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Award-winning non-alcoholic winery continues to answer its customers' needs with their groundbreaking new non-alcoholic red wine
SEATTLE, Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Known for its delicious, well-balanced and award-winning non-alcoholic wines, Jøyus is expanding its current collection. The brand will now offer a non-alcoholic Cabernet Sauvignon along with its other still and award-winning sparkling alcohol removed wines.
The brand was founded to provide a solution for individuals who don't drink when socializing. Founder Jess Selander has been sober for 17 years and understands the struggle of being stuck with subpar drink choices while friends crack open a bottle of champagne or sip on a glass of traditional wine.
"Non-alcoholic reds are notoriously difficult. We've been working on ours for a long time. I think being sober, I approach non-alcoholic wine making differently. We're doing things nobody else is doing and I can't wait for people to try our new Cab."
Jøyus' latest varietal is a classic red wine, a non-alcoholic Cabernet Sauvignon. The perfectly balanced wine is aged on American oak and retains the tannins, complexity and warmth of a traditional Cabernet but with the alcohol gently removed. Jøyus' red wine contains notes of ripe dark berries, aged oak, and undertones of vanilla and is only 25 calories per serving.
As the first 100% sober and woman-owned non-alcoholic winery in the country, Jøyus is dedicated to supporting its customers and their sober journey, whatever that may look like. The brand creates the same sophisticated feeling and experience through elegant labeling and chic designs. These bottles look right at home next to traditional premium wines.
"Whether someone wants to be putting a pause on alcohol for a glass, a night, or the rest of their lives, Jøyus is here for them. They won't feel any less like an adult or an afterthought at a party with our premium drinks. No matter your reason, we have your back. Everyone deserves to feel included in get-togethers and festivities!"
Other Jøyus non-alcoholic wines include a still rosé, a sparkling rosé and a sparkling white wine. At the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the white won bronze and the sparkling rosé won gold—making it the first on the market to win gold in such a prestigious wine competition.
For more information, visit drinkjoyus.com or contact alexa@teamchicexecs.com.
About Jøyus:
As the first 100% sober- and woman-owned winery, Jøyus allows everyone to enjoy the same feel and taste of their favorite glass of wine, just with the alcohol removed. Winning awards at The San Francisco International Wine Competition, more internationally at IWSC in London and with thousands upon thousands of bottles sold shows that people are ready for premium non-alcoholic wine experience. Follow them on @drinkjoyus.
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SOURCE Jøyus | 2022-10-11T14:08:39+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2022/10/11/jyus-expands-wine-offerings-with-new-non-alcoholic-cabernet-sauvignon/ |
BAY CITY, MI — Hotel parking lots throughout Bay City are full of decked-out fishing boats sporting fancy gear and sponsorship decals, boat launches are filled with boat trailers, and the city’s restaurants and bars are packed with anglers taking it easy after a hard day’s work.
This influx is due to a massive professional bass fishing tournament underway in Bay City. The National Professional Fishing League picked the Saginaw Bay as the fourth stop for its 2023 season, bringing high-level fishers in to enjoy all that the bay has to offer.
“Our main goal coming into Bay City is show off the resource, show off the city, and create not a just the economic impact of our organization being here, but also create essentially a buzz,” said Paul Benson of the National Professional Fishing League, who spoke as a league representative, at the Monday, July 17, Bay City Commission meeting. He added that people are traveling to Bay City from all over the country for the tournament.
The tournament started with practice rounds on Sunday, July 16, which will continue until the big competition kicks off Thursday, July 20. The competition portion of the tournament will run through Saturday, July 22.
During the competition, anglers will launch from Veterans Memorial Park in the morning and return to Wenonah Park at about 3 p.m. daily for live weigh-ins. Benson said that, as good stewards of resources like the Saginaw Bay, their goal is a 100% release rate for the caught fish.
All weigh-ins will be live-streamed, and in-person attendance is permitted in Wenonah Park.
Live streams can be found on The National Professional Fishing League website. Live daily leaderboards,a live-action blog, and photo galleries and blogs will be posted on the league’s website throughout the event for fans to keep tabs on their favorite anglers.
The National Professional Fishing League focuses on bringing simplicity back to professional bass fishing while making the tournament a lucrative endeavor for professionals who also hold down full-time jobs, according to the league’s website.
The tournament features a competitive field of 76 anglers looking to win with the heaviest combined three-day weight. The full field is competing for a winning check of $100,000, according to the league. The league hosts a total of six qualifying tournaments throughout the year.
Click here for more information about the National Professional Fishing League.
Want more Bay City- and Saginaw-area news? Bookmark the local Bay City and Saginaw news page or sign up for the free “3@3″ daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw.
Read more from MLive:
Yes, North Peak is still coming to downtown Bay City. It plans to open next year.
Bay City honors soldier killed in Colorado shooting with special proclamation
Cool off with the stars: Delta College Planetarium expands summertime offerings
Downtown Bay City welcome sign has new look thanks to Bay Arenac ISD welding students
What’s that? Popular coffee chain coming to Uptown Bay City | 2023-07-19T14:07:50+00:00 | mlive.com | https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2023/07/all-about-that-bass-anglers-flock-to-bay-city-for-fishing-tournament.html |
2022 MLB Draft: LSU infielder Jacob Berry has been selected No. 6 overall by the Marlins
LOS ANGELES (WAFB) - LSU infielder Jacob Berry has been selected No.6 overall by the Miami Marlins in the 2022 MLB Draft. Berry is the highest drafted Tiger since Alex Bregman was drafted No. 2 overall by the Houston Astros in the 2015 MLB Draft.
In his first season in the Southeastern Conference Berry had a .370 batting average with nine doubles, 15 homers, 48 RBI, and 47 runs scored. In conference play, he hit .400 with three doubles, five homers, 20 RBI, and 18 runs scored.
A product of Queen Creek, Arizona Berry was a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist and a second-team All-American selection by Perfect Game and the NCBWA and was named to a third-team All-America from Collegiate Baseball. He was also a second-team All-SEC selection as well.
The Arizona transfer was the Collegiate Baseball National Co-Freshman of the Year in 2021 and he played in all 63 games with 62 starts. He had a .352 batting average with 54 runs scored, 19 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs, and 70 RBI.
He was a consensus All-American and Freshman All-American and was a Pac-12 All-Conference selection and led the Pac-12 in RBI, triples, total bases with 167, and extra-base hits with 41 and ranked among the top 10 players in the conference in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, walks, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage
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Copyright 2022 WAFB. All rights reserved. | 2022-07-18T00:15:57+00:00 | wafb.com | https://www.wafb.com/2022/07/17/2022-mlb-draft-lsu-infielder-jacob-berry-has-been-selected-no-6-overall-by-marlins/ |
INDIANAPOLIS – A win in the GMR Grand Prix certainly provides some energy, but it was already a rewarding few days for Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou well before celebrating that victory.
That something will only grow stronger as the days go by and the Indianapolis 500 creeps closer.
“(Indianapolis Motor Speedway is) a special place,” he says. “You can feel that in the garages with the fans we had already since practice one. There’s something about this place, obviously.”
“It’s a different beast; it’s just different,” explains Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward, who finished second in the Grand Prix as well as in last year’s 500. “We’re not really gonna know what we’ve got up until we put all the fast bits on the car and see where we stack up.”
Only a select few have stacked up well enough to drink the milk at the end of the month of May. Alexander Rossi is one of them, champion in 2016, and he is now buoyed by his podium finish in the Grand Prix as well as the overall success of his Arrow McLaren team in the race, placing all three drivers in the top five.
“In terms of the confidence of Arrow McLaren, Team Chevy, and everyone involved in the success of today,” Rossi says, “it’s a really nice way to get things started and get rolling into practice on Tuesday.”
Tuesday will be the first of six days reserved for 500 practice, plus two more for qualifying. It may seem like a lot of time, but veterans know it ticks away rather quickly.
“Honestly, we just try to do small work each day,” details Palou. “(We) try to get our targets, then race day suddenly is there.”
And on race day, finally a month of buildup culminates in The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
“I’m just so excited to see what we can do,” says O’Ward. “We’ve continuously put ourselves into good positions there the past few years, and I think, you know, I can do it for all of us on the 5 stand.”
“You need a perfect, perfect day,” adds Palou. “Having a good day is not enough here.”
An ever-present quest for perfection begins, as all IndyCar eyes are focused on that goal. | 2023-05-15T16:07:47+00:00 | kron4.com | https://www.kron4.com/sports/big-race-indy/for-indycar-all-eyes-now-on-indianapolis-500/ |
Chef Ron’s Seafood Boil
INGREDIENTS:
6 cups water
1 tablespoon Zatarain’s shrimp and crab boil concentrate.
2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon paprika
3 lemon wedges(squeeze some lemon juice in too!)
2 quarters of an onion
3 cups, Red Potatoes cleaned and halved.
6 Corn on the Cob (about 4-inch pieces).
6 Conecuh Sausage ( In preparation: pressure cook for 12 minutes in 2 cups of water, remove and cut into 1 inch pieces when cooled off).
1.5 lbs of Snow Crab Clusters (approx. 4-5 clusters)( remove the lower portion of crab leg with kitchen shears so crab leg clusters fit in the pressure cooker, later we will backfill the pressure cooker with the lower portion.
1 to 1.5 lb of Large to Jumbo Shrimp – Cleaned and rinsed/keep shell on (Place the crab and Shrimp in a large bowl as we will be later adding our Hot flavor liquid (like a broth) to it to begin the marinating and soft poaching process.
Directions:
1. Add to the pot – water, Zatarain’s shrimp and crab boil concentrate, Old Bay seasoning, salt, paprika, flavor sachet, onion quarters and bring to a rolling boil.
2. Add red potatoes and sausage to the liquid and cook for five minutes.
3. After cooking potatoes for five minutes; add in this order: the sausage, corn on the cob (give a stir), crab leg clusters, shrimp, then the lower portions of the snow crab legs and claws.
4. Apply the pressure cooker lid and lock in place; set the pressure cooker to manual and 5 minutes.
5. After the 5 minutes are up, and remove the Lid. Please pay attention to time as you do not want to overcook the shrimp and crab!
6. Remove Contents to a large bowl and serve. | 2022-07-15T15:07:56+00:00 | wbrc.com | https://www.wbrc.com/2022/07/15/chef-rons-seafood-boil/ |
The annual ranking highlights the top 100 global providers of financial technology
ISELIN, N.J., Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hexaware Technologies announced they have ranked #42 on the 2022 IDC FinTech Rankings. The 19th annual vendor ranking represents the leading hardware, software, and service providers to the financial services industry from around the world. Vendors are ranked based on the 2021 calendar year revenues attributed to financial services and FinTech industries. This year too, Hexaware has appeared on the prestigious list and has been recognized as a Fast Track FinTech company for its growth. To view the list in its entirety, please visit http://www.idc-fi.com.
Marc DeCastro, Research Director at IDC Financial Insights, said, "IDC is honored to recognize the technology providers that appear on the 19th annual IDC FinTech Rankings. These are the companies that have shown commitment to the financial services industry and their appearance on the list is a testament to that dedication."
Celebrating the recognition, Ravi Vaidyanathan, President & Global Head – Financial Services at Hexaware Technologies said, "Our goal is to exceed customer expectations and augment their experiences leveraging innovation and emerging technologies. We are glad and thoroughly encouraged by our recognition in the 2022 IDC FinTech Rankings list. We will continue to assist our customers in adopting the right strategy and achieving their organizational goals."
The Fortune 500-style ranking categorizes and evaluates the top global providers of financial technology based on calendar year revenues from financial institutions for hardware, software and/or services. These providers supply the technological backbone of the financial services industry, an industry in which IDC forecasts worldwide spending on IT across the globe to be $590 billion (USD) by 2025.
To thrive in a digital economy, financial services organizations must embrace innovation and integrate innovative technology effectively to enhance the customer experience and achieve operational excellence. The vendors featured on the IDC FinTech Rankings, represent those providers committed to helping financial institutions successfully execute their digital transformation initiatives for the betterment of their customers around the world. IDC Financial Insights publishes a comprehensive report about the year's findings that is available to view or download from http://www.idc-fi.com.
Hexaware continues to build digital products and platforms that make a meaningful difference to its customers' businesses under the Mobiquity brand name. Amaze® has rapidly established itself as the most effective platform that enables complex cloud transformations for large global enterprises. Tensai™ continues to deliver holistic and AI-driven extreme automation for customers.
To know more about Hexaware's offerings, visit Hexaware Technologies | IT Services and Solutions.
About Hexaware
Hexaware is a global IT, BPS and consulting services company empowering businesses worldwide to realize digital transformation at scale and speed.
Learn more about Hexaware at http://www.hexaware.com. Take an immersive 360° virtual tour of our campuses worldwide at https://www.hexawareimmersive.com
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/530945/Hexaware.jpg
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SOURCE Hexaware Technologies Ltd | 2022-09-20T11:59:20+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2022/09/20/hexaware-technologies-named-prestigious-idc-fintech-rankings-by-idc/ |
WILMINGTON, Del. — President Biden’s son Hunter is expected to appear in federal court here Wednesday morning to plead guilty to two minor tax crimes and admit to the facts of a gun charge.
Hunter Biden’s attorney has said that the long-running criminal investigation will be resolved once a judge signs off on the plea deal. But U.S. Attorney David Weiss — the lead prosecutor in the case and a holdover from the administration of President Donald Trump — has said that investigation is ongoing, suggesting that matters beyond the tax and gun issues are still under scrutiny.
The probe was opened in 2018, during the Trump administration, and has been a favorite talking point for Republican critics of President Biden and his family. Republican politicians have repeatedly accused Hunter Biden of broad wrongdoing in his overseas business deals and, since his father was elected, predicted that the Biden administration would be reluctant to pursue the case.
Papers filed in federal court in Wilmington when the plea agreement was reached in June indicate that Hunter Biden tentatively agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges of failure to pay in 2017 and 2018. A court document says that in both those years, Biden was a resident of D.C., received taxable income of more than $1.5 million and owed more than $100,000 in income tax that he did not pay on time.
Prosecutors plan to recommend a sentence of probation for those counts, according to people familiar with the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe elements of the case that are not yet public. Biden’s representatives have previously said that he eventually paid the IRS what he owed.
The second court filing is about the gun charge. In that case, the letter says, “the defendant has agreed to enter a Pretrial Diversion Agreement with respect to the firearm Information.” Handling the gun charge as a diversion case means Biden would not technically be pleading guilty to that crime.
Diversion is an option typically applied to nonviolent offenders with substance abuse problems. Hunter Biden has written and spoken openly about being addicted to cocaine during the years in which he is accused of the tax and gun crimes. People close to him, speaking on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly about a sensitive issue, said he sees the conclusion of the criminal case against him through the lens of an addict, hoping to use the guilty plea to admit to past mistakes, make amends for them and move on.
In all, prosecutors will recommend two years of probation and diversion conditions, the people familiar with the plea deal said. If Biden successfully meets the conditions of the diversion program, the gun charge will be removed from his record at the end of that period, these people said.
But even if the legal turmoil that has surrounded Hunter Biden for years is wrapped up, the political battle will continue in the form of congressional investigations, attacks via social media, and attempts to shape public opinion ahead of a presidential election year.
An IRS agent who supervised the investigation into Hunter Biden has told a congressional committee the Justice Department slowed and stymied the probe, whittling away the most serious evidence of alleged tax crimes, according to an interview transcript that lawmakers released days after the proposed plea deal became public.
The whistleblower’s testimony offered a host of new allegations, including a text message that Hunter Biden allegedly sent on July 30, 2017, that invoked his father — at that time a former vice president — as the younger Biden tried to get a business partner to fulfill some expected promise.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, a Biden appointee, has said that he stayed out of the criminal investigation and that Weiss had full authority to bring any charges he felt were necessary. The whistleblower told lawmakers Weiss indicated to the investigative team that his charging options were more limited.
Officials said Monday that Weiss is willing to testify to Congress about the investigation in the fall.
Hunter Biden separately last month settled a long-standing child support dispute with an Arkansas woman who is the mother of one of his children.
The president’s son and his allies recently have shown an increasing willingness to challenge his adversaries, at times against the wishes of those close to the president, according to people with knowledge of those conversations, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss them.
The younger Biden and his attorneys have filed a countersuit against the computer repair shop owner who said Biden dropped off his laptop and never claimed it. They have asked for congressional ethics actions to be taken against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who last week displayed sexually explicit images of Hunter Biden during a congressional hearing.
And they have waged battles with Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
Barrett and Viser reported from Washington. | 2023-07-26T09:52:50+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/26/hunter-biden-plea-deal/ |
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly won't work next week when it's scheduled to reconvene, legislative officials said Friday, setting aside for now any attempts to override new vetoes by Gov. Roy Cooper.
The House and Senate plan floor meetings for Tuesday — part of a series of brief work periods lined up every month through December. Republican legislative leaders agreed to that schedule when their chief work session for the year ended July 1.
The consideration of override votes on Cooper's vetoes is among the list of potential matters they can consider during these short intervals in Raleigh. Cooper vetoed four bills last week.
But the House won't hold recorded votes next week, the chief of staff for Speaker Tim Moore told state representatives in a Friday email. And the Senate doesn't anticipate similar votes, according to a spokesperson for Senate leader Phil Berger.
That means floor meetings Tuesday and before the legislature's departure Thursday will be administrative, with very few lawmakers in attendance. Another three-day session is scheduled for Aug. 23.
None of Cooper's vetoes have been overridden since early 2019, after fellow Democrats won back enough General Assembly seats so Republican majorities were no longer veto-proof.
The four bills that Cooper vetoed last week include one that would demand sheriffs learn the immigration status of their jails’ inmates and make an effort to hold them for federal agents. Cooper vetoed a similar measure in 2019.
The quick meetings in Raleigh next week also signal that no agreement has been reached on legislation that would expand Medicaid in the state to hundreds of thousands of low-income adults through the 2010 Affordable Care Act.
The House and Senate passed competing Medicaid measures in June but didn't work out a compromise. Despite hopes from some like Cooper for a quick agreement, negotiations have receded since lawmakers adjourned three weeks ago, following passage of a state budget. | 2022-07-22T17:58:20+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/NC-legislature-won-t-hold-votes-at-Raleigh-return-17322706.php |
The Massachusetts Lighthouse Trail Highlights Nearly Two Dozen Lighthouses, Plus Nautical Attractions
BOSTON, Aug. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Since the 1700s, dozens of lighthouses have dotted the Massachusetts coastline and captured our imagination with tales of seafaring and adventure. As part of the Your Massachusetts regional travel campaign, the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism launched the Massachusetts Lighthouse Trail (visitma.com/lighthousetrail) today in advance of National Lighthouse Day on Sunday, August 7.
"Massachusetts is home to the first lighthouse site in the United States, and now home to over 45 lighthouses," said Keiko Matsudo Orrall, executive director for the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. "Both locals and visitors are sure to be enchanted by these breathtaking beacons as they journey along our scenic coast and islands. From Cape Ann to Cape Cod, our Lighthouse Trail encourages travelers to explore coastal communities and the maritime history of the Bay State."
The new Massachusetts Lighthouse Trail stretches from Cape Ann on the North Shore, through to Boston Harbor and the South Shore, and out to Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. It maps out nearly two dozen of the most notable and accessible lighthouses, including:
- Boston Light on Brewster Island in Boston Harbor, the oldest continually used lighthouse site in the United States with its original structure built in 1716, casts a light 27 miles out into the Atlantic Ocean.
- Brant Point Lighthouse, which stands 26 feet tall on the north side of Nantucket, is our country's second-oldest lighthouse and one of its most photographed.
- Thacher Island Twin Lights, identical 124-foot towers built in 1771, sits a mile off the coast of Rockport.
The trail also highlights fascinating and informative nautical attractions such as the Cape Ann Harbor Tours out of Gloucester, the Boston Harbor Islands Lighthouse Tour, and the Nantucket Shipwreck & Livesaving Museum, along with local hotels and restaurants in each area. For a full list of Massachusetts attractions, dining and lodging options, check out visitma.com.
Also part of the Your Massachusetts campaign is the recently launched Massachusetts Sports Trail (visitma.com/sportstrail), which takes sports fans on a journey through the state's long and storied sports history. For more information on what to do in the Bay State, also check out what's new in Massachusetts: What's New.
About the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism:
The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) promotes the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a travel destination for domestic and international visitors. MOTT highlights Massachusetts' culture, history, cuisine and outdoor resources, working closely with 16 regional tourism councils across the state and with larger tourism alliances such as Discover New England and BrandUSA.
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SOURCE Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism | 2022-08-05T19:04:13+00:00 | kalb.com | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/05/explore-coast-massachusetts-commonwealths-new-lighthouse-trail/ |
FAYETTEVILLE, Ar. (KNWA/KFTA) – The Diamond Hogs completed the sweep of Mississippi State with an 11-6 win over the Bulldogs on Sunday.
To see Dave Van Horn, Jace Bohrofen and Zack Morris recap the win, click the video above.
The Hogs come back home to take on South Carolina this upcoming weekend.
First game is set for Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at Baum-Walker Stadium. | 2023-05-08T01:41:24+00:00 | nwahomepage.com | https://www.nwahomepage.com/sports/pig-trail-nation/pig-trail-nation-pig-trail-nation/watch-dave-van-horn-and-players-recap-11-6-win-over-mississippi-state/ |
France’s highest administrative court said Thursday the country’s soccer federation is entitled to ban headscarves in competitions even though the measure can limit freedom of expression.
The Council of State issued its ruling after a group of headscarf-wearing soccer players called “Les Hijabeuses” — the word hijab refers to the headscarf — campaigned against the ban and launched legal action.
The ruling is likely to refuel the lingering debate on secularism — still volatile more than a century after the 1905 law on separation of church and state that established it as a principle of the French Republic.
The French soccer federation bans players from wearing headscarves and other religious symbols in official matches, as well as at competitions it organizes. It’s not in line with the recommendations of soccer governing body FIFA, which authorizes players to compete at international level with headscarves.
The French federation said the ruling gave it the opportunity to “reaffirm the republican and civic values that underpin soccer, and its total commitment to combating all forms of discrimination and promoting gender equality.”
The Council of State said sports federations “may impose on their players an obligation to wear neutral clothing during sporting competitions and events, in order to guarantee the smooth running of matches and prevent clashes or confrontation. It considers that the ban imposed by the FFF is appropriate and proportionate.”
Unusually, the court did not follow its public rapporteur’s recommendations, who earlier this week said Article 1 of the federation’s rules should be annulled. The article prohibits “the wearing of any sign or dress ostensibly manifesting a religious affiliation,” and applies to matches and competitions organized.
It is unclear whether the ban would be implemented for next year’s Paris Olympics.
The rapporteur had argued that religious symbols were already present in soccer, citing the example of players crossing themselves before entering the field.
The court recalled that federations are free to determine the rules for participation in their events, including rules on clothing and equipment.
“The rules of participation laid down by these federations may limit (the players’) freedom of expression of their opinions and convictions in order to guarantee the proper functioning of the public service,” it said.
French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin told RTL radio earlier this week he was opposed to the wearing of the hijab during sports competitions.
“You don’t wear religious clothes when you play sports,” he said. “When you play soccer, you don’t need to know the religion of the person in front of you.”
Right-wing senators vainly tried last year to introduce an amendment to a law on sports that would have extended the ban on headscarves to all sports competitions, arguing that neutrality was a requirement on the field of play, and that headscarves could put at risk the safety of athletes wearing it when they practice their discipline.
The amendment was rejected in the lower house of the Parliament after a fierce debate.
Lawmakers had previously approved a bill to strengthen oversight of mosques, schools and sports clubs in a bid to safeguard France from radical Islamists and to promote respect for French values — one of President Emmanuel Macron’s landmark projects.
With France bloodied by terror attacks, few disagreed that radicalization was a danger. But critics also saw the law as a political ploy to lure the right wing to Macron’s centrist party ahead of the presidential election that Macron won.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-06-29T19:34:15+00:00 | valleycentral.com | https://www.valleycentral.com/sports/ap-frances-highest-administrative-court-says-the-soccer-federation-can-ban-headscarves-in-matches/ |
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a frontline artillery drill simulating an attack on an unspecified South Korean airfield as he called for his troops to sharpen their combat readiness in the face of his rivals’ “frantic war preparation moves,” state media said Friday.
The North Korean report came a day after South Korea’s military detected the North firing at least one short-range ballistic missile toward the sea from a site near the western coastal city of Nampo and raised the possibility that more missiles may have been launched from the area simultaneously.
The launch came as South Korea and the United States prepare to kick off their biggest combined military training exercise in years to counter the growing threat of Kim’s nuclear arsenal, which he has aggressively expanded in recent years despite the North’s deepening economic isolation and pandemic-related difficulties.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said that Kim urged his troops during Thursday's exercise to be prepared at any time to “overwhelmingly respond to and contain” the military action of the North’s enemies, which he said were proceeding with “all sorts of more frantic war preparation moves.”
He said frontline assault units should steadily intensify various simulated drills to prepare for a broad range of real-war situations and sharpen their capabilities to carry out their two main “strategic missions, that is first to deter war and second to take the initiative in war.” Kim’s comments were in line with an escalatory nuclear doctrine the North set into law last year, which authorizes pre-emptive nuclear strikes in various situations where it may perceive its leadership as under threat, including conventional clashes.
The North Korean report did not specify what types of artillery were involved in Thursday’s exercise or how many rockets were fired. Some of the North’s newer short-range weapons targeting South Korea includes large-sized multiple rocket launchers that experts say blur the boundaries between artillery and ballistic missile systems.
North Korea describes some of its more advanced short-range systems as tactical weapons, which experts say communicates a threat to proactively use them during conventional warfare to blunt the stronger conventional forces of South Korea and the United States.
Coming off a record year in missile testing, North Korea has conducted more weapons demonstrations in 2023, including test launches of an intercontinental ballistic missile, short-range missiles and a purported long-range cruise missile system in recent weeks.
Experts say North Korea with its heightened testing activity and threats is trying to claim an ability to conduct nuclear strikes against South Korea and the U.S. mainland. Kim, who sees his nuclear arsenal as his strongest guarantee of survival, is trying to force the United States into accepting the North as a nuclear power and wants to negotiate badly needed economic concessions from a position of strength, analysts say.
Diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea has stalled since 2019 because of disagreements over an easing of crippling U.S.-led sanctions against the North in exchange for steps by the North to wind down its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Last week, the South Korean and U.S. militaries announced they will conduct computer-simulated command post training March 13 to March 23 and will resume their largest springtime field exercises, which were last held in 2018.
The United States has also recently sent advanced warplanes, including the B-1B and B-52 long-range bombers, to train with South Korean aircraft in a show of strength, triggering protests from North Korea, which describes the allies’ joint drills as invasion rehearsals.
The allies had canceled or scaled back some of their regular drills since 2018, first to support the former Trump administration's diplomacy with North Korea and later because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But they have been renewing their exercises after North Korea test-fired dozens of missiles last year and issued provocative threats of nuclear conflicts with rivals.
On Tuesday, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s powerful sister and one of Pyongyang’s top foreign policy officials, warned that her country is ready if necessary to take “quick, overwhelming action" in the face of the allies' expanded drills.
In previous statements, she threatened to turn the Pacific into North Korea’s firing range and repeatedly implied that the North might test-fire an ICBM toward those waters on a ballistic trajectory, which would be seen as one of its most provocative weapons demonstrations yet.
All of North Korea’s ICBM tests since 2017 have been conducted on a high angle to avoid the territories of neighbors. | 2023-03-09T23:14:04+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/north-korea-s-kim-supervises-frontline-artillery-17830368.php |
NEW YORK, March 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Immunic, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMUX), a biotechnology company developing a clinical pipeline of orally administered, small molecule therapies for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, today announced participation in the following investor and scientific conferences in March:
- March 9: BioCapital Europe. Daniel Vitt, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Immunic, will present a company overview at this conference in Amsterdam on March 9, 2023, at 3:20 pm CET as part of the Listed Healthcare Track. Specific details regarding webcast and replay information will be published on the "Events and Presentations" section of Immunic's website at: https://ir.imux.com/events-and-presentations, once they are available.
- March 17-21: 2023 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting. Andreas Muehler, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Immunic, will attend this conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- March 28-31: 32nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Virology. Members of Immunic's preclinical team and its collaboration partners have been accepted to present three posters at this conference in Ulm, Germany. Specific details for the oral and poster presentations will be published on the "Events and Presentations" section of Immunic's website at: ir.imux.com/events-and-presentations, once they are available.
About Immunic, Inc.
Immunic, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMUX) is a biotechnology company developing a clinical pipeline of orally administered, small molecule therapies for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The company's lead development program, vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838), currently in phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, selectively inhibits activated immune cells and shows combined anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and neuroprotective effects. Izumerogant (IMU-935) is a selective inverse agonist of RORγ/RORγt, which inhibits the IL-17 pathway, and is currently being studied in clinical proof-of-concept trials in psoriasis and castration-resistant prostate cancer. IMU-856 is targeted to restore intestinal barrier function and regenerate bowel epithelium, which would be applicable in numerous gastrointestinal diseases, such as celiac disease, where it is currently being evaluated in a clinical proof-of-concept trial. For further information, please visit: www.imux.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" that involve substantial risks and uncertainties for purposes of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected expenses, sufficiency of cash, expected development, timing and results of clinical trials, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to management's and employee's participation in investor and scientific conferences. Immunic may not actually achieve the plans, carry out the intentions or meet the expectations or projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current expectations and involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including, without limitation, the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing inflation, impacts of the Ukraine – Russia conflict on clinical trials, risks and uncertainties associated with the ability to project future cash utilization and reserves needed for contingent future liabilities and business operations, the availability of sufficient financial and other resources to meet business objectives and operational requirements, the fact that the results of earlier preclinical studies and clinical trials may not be predictive of future clinical trial results, the protection and market exclusivity provided by Immunic's intellectual property, risks related to the drug development and the regulatory approval process and the impact of competitive products and technological changes. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in the section captioned "Risk Factors," in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2023, and in the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov or ir.imux.com/sec-filings. Any forward-looking statement made in this release speaks only as of the date of this release. Immunic disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made. Immunic expressly disclaims all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on any or all the contents of this press release.
Contact Information
Immunic, Inc.
Jessica Breu
Head of Investor Relations and Communications
+49 89 2080 477 09
jessica.breu@imux.com
US IR Contact
Rx Communications Group
Paula Schwartz
+1 917 633 7790
immunic@rxir.com
US Media Contact
KOGS Communication
Edna Kaplan
+1 617 974 8659
kaplan@kogspr.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Immunic, Inc. | 2023-03-02T12:49:05+00:00 | kalb.com | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/03/02/immunic-participate-investor-scientific-conferences-march/ |
WFO SEATTLE Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, November 28, 2022
_____
WIND ADVISORY
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Seattle WA
336 AM PST Mon Nov 28 2022
...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING...
* WHAT...Northeast winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph
expected.
* WHERE...San Juan County and Western Whatcom County.
* WHEN...Until 10 PM PST this evening.
* IMPACTS...Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects.
Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may
result.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high
profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather | 2022-11-28T12:18:41+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/weather/article/WA-WFO-SEATTLE-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17615070.php |
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham says it’s “unconscionable” President Biden has yet to visit the southern border. The Republican urged the President to go to the border to hear from the overwhelmed border agents and personnel. He said Biden’s failure to make the trip shows he’s disconnected and doesn’t care.
Republicans have criticized Biden for months due to the surge of migrants and the looming end of the Title 42 immigration policy. That allows for migrants to be quickly expelled at the border without asylum processing. | 2022-12-24T06:54:05+00:00 | kurv.com | https://www.kurv.com/sc-sen-graham-hits-biden-over-border/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sc-sen-graham-hits-biden-over-border |
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DALLAS (AP) — Kyu Cho had a generous spirit and joyous belly laugh that delighted his friends. His wife, Cindy Cho, was quieter, described by those who knew her as sweet and kind. Together, the parents of two young sons complemented each other perfectly, strong in their faith and devoted to family and friends.
“That’s what I keep hearing in my head when I think of them: Just Kyu laughing so deeply and Cindy just kind of shaking her head and laughing along," said their friend, Phyllis Myung. “Every interaction I ever had with them, we were always laughing so hard."
Cindy and Kyu grew up in Texas. They met while pursuing their careers as young adults in Boston — her as a dentist, him as an attorney. Wanting to be near their families, they decided it was time to return to Texas when they started a family of their own.
The couple and their sons — 6-year-old William and 3-year-old James — were not far from their Dallas home when a gunman opened fire at an outdoor mall as they shopped earlier this month in the suburb of Allen. Kyu, 37, Cindy, 35, and James were among the eight people killed that sunny Saturday afternoon. The family's only survivor was William, who was wounded.
Those killed represented a multicultural cross-section of the increasingly diverse area. Authorities haven't yet established the motive of the gunman, who was killed by a police officer, but have said he was a neo-Nazi who left a trail of online posts describing his white supremacist and misogynistic views.
The tragedy that befell the Cho family touched so many that a GoFundMe page quickly raised over $1.8 million for before being closed. With William home from the hospital, family members said in a statement that they are focused on making sure he “leads a happy, healthy life with his extended family who love him dearly.”
Cindy and Kyu, who met through their Boston church, “really, really wanted to have kids,” Myung said.
“It was a common thing to see one of them holding one of the kids at our church," said Myung, who worshipped with them in Boston. "They were really ready to be parents.”
Thomas Huang, another friend from their church, said the phrase that always came to mind when he'd see Kyu and Cindy together was “relationship goals.”
“Even though Cindy was definitely a little bit more on the introverted side and Kyu was more extroverted, they kind of had this balance where it was like this perfect synergy of that energy,” Huang said.
For instance, he said, Kyu was more into dancing than his wife, but at their wedding, she worked to get people on the dance floor.
“She really made an effort to dance and kind of get people into it because she knew that Kyu loved to dance and wanted to get everyone involved and get everyone excited about it,” Huang said.
Both “had incredible strength," he said, and were like older siblings to many.
“Everywhere they’ve gone, every stage of their lives, they’ve just impacted people in such deep and profound ways,” Huang said.
Kyu, who worked as an immigration attorney at Porter Legal Group, was born in South Korea and raised in Dallas, according to the law firm’s website, which said he had “a deep pride, respect, and appreciation for the American Dream."
He graduated with his bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 2007, then graduated in 2010 from the Ave Maria School of Law in Florida, the website said.
