Recag/C4_13 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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"This means even broader battles with major players like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Facebook, creating new competitive complexities and opportunities going forward for everyone in the mobile ecosystem."
Speaking of Facebook, 66 percent of Appcelerator respondents said Google+ can catch up to Facebook.
This is interesting considering that comScore tallied Google+ membership at 25 million through July 24, roughly one month of service. Facebook took three years to reach that many users, but it now has more than 750 million users after accelerating growth in 2008.
Some 68 percent of developers said Google+ can catch Facebook by leveraging its massive user base of search, YouTube, Google Maps, which is greater than even Facebook's social graph. Google search alone has more than 1 billion users, while YouTube and Google Maps have hundreds of millions of users each.
Even so, most are sticking with the social leader: 83 percent of developers using social in their apps say they use or are planning to use Facebook this year. Twitter is second at 73 percent, followed by Google+ at 72 percent. This is interesting considering Google has not yet released its Google+ API.
Meanwhile, Search Engine Land offers the comScore charts showing Google+ recent rise.
The social site is growing at a clip of one million users per day, with growth flat in the United States but steadier overseas. While the United States leads with roughly 6.5 million + users, India is second with 3.6 million. Canada and the U.K. sport more than 1 million + users each.
STC Pay, a subsidiary of Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Saudi Arabia’s largest telco, and The Western Union Company, a leader in cross-border and cross-currency money movement, have entered into strategic discussions to embed Western Union’s cross-border functionality into a new STC Pay led FinTech platform offering financial services locally and globally.
Saudi Digital Payments Company, a subsidiary of STC charged with pioneering leading-edge FinTech capabilities, this week launched STC Pay digital mobile wallet available from Apple or Android app stores. It will allow customers to seamlessly transact a range of payments without the need of formal bank accounts.
The ceremonial launch was hosted in Riyadh at an event presided by Dr Ahmed Abdul Karim Alkholifey, Governor of Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (Sama), Prince Mohammed Al Faisal Al Saud, group chairman of STC, Nasser Al Nasser, chief executive officer of STC, and other dignitaries.
Western Union CEO and President Hikmet Ersek announced the proposed cooperation agreement paving the way for STC Pay Digital Mobile to go global, during his speech to the gathering.
“It is a privilege to be in Riyadh in person and to announce our discussions about adding Western Union’s cross-border financial technology to STC Pay. This would pave the way for millions of customers with or without bank accounts or credits cards to access a suite of international finance tools, all available at a click of a button,” said Ersek.
“Our platform is a connector. It can link even the smallest micro-communities to international corporations. No matter how urban, rural, or remote the community, no matter if the user has access to regular bank accounts or credit cards, our platform is an on-ramp to 200 countries and territories across the world,” he said.
“The best way to bring these services to new populations and modernise to meet the ever-changing desires of our customers, is through collaboration with local entities and we are privileged to be at the table with STC Pay,” he said.
“The main aim of STC through STC Pay is to enable financial inclusion and limit cash usage,” said Al Nasser.
Tamara Bonzanto, of New Jersey, to be an Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection), vice Donald P. Loren, resigning.
J. Nicholas Ranjan, of Pennsylvania, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania, vice Kim R. Gibson, retired.
Ryan Wesley Bounds, of Oregon, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, vice Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain, retired, which was sent to the Senate on January 8, 2018.
After snagging an award for Male Video of the Year, Luke Bryan took the stage at the 2012 CMT Music Awards to present the award to Miranda Lambert for Female Video of the Year. It was surely a tight race as Sara Evans ('My Heart Can't Tell You No'), Lambert ('Over You'), Martina McBride ('I'm Gonna Love You Through It'), Kellie Pickler ('Tough'), Taylor Swift ('Ours'), and Carrie Underwood ('Good Girl') were in the running for the coveted gold buckle.
