text stringlengths 80 124k | date_download stringdate 2022-04-02 20:48:07 2023-07-31 23:59:06 | source_domain stringclasses 387
values | url stringlengths 21 528 |
|---|---|---|---|
PURCHASE, N.Y., July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) today declared a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share of PepsiCo common stock, a 7 percent increase versus the comparable year-earlier period. Today's action is consistent with PepsiCo's previously announced increase in its annualized dividend to $4.60 per share from $4.30 per share, which began with the June 2022 payment. This dividend is payable on September 30, 2022 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 2, 2022. PepsiCo has paid consecutive quarterly cash dividends since 1965, and 2022 marked the company's 50th consecutive annual dividend increase.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $79 billion in net revenue in 2021, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
Cautionary Statement
Statements in this release that are "forward-looking statements" are based on currently available information, operating plans and projections about future events and trends. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties. For information on certain factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from our expectations, please see PepsiCo's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. PepsiCo undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact: pepsicomediarelations@pepsico.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE PepsiCo, Inc. | 2022-07-21T21:08:42+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/21/pepsico-declares-quarterly-dividend/ |
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A former U.S. Congressman from central California was arrested Tuesday by federal agents on wire fraud, money laundering, and campaign contribution fraud charges stemming from “multiple fraud schemes,” federal prosecutors said.
Terrance “T.J.” Cox was arrested by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigations in Fresno, where he was booked to the Fresno County jail on a U.S. Marshals hold, jail records showed. It was not immediately known if he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf. An email message sent to Cox Tuesday was not immediately answered.
Cox, a Democrat, represented the 21st Congressional District from January 2019 to January 2021. The district is in the agriculture-rich San Joaquin Valley and includes Kings County and portions of Fresno, Kern, and Tulare counties.
Cox, 59, was charged with 15 counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of money laundering, one count of financial institution fraud, and one count of campaign contribution fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert said in a statement.
People are also reading…
Talbert said that between 2013 and 2018, Cox allegedly obtained $1.7 million from funds he solicited from clients and loans he got for his companies and then stole by diverting the money to “off-the-book bank accounts.”
Cox partially owned, managed and was employed by several companies and non-profit organizations, including a business that helped companies get loans and federal tax credits, an almond processing company and a non-profit that operated Granite Park, a recreation facility in Fresno, according to the complaint.
Cox also fraudulently obtained a $1.5 million construction loan to develop Granite Park, Talbert said.
After his nonprofit could not qualify for the construction loan for the recreation facility without a party guaranteeing the loan, Cox said that one of his companies would guarantee the loan, and submitted a fabricated board resolution that falsely stated that during a meeting all company owners had agreed to guarantee the Granite Park loan.
“No meeting took place, and the other owners did not agree to back the loan," Talbert said.
The loan later went into default, causing a loss of more than $1.28 million, he said.
According to the indictment, when Cox was campaigning in 2017 for the U.S. House of Representatives he perpetrated a scheme to fund and reimburse family members and associates for donations to his campaign, prosecutors said. Cox arranged for over $25,000 in illegal straw or conduit donations to his campaign, Talbert said.
If convicted, Cox faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for wire fraud and money laundering, and up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for wire fraud affecting a financial institution. The charge of campaign contribution fraud carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, | 2022-08-16T23:00:45+00:00 | wcfcourier.com | https://wcfcourier.com/news/national/ex-congressman-from-california-arrested-charged-with-fraud/article_760fd343-dc04-57ac-be3d-1e1dcd92321a.html |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Georgia’s 2022 election season ended dramatically this past week, but that was because of the closely watched Senate runoff that solidified Democratic control of the chamber and not for any large-scale problems with voting.
That led Republicans in the state to say concerns over a 2021 law that imposed several new restrictions on voting were overblown.
“Georgia’s election system has been challenged and scrutinized and criticized and passed every test,” Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement after Tuesday’s runoff, citing high turnout.
Voting rights and community groups say their grassroots efforts to work around the new restrictions were key to the relatively strong turnout. But they also caution that they don’t know how many people might have been deterred from voting.
In his victory speech, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock said he did not share the rosy sentiment about this year’s election.
“Now there will be those both in our state, and across the country, who will point to our victory tonight and try to use it to argue there is no voter suppression in Georgia,” he said. “The fact that millions of Georgians endured hours in lines — and were willing to spend hours in line, lines that wrapped around buildings and went on for blocks, lines in the cold, lines in the rain — is most certainly not a sign voter suppression does not exist.”
The overhaul of the state’s election laws, known as Senate Bill 202, was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature after Democrats won the 2020 presidential contest and two Senate runoff elections in early 2021.
The law shortened the time period to request an absentee ballot and addressed several issues that had arisen during the pandemic election of 2020. To ease the process for voters concerned about COVID-19, the state created an online portal for mail ballot requests while counties deployed drop boxes.
After the 2020 election, state lawmakers said voters should be required to sign absentee ballot applications by hand, meaning they needed access to a printer. And while lawmakers established drop boxes as legal, they put limits on how many could be used by each jurisdiction and when those boxes would be accessible. This resulted in fewer drop boxes in the state’s most populous counties.
The new law also required a driver’s license or other ID rather than a signature for requesting a mailed ballot.
Also under the law, the runoff period was shortened, creating more hurdles. Saturday voting almost didn’t occur during this year’s runoff, after state election officials interpreted state law to mean it could not be held if it followed a holiday — in this case Thanksgiving and the Friday afterward. Democrats sued over the issue and won in state court.
Gabriel Sterling, a top official in the secretary of state’s office, said in an interview “the mechanics went through beautifully” while acknowledging the tight turnaround time between general elections and runoffs presented challenges for officials. That was especially true in processing mail-in ballot requests and dealing with postal delivery delays at some locations.
The new law shortened the runoff period from nine weeks to four weeks.
“Nobody thought about having to do audits and the amount of work and effort that takes, and then to re-recruit people to be poll workers,” Sterling said.
He said a main reason for long lines at early voting locations was that some local election offices had fewer locations for the runoff than during the general election. Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, had 13 fewer early voting locations for the runoff than it did for the Nov. 8 general election, Sterling said. Those decisions were made by local election officials, not the secretary of state’s office.
It’s impossible to determine whether Georgia’s new elections law discouraged anyone from voting, and turnout can be affected by a number of factors, including the weather and enthusiasm about the candidates.
Overall turnout during the general election was 56.9% of registered voters, according to the secretary of state’s office, which certified the results. That roughly aligns with the turnout rate from the last midterm four years ago, even though a record number of midterm ballots were cast, given that more voters are on the rolls. That dropped to just over 50% for the runoff.
Bishop Reginald Jackson, who leads the African Methodist Episcopal churches in Georgia, said the religious community played a significant role in driving turnout among Black voters, along with civil rights, legal and voting rights groups. They modified how they interacted with voters because of the new law, canvassing neighborhoods and holding town hall meetings to get as many as possible people to vote.
Among other things, they pushed early in-person voting over mail balloting, worried that some of the additional hurdles to request and return a mail ballot would lead to a high number of rejections.
To think the 2021 law did not have a negative effect on at least some voters is “conscientious stupidity,” said Jackson, who helped create Faith Works, a group organized by Black church leaders in response to the election law.
Turnout does not tell the whole story, said Xakota Espinoza, spokesperson for the Georgia voting rights group Fair Fight. Long lines, voter challenges, limited early voting and fewer drop boxes are barriers, she said.
“So it’s not just this cut and dry, like, ‘Oh, well, were they able to vote or not?’” she said. “It’s what are voters having to sacrifice? Will they be forced to choose two hours of wages or staying in lines to vote?”
Andrea Young, executive director of ACLU Georgia, said she believes that had it not been for the additional restrictions from the new voting law, Warnock might have won enough votes in the November election to avoid a runoff.
Democratic state Rep. James Beverly, the minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, said he wants lawmakers to consider changes to the state’s runoff elections. One could be lowering the winning threshold to avoid a runoff to 45% rather than 50% plus one.
He also wants to see a mechanism in place that would compel election officials to open more polling locations if wait times become excessive. Any election law changes ultimately will be up to Republicans, who have majorities in both houses of the Legislature and control the governor’s office.
“While we had record turnout, how many people did we lose because they walked away and said, ‘I don’t want to stand in line’?” Beverly said.
He gives credit to voters and voting rights groups for a largely trouble-free election period.
“People turned out in spite of SB202,” he said, “not because of SB202.”
___
Associated Press writer Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta contributed to this report.
___
Associated Press coverage of race and voting receives support from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections | 2022-12-10T17:26:45+00:00 | wdtn.com | https://www.wdtn.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-effect-of-georgias-voting-law-unclear-despite-high-turnout/ |
PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Republican Party is poised to pick a new chair on Saturday, choosing between former chair Giovanni D. Cicione and former state Senate candidate Joseph A. Powers.
The winner will replace Sue Cienki, who is stepping down to run for the Republican national committeewoman position that Lee Ann Sennick is vacating.
The new chair will take over after a disappointing GOP showing in last year’s election cycle. Democrats swept the statewide offices, Republican Allan W. Fung lost lost the high-profile Second Congressional District race, and despite recruiting 66 General Assembly candidates, the GOP lost a seat, leaving it with 14 of the 113 Assembly seats.
Advertisement
But the new chair will take over as Rhode Island gears up for a special election in the First Congressional District to replace US Representative David N. Cicilline, a Democrat who is resigning to lead the Rhode Island Foundation. And the new chair will take over as the 2024 presidential campaign begins to heat up.
The state GOP nominating committee voted to recommend Cicione over Powers. But more than 170 people are expected to cast votes when the GOP state convention takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday at The Event Factory in Warwick.
Cicione, 52, of Barrington, is an attorney who served as chair of the state Republican Party from 2007 to 2011, and he argues that his experience makes him the best candidate.
“I just met Joe. He seems like a great guy, and he has a great future in the party,” Cicione said Thursday. “This is more about experience. We have a congressional election this year. How often do you get an open congressional seat? And I think the party’s general sense is that we need someone who will hit the ground running so our candidate has the best chance possible to win.”
Advertisement
When he was chairman, the party ran 102 candidates for General Assembly races, he said. “We won a lot of races and elected more Republicans.”
Powers, 52, of Cranston, works as a real estate agent, general contractor, and investor, and he previously served in the US Coast Guard. He maintains that the state GOP needs “an injection of new blood.”
The GOP “should be looking to the future to build something instead of the same old stuff,” he said. While Cicione has experience, he said, “My goal is not to hit the ground running — it’s to fly over it.”
Powers ran for state Senate last year, losing to Senator Frank S. Lombardi, a Cranston Democrat who received 57.6 percent of the vote while Powers received 42.2 percent.
Powers said he’d always been an “armchair politician,” so he finally “listened to my Irish mother to shut up or put up” — and ran for the legislature. While he lost, he said he was “totally enthralled” by the experience and looked for ways to stay involved.
He has remained in touch with other Republicans who ran last year, and they are looking for ways “to take the party to the next level,” he said. “Let’s not focus on problems, let’s focus on solutions.”
The first order of business for the new party chair will be backing a Republican candidate for the First Congressional District seat. Cicilline is stepping down June 1, and the primaries could take place as soon as Aug. 8.
Advertisement
Cicione ran for the First Congressional District seat himself back in 1996 — losing to then-Representative Patrick J. Kennedy, a Democrat who received 69 percent of the vote to Cicione’s 28 percent. Cicione said he was running “on a shoestring budget against a guy with a $1 million budget whose last name is Kennedy.”
But Cicione said he has worked on other campaigns since then, and he noted that this year two of the most well-financed potential Democratic candidates (House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and former CVS executive Helena Buananno Foulkes) have said they won’t run for the First Congressional District seat.
Aaron Guckian, a Republican who lost last year’s race for lieutenant governor, is considering running for the congressional seat, and others have not ruled it out.
Cicione noted Democrats enjoy an advantage in the First Congressional District in part because of decade-old gerrymandering that helped Cicilline win his first re-election campaign.
Powers said, “One of the most challenging things is that the territory has been held by Democrats for a long time. The focus is primarily going to be on fund-raising, infrastructure, and identifying the right candidate.”
When the congressional race concludes, attention will immediately shift to the presidential campaign. The GOP candidates who’ve already declared include former president Donald Trump, former US ambassador Nikki Haley, and former Cranston mayor Stephen Laffey. Other potential GOP candidates include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former vice president Mike Pence, and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.
Advertisement
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Cicione started out as state chair for Senator Rand Paul and then became state co-chair of Senator Ted Cruz’s campaign.
Cicione said Trump has support in parts of Rhode Island, including the “solid blue” town of Johnston, but he said Trump is “not the kind of politician Rhode Islanders tend to go for.” He said there’s a good chance others could move up in the GOP field, and he said DeSantis has a “personality a bit more aligned with the ability to capture votes while not offending other voters.”
In 2016, Powers said he voted for Trump because he “wanted to see what a businessman could do, as opposed to senators and attorneys,” and he said, “I wanted someone to shake the tree.” But he said he is a “data-driven guy” and will look at all the options for Republican presidential candidates and their prospects in the year ahead.
Powers said Republicans have allowed others to define their message. For example, the GOP is often portrayed as opposing LGBTQ+ people but “nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “The Republican Party is the party of the working class,” he said. “We are the party of getting people to work, and smaller government.”
Cicione said Republicans in other states have been emphasizing “school choice,” helping “traditionally blue districts to swing red, including in minority communities.” He said, “Educational choice issues are really impacting voters,” and it’s important that “the money follows the child, not the system.”
Advertisement
In February, former GOP attorney general candidate Charles “Chas” Calenda announced he would run to succeed Cienki as party chair. But he pulled out four days later, citing “family and work/client commitments over the next year.”
On Saturday, Republicans will be voting for a full slate of officers: Jessica Drew-Day and Russell Hryzan are vying for first vice chair. David Talan, Scott Bill Hirst, and Niyoka Powell are competing for second vice chair. Mary Lou Sanborn is unopposed for secretary. Lance Chappell is unopposed for treasurer. And Cienki is unopposed for national committeewoman.
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @FitzProv. | 2023-03-23T21:18:26+00:00 | bostonglobe.com | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/03/23/metro/ri-gop-voting-new-leader-saturday/ |
The city of Delray Beach All-Stars rallied from a 11-point deficit in the third quarter to pull out a 54-44 victory over the city’s First Responders in the inaugural Walk Against Violence & Hate basketball game at the Delray Beach Community Center.
Eddie McCabe scored six of his game-high 10 points in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer with 3:36 remaining in the period to stretch the First Responders lead to 21-11. The city All-Stars started to gain momentum late in the half as Darius Woods and Todney Evans had two late baskets to draw them within 23-17 at halftime.
The city All-Stars outscored the First Responders in the second half 35-21 to pull out the victory.
The event featured a live DJ, a halftime show performance by the Achievement Centers for Children & Families of Delray Beach and games and prizes. The game was emceed by Nene Gemini.
Prentice Mobley, city of Delray Beach recreation superintendent, said the friendly game kicked off the Walk Against Violence that took place the next morning. The city’s First Responders also participated in that event with the community. This year is the seventh annual walk and the first basketball game.
“It was a great turnout,” Mobley said. “The community came out; the first responders and the chief came out. I was really happy with the event, the participation and the good sportsmanship. We were able to fraternize with each other and have some fun.”
The First Responders opened the third quarter on a 5-0 run to take its largest lead of the game at 28-17 on a 3-pointer by Rodney Patrick and a basket by Aaron Finkelstein.
The city All-Stars then took its first lead of the contest as it went on a 13-0 blitz. Johnathan Collins scored on a short jumper with 2:49 left in the third to put the city up 30-28. The teams traded baskets before Rodrick Johnson scored on a driving lay-up with 51 seconds remaining in the quarter to put the city All-Stars up for good 34-30 heading into the final quarter.
“The event was really good and credit coach P (Prentice Mobley) for putting the event together,” said Johnson, a recreation supervisor at Pompey Park. “It was our first year and we had fun playing the First Responders. It was a good game, but the city workers had to come out on top.
“Coming into this event, the excitement was really good,” he said. “We were looking to bring the community out and see the city workers and the first responders getting along with each other.”
Breaking News Alerts
In the final period, the First Responders were able to draw to 44-41 on a basket by McCabe with 3:52 left before the city All-Stars pulled away.
“We did our best, but at the end of the day they put a little more pressure on us that we could handle, and they came out with the W,” said McCabe, a member of the city’s police department. “It’s a great event and a good time. They kicked it off this year and hopefully it continues. It is good to get the city’s parks and rec department, police and fire (departments) together and the community in the stands cheering on and having a good time…it’s awesome!”
The First Responders seized an early 13-6 advantage and threatened to blow the city of Delray Beach All-Stars out.
Chase Langom scored six first quarter points, while Henry Lucas had four and Eddie Muniz drained a 3-pointer for the First Responders.
Johnson led the city All-Stars with 9 points, followed by Prentice Mobley and Josh Everett with eight points each. Evans (7 points), Collins (5), Willie Razz (4), Latron Nelson and Latrell Jackson (3 points each) all found the scoresheet.
For the First Responders, Patrick, Lucas and Langom all had six points, while Muniz and Matthew Hurst (3 points each), Norm St. Martin, Jesus Aguero, Christian Lopez, Patrick Adolphe and Theodore Williams (2 points each) all scored.
“I am looking forward to next year,” Mobley said. “Now we have bragging rights for a whole year. We get to talk to them about this around town for a whole year so they can try and get revenge.” | 2022-07-08T17:44:09+00:00 | sun-sentinel.com | https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/fl-cn-walk-against-violence-bball-game-20220708-ia4p2xjslrhttmsvhoi2hifvvu-story.html |
WASHINGTON — Kayla McBride scored a season-high 24 points and Tiffany Mitchell put back her own miss with 3.0 seconds left to help the Minnesota Lynx beat the Washington Mystics 80-78 Saturday night and avoided tying the franchise record for consecutive losses to open a season.
Mitchell took an inbounds pass on the right side and had a driving layup attempt blocked by Brittney Sykes but grabbed the offensive rebound and made the go-ahead layup.
Ariel Atkins finished with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and Shakira Austin had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Washington (3-3).
SPARKS 92, STORM 85
SEATTLE — Nneka Ogwumike had 27 points and 14 rebounds, Layshia Clarendon had 16 points, six assists and three steals and Los Angeles beat Seattle, which is off to its worst start since it lost four in a row in its inaugural season.
Chiney Ogwumike added 15 points and Lexie Brown scored 14 for Los Angeles (3-2). Jordin Canada had nine points, seven assists and four steals.
Jewell Loyd tied her career high with eight 3-pointers and finished with 37 points for Seattle, one shy of her career best. Ezi Magbegor added 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-06-04T05:57:40+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wnba/2023/06/04/wnba-capsules/ae1e3a98-0291-11ee-9eb0-6c94dcb16fcf_story.html |
Thomas Rhett’s newest out-of-the-box collaborator is Nashville-based singer-songwriter Ben Rector. The two singers are teaming up for Ben’s next single, “What Makes a Man,” which will be out August 5.
“I’ve always been a fan of Ben’s, so when he reached out wanting to collaborate, I jumped at the opportunity to work with him,” says Thomas. “He’s an incredible artist, writer and performer and this song hit me as something I could immediately connect to.”
Ben’s foray into the country genre doesn’t stop there: He’s also gearing up to make his Grand Ole Opry debut on August 9, just days after the release of “What Makes a Man.”
TR’s new duet with Ben is available to pre-save now. Meanwhile, the country singer is currently making waves on the charts with another duet: “Half of Me,” his current single with Riley Green.
Thomas’ Bring the Bar to You Tour kicked off last month.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. | 2022-07-22T02:04:31+00:00 | klll.com | https://www.klll.com/thomas-rhett-joins-ben-rector-for-new-duet-what-makes-a-man/ |
Social media has had a rough 2022 with lingering questions about advertising spending, political ads and a $44 billion takeover of Twitter that may or may not be happening, depending on which Elon Musk tweet you read.
Then late Monday Snap, which runs the Snapchat app that features vanishing messages and video special effects, issued a rather dire profit warning, saying that “the macroeconomic environment has deteriorated further and faster than anticipated,” since just last month.
Social media companies are competing for the same pool of advertising money that is increasingly under threat from spiking inflation and also changes at Apple Inc. that can restrict the information social media platforms can collect on users, a big selling point for advertisers.
Shares of Snap Inc. plunged 43% Tuesday.
And with Wall Street unsure if the company is an outlier or a canary in the social media coal mine, shares of Facebook parent Meta Platforms, Twitter, Alphabet and Pinterest all slumped alongside it.
Snap late Monday said it now foresees revenue and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization coming in below the low end of its prior forecasted range.
Justin Patterson of KeyBanc Capital Markets who follows social media warned investors not to read too much into Snap’s profit warning, calling it “a cautionary flag but not one to sound the alarm on the entire sector.”
“We believe it is better to view each channel in the context of the nature of advertisers and verticals, guidance history, revenue growth vectors, and investments to assess the level of risk to revenue and profitability from the macro environment,” Patterson wrote.
The volatility comes in a week when both Meta Platforms and Twitter hold their annual meetings with shareholders, with a particularly intense focus on what could be a lively gathering for Twitter. Elon Musk has hit the pause button on the buyout, saying he needs more information on how many “spam bots” the social media platform truly has.
A note from Dan Ives, who follows social media at Wedbush, summarizes the confusion.
“We believe its currently a 60% chance that Musk tries to walk and use this spam account issue as the scapegoat to get out of the deal and a 40% chance Twitter’s board and Musk come to a new deal price over the coming weeks,” he wrote in a note to clients.
Twitter’s stock fell 5.6% Tuesday.
Adding to the social media tumult is Facebook’s parent company Meta. The company said that it will start publicly providing more details about how advertisers target people with political ads just months ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
Meta is particularly sensitive to the changes made at Apple and is now contending with a civil lawsuit against its chief, Mark Zuckerberg. On Monday the District of Columbia sued Zuckerberg, seeking to hold him personally liable for the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a privacy breach of millions of Facebook users’ personal data that became a major corporate and political scandal.
Shares of Meta Platforms Inc. closed Tuesday down 7.6%.
Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, tumbled 5%. Shares pf Pinterest Inc. slumped by 23.6%. | 2022-05-25T13:47:55+00:00 | upmatters.com | https://www.upmatters.com/technology/ap-technology/social-media-hammered-by-mounting-questions-over-advertising/ |
BERLIN (AP) — Climate activist Greta Thunberg says it would be “a mistake” for Germany to switch off its nuclear power plants if that means the country must burn more planet-heating coal.
The German government is still debating the future of its nuclear plants, long set to be shut down this year, given the specter of a looming energy crisis due to the war in Ukraine.
Thunberg, who inspired a youth climate movement with her solo protests outside the Swedish parliament in 2018, told German public broadcaster ARD that it was “a very bad idea to focus on coal when this (nuclear power) is already in place.”
But she acknowledged in the interview, which will be aired Wednesday, that there was a strong debate over the issue in Germany.
Asked whether it would be better for the planet if Germany keeps its three remaining nuclear plants going, Thunberg responded: “If we have them already running, I feel that it’s a mistake to close them down in order to focus on coal.”
Pressed by program host Sandra Maischberger on whether she thought the nuclear plants should be closed down as soon as possible after the current energy crunch passes, Thunberg said “it depends. We don’t know what will happen after this.”
The 19-year-old’s comments come as Germany’s three-party governing coalition argues over the possibility of suspending the country’s nuclear phaseout.
Economy Minister Robert Habeck, a member of the anti-nuclear Green party, has said keeping the reactors running would do little to tackle a gas shortage.
He recently suggested that two of the plants could exceptionally operate until April but opposes running them longer for safety reasons. Habeck has separately approved reactivating several coal and oil-fired power plants to ensure energy supplies following Russia’s decision to cut natural gas deliveries to Europe.
Environmental activists warn that Germany risks defaulting on its climate goals by burning more fossil fuels, while conservative lawmakers say the government should use all available means to generate energy given the tense supply situation and high prices.
Thunberg’s nuclear comments were welcomed by libertarians and right-wing German politicians who have previously been dismissive or sharply critical of her activism.
The teenager, who is currently finishing high school, said Germany’s decision to rely on coal plants showed “what happens when you are too addicted to these kinds of fossil fuels.”
She slammed plans to invest in new fossil fuel infrastructure and said the focus should instead be on expanding renewable energy. The German government insists that new gas plants must be capable of using clean hydrogen and that it’s boosting wind and solar power production.
Thunberg noted that politicians in some countries, such as Sweden, are averse to suggesting that people should save energy, even though this could lower prices.
“I know that in Germany people are talking about saving energy,” she said. “But in Sweden it’s completely prohibited to talk about using less energy really, because then people say, ‘Oh no, this is communism and so on.’ So it’s completely insane.”
Thunberg, who was promoting her new book on climate change, said she does not believe there is a single silver bullet to solve the problem, but that as a first step it’s important for people to recognize the enormity of the crisis that humanity faces from rising temperatures.
“I’m realistic because if we do the things that we need to do, we can avert this catastrophe,” she said of the future. “But if we don’t, then we will have to suffer the consequences. So it’s up to us.”
___
Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment. | 2022-10-12T11:30:55+00:00 | wnct.com | https://www.wnct.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-thunberg-burning-coal-is-worse-than-german-nuclear-plants/ |
GM, partners to build 2,000 EV chargers at nearly 500 Pilot Flying J travel centers
A major automaker, large truck stop chain and an electric vehicle charging company are proposing a network that would put charging plugs at 50-mile intervals along U.S. highways.
General Motors, Pilot Travel Centers and EVgo said Thursday they will build 2,000 charging stalls at "up to" 500 Pilot Flying J sites across the nation.
The companies wouldn't answer questions about the cost or how much each will pay, but a statement says they're counting on government grant money and programs from utilities to help put the network in place.
Construction will start this summer with the first chargers operating sometime in 2023, GM spokesman Philip Lienert said. The network should be finished in a couple of years, he said.
GM said the network would be along highways to enable interstate travel.
More:GM's push in D.C. to help it reach widespread EV adoption
More:A unique GM lab in Milford holds secrets to future EV driving here, and on the moon
When finished, the chargers will help the Biden administration move toward its goal of 500,000 stations nationwide by 2030 as it tries to get people to switch away from gasoline-powered vehicles to fight climate change.
Bipartisan infrastructure legislation approved by Congress ended up providing just half of the $15 billion that Biden had envisioned to fulfill a campaign promise of 500,000 charging stations by 2030.
Even so, the $7.5 billion for charging stations has been a catalyst for industry investments, said National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy. "It's exciting to see leading companies respond by setting their own ambitious goals, and investing in a convenient, reliable, and affordable nationwide charging network," she said.
Biden's Build Back Better proposal aimed to fill the gap but is stalled in Congress.
Administration officials now say the infrastructure law will help "pave" the way for up to 500,000 charging outlets by 2030. That's different than charging stations, which could have several outlets. They say private investments could help fill the gap. Currently there are nearly 124,000 public EV outlets in the U.S. at more than 49,000 stations.
The Department of Transportation said that $5 billion of the $7.5 billion for EV chargers will go to states, which can partner with other groups. The remaining $2.5 billion would go to competitive grants for charging projects. No grants have been awarded yet.
The new charging network is a step toward building out a charging network that will make the public more comfortable traveling in EVs, said S&P Global Mobility Principal Analyst Stephanie Brinley.
"The infrastructure of electric vehicles needs to be a sort of combination of locations like Pilot," she said. "It probably needs this level of support from many different voices to make it work."
More:Metro Detroit's old-school mechanics face dilemma as industry shifts to electric vehicles
More:GM received $3.8 billion in tax credits from Michigan to keep jobs, automaker reveals
Pilot says it has has more than 750 locations in 44 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces.
GM has set a goal of building only electric passenger vehicles by 2035. It has pledged to have 30 electric vehicle models for sale globally by 2025.
It has promised to invest nearly $750 million in chargers, but wouldn't say how much of that has been spent.
GM owners would get discounts and exclusive charging reservations on the network, the company said.
► Stay connected and stay informed. Subscribe to the Detroit Free Press today. | 2022-07-14T17:14:53+00:00 | freep.com | https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2022/07/14/gm-electric-vehicle-charging-stations-pilot-travel-centers-ev-go/10058051002/ |
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train is setting off tonight and it’s a ride conducted specially for dads aboard.
We’re told the experience on board is like no other and with no shortage of special events, there’s always memories to be made on the two-hour scenic ride, especially with dad and a few local brews or doughnuts this weekend.
“We have our Cleveland dinner and event train. Every Friday night it leaves from our Rockside statin and departs at 6:30 p.m., said Katelyn Gainer, Director of Marketing & Communications. “We want to put on events, but we also want to put on memorable events that people are going to remember for years to come.”
But it’s volunteers like Alan Rice, one of the conductors, who make these steel carts of magic feel special.
“The best thing a passenger can say to you is we’ll be back,” Rice said. “We all have the same mission. Let’s go out. Let’s have fun and let’s make somebody have a nice day.”
To purchase tickets and see the Father’s Day event line-up online, click here. | 2022-06-17T14:52:01+00:00 | news5cleveland.com | https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/lets-go-neo/all-aboard-cuyahoga-valley-scenic-railroad-to-celebrate-dads-with-brews-and-doughnuts-on-the-tracks |
A chunk of Colorado’s forecasted tax rebates could be directed toward tax credits for parents and low- to moderate-income residents and to promote decarbonization under a slate of proposals from Democratic legislators.
The proposals wouldn’t eat the entirety of some $2 billion in projected rebates in coming years, but show a willingness by legislative leaders to tap into excess revenues — ones otherwise slated for blanket refunds to taxpayers — for policy priorities.
“We look to that surplus and certainly want to find ways to think about using dollars in the right way for the people we serve,” House Speaker Julie McCluskie said.
In Colorado, the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, caps how much revenue the state can collect. Anything collected in excess of it needs to be returned. Lawmakers have historically used different mechanisms for those rebates, most recently the $750 “Colorado Cashback” checks that went out last fall.
