public transportation has been in place since close to the start of the pandemic. Masks are also required in hospitals.
• Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady announced the new mask mandate Tuesday afternoon, and said the city doesn’t expect any additional COVID-19 restrictions, such as capacity limits or orders for bars, restaurants, gyms and other businesses to require indoor customers to show proof of vaccination.
• Masks are not required outdoors.
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chicago.cbslocal.com
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Chicago Mask Mandate Returns Friday: Some Things It’s Worth Knowing
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https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/08/19/chicago-mask-mandate-returns-things-worth-knowing/
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[
"Ben Hatton",
"Tom Pilgrim",
"Chris Attridge",
"Image",
"Pa Images"
] |
2021-08-20 02:15:18+00:00
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2021-08-20 01:29:41
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Labour has demanded details about the Government’s handling of the crisis in Afghanistan.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walesonline.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fuk-news%2Fdominic-raab-faces-new-calls-21357088.json
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en
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Keep up to date with the latest stories with our twice daily newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up for the WalesOnline newsletter Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice
Dominic Raab is facing mounting pressure to resign over his handling of the Afghanistan crisis as Labour warned there had been an “unforgivable failure of leadership” by the Government.
The party has demanded details about the Government’s handling of the situation in Afghanistan and the Foreign Secretary’s holiday to the Greek island of Crete while Kabul fell to the Taliban.
It has set out a list of 18 urgent questions for the Foreign Secretary to answer about his trip and his department’s handling of the crisis.
Mr Raab, who rejected calls to resign on Thursday, was reportedly “unavailable” when officials in his department suggested he “urgently” call Afghan foreign minister Hanif Atmar on August 13 – two days before the Taliban marched on Kabul – to arrange help for those who supported British troops.
It was reported on Thursday that the Afghan foreign ministry refused to arrange a call with a junior minister, pushing it back to the next day.
It has since emerged that a call never took place.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “Given the rapidly changing situation it was not possible to arrange a call before the Afghan government collapsed.”
The Times reported that Sir Philip Barton, Matthew Rycroft and David Williams, the respective permanent secretaries of the Foreign Office, Home Office and Ministry of Defence, were on holiday amid the evacuations from Afghanistan.
It is understood that the senior officials continued to work on Afghanistan while on leave, with the Whitehall departments running systems where there is another minister or an acting permanent secretary to cover periods of leave.
A Government spokesperson said: “Departments across Whitehall have been working intensively at all levels in the last few days and weeks on the situation in Afghanistan.
“Thanks to these efforts, we have relocated over 2,000 Afghans to the UK since June, evacuated over 400 British nationals and their families on RAF flights since Sunday and established one of the most generous asylum schemes in British history.”
Labour said it is requesting specifics on when Mr Raab was out of the country and on leave from official duties, if he received advice from officials on the advisability of leaving as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated, if he attended a Cobra meeting on August 15, and if other ministers were authorised to approve those intelligence operations designated urgent in his absence.
The party also questioned the Prime Minister’s involvement, asking Mr Raab if he spoke with Mr Johnson while he was away, and if the PM gave permission for him to leave the country.
Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said: “For the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary to be on holiday during the biggest foreign policy crisis in a generation is an unforgivable failure of leadership.”
Labour, the SNP, Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru have all called for Mr Raab to either quit or be sacked by the PM.
They accused him of failing to “perform his basic duties” and argued he is “no longer fit” to represent the country.
Meanwhile, senior MPs have warned the Government must ensure it meets its responsibility towards UK-linked workers “pursued into hiding” by Taliban forces.
Labour’s Yvette Cooper, chair of the Home Affairs Committee, and Conservative Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Defence Select Committee, warned the scope of the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) was “too narrow”.
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In a letter to the Home Secretary on Thursday, they urged Priti Patel to provide more resources to support the issuing of visas to ensure those trying to leave Afghanistan do not face administrative delays which would be “unforgivable at this dangerous time”.
Ms Cooper and Mr Ellwood outlined their concern that Government application forms, guidance and ministerial briefings suggest that only those it “directly employed” were included in the ARAP scheme.
They wrote: “Many UK agencies and organisations have staff and contract workers who were visibly associated with the UK and who are being pursued into hiding by Taliban forces.
“We have a responsibility towards them.”
Their letter questioned whether the ARAP policy could be widened to include “those who have worked with third parties on UK projects”.
The Government has announced Britain will take up to 20,000 people wanting to exit Afghanistan as part of its resettlement scheme, with 5,000 due to be accepted in the next 12 months.
On Thursday, Mr Raab chaired a call of G7 foreign ministers to discuss the crisis, saying afterwards that foreign ministers had agreed each will “engage with partners” to try and secure an “inclusive political settlement” and to enable humanitarian assistance and prevent further loss of life in Afghanistan and to the international community from terrorism.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
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www.walesonline.co.uk
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Dominic Raab faces new calls to quit over ‘unforgivable failure of leadership’
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https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/dominic-raab-faces-new-calls-21357088
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2021-08-20 01:53:35+00:00
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2021-08-19 20:19:08
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A Duval County grand jury indicted four people on first-degree murder charges for their role in four separate incidents that occurred in Jacksonville.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.firstcoastnews.com%2Farticle%2Fnews%2Fcrime%2F4-indicted-by-duval-county-grand-jury-for-first-degree-murder-local%2F77-bd56c7c7-b125-4324-a940-97bf3414d8ec.json
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The grand jury returned first-degree murder charges for David Nelson Austin, Alexander Pino, Zebulon Perkins and Jairus Smith.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Duval County grand jury indicted four people on first-degree murder charges for their role in four separate incidents that occurred in Jacksonville, the State Attorney's Office announced Thursday.
The grand jury returned first-degree murder charges for David Nelson Austin, Alexander Pino, Zebulon Perkins and Jairus Smith.
Detectives say a DNA match lead them to David Austin, 59, who is currently serving a life sentence in Michigan for sex crimes.
According to accounts at the time, Leslie McCray’s 21-year-old boyfriend told police he was awakened around 3 a.m. Christmas Eve, 1985, to a man kneeling by his bed with a knife.
The boyfriend told police the man tied him up and took McCray out of their apartment on St. Johns Avenue in Avondale. The boyfriend told police he was able to free himself from the bindings. He called police around 6 a.m. McCray’s body was found a few hours later on Old Middleburg Road, about five miles from the apartment.
She had been raped and stabbed multiple times in her head, chest and neck.
According to multiple law enforcement and child welfare sources, 4-year-old James Reese was brought to Wolfson Children’s Hospital on April 15 with injuries that included multiple broken bones and a badly fractured skull. He remained on life support for nearly a week before he was pronounced dead in what police quickly determined was a murder.
Officers consulted a neuropathologist during the investigation who stated that based on his observation and examination this was "undoubtedly a homicide," the arrest report says. The doctor also stated that there is no disease or naturally occurring illness or condition that could be confused with the child's injuries.
According to the arrest warrant, Pino had printed out an internet search for "intracranial hemorrhaging." The warrant also says Reese was not in daycare that day because he had not received his vaccinations and was therefore at home.
Perkins was arrested in December 2019, hours after Vivian James was found dead inside her Westside home in the 500 block of Glen Alan Court North.
Police discovered her body around 7:41 a.m. after they were called out to the home in response to a home invasion robbery. They said several items were missing from her home, including identification cards, credit cards and her 2007 Toyota Camry.
Perkins was found with her vehicle at the Hospitality Inn & Suites at 7071 103rd St. at 10:41 a.m., throwing out items, according to police records.
He was detained and charged with dealing in stolen property, a felony.
On Dec. 29, police searched the vehicle and found Perkins' bag, which contained a bloody pair of sweat pants, the Arlo camera from the victim's home and three laptops, according to the police report. Her cell phone and credit cards were also found during the search, police reported.
According to our news partners at the Florida Times-Union, officers and rescue workers were called about 8 p.m. to the scene on Nov. 11, 2019. Several neighbors said it sounded like a gun battle when the shooting occurred at King and Academy streets.
Police said a handgun was recovered there. The suspects fled in different directions, Smith found about three blocks away with a gunshot wound to an arm, his arrest report said. Smith was a juvenile at the time of his initial arrest.
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www.firstcoastnews.com
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Duval County grand jury indicts 4 for first-degree murder
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https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/crime/4-indicted-by-duval-county-grand-jury-for-first-degree-murder-local/77-bd56c7c7-b125-4324-a940-97bf3414d8ec
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2021-08-20 01:53:41+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:08:00
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It is estimated that three to five percent of Americans may have an aneurysm in their lifetime.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.firstcoastnews.com%2Farticle%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Fman-alive-daughters-death-leads-jacksonville-man-to-discover-aneurysm-in-his-brain-local%2F77-a68c672a-bae8-43ac-b550-77c921a706c8.json
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en
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According to nih.gov, there are no proven statistics, but it is estimated that three to five percent of Americans may have an aneurysm in their lifetime.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Omar Gutierrez always thought he was healthy. That was until twelve years ago when his 11-year-old daughter woke up with a headache and was rushed to the hospital because of how painful it was.
Nine days later, they found out she died of a brain aneurysm that had burst. "It totally caught us off guard," said Gutierrez who also got checked for a brain aneurysm and found he had one that was seven millimeters.
That size is typically the size that they need to be for doctors to consider removing them.
Luckily for Gutierrez, he was proactive and checked himself into the Mayo clinic and was later able to schedule a surgery to remove the aneurysm.
They inserted coils in his brain by going through his femoral artery instead of going directly to his brain.
According to nih.gov, there are no proven statistics, but it is estimated that three to five percent of Americans may have an aneurysm in their lifetime.
Gutierrez believes his daughter was his guardian angel. He believes that had it not been for his daughter, he would not be alive today.
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www.firstcoastnews.com
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Daughter's death leads Jacksonville man to discover aneurysm
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https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/health/man-alive-daughters-death-leads-jacksonville-man-to-discover-aneurysm-in-his-brain-local/77-a68c672a-bae8-43ac-b550-77c921a706c8
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2021-08-20 01:53:47+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:24:00
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Duval County Public Schools confirmed a second-grade class of 37 students were told to quarantine due to COVID-19 cases.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.firstcoastnews.com%2Farticle%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fmore-than-30-chet-creek-elementary-students-instructed-to-quarantine-local%2F77-15e7e9c5-5370-4919-b27f-9b3107381eb8.json
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en
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One parent described the news as concerning because she has a kindergartener at Chets Creek.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Duval County Public Schools confirmed a second-grade class of 37 students were told to quarantine due to COVID-19 cases. One parent described the news as concerning because she has a kindergartener at Chets Creek.
Kristen Hanken hopes parents will take the initiative to get themselves vaccinated.
"I myself am vaccinated and I think it would help immensely and protect more people to be - as many people to be vaccinated," Hanked said.
Students expressed how they do not want to go back home because of COVID-19. Ashlyn Spencer, a third-grader, said she would rather see her friends and teachers in person.
"It's sad and I'm also kind of scared to know if my class or the third-grade class or the whole school is going to be maybe like shut down," Spencer added.
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www.firstcoastnews.com
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COVID cases send some Jacksonville students home from school
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https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/more-than-30-chet-creek-elementary-students-instructed-to-quarantine-local/77-15e7e9c5-5370-4919-b27f-9b3107381eb8
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[
"Connor Wood Connor.Wood Lee.Net",
"Connor",
"David Proeber",
"The Pantagraph"
] |
2021-08-20 02:10:41+00:00
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2021-08-19 19:30:00
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This year, for the first time, signing up for adult education at Heartland Community College can be as simple as finding the Bloomington Public Library Bookmobile.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pantagraph.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Feducation%2Fheartland-takes-adult-ed-signups-on-the-road-with-bloomington-library-bookmobile%2Farticle_22f0e548-424f-5081-9af3-832f4e2fbc62.html.json
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en
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NORMAL — This year, for the first time, signing up for adult education at Heartland Community College can be as simple as finding the Bloomington Public Library Bookmobile.
Kerry Urquizo, associate dean of adult education at Heartland, said the idea to go out with the bookmobile came from the department’s longstanding relationship with the library. That includes holding high school equivalency classes at the library for adult students.
“The state really charged us with finding new and creative ways to recruit students,” Urquizo said.
The college offers three different types of adult education programs: English as a second language, academic English, and high school equivalency. Along with providing them skills, Heartland also helps students transition from these courses into either employment or further education, often at the college.
Most years around 600 people go through the adult education programs, Urquizo said, but that number was closer to 450 last year during the pandemic. This year they plan to offer online, in-person and hybrid classes, something Urquizo believes is helping increase interest.
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“We’re seeing a big influx of students because we offer these options,” she said.
The department saw a recent success story when it hired a new administrative assistant who had gone through the program, Urquizo said.
Along with Heartland's campus programs, they also have off-site courses, including English as a second language at Western Avenue Community Center and the high school equivalency program at the public library.
Urquizo encourages those who are interested to check the Heartland website, do the adult ed orientation at sites.google.com/view/adulteducationorientation or call the office at (309) 268-8180.
Khrystyna Sanborn, assistant director of adult education instruction at Heartland, went with the bookmobile to Wingover Apartments on Thursday. Interest has been strong so far, she said, as students have been coming back to these programs after the height of the pandemic last year. The pandemic also forced the department to accelerate plans for offering online courses, which seems to have helped bring in even more students, Sanborn said.
“We realized that we can give students choices,” she said.
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www.pantagraph.com
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Heartland takes adult ed signups on the road with Bloomington Library Bookmobile
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https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/education/heartland-takes-adult-ed-signups-on-the-road-with-bloomington-library-bookmobile/article_22f0e548-424f-5081-9af3-832f4e2fbc62.html
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|||||
[
"Robyn Gautschy Skaggs Robyn.Skaggs Lee.Net",
"Robyn Gautschy Skaggs",
"Robyn Skaggs",
"The Pantagraph",
"Photo Submitted Robert Whitney",
"Timothy Eggert",
"Google Maps Screenshot"
] |
2021-08-20 02:10:47+00:00
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2021-08-19 20:04:00
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No injuries were reported Thursday evening after crews from Bloomington and Normal responded to a structure fire in the 700 block of North McLean Street in Bloomington.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pantagraph.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fpublic_safety%2Fbloomington-normal-crews-respond-to-house-fire-on-mclean-street%2Farticle_f70efff1-154f-5e01-998a-7c76ff2ab826.html.json
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en
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BLOOMINGTON — No injuries were reported Thursday evening after crews from Bloomington and Normal responded to a structure fire in the 700 block of North McLean Street in Bloomington.
Bloomington Fire Chief Eric West said the department had been responding to a smoke investigation call down the street when a call came in for the fire around 6:45 p.m.
At least four fire trucks, one ambulance and several police and fire SUVs from both Bloomington and Normal were on scene, which crews said was a typical response for the size of the building. The large, two-story house with an attic, located on the corner of North McLean and East Mulberry streets, was divided into five apartments, West said. One resident was home at the time the fire broke out, but escaped without injury.
Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}
The fire appeared to have started between the second floor and the attic, West said, with a "good bit" of smoke damage in the attic space.
By 7:30 p.m., the fire was under control, with crews remaining to put out any hotspots.
No further information, including a cause of the fire, was available Thursday night.
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www.pantagraph.com
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Bloomington, Normal crews respond to house fire on McLean Street
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https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/public_safety/bloomington-normal-crews-respond-to-house-fire-on-mclean-street/article_f70efff1-154f-5e01-998a-7c76ff2ab826.html
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[
"Karen Ann Cullotta Chicago Tribune",
"Charles Rex Arbogast",
"Associated Press",
"Antonio Perez",
"Chicago Tribune Via Ap"
] |
2021-08-20 02:11:06+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:00:00
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The state board listed a total of 36 public school districts and seven private schools as being sanctioned for noncompliance with the governor’s mask mandate — a jump of more
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pantagraph.com%2Fnews%2Fstate-and-regional%2Ftwo-dupage-county-schools-unrecognized-by-state-for-defying-mask-mandate%2Farticle_8f9d2135-59ef-5947-af17-3b3e1fceb03a.html.json
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en
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Two DuPage County private schools are among the latest to join a surging number of public and private schools in Illinois being slapped with sanctions this week for refusing to comply with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s school mask mandate.
Bethany Lutheran School in Naperville and Lutheran School of St. Luke in Itasca on Thursday were listed as “nonrecognized” for noncompliance with the mask mandate, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
The state board listed a total of 36 public school districts and seven private schools as being sanctioned for noncompliance with the governor’s mask mandate — a jump of more than 30% from the day before.
At least one Illinois public school district and several private schools on the list have advised ISBE they intend to comply with the mandate, including Timothy Christian Schools in Elmhurst, whose status was restored to “recognized” last week.
In an Aug. 18 letter to Bethany Lutheran School Principal Erin Dunwell, ISBE Superintendent Carmen Ayala said officials had verified the Naperville private school was not complying with the mask mandate, resulting in ISBE “removing your school’s status as a recognized nonpublic school, effective immediately.”
As a result, the school will be ineligible to participate in Illinois High School Association and Illinois Elementary School Association sanctioned sports and unable to participate in the Invest in Kids Act tax scholarship program, she wrote.
Officials at Bethany Lutheran and Lutheran School of St. Luke, both of which enroll children in prekindergarten through eighth grade, were not immediately available for comment Thursday.
ISBE spokeswoman Jackie Matthews said when officials receive an unverified complaint about a district or nonpublic school, they first reach out to the superintendent or school leader directly and ask them to either confirm or correct the information within 24 hours.
While public school districts placed on probation are required to submit a corrective plan to the regional superintendent of schools and Ayala within 60 days, private schools do not receive a similar probationary period before their recognition is revoked because of a different recognition process under the law for private and public schools, Matthews said.
In her letter to Bethany Lutheran on Wednesday, Ayala said state officials “do not take this action lightly.”
“The purpose of the universal indoor masking requirement is to ensure that all students can safely attend school in-person this fall,” Ayala wrote. “We know that consistent and correct mask use is the simplest, most effective way to keep students safely in school, where they can learn and grow to their fullest potential. And masks work best when everyone wears one.”
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www.pantagraph.com
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Two Dupage County schools ‘unrecognized’ by state for defying mask mandate
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https://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/two-dupage-county-schools-unrecognized-by-state-for-defying-mask-mandate/article_8f9d2135-59ef-5947-af17-3b3e1fceb03a.html
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[
"Riley Eubanks The State Journal-Register",
"E. Jason Wambsgans",
"Chicago Tribune"
] |
2021-08-20 02:11:00+00:00
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2021-08-19 20:00:00
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"Illinois Republicans have more enthusiasm than I've seen at this state fair in a very long time," said U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville. "And I want (the media) to report
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pantagraph.com%2Fnews%2Fstate-and-regional%2Fgovt-and-politics%2Fillinois-gop-targets-pritzker-during-republican-day-aims-to-appeal-to-diverse-voters%2Farticle_99924501-05f1-5894-9812-1ac0e09e88eb.html.json
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SPRINGFIELD — As expected, Republicans spent the majority of their Thursday rally at the Illinois State Fair attacking Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, with the rally's emcee talking about Pritzker's weight.
Though the rally didn't feature any of the three Republican candidates confirmed to be running for governor, Grand Old Party lawmakers and committee members attacked the governor during their Republicans Day rally for his executive orders during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, among other issues.
Republicans also called on Pritzker to veto a controversial ethics bill passed by the Illinois General Assembly this spring that Republicans have argued does not do enough to address corruption in state politics.
"We don't want to lose any more of our population," said Illinois House of Representatives minority leader Jim Durkin, R- Western Springs, referencing recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau that had Illinois as one of the states whose populations shrank in the preceding decade.
He continued, calling for a reduction in property taxes, a sentiment shared by state Senate minority leader Dan McConchie, R- Hawthorn Woods, who also spoke.
"Illinois Republicans have more enthusiasm than I've seen at this state fair in a very long time," said U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R- Taylorville, beckoning to the couple hundred attendees at the Director's Lawn. "And I want (the media) to report on it, too."
A dominant theme among the nearly dozen speakers Thursday was that the party needs to appeal to voters it hasn't targeted with serious concentration in the past.
"Look at our freshmen class. We have 12 or 13 minorities," U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, said of his fellow Congressional representatives before listing their ethnicities.
That sentiment was shared by Illinois GOP chairman Don Tracy, who said the freshmen group of 47 Republican federal lawmakers, which includes U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R- Oakland, is diverse.
Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}
"The freshmen class in Congress is a diverse group of regular people that are fighting for our Christian, constitutional rights," Miller said during her speech.
The vast majority of members of Congress, including most of the freshmen class of Congressional Republicans, is white. Tracy addressed this, "We need more people in the Republican Party that don't look like me," he said.
Miller joined Davis and LaHood as the three members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois to speak at the event, which only featured white lawmakers and Republican National Committee people.
"They like conservative principles. They like freedom," Tracy said about his conversations with voters of diverse backgrounds. "They don't like what's going on with our schools. They want school choice.
"But they also want us to be talking to them," Tracy said. "They want (Republicans) to be a factor in Chicago. And we haven't been. And we're going to be more (of a factor)."
Former President Donald Trump was mentioned just once during Thursday's rally, a sign the party may be attempting to distance itself from the controversial political figure in an attempt to appeal to more voters.
When asked if the party was attempting to do just that, Tracy said he isn't focused on Trump because he's not on the ballot in 2022.
LaHood was the only speaker to mention Trump, referencing his Twitter account being deactivated following the Jan. 6 insurrection, but there were plenty of Trump-like attacks by the speakers toward Democrat leaders in Congress and President Joe Biden.