In the end, Lambert was the lucky winner, and she was so excited she forgot how to get to the stage! The 'Over You' hitmaker hugged her fellow Annies as Luke Bryan called her name, and then she immediately started hustling to the stage. On the way, though, she must have gotten distracted, because she had to ask a security guard which way to go!
Once she made it there, Lambert thanked Blake Shelton's brother Richie Shelton -- who was killed in a car accident -- for being the inspiration for the song. She also gave props to the video's directors for understanding the depth of emotion she wanted it to capture. Lastly, but obviously not least, she thanked her devoted fans for voting for 'Over You' to take home the award.
Before exiting the stage, the blonde beauty (who has to be tired from making trips to the stage for performances and awards) held up the gold statue and yelled to her husband, "Blakey, we won a buckle!"
Unfortunately, Mr. Miranda Lambert couldn't make it to the awards show tonight, but we know that he was there with his wife -- and his late brother -- in spirit.
Kendal Calling has announced a huge line-up for 2019 that will see Courteeners, Doves, Manic Street Preachers, Nile Rogers and Chic and Orbital headline the four-day event.
Other acts playing at the Lake District’s Lowther Deer Park this year, from 25-28 July, include Tom Jones, Years & Years, Idles, Gerry Cinnamon, Miles Kane, The Fratellis, Gomez and KT Tunstall.
This year, Kendal’s Glow Stage will be headlined by DJ sets from Leftfield, Caribou State and High Contrast.
IT'S HERE! We're thrilled to reveal our Kendal Calling 2019 line-up. Weekend tickets on sale Thursday 31st January at 10AM.
The festival also includes a wide-array of female-fronted acts, including Dream Wife, The Big Moon, Blood red Shoes, The Joy Formidable and Zuzu.
I'm a @KendalCalling virgin…so to see our name at the top of the bill is pretty special.
Tickets for the event will go on sale on Thursday January 31 at 10am and will cost £148. You can also secure your ticket for £39 and pay the rest of the money before May. There is also a pre-sale at 10am on Wed 30th January. Tickets are available for the event here.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said one of his “greatest” achievements would be a “proper, well-organized, interference-free election."
Spain says one of its soldiers has died in an explosion in northwestern Afghanistan.
President Barack Obama says U.S. troops are speeding up the transfer of security responsibilities to Afghan forces.
International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi and senior U.S. and Russian diplomats have called for a quick political solution to end the civil war in Syria, but reached no breakthrough.
Thousands of Sunni Muslims have taken to the streets of Baghdad and other parts of Iraq in another demonstration of discontent with Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
At least a dozen prisoners -- including some Al Qaeda-linked inmates on death row -- have escaped from a prison near Baghdad.
An appeals court in Tbilisi has released former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili on bail.
Pakistan's government has summoned the Indian envoy to Islamabad to protest against the deaths of two Pakistani soldiers in crossborder fire in the disputed region of Kashmir.
About 20 activists from Ukraine's nationalist Svoboda (Liberty) group have occupied a business center in Kyiv, calling for the demands of miners in eastern Luhansk region to be met.
Russia's State Duma plans to draft a new law by the end of next week that would ban foreign nationals from working at state-run media outlets.
Russia has offered Serbia a five-year, $800-million loan for the modernization of its transportation infrastructure.
In a heated exchange at Monday’s selectmen meeting, Town Administrator George Samia denied the accusation made by Selectman Robert Condon. It was the latest development in the town’s snow-removal controversy.
A selectman has accused the town administrator of withholding information from an independent investigation into who hired a Bridgewater contractor for a controversial snow-removal job.
The heated exchange between Selectman Robert Condon and Town Administrator George Samia happened during this week’s selectmen’s meeting.
Condon accused Samia of withholding emails, presented to the board by Fire Chief Ryon Pratt, from an investigation by attorney Charles J. Zaroulis of Lowell.
The emails, sent by School Superintendent Susan Cote, discussed snow removal from school roofs last winter. The town hired Zaroulis earlier this year to investigate who hired Bridgewater contractor Brian Healey to remove snow from school roofs. That contract was never put out to bid.