McCluskie, a Dillon Democrat, highlighted the income and child tax credits (about $150 million over two fiscal years), so-called decarbonization tax credits for things like electric vehicles (about $86 million), and $200 million set aside for property tax relief as “ways that we can think about funding that is coming in over the TABOR in the right way to do good things for the state.”
Tapping into surplus revenues isn’t a new tactic. Colorado has supplemented the federal child tax credits and earned income tax credits for years, though this year lawmakers seek to boost that supplement further. But the proposals stand out in a year with a tight discretionary budget while forecasters predict billions in TABOR surpluses over the next several years.
“We’ve gotten to the point of ridiculousness that there’s so much money over the cap, that there’s no way policymakers can’t look at that as part of how to solve some of our issues,” Scott Wasserman, director of the progressive Bell Policy Center, said.
The highlighted provisions represent but a fraction of the predicted amount of refunds due under TABOR. Targeting the refunds through these proposals instead steers that money toward benefits that are a “great, meaningful multiplier” to Colorado and its residents, as state Rep. Shannon Bird described the bill expanding the earned income and child tax credits.
That bill, HB23-1112, increases how much tax filers receive from the earned income tax and child tax credits, so the dollar amount depends on what those people qualify for. It would add 40% to what they get from the federal earned income tax credit program, up from 25% now.
The boost to the child tax credit scales on the filer’s income level: 70% for single filers with an adjusted gross income of $25,000 per year and scaling down to 20% for single filers earning $50,001 to $75,000 — a 10% increase. There are separate tiers for joint filers. It could mean extra hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars for Colorado families when they file their taxes.
The targeted nature gives the rebate a dual impact, Bird said. The families that qualify need it the most, and families that need the money are probably going to spend it quickly, putting it back into the state economy, she said.
“This really is an important tool for helping working families become more financially stable and give opportunity for their kids,” Bird said. “… If we can make sure our tax code treats people fairly, this is a way to give people the financial stability that they are working so hard to achieve.”
She invoked the now-expired federal tax credit championed by fellow Colorado Democrat U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet. That pandemic-era program sent direct checks to all families through an expansion of the federal child tax credit. The U.S. Census Bureau credited it with nearly halving childhood poverty and benefiting millions more.
That proposal and the tax policies to promote decarbonization, HB23-1272, are still working their way through the legislature, where Democrats have a supermajority in the House and are one vote shy of it in the Senate. So far, the opposition typically associated with fights over TABOR has been relatively muted.
The proposals do, after all, still return excess tax dollars to Coloradans, Michael Fields, executive director of low-tax advocacy group Advance Colorado, said. He’d prefer the rebates be returned broadly and tiered based on how much individuals overpaid — and not go to special interests — but this doesn’t cross his line of government keeping money it shouldn’t.
“Do TABOR refunds go back to the people or does the government keep them?” Fields asked. “As long as it goes back to the people and doesn’t grow government larger than it already is, it’s a win for taxpayers.”
He did raise concerns about a lack of consistency with tax rebates. Taxpayers received a flat rebate in the fall, regardless of income level, while legislative leaders expect next year’s TABOR rebates will be returned based on the six-tiered income level system.
Not every budget year is the same, either. Supporters, opponents and those in between noted that surpluses won’t always exist. An earlier proposal of the child tax credit bill, for example, covered two years. The version progressing through the legislature now only covers one. Bird framed it as fiscal prudence.
State Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, the Democrat who chairs the powerful Joint Budget Committee, noted the inherent risk of relying on tax credits from surplus revenue to promote policy. If the economy takes a downturn, policymakers will have to decide if they continue them at the cost of revenue for other state programs, or cutting it off. And some credits have different aims, she said. The decarbonization credit, for example, is aimed at the longer-term fight against global warming, while the family tax credit is about immediate help for families who may need it now.
“It’s really hard to wean yourself off of them, depending on what you’re getting out of them,” Zenzinger said.
Neither are all tax credits the same, state Rep. Matt Soper, a Delta Republican, said. The earned income tax credit has support in his caucus, he said, while he described the proposal to give tax credits for e-bikes as the state subsidizing specific activities.
“When it comes to tax credits, we shouldn’t be picking winners and losers,” Soper said. “So for a family tax credit concerning child care, that’s going to impact many Coloradans, particularly anyone that has a family that can take advantage of this. When we’re having a tax credit for an e-bike, quite frankly, that’s pretty bourgeoisie. That’s only affecting the very wealthy of Coloradans.”
As a policy tool, some advocates see the full potential of the surplus as still untapped. Wasserman, the advocate for more progressive tax policy, noted that TABOR doesn’t discriminate based on where the money comes from, just that more revenue than allowed under its formula is coming in. And that poses an opportunity to more equally distribute that economic growth, Wasserman said, even if he disagrees with the principles of TABOR.
“It’s all about improving people’s lives, right? That’s why we’re down here,” Wasserman said from the Capitol. “And if you can’t do it directly through a government service, then you’re going to do it through a tax credit. And that has policy implications.”
The General Assembly’s leading Democrats see it in similar framing. Senate President Steve Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat, called the child and earned income tax credits in particular “some of our most powerful tools to create a more equitable tax system.” Their use needs to be tempered based on available money, however.
“It’s a tool that I think we want to continue using,” Fenberg said. “It’s just going to depend on the year and the budget and how much breathing room we have.”
Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot. | 2023-05-01T12:23:27+00:00 | denverpost.com | https://www.denverpost.com/2023/05/01/colorado-tabor-tax-credits-children-decarbonization/ |
Illinois Congressional leaders speak out on the VA offering abortion care in certain cases
Earlier this month, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs made the announcement.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs announced in early September it would amend its medical regulations for veterans and their beneficiaries to include abortion counseling and allow abortions in certain cases including when a pregnant veteran’s life is at risk, or in instances of rape and incest.
The announcement follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June to overturn Roe vs. Wade. That struck down a woman’s right to an abortion as protected by the Constitution.
As a veteran, Senator Tammy Duckworth supports this decision. Duckworth says it’s important these types of medical services are still provided for women in the Armed Services specifically, since she says most veterans don’t personally choose the state where they end up living.
“We, the American people, sent them there to serve us when they were protecting and defending us in the military,” said Duckworth. “I think that’s a component that people don’t understand which is why this decision by the VA is so important because it gets healthcare to the Veterans wherever they are in this country.”
Illinois Congressman Mike Bost doesn’t support the VA’s decision. Bost called it “contrary to longstanding, settled law.” In a statement, he says in part: “I oppose it and am already working to put a stop to it.”
In a House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing on Sept. 15th, Bost said he is working with his colleagues on “the Appropriations Committee and in the Senate to consider sanctions against V.A. for violating the Anti-Deficiency Act.” Bost went further to say “Abortion is not health care – no matter what those on the other side of this issue may feel.”
With the option to provide abortion care services now in the hands of states, this decision by the VA will override state law in the case of Veterans.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | 2022-09-20T15:43:48+00:00 | foxcarolina.com | https://www.foxcarolina.com/2022/09/20/illinois-congressional-leaders-speak-out-va-offering-abortion-care-certain-cases/ |
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Volunteers are proving just how quickly a traditional powerhouse can rebound despite seeming lost for well over a decade.
Tennessee football hit the rockiest of bottoms in late January 2021. No athletic director, no coach after Jeremy Pruitt was among 10 fired for serious NCAA violations, and Volunteer players rushing toward the transfer portal to escape Knoxville.
“Those were some dark moments,” Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman said.
Now the Southeastern Conference program is among six undefeated teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, with the No. 3 Vols (7-0) off to their best start since winning the national championship in 1998 — all in the span of 21 months.
Neyland Stadium once again is the place to be, entertaining a fourth straight sellout for the first time since 2014 when Tennessee cruised to a 65-24 homecoming victory against UT Martin on Saturday.
Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning smoked victory cigars with new Vols star Jalin Hyatt. Country stars Kenny Chesney and Kelsea Ballerini popped into town to watch last weekend’s win over Alabama from the top of the stadium.
Athletic director Danny White, hired by Plowman, knew Tennessee had resources, tradition, passion and a strong fan base when he decided to leave UCF in January 2021. White also knew he and Josh Heupel, the coach he brought with him from UCF a few days later, had a plan that would work.
This fast?
No. White said Saturday the Vols are “way ahead of schedule” in their second season together.
“Just because this year is better than what people expected, it doesn’t mean that we’re there,” White said. “And we have to build a program that’s sustainable and built for the long haul. And that’s exactly what Josh and the staff are focused on.”
Before Plowman hired White, Tennessee went through Mike Hamilton, Dave Hart, John Currie and former football coach Phillip Fulmer as athletic directors. The revolving door of football coaches started in 2008 when Fulmer was fired and included Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley, Butch Jones and Pruitt.
The chancellor had people urging her to hire a coach first with National Signing Day closing in. Plowman said no. Her job is hiring the athletic director, and she and Randy Boyd, the university system’s president, flew to Orlando for a dinnertime meeting and hired White three days later.
White met with players to find out what they wanted in a new coach, and their answers made him feel bringing Heupel with him from UCF was the right move.
One big question was how Heupel’s fast-paced offense, which uses almost every inch from sideline to sideline, would translate to the SEC. Boyd said everybody likes to score points but Tennessee is in the SEC.
“Sure enough, he’s proved me wrong,” Boyd said. “He actually knows something about putting some points up.”
Tennessee was ranked first nationally with an average of 551 offensive yards, and then it rolled to 696 yards against UT Martin. The Vols also are scoring 50.1 points a game. White isn’t surprised to see Heupel’s offense translate easily to the SEC.
“If there’s a better offensive mind in the game, I’d like to meet him,” White said.
Heupel puts it even more simply: “Good teams get better throughout the course of the season, so we have to continue to get better.”
Hendon Hooker, Tennessee’s first Heisman Trophy candidate since Manning finished second in 1997, is the engine behind the gaudy offensive numbers. Hooker has thrown for 18 touchdowns with only one interception this season while piling up 2,093 yards passing.
Earl Brown of Knoxville has been a season-ticket holder since 1972; keeping the tickets was a condition before marrying Judy that Thanksgiving to make game day that week. Saturday was the 323rd straight game Brown has attended, even making each of the 10 SEC-only games in 2020 when the Vols went 3-7 in Pruitt’s last year.
Yes, Earl Brown says it was tough to sit through those games. But it just added to the celebration of the Alabama win after 15 straight losses in the series.
“People all around us were actually, literally crying,” Judy Brown said. “It was a a big monkey off our back. This one felt like the national championship. We were there, and … it wasn’t the national championship, but it felt like it.”
Tennessee is the only FBS program this season with wins over four AP Top 25 ranked teams at the time of the games, the first time since 1998 it has done that in the regular season.
The challenge gets tougher from here. Kentucky visits Saturday night, followed by the Volunteers going to Athens for a showdown with Georgia.
Boyd turns 63 on Monday. He has been watching Vols football since he was 7. He had thought that this year’s team would be really good, but not at the level of reigning national champ Georgia and perennial threat Alabama.
“We no longer have to qualify it that way,” Boyd said. “I think we can beat anybody in the country on any given day.”
___
Follow Teresa M. Walker at https://twitter.com/TeresaMWalker
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2 | 2022-10-24T00:16:38+00:00 | ourquadcities.com | https://www.ourquadcities.com/sports/ap-no-3-tennessee-revival-has-vol-faithful-believing-like-1998/ |
The Russian parliament gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a bill that would allow the government to appoint new management of foreign companies that pulled out of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
According to the state news agency Tass, the new law would transfer control over companies that left Russia not for economic reasons but because of “anti-Russian sentiment in Europe and the U.S. Tass said foreign owners would still be able to resume operations in Russia or sell their shares.
Many foreign companies have suspended operations in Russia. Others have walked away entirely, despite their huge investments.
McDonald’s announced this month that it is selling its 850 restaurants in Russia.
The State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, approved the bill in the first of three readings on Tuesday. After final approval, it would go to the upper house and then to President Vladimir Putin for his signature.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the new law made it even more imperative for foreign companies remaining in Russia to leave. “It’s the last chance to save not only your reputation but your property,” he said in a statement.
_
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— After 3 months, Russia still bogged down in Ukraine war
— 200 bodies found in Mariupol as war rages in Ukraine's east
— AP-NORC poll: US economy, not punishing Russia, is top priority
— Pentagon says more high-tech weapons going to Ukraine
— After 3 months of war, life in Russia has profoundly changed
Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
___
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian military said Russia has fired at Ukrainian border guards in the northeastern Sumy region in the latest of a series of alleged cross-border attacks over the past few weeks.
Military officials say observers Tuesday night recorded seven shots from Russian territory toward the village of Boyaro-Lezhachi, most likely mortar fire.
The Ukrainian Operational Command North said on its Facebook post that eight other shots were heard Tuesday afternoon near a neighboring village. There were no reports of any deaths.
Meanwhile Tuesday, Russian shelling continues around Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, even after Russian troops withdrew from its surroundings last week.
Ukrainian regional officials say the city of Derhachi was hit and a 69-year-old woman died and another person was injured.
Derhachi is southwest of the city of Kharkiv and has previously come under Russian shelling.
_
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is using everything at its disposal in the fight for four cities in the eastern Donbas region.
“The situation in the Donbas now is very difficult,” Zelenskyy said late Tuesday in his nightly address to the nation. “Practically the full might of the Russian army, whatever they have left, is being thrown at the offensive there. Liman, Popasna, Sievierodonetsk, Slaviansk – the occupiers want to destroy everything there.”
Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian army is fighting back, but “it will take time and a lot more effort by our people to overcome their advantage in the amount of equipment and weapons.”
He told Ukrainians they should be proud of having held off Russia for three months in a war that many in Russia and the West expected to last three days.
Zelenskyy appealed for even more weapons from the West to keep Ukraine in the fight including multiple-rocket launchers and tanks.
In addition, Zelenskyy mocked the statement made Tuesday by the Russian defense minister that Russia was deliberately slowing its offensive to allow residents of encircled cites time to evacuate.
_
KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian governor of the eastern Luhansk region said Tuesday that the area was facing “the most difficult time” since conflict with Russia-backed separatists began in 2014.
“Now, for the Luhansk region, is the most difficult time in the eight years of the war,” Serhii Haidai wrote on Telegram. “The Russians are advancing in all directions at the same time, they brought over an insane number of fighters and equipment.”
He also accused Moscow’s troops of deploying scorched-earth tactics across the region, one of two which make up Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland.
“It’s only getting worse. What the Russians are doing is hard to describe in words. The invaders are killing our cities, destroying everything around. … The situation is on the verge of being critical. The free Luhansk region is now like Mariupol,” Haidai added, in a reference to the ruined port city captured by Moscow last week.
_
KYIV, Ukraine — The top military commander who fought until last week to keep Ukrainian control of the southern port city of Mariupol is alive in Russian-controlled territory, his wife said Tuesday after holding a brief telephone conversation.
Kateryna Prokopenko, who is married to Azov Regiment leader Denys Prokopenko, said that her husband asked her how she was, but that the line broke off before he could say anything about himself.
She said the phone call was possible under an agreement between the governments of Ukraine and Russia and thanks to the mediation of the Red Cross, which has been visiting some of the Ukrainian fighters who surrendered.
Earlier this month Russia announced its takeover of Mariupol with the surrender of the fighters holed up at the massive Azovstal steel mill.
Prokopenko, who spoke to The Associated Press in Kyiv together with another wife of a soldier, Yuliia Fedosiuk, said that the Ukraine and Russia agreement guarantees proper burial of dead soldiers and certain conditions for the prisoners of war, including allowing them to hold telephone calls with family members a few times per week.
The two women said several families had received calls in the past two days. They said they could not reveal more details of the agreement but they were hopeful that the soldiers will not be tortured and that they eventually will “come back home.”
___
BERLIN — Germany has rejected suggestions that it is reneging on a promise to provide Poland with tanks to make up for those that Warsaw has delivered to Ukraine.
Polish President Andrzej Duda told German broadcaster Welt that he was “very disappointed” Berlin had not fulfilled its promise on the delivery of Leopard tanks to Poland.
Speaking after a meeting with her Polish counterpart in Berlin on Tuesday, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the issue had been discussed in order to resolve “misunderstandings.”
She said Germany could not supply heavy weapons “at the press of a button” as there were numerous questions to consider, not least what arms are actually available.
Poland’s Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said his country regretted that the situation with regard to arms deliveries to Ukraine was “not as dynamic” as hoped, but acknowledged that “the devil lies in the detail” on the issue.
Poland gave Soviet-designed T-72 tanks to Ukraine with the expectation that NATO, the U.S. and Germany would fill that void.
Germany has agreed to several similar circular swaps with allied countries such as Slovenia and the Czech Republic, who in turn are sending older Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine.
___
DAVOS, Switzerland — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday accused Russia of deliberately bombarding grain warehouses across Ukraine and weaponizing food supplies.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has provoked disruptions of global food supplies, and the blockade of Ukrainian ports has been particularly harmful. Ukraine accounted for 90% of grain and oilseed exports before the war, according to the EU.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the head of the EU’s executive arm said about 20 million tons of wheat are currently stuck in Ukraine.
“And on top of this, Russia is now hoarding its own food exports as a form of blackmail – holding back supplies to increase global prices, or trading wheat in exchange for political support,” she said. “This is using hunger and grain to wield power.”
Von der Leyen said that fragile countries and vulnerable populations suffer the most. She said bread prices in Lebanon increased by 70%, and food shipments from Odesa have been blocked from reaching Somalia.
___
LVIV, Ukraine — An adviser to the mayor of Mariupol said on Tuesday that workers removing rubble from a collapsed apartment building in the devastated Ukrainian city found about 200 corpses in the building’s basement.
Petro Andryushchenko said on Telegram that the bodies were decomposing and that the stench permeated the neighborhood. It’s not clear when they were discovered and the report could not be independently verified.
Perched on the Sea of Azov, Mariupol was relentlessly pounded during a monthslong siege that finally ended last week after some 2,500 Ukrainian fighters abandoned a steel plant where they had made their last stand in the strategic port city.
___
BRUSSELS — A European Union plan to suspend all tariffs on imports from Ukraine for one year cleared the final political hurdle on Tuesday when EU finance ministers endorsed the move.
Meant to help the Ukrainian economy battered by Russia’s invasion, the removal of the EU duties will apply to Ukrainian industrial products, including steel, and to farm goods such as fruits and vegetables.
The EU has already scrapped most of its tariffs on Ukrainian products as a result of a 2016 free-trade agreement. Ukrainian exports to the EU were worth 24.1 billion euros ($25.8 billion) last year, with the main goods being metals, agricultural products and machinery.
___
Two top Russian security officials vowed on Tuesday that Moscow will achieve all the goals set for the “military operation” in Ukraine, appearing to address the fact that the invasion, expected by many to be a blitzkrieg, has entered its fourth month this week.
The secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, said in an interview published Tuesday that the Russian government “is not chasing deadlines.”
“Nazism must either be 100% eradicated, or it will raise its head in a few years, and in an even uglier form,” he said in a response to a question about the war dragging on.
Russia has falsely called the war a campaign to “denazify” Ukraine — a country with a democratically elected Jewish president who wants closer ties with the West.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting of security officials that Russia is deliberately slowing down its offensive by arranging cease-fires and humanitarian corridors “in order to avoid casualties among the civilians.”
AP’s reporting on the ground found that the Russian forces have repeatedly hit civilian targets, such as hospitals, schools and venues where civilians were sheltering.
___
PARIS — A Ukrainian government minister pushed Tuesday for a quick decision on eventual Ukrainian membership in the European Union, even as France warns that it could be decades before Ukraine joins the bloc.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna met with French Europe Minister Clement Beaune Tuesday in Paris and argued that Ukraine has made deep and difficult reforms aimed at improving its chances at EU membership.
“As politicians, we must find a way for Ukraine to truly become part of this family, both economically and politically,” she told reporters.
The European Commission aims to deliver a first opinion in June on Ukraine’s request to become a member. But the process usually takes many years, and French President Emmanuel Macron has said it could be decades.
In the meantime France is proposing an interim arrangement that would allow more political cooperation with Ukraine and other potential EU members.
—-
DAVOS, Switzerland — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Russia can be reintegrated into the orbit of European nations if it finds its way back to “democracy, the rule of law, the respect for the international rules-based order.”
Von der Leyen spoke at the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering Tuesday. Insisting on the historical and cultural links between Europe and Russia, the head of the EU’s executive arm said reconciliation is “certainly a distant dream and hope.
“But this also says that our standing up against this brutal invasion is standing up against the leadership in Russia. It is the Russian people who are the ones who decide about the future of their country. They have it in their hands.”
——
ANKARA, Turkey — The leader of a Turkish nationalist party that is allied with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey should consider leaving NATO if “circumstances become inextricable” and Turkey is forced to approve Sweden and Finland membership.
Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Action Party, said in a speech to his party’s legislators on Tuesday that Turkey isn't without alternatives and could be part of a possible security alliance that could be made up of Turkic-speaking states and Muslim nations.
“Turkey is not without options. Turkey is not helpless. Leaving NATO should be put on the agenda as an alternative option if the circumstances become inextricable,” Bahceli said. “We did not exist with NATO, and we will not perish without NATO.”
Turkey is objecting to Sweden's and Finland’s historic bid to join the alliance, citing as reasons their perceived support to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and other groups that Turkey considers to be terrorists.
___
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says a delegation made up of officials from Sweden and Finland are expected to arrive in Turkey later on Tuesday to discuss Ankara’s objection to their membership in NATO.
Cavusoglu told a group of journalists traveling with him on a two-day visit to the Palestinian territories and Israel that the delegation would meet with Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal on Wednesday.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto also confirmed the meeting.
___
A Russian-installed official in Ukraine’s Kherson region says the region’s pro-Kremlin administration will ask Moscow to set up a military base there.
“There should be a Russian military base in the Kherson region,” deputy head of the Russia-installed administration in Kherson Kirill Stremousov was quoted as saying by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. “We will be asking for it, the entire population is interested in it. It is vitally important and will become a security guarantee for the region and its residents.”
Russian forces took control of the Kherson region in southeastern Ukraine early on in the war and installed its own administration there. Ukrainian officials have speculated that Russia plans to stage a referendum in the region to declare its independence, similar to the ones that took place in eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014. Moscow recognized the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics two days before invading Ukraine and used it as a pretext to send troops to its ex-Soviet neighbor.
Stremousov denied such plans earlier this month and said the region will ask the Kremlin to make it part of Russia instead. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said it is up to the people of Kherson to decide how and where they want to live.
—-
LONDON — British military authorities say Russian forces have intensified efforts to encircle and capture Severodonetsk and neighboring cities, the only part of the Luhansk region that remains under Ukrainian government control.
The U.K. defense ministry, in a briefing posted Tuesday morning, says the northern and southern arms of the Russian operation are currently separated by about 25 kilometers (15 miles) of Ukrainian-held territory.
The ministry says Russian forces have achieved “some localized successes” despite strong resistance from Ukrainian troops that occupy well dug-in defensive positions.
The ministry says the battle for Severodonetsk is only one part of the Russian campaign to take the larger Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, and the fall of the city may cause logistical problems for the Kremlin.
“If the Donbas front line moves further west, this will extend Russian lines of communication and likely see its forces face further logistic resupply difficulties,” the ministry said.
___
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian shelling of a residential building in Sievierodonetsk killed four people, Ukrainian governor of the Luhansk region Serhiy Haidai said Tuesday. He didn’t specify when the shelling took place.
The Russian forces in recent weeks have been trying — so far unsuccessfully — to take control of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in the region, subjecting both cities to intensive shelling.
The most recent round of shelling, Haidai said, damaged six houses in each of the two cities.
___
Credit: Bernat Armangue
Credit: Bernat Armangue
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Bernat Armangue
Credit: Bernat Armangue
Credit: Andriy Andriyenko
Credit: Andriy Andriyenko
Credit: Andriy Andriyenko
Credit: Andriy Andriyenko
Credit: Andriy Andriyenko
Credit: Andriy Andriyenko
Credit: Francisco Seco
Credit: Francisco Seco
Credit: Francisco Seco
Credit: Francisco Seco
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Max Pshybyshevsky
Credit: Max Pshybyshevsky
Credit: Bernat Armangue
Credit: Bernat Armangue
Credit: Andriy Andriyenko
Credit: Andriy Andriyenko
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko
Credit: Natacha Pisarenko | 2022-05-25T02:15:45+00:00 | springfieldnewssun.com | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/live-updates-russia-ukraine-war/HYRJUCFVCZD5TMNNVNRDHJKWY4/ |
Mississippi police identify officer killed in standoff
BRANDON, Miss. (AP) — Two Mississippi police officers were shot and one died Thursday during a standoff that started after a man took a woman hostage in a home, law enforcement agencies said.
The suspect also was shot and killed, at the home in the Jackson suburb of Brandon, state Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin said in a statement.
Several law enforcement agencies responded during the standoff, which lasted more than eight hours. The officer killed was from the police department in another suburb, Madison. The injured officer is from the Brandon Police Department.
The Madison Police Department identified the slain officer as Randy Tyler, who had worked for the department eight years, was a member of its special response team and directed the training of newly hired officers. Tyler previously retired as police chief in nearby Ridgeland, Mississippi.
The Department of Public Safety did not immediately release the names of the Brandon officer or the suspect. The Madison officer was killed while trying to enter the home.
Brandon police told WLBT-TV that the standoff began as a domestic dispute between a man and a woman.
Police Chief Wayne Dearman said the department received a call at 1:45 a.m., WAPT-TV reported. After talking for more than an hour with the suspect, the department’s SWAT team got into the house and rescued the hostage.
It was not immediately clear whether police shot and killed the suspect, or the person killed himself.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is examining the case, as it does with most shootings of or by law enforcement officers in the state. After the investigation is finished, MBI will give its findings to the state attorney general’s office, Martin said.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2023-06-01T19:51:21+00:00 | kaaltv.com | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/us-world-news/mississippi-police-identify-officer-killed-in-standoff/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Last year marked a return to normal for the theme park industry around the world with operators reporting revenues, and in some cases attendance, at par or above pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report.
Globally, the theme park industry hit a peak in 2019, the year before the spread of the COVID-19 virus forced many parks and attractions to shut down temporarily and then reopen with restrictions on attendance.
Many operators focused on improving visitor experiences through adapting app-based technologies and that paid off with revenues in 2022 that surpassed 2019 levels, even if attendance had not bounced back in the same way, according to the report released Wednesday by the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM, the design and engineering firm.
“The pandemic revealed a sophisticated consumer base that is willing to pay more for out of home entertainment and experiences. However, consumers also demand more in terms of comfort, ease, quality, and satisfaction,” the report said. “Overall tolerance for big crowds and long waits seems to have gone down.”
The theme parks also found ways to add days for lucrative special events that attracted local visitors such as Halloween celebrations at Universal, Six Flags and Cedar Fair parks. In Orlando, Florida, the theme park capital of the U.S., attendance was driven by domestic visitors rather than international travelers, a segment that was hurt by travel restrictions during the height of the pandemic response. The new Super Nintendo World buoyed attendance for Universal Studios Japan, the report said.
The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World outside Orlando was the most visited park last year with more than 17.1 million guests, an increase by more than a third over 2021 numbers but still down from the 20.9 million visitors in 2019.
Rounding out the top 5 most attended theme parks were: Disneyland in Anaheim, California, which had 16.8 million visitors, almost double the attendance in 2021 but still below the 18.6 million visitors in 2019; Tokyo Disneyland with 12 million visitors, close to double the numbers from the previous year but still only about two-thirds of 2019’s attendance; Tokyo DisneySea with 10,1 million visitors, a three-quarters jump from 2021 but still down two-thirds from 2019; and Universal Studios Japan with 12.3 million visitors, which was more than doubled the attendance from 2021 but still lagging the 14.5 million visitors in 2019. | 2023-06-16T16:25:59+00:00 | kxnet.com | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/theme-parks-bounced-back-in-2022-from-pandemic-lows-with-revenue-if-not-attendance/ |
‘You could lose your life’: Parents respond to reckless driving after crash involving stolen Kia, school bus
By Michele Fiore
Click here for updates on this story
MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — A week after the driver of a stolen Kia slammed into the back of a school bus, nearly killing one of the kids in the Kia and greatly injuring a boy on the bus, a plea from parents desperate to stop the recklessness.
It’s a group of parents and grandparents trying to reach young people in a way that they’ll understand and be receptive to.
Surveillance video and good detective work led Milwaukee police to arrest four teens following the crash outside Morse Middle School. Parents, alerted by an MPS message that day, grew anxious.
“And so, I kept trying to call my son, kept trying to call him and wasn’t answering so I was really scared,” said Alexias Jones, parent.
Alexias Jones later learned her son was right outside the school’s door and saw the Kia hit the school bus hard.
“Heart racing, like, and it’s crazy because they have to go to school to learn, but it’s crazy that these things are going on at the school,” said Jones.
Coincidentally, Jones’ grandfather’s been fighting the stolen Kia/Hyundai issue for months, both here and in Chicago, showing young people a play the former Kia boys contributed to, and it’s seemingly making a difference.
He says one police district went from as high as 65 stolen Kia/Hyundai thefts a month to zero.
“So, we’ve done the play at two area schools on the west side of Chicago. It affects the whole community just like Covid did. It’s a virus and we got to get to the root cause of that virus,” said Rev. Robin Hood, founder of Men Opposed to Violence Everywhere.
Now, Rev. Hood’s got clearance to show the play at various Milwaukee Public Schools.
“So, what they’re doing is stopping their lifespan. They could get killed themselves or they could get put out of school. You could lose your life at the age of 10 years old,” said Louvenia Hood, with Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere.
The suspected driver in the crash outside Morse School is a 14-year-old boy. Also arrested were two 14-year-old girls and a 15-year-old girl. The only one not able to run from the crash was a 15-year-old boy who remains hospitalized.
We asked, “How much do you think social media platforms like TikTok are to blame for what’s going on?”