Cindy, who grew up in College Station and Houston, graduated with her bachelor's degree from the University of Texas in 2009, then graduated in 2013 from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Dentistry.
The dentistry school's dean, Dr. Peter M. Loomer, said Cindy — whose name was Cindy Kang before she married, the name she went by when practicing dentistry — was “a kind and caring student, always doing the best to help improve the health and lives of her patients.”
A Facebook post from Thrive Dental and Orthodontics, where she worked, said she was "the sweetest, most beautiful soul with the kindest heart.”
Growing up, Cindy loved reading and was serious-minded when she needed to be, said David Kim, whose family went to the same Korean church as her family in College Station. He said the families stayed close even when Cindy's family moved to Houston, where they'd still meet up for outings to places like the old AstroWorld amusement park.
“She’s just a sweet soul,” Kim said.
Kyu was not only skilled in the art of tae kwon do but also could play everything from classical music to Coldplay on the piano, his friends said. Friend Young Min Kim said he was someone who could talk to anyone.
Adam Dame, Kyu's roommate all four years at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, said he knew within a week or two of meeting that he'd “hit the roommate lottery.” Kyu, he said, had an “infectious, big laugh.”
“I always wanted to make him laugh because I just loved hearing it," Dame said. "He filled you with a lot of joy.”
Myung said both Kyu and Cindy worked to make sure people felt “included and cared for and seen." She said that as she grieves, she comforts herself with the hope she will see her friends again in heaven.
“I think that's the only thing that's helping the grief, is to know that one day we'll all be laughing together again,” Myung said. | 2023-05-22T05:53:59+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/couple-killed-at-texas-mall-shooting-along-with-18111636.php |
Occupation: Independent oil and gas producer and entrepreneur
Party affiliation: Independent
Political Experience None.
Relevant life experience: Small business, oil and gas, agriculture, construction, service and manufacturing.
Have you ever been charged or convicted of a crime, including drunken driving? No
Have you ever filed for bankruptcy or been involved in a bankruptcy proceeding, either personally or in business? Yes.
(Filed in) 2004, business and personal. Entire world caved in, thanks for reminding me. I could write a book on this one.
Have you ever been the subject of liens for unpaid taxes? Yes. Again, I could write a book on this one as could most if not all small business owners in New Mexico.
1. What will be your top priorities as land commissioner? Focus the state Land Office on its original job and purpose, generating revenue while preserving the value of the assets.
2. State lands are a large asset. How will you use them to generate revenue for the state? We will advocate and support development and responsible use of state trust land and production of any and all natural resources on state lands.
3. Why are you the best person for this position? My work and business experiences in agriculture, oil and gas and other business interests make me uniquely qualified for this position.
4. What will you do differently than what was done in the past four years? Remove political and ideological policies and practices from the state Land Office.
5. How does environmental oversight fit into your plans for managing state lands? The state has multiple agencies that are charged with those duties. The land office will focus on its overall intended purpose of management of state trust land while working with the agencies that are charged with those duties.
Educational background: Bachelor's degree, Barnard College, Columbia University in government and political science; California State University-Los Angeles for education certification
Occupation: New Mexico commissioner of Public Lands.
Party affiliation: Democratic
Political Experience: Land Commissioner, 2019; State Investment Council, Vice Chair, 2019-present; Oil Conservation Commission, 2019-present; state representative, 2013-2018.
Relevant life experience: Native New Mexican and lifelong educator; worked both abroad and in Northern New Mexico.
Have you ever been charged or convicted of a crime, including drunken driving? Yes. I was detained and ticketed during college for jumping a turnstile in a subway.
Have you ever filed for bankruptcy or been involved in a bankruptcy proceeding, either personally or in business? No
Have you ever been the subject of liens for unpaid taxes? No
1. What will be your top priorities as land commissioner? Continue to increase funding for our public schools, colleges, and hospitals, create good paying jobs through new economic development opportunities throughout New Mexico, make the state a leader in renewable energy development and increase access to our public lands through developed partnerships and streamlined permitting to ensure our $2 billion outdoor recreation industry continues to thrive.
2. State lands are a large asset. How will you use them to generate revenue for the state? It’s time for New Mexico to lead in economic and renewable energy development to ensure we continue to create good-paying sustaining jobs. I’ve already tripled renewable energy development on state trust land, including the largest wind farm in the western hemisphere. We also passed a law to make it easier to lease land for economic development and partnered with businesses like Netflix to expand production in New Mexico, bringing 1,000 new jobs.
3. Why are you the best person for this position? I’m the only candidate in the race with a proven and successful track record of managing our state’s largest asset — 13 million acres of public land and mineral estate. Since taking office, we’ve maximized every existing revenue stream while developing entirely new opportunities for economic and job growth. Thanks to the record $5 billion in revenue we earned, the state was able to give teachers a raise, students free in-state tuition and taxpayers rebates.
4. What will you do differently than what was done in the past four years? I’m proud of the last four years. I ended the backroom deals that plagued the state for decades and held bad actors like Jeffrey Epstein accountable. I’ve restored more acres of public land, closed more marginal oil wells and protected water while still earning more revenue than any previous land commissioner. I look forward to continuing our efforts to diversify our state's revenue streams and earn even more money for our schools, colleges, and hospitals.
5. How does environmental oversight fit into your plans for managing state lands? Land Commissioner is one of the most important positions when it comes to environmental oversight. As land commissioner, I fought for stronger regulations to protect our air, water and land and halted the use of fresh water for fracking when produced water is available. I created the first ever enforcement and accountability program saving taxpayers millions in cleanup costs. I’ve proven you can protect the health of the land while still making record breaking revenue.
Republican Party candidate Jefferson Byrd did not respond to The New Mexican's questionnaire on the race. | 2022-10-21T05:55:47+00:00 | santafenewmexican.com | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/profiles-state-land-office-candidates/article_c5ce8044-50bc-11ed-bca3-97251f452ca0.html |
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department Of Transportation is launching a brand-new effort to explore the future of urban interstates, especially around downtown Indianapolis.
The effort is called “ProPEL Indy,” which consists of a two-year study and conversation focusing on upgrades within the I-465 loop over the next two decades. The project will focus on modernizing I-65 and I-70 inside the I-465 Loop.
INDOT describes ProPEL Indy as a planning and environmental linkages study, which is what the “PEL” stands for.
“Much of this infrastructure is starting to show its age,” said Natalie Garrett with INDOT. “You know, any type of infrastructure over time, just like your house or just like your car, shows age. So we’re starting to look at ways to enhance those and make needed repairs coming up here in the future.”
This is exactly why INDOT is looking so far ahead with ProPEL Indy. The study effort will help determine what work can be done over the next 20 years or so.
“[It’s] very big picture,” Garrett said. “I mean INDOT is typically planning five, six, or seven years in terms of construction projects and maintenance projects. So this is definitely the bigger picture.”
The department plans to gather feedback over the next two years.
“You know we want to hear any and everything,” Garrett said. “We’re starting with a blank slate.”
The department will finalize its study in 2025, which will include a list of recommended improvements. Groups like the Rethink Coalition say this is the chance to make Indianapolis a true “Crossroads of America.”
“This is a once-in-a-two-generation opportunity to say to ourselves what can we do throughout Indianapolis and central Indiana to make that a reality,” Rethink Coalition Co-Chair Charles Richardson said.
Richardson lives right in the heart of downtown. He said he thinks ProPEL Indy will bring about quite a bit of useful conversation.
“We’re looking forward to participating in that, and bringing facts, data, information and suggestions forward as everyone in the community should do,” he said.
Richardson said urban life and quality of life are “critically important.” He said this new INDOT effort is a great way to enhance that.
“Now we need to say to ourselves, how do we get the neighborhoods back together and how do we create an environment where people want not just to commute into the center, but live here?”
INDOT is holding a variety of public meetings throughout the next two weeks to get feedback from the community. The department also has an online survey that can be filled out.
Below are the dates and times of the upcoming sessions:
- Tuesday, May 30
- 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Monument Circle
Downtown Indianapolis
- 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 31
- 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Indianapolis City Market
222 E. Market Street
- 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 31
- 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Chin Community of Indiana
2524 E. Stop 11 Road
- 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
- Thursday, June 1
- 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Statehouse Market
Robert D. Orr Plaza
- 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
- Thursday, June 1
- 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
John Boner Neighborhood Center
2236 E. 10th Street
- 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
- Monday, June 5
- 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
International Marketplace
Global Village
4233 Lafayette Road
- 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, June 6
- 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA
5315 Lafayette Road
- 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. | 2023-05-31T03:40:55+00:00 | cbs4indy.com | https://cbs4indy.com/news/indot-launches-new-study-focusing-on-improving-urban-interstates/ |
Butler’s buzzer-beater sends San Diego State to title game
HOUSTON (AP) — Lamont Butler made a jumper at the buzzer, sending San Diego State to its first national championship game with a 72-71 win over fellow mid-major Florida Atlantic in the Final Four on Saturday night.
“It’s unbelievable,” Butler said. “This is what I came here to do. I’m glad the shot went in. I’m just happy for my team right now.”
The Aztecs (32-6) appeared to be in trouble as the free-flowing Owls (35-4) picked them apart while building a 14-point lead.
San Diego State got back in it, as it always does, with defense.
The Aztecs shut down FAU and pulled within one when Jaedon LeDee hit a short jumper with 36 seconds left. After FAU’s Johnell Davis missed a contested layup, the Aztecs didn’t call timeout and got the ball to Butler.
The clock ticking down, Butler dribbled to the baseline, found that cut off and circled back. He stepped back to create a little room and hit a jumper that sent the Aztecs racing out onto the floor — and into Monday’s championship game against UConn or Miami.
“The plan was just to get downhill,” Butler said. “They cut me off a little bit. I looked up, there was two seconds left, so I got to a shot that I’m comfortable with. And I hit it.”
San Diego State’s defense has played a key role in its run to the final. It clamped down on four straight opponents to open the NCAA Tournament.
The Aztecs had no answer for the swaggy Owls in the first half, allowing them to hit 5 of 11 from 3-point range to build a 40-33 halftime lead.
FAU stretched the lead to 14 midway through the second half.
Then the Aztecs got gritty.
Contesting nearly every shot and pass while pulling down a string of offensive rebounds, San Diego State rallied into a tie at 65. Matt Bradley led the offense in the second half and finished with 21 points after struggling with his shot in the previous three games.
Alijah Martin kept FAU in it, scoring 19 of his 26 points in the second half, seeming to have an answer for every Aztecs move.
He didn’t get a chance for a final one.
___
AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-04-02T02:07:01+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/2023/04/02/butlers-buzzer-beater-sends-san-diego-state-title-game/ |
Gretchen Masters diligently avoided the numerous potholes on Marshall Avenue as she drove home from work Feb. 2, even moving into the center lane to dodge a particularly large pothole. But it was no use.
Her bright blue Jeep hit a pothole near 1250 Marshall Ave. and made a loud clunking noise as she turned onto Juliette Avenue. She knew something wasn’t quite right.
Luckily, she made it to her Manheim Township home, but after that her Jeep wasn’t drivable. She thought the rim was damaged, but it turns out the impact resulted in only a flat tire.
Three days and $440.19 later, Masters was back in her Jeep.
“Honestly the worst part for me other than forking out the money for a new tire was not having a car for three days.” Masters said. “I felt like I was in jail.”
Her only request: “fix the damn road.”
It took Watchdog a few calls to figure out which municipality was responsible for Marshall Avenue. That’s because Lancaster city oversees the south side and Manheim Township is responsible for the north side.
Matt Scheid, Manheim Township assistant director of public works, said the section of Marshall Avenue after it crosses Stadium Road heading toward Juliette Avenue is in Lancaster city.
A call to Lancaster city Wednesday by Watchdog prompted an immediate response. The city’s Bureau of Streets, which was already out filling potholes around the city, drove over to Marshall Avenue to take care of its portion of the road, according to Matthew Metzler, Lancaster city construction services deputy director.
Scheid said Manheim Township did a similar repair Wednesday for another resident who had called in, noting that staff try to address potholes the same day they learn of them.
He’s not sure if the pothole Masters hit is on the Manheim Township or Lancaster city side but said he encourages her to call in to determine the municipality responsible and how to be reimbursed for the cost of her tire.
“We’re gonna do anything we can to fix it immediately,” Scheid said.
How to report
As of Thursday, the potholes on the Manheim Township side weren’t addressed, but Scheid said he’d drive over to scope it out after getting off the phone with Watchdog.
Marshall Avenue has also been put on the city’s list to be fully repaved but it’ll take some collaboration.
Metzler said when the city repaves a shared road, it often tries to coordinate the project with the other municipality. The city shares boundaries with Lancaster, Manheim, and East and West Lampeter townships.
"The municipal lines are not very clean,” Metzler said, but the staff learns to “deal with it.”
Residents have a bit of a tougher time. Masters said part of the reason she didn’t call is because she simply didn’t know who to call.
Other times there’s just an assumption someone else reported it, said Amber Strazzo, Lancaster city communications director.
“The best way to make sure that things are getting filled in is to report it,” Strazzo said.
A call to Lancaster city at 717-291-4835 or Manheim Township 717-569-6408 – particularly the municipality’s public works departments – can trigger a speedy response, Watchdog learned.
Or, residents can utilize the municipalities' online reporting systems.
Lancaster city has the Fix It! site and corresponding mobile app at https://lanc.news/FixIt or under Fix It! on the App Store or Google Play.
Reports to Manheim Township can be made at https://lanc.news/MTRequests by clicking on Road Conditions under Public Works and Streets.
Notice problems?
Email the Lancaster Watchdog at watchdog@lnpnews.com, or go to LancasterOnline.com/watchdog and tell us about it. | 2023-02-12T10:41:12+00:00 | lancasteronline.com | https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/report-it-marshall-avenue-potholes-damage-jeep-resident-seeks-solution-lancaster-watchdog/article_ce504b12-a95e-11ed-a817-9b6265a41878.html |
In a boost, McConnell backs Senate bipartisan gun deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his support Tuesday for his chamber’s emerging bipartisan gun agreement, boosting momentum for modest but notable election-year action by Congress on an issue that’s deadlocked lawmakers for three decades.
The Kentucky Republican said he hoped an outline of the accord, released Sunday by 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans, would be translated into legislation and enacted. McConnell’s backing was the latest indication that last month’s gun massacres in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, had reconfigured the political calculations for some in the GOP after years of steadfastly opposing even incremental tightening of firearms curbs.
“If this framework becomes the actual piece of legislation, it’s a step forward, a step forward on a bipartisan basis,” McConnell told reporters. He said the proposal “further demonstrates to the American people” that lawmakers can work together on significant issues “to make progress for the country.”
McConnell’s comments were striking, coming five months before midterm elections in which Republicans hope to win control of the Senate and seem likely to win a majority in the House. For years, GOP candidates could risk their careers by defying the views of the party’s loyal gun-owning and rural voters, who oppose moves seen as threatening their ownership and use of firearms.
McConnell seemed to suggest that backing this gun measure might even help some Republicans’ prospects in November. While he said senators should take a position “based upon the views of their states,” he said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a chief architect of the deal, presented GOP polling data at a closed-door senators’ lunch saying support among gun owners for the agreement’s provisions is “off the charts, overwhelming.”
The plan would for the first time make the juvenile records of gun buyers under age 21 part of required background checks. Money would be sent to states for mental health and school security programs and for incentives to enforce or enact local “red flag” laws that let authorities win court approval to temporarily remove guns from people considered dangerous.
Senators and aides hope to translate their broad agreement into legislation in days, in hopes that Congress could approve it before leaving for its July 4 recess. Both sides acknowledge that is a difficult process that could encounter disputes and delays.
Some Republicans expressed unhappiness with the plan Tuesday, with much criticism aimed at its encouragement of “red flag” laws. Nineteen states mostly dominated by Democrats and the District of Columbia have them, but Republicans have blocked efforts in Congress to pass federal legislation on the subject.
“If we’re not going to pass a federal red flag law, and we shouldn’t, why would we incentivize states to do something that we think is a bad idea?” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.
“I don’t know what we can do in view of the Constitution,” Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said of the overall agreement, citing the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Cornyn defended the plan’s “red flag” proposal, saying it would create no national requirements for such laws. He said it gives “every state regardless of whether it has a ‘red flag’ law or not” money for programs aimed at improving public safety and helping troubled people get assistance. Texas does not have a “red flag” law.
McConnell made clear he would only go so far in restricting firearms.
Asked by a reporter why the federal minimum age is 21 for tobacco sales but 18 to buy rifles, he answered, “Good try.” He added that including state and local juvenile records in background checks for the youngest guy buyers was “a step in the right direction.”
The alleged shooters in Buffalo, where 10 people were killed, and Uvalde, where 19 school children and two teachers were slain, were both 18 years old, a common profile for many mass shooters.
A final agreement on overall legislation would be expected to receive solid support from Democrats. But it would need at least 10 GOP votes to reach the Senate’s usual 60 vote threshold, and McConnell’s plaudits raised hopes that Republican backing would grow beyond that.
The framework also broadens the type of domestic abusers who’d be prohibited from buying guns, require more firearms sellers to conduct background checks and impose tougher penalties on gun traffickers.
The National Rifle Association said Sunday it wouldn’t take a position on the proposal until full legislation is produced. It warned it would oppose “gun control policies” or infringements on people’s “fundamental right to protect themselves.”
The pro-gun lobby still has political muscle from its millions of dedicated members, who vote heavily on firearms issues. But GOP support for the new package is the latest threat to its power following recent financial scandals and lawsuits.
Approval seems likely by the Democratic-run House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has praised the measure as a first step toward strong restrictions in the future.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would schedule votes on the legislation as soon as it is ready. He contrasted recent days’ progress with Congress’ failure to act after a parade of mass shootings in recent decades.
“After Uvalde and Buffalo, perhaps this time could be different. To many senators on both sides, this debate certainly feels different,” Schumer said.
Congress’ last major gun measure was an assault weapons ban that took effect in 1994 but expired 10 years later.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2022-06-14T21:58:45+00:00 | kttc.com | https://www.kttc.com/2022/06/14/boost-mcconnell-backs-senate-bipartisan-gun-deal/ |
Blasts kill at least 8 at Myanmar’s Insein Prison
By GRANT PECK
Associated Press
BANGKOK (AP) — A bombing near the front gate of Myanmar’s main prison for political detainees has killed at least eight people, including visitors and prison personnel. The military confirmed to journalists that five visitors, including a 10-year-old girl, and three prison staff were killed, and 13 visitors and five prison personnel were injured in two blasts on Wednesday near the main iron gate of Insein Prison in Yangon, the country’s biggest city. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi last year, triggering nationwide peaceful protests that security forces suppressed with deadly force. The repression has led to widespread armed resistance. | 2022-10-19T11:25:20+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/news/ap-national/2022/10/19/blasts-kill-at-least-8-at-myanmars-insein-prison/ |
10th New contract win in the USA in less than a year
OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SuperCom (NASDAQ: SPCB), a global provider of secured solutions for the e-Government, IoT, and Cybersecurity sectors, is pleased to announce that it has secured an agreement with a new customer and strategic partner, one of the largest private probation and judicial drug testing companies in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and a leading provider of electronic monitoring (EM) products and services.
As part of this partnership, SuperCom has already received a first order and will supply its proprietary EM solutions that allow continuous GPS tracking and support a wide array of programs such as GPS Monitoring, house arrest, domestic violence, and more. SuperCom's offering includes a diverse portfolio of monitoring solutions, including the PureOne, PureTrack, PureProtect, PureCom, Purebeacon, and PureTag products.
SuperCom's proprietary EM solutions will be distributed in the southeastern US market region together with its new partner's value-added services, allowing customers to decide on the most suitable technology monitoring solution for each client's unique risk profile and needs.
"We are happy to work with such an esteemed partner, one of Kentucky's top EM solution providers with an excellent track record and experience serving clients for nearly a decade. We are excited and look forward to growing our mutual presence in the southeastern area," commented Ordan Trabelsi, CEO and President of SuperCom.
"The state of Kentucky is characterized by high rates of prison overcrowding, a pitiful situation that harms the well-being of the imprisoned population, making rehabilitation much more difficult. We strive to ease prison overcrowding, reduce recidivism rates, and promote public safety through SuperCom's proprietary EM technology and our partner's complimentary services," Mr. Trabelsi continued.
With this partnership, SuperCom has secured a new contract to deploy its PureSecurity Suite while replacing an incumbent leading EM manufacturer and competitor. The first order of over 50 units has already been placed and will arrive in a few weeks to three separate offices, with the potential for an additional order of up to another 100 units in the foreseeable future. The contract is set up as a per unit per day lease, with billing at the end of each month generating recurring revenues.
"We are proud that our technology is chosen, time after time, to replace incumbent solutions in a growing number of geographies. After the successful deployment of our solutions for national EM projects in various European countries over the past few years, it is rewarding to see our solutions gain traction and spread further across the U.S. This is our 10th new contract win in the US in less than a year, across five different states, and combined with a base of 83% recurring revenues in recent years, adds to confidence in our future growth outlook," concluded Mr. Trabelsi.
SuperCom's PureSecurity Suite is a best-of-breed electronic monitoring and tracking platform with a comprehensive set of innovative features, including smartphone integration, secure communication, advanced security, anti-tamper mechanisms, fingerprint biometrics, voice communication, unique touch screens, and extended battery life.
About SuperCom
Since 1988, SuperCom has been a global provider of traditional and digital identity solutions, providing advanced safety, identification, and security solutions to governments and organizations, both private and public, throughout the world. Through its proprietary e-Government platforms and innovative solutions for traditional and biometrics enrollment, personalization, issuance and border control services, SuperCom has inspired governments and national agencies to design and issue secure Multi-ID documents and robust digital identity solutions to its citizens and visitors. SuperCom offers a unique all-in-one field-proven RFID & mobile technology and product suite, accompanied by advanced complementary services for various industries including healthcare and homecare, security and safety, community public safety, law enforcement, electronic monitoring, livestock monitoring, and building and access automation.
SuperCom's website is http://www.supercom.com
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements preceded or followed by or that otherwise include the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "projects", "estimates", "plans", and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as "will", "should", "would", "may" and "could" are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical or current facts. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the statements made. Examples of these statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding business and economic trends, the anticipated effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on travel and physical locations, the levels of consumer, business and economic confidence generally, the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and severity of such outbreak, the pace of recovery following the COVID-19 outbreak, the effect on our supply chain, our ability to implement cost containment and business recovery strategies and resulting anticipated impact of such outbreak on our business, financial condition and results of operations, the adverse effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on our business or the market price of our ordinary shares, and other risks and uncertainties described in the forward looking statements and in the section captioned "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on April 4, 2022, our reports on Form 6-K filed from time to time with the SEC and our other filings with the SEC. Except as required by law, we not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
SuperCom Investor Relations:
ir@supercom.com
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SOURCE SuperCom Ltd. | 2022-08-09T13:27:04+00:00 | live5news.com | https://www.live5news.com/prnewswire/2022/08/09/supercom-wins-new-electronic-monitoring-contract-kentucky/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – The 6th annual Valley Girls Junior Open returns to Hunting Hills Country Club this weekend.
“I don’t think you’ll find any course you see on TV this year in any better shape than this one is,” said John Griffith who serves as the chairman of the event. “The course is in gorgeous shape, it’s a tough golf course. You have to hit almost every club in your bag and a lot of people don’t like that because of that but I think it makes it a lot better golf course.”
The Valley Girls Junior Open was created by a committee of interested enthusiasts aimed at growing girl’s golf in Western Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley by hosting a competitive tournament and raise money for a scholarship.
“After we give this year’s scholarships on Saturday afternoon, we will have awarded over $23,000,” Griffith said.
In recent years, the event has attracted upwards of nearly two dozen girls from out of state. In 2019, the Valley Girls Junior Open partnered with the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Golf Tour based out of Greensboro, North Carolina. The non-profit foundation operates over 80 girls-only events annually in the Eastern United States.
The action will begin Saturday with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. Sunday the times will also begin at 8:30 a.m. with the lead group expected to tee off around 10 a.m.
To visit the Valley Girls Junior Open Facebook page, click here.
For more on Hunting Hills Country Club, click here.
For a look at coverage of last year’s winners, click here. | 2023-06-14T23:13:24+00:00 | wsls.com | https://www.wsls.com/sports/2023/06/14/valley-girls-junior-open-returns-to-hunting-hills-this-weekend/ |
Ohio man charged for groping 16-year-old step-daughter on camera during virtual school
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) - An Ohio man was charged last week after being caught on camera groping his 16-year-old step-daughter during a virtual school class.
The incident occurred Sept. 28 and was seen by the girl’s teacher and 39 classmates, police said.
The teen’s stepfather, David Lowe, a registered sex offender, was charged with sexual imposition on Sept. 29, according to court dockets. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and posted a $50,000 bond.
“The Ohio Virtual Academy reported to our department that a female high school student was attending class online at her home in Berea when a male identified as her stepfather came up behind her wearing only his underwear and rubbed his crotch against the back of her head,” Lt. Tom Walker with the Berea Police Department said.
Walker said the fast-acting by the teen’s teacher helped police arrest Lowe and get the teen help.
“The teacher seeing this obscene behavior reached out to our department and knowing that the student was attending online here at her home in Berea and made us aware of what she had seen,” Walker said.
Police have continued to advise parents to always be aware of what their child could see online, even in the classroom.
“See something, say something,” Lt. Walker said. “As law enforcement officials, it’s our job to protect the children in our community and we want to be aware of any obscene behaviors that occur like this.”
The Ohio Virtual Academy said it’s offering resources to students following this incident.
“Ohio Virtual Academy is aware of the unfortunate incident last week and immediately reached out to the parents and the appropriate authorities,” Kristin Stewart, the head of the school, said. “As a rule, OHVA always offers students access to licensed school counselors and the availability of outside clinical staff through our partnership with Syntero for any further mental health supports needed by students.”
Copyright 2022 WOIO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2022-10-04T04:08:20+00:00 | waff.com | https://www.waff.com/2022/10/04/ohio-man-charged-groping-16-year-old-step-daughter-camera-during-virtual-school/ |
Overnight, mostly clear. Patchy fog possible. Low temperatures will be in the 50s. Light and variable wind becoming south to southwest 5 to 15 MPH with a few higher gusts.
Later today, increasing clouds in the afternoon with a chance of rain and thunderstorms. High temperatures will be in the 70s and 80s. South to southwest wind 5 to 15 MPH with a few higher gusts.
Tuesday night, partly cloudy to mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and thunderstorms. Low temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s. South to southwest wind 5 to 15 MPH with a few higher gusts.
Wednesday, partly cloudy to perhaps mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and thunderstorms. High temperatures will be around 70 or the 70s. Winds becoming west to northwest 5 to 15 MPH with a few higher gusts.
Wednesday night, a slight chance of rain. Otherwise, partly cloudy. Low temperatures will be in the 50s. West to southwest wind 5 to 15 MPH with a few higher gusts.
Thursday, a slight chance of rain. Otherwise, partly cloudy. High temperatures will be in the 60s and 70s. West to northwest wind 5 to 15 MPH with a few higher gusts.
Thursday night, a slight chance of rain. Otherwise, partly cloudy. Low temperatures will be around 50 or the 50s. West to northwest wind 5 to 15 MPH with a few higher gusts.
Friday, mostly sunny. High temperatures will be in the 60s and 70s. West to northwest wind 5 to 15 MPH with a few higher gusts.
Friday night, clear skies. Low temperatures will be around 50 or the 50s. Light and variable wind.
Saturday, mostly sunny. High temperatures will be in the 70s and 80s. Light and variable wind.
Saturday night, mostly clear. Low temperatures will be around 60 or the 60s. South to southwest wind 5 to 15 MPH with a fe few higher gusts.
Sunday, mostly sunny. High temperatures will be around 80 or the 80s. South to southwest wind 5 to 15 MPH with a few higher gusts.
Sunday night, partly cloudy. Low temperatures will be around 60 or the 60s. South to southwest wind 5 to 15 MPH with a few higher gusts.
Monday, partly cloudy. High temperatures will be around 80 or the 80s. South to southwest wind 5 to 15 MPH with a few higher gusts. | 2022-07-26T04:16:13+00:00 | upmatters.com | https://www.upmatters.com/weather/local-3-monday-overnight-weather-forecast-7-25-2022/ |
WEST VALLEY, Utah (KTVX) – Motorists driving through West Valley, Utah, may have noticed a an especially large traffic cone in the intersection near Gearld L. Wright Elementary School on Tuesday morning.
That’s Whitney Durfee.
Durfee, a crossing guard from nearby Vineyard, Utah, was turning heads and stopping cars Tuesday while dressed as a traffic cone, all in an effort to share a message about safety.
“Just to remind people that I’m here and they need to slow down,” Durfee told Nexstar’s KTVX. “People react really differently, a lot of smiles, a lot of laughter, and it’s been fun.”
“Every day I see people distracted. A lot of times it’s the parents,” she added. “They’re worried about getting their kids to and from school and don’t check their surroundings.”
Durfee said she sees close calls near the school almost weekly, including a recent incident where a car stopped just a foot away from her.
Diana Harmon, another crossing guard with Gearld Elementary, was directing traffic on Tuesday morning too. She said she has almost been run over on multiple occasions.
“This year has been worse than any other year I’ve worked,” Harmon said. “I’ve worked for seven years. I think that drivers are extremely distracted. They’re on their phones texting. They’re just not paying attention.”
According to the Utah Department of Transportation, there have been 44 fatalities on Utah roads so far in 2023, and nine of them involved pedestrians. While none occurred in a school zone, Durfee still wants to remind drivers to slow down and look out when walking near crosswalks.
Kristen Hoschouer, the Utah Department of Transportation safety outreach administrator, says there were 54 pedestrian deaths on Utah roads last year.
“That was a high we haven’t seen in a very long time, so this is one reason we want to focus on it this year,” she said.
Durfee, who has also worked as a crossing guard at Trailside Elementary in Vineyard, believes she’s doing her part to keep the students safe.
“I really love seeing the kids every morning. They all have their own story. They all have different personalities, and it’s fun to talk to them and be that bright spot in their day,” she said. “I just really enjoy working with the kids.” | 2023-03-22T19:27:17+00:00 | wnct.com | https://www.wnct.com/news/offbeat-and-unique/utah-mom-dresses-as-traffic-cone-to-keep-drivers-alert-every-day-i-see-people-distracted/ |
Eight RE/MAX leaders in the U.S. and Canada were named to the prestigious Swanepoel Power 200 list, Nick Bailey recognized by Inman as an industry trailblazer
DENVER, Jan. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With prominent recognition of leadership at both the network and RE/MAX, LLC levels, the global real estate franchisor kicks off 2023 with a strong start.
Eight RE/MAX leaders have been named to the prestigious Swanepoel Power 200 (SP200), a compilation of the most influential figures in real estate. Among those on the list is Nick Bailey, RE/MAX President and CEO.
The full list of RE/MAX leaders featured in the 2023 Swanepoel Power 200 includes (listed in SP200 rank order):
- #11 Nick Bailey – RE/MAX, LLC
- #39 James O'Bryon – RE/MAX Gold
- #46 Chad Ochsner – RE/MAX Alliance & RE/MAX Equity Group
- #58 Brenda Tushaus – RE/MAX Results
- #67 Christopher Alexander – RE/MAX Canada
- #154 Sandra Sanders – RE/MAX Estate Properties
- #161 Elton Ash – RE/MAX Canada
- #118 Pierre Titley – RE/MAX Quebec
Criteria used to rank leaders include the scope and power of leaders' positions, the financial resources they have at their disposal, whether they have equity stake in their company, their trajectory and much more.
Brenda Tushaus, with RE/MAX Results in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and Sandra Sanders with RE/MAX Estate Properties in California, also earned recognition on the 2023 Top Women Executives list, a subset of the SP200.
"Leaders from all around the RE/MAX network make an important impact on their companies and communities," said Nick Bailey. "It's an honor to work alongside so many accomplished leaders in the RE/MAX network who are dedicated to a high standard of excellence."
Known for covering the real estate industry's key leaders, Inman also unveiled the inaugural 2023 Power Players awards recognizing more than 120 industry leaders for their influence and ingenuity. Bailey is listed amongst a variety of CEOs, founders and key players of the industry on this respected list.
"Congratulations to all the influential industry leaders who have earned a well deserved spot on these industry rankings," added Bailey. "I'm excited to see what's to come in 2023."
For more information about RE/MAX, LLC, a business that builds businesses, visit joinremax.com.
As one of the leading global real estate franchisors, RE/MAX, LLC is a subsidiary of RE/MAX Holdings (NYSE: RMAX) with more than 140,000 agents in almost 9,000 offices and a presence in more than 110 countries and territories. Nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX, as measured by residential transaction sides. RE/MAX was founded in 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger, with an innovative, entrepreneurial culture affording its agents and franchisees the flexibility to operate their businesses with great independence. RE/MAX agents have lived, worked and served in their local communities for decades, raising millions of dollars every year for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals® and other charities. To learn more about RE/MAX, to search home listings or find an agent in your community, please visit www.remax.com. For the latest news about RE/MAX, please visit news.remax.com.
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SOURCE RE/MAX, LLC | 2023-01-23T14:46:48+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/01/23/remax-leaders-honored-respected-industry-lists/ |
Webcast Available for Investors
NEW YORK, May 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BGC Partners, Inc. (Nasdaq: BGCP) ("BGC"), a leading global brokerage and financial technology company, today announced that its Chairman and CEO, Howard W. Lutnick, is scheduled to present at Piper Sandler's Global Exchange & FinTech Conference at 3:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 8, 2022.
A live webcast of the event will be made available at http://ir.bgcpartners.com. A replay of the event will also be made available at the same site and for 365 days, beginning June 8, 2022.
Statements made during the webcast may include forward-looking statements about the Company.
About BGC Partners, Inc.
BGC Partners, Inc. ("BGC") is a leading global brokerage and financial technology company. BGC, through its various affiliates, specializes in the brokerage of a broad range of products, including Fixed Income (Rates and Credit), Foreign Exchange, Equities, Energy and Commodities, Shipping, and Futures. BGC, through its various affiliates, also provides a wide variety of services, including trade execution, brokerage, clearing, trade compression, post-trade, information, and other back-office services to a broad range of financial and non-financial institutions. Through its brands, including FMX™, Fenics®, Fenics Market Data™, Fenics GO™, BGC®, BGC Trader™, Capitalab®, and Lucera®, BGC offers financial technology solutions, market data, and analytics related to numerous financial instruments and markets. BGC, BGC Trader, GFI, Fenics, FMX, Fenics Market Data, Capitalab, and Lucera are trademarks/service marks and/or registered trademarks/service marks of BGC and/or its affiliates.