Sangamon County Circuit Clerk Paul Palazzolo, who emceed Republican Day festivities at the Director's Lawn, opened the event with a stand-up routine that targeted Democrats at the statewide and national levels. It included remarks on U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Pritzker's physical appearances.
Palazzolo attempted to make light of the situation by making fun of his own weight before continuing remarks about Pritzker's body. After the rally, Tracy said he doesn't like jokes about other people's physical appearances before saying Palazzolo's routine "speaks for itself."
The event didn't feature state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf or Gary Rabine, all of whom have announced they are running as Republicans in the governor's race. Tracy pointed out parties tend not to involve themselves with candidates in primary races.
The Republican primary is June 28.
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www.pantagraph.com
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Illinois GOP targets Pritzker during Republican Day, aims to appeal to diverse voters
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https://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/illinois-gop-targets-pritzker-during-republican-day-aims-to-appeal-to-diverse-voters/article_99924501-05f1-5894-9812-1ac0e09e88eb.html
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2021-08-20 02:10:35+00:00
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2021-08-19 20:00:00
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Allerton Park and Retreat Center in Monticello is adding some on-site activities for spring and summer.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pantagraph.com%2Fentertainment%2Farts-and-theatre%2Farts-in-brief-illinois-art-station-announces-grand-opening%2Farticle_92f202f3-7c68-5cd0-a8b9-c73c6b563807.html.json
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en
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Illinois Art Station announces grand opening
NORMAL — The Illinois Art Station (IAS)announced they will be opening their facility at 101 E. Vernon Ave. in Normal on Sept. 11.
IAS will be holding a celebration to welcome the community to their new space from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The station plans to open their doors for normal operations on Friday, Sept. 17 and will primarily be open on weekends with regular scheduled classes on Thursdays.
IAS will offer various drop-in art making opportunities as well as classes and programming for children of all ages. They will also be launching new programs and extending art engagement opportunities to their galleries and outdoor spaces.
Contact Laura Jaster at 309-386-1019, email info@illinoisartsstation.org or visit illinoisartstation.org for more information.
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www.pantagraph.com
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Arts in brief: Illinois Art Station announces grand opening
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https://www.pantagraph.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/arts-in-brief-illinois-art-station-announces-grand-opening/article_92f202f3-7c68-5cd0-a8b9-c73c6b563807.html
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2021-08-20 01:57:30+00:00
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2021-08-17 10:19:00
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Procedurally generated narrative road trip adventure launched today by the creators of 11-11: Memories Retold.
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https%3A%2F%2Fadventuregamers.com%2Fnews%2Fview%2Froad-96-winds-up-on-windows-pc-and-switch.json
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en
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Road 96 winds up on Windows PC and Switch
Have you ever dreamed of just packing a bag, heading out and seeing where the road takes you? Put like that, it sounds like a grand, romantic adventure with the freedom of the open road and the wind in your hair. But it's a whole different story if your country is riven by war, and abandoning everything you've ever known in a desperate attempt to make it to the border is your only chance at survival – particularly if you have to ride with all manner of strange and dangerous people to get there. Welcome to the world of DigixArt's Road 96, a newly released "procedurally generated road trip" inspired by the likes of Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers, where your choices open up thousands of possible paths to the border.
The summer of 1996 is a long, hot one. Petria's oppressive authoritarian government is falling apart and life is descending into anarchy. Troubled teenagers across the country who dream of a better future are trying to escape, but their only hope is to strike out for the border, thousands of miles away in the mountains, which means placing their fate in the hands of anybody who'll take them. You play as one of a variety of possible protagonists each time through, and must navigate dozens of decisions as you deal with crazy encounters and moral dilemmas, solving puzzles and trying to stay alive along the way.
Petria may be imaginary, but the look and feel is pure Americana, dystopian '90s style, filled with desert roads under baking blue skies, roadside diners and amusement arcades, as well as bombastic government billboards, masked gunmen and suspicious police officers. The haunting soundtrack (a mix of pop, folk, dance, and electronica) features bands such as Survive (composers of the Stranger Things score) and Toxic Avenger. Even more than the French developer's previous adventure, 11-11: Memories Retold, this game is choice-driven and intended to be highly replayable: each individual experience may be short (less than an hour), but thanks to a mix of scripted narratives and procedural generation, the developers promise that "no one's road will be the same." Subsequent playthroughs will enable you to delve deeper into this perilous world and its inhabitants, uncovering their secrets and maybe changing their lives.
Road 96 is now open to travellers with Windows PC on Steam and GOG, along with a console version for Nintendo Switch. To learn more, just take a detour over to the official website for additional information.
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adventuregamers.com
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Road 96 winds up on Windows PC and Switch
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https://adventuregamers.com/news/view/road-96-winds-up-on-windows-pc-and-switch
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2021-08-20 01:48:41+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:00:00
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
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https%3A%2F%2Ffredericksburg.com%2Fopinion%2Fletters%2Fletter-the-right-person-transcends-race%2Farticle_1ed60dfb-43ca-5dbc-afe8-5b0f6285af1b.html.json
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The ‘right person’ transcends race
I truly enjoyed reading the Aug. 10 editorial discussing hiring the right person and not merely by color [“Hire the right person, not the right color”].
The gathered stats were stupendous, and much like the question of the commentary’s first sentence, I, too, often wonder about the necessitated recruitment of a diversity officer.
Although not a person who often reads the comments of others, I am appreciative of the opinions offered by those FLS “literary critics” regarding the editorial’s theme.
Liberal television flimflams us into the lethargic belief of a more diversified and progressive society with news headlines and buzz feeds recounting the vanishing hostility between genders and/or races to often eulogizing the Confederate statue removals, structural renaming and uncoupling from the Trump White House.
In my five decades in the workforce, there were many occasions where I tried barrier-busting, but my endeavors only brought reprimands from the hierarchy and segregated inequality desensitization.
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fredericksburg.com
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LETTER: The 'right person' transcends race
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https://fredericksburg.com/opinion/letters/letter-the-right-person-transcends-race/article_1ed60dfb-43ca-5dbc-afe8-5b0f6285af1b.html
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[
"Associated Press"
] |
2021-08-20 01:48:28+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:05:00
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The Fredericksburg region is far more healthy than much of Virginia. Every county touching the North Carolina state line and every one in Southwest Virginia west of Montgomery County had
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https%3A%2F%2Ffredericksburg.com%2Fopinion%2Feditorial-census-shows-how-region-is-changing%2Farticle_90e36a22-07e4-5329-903e-8d05e12838db.html.json
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We are not alone. The 2020 birth rate in the United States was down 4 percent from 2019. In Virginia, there was a drop of 3.3 percent. Some of that could be COVID-related. Apparently, many people did not use their work-at-home time to make babies.
However, the 2015–19 numbers indicate that the trend toward fewer births has been going on longer than the pandemic.
Where will we be in 2030? Obviously, a locality’s residents don’t all have to be home-grown. People do move, especially in an area that draws federal government workers from all over.
However, we do seem to be trending toward slower growth. Even the 7.9 percent rise in the state’s population over the last decade was the lowest percentage since the Great Depression.
We also are getting more diverse. The white population in the 2020 census shrank for the first time since the first census was held in 1790. Prince William now joins Fairfax as a majority-minority county. Fifteen percent of Stafford residents list themselves as Hispanic. The majority of Virginians under the age of 18 (51 percent) are people of color. Nationally, the figure is 53 percent.
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fredericksburg.com
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EDITORIAL: Census shows how region is changing
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https://fredericksburg.com/opinion/editorial-census-shows-how-region-is-changing/article_90e36a22-07e4-5329-903e-8d05e12838db.html
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[] |
2021-08-20 01:48:35+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:00:00
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
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https%3A%2F%2Ffredericksburg.com%2Fopinion%2Fletters%2Fletter-stafford-voters-should-demand-candidates-debate%2Farticle_734bad32-c7f5-58eb-b853-48ce3b18a8dc.html.json
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Stafford voters should demand candidates debate
Realities are difficult to grasp in times of change. With recent events—such as the school bus shell game, an uptick in criminal activity, more apartments coming or the politicians lacking the innards to actually listen to the citizens and reach for something greater than self-interest—Stafford voters need to see the candidates debate.
Unlike Spotsylvania County, which has a vision and is implementing it beyond measure, Stafford cannot get out of the parking lot of failures.
Our area is reaching an untenable situation in the form of undersized roads, overcrowded schools, aging infrastructures, and many retirees with nowhere to shop and spend. There is no plug big enough at present to stop the revenue leakage.
If you’re like most folks, you either go north into the mayhem of urban life or head across the river to find something in town a little friendlier and affordable, and with a better chance of getting you back in time from the fray.
I know the county is not responsible for Interstate 95, U.S. 1 or many secondary roads. But they surely could’ve given major disenfranchisement to our state and federal elected representation. At this point, both political parties are a big disappointment.
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fredericksburg.com
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LETTER: Stafford voters should demand candidates debate
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https://fredericksburg.com/opinion/letters/letter-stafford-voters-should-demand-candidates-debate/article_734bad32-c7f5-58eb-b853-48ce3b18a8dc.html
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[
"Melanie Kaidan"
] |
2021-08-20 01:53:58+00:00
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2021-08-20 01:12:54
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KATE, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William penned a heartfelt, describing the 'difficult time' they have faced of late.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.express.co.uk%2Fnews%2Froyal%2F1479375%2Fkate-middleton-latest-news-prince-william-heartfelt-message-philip-death-royal-ont%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Bdaily-express-royal-news%2B%2528Express%2B%253A%253A%2BRoyal%2BFeed%2529.json
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en
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Sign up fornow and never miss the top Royal stories again.
The Royal Family suffered the loss of patriarch Prince Philip this year. The Duke of Edinburgh, who was married to the Queen for 73 years, died on April 9 aged 99. Royal fans and experts across the world sent their condolences to the Duke’s family, including royal blogger Gertrude Daly, who received a surprise reply from the Cambridges.
Ms Daly shared the response on her Twitter account - and received hundreds of likes.
The message reads: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge thank you for your kind words following the death of The Duke of Edinburgh.
“Their Royal Highnesses have been incredibly moved by the many thoughtful messages they have received in recent weeks.
“They will all miss their much loved grandfather and great-grandfather, but your message has provided great comfort at this difficult time.”
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Kate and William tell of 'difficult time' since Prince Philip's death in heartfelt note
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2021-08-20 01:54:04+00:00
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2021-08-20 01:33:00
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QUEEN ELIZABETH II has advertised a new role working at her Royal residences, which pays £25,000 a year.
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Applications for a security expert overseeing vetting procedures for those working at Buckingham Palace has opened. Candidates are required to have “the ability to remain calm and level headed under pressure.”
The THREE occasions which will see Princess Charlotte's title change
They will also have to be able to "demonstrate good judgment", as well as "sound decision making in a fast paced environment".
The successful applicant will carry out the same duties at Windsor Castle, Sandringham and Balmoral.
The position is five days a week, spanning a fixed period of a year. The ad says working hours take up 37 and a half hours per week.
The job advert states: "It's knowing that you're helping to protect a world-famous institution.
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Thought about working for the Queen? £25k a year, five day a week role advertised
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2021-08-20 01:56:10+00:00
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2021-07-28 00:00:00
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Educators trying to help keep kids safe find themselves under attack from the governor on the state level and angry activists locally.
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During this second COVID summer, I'm once more subjecting my day-to-day activities to all kinds of risk analysis. Indoors stuff is iffy. Outdoor stuff less so. Avoid crowds. Events are getting called off again. Once more, take a mask to the grocery store.
It's stressful, but by now, this should be a familiar drill. We were through this last summer. You'd think people would handle it better this time around. Yet people are not handling it better this time around.
In Flagler County, a school board meeting on Tuesday turned raucous with the shouts of anti-mask, anti-vax and anti-whatever-you-got activists. "PANDEMIC IS A HOAX" read one of their signs. "Stop the communist school system" read another. Sheriff deputies had to clear the room.
To be sure, Flagler County politics lately is just a little nuttier, a little angrier and a little farther right than most of Florida. Recently while driving in Flagler Beach, which used to be a laidback beach town, I found myself at a stoplight just a few feet away from a guy waving a blue flag that said "F--- Biden" and shouting at traffic. I'm told he's a Saturday regular. The new face of Flagler politics.
Volusia County is moving in the same direction. Two weeks ago, County Chair Jeff Brower spoke of citizens' concerns about a conspiracy theory that the federal government would send health workers house-to-house to push vaccines on people and spy on gun owners so they can take our guns. And Volusia County Councilman Fred Lowry was on Facebook last May denying that COVID-19 is for real. "We did not have a pandemic, folks; we were lied to," he declared while laying down a mélange of QAnon-inspired conspiracy theories.
Mark Lane:Another lopsided vote on another divisive issue
Mark Lane:County Council loses a member to Conspiracyland
Meanwhile, among those of us who live in what we like to call The Real World, hospitals are filling up. People in public life are getting sick. People we know are landing in hospitals. Some are dying.
Halifax Health reported 171 COVID-19 patients on Wednesday, a new peak. AdventHealth Central Florida reported about 1,600 patients on Monday across its Central Florida hospitals. Because of the crush of COVID-19 patients, AdventHealth hospitals are calling off elective procedures.
According to the Florida Hospital Association, the state has 16,521 COVID-19 hospitalizations: 162% of last year's peak.
All preventable if more people just got vaccinated. There are breakthrough cases among the vaccinated, but these are not the people usually hospitalized. We wouldn't even be arguing about masks if more people were vaccinated.
More:Education commissioner threatens to withhold pay from Leon school leaders
More:Halifax Health sets another COVID hospitalization record
Florida piles on against schools
Faced with a clear health emergency, Gov. Ron DeSantis is responding by attacking anyone trying to take public health countermeasures. The state is still suing to prevent cruise lines from requiring COVD-19 vaccines.
"It's beyond bizarre," said Norwegian Cruise line head Frank Del Rio of the suit. "This is a pandemic we are talking about. People are dying every day. Florida now is the epicenter of the epicenter. What does it take for common sense to rule?" he added.
What indeed?
The state Board of Education meanwhile ruled on Tuesday that two school districts requiring masks broke state law and floated a range of possible punishments, including removing local elected officials, revoking salaries, and defunding public schools. Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran is proving every bit as heavy-handed as education commissioner as he was as a speaker of the Florida House who had an eye on becoming governor.
Educators trying to help keep kids safe in a trying time of rising infections find themselves under attack from the governor on the state level and angry anti-mask, anti-vaccine and anti-whatever-you-got activists on the local level. Instead of fighting the disease, state authorities and local activists are fighting the fighters. A crazy situation.
All you can do for now is wear a mask in crowded indoor situations and send your kids to school with a mask whether they're required to or not. And for heaven's sake, get vaccinated if you haven't already. As somebody over 65, I'm planning on getting a booster vaccine sometime in the fall at flu-shot time. Not just for me, but for everyone around me.
And if you have a friend who spouts crazy COVID misinformation and conspiracies on Facebook, click on the triple dots above one of their posts and click "unfollow." You'll feel better and you won't be part of the chain spreading wild tales of conspiracy and betrayal. Don’t amplify their message.
And I avoid Flagler Beach on Saturdays, too. Why let people get in your face with Trump flags? Too much of a crowd there anyway and I’m avoiding those.
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Schools under fire from activists and state for trying to tame COVID
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2021-08-20 01:56:04+00:00
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2021-08-18 00:00:00
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Dr. Rachel Humphrey at AdventHealth Orlando said health-care workers are seeing more pregnant women hospitalized with COVID-19 than ever before.
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Caleb Feliciano entered the world more than 10 days ago and still hasn't met his mother.
Shantel Feliciano, 31, is fighting for her life against COVID-19 at AdventHealth Daytona Beach. She gave birth to Caleb on Aug. 8 through an emergency cesarean section.
Shantel's husband, Heriberto Feliciano, also tested positive for COVID-19. He had to wait three days to meet his son.
"It's bittersweet, you know. We're supposed to be able to enjoy this time together as new parents," Feliciano, 31, said. "But, unfortunately, she's there. It has been a little bit difficult, you know, I really don't know what I'm doing."
Dr. Rachel Humphrey, director of maternal fetal medicine services at AdventHealth Orlando, said AdventHealth Central Florida is seeing more pregnant women hospitalized with COVID-19 than ever before. AdventHealth would not provide statistics regarding pregnant patients.
"We know that pregnant women are much more likely to get seriously ill and are in fact three times more likely to end up in the ICU," Humphrey said.
COVID testing:New COVID-19 test, treatment sites in Volusia County? No announcement yet
Hospitalizations:COVID update: Florida exceeds 17,000 daily COVID-19 hospitalizations
Having a baby while battling COVID
On Aug. 6, Feliciano began having mild COVID-19 symptoms. Two days later, Shantel was having trouble breathing.
"They found that the baby, the way he was positioned, he was on top of her lungs, so that also contributed to her having trouble breathing," Feliciano said.
That's when doctors at AdventHealth Daytona Beach decided to perform an emergency cesarean section on Shantel, who was nine months pregnant and close to her due date. That was the last time Feliciano saw his wife in person.
"I was there when they took her in. They let me be there with her, tell her I love her and give her a kiss and stuff like that," Feliciano said. "Because her oxygen level was so low, they had to intubate her and put her on a ventilator."
When pregnant women with COVID-19 are very ill and need to deliver their babies, Humphrey said doctors almost always perform a C-section.
"When you're dealing with a patient with significant respiratory problems who needs a C-section, the patient is almost always given general anesthesia and put to sleep," Humphrey said. "Because other anesthetic choices that would allow the mom to stay awake could compromise her breathing further."
In these cases, family members are not allowed in the delivery room, according to Humphrey.
"We suddenly talk about a delivery experience that is completely different from what any family would fantasize or hope for, because we talk about a delivery experience where the mom's not awake," Humphrey said. "She'll never hear baby's first cry, she'll never remember hearing baby's first cry. There's no other family member there to enjoy those first few moments."
Humphrey said that although the family can't be there, the babies are still delivered into loving arms.
"They're born into our AdventHealth family, even though the other family is not there," she said. "And we certainly care for these babies like our own, but it is a heartbreaking situation."
It's very unusual for the baby to test positive for COVID-19 in such situations, according to Humphrey. Thankfully, Caleb is COVID-free.
COVID strain:Volusia County EMS struggling under the weight of COVID; council clashes over way forward
Education:Tensions flare in Flagler County Schools over quarantines, masks
Recovery from C-section
Following her C-section, Shantel was on a ventilator for about a week. On Monday evening, doctors took her off the ventilator and put her on an ECMO machine, which pumps and oxygenates a patient's blood outside the body so the heart and lungs can rest. Feliciano did not say if she regained consciousness yet.
"They said she's doing really well on the ECMO machine," Feliciano said Tuesday. "We just gotta take it one day at a time."
Every day at 5 p.m., Feliciano has a virtual visit with his wife, even though she's not able to respond to him. AdventHealth does not allow visitors for COVID-19 patients unless they are children or it's an end-of-life situation.
"We just talk with her and we pray, we play her favorite Christian songs, you know, just to keep her spirits up," Feliciano said. "You know, just to remind her to keep fighting.
"It's definitely been hard to see her in that state … you'd never want to see your wife go through something like this."
Feliciano and his son have been staying with Feliciano's mother in Port Orange. She helps take care of Caleb, who never tested positive for COVID-19, while Feliciano juggles doctors' appointments, hospital calls and also takes care of Shantel's mother, who has cancer.
"I still haven't been home. I can't sleep in the same bed that we used to share without her there, it just doesn't feel right," Feliciano said. "I miss her a lot. It's definitely been hard and I'm just taking it one day at a time, you know."
Feliciano said doctors haven't indicated whether Shantel will make a full recovery.
"I just want my wife to get better and come home," he said.
Personal impacts:COVID-19 spike delays elective surgeries at AdventHealth, frustrating Volusia patients
COVID death:'She was starting to feel a little safer': Vaccinated grandmother dies from COVID
A Nurse's perspective:'My dream is a living hell': Halifax Health nurse begs COVID patient to go on ventilator
Vaccination for pregnant women
Both Feliciano and Shantel are unvaccinated.
Feliciano said Shantel researched the vaccine regarding pregnant women, but said there wasn't enough information available at the time.
"So she was a little bit frightened about getting vaccinated while pregnant for the baby."
Caleb is the couple's first child.
Humphrey strongly recommends and encourages all of her pregnant patients to get the COVID-19 vaccine. She prefers the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines since they have no preservatives, mercury or additives.
"There have been no safety issues that have come up in a robust evaluation of these women who have been vaccinated," Humphrey said. "This vaccine will save pregnant women's lives."
According to Humphrey and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the COVID-19 vaccine will prevent pre-term delivery from women who get severely ill with COVID-19 during their pregnancy. The vaccine also protects the baby from infection for the first few weeks or months of life.
Humphrey said it's disappointing to see pregnant women decline the vaccines and ultimately end up in the hospital.
"It's a very disheartening situation, and it's also hard for us," Humphrey said. "When patients are so sick in the hospital, they realize that they're very sick, that their baby is in danger of being delivered early, and these women are so upset and angry that they didn't get vaccinated.
"I just feel so bad for them, you know. I try to console them and make them feel better because, by that point, it's too late."
GoFundMe page supports medical bills
To help cover costs associated with Shantel's hospital stay, the family has created a GoFundMe campaign at gofundme.com/f/help-Shantel-and-baby-Caleb.
As of Thursday afternoon, the campaign had raised $14,128 of its $15,000 goal.
"My main goal with the GoFundMe page is, you know, once she gets out of the hospital, so that she won't have to worry about bills, or anything like that," Feliciano said. "She can just rest and take care of the baby and, you know, get back to 100%."