According to Condon, following their exchange at Monday’s meeting broadcast live on local cable, Samia came up to Condon and threatened to sue him for questioning his actions.
Samia did not return calls for comment on Wednesday.
Selectmen Chairman Joe Miksch declined to comment on the exchange on Wednesday.
During the meeting, Condon asked Samia how he had left out the emails presented by Pratt from information given to Zaroulis for the investigation.
Samia said he gave everything to Zaroulis.
Samia: “Wait just one second here. I’m going to put this out now, OK. I thoroughly resent what you just said. I do not like your attitude trying to make this sound as though somehow I’ve been withholding something.
Pratt, the fire chief, attended the same selectmen’s meeting to discuss emails that he says exonerate him from blame in the controversial snow-removal job.
Pratt claims the emails he presented to selectmen Monday night show that Cote hired a Bridgewater contractor for the controversial snow-removal job last winter.
But Cote said Tuesday his accusation is based on emails presented to the selectmen months ago.
Pratt, who has been out on sick leave since June 9, said he received the emails in June.
An independent investigation into the hiring of Healey concluded last week that both the fire chief and the school superintendent violated the state procurement law.
But there was no evidence the violations by Pratt and Cote were intentional, Zaroulis wrote in his 13-page report released last week to selectmen during a special board meeting.
Zaroulis’ investigation paralleled a similar probe by the state inspector general’s office. That agency, which investigates public fraud and waste, has been looking into the hiring of Healey, who had no written contract. The state probe is ongoing.
T. Muhammadova has been unilaterally elected the chairman of the Turkmenistan National Center of Trades Unions at a meeting of the presidium in Ashgabat.
She replaced Ogulhajat Ishaguliyeva, who was discharged in connection with transitions to another position.
Under the presidential decree, Ishaguliyeva was appointed the state minister - the chairman of the state joint-stock corporation Turkmenkhali [Turkmen carpet].
The U.S. Justice Department has reportedly turned down a Prosecutor General's Office request to extradite former State Duma Deputy Ashot Yegiazaryan back to Russia.
A source in law enforcement told Izvestia that the Liberal Democratic Party member, now living in America, would not be given over to Russian authorities and that he may be tried in absentia.
U.S. State Department representative Pooja Jhunjhunwala said Friday that the United States does not comment on extradition issues.
Yegiazaryan has been living in the United States since the fall of 2010, when he was stripped of his parliamentary immunity and the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against him on fraud charges.
The authorities accuse the former deputy of defrauding his business partner, former head of the Federal Property Management Agency Mikhail Ananyev, of the 500 million rubles ($15 million) that Ananyev invested in the construction of the Europark shopping center on Rublyovskoye Shosse.
Europark shareholder Vitaly Smagin later accused Yegiazaryan of stealing securities worth over 1.5 billion rubles, which the former deputy allegedly used as collateral for a loan to reconstruct the Soviet-era Hotel Moskva.
The politician's absence will mean the case will be detached from the general case and sent to court for sentencing, Izvestia reported.
Yegiazaryan has applied for a political asylum in the U.S. denies the charges.
Other defendants in the case include Europark director Maxim Klyuchin, Yegiazaryan's brother Artem and his assistant Vitaly Gogokhiya, all of whom are also living abroad.
Michelle Obama's fashion is making history again, at least for the next year, as her second inaugural gown will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution.
Before it's stowed away for a future presidential library, Obama's ruby-colored chiffon gown made by designer Jason Wu is being lent to the National Museum of American History for a year to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Smithsonian's first ladies exhibition.
The dress will be paired with Obama's shoes, designed by Jimmy Choo, and will go on display beginning Tuesday.
While the Smithsonian traditionally collects each first lady's first inaugural gown, second gowns are usually shown only in presidential libraries. This is the first time the museum has displayed a second inaugural gown.
The dress was transferred to the National Archives but is being lent to the Smithsonian with the White House's blessing. Smithsonian Curator Lisa Kathleen Graddy said it seemed like a nice time to start a new tradition in the ever-evolving First Ladies exhibit for those who serve two terms in the White House.