BGC's customers include many of the world's largest banks, broker-dealers, investment banks, trading firms, hedge funds, governments, corporations, and investment firms. BGC's Class A common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "BGCP". BGC is led by Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Howard W. Lutnick. For more information, please visit http://www.bgcpartners.com. You can also follow BGC at https://twitter.com/bgcpartners, https://www.linkedin.com/company/bgc-partners and/or http://ir.bgcpartners.com/Investors/default.aspx.
Discussion of Forward-Looking Statements about BGC
Statements in this document regarding BGC that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These include statements about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's business, results, financial position, liquidity and outlook, which may constitute forward-looking statements and are subject to the risk that the actual impact may differ, possibly materially, from what is currently expected. Except as required by law, BGC undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see BGC's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors and Special Note on Forward-Looking Information set forth in these filings and any updates to such risk factors and Special Note on Forward-Looking Information contained in subsequent reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q or Form 8-K.
Media Contact:
Karen Laureano-Rikardsen
+1 212-829-4975
Investor Contact:
Jason Chryssicas
+1 212-610-2426
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SOURCE BGC Partners, Inc. | 2022-05-24T20:55:37+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/05/24/bgc-partners-present-piper-sandler-global-exchange-amp-fintech-conference-june-8-2022/ |
Powerful sun storm could bring northern lights to parts of US on Wednesday
Space weather is happening all the time, and if you are lucky enough, you might catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis over the Northern Hemisphere this week.
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) predicts a moderate geomagnetic storm on Wednesday due to a coronal mass ejection (CME) observed late Sunday. The office has recently amended a Geomagnetic Storm Watch to the G2 level.
The northern lights are primarily seen in the higher latitudes in Alaska or Canada, but they have also been seen farther south in California, Nevada and even Texas during significant solar events.
This midweek event is expected to be much weaker than late April's or March’s severe geomagnetic events.
WATCH OUT FOR THESE ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS IN 2023
If strong enough, space weather could have significant impacts on power grids, aviation, satellites and oil and gas industries, said Lt. Bryan Brasher, a project manager with the SWPC.
The agency is on watch 24/7, observing and forecasting the space weather environment to allow these key parts of Earth's infrastructure to take mitigating actions to protect their equipment and services.
Will I see the aurora tonight or tomorrow night?
The SWPC classifies geomagnetic storms from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). The greater the G number, the farther equatorward you can expect to see the aurora, according to Brasher.
"If our forecast for a G2 holds to be true, I wouldn't expect to see aurora south of any state that borders Canada," he added. "If, however, we experience a G3 or even G4 storm, you could expect to see aurora at much lower latitudes."
THESE ARE THE 5 CATEGORIES THAT MEASURE GEOMAGNETIC STORMS
As of Wednesday morning, there were no Geomagnetic Warnings in effect.
"We do have a couple of recent alerts and warnings related to other space weather phenomena that mainly affect radio communication," he said.
A watch is issued when it's believed there will be a risk of significant space weather, but the occurrence or timing is uncertain. A warning is issued when space weather is occurring, imminent or extremely likely based on model data or observation-derived calculations. An alert is issued when a space weather event has already started.
"We consider even minor geomagnetic storming to be significant space weather," Brasher said.
While it might not bring aurora down to the midlatitudes, Brasher added it can affect key infrastructure such as the power grid, satellites and telecommunications.
G1 storm levels are then likely through Thursday with subsequent passage of the magnetic cloud, according to NOAA.
7 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
The more overhead the aurora, the more of it someone could see.
"Based on the fact that aurora typically occur between 50 and 75 miles above the surface of the Earth, it should be possible with the curvature of the Earth (with no light pollution and marginal cloud cover) to see the aurora low on the northern horizon up to 800 to 1,000 miles away," Brasher said.
However, in areas of even moderate light pollution, seeing the aurora might only be possible through long-exposure images, Brasher added.
"Long exposure may also make aurorae visible south of the 800- to 1,000-mile boundary," Brasher continued. "When you are that far south, you may only see the reddish 'tops' of the aurorae (vs. the characteristic green bands visible in the pictures we've all seen taken from above the Arctic Circle)."
WATCH: LUCKY PASSENGER CAPTURES STUNNING TIME-LAPSE VIDEO OF NORTHERN LIGHTS FROM PLANE WINDOW
Space weather happens all the time
We've had two G4 storms in the last few months, and we will likely see more soon, according to Brasher.
So while even if Wednesday's storm isn't big, Brasher said you can expect with a high level of certainty that we will have a few more before this solar cycle is done. However, to see the aurora in New York, Brasher said a G3 or greater storm is required.
Yet if you live in the suburbs, Brasher said you aren't likely going to be dark enough to see the aurora. If you know a storm is coming, go north while getting as far away from city lights as possible and avoiding cloud cover.
Historical data shows that one could expect about 60 G4-level storms and four G5-level storms per solar cycle every 11 years.
"This is, of course, an average, but G5 storms are quite rare," Brasher said. "The last solar cycle was rather mild, but solar cycle 25 is already on its way to being much more active.
According to Brasher, space weather is intimately tied to activity on the sun. Activity on the sun goes through 11-year cycles during which the magnetic field goes from being very uniform to very tangled and chaotic, then back to uniform after the magnetic field of the sun flips.
"Sunspots and, therefore, solar activity is greatest when the magnetic fields are all tangled and chaotic, and we expect to hit peak activity sometime in the next few years," Brasher said. | 2023-05-10T19:25:03+00:00 | fox10phoenix.com | https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/powerful-sun-storm-could-bring-northern-lights-to-parts-of-us-on-wednesday |
NEW YORK, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Halper Sadeh LLC, an investor rights law firm, is investigating the following companies for potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties to shareholders relating to:
Focus Financial Partners Inc. (NASDAQ: FOCS)'s sale to affiliates of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC for $53.00 per share in cash. If you are a Focus shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Ranger Oil Corporation (NASDAQ: ROCC)'s sale to Baytex Energy Corp. Under the terms of the agreement, Ranger shareholders will receive 7.49 Baytex shares plus $13.31 in cash, for each Ranger common share. If you are a Ranger shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
TCR² Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: TCRR)'s sale to Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc for 1.5117 Adaptimmune ADS for each TCR² share is fair to TCR² shareholders. Following the closing of the transaction, TCR² stockholders will own approximately 25% of the combined company. If you are a TCR² shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Halper Sadeh LLC may seek increased consideration for shareholders, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits on behalf of shareholders.
Shareholders are encouraged to contact the firm free of charge to discuss their legal rights and options. Please call Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or email sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com.
Halper Sadeh LLC represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact Information:
Halper Sadeh LLC
Daniel Sadeh, Esq.
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SOURCE Halper Sadeh LLP | 2023-04-27T16:06:36+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2023/04/27/shareholder-investigation-halper-sadeh-llc-investigates-focs-rocc-tcrr/ |
Trump weighs another run as GOP rivals eye own campaigns
NASHVILLE (AP) — As religious conservatives gathered this week at a sprawling resort near the Grand Ole Opry House, Nikki Haley pressed the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s “Road to Majority” crowd to look to the future.
“It’s up to us to deliver a new birth of patriotism,” said Haley, the former South Carolina governor who was ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump. “And together with you, and with trust in God, I pledge to answer that call and inspire our country once again.”
Such comments are typical of a party that’s out of power and in search of its next leader. But what’s unusual: The party’s last leader is plotting his own comeback.
Trump is showing up on the same stage Friday, his first public appearance since the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection began to lay bare his desperate attempts to remain in power by challenging American democracy. But, at least for now, the harrowing footage and searing testimony in the panel’s hearings, including accounts from Trump’s close associates and members of his family, appear to have done little to dampen his interest in another campaign.
Indeed, Trump is actively weighing when he might formally launch a third presidential run, according to people familiar with the discussions. The debate, according to aides and allies who insist Trump has yet to make a final decision, centers on whether to announce a campaign in the coming months or, in accordance with tradition, wait until after the November midterm elections.
Trump has spent the past year and a half holding rallies, delivering speeches and using his endorsements to exact revenge and further shape the party in his image. But some say the former president, who has decamped from his Florida Mar-a-Lago club to Bedminster, New Jersey, for the summer, is also growing impatient.
While he has relished his role as a party kingmaker — with candidates all but begging his endorsement and racking up large tabs at fundraisers in his ballrooms — Trump also misses the days when he was actually king, particularly as he watches Democratic President Joe Biden struggling with low approval ratings and soaring inflation.
“I think a lot of Trump’s future plans are directly based on Biden, and I think the more Biden continues to stumble on the world stage and on the domestic stage, people forget about the downside, the dark side of Trump’s presidency,” said Bryan Lanza, a GOP strategist and former Trump campaign official.
An announcement in the near future could complicate efforts by other ambitious Republicans to mount campaigns. Haley, for instance, has said she wouldn’t run against Trump.
But there also are concerns that a near-term announcement could hurt Republicans going into the final stretch of a midterm congressional campaign that appears increasingly favorable to the party. A Trump candidacy could unite otherwise despondent Democratic voters, reviving the energy that lifted the party in the 2018 and 2020 campaigns.
And, regardless of his decision, the aura of inevitability that Trump sought to create from the moment he left the White House has been punctured. Some Republicans and their aides have tried to make clear in recent months that a Trump candidacy would have little influence on their own decisions.
They include Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, who has been hailed by the Jan. 6 committee as someone who put the national interest ahead of his own political considerations. Eyeing a White House bid, Pence is maintaining a brisk political schedule focused on drawing attention to Democratic vulnerabilities.
Others including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have also indicated their decisions do not rest on Trump’s. And they and others have become increasingly brazen in their willingness to cross the former president, including endorsing candidates running against his and even campaigning with Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who survived Trump’s efforts to defeat him in the state’s GOP primary last month.
Some of these could-be candidates, including Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Florida Sen. Rick Scott and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, were appearing alongside the former president as he headlines the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s gathering in Nashville.
The field could include a long list of others, including Rep. Liz Cheney, the lead Republican on the Jan. 6 panel, and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan — both Trump critics. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, is seen by many loyal Trump supporters as the future of his movement.
Indeed, many of those attending the conference in Nashville — the resort is near the Opry House, where the longtime “Grand Ole Opry” country music radio show is broadcast — weren’t sold on a third Trump run.
“I don’t know. The jury’s still out with me,” said Jonathan Goodwin, a minister who works as a Faith and Freedom organizer in South Carolina. “I like him, but I think he shot himself in the foot too many times.”
While Goodwin said he “definitely” had his own concerns about the 2020 election, he said he didn’t support how Trump had handled the situation. “I think he should have bowed out gracefully,” he said, “whether it was rigged or not.”
Illinois conservative Pam Roehl, who arrived at the conference Friday wearing a red Trump baseball cap and “Trump 2020″ necklace, said she still supports the former president, but was increasingly finding herself in the minority among like-minded friends, whom she said had moved on, discarding their bumper stickers, and embracing DeSantis.
“They’re like kind of, ‘Get with the program. Why aren’t you backing DeSantis?’” she said.
Though it’s increasingly clear that Trump wouldn’t march to the GOP nomination unchallenged, a large field of candidates could still work to his advantage. The dynamic is beginning to resemble the 2016 campaign, when Trump faced a large and unwieldy group of candidates that split the anti-Trump vote.
In a crowded field, even if Trump only captures around 30% of GOP primary voters — as his endorsed candidates have in several races — he would sail to the Republican nomination.
Aides say Trump has been peppering those around him for their thoughts.
Some in his orbit, like former campaign adviser Jason Miller, have urged Trump to jump in sooner rather than later, to get a head start on building out a campaign, try to freeze out competition and keep attention on himself.
An early strategy would also allow Trump to cast his mounting legal vulnerabilities as merely political attacks. An Atlanta district attorney has impaneled a special grand jury to probe his meddling in the 2020 presidential election. And in New York, Trump and two of his children have agreed to sit for depositions next month in the state attorney general’s civil investigation into his business practices.
Others are urging Trump to wait until after the midterms, so he can run on Republicans’ November victories. They note that his frequent teasing of his plans — Trump often muses he’ll “do it again” — earns him applause and media attention and warn that formally declaring his candidacy would trigger campaign finance laws that set limits on how much donors can give. It also would change his relationship with his Save America PAC, which has more than $100 million in the bank — more than both national party organizations combined — and currently funds his campaign travel.
Either way, many voters say, he will need to win them over.
Jake Thomson, 19, who goes to school in Alabama and will be a first-time presidential voter in 2024, said he thought Trump was a great president, but was also interested in alternatives.
“It just kind of depends on how things play out,” he said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2022-06-17T16:45:39+00:00 | wafb.com | https://www.wafb.com/2022/06/17/trump-weighs-another-run-gop-rivals-eye-own-campaigns/ |
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the "Cash4Life" game were:
17-40-41-53-60, Cash Ball: 2
(seventeen, forty, forty-one, fifty-three, sixty; Cash Ball: two)
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the "Cash4Life" game were:
17-40-41-53-60, Cash Ball: 2
(seventeen, forty, forty-one, fifty-three, sixty; Cash Ball: two) | 2022-05-13T02:47:31+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Cash4Life-game-17169665.php |
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People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | 2022-05-19T18:59:38+00:00 | beloitdailynews.com | https://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/local-news/teen-accused-of-pointing-gun-at-person-in-beloit/article_090a95c6-d793-11ec-9bdf-1ffd79e58cb4.html |
- Closure of pre-A financing round led by LAMPAM Capital
- Dual internal discovery platforms of small molecule and AAV-based gene therapy targeting neurological and psychiatric disorders
SHANGHAI, Sept. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NeuShen Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company focusing on developing innovative treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders with dual platforms of AAV-based gene therapy and small molecule discovery, announced today the closure of ~$20 million Series pre-A financing led by LAPAM, a China based venture capital. NeuShen was founded by a group of industrial executives who have extensive global experiences in central nervous system (CNS) drug development. The new capital will be used to expand the team and catalyze in-house CNS drug discovery in both the US and China.
"The successful completion of this fundraising is a testimony to our team's ability to accomplish CNS drug development and jump starts our discovery engine to build a pipeline with AAV-based gene therapy and small molecule programs," said Joan Shen, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer and founder of NeuShen. "CNS disease is an area with huge unmet needs. Our company has had a very clear goal from Day 1, which is to develop novel therapies to relieve the burdens of patients with CNS disorders. In the past few months, we have developed an achievable R&D strategy and built-up a substantial core team with experienced CNS drug hunters. Significant progress has been made in building the internal small molecule pipeline and new AAV gene therapy programs. In addition, multiple collaborations and partnerships have been discussed and established."
CNS disorders are increasingly recognized as major causes of death and disability worldwide while the diagnosis and treatments have largely lagged. Urgent measures are needed to tackle the growing challenges. "Bringing breakthroughs and learnings from other disease targets such as ophthalmology, oncology and hematology, we believe AAV-based gene therapy represents a new opportunity in the treatment of CNS disorders. My colleagues and I at Horae Gene Therapy Center are looking forward to working with Neushen to explore these treatment opportunities. The experiences of NeuShen team in neurosciences will be critical to make this happen," noted Dr. Guangping Gao, Professor, Director, Horae Gene Therapy Center, UMass Chan Medical School. The collaborations between NeuShen and UMass are currently in discussion, which will include multiple projects in CNS gene therapy.
"We are very excited to partner with NeuShen from the beginning. Lapam Capital has a strong commitment to healthcare, and we believe the CNS therapeutic area will attract more investment, considering the huge unmet needs and scientific advancements in the field. We highly value Dr. Joan Shen and her management team for their expertise. Lampam Capital is confident with NeuShen's ability to be a top player in developing innovative therapies for CNS diseases," said Mr. Zhihua Yu, Managing Director of Lapam Capital.
"Dr. Shen has assembled a pre-eminent group of scientists, clinicians and drug developers to build a global biotech developing novel medicines for unmet needs in CNS therapeutic areas. TTM Capital are excited to support Neushen to build its multi-modality pipelines to help patients worldwide," said Ms. Lilly Zhang, founding and managing partner at TTM Capital.
About NeuShen Therapeutics
NeuShen Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focusing on innovative drug research and development to address CNS disorders, applying dual research platforms, including AAV-based gene therapy and small molecule discovery. With operations both in Shanghai, China and Boston, MA, NeuShen has a world-class team and is honored to be advised by an outstanding Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board.
About Lapam Capital
Headquartered in Beijing, Lapam Capital is a leading healthcare venture capital firm in China. Lapam is currently managing five RMB funds and one USD fund, with more than 10 billion RMB under management. Lapam Capital focuses on investments in early to middle stage fast-growing companies that have innovative pharmaceuticals and medical devices. It has invested in about 60 biopharmaceutical companies and 10 medical device companies to date, including Betta Pharma, RemeGen Co. Ltd., Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Yahong Meditech, Stemirna Therapeutics, Binhui Biotech, ImmuneOnco Biopharmaceuticals, Biostar Pharmaceuticals, Aibo Medical Robot Co. Ltd. and many other companies with great potential. Lapam Capital has a professional investment team with more than 20 years' international and domestic biopharmaceutical industry R&D and management experience and can provide comprehensive value-added supports for the invested companies.
About TTM Capital
TTM Capital is an investment firm that specializes in China and worldwide healthcare industry. We focus on early and growth stage companies including pharmaceutical, biotech and medical technology sub-sectors.
TTM Capital's team consists of experienced global vision investment professionals with extensive industry experience, who work together to achieve superior and consistent returns for the firm's investors. We are committed to accumulating industry experience over time, with the aim to develop an ecosystem of expertise to create transformative healthcare businesses.
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SOURCE NeuShen Therapeutics | 2022-09-29T11:26:12+00:00 | newschannel10.com | https://www.newschannel10.com/prnewswire/2022/09/29/neushen-therapeutics-closes-pre-a-financing-with-20m/ |
SAN FRANCISCO, May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fluxx, the leading cloud-based grants management software solution, and UpMetrics, the leading impact analytics platform for the social sector, are excited to announce their partnership to provide foundations and grantees with an end-to-end solution that combines grantmaking data (via Fluxx) with impact data, measurement and analytics (via UpMetrics). The partnership will empower foundations to make more informed grantmaking decisions while strengthening relationships with grantee partners through shared learning, enabling them to drive impact at scale.
"We are thrilled to partner with UpMetrics to provide a comprehensive impact management and measurement solution to our partners," said Kristy Gannon, CEO of Fluxx. "The partnership between our two companies brings together the best of both worlds - operational and grantmaking data with real-time impact data and analytics through foundation and grantee collaboration. By reimagining the reporting process our partners will be able share quantitative and qualitative data while effectively measuring and evaluating their funding, which is essential for making informed grantmaking decisions that maximize impact."
The partnership between Fluxx and UpMetrics comes as a response to the growing need for foundations and grantees to deepen relationships through access to real-time data and analytics. By leveraging these two powerful technologies, foundations can reduce the time-consuming process of data collection and analysis, drive alignment across grants management, program and evaluation teams, and make it easier to evaluate their grantmaking.
"We are excited to collaborate with Fluxx to provide a first-of-its-kind solution that empowers foundations and grantees with the ability to better leverage information and relationships to support communities at scale," said Drew Payne, CEO of UpMetrics. "To effectively take on the most pressing social and environmental challenges, the ability to use real-time data to drive insights, effective decisioning, and collaborative learning is critical. Through increased data transparency and information sharing, foundations can reimagine reporting towards learning and accelerating measurable outcomes."
The partnership will benefit shared clients, including the Ford Foundation, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, and many others. By partnering, Fluxx and UpMetrics are working to modernize how foundations and grantees manage and measure impact, providing a more comprehensive view of their collective work towards achieving their goals.
About Fluxx:
Fluxx is the industry-leading cloud-first grantmaking solution. Purpose-built by grantmakers for grantmaking, Fluxx is women-led, a DEI champion, and a Pledge 1% member organization. More than 350 world-class foundations and government organizations use Fluxx, including 10 of the top 20 foundations, granting more than $15 billion annually and impacting more than 150,000 non-profits. To learn more about Fluxx, please visit https://www.fluxx.io/.
About UpMetrics:
UpMetrics is the leading impact measurement platform for mission-driven organizations. By combining purpose-built technology with expert services and support, UpMetrics is elevating the way the impact ecosystem generates, analyzes, and leverages data to drive accelerated social and environmental change. To learn more about UpMetrics, please visit https://www.upmetrics.com.
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SOURCE Fluxx | 2023-05-04T20:22:49+00:00 | kcrg.com | https://www.kcrg.com/prnewswire/2023/05/04/fluxx-upmetrics-announce-global-partnership-bring-first-of-its-kind-grantmaking-impact-management-analytics-solution-philanthropy/ |
Rays vs. Royals Probable Starting Pitchers Today - June 25
Published: Jun. 25, 2023 at 6:08 AM EDT|Updated: 44 minutes ago
The Tampa Bay Rays (53-27) and Kansas City Royals (22-55) clash on Sunday at 1:40 PM ET.
The probable starters are Tyler Glasnow (2-1) for the Rays and Daniel Lynch (1-3) for the Royals.
Bet Now: Get the latest odds for this matchup and pitcher props on BetMGM. New depositors can use bonus code "GNPLAY" for special offers!
Rays vs. Royals Pitcher Matchup Info
- Date: Sunday, June 25, 2023
- Time: 1:40 PM ET
- TV: BSSUN
- Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
- Venue: Tropicana Field
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo!
- Probable Pitchers: Glasnow - TB (2-1, 4.97 ERA) vs Lynch - KC (1-3, 4.45 ERA)
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Explore More About This Game
Rays Probable Starting Pitcher Tonight: Tyler Glasnow
- The Rays' Glasnow (2-1) will make his sixth start of the season.
- The right-hander's last start was on Tuesday, when he tossed 4 1/3 innings while giving up six earned runs on six hits in a matchup with the Baltimore Orioles.
- The 29-year-old has an ERA of 4.97 and 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings, with a batting average against of .229 in five games this season.
- He has one quality starts in five chances this season.
- Glasnow has three starts of five or more innings this season in five chances. He averages 5 innings per outing.
- He has allowed at least one earned run in every appearance this season.
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Royals Probable Starting Pitcher Tonight: Daniel Lynch
- Lynch makes the start for the Royals, his sixth of the season. He is 1-3 with a 4.45 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 30 1/3 innings pitched.
- His last time out was on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers, when the left-hander threw seven scoreless innings while giving up just one hit.
- During five games this season, the 26-year-old has a 4.45 ERA and 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings, while giving up a batting average of .235 to opposing batters.
- Lynch heads into this outing with two quality starts under his belt this season.
- Lynch is seeking his sixth straight appearance lasting five or more innings. He averages six innings per start.
- He has had one outing this season that he held his opponents to zero earned runs.
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-06-25T10:52:34+00:00 | wcjb.com | https://www.wcjb.com/sports/betting/2023/06/25/rays-vs-royals-mlb-probable-starting-pitchers/ |
Police: Louisville shooting suspect bought gun legally a week ago
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The bank employee who opened fire at his Louisville workplace targeted specific people with the rifle he bought legally a week earlier, police said Tuesday.
Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said at a news conference that bank employee Connor Sturgeon, 25, bought the AR-15 rifle on April 4 and targeted certain people in the attack.
Armed with the rifle, Sturgeon killed five people — including a close friend of Kentucky’s governor — while livestreaming the attack Monday on Instagram, authorities said. Another eight people were wounded.
Gwinn-Villaroel also said that officers’ body camera video from shooting will be released Tuesday afternoon.
The chief said that a rookie officer who was shot in the head while responding to the mass shooting remained in critical but stable condition Tuesday morning.
“It’s looking hopeful,” Gwinn-Villaroel told WDRB-TV about Officer Nickolas Wilt, who had graduated from training just 10 days earlier.
She said Wilt and other officers “unflinchingly” engaged the shooter at Old National Bank and stopped him from killing more people.
Police arrived as shots were still being fired inside the building and killed the shooter, Gwinn-Villaroel said.
“The act of heroism can’t be overstated on yesterday. They did what they were called to do. They answered that call to protect and serve,” she said.
The shooting, the 15th mass killing in the country this year, comes just two weeks after a former student killed three children and three adults at a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) to the south. That state’s governor and his wife also had friends killed in that shooting.
Four of the injured remained hospitalized Tuesday — one in critical condition and three in stable but fair condition, University of Louisville Hospital said in a statement.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he lost one of his closest friends in the shooting.
“Tommy Elliott helped me build my law career, helped me become governor, gave me advice on being a good dad,” said Beshear, his voice shaking with emotion. “He’s one of the people I talked to most in the world, and very rarely were we talking about my job. He was an incredible friend.”
Also killed in the shooting were Josh Barrick, Jim Tutt, Juliana Farmer and Deana Eckert, police said.
“There are no words to adequately describe the sadness and devastation that our Old National family is experiencing as we grieve the tragic loss of our team members and pray for the recovery of all those who were injured,” Old National Bank CEO Jim Ryan said in a statement.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg told WDRB-TV that his focus moving forward would be on trying to unify residents in the city.
“We can’t let the targeted acts of evil violence that we saw yesterday in our city deter us from continuing on the path to make our city the vibrant, safe, strong healthy city that we all know it can be and all want it to be,” he said.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-04-11T17:08:24+00:00 | mysuncoast.com | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2023/04/11/police-louisville-shooting-suspect-bought-gun-legally-week-ago/ |
Winning Tough Trivia is easier when you listen mornings between 6:40 & 6:50. That’s when Sean Copeland gives you the correct answer to each day’s question. Select the correct answer below and you’ll be entered into today’s drawing for…
This week win a pair of tickets to see For King & Country: Drummer Boy Christmas, December 15th @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse and Hoosier Holiday Lottery ticket
4500 is the average number for this. What is it?
A – Calories consumed in average Thanksgiving meal
B – Extra calories we’ll eat per week the rest of the year | 2022-11-21T18:31:55+00:00 | b1057.com | https://b1057.com/64527/seans-tough-trivia-11-21-22/ |
For Games of Saturday, May 7
NOTE: Only games with one or both pitchers designated are listed below
INTERLEAGUE
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
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KEY
TEAM REC-Team's Record in games started by today's pitcher.
VS OPP-Pitcher's record versus this opponent. | 2022-05-06T22:36:30+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/MLB-Pitching-Comparison-17155327.php |
Idaho's largest school district to use the program to support discourse-driven math instruction for all students in Grades K–5
NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., July 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- West Ada School District in Meridian, Idaho has adopted Curriculum Associates' i-Ready Classroom Mathematics as the primary math curriculum support material for Grades K–5 for the next seven years. Starting in the 2022–2023 school year, more than 800 teachers will use the discourse-driven, standards-aligned i-Ready Classroom Mathematics curriculum to help approximately 17,500 students throughout the state's largest district become independent mathematical thinkers.
"Using academic data, West Ada has identified math as a primary focus for improvement in our continuous improvement plan," said Dustin Barrett, the district's director of curriculum and instruction. "Through our partnership with Curriculum Associates, we are optimistic that the robust nature of the i-Ready Classroom Mathematics materials, applied in a guaranteed and viable manner for [Grades] K–5, will provide West Ada the ability to improve student math proficiency. The i-Ready Classroom Mathematics materials will allow West Ada to teach, assess, and intervene utilizing easily accessible and actionable real-time data to best support student learning."
i-Ready Classroom Mathematics will be used alongside the online i-Ready Personalized Instruction and i-Ready Assessment programs, which have already been implemented by the district, to provide teachers with a comprehensive and aligned solution for supporting math achievement. i-Ready Classroom Mathematics was reviewed and chosen by a district adoption committee composed of educators, parents, and community members as part of the selection process.
"As a leader in the state, West Ada School District and its stakeholders were dedicated to selecting a math curriculum resource that would give students a voice in their learning and support math teaching, both now and in the years to come," said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. "We commend the district for their dedication to this process and look forward to helping teachers engage all students as they connect with important math concepts in new ways through the use of i-Ready Classroom Mathematics."
i-Ready Classroom Mathematics helps teachers deliver discourse-based instruction while empowering students to think mathematically and discuss mathematical ideas. Its print and online grade-differentiated resources work cohesively to support the teaching and learning process. The program uses multiple-day lessons and instructional routines to help students understand important mathematical concepts, make connections between multiple mathematical strategies, and deepen their conceptual understanding by leading the majority of the classroom discussion. There are also frequent opportunities for practice and assessment to ensure students understand concepts and to help teachers make instructional decisions.
The program includes a variety of professional learning resources that are built into the beginning of every unit and embedded within every lesson. It also offers professional guidance for supporting English Learners, including language differentiation strategies that provide scaffolds for the five WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment) language proficiency levels and ideas for community and cultural responsiveness that can be incorporated during each lesson.
When used with the i-Ready Diagnostic and its Prerequisite reports, i-Ready Classroom Mathematics also helps educators identify student gaps and effectively balance instruction of prerequisite skills and current grade-level content.
To learn more about i-Ready Classroom Mathematics, visit
i-ReadyClassroomMathematics.com/LearnMore.
About Curriculum Associates
Founded in 1969, Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company's products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students.
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SOURCE Curriculum Associates, LLC | 2022-07-12T16:20:02+00:00 | wsfa.com | https://www.wsfa.com/prnewswire/2022/07/12/west-ada-school-district-approves-seven-year-adoption-i-ready-classroom-mathematics-its-core-math-curriculum/ |
Listed by Jeremy Kahler, KWBH, 605-381-7500. Nestled in the much desired Hart Ranch community, this one owner, custom built, single level home combines quality construction with on-trend design *3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 2,102sqft *The large entryway welcomes you in and gives access to the sunny living room; accented by beautiful wood floors, a gas fireplace flanked by large windows and fantastic natural light- you will not want to leave this space *The nearby chef's kitchen has top of the line appliances, high end finishes, quartz countertops, a 6.5' island with undermount sink and bonus seating, and custom ceiling height cabinetry with soft close drawers *The nearby laundry room has a utility sink, plenty of cabinet space and a door to the side yard *Half bathroom and mud room just off the Zero Entry door into the attached garage *The master suite is in the back corner of the home for privacy and offers a comfortable bedroom, a spa like ensuite bathroom with dual vanities, a custom tile walk in shower and private walk in closet *2 additional bedrooms and 1 full bathroom complete this home *The attached 3-car tandem garage has added workshop space and a 30amp exterior outlet *Relax on the covered Trex deck that overlooks the well manicured front lawn, or on the cozy concrete back patio, overlooking the privately owned property behind *Great curb appeal out front with stacked stone accents and tasteful landscaping | 2023-04-29T06:01:01+00:00 | rapidcityjournal.com | https://rapidcityjournal.com/3-bedroom-home-in-rapid-city---595-000/article_8722c18a-f835-5209-8577-d236cd704e5d.html |
PARIS (AP) — Karim Benzema won the men’s Ballon d’Or for the first time on Monday after a brilliant season with Real Madrid capped by the Champions League and Spanish league titles.
Spanish player Alexia Putellas won the women’s trophy for the second straight year following another standout season with Barcelona.
Benzema had his best season ever at Madrid, being the top scorer in both leagues. He scored 44 times for Madrid, including 15 in Europe’s top competition, and equaled Raúl González as the club’s second-highest scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
Benzema, at 34, became the oldest winner since the first recipient in 1956, Stanley Matthews.
“Age is just a number for me,” he said. “People play until their later years now and I still have this burning desire. It is this drive that has kept me going and never allowed me to let up.”
Benzema won ahead of Sadio Mané and Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne. Mané played for Liverpool last season and joined Bayern Munich in the summer.
“I’m really proud, it’s a lot of work and a kid’s dream come true,” Benzema said.
He succeeded Lionel Messi, who won the award for a record-extending seventh time last year but was not among the nominees this time after his first season with Paris Saint-Germain.
For the first time this year, the Ballon d’Or was based on achievements from the past season. It had previously been awarded based on performances throughout calendar years.
Awarded by France Football magazine, the Ballon d’Or has been given out to men for 66 years. The women’s trophy was created in 2018, and both were canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Benzema became the fifth Frenchman to win it after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin and Zinedine Zidane, who was crowned in 1998, the year France won its first World Cup.
Benzema was not part of the France squad that triumphed at the 2018 World Cup in Russia but, barring an injury, will compete at the tournament in Qatar next month.
After nearly six years out following his involvement in a sex tape scandal, Benzema was recalled by France coach Didier Deschamps last year ahead of the European Championship and has played regularly since.
“There were much more difficult moments for me, when I was not selected (with France) and I did not give up,” Benzema said after Zidane, his former coach at Madrid, handed him the trophy. “I am really proud of my career. This is the Golden Ball of the people.”
Leading an attack that also included Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, Benzema played a crucial role last season to drive Madrid to a record-extending 14th European title, and his fifth since he joined from Lyon in 2009. The Frenchman was the tournament’s top scorer and found the net when it really mattered, with 10 of his goals in the knockout stages.
Putellas scored 42 goals and delivered 22 assists last season. She became the first player to win the award twice.
With Barcelona, she won the Spanish League and reached the Champions League final. She has been sidelined since July after injuring her left knee and undergoing surgery on the eve of the Women’s European Championship.
“When I got injured I didn’t think I’d be here today, but it makes me proud to get recompense for all that hard work,” she said. “I miss playing so much and doing what I like to do the most.”
Putellas beat out fellow forwards Beth Mead of Arsenal and England and Sam Kerr of Chelsea and Australia for the award at the ceremony in Paris. A panel of international journalists chose the winners.
In other awards, the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player went to 18-year-old Barcelona midfielder Gavi, while Robert Lewandowski won the Gerd Müller award for the best striker of the year.
The Lev Yashin award for best goalkeeper went to Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois.
Ballon d’Or organizers added a humanitarian prize named after the late Brazil midfielder Socrates. The trophy went to Mané for his charity work in Senegal including building a hospital and school donations.
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-10-17T21:50:01+00:00 | cbs4indy.com | https://cbs4indy.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-karim-benzema-and-alexia-putellas-win-ballon-dor-awards/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida has amended his plan to overhaul how the federal government works after Democrats, including President Joe Biden, repeatedly invoked it to accuse Republicans of looking to cut Medicare and Social Security.
