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This article was published in print as "A Better Eye On the Storm." |
Jane Lubchenco has been NOAA Administrator since 2009. She is a marine ecologist and environmental scientist, with expertise in oceans, climate change and interactions between the environment and human well-being. John L. "Jack" Hayes is director of the National Weather Service at NOAA. He is responsible for the prepar... |
About 300 Mount Aspiring College pupils will get the opportunity to try their hand at learning circus tricks this November. |
After almost two years at Kahu Youth, youth worker Claire French is leaving her role to join the Wandering Circus, and has organised a circus workshop day for years 7 to 10 pupils at Mount Aspiring College on November 22 as a final parting gift. |
There will be 15 teachers from around the globe running 90 workshops including hula hoop, juggling, poi and staff. |
"It’s an opportunity that the Wanaka youth just can’t afford to miss. The tutors and performers are the best of the best. They’re exceptionally skilled and are super excited about sharing their skills," Ms French said. |
The workshops would be sponsored by the Upper Clutha Arts Council, and pupils asked to bring a gold coin donation to go towards the Kahu Youth Trust. |
"It’s my final hurrah before I run away with the circus," Ms French said. |
"The last two years with Kahu Youth have been great, the kids are so amazing and I’ve been involved in so many fun projects, groups and community events. It’s really nice to be able to give back to such a great trust before I head off on tour." |
The Wandering Circus will also perform two nights in Wanaka at the Lake Wanaka Centre that same week. Ms French hopes to return to Wanaka after summer to set up her own circus, hoop and fire projects in town. |
District health board chief executives will be held to account if safe staffing levels for nurses and midwives are not in place by 2021, Health Minister David Clark says. |
Yesterday, Dr Clark, in a move probably made to encourage nurses to settle their long-running pay dispute, announced DHBs, nurses and the Ministry of Health would sign an accord on safe staffing on Monday. |
The accord will commit all parties to implement and monitor Care Capacity Demand Management (CCDM) — the system intended to ensure enough nurses and midwives are available to work — within three years. |
Ensuring that was achieved would be a performance expectation for DHB chief executives, Dr Clark said. |
"I accept that nurses don’t feel that DHBs have always delivered on previous commitments," Dr Clark said. |
"As Minister of Health I will be requiring DHBs to make good on all staffing commitments." |
Nurses, midwives and other health workers went on strike a fortnight ago — the first nationwide stopwork by nurses in 30 years. |
Their union, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, put a revised offer from DHBs to members earlier this week, which also contained safe staffing guarantees. |
With the Government having maintained for some weeks that no new money would be available to settle the nurses’ dispute, the accord is likely to be an attempt to shore up the DHBs offer and convince nurses — who have previously rejected a pay offer their union recommended they accept — to take the proposed deal. |
NZNO chief executive Memo Musa said understaffing was the top concern of the New Zealand nursing and midwifery workforce, and commended Dr Clark for drafting the accord. |
"Nurses have also said that a reason they leave the profession is because their high standards have been compromised because of unsafe staffing and also because they are dissatisfied by not being able to take time to advance their own skills or to train others," Mr Musa said. |
"The accord addresses this issue by encouraging many back into the workforce with the commitment to safe staffing." |
A training commitment for nurses and midwives, according to the contract used for doctors, has been written in to the accord. |
Dr Clark yesterday released a letter to the NZNO, the ministry and DHBS, which said he understood all parties supported the accord. |
The document is due to be signed in Wellington on Monday. |
A full page ad in today's New York Times proclaims that a soaring mixed-used tower will be "coming soon'' to the now-vacant 400 block of Central Avenue. The ad, placed by New York's Red Apple Group, shows a "draft'' rendering of the tower, which will have a full-service boutique hotel with event space, luxury condos de... |
The Trump administration appears poised to enact a long-frozen clause within the Cuban Embargo that would allow Americans who had property nationalized in Cuba to sue those now profiting from it. The action also could force the suspension of travel between Tampa and Cuba. When the clause, called Title III, was made par... |
Parents should still pack snacks, water, sunscreen and a bead bag for the Children’s Gasparilla Parade on Saturday. But this year one thing you don’t have to pack is a change of comfortable shoes. In previous years, the event has involved a lot of walking to get to the parade route. This year, event organizers have tea... |