This dress drew headlines when Obama unveiled her selection one year ago. It was the second custom-made Jason Wu gown Obama had chosen, following the white gown Wu designed for the first lady when she arrived in Washington and on the fashion scene. Since then, Obama has become a trendsetter.
The red gown is embellished with cut velvet that carries a unique shimmer, Graddy said. It features a cross-halter strap neckline, and the ring at the top is adorned with small diamonds.
It's unusual for a first lady to use the same designer twice, at least in recent decades. Wu has said it's been the experience of his life to help dress the first lady, taking him from fashion insider to a household name since the first inauguration in 2009. Mrs. Obama also has turned to designer Thom Browne for special outfits, including her coat and dress for inauguration day in 2013.
Even her outfits from J. Crew draw notice, and some of Obama's apparel choices sell out quickly online. For 2014, Pantone Inc.'s color of the year - orchid, a shade of purple - was introduced with a nod to the fact it's a color Mrs. Obama often wears. Pantone sets color standards for the design industry.
From time to time, the people want to copy the fashion of a first lady, Graddy said, noting Jacqueline Kennedy as an example.
The Jimmy Choo shoes paired with Obama's second gown had a much shorter heel, seemingly more comfortable than her heels for the first inaugural, Graddy said. The first lady knew how long she would be on her feet for the second inauguration.
This time, issue specifically states issue would fund jail operations.
BUCYRUS - On the May ballot, voters will once again be asked to approve a 0.5 percent sales tax to fund operation and maintenance of the county jail, an issue that was soundly rejected in November.
"I think the last time, we started getting the information out there too late," Crawford County Sheriff Scott Kent said Friday. "Early voting had already started."
Also, the ballot language may have confused some voters, he said — it never specifically mentioned the jail.
In November, voters rejected the measure 8,781 to 5,413.
The May ballot issue for the sales and use tax, as submitted to the Crawford County Board of Elections, states the issue is "for the purpose of supporting criminal and administrative justice services specifically the administration and maintenance of the Crawford County Justice Center (jail) for a continuing period of time."
Kent said the issue is much-needed to replace dollars currently provided by an 0.5 percent sales tax that expires on June 30 of this year. If approved, the new sales tax would go into effect on July 1.
In 1994, county voters approved a 0.5 percent sales tax that allowed the county to build the 121-inmate capacity jail, which opened in 1998. The final payment on the jail debt will be made this year, and that tax is expiring.
But not all of the money that issue generates has been going toward the debt; it's also been providing a "big part" of the funding needed for operations at the jail, Kent said.
He stressed that though technically the May issue is a new tax, it would replace one with an identical rate. If the issue is approved, the amount of sales tax paid on transactions in the county would not change.
"We're going to get out and make sure people know about this," Kent said.
Business Day\|A Ballpark Is Rising Where the Trains Once Whistled Through Reno, Nev.
A Ballpark Is Rising Where the Trains Once Whistled Through Reno, Nev.
RENO, Nev. — A 10,000-seat minor-league baseball stadium is to start rising next month as the first part of a $231 million sports and entertainment district that is expected to transform this city’s abandoned railyards. Stretching over an eight-acre site near the Truckee River, the project is intended to bring new commercial life to Reno’s faded downtown.
Set for completion in April, in time for the 2009 season, the ballpark will be the home of the Triple-A baseball franchise formerly known as the Tucson Sidewinders. The new name of the team, a farm club of the Arizona Diamondbacks, will be the Reno Aces.
“This is the biggest thing ever to come to Reno,” Mr. Katzoff said.
Reno, with a population of more than 330,000 in the metropolitan area, may be best known to many motorists as a row of high-rise casino hotels along Interstate 80 on the way to Lake Tahoe.
The city, however, also has a downtown area of charming narrow streets that date back to the city’s 19th-century heyday as a rail hub. The railyard and warehouse district lie along the southern edge of the downtown, a few blocks north of the Truckee River.