Scott unveiled his original plan last year when serving as chair of the campaign committee for Senate Republicans. It called for all federal legislation to sunset in five years, and if a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again.
His revised plan specifies exceptions for Social Security, Medicare, national security, veterans benefits, and other essential services. The change comes as Democrats work to drive a wedge between GOP lawmakers and their base of older voters who rely on government programs for income and health insurance.
Biden held up a pamphlet of Scott’s original plan when he visited the senator’s home state of Florida last week, saying “I know that a lot of Republicans — their dream is to cut Social Security and Medicare. If that’s your dream, I’m your nightmare.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has also been highlighting Scott’s proposals to criticize the GOP’s budgetary demands. And Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has consistently sought to distance Senate Republicans from Scott, telling reporters this week: “Let me say one more time, there is no agenda on the part of Senate Republicans to revisit Medicare or Social Security, period.”
Scott’s new plan takes a shot at his critics, saying in bold typeface: “Note to President Biden, Sen. Schumer, and Sen. McConnell – As you know, this was never intended to apply to Social Security, Medicare, or the US Navy.”
Scott explained the changes he made in a Washington Examiner op-ed that lashed out at Biden as well as McConnell.
“I have never supported cutting Social Security or Medicare, ever. To say otherwise is a disingenuous Democrat lie from a very confused president. And Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is also well aware of that. It’s shallow gotcha politics, which is what Washington does,” Scott wrote.
The White House wasn’t buying Scott’s explanation, though. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said cutting Medicare and Social Security was a “longstanding passion” for Scott.
“Make no mistake, his true colors are undeniable and on the record,” Jean-Pierre said.
McConnell and Scott have been at odds for some time now. Scott challenged McConnell in November to become the chamber’s minority leader, but McConnell easily prevailed in the first attempt to oust him. The vote was 37-10, senators said, with one other senator voting present.
House Republicans have been calling for reducing government spending as part of any agreement to increase the nation’s borrowing authority in the coming months. Democrats have been calling for a clean debt ceiling with no strings attached and are challenging Republicans to spell out any cuts they propose to make. Scott’s overhaul Friday signals the difficulty Republicans will have in answering that challenge.
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Associated Press staff writer Christopher Megerian contributed to this report. | 2023-02-17T23:21:39+00:00 | upmatters.com | https://www.upmatters.com/politics/ap-politics/ap-sen-rick-scott-alters-policy-plan-causing-heartburn-for-gop/ |
ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. still sees plenty of room for improvement as the Atlanta Braves keep winning.
“We’re going to keep grinding and growing,” Acuña said through a translator. “Baseball is all about highs and lows. It’s just part of it, but I think we’re going to keep doing our part and keep grinding and playing hard and hopefully we can keep winning.”
Dansby Swanson blooped a three-run single, Ozzie Albies added a grand slam in an eight-run seventh inning and the Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-4 Saturday for their 10th consecutive win.
Acuña and Austin Riley also homered for the defending World Series champions, on their longest winning streak since they won 14 in a row from July 26 to Aug. 9, 2013. The Braves were 10 1/2 games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets before play on June 2 and closed within 6 1/2 games by Saturday morning.
Pittsburgh has lost a season-worst five straight.
Atlanta trailed 4-2 before the Braves batted around in the seventh against Duane Underwood Jr. (0-2) and Chris Stratton. Marcell Ozuna doubled, advanced on Adam Duvall’s forceout and scored on Michael Harris II’s single before Swanson’s opposite-field single to right, which charged up the sellout crowd of 41,219 at Truist Park as Acuña scored from first.
“A play like that kind of shocks the defense because they don’t expect it on a ball like that,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I know as soon as that ball was hit, he was in fourth gear.”
Albies’ fifth career slam put the Braves ahead 10-4.
“It ended up getting kind of ugly really fast,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said.
Jesse Chavez (1-1) allowed one hit in two scoreless innings.
Pittsburgh starter Zach Thompson, who had a 2.34 ERA over his prior seven starts, held the Braves to one hit and one walk after surrendering a pair of solo homers in the first. Thompson was charged with three hits and two runs in five innings.
After the Pirates jumped to a 2-0 lead on homers by Bryan Reynolds and Daniel Vogelbach in the first, the Braves tied it when Acuña and Riley went deep in the bottom half. Acuña hit his 25th career leadoff homer.
“I made one mistake, really, to Riley,” Thompson said. “Acuña, you just tip your cap. It was a great piece of hitting, but I guess some reassurance that I was making really good pitches. I just needed to keep going out there and doing my thing.”
Pittsburgh built a 4-2 lead on RBI doubles in the fifth by Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Braves starter Charlie Morton struggled in the first inning again, his 10.50 ERA worst among qualified starters. He’s allowed 15 hits, four homers and eight walks in the first inning of 12 starts.
The 38-year-old Morton, who entered with a 6.86 ERA over his last four starts, registered a season-high 12 strikeouts but surrendered five hits and four runs in six innings. The double-digit strikeout game was the 20th of his career and third of the season.
Morton has loved watching his team find different ways to win over the last 11 days.
“I knew it was going to happen,” Morton said. “I knew they were going to do it because I’ve seen it before. I’m looking around the clubhouse those guys are tight and they care about each other. There’s just too much talent and too good a chemistry.”
The Pirates have struck out at least 10 times in five straight games.
FIRST TIME
Morton faced Pittsburgh, the team he pitched for from 2009-15, for the first time in 303 career starts. The last Braves pitcher to face an opponent in the regular season for the first time this late in his career was John Smoltz against Cleveland in 2007. It was Smoltz’s 443rd game.
NICE GLOVES
Pirates LF Jack Suwinski made a tough catch when he raced toward shallow left and dove forward to rob Ozzie Albies of a hit in the first. … Pittsburgh 2B Tucupita Marcano’s over-the-shoulder catch in shallow center kept Adam Duvall from reaching in the second. … Riley jumped to snare Cal Mitchell’s liner on a difficult play in the eighth.
UP NEXT
RHP Kyle Wright (6-3, 2.39 ERA) pitches for Atlanta and LHP José Quintana (1-3, 3.19) goes for the Pirates as the teams wrap up a four-game series. Wright, who will face the Pirates for the first time in his career, has a 1.69 ERA over his last five starts. Quintana is 2-1 with an 8.68 ERA in four career starts against Atlanta.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-06-12T20:09:32+00:00 | fox44news.com | https://www.fox44news.com/sports/albies-slam-leads-braves-to-10th-in-row-10-4-over-pirates/ |
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — More than two months after being impacted by a huge wildfire, the Village of Ruidoso is looking to make a tourism comeback.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Friday that Ruidoso and the state Tourism Department are jointly earmarking $150,000 to help lure visitors to the southern New Mexico community.
Ruidoso is still recovering from the so-called McBride Fire that destroyed more than 200 homes and killed two people in April. The blaze, which burned 9.4 square miles (24 square kilometers), became fully contained a month ago.
The funding will focus on tourists in west Texas, a source of the most travelers to Ruidoso.
Ruidoso Director of Tourism Elizabeth Ritter says there is still a lot of scenery to enjoy despite trails still being restricted due to wildfire risk.
State tourism officials met with the residents of the mountain town last month to address concerns and ideas for recovery. | 2022-06-11T20:26:35+00:00 | seattlepi.com | https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/State-to-help-with-150-000-funding-to-boost-17235516.php |
Chaka Khan, Khalid, Ne-Yo and more light up the stage at CNN’s ‘Juneteenth: A Global Celebration of Freedom’
By Scottie Andrew, CNN
CNN’s inaugural “Juneteenth: A Global Celebration of Freedom” concert was a moving commemoration of history and a joyous night of music.
The Hollywood Bowl event celebrated Juneteenth, the holiday that marks the end of slavery in the US. From icons like Earth Wind & Fire to R&B stars like Khalid, Black artists across genres took the stage on Sunday.
Below, relive some of the night’s performances.
Musical icons like Chaka Khan get audiences dancing
Gospel star Yolanda Adams opened the show with a rousing performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a historical rallying cry that’s also considered the Black National Anthem. A beaming Chaka Khan, backed by the Roots, followed with her hits “Ain’t Nobody” and “I’m Every Woman,” dedicating the latter song to the “powerful women” in the audience.
Bell Biv Devoe hit the stage and got nearly every member of the audience dancing. Backstage, presenters Leslie Jones and Amanda Seales bopped along to the group’s hit, “Poison.”
Ne-Yo followed the ’90s trio with a high-energy performance of “Give Me Everything” and got the audience singing along with him.
And yes, that was Beyoncé making a vocal cameo in a prerecorded segment on Opal Lee, the 95-year-old activist who worked to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. (More on Lee below.)
Powerful messages
Country phenom Mickey Guyton covered Marvin Gaye’s protest anthem “What’s Going On” and sang her original, Grammy-nominated single, “Black Like Me.” Poet Amir Sulaiman performed a moving piece with a message to viewers: “You will be someone’s ancestor. Act accordingly.”
The entire creative team behind the concert is Black, CNN’s Sara Sidner reported ahead of the show, including creator Shawn Gee of Live Nation Urban and Jesse Collins Entertainment. The night also marked the first time an all-Black orchestra, Re-Collective Orchestra, played at the Bowl, Sidner said.
The Re-Collective Orchestra accompanied members of the Debbie Allen Dance Company, who performed a vibrant dance piece (and were introduced by Allen herself).
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, but many Black Americans have honored the date for years with parades, parties and family gatherings. The holiday is also an opportunity to reflect on the persisting systemic inequalities that Black Americans face.
President Joe Biden addressed that duality in a recorded message, recommending that Americans celebrate the date and remember the horrors of slavery.
“It’s time to celebrate, time to educate and time to act,” Biden said.
Vice President Kamala Harris also appeared in a recorded message, as did former first lady Michelle Obama, who called on viewers to vote.
Jill Scott delivered a spoken word piece entitled “Agitation: Definition #3” on an empty stage, speaking of the pain of watching systemic changes fail to pass. She ended her performance by wordlessly throwing up her arms.
The event honored the ‘grandmother of Juneteenth’
In a pre-show special, Lee told CNN’s Don Lemon that she was “pinching [herself]” at the fact that her life’s work of making Juneteenth a federal holiday had succeeded.
Earlier this Juneteenth, Lee, considered the “grandmother of Juneeteenth,” walked 2.5 miles to symbolize the two-and-a-half years that the enslaved African Americans of Galveston, Texas, lived in captivity after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.
Lee said Americans should spend the holiday celebrating, learning and continuing to advocate for change.
“I advocate that we celebrate from the 19th of June to the 4th of July,” she said. “That would be celebrating freedom.”
Gospel finale
Gospel stars Mary Mary, Anthony Hamilton and Michelle Williams, who first grew to fame singing with Destiny’s Child, took the audience to church at the end of the night with inspiring individual performances. The four artists then closed the show together on a high note, singing “Optimistic.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Harmeet Kaur and Chloe Melas contributed to this report. | 2022-06-20T03:51:07+00:00 | krdo.com | https://krdo.com/entertainment/cnn-entertainment/2022/06/19/cnns-juneteenth-a-global-celebration-of-freedom-kicks-off-with-chaka-khan/ |
One of the all-time greatest tennis players, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, isn't at this year's French Open. But Carlos Alcaraz, also of Spain, is dominating. What is it about the Spanish tennis pipeline?
Copyright 2023 NPR
One of the all-time greatest tennis players, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, isn't at this year's French Open. But Carlos Alcaraz, also of Spain, is dominating. What is it about the Spanish tennis pipeline?
Copyright 2023 NPR | 2023-07-17T22:09:00+00:00 | kanw.com | https://www.kanw.com/2023-07-17/spains-special-tennis-pipeline-keeps-producing-great-players |
Lawyers for American basketball star Brittney Griner on Monday filed an appeal against her nine-year Russian prison sentence for drug possession, Russian news agencies reported Monday.
Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted on Aug. 4. She was arrested in February at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage.
Griner played for a women's basketball team in Yekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason.
Lawyer Maria Blagovolina was quoted by Russian news agencies on Monday as saying the appeal was filed, but the grounds of the appeal weren't immediately clear.
Blagovolina and co-counsel Alexander Boykov said after the conviction that the sentence was excessive and that in similar cases defendants have received an average sentence of about five years, with about a third of them granted parole.
Griner admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage, but said she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent. Her defense team presented written statements that she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain.
Before her conviction, the U.S. State Department declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the unusual step of revealing publicly in July that the U.S. had made a “substantial proposal” to get Griner home home, along with Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage.
Blinken didn't elaborate, but The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washington has offered to free Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the “Merchant of Death.”
On Sunday, a senior Russian diplomat said exchange talks have been conducted.
“This quite sensitive issue of the swap of convicted Russian and U.S. citizens is being discussed through the channels defined by our presidents," Alexander Darchiev, head of the Foreign Ministry’s North America department, told state news agency Tass. "These individuals are, indeed, being discussed. The Russian side has long been seeking the release of Viktor Bout. The details should be left to professionals, proceeding from the ‘do not harm’ principle.'" | 2022-08-16T01:25:45+00:00 | nbcchicago.com | https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/lawyers-appeal-griners-russian-prison-sentence/2914841/ |
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An area at the U.S. government’s nuclear waste repository in southeastern New Mexico was evacuated over the weekend after workers handling a shipping container discovered a small amount of radioactive liquid inside it.
There was no indication of airborne contamination and testing of workers’ hands and feet turned up no contamination after the discovery was made late Saturday in a bay where containers are processed before being taken underground for disposal, officials said in a statement issued late Saturday.
“The event at the site has been secured. There is no risk of radiological release and there is no risk to the public or the environment,” plant officials said in the statement.
Officials confirmed Monday that the shipment was packed and sent from Idaho National Laboratory, but investigators were trying to determine the source of the liquid found inside the container, said Bobby St. John, a spokesperson for the contractor that manages the repository for the federal government.
The waste containers were securely placed back into the special shipping container, St. John said.
“We have written processes and protocols in place for this type of situation and all protocols were followed,” he said in an email to The Associated Press. “Additionally, the (contact-handled waste) bay is designed to contain radiological contaminants in order to protect the workforce, surrounding ecology and the local community.”
The repository is the backbone of a multibillion-dollar cleanup program that involves tons of Cold War-era waste from federal labs and defense-related sites around the country.
The waste — remnants of decades of nuclear research and bomb making — typically consists of lab coats, gloves, tools and debris contaminated with plutonium and other radioactive elements.
Independent federal investigators last month raised concerns about whether cost overruns and missed construction deadlines will continue at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
A multimillion-dollar project is underway at the underground facility to install a new ventilation system so that full operations can resume, following a radiation leak in 2014 that forced the repository’s closure for nearly three years and led to major policy overhauls.
The container that caused that release had been inappropriately packed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in northern New Mexico.
Operations had to be reduced after the waste plant reopened in 2017 because areas of the facility were contaminated and airflow needed for mining and disposal operations was limited.
It was unclear Monday whether operations had resumed in the area where shipments are processed. St. John said only that the shipping container with the radioactive liquid was placed in a “safe configuration, pending results of the investigation and resulting mitigation actions.”
The repository was carved out of an ancient salt formation about a half-mile (0.8 kilometer) below the ground because officials say that the shifting salt will eventually entomb the radioactive waste.
Its current footprint includes eight sections, which the U.S. Energy Department estimates will be filled in 2025.
State regulators are weighing a permit change that some critics have said could lead to expanded repository operations. A decision is expected later this year. | 2022-04-12T02:24:23+00:00 | texomashomepage.com | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national/discovery-of-radioactive-liquid-pauses-work-at-us-nuke-dump/ |
High water forces students to stay overnight at schools in West Virginia
LINCOLN COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ/Gray News) - More than 150 students in West Virginia spent the night at their school buildings due to high water Thursday.
Bob Stickler, the chief of the Hamlin Fire Department, said about 60 students were expected to stay overnight at Lincoln County High School while more than 100 students were expected to stay at the Board of Education Building.
Stickler said the decision was made after it was deemed not safe for buses to be traveling in several areas due to the high water.
He said schools had let out two hours early due to the weather, but the high water had already become a factor by then.
Some parents of the children affected found ways to get to the schools to pick up their kids, according to Stickler.
Students who stayed at the high school spent the night playing basketball in the gym and board games in the auditorium. School staff provided pizza and drinks for the kids.
Several teachers volunteered to stay all night with the kids. Firefighters and community members dropped off blankets, pillows and cots.
Stickler said the students enjoyed themselves, making the best of the situation.
Lincoln County Schools canceled school for Friday.
Stickler said firefighters performed five water rescues in the county when drivers got stuck in high water. He said no serious injuries had been reported.
Copyright 2023 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2023-02-17T15:53:17+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/2023/02/17/high-water-forces-students-stay-overnight-schools-west-virginia/ |
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) today declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.40 cents per share on its common stock. The dividend will be payable on December 5, 2022, to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 15, 2022.
Vulcan Materials Company, a member of the S&P 500 Index with headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, is the nation's largest producer of construction aggregates – primarily crushed stone, sand and gravel – and a major producer of aggregates-based construction materials, including asphalt mix and ready-mixed concrete. For additional information about Vulcan, go to www.vulcanmaterials.com.
Investor Contact: Mark Warren (205) 298-3220
Media Contact: Janet Kavinoky (205) 298-3220
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Vulcan Materials Company | 2022-10-14T22:07:36+00:00 | kmvt.com | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/10/14/vulcan-declares-quarterly-dividend-common-stock/ |
When Sara Laub's period was late, the New York City resident shrugged it off. She'd used an intrauterine device, or IUD, for three years and knew her odds of getting pregnant were extremely slim. But after 10 days had passed, Laub, 28, took a home test in early July and got unwelcome news: She was pregnant.
Laub went to a Planned Parenthood clinic because she knew someone could see her immediately there. An ultrasound found no sign of a developing embryo in her uterus. That pointed to the possibility that Laub might have an ectopic pregnancy, in which a fertilized egg implants somewhere outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube.
Such pregnancies are rare, occurring roughly 2% of the time, but they are extremely dangerous because a growing embryo might rupture the narrow tube, causing massive and potentially life-threatening internal bleeding. Laub was experiencing no pain, bleeding or other obvious symptoms of trouble. Still, a Planned Parenthood staffer recommended that she go to a hospital emergency department right away.
An arduous end to a pregnancy that threatened her life
Laub didn't realize it, but she was embarking on a lengthy — and very expensive — treatment to end the pregnancy. Even in a state that strongly supports a person's right to make her own choices regarding pregnancy — New York legalized abortion in 1970, three years before Roe v. Wade made it legal nationwide — Laub's experience shows the process can be arduous.
An ectopic pregnancy in the fallopian tube is never viable. But following the June reversal of Roe by the Supreme Court, reproductive health experts say treatment may be dangerously delayed as some states move to limit abortion services.
Some of those consequences are already being noted in Texas, where strict abortion limits were instituted last fall before the Supreme Court's decision. Since abortion is now allowed in Texas only in medical emergencies, doctors may wait to perform abortions until pregnant patients are facing life-threatening complications in order to comply with the law.
"In Texas, we saw people not treating ectopic pregnancies until they ruptured," says Dr. Kristyn Brandi, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Montclair, N.J, who is board chair of Physicians for Reproductive Health, which supports abortion rights.
The 2021 Texas law banned most abortions at about six weeks of pregnancy. University of Texas-Austin researchers interviewed doctors about the impact of the law on maternal and fetal care. Even though treatment of ectopic pregnancy isn't explicitly prohibited under the Texas law, uncertainty around what is permitted may lead doctors to delay urgently needed care. A specialist at one unnamed hospital said the facility no longer offers treatment for certain ectopic pregnancies.
About half of states have enacted restrictions on abortion or are trying to do so.
Laub, who is being identified here by her middle and last name because of her concerns about privacy, says she couldn't help thinking about the recent Supreme Court decision as she went through diagnosis and treatment.
"As scary as my ordeal felt at the time, I was acutely aware that I was fortunate to have easy access to treatment, and elsewhere women with my condition face much worse experiences," Laub says.
What led to her $80,000 bill
At Lenox Hill Hospital's emergency department on New York's Upper East Side, doctors ran more tests and gave Laub two options: one or more injections of methotrexate, a cancer drug that destroys rapidly dividing cells and is often used to safely end an ectopic pregnancy, or surgery to remove her fallopian tube, where the fertilized egg was lodged. (In some other cases, surgeons may remove the embryo but be able to preserve the fallopian tube.)
Laub opted for the methotrexate injection. After getting the shot, patients need certain follow-up blood tests for several weeks to confirm that the pregnancy is ending or has ended. Laub returned to the emergency department for bloodwork and an ultrasound three days after the shot. She returned again three days later and was given a second shot of methotrexate since the pregnancy hadn't terminated. The following week, she repeated the treatment in two more follow-up visits. On July 20, after 12 days and five emergency department visits, Laub was scheduled for laparoscopic surgery to remove her fallopian tube.
The total charges to date for the medical treatment: an eye-popping $80,000. Because her health plan had negotiated discounted rates with the hospital and the other providers, all of whom were in her provider network, Laub's out-of-pocket cost will be a fraction of that total. It now appears Laub will owe a little more than $4,000.
That still seems like a lot, she says.
"On the one hand, I feel grateful that I was able to get treated when I was not in an acute state," Laub says. "But it's an awful feeling to know that the decision I made as to the best path forward for care comes at such a high cost."
The hospital points out that its charges were reduced by Laub's insurer discount. "Charges are based on the specific services provided in the treatment of the patient," says Barbara Osborn, vice president of public relations at Northwell Health, a system that includes Lenox Hill Hospital. "Any amount due from the patient is based upon the benefit design and cost-sharing provisions of the patient's insurance plan."
Understanding hospital charges can be a head-scratcher since they often don't appear to align with the actual cost of providing care. That's true in this case. According to a breakdown by WellRithms, a company that analyzes medical bills for self-funded companies and others, Lenox Hill Hospital charges $12,541 on average for the surgery that Laub underwent, based on publicly available data that hospitals submit to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. But in this particular case, the hospital charged Laub's health plan $45,020.
"Hospitals will charge whatever they can," says Jordan Weintraub, vice president of claims at the Portland, Ore., company. "They put it on the payer to deny items, rather than billing appropriately."
Even more revealing is how much it actually costs the hospital to perform the surgery. According to WellRithms' analysis of the federal data, Lenox Hill's cost to perform the laparoscopic procedure is $3,750. The average cost statewide is $2,747.
Nationally, the average outpatient charge for the surgical procedure Laub received is $13,670, according to data from Fair Health, a nonprofit that manages a large database of health insurance claims. The average total sum paid by the health plan and patient is $6,541.
Charges can vary widely from city to city
Surgical charges for managing an ectopic pregnancy vary widely depending on location. But the charges don't necessarily correlate with the ease of access to medical care to end a pregnancy. In the New York City metropolitan area, for example, the average charge is $9,587, while in San Francisco, the average charge is $20,963, according to Fair Health. Both New York and California have generous abortion access laws. Meanwhile, locations with more restrictive abortion standards don't necessarily charge more for ectopic pregnancy surgery. For example, in the Dallas area, the average charge is $14,223, while in Kansas City, Mo., it's $16,320 — both lower than the average charges in Chicago ($18,989) or Philadelphia ($17,407).
Many women opt for methotrexate rather than surgery to treat an ectopic pregnancy. The drug is successful between 70% and 95% of the time without requiring surgery.
The drug is often administered in a hospital emergency room setting because OB-GYNs are unlikely to keep the cancer drug in their offices, experts say. After the injection, patients return home, but must be followed closely for the next days or weeks until embryo is reabsorbed and the pregnancy ends, because until that happens, the risk remains of a life-threatening rupture of the fallopian tube. In addition, patients must get bloodwork at intervals after an injection to confirm that their pregnancy hormone levels are falling.
After receiving her first injection at the emergency department, Laub was told she needed to return for follow-up bloodwork in three days, and then again after each injection of methotrexate she might need. Charges for those emergency department visits were likely significantly higher than the charges would have been had Laub received follow-up care from an OB-GYN in an outpatient setting. The hospital charged between $4,700 and $5,400 for each of those follow-up visits. Laub's share of the cost was about $500 each time.
Osborn defended the hospital's approach — requiring Loeb to return to the ER each time for her treatment.
"Ectopic pregnancies, which can be life-threatening conditions, require close surveillance and management to ensure a successful resolution," Osborn says. "The emergency setting allows for immediate availability of critical surgical services, as was ultimately necessary in this patient's case."
But Dr. Deborah Bartz, an OB-GYN at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, questions whether each stage of that "close surveillance" really had to happen in the emergency room setting. "It would be really nice," Bartz says, "if instead she could have been worked into the outpatient setting with a protocol for managing surveillance."
KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national, editorially independent program of KFF, the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Copyright 2022 Kaiser Health News. To see more, visit Kaiser Health News. | 2022-10-04T14:12:32+00:00 | wlrn.org | https://www.wlrn.org/health/2022-10-04/80-000-and-5-er-visits-an-ectopic-pregnancy-takes-a-toll |
- Gustaf Klimt's "The Kiss" painting, exhibited in the Belvedere Palace, was brought to life by artist Birgit Linke during an exclusive breakfast
- Klimt is widely regarded as Austria's most famous painter, while the Belvedere Palace is one of Austria's most iconic buildings
VIENNA, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Emma — The Sleep Company, the world's biggest D2C sleep brand, transformed the Marble Hall in Vienna's Belvedere Palace into the city's most beautiful bedroom this week. 40 guests, including competition winners and broadcasters, attended an extraordinary breakfast in the opulent hall, during which Klimt's "The Kiss" masterpiece was brought to life by artist Birgit Linke.
Linke transferred Klimt's distinctive expressionist style to two models, the result being a unique recreation of one of the world's most famous pieces of art. The models re-enacted the masterpiece while the guests enjoyed a banquet fit for an empress. "The Kiss", which is admired and respected across the globe for conveying the affection between two lovers as they embrace each other while wrapped in a golden cocoon, is thought to represent Gustav Klimt himself and his partner Emilie Flöge.
Built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy, the Belvedere Palace is among the most beautiful baroque buildings in the world. After his death, Empress Maria Theresa acquired the palace and opened the imperial collections in the Upper Belvedere in 1777, making it one of the first public museums in the world. In 1908, under Emperor Franz Joseph I, the Ministry of Culture acquired Klimt's painting "The Kiss", which today is the highlight of the impressive collection of Austrian art.
"Transferring the art to real life bodies introduces three-dimensional effects to the piece, meaning we have a totally new way of looking at classic, timeless, and well-known art," said artist Birgit Linke. Dominic Walker, Emma's Global Head of Communications, added: "This unique event is designed to awaken people's best this morning — by bringing to life Austria's most famous painting over a regal breakfast in Vienna's most beautiful bedroom."
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Emma - The Sleep Company | 2023-03-16T16:06:55+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2023/03/16/emma-transforms-marble-hall-belvedere-palace-into-viennas-most-beautiful-bedroom/ |
After two emotional home victories over Penn State and Michigan State, Michigan heads on the road for a matchup against Rutgers on Saturday night.
- Watch the Michigan Wolverines on DirecTV Stream
The Wolverines will stroll into Piscataway, New Jersey with an 8-0 record, but it wasn’t enough to crack the top four in the first College Football Playoff rankings. After the rankings snub and last game’s postgame tunnel incident against the Spartans, Michigan certainly will be a motivated heavy favorite Saturday.
Rutgers (4-4, 1-4) is coming off a 31-0 loss to Minnesota and is starting a redshirt freshman quarterback who struggled against the Golden Gophers last week.
- Visit MLive’s Betting Home for latest odds & sportsbook promos
GAME INFORMATION
- Who: Michigan Wolverines (8-0) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-4)
- When: 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday
- Where: SHI Stadium, Piscataway, N.J.
- Twitter: Follow Aaron McMann, Ryan Zuke and Andrew Kahn
- Live updates: Join the MLive conversation at 6 p.m.
- Latest line: Michigan -26
HOW TO WATCH
TV Network: Big Ten Network (Brandon Gaudin, Jake Butt, Rick Pizzo)
Streaming-only options:
- Watch & DVR College Football Live | fuboTV: Stream live TV with ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN & top channels without cable. DVR included. Start watching free. No contract, cancel anytime.
- Hulu + Live TV | Sling | YouTube TV
Major cable providers:
- Comcast: Channel 65/256 (HD) | Streaming
- Dish: Channel 410 | Streaming
- DIRECTV: Channel 610 | Streaming
*Channel numbers listed are for Michigan subscribers and may change by geographic area. Check local listings.
HOW TO LISTEN
- Live stream: Learfield Michigan Sports Network (Doug Karsch, Jon Jansen, Jason Avant)
- Affiliates: WJR-AM 950 (Detroit), WTKA-AM 1050 (Ann Arbor)
- Satellite: SiriusXM Ch. 83/195
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Five must-reads before kickoff:
- Michigan vs. Rutgers score predictions from MLive’s beat writers
- Jim Harbaugh had an epiphany after tunnel attack. How will Michigan respond?
- Behind the scenes as Michigan’s equipment staff keeps football team humming
- For Michigan RB Blake Corum, patience pays off
- Michigan football studying causes and solutions to red-zone struggles
STAT LEADERS
Michigan
* Passing: J.J. McCarthy 126-169, 1,464 yards, 10 TD, 2 INT
* Rushing: Blake Corum 179 carries, 1,078 yards, 14 TD
* Receiving: Ronnie Bell 39 catches, 482 yards, 1 TD
* Tackles: Junior Colson 59
* Sacks: Mike Morris 5 1/2
* Interceptions: Rod Moore 3
Rutgers
* Passing: Evan Simon (not starting Saturday) 71-123, 740 yards, 4 TD, 6 INT
* Rushing: Samuel Brown 85 carries, 369 yards, 3 TD
* Receiving: Aron Cruickshank 27 catches, 255 yards, 2 TD
* Tackles: Deion Jennings 69
* Sacks: Wesley Bailey 3 1/2
* Interceptions: Christian Braswell 3
BIG TEN SCHEDULE (with predictions)
Saturday, Nov. 5
Iowa at Purdue, noon ET (FS1)
Minnesota at Nebraska, noon ET (ESPN2)
Ohio State at Northwestern, noon ET (ABC)
Maryland at Wisconsin, noon ET (BTN)
Michigan State at Illinois, 3:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
Penn State at Indiana, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
Michigan at Rutgers, 7:30 p.m. (BTN) | 2022-11-05T15:56:44+00:00 | mlive.com | https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/2022/11/how-to-watch-michigan-vs-rutgers-live-stream-tv-channel-kickoff-time.html |
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday afternoon's drawing of the New Mexico Lottery's "Pick 4 Day" game were:
3-7-3-0
(three, seven, three, zero)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday afternoon's drawing of the New Mexico Lottery's "Pick 4 Day" game were:
3-7-3-0
(three, seven, three, zero) | 2022-05-14T19:58:43+00:00 | seattlepi.com | https://www.seattlepi.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Pick-4-Day-game-17173303.php |
DONNA, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Don-Wes Flea Market was consumed by a fire on July 16, and fire officials are now learning new details about the blaze that left the longstanding market destroyed.
“This was an old building; it was over a hundred years old. It’s heartbreaking to see a lot of them lose their livelihood,” said Donna fire chief, David Simmons.
The call about the fire came into Donna dispatch at 1:14 PM Saturday afternoon, according to Simmons.
He said the first responders were on site within four minutes.
Chief Simmons said several fire departments and emergency medical agencies were also dispatched to assist.
Although there were no injuries reported the day of the fire, Simmons said they have now been advised of one burn victim.
“We are now finding out that there was a female, elderly female that was injured. She was a vendor here or she had a stall here with her husband,” he said.
He said the victim did not get assistance at the scene although a command post was on site.
Simmons said he was told the victim received burns to her hands and was treated at a local hospital and possibly transported to the San Antonio burn hospital for care.
He said that one firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion.
Homero Garza, the Hidalgo County fire marshall said the investigation is currently being conducted.
“Fortunately for us, we have an eyewitness report from one of the vendors that said he’d seen a fire during the incipient stage up in one of the rafters to building C,” he said.
Garza said the claim can not be verified as the building was bulldozed for firefighters’ safety.
“Unfortunately, again because we were not able to examine the area of origin, we have to call it undetermined, unless we gain other knowledge that leads us in another direction,” he said.
Garza said he is hoping more witnesses come forward with information to his office to assist in the investigation.
The owner of the Don-Wes Flea Market was not ready to provide a statement as she said it was too devastating to comment on.
However, she said she has been receiving an outpour of support from the community through calls and messages. | 2022-07-19T06:36:53+00:00 | valleycentral.com | https://www.valleycentral.com/news/local-news/fire-officials-give-update-on-don-wes-flea-market-fire/ |
As dangerous heat and humidity smothered parts of the South and Midwest on Thursday, local governments and charities worked to protect poor and elderly residents by opening cooling stations and delivering donated air conditioners.
In Florida, where heat index levels of up to 112 degrees (44 Celsius) are forecast over the next several days, the Christian Service Center set up an “extreme heat cooling center” in Orlando for homeless people and others who don’t have access to air conditioning.
“You or I complain about the heat or have to deal with it as we walk from our car to the grocery store or from our car to the air-conditioned office, but for the people we see here on campus, they wake up to that every day,” Bryan Hampton of the Christian Service Center told WESH-TV.
The heat wave has contributed to at least 13 deaths in Texas and one in Louisiana. Forecasters said temperatures could rocket up to 20 degrees above average in some areas as a heat dome that has taxed the Texas power grid spread eastward.
The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee for Thursday and Friday. Less urgent heat advisories covered a wider area that included parts of Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. The heat index, which indicates how hot it feels outdoors based on the temperature and relative humidity, was expected to reach 115 degrees (46 Celsius) in several cities.
It was an added weather-related woe for some some Tennessee residents who still had no power after storms Sunday knocked down trees and power lines.
To get some relief, John Manger, 74, and his wife were sitting in shady spots outside their sweltering home in the Memphis suburb of Bartlett and taking cold showers.
“I just suck it up, with a washcloth, towel, whatever. I just sit in my chair by the window, and maybe get a breeze,” said Manger, who is retired.
Their house was among more than 20,000 homes and business in Shelby County that were without electricity as of Thursday morning. Local utility Memphis Light, Gas and Water said dozens of crews were working to restore power.
The heat could also be dangerous for pets, officials warned. And for zoo animals.