“I give them, in this particular thing, I give them 75%,” said Rev. Hood.
Rev. Hood’s Mothers and Men Opposed to Violence Everywhere plan to start showing the plays at school assemblies in Milwaukee next week. Anything to grab students’ attention and not demonize them, but rather help them understand their own lives matter, and what they lose by stealing a car and driving it recklessly could truly cut their lives short.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform. | 2023-05-09T16:21:42+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/cnn-regional/2023/05/09/you-could-lose-your-life-parents-respond-to-reckless-driving-after-crash-involving-stolen-kia-school-bus/ |
Twin Chimneys Project made possible via partnership with LS Power and support from local government
CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Enerdyne Power Systems, a Landfill Group Company based in Charlotte, commenced operation of a project collecting and upgrading landfill gas into pipeline quality renewable natural gas (RNG) at the Twin Chimneys Landfill in Honea Path, SC on March 31, 2023. The Twin Chimneys Power Producers ("TCPP") project is the first RNG project to reach commercial operations in South Carolina.
"We are excited to bring online this important project that is collecting methane that would otherwise be emitted at the landfill and converting it to clean, renewable fuel. RNG is an incredibly important source of low-carbon energy in the energy transition, and we're proud to establish the precedent of being the first operating project in the state of South Carolina," said Mike Fenton, Director of Sales and Project Delivery at The Landfill Group. "With a strong team from The Landfill Group companies and great support from our local government partners, we built a scalable project designed to provide an industry leading level of reliability," Fenton said.
Landfill gas, a natural byproduct of the decomposition process of waste, is collected at the Twin Chimneys Landfill and converted into RNG. The processed landfill gas is injected into the local natural gas system, which is owned and operated by the Greenwood Commissioners of Public Works (Greenwood CPW).
According to the EPA, the environmental benefits associated with this project at full build out will be equivalent to reducing the CO2 emissions of more than 66 million gallons of gasoline each year.
"The Twin Chimneys RNG project would not have been possible without the tremendous support and leadership of local government, notably Greenville County, Greenwood CPW and the City of Greenville," said William Brinker, Managing Director of the Landfill Group. "TCPP represents a multi-million-dollar investment in the region and the collaboration of local government leaders helps ensure this project will have significant positive impact on the community, both environmentally and economically."
The Twin Chimneys project is Enerdyne's second renewable energy project in Greenville County and follows the success of the Enoree Landfill project, which has been operating since 2008. That project, which won the EPA's 2008 Power Project of the Year award, utilizes landfill gas to fuel a generator, creating renewable electricity which serves customers of the local electric utility.
Jeff Meredith, General Manager of Greenwood Commissioners of Public Works, said, "We are excited to be a part of the first project to deliver renewable natural gas from a landfill to a local distribution pipeline in the State of South Carolina. The project has been operational since late March 2023 and delivering stable and reliable gas into GCPW's system. This project has truly been a collaborative effort between Greenville County, TCPP and Greenwood CPW to make a positive impact on the environment and provide value to the customers we serve."
U.S. Energy, a leading provider of refined products, alternative fuels, and environmental credits, was selected as Twin Chimneys' compliance and credit generation project partner. With over 40 established RNG pathways with the EPA, the California Air Resources Board, and the Oregon Department of Quality, U.S. Energy is managing the project's participation in clean fuel programs—handling all registrations, reporting, and ongoing compliance requirements. They have worked within the RFS and LCFS environmental commodity markets since their inception – transacting credits across all fuel types. In addition to their 40+ RNG Development projects they have 50 compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations, more than 100 RNG delivery points, and four thermal energy supply projects.
"Seeing this project reach operational efficiency is a huge milestone for the renewable natural gas community," said Bryan Nudelbacher, vice president of business development at U.S. Energy. "There is a continued need for more renewable natural gas to come online. We're thrilled to partner with Enerdyne on this project—helping supply end users with RNG while maximizing the project impact and return."
The Landfill Group Partnership with LS Power
The Landfill Group works in partnership with LS Power, a development, investment and operating company focused on the power and energy infrastructure sectors, to jointly develop landfill gas-to-renewable natural gas projects throughout the U.S.
"LS Power is proud to support this project that is reducing greenhouse gas emissions while driving economic growth and broader de-carbonization," said Peter Anderson, Senior Vice President of Private Equity at LS Power. "Our partnership with The Landfill Group is part of our efforts to accelerate the energy transition through the deployment and commercialization of clean energy technologies," Anderson said.
A ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the start of commercial operations will be held in September. A time lapse video of the construction is available at this link.
About Enerdyne Power Systems and The Landfill Group
Enerdyne is a family-owned company founded in 1991 and is solely focused on the development of projects which convert biogas to renewable energy. With a mission statement of "Leave it better than you found it" they are dedicated to helping communities across the country use renewable energy assets to improve the wellbeing of the community. Having been instrumental in the development of over 50 biogas to energy projects, Enerdyne and its family of companies have been an industry leader since the beginning and have a long track record of successful landfill gas projects.
The Landfill Group consists of not only Enerdyne but also its affiliates Advance One Development, Advanced Biogas Systems ("ABS") and Jade Biogas Engineering. Advanced One specializes in the construction of landfill gas collection infrastructure while ABS manufactures specialty gas treatment equipment. Jade provides comprehensive engineering services to the Biogas industry. By combining operations, engineering, construction, and manufacturing, the Landfill Group provides a fully integrated approach to producing renewable energy from a biogas source.
About LS Power
LS Power is a development, investment, and operating company focused on the North American power and energy infrastructure sector. Since its inception in 1990, LS Power has developed, constructed, managed, or acquired more than 47,000 MW of power generation, including utility-scale solar, wind, hydro, natural gas-fired, and battery energy storage projects, of which ~19,000 MW are currently operating. LS Power's Energy Transition Platforms include CPower Energy Management, Endurant Energy, EVgo, Rise Light & Power, and REV Renewables, as well as Waste-to-Energy initiatives. In addition, LS Power developed and operates over 680 miles of high-voltage transmission, with an additional 100+ miles and multiple substations under construction. Across these efforts, LS Power has raised $50 billion in debt and equity financing to support North American infrastructure.
About Greenwood CPW
Greenwood Commissioners of Public Works is a municipal utility providing electric, gas, and water services in the Upstate of South Carolina. Located in Greenwood County, which has a population of approximately 70,000, Greenwood CPW was established in 1896 and began providing gas service in 1940.
About The Greenville County Solid Waste Division
The Greenville County Solid Waste Division is committed to providing Solid Waste collection, disposal and education services to the citizens of Greenville County. As part of our Solid Waste Management Plan we encourage recycling of wastes through educational programs and by providing recycling drop-off sites throughout the county.
About U.S. Energy
U.S. Energy, a U.S. Venture company, is a leading vertically integrated solutions provider proficient in refined products, alternative fuels, and environmental credits. Over our 70-year tenure, we've diversified throughout the energy supply chain—offering realistic, executable strategies that satisfy your economic and environmental goals. From energy project development, distribution, and marketing through wholesale, commercial, and retail channels, we partner with organizations—providing comprehensive support for any fuel or energy type. U.S. Energy's asset portfolio of more than 30 refined product terminals, 40 renewable natural gas development projects, 50 alternative fuel stations, and two forestry projects helps our customers Stay Ahead®. Driven to be the very best and most trusted energy solutions provider dedicated to finding a better way toward a sustainable future, U.S. Energy is uniquely positioned to help organizations navigate the evolving energy industry. For more information, visit www.us-energy.com.
Media Contact
sarabia@lspower.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Landfill Group | 2023-07-26T17:01:50+00:00 | live5news.com | https://www.live5news.com/prnewswire/2023/07/26/landfill-group-announces-commercial-operation-first-rng-project-south-carolina/ |
Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).
After visiting the motherland of wine, pasta and pizza a couple of weeks ago, I have a new perspective on Italian food.
- Unlike in the U.S., restaurants in Positano and Rome they don’t overload you with heaping portions of pasta.
- Cleaning your plate with bread is a requirement, and chefs are offended if you don’t.
- Fettuccine Alfredo, if even on a menu at all, definitely doesn’t have any cream in it.
- The quality of a red sauce is dependent on the quality of the tomatoes, and if you’re lucky enough, make sure to try some real San Marzano tomatoes, grown in the volcanic soil near Mount Vesuvius.
Happily, there’s a spot in Denver that can transport me back to my Roman holiday: Restaurant Olivia.
The drink list is similar to what you’d see abroad, with a list of spritzes and negronis to enjoy before dinner, or aperitifs that help whet the appetite. And the sommeliers can walk you through the carefully curated Italian wines, one for every dish on the menu.
The burrata, which owner/chef Ty Leon said is made fresh on a farm in Italy two days before it’s shipped to the restaurant, is just as plump and moist as some of the fresh balls of mozzarella I dug into every day during my trip. And you can enjoy it with steaming fresh focaccia.
Chef Leon’s specialty is his modern take on classic pasta dishes, like the French onion ravioli, which tastes just like a warm bowl of French onion soup. I had a bite of black truffle ravioli in a fine-dining restaurant in Positano that not only brought me to my knees, but also reminded me of the technique and quality that chef Leon serves.
There’s a reason Restaurant Olivia has authentic Italian flavors: Chef Leon takes his entire staff abroad every year so they can taste and see what’s inspiring its menu.
In Italy, the waiters would often speak to you throughout your meal about your day or your trip, and it was a very lively conversation. At Olivia, I saw each of the waiters in deep conversations with the guests at their tables. Before our trip, we got an amazing recommendation from our server, Shane, about taking a tour in Pompeii and visiting a winery near Mount Vesuvius, which ended up being my favorite part of our entire journey.
So don’t mind me next time you walk by Olivia, staring dreamingly out the window facing South Downing Street, pretending like I’m somewhere else.
Restaurant Olivia; 290 S. Downing St., Denver; 303-999-0395; oliviadenver.com | 2023-04-24T23:29:13+00:00 | denverpost.com | https://www.denverpost.com/2023/04/24/olivia-restaurant-denver-authentic-italian/ |
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 2022-11-23T00:50:42+00:00 | wtmj.com | https://wtmj.com/entertainment/2022/11/20/ap-top-entertainment-news-at-1205-a-m-est/ |
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A book coming out this fall highlights the story of Sioux Falls through the work of several local writers.
It started with two friends having a conversation over beer.
They talked about the idea of having a collection of essays about Sioux Falls, or as the book title calls it: City of Hustle.
Augustana University writer-in-residence, Patrick Hicks, and historian, Jon Lauck, are the co-editors of the book that explains Sioux Falls.
From the Pomp Room to Falls Park to George McGovern’s presidential run, readers will find a variety of unique stories.
“Opening this book up, I think people will naturally…they won’t read it in chronological order. They’ll probably bounce around in the book, tugged one way and another by the stories that they find and they’re drawn to,” Co-editor Patrick Hicks said.
Daren Anderson is one of the many writers who contributed to the book.
His essay is about Fenn’s Bros., a candy and ice cream manufacturer.
“It’s a part of Sioux Falls’ story because it was one of the largest employers in Sioux Falls back in the 1950s and 60s, and they had a far-reaching effect that was more than just local,” Fenn Bros., historian Daren Anderson said.
Hicks is excited for readers to get their hands on the book.
“I think it will help people in the Midwest understand who Sioux Falls is and what’s happening in ‘flyover country,’ but I think also Sioux Falls residents, when they read this I know they will be surprised and delighted by some things that have existed in their backyard and maybe they didn’t even know about it,” Hicks said.
City of Hustle: A Sioux Falls Anthology is available for pre-order now.
It comes out in October with the launch party planned for November. | 2022-07-28T01:01:18+00:00 | keloland.com | https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/city-of-hustle-book-to-highlight-sioux-falls-story/ |
Biden, first lady to visit Children’s National Hospital
Published: Dec. 23, 2022 at 1:04 PM CST|Updated: 1 hour ago
(Gray News) - President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are making a holiday visit to patients and families at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
The Christmas visit by the first lady is an annual tradition, dating back to Bess Truman, who visited families who weren’t able to celebrate the holidays at home, Children’s National Hospital said.
Last year, Biden became the first president to visit the hospital with the first lady.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. CNN Newsource contributed to this report. | 2022-12-23T20:21:13+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/2022/12/23/biden-first-lady-visit-childrens-national-hospital/ |
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – New data is showing the negative impact of long-term cannabis use on cognition and brain mass.
According to a study published in the journal Psychology Today, changes caused by long-term cannabis use resemble risk factors for dementia later in life.
I.Q. declined by an average of 5.5 points along with deficits in visual and verbal memory performance.
“This was a study done in New Zealand of a thousand people and what they found was when they tracked people from age 13 to age 45 they showed declines in learning, processing speed and verbal memory,” said Dr. Daniel Bober, Chief of Psychiatry for Memorial Regional Hospital.
Additionally, the study found I.Q. levels also declined by an average of 5.5 points after decades of persistent cannabis use.
Previous studies have shown that multiple sclerosis patients who use cannabis to control painful muscle spasms have earlier cognitive decline.
And more children in the U.S. are being diagnosed with autism.
A new CDC report showed that in 2020, one out of every 36 American children were diagnosed with the condition.
That’s up from 1-in-44 in 2018.
The report also showed the rate rose faster among children of color than white children.
According to the data, about three percent of Black, Hispanic and Asian children was diagnosed with autism compared to about two percent of white children.
“They found a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder dramatically increased in black Hispanic and Asian communities. Those rates are up by 30 percent in underserved communities when you compare that 2020 to 2018. Again, why is this happening? Number one, we are much better and much more aggressive at making the diagnosis, so we are on the lookout for that. When you look for something, you’re going to find it. And also, during the pandemic, there was a big pause in making the diagnosis. So we were seeing it and we are seeing it more catching up, if you will,” said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News Medical Correspondent.
Experts said the increase is likely due to improved screening and increased awareness for Black and Hispanic families. | 2023-03-24T22:36:58+00:00 | local10.com | https://www.local10.com/news/local/2023/03/24/researchers-explore-long-term-cannabis-use-on-memory/ |
Brian Yupa had the clinching goal for 15th-seeded Irvington as it outlasted 18th-seeded Belleville in penalty kicks by a 4-2 margin in the play-in round of the Essex County Tournament at Watsessing Field in Bloomfield.
The two teams were tied 3-3 through regulation and two overtime periods.
Yupa, Karl Boucher and Dorvilne Woodler each scored a goal in regulation for Irvington (4-9-1), which plays second-seeded Newark East Side in the first round on Thursday. Walter Tajeda made 13 saves.
For Belleville (7-2-1), Wilberto Solorzano scored two goals and Ivan Garcia had two assists. Jonathan Villa added a goal while Aiden Rodriguez made two saves.
Bloomfield 3, Caldwell 2
Cosme Imbert scored two goals as 16th-seeded Bloomfield defeated 17th-seeded Caldwell, 3-2, at Watsessing Park in Bloomfield.
Alex Capet dished out two assists and Alex Leon made six saves for Bloomfield (4-9), which advances to face top-seeded Seton Hall Prep in the first round on Thursday.
Jordan Catrambone and Joseph Giannetta scored a goal apiece for Caldwell (2-9-2) and Zach Natt made seven saves.
Barringer 3, Technology 2
Patrick Asare scored two goals for 14th-seeded Barringer in a 3-2 victory over 19th-seeded Technology at Branch Brook Park in Newark.
Christopher Soriano had a goal and Jonny Miranda made four saves for Barringer (10-0), which trailed 2-1 at halftime. Barringer advances to play third-seeded West Orange in the first round on Thursday.
Technology falls to 7-3-1 on the season.
Verona 3, Orange 0
Mark Serra scored all three goals on the day, lifting 12th-seeded Verona to a 3-0 victory over 21st-seeded Orange at Sellitto Field in Verona.
Joe Farmer made three saves and Brian Healy had two as they combined on the shutout for Verona (5-5), which plays fifth-seeded Livingston in the first round on Thursday.
Orange falls to 6-5 on the season.
Millburn 6, Science Park 2
Josh Hwang’s three goals fueled ninth-seeded Millburn past 24th-seeded Science Park in Millburn.
Caleb Xie had a goal and an assist for Millburn (6-6), which plays eighth-seeded Montclair Kimberley in the first round on Thursday. Liam Grigorian added a goal and an assist, Ben Tapia scored a goal and Ishaan Talwar made three saves.
Leo De Castro scored both goals for Science Park (7-3) and Victor Mendes had 11 saves.
Glen Ridge 3, Nutley 0
Oliver Peake’s two goals lifted 11th-seeded Glen Ridge to a 3-0 victory over 22nd-seeded Nutley at Carteret Park in Glen Ridge.
Cole Moshos added a goal and Nicholas Overholtzer made five saves for Glen Ridge (5-6-1), which plays sixth-seeded Columbia in the first round on Thursday.
Nutley falls to 4-6-1 on the season.
West Essex 7, Newark Central 1
Josh Motelson, Jon Kosoglu and Zach Smith scored two goals apiece as 10th-seeded West Essex cruised to a 7-1 victory over Newark Central in North Caldwell.
Drew Cerquiera had a goal and an assist, while Greg Ryan made five saves for West Essex (5-7), which plays seventh-seeded Newark Academy in the first round on Thursday.
Newark Central falls to 8-1 on the season.
Cedar Grove 8, East Orange 1
Thirteenth-seeded Cedar Grove scored four goals in each half as it rolled to an 8-1 victory over 20th-seeded East Orange in Cedar Grove.
Cedar Grove (4-8) moves on to face fourth-seeded Montclair in the first round on Thursday.
East Orange falls to 6-4 on the season.
The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday. To add your name, click here. | 2022-10-12T03:02:46+00:00 | nj.com | https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2022/10/essex-county-tournament-boys-soccer-roundup-for-play-in-round-games-oct-11.html |
CLEVELAND, Jan. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE: SHW) announced its financial results for the year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 2022. All comparisons are to the full year and fourth quarter of the prior year, unless otherwise noted.
SUMMARY
- Consolidated net sales increased 11.1% in the year to a record $22.15 billion
- Diluted net income per share increased to $7.72 per share in the year compared to $6.98 per share in the full year 2021
- Fourth quarter consolidated net sales increased 9.8%; diluted net income per share was $1.48 per share and adjusted diluted net income per share increased 41% in the quarter to $1.89 per share
- Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (Adjusted EBITDA) increased 10.4% in the year to $3.61 billion or 16.3% of consolidated net sales
- Full year 2023 diluted net income per share guidance in the range of $6.79 to $7.59 per share, including acquisition-related amortization expense of $0.81 per share and restructuring expense of $0.25 to $0.35 per share
CEO REMARKS
"Sherwin-Williams delivered strong fourth quarter results compared to the same period a year ago, including high single-digit percentage sales growth, significant year-over-year gross margin improvement, expanded adjusted operating margins in all three segments, strong double-digit adjusted diluted net income per share growth and strong EBITDA growth," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, John G. Morikis. "Our strong fourth quarter performance led to record full year sales, which increased 11.1% to $22.1 billion. Full year adjusted diluted net income per share also increased to a record level. Additionally, we generated strong net operating cash in the year, which enabled us to invest $883 million in share repurchases, pay $619 million in dividends and deploy $1 billion to complete five acquisitions that will add to our solutions and capabilities.
"Our more than 61,000 employees delivered these results in another year of difficult operating conditions, including relentless cost inflation, less than optimal raw material availability, slowing economies, a war in Europe and COVID lockdowns in China. We refused to be deterred by these challenges and continued to do what we do best – serve our customers.
"Looking at our reportable segment performance in 2022, The Americas Group delivered double-digit sales growth in all customer segments, including the seventh consecutive year of double-digit growth in residential repaint. Consumer Brands Group faced extremely difficult conditions in Europe and Asia that impacted sales but continued to take actions that will drive enhanced future profitability. In Performance Coatings Group, sales increased in nearly all business units, and adjusted segment margin improved 250 basis points year-over-year."
FOURTH QUARTER CONSOLIDATED RESULTS
Consolidated net sales increased primarily due to selling price increases in all segments and higher architectural sales volume in The Americas Group, partially offset by lower sales volumes outside of North America in the Consumer Brands and Performance Coatings Groups. Acquisitions increased consolidated net sales by approximately 1.5%, while currency translation rate changes decreased consolidated net sales by 2.0%.
Income before income taxes increased primarily due to selling price increases in all segments and higher sales volume in The Americas Group. These factors were partially offset by higher raw material costs across all three segments, increased SG&A spending in The Americas Group and Performance Coatings Group, costs associated with our previously announced targeted restructuring actions including non-cash trademark impairment charges and higher interest expense.
Diluted net income per share included a charge of $0.21 per share for acquisition-related amortization expense and charges totaling $0.20 per share related to restructuring actions including non-cash trademark impairments.
FOURTH QUARTER SEGMENT RESULTS
The Americas Group ("TAG")
Net sales in TAG increased due primarily to selling price increases and higher architectural sales volume in most end markets. TAG segment profit increased due primarily to higher paint sales volume and selling price increases, partially offset by increased raw material costs and higher SG&A costs related to continued investments in long-term growth strategies.
Consumer Brands Group ("CBG")
Net sales in CBG decreased primarily due to lower sales volume, partially offset by selling price increases in all regions. Currency translation rate changes decreased net sales by 1.7%. CBG segment profit decreased primarily due to the lower sales volume, increased raw material costs and supply chain inefficiencies, and the costs associated with targeted restructuring actions including non-cash trademark impairments. These factors were partially offset by selling price increases and good cost control. Restructuring costs reduced segment profit as a percent of net external sales by 750 basis points, and acquisition-related amortization expense reduced segment profit as a percent of net external sales by 340 basis points compared to 350 basis points in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Performance Coatings Group ("PCG")
Net sales in PCG increased due primarily to selling price increases in all end markets, partially offset by lower sales volumes in the APAC and EMEAI regions. Acquisitions increased PCG's net sales by approximately 4.5% in the quarter, while currency translation rate changes decreased net sales by 4.3%. PCG segment profit increased due primarily to selling price increases, partially offset by increased raw material costs and higher costs to support increased sales levels. Acquisition-related amortization expense reduced segment profit as a percent of net external sales by 310 basis points compared to 320 basis points in the fourth quarter of 2021, and restructuring costs reduced segment profit as a percent of net external sales by 130 basis points.
LIQUIDITY AND CASH FLOW
The Company generated $1.92 billion in net operating cash during the year. This strong cash generation, along with an increase in our short-term borrowings and long-term debt, allowed the Company to return cash of approximately $1.50 billion to our shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases, and close five acquisitions during the year. The Company purchased 3.4 million shares of its common stock during the year. At December 31, 2022, the Company had remaining authorization to purchase 45.2 million shares of its common stock through open market purchases.
2023 GUIDANCE
"We enter 2023 with confidence and energy. We have clarity of mission, the right strategy and a focus on solutions for our customers," said Mr. Morikis. "Above all, we have the right people, and we expect to outperform the market in 2023 just as we have in the past.
"At the same time, we will not be immune from what we expect to be a very challenging demand environment in 2023. Visibility beyond our first half of the year is limited. On the architectural side, U.S. housing will be under significant pressure this year. Slowing existing home sales and continued high inflation also will be headwinds. On the industrial side, we have already seen a slowdown in Europe, and the same is beginning to appear in the U.S. across several sectors. In China, COVID remains a factor and the trajectory of economic recovery is difficult to map. The U.S housing slowdown also will impact some of our industrial businesses, namely Industrial Wood and Coil. Our team is focused on winning new accounts and growing share of wallet in this challenging environment, while leveraging our exposure in more resilient end markets, including residential repaint, property maintenance, auto refinish, and packaging.
"Against this backdrop, we expect 2023 first quarter consolidated net sales growth to be flat to up a mid-single digit percentage compared to the first quarter of 2022. For the full year 2023, relying on indicators we see at this time, we expect consolidated net sales to be down a mid-single digit percentage to flat compared to 2022. With annual sales at this level, we are introducing diluted net income per share guidance in the range of $6.79 to $7.59 per share, including acquisition-related amortization expense of $0.81 per share and restructuring expense of $0.25 to $0.35 per share. Full year 2023 adjusted diluted net income per share is expected to be in the range of $7.95 to $8.65 per share compared to $8.73 per share in 2022.
"We expect raw material costs to decrease by a low to mid-single digit percentage, while other costs, including wages, are expected to increase by a mid-to-high single digit percentage. We will continue to execute the targeted restructuring actions we announced last quarter, while investing in growth initiatives and maintaining our balanced capital allocation strategy. The slide deck accompanying our press release provides other assumptions underlying our guidance. Should we see the year playing out differently than our current assumptions, we will adjust expectations and leverage opportunities to drive improved performance. I am highly confident in our leadership team, which is deep and experienced and has been through many previous business cycles. We remain steadfast in our focus on creating shareholder value."
CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION
The Company will conduct a conference call to discuss its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2022, and its outlook for the first quarter and full year 2023, at 11:00 a.m. EST on Thursday, January 26, 2023. Participating on the call will be Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, John G. Morikis, along with other senior executives.
The conference call will be webcast simultaneously in the listen only mode by Issuer Direct. To listen to the webcast on the Sherwin-Williams website, click on https://investors.sherwin-williams.com/financials/quarterly-results/, then click on the webcast icon following the reference to the Q4 webcast. An archived replay of the webcast will be available at https://investors.sherwin-williams.com/financials/quarterly-results/ beginning approximately two hours after the call ends.
ABOUT THE SHERWIN-WILLIAMS COMPANY
Founded in 1866, The Sherwin-Williams Company is a global leader in the manufacture, development, distribution, and sale of paint, coatings and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers. The Company manufactures products under well-known brands such as Sherwin-Williams®, Valspar®, HGTV HOME® by Sherwin-Williams, Dutch Boy®, Krylon®, Minwax®, Thompson's® WaterSeal®, Cabot® and many more. With global headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, Sherwin-Williams® branded products are sold exclusively through a chain of more than 5,000 Company-operated stores and facilities, while the Company's other brands are sold through leading mass merchandisers, home centers, independent paint dealers, hardware stores, automotive retailers, and industrial distributors. The Sherwin-Williams Performance Coatings Group supplies a broad range of highly-engineered solutions for the construction, industrial, packaging and transportation markets in more than 120 countries around the world. Sherwin-Williams shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: SHW). For more information, visit www.sherwin.com.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements," as defined under U.S. federal securities laws, with respect to sales, earnings and other matters. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "project," "could," "plan," "goal," "target," "potential," "seek," "intend," "aspire" or "anticipate" or the negative thereof or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are based upon management's current expectations, predictions, estimates, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events and conditions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of the Company that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements and from the Company's historical performance, results and experience. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include such things as: general business and economic conditions; the Company's ability to successfully integrate past and future acquisitions into its existing operations, as well as the performance of the businesses acquired; strengths of retail and manufacturing economies and the growth in the coatings industry; changes in the Company's relationships with customers and suppliers; changes in raw material availability and pricing; adverse weather conditions or natural disasters, including due to the impacts of climate change; public health crises, including the duration, severity and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions implemented by international, federal, state and local public health and governmental authorities to contain and combat COVID-19, which may exacerbate one or more of the aforementioned and/or other risks, uncertainties and factors more fully described in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and other risks, uncertainties and factors described from time to time in the Company's reports filed with the SEC. Since it is not possible to predict or identify all of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that may affect future results, the above list should not be considered a complete list. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACTS:
Jim Jaye
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Direct: 216.515.8682
investor.relations@sherwin.com
Eric Swanson
Vice President, Investor Relations
Direct: 216.566.2766
investor.relations@sherwin.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
Julie Young
Vice President, Global Corporate Communications
Direct: 216.515.8849
corporatemedia@sherwin.com
Regulation G Reconciliations
Management of the Company believes that investors' understanding of the Company's operating performance is enhanced by the disclosure of diluted net income per share excluding restructuring expense in 2022, the loss on the divestiture of Wattyl in 2021, and Valspar acquisition-related amortization expense. This adjusted earnings per share measurement is not in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). It should not be considered a substitute for earnings per share computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. The following tables reconcile diluted net income per share computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP to adjusted diluted net income per share.
Management of the Company believes that investors' understanding of the Company's operating performance is enhanced by the disclosure of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) excluding restructuring expense in 2022 and the loss on the divestiture of Wattyl in 2021. This measurement is not in accordance with U.S. GAAP. It should not be considered a substitute for net income or net operating cash. The following tables reconcile net income computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP to Adjusted EBITDA for 2022 and 2021.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE The Sherwin-Williams Company | 2023-01-26T13:36:55+00:00 | wsfa.com | https://www.wsfa.com/prnewswire/2023/01/26/sherwin-williams-company-reports-2022-year-end-fourth-quarter-financial-results/ |
By DAVID KEYTON, JOHN LEICESTER and YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — After weeks of ferocious fighting, Ukrainian forces have begun retreating from a besieged city in the country’s east to move to stronger positions, a regional official said Friday, the four-month mark in Russia’s invasion.
The planned withdrawal from Sievierodonetsk, the administrative center of the Luhansk region, comes after relentless Russian bombardment that has reduced most of the industrial city to rubble and cut its population from 100,0000 to 10,000. Ukrainian troops fought the Russians in house-to-house battles before retreating to the huge Azot chemical factory on the city’s edge, where they remain holed up in its sprawling underground structures in which about 500 civilians also found refuge.
In recent days, Russian forces have made gains around Sievierodonetsk and the neighboring city of Lysychansk, on a steep bank across a river, in a bid to encircle Ukrainian forces.
Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk have been the focal point of the Russian offensive aimed at capturing all of the Donbas and destroying the Ukrainian military defending it — the most capable and battle-hardened segment of the country’s armed forces. The two cities and surrounding areas are the last major pockets of Ukrainian resistance in the Luhansk region — 95% of which is under Russian and local separatist forces’ control. The Russians and separatists also control about half of the Donetsk region, the second province in the Donbas.