"This means even broader battles with major players like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Facebook, creating new competitive complexities and opportunities going forward for everyone in the mobile ecosystem."

Speaking of Facebook, 66 percent of Appcelerator respondents said Google+ can catch up to Facebook.

This is interesting considering that comScore tallied Google+ membership at 25 million through July 24, roughly one month of service. Facebook took three years to reach that many users, but it now has more than 750 million users after accelerating growth in 2008.

Some 68 percent of developers said Google+ can catch Facebook by leveraging its massive user base of search, YouTube, Google Maps, which is greater than even Facebook's social graph. Google search alone has more than 1 billion users, while YouTube and Google Maps have hundreds of millions of users each.

Even so, most are sticking with the social leader: 83 percent of developers using social in their apps say they use or are planning to use Facebook this year. Twitter is second at 73 percent, followed by Google+ at 72 percent. This is interesting considering Google has not yet released its Google+ API.

Meanwhile, Search Engine Land offers the comScore charts showing Google+ recent rise.

The social site is growing at a clip of one million users per day, with growth flat in the United States but steadier overseas. While the United States leads with roughly 6.5 million + users, India is second with 3.6 million. Canada and the U.K. sport more than 1 million + users each.

STC Pay, a subsidiary of Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Saudi Arabia’s largest telco, and The Western Union Company, a leader in cross-border and cross-currency money movement, have entered into strategic discussions to embed Western Union’s cross-border functionality into a new STC Pay led FinTech platform offering financial services locally and globally.

Saudi Digital Payments Company, a subsidiary of STC charged with pioneering leading-edge FinTech capabilities, this week launched STC Pay digital mobile wallet available from Apple or Android app stores. It will allow customers to seamlessly transact a range of payments without the need of formal bank accounts.

The ceremonial launch was hosted in Riyadh at an event presided by Dr Ahmed Abdul Karim Alkholifey, Governor of Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (Sama), Prince Mohammed Al Faisal Al Saud, group chairman of STC, Nasser Al Nasser, chief executive officer of STC, and other dignitaries.

Western Union CEO and President Hikmet Ersek announced the proposed cooperation agreement paving the way for STC Pay Digital Mobile to go global, during his speech to the gathering.

“It is a privilege to be in Riyadh in person and to announce our discussions about adding Western Union’s cross-border financial technology to STC Pay. This would pave the way for millions of customers with or without bank accounts or credits cards to access a suite of international finance tools, all available at a click of a button,” said Ersek.

“Our platform is a connector. It can link even the smallest micro-communities to international corporations. No matter how urban, rural, or remote the community, no matter if the user has access to regular bank accounts or credit cards, our platform is an on-ramp to 200 countries and territories across the world,” he said.

“The best way to bring these services to new populations and modernise to meet the ever-changing desires of our customers, is through collaboration with local entities and we are privileged to be at the table with STC Pay,” he said.

“The main aim of STC through STC Pay is to enable financial inclusion and limit cash usage,” said Al Nasser.

Tamara Bonzanto, of New Jersey, to be an Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection), vice Donald P. Loren, resigning.

J. Nicholas Ranjan, of Pennsylvania, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania, vice Kim R. Gibson, retired.

Ryan Wesley Bounds, of Oregon, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, vice Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain, retired, which was sent to the Senate on January 8, 2018.

After snagging an award for Male Video of the Year, Luke Bryan took the stage at the 2012 CMT Music Awards to present the award to Miranda Lambert for Female Video of the Year. It was surely a tight race as Sara Evans ('My Heart Can't Tell You No'), Lambert ('Over You'), Martina McBride ('I'm Gonna Love You Through It'), Kellie Pickler ('Tough'), Taylor Swift ('Ours'), and Carrie Underwood ('Good Girl') were in the running for the coveted gold buckle.

In the end, Lambert was the lucky winner, and she was so excited she forgot how to get to the stage! The 'Over You' hitmaker hugged her fellow Annies as Luke Bryan called her name, and then she immediately started hustling to the stage. On the way, though, she must have gotten distracted, because she had to ask a security guard which way to go!