As of Tuesday, Feliciano hadn't received any bills from the hospital for his wife's care. She has insurance, but he's not sure what will be covered and what they will have to pay for themselves.
Since Feliciano tested positive for COVID-19, he hasn't worked. Feliciano did not disclose his place of employment. One of his concerns right now is how he's going to pay the bills.
"She (Shantel) has all the passwords and stuff like that so I just give her the money to pay them," Feliciano said. "So it's been a little bit difficult."
Shantel is the type of person who lights up the room with a smile, said her husband.
"She's a selfless person, she'll do whatever she can to help somebody," Feliciano said. "She's a very God-fearing woman. She loves church, she loves God."
Feliciano said they have received an overwhelming amount of love and support from family, friends and their community.
"A lot of people have been calling and reaching out and, you know, a lot of people are praying for her, hundreds and hundreds of people praying for her all over the country," Feliciano said. "That gives me a little bit of comfort, but I'll feel a lot better when she gets out of there and we can definitely sleep in the same bed and spend time together."
Feliciano said his wife's experience has made him reconsider the vaccine.
"I definitely will be getting vaccinated. I'd rather be safe than sorry. After going through this, this is a real big eye-opener," Feliciano said. "For the sake of my son and my family, I will be vaccinated."
His message for the community is to take care of themselves, whether that means wearing a mask or getting vaccinated or both.
"Take care of what you need to take care of. Put your mask on," he said. "If you want to get vaccinated, get vaccinated. Let's take care of yourself and take care of the others around you."
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Florida mother battling COVID has emergency C-section
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2021-08-20 01:56:16+00:00
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2021-08-12 00:00:00
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The Sharks will run out of the Wing-T in Jerrime Bell's first season in charge, hoping to see improved results on last year's 1-6 record
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Change continues to be a constant within Atlantic High's football program.
Jerrime "Squatty" Bell arrived in the spring, becoming the Sharks' ninth head coach since 2014, and brought a brand-new offensive identity with him from Treasure Coast.
Heck, even the school's home field will be different this fall. Atlantic will relocate all its contests to Daytona Stadium, a move announced Tuesday and necessitated due to safety compliance concerns with their on-campus facility.
As for the team itself, though, Bell believes his group bonded through all of the uncertainty and adversity.
"They don't even talk about change," Bell said. "When I first got here, there were so many questions about what was going to happen, who all the other coaches were going to be and what's happening inside the walls of the school.
"Now, the kids just show up and work. They feel like they have a staff they can trust, both on and off the field. The questions now are pure football questions."
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Those certainly exist, too, off the back of the Sharks' 1-6 season in which they were outscored by 195 points. Heavy losses due to graduation and transfers ravaged the previous year's roster, a banner campaign highlighted by a first FHSAA postseason win in 23 years.
Far more experienced this time around, with a new philosophy in place, Atlantic hopes these three athletes — among others — can spark a turnaround.
1. John Killingsworth
The Wing-T offense Bell installed appears to be a far more natural fit for Killingsworth's skill-set.
As demonstrated in the Sharks' scrimmage with Creekside last weekend, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound junior dual-threat can dance away from tacklers, pick up chunk yards with his legs and occasionally hit the deep shot to keep defenses honest.
Killingsworth's best statistical performance a season ago was a 71-yard, three-touchdown rushing outing against Halifax. He also threw the game-winning TD in the Sharks' playoff triumph over Lake Weir.
Bell is confident that the best is yet to come, though.
Best 11:11 high school football matchups to watch this season in Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns area
"We had to slow the game down for him," Bell said. "Last year, he tried to do too much to overcompensate against the lack of talent on the roster.
"Being a quarterback doesn't always mean you have to do everything; just make the right plays, the right reads. His athletic ability will take over on itself."
2. Janquese Jamerson
Talk about a baptism by fire.
When senior cornerback Jamerson attended the Friday Night Lights camp in Gainesville last month, he matched up one-on-one with Texas five-star recruit Evan Stewart — widely regarded as the top receiver in the 2022 graduating class.
"It changed my mindset a lot, and made me want to work like 10 times harder," the 6-foot-2, 170-pound Jamerson said.
"It showed me what 'dogs' really is. There were a lot of five-star, four-star (recruits), and there's not a lot of that in this area. It was a real D-I experience."
Considered a "late bloomer," Jamerson nearly quit football in March as a result of the most recent coaching change. Now, he is expected to see action out wide on both sides of the ball.
3. Christian Johnson
A power run game is only going as far as its offensive line is able to push. The Sharks will lean upon Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 270-pound strong-side tackle, to finish blocks.
Bell likes the junior's frame and athleticism, and believes he is growing into a leader in the trenches.
"He's got that nasty, hog mentality," Bell said. "He doesn't miss reps in the weight room. He's an offensive line coach's dream."
The Sharks have a legitimate home run threat in slotback Nate Davis, a state track and field qualifier with a best time of 10.68 seconds in the 100-meter dash, as well as an improving weapon out wide in Amarion Washington.
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3 players to watch in the 2021 season
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2021-08-20 01:55:58+00:00
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AdventHealth reported 1,620 COVID-19 patients on Thursday across their hospital system. The 5 Volusia and Flagler hospitals had 465 patients.
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AdventHealth Central Florida and Halifax Health Medical Center again reached an all-time high number of COVID-19 cases on Thursday, according to hospital officials.
However, AdventHealth officials said the rate of hospitalizations is starting to slow.
AdventHealth reported 1,620 COVID-19 patients on Thursday across its hospital system, which spans seven Florida counties, during its morning briefing. That's roughly 20 more patients than the hospital system reported on Monday.
The five AdventHealth hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties reported 465 patients, five more than the previous week.
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“This is unfortunately a crisis of unprecedented proportions. We just haven't seen these numbers we're talking about,” said Dr. Vincent Hsu, executive director of infection prevention and epidemiologist at AdventHealth. “It’s over two times the number of COVID patients we were seeing during the winter peak earlier this year.
“We do see some light. We are told the growth we have, even though we're at all-time highs, is slowing,” Hsu said. “This (the record number of COVID patients) has resulted in a lot of tremendous stress and shortages.”
Halifax Health reported 180 COVID-19 patients on Thursday, also a new record for that hospital and nine more patients than Wednesday, according to hospital spokesman John Guthrie. Of those, 41 are in the ICU, nearly 82% are unvaccinated and one is a 15-year-old.
Statewide Thursday, an additional 199 inpatient beds and five ICU beds were assigned to COVID-19 patients, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
According to HHS, 17,295 inpatient beds and 3,647 ICU beds across the 265 responding Florida hospitals are now assigned to COVID-19 patients.
More than 93% of those hospitals' 6,864 ICU beds were in use on Wednesday, according to HHS, with just over 54% of them assigned to COVID-19 patients.
Nearly 86% of the state's 59,903 inpatient beds in those hospitals were in use, with 29% used by COVID-19 patients, according to HHS.
More coverage on COVID-19 hospitalizations:
AdventHealth capacity
Hsu said some intensive care units are completely full across AdventHealth. As a result, some of the ICU-level care is occurring in non-ICU areas as they transform traditionally non-patient-care rooms into patient-care rooms. These include procedure, anesthesia and holding areas.
“And there are a significant number of folks in the emergency department who are waiting to be admitted to either a regular room or an ICU-care room that are just waiting for a bed,” Hsu said.
But Hsu said they are continuing to manage the influx of patients.
“If you have a condition that is not deemed or you don't believe to be an emergency, please don't go to the emergency department for non-emergency care,” Hsu said. “The emergency department is really for those that really have true emergencies, because again, it is just extremely tight and we want to make sure that those people who are there for emergency care get the best care that they can.”
Elective surgeries:COVID-19 spike delays elective surgeries at AdventHealth, frustrating Volusia patients
Vaccines:Daytona city commissioners approve plan to spend $7.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds
The physicians, nurses and other health-care workers at AdventHealth are tired, Hsu said.
“It's so hard to describe in words. You can see it in their eyes; it's just a palpable feeling of fatigue. Every day it does take its toll mentally,” Hsu said. “AdventHealth is very aware of this and we have mobilized our mental health resources employee system programs to really make sure that we do everything we can to address this issue.”
COVID Q&A
Hsu addressed the following questions during the morning briefing:
Q: What is the median age of those hospitalized with COVID-19 at AdventHealth?
A: The median age has dropped from 60-year-olds to 50- and 40-year-olds. As of Monday, half of the patients were over 40 and the other half were under 40, approximately.
Q: Are you seeing otherwise healthy people hospitalized with COVID-19?
A: Among those unvaccinated, AdventHealth is seeing a lot of relatively healthy individuals who are young, healthy and without a lot of comorbidities or chronic illnesses getting very sick. Some of them are on ventilators and some have died.
Q: Why are people who are vaccinated getting COVID-19?
A: Breakthrough cases are COVID infections that occur in a patient who has been fully immunized. One reason might be the delta variant, a mutation in which the efficacy of the vaccine just isn't quite what it was. But these individuals, who don’t have comorbidities, have mild symptoms and don’t usually require hospitalization or result in death.
Q: Do I need to get a booster dose?
A: At some point, most likely. Right now, the booster or the third doses will only be authorized for Moderna and Pfizer. Third doses are for patients with severely weakened immune systems.
Q: Will I be able to get my booster dose at AdventHealth?
A: AdventHealth is working on a process to ensure it will have third doses and booster doses when they become available.
Q: Are kids being hospitalized with COVID-19?
A: Yes. Right now AdventHealth has a number of hospitalized children, and they are generally in their mid-teens. AdventHealth has the highest number of children hospitalized compared to any time previous during the pandemic. The hospital system did not provide an exact number of pediatric patients with COVID-19.
Q: Are children getting really sick from COVID-19?
A: Most children are not seriously ill. But doctors are seeing a greater number of pediatric hospitalizations now, partly owing to the fact that the delta variant has been so widespread. Hsu said they are not certain whether the variant causes a more severe illness, but most recover just fine.
Q: Should kids be wearing masks?
A: Yes. Even if you don't have symptoms, you can pass the virus to others. That is why it's so important for children to wear masks, especially in school. Hsu said they want to encourage masks much as possible.
Daytona-area hospital information
Halifax Health
COVID-19 patients: 180 on Thursday, a new peak.
Visitation policy: Two visitors at a time for non-COVID patients, unless the patients are in isolation, in which case they are only allowed one visitor. The hospital isn't allowing any visitors for COVID patients, but will provide virtual visits. Exceptions are made for extenuating circumstances, such as end-of-life or unique patient needs.
Hospital operations: On Aug. 3, Halifax Health began limiting its daily number of elective surgeries that require hospital stays due to "high inpatient volumes and ongoing staffing challenges."
AdventHealth
COVID-19 patients: 1,620 as of Thursday across AdventHealth Central Division. Of those, 465 are in AdventHealth's five hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties, a record for both.
Visitation policy: Non-COVID patients are allowed one visitor at a time; OB and pediatrics patients are allowed two visitors at a time. The hospital isn't allowing any visitors for COVID patients, but will provide virtual visits for COVID patients. Exceptions are made for children, pregnant women and end-of-life situations; women who are pregnant or having a c-section and have COVID-19 or who are symptomatic are allowed two visitors a day, but no visitors in the OR.
Hospital operations: On July 30, AdventHealth moved its hospital system to "black status." This means the hospital is only performing urgent, time-sensitive and emergency surgeries. This also means all hospital-based outpatient procedures at AdventHealth will be deferred to a later date; outpatient surgery sites will only conduct time-sensitive and urgent procedures; and time-sensitive pediatric procedures will be conducted with approval of the chief medical officer.
Flagler Hospital
COVID-19 patients: 100 on Thursday. Its peak was 133 on Aug. 12.
Visitor policies: Non-COVID patients can have one visitor for the entire stay; two for labor and delivery; and no visitors for COVID patients.
Hospital operations: The hospital is monitoring capacity and staffing closely and making adjustments to procedure schedules as needed. Most procedures are taking place as originally scheduled.
News-Journal looking for families, health-care workers
The News-Journal is seeking to interview families with loved ones hospitalized with COVID-19; people who are currently or have been hospitalized with COVID-19; health-care workers experiencing the surge of patients; and people who have had surgeries rescheduled. If you want to share your story, please send an email with your name, a telephone number, and other contact information to nikki.ross@news-jrnl.com.
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www.news-journalonline.com
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AdventHealth reports COVID hospitalization record, again
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https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/coronavirus/2021/08/19/adventhealth-reports-covid-hospitalization-record-again/8188224002/
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[
"Andrew Marden",
"Inside California Politics",
"Yourcentralvalley.Com Staff",
"Halle Sembritzki"
] |
2021-08-20 02:07:34+00:00
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2021-08-20 01:34:21
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FRESNO, Calif. (KGPE) – At this time next year, Bulldog Stadium will have a different name. What name? That is still to be determined. But it will have something to do with Valley Children’s Hospital, which announced a ten-year partnership with Fresno State on Thursday. Included in that partnership is naming rights to Bulldog Stadium. […]
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourcentralvalley.com%2Fbulldog-sports%2Fbulldog-stadium-will-have-a-new-name-next-year-after-fresno-state-announces-a-ten-year-partnership-with-valley-childrens-hospital%2F.json
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FRESNO, Calif. (KGPE) – At this time next year, Bulldog Stadium will have a different name.
What name? That is still to be determined.
But it will have something to do with Valley Children’s Hospital, which announced a ten-year partnership with Fresno State on Thursday. Included in that partnership is naming rights to Bulldog Stadium.
“When we started our media production company with myself and my brother, we kinda wondered why there wasn’t a naming rights deal for Fresno State,” said former Fresno State all-American quarterback David Carr, an ambassador for Valley Children’s Hospital. “And we started exploring that with Fresno State’s administration, we found out that it was just because we hadn’t really pushed it, really tried to find a suitable partner.”
The agreement is worth $1 million per year over the ten years, and it will expand upon the relationship that already exists between the two institutions to further the commitment to both health and education.
Among other things, the money will be used for operations as well as scholarships.
“When you work with Valley Children’s, that’s a lifelong lesson for our student-athletes,” said Terry Tumey, Fresno State’s director of athletics. “And for them to go out and meet the community where it lives. I think that is vitally important beyond some of the financial attributes that many people think about.”
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www.yourcentralvalley.com
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Bulldog Stadium will have a new name next year after Fresno State announces a ten-year partnership with Valley Children’s Hospital
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https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/bulldog-sports/bulldog-stadium-will-have-a-new-name-next-year-after-fresno-state-announces-a-ten-year-partnership-with-valley-childrens-hospital/
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2021-08-20 01:56:01+00:00
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2021-08-20 00:00:00
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https%3A%2F%2Fhargeisapress.com%2Fganacsatadda-magaaladda-lawyo-cadde-oo-cabasho-ka-muujiyay-culaysyo-dawladu-saartay%2F.json
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en
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By admin
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Lawyo-cadde (HP): Gamacsatadda ka shaqaysta Sigaarka koontarabaanka ah ee magaaladda Laqyo-cadde ee gobolka Selel ayaa cabasho xoogan ka muujiyay culaysyo iyo xanibaado ay xukuumadda Somaliland ku hayso.
Waxaanay ugu baaqeen madaxweynaha Somaliland inuu wax ka qabto dhibaatadda iyo xanibaadaha la saaray ganacsigoodii.
Ganacsatadani oo maanta warbaahinta kula hadlay magaaladda Lawyo-cadde waxay sheegeen in wixii ganacsi, hanti iuo gaadiid ay lahaayeen in lagu xidhay magaaladda Saylac.
Halka marka ganacsigoodu uu soo gaadho magaalooyinka Geerisa, Caasha Caddo, Ceel Gaal, Garbo-dadar, iyo Boon in laga xanibo.
Sidoo kalena qaar ka mida ganacsatadii ka shaqaysan jiray Sigaarka koontarabaanka ah in iyagna ay ku xidhan yihiin isla saldhiga booliska ee magaaladda Saylac.
Geesta kale xubnahan ganacsatadda ah waxa kaloo ay sheegeen in markii ay daba galeen sababta ka danbaysa arrintaasi ee ay kala hadleen maamulka gobolka Selel in ay u sheegeen in arrintaasi ay tahay amar ka yimid madaxweynaha Somaliland.
Waxaanay ganacsatadan cabanaysay madaxweynaha Somaliland ka codsadeen inuu wax ka qabto dhibaatadda iyo tacadiga lagu hayo hawlahoodii shaqo.
Kuwaasoo tilmaamay in aanay xukuumadda Somaliland marnaba ka filaynin in ay ka xanibto ishii keliyahayd ee u dhaq dhaqaaqaysay, isla markaasina ay tallaabadani u arkaan mid kooban ganacsatadda gobolka Selel.
DAAWO: Ganacsatadaasi Oo Arrimahan Ka Hadlaya:
Hhargeisa Press.com/Hargeisa Office.
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hargeisapress.com
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Ganacsatadda Magaaladda lawyo-Cadde Oo Cabasho Ka Muujiyay Culaysyo Dawladu Saartay
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https://hargeisapress.com/ganacsatadda-magaaladda-lawyo-cadde-oo-cabasho-ka-muujiyay-culaysyo-dawladu-saartay/
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[
"Timothy Smith"
] |
2021-08-20 02:18:37+00:00
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2021-08-19 12:51:09
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Off-price apparel and home fashion stocks received a boost from TJX's impressive second quarter. Trade TJX and one of its rivals with these ideas.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.investopedia.com%2Ftjx-companies-tjx-earnings-top-street-forecasts-5198097.json
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The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX) led discount apparel and home fashion stocks higher Wednesday after the off-price retailer reported better-than-expected quarterly results. The parent company of HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls swung to a second quarter (Q2) profit of 64 cents per share, recovering from a loss of 18 cents per share in the same quarter last year. Analysts had expected a profit of 58 cents per share. Meanwhile, net sales of $12.08 billion easily surpassed Wall Street's expectation of $11.2 billion and jumped 67% from the year-ago reported figure of $6.7 billion.
Key Takeaways Off-price apparel and home fashion stocks rose Wednesday after TJX Companies surpassed analysts' top- and bottom-line expectations.
TJX shares rallied from the top trendline of a symmetrical triangle pattern on above-average volume, indicating buying interest from institutional investors.
The share price of Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST) rallied from a 10-month trendline and the 200-day simple moving average (SMA) on heavy volume, suggesting buyer conviction.
TJX's proprietary open-only comparable-store sales measure—which compared sales growth at stores open during the most recent quarter to sales of those stores on the same days in fiscal 2020—grew 20%. The HomeGoods segment led the way on this metric, improving 36% year over year (YoY) as many consumers continued studying and working from home during the pandemic.
Management estimated that temporary COVID-related store closures in Europe, Canada, and Australia during the quarter made a $300 million to $350 million dint in the top line and adversely affected earnings in a band of 5 cents to 7 cents. However, the company said that stores in the United States, Canada, and Europe are operational in the current quarter. As of Aug. 19, 2021, TJX stock has a market value of $88.07 billion and is trading 6.9% higher on the year. Investors also earn a 1.5% dividend yield.
TJX shares broke out from a symmetrical triangle earlier this month, subsequently retracing to the pattern's top trendline before surging higher from that level after the retailer's impressive earnings report. Moreover, above-average volume accompanied the move, indicating buying interest from institutional investors. Those looking to trade the momentum should consider placing an initial stop-loss order at the midway point of yesterday's wide-ranging day and trail the stop under the low of each higher bar until stopped out.
TradingView.com
A wide-ranging day describes the price range of a stock on a particularly volatile day of trading. Wide-ranging days occur when the high and low prices of a stock are much further apart than they are on a typical day.
Fellow off-price apparel retailer Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST) also added impressive gains Wednesday in the wake of its competitor's impressive quarter. Let's take a look at the company's upcoming earnings.
Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST)
Ross Stores, which operates the Ross Dress for Less and dd's DISCOUNTS brands, is expected to post Q2 earnings of 94 cents per share on revenues of $4.43 billion. This indicates a significant improvement from a reported loss of 18 cents per share on sales of $2.7 billion in the June 2020 quarter. Investors should also be looking for sequential revenue growth from the previous quarter, given the company said at its last earnings call that it expects pent-up consumer demand to provide favorable sales trends through the rest of the year. Trading at $124.05 through Wednesday's close, the stock has a market capitalization of $44.3 billion, offers a modest 0.92% dividend yield, and is trading just 1% higher year to date.
The Ross Stores share price rallied from a 10-month trendline and the 200-day simple moving average (SMA) on heavy volume Wednesday, suggesting buyer conviction. Active traders looking to jump in here should consider setting a profit target around key overhead resistance at $132 and protecting capital with a stop placed just under the blue uptrend line.
TradingView.com
A profit target is a predetermined price point at which an investor will exit a trade for a positive gain. Profit targets are part of many trading strategies that investors and technical traders use to manage risk.
Disclosure: The author held no positions in the aforementioned securities at the time of publication.