From 2016 to 2018, the Bucs played in an NFL-high 31 one-score games. Their .419 win percentage ranked 25th. One might conclude that’s a sign of bad coaching. Compare Dirk Koetter’s record with new coach Bruce Arians’ record. During Arians’ five seasons in Arizona (2013 to 2017), his Cardinals teams played in 37 one-sc... |
Break out the lawn chairs and cue up the Bonnie Tyler. Sunday night, skygazers in the Tampa Bay area will be front-row center for the first total eclipse of the moon in nearly three years. Comprehensively dubbed the Super Blood Wolf Moon, Sunday’s eclipse is a rare trifecta of awesome astronomical phenomenon and not, a... |
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s surprise decision to press for a court-ordered demolition of the Affordable Care Act came after a heated meeting in the Oval Office on Monday, where the president’s acting chief of staff and others convinced him that he could do through the courts what he could not do through Con... |
Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff and former South Carolina congressman, had spent years in the House saying that the health law should be repealed, and his handpicked head of the Domestic Policy Council, Joe Grogan, supported the idea of joining a Republican attorneys general lawsuit to invalidate t... |
That suit, and the Justice Department, initially pressed to nullify only the part of the law that forces insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions as well as a suite of health benefits deemed “essential,” such as pregnancy and maternal health, mental health and prescription drugs. |
But a district judge in Texas ruled that the entire law was rendered unconstitutional when President Trump’s tax law brought the tax penalty for not having health insurance to zero, and the administration faced a choice: stick with its more limited intervention or back the judge’s decision. |
The health and human services secretary, Alex M. Azar II, was on speakerphone during the meeting and also voiced concern about the move, people familiar with the call said. And Marc Short, Mr. Pence’s chief of staff, suggested that it was risky for Mr. Trump’s administration to be at odds with so many Republican attorn... |
But Mr. Trump had been sold, and on Monday night, the Justice Department issued a letter saying it supported the Texas judge’s decision. |
The blowback has been severe. Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Republican leader, who is close with Mr. Trump, had privately warned the president not to interrupt the “victory lap” he should be taking after the delivery of the report by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. Mr. Mueller, acco... |
The reaction was even more intense in the Senate. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, had planned to use the week to publicize his floor vote to force Democrats to take a stand on progressives’ Green New Deal — an important party-building exercise for Republicans after Mr. Trump’s decision to decl... |
Members of Mr. McConnell’s leadership team were incensed at Mr. Mulvaney and allies like the acting White House budget director, Russell Vought, for rekindling a fight that served Democrats so well in 2018 and could harm vulnerable incumbents in 2020, according to two senior aides with direct knowledge of the situation... |
And Democrats pressed their advantage. |
But Mr. Trump doubled down while talking to reporters in the Oval Office. He predicted that the Texas decision would be upheld by the appeals court, then go to the Supreme Court. |
“If the Supreme Court rules that Obamacare is out, we’ll have a plan that is far better than Obamacare,” he said. |
White House press aides did not immediately respond to a request for comment. And one official, who asked for anonymity to speak about the meetings, insisted that Mr. Mulvaney had simply been convening people with various views so that the president could make his own decision. But Mr. Mulvaney was described as leading... |
Politico first reported that Mr. Mulvaney pushed Mr. Trump to get involved in the suit. |
Mr. Barr did not favor the move but did not object to the White House decision once it had been made, people familiar with what took place said. And one White House official said the administration faced a deadline imposed by the court if it wanted to support the suit. |
But the decision to thrust Mr. Trump’s administration so directly into the lawsuit caught several people inside the White House by surprise, and took the focus off what was arguably the best weekend of the Trump presidency. |
But Republicans in Congress have no obvious road forward on legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act that could pass the Democrat-controlled House. And House leaders have little political incentive to bow to Republican wishes on health care, an issue that they believe delivered their House majority and that they ... |
The Trump administration has tried to minimize and contain the Affordable Care Act over time. The president has been in favor of previous efforts to end the law. And Mr. Mulvaney has over time built up his internal political capital, and grown his team of loyalists. |
Mr. Mulvaney is the first ideological purist who has served as Mr. Trump’s chief of staff. His critics inside the West Wing say he has tilted the voices Mr. Trump hears in favor of those who will back his own views. |