Once she made it there, Lambert thanked Blake Shelton's brother Richie Shelton -- who was killed in a car accident -- for being the inspiration for the song. She also gave props to the video's directors for understanding the depth of emotion she wanted it to capture. Lastly, but obviously not least, she thanked her devoted fans for voting for 'Over You' to take home the award.

Before exiting the stage, the blonde beauty (who has to be tired from making trips to the stage for performances and awards) held up the gold statue and yelled to her husband, "Blakey, we won a buckle!"

Unfortunately, Mr. Miranda Lambert couldn't make it to the awards show tonight, but we know that he was there with his wife -- and his late brother -- in spirit.

Kendal Calling has announced a huge line-up for 2019 that will see Courteeners, Doves, Manic Street Preachers, Nile Rogers and Chic and Orbital headline the four-day event.

Other acts playing at the Lake District’s Lowther Deer Park this year, from 25-28 July, include Tom Jones, Years & Years, Idles, Gerry Cinnamon, Miles Kane, The Fratellis, Gomez and KT Tunstall.

This year, Kendal’s Glow Stage will be headlined by DJ sets from Leftfield, Caribou State and High Contrast.

IT'S HERE! We're thrilled to reveal our Kendal Calling 2019 line-up. Weekend tickets on sale Thursday 31st January at 10AM.

The festival also includes a wide-array of female-fronted acts, including Dream Wife, The Big Moon, Blood red Shoes, The Joy Formidable and Zuzu.

I'm a @KendalCalling virgin…so to see our name at the top of the bill is pretty special.

Tickets for the event will go on sale on Thursday January 31 at 10am and will cost £148. You can also secure your ticket for £39 and pay the rest of the money before May. There is also a pre-sale at 10am on Wed 30th January. Tickets are available for the event here.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said one of his “greatest” achievements would be a “proper, well-organized, interference-free election."

Spain says one of its soldiers has died in an explosion in northwestern Afghanistan.

President Barack Obama says U.S. troops are speeding up the transfer of security responsibilities to Afghan forces.

International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi and senior U.S. and Russian diplomats have called for a quick political solution to end the civil war in Syria, but reached no breakthrough.

Thousands of Sunni Muslims have taken to the streets of Baghdad and other parts of Iraq in another demonstration of discontent with Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

At least a dozen prisoners -- including some Al Qaeda-linked inmates on death row -- have escaped from a prison near Baghdad.

An appeals court in Tbilisi has released former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili on bail.

Pakistan's government has summoned the Indian envoy to Islamabad to protest against the deaths of two Pakistani soldiers in crossborder fire in the disputed region of Kashmir.

About 20 activists from Ukraine's nationalist Svoboda (Liberty) group have occupied a business center in Kyiv, calling for the demands of miners in eastern Luhansk region to be met.

Russia's State Duma plans to draft a new law by the end of next week that would ban foreign nationals from working at state-run media outlets.

Russia has offered Serbia a five-year, $800-million loan for the modernization of its transportation infrastructure.

In a heated exchange at Monday’s selectmen meeting, Town Administrator George Samia denied the accusation made by Selectman Robert Condon. It was the latest development in the town’s snow-removal controversy.

A selectman has accused the town administrator of withholding information from an independent investigation into who hired a Bridgewater contractor for a controversial snow-removal job.

The heated exchange between Selectman Robert Condon and Town Administrator George Samia happened during this week’s selectmen’s meeting.

Condon accused Samia of withholding emails, presented to the board by Fire Chief Ryon Pratt, from an investigation by attorney Charles J. Zaroulis of Lowell.

The emails, sent by School Superintendent Susan Cote, discussed snow removal from school roofs last winter. The town hired Zaroulis earlier this year to investigate who hired Bridgewater contractor Brian Healey to remove snow from school roofs. That contract was never put out to bid.