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www.investopedia.com
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TJX Companies (TJX) Earnings Top Street Forecasts
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https://www.investopedia.com/tjx-companies-tjx-earnings-top-street-forecasts-5198097
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[
"Sabrina Karl"
] |
2021-08-20 02:18:43+00:00
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2021-08-19 16:32:51
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Mortgage rates have risen since setting five-month lows two weeks ago. But with the 30-year average just above 3%, rates are still historically low.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.investopedia.com%2Ftoday-s-mortgage-rates-and-trends-august-19-2021-rates-inch-higher-5198157.json
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National Averages of Lenders' Best Rates - Refinancing Loan Type Refinance Daily Change 30-Year Fixed 3.18% +0.03 FHA 30-Year Fixed 3.07% +0.03 VA 30-Year Fixed 3.17% +0.06 Jumbo 30-Year Fixed 3.31% No Change 20-Year Fixed 3.03% +0.04 15-Year Fixed 2.45% +0.03 Jumbo 15-Year Fixed 3.02% No Change 10-Year Fixed 2.41% +0.05 10/1 ARM 2.80% -0.01 10/6 ARM 3.64% -0.02 7/1 ARM 3.04% +0.08 Jumbo 7/1 ARM 2.38% No Change 7/6 ARM 4.22% +0.02 Jumbo 7/6 ARM 2.60% No Change 5/1 ARM 2.53% +0.01 Jumbo 5/1 ARM 2.23% No Change 5/6 ARM 4.43% +0.27 Jumbo 5/6 ARM 2.54% No Change
Lowest Mortgage Rates by State
The lowest mortgage rates available vary depending on the state where originations occur. Mortgage rates can be influenced by state-level variations in credit score, average mortgage loan term, and size, as well as individual lenders' varying risk management strategies.
These rates are surveyed directly from over 200 top lenders.
What Causes Mortgage Rates to Rise or Fall?
Mortgage rates are determined by a complex interaction of macroeconomic and industry factors, such as the level and direction of the bond market, including 10-year Treasury yields; the Federal Reserve's current monetary policy, especially as it relates to funding government-backed mortgages; and competition between lenders and across loan types. Because fluctuations can be caused by any number of these at once, it's generally difficult to attribute the change to any one factor.
Macroeconomic factors have kept the mortgage market relatively low for the last several months. In particular, the Federal Reserve has been buying billions of dollars of bonds and continues to do so. This bond-buying policy (and not the more publicized federal funds rate) is a major influencer on mortgage rates.
But Fed policy could soon change. The Fed's rate and policy committee, called the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), meets every 6-8 weeks, and concluded their latest meeting July 28. The detailed minutes of that meeting were released August 18, and though they are not yet announcing a change to their bond-buying plans, a majority of Fed members indicated they favor beginning to taper the stimulus by the end of 2021.
Methodology
The national averages cited above were calculated based on the lowest rate offered by more than 200 of the country's top lenders, assuming a loan-to-value ratio (LTV) of 80% and an applicant with a FICO credit score in the 700-760 range. The resulting rates are representative of what customers should expect to see when receiving actual quotes from lenders based on their qualifications, which may vary from advertised teaser rates.
For our map of the best state rates, the lowest rate currently offered by a surveyed lender in that state is listed, assuming the same parameters of an 80% LTV and a credit score between 700-760.
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www.investopedia.com
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Today's Mortgage Rates & Trends - August 19, 2021: Rates inch higher
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https://www.investopedia.com/today-s-mortgage-rates-and-trends-august-19-2021-rates-inch-higher-5198157
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2021-08-20 02:15:00+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:00:00
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, researchers worldwide have been looking for ways to treat COVID-19. And while the COVID-19 vaccines represent the best measure to prevent the disease, therapies for those who do get infected remain in short supply.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news-medical.net%2Fnews%2F20210819%2FExisting-drugs-block-or-reduce-SARS-CoV2-infection-in-cells.aspx.json
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, researchers worldwide have been looking for ways to treat COVID-19. And while the COVID-19 vaccines represent the best measure to prevent the disease, therapies for those who do get infected remain in short supply. A new groundbreaking study from U-M reveals several drug contenders already in use for other purposes-;including one dietary supplement-;that have been shown to block or reduce SARS-CoV2 infection in cells.
The study, published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, uses artificial intelligence-powered image analysis of human cell lines during infection with the novel coronavirus. The cells were treated with more than 1,400 individual FDA-approved drugs and compounds, either before or after viral infection, and screened, resulting in 17 potential hits. Ten of those hits were newly recognized, with seven identified in previous drug repurposing studies, including remdesivir, which is one of the few FDA-approved therapies for COVID-17 in hospitalized patients.
Traditionally, the drug development process takes a decade--and we just don't have a decade. The therapies we discovered are well positioned for phase 2 clinical trials because their safety has already been established." Jonathan Sexton, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, U-M Medical School and Senior Author
The team validated the 17 candidate compounds in several types of cells, including stem-cell derived human lung cells in an effort to mimic SARS-CoV2 infection of the respiratory tract. Nine showed anti-viral activity at reasonable doses, including lactoferrin, a protein found in human breastmilk that is also available over the counter as a dietary supplement derived from cow's milk.
"We found lactoferrin had remarkable efficacy for preventing infection, working better than anything else we observed," Sexton said. He adds that early data suggest this efficacy extends even to newer variants of SARS-CoV2, including the highly transmissible Delta variant.
The team is soon launching clinical trials of the compound to examine its ability to reduce viral loads and inflammation in patients with SARS-CoV2 infection.
The trials are adding to the list of ongoing studies of promising repurposed drugs. Sexton noted that over the course of the pandemic, other drug repurposing studies have identified different compounds with potential efficacy against SARS-CoV2. "The results seem to be dependent on what cell system is used," he said.
"But there is an emerging consensus around a subset of drugs and those are the ones that have the highest priority for clinical translation. We fully expect that the majority of these won't work in human beings, but we anticipate there are some that will."
A surprising finding about certain drugs and COVID
Remarkably, the U-M study also identified a class of compounds called MEK-inhibitors, typically prescribed to treat cancer, that appear to worsen SARS-CoV2 infection. The finding sheds light on how the virus spreads among cells.
"People going in for chemotherapy are at risk already due to a lowered immune response. We need to investigate whether some of these drugs worsen disease progression," said Sexton.
The next step, he noted, is to use electronic health records to see whether patients on these drugs have worse COVID-19 outcomes.
The work is one of the first major discoveries to come out of the new U-M Center for Drug Repurposing (CDR), which was established in November 2019, just as the pandemic began. The Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR), with partners across campus, launched the Center with the goal of finding potential therapeutics for the thousands of human diseases for which there is no treatment.
"Repurposing existing therapeutic interventions in the clinical setting has many advantages that result in significantly less time from discovery to clinical use, including documented safety profiles, reduced regulatory burden, and substantial cost savings," said George A. Mashour, MD, PhD, co-director of MICHR and founder/executive sponsor of the CDR.
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Existing drugs block or reduce SARS-CoV2 infection in cells
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https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210819/Existing-drugs-block-or-reduce-SARS-CoV2-infection-in-cells.aspx
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2021-08-20 02:15:15+00:00
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2021-08-19 20:34:00
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Clinicians and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a four-year, $6.2 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to launch a center designed to help improve mental health in surgery patients, particularly older surgery patients.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news-medical.net%2Fnews%2F20210819%2FResearchers-receive-2462-million-grant-to-launch-a-center-for-perioperative-mental-health.aspx.json
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Clinicians and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a four-year, $6.2 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to launch a center designed to help improve mental health in surgery patients, particularly older surgery patients. The center will conduct studies to identify and treat depression and anxiety in surgical patients.
The average person will undergo nine surgical procedures in his or her lifetime, and the periods before, during and after surgery are considered high risk regarding mental health, particularly among older adults. Depression and anxiety are especially common in older surgery patients; past research has demonstrated that about 40% of older surgical patients have mental health difficulties that can affect their quality of life and hinder recovery after an operation.
Identifying and treating depression and anxiety in surgical patients is the goal of a team of clinicians and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The team has received a four-year, $6.2 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to launch a center designed to help improve mental health in surgery patients.
The new Center for Perioperative Mental Health is the first NIH-funded center of its kind in the United States. The center will conduct clinical trials, initially involving three types of surgery: joint replacement, and cardiac and cancer surgery. Led by scientists from psychiatry, anesthesiology, general surgery, orthopedic surgery and the university's Institute for Informatics, the center's purpose is to protect and improve the mental health of patients during the stressful spans just before, during and after an operation, with a particular focus on older adults.
"More older adults are having surgery than ever before, and the rates of clinically significant depression and anxiety are about four times higher among those having surgery than among older adults who are not," said Eric J. Lenze, MD, the Wallace and Lucille K. Renard Professor of Psychiatry and one of the center's co-principal investigators. "This new center is designed to allow clinicians and scientists to collaborate to prevent adverse mental health outcomes in older people who need surgery."
Every year, some 50 million people in the United States — and 350 million worldwide — have surgery. Those operations can be life-changing events.
Older surgery patients in particular face challenging hospital stays, often followed by stints in rehabilitation facilities and then home visits from nurses and therapists. Lenze said the upheaval caused by an operation, frequent changes in location after surgery, and interactions involving medications can contribute to cognitive decline, confusion and issues with a patient's mood.
The whole process can be overwhelming for patients, according to the center's other principal investigator, Michael S. Avidan, MBBCh, the Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor and head of the Department of Anesthesiology. He said the increasing awareness that mental health contributes to better overall health outcomes for surgery patients is a key reason he and Lenze worked to form the new center.
People are much more than the body parts they have repaired during surgery, much more than heart valves or arthritic joints. Our plan with this center is to deal with patients holistically and to address factors that affect health and wellness. Although ours is a center focusing on mental health, we see our role in a much broader context, with overall patient wellness as the goal." Michael S. Avidan, MBBCh, the Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor and Head of the Department of Anesthesiology
The researchers want to identify and evaluate ways to improve mental health in vulnerable surgery patients and to invite researchers from around the School of Medicine to design pilot studies that might help advance those goals. The center will award at least $80,000 annually to help launch such pilot projects. The initial group of proposals for pilot projects are due by Sept. 1.
Others on the center's executive leadership team include Mayola Rowser, PhD, the Jack Taylor Dean of the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College; Marilyn E. Schallom, PhD, the director of research for patient care services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital; and Jennifer Carron, the executive director of patient experience at BJC HealthCare. Joanna Abraham, PhD, an assistant professor of anesthesiology, is the principal investigator for the center's methodology core, and Katie Holzer, PhD, an instructor in anesthesiology, is the center’s administrative director.
In addition to higher rates of anxiety and depression, many older patients who undergo surgery experience cognitive decline. Often, older surgery patients take medications that have been linked to confusion, falls and other adverse outcomes following an operation.
"The center will study and test interventions to help improve cognitive health as well as other aspects of mental health," Lenze said. "We believe improvements in these areas will improve recovery, reduce the need for patients to be rehospitalized, and lower the risk of falls and confusion after surgery."
Lenze and Avidan believe efforts to improve the mental health of surgery patients are especially important after more than a year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The pandemic has placed a huge strain on people," Avidan said. "As stressful and anxiety-provoking as major heart surgery or cancer surgery may have been for an older adult five years ago, having lived through the pandemic with its social isolation and other virus-related fears has magnified the challenges. It turns out we're launching this effort at a time when the need is even greater than it was when we first hatched the idea for this center."
Both also believe that by bringing together people from a number of different specialties the center can tackle issues involving mental health in older surgery patients from a number of perspectives, making it more likely for solutions to emerge.
"We view this center as a vehicle for rapidly improving the care that is delivered, rather than as only a vehicle for scientific discovery," Avidan explained. "Scientific discovery is, obviously, very important to us, but our goal is to rapidly translate any discoveries that can be of benefit to surgery patients and to society."
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Researchers receive $6.2 million grant to launch a center for perioperative mental health
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https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210819/Researchers-receive-2462-million-grant-to-launch-a-center-for-perioperative-mental-health.aspx
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2021-08-20 02:15:35+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:23:00
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Obtaining two vaccine doses remains the most effective way to ensure protection against the COVID-19 Delta variant of concern dominant in the UK today, according to a study from the University of Oxford.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news-medical.net%2Fnews%2F20210819%2FVaccines-remain-the-most-effective-way-to-protect-against-COVID-19-Delta-variant-study-says.aspx.json
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Obtaining two vaccine doses remains the most effective way to ensure protection against the COVID-19 Delta variant of concern dominant in the UK today, according to a study from the University of Oxford.
Conducted in partnership with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), the study found that with Delta, Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines still offer good protection against new infections, but effectiveness is reduced compared with Alpha.
Two doses of either vaccine still provided at least the same level of protection as having had COVID-19 before through natural infection; people who had been vaccinated after already being infected with COVID-19 had even more protection than vaccinated individuals who had not had COVID-19 before.
However, Delta infections after two vaccine doses had similar peak levels of virus to those in unvaccinated people; with the Alpha variant, peak virus levels in those infected post-vaccination were much lower.
Professor Sarah Walker, Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford and Chief Investigator and Academic Lead for the COVID-19 Infection Survey, said: 'We don't yet know how much transmission can happen from people who get COVID-19 after being vaccinated - for example, they may have high levels of virus for shorter periods of time.
'But the fact that they can have high levels of virus suggests that people who aren't yet vaccinated may not be as protected from the Delta variant as we hoped. This means it is essential for as many people as possible to get vaccinated - both in the UK and worldwide.'
Other key findings from the study:
A single dose of the Moderna vaccine has similar or greater effectiveness against the Delta variant as single doses of the other vaccines.
Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech have greater initial effectiveness against new COVID-19 infections, but this declines faster compared with two doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca.
Results suggest that after four to five months effectiveness of these two vaccines would be similar - however, researchers say long-term effects need to be studied.
The time between doses does not affect effectiveness in preventing new infections, but younger people have even more protection from vaccination than older people.
The fact that we did not see any effect of the interval between first and second doses, and the greater effectiveness of having had two doses, rather than one dose, supports the decision to reduce this to eight weeks now Delta is the main variant of concern in the UK. However, whilst vaccinations reduce the chance of getting COVID-19, they do not eliminate it. More importantly, our data shows the potential for vaccinated individuals to still pass COVID-19 onto others, and the importance of testing and self-isolation to reduce transmission risk." Dr Koen Pouwels, Senior Researcher, Oxford University's Nuffield Department of Population Health
This study from the COVID-19 Infection Survey is the largest to evaluate, and directly compare, the real-world effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines against all infections, including those without symptoms, after the Delta variant has dominated. It is the first to show how protection against COVID-19 infections changes over time following second vaccinations in a large group of adults from the general population.
Released today as a pre-print, the study compares protection from infections from COVID-19 vaccines before and after 17 May 2021, when Delta became the main variant in the UK. It also looks in detail at how effectiveness changes over time as well as other factors like previous infection. Researchers analysed 2,580,021 test results from nose and throat swabs taken from 384,543 participants aged 18 years or older between 1 December 2020 and 16 May 2021, and 811,624 test results from 358,983 participants between 17 May 2021 and 1 August 2021.
The COVID-19 Infection Survey will continue monitoring the pandemic in the UK on a weekly basis to look for early warning signs of rising infection rates in different regions, sub-regions, and demographic groups, as well as continuing to compare the effectiveness of different vaccines and monitor the impact of immunity on protection against COVID-19.
Professor Sarah Walker said: 'Without large community surveys such as ours, it is impossible to estimate the impact of vaccination on infections without symptoms - these have the potential to keep the epidemic going, particularly if people who have been vaccinated mistakenly think they cannot catch COVID-19. We are very grateful to all our participants for giving up their time to help us.'
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Vaccines remain the most effective way to protect against COVID-19 Delta variant, study says
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https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210819/Vaccines-remain-the-most-effective-way-to-protect-against-COVID-19-Delta-variant-study-says.aspx
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2021-08-20 02:14:55+00:00
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2021-08-19 20:52:00
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Considerable evidence suggests that e-cigarettes are an effective smoking-cessation tool for adults in the United States, where hundreds of thousands of people die of smoking-related illness each year.
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Considerable evidence suggests that e-cigarettes are an effective smoking-cessation tool for adults in the United States, where hundreds of thousands of people die of smoking-related illness each year.
Vaping: a more balanced message | Michigan Public Health Play
Video Credit: University of Michigan
Kenneth Warner, dean emeritus and the Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, says, however, that the potential of vaping to increase smoking cessation has been largely overshadowed by media coverage and policies that focus on the potential risk vaping represents for teens.
Warner and 14 other past presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco co-authored an article that argues that the media, legislators and the general public have developed a negative view of e-cigarettes because of the heavy emphasis public health organizations have placed on protecting kids from vaping while ignoring the potentially substantial benefits of e-cigarettes in helping adults quit smoking. The article is published online in the American Journal of Public Health.
Warner discusses why the group, all of whom have presided over the top tobacco research society in the world, decided to take on this issue.
What prompted this group to write this article?
In my 45 years in the field of tobacco control research, I’ve never seen an issue that is as divisive as this one; and maybe none that is as important to public health. We have a large group within public health who are very much opposed to vaping because they see it as imposing huge risks on kids. On the other end of the spectrum, we see a number of researchers and members of the vaping community who believe that vaping is a great tool for helping people to quit smoking and that it is far less hazardous than smoking. These polar opposite views have created much of the contention within the tobacco control community.
Our goal in this paper is to try to inject some sense of balance, to get public health organizations, the media and legislators to recognize that their appropriate but singular desire to keep e-cigarettes out of the hands of kids may actually be harming public health. Policies oriented exclusively toward protecting kids may be responsible for more adults smoking than would be if we had policies that also emphasized helping adults to quit with vaping, and frankly, if we had honest characterizations of the risks of vaping.
Exaggerations of the risk have led a majority of Americans, including a majority of smokers, to the erroneous belief that vaping is as dangerous as, or more dangerous than, smoking. The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine has determined that vaping is likely substantially less dangerous.
What do you want people to take away from the AJPH article?
We call for a rebalancing of society’s consideration of vaping, and specifically for more attention being paid to its potential to increase smoking cessation. We should continue working to decrease young people’s use of e-cigarettes—of all nicotine products, for that matter—but we must increase our focus on adult smokers.
In the article, my colleagues and I express concern that we have forgotten about the adults who are going to die as a consequence of smoking. We lose 480,000 Americans every year as a result of smoking. Understandably and justifiably, all Americans were enormously concerned by the toll of COVID-19 this past year. Consider that we have a COVID-level disaster created by smoking every year, year after year after year.
How would you characterize the risks associated with e-cigarettes? What are the potential benefits of vaping for adult smokers?
Vaping is clearly not risk-free, but it is also substantially less dangerous than cigarette smoking. Inhaling combusted tobacco smoke, which includes over 7,000 chemicals, is what causes the disease and death associated with tobacco use.
Multiple types of evidence, identified in our article, demonstrate that vaping can increase smoking cessation. The highly respected Cochrane Review has concluded that it is likely that vaping is more effective than FDA-approved nicotine replacement products like gum and patches. The CDC has also found that more smokers use e-cigarettes than other aids in attempts to quit smoking—and with a higher self-reported success rate.
Still, the public is largely unaware of the potential vaping has to aid in smoking cessation. As I mentioned previously, a majority of adults, including a majority of smokers, believe that vaping is as dangerous as, or more dangerous than, cigarette smoking. This misunderstanding has actually worsened over time. That reflects, in part, the media’s coverage of vaping.
A recent study cited in our article found that 70% of U.S. news coverage on vaping mentioned vaping’s risks to kids, while only 37% noted the potential benefits for adult smokers. As such, it’s likely that fewer smokers are trying e-cigarettes as a method of quitting smoking than would be the case if they were accurately informed about its potential to help them quit and its smaller health risk compared to smoking. That means fewer people are quitting smoking.
Put simply, research shows that the potential benefits of vaping for adult smokers are substantial. Those benefits are not being fully realized in today’s environment of misinformation and a singular focus on the welfare of kids, to the detriment of the health of adults who smoke.
What is known about the risks of youth e-cigarette use?
Vaping does have risks for kids, including the potential of addicting some to nicotine. But in our article, we point to evidence that the percentage of kids being addicted to nicotine by vaping is much smaller than popularly believed.
We also note that while prospective studies have found that vaping by kids who had never smoked increases their risk of trying cigarettes 6-24 months later, much of this may be explained by what is called “common liability,” meaning that kids who try e-cigarettes are more prone to risk-taking than are kids who don’t vape, so the former may be more likely to try cigarettes anyway, even if e-cigarettes had never existed.
Further—and very importantly—even if there is an increased risk, doing the math indicates that this factor would increase overall smoking initiation by kids by only a very small amount. However, even that seems unlikely since we’ve seen smoking rates fall among young people (both adolescents and young adults) at unprecedented rates precisely during the period of vaping’s ascendancy. That certainly is not consistent with the idea that vaping increases smoking.
Why has e-cigarette use in adults not been a focus in policy or the media?
First, the concern for young people’s welfare is a compelling one, and the rapid increase in youth vaping in 2018 and 2019 understandably created a great deal of anxiety. The focus on youth drowned out attention to the welfare of adults who smoke. Youth vaping decreased significantly in 2020. We will have to monitor future years’ trends closely.
Second, I think a lot of people may believe that the problem of smoking is pretty much resolved. I’m referring mainly to the higher education, upper socioeconomic status population. They don’t smoke, their friends and colleagues don’t smoke, there’s no smoking in their workplaces, and there’s no smoking in the restaurants and bars that they frequent. They don’t see smoking and thus may believe the problem has largely been solved.
And yet 1 out of 7 adult Americans is a smoker today. When we take a look at who’s smoking, it’s the underprivileged members of our society, those who don’t have a voice in politics. African Americans as a group, although they don’t smoke more, have higher rates of smoking-produced disease and death than do whites. There are groups like low socioeconomic populations, people with mental health problems and the LGBTQ community that all have higher-than-average smoking rates.
My fear, frankly, is that many nonsmokers are ignoring smokers because they may not care that much about them. There is a very large life expectancy differential between the rich and the poor in the United States and perhaps the single most important behavior-related variable is differences in smoking. The data show that low-income, low-education populations smoke at much higher rates than the high-income population, and they die at much younger ages. If we could reduce smoking among these often marginalized populations, we might be able to reduce the gap in life expectancy. This is fundamentally a matter of social justice.