“Obviously, we have some animals that love the heat and have no problems with 100 degrees at all,” said Sean Putney, director of the Kansas City Zoo. Those with less tolerance were led into shaded or air conditioned areas, he said. “And we have a lot of animals that have access to water so they can cool down. Our elephants, rhinos, they can go into a mud area and care of themselves with mud, give themselves a little bit of relief.”
Louisiana already has been plagued by hot weather over the past month. Between May 12 and May 24, more than 680 went to the hospital for heat-related illness, based on the most recent figures from the state Department of Health. These illnesses can range in severity from mild, such as heat rash and heat cramps, to severe, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
A 49-year-old man died Sunday in Shreveport in the state’s second heat death of the year. Earlier in June, a woman died in a house without power after a severe storm.
“This is very real and we need people, to not only take care of themselves, but also to look after their neighbors — especially those who are older,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said Wednesday afternoon.
In St. Louis, where smoke from Canadian wildfires has combined with the heat and humidity to worsen air quality, volunteers were taking donated window air conditioners to the elderly and needy, said Gentry Trotter, who runs Cooldownstlouis.org.
Trotter recently went into the home of an 83-year-old woman, measured the indoor temperature and found it was 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.6 degrees Celsius). Still, she refused to accept an air conditioner.
“Somebody needs to convince her that if she doesn’t have a blasting air conditioner, she’s going to die,” Trotter said.
___
Sainz reported from Memphis, Tennessee; Goldberg from Jackson, Mississippi; Salter from St. Louis, Missouri. Associated Press reporters Curt Anderson in Miami, Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Nicholas Ingram in Kansas City, Missouri, and Kevin McGill in New Orleans also contributed. | 2023-06-30T07:04:53+00:00 | krqe.com | https://www.krqe.com/news/national/ap-a-deadly-heat-wave-is-blanketing-the-south-and-spreading-east/ |
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — One of North Carolina’s most powerful legislators expressed optimism Thursday that a further expansion of state-sanctioned gambling will be worked out before legislators end this year’s regular business later this summer.
The General Assembly hasn’t adjourned while House and Senate Republicans negotiate sticking points on a two-year state government budget that was supposed to take effect July 1. Chamber leaders also continue to talk about whether they should permit casinos on non-tribal lands, authorize and regulate video gambling machines, or both, Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters.
When asked to evaluate the chances that legislation allowing some combination of new gambling would reach Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk this summer within or separate from a budget agreement, Berger replied: “I’d say better than 50-50.”
“It’s a serious discussion,” he added.
The legislature already enacted a law last month that authorizes betting on sports and horse racing statewide, with the first wagers expected in the first half of 2024. It marked the legislature’s largest expansion of gambling since creating a state lottery in 2005. Cooper signed the sports gambling bill into law to public fanfare.
The state currently has three casinos, operated by two American Indian tribes. But legislators, in particular Berger, are worried about casinos that have opened recently in Virginia near the North Carolina border and where North Carolina residents are betting.
The latest opened in Danville, Virginia, roughly 25 miles from Berger’s hometown of Eden. Berger said he traveled to Danville this month and estimates 80% of the vehicles in the casino parking lot had North Carolina license plates. Authorizing North Carolina casinos is seen by supporters as a way to neutralize out-of-state gambling, generate revenues for state and local government coffers, and help economically depressed areas where venues would create jobs.
“The gaming is already taking place in North Carolina, and gaming is taking place on the border of North Carolina that is pulling money out of North Carolina,” Berger said, adding that a new additional revenue stream “has multiple benefits.”
Rep. Jason Saine of Lincoln County, a chief House budget-negotiator who also shepherded this year’s sports gambling legislation, said Wednesday he didn’t know how House colleagues would respond to the idea of additional casinos and video gambling because the Senate hadn’t yet provided a proposal. That could include how many casinos would be permitted, whether construction would be contingent on local referendums and what the state’s financial cut would be.
Berger and Saine confirmed this week that budget differences remain over the extent of a tax-reduction package and how to distribute reserves for items such as capital projects and economic development. And they both acknowledged a deal may not be finalized until August.
Saine insisted the fate of casino expansion isn’t holding up the state budget, but rather the speed at which Republicans lower taxes and what fiscal guardrails are in place while it’s carried out. But additional gambling revenues could recalibrate the level of cuts with which House members could feel comfortable.
The Senate’s version of the budget wanted to accelerate the ratcheting-down of the individual income tax rate so that it would reach 3.99% in 2025 and not 2027 as current law directs. And senators wanted to lower it further over time to 2.49% in 2030. The House plan would have lowered slightly further the rate already planned for 2024 but the trajectory would still hit 3.99% in 2027.
To ensure fiscal stability, Saine said, the House wants to block deeper rate cuts unless the state meets certain revenue levels. The Senate has concerns about “trigger” provisions with high benchmarks that could never be met, Berger said. But Saine acknowledged that locating additional revenue streams could ease such requirements. “It is much harder to sell an expedited tax reform process without the backfill of revenue,” he said.
An obstacle to the authorization of further gambling this year also could be a coalition of social conservatives and certain liberals within the General Assembly who say it’s not worth the harm that gambling addiction causes families and children.
A similar bloc helped derail sports gambling in the House last year, but it was overtaken by pro-gambling forces in 2023. Advancing more gambling this summer could be a bridge too far for some lawmakers.
More gambling options would create more gamblers and “just exacerbate all of the social problems that come along with gambling,” John Rustin with the anti-gambling North Carolina Family Policy Council said Thursday. “Just because other states make poor choices doesn’t mean that North Carolina should do the same.” | 2023-07-14T02:28:11+00:00 | wnct.com | https://www.wnct.com/news/north-carolina/top-north-carolina-senator-says-chances-for-approving-more-sanctioned-gambling-better-than-50-50/ |
(The Hill) – Will Smith is offering his first on-camera apology for slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, saying he’s “deeply remorseful” about the “mistake” he made.
The 53-year-old actor appeared in a video posted on his Instagram account on Friday, in which he addressed questions about the March altercation directly to the camera.
“Chris, I apologize to you,” Smith said. “My behavior was unacceptable. And I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
Smith’s on-camera apology came almost exactly four months after the jaw-dropping on-stage moment. While presenting an award at the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles, Rock joked that Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, should appear in “G.I. Jane 2,” in an apparent reference to the main character’s bald head in the original 1997 film starring Demi Moore.
Pinkett Smith has previously revealed in 2018 that she had been diagnosed with alopecia areata, a disease that causes hair loss.
After Rock’s comments at the 2022 Oscars ceremony, Smith approached Rock on the awards show’s stage and slapped him, before returning to his seat and hurling expletives at the comedian.
Not long after, Smith won an Oscar in the Best Actor category for his role in “King Richard” and made no mention of the earlier incident with Rock.
In his Friday video, Smith responded to a question about why he didn’t apologize to Rock in his acceptance speech.
“I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy,” Smith said. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out.”
Saying he also wanted to apologize to Rock’s family, including the comic’s mother and brother, Smith told his 64 million Instagram followers, “I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment. And I’m not going to try to unpack all of that right now.
“But I can say to all of you: There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
While Smith delivered a public apology in the form of a statement to Rock a day after the Academy Awards — calling his behavior “unacceptable and inexcusable” — Friday’s video marked the first time he spoke publicly about the slap. In the wake of the altercation, the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences banned Smith from attending any of its events for 10 years.
Smith said his wife, an actor and co-host of Facebook Watch’s “Red Table Talk,” was not to blame for his actions against Rock.
“I made a choice on my own,” Smith said. “Jada had nothing to do with it.”
As to what he would say to fans who viewed him as a role model and were let down, Smith said, “Disappointing people is my central trauma.”
“It hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know I didn’t live up to people’s image and impression of me. And the work I’m trying to do is, I am deeply remorseful and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself.”
“I’m human. And I made a mistake,” Smith continued.
“I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of s—. So I would say to those people: I know it was confusing. I know it was shocking. But I promise you, I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light, and love and joy into the world.”
“And you know, if you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again,” Smith said. | 2022-07-29T17:24:32+00:00 | wric.com | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/will-smith-offers-first-on-camera-apology-to-chris-rock-for-oscars-slap/ |
Government spending is increasing by $2.6 million a minute.
The national debt now stands at over $31 trillion. That’s primarily money that people over 40 have spent, and a debt that infants born today will be burdened with, likely for their entire lives. This, in a great nation in which each generation has continually been wealthier than the one before.
That is emphatically not so, now. The future generation has been accurately described as victims of “generational theft.”
Out of deep concern about this I contacted the wisest and smartest man I have ever know on the subjects of government debt and spending. Robert L. “Bob” Bixby for 30 years has been the CEO of the Concord Coalition, a national watchdog organization that has been monitoring and warning about government debt since the early '90s. I have consulted him since before the 2011 budget crisis.
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Bixby is more concerned than ever about the national debt that he sees as “absolutely unsustainable.” But he also sees that ignoring the debt ceiling will save the government no money and the resulting default on the government’s obligation to pay its bills will actually create costs that will only add to the debt. This would be “totally mindless and irresponsible,” Bixby says.
Bixby “has never been a fan of the debt ceiling because it doesn’t address the causes of debt which are deficit spending and reckless tax policy.” Instead of fiscal discipline which requires political courage, Congress submits “to pressure from special interests from both the left and right” of the political spectrum, “and the debt continues out of control.”
He thinks that government debt default is so unthinkable that there is “a lot of subdued panic in business circles" and that “most congressional Republicans are already looking for a way back from the cliff.” He says there is a “committed group in the House apparently willing to take the country over the cliff, but I have to believe that a combination of Republicans and Democrats will run over the so called Freedom Caucus.”
Bixby believes the best debt policy for the country would be something on the order of the “pay-go” rule that Congress once imposed on itself to pay for new expenditures either by reductions in other parts of the budget or by tax increases. According to Bixby, pay-go was never completely adhered to and was ignored completely to pass the 2017 tax cut.
Bixby suggested that the courage to stick with the “pay-go rule would help tremendously in dealing with the debt much more effectively than monkeying with the dangerous debt limit.”
Ironically, the same extreme Republicans who are apparently, as a matter of principle, willing to sacrifice their country’s economy by not raising the debt limit now, were not bound by the same principle during the Trump years. In Trump’s single four-year term, with Republican support, the debt ceiling was raised three times. Trump promised in the 2016 campaign that he would balance the budget in eight years. Instead he increased it by a record $7 trillion in four years, nearly 25% of the entire national debt accumulated since the time of George Washington.
It needs to be noted, too, that when Barack Obama was a U.S. senator during the George W. Bush administration, he not only voted against the debt limit increase, but spoke against doing so on the Senate floor. Both Democrats and Republicans have used the debt limit for political advantage.
The financial integrity of the United States is critical to everyone’s well-being. Congress is obligated to face that simple fact, and protect us all from the threat of economic collapse. To do that it has to face up to the politically tough job of limiting spending and providing sufficient revenue to pay the nation’s bills. | 2023-01-25T15:05:03+00:00 | helenair.com | https://helenair.com/opinion/columnists/bob-brown-balanced-budget-best-but-debt-default-dumb/article_f22e7b8d-2247-52eb-bd99-dd3cb2e69f3b.html |
BEIJING, Nov. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met a number of foreign leaders - including some from US allies and major developing economies - on the first day of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Bali, Indonesia, fully underscoring the strategic and guiding role of head-of-state diplomacy and implications of Chinese diplomacy following the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as the world expects China-proposed solutions and its wisdom in handling issues of concern amid growing geopolitical uncertainties.
Xi met French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Senegalese President Macky Sall, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez on Tuesday on the sidelines of the G20, which Chinese experts said reflects China's multi-faceted diplomacy and its growing influence in handling international affairs.
It was also the first time the top Chinese leader had such intensive in-person meetings with foreign leaders overseas since the COVID-19 outbreak, which shows China is widely welcomed and expected on the global stage with its major-country diplomacy being put under the spotlight at the crucial multilateral event.
During the meeting with French President Macron, Xi stressed that the two sides need to make top-level planning for the bilateral relations with a view toward the future, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, deepen practical cooperation, and work for continued progress in traditional areas of cooperation while actively tapping into green energy, scientific and technological innovation and other areas for cooperation potential.
Xi said China hopes France will encourage the EU to stay committed to an independent and positive China policy. China stands ready to work with France to support Indonesia in hosting a successful G20 Bali summit, step up communication and coordination on issues including climate response and biodiversity conservation, jointly uphold true multilateralism.
The Chinese president also expressed the hope for pushing forward China-Europe relations during his meeting with Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Xi said that China hopes the Netherlands will play a constructive role in safeguarding multilateralism, pushing forward European openness and cooperation and playing an active role in stable and sound China-Europe ties.
During the meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez, Xi said China hopes to enhance coordination with Spain under G20 and other multilateral platforms and jointly tackle challenges including the climate change, energy and food crisis. He also hopes that Spain will play an active role in boosting China-EU relations.
Those meetings send a clear message that it is hoped that China-Europe relations will be stabilized by overcoming growing challenges, and the two sides should adhere to strategic independence and respect each other, Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"China's insistence on the noninterference principle and rejecting being driven by different ideologies echo Europe's strategic autonomy strategy pushed by France, and EU members are expected to play a more constructive role in China-EU relations," Cui said.
Major-country diplomacy
During the meeting with Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia, with whom China's ties have deteriorated sharply in recent years, Xi emphasized the importance of candid communication to narrow the divergences, saying that the two countries have no major conflict of interest but highly complementary economies and common aspirations of safeguarding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
When talking with South Korean President Yoon, Xi said that China and South Korea should accelerate bilateral free trade agreement negotiations, deepen cooperation in high-tech manufacturing, big data and green economy and jointly safeguard the international free trade system and global supply chains. China also opposes politicizing economic activities or generalizing the security issue.
However, such a busy head-of-state diplomacy shows that some of the China-proposed ideas and principles for international relations are being more welcomed and accepted by countries around the world, including the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, as well as China-proposed idea of building a community of a shared future for mankind.
Behind this global spotlight is the trend of China-proposed diplomatic principles winning hearts and minds in an extremely uncertain and unstable world, foreign and Chinese experts said.
China as a world power today builds an international relationship system based on the perspective of multilateralism; the value embodied in multilateralism that China offers is common development, Veronika S. Saraswati, China Study Unit Convener at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Indonesia, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
In contrast to the perspective of unilateralism that eliminates other countries, China emphasizes respect for other countries as well as fair partnership because no country can stand alone. Definitely, this principle is "a candle in the dark" amid world uncertainty and an international economic recession, Saraswati said. "There is great hope in the light that China brings to the world."
She further noted that China places other countries as partners to develop together, building respectful and non-dominative economic partnerships being a major force in China's foreign policy principles.
The in-person interaction between Chinese and US leaders, on the sidelines of G20 was the first of its kind since the COVID-19 outbreak, Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The Chinese President expounded on China's position on the Ukraine crisis. During his meeting with Macron, Xi made the point that China's position on the matter is clear and consistent: China stands for cease-fire, cessation of the conflict and peace talks. The international community should create conditions for this to happen. China will also continue to work in its way to play a constructive role.
During the meetings with South African President Ramaphosa and Argentinian President Fernandez, he emphasized deepening cooperation under multilateral mechanisms such as BRICS and advancing the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative by expanding cooperation in sectors such as agriculture, energy and infrastructure, as well as on climate change.
"It reflects what our multi-faceted diplomacy is: We won't draw a line based on different ideologies and we will take actions to fulfill our promises to the international community," Cui said. "It doesn't matter if it's about post-epidemic recovery or the Ukraine crisis, more countries are realizing that China is playing an active and constructive role."
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SOURCE Global Times | 2022-11-16T09:43:56+00:00 | newschannel10.com | https://www.newschannel10.com/prnewswire/2022/11/16/global-times-xis-intensive-meetings-with-world-leaders-show-charm-major-country-diplomacy/ |
Norma Jean Henderson — 10 a.m. at St. Rose of Lima in Hill City
Olin Orton Oedekoven — 10:30 a.m. at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Gillette, Wyo.
Kiara Stedman — noon at Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills in Belle Fourche
Norma Jean Henderson — 10 a.m. at St. Rose of Lima in Hill City
Olin Orton Oedekoven — 10:30 a.m. at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Gillette, Wyo.
Kiara Stedman — noon at Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills in Belle Fourche
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. | 2022-10-11T00:57:55+00:00 | rapidcityjournal.com | https://rapidcityjournal.com/obits/services-for-oct-11/article_941666b8-6076-5c9c-9839-5844becb3a06.html |
Russia may be in Ukraine to stay after 100 days of war
When Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in late February, the Russian president vowed his forces would not occupy the neighboring country. But as the invasion reached its 100th day on Friday, Russia seemed increasingly unlikely to relinquish the territory it has taken in the war. The ruble is now an official currency in the southern Kherson region. Residents there and in Russia-controlled parts of a neighboring region are getting offered Russian passports. The Kremlin-installed administrations in both regions have talked about plans to become part of Russia. In a video marking the first 100 days of fighting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that his country would not submit easily to Russian control.
EXPLAINER: At 100 days, Russia-Ukraine war by the numbers
GENEVA (AP) — One hundred days into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, numbers tell the tale of the death, destruction and economic havoc caused by Europe’s worst armed conflict in decades. The counts, while often just estimates, are staggering: Tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers likely killed. Millions more forced to flee the country or internally displaced. Factories, hospitals, bridges, schools and residences destroyed. Ukraine says about 35% of its gross domestic product has been wiped out, while Western sanctions have targeted Russian oil and natural gas exports. The economic ripples are also being felt around the world, from high prices at U.S. gasoline pump to countries reliant on agricultural imports from Ukraine, a major grain producer.
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Former Trump aide Navarro indicted for defying Jan. 6 panel
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro has been indicted on contempt charges after defying a subpoena from the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Navarro is the second former aide to former President Donald Trump to be charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the Jan. 6, 2021, investigation. Navarro was charged with one contempt count for failing to appear for a deposition before the House committee. The second charge is for failing to produce documents the committee requested. Navarro is expected to appear in court in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Navarro claims the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack is unlawful.
More job gains point to a solid economy and Fed rate hikes
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added 390,000 jobs in May, extending a streak of solid hiring that has bolstered an economy under pressure from high inflation and rising interest rates. Last month’s gain reflects a resilient job market that has so far shrugged off concerns that the economy will weaken in the coming months as the Federal Reserve steadily raises interest rates to fight inflation. The unemployment rate remained a low 3.6% in May, just above a half-century low. The job growth in May was high enough to keep the Fed on track to pursue what’s likely to be the fastest series of rate hikes in more than 30 years.
Queen Elizabeth II skips Platinum Jubilee church service
LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have joined other members of Britain’s royal family for a church service honoring Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne. It is their first public appearance in the U.K. since stepping back from royal duties two years ago. The queen skipped Friday's event at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, which came on the second of four days of festivities marking her Platinum Jubilee. The 96-year-old monarch has had difficulty moving around in recent months and experienced “some discomfort” after smiling and waving to throngs of supporters from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Thursday afternoon.
Former U.S. ambassador points finger in Qatar lobbying probe
A former high-ranking U.S. ambassador is demanding federal prosecutors explain why he’s facing criminal charges for illegal foreign lobbying on behalf of Qatar while a retired four-star general who worked on the same effort with him is not. Richard Olson, former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, is scheduled to attend a plea hearing on federal charges that include improperly helping the Persian Gulf country influence U.S. policy. But Olson has argued he’s entitled to learn why prosecutors aren’t bringing charges for similar conduct by former Marine Gen. John Allen, who led U.S. forces in Afghanistan before being tapped to lead the Brookings Institution. Allen has denied wrongdoing.
Police fatally shoot Texas escapee who killed 5 while on run
Texas prison officials say a convicted murderer on the run since escaping a prison bus after stabbing its driver last month has been fatally shot by law enforcement after he killed a family of five and took their truck. State prison system spokesman Jason Clark says 46-year-old Gonzalo Lopez died in a shootout in Jourdanton with police late Thursday after driving the stolen pickup more than 200 miles from where the vehicle was stolen. Authorities say Lopez killed an adult and four minors at a rural weekend cabin near Centerville. He was armed with an AR-15 style rifle and a pistol when he was killed by police. Lopez had been the subject of an intensive search since his May 12 escape.
AP-NORC poll details rift between lay Catholics and bishops
The hardline stances of many conservative Catholic bishops in the U.S. are not shared by most lay Catholics. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Most U.S. Catholics say abortion should be legal, favor greater inclusion of LGBT people, and oppose the denial of Communion for politicians who support abortion rights. The poll was conducted in mid-May, shortly after a leaked draft opinion indicated the Supreme Court might end the constitutional right to abortion by reversing its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Leading bishops are praying for that result. But according to the new poll, 68% of Catholic adults say Roe should be left as is.
Report: Musk seeks to cut 10% of Tesla workforce
Tesla shares tumbled more than 7% Friday on a report that CEO Elon Musk is considering laying off 10% of the company’s workers, as well as new questions from U.S. regulators over complaints of vehicles braking for no reason. In an email Thursday to Tesla executives titled “pause all hiring worldwide,” Musk wrote that he had a “super bad feeling” about the economy and that the company needed to cut staff, Reuters reported. Also Friday, government regulators are asking questions about Tesla's reliability after more than 750 Tesla owners complained that cars operating on the automaker’s partially automated driving systems have suddenly stopped on roadways for no apparent reason.
Tropical storm warning for parts of Florida, Cuba, Bahamas
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Much of the Florida peninsula, along with parts of Cuba and the Bahamas, are under a tropical storm warning as a system that battered Mexico moves through the Gulf of Mexico, bringing threats of heavy rain and wind for the weekend. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said early Friday data from a hurricane hunter plane indicate the system's maximum sustained winds increased overnight and was expected to strengthen later Friday. The storm, once known as Agatha in the Pacific Ocean, will be known as Alex in the Atlantic Ocean basin. At 11 a.m., the system was located about 430 miles southwest of Fort Myers with winds nearing 40 mph.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 2022-06-03T17:16:41+00:00 | wcfcourier.com | https://wcfcourier.com/news/national/ap-news-summary-at-12-45-p-m-edt/article_d27ea39c-f4ab-5ed6-8e8b-f38457b7bad5.html |
1 dead after boat sinks at Lake Mead over Father’s Day weekend
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Officials with the Lake Mead National Recreation Area say a man is dead after drowning at Lake Mead over the weekend. It all started when the boat he was on began sinking.
Officials say three men were aboard the sinking vessel. Two of them were able to return to the shore.
National Park Service rangers received reports of a triple hull boat approximately 15 feet long taking on water due to high winds Saturday. Rangers said winds were reportedly between 23 – 28 mph with gusts as high as 36 – 40 mph out on the lake.
The Mohave County Sherriff’s Office assisted by utilizing side-scan sonar to locate and recover the body. The coroner will release the official cause of death and the identification of the victim.
Copyright 2022 KVVU. All rights reserved. | 2022-06-21T02:47:40+00:00 | fox5vegas.com | https://www.fox5vegas.com/2022/06/21/1-dead-after-boat-sinks-lake-mead-over-fathers-day-weekend/ |
White sox first. Tim Anderson lines out to third base to Jose Miranda. Yoan Moncada singles to right center field. Luis Robert walks. Yoan Moncada to second. Jose Abreu walks. Luis Robert to second. Yoan Moncada to third. Andrew Vaughn singles to left field. Jose Abreu to second. Luis Robert scores. Yoan Moncada scores. AJ Pollock reaches on a fielder's choice to third base. Andrew Vaughn out at second. Jose Abreu to third. Leury Garcia pops out to Jorge Polanco.
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. White sox 2, Twins 0.
Twins first. Luis Arraez pops out to Reese McGuire. Carlos Correa singles to deep center field, advances to 2nd. Fielding error by Luis Robert. Byron Buxton singles to shortstop. Max Kepler pops out to second base to Josh Harrison. Jorge Polanco walks. Byron Buxton to second. Carlos Correa to third. Alex Kirilloff doubles to deep right field. Jorge Polanco to third. Byron Buxton scores. Carlos Correa scores. Jose Miranda lines out to deep center field to Luis Robert.
2 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 2 left on. White sox 2, Twins 2.
White sox fourth. Josh Harrison strikes out swinging. Reese McGuire strikes out swinging. Tim Anderson homers to center field. Yoan Moncada flies out to deep left field to Alex Kirilloff.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. White sox 3, Twins 2.
White sox seventh. Reese McGuire strikes out on a foul tip. Tim Anderson singles to first base. Yoan Moncada walks. Tim Anderson to second. Adam Engel homers to center field. Yoan Moncada scores. Tim Anderson scores. Jose Abreu grounds out to shortstop, Carlos Correa to Luis Arraez. Andrew Vaughn strikes out on a foul tip.
3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. White sox 6, Twins 2. | 2022-07-16T04:35:12+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/sports/article/Chicago-White-Sox-Minnesota-Runs-17309014.php |
HENDERSON, Nev., Dec. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fathom Events and Roberts Communications Network (RCN) have announced a comprehensive satellite broadcast distribution agreement to deliver world-class entertainment to movie theaters across North America.
Fathom Events is the recognized leader in event cinema and one of the top ten distributors of content to cinemas in the United States. Fathom Events delivers a wide variety of both live and pre-recorded content, including performances from The Metropolitan Opera, classic film anniversaries, live sports, concerts and episodic content to more than 1,100 theaters.
"Delivering secure, reliable high-definition video and surround sound audio throughout our North American theater network is a critical component of our success," said Fathom Events SVP of Operations & Strategic Partnerships Lynne Schmidt. "As we were searching for a new broadcast distribution partner, it became readily apparent that Roberts Communications Network was the perfect fit for all of our needs, and we are very excited to work with them."
RCN, a leading worldwide video distribution and data communications services provider, recently moved into a state-of-the-art 10-acre broadcast facility in Henderson, Nevada, from where they will distribute Fathom Events' content via satellite throughout North America.
"We take pride in delivering high-quality, low-latency, reliable, secure video around the globe, whether it be via satellite, fiber, or internet," said RCN President and CEO Todd Roberts. "Fathom Events is a renowned entertainment provider with rigorous distribution standards, and we are very happy to add their world-class content to our network and work with them to achieve all their goals in the future."
A list of all upcoming Fathom Events broadcasts can be found on their website, www.fathomevents.com.
About Fathom Events
Fathom Events is a recognized leader in the entertainment industry as one of the top distributors of content to movie theaters in North America. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC); Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK); and Regal, a subsidiary of the Cineworld Group (LSE: CINE.L), Fathom operates the largest cinema distribution network, delivering a wide variety of programming and experiences to cinema audiences in all of the top U.S. markets and to more than 45 countries. For more information, visit www.FathomEvents.com.
About Roberts Communications Network (RCN)
Since its inception in 1998, Roberts Communications Network, LLC ("RCN") has been the leading worldwide video distribution and wagering data communications services provider for the racing industry, among others, operating a fully secure, redundant satellite, fiber, and internet network.
With 2,861 reception nodes between our satellite, fiber, and internet platforms, reaching six continents and 33 countries, RCN sets itself apart by offering unparalleled network service offerings to customers. RCN architects and provides customers with all the necessary hardware, software, bandwidth, and services to provide a wide range of content distribution and video production services.
Unparalleled reliability and redundancy are RCN's calling card, with separate fiber, satellite, and internet paths from almost every location on its vast network, all monitored 24/7/365 at the centralized Network Operations Center.
In 2021, RCN moved into a brand new, state-of-the-art 10-acre communications headquarters, complete with satellite teleport and data center connectivity, that has greatly increased the company's capabilities and allows for an unprecedented expansion of service offerings across all industries.
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SOURCE Fathom Events | 2022-12-20T22:27:14+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2022/12/20/fathom-events-roberts-communications-network-announce-satellite-broadcast-distribution-agreement/ |
No, never easy. Not the 2022-23 Miami Heat.
Not at home. Not on the road. And not even when the game begins before seemingly either team is fully awake.
So, Sunday, just more of the same for Erik Spoelstra’s team.
Up 13 in the second period. Down 12 in the fourth.
And, ultimately, another fight to the finish, this time in what turned into arguably one of the worst losses of the season.
Against an opponent that entered 14-36, the Heat’s three-game winning streak came to an end on an afternoon the defense and 3-point game sputtered in a 122-117 loss to the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center.
With 28 points from Jimmy Butler and 24 from Tyler Herro not enough, the Heat got off to an unexpectedly shaky start to a four-game trip that only gets tougher, with games to follow against the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Heat also got 17 points from center Bam Adebayo.
Five Degrees of Heat from Sunday’s game:
1. Closing time: The Heat led 28-26 at the end of the first quarter, 62-58 at halftime, went up 13 in the third, but trailed 91-86 going into the fourth.
The Heat then went down 108-96 with 5:54 to play, before rallying within 108-106 with 3:51 to play on an Adebayo inside basket.
The Hornets countered with the next six points, punctuated by a LaMelo Ball 3-pointer for a 114-196 lead 1:51 to play.
A Herro 3-pointer then drew the Heat within 116-111 with one minutes to play, but it wasn’t enough.
2. Attack mode: With plenty of lethargy around him, Butler stepped up with 12 second-quarter points to move to 16 at the intermission.
Butler’s energy was needed, with the Heat with Adebayo with only one first-half rebound, Kyle Lowry 0 for 5 over the first two periods and the Heat with just four first-half 3-pointers.
Butler’s 16th point gave him 13,000 for his career. He had 22 going into the fourth quarter.
3. Slump buster: At 6 of 37 on 3-pointers in his previous six games back from a three-game absence due to Achilles soreness, Herro converted his first four 3-point attempts.
Against a Hornets defense often playing in drop coverage, the spacing was there for Herro, who was up to 12 points by halftime.
He then missed his next three 3-point attempts.
4. Kyle time: After being held out of the previous two fourth quarters, Lowry returned along with Butler with 6:54 to play and the Heat down 104-93.
Lowry to that point was 1 of 7 from the field, including 1 of 5 on 3-pointers, with three assists and two rebounds.
The change had Lowry closing in place of Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, who had been the closers the previous two games.
5. Early access: The 1 p.m. game was the eighth of the Heat’s nine scheduled afternoon games (starts before 6 p.m. local time). Their lone remaining afternoon game is the 1 p.m. April 9 season finale in Orlando.
Spoelstra went in downplaying the early start time.
“A lot of it is you can breathe things into existence either way. And the way you think about it grows,” he said. “And so for us, we actually have played some really good afternoon games and we really want to approach this with a no-excuse mindset.
“I actually love the day games, once the game ends. The prep, it’s a little bit of a different routine. But that’s what keeps this Association and the regular season interesting. There are some different things that are thrown your way.”
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission will investigate the cases of dozens of South Korean adoptees in Europe and the United States who suspect their origins were falsified or obscured during a child export frenzy in the mid- to late-1900s.
The decision Thursday opens what could be South Korea’s most far-reaching inquiry into foreign adoptions yet, after frustration over broken family connections and laundered child statuses and identities grew and demanded government attention.
The adopted South Koreans are believed to be the world’s largest diaspora of adoptees. In the past six decades, about 200,000 South Koreans — mostly girls — were adopted overseas. Most were placed with white parents in the United States and Europe during the 1970s and ′80s.
After a meeting Tuesday, the commission decided to investigate 34 adoptees who were sent to Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and the United States from the 1960s to the early 1990s. The adoptees say they were wrongfully removed from their families through falsified documents and corrupt practices.
They were among the 51 adoptees who first submitted their applications to the commission in August through the Danish Korean Rights Group, led by adoptee attorney Peter Møller. The applications filed by Møller’s group have since grown to over 300, and dozens of adoptees from Sweden and Australia are also expected to file applications on Friday, which is the commission’s deadline for investigation requests, Møller said.
Any findings by the commission could be used by adoptees to sue the adoption agencies or the government for damages.
The investigation will likely expand over the next few months as the commission reviews whether to accept the applications submitted after August. Cases that are seen as similar will likely be fused to speed up the investigations, commission official Park Young-il said.
The commission said its decision to investigate the 34 cases came after it confirmed through records that the adoptees were sent to the West through manipulated records that falsely described them as orphans despite the existence of biological parents, or faked their identities by borrowing the details of a third person.
The commission said it also took into account a 2021 investigation by the Dutch government on foreign adoptions to the Netherlands, which then concluded that adoptions from South Korea and other origin states involved major human rights infringements of children and their birth parents.
Adoptees are also calling for a full opening of their records and have asked South Korea’s government to prevent any destruction or altercation of documents kept by the country’s four adoption agencies.
The applications cite a broad range of grievances that allege carelessness and a lack of due diligence in the removal of scores of children from their families amid loose government monitoring.
During that time, the country was ruled by a succession of military leaders who saw adoptions as a way to deepen ties with the democratic West while reducing the number of mouths to feed and removing the socially undesirable. Those procured for adoptions during the 1970s and ’80s were mostly children of poor families who ended up in orphanages and those of unwed mothers pressured into relinquishing their newborns at hospitals. South Korea’s special adoption law allowed profit-driven agencies to manipulate records and bypass proper child relinquishment.
Most of the South Korean adoptees sent abroad were registered by agencies as legal orphans found abandoned on the streets, a designation that made the adoption process quicker and easier. But many of the so-called orphans had relatives who could be easily identified and found.
Some of the adoptees say they discovered that the agencies had switched their identities to replace other children who died or got too sick to travel, which often made it impossible to trace their roots.
The adoptees called for the commission to broadly investigate agencies for records falsification and manipulation and for allegedly proceeding with adoptions without the proper consent of birth parents.
They want the commission to establish whether the government was responsible for the corrupt practices and whether adoptions were fueled by increasingly larger payments and donations from adoptive parents that could have motivated agencies to create their own supply.
The 34 adoptees whose cases were accepted by the commission had been placed through Holt Children’s Services and the Korea Social Service. The commission’s investigation would eventually include the Eastern Social Welfare Society and Korea Welfare Services if it accepts the cases expected to be submitted Friday by adoptees in Australia and Sweden.
The agencies didn’t immediately issue any comments on the commission’s decision to investigate foreign adoptions.
South Korea’s government has never acknowledged responsibility over the human rights problems surrounding its foreign adoptions, which have long been portrayed as a welfare response to desperate children in need of a family.
But government and diplomatic records obtained by The Associated Press indicate that officials knew that most of the children being sent abroad weren’t really orphans.