Russia used its numerical advantages in troops and weapons to pummel Sievierodonetsk in what has become a war of attrition, while Ukraine clamored for better and more weapons from its Western allies. Bridges to the city were destroyed, slowing the Ukrainian military’s ability to resupply, reinforce and evacuate the wounded and others. Much of the city’s electricity, water and communications infrastructure has been destroyed.
Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said Ukrainian troops have been ordered to leave Sievierodonetsk to prevent bigger losses and move to better fortified positions. The head of the regional administration, Roman Vlasenko, said the withdrawal has already begun and will take several days.
“As of now, the Ukrainian military still remains in Sievierodonetsk,” Vlasenko told CNN. “They are being withdrawn from the city at the moment. It started yesterday.”
Ukraine’s military spokesman declined to confirm the retreat order, saying government policy prevents comments on Ukrainian troop movements.
“Regrettably, we will have to pull our troops out of Sievierodonetsk,” Haidai told The Associated Press. “It makes no sense to stay at the destroyed positions, and the number of killed in action has been growing.”
A senior U.S. defense official, speaking in Washington on condition of anonymity, on Friday called the Ukrainians’ move a “tactical retrograde” to consolidate forces into positions where they can better defend themselves. This will add to Ukraine’s effort to keep Russian forces pinned down longer in a small area, the official said.
Haidai noted that while the retreat is under way, some Ukrainian troops remain in Sievierodonetsk, facing massive Russian bombardment that has destroyed 80% of buildings.
“As of today, the resistance in Sievierodonetsk is continuing,” Haidai told the AP. “The Russians are relentlessly shelling the Ukrainian positions, burning everything out.”
Haidai said the Russians are also advancing toward Lysychansk — from Zolote and Toshkivka, adding that Russian reconnaissance units conducted forays on the city’s edges but its defenders drove them out. The governor added that a bridge leading to Lysychansk was badly damaged in a Russian airstrike and is unusable for trucks. Ukrainian military analyst Oleg Zhdanov told the AP that some of the troops moving away from Sievierodonetsk are heading to the fight in Lysychansk.
In other battlefield reports, the Russian Defense Ministry declared Friday that four Ukrainian battalions and a unit of “foreign mercenaries” totaling about 2,000 soldiers have been “fully blocked” near Hirske and Zolote, south of Lysychansk. The claim couldn’t be independently verified.
Following a botched attempt to capture Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, in the early stage of the invasion that started Feb. 24, Russian forces have shifted their focus to the Donbas, where the Ukrainian forces have fought Moscow-backed separatists since 2014.
After repeated requests to its Western allies for heavier weaponry to counter Russia’s edge in firepower, four medium-range American rocket launchers have arrived, with four more on the way. The senior U.S. defense official said Friday that more Ukrainian forces are training outside Ukraine to use the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and are expected back in their country with the weapons by mid-July.
The rockets can travel about 45 miles (70 kilometers). Also to be sent are 18 U.S. coastal and river patrol boats. The official said there is no evidence Russia has been successful in intercepting any of what has been a steady flow of military aid into Ukraine from the U.S. and other nations. Russia has repeatedly threatened to strike, or actually claimed to have hit, such shipments.
IN OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged music fans at the Glastonbury Festival to “spread the truth about Russia’s war.” Speaking to the crowd at the British music extravaganza by video on Friday before a set by The Libertines, Zelenskyy said, “We in Ukraine would also like to live the life as we used to and enjoy freedom and this wonderful summer, but we cannot do that because the most terrible has happened – Russia has stolen our peace.”
___
An official with the pro-Moscow administration in the southern city of Kherson that was captured by Russian troops early in the invasion was killed in an explosion Friday. The pro-Russian regional administration in Kherson said that Dmitry Savlyuchenko died when his vehicle exploded in what it described as a “terror attack.” There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
___
Yuras Karmanau reported from Lviv.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2022-06-24T23:05:46+00:00 | wtmj.com | https://wtmj.com/national/2022/06/24/ukrainian-army-leaving-battered-city-for-fortified-positions-4/ |
DECATUR — A man wanted for alleged crimes in both Coles and Sangamon counties was caught in Decatur armed with a handgun he said he won gambling, according to prosecutors.
Larry M. Holmes had been arrested on the night of Nov. 1 after a vehicle chase through the city that Decatur Police said topped speeds of 78 mph.
A sworn affidavit said the tires of Holmes’ car were punctured with devices deployed by pursuing patrol officers and had it ground to a stop in the 400 block of West Grand Avenue. The affidavit said Holmes took off running but was caught after being temporarily disabled by a shot from a stun gun.
Holmes, 32, appeared in Macon County Circuit Court on Nov. 16 for a preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilty to two charges of armed violence and one count of being a felon in possession of a weapon. Judge Rodney Forbes found probable cause to try him on all charges.
The affidavit, signed by Officer Clayton Zilz who also presented evidence in court, quotes Holmes as telling arresting officers he had fled because he knew he was a wanted man. His record shows he was being sought in Coles County on a charge of possessing a stolen vehicle and was also wanted in Sangamon County for criminal damage to government property.
Questioned by Macon County State’s Attorney Scott Rueter, Zilz said a .380 caliber “Bersa Thunder” semi-automatic handgun had been found on the floorboards of Holmes’s abandoned vehicle.
“During a Mirandized interview with Larry, he indicated that he had ‘won’ the handgun gambling a few days prior,” Zilz said in the affidavit. “Larry advised he was carrying the firearm for protection as he was having problems with someone on the street.”
Zilz said Holmes has four previous felony convictions and is not allowed to possess any kind of firearm.
Chief Public Defender Michelle Sanders asked Zilz why police had been pursuing the defendant to begin with and was told he had been seen running a red light. But Zilz, who was working as a member of the police department’s Community Action Team which targets gun violence, also said officers had been watching him before he committed the traffic offense.
Judge Forbes scheduled a pretrial hearing for Dec. 27 and a check of Macon County Jail records shows Holmes remained in custody Wednesday night. His bail is set at $750,000, meaning he must post a bond of $75,000 to be freed.
Updated mugshots from the Herald & Review
Joseph A. Williams
William A. Hosea
Randolph Hayes
Byron D. Theus
Jetrevius O. Jarrett
Phillip Gehrken
Emmanuel White
Aaron L. Hand
Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid | 2022-11-23T22:51:20+00:00 | herald-review.com | https://herald-review.com/news/local/public_safety/armed-fugitive-wanted-in-coles-county-arrested-in-decatur-prosecutors-say/article_38d376a0-6b69-11ed-902d-4354aca184db.html |
INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Corteva, Inc. (NYSE: CTVA) today announced it will release its fourth quarter and full year 2022 earnings on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, after the stock market close via PR Newswire and its website. The Company will host a live webcast of its fourth quarter and full year 2022 earnings conference call on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
The slide presentation that accompanies the conference call will be posted on the Company's Investor Events and Presentations page. A replay of the webcast will also be available on the Investor Events and Presentations page until February 3, 2024.
Corteva, Inc. (NYSE: CTVA) is a publicly traded, global pure-play agriculture company that combines industry-leading innovation, high-touch customer engagement and operational execution to profitably deliver solutions for the world's most pressing agriculture challenges. Corteva generates advantaged market preference through its unique distribution strategy, together with its balanced and globally diverse mix of seed, crop protection, and digital products and services. With some of the most recognized brands in agriculture and a technology pipeline well positioned to drive growth, the Company is committed to maximizing productivity for farmers, while working with stakeholders throughout the food system as it fulfills its promise to enrich the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come. More information can be found at www.corteva.com.
Follow Corteva on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
™ ® ℠ Trademarks and service marks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Corteva, Inc. | 2023-01-03T15:36:55+00:00 | witn.com | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2023/01/03/corteva-announces-dates-fourth-quarter-full-year-2022-earnings-release-webcast/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The parallel special master process spawned by the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida estate has slowed the Justice Department’s criminal investigation and exposed simmering tensions between department prosecutors and lawyers for the former president.
As the probe into the presence of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago continues, barbed comments in recent court filings have laid bare deep disagreements related to the special master’s work — not just among lawyers but judges, too. And the filings have made clear that a process the Trump team initially asked for has not consistently played to the ex-president’s advantage.
A look at where things stand:
WHO IS THE SPECIAL MASTER AND WHAT IS HIS ROLE?
A federal judge in Florida appointed at the Trump team’s request an independent arbiter to inspect the thousands of documents seized from Mar-a-Lago and to weed out from the investigation any that might be protected by claims of either attorney-client privilege or executive privilege.
That arbiter, formally known as a special master, is Raymond Dearie. He’s a former federal prosecutor who was appointed a U.S. District judge in Brooklyn by then-President Ronald Reagan. He also has served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
He was initially tasked by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, with reviewing all of the records taken from Mar-a-Lago. But a federal appeals court shrunk the scope of his duties last week, ruling that the Justice Department did not have to share with him the roughly 100 documents with classified markings that were taken during the Aug. 8 search.
That leaves for his evaluation the roughly 11,000 other, unclassified documents — which a Trump lawyer said actually total roughly 200,000 pages — recovered by the FBI.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THEN REGARDING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS?
The past week has revealed stark divisions in how both sides envision the process playing out, as well as the precise role the special master should have.
An early hint surfaced when the Trump team resisted Dearie’s request for any information to support the idea that the documents had been declassified, as Trump has repeatedly asserted. A lawyer for Trump, James Trusty, said that inquiry was “premature” and “a little beyond” what Cannon had in mind at the time she appointed the special master. Dearie mused aloud that “my view of it is you can’t have your cake and eat it,” by ducking that question.
The following day, in a setback for the Trump team, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit overruled an order from Cannon that had temporarily halted the Justice Department’s ability to use the seized classified documents as part of its investigation. Besides restoring the department’s access, the order also lifted Cannon’s mandate that investigators give the special master those records.
More conflict followed, this time related to the scanning and processing of non-classified government records that were seized.
Government lawyers revealed in a letter Tuesday that none of the five document-review vendors they had recommended for the job was “willing to be engaged” by the Trump team. The Justice Department said it was confident it would be able to secure the arrangements on its own while noting that it continued to expect the Trump team to pay.
But Trusty responded with his own letter Wednesday attributing the difficulty in securing a vendor to the sheer quantity of documents, which he said totaled roughly 200,000 pages. He said the department’s deadlines for the production of documents was overly “aggressive” — “It would be better to base deadlines on actual data and not wistful claims by the Government,” he noted — and scolded the department for what he said were “antagonistic” comments.
“DOJ continues to mistake itself as having judicial authority. Its comments are not argument, but proclamations designed to steamroll judicial oversight and the Plaintiff’s constitutional rights,” Trusty wrote.
WHAT IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN NEXT?
The FBI’s investigation took a major step forward when the appeals court lifted Cannon’s hold on its ability to scrutinize the seized classified documents as it evaluates whether Trump or anyone else should face criminal charges.
Dearie’s work as special master will continue alongside that probe, though there’s little chance any action he takes at this point could substantially alter the outcome of the FBI investigation or affect major decisions that lie ahead.
But early disagreements between Cannon and Dearie over the scope of his duties also bear watching. For instance, Cannon on Thursday overturned a directive from the special master that would have required the Trump team to say whether it had any objections to a detailed property inventory that the FBI assembled to catalog all of the items it removed from the home.
That response could have been illuminating given that Trump and some of his allies have raised unsupported suggestions that the agents who searched his home may have planted evidence. If his lawyers were to affirm the inventory’s accuracy, they would likely have contradicted their own client’s claims while also acknowledging the presence of classified materials in the home.
The Justice Department this week made what it called minor revisions to the inventory, but said it was an otherwise full and accurate accounting of what was taken.
Yet newly disclosed correspondence showed the Trump team balking at being forced to assess the inventory’s accuracy. Trusty said in a letter Sunday that the directive that it do so goes beyond what Cannon had envisioned when she appointed Dearie. Cannon herself agreed, canceling Dearie’s requirement Thursday and writing that her “appointment order did not contemplate that obligation.”
The Justice Department, for its part, had earlier suggested that the Trump team should not be able to avoid stating its position on the record or following other of Dearie’s directives.
“The Special Master needs to know that he is reviewing all of the materials seized from Mara-Lago on August 8, 2022 — and no additional materials — before he categorizes the seized documents and adjudicates privilege claims,” the department said.
The letter Tuesday ended with this tart reminder to Trump and his lawyers: “Plaintiff brought this civil, equitable proceeding. He bears the burden of proof.”
____
Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP | 2022-09-29T21:02:23+00:00 | wjhl.com | https://www.wjhl.com/news/politics/ap-trump-docs-probe-tensions-flare-over-special-master-process/ |
WASHINGTON — "TODAY" hosts received an early morning shock after Al Roker popped into the studio during a segment on Thursday.
Roker, 68, has been away from the NBC morning show for weeks as he recovers from a total knee replacement surgery earlier this month. The weatherman's return was not expected until next week.
Co-hosts Sheinelle Jones, Dylan Dreyer and Craig Melvin were left in shock as Roker walked toward them with a cane and an infectious laugh at the end of a segment.
"Al Roker, he just shocked us with a little surprise pop-in." Melvin explained following the surprise. "We weren't expecting that — clearly."
Jones said that the hosts were expecting to see Roker later in the day but were surprised to see him on the live show, according to "TODAY."
The 68-year-old previously shared on the show that the surgery was more like "a replacement of a replacement," as he had a previous knee replacement surgery 23 years ago. Following his procedure on May 9, the weatherman told his co-hosts that he began walking one day after the surgery.
This wasn't the first time Roker has been off the air recently due to medical issues.
In late 2022, the "TODAY" show weatherman was off the air for nearly two months after being hospitalized for blood clots in his lungs and legs. The hospitalization in November led him to miss his first Thanksgiving Day Parade in 27 years.
Back in 2020, Roker was off the air for a couple weeks after undergoing surgery for prostate cancer. He revealed at the time that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer but that they had caught it early. Roker explained he decided to publicly share his diagnosis to encourage others — particularly Black men, who studies indicate face greater risk — to ensure they see a doctor and get the proper checkups to stop a cancer that is very treatable if detected early. | 2023-05-25T21:36:07+00:00 | wfmynews2.com | https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/nation-world/al-roker-today-show-surprise-visit-after-surgery/507-ccfacb72-bc7c-4156-9cac-8c091099e60b |
BERLIN (AP) — Shareholders of German energy company Uniper on Monday approved a rescue package for the gas supplier, clearing the way for its nationalization.
The government announced its plan to nationalize Uniper in September, expanding state intervention in the power sector to prevent an energy shortage resulting from Russia’s war in Ukraine. The deal built on an initial rescue package agreed to in July and features a capital increase of 8 billion euros ($8.5 billion) that Germany will finance.
As part of the agreement, the government will gain a nearly 99% stake in the energy supplier, which before now was controlled by Finland-based Fortum. The Finnish government has the largest stake in Fortum.
Uniper said its shareholders “approved the proposed capital measures by a large majority” at an extraordinary general meeting on Monday.
The European Commission’s approval under state aid law “is expected in the near future,” it said.
Uniper supplies about 40% of all gas customers in Germany and, before the war in Ukraine, bought about half of its gas from Russia, which started cutting deliveries to Germany in June and hasn’t supplied any gas to the country since the end of August.
The company has incurred huge costs as a result of those cuts because it was forced to buy gas at far higher market prices to meet its supply contract obligations. Last month, Uniper said it had initiated proceedings to seek damages from Russia’s Gazprom at an international arbitration tribunal in Stockholm. | 2022-12-19T17:50:24+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/shareholders-of-uniper-clear-way-for-german-nationalization/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
Top Player Prop Bets for Celtics vs. 76ers Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 3 on May 5, 2023
The Boston Celtics visit the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Friday (tip at 7:30 PM ET). Those looking to place a player prop wager can find odds for Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid and others in this contest.
Bet on this matchup or its props with BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks!
Celtics vs. 76ers Game Info
- Date: Friday, May 5, 2023
- Time: 7:30 PM ET
- How to Watch on TV: ESPN
- Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Venue: Wells Fargo Center
Celtics vs 76ers Additional Info
NBA Props Today: Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum Props
- Tatum's 30.1 points per game average is 1.6 points more than Friday's over/under.
- Tatum has collected 8.8 rebounds per game, 0.3 more than his prop bet for Friday's game (8.5).
- Tatum has averaged 4.6 assists per game this year, 0.1 more than his prop bet for Friday (4.5).
- Tatum's 3.2 made three-pointers per game is 0.3 less than his over/under in Friday's game (3.5).
Check out the latest odds and place your bets on player props with BetMGM Sportsbook.
Jaylen Brown Props
- Friday's points prop for Jaylen Brown is 25.5. That's 1.1 less than his season average.
- He has averaged 6.9 rebounds per game, 1.4 higher than his prop bet on Friday.
- Friday's assists over/under for Brown (3.5) is the same as his average on the season.
- He 2.4 made three-pointers average is 0.1 lower than his prop bet on Friday.
Derrick White Props
- The 11.5-point over/under for Derrick White on Friday is 0.9 lower than his season scoring average.
- White's rebounding average of 3.6 is lower than his over/under on Friday (2.5).
- White averages 3.9 assists, 1.4 more than Friday's over/under.
- White averages 1.8 made three-pointers, 0.3 more than his over/under on Friday.
Buy gear from your favorite teams and players NOW at Fanatics!
NBA Props Today: Philadelphia 76ers
Joel Embiid Props
- The 25.5-point over/under for Embiid on Friday is 7.6 lower than his season scoring average.
- Embiid averages 0.7 more rebounds than his over/under on Friday (which is 9.5).
- Embiid's assist average -- 4.2 -- is higher than Friday's assist prop bet (2.5).
- Embiid's one three-pointer made per game is 0.5 more than his over/under on Friday.
Put your picks to the test and bet on Celtics vs. 76ers player props with BetMGM Sportsbook.
James Harden Props
- The 21 points James Harden has scored per game this season is 0.5 fewer than his prop total set for Friday (21.5).
- Harden has averaged 0.6 more rebounds per game (6.1) than his prop bet total in Friday's game (5.5).
- Harden's year-long assist average -- 10.7 per game -- is 3.2 higher than Friday's assist prop bet value (7.5).
- Harden's 2.8 made three-pointers per game is 0.3 more than his over/under in Friday's game (2.5).
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-05-05T14:23:46+00:00 | wfsb.com | https://www.wfsb.com/sports/betting/2023/05/05/celtics-vs-76ers-eastern-conference-semifinals-game-3-player-prop-bets/ |
McConnell faces challenge from Scott as GOP senators regroup
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans were meeting behind closed doors Wednesday as Republican leader Mitch McConnell faced a striking challenge to his leadership, a renegade bid by the GOP party’s campaign chief Sen. Rick Scott of Florida to oust him after the midterm elections.
Retreating to the Old Senate Chamber at the Capitol, a historical site mostly visited by tourists but occasionally used by senators for their most serious of private discussions, Republicans are engaging after a very public spillover of infighting following a disappointing performance in last week’s elections that kept Senate control with Democrats.
A confident McConnell appeared certain he will easily swat back the challenge from Scott, who is largely blamed by his colleagues for the GOP failures. No more than 10 Republican senators, among some of the most conservative figures and those aligned with former President Donald Trump, are expected to join in the revolt.
“I think the outcome is pretty clear,” McConnell told reporters Tuesday. “I want to repeat again: I have the votes; I will be elected. The only issue is whether we do it sooner or later.”
The unrest in the Senate is similar to the uproar among Republicans in the House in the aftermath of the midterm elections that left the party split over Trump’s hold on the party. House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy won the nomination from colleagues to run for House speaker, with Republicans on the cusp of seizing the House majority, but he faces stiff opposition from a core group of right-flank Republicans unconvinced of his leadership.
On Wednesday, the senators planned to first consider a motion by a Scott ally, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, to delay the leadership votes until after the Dec. 6 runoff election in Georgia between Republican Herschel Walker and incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock that will determine the final makeup of the Senate. Walker is eligible to vote in the leadership election but wasn’t expected to be present.
There are 49 GOP senators expected to vote on Wednesday, including newly elected senators who are in town this week but not yet sworn into office and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is eligible even though her race against Republican Kelly Tshibaka hasn’t been called yet.
The announcement by Scott, who was urged to challenge McConnell by Trump, escalated a long-simmering feud between Scott, who led the Senate Republican’s campaign arm this year, and McConnell over the party’s approach to try to reclaim the Senate majority.
“If you simply want to stick with the status quo, don’t vote for me,” Scott said in a letter to Senate Republicans offering himself as a protest vote against McConnell.
Restive conservatives in the chamber have lashed out at McConnell’s handling of the election, as well as his iron grip over the Senate Republican caucus.
A delay could give leverage to Trump-aligned conservatives who are hoping their clout will grow after the outcome of races in Georgia and Alaska
Yet it appears unlikely that their numbers could grow enough to put McConnell’s job in jeopardy, given his deep support within the conference. And Trump’s opposition is hardly new, as he has been pushing for the party to dump McConnell ever since the Senate leader gave a scathing speech blaming the former president for the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Still, it represents an unusual direct challenge to McConnell’s authority. If he wins the GOP leadership post, he would become the longest-serving Senate leader in history when the new Congress convenes in the new year.
Scott and McConnell traded what colleagues said were “candid” and “lively” barbs during a lengthy private GOP senators lunch Tuesday that dragged for several hours. They sparred over the midterms, the quality of the GOP candidates who ran and their differences over fundraising.
During the luncheon, some 20 senators made their individual cases for the two men. Some members directly challenged Scott in McConnell’s defense, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who questioned the Florida senator’s management of the campaign arm, according to a person familiar with the meeting and granted anonymity to discuss it.
Among the many reasons Scott listed for mounting a challenge is that Republicans had compromised too much with Democrats in the last Congress — producing bills that President Joe Biden has counted as successes and that Democrats ran on in the 2022 election.
The feud between Scott and McConnell has been percolating for months and reached a boil as election results trickled in showing there would be no Republican Senate wave, as Scott predicted, according to senior Republican strategists who were not authorized to discuss internal issues by name and insisted on anonymity.
The feuding started not long after Scott took over the party committee in late 2020, which many in the party viewed as an effort to build his national political profile and donor network ahead of a potential presidential bid in 2024. Some were irked by promotional materials from the committee that were heavy on Scott’s own biography, while focusing less on the candidates who are up for election.
Then came Scott’s release of an 11-point plan early this year, which called for a modest tax increase for many of the lowest-paid Americans, while opening the door for cutting Social Security and Medicare, which McConnell swiftly repudiated even as he declined to offer an agenda of his own.
The feud was driven in part by the fraying trust in Scott’s leadership, as well as poor finances of the committee, which was $20 million in debt, according to a senior Republican consultant.
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. | 2022-11-16T16:51:32+00:00 | kxii.com | https://www.kxii.com/2022/11/16/mcconnell-faces-challenge-scott-gop-senators-regroup/ |
Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour. She began her professional life as an attorney. In time, however, her affection for writing, popular culture, and the online universe eclipsed her legal ambitions. She shoved her law degree in the back of the closet, gave its living room space to DVD sets of The Wire, and never looked back. | 2022-04-23T21:50:24+00:00 | delawarepublic.org | https://www.delawarepublic.org/2022-04-23/the-hbo-max-show-the-flight-attendant-is-back-for-a-2nd-season |
The NAACP and other Black-led political organizations are celebrating Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock’s reelection to the Senate following Tuesday’s runoff with GOP challenger Herschel Walker.
Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, credited the “tireless efforts” of organizers, volunteers and Black voters for Warnock’s win.
“We showed Georgia, and the rest of the country, what Black power looks like,” Johnson said in a statement. “The NAACP thanks you for your unwavering commitment to democracy, and looks forward to your engagement as we continue our work to hold elected officials accountable and build a brighter future for every American. Just as we have done for the last 100+ years, we will continue this fight to ensure that our representation goes far beyond Election Day, and our voices are included in all conversations where decisions are being made. One thing is clear — when we work together, our power is unmatched.”
The NAACP spent $2 million in radio ads across battleground states, including Georgia, during this year’s midterm elections. Leading up to Tuesday’s runoff, the group offered free rides to the polls through a partnership with the rideshare service Lyft.
The NAACP also recruited legal professionals to serve as poll monitors and established the Voter Incident Report form, a tool for voters to report any form of voter suppression at the ballot box.
Georgia’s runoff saw record-breaking turnout, with more than 1.9 million people casting their ballots. Black voters accounted for nearly 32 percent of voter turnout in the runoff.
“Once again, Black Georgians have shown up and shown out, ensuring that democracy prevails, and Black voices are heard, loud and clear. We knocked on doors, we made calls, sent text messages, and ensured that our entire community came out in full force” Gerald Griggs, Georgia NAACP state conference president, said in a statement.
“Tonight, we made history, and I could not be more proud to call myself a Georgian. Every ballot casted today is a victory for our democracy. Thank you to every warrior who came to battle for the future of our state, and our democracy. This is what power looks like.”
Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, the largest independent field operation in Georgia this cycle, said Warnock’s reelection was a repudiation of the politics of former President Trump and the Republican Party.
“Make no mistake, this race, like the majority of other races in the 2022 midterm election, were driven by voters rejecting the anti-democracy politics of the GOP,” Shropshire said in a statement.
“Even with a divided government in Congress, Senator Warnock’s victory means a strengthened Democratic majority in the Senate, one that will help the Biden Administration and Democrats continue to deliver for the voters that put them in office.”
She added that Warnock’s win is proof of a larger infrastructure built by Black leaders, one that led Democrats to key wins throughout the midterm cycle.
Color of Change PAC, which focuses on building independent Black political power, amplifying Black voices and electing Black candidates, called Warnock a “tireless advocate for Black communities” in Georgia and across the nation.
Warnock’s reelection to the Senate, spokesperson Rashad Robinson said, “is a testament to the organizers, activists, and community members who have been building Black political power across the state for years.”
“Even in the face of rampant voter suppression efforts by Governor Brian Kemp and the Republican state legislature, Sen. Warnock ran a fierce campaign that shattered records to turn out millions of progressive voters across Georgia,” Robinson added. “Sen. Warnock proved that running a campaign based on the issues that matter to Black people — even in a swing state — is a winning formula, and that defending our democracy is not just a platform, but a critical GOTV [get-out-the-vote] strategy.
“We’re excited to see Sen. Warnock continue his critical work in the Senate to fight for progressive legislation on issues that matter most to Black communities, such as protecting voting rights, redefining public safety and protecting abortion access.”
Warnock came to office in 2021, after defeating then-Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) in a special election that also went to a runoff. He will now serve a full six-year term in the upper chamber, giving Democrats a 51-49 majority. | 2022-12-07T16:49:41+00:00 | pahomepage.com | https://www.pahomepage.com/hill-politics/naacp-black-led-political-groups-cheer-warnock-win/ |
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — As Republican infighting debilitates Washington, lawmakers at some U.S. statehouses have managed to launch sessions complicated by similar GOP partisan divides or razor-thin margins of party control with a host of creative — if yet untested — solutions.
The approaches differ by state: a delicate working agreement here, a bipartisan truce there. “The commonality is the standing on the edge of the precipice,” said David Niven, an associate professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati.
America’s fiercely divided politics are not limited to national government, where Republicans won a threadbare majority in the U.S. House in November and elected Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker early Saturday on the 15th ballot.
In the states, a combination of factors — including an influx of Republicans from the far right — have contributed to an air of uncertainty in some places as state legislatures begin business. The nation’s shifting political sands left parties in some state legislative chambers with such small majorities that each unexpected departure or death might threaten a scramble for control.
In New Hampshire, for example, the 400-member House convened this week with Republicans holding a razor thin 201-197 majority, with two seats vacant. Slightly more Democrats than Republicans were absent last month when members chose their leader, though, which gave the GOP a bit of breathing room when it came to re-electing state Rep. Sherm Packard, of Londonderry, as House speaker.
“The voters have sent us here with a never before seen balance of partisan makeup,” Packard said. “The only way we can forge ahead and be successful in this environment is by working together.”
In his inaugural address Thursday, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu called the nearly even division a “awesome opportunity” for cooperation.
“And we have a speaker,” he said, referring to the chaos in Washington. “What a great civics lesson and challenge that we find ourselves in.”
The margin of control is even narrower in the Pennsylvania House, where the November election gave Democrats hopes of reclaiming the majority in the often bitterly partisan chamber after more than a decade.
Their 102-101 margin included one Democratic incumbent who died a few weeks before being reelected, however, and two others who resigned after winning election to higher offices.
The House’s top Republican is claiming majority status as a result and has sued to delay filling two of the vacancies. When lawmakers convened on Tuesday to take oaths of office and pick a speaker, the deadlock was broken only when all seven members of GOP leadership and nine other Republicans joined all Democrats to elect Democratic state Rep. Mark Rozzi, of the Reading area, as House speaker.
Rozzi promised to act as an independent, saying he would caucus with neither party.
“The speakership is a nonpartisan — and I want to repeat that, nonpartisan — officer of the House, entrusted with maintaining the integrity of the House,” he told reporters Tuesday night. “That will be my focus as speaker.”
Bipartisanship was also the byword in Ohio, which saw a surprising turn in its speaker’s race on Tuesday despite Republicans holding a formidable supermajority in the Ohio House.
Though Republican state Rep. Derek Merrin had appeared to seal the deal in a preliminary vote before the holidays, the conservative’s hopes were dashed at the last minute by a deal between more moderate GOP backers of rival Rep. Jason Stephens and the House Democratic caucus.
“I intend to listen, and I intend to be very open and receptive to all members of the Ohio House,” Stephens said after winning the speakership with more Democratic votes than Republican ones. “We represent all of Ohio.”
Political scientist Niven called Stephens’ election in Ohio “mountain-moving,” making a pivot away from the hyper conservative politics that the state has seen in recent years. Meanwhile, McCarthy’s efforts to appease his far-right detractors in Washington rather than to work with Democrats may leave GOP moderates in Washington wanting, he said.
“I think there is a lesson here that there are some very happy Republicans in the Ohio Legislature because they were willing to see beyond their own caucus, and there are Republicans in the U.S. House who, in the end, aren’t going to get what they want because they aren’t willing to take a few steps across the aisle,” he said.