According to Condon, following their exchange at Monday’s meeting broadcast live on local cable, Samia came up to Condon and threatened to sue him for questioning his actions.

Samia did not return calls for comment on Wednesday.

Selectmen Chairman Joe Miksch declined to comment on the exchange on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Condon asked Samia how he had left out the emails presented by Pratt from information given to Zaroulis for the investigation.

Samia said he gave everything to Zaroulis.

Samia: “Wait just one second here. I’m going to put this out now, OK. I thoroughly resent what you just said. I do not like your attitude trying to make this sound as though somehow I’ve been withholding something.

Pratt, the fire chief, attended the same selectmen’s meeting to discuss emails that he says exonerate him from blame in the controversial snow-removal job.

Pratt claims the emails he presented to selectmen Monday night show that Cote hired a Bridgewater contractor for the controversial snow-removal job last winter.

But Cote said Tuesday his accusation is based on emails presented to the selectmen months ago.

Pratt, who has been out on sick leave since June 9, said he received the emails in June.

An independent investigation into the hiring of Healey concluded last week that both the fire chief and the school superintendent violated the state procurement law.

But there was no evidence the violations by Pratt and Cote were intentional, Zaroulis wrote in his 13-page report released last week to selectmen during a special board meeting.

Zaroulis’ investigation paralleled a similar probe by the state inspector general’s office. That agency, which investigates public fraud and waste, has been looking into the hiring of Healey, who had no written contract. The state probe is ongoing.

T. Muhammadova has been unilaterally elected the chairman of the Turkmenistan National Center of Trades Unions at a meeting of the presidium in Ashgabat.

She replaced Ogulhajat Ishaguliyeva, who was discharged in connection with transitions to another position.

Under the presidential decree, Ishaguliyeva was appointed the state minister - the chairman of the state joint-stock corporation Turkmenkhali [Turkmen carpet].

The U.S. Justice Department has reportedly turned down a Prosecutor General's Office request to extradite former State Duma Deputy Ashot Yegiazaryan back to Russia.

A source in law enforcement told Izvestia that the Liberal Democratic Party member, now living in America, would not be given over to Russian authorities and that he may be tried in absentia.

U.S. State Department representative Pooja Jhunjhunwala said Friday that the United States does not comment on extradition issues.

Yegiazaryan has been living in the United States since the fall of 2010, when he was stripped of his parliamentary immunity and the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against him on fraud charges.

The authorities accuse the former deputy of defrauding his business partner, former head of the Federal Property Management Agency Mikhail Ananyev, of the 500 million rubles ($15 million) that Ananyev invested in the construction of the Europark shopping center on Rublyovskoye Shosse.

Europark shareholder Vitaly Smagin later accused Yegiazaryan of stealing securities worth over 1.5 billion rubles, which the former deputy allegedly used as collateral for a loan to reconstruct the Soviet-era Hotel Moskva.

The politician's absence will mean the case will be detached from the general case and sent to court for sentencing, Izvestia reported.

Yegiazaryan has applied for a political asylum in the U.S. denies the charges.

Other defendants in the case include Europark director Maxim Klyuchin, Yegiazaryan's brother Artem and his assistant Vitaly Gogokhiya, all of whom are also living abroad.

Michelle Obama's fashion is making history again, at least for the next year, as her second inaugural gown will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution.

Before it's stowed away for a future presidential library, Obama's ruby-colored chiffon gown made by designer Jason Wu is being lent to the National Museum of American History for a year to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Smithsonian's first ladies exhibition.

The dress will be paired with Obama's shoes, designed by Jimmy Choo, and will go on display beginning Tuesday.

While the Smithsonian traditionally collects each first lady's first inaugural gown, second gowns are usually shown only in presidential libraries. This is the first time the museum has displayed a second inaugural gown.

The dress was transferred to the National Archives but is being lent to the Smithsonian with the White House's blessing. Smithsonian Curator Lisa Kathleen Graddy said it seemed like a nice time to start a new tradition in the ever-evolving First Ladies exhibit for those who serve two terms in the White House.