Multiple records describing policy meetings between Health Ministry officials and agency representatives in the 1980s show that officials were aware that the country’s adoption system was exposing children to the risk of trafficking. However, the government didn’t employ meaningful measures to eliminate what officials described as “intake problems,” including payments agencies provided to hospitals and orphanages for the children they collected.
The special adoption law revised during the 1970s granted the heads of agencies extensive guardianship rights, including the ability to place children with foreign parents without the supervision of courts.
The adoption law is still in place but in 2013, South Korea’s government began requiring foreign adoptions to go through family courts, ending a decadeslong policy of allowing private agencies to dictate child relinquishments, transfer of custodies and emigration. | 2022-12-08T11:29:54+00:00 | fox44news.com | https://www.fox44news.com/news/national-world-news/ap-south-koreas-truth-commission-to-probe-foreign-adoptions/ |
WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) — After five years of development, the nation’s first high-volume closed-loop PFAS destruction system is up and running in Michigan.
PFASs, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a category of long-lasting chemical compounds commonly referred to as “forever chemicals.” Scientists are continually learning more about the health impacts of these chemical compounds, which were first developed in the 1940s and incorporated into all sorts of products for waterproofing and heat resistance.
Decades later, research showed that PFAS compounds take a long time to break down organically and can build up in the human body, causing serious health problems including cancer.
The chemical compounds are so widespread that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 99% of all Americans have a detectable level of PFAS in our bodies.
The materials are still manufactured and used. As they are used or thrown away, those chemical compounds end up in our landfills and biosolids. Without treatment, those PFAS compounds recycle through the ecosystem again, in new materials or our groundwater, even in food.
But the country’s first high-volume PFAS destruction system — known as the “PFAS Annihilator” — is aiming to stop that cycle by destroying those compounds.
Heritage-Crystal Clean, a hazardous-waste treatment company, runs the system out of its wastewater facility in Wyoming, Michigan, using technology developed and manufactured through a four-way business partnership between Battelle spin-off Revive Environment, Allonnia and EPOC Enviro.
How does a ‘PFAS Annihilator’ work?
Revive Environmental President and CEO David Trueba boiled the process down into three main steps. The facility takes in landfill leachate — essentially rainwater that filters through landfills, collecting chemicals and other contaminants. The raw leachate is pushed through three treatments that separates the PFAS compounds from the leachate. That concentrated material is then run through the “PFAS Annihilator,” which uses super-critical water oxidation, or SCWO, to break the extremely durable PFAS chemical bonds.
The end result is clean water and salts, usually sodium or potassium. The water is then sent to public water treatment facilities to be put back into the water system.
The partnership is called 4never. It is a play on the phrase “forever chemicals” — a common reference for PFAS because the compounds can take years to break down naturally.
Trueba considers the 4never partnership a model to be built upon to truly tackle PFAS contamination.
“I was at a company where we did a lot of great work with media handling. We could (concentrate) the PFAS and the materials, but that media had a solid waste factor. I had to send it to a landfill, a depot injection or an incinerator. That recycles PFAS,” Trueba explained Nexstar’s WOOD. “This PFAS loop was never fully broken. Now, for the first time commercially in North America, Heritage-Crystal Clean has invested in the technology. With the Annihilator and this SAFF technology, we can dispose and eliminate that recycle chain in its tracks.”
SCWO is not a new concept, but using it to destroy PFAS is a recent endeavor. Trueba says the project started in earnest in 2018 — one year after major PFAS contamination was discovered in Michigan’s northern Kent County.
“There was a realization in 2018 with the first real governmental regulatory action and litigation awards that PFAS is not only a near-term problem, but the ubiquitous and large challenge,” Trueba said. “So the leadership at Battelle decided we are going to put a lot of investment in (research and development).”
During that research phase, Battelle settled on super-critical water oxidation as the path forward.
“What this does is it combines high temperature with high pressure, and that environment creates what’s called super-critical water, which essentially means instead of a gas or a liquid, it is both at the same time,” Trueba explained. “Oxygen is completely dissolvable in that solution, and all of the chemicals that would normally be non-compatible with water like oils and greases and organics are fully soluble. That allows the oxygen to attack the carbon-fluorine bonds and completely destroy or annihilate the material in 10 to 30 seconds.”
Heritage-Crystal Clean President and CEO Brian Recatto said PFAS really came onto his radar in 2020.
“Potential customers needed help with leachate and they wanted to know if we could handle PFAS compounds because they were starting to get pushback from publicly owned treatment centers. We obviously said no because we didn’t have any treatment capabilities for PFAS compounds,” Recatto said.
Recatto eventually stumbled onto an article written by a Battelle scientist about SCWO. He cold-called the company trying to learn more, and eventually got the ball rolling.
“We had a super meeting about how we could put this partnership together with our waste treatment facility. That kind of started the dialogue, and a year later we did the pilot,” he said.
The first PFAS Annihilator was tested in 2022 at the Wyoming facility, treating just five gallons at a time. As a proof of concept, the pilot program was a huge success. The past year has been spent on the logistics end, expanding the size of the process to make it cost-effective.
What’s next?
Recatto says the plant currently takes in approximately 100,000 gallons of raw landfill leachate each day — approximately 20 truckloads. That raw leachate generates around 100 gallons of concentrated PFAS material.
The leachate currently comes from three local landfills and varies depending on rainfall. Heritage-Crystal Clean’s goal is to handle 200,000 gallons of raw leachate daily by the end of May.
The ultimate goal, at least for the current system in place, is 500,000 gallons per day.
“We can do 500,000 gallons a day. It could probably go up to 600,000, but that’s with some optimization and manpower as we get more stable. But we are designing units for even larger capacity,” Trueba said.
With the first system up and running, there are two new goals for 4never: tweaking and developing new technology and putting more of these systems to work.
Amy Dindal, the PFAS Program Manager for Battelle, says her team is turning their attention to nonliquid materials.
“Right now, the technology is tuned in on an aqueous or liquid basis, so things like leachate or other liquid matrices. We’re now working on slurries and solids to be able to destroy PFAS in things like soil and other solid materials,” Dindal said.
Recatto said Heritage-Crystal Clean has expansion plans of its own, but the company is committed to the partnership, as well.
“We’ve got additional equipment arriving as we speak. We’ve got two units out in the parking lot now that we are going to move to other locations. We have 11 of these plants scattered around North America with the hope that we will have 20 of them in the next couple of years,” Recatto said. “We are going to follow where the customers take us. If (Battelle) needs logistics help, we’ll go help them in other places. We have labor, we have equipment to move their equipment. And if (Battelle) lands a project with the (Department of Defense) … and needs our help, we’ll certainly help.” | 2023-05-06T18:04:16+00:00 | ksn.com | https://www.ksn.com/news/north-americas-first-pfas-annihilator-is-already-operating-in-michigan/ |
Jackson, Miss., residents travel to find clean water amid system problems
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) - The city has been under a boil water notice for more than a month. During that time, residents have had to boil their water before using it.
As a result, cases of bottled water have become hot commodities in Jackson. Residents lined up one by one at distribution sites trying to get their hands on a case.
“I’ve been in line maybe for almost an hour there are other things I could be doing,” said Patricia Watkins, who lives in Jackson.
Watkins was one of the hundreds in line. She said the water woes have caused a big inconvenience in her day-to-day routine.
She’s currently seeing low water pressure inside her South Jackson home.
“It’s been hard, especially when you have a family,” Watkins expressed. “Like right now, we just got one case. I mean, I am thankful, but you could have three or four or five people in your family,” Watkins said.
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said Jackson’s water system is troubled by short staffing and “decades of deferred maintenance,” the Associated Press reported.
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration request for the state of Mississippi on Tuesday, directing federal resources to the area.
Residents have been told their water isn’t safe to drink or give to their pets.
They’re also being told to only use bottled or boiled water just to brush their teeth.
However, some residents said they’ve been dealing with water woes in Jackson for decades.
“This has been an issue for me since I came down here to Tougaloo College in 1991, I was always told not to drink that water,” said Danyelle Holmes, who’s a national social justice organizer and a Jackson resident.
Holmes spent the day lending a hand at the different water giveaways, helping residents get safe drinkable water during the ongoing crisis.
She said she believes politics are being placed over people, which is contributing to this current problem.
She also said she believes Gov.Tate Reeves should’ve acted sooner to help fix this issue.
“If we were talking about Madison County or if we were talking about Rankin County, we would not see these issues,” Holmes said. “The extreme racist politics that are being played, placing politics before people, it has to stop, and it has to stop today. We have 175,000 residents or more who are impacted and lives are at jeopardy.”
There were two common sights at the bottled water giveaways: the first was hundreds of cars lining up to get the water, the second was many residents leaving empty-handed because the demand is so high that the cases of water ran out.
The water giveaways will take place all week.
Copyright 2022 WLBT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2022-08-31T13:40:53+00:00 | witn.com | https://www.witn.com/2022/08/31/jackson-miss-residents-travel-find-clean-water-amid-system-problems/ |
BEIJING (AP) — After a lengthy absence from major international gatherings, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is leaving his country's COVID-19 bubble and venturing abroad next week into a dramatically changed world marked by rising confrontation.
Xi will attend the G-20 meeting of industrial and emerging market nations in Indonesia followed by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Thailand. He will meet individually with other leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday in their first in-person talks since Biden took office in January 2021.
The Chinese leader has relied mainly on speeches by video to deliver China’s message at the U.N. and other forums since 2020. The period has seen a sharp deterioration in China's relations with the West over the COVID-19 pandemic, a crackdown on civil rights in Hong Kong, military threats against Taiwan and Beijing's tacit support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
More broadly, China and the West are moving farther apart. The U.S. and Europe are looking at China more critically, with Germany blocking investment in its companies, while China's leaders have shown a determination to go their own route.
Bruce Dickson, a Chinese politics expert at George Washington University, described a "growing fear, concern and anxiety that China doesn’t want to be a partner with other countries. It wants to push its own agenda regardless of the opposition to it.”
More moderate voices in both Beijing and Washington advocating better relations are being pushed to the side. "It’s really an effort of who can come up with the toughest policy to resist China’s efforts,” Dickson said.
After a state visit to neighboring Myanmar in January 2020, Xi stayed in mainland China for more than two years.
He emerged first on a brief visit to Hong Kong for the 25th anniversary of its return from British rule on July 1 and a short trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in September for a regional summit.
Xiong Zhiyong, an international relations professor at China Foreign Affairs University, expects Chinese leaders will make more trips abroad as the pandemic eases globally.
“The current international situation is overly complex and national leaders need to have an opportunity for discussion,” he said. “Online exchanges are not enough. Meetings among leaders are important and irreplaceable.”
Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Beijing to meet Xi earlier this month. But under China’s “zero-COVID” policy, it remains difficult to travel into China, while domestic travel is restricted wherever a serious outbreak occurs.
Besides Biden, other leaders Xi will meet on this trip include Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, French President Emmanuel Macron, Senegalese President Macky Sall and Argentine President Alberto Fernández.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday that he would ask Xi to lift billions of dollars in trade barriers if they meet, while Biden said earlier this week he plans to discuss growing U.S.-China tensions over trade, the self-ruled island of Taiwan and China’s relationship with Russia.
China has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and accused the U.S. and NATO of forcing Russia’s hand. It also fired missiles over Taiwan and appeared to rehearse a military blockade of the island after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August.
China also cut off talks with the U.S. on a raft of issues following Pelosi's trip including climate, an area where cooperation between the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases is crucial to efforts being discussed at ongoing U.N. climate talks in Egypt to limit the impact of climate change.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday that “the U.S. needs to work together with China to properly manage differences, advance mutually beneficial cooperation, avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation and bring China-U.S. relations back to the right track of sound and steady development.”
Xi is making this trip after having consolidated his hold on power in China last month at a major meeting of the long-ruling Communist Party. He was given a third five-year term as leader and the top party bodies were packed with his loyalists, signaling his approach to foreign and domestic policy will continue.
China’s doubling of its defense budget over the past two decades and militarization of islands in the South China Sea have raised questions about its stated policy of a “peaceful rise.” Southeast Asian neighbors have had to tread a thin line between maintaining relations with the U.S. and incurring China’s wrath.
At the APEC meeting in Thailand, Xi will deliver a speech on China’s proposals to deepen Asia-Pacific cooperation and promote regional and global economic growth, Zhao said.
He is also expected to tout his Global Development Initiative, a rebranding of his signature “Belt and Road Initiative,” which has been criticized for saddling poor countries with massive debts and giving China potential control over crucial ports and other infrastructure from Southeast Asia to Europe.
Though Xi has all but eliminated domestic political challenges, he faces rising threats on the economic front.
China’s growth has slumped under the pressure of strict anti-virus campaigns that have disrupted trade, travel and supply chains, along with a crackdown on massive debt in the real estate industry, which has been a driver of growth.
Dickson said the Xi-Biden meeting at the G-20 could help cool tensions. But, he added, "I’ve got to say right now that it’s hard to see any willingness coming from either country to try and stabilize things and keep the downward spiral from continuing.”
Associated Press researcher Yu Bing contributed to this report. | 2022-11-12T08:20:50+00:00 | hjnews.com | https://www.hjnews.com/world/chinas-xi-out-of-covid-bubble-faces-changed-world-at-g-20/article_88021393-8b27-598f-8509-af5444602d36.html |
Watch a live feed of the Alex Murdaugh murder trial above. Follow reporter Riley Benson @realrileybenson on Twitter for updates from Walterboro. Tune in to News 2 at 4:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. for full coverage. Scroll down for live blog
COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – The jury in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial is expected to hear from witnesses connected to Murdaugh’s financial crimes Tuesday.
Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife Margaret and youngest son Paul at their family property in June of 2021.
ALEX MURDAUGH MURDER TRIAL: DAY 12 RECAP
Get caught up on the Alex Murdaugh investigations
Colleagues from Murdaugh’s former law firm PMPED (now Parker’s Law Group) gave emotional testimony about their personal and professional relationships with Murdaugh.
PMPED CFO Jeanne Seckinger described how she uncovered Murdaugh’s decades-long scheme of stealing millions of dollars from the firm and his clients. She confronted Murdaugh about missing funds on June 7, 2021, just hours before the murders. Prosecutors say that conversation pushed Murdaugh over the edge, but the defense claims it was far less dramatic than the prosecution would like jurors to believe.
Following Seckinger, PMPED attorney and longtime friend of Murdaugh, Ronnie Crosby, took the stand. He grew emotional testifying about his relationship with Paul, who called him “Uncle Ronnie.” The two were so close that Crosby gave the eulogy at Paul’s funeral. He went to Moselle the night of the murders and described the grisly scene. He also said Murdaugh told him in no uncertain terms that he was not at the kennels with Paul and Maggie that night, a claim that has been debunked by video Paul took that night at 8:44 p.m. Crosby identified the voices of Paul, Maggie, and Alex Murdaugh with 100% confidence.
The final witness was a gunshot residue expert who testified that a significant amount of presumptive residue was found on the controversial blue raincoat seized from Murdaugh’s parent’s home.
Defense is expected to pick up cross-examination of the GSR expert Wednesday at 9:00 a.m.
ALEX MURDAUGH MURDER TRIAL LIVE BLOG:
12:25 p.m. – Court is evacuated due to a “credible threat” at the Colleton County Courthouse.
Before recessing, Judge Newan says they will use this time as a lunch break and return at 2:30 p.m.
At 12:55 p.m., SLED issued the following statement:
“A bomb threat was received by Colleton County courthouse personnel. The building has been evacuated and SLED along with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the threat. No additional information is available from SLED at this time.“
12:22 p.m. – The state calls SLED agent Brian Hudak to the stand. He is a special agent in computer crimes.
12:18 p.m. – Defense begins cross-examination. Griffin asks Gunn about his history and relationship with Murdaugh. Gunn says they used to be closer, but he was in Columbia and Murdaugh was in Hampton, so the distance may have contributed to their becoming less close.
Griffin asks if Murdaugh was a family man. Gunn says yes, he would always bring his family to legal conventions. Griffin asks how Murdaugh’s demeanor was after the funeral. Gunn says “he was a broken man.”
11:54 a.m. – State prosecutor Johnnie James calls Michael Gunn of Forge Consulting to the stand.
Gunn says he had a professional and personal relationship with Murdaugh.
He never received any of the checks Murdaugh claimed were for Forge Consulting.
James asks if Murdaugh ever asked about structured settlements. Gunn says in a general sense, yes, but he doesn’t think they ever ended up setting anything up.
James asks if Gunn is aware of the boat crash case. Gunn says yes. James asks if he had conversations with Murdaugh about structuring fees after the case. Gunn says yes, but just general conversations about what is and isn’t possible, nothing concrete.
In September of 2021, Gunn received a phone call from PMPED lawyer Lee Cope. Cope gave him a list of cases and asked if he had files on any of them. Gunn says he only had a file on one of the cases, and they hadn’t pursued the settlement.
Cope asked if Forge Consulting banks at Bank of America. Gunn said they hadn’t in four to five years.
James asks about June 7, 2021. Gunn says he learned about the murders then waited a few days and reached out to Murdaugh to say he was thinking of him. He says he didn’t know Paul that well, but he knew Maggie.
Gunn says he attended the funeral for Paul and Maggie. Afterwards at the wake, Murdaugh told Gunn how much Maggie loved him and his wife.
Gunn is asked if any subsidiaries are under Forge Consulting. Gunn says yes. He is asked if any are named “Forge.” Gunn says no. He says he never told Murdaugh he could use the name Forge and had no knowledge that Murdaugh was using it.
11:36 a.m. – Defense begins cross-examination of Griswold. Griffin asks if Murdaugh put family first at work and encouraged her to do the same. She says yes.
Griswold says that Murdaugh scheduled his work commitments around his family commitments.
Griffin asks if she liked working for Murdaugh. Griswold says she loved and respected him, but he could be difficult because he was chaotic. Griffin asks if Murdaugh ever told anyone no when they asked for something. Griswold says “he didn’t know the word no.”
Griffin asks if, as a result of Maggie and Paul’s murders, Murdaugh became the focus of a media spotlight. Griswold says yes. She explains that they had to lock the door in the office because the media would just walk in.
Griswold said Murdaugh changed dramatically after the murders. He was no longer as loud and boisterous. He had a hard time working.
Griffin asks if Griswold is aware Murdaugh didn’t spend a single night at Moselle after the murders. She says yes.
Griffin asks if Griswold at some point turned her concerns about the Farris fees over to Seckinger. Griswold says yes, and she trusted Seckinger to handle it, so she stopped pursuing it.
Defense asks about the text Murdaugh sent from rehab September 26, 2021. After objecting to its admission, Griffin asks Griswold to read the text in its entirety. She does.
11:30 a.m. – The jury is brought back in. The September 26, 2021 text from Murdaugh to Griswold and Christy (his other secretary) is admitted into evidence. It is not read aloud in its entirety. One line is read saying “the worst part is knowing I did the most damage to those I love the most.”
Waters plays the video taken by Paul at 8:44 p.m. the night of the murders. He asks Griswold to identify the voices heard in the video. She identifies Paul, Maggie, and Alex. In court, Murdaugh is visibly emotional as the video is played.
10:58 a.m. – The jury is sent to the jury room as prosecution and defense discuss a text sent by Murdaugh to Griswold on September 26, 2021, when he was in rehab. Defense argues it is not relevant to the financial crimes testimony and is just being presented to cast a bad light on Murdaugh’s character.
Judge Clifton Newman agrees that drug use is a different issue, but the text doesn’t specifically mention drug use.
Defense argues the text suggests he is in rehab. Judge Newman offers to redact those portions of the text.
10:04 a.m. – Annette Griswold, Murdaugh’s former paralegal, takes the stand.
State prosecutor Creighton Waters asks if Griswold noticed any change in Murdaugh’s demeanor after the boat accident.
She says yes, he was rarely there and seemed distracted. In 2021, it got even worse, according to Griswold.
She said he was not his normal self, he was tense. “You could tell the boat crass was weighing heavy on him… It was almost consuming his life.”
Waters asks if Murdaugh was protective about people going into his office. Griswold says yes.
Waters asks if Griswold was directed to send disbursements to Forge. She says yes, and she asked why not Forge Consulting, which she knew to be the name of the company they worked with. She says Murdaugh explained that Forge was under Forge Consulting. She often had to ask accounts payable to re-write the checks.
Griswold also says Murdaugh often insisted on hand-delivering the checks himself. Griswold said she started making notes of it because she was worried the checks would get lost.
They discuss cases she worked on with Murdaugh in which the funds were diverted. In some cases, funds that had not yet been disbursed were sent to Forge. Griswold said she asked about them and Murdaugh explained that since the funds could not yet be disbursed and were just sitting in the bank, they were sending it to Forge to draw interest. He said it would be a win-win because it would draw interest on client and attorney fees.
In one instance, Waters presents a disbursement sheet that sent all client funds to Forge. She identifies Murdaugh’s signature in the attorney signature spot, but in the client signature spot, she says she recognizes Murdaugh’s writing as well.
Regarding the Farris checks, Griswold is the one who emailed Chris Wilson’s office about the missing checks. When Wilson’s office told her the checks had already been sent, Griswold said she assumed they were given to Murdaugh directly and he lost them, because he was scattered about things.
She confronted Murdaugh and he told her he didn’t get the checks. He said Wilson was holding the money in trust and that it had not yet been disbursed.
Over the next few days, she said she tried to get more out of Murdaugh, but he was not forthcoming. She said she was hoping the checks were just lost, but in the back of her mind, there was a huge red flag.
She then brought the information to Jeanne Seckinger. They both had a bad feeling but were hoping to prove themselves wrong.
Waters asks if Griswold remembers June 7, 2021, the day of the murders. She worked that day. She saw Murdaugh and saw Seckinger on the way to confront him.
That night, her phone was on silent. She awoke to many texts and missed calls. She had a voicemail from Randy Murdaugh telling her to call him. When she called, she assumed Randolph Murdaugh had died. When Randy told her it was Maggie and Paul, she was overwhelmed.
Griswold said she was concerned for the safety of the family because they didn’t know if it was someone coming after the entire family.
Waters asks what the reaction of the firm was. Griswold says there were two. She says on one level, everyone was scared. They didn’t know if it was retaliation over a case, someone targeting the Murdaugh family, etc. She says they were in “mama bear mode” protecting Murdaugh and Randy. They didn’t let them leave if there was a suspicious car or media outside. On another level, they were grieving.
Waters asks if anyone was concerned about the Farris fees at that time. “What Farris fees?” Griswold said. They didn’t even cross her mind.
She says she didn’t think about them again until September 2, 2021. That day, she was looking for a file in Murdaugh’s office and found a check from the Farris case made out to Alex Murdaugh. The check was written in March, endorsed by Murdaugh, and mobile deposited. At that point, Griswold said she knew he was lying. She says she was hurt, angry, and beside herself.
Griswold told Seckinger, who had just begun reviewing Murdaugh’s financials. He was fired the next day.
Waters asks if there was community backlash about the boat case. Griswold says yes, with Hampton being such a small town, most people have a connection to both sides. Mallory Beach is her first cousin. She said she felt torn between her family and her work, but she tried to keep them separate.
Murdaugh texted Griswold on September 26, 2021 when he was in rehab.
10:00 a.m. – Prosecution follows up with Fletcher. She is asked if finding 38 particles on the inside of a garment is unusual. She says yes.
Prosecution asks if 38 particles being found inside the jacket is consistent with a recently-fired firearm being carried inside the jacket. Fletcher says it is consistent with the inside of the garment coming into contact with a recently fired firearm.
9:35 a.m. – Court is in session. Attorney Jim Griffin picks up cross-examination of Megan Fletcher, a gunshot residue analysis expert.
Griffin asks about how gunshot primer residue is transferred. Fletcher says on inanimate objects, it can last until it is wiped off by something else. Griffin points out that many firearms have been presented into evidence and asks if its possible particles are in the seat Fletcher is sitting in. She says its possible.
Griffin asks about Murdaugh’s clothes Fletcher analyzed the day after the murders. He asks if she was aware they were wet. She says she wasn’t aware until they opened the box and found out. He goes through the particles found on his clothes and hands,
Griffin asks if there is any way to know when the residue got on the blue jacket. Fletcher says no. He asks if she can tell how it got there. She says no.
Griffin points out the jacket could’ve belonged to Murdaugh’s father. He presents a scenario in which Murdaugh’s father takes off the jacket and throws it in the back of his truck, on top of an old shotgun. Fletcher says its possible 38 particles could’ve transferred from the shotgun if it hadn’t been cleaned.
He asks if one particle on a hand or three particles on a shirt are insignificant. Fletcher says she can’t say they’re insignificant, but the 38 is significant because the number is so large.
Griffin asks if Fletcher also received a blue tarp and decided with a SLED agent not to process the tarp. Fletcher says yes, based on what was relayed to them by Smith. She says it was based on the raincoat being balled up in a closet vs the tarp, which was laid out on a chair.
Griffin asks if Fletcher documented that a firearm was in contact with the rain jacket. Fletcher says it was a possibility based on her analysis.
Griffin asks about notes Fletcher took about the rain jacket. She listed it as a size large.
—
STAY CONNECTED: Receive news alerts from this trial and watch it on the go with the NEWS 2 APP (download it here). You can also subscribe to daily emails for the latest news on this trial. | 2023-02-08T18:01:19+00:00 | wric.com | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/gunshot-residue-testimony-to-resume-in-alex-murdaugh-murder-trial/ |
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Independent federal investigators say the price tag for cleaning up waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory is rising and federal officials need to do more to track costs and progress of the $7 billion effort. The Government Accountability Office says the U.S. Energy Department hasn't taken a comprehensive approach to prioritizing cleanup activities at the New Mexico lab and needs to boost oversight of the contractor doing the work. The report comes as federal officials hosted a forum Thursday in Los Alamos to talk about cleanup efforts. New Mexico environmental regulators say the report validates their concerns — that cleanup has been mired in unnecessary delays that threaten public health and the environment.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The price tag for cleaning up waste from the once top-secret Manhattan Project and subsequent Cold War-era nuclear research at Los Alamos National Laboratory has more than doubled in the last seven years, and independent federal investigators say federal officials will have to do better to track costs and progress.
The Government Accountability Office in a report issued Wednesday said while some improvements have been made, the U.S. Energy Department hasn't taken a comprehensive approach to prioritizing cleanup activities at the New Mexico lab.
The report came as federal officials hosted a forum Thursday in Los Alamos to talk about cleaning up contaminated soil and groundwater and handling hazardous waste generated by decades of research that started with development of the atomic bomb during the 1940s.
Ike White, who heads DOE's Office of Environmental Management, said the release this week of the "Oppenheimer" film makes it a good time to talk about the legacy that came from the dawning of the atomic age. Part of the environmental cleanup mission requires an examination of history, White told those gathered at the historic Fuller Lodge in the heart of Los Alamos.
He characterized the nation's multibillion-dollar cleanup program as the third largest liability on the books for the federal government — behind only Social Security and Medicaid.
"It is a large, it is a complicated, it a technologically challenging program," White said. "It is extremely important to a lot of people who live across the country from coast to coast, and all of us who are part of that program feel an extraordinary responsibility to make that program successful."
Still, the GAO pointed to weaknesses in oversight by the Office of Environmental Management at Los Alamos. They said failure to finalize a performance baseline for the cleanup contractor prevented the office from tracking ongoing costs, the scope of work and progress.
New Mexico environmental regulators said the report validates their longstanding concerns — that cleanup is mired in unnecessary delays that threaten public health and the environment. New Mexico Environment Department spokesman Matthew Maez pointed specifically to the federal government's responsibility to protect drinking water.
"The frequent delays and lack of transparency in cleanup must be remedied," he said. "We hope this report galvanizes DOE-EM to enact change in Los Alamos."
Environmental management officials at Los Alamos said they expect to complete remaining cleanup activities at the lab by 2043 at an estimated cost of about $7 billion.
Michael Mikolanis, who heads DOE's environmental management office at Los Alamos, said Thursday that his team is developing a long-term strategic vision for the remaining cleanup that will be based on priorities identified through numerous meetings with state regulators, the leaders of neighboring Native American communities and others.
While White agrees with the GAO that prioritizing the scope of work is important, he said optimum efficiency is not always the most important factor.
"One of the things that we've arranged with our strategic vision effort and our stakeholder engagement is to try to make sure we're doing that prioritization of the work in a way that is transparent to the community and that doesn't just reflect a sort of bureaucratic set of values," he said.
Don Hancock with the Albuquerque-based nuclear watchdog group Southwest Research and Information Center said the DOE in 2010 had issued a roadmap that included a goal of disposing of most of the transuranic waste — that which contains manmade elements heavier than uranium — by the end of 2015.
He asked the DOE officials at the forum about the timeline and how much waste remained.
Mikolanis said his office plans to unveil an interactive map this fall that will include estimates of the waste at Los Alamos that is stored above ground and that which has yet to be unearthed.
White said estimates for the cleanup project nationwide are hard to calculate because the ultimate volume of waste can change depending on the scope of a project.
The GAO report includes several recommendations for the DOE that include implementing a plan to account for cost and schedule increases, building trust with state regulators and including consideration of potential risks when making decisions. | 2023-07-21T01:30:02+00:00 | kanw.com | https://www.kanw.com/new-mexico-news/2023-07-20/in-a-nod-to-oppenheimers-legacy-us-officials-vow-to-prioritize-cleanup-at-nuclear-lab |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will increase exports of liquefied natural gas to Britain under a new agreement calling for the two countries to work together to boost energy security and drive down prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the agreement Wednesday as part of a larger effort to reduce global dependence on Russian energy exports, stabilize Western energy markets and step up collaboration on energy efficiency, nuclear power and renewables. The U.K.-U.S. Energy Security and Affordability Partnership will be steered by a new group led by senior British and White House officials.
Under the deal, the U.S. pledged to export at least 9 billion to 10 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, over the next year via U.K. terminals — more than double the amount exported in 2021. U.S. gas exports to Europe have sharply increased following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. The new commitment “will be good for both U.K. and European partners as we look to replenish gas storage next year,” the White House and prime minister’s office said in a statement.
“During this global energy crisis brought on by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, it is more important than ever for allied countries to deepen their cooperation to ensure resilient international systems which reflect our shared values,” Biden and Sunak said in a joint statement.
Working with allies, the United States and United Kingdom “commit to intensify our collaboration to support international energy security, affordability and sustainability, as Europe reduces its dependence on Russian energy,” the leaders said.
The effort comes after the Group of Seven major industrial nations, the European Union and Australia last week adopted a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil, meant to both prevent price spikes and starve Russian President Vladimir Putin of funding for his war in Ukraine.
Assistant U.S. Treasury Secretary Elizabeth Rosenberg said Tuesday that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “created the uncertainty that drove the price of oil up” from a pre-invasion average of $70 per barrel to a high of more than $140 per barrel.
As a result, “Russia has reaped a windfall from elevated oil prices — which has enabled it to fund brutal military operations and sustain its illegal and unjust war against Ukraine, all while the rest of the world bears the costs of higher energy prices,” she said. The price cap policy is designed to “limit Russia’s ability to profit from its aggression, while promoting global energy stability by keeping Russian oil on the market,” Rosenberg said at an anti-corruption conference.
The discounted price went into effect Monday, timed to an EU embargo on Russian oil shipped by sea and a ban on insurance for those supplies. The price cap, which was led by the G-7 wealthy democracies, aims to prevent a sudden loss of Russian oil that could lead to a new surge in energy prices and further fuel inflation.
In their bilateral agreement, the U.S. and British governments pledged to work “proactively” to identify and resolve any issues faced by exporters and importers, while also working to reduce global reliance on Russian energy.
The two countries also will seek to expedite development of so-called clean hydrogen derived from natural gas and renewable sources, as well as promote nuclear power as a secure energy source.
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Associated Press writer Fatima Hussein contributed to this story. | 2022-12-07T19:15:25+00:00 | wjhl.com | https://www.wjhl.com/business/ap-business/ap-us-to-boost-natural-gas-exports-to-uk-in-energy-partnership/ |
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We've placed cookies on your device to improve your browsing experience. They're safe and don't contain sensitive information. | 2022-05-31T13:54:03+00:00 | tj.news | https://tj.news/kings-county-record/101881982 |
Idaho court tosses lawsuit that aimed to block abortion bans
Idaho’s Constitution does not implicitly enshrine abortion as a fundamental right, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday as it dismissed a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood.
The ruling was a blow against those who are fighting Idaho laws that took effect in August, including one criminalizing all abortions after six weeks of gestation except to save a pregnant person’s life or because of rape or incest.
“This is a dark day for the state of Idaho. But our fight is far from over,” Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, said in a statement.
The lawsuit against the governor and leaders of the Legislature had sought to block the implementation and enforcement of the state’s new abortion laws that would let certain family members of a fetus sue health care professionals who perform abortions, the abortion ban, and a third provision making it a crime for medical professionals to perform an abortion after electrical activity is detected.
Planned Parenthood claimed the laws offend constitutional principles such as equal protection and due process, the high court justices noted.
But a majority of the justices said in the ruling that the state Constitution offers no fundamental right to abortion.
“Since Idaho attained statehood in 1890, this Court has repeatedly and steadfastly interpreted the Idaho Constitution based on the plain and ordinary meaning of its text,” the justices said.
If they made the jump and concluded that the document implicitly protected abortion rights, the Constitution “would be effectively replaced by the voice of a select few sitting on this Court,” the justices maintained.
Idaho Supreme Court Justice Colleen Zahn dissented with the court’s opinion, saying “Idaho’s Constitution did not freeze rights as they existed in 1890.”
“We should look to Idaho’s history and traditions to determine the framers’ intent but not be locked into examining those rights only according to the circumstances in which they existed circa 1890,” Zahn wrote.
The Idaho bans have increased pressure on abortion facilities in neighboring Oregon, where abortion rights are protected.
In South Carolina, the state Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a ban on abortion after cardiac activity is detected, ruling the restriction violates a state constitutional right to privacy.
The South Carolina court said the state has the authority to limit the right of privacy that protects a woman from state interference with her decision, but any limitation must afford a woman sufficient time to determine she is pregnant and “take reasonable steps to terminate that pregnancy.”
The Idaho Supreme Court said its case was narrowly focused.
“All we are deciding today is that the Idaho Constitution, as it currently stands, does not include a fundamental right to abortion,” Justice Robyn Brody wrote in the majority opinion.
Brody said Idaho’s new anti-abortion laws are “rationally related to the government’s legitimate interest in protecting prenatal fetal life at all stages of development.”
The Idaho laws came about after the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed a right to abortion under the U.S. Constitution.