Deal-making across party lines has long been a part of governing, including within state legislatures. In Alaska, state lawmakers have a history of crossing party lines to form majorities. In North Carolina, a notorious yet effective power-sharing deal for speaker was struck in 2003, allowing a Democrat and Republican to preside over sessions on alternate days.
House Republicans at the time included Rep. Patrick McHenry, who is now a congressman and one of Kevin McCarthy’s top lieutenants.
Criminal investigations later led GOP North Carolina Rep. Michael Decker, whose switch to the Democrats in 2003 caused a seat deadlock between the parties, to admit in federal court that he took $50,000 in exchange for supporting Democrat Jim Black for speaker. Decker received prison time, as did Black, who accepted punishment in state court for bribing Decker without pleading guilty to the charge.
This year, it remains to be seen whether unusual legislative deals are functional. In New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania, some typically routine operational issues have been rancorous — or left in limbo.
The all-important vote on Pennsylvania House rules for the next session did not take place, as it normally does, immediately after Rozzi was elected speaker. The House has yet to determine how many members of each party will make up committees, much less the members’ individual committee assignments.
Rozzi promised a bipartisan staff, but nothing has been announced.
Republican House Leader Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County, who argues his caucus’ total of 101 current members makes him majority leader, said the choice of Rozzi was “absolutely bipartisan in nature, and I think you saw that trend, kind of, across the country. I think that kind of bipartisanship is good, I think us taking that first step is good.”
Session dates and committee assignments also have not been announced in the Ohio House, where Stephens, the House speaker, was scrambling after his surprise victory to pick a leadership team, hire a staff and unify his caucus. Matters for the chamber — which must begin deliberations on Ohio’s two-year state operating budget soon — were potentially complicated Friday. That’s when the Ohio Republican Party’s central committee voted to censure the GOP lawmakers who joined Democrats in supporting Stephens. Champions of the move called their actions a betrayal.
In New Hampshire, lawmakers divided over proposed rules changes that reflected the dramatically divided House, including grappling with the extra importance of attendance over the next two years.
One rejected rule change would have allowed members unable to attend sessions because of illness to vote by proxy. Supporters argued that the change would help members stay healthy while also fulfilling their duty to constituents, but — even amid rising COVID-19 infections — the proposal failed.
___
Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. AP reporters Becky Bohrer in Anchorage, Alaska; Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H.; and Gary Robertson in Raleigh, N.C., contributed to this report. | 2023-01-08T15:53:04+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/state-lawmakers-turn-to-creative-solutions-in-speaker-fights/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
NEW YORK (AP)Carlos Correa was in the St. Regis San Francisco with his parents, brother and in-laws, ready to head to Oracle Park for his introductory news conference. That’s when agent Scott Boras asked the prized player to meet him in room 1212.
Farhan Zaidi, the Giants’ president of baseball operations, had called Boras at 8 a.m. PST Tuesday morning, three hours before the scheduled announcement.
”He reported to me that they needed more time, more evaluation,” Boras said Thursday. ”They had not made any decisions, but they weren’t prepared to go ahead with a news conference because they didn’t feel they would be able to collect the information within that short period of time.”
Boras conveyed the development to Correa.
”He was obviously surprised, as we all were,” Boras said.
Instead of finalizing a $350 million, 13-year agreement with the Giants, Boras struck a $315 million, 12-year deal with the free-spending Mets, and Correa headed to New York for a physical Thursday. Boras said results usually come back within 24-48 hours and timing of an announcement was up to the team. A news conference likely won’t be scheduled until next month, after the holiday break.
Correa had taken his physical with the Giants on Monday and the club asked for more time to evaluate the findings. The timeframe for San Francisco’s medical process never reached 48 hours.
”We’ve had three teams offer this player contracts in excess of 10 years,” Boras said. ”Obviously, every one of them had their medicals. There is no current issue with Carlos’ health whatsoever. There’s been a lot of discussion about backs and ankles. There’s nothing about him that is currently any form of medical issue. All the conjecture and evaluation of him has been about physicians using their crystal ball for years to come.”
Boras spoke after pitcher Carlos Rodon’s introductory news conference with the New York Yankees. The agent said all teams had been provided results of Correa’s end-of-season physical conducted by Dr. Christopher Camp, the Twins’ medical director and director of high performance and an orthopedist at the Mayo Clinic.
”They have a full account of the player prior to doing anything that has to do with offers,” Boras said. ”Got a long letter passing him, and with that came a recommendation for over a 10-year contract. So that was the known of the Minnesota team physician who was with him all year long.”
Boras maintained Correa’s 2014 surgery to repair a broken right tibia should not have been an issue. Dr. Kevin Varner, chairman of the Department of Orthopedics at Houston Methodist Hospital, operated on Correa.
”He talked and was available to talk about the stability and functionality of what he felt,” Boras said. ”The player has never, ever had any form of treatment, anything to do with anything about that since that occurred when he was 19 years old.”
San Francisco told Boras on Tuesday it still wanted to sign Correa, a discussion Boras said included chairman Greg Johnson, Zaidi and team counsel.
”I said, `How much time do you need?’ They set the time, they told me that they needed – 1 o’clock they would let us know,” Boras said. ”Then we received notice from them that they wanted to continue to talk and that they needed more time. But at that point in time, I told them I had to have a decision whether they were going to honor their letter of agreement that we had reached. And they said at that point in time they needed more information, they needed more discussion. They wanted to continue to talk but at this time they couldn’t go forward. And then I advised them that I had to pursue alternative measures on behalf of Carlos with other teams.”
It’s unclear where in the process the Giants were in evaluating Correa’s medicals. Zaidi, speaking to The Associated Press by phone Thursday night, declined to comment publicly, citing confidentiality of the player medical process.
Boras said his staff was in place to reopen talks and he limited the number of teams, given each discussion began with a 45-minute accounting of the aborted deal with the Giants – which Boras termed a Magna Carta of explanation.
New York had expressed interest while Boras had been negotiating with the Giants. He contacted Mets owner Steve Cohen, who was in Hawaii.
”Welcome to Correa-mas. This is your lucky day,” Boras recalled telling Cohen.
”He was at a dinner, which was 10:30, 11 o’clock,” Boras added. ”He just mentioned he had a martini, and I said, do you have three olives for a great third baseman? That’s kind of how we began our process of working through this, and a lot of back and forth of discussions of many alternatives. Around 12 midnight, we were able to reach an agreement.”
Boras then asked Correa to return to room 1212 and told him of the new deal.
”This guy tackled me,” Boras said. ”He threw me down on the bed. This guy is a little bit bigger than me. He’s got a little bit of linebacker in him, because he flopped me pretty good. He was really happy.”
Correa, the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year, would move from shortstop to third base with the Mets, who already have Francisco Lindor at short. Correa has a .279 career batting average with 155 homers and 553 RBIs in eight big league seasons, including a .291 average with 22 homers and 64 RBIs this year.
Boras said he then informed the Giants ownership he had struck a deal with the Mets
”I think they have beds in those hotel rooms. I assure you I didn’t use one for two days,” Boras said.
—
AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report.
—
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports | 2022-12-23T03:54:49+00:00 | kxnet.com | https://www.kxnet.com/sports/boras-giants-wouldnt-seal-correa-deal-so-he-called-mets/ |
(NEXSTAR) – Treat Williams, known for his roles in ‘Everwood,’ ‘Hair,’ and countless other films and TV shows, has died after being struck while riding a motorcycle in Vermont. He was 71.
Williams’ death was first reported by People, who said the actor died Monday. In a statement to the magazine and The Hollywood Reporter, the star’s agent, Barry McPherson, said Williams was killed in a motorcycle accident.
McPherson didn’t immediately respond to Nexstar’s request for comment.
According to a press release from the Vermont State Police, Williams was driving a motorcycle on Route 30 near Dorset shortly before 5 p.m. Monday evening when a car, driven by a 35-year-old man, tried to make a left turn and entered Williams’ path.
Williams was unable to avoid the crash and was thrown from the motorcycle, police said.
The actor, who was wearing a helmet, suffered “critical injuries” and was airlifted to an Albany, New York hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The other driver suffered minor injuries and was not taken to the hospital. Additional details have not yet been released, and Vermont State Police say the incident remains under investigation.
Williams was born in Rowayton, Connecticut, according to his IMDb page. His first film role was as a cop in “Deadly Hero” before starring in “Hair.” Williams is credited for roles in more than 120 works, including “Everwood,” “Blue Bloods,” “Chicago Fire,” and “Why Would I Lie?”
He also has roles in two post-production titles, his IMDb shows: “Nightbirds,” a television series, and the film “American Outlaws.”
Williams was nominated for three Golden Globes – one each for his roles in “Hair,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” and “Prince of the City” – and once for an Emmy, for “The Late Shift.”
Shortly before Monday’s crash, Williams shared a photo and video from his Vermont farm, writing in one post, “Mowing today. Wish I could bottle the scent.”
Williams is survived by his wife, Pam Van Sant, and two children, Gill and Elinor. | 2023-06-13T03:26:37+00:00 | myfox8.com | https://myfox8.com/news/treat-williams-of-everwood-hair-dead-reports/ |
SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — Rotting fish and garbage lie scattered in Sanibel Island’s streets. On the mainland, debris from washed-away homes is heaped in a canal like matchsticks. Huge shrimp boats sit perched amid the remains of a mobile home park.
“Think of a snow globe. Pick it up and shake it — that’s what happened,” said Fred Szott.
For the past three days, he and his wife Joyce have been making trips to their damaged mobile home in Fort Myers, cleaning up after Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast.
As for the emotional turbulence, he says: “You either hold on, or you lose it.”
The number of storm-related deaths rose to at least 101 on Thursday, eight days after the storm made landfall in southwest Florida. According to reports from the Florida Medical Examiners Commission, 92 of those deaths were in Florida. Five people were also killed in North Carolina, three in Cuba and one in Virginia.
Ian is the second-deadliest storm to hit the mainland U.S. in the 21st century behind Hurricane Katrina, which left more than 1,800 people dead in 2005. The deadliest hurricane ever to hit the U.S. was the Great Galveston Hurricane in 1900 that killed as many as 8,000 people.
Residents of Florida’s devastated barrier islands are starting to return, assessing the damage to homes and businesses despite limited access to some areas. Pamela Brislin arrived by boat to see what she could salvage.
Brislin had stayed through the storm, but is haunted by what happened afterward. When she checked on a neighbor, she found the woman crying. Her husband had passed away, his body laid out on a picnic table until help could arrive. Another neighbor’s house caught fire. The flames were so large that they forced Breslin to do what the hurricane could not — flee with her husband and a neighbor’s dog.
Ian, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour (240 kilometers per hour), unleashed torrents of rain and caused extensive flooding and damage. The deluge turned streets into gushing rivers. Backyard waterways overflowed into neighborhoods, sometimes by more than a dozen feet (3.5 meters), tossing boats onto yards and roadways. Beaches disappeared, as ocean surges pushed shorelines far inland. Officials estimate the storm has caused billions of dollars in damage.
The broken causeway to Sanibel Island might not be passable until the end of the month. Officials on the island had ordered a complete curfew after the storm passed, allowing search and rescue teams to do their work. That meant residents who evacuated were technically blocked from returning.
The city of about 7,000 started allowing residents back from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday. City manager Dana Souza told residents in a Facebook Live stream that he wished the municipality had resources to provide transportation but that, for now, residents would have to arrange visits by private boat.
Pine Island is closer to the mainland than Sanibel, and temporary repairs to its causeway were finished on Wednesday.
But the island was hit hard by the storm. Cindy Bickford’s house is still standing. Much of the damage was from flooding, which left a thick layer of rancid muck on her floors. She’s hopeful that a lot can be salvaged.
“We’ll tear the home apart so we can live in it,” said Bickford, who wore a T-shirt that said “Relax,” “Refresh” and “Renew.”
“It’s not our stuff we’re worried about. It’s our community. Pine Island is extremely close-knit,” said Bickford, who arrived Thursday for the first time.
Jay Pick said the island still feels cut off from the outside, and a bit chaotic.
“People are trying to do the right thing and help people, and yet other people are stepping up and taking their gas cans and stealing generators,” he said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, at a news conference Thursday in the Sarasota County town of Nokomis, praised the widespread restoration of running water through the storm-hit zone and the work toward restoring power. Some 185,000 customers remain without electricity, down from highs above 2.6 million across the state.
He said rescue workers have conducted around 2,500 missions, particularly on barrier islands on the Gulf coast as well as in inland areas that have seen intense flooding. More than 90,000 structures have been inspected and checked for survivors, he said.
He said residents areas devastated by the hurricane had been showing great resilience over the past week.
President Joe Biden toured some of Florida’s hurricane-hit areas on Wednesday, surveying damage by helicopter and then walking on foot alongside DeSantis. The Democratic president and Republican governor pledged to put political rivalries aside to help rebuild homes, businesses and lives. Biden emphasized at a briefing with local officials that the effort could take years.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 2022-10-07T18:34:24+00:00 | wsvn.com | https://wsvn.com/news/local/florida/ian-evacuees-return-to-mud-rubble-as-death-toll-hits-101/ |
ALBERTVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – An Albertville man has died after he was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle Saturday night.
The Albertville Police Department (APD) says Denis Lima, 59, was riding his bike on Hwy 431 near the intersection of Motley Street around 8:15 p.m. when a 2002 Ford F-150 collided with him.
Lima was transported to the Marshall Medical Center South but was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, according to APD.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding this collision but say at this time no criminal charges are expected. | 2023-05-29T20:47:54+00:00 | cbs42.com | https://www.cbs42.com/news/cyclist-dies-after-being-hit-by-truck-saturday-night/ |
AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) — Being struck by lightning, being killed by a shark — what do they have in common?
They’re much more likely to happen than you winning the Mega Millions jackpot.
No one claimed the top prize after Tuesday night’s drawing. Since then, the jackpot has grown to a cool $1.1 billion, with a cash option of $648.2 million. The next drawing is Friday night.
While we can all ponder what we would do with that kind of money, we may all be getting a reality check instead of a money check.
After all, the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350 or 0.00000033%.
Here are some things that are more likely to happen:
But 1 in 302 million is still a chance! In fact, you’re much more likely to win than being hit by a meteorite (thankfully!).
How’s this for a mind-blowing fact: You are 30.4 billion times as likely to win the Mega Millions than you are to get a perfect NCAA bracket, if you just guess or flip a coin to determine your teams. That’s right, billion with a “B.”
Even if you know a little about basketball and are more strategic in choosing your bracket, you’re still 397 times as likely to win the Mega Millions jackpot.
Friday’s jackpot of $1.1 billion is the second largest in history. It’s only the third time that the billion-dollar mark has been hit.
“We look with anticipation on the growing jackpot,” said Pat McDonald, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium. “Seeing the jackpot build over a period of months and reaching the billion-dollar mark is truly breathtaking. We encourage customers to keep play in balance and enjoy the ride. Someone is going to win.” | 2022-07-29T00:36:24+00:00 | siouxlandproud.com | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/mega-millions-heres-whats-more-likely-than-you-winning/ |
SPRINGFIELD — Maurice Douglass got his Christmas wish early this year.
All the Springfield High School football coach wanted was for his program to hold practice on Thanksgiving Day — an event that brings symbolizes team success, he said.
“It’s got a lot to do with the commitment of the kids and the coaches throughout the year,” Douglass said. “It’s a great way to spend some time together and reminisce on some of the things that have happened throughout the year.”
A practice on Turkey Day means the program is one of four teams remaining in Ohio in their division. Springfield has done it three of the past four years, only missing out on the Turkey Day practice in 2020 due to the shortened COVID-19 season.
“It’s a time of giving and being around loved ones, sharing great moments and memories and things that have happened throughout the year,” Douglass said. “It’s a time of being thankful. What better way to be thankful than being able to play for a state final.”
The Wildcats (12-1) will face Cincinnati Moeller (13-1) in a Division I state semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday at Piqua’s Alexander Stadium with a trip to Canton for their second straight state final on the line.
The winner will play either Lakewood St. Edward (13-1) or Gahanna Lincoln (13-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
A year ago, the Wildcats beat Moeller 22-21 to advance to the program’s first state final appearance since the playoff era began in 1972.
With a victory, the Wildcats can become the first program in Clark County history to advance to back-to-back state championship games. Only two other Clark County programs — Catholic Central in 1991 and Shawnee in 2011 — have advanced to the state championship game.
Springfield enters the state semifinals having won eight straight games since falling to Fairmont in Week 6. The Wildcats routed Olentangy Liberty 35-7 in the Region 2 championship game last Friday night at London’s Bowlus Field to advance to their fourth straight state semifinal game. They became the 25th program in Ohio history to accomplish the feat, according to the OHSAA unofficial record book.
Springfield senior defensive back Tyron Barnes is practicing on Thanksgiving for the third time. The state semifinal has been a big topic at the dinner table in previous years, he said.
“It feels good to just still be playing and go home and eat with your family and then go out and play the next day,” he said. “(At dinner) It’s like, ‘Hey, you gotta get this win’.”
Senior defensive end Robert Owens, Jr., is practicing on Thanksgiving for the first time.
“It’s a new experience,” he said. “It’s a good experience to have. Everybody should get a chance to do it, but not everybody does. I’m just ready to go prepare for the game.”
The Wildcats’ preparation for the state semifinals got a boost a few weeks ago when Springfield Superintendent Bob Hill canceled classes this week as part of a Wellness Week for the district. The break has allowed the Wildcats to focus solely on the task at hand — beating Moeller.
“It’s pretty cool,” Douglass said. “We’ve been able to get a good practice in and not have a lot of distractions. … It’s been a pretty pleasant situation to be in.”
Douglass isn’t surprised to be preparing for Moeller on Thanksgiving for the second straight season.
“(Moeller coach Mark Elder) has done a great job with those guys since he’s been down there,” Douglass said. “He’s got the support of the community and I know they’ve got a lot of people who believe in what they have. They returned a lot of guys from last year’s team. Even though we weren’t really looking at it like that, it was kind of meant to be. I know (Coach Elder) has been looking forward to this game. We did our part and now we’re both here and on Friday night at 9:30, we’ll find out who’s the champion.”
About the Author | 2022-11-23T23:56:52+00:00 | springfieldnewssun.com | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/sports/high-school-football-springfield-thankful-for-thanksgiving-day-practice/4ITPXC4ZHFBV7FXCWOGWHJL3AM/ |
Australian rugby player Ellia Green becomes first Olympian to transition to a man
By Matt Foster, CNN
Retired Olympic rugby sevens gold medalist Ellia Green has become the first Olympian to transition to become a man, according to a video posted by the Bingham Cup, the biennial world championships of gay and inclusive rugby.
During the “Transphobia and Homophobia in Sport” portion of a summit hosted during the Ottawa tournament, Green on Tuesday laid out the details of how he transitioned in the wake of his rugby career, which saw him win gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
In Green’s video, the 29-year-old noted the transition was motivated by a desire to be true to himself after his career in sport.
“One promise that I made to myself (is) that when my rugby career ended, I would continue to live the rest of my life in the identity, in the body that I should have,” he said.
Green also discussed the “daunting” task in revealing his transition to the public.
“That’s a really difficult thing to do in this time and day,” he said. “All you have to do is turn on the TV, look on social media platforms, and you can see the amount of bullying, harm and discrimination that goes on about gender identities. It’s extremely harmful.”
Gender in sport has been a hot topic in recent months in rugby, as World Rugby, the sport’s global governing body, banned transgender women from competing in women’s rugby in 2021, citing safety concerns and “performance advantages.” Green says he is keen for inclusion to take priority in regard to the balancing act of trans athletes in all sport.
“Banning transgender people from sport I think is disgraceful, and I think it’s hurtful,” he said in the video.
“I think that the rates of suicide and mental health will get even worse” for trans and gender-diverse youth, he said.
Green was born in Suva, the capital of Fiji, before being adopted by an English mother and a Polish father. The family lived in Fiji for Green’s early years before moving to Australia when his father became unwell.
He made his international debut for Australia’s sevens team in 2013, playing as a winger, and retired as the fourth-highest try scorer in the sport’s history with 141.
Green now has a 6-month-old child with his partner.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | 2022-08-17T00:38:48+00:00 | keyt.com | https://keyt.com/sports/national-sports/cnn-sports/2022/08/16/australian-rugby-player-ellia-green-becomes-first-olympian-to-transition-to-a-man/ |
CARTOON: Courage and cowardice on display at January 6th hearing
After Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony, Republican leadership cannot ignore Trump’s conduct on January 6, 2020.
Review-Journal editorial cartoonist Michael Ramirez is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a three-time winner of the Sigma Delta Chi Award. | 2022-07-01T06:57:37+00:00 | reviewjournal.com | https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/michael-ramirez/cartoon-courage-and-cowardice-on-display-at-january-6th-hearing-2601212/ |
In the aftermath of the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, schools around the U.S. have brought in additional security staff and restricted visitors as they deal with a new rash of copycat threats.
For some families and educators it all has added to uneasiness in the wake of the deadliest school shooting since the 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Jake Green, 34, of Los Alamos, New Mexico, was jolted when he saw a plainclothes police officer for the first time while walking his 7-year-old daughter into school Friday morning. He grew up in Colorado, not far from where two Columbine High School students shot and killed 12 classmates and a teacher in 1999. Green remembers attending memorials and candlelight vigils as a fifth-grader, but he’s torn about whether having police at his daughter’s school is best.
“In a way, I don’t really feel any safer with police around,” Green said. “Seeing the police there, it really made it seem like the worst possibility was even more possible today.”
In El Paso, Texas, where a gunman killed 23 people in a racist 2019 attack that targeted Hispanics at a Walmart, schools are on edge. The El Paso Independent School District has already encountered some reported threats that turned out to be false. They were either “students joking or overly-sensitive parents,” said Gustavo Reveles Acosta, a district spokesperson.
“Our community is still raw from that incident,” Acosta said. “It hits us in a pretty emotional way.”
The district, which has its own police department, has also stepped up patrolling at all 85 campuses. Officers have been pulled from monitoring traffic or other duties. Schools already have updated camera surveillance systems. Visitors are required to ring a doorbell and show identification before they can enter.
The district is making a point to look out for teachers' and students' mental health. A counseling team has been visiting every school to speak about the shooting in Uvalde. They are also urging people to talk in private about any distress.
Mia Baucom, a 15-year-old student at a Forth Worth, Texas, high school said it was surreal to think the Uvalde killings happened in her home state. It also stirred memories of a lockdown at her school two months ago that was prompted by a shooting.
“I’m a little more stressed out about it because just the fear of what if that happened at my school?” said Baucom, whose last day of school was Thursday. “Let’s say we get more police officers. Most likely that’s not going to stop people from going crazy and just shooting up schools.”
Schools have ramped up police presence in a host of states, including Connecticut, Michigan and New York, after the shooting Tuesday that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
In Buffalo, New York, where a white gunman fatally shot 10 people in a racist attack in a supermarket on May 14, the largest school district announced new security rules effective immediately. Any visitors — parents, siblings, vendors — have to call ahead for approval. No exceptions will be made. They may be subjected to a search by a wand detector. Doors will be locked at all times.
In Jacksonville, Florida, the Duval County Public Schools' chief of school police banned backpacks or large handbags at any school through Friday, the last day of school. Small purses were allowed but could be searched.
A discredited threat against a middle school prompted a Texas school district 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Uvalde to end the school year a week early. The Kingsville Independent School District announced Friday would be the last day of school. But students should not see any penalty for the premature end to the year.
“In light of the tragedy in Uvalde, there has been an enormous amount of stress and trauma. Unfortunately, more stress and trauma are added with ‘copy-cat threats’ that start circulating such as the one that was sent today for Gillett (Middle School),” Superintendent Dr. Cissy Reynolds-Perez wrote in a statement on the district's website.
It's clear staff and students nationwide are on edge as several reports of firearm sightings on campuses have popped up in the past few days.
Two Seattle-area schools went into lockdown Friday morning and police eventually recovered an airsoft gun. The Everett, Washington, schools then had their lockdowns lifted.
Two people were arrested Thursday after a Denver high school locked down its campus. Police found a paintball gun but no other firearms. Classes were canceled anyway. | 2022-05-29T16:45:43+00:00 | nbcchicago.com | https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/after-texas-shooting-schools-around-us-boost-security/2844946/ |
UPPLANDS VÄSBY, Sweden, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ӧhlins® Racing, a subsidiary of Tenneco Inc, has entered into a technical partnership with Scuderia Ferrari, which campaigns the two F1-75 cars – driven by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz – in the Formula One World Championship. Ӧhlins is one of the most respected brands in motorsports and mountain biking, offering leading-edge suspension technologies that together have helped win more than 400 racing championships.
"We are excited and proud to announce our formal technical partnership with Scuderia Ferrari and to be able to work in collaboration with one of world's most prestigious vehicle manufacturers," said Henrik Johansson, managing director Öhlins Racing AB.
Ӧhlins engineers have worked closely with the Ferrari team for more than five years. Now, as a Ferrari Technical Partner, it will advance and accelerate the development of leading-edge suspension technologies that help maximize on-track performance, according to Claes Hesling, Director Auto Racing, Ӧhlins.
"It all started with a short email back in 2015," Hesling said. "Since then, the technical collaboration between Scuderia Ferrari and Öhlins Racing has grown stronger every year. I am very proud of the work we have accomplished together during this time. Now, as an official Ferrari Technical Partner, I am very much looking forward to creating an even stronger bond between Scuderia Ferrari and Öhlins Racing for the future."
For more information about Öhlins Racing technologies, please visit www.ohlins.com.
About Öhlins®
Öhlins Racing has been an integrated part of the motorsport industry as well as the motorcycle and automotive industry for over 40 years. Our focus has always been on high-quality products, service and support, all the way from Formula 1 circuits to the local, national racing events in over 50 distributing countries.
For more information visit www.ohlins.com.
About Tenneco
Tenneco is one of the world's leading designers, manufacturers and marketers of automotive products for original equipment and aftermarket customers, with full year 2021 revenues of $18 billion and approximately 71,000 team members working at more than 260 sites worldwide. Through our four business groups, Motorparts, Performance Solutions, Clean Air and Powertrain, Tenneco is driving advancements in global mobility by delivering technology solutions for diversified global markets, including light vehicle, commercial truck, off-highway, industrial, motorsport and the aftermarket.
Visit www.tenneco.com to learn more.
Safe Harbor
This release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements relating to development of suspension technologies. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to materially differ from those described in the forward-looking statements, as well as the risk factors and cautionary statements included in Tenneco's periodic and current reports (Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K) filed from time to time with the SEC. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Unless otherwise indicated, the forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date of this communication, and, except as required by law, Tenneco does not undertake any obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to publicly disclose revisions or updates to any forward-looking statements. Additional information regarding these risk factors and uncertainties is detailed from time to time in the company's SEC filings, including but not limited to its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022.
Press Contact:
Viveca Lof
Marketing Communications Manager
Viveca.Lof@driv.com
Simonetta Esposito
Senior Communications Manager
Sesposito@driv.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Tenneco Inc. | 2022-06-27T10:56:11+00:00 | wlbt.com | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/06/27/hlins-racing-business-enters-technical-partnership-with-scuderia-ferrari-f1-team/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Union members voted down a contract proposal covering tens of thousands of Walt Disney World service workers, saying it didn’t go far enough toward helping employees face cost-of-living hikes in housing and other expenses in central Florida.
The unions said that 13,650 out of 14,263 members who voted on the contract on Friday rejected the proposal from Disney, sending negotiators back to the bargaining table for another round of talks that have been ongoing since August. The contract covers around 45,000 service workers at the Disney theme park resort outside Orlando.
Disney World service workers who are in the six unions that make up the Service Trades Council Union coalition had been demanding a starting minimum wage jump to at least $18 an hour in the first year of the contract, up from the starting minimum wage of $15 an hour won in the previous contract.
The proposal rejected on Friday would have raised the starting minimum wage to $20 an hour for all service workers by the last year of the five-year contract, an increase of $1 each year for a majority of the workers it covered. Certain positions, like housekeepers, bus drivers and culinary jobs, would start immediately at a minimum of $20 under the proposal.
“Housekeepers work extremely hard to bring the magic to Disney, but we can’t pay our bills with magic,” said Vilane Raphael, who works as a housekeeper at the Disney Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.
The company said that the proposal had offered a quarter of those covered by the contract an hourly wage of $20 in its first year, eight weeks of paid time off for a new child, maintenance of a pension and the introduction of a 401K plan.
“Our strong offer provides more than 30,000 Cast Members a nearly 10% on average raise immediately, as well as retroactive increased pay in their paychecks, and we are disappointed that those increases are now delayed,” Disney spokesperson Andrea Finger said in a statement.
The contract stalemate comes as the Florida Legislature is prepared to convene next week to complete a state takeover of Disney World’s self-governing district. With the support of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the GOP-controlled Statehouse last April approved legislation to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District by June 2023, beginning a closely watched process that would determine the structure of government that controls Disney World’s sprawling property.
The contract with the service workers covers the costumed character performers who perform as Mickey Mouse, bus drivers, culinary workers, lifeguards, theatrical workers and hotel housekeepers, representing more than half of the 70,000-plus workforce at Disney World. The contract approved five years ago made Disney the first major employer in central Florida to agree to a minimum hourly wage of $15, setting the trend for other workers in the hospitality industry-heavy region.
A report commissioned last year by one of the unions in the coalition, Unite Here Local 737, said that an adult worker with no dependents would need to earn $18.19 an hour to make a living wage in central Florida, while a family with two children would need both parents earning $23.91 an hour for a living wage.
While a wage of $15 an hour was enough for the last contract, “with skyrocketing rent, food, and gas prices in the last three years, it’s no longer possible to survive with those wages,” the report said.
Before the pandemic, workers with families in the $15 to $16.50 an hour wage bracket could pay their bills. But with inflation causing the price of food and gas to shoot up, an employee earning $15 an hour full time currently makes $530 less than the worker would need to pay for rent, food and gas each month, the report said.