This dress drew headlines when Obama unveiled her selection one year ago. It was the second custom-made Jason Wu gown Obama had chosen, following the white gown Wu designed for the first lady when she arrived in Washington and on the fashion scene. Since then, Obama has become a trendsetter.

The red gown is embellished with cut velvet that carries a unique shimmer, Graddy said. It features a cross-halter strap neckline, and the ring at the top is adorned with small diamonds.

It's unusual for a first lady to use the same designer twice, at least in recent decades. Wu has said it's been the experience of his life to help dress the first lady, taking him from fashion insider to a household name since the first inauguration in 2009. Mrs. Obama also has turned to designer Thom Browne for special outfits, including her coat and dress for inauguration day in 2013.

Even her outfits from J. Crew draw notice, and some of Obama's apparel choices sell out quickly online. For 2014, Pantone Inc.'s color of the year - orchid, a shade of purple - was introduced with a nod to the fact it's a color Mrs. Obama often wears. Pantone sets color standards for the design industry.

From time to time, the people want to copy the fashion of a first lady, Graddy said, noting Jacqueline Kennedy as an example.

The Jimmy Choo shoes paired with Obama's second gown had a much shorter heel, seemingly more comfortable than her heels for the first inaugural, Graddy said. The first lady knew how long she would be on her feet for the second inauguration.

This time, issue specifically states issue would fund jail operations.

BUCYRUS - On the May ballot, voters will once again be asked to approve a 0.5 percent sales tax to fund operation and maintenance of the county jail, an issue that was soundly rejected in November.

"I think the last time, we started getting the information out there too late," Crawford County Sheriff Scott Kent said Friday. "Early voting had already started."

Also, the ballot language may have confused some voters, he said — it never specifically mentioned the jail.

In November, voters rejected the measure 8,781 to 5,413.

The May ballot issue for the sales and use tax, as submitted to the Crawford County Board of Elections, states the issue is "for the purpose of supporting criminal and administrative justice services specifically the administration and maintenance of the Crawford County Justice Center (jail) for a continuing period of time."

Kent said the issue is much-needed to replace dollars currently provided by an 0.5 percent sales tax that expires on June 30 of this year. If approved, the new sales tax would go into effect on July 1.

In 1994, county voters approved a 0.5 percent sales tax that allowed the county to build the 121-inmate capacity jail, which opened in 1998. The final payment on the jail debt will be made this year, and that tax is expiring.

But not all of the money that issue generates has been going toward the debt; it's also been providing a "big part" of the funding needed for operations at the jail, Kent said.

He stressed that though technically the May issue is a new tax, it would replace one with an identical rate. If the issue is approved, the amount of sales tax paid on transactions in the county would not change.

"We're going to get out and make sure people know about this," Kent said.

Business Day|A Ballpark Is Rising Where the Trains Once Whistled Through Reno, Nev.

A Ballpark Is Rising Where the Trains Once Whistled Through Reno, Nev.

RENO, Nev. — A 10,000-seat minor-league baseball stadium is to start rising next month as the first part of a $231 million sports and entertainment district that is expected to transform this city’s abandoned railyards. Stretching over an eight-acre site near the Truckee River, the project is intended to bring new commercial life to Reno’s faded downtown.

Set for completion in April, in time for the 2009 season, the ballpark will be the home of the Triple-A baseball franchise formerly known as the Tucson Sidewinders. The new name of the team, a farm club of the Arizona Diamondbacks, will be the Reno Aces.

“This is the biggest thing ever to come to Reno,” Mr. Katzoff said.

Reno, with a population of more than 330,000 in the metropolitan area, may be best known to many motorists as a row of high-rise casino hotels along Interstate 80 on the way to Lake Tahoe.

The city, however, also has a downtown area of charming narrow streets that date back to the city’s 19th-century heyday as a rail hub. The railyard and warehouse district lie along the southern edge of the downtown, a few blocks north of the Truckee River.