What are some policy changes that might help achieve a more balanced approach to e-cigarettes?
Currently, we have very unbalanced policies that are directed exclusively at trying to reduce youth vaping. Two of the most prominent are eliminating or seriously restricting flavors in e-cigarettes and trying to equalize the taxation of e-cigarettes and cigarettes. Both of these policies can have adverse consequences for adult smokers. Adult smokers like flavors just like kids do, and in fact, they tend to like the same flavors.
Banning flavors would eliminate adult smokers’ access to the flavored e-cigarettes that they prefer in attempts to quit smoking. So that’s a real concern. We propose restricting the sale of e-cigarettes to adult-only establishments such as vape shops. This is a compromise—flavors are a significant attraction to vaping for kids, and our recommended policy would not eliminate flavors; at the same time, the policy would restrict access for adults, thereby creating an inconvenience for them. But this policy would strongly limit youth access to flavored e-cigarettes, while allowing adults to get the flavored e-cigarettes they want to aid in their attempts to quit smoking.
We also suggest a substantial increase in excise taxes on cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products, and a much more modest tax on e-cigarettes. This is the opposite of what is happening now, with states imposing “equalizing” taxes on e-cigarettes without raising taxes on cigarettes. Significantly raising the tax on cigarettes will discourage both adults and kids from smoking. A big differential in price between very expensive cigarettes and less expensive e-cigarettes creates an incentive for adults who don’t quit smoking to switch to e-cigarettes. For kids, a modest tax on e-cigarettes will discourage them from vaping, because they’re the most price-sensitive group when it comes to nicotine and tobacco products.
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www.news-medical.net
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Current focus on protecting kids from vaping could overshadow the efforts in adult smoking cessation
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https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210819/Current-focus-on-protecting-kids-from-vaping-could-overshadow-the-efforts-in-adult-smoking-cessation.aspx
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2021-08-20 02:15:21+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:06:00
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The absence of a protein that activates the body's antiviral defenses can cause a rare rheumatoid-like autoinflammatory condition that is treatable with an FDA-approved class of drugs known as TNF (tumor necrosis factor) inhibitors, a global research team led by Mount Sinai has found.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news-medical.net%2Fnews%2F20210819%2FStudy-identifies-the-cause-and-treatment-for-rare-rheumatoid-like-autoinflammatory-condition.aspx.json
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The absence of a protein that activates the body's antiviral defenses can cause a rare rheumatoid-like autoinflammatory condition that is treatable with an FDA-approved class of drugs known as TNF (tumor necrosis factor) inhibitors, a global research team led by Mount Sinai has found.
The condition, which is now termed TBK1 deficiency, was previously known to scientists but its name, cause and treatment were identified for the first time in the study published August 6 in Cell.
The scientists reported that the absence of the protein, known as TBK1 (TANK-binding kinase 1), renders cells vulnerable to a jarring form of programmed cell death in response to TNF, but that this genetic defect can be effectively and quickly addressed by therapeutic agents that block the source of the inflammation.
Homozygous mutations in TBK1, which occur when copies of the aberrant gene encoding the protein are passed on by both parents, are extremely rare. Based on past studies in mouse models and human cell cultures, researchers assumed that these mutations would leave individuals susceptible to a wide range of viral infections. They found instead that none of the four people in the cohort they studied, ages 7 to 32, showed signs of inadequate antiviral immunity. Rather, they all suffered from a systemic autoinflammatory condition that resulted from a dysregulated response to TNF, an important protein involved in controlling inflammation and cell death.
"TBK1 signaling activates the body's antiviral mechanisms to fight off infection and block different stages of viral replication, as well as control TNF-mediated inflammation," says lead author Justin Taft, PhD, an investigator in the Department of Microbiology, the Precision Immunology Institute, and the Center for Inborn Errors of Immunity at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "But if a mutation prevents expression of the TBK1 gene or disrupts its function, then cells become overly sensitive to TNF. And that can trigger a disproportionate amount of cell death, which sets off a violent cascade of debris from dying cells that inflames surrounding tissue and fuels the inflammation."
By treating TBK1-deficient individuals with anti-TNF therapeutics, the Mount Sinai-led team confirmed its suspicions about the underlying biology of the genetically driven condition. "We have essentially defined a new disease and its associated mechanisms of autoinflammation, which previously were managed with steroid treatments, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or other non-specific therapeutics clinicians deemed worth trying," says Dusan Bogunovic, PhD, Director of the Center for Inborn Errors of Immunity; Associate Professor of Oncological Sciences, Microbiology, and Pediatrics; member of the Precision Immunology Institute and The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute; and senior author of the study. "We were able to target the condition directly and effectively with TNF inhibitors once we knew the causative factors of the inflammation. And the clinical improvement was quick and substantial."
For Dr. Taft, the work of the global team of researchers underscores the power of the increasingly vital field of personalized medicine.
We started with four individuals who were known to have a homozygous TBK1 mutation, and did extensive lab work to determine how the defect could induce this autoinflammatory reaction,. And from the genetics we uncovered not only a plausible mechanism of the disease and new information around TBK1 biology, but identified a disease-specific treatment that significantly improves the autoinflammatory condition." Dr. Justin Taft, Lead Author
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Study identifies the cause and treatment for rare rheumatoid-like autoinflammatory condition
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https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210819/Study-identifies-the-cause-and-treatment-for-rare-rheumatoid-like-autoinflammatory-condition.aspx
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2021-08-20 02:15:00+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:47:00
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Hidradenitis suppurativa (Syn. Acneinversa) is one of the most troublesome and complicated skin diseases. The anti-inflammatory drug adalimumab can improve symptoms; however, patients also often have to undergo surgery.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news-medical.net%2Fnews%2F20210819%2FHidradenitis-suppurativa-Discontinuation-of-adalimumab-prior-to-surgery-is-not-necessary.aspx.json
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Hidradenitis suppurativa (Syn. Acneinversa) is one of the most troublesome and complicated skin diseases. The anti-inflammatory drug adalimumab can improve symptoms; however, patients also often have to undergo surgery. Until now, it was unclear whether adalimumab had to be discontinued prior to the procedure. A four-year worldwide multicentre study coordinated by Professor Falk Bechara from the Department of Dermatosurgery at the Bochum University Clinic for Dermatology (Director: Professor Eggert Stockfleth) came to the conclusion that discontinuation is not necessary. "This is a milestone for patients with moderate and severe hidradenitis suppurativa, who have to undergo surgery," says Falk Bechara. The results were published in the journal JAMA Surgery from 18 August 2021.
Not-curable yet, but more efficiently treated
Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by an occlusion of hair follicles. It often occurs under the arms, in the groin and in the genital area with severe embarassement for the patients. In advanced stages, the disease is extremely painful and also causes huge mental distress and a reduced quality of life. It is not yet curable, but the symptoms can be considerably improved by therapy options that have advanced considerably in recent years. The dermatosurgery department in Bochum, headed by Falk Bechara, is one of the leading international centres, treating 1,000 patients per year. The study, which involved 45 centres in 20 countries, was coordinated here.
The study focused on adalimumab, an immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory standard drug that has been used successfully for years - not only for hidradenitis suppurativa. Indication areas include severe psoriasis, but also rheumatic diseases and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. The efficacy and safety of adalimumab has been evaluated in multiple trials in the past. Until now, however, it was unclear whether it could be combined and continued during surgical interventions, which are often necessary for patients with hidradenitis suppurativa. No data on this was available until now. The study included 200 patients, who received either the drug or a placebo.
Results to be evaluated for other diseases
The study shows that adalimumab doesn't need to be discontinued even when hidradenitis suppurativa surgery is performed. It is effective and safe both before and after surgery." Further studies are needed to determine to what extent these positive results of the study can be transferred to other diseases that also require surgery, as Bechara points out: "The outlook is certainly quite promising." Falk Bechara, lead author of the study
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www.news-medical.net
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Hidradenitis suppurativa: Discontinuation of adalimumab prior to surgery is not necessary
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https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210819/Hidradenitis-suppurativa-Discontinuation-of-adalimumab-prior-to-surgery-is-not-necessary.aspx
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2021-08-20 02:15:28+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:58:00
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Investigators have found that the absence of autoimmune regulator (Aire) in mice results in fertility problems similar to those affecting men with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type I (APS-1).
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Investigators have found that the absence of autoimmune regulator (Aire) in mice results in fertility problems similar to those affecting men with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type I (APS-1). Aire-dependent central tolerance plays a critical role in maintaining male fertility by preventing autoimmune attack against multiple reproductive targets, they report in The American Journal of Pathology.
Male factors account for a large portion of infertility in couples, and the mechanisms underlying male infertility are poorly understood. This study is important because it represents a previously underexplored mechanism by which fertility can be impacted through autoimmune disease." Margaret G. Petroff, PhD, Lead Investigator, Professor, Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Aire is a gene expressed in the thymus that plays a vital role in teaching the immune system to distinguish between the body's own cells and invaders. Aire-deficient mice reproduce many of the features of APS-1 in humans. To determine fertility, Aire-deficient and wild-type male mice were paired with wild-type female mice. Aire-deficient males exhibited dramatically reduced mating frequency and fertility; those able to mate took up to two weeks to do so, and their sperm quality was poor. Sperm from the Aire-deficient males were rarely able to produce litters, and even when they were used for in vitro fertilization, could not produce viable embryos.
Aire-deficient males were found to produce low levels of testosterone and develop autoimmune disease against many components of the male reproductive tract, especially in the epididymis. However, the investigators could not rule out the possibility that Aire might be expressed in these organs, not just in the thymus. It is possible that the injuries could be caused by a lack of expression in the tissues themselves. Using a fluorescence reporter model in which cells change color based on present or past expression of Aire, they confirmed that the gene can be expressed in the developing mouse reproductive system. "We were particularly surprised to find evidence of AIRE in the testis and prostate gland, suggesting that it may have an immune-independent role in these tissues," said Dr. Petroff.
The correlation between impaired central immune tolerance and fertility has potential implications not only for male APS-1 patients but may also provide important insights into both male autoimmune and unexplained cases of infertility.
"By knowing more detail about what causes infertility in men, we can develop treatments and prophylactics to curb degenerative processes that affect fertility," commented Dr. Petroff. "It may be possible to use general immunosuppressive treatments. Even better, it might be possible to design highly specific therapies that target particular immune cells, preventing these cells from causing damage to reproductive organs."
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www.news-medical.net
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Study reveals mechanism behind male infertility caused by autoimmune disease
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https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210819/Study-reveals-mechanism-behind-male-infertility-caused-by-autoimmune-disease.aspx
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2021-08-20 02:15:06+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:40:00
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A research project affiliated with the University of Helsinki's Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research has identified serious deficiencies in the Stoffenmanager and Advanced REACH Tool occupational exposure models used for assessing chemical safety and calls for the discontinuation of their use in statutory chemical safety assessment.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news-medical.net%2Fnews%2F20210819%2FResearch-project-identifies-deficiencies-in-models-used-for-assessing-chemical-safety-at-workplaces.aspx.json
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A research project affiliated with the University of Helsinki's Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) has identified serious deficiencies in the Stoffenmanager® and Advanced REACH Tool occupational exposure models used for assessing chemical safety and calls for the discontinuation of their use in statutory chemical safety assessment.
Stoffenmanager® and the Advanced REACH Tool (ART) are models recommended by the European Chemicals Agency for the statutory assessment of chemical safety at workplaces. The models are used in legislation to determine the framework for the safe use of chemicals. They are also used for conducting occupational exposure and risk assessment and describing the necessary protective measures in material safety data sheets.
Stoffenmanager® offers the facility to register hazardous substances as well as create, export and distribute workplace instruction and safety cards.
The deficiencies in the models recommended by the European Chemicals Agency have a significant effect on chemical safety. Stoffenmanager® alone has more than 37,000 users globally, with more than 310,000 risk assessments relating to chemical safety carried out using the model by 2020.
According to a multinational research project headed by researcher Joonas Koivisto from the University of Helsinki, the problems relating to the models are evident in all instances of their use. The models in use have been reported to observe physical principles, such as the law of conservation of mass. However, a theoretical analysis shows that this is not the case.
The study demonstrates the models' uncertainty from three perspectives. Firstly, the models are not based on physics, since the parameters used in the models do not observe causality. For example, in a situation where a local exhaust ventilation is applied, the model should either reduce the general ventilation exhaust volume flow rate or increase the incoming air volume flow rate.
In addition, the parameter values are selected partially subjectively, or as a result of the user's interpretation. According to the third finding, the models are calibrated with subjectively assigned multipliers, which have been determined by mixing various exposure groups, such as the pharmaceutical industry, bakeries and construction sites.
Based on the findings, the modelling approaches do not fulfil the requirements set by the European Chemicals Agency for exposure assessment, which requires objective, or quantitative, exposure values. By combining the uncertainties associated with the models and their interpretive parametrisation, a tiered modelling approach can be used to manipulate exposure values according to the user's wishes.
"There are a lot of uncertainties also in physical models, but in these cases the uncertainties can be determined and modelling accuracy assessed more reliably," says Koivisto.
The researchers recommend that the non-physical models be replaced with e.g., a physical two-compartment model. This modelling approach is used to describe higher concentrations close to point sources of emission, taking into account that mass (or amount of the chemical) cannot appear or disappear without a cause.
Koivisto and his colleagues have also carried out a study which describes how the two-compartment model can be used to make well-grounded decisions pertaining to chemical safety, and how this helps determine the preconditions for safe use.
The multi-year project affiliated with the University of Helsinki's Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) is carried out in cooperation with several research institutes.
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www.news-medical.net
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Research project identifies deficiencies in models used for assessing chemical safety at workplaces
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https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210819/Research-project-identifies-deficiencies-in-models-used-for-assessing-chemical-safety-at-workplaces.aspx
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2021-08-20 02:15:13+00:00
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2021-08-19 21:13:00
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New research from the University of Oxford and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, published today in Frontiers in Public Health, uses mathematical modeling to determine the most equitable way to share vaccines between nations.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news-medical.net%2Fnews%2F20210819%2FResearch-uses-mathematical-modelling-to-find-an-equitable-way-for-sharing-vaccines-between-nations.aspx.json
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New research from the University of Oxford and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, published today in Frontiers in Public Health, uses mathematical modeling to determine the most equitable way to share vaccines between nations.
Vaccines provide a route to achieving high levels of immunity against SARS-CoV-2 across populations, and provide a route to reopening economies, tourism, and livelihoods. However, vaccine resources amongst nations are unequal, which raises questions - both mathematical and ethical - about how best to share vaccines.
Researchers have developed a simple disease model, mapping travel between two nations and asking what the optimal way to deliver vaccinations is, assuming Nation A is producing vaccine and Nation B isn't.
Even with extensive travel, Nation A can minimize deaths by simply retaining vaccine and aiming to fully inoculate its population. However, if the goal is minimizing total deaths across all nations, by not initially sharing vaccines between nations in order to protect the population of Nation A, this causes more deaths in Nation B than lives saved in Nation A.
This paper raises important ethical issues about the imbalance in the health impact of vaccine provision across different countries.
For any nation producing a vaccine, the way to minimize deaths in that country is to retain them and inoculate as many citizens as possible. However, if that nation approaches herd immunity, then overall more lives will be saved by sharing vaccines with other countries." Dr Chris Huntingford, Lead Author, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)
Senior author, Prof Mike Bonsall (Dept of Zoology) said 'Our work raises important issues on the quantitative nature of vaccination strategies and how to share vaccines. More importantly, it raises ethical issues on the value of lives between nations and argues for greater attention in vaccine sharing policies.'
Prof Bonsall is continuing to work on mathematical models about vaccine and lockdown strategies.
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www.news-medical.net
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Research uses mathematical modeling to find an equitable way for sharing vaccines between nations
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https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210819/Research-uses-mathematical-modelling-to-find-an-equitable-way-for-sharing-vaccines-between-nations.aspx
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2021-08-20 02:15:34+00:00
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2021-08-19 20:39:00
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A UC Davis Health retrospective study published recently in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology shows how quickly COVID-19 infections were reduced among health care workers when vaccines were first distributed late last year.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news-medical.net%2Fnews%2F20210819%2FVaccine-quickly-reduced-COVID-19-infections-among-health-care-workers.aspx.json
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A UC Davis Health retrospective study published recently in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology shows how quickly COVID-19 infections were reduced among health care workers when vaccines were first distributed late last year. Researchers examined the incidence of COVID-19 in thousands of UC Davis Medical Center employees before and after vaccines were made available.
Shana Ruggenberg of the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing gets her COVID shot at the UC Davis Medical Center in Jan. 2021
COVID-19 infection decreased among workers from 3.2% during the eight weeks prior to vaccinations to 0.38% by four weeks after the start of vaccine administration. The case positivity rate dropped to 0.04% at two weeks after the second vaccine dose.
"As the general public was waiting to get vaccinated, we as health care workers thought it was imperative to understand the effect of COVID-19 vaccines in the health care setting in which we work," said Sarah Waldman, lead researcher and infectious disease specialist. "It was understanding more of what the real-world impact was of COVID-19 vaccines and using that to potentially combat vaccine hesitancy."
The data showed a single dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, available at that time, decreased the risk of contracting COVID-19 by 48% among hospital personnel. A second dose decreased the risk by 83%.
"We found that vaccines are effective in preventing COVID-19 infection, regardless of where you work or what type of job you perform," Waldman said. "Our findings were consistent with the Phase 3 mRNA vaccine trials for both the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine."
The study
We found that vaccines are effective in preventing COVID-19 infection, regardless of where you work or what type of job you perform." Sarah Waldman
The study included more than 16,000 faculty, staff, and medical and nursing students at UC Davis Medical Center. These were the employees who were eligible for the first doses of vaccine. Researchers divided workers into five main groups with varying on-the-job risk of COVID-19 exposure. They included staff in environmental and custodial services, nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists and "other," or employees with limited patient contact, such as those in administration and information technology. The study also examined vaccination acceptance, the incidence of COVID-19 after the vaccine and hospitalization.
The review took place from October 2020 to March 2021 to include both pre- and post-vaccine time periods.
Timothy Albertson, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine and a specialist in pulmonary and critical care, was a co-author of the study. "We were particularly interested in generating data from our own institution to make people well aware of the protective background that vaccines give you against this particular COVID infection," Albertson said.
Vaccine hesitancy
This study's release comes as COVID-19 rates are soaring again across the country and at the UC Davis Emergency Department. Many of these patients have the highly contagious Delta variant. Most are unvaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control reports the increase in cases, hospitalizations and deaths are most prevalent in areas with low vaccination rates.
UC Davis Health pharmacy team members process the first shipment of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses in Dec. 2020
The UC Davis study found COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy varied among health care workers. "The highest acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination was among physicians and the lowest was among non-clinical health care personnel," said Waldman. She noted that reasons for uncertainty about the vaccine are complex, ranging from concerns about unknown long-term risks and side effects, as well as distrust over the regulatory process. "As time goes by, we are constantly gathering more and more data about the safety of these vaccines. I am not sure that will change the people who are in the 'definitely no' category. It might convince some people who are waiting for more data."
Vaccine mandates
The prevalence of the COVID-19 Delta variant has prompted the state of California to require health care workers to show proof of vaccination by the end of September. Some exceptions to vaccination are allowed, however unvaccinated workers will have to undergo regular testing.
Currently, more than 90% of UC Davis Health employees are fully vaccinated.
"The Delta variant has shown that getting our population vaccinated is more important than ever," said David Lubarsky, UC Davis Health chief executive officer and a co-author of the study. "This study proves that vaccines dramatically reduce the incidence of the virus in the health care setting – and the same is true throughout our community."
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www.news-medical.net
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Vaccine quickly reduced COVID-19 infections among health care workers
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https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210819/Vaccine-quickly-reduced-COVID-19-infections-among-health-care-workers.aspx
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[
"Linda Larsen",
"Carla Gillespie",
"News Desk"
] |
2021-08-20 02:15:48+00:00
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2021-08-19 18:05:56
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Abo Anwar Namoura is being recalled in Ontario, Canada because it contains undeclared cashews, wheat, and sesame; no illnesses are reported.
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https%3A%2F%2Ffoodpoisoningbulletin.com%2F2021%2Fabo-anwar-namoura-recalled-for-undeclared-allergens%2F.json
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by
Abo Anwar Namoura is being recalled in Canada for the allergens sesame, cashew, and wheat that are not declared on the label. Namoura is a Lebanese semolina dessert that is similar to a cake. Anyone who is allergic to those ingredients, and anyone who has celiac disease, could have a serious reaction if they eat this product. No reactions have been reported to the company to date in connection with this issue. The recalling company is Abo Anwar Bakery Inc.
The Namoura was distributed in Ontario at the consumer level. The recall was triggered by a consumer complaint.
The recalled items are Abo Anwar Namoura in about 250 gram containers. The UPC number that is printed on the label is 0 64776 11139 1. All codes which do not declare sesame, cashews, and wheat are recalled. Also recalled is Abo Anwar Namoura (L) that is sold in about 700 gram containers. The UPC number on that label is 0 64776 11170 4. Again, all codes which do not declare sesame, cashews, and wheat are recalled.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is launching a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of more products. If this happens, the recall notice will be posted at the CFIA web site. The government is also making sure that the company is removing this product from the marketplace.
If you purchased this product and you can’t eat cashews, sesame, or wheat, do not eat it. You can throw it away in a secure trash can, or you can take it back to the store where you purchased it for a full refund.