Last month, food service and concessions workers at the Orange County Convention Center voted to approve a contract that will increase all nontipped workers’ wages to $18 an hour by August, making them the first hospitality workers in Orlando to reach that pay rate.
___
Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at @MikeSchneiderAP | 2023-02-05T11:46:49+00:00 | wjhl.com | https://www.wjhl.com/business/ap-business/ap-disney-world-unions-vote-down-offer-covering-45000-workers/ |
REED CITY — A 26-year-old Osceola County woman is facing assault-related charges after it was alleged she attacked a 49-year man Sunday for not buying her food.
Dezurae McKenzie Shaw of Marion faced charges of assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to maim and assault with a dangerous weapon for her connection with an incident on Oct. 16 in Middle Branch Township during her arraignment Monday in Osceola County's 77th District Court. A habitual offender third offense notice was added to the charges, which enhances the potential sentences by twice the maximum.
If convicted, Shaw faces up to a life sentence on the assault with intent to murder offense and up to 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $10,000 on the assault with intent to maim. For the felonious assault offense, if convicted, she faces up to eight years in prison and/or $4,000 in fines.
The charge is merely an accusation and not evidence of guilt. Shaw is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The prosecution has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Osceola County Sheriff's Office was dispatched at 6:23 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, along with Osceola County EMA and Marion Fire and Rescue to 15 Mile Road in Middle Branch Township for a report of the 49-year-old having a large laceration to his neck, according to a release by the sheriff's office. Police said it was reported a female at a neighboring residence on 50th Avenue assaulted the man with a box cutter.
After the investigation, police said a 49-year-old male suffered seven stab wounds to the face, tongue, neck and arms. The man was transported to a local hospital by Osceola County EMS for treatment and police said despite his numerous wounds his injuries were determined to be non-life threatening. Police said he was later released overnight from the hospital.
Shaw had been living in a pole barn and surrendered without incident to deputies. Police said a small folding knife found on Shaw was later determined to be the weapon used to assault the male victim. This was confirmed by surveillance video recovered during the investigation, which police said showed Shaw repeatedly attacking the male victim.
Police said the motive for the attack was said to be regarding the male not purchasing food for Shaw. Police also said alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor and the investigation is ongoing.
Shaw was taken into custody and police said she was lodged in the Osceola County Jail for the Oct. 16 incident and an unrelated warrant. Deputies were assisted on the scene by Osceola County EMS, Marion Fire and Rescue, the Michigan State Police and Meceola County Dispatch.
The court issued a $500,000 cash or surety bond. | 2022-10-17T22:12:56+00:00 | cadillacnews.com | https://www.cadillacnews.com/osceola-county-man-attacked-stabbed-allegedly-for-not-bringing-woman-food/article_f08a4c52-4e2b-11ed-b25c-8f232ff448f1.html |
NPR is pulling together some of its favorite stories from 2022 that may have been easy to miss among the year's major news but hard to forget. Friday, a look at the animals who shared the mic.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR is pulling together some of its favorite stories from 2022 that may have been easy to miss among the year's major news but hard to forget. Friday, a look at the animals who shared the mic.
Copyright 2022 NPR | 2022-12-30T22:34:14+00:00 | wlrn.org | https://www.wlrn.org/2022-12-30/encore-animals-had-a-lot-to-say-in-2022-here-are-some-of-nprs-favorite-stories |
/Not for release over US newswire services or dissemination in the US/
MONTREAL, Oct. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Dollarama Inc. (TSX: DOL) ("Dollarama" or the "Corporation") announced today that it has priced an offering (the "Offering") of $700 million aggregate principal amount of fixed rate senior unsecured notes to be issued in two series, consisting of $250 million aggregate principal amount of 5.084% senior unsecured notes due October 27, 2025 (the "2025 Notes") and $450 million aggregate principal amount of 5.165% senior unsecured notes due April 26, 2030 (the "2030 Notes", and together with the 2025 Notes, the "Notes"). Considering the impact of hedging contracts previously entered into, Dollarama estimates that the effective blended interest rate of the 2025 Notes and the 2030 Notes will correspond to approximately 4.83% per annum, on a combined basis.
The Notes are being offered through an agency syndicate consisting of RBC Capital Markets, CIBC Capital Markets and National Bank Financial Markets, as joint bookrunners and co-lead private placement agents, and including TD Securities Inc., Desjardins Securities Inc., Scotia Capital Inc., Mizuho Securities Canada Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities Canada Inc. and Casgrain & Company Limited. The offering of the 2025 Notes and the offering of the 2030 Notes are not dependent or conditional upon each other and are expected to close on or about October 26, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.
The 2025 Notes will be issued at par for aggregate gross proceeds of $250 million and will bear interest at a fixed rate of 5.084% per annum, payable semi-annually, until maturity on the 27th day of April and October of each year, commencing on April 27, 2023. The 2030 Notes will also be issued at par for aggregate gross proceeds of $450 million and will bear interest at a fixed rate of 5.165% per annum, payable semi-annually until maturity on the 26th day of April and October of each year, commencing on April 26, 2023.
The Corporation intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering to repay the $250 million aggregate principal amount of the Corporation's outstanding 2.203% senior unsecured notes due November 10, 2022 at maturity, to repay a portion of its outstanding U.S. commercial paper notes, and for general corporate purposes.
The Notes will be direct unsecured obligations of Dollarama and will rank pari passu with all other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness of Dollarama. The Notes have been assigned a provisional rating of BBB, with a stable trend, by DBRS Limited, and are being offered in Canada on a private placement basis in reliance upon exemptions from the prospectus requirements under applicable securities legislation.
The Notes have not been and will not be qualified for sale to the public under applicable securities laws in Canada and, accordingly, any offer and sale of the Notes in Canada will be made on a basis which is exempt from the prospectus requirements of such securities laws. The Notes have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under, or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of, the U.S. Securities Act. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful to do so.
Certain statements in this press release about the timing and completion of the Offering, the expected use of the net proceeds of the Offering, the estimated blended interest rate of the Notes and any other future events or developments constitute forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to management and on estimates and assumptions made by management in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that are believed to be appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances. However, there can be no assurance that such estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. Many factors could cause future events or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the factors discussed in the "Risks and Uncertainties" section of the Corporation's annual management's discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2022 and for the second quarter ended July 31, 2022 and in the Corporation's other continuous disclosure filings, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
These factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect us; however, they should be considered carefully. The purpose of the forward-looking statements is to provide the reader with a description of management's expectations regarding the Offering and other future events, and may not be appropriate for other purposes. The closing of the Offering is subject to general market and other conditions and there can be no assurance that the Offering will be completed or that the terms of the Offering will not be modified.
Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements made herein. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as at October 4, 2022, and the Corporation has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
Dollarama is a recognized Canadian value retailer offering a broad assortment of consumable products, general merchandise and seasonal items both in-store and online. Our 1,444 locations across Canada provide customers with compelling value in convenient locations, including metropolitan areas, mid-sized cities and small towns. Select products are also available, by the full case only, through our online store at www.dollarama.com. Our quality merchandise is sold at select fixed price points up to $5.00.
Dollarama also owns a 50.1% interest in Dollarcity, a growing Latin American value retailer. Dollarcity offers a broad assortment of consumable products, general merchandise and seasonal items at select, fixed price points up to US$4.00 (or the equivalent in local currency) in 377 conveniently located stores in El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia and Peru.
View original content:
SOURCE Dollarama Inc. | 2022-10-05T04:01:49+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/10/05/dollarama-announces-private-offering-700-million-senior-unsecured-notes/ |
-New USAN name, a shortening of its chemical name, signifies a novel therapeutic class
-Novel generic name highlights the anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant properties of RRx-001 and its potential to address several diverse unmet therapeutic needs
TORREY PINES, Calif., July 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EpicentRx, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company with two therapeutic platforms that address cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced that the United States Adopted Name (USAN) Council in consultation with the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Nonproprietary Names (INN) Expert Committee has assigned the generic name "nibrozetone", a shortening of the chemical name, alpha-bromodinitroazetidine, for its lead drug candidate, RRx-001.
This is the first representative of a novel class of hypoxia-activated therapeutics with a chemical scaffold, a dinitroazetidine, that is commonly found only in explosives. RRx-001 is protective under normal oxygen conditions but under low oxygen conditions that are present in tumors the molecule transforms to metabolites that disrupt the tumor microenvironment. RRx-001 is under development for the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in a Phase 3 clinical trial, and a soon-to-start late-stage trial for the protection against oral mucositis in first line head and neck cancer, an indication for which RRx-001 has received FDA Fast Track designation. RRx-001 is proprietary to EpicentRx with issued and currently pending patents that are expected to extend coverage until 2042.
"We are pleased but not surprised given its unique aerospace-derived origins and dual mechanism of action that USAN has recognized the first-in-class nature of RRx-001 with a new generic name," stated EpicentRx's CEO Dr. Tony Reid. "This is on the critical path for bringing a new drug to market and comes at an opportune time for EpicentRx given the late-stage trials with RRx-001 in SCLC, head and neck cancer, and radioprotection."
A nonproprietary name also known as a generic name is necessary and important, according to WHO, for "clear identification, safe prescription and dispensing of medicines to patients, and for communication and exchange of information among health professionals and scientists worldwide". To prevent potentially lethal clinical mix-ups, this name must be distinctive enough to clearly differentiate it from other medications. A multisyllabic mouthful, the chemically descriptive—and distinctive— nibrozetone is unlikely to be confused with other drug names. Therefore, and henceforth, EpicentRx will use "nibrozetone" in upcoming publications, press releases, forums, conferences, and other events or activities on the way to commercialization at which time, hopefully, a more mellifluous and shorter proprietary brand name will replace it.
About EpicentRx, Inc.
EpicentRx Incorporated is a privately held biopharmaceutical company with two innovation-driven platforms, of which RRx-001 and AdAPT-001 are the lead compounds, respectively. The company's mission, vision and strategy are to discover and develop novel, well-tolerated therapies that target a diverse range of unmet needs in in cancer and non-cancer indications. RRx-001, a dual mechanism small molecule, is designed and currently under clinical investigation to preferentially target diseased tissues like tumors even as it shields normal cells from harm. It is in a Phase 3 trial called REPLATINUM for the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). A soon-to-start trial is KEVLARx for protection against chemoradiation-induced oral mucositis in first line head and neck cancer.
Media Contact
Oliwia Barteczko
(908) 234-9900
View original content:
SOURCE EpicentRx, Inc. | 2023-07-06T16:03:59+00:00 | uppermichiganssource.com | https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/prnewswire/2023/07/06/united-states-adopted-name-usan-council-international-nonproprietary-names-inn-expert-committee-recognizes-new-therapeutic-class-by-granting-nibrozetone-new-generic-name-epicentrxs-lead-small-molecule-nlrp3-inhibitor-rrx-001/ |
CA Medford, OR Zone Forecast for Tuesday, April 4, 2023
_____
465 FPUS56 KMFR 051033
ZFPMFR
Zone Forecast Product for Southern Oregon and Northern California
National Weather Service Medford, OR
332 AM PDT Wed Apr 5 2023
CAZ080-052300-
Western Siskiyou County-
Including the cities of Somes Bar, Happy Camp, Callahan, Etna,
Fort Jones, Greenview, and Scott Bar
332 AM PDT Wed Apr 5 2023
.TODAY...Mostly cloudy. Highs in the lower 40s to lower 50s.
South winds around 5 mph shifting to the southwest late this
afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain and
snow. Snow level 4500 feet. Lows in the lower 30s to lower 40s.
South winds 10 to 15 mph.
.THURSDAY...Cloudy. Chance of rain and snow in the morning, then
rain and snow in the afternoon. Snow level 5000 feet. Snow
accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. Highs in the lower 40s to lower
50s. South winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation
80 percent.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Rain and snow. Snow level 5000 feet lowering to
4500 feet after midnight. Lows in the lower 30s to lower 40s.
South winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation near
100 percent.
.FRIDAY...Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain and snow
showers. Snow level 4000 feet rising to 4500 feet in the
afternoon. Highs in the mid 40s to mid 50s. South winds 10 to
15 mph.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain and
snow showers. Lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow. Highs
in the mid 40s to mid 50s.
.SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain.
Lows in the lower to mid 40s. Highs in the mid 40s to mid 50s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Rain likely in the evening, then rain and snow
likely after midnight. Lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s.
.MONDAY...Rain and snow likely in the morning, then rain and snow
in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 40s to lower 50s.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain and snow in the
evening, then slight chance of rain and snow showers after
midnight. Colder. Lows in the mid 20s to mid 30s.
.TUESDAY...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow showers.
Highs in the mid 30s to mid 40s.
$$
CAZ081-052300-
Central Siskiyou County-
Including the cities of Hilt, Klamath River, and Yreka
332 AM PDT Wed Apr 5 2023
.TODAY...Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 40s to mid 50s. Light
winds becoming southeast around 5 mph in the late morning and
early afternoon, then shifting to the south late this afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s. South
winds 10 to 15 mph.
.THURSDAY...Mostly cloudy. A 10 percent chance of rain in the
afternoon. Highs in the mid 40s to mid 50s. Windy. In the shasta
valley, south winds 15 to 25 mph increasing to 25 to 35 mph in
the afternoon. Elsewhere, south winds 25 to 35 mph decreasing to
20 to 30 mph in the afternoon.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Chance of rain and snow in the evening, then
rain and snow after midnight. Snow level 5000 feet lowering to
4500 feet after midnight. Lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s.
Breezy. In the shasta valley, south winds 20 to 30 mph decreasing
to 15 to 20 mph after midnight. Elsewhere, south winds 10 to
20 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.
.FRIDAY...Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain and snow showers in the
morning, then slight chance of rain showers in the afternoon.
Snow level 4000 feet in the morning. Highs in the lower 50s to
lower 60s. In the shasta valley, south winds 10 to 20 mph
increasing to 20 to 25 mph late in the afternoon. Elsewhere,
south winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of rain showers
after midnight. Lows in the lower to mid 40s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Highs in the
lower 50s to lower 60s.
.SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...Mostly cloudy with a slight chance
of rain. Lows in the mid 40s. Highs in the lower 50s to lower
60s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Lows in the
lower to mid 40s.
.MONDAY...Rain likely. Highs in the lower to mid 50s.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Slight chance of rain and snow in
the evening, then slight chance of rain and snow showers after
midnight. Colder. Lows in the lower to mid 30s.
.TUESDAY...Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly
cloudy. Chance of rain and snow showers. Highs in the mid 40s to
mid 50s.
$$
CAZ082-052300-
South Central Siskiyou County-
Including the cities of Mount Shasta, Dunsmuir, and McCloud
332 AM PDT Wed Apr 5 2023
.TODAY...Partly cloudy this morning then becoming mostly cloudy.
Highs in the lower 40s to lower 50s. Northeast winds around 5 mph
shifting to the southeast in the late morning and early
afternoon, then shifting to the south late this afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 20s to mid 30s. South
winds 5 to 10 mph.
.THURSDAY...Mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of rain and snow
in the afternoon. Snow level 4000 feet. Highs in the mid 30s to
mid 40s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Rain and snow. Snow level 5000 feet lowering to
4500 feet after midnight. Lows in the lower to mid 30s. South
winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.
.FRIDAY...Mostly cloudy. Rain and snow showers likely in the
morning, then slight chance of rain and snow showers in the
afternoon. Snow level 4000 feet rising to 4500 feet in the
afternoon. Highs in the lower to mid 40s. South winds 10 to
15 mph. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow
showers. Lows in the lower 30s to lower 40s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow. Not as
cool. Highs in the mid 40s to mid 50s.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Lows in
the mid 30s to lower 40s.
.SUNDAY...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Highs in the mid
40s to lower 50s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Rain likely. Lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s.
.MONDAY...Rain and snow likely in the morning, then rain and snow
in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 40s to mid 50s.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow in
the evening, then partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain and
snow showers after midnight. Colder. Lows in the mid 20s to lower
30s.
.TUESDAY...Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly
cloudy. Chance of rain and snow showers. Highs in the lower 40s
to lower 50s.
$$
CAZ083-052300-
North Central and Southeast Siskiyou County-
Including the cities of Pondosa, Bray, and Tennant
332 AM PDT Wed Apr 5 2023
.TODAY...Mostly cloudy then becoming partly cloudy late this
morning then becoming mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 30s to mid
40s. Southeast winds around 5 mph shifting to the southwest this
afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 20s to lower 30s. South
winds 10 to 15 mph.
.THURSDAY...Mostly cloudy. A 10 percent chance of rain and snow
in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 40s to lower 50s. South
winds 10 to 20 mph. Gusts up to 35 mph in the afternoon.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Cloudy. Chance of rain and snow in the evening,
then rain and snow after midnight. Snow level 5000 feet lowering
to 4500 feet after midnight. Lows in the lower to mid 30s. South
winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts to around 35 mph. Chance of
precipitation 90 percent.
.FRIDAY...Mostly cloudy. Rain and snow showers likely in the
morning, then slight chance of rain and snow showers in the
afternoon. Snow level 4500 feet. Highs in the lower 40s to lower
50s. South winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation
60 percent.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow
showers. Lows in the lower 30s to lower 40s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow. Highs
in the mid 40s to mid 50s.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain.
Lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s.
.SUNDAY...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Highs in the mid
40s to mid 50s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Lows in the
mid 30s to lower 40s.
.MONDAY...Rain and snow likely. Highs in the mid 40s to lower
50s.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of rain and snow in
the evening, then slight chance of rain and snow showers after
midnight. Colder. Lows in the mid 20s to lower 30s.
.TUESDAY...Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly
cloudy. Chance of rain and snow showers. Highs in the lower 40s
to lower 50s.
$$
CAZ084-052300-
Northeast Siskiyou and Northwest Modoc Counties-
Including the cities of Newell, Tulelake, Dorris, and Macdoel
332 AM PDT Wed Apr 5 2023
.TODAY...Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 40s to lower 50s.
Southeast winds around 5 mph shifting to the southwest late this
afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows around 30. South winds 5 to 10 mph
shifting to the southeast well after midnight.
.THURSDAY...Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 40s to lower 50s.
Breezy. South winds 15 to 25 mph.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain and snow in the
evening, then rain and snow likely after midnight. Snow level
5000 feet lowering to 4500 feet after midnight. Lows in the mid
30s. Breezy. South winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation
60 percent.
.FRIDAY...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain and snow
showers. Snow level 4500 feet rising to 5000 feet in the
afternoon. Highs in the mid 40s to lower 50s. South winds 10 to
20 mph.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of rain and snow
showers after midnight. Lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. Highs in
the mid 50s.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain.
Lows in the lower to mid 40s.
.SUNDAY...Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. Highs in
the lower to mid 50s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Lows in the
mid 30s to lower 40s.
.MONDAY...Mostly cloudy. Rain likely in the morning, then chance
of rain in the afternoon. Highs in the lower to mid 50s.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain in the
evening, then partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain and snow
showers after midnight. Lows around 30.
.TUESDAY...Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly
cloudy. Chance of rain and snow showers. Highs in the mid 40s to
lower 50s.
$$
CAZ085-052300-
Modoc County-
Including the cities of Day, Lookout, Adin, Alturas, Canby,
Davis Creek, and Likely
332 AM PDT Wed Apr 5 2023
.TODAY...Mostly cloudy then becoming partly cloudy in the late
morning and early afternoon then becoming mostly cloudy. Highs in
the lower to mid 40s. Southeast winds around 5 mph shifting to
the southwest this afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 20s to lower 30s. South
winds 5 to 10 mph.
.THURSDAY...Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 40s to lower 50s.
South winds 10 to 15 mph.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain and snow in the
evening, then rain and snow likely after midnight. Snow level
5500 feet lowering to 4700 feet after midnight. Lows in the mid
30s. South winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation
60 percent.
.FRIDAY...Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain and snow
showers. Snow level 4800 feet. Highs in the mid 40s to lower 50s.
Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of rain and snow
showers after midnight. Lows in the mid 30s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of rain and snow in the
morning, then slight chance of rain in the afternoon. Highs in
the lower to mid 50s.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows around 40.
.SUNDAY...Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. Highs in
the lower to mid 50s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Lows in the
mid 30s to lower 40s.
.MONDAY...Mostly cloudy. Rain likely in the morning, then chance
of rain in the afternoon. Breezy. Highs around 50.
.MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of
rain and snow showers. Lows in the lower to mid 30s. Highs in the
mid 40s to lower 50s.
$$
Visit us at www.weather.gov/Medford
_____
Copyright 2023 AccuWeather | 2023-04-05T11:00:27+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/weather/article/ca-medford-or-zone-forecast-17879644.php |
HOUSTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Flotek Industries, Inc. ("Flotek" or the "Company") (NYSE: FTK) today announced the Company's schedule for releasing its third quarter 2022 results for the three months ended September 30, 2022.
In a press release to be issued after market close on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, Flotek will release its third quarter 2022 financial and operating results for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The Company will host its earnings conference call on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at 8 a.m. CST (9 a.m. EST).
To participate in the call, participants should access the webcast on www.flotekind.com under the Investor Relations section under "Webcasts'' or dial 1-844-835-9986 approximately five minutes prior to the start of the call. Following the conclusion of the conference call, a recording of the call will be available on the Company's website.
About Flotek Industries, Inc.
Flotek Industries, Inc. creates solutions to reduce the environmental impact of energy on air, water, land and people. A technology-driven, specialty green chemistry and data company, Flotek helps customers across industrial, commercial, and consumer markets improve their Environmental, Social, and Governance performance. Flotek's Chemistry Technologies segment develops, manufactures, packages, distributes, delivers, and markets high-quality cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing products for commercial, governmental and personal consumer use. Additionally, Flotek empowers the energy industry to maximize the value of their hydrocarbon streams and improve return on invested capital through its real-time data platforms and green chemistry technologies. Flotek serves downstream, midstream, and upstream customers, both domestic and international. Flotek is a publicly traded company headquartered in Houston, Texas, and its common shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "FTK." For additional information, please visit www.flotekind.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements set forth in this press release constitute forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) regarding Flotek Industries, Inc.'s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Words such as will, continue, expects, anticipates, intends, plans, believes, seeks, estimates and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements in this press release. Although forward-looking statements in this press release reflect the good faith judgment of management, such statements can only be based on facts and factors currently known to management. Consequently, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results and outcomes may differ materially from the results and outcomes discussed in the forward-looking statements. Further information about the risks and uncertainties that may impact Flotek are set forth in Flotek's most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 10-K (including, without limitation, in the "Risk Factors" section thereof), and in Flotek's other SEC filings and publicly available documents. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Flotek undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect, any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this press release.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Flotek Industries, Inc. | 2022-10-25T21:19:48+00:00 | witn.com | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/10/25/flotek-announces-earnings-schedule-third-quarter-2022-results/ |
A federal judge on Monday rejected a request by Ben & Jerry’s to block a plan by its corporate parent to allow its products to be sold in east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank against the wishes of the Vermont ice cream maker’s independent board of directors.
U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Carter said Ben & Jerry’s failed to show that the decision by London-based consumer goods conglomerate Unilever would hurt Ben and Jerry’s social mission or confuse its customers.
In his three-page decision, Carter said that the harm Ben & Jerry’s was claiming was “too speculative.”
“The products sold in Israel and the West Bank will use no English trademarks, instead displaying new Hebrew and Arabic language Ben & Jerry’s trademarks,” the decision said. “Thus, the products sold in Israel and the West Bank will be dissimilar from other Ben & Jerry’s products, mitigating, if not eliminating, the possibility of reputational harm.”
Ben & Jerry’s spokesman Sean Greenwood said Monday that the company had “no new position for us to share at this time.”
Ben & Jerry’s complaint in the case filed last month outlined the company’s tradition of social activism over its 44-year history, including opposition to U.S. nuclear weapons spending in the 1980s, and in the 1990s, supporting LGBTQ+ rights and farmers.
That activism continued after it was purchased by Unilever in 2000 with the focus on, among other issues, migrant justice and climate change. In the aftermath of the 2020 death of George Floyd, Ben & Jerry’s became an advocate for Black Lives Matter.
Last year Ben & Jerry’s independent board said it was going to stop selling its ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem, saying the sales in the territories sought by the Palestinians are “inconsistent with our values.”
Earlier this year, Unilever announced that it was selling its business interest in Ben & Jerry’s in Israel to its Israeli licensee, which would market the products with Hebrew and Arabic labels.
In its suit, Ben & Jerry’s argued the move by Unilever “poses a risk” to the integrity of its brand. Ben & Jerry’s also claimed the deal violated the 2000 acquisition agreement that allowed Ben & Jerry’s to continue its progressive social mission independent of business decisions made by Unilever.
An email sent to Unilever was not immediately returned Monday, but the company has said in the past it did have the right to the sale and that, “The deal has already closed.”
While the 2000 acquisition agreement allowed the Ben & Jerry’s board to make decisions about the company’s social mission, it stipulated Unilever would have the final word on financial and operational decisions. | 2022-08-23T22:23:43+00:00 | wnct.com | https://www.wnct.com/news/business/judge-rules-against-ben-jerrys-in-fight-over-israel-sales/ |
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Brown University has acquired a trove of records, writings and artwork from Mumia Abu-Jamal, a political activist and journalist who spent decades on death row for the shooting death of a Philadelphia police officer in the 1980s.
The Ivy League university in Providence, Rhode Island, says the collection documents Abu-Jamal’s trial, prison and death row experience, which gained him global recognition as a face of the movement against the death penalty.
Abu-Jamal is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after Philadelphia prosecutors agreed to drop their death penalty case in 2011.
But the former Black Panther Party member has for decades maintained his innocence in the killing of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, who witnesses testified was fatally shot by Abu-Jamal as he was arresting his brother during a traffic stop.
Brown University says that the collection was acquired through a trust and that the purchase price is confidential. It includes more than 60 boxes of materials spanning the years 1981 to 2020.
Among its items is a pair of glasses Abu-Jamal wore for years; journals filled with his personal thoughts, poems and legal arguments; and part of the visitor list Abu-Jamal is still required to maintain, the university said.
Brown has also obtained related personal papers from Johanna Fernández, a Brown graduate and longtime advocate for Abu-Jamal whom he has entrusted with storing his papers.
Together, the materials will anchor a new collecting focus at the university’s John Hay Library called “Voices of Mass Incarceration.”
The university says the effort will help researchers understand how the “expanding carceral system has transformed American society” by giving them “unprecedented access” to first-person accounts of incarcerated people.
“This collection will give scholars a rare chance to peer inside prison walls and understand how incarcerated people live, think and advocate for themselves,” said Kenvi Phillips, director of library diversity, equity and inclusion at Brown. | 2022-08-24T18:18:55+00:00 | myfox8.com | https://myfox8.com/news/national/ap-us-news/ap-brown-u-acquires-trove-of-mumia-abu-jamals-prison-papers/ |
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of the securities of Yatsen Holding Limited (NYSE: YSG): (i) pursuant and/or traceable to the the Company's initial public offering conducted on or about November 19, 2020 (the "IPO"); and/or (ii) between November 19, 2020 and March 10, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than November 22, 2022.
SO WHAT: If you purchased Yatsen securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Yatsen class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=8895 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than November 22, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, during the Class Period, including in the registration statement and prospectus used to effectuate the Company's IPO, Yatsen and the other named defendants misled investors into believing that Perfect Diary and Little Ondine were thriving, thereby driving Yatsen's "healthy" top-line growth at the time of its IPO and quarter after quarter thereafter. In truth, however, cosmetic and skincare sales of Perfect Diary and Little Ondine products were declining in the period leading up to (and including at the time of) the IPO and throughout 2021. Moreover, as the truth about Yatsen's business reached the market, the value of the Company's shares declined dramatically, causing Yatsen investors to suffer significant damages. By the commencement of the action, Yatsen's shares traded as low as $0.39 per ADS, representing a decline of over 96% from the $10.50 IPO offering price.
To join the Yatsen class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=8895 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact Information:
Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
lrosen@rosenlegal.com
pkim@rosenlegal.com
cases@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. | 2022-09-28T00:06:27+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2022/09/27/rosen-top-ranked-law-firm-encourages-yatsen-holding-limited-investors-secure-counsel-before-important-deadline-securities-class-action-ysg/ |
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) _ Columbia Banking System Inc. (COLB) on Thursday reported third-quarter profit of $64.9 million.
The bank, based in Tacoma, Washington, said it had earnings of 83 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for costs related to mergers and acquisitions, were 86 cents per share.
The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 80 cents per share.
The bank holding company posted revenue of $194.4 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $189.1 million, also topping Street forecasts.
_____
This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on COLB at https://www.zacks.com/ap/COLB | 2022-10-20T13:34:32+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/business/article/Columbia-Banking-Q3-Earnings-Snapshot-17521787.php |
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The veteran Florida detective who led the investigation into the 2018 Parkland high school massacre wept on the witness stand Wednesday, saying the school’s assigned deputy could have prevented the deaths of some of the 17 people murdered if he had charged into a building instead of taking cover.
Broward County Detective John Curcio, a homicide detective for 25 years and the prosecution’s final witness, had been on the stand for two hours when a prosecutor asked him what Deputy Scot Peterson’s objective should have been during Nikolas Cruz’s six-minute attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018, that left 14 students and three staff members dead.
“The goal is to stop him (Cruz) from killing people. That doesn’t mean killing him, it means slowing him down. It means distracting him. It means doing anything so that kids can find safety,” Curcio said, his voice breaking.
Peterson, the school’s assigned deputy, stayed outside the three-story 1200 building where the shootings happened, taking cover nearby. Prosecutors say he is guilty of felony child neglect for failing to protect the juvenile students killed and seriously wounded after he arrived at the building, about two minutes into the massacre.
The bulk of Curcio’s testimony involved his interview with Peterson two days after the shooting, well before the deputy’s actions came into question.
Peterson insists that he didn’t go into the building because the shots’ echoes made it impossible for him to tell where they were coming from.