A narrow portion of one of Idaho’s abortion bans has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge in a separate case.
Abortion foes applauded the Idaho court’s decision.
“Today is a great day for precious preborn babies in Idaho,” said Blaine Conzatti, president of Idaho Family Policy Center, a conservative Christian policy research and educational organization.
Planned Parenthood said the court’s ruling would especially affect people who already face the greatest barriers to health care because of a legacy of racism and discrimination, including people of color, people with low incomes, immigrants and others.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2023-01-06T02:08:16+00:00 | kob.com | https://www.kob.com/news/health/idaho-court-tosses-lawsuit-that-aimed-to-block-abortion-bans/ |
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — The Latest on the British Open (all times local):
7:30 a.m.
Tiger Woods arrived at St. Andrews in shorts and a hoodie. He might also need an umbrella.
The second round of the British Open began under a light rain. That is likely to take some of the fire out of an Old Course that was so fast that it make the rounds go atrociously slow on Thursday.
Of greater concern to Woods is making up ground. His 78 in the first round was good to beat only seven other players. Three of them were past champions in their 50s. Woods figures he needs a 66 or better to make it to the weekend.
Cameron Young leads Rory McIlroy by two. They don’t tee off until the afternoon.
___
More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2022-07-15T12:52:26+00:00 | wtmj.com | https://wtmj.com/national/2022/07/15/british-open-woods-tries-to-make-cut-at-rainy-st-andrews/ |
LONDON (AP) — Credit Suisse shares plunged Monday after Swiss authorities cut a deal with its bigger rival UBS to acquire the troubled bank at a marked-down price. But European bank stocks and the wider market gained as investors watch whether moves to shore up banks will stem further upheaval in the global financial system.
Shares of Credit Suisse, whose woes stem from questions over its internal controls, closed nearly 56% lower a day after UBS said it would buy its fellow Swiss bank for a lowball price of 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.25 billion). The shares traded at about the level they are valued at in the deal.
Swiss regulators orchestrated the purchase in a bid to stop more turmoil after the collapse of two U.S. banks. In an indication of the frantic, behind-the-scenes deal-making to resolve the issue before markets opened, the acquisition was announced late Sunday.
There is still uncertainty over how the deal will play out for the combined lender and what comes next for the wider banking system. Analysts say some previous forced bank mergers didn’t work out well for shareholders in the long run.
It could be that no more banks get into trouble, but it’s also possible that “we just go from one weak institution falling over to the next,” said Vicky Redwood, senior economic adviser at Capital Economics.
There no other obvious candidates that could be singled out like Credit Suisse, but it’s “hard to predict where the problems will emerge,” she said.
UBS shares initially dropped on the Swiss stock exchange but closed up 1.3%. The deal whipsawed other European bank stocks, which tumbled before some clawed back their losses. Germany’s Deutsche Bank, France’s BNP Paribas and Italy’s UniCredit ended higher, while London-based Barclays sank 2.3%.
Swiss authorities urged UBS to take over its smaller rival after a central bank plan for Credit Suisse to borrow up to 50 billion francs ($54 billion) last week failed to reassure investors and customers.
Many of Credit Suisse’s problems were unique and unlike the weaknesses that brought down Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in the U.S., including high interest rates. Those U.S. failures have raised questions about other potentially weak global financial institutions, sweeping up the already beleaguered Swiss bank.
Credit Suisse has faced an array of troubles in recent years, including bad bets on hedge funds, repeated shakeups of its top management and a spying scandal involving UBS.
Analysts and financial leaders say safeguards are stronger since the 2008 global financial crisis and that banks worldwide have plenty of available cash and support from central banks. But concerns about risks to the deal, losses for some investors and Credit Suisse’s falling market value could renew fears about the health of banks.
Tobias Straumann, an economic history professor at University of Zurich, said the merger was the right move because the U.S. bank collapses and the danger to Credit Suisse was “an international banking crisis in the making.”
“Markets are very nervous, and I think an additional accident in Switzerland would have fueled a lot of problems,” he said.
Credit Suisse is among 30 financial institutions known as globally systemically important banks, and authorities were worried about the fallout if it were to fail.
UBS is bigger but Credit Suisse wields considerable influence, with $1.4 trillion assets under management. It has significant trading desks around the world, caters to the rich through its wealth management business, and is a major mergers and acquisitions adviser. However, Credit Suisse weathered the 2008 financial crisis without assistance, unlike UBS.
As part of the deal, approximately 16 billion francs ($17.3 billion) in higher-risk Credit Suisse bonds will be wiped out, leaving investors with hefty losses. Lawyers were already circling, eyeing possible legal action to get compensation for bondholders amid concern about the market for those bonds and other banks that hold them.
The combination of the two Swiss banks, each with histories dating to the mid-19th century, strikes at the country’s reputation as a global financial center — putting it on the cusp of having a single big national bank that would be too big to fail.
Some customers were caught off guard by the turmoil, at odds with Switzerland’s reputation as as stable banking haven.
Sahil Dua, an Indian software engineer living in Zurich, holds a UBS account but opened one at Credit Suisse last Tuesday, the same day the lender flagged “material weaknesses” in internal financial controls that ultimately helped spark its downward spiral.
“My impression as a customer,” Dua said, is “that at least these two banks were going to be fine, whatever happens.”
Dua said he wanted the credit card that came with the Credit Suisse account and that he considered switching over his primary bank account and bringing his savings from UBS. Not anymore.
He has a Credit Suisse account “with a balance of zero, and I’m glad that it’s still zero because I didn’t add any money yet to it.” In the future, he plans to spread out his money in more than one bank.
“I will look into diversification more seriously now,” Dua said.
As the market tries to figure out what comes next after the merger, Straumann, the professor, said he wouldn’t be surprised to see problems for regional banks in Europe after further interest rate increases, much like what happened with midsized banks in U.S.
“The banking system of Europe has not fully recovered from the crisis” in 2008, he said. “It’s better, of course, than it used to be, but it’s vulnerable.”
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Associated Press writers Courtney Bonnell in London and David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany, contributed. | 2023-03-21T05:11:42+00:00 | upmatters.com | https://www.upmatters.com/news/international/ap-international/ubs-to-buy-credit-suisse-for-nearly-3-25b-to-calm-turmoil/ |
The latest text-to-image model from Stability AI is also released as open access to developers alongside its API
NEW YORK, July 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Stability AI, a leading open generative AI company, today announced the release of Stable Diffusion XL (SDXL) 1.0, the latest and most advanced of its flagship text-to-image suite of models.
SDXL 1.0 will be featured on Amazon Bedrock, the fully managed service from Amazon Web Services Inc. (AWS) that provides access to foundation models from leading AI startups and Amazon Titan via an API. The announcement is made at the annual AWS Summit New York, and is further acknowledgment of Amazon's commitment to bringing its customers the most powerful text-to-image foundation models like SDXL 1.0 from Stability AI.
"The latest SDXL model represents the next step in Stability AI's innovation heritage and ability to bring the most cutting-edge open access models to market for the AI community," said Emad Mostaque, Chief Executive Officer of Stability AI. "Unveiling 1.0 on Amazon Bedrock demonstrates our strong commitment to work alongside AWS to provide the best solutions for developers and our clients."
Starting today, the model is accessible via the Stability AI API, Stability AI's Github page and its Clipdrop and DreamStudio consumer applications. Alongside its release on Amazon Bedrock, SDXL 1.0 is available on Amazon SageMaker JumpStart, a machine learning (ML) hub that provides access to algorithms, models, and ML solutions so customers can quickly get started with ML.
This follows the research-only release of SDXL 0.9 in June, which provided a significant number of use case testing data that allowed developers to fine-tune the model for better results.
The refining process has produced a model that generates more vibrant and accurate colors, with better contrast, lighting, and shadows than its predecessor. The imaging process is also streamlined to deliver quicker results, yielding full 1-megapixel (1024x1024) resolution images in seconds in multiple aspect ratios.
Stability API's new fine-tuning beta feature will use a small set of images to fine-tune SDXL 1.0. With as few as five images, users will be able to specialize generation on specific people, products, and more. This feature is currently in limited testing with a number of early access partners, and will be released in the coming weeks.
SDXL 1.0 has one of the largest parameter counts of any open access image model, boasting a 3.5B parameter base model and a 6.6B parameter model ensemble pipeline. The refiner adds more accurate color, higher contrast, and finer details to the output of the base model.
Since the SDXL beta launch on April 13, ClipDrop users have generated more than 35 million images using the model, while Stability AI's Discord community has generated an average of 20,000 images per day.
"Model choice is paramount to maximize the value customers get from generative AI," said Swami Sivasubramanian, Vice President of Database, Analytics, and Machine Learning at AWS. "That's why we built Amazon Bedrock to give customers access to a wide range of the top-performing foundation models, allowing them to find and customize the right foundation model to fit their needs with a fully managed experience. By expanding Amazon Bedrock's selection with the addition of Stability AI's SDXL 1.0 model, we're giving customers access to a state-of-the-art text-to-image model to build and scale exciting, new generative AI applications."
In 2022, Stability AI selected AWS as its preferred cloud provider, building its foundation models on Amazon SageMaker. When Amazon Bedrock launched in April of this year, Stability AI's Stable Diffusion was one of the first foundation models to be made available on Amazon Bedrock. Today's release of SDXL 1.0 on Amazon Bedrock expands Stability AI's and AWS's relationship and commitment to helping customers build and scale generative AI applications easier and quicker.
SDXL 1.0 follows a number of exciting corporate developments at Stability AI, including the unveiling of its new developer platform site last week, the launch of Stable Doodle, a sketch-to-image tool of drawings that has generated more than 3 million images in the week after its release.
To experience the innovation in image creation that SDXL 1.0 brings to the Stability AI and Amazon Bedrock user community, please click here.
For users seeking to try SDXL 1.0, please follow this link.
About Stability AI
Headquartered in London with developers distributed across the globe, Stability AI was founded to build the foundation to activate humanity's potential through artificial intelligence (AI). As the leader in multimodal, open generative AI model development and deployment, Stability AI collaborates with public and private sector partners to bring this next generation infrastructure to a global audience. For more information, visit https://stability.ai
Press Contact:
stabilityai@sparkpr.com
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SOURCE Stability AI | 2023-07-26T17:35:56+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/26/stability-ai-announces-stable-diffusion-xl-10-featured-amazon-bedrock/ |
NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SOCOTEC Consulting, Inc., a leading provider of TIC (Testing, Inspection, and Certification), consulting, and advisory services with a strategic focus on building and infrastructure sectors, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Trinity | ERD, an architecture and engineering company specializing in building envelope consulting, forensic investigation, and litigation support. Founded in 1986, Trinity | ERD has extensive expertise in servicing the existing buildings market across the country out of their offices in Washington, Hawaii, and Louisiana.
"Adding Trinity to our platform further bolsters our growing presence in the US. With offices in key geographic regions, partnering with Trinity allows us to continue to scale the business, ensuring that we grow with our clients and better serve the industry," said SOCOTEC CEO Marc Weissbach.
Jeremy Schinasi, Principal of SOCOTEC and Practice Leader responsible for Strategic Partnerships and Integration, added, "With this transaction, Trinity's team reinforces our superior technical services platform. Having already catered to the existing buildings and forensic engineering service offerings, Trinity's services align very well with our holistic approach to pre-construction, construction, and post-construction activities, thereby supporting our clients throughout the entire lifecycle of their most valuable assets."
"Trinity is excited to become part of SOCOTEC. Our clients will gain access to additional expertise and depth in all areas of the built environment, exposing them to expanded capabilities of in-house specialty engineering, project advisory and dispute resolution service offerings. Additionally, this partnership will provide unlimited advancement possibilities for our staff," said Colin Murphy, Principal of Trinity | ERD.
Trinity | ERD employs professionals in three offices: Seattle, WA, Honolulu, HI and New Orleans, LA. SOCOTEC did not previously have offices in these markets.
"SOCOTEC is aiming to become the global TIC leader in the Building and Infrastructure sectors with a strong presence in the USA - now having 25 locations. Trinity's seasoned and well recognized team of experts will reinforce our skillset as well as contribute to extending our network in the US market. By providing expertise along the project lifecycle of built assets, we can deliver services from strategy to operations and work for sustainable buildings and infrastructure," added Hervé Montjotin, CEO of the SOCOTEC Group.
The SOCOTEC Group, headed by Hervé Montjotin, has built its reputation as an independent, trusted partner assisting companies in the areas of quality, sustainability and safety, and the environment.
Today a leading $1.2 billion USD company that more than doubled in size in 6 years (CAGR of 15%), SOCOTEC's mission is to ensure the integrity and performance of building and infrastructure assets and people's safety. Through its inspection and measurement, assistance and consultancy, and training and certification services, SOCOTEC helps to optimize the performance of companies in every sector by managing the risks inherent in their activities. Drawing on its expertise and positioning itself as a long-term partner, SOCOTEC supports its clients throughout their project's lifecycle.
As a leader in construction inspection and a major player in TIC for the construction and infrastructure sectors, the SOCOTEC Group has 200,000 clients with operations in 25 countries, 11,000 employees and over 250 external recognitions.
SOCOTEC, an industry leader in the building and infrastructure sectors, offers the combined highly technical expertise of an expansive and holistic network of experts across six service lines: (i) Building Envelope; (ii) Energy & Sustainability; (iii) Code & Planning; (iv) Project Advisory; (v) Dispute Resolution; and (vi) Specialty Engineering. In the USA, SOCOTEC employs over 400 professionals in more than 20 offices.
See www.socotec.com and www.socotec.us for more information.
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SOURCE SOCOTEC | 2022-10-11T13:40:38+00:00 | waff.com | https://www.waff.com/prnewswire/2022/10/11/socotec-acquires-trinity-erd/ |
4 in 10 Consumers Expect Their Incomes to Keep Pace with Inflation in 2023
Consumers Likely To Shy Away from Large Purchases Such as Electronics, Appliances and Leisure Travel in 2023
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC), the parent company of LendingClub Bank, America's leading digital marketplace bank, today released findings from the 18th edition of the Reality Check: Paycheck-to-Paycheck research series, conducted in partnership with PYMNTS. The Economic Outlook and Sentiment Edition examines U.S. consumers' expectations for 2023 and how ongoing inflation and economic uncertainty will impact their spending.
Today's Paycheck-to-Paycheck Landscape
Sixty-four percent of U.S. consumers (166 million) were living paycheck to paycheck in December 2022, up 3 percentage points from 61% the year prior, with the most growth seen in higher income brackets. In fact, 9.3 million more consumers are now living paycheck to paycheck, and eight million, or 86%, of those consumers earn more than $100,000 annually.
In December 2022, 51% of consumers earning more than $100,000 annually said they lived paycheck to paycheck, up 9 percentage points from 42% in December 2021. In contrast, the shares of middle-income consumers (those earning between $50,000 and $100,000 annually) and low-income consumers (those earning less than $50,000 annually) have remained relatively constant over the same period — sitting at 66% and 78%, respectively, as of December 2022.
The data also finds that an increasing number of consumers earning more than $100,000 are living paycheck to paycheck with difficulty paying their monthly bills. In December 2022, 16% of these high-income paycheck-to-paycheck consumers struggled to pay their monthly bills, up from 11% in December 2021.
"The effects of inflation are eating into every American's wallet and as the Fed's efforts to curb inflation drive up the cost of debt, we are seeing near record numbers of Americans living paycheck to paycheck," said Anuj Nayar, financial health officer at LendingClub. "While the number of Americans living paycheck to paycheck is close to the height we saw in the middle of the pandemic, the causes appear to be very different, as the economy is not sheltering in place like it was back in 2020."
Consumer Sentiment Heading into 2023
Paycheck-to-paycheck consumers are optimistic about their personal finances in 2023, yet remain worried about inflation. According to the research, four out of 10 expect their personal finances to improve in the next year, up 7 percentage points from 33% in July 2022. Paycheck-to-paycheck consumers are also the most likely to cite job upgrades (more than one-quarter) and additional sources of income (approximately one-third) as drivers of financial improvement in the coming year.
For paycheck-to-paycheck consumers who think their financial situation will worsen next year, inflation is the most worrisome factor, while those not living paycheck to paycheck are most concerned about economic uncertainty. In fact, approximately three-quarters of paycheck-to-paycheck consumers cite inflation as a reason for their pessimism, while two-thirds blame economic uncertainty. Consumers not living paycheck to paycheck are more worried about economic uncertainty than inflation, at 72% versus 62%, respectively.
Despite the pessimism, four out of 10 consumers living paycheck to paycheck expect their incomes to keep pace with inflation in 2023. Even so, the data shows that 90% of wage-earners report that their pay increases were lost to inflation in 2022, with only 42% expecting rising pay to offset price increases in 2023.
With inflationary pressures impacting consumers' wallets, many are likely to shy away from large purchases in 2023, such as electronics and appliances. This year may also see a reversal in renewed interest in leisure travel. For example, only 35% of consumers said they will incur leisure travel expenses in 2023, and just 24% plan to purchase expensive electronics or appliances this year.
"If the consumer perception that their incomes will improve this year is proven true, it will hamper the effects of the Fed to curb inflationary pressures," added Nayar. "We can expect more and more Americans of all incomes identifying themselves as living paycheck to paycheck until we see the economy recover. Now more than ever, it is crucial for consumers to examine spending and build a cushion of savings to prepare for the unexpected."
To view the full report, visit: https://www.pymnts.com/study/reality-check-paycheck-to-paycheck-inflation-income-consumer-finance-spending/
Methodology
New Reality Check: The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report — The Economic Outlook and Sentiment Edition is based on a census-balanced survey of 3,989 U.S. consumers conducted from Dec. 8, 2022, to Dec. 23, 2022, as well as analysis of other economic data. The Paycheck-to-Paycheck series expands on existing data published by government agencies, such as the Federal Reserve System and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to provide a deep look into the core elements of American consumers' financial wellness: income, savings, debt and spending choices. Our sample was balanced to match the U.S. adult population in a set of key demographic variables: 51% of respondents identified as female, 31% were college-educated and 36% declared incomes of more than $100,000 per year.
About LendingClub
LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC) is the parent company of LendingClub Bank, National Association, Member FDIC. LendingClub Bank is the leading digital marketplace bank in the U.S., where members can access a broad range of financial products and services designed to help them pay less when borrowing and earn more when saving. Based on more than 150 billion cells of data and over $80 billion in loans, our advanced credit decisioning and machine-learning models are used across the customer lifecycle to expand seamless access to credit for our members, while generating compelling risk-adjusted returns for our loan investors. Since 2007, more than 4.5 million members have joined the Club to help reach their financial goals. For more information about LendingClub, visit https://www.lendingclub.com.
CONTACT:
For Investors: IR@lendingclub.com
Media Contact: Press@lendingclub.com
PYMNTS Contact: information@PYMNTS.com
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SOURCE LendingClub Corporation | 2023-01-30T13:11:04+00:00 | wbrc.com | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/01/30/93-million-more-us-consumers-ended-2022-living-paycheck-paycheck-than-2021/ |
ANDOVER, Mass., April 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TransMedics Group, Inc. ("TransMedics") (Nasdaq: TMDX), a medical technology company that is transforming organ transplant therapy for patients with end-stage lung, heart and liver failure, today announced that it will release financial results for the first quarter 2023 after market close on Monday, May 1, 2023. The TransMedics management team will host a corresponding conference call beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT.
Investors interested in listening to the conference call may do so by dialing (866) 807-9684 for domestic callers or (412) 317-5415 for international callers and ask to be joined into the TransMedics call. A live and archived webcast of the event will be available on the "Investors" section of the TransMedics website at https://investors.transmedics.com/.
About TransMedics Group, Inc.
TransMedics is the world's leader in portable extracorporeal warm perfusion and assessment of donor organs for transplantation. Headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, the company was founded to address the unmet need for more and better organs for transplantation and has developed technologies to preserve organ quality, assess organ viability prior to transplant, and potentially increase the utilization of donor organs for the treatment of end-stage heart, lung, and liver failure.
Investor Contact:
Brian Johnston
332-895-3222
Investors@transmedics.com
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SOURCE TransMedics Group, Inc. | 2023-04-17T20:28:52+00:00 | wlbt.com | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/04/17/transmedics-report-first-quarter-2023-financial-results-may-1-2023/ |
A truck driver was killed in a two-vehicle collision Tuesday in Plympton, according to police
Shortly after 2 p.m., Plymptonpolice and fire departments responded to the collision involving a rolled-over vehicle and entrapment on Palmer Road, police said.
Police found a truck, driven by a Plympton resident, and a sedan, driven by a non-resident, both males, had collided, police said.
They were the sole occupants in the vehicles.
The truck driver was pronounced dead on the scene.
The sedan driver was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth with non-life-threatening injuries, the statement said.
The investigation is ongoing, police said, and no further information was released.
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“This is a time where our community must come together and our department is committed to offering support to all impacted by today’s tragedy,” the statement said.
Maeve Lawler can be reached at maeve.lawler@globe.com. | 2023-07-12T04:48:17+00:00 | bostonglobe.com | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/11/metro/truck-driver-killed-two-vehicle-collision-plympton-tuesday-afternoon/ |
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___ | 2022-11-08T16:09:34+00:00 | seattlepi.com | https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/AFC-Expanded-Individual-Leaders-17567603.php |
“This case for Mr. Depp has never been about money,” said Depp lawyer Benjamin Chew. “It is about Mr. Depp's reputation and freeing him from the prison in which he has lived for the last six years.”
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million in Virginia's Fairfax County Circuit Court over a 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” His lawyers say he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.
Heard filed a $100 million counterclaim against the former "Pirates of the Caribbean" star after his lawyer called her allegations a hoax. Though the counterclaim has received less attention at the trial, Heard lawyer Elaine Bredehoft said it provides an avenue for the jury to compensate Heard for the abuse Depp inflicted on her even after they split by orchestrating a smear campaign.
“We're asking you to finally hold this man responsible,” she told the jury. “He has never accepted responsibility for anything in his life.”
The seven-person civil jury began its deliberations at 3 p.m. Friday and finished for the day about two hours later. They will resume Tuesday.
Depp says he never struck Heard and that she concocted the abuse allegations. He has said he was the one physically attacked by Heard multiple times.
“There is an abuser in this courtroom, but it is not Mr. Depp,” Vasquez said.
During the trial, Heard testified about more than a dozen episodes of physical and sexual assault that she said Depp inflicted on her.
Vasquez, in her closing, noted that Heard had to revise her testimony about the first time she said she was struck. Heard said Depp hit her after she inadvertently laughed at one of his tattoos. Heard initially said it happened in 2013 — after a fairy-tale year of courtship and romance — but later corrected herself to say it happened in 2012, very early in their relationship.
“Now in this courtroom she has suddenly erased an entire year of magic,” Vasquez said.
Jurors have seen multiple photos of Heard with marks and bruises on her face, but some photos show only mild redness, and others show more severe bruising.
Vasquez accused Heard of doctoring the photos and said evidence that Heard has embellished some of her injuries is proof that all her claims of abuse are unfounded.
“You either believe all of it, or none of it,” she said. “Either she is a victim of ugly, horrible abuse, or she is a woman who is willing to say absolutely anything.”
In Heard's closing, Rottenborn said the nitpicking over Heard's evidence of abuse ignores the fact there's overwhelming evidence on her behalf and sends a dangerous message to domestic-violence victims.
“If you didn’t take pictures, it didn't happen,” Rottenborn said. “If you did take pictures, they’re fake. If you didn't tell your friends, they're lying. If you did tell your friends, they’re part of the hoax.”
And he rejected Vasquez's suggestion that if the jury thinks Heard might be embellishing on a single act of abuse that they have to disregard everything she says. He said Depp's libel claim must fail if Heard suffered even a single incident of abuse.
“They're trying to trick you into thinking Amber has to be perfect to win,” Rottenborn said.
When the jury deliberates, it will have to focus not only on whether there was abuse but also whether Heard's op-ed piece can be considered legally defamatory. The article itself focuses mostly on policy questions of domestic violence, but Depp's lawyer point to two passages in the article, as well as an online headline that they say defamed Depp.
In the first passage, Heard writes that “two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath.” Depp's lawyers call it a clear reference to Depp, given that Heard publicly accused Depp of domestic violence in 2016 — two years before she wrote the article.
In a second passage she states, “I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse.”
The online headline reads “Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath.”
“She didn't mention his name. She didn't have to,” Chew said. “Everyone knew exactly who and what Ms. Heard was talking about.”
Heard's lawyers said Heard can't be held liable for the headline because she didn't write it, and that the two passages in the article are not about the abuse allegations themselves but how Heard's life changed after she made them.
Rottenborn told jurors that even if they tend to believe Depp's claim that he never abused Heard, he still can't win his case because Heard has a First Amendment right to weigh in on matters of public debate.
Caption Actor Johnny Depp arrives in the courtroom for closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Actor Johnny Depp arrives in the courtroom for closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Actor Amber Heard speaks to her legal team in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Actor Amber Heard speaks to her legal team in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Supporters of actor Johnny Depp rally outside of Fairfax County Courthouse as a jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments in Johnny Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard in Fairfax, Va., on Friday, May 27, 2022.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Caption Supporters of actor Johnny Depp rally outside of Fairfax County Courthouse as a jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments in Johnny Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard in Fairfax, Va., on Friday, May 27, 2022.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Caption Dan Kim demonstrates in support of Amber Heard as supporters of actor Johnny Depp rally outside of Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., on Friday, May 27, 2022. A jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments in Johnny Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Caption Dan Kim demonstrates in support of Amber Heard as supporters of actor Johnny Depp rally outside of Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., on Friday, May 27, 2022. A jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments in Johnny Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Caption Actor Amber Heard hugs her attorney attorney Elaine Bredehoft in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Actor Amber Heard hugs her attorney attorney Elaine Bredehoft in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Actor Amber Heard stands with her attorney attorney Elaine Bredehoft in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Actor Amber Heard stands with her attorney attorney Elaine Bredehoft in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Actor Johnny Depp arrives in the courtroom for closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Actor Johnny Depp arrives in the courtroom for closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Johnny Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez gives closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Johnny Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez gives closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Actor Johnny Depp waves to supporters as he arrives at Fairfax County Courthouse as a jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments in Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard in Fairfax, Va., on Friday, May 27, 2022.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Caption Actor Johnny Depp waves to supporters as he arrives at Fairfax County Courthouse as a jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments in Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard in Fairfax, Va., on Friday, May 27, 2022.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Caption Supporters of actor Johnny Depp wait outside of Fairfax County Courthouse for his arrival as a jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments in Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard in Fairfax, Va., on Friday, May 27, 2022.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Caption Supporters of actor Johnny Depp wait outside of Fairfax County Courthouse for his arrival as a jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments in Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard in Fairfax, Va., on Friday, May 27, 2022.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Caption Christina Taft demonstrates in support of Amber Heard as supporters of actor Johnny Depp rally outside of Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., on Friday, May 27, 2022. A jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments in Johnny Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Caption Christina Taft demonstrates in support of Amber Heard as supporters of actor Johnny Depp rally outside of Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., on Friday, May 27, 2022. A jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments in Johnny Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Caption Actor Amber Heard's attorney Benjamin Rottenborn speaks during closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Actor Amber Heard's attorney Benjamin Rottenborn speaks during closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Actor Johnny Depp waves to supporters outside of Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., on Friday, May 27, 2022. A jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments in Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Caption Actor Johnny Depp waves to supporters outside of Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., on Friday, May 27, 2022. A jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments in Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Credit: CRAIG HUDSON
Caption Actor Amber Heard hugs her attorney Elaine Bredehoft after closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Friday, May 27, 2022. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Caption Actor Amber Heard hugs her attorney Elaine Bredehoft after closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Friday, May 27, 2022. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Credit: Steve Helber
Credit: Steve Helber | 2022-05-27T21:28:33+00:00 | springfieldnewssun.com | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/at-long-last-depp-jurors-hear-closings-begin-deliberations/ME6E5DOC7JHCJPA7YQKSPA6FYQ/ |
Pelosi: China cannot stop US officials from visiting Taiwan
TOKYO (AP) — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that China will not isolate Taiwan by preventing U.S. officials from traveling there.
She made the remarks in Tokyo on the final leg of an Asia tour highlighted by a visit to Taiwan that infuriated China.
The Chinese have tried to isolate Taiwan, Pelosi said, including most recently by preventing the self-governing island from joining the World Health Organization.
“They may try to keep Taiwan from visiting or participating in other places, but they will not isolate Taiwan by preventing us to travel there,” she said.
Pelosi said her trip to Taiwan was not intended to change the status quo for the island but to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait. She also praised Taiwan’s hard-fought democracy, including its progress in diversity and success in technology and business, and criticized China’s violations of trade agreements, proliferation of weapons and human rights problems.
Pelosi, the first House speaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years, said Wednesday in Taipei that the U.S. commitment to democracy on the island and elsewhere “remains ironclad.”
Pelosi and five other members of Congress arrived in Tokyo late Thursday after visiting Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea.
In Taipei on Wednesday, Pelosi said the American commitment to democracy in Taiwan and elsewhere “remains ironclad.” She became the first House speaker to visit the island in 25 years.
China, which claims Taiwan and has threatened to annex it by force if necessary, called her visit to the island a provocation and on Thursday began military drills, including missile strike training, in six zones surrounding Taiwan, in what could be its biggest since the mid-1990s.
Pelosi said that China had launched the “strikes probably using our visit as an excuse.”
Earlier Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that China’s military exercises aimed at Taiwan represent a “grave problem” that threatens regional peace and security after five ballistic missiles launched as part of the drills landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Kishida, speaking after breakfast with Pelosi and her congressional delegation, said the missile launches need to be “stopped immediately.”
Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said five missiles landed on Thursday in Japan’s exclusive economic zone off Hateruma, an island far south of Japan’s main islands. He said Japan protested to China, saying the missiles “threatened Japan’s national security and the lives of the Japanese people, which we strongly condemn.”
The Defense Ministry later said it believed the other four missiles, fired from China’s southeastern coast of Fujian, flew over Taiwan.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, attending a regional meeting in Cambodia, said China’s actions are “severely impacting peace and stability in the region and the international community, and we demand the immediate suspension of the military exercises.”
Japan has in recent years bolstered its defense capability and troop presence in southwestern Japan and remote islands, including Okinawa, which is about 700 kilometers (420 miles) northeast of Taiwan. Many residents say they worry their island will be quickly embroiled in any Taiwan conflict. Okinawa is home to the majority of about 50,000 American troops based in Japan under a bilateral security pact.
At the breakfast earlier Friday, Pelosi and her congressional delegation also discussed their shared security concern over China, North Korea and Russia, and pledged their commitment to working toward peace and stability in Taiwan, Kishida said. Pelosi was also to hold talks with her Japanese counterpart, lower house Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda.
Japan and its key ally, the U.S., have been pushing for new security and economic frameworks with other democracies in the Indo-Pacific region and Europe as a counter to China’s growing influence amid rising tensions between Beijing and Taipei.
Days before Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, a group of senior Japanese lawmakers, including former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, visited the island and discussed regional security with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Ishiba said Japan, while working with the United States to prevent conflict in the Indo-Pacific, wants a defense agreement with Taiwan.
On Thursday, the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized nations issued a statement saying “there is no justification to use a visit as pretext for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait.” It said China’s “escalatory response risks increasing tensions and destabilizing the region.”
China cited its displeasure over the statement for the last-minute cancellation of talks between the Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in Cambodia on Thursday.
Pelosi held talks on Thursday in South Korea, also a key U.S. ally, which stayed away from the Taiwan issue, apparently to avoid upsetting China, focusing instead on North Korea’s increasing nuclear threat.
In recent years, South Korea has been struggling to strike a balance between the United States and China as their rivalry has deepened.
The Chinese military exercises launched Thursday involve its navy, air force and other departments and are to last until Sunday. They include missile strikes on targets in the seas north and south of the island in an echo of the last major Chinese military drills in 1995 and 1996 aimed at intimidating Taiwan’s leaders and voters.
Taiwan has put its military on alert and staged civil defense drills, while the U.S. has numerous naval assets in the area.
China also flew war planes toward Taiwan and blocked imports of its citrus and fish.
China sees the island as a breakaway province and considers visits to Taiwan by foreign officials as recognizing its sovereignty.
The Biden administration and Pelosi have said the United States remains committed to the so-called one-China policy, which recognizes Beijing as the government of China but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. The administration discouraged but did not prevent Pelosi from visiting.
Pelosi has been a long-time advocate of human rights in China. She, along with other lawmakers, visited Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1991 to support democracy two years after a bloody military crackdown on protesters at the square.
As leader of the House of Representatives, Pelosi’s trip has heightened U.S.-China tensions more than visits by other members of Congress. The last House speaker to visit Taiwan was Newt Gingrich in 1997.
China and Taiwan, which split in 1949 after a civil war, have no official relations but multibillion-dollar business ties.
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Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, and Huizhong Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2022-08-05T07:02:11+00:00 | waff.com | https://www.waff.com/2022/08/05/pelosi-china-cannot-stop-us-officials-visiting-taiwan-2/ |
CHAMPAIGN — A goofy commercial featuring Illinois basketball forwards Coleman Hawkins and Ty Rodgers in a Serra Champaign car dealership made the rounds during televised March Madness games.
Now that junior Hawkins has declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility, what happens to this business arrangement and others that use his name, image or likeness? How about for students that enter the transfer portal?
The NCAA prohibits businesses from using name, image, likeness deals as inducement for an athlete to continue enrollment at a university. For example, a NIL contract could not call for payments to a student-athlete contingent on him or her staying an extra year, UI Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Initiatives Kam Cox said.
“But at the same time, a student-athlete’s image value, particularly for basketball, does go up right around the end of the season during the tournament,” Cox said Wednesday.
It’s highly uncommon, though not unprecedented, for businesses to continue working with an athlete after they leave town.
Serra Champaign Executive Manager Ben Quattrone said he designed Rodgers’ and Hawkins’ endorsement deals to expire at the end of the academic year to prepare for any summer decisions.
“I told Coleman: ‘If you stay, I’ll renew the deal again,’” Quattrone said. “If Coleman doesn’t get a great deal (for the NBA), I would hope he would stay.”
Quattrone said he spent the latter summer months last year getting to know both Illinois basketball players. Both players apparently needed some wheels and offered to let the business use their likenesses in ad campaigns and social media posts.
Quattrone ended up loaning Hawkins one of the dealership’s first 2023 BMW X3s.