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foodpoisoningbulletin.com
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Abo Anwar Namoura Recalled For Undeclared Allergens
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https://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/2021/abo-anwar-namoura-recalled-for-undeclared-allergens/
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[
"Fernando Salazar"
] |
2021-08-20 02:15:33+00:00
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2021-08-19 20:24:00
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One man died and another was injured in a single-car crash after a tire blowout on the highway caused them to go over a bridge, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kansascity.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Farticle253622693.html.json
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en
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One man died and another was injured Thursday after a tire blowout on a Johnson County highway caused them to go over a bridge, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. The Wichita Eagle
One man died and another was injured in a single-vehicle crash Thursday after a tire blowout on the highway caused them to go over a bridge, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred around 3 p.m. while they were heading north on Interstate-435 just south of Midland Drive, according to the patrol’s crash report. The blowout of the left rear tire caused the car to strike the right guardrail, sending the car over the bridge and rolling twice before landing in a creek.
The passenger, Gomez Humberto-Perez, 43, of Kansas City, Kansas, was killed.
The driver, a 24-year-old Overland Park man, was taken to a hospital with injuries considered serious, according to the patrol.
Both men were wearing seat belts at the time.
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www.kansascity.com
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1 dead, 1 injured after Johnson County KS crash: police | The Kansas City Star
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https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article253622693.html
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[
"The Associated Press",
"Mary Altaffer",
"Robert Kitchin",
"Mahesh Kumar A",
"Saw Kwe",
"Dmitrijs Sujzics",
"Willy Sanjuan",
"Jay Reeves",
"Koji Sasahara",
"Kimimasa Mayama"
] |
2021-08-20 02:00:31+00:00
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2021-08-19 19:35:07
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — More than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccination cards have been confiscated at cargo freight facilities at the Anchorage airport as they were being shipped from China.
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https%3A%2F%2Flacrossetribune.com%2Fnews%2Fnational%2Fthe-latest-customs-seizes-fake-vaccination-cards-in-alaska%2Farticle_c7e7b3eb-f77e-51cc-bd68-43925d4b40cb.html.json
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en
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Organizers rescheduled the contest last year too, only to later cancel it completely because of ongoing coronavirus concerns and the risks of international travel. It was the first time in the triathlon’s four decade history that the event wasn’t held.
———
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Oregon Gov. Kate Brown says all teachers, educators, support staff and volunteers in K-12 schools must be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The announcement was made Thursday amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the state and as hospitals near capacity.
Teachers are the latest to be added to the growing statewide vaccine mandate, which also includes health care workers and state employees. They must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or six weeks after a COVID-19 vaccine receives full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whichever is later.
“There are those who will disagree with the actions I’m taking today,” Brown, a Democrat, said during Thursday’s press conference. “But school is starting across the state and COVID-19 poses a threat to our kids. Our kids need to be protected and they need to be in school. And that’s why I’m willing to take the heat for this decision.”
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lacrossetribune.com
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The Latest: Customs seizes fake vaccination cards in Alaska
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https://lacrossetribune.com/news/national/the-latest-customs-seizes-fake-vaccination-cards-in-alaska/article_c7e7b3eb-f77e-51cc-bd68-43925d4b40cb.html
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[
"Morgan Lee Associated Press",
"Morgan Lee",
"Susan Montoya Bryan"
] |
2021-08-20 02:00:25+00:00
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2021-08-19 19:06:08
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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State labor officials warned Thursday that unemployment benefits are scheduled to come to a close for about 50,000 New Mexico residents in early September, as
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https%3A%2F%2Flacrossetribune.com%2Fnews%2Fnational%2Fgovt-and-politics%2Fnew-mexico-scales-down-unemployment-benefits-battles-fraud%2Farticle_f811087b-b57a-53b5-87ff-09456bce8805.html.json
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en
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“We have been flowing (money) out of the fund, and we don't have enough people employed where businesses are paying to replenish the fund,” she said. “So we're not finding the equilibrium we've had before.”
At the same time, state unemployment officials say they are grappling with a surge in attempts to hijack unemployment benefit payments and federal bonuses away from New Mexico residents.
Serna said thousands of New Mexico residents last weekend received fraudulent text messages asking for claim information.
He said the balance of paid unemployment claims flagged for fraud has decreased to roughly $68 million, down from an estimated $120 million earlier in the year, as suspicious claims are investigated and cleared or referred to prosecution.
Separately, the state has made overpayments of unemployment benefits estimated at $130 million under circumstances not associated with fraud.
Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, offered incentive payments of between $400 and $1,000 over the summer for people who return to work before the expiration of the extra federal unemployment payment.
About 22 states, mostly led by Republican governors, already have stopped accepting the $300 weekly federal supplemental over concerns that it may discourage people from returning to work when jobs are available.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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lacrossetribune.com
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New Mexico scales down unemployment benefits, battles fraud
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https://lacrossetribune.com/news/national/govt-and-politics/new-mexico-scales-down-unemployment-benefits-battles-fraud/article_f811087b-b57a-53b5-87ff-09456bce8805.html
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2021-08-20 02:00:19+00:00
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2021-08-19 19:24:29
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) —
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https%3A%2F%2Flacrossetribune.com%2Fnews%2Fnational%2Ffeds-seize-over-3-000-fake-vaccination-cards-in-anchorage%2Farticle_ef5de948-ade9-543a-9433-ffb30a579a4b.html.json
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en
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) —
More than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccination cards have been confiscated at cargo freight facilities at the Anchorage airport as they were being shipped from China, officials said Thursday.
Officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized the cards in the past week as they arrived in small packages, said Jaime Ruiz, an agency spokesperson.
There were between 135 and 150 packages found in Anchorage, all sent by the same person in China, Ruiz said. The packages contained small amounts of the fake cards, about 20 or 25 each.
The cards confiscated in Anchorage closely resemble the authentic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention certificates given out by health care workers when U.S. citizens receive their vaccinations, the agency said. However, this shipment had cards that exhibited low-quality printing.
The seizure comes as a cottage industry for counterfeit cards has sprung up online to accommodate people who say they won’t get vaccinated for either personal or religious reasons.
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lacrossetribune.com
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Feds seize over 3,000 fake vaccination cards in Anchorage
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https://lacrossetribune.com/news/national/feds-seize-over-3-000-fake-vaccination-cards-in-anchorage/article_ef5de948-ade9-543a-9433-ffb30a579a4b.html
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[
"Bernice Clark",
"Bernice Clark On August"
] |
2021-08-20 02:02:38+00:00
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2021-08-20 01:09:25
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.focustechnica.com%2Findonesian-d2c-insurance-marketplace-lifepal-raises-9m-series-a%2F.json
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en
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Choosing an insurance policy is one of the most complicated financial decisions a person can make. Jakarta-based Lifepal wants to simplify the process for Indonesians with a marketplace that lets users compare policies from more than 50 providers, get help from licensed agents and file claims. The startup, which says it is the country’s largest direct-to-consumer insurance marketplace, announced today it has raised a $9 million Series A. The round was led by ProBatus Capital, a venture firm backed by Prudential Financial, with participation from Cathay Innovation and returning investors Insignia Venture Partners, ATM Capital and Hustle Fund.
Lifepal was founded in 2019 by former Lazada executives Giacomo Ficari and Nicolo Robba, along with Benny Fajarai and Reza Muhammed. The new funding brings its total raised to $12 million.
The marketplace’s partners currently offer about 300 policies for life, health, automotive, property and travel coverage. Ficari, who also co-founded neobank Aspire, told TechCrunch that Lifepal was created to make comparing, buying and claiming insurance as simple as shopping online.
“The same kind of experience a customer has today on a marketplace like Lazada—the convenience, all digital, fast delivery—we saw was lacking in insurance, which is still operating with offline, face-to-face agents like 20 to 30 years ago,” he said.
Indonesia’s insurance penetration rate is only about 3%, but the market is growing along with the country’s gross domestic product thanks to a larger middle-class. “We are really at a tipping point for GDP per capita and a lot of insurance carriers are focusing more on Indonesia,” said Ficari.
Other venture-backed insurtech startups tapping into this demand include Fuse, PasarPolis and Qoala. Both Qoala and PasarPolis focus on “micro-policies,” or inexpensive coverage for things like damaged devices. PasarPolis also partners with Gojek to offer health and accident insurance to drivers. Fuse, meanwhile, insurance specialists an online platform to run their businesses.
Lifepal takes a different approach because it doesn’t sell micro-policies, and its marketplace is for customers to purchase directly from providers, not through agents.
Based on Lifepal’s data, about 60% of its health and life insurance customers are buying coverage for the first time. On the other hand, many automotive insurance shoppers had policies before, but their coverage expired and they decided to shop online instead of going to an agent to get a new one.
Ficari said Lifepal’s target customers overlap with the investment apps that are gaining traction among Indonesia’s growing middle class (like Ajaib, Pluang and Pintu). Many of these apps provide educational content, since their customers are usually millennials investing for the first time, and Lifepal takes a similar approach. Its content side, called Lifepal Media, focuses on articles for people who are researching insurance policies and related topics like personal financial planning. The company says its site, including its blog, now has about 4 million monthly visitors, creating a funnel for its marketplace.
While one of Lifepal’s benefits is enabling people to compare policies on their own, many also rely on its customer support line, which is staffed by licensed insurance agents. In fact, Ficari said about 90% of its customers use it.
“What we realize is that insurance is complicated and it’s expensive,” said Ficari. “People want to take their time to think and they have a lot of questions, so we introduced good customer support.” He added Lifepal’s combination of enabling self-research while providing support is similar to the approach taken by PolicyBazaar in India, one of the country’s largest insurance aggregators.
To keep its business model scalable, Lifepal uses a recommendation engine that matches potential customers with policies and customer support representatives. It considers data points like budget (based on Lifepal’s research, its customers usually spend about 3% to 5% of their yearly income on insurance), age, gender, family composition and if they have purchased insurance before.
Lifepal’s investment from ProBatus will allow it to work with Assurance IQ, the insurance sales automation platform acquired by Prudential Financial two years ago.
In a statement, ProBatus Capital founder and managing partner Ramneek Gupta said Lifepal’s “three-pronged approach” (its educational content, online marketplace and live agents for customer support) has the “potential to change the way the Indonesian consumer buys insurance.”
Part of Lifepal’s funding will be used to build products to make it easier to claim policies. Upcoming products include Insurance Wallet, which will include an application process with support on how to claim a policy—for example, what car repair shop or hospital a customer should go to—and escalation if a claim is rejected. Another product, called Easy Claim, will automate the claim process.
“The goal is to stay end-to-end with the customer, from reading content, comparing policies, buying and then renewing and using them, so you really see people sticking around,” said Ficari.
Lifepal is Cathay Innovation’s third insurtech investment in the past 12 months. Investment director Rajive Keshup told TechCrunch in an email that it backed Lifepal because “the company grew phenomenally last year (12X) and is poised to beat its aggressive 2021 plan despite the proliferation of the COVID delta variant, accentuating the fact that Lifepal is very much on track to replicate the success of similar global models such as Assurance IQ (US) and PolicyBazaar (India).”
|
www.focustechnica.com
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Indonesian D2C insurance marketplace Lifepal raises $9M Series A
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https://www.focustechnica.com/indonesian-d2c-insurance-marketplace-lifepal-raises-9m-series-a/
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[] |
2021-08-20 02:05:43+00:00
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2021-08-20 00:00:00
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Wide receiver DeVonta Smith made his preseason debut for the Eagles, but the former Alabama star didn't factor too much against the Patriots.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Feagles%2F2021%2F08%2F19%2Fdevonta-smith-preseason-debut-eagles-patriots%2F8205263002%2F.json
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en
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PHILADELPHIA — The surprises began shortly before the game started when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who participated in warmups, was held out with what the team called a non-COVID illness.
That was after the Eagles decided to go without a kicker after Jake Elliott hurt his ankle in practice Monday, and the team held out most of its starters on both the offensive and defensive lines.
And then the game started, and it was an utter disaster.
Joe Flacco started in place of Hurts. On his third play, Nate Herbig, starting at center in place of Jason Kelce, snapped the ball over his head from the 41 yard line. Flacco chased down the ball, tried to make a play, but was tackled and fumbled it.
The Patriots recovered at the Eagles' 9 and scored a touchdown two plays later.
That was only the beginning of what became a 19-0 halftime deficit for the Eagles.
But we at least saw two debuts for the Eagles this preseason – rookie wide receiver DeVonta Smith and running back Miles Sanders.
DeVonta's debut
Smith made his NFL debut, and it didn't go especially well, either. It wasn't until the Eagles' third series before Flacco even threw to Smith, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner who was drafted 10th overall.
The first pass came on a 3rd-and-9 from the Eagles' 27. Smith ran a short route over the middle, Flacco was a bit late with the throw and Smith couldn't hold it as he was getting hit. The play would've been short of a first down anyway.
Patriots notebook:Nelson Agholor could provide much-needed boost at wide receiver
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell:'I'm an (expletive)' for cutting Don Muhlbach on his 40th birthday
The second attempt was a sideline pass where Flacco lofted the ball over Smith's back shoulder. But the pass was probably heading out of bounds anyway and Smith turned to the ball late, and it fell incomplete.
The third attempt was a drop over the middle. That, however, was nullified by a Patriots penalty for roughing the passer.
Finally, Flacco and Smith connected on the fourth attempt, a 9-yard play over the middle. Flacco later hit Smith for 10 yards near the end of the first half.
So that's two receptions for 19 yards in four attempts. Flacco, meanwhile was 10-for-17 for 83 yards and an interception.
Others sitting out
The Eagles also went without cornerback Darius Slay, defensive linemen Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat. Barnett (shoulder) and Hargrave (ankle) were the only ones listed on the Eagles' injury report from practice Tuesday.
On the offensive line, center Jason Kelce, right tackle Lane Johnson and right guard Brandon Brooks also sat out. None were listed on the injury report.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
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www.usatoday.com
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DeVonta Smith makes NFL preseason debut for Philadelphia Eagles
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/eagles/2021/08/19/devonta-smith-preseason-debut-eagles-patriots/8205263002/
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[] |
2021-08-20 02:05:37+00:00
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2021-07-08 00:00:00
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Officials at an Arkansas high school physically tore out pages from the school's published yearbook showing memorable events from the year.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Feducation%2F2021%2F08%2F19%2Farkansas-high-school-covid-george-floyd-yearbook-pages%2F8203506002%2F.json
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en
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Associated Press
BIGELOW, Ark. — Officials at an Arkansas high school physically tore out pages from the school's published yearbook that included references to the U.S. Capitol riot, George Floyd and COVID-19, claiming "community backlash," an action the Student Press Law Center condemned as censorship.
The SPLC, a nonprofit that defends the First Amendment rights of student journalists and their advisers at high school and college levels, and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette both requested documentation regarding the community backlash.
Hadar Harris, executive director of SPLC, said when asked for documentation regarding the community backlash, Heidi Wilson, the superintendent at East End School District, could not produce any.
“I have done an extensive search and I don’t have anything responsive,” Wilson replied in an email to the newspaper on Aug. 10.
“It is painfully clear that you did not remove these pages from the yearbook for any legally justifiable reason,” wrote Harris in an email Friday to Wilson. “In fact, even the legally dubious reason you gave about the so-called ‘community backlash’ failed to hold up under closer scrutiny. A public records request served on your office seeking any records reflecting any ‘community backlash’ against the yearbook turned up nothing."
According to the Democrat-Gazette, it appeared the two-page timeline depicting news events from 2020 and 2021, including the U.S. Capitol riot and the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Daunte Wright, were ripped out by hand.
Utah school apologizesafter teen with Down syndrome 'sidelined' from yearbook photo
Those infamous edited yearbook photos and society’s obsession with girls' bodies: 'You can't win'
“The spread outlined important world events that took place during the 2020-2021 academic year, including the 2020 election, the impact of COVID-19, the death of George Floyd, and more. The reason cited for the removal of the already-published content was that school officials were at the receiving end of ‘community backlash’ over the yearbook spread,” wrote Harris.
The yearbook adviser, Meghan Clarke Walton, resigned over the censorship issue. She also taught English and journalism at the school.
“I did not authorize the removal of these pages, nor do I support it in any way," she said. "Deciding to resign was the most difficult decision I have ever made. However, I needed to stand up for myself and for the students who created that yearbook spread.”
Walton said more than 100 distributed yearbooks had the pages removed. About 15 yearbooks that were sold during the first day of distribution are the only ones that have all the pages.
In the letter, Harris also demands administrators to reprint the censored pages of the yearbook along with a written apology, “strongly suggesting" the reprint and apology be distributed by Sept. 15.
Wilson could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
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www.usatoday.com
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Arkansas school officials remove COVID and George Floyd yearbook pages
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2021/08/19/arkansas-high-school-covid-george-floyd-yearbook-pages/8203506002/
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[
"Ken Ritter",
"Associated Press",
"Dan Haar",
"Jeff Jacobs",
"Susan Campbell",
"Columnist",
"Associate Editor",
"Written By",
"Currie Engel",
"Julia Perkins"
] |
2021-08-20 02:10:26+00:00
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2021-08-20 00:39:11
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — In a court ruling with potentially broad implications for U.S....
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstimes.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2FUS-judge-in-Nevada-Felony-deportation-law-16399346.php.json
|
en
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — In a court ruling with potentially broad implications for U.S. immigration cases, a federal judge in Nevada found that a criminal law that dates to 1929 and makes it a felony for a person who has been deported to return to the United States is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Miranda Du in Reno, in an order issued Wednesday, found the law widely known as Section 1326 is based on “racist, nativist roots” and discriminates against Mexican and Latinx people in violation of the equal protection clause of the Fifth Amendment.
“Anybody who works in federal courts knows the statute,” Franny Forsman, retired longtime chief of the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Nevada, said Thursday. “There really are a large number of cases that have been brought over the years under that section. They’re mostly public defender cases.”
Section 1326 of the Immigration and Nationality Act makes it a crime for a person to enter the U.S. if they have been denied admission, deported or removed. It was enacted in 1952 using language from the Undesirable Aliens Act passed by Congress in 1929. Penalties were stiffened five times between 1988 and 1996 to increase its deterrent value.
Forsman said she expected the government will appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
But Julian Castro, secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Biden Administration, tweeted that he doubted the Justice Department would want to defend a law with “an incredibly racist history.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou and an aide did not immediately respond to messages about the ruling.
Forsman called Du’s order groundbreaking for its thoroughness. Du, a Vietnamese immigrant, was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama and sworn in in 2012.
“I think it will have implications because it’s going to be difficult to get around her reasoning,” Forsman said of the court order. “It’s a little hard to get around a statute that was called the ‘Wetback Act’ by the people enacting it.” The derogatory term often refers to Mexican migrants who have entered the country illegally, but it's also used to disparage all Hispanics.
Du said she considered written and oral arguments and expert testimony about the legislative history of the law from professors Benjamin Gonzalez O’Brien of San Diego State University and Kelly Lytle Hernández of the University of California, Los Angeles.
“Importantly, the government does not dispute that Section 1326 bears more heavily on Mexican and Latinx individuals,” the judge said in her 43-page order dismissing the June 2020 criminal indictment of Gustavo Carrillo-Lopez.
Carrillo-Lopez was arrested in Nevada in 2019 after having been deported in 1999 and again in 2012, according to prosecutors. His federal public defender, Lauren Gorman in Reno, did not immediately respond Thursday to an email.
The judge said she saw no publicly available data about the national origin of people prosecuted under Section 1326, but cited U.S. Border Patrol statistics showing that more than 97% of people apprehended at the border in 2000 were of Mexican decent, 86% in 2005, and 87% in 2010.
“The government argues that the stated impact is ‘a product of geography, not discrimination,’ and that the statistics are rather a feature of Mexico’s proximity to the United States, the history of Mexican employment patterns and the socio-political and economic factors that drive migration,” Du wrote. “The court is not persuaded.”
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www.newstimes.com
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US judge in Nevada: Felony deportation law unconstitutional
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https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/US-judge-in-Nevada-Felony-deportation-law-16399346.php
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|||||
[
"Yuri Kageyama",
"Associated Press",
"Dan Haar",
"Jeff Jacobs",
"Susan Campbell",
"Columnist",
"Associate Editor",
"Written By",
"Nicole Funaro",
"John Atashian"
] |
2021-08-20 02:09:00+00:00
|
2021-08-20 00:52:10
|
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese actor Sonny Chiba, who wowed the world with his martial arts...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Farticle%2FJapanese-martial-artist-film-star-Sonny-Chiba-16399345.php.json
|
en
|
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese actor Sonny Chiba, who wowed the world with his martial arts skills in more than 100 films, including “Kill Bill,” has died. He was 82.
Chiba, known in Japan as Shinichi Chiba, died late Thursday in a hospital near Tokyo where he had been treated for COVID-19 since Aug. 8, Tokyo-based Astraia, his management office, said in a statement Friday. It said he had not been vaccinated.
Chiba rose to stardom in Japan in the 1960s, portraying samurai, fighters and police detectives, the anguished so-called “anti-heroes” trying to survive in a violent world. He did many of the stunt scenes himself.
His overseas career took off after his 1970s Japanese film “The Street Fighter” proved popular in the U.S.
American director Quentin Tarantino listed the work as among his “grindhouse,” or low-budget kitsch cinema, favorites.
Tarantino cast Chiba in the role of Hattori Hanzo, a master swordsmith in “Kill Bill.”
Chiba appeared in the 1991 Hollywood film “Aces,” directed by John Glen, as well as in Hong Kong movies.
Chiba’s career also got a boost from the global boom in kung fu films, set off by Chinese legend Bruce Lee, although critics say Chiba tended to exhibit a dirtier, thug-like fighting style than Lee.
“A true action legend. Your films are eternal and your energy an inspiration. #SonnyChiba #RIP,” American actor Lewis Tan said on Twitter.