As Republicans pointed fingers, House Democrats began moving legislation on Wednesday to ensure safeguards for people with pre-existing conditions and to hold down the costs of health insurance and prescription drugs. Ms. Eshoo, the chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, said the bills were... |
Several Republicans on the panel distanced themselves from the administration’s position. |
“I’m not with the president on eliminating pre-existing conditions,” said Representative John Shimkus, Republican of Illinois. Republicans, he said, believe in protecting people with pre-existing conditions. |
The subcommittee approved a bill that would provide $100 million a year for insurance counselors known as navigators who help consumers enroll in health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act. |
The Trump administration “has slashed, practically eliminated, funding for the navigators,” said Representative Kathy Castor, Democrat of Florida. |
Several Republicans said insurance agents and brokers were enrolling more people at a lower cost than the navigators, so the additional money was not needed. |
The panel also approved bills to outlaw two practices that have been used by brand-name drug companies to stifle competition and delay the sale of lower-cost generic medications. |
One measure would prohibit makers of brand-name drugs from paying off generic companies to delay sale of the less expensive products. Banning such “pay for delay” arrangements could save consumers billions of dollars over a decade, economists say. |
Another bill approved by the House panel would require brand-name drug companies to provide samples of their products to generic drug makers. |
Generic drug developers need samples of brand-name drugs to show that a generic copy is equivalent to the original. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, has called on the industry to “end the shenanigans” that prevent consumers from getting access to low-cost generic drugs. |
The House panel also approved on a party-line vote a bill to provide federal money to states to help pay the largest health insurance claims. Democrats said such “reinsurance” programs would lower premiums, as shown by the experience of Minnesota, Alaska, Maryland and several other states. Republicans said they worried... |
Diamond Foods Inc will pay about $96 million to settle a lawsuit related to the restatement of its results after an accounting scandal rocked the maker of Emerald Nuts and Kettle Chips last year. |
Shares of the company, which also forecast higher-than-expected fourth-quarter sales, rose as much as 20 percent in morning trading on the settlement of the class action lawsuit. |
Diamond said it will pay $11 million in cash and issue 4.45 million common shares to a fund to settle the lawsuit against the company and two of its former officers. |
According to court documents, the settlement amount, subject to court approval, represents about 25-40 percent of what the lead plaintiffs saw as the maximum damages theoretically recoverable in this case. |
Diamond has been trying to get past the scandal that claimed the jobs of its two top executives and caused its planned purchase of Pringles from Proctor & Gamble to fall apart. |
The scandal, involving improper accounting of payments to walnut farmers, also led to the restatement that wiped out $56.5 million in profit from fiscal 2010 and 2011. |
The company said on Wednesday it denies any wrongdoing related to the claims, which were made on behalf of investors who acquired Diamond stock between October 5, 2010 and February 8, 2012. |
Diamond also forecast sales of $196 million to $201 million in the fourth quarter. |
Analysts on average were expecting sales of $187.4 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. |
The company's shares, which have risen about 40 percent this year, were up 16 percent at $22.27 on Wednesday on the Nasdaq. |
The case is Re Diamond Foods Securities Litigation, case number 3:11-cv-05386, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. |
Whitney Houston's battle with drug abuse took another turn Monday night when the singer entered a facility for drug rehabilitation. |
Houston's spokesperson declined to elaborate on the admittance but offered a statement on the singer's behalf, saying that Houston "thanks everyone for their support and prayers." |
This isn't the first time Houston's name — or that of her husband, singer Bobby Brown — has been linked with drugs. In 2000, Houston was charged with a misdemeanor drug offense after authorities at Kona International Airport in Keahole, Hawaii, seized her handbag and allegedly found approximately half an ounce of marij... |
The charges were dropped in March 2001 after Houston cleared a substance abuse assessment (see "Whitney Houston Pot Charge Dropped"). |
In a December 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC's "Primetime," Houston admitted to having abused drugs in the past but claimed to have overcome her problem through prayer. |
A Pennsylvania congressman who has taken the charge in fighting against cases of sexual assault on Capitol Hill has been removed from his Ethics Committee post, after the New York Times reported he used taxpayer dollars to settle his own misconduct case. |