Under cross-examination, Curcio conceded that Peterson and other Broward deputies at the school were hampered poor communication systems. The sheriff’s office antiquated radio system failed when numerous deputies tried to transmit simultaneously. A 911 system sent calls from students and teachers to the neighboring Coral Springs police department, which has a separate communications system. Information from those calls was never transmitted to Peterson or other deputies in Broward County.
Prosecutors Christopher Killoran, Kristen Gomes and Steven Klinger rested their case after Curcio finished testifying. Over two weeks, they presented security videos and testimony of police officers, teachers, security guards and students to argue that Peterson knew where the shots were coming from but chose not to confront the shooter. A training supervisor testified that Peterson did not follow protocols for confronting an active shooter.
Peterson, 60, is the first U.S. law enforcement officer ever charged for an alleged failure to act during a school shooting.
After approaching the building’s doors, he backed away and took cover next to a neighboring building, his handgun drawn. He stayed in place for 40 minutes, long after the shooting stopped.
What Peterson heard and saw during the shooting is the key issue in the trial. He is charged with child neglect and culpable negligence for failing to confront Cruz before the gunman reached the classroom building’s third floor, where six of the victims died. Peterson is not charged in connection with the deaths of 11 people killed on the first floor before he reached the building.
His attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, has promised to present about two dozen witnesses who will also testify they were confused about where the shots were coming from. Because of scheduling conflicts, a few of them have already testified, including a deputy who said he thought the shots were coming from the football field — more than 100 yards (90 meters) from the actual building.
Eiglarsh’s presentation is set to begin later Wednesday and should take several days. It will be followed by the prosecution’s rebuttal case.
If Peterson is convicted of felony child neglect, he could be sentenced to nearly 100 years in prison and lose his $104,000 annual pension. He had spent nearly three decades working at schools, including nine years at Stoneman Douglas. He retired shortly after the shooting and was then fired retroactively.
For Peterson to be convicted of child neglect, prosecutors must first show he was legally a caregiver to the juvenile students, defined by Florida law as “a parent, adult household member or other person responsible for a child’s welfare.”
If jurors find Peterson was a caregiver, they must determine whether he made a “reasonable effort” to protect the children or failed to provide necessary care.
Similarly to Peterson, Texas authorities are investigating officers in the town of Uvalde who didn’t confront the shooter who killed 19 elementary students and two teachers last year. None have been charged, however.
Cruz, 24, pleaded guilty and last year received a life sentence, avoiding a death sentence when his jury could not unanimously agree he deserved execution. | 2023-06-21T19:06:07+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/homicide-detective-weeps-in-trial-of-deputy-who-failed-to-confront-parkland-high-school-shooter/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
(The Hill) — Facebook parent company Meta on Tuesday announced it’s cutting around 10,000 employees in another bout of massive layoffs as the tech sector struggles with a fraught economy.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a message to employees that the company is restructuring to become leaner, laying off around 10,000 more workers and not filling 5,000 previously open roles.
“Over the next couple of months, org leaders will announce restructuring plans focused on flattening our orgs, canceling lower priority projects, and reducing our hiring rates,” Zuckerberg said in a post.
Employees in recruiting will know if they’re impacted this week, tech roles will know in April and business roles will learn in May, according to Zuckerberg.
The layoffs come four months after Meta announced that it would lay off more than 11,000 employees as part of its continued efforts to become “leaner and more efficient.”
Zuckerberg on Tuesday cited a “difficult economic environment” amid highi nterest rates and geopolitical instability.
“At this point, I think we should prepare ourselves for the possibility that this new economic reality will continue for many years. Higher interest rates lead to the economy running leaner, more geopolitical instability leads to more volatility, and increased regulation leads to slower growth and increased costs of innovation,” Zuckerberg said.
Meta’s latest announcement also come days after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, which notably serviced the tech sector, in the largest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis.
Top tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Zoom, PayPal and Spotify have all axed employees in recent months as the industry weathers economic woes. | 2023-03-14T18:25:48+00:00 | nwahomepage.com | https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/national/meta-laying-off-another-10000-employees/ |
MILWAUKEE, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, today announced that it plans to release 2nd quarter earnings results before the market opens on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Management will discuss the results the same day in a live webcast at 7:30 a.m. Central Time (8:30 a.m. Eastern Time), which can be accessed on the company's website.
The webcast will be available for replay at the same URL beginning at 10:30 a.m. Central Time (11:30 a.m. Eastern Time) on July 19, 2022. The replay will remain available for 30 days in this location. Supplemental financial information referenced in the webcast and the text of the 2nd quarter press release can be found on the company's website, in the section titled "Financial Information," after 7:30 a.m. Central Time on July 19, 2022.
About ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower, Experis and Talent Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across more than 75 countries and territories and has done so for over 70 years. We are recognized consistently for our diversity - as a best place to work for Women, Inclusion, Equality and Disability and in 2022 ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the 13th year - all confirming our position as the brand of choice for in-demand talent. For more information, visit www.manpowergroup.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE ManpowerGroup | 2022-06-30T21:49:25+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/06/30/manpowergroup-announce-2nd-quarter-2022-earnings-results/ |
When sportswear meets haute couture, what will happen?
WILMINGTON, Del., May 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- American female cycling brand Jelenew announced a new joint series with French haute couture master Stéphane Rolland. This is the first cross-field cooperation between Sports Technology and Haute Couture, aiming to promote the perfect integration of "functionalism and 3D structure aesthetics", promote the upgrading of sports brands to aesthetic taste and functional structure shaping, and provide cycling enthusiasts a different kind of fashion vitality, and meet its diverse scene shuttle needs.
Jelenew x Stéphane Rolland collection includes three sets of cycling pants-dress new look with a sense of avant-garde. The series is based on the joint cycling pants created by Jelenew and Stéphane Rolland and applies the art of couture to sportswear. It combines the new structure, new technology, and classic fashion art and brings new vitality to professional cycling pants. It subverts the previous impression of "masculine women's cycling clothing" and opens up a new world of "haute couture women's cycling clothing."
The collection draws inspiration from the golden age of the 17th century in Spain to create a cycling dress look with feminine avant-garde. Each is a fusion of cycling pants and dresses. Based on its professional cycling pants, Jelenew takes the "Goddess of Victory" in the Louvre as its muse and draws inspiration from the Spanish 17th-century noble knight pants to create haute couture cycling pants with a sense of pioneering.
Stéphane Rolland reinterprets Eastern and Western artworks with clothing from the perspective of a master artist. Such as paintings of Goya and Velasquez, the summer palace of the last Chinese Empress, and Chinese fans showing different but classic dress designs.
In this collection, the two parties have always adhered to the attitude of paying attention to structuralism and tailoring. The iconic structure of both parties is supplemented by three-dimensional couture tailoring. Elements and dramatic lines combine with luxurious embroidery to create an impeccable and exclusive effect that gives professional cycling pants the attributes of an haute couture dress.
Among them, the application of the new technology of silicone broderie is also a highlight. The three-dimensional embroidery created by this technology expresses the beauty of layers, but the tentacles are soft and comfortable. It shows the love of women that Jelenew and Stéphane Rolland have.
Stéphane Rolland is one of the very few Couturiers in the world to perpetuate the unique Savoir-Faire of the French Haute Couture. Stéphane dressed the Cinema as well as the Theater, and for five consecutive years, he became an official partner of the Cannes Film Festival. His costumes for the play Amadeus got him two nominations at the French Molière Awards in Paris. In 2007, Stéphane Rolland opened the doors to his Maison de Haute Couture, dubbed by the Fédération de la Couture and the Ministry of Industry. He describes himself as an orientalist who plays with minimalism and preciousness. Each gown is a sculpture carved in gazar or crepe. His unique creations are worn nowadays by the most demanding women and celebrities from all over the world. By Stéphane Rolland's adolescence, his fascination for architecture and modern art will shape his style, a style that will come to be his worldwide recognized signature.
Jelenew shares the same product philosophy as haute couture: born for women and helping women. The definition of "haute couture" announced by La Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) emphasizes professionalism and innovation, in line with Jelenew's extremely focused and innovative attitude.
As a pioneering challenger in the professional cycling apparel industry, Jelenew defines the brand as a digitally native sports technology company (DNAB) that transcends the traditional design principles of sports apparel. Since its inception, Jelenew has focused on solving clothing and equipment problems in professional cycling for women. It is committed to providing women with cycling products that perfectly integrate "sport functionalism, comfort, and three-dimensional structural aesthetics."
Jelenew creative director Di Liu is the former core member of Chanel Haute Couture and has established his industry research team and product development team in Paris, France. He follows the revolutionary spirit of Chanel. Di Liu took the lead in introducing high tailoring skills into the design of professional cycling pants according to the different physiological structures of men and women and the differentiated needs in the riding process. And he developed the Jelenew 1+1 model outer padded cycling pans: 1 pair of tight-fitting leggings and one detachable outer padded shorts. The cycling pants subvert the built-in pad structure of traditional cycling pants and are the first professional cycling pants in the world that truly created for women.
This collaboration breaks the barriers between technological sportswear and artistic aesthetics. It also shows the infinite possibilities of creation in the cycling industry and interprets the multi-faceted nature of Jelenew professional cycling pants.
It is reported that Jelenew x Stéphane Rolland will be unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival, and Jelenew's official website will also be released simultaneously.
About JELENEW
Jelenew is an American avant-garde cycling brand born for women. It creates the first cycling pants truly made for women in the world. It brings the groundbreaking combination of "Haute Couture and Sportswear" and carefully designs each product with "luxury moulage technique" to provide a more refined sports experience and promote a healthy lifestyle for cyclists to enjoy elegant and stylish suburban cycling.
About Stéphane Rolland
Stéphane Rolland is one of the very few Couturiers in the world to perpetuate the unique Savoir-Faire of the French Haute Couture.
He describes himself as an orientalist who plays with minimalism and preciousness. Each gown is a sculpture, carved in gazar or crepe. His unique creations are worn nowadays by the most demanding women and celebrities from all over the world.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Jelenew | 2022-05-20T20:42:14+00:00 | kmvt.com | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/05/20/jelenew-x-stphane-rolland-collection-when-sportswear-meets-haute-couture/ |
The two-week trial on allegations former President Donald Trump raped a woman decades ago is wrapping up.
Attorneys for both sides presented their closing arguments Monday.
In closing arguments, Donald Trump's attorneys told the jury the accusation is just part of a story made up by three friends, referring to E. Jean Carroll's account and the testimony of two friends backing her up on the alleged rape.
Lisa Birnbach testified Carroll told her about the incident immediately after it happened. And Carol Martin also said Carroll shared details with her.
On the other side, Carroll's attorneys tried to show a "pattern of behavior" by Trump, referring to sexual accusations made by other women and pointing to comments by the former President in the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape.
E. Jean Carroll's attorney told jurors Donald Trump should be held accountable, that even a president is not above the law.
During her closing argument, Roberta Kaplan, Carroll's lead attorney, played clips of the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape in which Trump said celebrities can grab women's genitals without asking and without punishment.
Kaplan said that's who Trump is, that's how he thinks, and he believes he can get away with it here.
SEE MORE: Video of Trump deposition in rape trial is released
Carroll claims Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s, then defamed her when he denied it.
Kaplan urged jurors to weigh what they heard from 11 witnesses, including two who also say Trump sexually assaulted them, versus what Trump said in his deposition.
"It's the most ridiculous, disgusting story. It was just made up," said Trump in the videotaped deposition. "I know nothing about her. I think she's sick. Mentally sick."
Trump did not attend the trial, and his defense rested without calling any witnesses.
Trump's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said there wasn't a real reason for Trump to testify in his defense because the alleged sexual assault did not happen.
In his rebuttal, Mike Ferrara, one of Carroll's lawyers, said Trump's attorneys didn't call the former president because he would've hurt their case.
Ferrara called the "Access Hollywood" tape a confession.
And while addressing the defense's argument that Carroll's account is a lie to sell her published memoir, Ferrara said for Carroll, "It isn't about the money. It is about getting [her] name back."
After two weeks, the jury will consider whether Trump should be held liable and pay monetary damages.
The jury will receive instructions on the law Tuesday morning and begin deliberations.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | 2023-05-09T01:48:45+00:00 | tmj4.com | https://www.tmj4.com/trump-rape-trial-is-wrapping-up |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The founder of the Oath Keepers extremist group and four associates planned an “armed rebellion” to keep President Donald Trump in power, a federal prosecutor contended Monday as the most serious case yet went to trial in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Stewart Rhodes and his band of extremists were prepared to go to war to stop Joe Biden from becoming president, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler told jurors. The group celebrated the Capitol attack as a victory in that fight and continued their plot even after Biden’s electoral victory was certified, Nestler alleged.
“Their goal was to stop, by whatever means necessary, the lawful transfer of presidential power, including by taking up arms against the United States government,” the prosecutor said during his opening statement. “They concocted a plan for armed rebellion to shatter a bedrock of American democracy.”
The defendants are the first among hundreds of people arrested in the Capitol riot to stand trial on seditious conspiracy, a rare Civil War-era charge that calls for up to 20 years behind bars. The stakes are high for the Justice Department, which last secured such a conviction at trial nearly 30 years ago, and intends to try two more groups on the charge later this year.
The trial comes as Trump continues to insist, against much evidence, that the 2020 election was stolen from him, and as vocal pushback against the charges filed against those who entered the Capitol continues in some quarters. The broader reaction could show how the American public, as well as the jury, sees the attack, nearly two years later.
Defense attorneys accused prosecutors of cherry-picking comments from messages and videos and said the government has no evidence there ever was any plan to attack the Capitol. Rhodes’ attorney said his client will take the stand and show that the Oath Keepers had merely been preparing for orders they expected from Trump but never came.
“Stewart Rhodes meant no harm to the Capitol that day. Stewart Rhodes did not have any violent intent that day,” Rhodes’ attorney, Phillip Linder, said. “The story the government is trying to tell you today is completely wrong.”
On trial with Rhodes, of Granbury, Texas, are Kelly Meggs, leader of the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers; Kenneth Harrelson, another Florida Oath Keeper; Thomas Caldwell, a retired U.S. Navy intelligence officer from Virginia, and Jessica Watkins, who led an Ohio militia group. They face several other charges as well.
They are among roughly 900 people who have been charged in the attack, which temporarily halted the certification of Biden’s victory, sent lawmakers running for cover and left dozens of police officers injured.
In the Oath Keepers case, prosecutors will try to prove that their actions were not a spontaneous outpouring of election-fueled rage but part of a detailed, drawn-out plot to stop Biden from entering the White House.
The Oath Keepers “were prepared in November, they were prepared in December and when the opportunity finally presented itself on Jan 6, 2021, they sprang into action,” Nestler said.
Rhodes began plotting to overturn Biden’s victory right after the election, Nestler said. In November 2020, Rhodes sent his followers a step-by-step plan for stopping the transfer of power based on a popular uprising that brought down Yugoslavia’s president two decades earlier.
Around the same time, Rhodes was also communicating in another internet group — which included Trump ally Roger Stone — that was called “FOS,” or “Friends of Stone,” according to testimony. On Nov. 7, 2020, Rhodes said in a message to that group that he was on his way to D.C. for a possible “op” and was available to meet “face-to-face.”
As December approached, Rhodes’ rhetoric became increasingly violent and desperate, Nestler said.
In messages and comments read to the jury, the Oath Keepers repeatedly warned of violence if Biden were to become president. During a December interview, Rhodes called senators “traitors” and warned that the Oath Keepers would have to “overthrow, abort or abolish Congress.” He described Jan. 6 as a “hard constitutional deadline” for stopping the transfer of power.
The Oath Keepers organized training, including one session on “unconventional warfare.” Before coming to Washington, they stashed “weapons of war” at a Virginia hotel to serve as “quick reaction force” that could get guns into the capital quickly if necessary, the prosecutor said.
As Oath Keepers stormed the Capitol in helmets and other battle gear, Rhodes remained on the outside, like “a general surveying his troops on a battlefield,” Nestler said. After the attack, the elated Oath Keepers went to a Virginia restaurant to celebrate their victory, the prosecutor said.
In the days between the riot and Biden’s inauguration, Rhodes spent more than $17,000 on firearm parts, ammunition and other items, prosecutors say. Shortly after the insurrection, Rhodes was secretly recorded saying that his “only regret is that they should have brought rifles,” Nestler said.
Among those who may testify during the trial, which will last several weeks, are three Oath Keepers who’ve pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and are cooperating with prosecutors in hopes of getting lighter sentences. They include a man who says that after arriving in Washington, Meggs told him that another Florida Oath Keeper had brought explosives in his RV.
The government’s first witness was a FBI agent, who responded on Jan. 6 to help rescue senators. He described lawmakers crying, broken doors and windows and a scene that “looked like a bomb had gone off.”
Defense lawyers say prosecutors have ripped the Oath Keepers’ messages out of context to paint them unfairly. The Oath Keepers came to Washington to provide security at events for figures such as Stone before the president’s big outdoor rally behind the White House, defense lawyers said. Rhodes’ attorney described the group as a “peacekeeping” force and called his client an “extremely patriotic” man who “loves this country.”
Rhodes’ attorneys plan to argue that Rhodes believed Trump was going to going to invoke the Insurrection Act and call up a militia, which Rhodes had been calling on him to do to stop Biden from becoming president. Rhodes’ lawyers have said he was merely lobbying the president to invoke a U.S. law.
Prosecutors say it’s clear the Oath Keepers were going to act regardless of what Trump did. Nestler told jurors that Rhodes, a Yale Law School graduate, was only using the Insurrection Act as “legal cover.” In one message, Rhodes wrote in December 2020 that Trump “needs to know that if he fails to act, then we will.”
An attorney for Caldwell said his client is a disabled veteran who didn’t even know of the Oath Keepers until November 2020. The defense lawyer, David Fischer, called Jan. 6 a “black eye” for the country, but said Caldwell merely came to Washington “on a date with his wife” and wasn’t een planning to go to the Capitol until Trump’s speech on the Ellipse before the riot.
“Mr. Caldwell couldn’t storm his way out of a paper bag,” Fischer said. “I came here to clear his name.”
___
This story has been corrected to reflect that there are five defendants, not five men, on trial.
___
For full coverage of the Capitol riot, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege
More on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump | 2022-10-04T04:15:59+00:00 | wnct.com | https://www.wnct.com/news/politics/ap-jurors-to-begin-hearing-jan-6-oath-keepers-sedition-case/ |
MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — Liberian authorities acting on U.S. security intelligence have arrested two foreigners and are searching for two more suspected of trying to smuggle $100 million of cocaine seized in the West African country, officials said Tuesday.
The estimated value of the drugs is one-fifth of most of Liberia’s post-war annual budgets since the country’s civil war ended in 2003.
“We want to be clear that Liberia will not be a haven for drug traffickers — whether as a point of transit or final destination,” Justice Minister Frank Musa Dean said. “Those arrested will face the full force of our law.”
Authorities said one of the suspects, a citizen of Guinea-Bissau, was arrested in Monrovia, the capital. The second suspect, a Lebanese national, was nabbed while attempting to flee the country.
Authorities are still searching for two other people — Brazilian and Portuguese nationals — who are still on the run, a spokesman for the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency said Tuesday.
Officials have said that 520 kilograms (1,146 pounds) of cocaine were concealed in a huge consignment of frozen poultry products that had been delivered to a cold storage facility near Monrovia’s seaport.
Drug enforcement agency personnel acting on the American tip reportedly stormed the facility moments after the container had arrived.
Officials say they’re now trying to determine whether the drugs were transiting through Liberia. The country has been used by drug smugglers for that purpose due to the country’s weak and chronically underfunded security sector, according to experts.
A U.S. embassy statement thanked the government for acting on intelligence to carry out the arrests.
“The success of this operation is the direct result of excellent communication between law enforcement agencies around the world, including Brazil, the United States and Liberia,” it said.
Under Liberia’s current laws, drug smuggling is an offense for which suspects can get bail. A proposed bill that would strengthen the punishment for drug traffickers has yet to be approved by the Senate and remains stalled in the legislature. | 2022-10-05T15:06:01+00:00 | upmatters.com | https://www.upmatters.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-liberia-arrests-2-after-100-million-of-cocaine-is-seized/ |
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The Women’s March will hold events across the country tomorrow, including a march in Washington, D.C.
Organizers say they are marching for reproductive rights just one month before the midterm elections. Organizers say this year’s women’s march has special meaning.
“Women voters are highly motivated especially since the Dobbs decision in June,” Equal Rights Advocates Deputy Director Delia Coleman said.
The Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade and ended women’s constitutional right to abortion.
Coleman says that the Supreme Court’s decision, and new state anti-abortion laws, are energizing women voters.
“Every election year is important, but this one is really a matter of, I would conservatively say life or death. This is it,” Coleman said.
Republicans, like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), are promising to outlaw most late-term abortions, should they become the majority in Congress.
“I think we should have a law at the federal level that would say after 15 weeks, no abortion on demand, except in cases of rape and incest to save the life of the mother,” Graham said.
Participants in the weekend march plan to wear blue to signify what they hope will be a blue wave electing Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections.
“If we don’t want our freedom, our healthcare, our childcare, our wages to be stolen from us, I think now is the time to show up,” Coleman said.
More than 450 “women’s wave” events are planned for this weekend across the country and the one here is expected to be one of the largest. | 2022-10-07T23:32:22+00:00 | wjhl.com | https://www.wjhl.com/news/washington-dc/womens-march-returns-to-dc-ahead-of-midterm-elections/ |
- Replaced existing pallets at its Jakarta distribution center with Zero-Carbon Pallets boasting a longer product lifespan and higher durability than existing pallets.
- Eco-friendly pallets are made with plastic waste produced during the manufacturing of airtight containers and show no issues in strength and performance when introduced at South Korea's logistics sites.
- Carbon emissions are reduced by 67.3 kg per pallet, a total of 26,880 for 400 pallets which is the equivalent of planting 8,960 trees.
SEOUL, South Korea and JAKARTA, Indonesia, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CJ Logistics announced on 30 June that the company has expanded its global environmental, social and governance (ESG) management with the introduction of 400 Zero-Carbon Pallets made with recycled plastic waste at its distribution center in Jakarta, Indonesia. The adoption of these eco-friendly pallets has resulted in a decrease in carbon emissions while increasing local logistics efficiency since their composition makes the pallets more durable than the standard wooden pallets typically used in Indonesia.
A pallet refers to a flat, horizontal platform used to store, transport and load goods at logistics sites. In general most logistics center in Indonesia use wooden pallets. However wooden pallets are often used for a short period of time due to high temperatures and humidity. The tropical climate causes the pallets to quickly decompose and can also attract pests. To address this issue, CJ Logistics plans to increase operation efficiency in its Jakarta distribution center by introducing a highly durable plastic pallet made with recycled plastic materials that is resistant to decomposition and pests. CJ Logistics collaborated with KOTRA to safely deliver Zero-Carbon Pallets to Indonesia.
CJ Logistics created the Zero-Carbon Pallets by combining plastic scraps obtained from CJ Logistics client LocknLock, a global household products company, with a new, green technology from pallet manufacturer Sangjin ARP. LocknLock generously provided CJ Logistics with 12 tons of leftover plastic produced while manufacturing household products, such as airtight containers, at no cost. The company then utilized these plastic as raw materials and produced 400 eco-friendly pallets, demonstrating a win-win partnership between CJ Logistics, LocknLock and Sangjin ARP.
Each Zero-Carbon Pallets can reduce 67.3 kg of carbon emissions, meaning the total amount of greenhouse gasses reduced during the manufacturing of 400 pallets is about 26,880 kg. This number is equivalent to the annual amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by 8,960 pine trees.
Zero-Carbon Pallets can also bring additional carbon reduction effects throughout the product's lifespan. Typically, damaged pallets are completely discarded resulting in waste. However, with Sangjin ARP's modular pallet technology (international patent pending), a damaged pallet can be restored and its broken part recycled. This technology is expected to further lessen costs and carbon emissions.
Although the pallet is made with recycled plastic waste, CJ Logistics has confirmed that the performance and strength of Zero-Carbon Pallets match those of standard pallets and can handle loads of up to one metric ton. These results are based on data gathered throughout the first year of the pallet's introduction at CJ Logistics' South Korean logistics center. Moreover, since the manufacturing cost of Zero-Carbon Pallets is similar to that of the new standard plastic pallets, CJ Logistics plans to continue to secure a supply of high-quality plastic waste in order to expand the implementation of this pallet at its global sites.
"By introducing the Zero-Carbon Pallets, we were able to simultaneously reduce carbon emissions and increase operational efficiency at our logistics site in Indonesia." stated Jin Mok Kim, a president director of CJ Logistics Indonesia. He added
"We are planning to expand the introduction of these eco-friendly pallets at our global sites and further practice a green logistics business model."
To learn more about CJ Logistics, please visit: https://www.cjlogistics.com/en/main
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE CJ Logistics | 2022-06-30T12:31:07+00:00 | wagmtv.com | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/06/30/cj-logistics-introduces-pallet-made-with-recycled-plastic-indonesian-distribution-center-expanding-global-esg-efforts/ |
HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese regulators have said e-commerce giant Alibaba’s finance affiliate Ant Group can raise $1.5 billion for its consumer finance unit in an important step forward after the government called off a planned IPO two years ago and ordered the firm to restructure.
The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) in the southwestern city of Chongqing said in a notice dated Dec. 30 that Ant’s consumer credit unit had gained approval to increase its capital to 18.5 billion yuan ($2.7 billion) from 8 billion yuan ($1.16 billion).
The approval came weeks after Beijing signaled at an economic work conference that it would support technology firms to boost economic growth and create more jobs.
Under the latest capital expansion plan, Ant would contribute 9.25 billion yuan ($1.34 billion) for a 50% stake of its Chongqing consumer credit unit, while a separate company controlled by the government in the eastern city of Hangzhou, where Alibaba has its headquarters, would hold 10%.
The approval comes more than a year after an earlier plan to raise 22 billion yuan ($3.2 billion) fell through when China Cinda Asset Management — a state-owned bad loans manager — pulled out of an agreement to acquire a 20% stake in Ant’s consumer finance arm.
Ant is restructuring after Chinese regulators pulled the plug on its mega-IPO just days before its market debut in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
They then tightened regulations on the financial technology industry, ordering companies like Ant to operate more like banks and follow capital requirements.
This meant Ant had to clean up violations in some of its businesses, such as credit, insurance and wealth management.
The company is awaiting approval of licenses to operate as a financial holding company and as a personal credit ratings firm.
Alibaba shares in Hong Kong jumped over 7% on Wednesday. The company’s New York-listed shares have fallen more than 23% in the past year. | 2023-01-04T12:12:52+00:00 | pix11.com | https://pix11.com/ap-technology/ap-chinese-regulators-approve-capital-expansion-for-ant-group/ |
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 2022-10-21T22:18:39+00:00 | wtmj.com | https://wtmj.com/ap-news/2022/10/21/ap-top-business-news-at-345-p-m-edt-4/ |
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate hit a three-month high this week, reflecting higher Treasury yields and expectations that the Federal Reserve will continue to raise its benchmark rate and keep it there until inflation recedes.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the benchmark 30-year rate rose to 6.65% from 6.5% last week. The average rate a year ago was 3.76%.
The average long-term rate reached a two-decade high of 7.08% in the fall as the Fed continued to raise its key lending rate in a bid to cool the economy and quash persistent, four-decade high inflation.
Rates came down this winter as it appeared inflation was steadily declining. But recent economic data reveal a still-hot economy and stubborn inflation. The recent rise in mortgage couldn’t come at worse time for the slumping housing market, on the verge of its spring buying season.
At its first meeting of 2023 in February, the Fed raised its benchmark lending rate by another 25 basis points, its eighth increase in less than a year. That pushed the central bank’s key rate to a range of 4.5% to 4.75%, its highest level in 15 years.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted at the time that some measures of inflation have eased, but appeared to suggest that he foresees two additional quarter-point rate hikes this year. Minutes from that meeting released last week mostly corroborated that view, but the reemergence of higher prices along with some strong economic reports in recent weeks has some analysts forecasting more than two rate increases this year, including perhaps another half-point increase, to a range of 5.25% to 5.5%.
While the Fed’s rate hikes do impact borrowing rates across the board for businesses and families, rates on 30-year mortgages usually track the moves in the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing loans. Investors’ expectations for future inflation, global demand for U.S. Treasurys and what the Federal Reserve does with interest rates can also influence the cost of borrowing for a home.
In recent days, the 10-year Treasury yield settled back above 4% for the first time since November.
The big rise in mortgage rates during the past year has battered the housing market, with sales of existing homes falling for 12 straight months to the slowest pace in more than a dozen years. January’s sales cratered by nearly 37% from a year earlier, the National Association of Realtors reported on Tuesday.
For all of 2022, NAR reported last month that existing U.S. home sales fell 17.8% from 2021, the weakest year for home sales since 2014 and the biggest annual decline since the housing crisis began in 2008.
Higher rates can add hundreds of a dollars a month in costs for homebuyers, on top of already high home prices. That’s pushed many prospective buyers, especially first-timers, to the sidelines.
Higher rates also stifle homeowners seeking to move or upgrade their living space as they don’t want take on a higher rate than they are currently locked into.
The rate for a 15-year mortgage, popular with those refinancing their homes, rose this week to 5.89% from 5.76% last week. It was 3.01% one year ago.
——- | 2023-03-02T18:03:35+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/average-long-term-us-mortgage-rate-hits-3-month-high/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
(NEXSTAR) – Actor and comedian Marlon Wayans is claiming he was harassed and bullied by a United Airlines gate agent over an issue with his carry-on baggage.
Wayans, 50, shared his side of the incident on social media, claiming he was preparing to board a flight leaving from Denver International Airport on Friday when he was asked by a United gate agent to “consolidate” his bags. He alleged, however, that once he complied, the agent told him his baggage was too big and needed to be checked.
Wayans said he felt the agent was “clearly picking” on him and boarded the flight with his bags anyway, he admitted. He also indicated that the gate agent ultimately prevented him from making the flight, but did not specifically say whether he was physically removed from the plane.