New York-based writer and director Ted Geoghegan called him “the great Sonny Chiba.”
“Watch one of his films today,” Geoghegan tweeted, followed by images of a fist and a broken heart.
Other fans mournfully filled Twitter threads with clips of his movies and photos.
Born in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, Chiba studied at Nippon Sport Science University trained in various martials arts, earning a fourth-degree black belt in karate.
Chiba set up Japan Action Club in 1980, to develop a younger generation of actors, including protege Hiroyuki Sanada, who is among Hollywood’s most coveted Japanese actors, landing roles in “The Last Samurai” and “Rush Hour 3.”
Chiba is survived by his three children, Juri Manase, Mackenyu Arata and Gordon Maeda, all actors. A wake was canceled as a pandemic measure, and funeral arrangements were still undecided, his office said.
___
Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
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www.newstimes.com
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Japanese martial artist film star Sonny Chiba dies at 82
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https://www.newstimes.com/entertainment/article/Japanese-martial-artist-film-star-Sonny-Chiba-16399345.php
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|||||
[
"Dan Haar",
"Jeff Jacobs",
"Susan Campbell",
"Columnist",
"Associate Editor",
"Written By",
"Maggie Vanoni",
"Paul Doyle"
] |
2021-08-20 02:10:45+00:00
|
2021-08-20 01:19:37
|
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — DeWanna Bonner scored a season-high 31 points and grabbed 11...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstimes.com%2Fsports%2Farticle%2FBonner-s-31-points-11-rebounds-lead-Sun-past-16399391.php.json
|
en
|
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — DeWanna Bonner scored a season-high 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Connecticut Sun beat the Minnesota Lynx 82-71 on Thursday night.
Bonner made 10 of 11 free throws — and Connecticut went 23 for 25 from the line — to help reach 30 points for the first time this season. It was her fifth double-double.
Jonquel Jones added 20 points and seven rebounds for Connecticut (17-6) despite being in foul trouble. The Sun turned it over 17 times but outrebounded the Lynx 31-23.
Sylvia Fowles led Minnesota (13-9) with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Layshia Clarendon added 15 points and Napheesa Collier scored 11.
Connecticut continues its five-game homestand on Tuesday against Las Vegas in a battle for sole possession of first place. Minnesota lost back-to-back games against Connecticut following an eight-game winning streak.
___
More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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www.newstimes.com
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Bonner's 31 points, 11 rebounds lead Sun past Lynx 82-71
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https://www.newstimes.com/sports/article/Bonner-s-31-points-11-rebounds-lead-Sun-past-16399391.php
|
|||||
[
"Beth Harris",
"Ap Sports Writer",
"Dan Haar",
"Jeff Jacobs",
"Susan Campbell",
"Columnist",
"Associate Editor",
"Written By",
"Maggie Vanoni",
"Paul Doyle"
] |
2021-08-20 02:10:39+00:00
|
2021-08-20 01:23:42
|
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts says he’s feeling “really, really good” and is...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstimes.com%2Fsports%2Farticle%2FBetts-feeling-really-good-eyes-return-soon-to-16399396.php.json
|
en
|
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts says he’s feeling “really, really good” and is eager to return soon to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup from a stint on the injured list with right hip inflammation.
The All-Star outfielder has been on the IL since Aug. 8. He was diagnosed with a bone spur in his hip and recently received a second cortisone injection.
“It's the first time I've felt normal in a long time,” Betts said Thursday after a workout on the field before the Dodgers hosted the New York Mets. “There's no pain at all. Hopefully, I can stay on this path.”
Betts said his hip had been bothering him since the start of spring training in February. He described the pain as being so intense that it “locked me up pretty good.”
“I hope it just can get through the season and let it heal and not have to worry about it anymore,” he said.
Manager Dave Roberts said Betts could potentially return as early as next week. The Dodgers visit NL West rival San Diego for a three-game series starting Tuesday and return home next Friday to host Colorado. Roberts said Betts would decide whether or not he needs a rehab assignment first.
“Maybe just a couple at-bats and we'll go from there,” Betts said. “I would like to at least get hot, then cool off, then get hot and get back running around just to make sure. I don’t want to go out there and have to come out of the game.”
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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Betts feeling 'really good,' eyes return soon to Dodgers
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[
"Dan Haar",
"Jeff Jacobs",
"Susan Campbell",
"Columnist",
"Associate Editor",
"Written By",
"Currie Engel",
"Julia Perkins",
"Peter Yankowski",
"Kendra Baker"
] |
2021-08-20 02:09:31+00:00
|
2021-08-20 01:24:44
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BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — Two teenagers were facing murder charges for a street-racing...
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstimes.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2F2-teens-facing-murder-charges-for-deadly-16399395.php.json
|
en
|
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — Two teenagers were facing murder charges for a street-racing crash that killed three people and critically injured a fourth in a Los Angeles suburb, authorities said Thursday.
Hamlet Aghajanyan, 19, of Burbank and a 17-year-old boy were taken into custody Thursday, police said.
Aghajanyan has been charged by the Los Angeles County district attorney's office with three counts of murder and one count of reckless driving, Burbank police said in a statement. He remained jailed on a $6 million bond.
The other youth, whose name wasn't released, was at a juvenile detention facility and prosecutors will determine whether to charge him with murder and reckless driving, police said.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the two had legal representation.
Authorities contend that Aghajanyan was driving a Kia and racing the other boy's Mercedes-Benz on Aug. 3 in Burbank when the Kia broad-sided a Volkswagen that was trying to make a turn.
The impact tore the Volkswagen in half and flung three people from the car. Killed at the scene were Jaiden Johnson, 20, of Burbank; Natalee Moghaddam, 19, of Calabasas and Cerain Baker, 21, the son of actor and comedian Tony Baker.
A fourth person in the car was hospitalized with critical injuries.
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2 teens facing murder charges for deadly street-racing crash
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https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/2-teens-facing-murder-charges-for-deadly-16399395.php
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[
"Kathleen Ronayne",
"Michael R. Blood",
"Associated Press",
"Dan Haar",
"Jeff Jacobs",
"Susan Campbell",
"Columnist",
"Associate Editor",
"Written By",
"Currie Engel"
] |
2021-08-20 02:10:01+00:00
|
2021-08-20 01:46:09
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former fiancee of Larry Elder said Thursday that the...
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstimes.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2FElder-denies-showing-gun-to-woman-during-domestic-16399362.php.json
|
en
|
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former fiancee of Larry Elder said Thursday that the conservative radio talk show host now running for governor in California showed her a gun during a heated argument in 2015.
Elder, widely seen as the leader in the Republican field running to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in next month's recall election, issued a statement saying “I have never brandished a gun at anyone." Elder, who is seeking to become California's first Black governor, noted that he grew up in South Los Angeles, an area with high violent crime.
“I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is,” he said.
Alexandra Datig's accusation, first reported by Politico, comes with less than four weeks until the Sept. 14 election and at a time when mail-in ballots already have arrived at voters' homes. Elder said he intended to “stay focused on the issues” that inspired the recall drive by Republicans upset with Newsom's progressive policies and handling of the pandemic.
Datig, 51 and a longtime Los Angeles resident, said she worked on Elder's show and they lived together during their 18-month romantic relationship from 2013 to 2015,. A letter and other records provided by Datig to The Associated Press – including an April 6, 2015, email in which she wrote about the collapse of their engagement — sketched a portrait of an emotionally abusive relationship in which Elder routinely was using medicinal marijuana to excess.
Datig claims Elder was high during the 2015 argument and went to a cabinet where he kept his gun “and made sure it was in my view.”
“He did not point it at me, but he wanted to make sure that I knew that he was checking" to see it was loaded, she told the AP.
Threatening another person with a firearm could be a criminal offense but Datig said she never reported it to police.
Elder did not specifically address that claim about cannabis use in questions submitted to his campaign by AP. His statement in response to Datig’s claims of abuse referred broadly to “salacious allegations.”
“People do not get into public life precisely because of this type of politics of personal destruction. I am not going to dignify this with a response — it’s beneath me,” Elder wrote. A short time later he tweeted: “They’re coming at me with every dirty trick because they know what’s coming on September 14."
Datig supports one of Elder’s Republican rivals, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Earlier this week Faulconer began targeting Elder for criticism and specifically questioning his attitudes about women, noting among other things that Elder had written that employers should be able to ask women if and when they plan to get pregnant.
“Larry Elder doesn’t have the judgment or character to lead our state,” Faulconer said in response to Datig’s allegations.
Another Republican in the race, state Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, said in a statement that he found Datig's claims disturbing.
“I believe that any woman who comes forward deserves to be heard, and Ms. Datig’s deeply troubling account should be treated with the utmost seriousness. Mr. Elder should be given every opportunity to respond,” he said.
Elder entered the race in July and Datig said she waited until now to come forward because she initially didn't think he would be competitive.
“I didn’t take it seriously but when Larry started to trend and become the frontrunner, I became extremely concerned,” she said.
The documents provided by Datig described months of emotional distress from the unraveling romantic and business relationship. “I feel trapped and afraid,” she wrote in the mail.
Datig also provided the AP with a copy of a confidentiality agreement she signed in 2014 barring her from speaking about the “personal and business affairs” of Elder and his business, Laurence A. Elder & Associates, Inc. She said she was breaking it to go public with her accusations.
A March 31, 2015, letter from her attorney to Elder asked for $6,000 in monthly support for Datig for one year, to cover expenses including rent, car and health care costs. She also asked for $195,000 for public relations, marketing and other services she said she provided for his show.
The two ultimately signed an agreement on April 13, 2015, for Elder to pay Datig $20,000 and cover the cost of her $5,000 legal retainer and $185 to dry clean her wedding dress. Elder agreed he and his assistant would sign a nondisclosure agreement regarding anything to do with Datig, that he would write her a letter of recommendation for her work product, and that they two would “halt mutual insults."
Datig refers to herself as a sex trafficking survivor and has publicly disclosed working for so-called former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, who was convicted in the mid-1990s of running a high-priced call-girl ring, a conviction that was later overturned. Fleiss was later sentenced to federal prison for cheating on her taxes and laundering call-girl profits. In a 2013 interview with KCAL-TV, Datig described becoming an informant on Fleiss.
__
Ronayne reported from Sacramento.
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Elder denies showing gun to woman during domestic argument
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https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Elder-denies-showing-gun-to-woman-during-domestic-16399362.php
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|||||
[
"Julia Perkins",
"Dan Haar",
"Jeff Jacobs",
"Susan Campbell",
"Columnist",
"Associate Editor",
"Written By",
"Currie Engel",
"Peter Yankowski",
"Kendra Baker"
] |
2021-08-20 01:55:58+00:00
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2021-08-19 04:00:00
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More than 400 people were expected to run or walk at the Amber Room’s annual race near...
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstimes.com%2Flocal%2Farticle%2FRun-from-the-Sun-5K-benefits-Ann-s-Place-16399321.php.json
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DANBURY — Hundreds of runners and walkers raced on Thursday evening to raise money to support a local cancer organization.
The Amber Room Colonnade hosted its annual 5K run to benefit Ann’s Place, a Danbury-based organization that assists individuals with cancer and their families.
“We are truly touched by the outpouring of support,” Shannon Cobb, president and CEO of Ann's Place, said in a statement. “There is a great deal of love in our community that gets us through the tough times.”
Ann’s Place’s support, educational and wellness programs are offered free of cost.
More than 400 runners and walkers were expected to participate in the Amber Room Run from the Sun 5K, which takes runners from the event venue on Stacey Road to Candlewood Lake and back.
“We are honored and proud to have worked together with the community businesses for the last decade for this annual 5K race,” Doug Polistena, Amber Room general manager, said in a statement. “After a tough year for everyone, we are excited to welcome runners back to the race. We always look forward to seeing everyone participate in support of Ann’s Place.”
Runners could create a fundraising page or join a fundraising team online. Participants who collected at least $100 for Ann’s Place received free race entry. Businesses and others sponsored the race.
The first 400 entrants received tech tees. After the race, participants were invited to a cookout featuring an outdoor barbecue, beer for those ages 21 and up, a DJ, an awards ceremony and more.
The Amber Room instituted various mitigation strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Attendees were required to wear masks indoors and were encouraged to get vaccinated. The venue offered a contactless registration process and various hand sanitizing stations.
Rather than providing tables and chairs for the cookout, the Amber Room urged runners to bring their own blankets and chairs to sit socially distanced.
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'Run from the Sun 5K' benefits Ann's Place in Danbury
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https://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Run-from-the-Sun-5K-benefits-Ann-s-Place-16399321.php
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[
"Mark Thiessen",
"Associated Press",
"Dan Haar",
"Jeff Jacobs",
"Susan Campbell",
"Columnist",
"Associate Editor",
"Written By",
"Currie Engel",
"Julia Perkins"
] |
2021-08-20 02:10:14+00:00
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2021-08-20 01:29:19
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Law enforcement officials have completed their investigation...
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstimes.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2FProsecutors-vet-US-Senate-candidate-s-fishing-16399413.php.json
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Law enforcement officials have completed their investigation into whether a U.S. Senate candidate and former State of Alaska official illegally obtained a fishing license for a sportfishing event two years ago and turned it over to a special prosecutorial branch of the Department of Law, an official said Thursday.
Kelly Tshibaka, a former commissioner in the state Department of Administration and a Republican candidate for Senate, received the license during an event on the Kenai River in 2019.
Records show she received the permit in August 2019, eight months after she moved to Alaska to take the commissioner’s job, the Anchorage Daily News has reported. To obtain a resident fishing license, state law says the person must have lived in the state for 12 consecutive months before applying for a license.
Tshibaka signed the license application, acknowledging she had read the rules for residency. She also indicated on the license that she was a resident for 15 years, 8 months.
A person could be fined up to $300 for knowingly violating the law on fishing licenses, a misdemeanor.
“After a thorough investigation by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers into the media reports regarding Mrs. Tshibaka the investigation has been completed and will now be reviewed by the Alaska Department of Law’s Office of Special Prosecutions,” Department of Public Safety spokesperson Austin McDaniel said in an email to The Associated Press.
When asked if it were unusual to involve the special office, he said in a follow-up email that law enforcement regularly works with prosecutors when building cases.
“Due to the circumstances involved with this investigation, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers requested an independent review of the case by the legal experts at the Alaska Department of Law,” McDaniel said.
Tim Murtaugh, a senior adviser to Tshibaka’s campaign, said she attended the 2019 Kenai River Classic in her capacity as commissioner.
He said her confirmation hearings were public and it was well-known she had just returned to the state.
“The event organizers asked if she had a current fishing license, and when she said she didn’t, they issued her one,” Murtaugh said in an email to the AP.
“The form was filled in for a license that expired after one day, going from August 22nd to the 23rd, which is only available to non-residents. This shows clear intent to purchase a non-resident license, not a resident license,” he said.
Tshibaka announced her resignation from the state on March 29, the same day she said she would challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Murkowski, who was critical of former President Donald Trump, was censured by the Alaska Republican Party, which later endorsed Tshibaka in the race. Trump also has endorsed Tshibaka.
Murkowski has not announced whether she will seek reelection next year. However, last month Kevin Sweeney, a consultant to Murkowski’s campaign, said she had raised about $1.15 million in the second quarter of this year and had $2.3 million on hand.
That, Sweeney said, “strongly positions” Murkowski for a reelection bid.
Murkowski on Monday declined to discuss reelection plans.
__
Associated Press journalist Becky Bohrer in Juneau contributed to this report.
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Prosecutors vet US Senate candidate's fishing license case
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https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Prosecutors-vet-US-Senate-candidate-s-fishing-16399413.php
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[
"Dan Haar",
"Jeff Jacobs",
"Susan Campbell",
"Columnist",
"Associate Editor",
"Written By",
"Currie Engel",
"Julia Perkins",
"Peter Yankowski",
"Kendra Baker"
] |
2021-08-20 02:10:08+00:00
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2021-08-20 01:16:36
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The former school resource officer accused of hiding...
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstimes.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2FJudge-School-officer-who-hid-during-shooting-16399388.php.json
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en
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The former school resource officer accused of hiding during a South Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead will have to convince a jury that he wasn't criminally negligent, a judge ruled Thursday.
Broward Circuit Judge Martin Fein declined to dismiss the child negligence charges against former Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson, the Sun Sentinel reported.
Peterson, 58, had worked as a school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Nikolas Cruz, who was 19 at the time of the February 2018 shooting, has been charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder.
Prosecutors have said that Peterson failed to come to the rescue as Cruz was making his way through the school’s hallways. The law that Peterson is accused of breaking specifically applies to caregivers, but defense attorneys argued during a hearing Wednesday that a law enforcement officer doesn’t fit the legal definition of a caregiver.
Prosecutors are arguing that school resources officers are inherently different from other law enforcement officers and should be considered caregivers.
Fein ruled that a jury can decide whether a school resource officer should be considered a caregiver and noted that a jury instruction will be included to that effect.
Cruz faces the death penalty if convicted in the Valentine’s Day 2018 massacre in which 17 people were slain and 17 others were wounded. Cruz’s lawyers have said he would plead guilty in exchange for a life prison sentence, but prosecutors are insisting that his fate be decided by a jury trial.
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Judge: School officer who hid during shooting facing charges
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https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Judge-School-officer-who-hid-during-shooting-16399388.php
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[
"Doug Feinberg",
"Ap Basketball Writer",
"Dan Haar",
"Jeff Jacobs",
"Susan Campbell",
"Columnist",
"Associate Editor",
"Written By",
"Currie Engel",
"Julia Perkins"
] |
2021-08-20 02:10:20+00:00
|
2021-08-20 01:08:45
|
NEW YORK (AP) — The Seattle Storm are heading to the White House to celebrate their...
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstimes.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2FSeattle-Storm-to-visit-White-House-celebrate-16399372.php.json
|
en
|
NEW YORK (AP) — The Seattle Storm are heading to the White House to celebrate their 2020 WNBA championship.
The team was formally invited by President Joe Biden to visit Monday afternoon. The Storm play at the Washington Mystics on Sunday.
“I think for a very long time, up until 2016, going to the White House was an honor. It wasn't necessarily political. It was to meet the president of the United States. The person who holds that office acknowledging your team's success,” said Seattle guard Sue Bird, who will be making her third trip to meet a president. “It was an incredible honor. Even when you watch a movie like ‘Forrest Gump,’ I'm dating myself a little bit, you understand in that movie what an incredible honor it was. It wasn't political. I think that all shifted in 2016.”
With former president Donald Trump out of office, Bird said she was happy to be going back. Many WNBA players including Bird have been outspoken in their embrace of social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter, which Trump characterized as violent, radical ideology. Trump was also critical of Bird's fiancee, U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe.
“Now that it's back in a place where it's considered an honor and you're recognized by the highest office in the country is exciting, it's fun,” Bird said. “It's not just about meeting the president or hopefully the vice president is there. It's about the whole experience of being in the White House. Having a day that's about your team and celebrating what you've accomplished.”
In addition to her two previous White House visits, Bird has been invited three other times after winning championships — once with UConn and twice with the Storm — but couldn't attend.
The Storm, who have won four titles, will be joined by the team's ownership group and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. The team last visited the White House in 2011.
No NBA or WNBA team has visited the White House since the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 — Barack Obama's last year in office.
___
More AP women's basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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Seattle Storm to visit White House, celebrate 2020 title
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https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Seattle-Storm-to-visit-White-House-celebrate-16399372.php
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|||||
[
"The Associated Press",
"Dan Haar",
"Jeff Jacobs",
"Susan Campbell",
"Columnist",
"Associate Editor",
"Written By",
"Maggie Vanoni",
"Paul Doyle"
] |
2021-08-20 02:11:10+00:00
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2021-08-20 01:13:59
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A look at what’s happening around the majors on Friday:
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstimes.com%2Fsports%2Farticle%2FLEADING-OFF-Ohtani-road-show-to-Cleveland-16399387.php.json
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en
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A look at what’s happening around the majors on Friday:
___
WHAT WILL SHOHEI DO NEXT?
The Shohei Ohtani road show heads to Cleveland after the two-way superstar thrilled opposing crowds in Detroit.
Ohtani’s Los Angeles Angels — whose playoff chances are slim at one game over .500 — will play two games at the Indians' home ballpark before both teams head to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the Little League Classic on Sunday night.
After that, LA travels to Baltimore for a three-game series against the major league-worst Orioles that’s expected to include Ohtani’s next mound start — perhaps a rare opportunity for Baltimore fans to feel some buzz.
Against Detroit, Ohtani had his longest mound start of the season, winning his fourth consecutive start with an eight-inning performance on Wednesday night. He also hit a towering, 430-foot homer — his major league-leading 40th of the season — that Tigers fans waiting for Miguel Cabrera to hit No. 500 couldn't help but admire.
Ohtani followed it up with a 2-for-3 day as the Angels rallied from an eight-run deficit to beat the Tigers on Thursday.
OPTIMISM IN HOUSTON
Astros manager Dusty Baker has reasons to feel good about his AL West-leading club even after an uninspired seven-game trip.
Houston went 3-4 on the road against the Angels and Royals and begins a weeklong homestand on Friday by hosting division rival Seattle. The Astros lead Oakland by 2 1/2 games, which hasn't escaped Baker's notice.
“I’ve been scoreboard watching every day,” Baker said. “Scoreboard watching is something I do between innings when I’m not thinking about what to do. We’re just looking forward to the finish line. We have a ways to go, and we haven’t played our best ball yet.”
One thing that's making Baker sanguine about the future is having Aledmys Díaz in the lineup. Díaz went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, including the go-ahead single in the 10th inning of a 6-3 win at Kansas City on Thursday.