The Times, citing several people familiar with the settlement and situation, reports that Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pennsylvania, settled a misconduct complaint after a former aide had accused him of making "unwanted romantic overtures." |
Meehan, 62, had reportedly expressed an interest in the young woman's life and the aide had regarded the congressman as a sort of "father figure," according to those close to the office and those who the woman had discussed her time in the office with. |
It was when the woman had entered a serious relationship with someone outside of her office, Meehan reportedly professed his romantic interests in her, both in person and in a letter. Those familiar with the aide's experience say Meehan then grew hostile when the aide did not reciprocate. |
The aide then filed a formal complaint with the congressional Office of Compliance after her time in the office grew increasingly aggressive and toxic. The Times writes that the aide followed the standard practice as part of the complaint process, but received pushback from Meehan's office and congressional lawyers who... |
She later reached a confidential agreement with Meehan's office which included a settlement for an undisclosed amount. |
His removal from the Ethics Committee was sift. Ryan's spokesperson announced it within hours. |
"Speaker Ryan takes the allegations against Mr. Meehan very seriously," said AshLee Strong, spokeswoman for Ryan. "The speaker is committed to rooting out sexual misconduct in the House and providing victims the resources they need. The House is set to pass major bipartisan reform to the way the House handles claims of... |
Revelations of the complaint follows that of a wave of similar allegations leveled against members of congress including Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minnesota, among several others at the tail end of 2017. The increasing allegations spawned new calls for stronger legislation on Capitol Hill tha... |
But Meehan's case is particularly of note due to the Republican being a well-known advocate on behalf of victims of sexual assault. |
Meehan worked with assault victims as a prosecutor in Pennsylvania and continued that work in Congress, being a proclaimed "leader in the effort to protect the victims of brutal crimes such as sexual assault," according to his congressional website. |
In July of 2016, Meehan had introduced the "Duty to Report Sexual Assault Act of 2016" to require owners and employees of massage parlors to report allegations of sexual assault to law enforcement. |
"Reporting alleged assault will help victims understand their rights, like pursuing an investigation and pressing charges, and the resources available, such as local sexual assault programs," Meehan had said in a press release on the legislation. |
"Claims of sexual abuse should be taken seriously," Meehan continued. "They should be investigated and pursued in accordance with the victim's wishes." |
Meehan also endorsed the Violence Against Women Act and took part in bipartisan working groups to "combat sexual violence on college campuses and in the military." |
Meehan is also a member on the House Ethics Committee, the same panel which has initiated investigations into sexual misconduct claims against at least four members of congress in 2017. |
The Times notes that the exact amount of the settlement between Meehan and the aide "could not be determined," due to the fact that Meehan's office paid it from a congressional office fund, allowing for payments to be disguised as salary and reported months after they were made. Those familiar with the payout said it w... |
In a statement to CBS News, Meehnan denied the allegations against and said that he has "always treated his colleagues, male and female, with the utmost respect and professionalism." |
Meehan said that investigatory process, at the guidcance of the House Counsel and hte Ethics Committeee, was handled "ethically and appropriately." |
"At Congressman Meehan's request, the congressional attorneys handling the case have asked the complainant's counsel to release all parties from the confidentiality requirements of the agreement to ensure a full and open airing of all the facts. The Congressman is hopeful that they will agree to this request for full t... |
The statement went on, saying that Meehan continues to call for "real reform to the process for resolving complaints so that those who are truly wronged are given a fair forum to be heard and vindicated, and those accused are provided with an ability to respond to baseless accusations." |
"The public to whom elected officials are answerable must be provided with a true sense of the facts and circumstances involved," he added. |
A total of 17 takeaways across Northampton currently have a zero or one-star rating, according to food hygiene inspectors. |
Here are the 17 businesses in Northampton that fall under the ‘takeaway/sandwhich shop’ section on the Food Standards Agency website which have been ranked as zero or one star. The Food Standards Agency official listings show 16 takeaways were given a one-star rating or one got a zero. Each business is given a hygiene ... |
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