“Coleman’s on everything when you see promotional pics for U of I athletics. He’s kind of an iconic person,” he said. “Whatever he does, he’s probably going to keep the car. He’s just going to buy it from me.”
The Serra dealerships of Champaign have close ties with Illinois athletics: Basketball coaches Brad Underwood and Shauna Green both drive Serra-provided vehicles, Quattrone said, as do many other athletics administrators. The dealership reserves the right to swap out the cars at any time, he said.
Serra Champaign hired a firm to film the ad with Rodgers and Hawkins, going for a “SportsCenter-like” televised skit. The response has been “phenomenal,” Quattrone said, apart from a few trolling comments who went for the players’ acting chops after the team’s NCAA tournament loss.
Professional money almost always outweighs what a student-athlete can make with NIL, Cox said. But when it comes to staying or going, “I do think NIL now is one of the pillars of that decision, whereas before, it wasn’t a part of that,” he said. | 2023-03-30T11:04:36+00:00 | news-gazette.com | https://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/university-illinois/when-athletes-enter-draft-transfer-portal-how-does-nil-factor-in/article_89f74d8f-008b-5dee-9d94-d32206f33f2e.html |
CHICAGO (AP) — The Cleveland Guardians placed All-Star third baseman José Ramírez on the bereavement list Tuesday and recalled hot-hitting infielder Brayan Rocchio from Triple-A Columbus.
The team made the moves ahead of a three-game series against the White Sox.
It' was not known how long the defending AL Central champions will be without Ramírez, who is batting .285 with four homers and 22 RBIs.
Josh Naylor, who has been on a hitting tear of late, will take Ramírez's No. 3 spot in the batting order while Gabriel Arias will start at third in the series opener. Naylor has homered in three straight games — all go-ahead shots in the eighth inning.
This will be Rocchio's second stint with Cleveland. However, the 22-year-old didn't make his major league debut when he was brought up in April.
Rocchio was batting .338 at Columbus with one homer, 21 RBIs and 20 steals. He's hit safely in 16 straight games.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP | 2023-05-16T21:50:37+00:00 | daytondailynews.com | https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio/guardians-place-ramirez-on-bereavement-list-recall-rocchio-from-triple-a/BNXOVH7F7FBIBHBUVMPYQVFCLY/ |
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States, its Western allies and experts shone a spotlight on the dire human rights situation and increasing repression in North Korea at a U.N. meeting Friday that China and Russia denounced as a politicized move likely to further escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula.
China blocked the U.S. from broadcasting the informal Security Council meeting globally on the internet, a decision criticized by U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield as an attempt to hide North Korea’s “atrocities from the world.”
Webcasting requires agreement by all 15 council members. But the U.S. envoy said Beijing’s effort was in vain because the meeting will be made public, and the U.S. and many others will continue to speak out against Pyongyang’s human rights abuses and threats to international peace.
James Turpin, a senior official in the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the ongoing tensions on the Korean peninsula pose a threat to regional and international peace and security, and “these tensions cannot be separated from the dire human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” the North’s official name.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, North Korea has been isolated. The United Nations has no international staff in the country and Turpin said this “coincides with an increase in the repression of civil and political rights.”
He pointed to stronger government measures to prevent people from getting access to information from the outside world, an extreme level of surveillance, people's homes being subjected to random search for material not authorized by the state, and punishments for anyone trying to exercise basic rights including freedom of expression, religion and peaceful assembly.
Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N. special investigator on human rights in North Korea, also stressed “the interdependence of international peace and security and human rights,” saying peace and denuclearization can’t be addressed without considering the current human rights violations.
She told the meeting that the limited information available shows the suffering of the North Korean people has increased and their already limited liberties have declined. Access to food, medicine and health care remains a priority concern, “people have frozen to death during the cold spells in January,” and some didn’t have money to heat their homes while others were forced to live on the streets because they sold their homes as a last resort.
Xing Jisheng, a counsellor at China’s U.N. Mission, criticized the U.S. for discussing human rights in the Security Council whose mandate is ensuring international peace and security, saying it “is not constructive in any way.” Instead of easing tension, he said, “it may rather intensify the conflict, and therefore it’s an irresponsible move.”
“Using U.N. WebTV for live broadcast is a waste of U.N. resources,” Xing added, saying if countries are really concerned about the situation on the Korean peninsula and well-being of the people they should work to relaunch dialogue, de-escalate tensions, and support lifting sanctions that affect the livelihood of North Koreans and the country's deteriorating humanitarian situation.
Stepan Kuzmenkov, a senior counsellor at Russia’s U.N. Mission, echoed China’s opposition to having the Security Council discuss human rights and said there were no grounds for convening the meeting “which has a clear anti-North Korean bent.”
He accused the U.S. of using human rights “to settle scores with the governments not to their liking” and condemned what he called “streams of disinformation” about North Korea disseminated by the U.S. and its allies “on the pretext that they’re trying to protect human rights.”
“What we see is that the United States, South Korea and Japan are engaging in aggressive, militaristic activities, thereby whipping up tensions in northeastern Asia, putting the security of countries in the region at risk,” Kuzmenov said. “The Americans are ignoring initiatives which would help ease tensions as well as the substantive and constructive signals (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un is sending, which could bring about possible de-escalation.”
America’s Thomas-Greenfield countered that “the regime’s widespread human rights abuses and its threats to our collective security could not be clearer.”
North Korea's ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs threaten international peace and security and are “inextricably linked to the regime’s human rights abuses,” she said.
“In the DPRK, the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction always, always trumps human rights and humanitarian needs of its people,” Thomas-Greenfield said. | 2023-03-18T04:31:23+00:00 | expressnews.com | https://www.expressnews.com/news/politics/article/west-spotlights-north-korea-rights-abuses-china-17846686.php |
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — As California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom heads to Washington this week, speculation about his national political ambitions won't be far behind.
The three-day swing, anchored to an award Newsom will receive on behalf of his home state Wednesday from an education group, will provide the Democratic governor with a national stage to continue his outspoken defense of abortion rights and gun restrictions.
It comes at a time when he has been picking fights with Republican governors in Texas and Florida and holding up California as a sanctuary for what he calls fundamental rights, including same-sex marriage, freedom of speech and abortion.
Newsom’s recent activities have stoked talk about his White House ambitions as President Joe Biden’s popularity tumbles and some Democrats question the president’s viability for 2024. Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor, has dismissed any interest in the presidency, and Biden has said he's planning to run for reelection.
“This is Gavin Newsom building his national brand for whatever opportunities might come up in the future,” said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego.
“He's savvy enough to know a lot of dominoes would have to fall for his future to come in 2024, but that makes it even more vital to take every opportunity to stay in the national consciousness for 2028” and beyond, Kousser added.
The president will be on a Middle East trip during Newsom’s stop in Washington. The governor’s office said the president's absence was coincidental.
On his trip, Newsom is scheduled to meet with Biden administration officials, congressional leaders and members of the California delegation to discuss abortion access, gun control and climate change.
He will also be accepting an award from the Education Commission of the States that recognizes, among other things, that California is on track to establish universal pre-K classes for all 4-year-olds by 2025. Newsom spokesperson Erin Mellon said that “what is happening on the education front reflects what we’re seeing across the country – restricting rights and freedoms.”
“While red states are limiting the choices of parents and students – banning books, limiting speech in the classrooms, and persecuting families with transgender youth — California is prioritizing freedom and choice,” she said in a statement.
The 54-year-old governor has acknowledged he’s hoping that issues like abortion rights will mobilize Democratic voters in a challenging midterm election year, when the president’s party typically loses seats in Congress.
After easily beating back a recall election last year and facing only token opposition in his bid for a second term in November, Newsom has sought out the national spotlight in recent months, blaming his own party for being too passive in the face of federal court decisions and new laws in Republican-led states that he said are eroding long-settled rights and rewriting what it means to be an American.
Along with the U.S. Supreme Court decisions overturning Roe v. Wade and holding that citizens have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense, he’s pointed to a Texas law that bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, possibly as early as six weeks, and a Florida law that forbids classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
On Independence Day, Newsom’s campaign aired an ad in Florida critical of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, warning viewers that “freedom is under attack in your state.”
Republican leaders are “making it harder to vote, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors,” Newsom said in the 30-second spot, while images of DeSantis and former President Donald Trump flashed on screen.
“The DeSantis vision of freedom is a fraud,” Newsom wrote in a recent fundraising pitch. “It’s a vision where people are free to carry guns everywhere and everyone has to live in fear of getting shot.”
California, meanwhile, has been going its own way.
Last month, legislators with Newsom’s support agreed to place a proposal before voters in November that would guarantee a right to an abortion in the state constitution. The heavily Democratic state has some of the nation’s tightest gun safety laws but has continued to expand them after the recent Supreme Court decision, including adding new restrictions on untraceable “ghost guns” and marketing firearms to minors.
As he maneuvers for a prominent place in the national party, Newsom could find himself attracting unwanted attention.
California residents are dealing with a long-running homeless crisis, soaring gas and grocery prices and rising crime in major cities. Housing costs are out of reach for many working-class families, and the state has some of the nation’s highest taxes.
A Public Policy Institute of California survey in May found that 50% of respondents believed the state was headed in the wrong direction. And perhaps most tellingly, California has been shedding population — and it's losing a congressional seat — after years of stratospheric growth.
Longtime Democratic consultant Bill Carrick said he saw Newsom making a vocal stand on nationally critical issues rather than maneuvering to get his name into the 2024 presidential discussion.
“We had these two court decisions that had a deep impact on California,” Carrick said. “He's an important voice in that debate and he needs to represent the state as vigorously as he can.”
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the midterm elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at @AP_Politics | 2022-07-12T18:20:32+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/California-s-Newsom-goes-to-Washington-2024-17299847.php |
KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — Russian shelling cut off power in much of the recently liberated Ukrainian city of Kherson on Thursday, just days after it was restored amid Moscow’s ongoing drive to destroy key civilian infrastructure as freezing weather sets in.
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned the capital’s millions of residents that they should stock up on water and preserved food to see them through a winter that could prove miserable if more energy infrastructure is damaged.
He also urged people to consider leaving the city to stay with friends or family elsewhere, if possible.
“Trying months lie ahead. The enemy still possesses substantial resources,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said. He added, however, that “signs are accumulating that (Russia) needs a pause at all costs.”
Ukraine has faced a blistering onslaught of Russian artillery fire and drone attacks since early October. The shelling has been especially intense in Kherson since Russian forces withdrew and Ukraine’s army reclaimed the southern city almost three weeks ago.
Ukraine’s presidential office said Thursday that at least two civilians were killed and six others wounded nationwide by the latest Russian shelling. In Kherson, a 70-year-old woman was killed in her apartment and a 64-year-old man was wounded on the street. A 15-year-old boy died when a hospital in the northeastern Sumy region town of Bilopillia was hit, the presidential office said.
Local authorities said about two-thirds of Kherson had electricity as of Thursday night. Some residents congregated at the train station or at government-supported tents that provided heating, food, drinks and electricity to charge cellphones.
Walking gingerly toward an evacuation train, 79-year-old Liudmyla Biloshysta said she decided to leave and join her children in Kyiv because she feared conditions in Kherson would worsen.
“The strike was so massive our house even began to shake,” Biloshysta said of the latest barrage. “These bombardments make me so scared.”
Alluding to her birth during World War II, she said “I was a child of war and now I’m a granny in wartime.”
In the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian forces fired “from evening till morning” at Ukrainian-held towns facing the Russian occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant across the Dnieper River, the regional governor said Thursday.
“Eight shelling attacks per night. The Russians from evening till morning struck the Nikopol area with (multiple rocket launchers) and heavy artillery. Two districts — Marhanets and Chervonohryhorivka — came under enemy fire,” governor Valentyn Reznichenko wrote on Telegram.
Elsewhere in eastern Ukraine, Russian forces continued their attempts to encircle the Donetsk region city of Bakhmut, focusing on several villages around it and trying to cut a key highway.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said Russia released 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war and Ukraine turned over the same number Thursday as the fighting continued.
In Berlin, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg praised the “heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people” against Russia’s attacks, saying that with the help of allies “Ukraine has made significant gains” on the battlefield.
“But we should not underestimate Russia,” Stoltenberg warned in a speech at the Berlin Security Conference. “Russian missiles and drones continue to rain down on Ukrainian cities, civilians and critical infrastructure, causing enormous human suffering as winter sets in.”
The NATO chief said Russian President Vladimir Putin had made “two big strategic mistakes” when he invaded Ukraine in February: underestimating Ukraine and underestimating the support NATO and its allies were willing to provide so the country could defense itself.
In a related development, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday strongly condemned a European Union proposal, issued the previous day, to set up a U.N.-backed court to investigate possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
“As for attempts to establish some kind of tribunals, they will not have any legitimacy and will not be accepted by us. They will be condemned by us,” Peskov said during a media briefing.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a video message Wednesday that the EU would work with international partners to get “the broadest international support possible” for the proposed war crimes court while continuing to support the International Criminal Court.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine are among the ICC’s 123 member states.
—-=
Jamey Keaten in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, and Joanna Kozlowska in London contributed reporting.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | 2022-12-02T14:52:03+00:00 | cenlanow.com | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/ap-russian-shelling-cuts-off-power-again-in-liberated-kherson/ |
With Berhalter in limbo, US men begin camp under Hudson
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Anthony Hudson’s first practice in charge of the U.S. men’s national team would have been a career milestone for the veteran coach in ideal circumstances.
The actual situation is no cause for celebration, Hudson admits.
Hudson has no idea how long he’ll be in charge of the American team, and nobody knows whether his former boss and close friend, Gregg Berhalter, will ever resume his job amid a misconduct investigation after his contract expired three weeks ago.
“On one hand, this is a very prideful moment, and it’s an honor to be in this position,” Hudson said after the opening workout Saturday at the team’s training complex. “On the other side, the circumstances in which it comes about, I’m a very loyal person, and it’s difficult for me. It’s difficult for the staff.”
Hudson acknowledged he’s still in regular contact with Berhalter, who promoted him in 2021 from a head coaching job with the U.S. under-20 team to an assistant role.
“I’m close with Gregg,” Hudson said. “There’s no coaching course or anything, really, to guide you in moments like this. … This is a really different situation, and I just fall back on being honest. I have a lot of respect for Gregg, and he gave me this opportunity, so I don’t know why my relationship would change. He’s still a good man.”
Berhalter’s future is in limbo while U.S. Soccer conducts an investigation amid a sensational dispute involving Berhalter and the family of U.S. player Gio Reyna, who is staying with Dortmund during this camp.
In response to Berhalter’s disparagement of Gio Reyna during the World Cup, Danielle Reyna — Gio’s mother and former U.S. midfielder Claudio Reyna’s wife — notified U.S. Soccer last month of an incident in 1991 in which Berhalter kicked his future wife, Rosalind — Danielle Reyna’s college roommate.
The drama around U.S. Soccer hasn’t been limited to the Berhalter and Reyna families, either. On Friday, U.S. Soccer Federation sporting director Earnie Stewart told the body’s board of directors that Brian McBride is out as the general manager of the men’s team.
All that anyone knows for sure is that Hudson is running the U.S. team’s annual January camp in Southern California outside an official FIFA window. The camp typically provides a showcase for the team’s MLS-based talents and any available international club players to begin preparations for the upcoming year, which includes the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The U.S. hosts Serbia at Los Angeles FC’s BMO Stadium on Wednesday night, followed by a second exhibition against Colombia in Carson next Saturday.
The 41-year-old Hudson is no stranger to leadership roles: The Seattle-born Englishman has led clubs ranging from Newport County and MLS’ Colorado Rapids to the national teams of Bahrain and New Zealand in his peripatetic coaching career.
“It’s really important for me to understand that it’s not about me,” Hudson said. “It’s about this group of players that have an opportunity to come in in this window and represent the national team, and potentially there’s some players in there that will do well and stay with us, and have a chance to compete at the next World Cup.”
The U.S. team was in a fairly similar leadership situation at the start of the previous World Cup cycle. Bruce Arena resigned in October 2017 after the Americans failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, and Dave Sarachan served as their interim coach until Berhalter was hired in December 2018.
Hudson said he already “had a really nice conversation” with Sarachan about the challenges of filling this temporary role for however long it lasts.
Hudson’s players also aren’t acknowledging any concerns or disappointment with the current state of leadership in U.S. Soccer.
“You’re still coming in and you’re representing the United States of America,” said Julian Gressel, the German-born Vancouver Whitecaps fullback getting his first shot with the U.S. team after receiving citizenship in November. “You’re playing for your country, so no matter what happens in the future, you can show you want to be part of the group moving forward, no matter what that will look like. It’s a big opportunity.”
The team’s full roster won’t be together until Monday. Six players are scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles on Saturday night, and Alejandro Zendejas will join from Mexico on Sunday before Matthew Hoppe and Jonathan Gómez arrive Monday from Europe.
Zendejas arrives in the wake of FIFA fining Mexico 10,000 Swiss francs (approximately $11,000) and ordering El Tri to forfeit two recent friendlies in which it used Zendejas, who played for the United States at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup.
“There’s a lot of new faces, including myself, and we’re excited to build on what has happened in the World Cup and what’s happened over the past four years,” Gressel said. “I think everybody is eager to step in and make a name for themselves to be considered for the future.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-01-22T07:11:01+00:00 | kyma.com | https://kyma.com/news/ap-california/2023/01/21/with-berhalter-in-limbo-us-men-begin-camp-under-hudson/ |
ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s president inaugurated the country's newest and largest undersea hydrocarbon drill ship Tuesday that he said would head for a spot northwest of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, which is not claimed by any other country.
“Our exploration and drilling in the Mediterranean is within our own sovereign dominion,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the ceremony in southern Mersin province, only to add: “We don’t need to seek permission or ratification from anyone.”
Turkey is embroiled in acrimonious disputes with Greece and Cyprus over maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights, which triggered high tensions in the eastern Mediterranean two years ago.
Erdogan said Tuesday the new Abdulhamid Han ship would begin drilling at the Yorukler-1 well about 55 kilometers (34 miles) off the coast of Gazipasa, in Antalya province.
“Neither the puppets nor the ones who hold their strings will be able to prevent us from getting our rights in the Mediterranean,” he said, in an apparent reference to Greece and Cyprus on the one hand, and their Western allies on the other.
In the summer of 2020, tensions escalated after Turkey sent a seismic survey ship escorted by warships to an area in the eastern Mediterranean where Greece claims exclusive rights to potential undersea oil and gas deposits. Greece sent its own warships to shadow the Turkish flotilla. Both countries later conducted military exercises as a show of force.
Turkey insists that small Greek islands near the Turkish coast should not be taken into account when delineating maritime boundaries, and accuses Athens of trying to grab an unfair share of the eastern Mediterranean’s resources.
The NATO allies routinely accuse each other of airspace violations. Turkey also claims that Greece has violated international treaties by militarizing eastern Aegean islands close to Turkey.
Turkey’s other drill ships — Fatih, Kanuni and Yavuz — are operating in the Black Sea where Turkey discovered natural gas reserves. All four ships are named after Ottoman sultans. | 2022-08-09T15:15:53+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/Turkey-sends-off-new-drill-ship-into-eastern-17361347.php |
(WSVN) - More Cuban migrants tried to make it to South Florida.
The group of at least 10 of them was stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard in the waters off the Keys.
They were in a rustic boat, and none of them were wearing life jackets.
They have been taken into Border Patrol custody.
Copyright 2022 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 2022-09-07T21:25:39+00:00 | wsvn.com | https://wsvn.com/news/local/florida/group-of-10-cuban-migrants-stopped-in-florida-keys/ |
(WSPA) – Dr. Charles Frazier Stanley, the senior pastor at First Baptist Church Atlanta and the founder of In Touch Ministries has died.
In Touch Ministries released the following statement:
“We are saddened to share that our beloved pastor, Dr. Charles Stanley, has passed away. We are forever indebted to him for his godly example, biblical teaching and devotion to the gospel. Please join us in prayer for the Stanley family.”
Stanley preached at Fruitland Baptist Church in Hendersonville, N.C. from 1957 to 1959.
He was 90 years old. | 2023-04-18T20:59:42+00:00 | qcnews.com | https://www.qcnews.com/news/national-news/dr-charles-stanley-influential-faith-leader-and-author-dies-at-90/ |
MDR Leader's Continued Momentum Fueled by Strong Customer Demand for its Industry-leading Technology
DENVER, April 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Canary, a leader in managed detection and response, today announced it has surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue. This milestone is validation that the software-driven MDR approach pioneered by Red Canary is delivering customer value at scale. Nearly 1,000 customers, including many of the world's largest and fastest growing companies, trust Red Canary's industry-leading technology to protect their environments from cybersecurity threats. By providing industry-best detection and response across cloud workloads, identities, SaaS applications, networks, and endpoints, Red Canary is able to find and stop these threats, no matter where adversaries choose to attack.
With its latest innovations in readiness, intelligence, and 24x7 managed detection and response, Red Canary is the only vendor today that provides a leading combination of:
- Unmatched depth of detection: by processing massive amounts of streaming data, Red Canary can significantly increase the detection of confirmed threats
- Speed and flexibility of remediation: by focusing on detecting and responding to early-stage adversary activity, threats can be stopped before they can negatively impact organizations
- Quality of partnership: by providing 24x7 access to deep security expertise, customers get unlimited access to global threat intelligence and threat hunters
An obsession with serving and protecting customers through this approach has been the foundation of Red Canary's success and continues to fuel the company's growth and customer retention. Since inception, Red Canary has raised $86 million from investors, including Summit Partners, Noro-Moseley Partners, Access Venture Partners, and Legion Capital. The company has now surpassed $100 million in ARR with a continued commitment to durable growth and delivering healthy and consistently improving operating margins. Key milestones from recent quarters include:
Financial Highlights
- Served 246 new customers in FY23 for a total of nearly 1,000 customers across every major industry, and increased the number of customers with over $100,000 in ACV by 30% year-over-year
- Received an average overall Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) rating of 99.2% in FY23, which represents an industry-leading score and ongoing commitment to deliver an exceptional customer experience designed to help customers achieve their security outcomes
- Realized a 63% attach rate of Active Remediation in Q4 FY23, demonstrating the value of the company's comprehensive approach and continued commitment to delivering new solutions to encompass its customers' security operations
Product Innovations & Community Highlights
- Announced Red Canary Readiness, a new portfolio of offerings that will revolutionize how teams prepare and train for incident response
- Expanded user protection coverage with more detection analytics and response actions in identity and email environments, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Okta, and Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)
- Announced Linux EDR, a lightweight solution for gaining visibility into cloud workloads, so teams can detect threats and protect production Linux systems without downtime or performance impact
- Introduced Red Canary Mac Monitor, a free tool for gathering macOS telemetry, so security teams and researchers can quickly and effectively analyze macOS security events
- Launched its most comprehensive Threat Detection Report ever, reaching tens of thousands of cybersecurity professionals, with research showing a noticeable increase in cloud and identity-specific techniques
"Red Canary is at the center of our customers' security operations. We have an unwavering focus on delivering the absolute best quality at scale, and that is fundamentally what drives our success," said Brian Beyer, CEO of Red Canary. "This commitment together with Red Canary's operational excellence is creating the leading and most durable winner in the industry."
"We know the cybersecurity space well, and we believe that Red Canary has delivered industry leading cybersecurity protection in the most efficient manner in the industry," said Andrew Collins, Managing Director at Summit Partners. "The $100 million ARR milestone helps demonstrate that a sustainable business model can be achieved with a maniacal focus on solving the customer's cybersecurity needs and not on unsubstantiated hype. We are thrilled to partner with the entire Red Canary team as they continue to scale."
About Red Canary
Red Canary is a leader in managed detection and response (MDR). We serve companies of every size and industry, focusing on finding and stopping threats before they can have a negative impact. As the security ally for nearly 1,000 organizations, we provide MDR across our customers' cloud workloads, identities, SaaS applications, networks, and endpoints. For more information about Red Canary, visit: https://www.redcanary.com.
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SOURCE Red Canary | 2023-04-20T14:18:22+00:00 | wafb.com | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/04/20/red-canary-surpasses-100m-annual-recurring-revenue/ |
Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem
(AP) - A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children’s museum are brainwashing children so they’ll accept stolen elections.
Facebook’s second suggestion? A link to an article from a site called MAGA Underground that says Democrats are plotting to rig next month’s midterms. “You should still be mad as hell about the fraud that happened in 2020,” the article insists.
With less than three weeks before the polls close, misinformation about voting and elections abounds on social media despite promises by tech companies to address a problem blamed for increasing polarization and distrust.
While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube say they’ve expanded their work to detect and stop harmful claims that could suppress the vote or even lead to violent confrontations, a review of some of the sites shows they’re still playing catch-up with 2020, when then-President Donald Trump’s lies about the election he lost to Joe Biden helped fuel an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
“You would think that they would have learned by now,” said Heidi Beirich, founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism and a member of a group called the Real Facebook Oversight Board that has criticized the platform’s efforts. “This isn’t their first election. This should have been addressed before Trump lost in 2020. The damage is pretty deep at this point.”
If these U.S.-based tech giants can’t properly prepare for a U.S. election, how can anyone expect them to handle overseas elections, Beirich said.
Mentions of a " stolen election " and “voter fraud” have soared in recent months and are now two of the three most popular terms included in discussions of this year’s election, according to an analysis of social media, online and broadcast content conducted by media intelligence firm Zignal Labs on behalf of The Associated Press.
On Twitter, Zignal’s analysis found that tweets amplifying conspiracy theories about the upcoming election have been reposted many thousands of times, alongside posts restating debunked claims about the 2020 election.
Most major platforms have announced steps intended to curb misinformation about voting and elections, including labels, warnings and changes to systems that automatically recommend certain content. Users who consistently violate the rules can be suspended. Platforms have also created partnerships with fact-checking organizations and news outlets like the AP, which is part of Meta’s fact-checking program.
“Our teams continue to monitor the midterms closely, working to quickly remove content that violates our policies,” YouTube said in a statement. “We’ll stay vigilant ahead of, during, and after Election Day.”
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, announced this week that it had reopened its election command center, which oversees real-time efforts to combat misinformation about elections. The company dismissed criticism that it’s not doing enough and denied reports that it has cut the number of staffers focused on elections.
“We are investing a significant amount of resources, with work spanning more than 40 teams and hundreds of people,” Meta said in a statement emailed to the AP.
The platform also said that starting this week, anyone who searches on Facebook using keywords related to the election, including “election fraud,” will automatically see a pop-up window with links to trustworthy voting resources.
TikTok created an election center earlier this year to help voters in the U.S. learn how to register to vote and who’s on their ballot. The information is offered in English, Spanish and more than 45 other languages. The platform, now a leading source of information for young voters, also adds labels to misleading content.
“Providing access to authoritative information is an important part of our overall strategy to counter election misinformation,” the company said of its efforts to prepare for the midterms.
But policies intended to stop harmful misinformation about elections aren’t always enforced consistently. False claims can often be buried deep in the comments section, for instance, where they nonetheless can leave an impression on other users.
A report released last month from New York University faulted Meta, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for amplifying Trump’s false statements about the 2020 election. The study cited inconsistent rules regarding misinformation as well as poor enforcement.
Concerned about the amount of misinformation about voting and elections, a number of groups have urged tech companies to do more.
“Americans deserve more than lip service and half-measures from the platforms,” said Yosef Getachew, director of Common Cause’s media and democracy program. “These platforms have been weaponized by enemies of democracy, both foreign and domestic.”
Election misinformation is even more prevalent on smaller platforms popular with some conservatives and far-right groups like Gab, Gettr and TruthSocial, Trump’s own platform. But those sites have tiny audiences compared with Facebook, YouTube or TikTok.
Beirich’s group, the Real Facebook Oversight Board, crafted a list of seven recommendations for Meta intended to reduce the spread of misinformation ahead of the elections. They included changes to the platform that would promote content from legitimate news outlets over partisan sites that often spread misinformation, as well as greater attention on misinformation targeting voters in Spanish and other languages.
Meta told the AP it has expanded its fact-checking network since 2020 and now has twice as many Spanish-language fact checkers. The company also launched a Spanish-language fact-checking tip line on WhatsApp, another platform it owns.
Much of the misinformation aimed at non-English speakers seems aimed at suppressing their vote, said Brenda Victoria Castillo, CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, who said that the efforts by Facebook and other platforms aren’t equal to the scale of the problem posed by misinformation.
“We are being lied to and discouraged from exercising our right to vote,” Castillo said. “And people in power, people like (Meta CEO) Mark Zuckerberg are doing very little while they profit from the disinformation.”
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2022 midterm elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections. And check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the midterms.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2022-10-21T14:51:41+00:00 | mysuncoast.com | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/10/21/social-media-platforms-brace-midterm-elections-mayhem/ |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fred VanVleet tried to take a double breath before addressing reporters. But the Toronto Raptors guard was unable to suppress his frustration with referee Ben Taylor and his crew.
VanVleet was extremely critical of Taylor after the Raptors' 108-100 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night — not only for being called for a technical foul, but for the disparity in fouls and free throws.
“I don’t mind it. I’ll take the fine. I don’t really care. I thought Ben Taylor was terrible tonight," VanVleet said while using a profanity. "I think that most nights, you know out of the three, there’s one or two that just (mess) the game up. It’s been like that a couple of games in a row. Denver was tough, obviously.
"You come out tonight, competing pretty hard and I get a (lousy) tech that changes the whole dynamic of the game, changed the whole flow of the game.”
VanVleet, who is in his sixth year in the league, was called for his eighth technical of the season with 7:02 remaining in the third quarter. Paul George made the free throw to put the Clippers up 65-57.
VanVleet said the reason he picked up the technical was because he was imploring his team to play through what he thought were some questionable calls, albeit with more colorful language. He also said he understood there is a fine line on what he can say, but thought Taylor didn't give him enough leeway.
Toronto was called for 23 fouls to Los Angeles' 18, but the Clippers were 24 of 31 from the line while the Raptors were 13 of 14.
“We weren’t getting our money’s worth on a lot of those," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of the fouls. "Probably a little bit of contact. We didn’t adjust (to the style of play) because we were back in the same situation.”
VanVleet and the Raptors were already in a foul mood about officiating before Wednesday’s game. They lost Monday night at Denver 118-113 after Scottie Barnes was ejected by Scott Foster with 28.3 seconds left and the Raptors trailing by one.
The technical came after Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl was called for a foul. Denver made the three subsequent free throws to ice the game.
Of VanVleet's eight technicals, three have been assessed by Taylor with one other coming from another official on a game Taylor was working. Taylor is in his 10th season as an NBA official.
“At a certain point as a player, you feel it’s personal and it’s never a good place to be," VanVleet said. "That’s not why we lost tonight, we got outplayed, but it definitely makes it tougher to overcome.”
VanVleet was already facing a $3,000 fine for the technical. He will face a bigger one for going off on officiating.
“I think the jurisdiction and the power trip that we’ve been on this year with some of our officials in this league is getting out of hand and l'll take my fine for speaking on it,” VanVleet said. “Most of the refs are trying hard, I like a lot of the refs, they’re trying hard, they’re pretty fair, and communicate well. And then you got the other ones who just want to be (idiots) and just kind of (screw) up the game. And no one’s coming to see that. They come to see the the players.
"And I think we’re losing a little bit of the fabric of what the NBA is and was, and it’s been disappointing this season.”
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-03-09T08:50:27+00:00 | daytondailynews.com | https://www.daytondailynews.com/nation-world/raptors-vanvleet-heavily-criticizes-officiating-after-loss/NZYUVVXWLRH7JO2A7SJAWD2VRA/ |
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is walking back his characterization of Russia’s war in Ukraine as a “territorial dispute,” following criticism from a number of fellow Republicans who expressed concern about the potential 2024 presidential candidate’s dismissive description of the conflict.
In excerpts of an interview with Piers Morgan set to air Thursday on Fox Nation, DeSantis said his earlier comments referenced ongoing fighting in the eastern Donbas region, as well as Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea. Ukraine’s borders are internationally recognized, including by the United Nations.
“What I’m referring to is where the fighting is going on now, which is that eastern border region Donbas, and then Crimea, and you have a situation where Russia has had that. I don’t think legitimately, but they had," DeSantis said, according to excerpts. "There’s a lot of ethnic Russians there. So, that’s some difficult fighting, and that’s what I was referring to, and so it wasn’t that I thought Russia had a right to that, and so if I should have made that more clear, I could have done it."
DeSantis made his initial comments last week in a written response to questions sent to declared and potential GOP presidential candidates by Fox News host Tucker Carlson. The Florida governor, seen as a top rival to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination, said that defending Ukraine wasn’t a national security priority for the U.S., and he downplayed the Russian invasion.
“While the U.S. has many vital national interests — securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness within our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural, and military power of the Chinese Communist Party — becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” DeSantis wrote, echoing how Russia has characterized its ongoing invasion.
In the days that followed, a number of Republican senators weighed in with criticism. In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said DeSantis “doesn’t deal with foreign policy every day as governor,” adding that “foreign policy is all about nuance.” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who has endorsed Trump’s 2024 campaign, told Fox News that DeSantis “is basically taking the Chinese position when it comes to Russia’s invasion.”
Republican Sens. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, John Cornyn of Texas and Roger Wicker of Mississippi said they disagreed with DeSantis’ framing.
In the interview with Morgan, DeSantis sought to toughen his position toward Russia, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” and arguing that his detractors had incorrectly characterized his “territorial dispute” remarks.
“I think it’s been mischaracterized," he told Morgan, according to excerpts. “Obviously, Russia invaded — that was wrong. They invaded Crimea and took that in 2014 — that was wrong.”
Democrats have also seized on DeSantis' apparent shifting stance, blasting out emails rounding up the GOP criticism and saying DeSantis' “stumbling over this answer makes clear he is out of his depth.”
Asked by The Atlantic about DeSantis' initial comments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that failure to act on Russia's aggression in his country could ultimately draw the U.S. into a conflict if incursions are also made into NATO member countries.
“When they will occupy NATO countries, and also be on the borders of Poland and maybe fight with Poland, the question is: Will you send all your soldiers with weapons, all your pilots, all your ships? Will you send tanks and armored vehicles with your young people? Will you do it?” Zelenskyy said. “Because if you will not do it, you will have no NATO.”
___
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP | 2023-03-23T17:34:52+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/news/politics/article/desantis-walks-back-territorial-dispute-remark-17856346.php |
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