“You can tell what (Díaz) means to this club (by looking at) the six weeks he was out,” Baker said.
SUB-BASEMENT
The major league-worst Baltimore Orioles haven't even come within two runs of a win in the past week.
The Orioles dropped their 15th straight game on Thursday, falling 7-2 to the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays. And most of them haven't been close.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Orioles are the first team since 1900 to lose 15 straight games by multiple runs. The closest Baltimore got was a 6-4 loss to Detroit on Aug. 12.
The Orioles have been outscored 138-42 during the skid, allowing an average of 9.2 runs per game.
After dropping four at Tampa Bay by scores of 9-2, 10-0, 8-4 and 7-2, Baltimore hosts another first-place team for a three-game series this weekend: NL-East winning Atlanta.
The Arizona Diamondbacks had the worst record in the majors for much of the season, but Baltimore now owns that distinction. Arizona is coming off a three-game sweep of Philadelphia and has won six of seven overall.
OCTOBER PREVIEW
Brandon Lowe knows this weekend may not be the last time the Rays face the Chicago White Sox in 2021.
The AL Central leaders visit the AL East leaders for a three-game series starting Friday.
“This is going to be kind of what we’re looking at postseason-wise, I feel like,” Lowe said. “You know the White Sox are going to make it, we feel like we’re going to make it. I think the games are going to be a little bit tougher, it’s going to be a little bit lower-scoring ballgames but it’s going to be a hard-fought battle for the whole series.”
Tampa Bay has won 11 of 14, and perhaps a playoff preview could lure a few more fans to Tropicana Field. In their four-game sweep of Baltimore, the Rays drew a total of 22,754 paying customers — an average of 5,689 per game.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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LEADING OFF: Ohtani road show to Cleveland; Astros optimism
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https://www.newstimes.com/sports/article/LEADING-OFF-Ohtani-road-show-to-Cleveland-16399387.php
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[
"Chris Lisinski",
"Colin A. Young",
"Katie Lannan",
"Matt Murphy"
] |
2021-08-20 02:01:45+00:00
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2021-08-20 01:43:37
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More than a dozen theater companies around the Greater Boston area collectively announced Thursday that they will require all performers, staff, and patrons to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test at indoor performances for at least the next several months.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwlp.com%2Fnews%2Fstate-politics%2Fboston-area-theaters-to-require-vaccine-or-negative-test%2F.json
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BOSTON (SHNS) – More than a dozen theater companies around the Greater Boston area collectively announced Thursday that they will require all performers, staff, and patrons to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test at indoor performances for at least the next several months.
The policy — plus a requirement for masks inside theaters — will take effect immediately and remain in place through Oct. 31, the theaters said, noting that the requirement “will be reevaluated as the situation evolves.” Theater officials said ArtsBoston’s Audience Outlook Monitor survey found that half of respondents deem proof of vaccination or a negative test a prerequisite for them to feel comfortable attending a performance and 80 percent said it would make them more likely to go to indoor events.
“We at The Huntington, along with our colleagues, are eager to welcome back audiences to live performances this fall, and we are prioritizing everyone’s health and well-being in order to safely reopen,” Michael Maso, managing director of The Huntington, said. “These measures will provide multiple layers of protection in our theatres — it’s what our patrons want, and it’s an essential part of our broader responsibility as public-facing institutions.”
Fourteen theaters in the region together announced the policy: Actors’ Shakespeare Project, American Repertory Theater, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Central Square Theater, The Front Porch Arts Collective, The Gamm Theatre, Gloucester Stage Company, Greater Boston Stage Company, The Huntington, Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Moonbox Productions, SpeakEasy Stage Company, and Wellesley Repertory Theatre.
Another theater, the Boch Center, separately announced a similar requirement.
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www.wwlp.com
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Boston-area theaters to require vaccine or negative test
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https://www.wwlp.com/news/state-politics/boston-area-theaters-to-require-vaccine-or-negative-test/
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[
"Katie Lannan",
"Chris Lisinski"
] |
2021-08-20 02:01:57+00:00
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2021-08-20 01:25:05
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The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education renewed their calls Thursday for the state to phase out some elements of its school funding formula that they say perpetuate inequities.
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwlp.com%2Fnews%2Fstate-politics%2Freport-warns-school-funding-system-still-inequitable%2F.json
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BOSTON (SHNS) – The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education renewed their calls Thursday for the state to phase out some elements of its school funding formula that they say perpetuate inequities.
Last September, the two business groups published a report examining “needs-blind” elements of the Chapter 70 school aid formula — factors not based on community wealth or income — that found 64 percent of every “needs-blind dollar,” or almost $500 million, goes to the wealthiest 20 percent of school districts. In a new brief released Thursday, they said that this fiscal year, the state’s “least wealthy districts will receive the smallest portion of this needs-blind aid, both in aggregate and on a per-pupil basis.”
The brief recommends incrementally phasing out the “hold-harmless provision,” a commitment by lawmakers that no district will receive less Chapter 70 aid than the year before. It said that in fiscal 2022, “the wealthiest 20% of districts will receive over three times as much hold-harmless base aid per-pupil than the least wealthy 20% of districts.”
The Chamber and MBAE also suggest phasing out the minimum aid funding increase for districts whose state aid would otherwise not go up, increasing the maximum required local contribution to 85 percent of the foundation budget from its current 82.5 percent, and conducting an “equity analysis” before distributing any new forms of education aid.
“Implementing these recommendations will better align the state’s investment in K-12 education with student and community need,” the brief said. “By strategically targeting Chapter 70 funding to student and community need, the state can make the best use of its financial resources while simultaneously injecting greater equity into the state’s K-12 education system. “
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Report warns school funding system still inequitable
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https://www.wwlp.com/news/state-politics/report-warns-school-funding-system-still-inequitable/
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[
"Colin A. Young",
"Katie Lannan",
"Chris Lisinski"
] |
2021-08-20 02:01:20+00:00
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2021-08-20 01:27:43
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A major joint conference of international gambling regulators is still slated to be held in Boston next month, but many of the attendees from around the world will be participating remotely.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwlp.com%2Fnews%2Fgaming-regulators-gearing-up-for-boston-conference%2F.json
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en
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BOSTON (SHNS) – A major joint conference of international gambling regulators is still slated to be held in Boston next month, but many of the attendees from around the world will be participating remotely.
The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) are planning a joint conference the week of Sept. 12 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place with the Mass. Gaming Commission serving as the host. Commissioner Gayle Cameron, who has been deeply involved in the conference planning, updated the commission on the conference status Thursday.
“There was such an interest in coming to Boston that these two organizations decided to put their fall conferences together in a joint fashion and the unfortunate part is that many, many of the folks who would have loved to have come to Boston will not be able to due to travel restrictions from around the world,” Cameron said. “Having said that, it’s still going to be a very, very substantive conference. Some of the sessions will be live-streamed [and] there’ll be a hybrid model for those who can’t be able to attend.”
Among those scheduled to speak or make presentations during the conference are Edward Bedrosian, the commission’s former executive director who now leads the gaming regulatory practice at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe; Jill Griffin, the commission’s longtime director of diversity and legislative affairs who just left the agency; Mark Vander Linden, the commission’s director of research and responsible gaming; and Rachel Volberg, the University of Massachusetts Amherst researcher who reports regularly to the commission.
Cameron, Commission Chairwoman Cathy Judd-Stein and others from the Gaming Commission are expected to participate by offering welcoming remarks or appearing on panels during the conference. When Cameron previously updated the commission on the joint conference, she said IAGRA was expecting “maybe a quarter of what they usually get and that’s somewhere between 300 and 400” and that IMGL is expecting about 100 attendees for its portion of the week.
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www.wwlp.com
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Gaming regulators gearing up for Boston conference
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https://www.wwlp.com/news/gaming-regulators-gearing-up-for-boston-conference/
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[
"Katie Lannan",
"Colin A. Young",
"Matt Murphy"
] |
2021-08-20 02:01:27+00:00
|
2021-08-20 01:39:02
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With COVID-19 booster shots now on the horizon, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts confirmed it will cover the additional vaccine doses with no cost-sharing for its members, pending authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwlp.com%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Fblue-cross-no-cost-to-members-for-booster-shots%2F.json
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en
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BOSTON (SHNS) – With COVID-19 booster shots now on the horizon, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts confirmed it will cover the additional vaccine doses with no cost-sharing for its members, pending authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The Biden administration on Wednesday announced plans to begin making booster doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines available next month to American adults, who will become eligible for the shots eight months after they received their second dose.
The federal government distributes the vaccines free of charge, and clinicians and pharmacies can still bill insurers for administration costs.
“Since the COVID-19 vaccines first became available, we’ve been committed to supporting widespread vaccination in our communities,” said Blue Cross chief medical officer Dr. Sandhya Rao. “Vaccines are the best tools we have to protect us against COVID-19, and we want to make it easy for our members to get vaccinated, so we can all do our part to get back to the people and places we love, and help end this global pandemic.”
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www.wwlp.com
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Blue Cross: No cost to members for booster shots
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https://www.wwlp.com/news/health/blue-cross-no-cost-to-members-for-booster-shots/
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[
"Katie Lannan",
"Colin A. Young",
"Matt Murphy"
] |
2021-08-20 02:01:14+00:00
|
2021-08-20 01:48:54
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The nonprofit health care payer and provider Commonwealth Care Alliance is requiring is member- and patient-facing staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwlp.com%2Fnews%2Fcca-announces-vax-policy-pushes-back-office-return%2F.json
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en
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BOSTON (SHNS) – The nonprofit health care payer and provider Commonwealth Care Alliance is requiring its member- and patient-facing staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15.
Saying more than 75 percent of its staff is already vaccinated, the organization informed workers of the new requirement on Thursday while also pushing back a planned September return to the office. The full return is now targeted for January 2022, CEO Chris Palmieri wrote in an email.
“We all know how devastating this virus has been, especially for individuals with significant needs,” he wrote. “I am immensely proud of the way CCA has fulfilled our mission of providing the best possible care for these individuals no matter what COVID-19 has thrown our way.”
The decision to require vaccines came after “careful consideration” and is an additional step to keep members, patients, and employees safe amid the rise of the Delta variant and its risks, Palmieri said.
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www.wwlp.com
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CCA announces vax policy, pushes back office return
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https://www.wwlp.com/news/cca-announces-vax-policy-pushes-back-office-return/
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|||||
[
"Chris Lisinski",
"Colin A. Young",
"Katie Lannan",
"Matt Murphy"
] |
2021-08-20 02:01:39+00:00
|
2021-08-20 01:34:27
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As the Legislature weighs whether to revive an eviction and foreclosure moratorium, a majority of Massachusetts voters support prohibiting landlords from removing tenants, according to a new poll.
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwlp.com%2Fnews%2Fstate-politics%2F54-percent-of-massachusetts-voters-support-eviction-ban%2F.json
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en
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BOSTON (SHNS) – As the Legislature weighs whether to revive an eviction and foreclosure moratorium, a majority of Massachusetts voters support prohibiting landlords from removing tenants, according to a new poll.
A MassINC Polling Group survey of 724 registered voters published Thursday found 54 percent in favor of banning landlords from evicting tenants as a COVID-19 response, compared to 35 percent who oppose the idea. Massachusetts had an eviction moratorium in place for about six months early in the pandemic, but Gov. Charlie Baker and the Legislature allowed it to expire in October and replaced the temporary ban with a focus on diverting evictions with hundreds of millions of dollars available in rental assistance.
Dozens of lawmakers signed onto a bill that would revive a moratorium for one year until after the state of emergency, which ended June 15, but legislative leaders so far have shown no public interest in doing so.
MassINC’s poll also found a majority of voters in favor of extending state government relief for small businesses hit hard by the pandemic (74 percent in support, 22 percent opposed), requiring masks at all indoor businesses (67 percent in support, 27 percent opposed), requiring all residents to get vaccinated (63 percent in support, 31 percent opposed), and requiring proof of vaccination to eat indoors at a restaurant (61 percent in support, 31 percent opposed).
The least popular policy in the poll was shifting more education to remote and hybrid instruction this fall, which drew backing from 48 percent of voters surveyed and opposition from 41 percent.
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www.wwlp.com
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54 percent of Massachusetts voters support eviction ban
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https://www.wwlp.com/news/state-politics/54-percent-of-massachusetts-voters-support-eviction-ban/
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|||||
[
"Matt Murphy",
"Colin A. Young",
"Katie Lannan"
] |
2021-08-20 02:01:51+00:00
|
2021-08-20 01:22:44
|
Nonnie Burnes, who oversaw the deregulation of the auto insurance industry in Massachusetts as insurance commissioner under Gov. Deval Patrick, died last weekend after a battle with kidney cancer.
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwlp.com%2Fnews%2Fstate-politics%2Fformer-insurance-commissioner-nonnie-burns-dies-at-79%2F.json
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en
|
BOSTON (SHNS) – Nonnie Burnes, who oversaw the deregulation of the auto insurance industry in Massachusetts as insurance commissioner under Gov. Deval Patrick, died last weekend after a battle with kidney cancer.
She was 79. Burnes was a trustee at her alma mater, Northeastern University, which published a tribute on Thursday to the former judge and chair of Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts. Burnes graduated from Northeastern Law School and practiced for 18 years at the Boston law firm Hill & Barlow before she was appointed to the Superior Court bench as a judge by Gov. William Weld in 1996.
She would leave the judiciary after 10 years to take over the state’s Division of Insurance under a new governor, Deval Patrick, at a time when the state was transitioning from a heavily regulated auto insurance market to one that encouraged competition. She left the Patrick administration in 2009 for Northeastern, where she was a senior university fellow at the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs.
“Nonnie truly was one of the greats,” tweeted former U.S. senator and Patrick general counsel Mo Cowan, describing himself as “being in awe … of her kindness and generosity of spirit” after meeting her following his first year of law school at Northeastern. “I later served with her in a couple of organizations and came to know that her soul was pure and ran deep. She will be missed,” he wrote.
Burnes was married to Richard Burnes, the co-founder of Charles River Ventures, and the couple had three children. Northeastern said services for Burnes will be announced by her family at a future date.
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www.wwlp.com
|
Former insurance commissioner Nonnie Burns dies at 79
|
https://www.wwlp.com/news/state-politics/former-insurance-commissioner-nonnie-burns-dies-at-79/
|
|||||
[
"Chris Lisinski",
"Katie Lannan"
] |
2021-08-20 02:01:33+00:00
|
2021-08-20 01:55:52
|
Salem State University will launch a "Vaccinated Vikings" lottery for students offering tuition credits, scholarships for the bookstore, and on-campus cash credits as prizes, school officials announced Wednesday.
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwlp.com%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Fsalem-state-offers-prizes-for-vaccinations%2F.json
|
en
|
BOSTON (SHNS) – Salem State University will launch a “Vaccinated Vikings” lottery for students offering tuition credits, scholarships for the bookstore, and on-campus cash credits as prizes, school officials announced Wednesday.
One student will win $2,000 toward tuition, four others will receive bookstore scholarships of $500 each, and another four will get $250 each in “ClipperCash credits,” the currency on school IDs that can be used at a variety of locations. Like all other Massachusetts state universities, Salem State will require students to get vaccinated before attending in-person classes in the fall.
“With move-in just a couple weeks away, we’re encouraging our students to show us that they have complied with this public health and safety requirement that is so important to a safe in-person return this fall,” said Salem State Associate Dean of Students for Wellness Elisa Castillo. “Students who have not followed our vaccine mandate or received an approved exemption could face restrictions when it comes to moving in and accessing some campus facilities, and we are hopeful that this contest will prompt them to get squared away so that when they return, they can focus on academics and the excitement of being back.”
About 70 percent of fall classes will have an in-person component at Salem State. All students who upload proof of their vaccination status or have received an approved exemption by 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 23 will automatically be entered into the contest.
|
www.wwlp.com
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Salem state offers prizes for vaccinations
|
https://www.wwlp.com/news/health/salem-state-offers-prizes-for-vaccinations/
|
|||||
[
"Brianna Willis",
"Janell Gore"
] |
2021-08-20 02:04:39+00:00
|
2021-08-19 17:39:00
|
Several parks in Bakersfield are set to go through a revitalization soon. But now there are plans for a whole new local park, and that is being discussed Thursday during the planning commission meeting.
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.turnto23.com%2Fnews%2Flocal-news%2Fstockdale-river-ranch-park-zone-change-to-be-nor-park.json
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https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1859b73/2147483647/strip/true/crop/290x152+0+54/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F83%2Fea%2F2eea651b40d1b5072b666a7c980c%2Fnor.jpg
|
en
|
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Several parks in Bakersfield are set to go through a revitalization soon. But now there are plans for a whole new local park, and that is being discussed Thursday during the planning commission meeting.
The zone change before the commission will help build the future Stockdale River Ranch Community Park and benefit the North or the River services to the public.
“This would be 22 acres, more regional in use which implies why they requested that we get them the zoning to be more active for baseball, all the other facilities that you would like to see at a regional park,” said Bruce Davis Senior Vice President of Development, Bolthouse Properties.
Bolthouse Properties and NOR entered into an agreement in 2015 for the purchase and development of the Stockdale River Ranch Park.
“Ultimately that would be a NOR facility, at the point the park is completed and turned over to NOR, so ultimately it will be a NOR Park that covers the adjacent region,” said Brad Debranch the Project Planner for Bolthouse Properties.
Now in 2021, the companies are finalizing their plans for the park where construction is planned for next year the hope is to have multi-use fields, baseball fields, a community center, playgrounds, sports courts, picnic facilities, and other small amenities making it a regional park.
“It covers the entire region which is important to note, it's not a typical neighborhood park which is 2 to 8 acres,” said Davis.
To better support their plans, Bolthouse properties said the zone change is needed.
“Tonight, we have requested a zone change on the park and another area, the park is going from open space park to recreation,” said Debranch.
Both Davis and Debranch from Bolthouse said it will only benefit the community.
“We see it as a very positive, it’s the heart and soul of our development, its where all the public can go and get together, that’s what makes communities, communities,” said Davis.
That the change will help NOR accommodate the needs of everyone.
“The use is still a park, we’ve all committed to the park. What this does is give NOR who will be operating the park more flexibility to accommodate the needs of the entire region, not just the community,” said Davis.
Bolthouse said whether or not the zone change is passed by the planning commission the park will still be built, it just won’t accommodate as many amenities as they would’ve liked.
|
www.turnto23.com
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Stockdale River Ranch Park zone change to be NOR park
|
https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/stockdale-river-ranch-park-zone-change-to-be-nor-park
|
||||
[
"Wtvr Staff"
] |
2021-08-20 02:04:50+00:00
|
2021-08-19 18:27:00
|
“To see what people do and the things they do for children, it’s just amazing,” father Brendan Manning said.
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.turnto23.com%2Fnews%2Fnational%2Fgirl-with-leukemia-gets-big-surprise.json
|
https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a400971/2147483647/strip/true/crop/889x467+0+17/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fewscripps.brightspotcdn.com%2Fab%2F6f%2F81bc52ea4f8a8712178193e72dae%2Fgirl-with-leukemia.jpeg
|
en
|
RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) -- Sophie Manning was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in June 2020.
During one of her treatments at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, one of the medical people mentioned a program being offered in conjunction with Richmond Raceway and the NASCAR Foundation.
“NASCAR is doing things in markets all over the country, like these playset builds, in 15 different markets,” Raceway president Dennis Bickmeier said. “So it’s pretty cool to be one of the markets selected for sure.”
The Raceway got Sophie and her parents out of their home for most of the day, taking laps at the track and making a trip to Dave and Buster’s so a crew could put the set together as a surprise.
Despite some rain showers throughout the day, they pulled it off.
“It just turned out to be such a great fit,” Bickmeier said. “It wasn’t a pre-requisite, but they’re big NASCAR fans as well!”
“To see what people do and the things they do for children, it’s just amazing,” Sophie's father, Brendan Manning said. “It’s brightened her eyes to see the things that have taken place in front of her. It makes us just want to go out and do things for others as well.”
This story was originally reported by Lane Casadonte on WTVR.com.
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www.turnto23.com
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Girl with leukemia gets big surprise
|
https://www.turnto23.com/news/national/girl-with-leukemia-gets-big-surprise
|
||||
[
"Scripps National"
] |
2021-08-20 02:04:51+00:00
|
2021-08-19 17:32:00
|
Some Democrats who left Texas to block a GOP voting bill have ended a 38-day holdout.
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.turnto23.com%2Fnews%2Fnational%2Ftexas-democrats-return-end-38-day-holdout-over-voting-bill.json
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https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/83524d8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3150+0+425/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fewscripps.brightspotcdn.com%2F38%2F76%2Fb5e042414b0c9e86c97f6873b242%2Fap21223856341261.jpg
|
en
|
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Some Democrats who left Texas to block a GOP voting bill have ended a 38-day holdout.
Enough Democrats returned to the state Capitol on Thursday to allow the Texas House to resume work for the first time since mid-July.
That’s when more than 50 Democrats flew to Washington, D.C., in what amounted to a second walkout over Republican efforts to pass new election laws in Texas.
The special session was called after Democrats blocked the elections laws during the regular session. They left the House prior to the end of the session.
However, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called a special session to get the bills passed.
Democrats who left the state and refused to fulfill their duties as lawmakers were threatened with arrest. However, the warrants for their arrest were dissolved Thursday after enough of them showed up to resume work, the Texas Tribune reports.
Republicans are now back on a path to pass new elections laws in Texas before the current special session ends on Sept. 5.
|
www.turnto23.com
|
Texas Democrats return, end 38-day holdout over voting bill
|
https://www.turnto23.com/news/national/texas-democrats-return-end-38-day-holdout-over-voting-bill
|
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