“Dude tried to lie and say I assaulted him,” Wayans wrote on Instagram, alleging there was video footage to prove that he “never touched” the employee. (Wayans did not share any footage from the incident.)
The “Air” actor later alleged that another passenger, who was white, was allowed to board with three carry-on bags despite United’s policy, which allows only one carry-on and one personal item for most flights.
“This was harassment and I will make enough noise to be sure all my friends and family and peoples stop flying @united,” wrote Wayans. “Black people all kinds of racism and classism. I won’t allow this.”
Wayans added that felt he was owed an apology, as were the audiences at his scheduled performances in Kansas City, believing he wouldn’t be able to appear after missing his flight. He also indicated he may take legal action in the future.
In response to an inquiry concerning Wayans’ allegations, a representative for United shared a statement with Nexstar claiming that a male passenger in Denver “pushed past a United employee at the jetbridge and attempted to board the aircraft” after being told to gate-check his bag.
“The customer won’t be flying on United to his destination,” the statement concluded.
Wayans, in response to a TMZ article, also said he was issued a citation for disturbing the peace by the Denver police, though he claimed the officers “were cool.” A representative for the Denver Police Department confirmed Wayans was indeed cited for disturbing the peace and subsequently released.
Wayans ultimately flew with American Airlines to his destination, he said.
It was unclear if Wayans was able to make his Kansas City performances, although a video he shared to Instagram (in which he encouraged the crowd to chant “F— United!”) appeared to indicate he arrived in time for at least one of the scheduled shows. | 2023-06-10T19:24:46+00:00 | ktalnews.com | https://www.ktalnews.com/news/u-s-world/marlon-wayans-blasts-united-airlines-after-issue-with-bag-gets-him-barred-from-flight-this-was-harassment/ |
Twitter no longer enforcing COVID-19 misinformation policy
Published: Nov. 29, 2022 at 11:17 AM CST|Updated: 16 minutes ago
(CNN) - Be extra cautious while looking for health information on Twitter.
The company announced that it has dropped its COVID-19 misinformation policy.
Shortly after the virus was spreading across the U.S. in 2020, Twitter put into effect a set of rules that focused on combatting “harmful misinformation” about coronavirus-related issues.
Over the past 2 1/2 years, Twitter says thousands of accounts were suspended for breaking those parameters.
This change in policy was low key. The announcement was made in a note on Twitter’s website.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | 2022-11-29T17:37:24+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2022/11/29/twitter-no-longer-enforcing-covid-19-misinformation-policy/ |
Dear Abby: Man expects girlfriend to be present constantly
Dear Abby: I’m 42 and my guy friend is 59. He’s a wonderful person and a great provider. I’ve known him for about a year now, but he seems a bit controlling. He wants me around seven days a week and expects me to be this submissive woman that I’m not. I’m very independent. I always earned my way in life with little to no help at all.
I’m not perfect. I admit I can be a little confusing at times. But his constant complaining about how I’m not there confuses me. When I come over and hang out and spend time with him, he pushes me away and says it is my fault. Mind you, I have a 7-year-old daughter. I like him a lot, but he tends to be too much. Should I let it go or try to find some common ground and work things out?
— Confused in the South
Dear Confused: I would vote for the former. Because you have a young daughter to care for, you cannot be at this “wonderful” high-maintenance man’s beck and call 24/7. If you can convey that to him, it may save the relationship. However, if he can’t accept reality, you are better off moving on without him. You need a partner who is prepared to accept you for who you actually are rather than who he wants you to be.
Dear Abby: My brother passed away six months ago. With difficulty, I am coping. We were very close. Our birthdays were four days apart, and we enjoyed many celebrations together over the years.
My birthday is coming up and I’m dreading the day. Worse than being sad is pretending that I’m not. My immediate family understands I don’t want any cards or “Happy Birthday” greetings. Would it be appropriate for me to contact people before the day and ask them not to send cards or gifts? Can I throw any cards I receive in the trash? It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to.
— Surviving Sis in the West
Dear Sis: Considering your loss, there’s nothing inappropriate about telling friends and family you do not want to celebrate this upcoming birthday. Tell your closest friends and family members what your wishes are, and post it on the internet as well. If you receive anything after that, you are free to do with it whatever you wish, including donating or trashing it.
Dear Abby: Every time I leave the house, my wife needs a play-by-play as to where I am going, how long I’ll be away, etc. Years ago, I used to be a player, but age has caught up with me. Advice?
— Getting Frustrated in Massachusetts
Dear Getting Frustrated: I find it disappointing that you have only stopped cheating because time, and not your conscience, finally caught up with you. Tell your wife what she needs to know. It’s the price you are paying to regain your credibility and her trust.
Dear Abby: How do I get my husband of 20 years to stop lying and hiding things from me? I have tried explaining to him that when he lies or hides things, especially small petty stuff, it makes me wonder what else he has lied about. When I confront him after catching him in a lie, he flips the script to make it about me and makes me feel like I have done something wrong. He also tries to manipulate me by bringing up my past or boasting about how I will never find a better man.
I'm at a loss because he shows no compassion when I am visibly upset. He doesn't try to make things right, and he never admits to anything I call him out on. We end up in a huge fight/argument when I try to express my feelings. Please help.
— Not Mattering In Michigan
Dear Not Mattering: You are married to a classic narcissist who isn't going to change his pattern of gaslighting you. Make an appointment with a licensed mental health professional who can explain how unhealthy (for you) this marriage is and help you to rebuild your self-confidence.
Contact Dear Abby at DearAbby.com. | 2023-05-15T04:55:22+00:00 | detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/life/advice/2023/05/15/dear-abby-man-expects-girlfriend-to-be-present-constantly/70213502007/ |
Reoccurring 911 outages impacting Grayson County callers
SHERMAN, Texas (KXII) - Some 911 callers in Grayson County got unexpected answers at the other end of the line recently.
“They would receive a busy signal,” said Sgt. Brett Mullen with Sherman Police. “This last one was a little bit different. The calls were being forwarded to a national 911 service.”
That’s happened at least four times since December for Sherman police and the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office.
“It was almost like one a week for a short time,” said Capt. Marty Hall with the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office.
Law enforcement points to crews cutting into fiber optic cables, which are used for high-speed internet connections.
“All of our 911 lines run through these fiber optic cables, and they’re usually buried in the ground, so anytime there is construction going on, sometimes these lines get cut,” said Mullen.
According to Sherman Police, a cut line in a completely different county can still nip dispatch in Texoma.
“It’s been something that’s kind of out of our control, and we kind of just have to roll with the punches when it happens,” said Mullen.
When an outage happens, departments said they team up.
“We do have the capability to get the 911 calls either routed to or picked up by another center so that those calls don’t go unanswered,” said Hall.
They also rely on the non-emergency dispatch number.
“We try to make sure to get the information out as quickly as possible on social media,” said Mullen.
So far, both departments said the outages are not delaying responses.
“To our knowledge, we have not had any drastic effects or anything basically from the outages at least up to this point,” said Hall. “Whatever the work is that’s being done hopefully comes to an end that way these will stop happening.”
Copyright 2023 KXII. All rights reserved. | 2023-01-21T00:42:56+00:00 | kxii.com | https://www.kxii.com/2023/01/21/reoccurring-911-outages-impacting-grayson-county-callers/ |
WASHINGTON – The Biden administration on Friday placed a well-known Russian paramilitary organization on a list of religious freedom violators alongside a number of notorious terrorist organizations.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced he had designated the Wagner Group as an “entity of particular concern" for its activities in the Central African Republic. Also on the list are Afghanistan’s Taliban, Nigeria’s Boko Haram, Somalia’s al-Shabab and two factions of the Islamic State group.
“Our announcement of these designations is in keeping with our values and interests to protect national security and to advance human rights around the globe,” Blinken said. “Countries that effectively safeguard this and other human rights are more peaceful, stable, prosperous and more reliable partners of the United States than those that do not.”
The Wagner Group is run by a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and its mercenaries are accused by Western countries and UN experts of numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali.
Friday's designation does not immediately carry U.S. sanctions but opens up those targeted to potential penalties for violations of religious freedom. The Wagner Group and the other “entities of particular concern” are already subject to an array of U.S. sanctions.
In addition to his designation of the Wagner Group and the others, Blinken identified China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan as “countries of particular concern" for religious freedom violations.
All of those countries, which Blinken said have “engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom,” have been on the list previously.
Blinken also put Algeria, the Central African Republic, Comoros and Vietnam on a “special watch list” for religious freedom violations, meaning they could eventually be hit by U.S. sanctions unless their records in the area improve. | 2022-12-02T19:38:07+00:00 | local10.com | https://www.local10.com/news/politics/2022/12/02/us-targets-russia-mercenary-group-over-religious-freedom/ |
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
OK, how would you react if you found a rubber duck on the hood of your vehicle? Now, for Jeep owners, it's part of a trend that's spreading around the world.
ROZ DIEFENBACH: I would say I duck people as often as I get the chance to.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Roz Diefenbach (ph) is the proud owner of a blue Jeep Wrangler named Joan. So Roz is the person; Joan is the Jeep, just to keep things clear. And Roz - I assume Joan also - fully embraces this trend known as ducking.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, it's the practice of putting a rubber duck on any Jeep that you see. Now, such fads aren't anything new for Jeep owners. You might have heard of the Jeep wave. That's Jeep drivers waving at each other. But now ducking apparently is the biggest trend.
INSKEEP: A Jeep spokesperson says in an email, the company had nothing to do with this. It's a grassroots movement started by Allison Parliament. Her full-time job now is running the official ducking Instagram and promoting ducking at Jeep events, which usually happen in the summer.
ALLISON PARLIAMENT: We autograph ducks for our Jeepers and we raise money for educators. So we do good with what we've created.
MARTÍNEZ: I'd call it a webbed-feet movement. A Facebook group dedicated to the practice has well over 50,000 members, and the #duckduckjeep has been used hundreds of thousands of times on Facebook and Instagram. Heidi Nappenberger (ph) says the convenience store where she works is often a pit stop for Jeep owners heading to the Virginia mountains. And when they come through, they stock up on snacks and, of course, you guessed it, rubber ducks, which she sells for 3.50 apiece.
HEIDI NAPPENBERGER: It has been, in the past few years, that all of a sudden people are wanting the ducks, and the ducks sell really well. We have some pretty good custom ducks at the store, too. They're one in, like, bikinis. There's military ones that sell really well around here.
INSKEEP: Nappenberger, the owner of a bright yellow Jeep Wrangler, has been ducked a few times herself. And she keeps every duck she gets in her glove compartment because they feel too special to give away.
NAPPENBERGER: Generally, it feels like a compliment, like someone saw the Jeep and admired it. So I kind of hang on to it as a trophy.
MARTÍNEZ: Roz Diefenbach says getting a duck always adds a little spark to the day.
DIEFENBACH: And I think it's a really fun part of the community.
INSKEEP: So if you own a Jeep and someone should put a toy on it, hopefully you don't give a duck. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. | 2023-07-18T22:46:13+00:00 | nprillinois.org | https://www.nprillinois.org/2023-07-18/what-the-duck-people-are-leaving-the-rubber-birds-on-jeeps |
1-year-old child kidnapped in vehicle stolen out of family’s garage, police say
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WBNS) – A 1-year-old girl in Columbus, Ohio, is back home and safe after being kidnapped inside a vehicle stolen right out of the family’s garage.
The father of the girl didn’t want his name or face to be used for fear of something bad to happen again. He said he was at work at the time of the kidnapping.
“It was mind boggling as I couldn’t control myself,” he said. “I was just thinking, ‘They’re gonna kill my baby.’”
The man’s wife had just placed their 1-year-old daughter in their running vehicle, which was parked in the garage with the door up.
She turned back to the house to get her 4-year-old son and put him in the car. She said when she came out, a man had run into the garage from the street.
The garage’s security camera caught the moment the man got out of his own vehicle, ran up to the driveway and into the garage.
Seconds later, he is seen backing up and driving the car away with the 1-year-old girl in the backseat.
Another camera showed the child’s mother running after them out of the front door.
“I want him to know they need to stop doing this, this is not right,” the father said.
Police said the car and child were found 20 minutes later a short drive away.
“I was very, very, very, very happy,” the man said. “I couldn’t work. I had to stop working and come straight home.”
The father said his 1-year-old daughter is now back home and doing well.
“Yes, I am very lucky,” he said. “All the sacrifice we did today paid off, all the sacrifice, all the people we help, it paid off today. Because without God this wouldn’t be possible today.”
Police said the suspect is a teenager and that he left the scene in a gray Honda Accord.
Copyright 2023 WBNS via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | 2023-01-18T19:44:02+00:00 | wagmtv.com | https://www.wagmtv.com/2023/01/18/1-year-old-child-kidnapped-vehicle-stolen-out-familys-garage-police-say/ |
Another Ross Dress for Less could be opening up in downtown San Francisco just a block away from one of its existing stores at 799 Market St., the San Francisco Business Times first reported.
The new department store would take over the 40,000-square-foot space at 901 Market Street, where Saks Off 5th and Nordstrom Rack are currently located. Permit details obtained by SFGATE from the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection reveal that plans are underway for an “interior remodel” of the lower level and ground floor at an “existing Ross store,” including the installation of merchandise racks, register counters and fitting rooms.
Still, it remains unclear whether the Dublin-headquartered discount clothing retailer plans to move from its current Market Street location to this one or if it plans to open a new store altogether, replacing Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off 5th. The latter isn’t entirely out of the question: As the Business Times pointed out, Jamestown Properties CEO Michael Phillips said the 55,000-square-foot store at 799 Market St. was “a top-five producer for the whole Ross chain,” and it frequently has customers lining up outside to enter. SFGATE attempted to contact representatives for Ross but did not hear back by time of publication.
Ross closed one of its longstanding stores at 5200 Geary Blvd. in January, leaving just three other locations in San Francisco, including the one on Market Street, one on Sloat Boulevard and one on 16th Street. However, a news release shared by the company in March announced that it had opened 11 new Ross stores and eight dd’s Discounts stores across the U.S. in February and March — part of the company’s plan to “continue the expansion” of its presence to 2,900 locations and unveil approximately 100 new locations this year.
As of March, Ross Dress for Less had 2,034 stores in operation. | 2023-05-01T19:46:07+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/another-ross-could-open-in-san-francisco-18000752.php |
The Agency on Substance Abuse Prevention will host Cope and Step, a step competition, Friday, Feb. 17, starting at 7 p.m. at the Billy C. Hawkins Student Center Arena at Talladega College. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public.
The show will be hosted by Instagram and TikTok star Nick “Mr. Bankshot” Banks.
According to ASAP prevention specialist Quiera Lane, the purpose of the event is to “raise awareness of substance abuse and provide an opportunity for people to learn about substances that may be impacting their community.”
The competition is open to all teams from the National Pan Helenic Council, with the deadline for registration Monday, Feb. 6.
The panel of judges will include Talladega Mayor Timothy Ragland and Talladega City Manager Seddrick Hill.
The winner will take home a $2,000 grand prize. | 2023-02-05T20:19:25+00:00 | annistonstar.com | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/step-competition-to-benefit-substance-abuse-awareness/article_a871433c-a58b-11ed-9fd6-c7ea6251f8e5.html |
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A new Florida bill would make it illegal to let a dog be in a driver’s lap or stick their head out of a window of a moving car.
Additionally, Senate Bill 932, filed by state Sen. Lauren Book (D-Broward) and intended to protect animals, would ban the declawing of cats.
The bill also includes provisions to make it illegal to have a dog transported “on the running board, fender, hood, or roof of a motor vehicle” as well as in a trunk or enclosed cargo space. Dogs also may not be transported in a car that is being towed.
On top of those restrictions, the bill would require dogs to be secured in a crate appropriate for the dog’s size while in a motor vehicle on a public roadway, be restrained with a safety harness or seat belt other than a neck restraint, or be under the physical control of someone other than the driver while in a car.
Dogs transported in open truck beds of pickups must be in a well-ventilated dog crate that allows them to have good footing, be safe from inclement weather and be protected from direct sunlight.
The dog must also be able to turn around normally, stand or sit, and lie down in a natural position inside the crate while it is secured to the pickup truck.
Violators would face potential moving violation citations, though the charges would not count as a criminal traffic infraction.
The bill also sets rules for cat owners, making cat declawing illegal if it is not for a necessary medical therapy. If a cat is declawed or partially declawed, the state would be able to fine the owner $1,000. Individual incidents of a cat being declawed or partially declawed would legally count as separate violations.
A provision in the text would allow courts to ban offenders from owning animals as a condition of probation.
The bill also adds a number of bans on cosmetic testing of animals for “any article intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on” or otherwise meant for humans instead of animals, such as cleansers, beauty treatments, or items that “promote attractiveness” or for altering one’s appearance.
As written, product manufacturers would be prohibited from applying any of the above products on “live, nonhuman vertebrate” animals. However, keeping the data from previous tests does not count as developing a product for the purposes of the bill’s language.
The bill would create a $5,000 initial penalty, as well as additional $1,000 penalties for violators of the animal testing prohibition for each day of a continued violation.
Should the bill pass both chambers of the Florida Legislature and gain the governor’s approval, it would take effect Oct. 1. | 2023-02-21T16:40:00+00:00 | ksn.com | https://www.ksn.com/news/national-world/florida-bill-would-ban-dogs-from-sticking-heads-out-of-car-windows/ |
Pizzeria goes viral for looking to hire ‘non-stupid people’
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WBNS) - A restaurant in Ohio was having a hard time finding reliable employees until management turned to humor to help recruit new employees.
Santino’s Pizzeria manager Heather Stockton said the restaurant’s phone has been ringing off the hook since posting a unique employment sign.
According to Stockton, the sign saying the team is “now hiring non-stupid people” was supposed to be a joke and nothing serious. However, it has gone viral on social media.
Stockton said the sign has been on display for months, but it was a social media post this week that has taken it to another level.
“We’re going to have people that love the sign, people that hate it,” she said.
The restaurant manager said the team has had trouble hiring and defined “non-stupid people” as being reliable, on time and having common sense.
“A lot of people are lacking it nowadays,” she said.
Stockton said the pandemic is playing a huge role in the quality of applicants. She said the pizzeria keeps facing no-shows or employees that don’t take the job seriously.
“I had a high school student who thought it was OK to bring a Nerf gun in with another employee here,” she said.
But is the sign helping or hurting business?
“We’ve gotten so many new customers,” Stockton said.
New customer Paul Robbins said he thought the sign was funny.
“I didn’t think it was offensive at all. It made me really curious about this pizza place,” Robbins said. “So, that made me decide to come in and check it out.”
A fellow business owner also said they understand the hiring challenges and stand by the pizzeria.
“I thought it was awesome because they’re not saying people are stupid, they’re saying, ‘Hey, let’s pay attention, let’s communicate, let’s get things going back to the way they’re supposed to be, helping each other,” said business owner Kathy Thomas.
Copyright 2023 WBNS via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | 2023-02-23T02:41:44+00:00 | kttc.com | https://www.kttc.com/2023/02/23/pizzeria-goes-viral-looking-hire-non-stupid-people/ |
BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) — All it took was about two cringeworthy minutes and four putts from 12 feet to bring the golf world back to this: No matter where he plays, or how much money he makes, Phil Mickelson can sometimes remind us — of us.
The player who built his brand as golf’s everyman — only to risk it all with his move to a Saudi-backed startup that led to his suspension from the PGA Tour — looked like a weekend duffer in putting himself out of the U.S. Open contention Thursday on the par-3 sixth.
He shot 8-over 78. He walked off the course tied for 145th in the 156-player field. About the only consolation was that his interaction with the crowd was mostly positive: Thumbs ups and some eye contact through the sunglasses from him and lots of “Go Phil,” and “Happy Birthday, Phil” from the stands. He turned 52 on Thursday.
The ultimate “Phil Being Phil” moment came on the sixth green.
Mickelson hit his tee shot on the 196-yard par-3 to 12 feet, then waited while Louis Oosthuizen almost chipped in from the rough and Shane Lowry, putting on almost Mickelson’s exact line, just missed to the right.
Looking for his first birdie, Mickelson blew it 3 feet past. He stopped and stared. Asked his brother and caddie, Tim, to take a look at the comebacker. Blocked that one, too. And the next.
When he mercifully tapped in for his double-bogey 5, he was 5 over with the meat of the golf course still ahead. The quiet buzz spilling out of the grandstand and luxury suites grew louder as Happy Hour approached. Yes, that happened.
Earlier, Mickelson had missed par saves from 7 feet on No. 1 and 8 feet on No. 3. He needed 32 putts overall, which ranked him 120th. This marked the sixth straight time he’s failed to break par in the opening round of the U.S. Open.
He did not stop to talk to reporters afterward.
As much as what his game looked like, the biggest mystery was how Mickelson would be received in first golf tournament in the United States since January. He took a hiatus after his comments about the Saudis, with whom he would later go into business with, appeared to offend both sides of the debate — those on the PGA Tour he was leaving behind, and those with whom he would eventually sign a deal for a reported $200 million to play on the LIV Tour.
Though the PGA Tour suspended him, the USGA, which runs the U.S. Open, said anyone who qualified was welcome. Mickelson is only 13 months removed from a remarkable late-career surge — the PGA Championship he won last year at Kiawah at a record age of 50.
It gave him a five-year exemption into the tournament he has never won — the one he wants the worst.
But instead of worrying about winning, Mickelson will have to fashion a massive turnaround simply to stick it out for the weekend at The Country Club.
As far as the fans — overall, this was neither a celebration, nor a repudiation, of the man who has spent three decades as a favorite of the masses but whose recent maneuvers have sparked outrage across golf.
For the most part, Mickelson’s galleries were small and quiet, maybe because there was no real show to watch.
There was no drama, a la Pinehurst, no meltdown, a la Winged Foot. No hitting the ball while it was still moving (Shinnecock) and it’s virtually certain he will not be subjected to another agonizingly close call, the likes of which have undone him at the handful of U.S. Opens that he played well enough to win.
Instead, if there was a victory on this day, it was that he made it through five-plus hours with mostly cheers from the notoriously tough Boston crowd.
“My fiancée loves you!” one fan shouted.
“You’re beautiful, Phil!” said another.
Another one: “Live free, Phil!” in what could have been a reference to the LIV Tour that’s paying him all that money.
Mickelson laughed at that one, then got up and down with a chip from the 17th fringe. Too little, too late.
Earlier in the day, Mickelson didn’t respond to a fan who shouted “Greed is good, Phil!” channeling Gordon Gekko, the soulless character from “Wall Street” played by Michael Douglas.
It was right out of a Boston fan’s playbook. A nifty way of saying they loved him — but they know what he did, too.
That moment came and went.
Mickelson’s “A” game? It never really arrived. | 2022-06-17T17:10:53+00:00 | ksn.com | https://www.ksn.com/sports/ap-sports/mickelson-meltdown-comes-early-with-a-4-putt-at-us-open/ |
At least 60 dead, many injured after India bridge collapse
NEW DELHI (AP) — At least 60 people died and many are feared injured after a cable bridge collapsed into a river in the western Indian state of Gujarat on Sunday evening, local media reported.
Officials told local media over a hundred people were plunged into the Machchu river when the bridge in the state’s Morbi district collapsed. It was not immediately clear how many people were on the bridge, but officials fear the death toll could rise.
State minister Brijesh Merja told television channels that 60 people have died so far and that 17 people were admitted to hospitals.
Days ago, the 19th-century, colonial-era bridge was reopened after renovation. Officials said that the bridge gave way because it could not handle the number of people on it.
“Due to the bridge collapse, several people fell into the river. A rescue operation is underway,” Merja was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency. “There are reports that several people have suffered injuries. They are being rushed to hospitals.”
Videos on social media showed people clinging onto the partly submerged bridge in distress while another showed people swimming to safety.
Rescue operations are underway, with National Disaster Response Force Teams rushing to the site, local media reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in his home state of Gujarat on a three-day visit, said he was “deeply saddened by the tragedy.” His office announced compensation to the families of the dead and urged for speedy rescue efforts.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2022-10-30T17:50:42+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/2022/10/30/least-32-dead-many-injured-after-india-bridge-collapse/ |
SHANGHAI, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Oricell Therapeutics Co., Ltd ("Oricell" or "the Company"), a China-based innovative pharmaceutical company committed to the development of tumor cellular immunotherapeutics, today announced the close of a $45M Series B1 investment round after the completion of a $125M Series B fund-raise in July 2022. The round was led by premier global industry investors RTW Investments, LP ("RTW") and Qatar Investment Authority ("QIA"), with participation from existing investors, including Qiming Venture Partners and C&D Emerging Industry Equity Investment. The new injection of capital will be utilized primarily to support the company's core product clinical development in the U.S.
Oricell Chairman and CEO Helen Yang said, "We are thrilled with the momentum our team has built over the last several months and look forward to using this funding to further expand our platform and research. This round reflects our investors' recognition of Oricell's ongoing growth and the development of our robust pipeline of ground-breaking therapeutics. We look forward to continuing to help improving the lives of patients in need."
Over the past year, Oricell's cell therapy pipeline and drug discovery platform have seen tremendous growth. Since the debut of Oricell's first key product Ori-C101 at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology ("ASCO") Annual Meeting, the Company has been overcoming many difficulties and made unremitting efforts to achieve all the expected milestones, to attract widespread attention among investors worldwide with its increased presence in the global new drug market during 2022 and into 2023. The Company launched its red-chip restructuring in the fourth quarter of last year in parallel with series B round of financing. Ori-C101 received IND clearance from NMPA in September 2022. At 2022 ASCO annual meeting and European Hematology Association ("EHA") 2022 congress, Oricell presented the clinical research data of its proprietary CAR-T cell therapy targeting GPRC5D (OriCAR-017) for the treatment of Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma ("RRMM"). The oral presentation was very well received; subsequently, the product was granted an orphan drug designation by US FDA. Its follow-up data was published in Lancet Haematology on January 31 2023.
With this new funding, the Company is now well-positioned to expand its products to the U.S., specifically OriCAR-017, a GPRC5D CAR-T therapeutic that treats relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma, which is a product currently on the stage of IND enabling both in the US and China.
Roderick Wong, M.D., Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of RTW, said "RTW continues to focus on advanced tumor cellular immunotherapeutics. As a long-term investor in the primary and secondary markets, we have been closely following Oricell and have been duly impressed by its milestone achievements over the past year. Today, we feel honored to have established a partnership with the company through the Series B1 financing. With our years of experience working in the U.S. market, we look forward to empowering Oricell and its team as they continue to provide cancer patients across the world with better therapies and create more value for the community."
About RTW Investment
Headquartered in New York, with offices in Shanghai and London, RTW Investments, LP is a global life sciences investment and innovation firm that focuses on identifying transformational and disruptive innovations across the biopharmaceutical and medical technologies sectors. As a leading partner of industry and academia, RTW combines deep scientific expertise with a solution-oriented investment approach to advance emerging medical therapies by building and supporting the companies and/or academics developing them. For further information about RTW, please visit www.rtwfunds.com
About Qatar Investment Authority
Qatar Investment Authority ("QIA") is the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar. QIA was founded in 2005 to invest and manage the state reserve funds. QIA is among the largest and most active sovereign wealth funds globally. QIA invests across a wide range of asset classes and regions as well as in partnership with leading institutions around the world to build a global and diversified investment portfolio with a long-term perspective that can deliver sustainable returns and contribute to the prosperity of the State of Qatar.
About Qiming Venture Partners
Founded in 2006, Qiming Venture Partners is a leading China venture capital firm with offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou, Hong Kong, Seattle, Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently, Qiming Venture Partners manages eleven US Dollar funds and seven RMB funds with $9.4 billion in capital raised. Since our establishment, we have invested in outstanding companies in the Technology and Consumer (T&C) and Healthcare industries at the early and growth stages.
The subsidiary manages a fund of RMB18 billion to help more emerging enterprises flourish.
About Oricell Therapeutics
Oricell Therapeutics was founded in 2015 as an innovative biopharmaceutical company in China. It is committed to developing tumor cellular immunotherapeutics through its own innovative technology platforms. Oricell has applied for over 100 invention patents (including 6 PCT), with 10 already granted.
Oricell Therapeutics' mission is to develop affordable drugs for unmet clinical needs worldwide. It has built several proprietary technology platforms based on tumor cell immunotherapy, including Ori®Ab and Ori®CAR. Oricell Therapeutics has made several achievements to overcome challenges to treat solid tumors including among others antibody engineering construction technology, tumor immune microenvironment regulation, T cell infiltration and killing ability.
With over 10 cellular projects in its pipeline, Oricell Therapeutics is well positioned to develop novel cell therapies to treat liquid and solid tumors. Oricell focuses on indications with a wide range of therapeutic needs, including liver, ovarian, gastric, cervical and non-small cell lung cancer, as well as multiple myeloma. With the corporate goal of becoming an innovation-driven global leader in the creation of new tumor immunotherapeutics, Oricell Therapeutics has established an international product development and operations management team, GMP-compliant manufacturing facilities and quality testing and management systems. Oricell Therapeutics is continuing to explore and develop therapeutically effective, well differentiated and affordable drugs through its own innovative technology platforms. The company seeks to create new opportunities for the development of innovative China-made drugs. Oricell raised over $120 million USD in series B financing in July 2022.
View original content:
SOURCE Oricell Therapeutics | 2023-02-28T14:27:46+00:00 | wbrc.com | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/02/28/oricell-closes-45m-series-b1-financing-expand-development-key-products/ |
Pet owners seek justice after dogs shot, killed by neighbor: ‘They were our family’
HONOLULU (KHNL/KGMB/Gray News) - A family in Hawaii is looking for justice after they say their dogs were shot and killed by a neighbor.
“Probably the most calm, gentlest Australian shepherds you’ve ever met,” said Tabitha Autele, the owner of the dogs.
Autele told KHNL/KGMB that her dogs, Bindi and Dutch, loved going to their ranch.
“They saw the truck come home from work, and they knew they were going to the ranch,” Autele said. “They happily jumped in the truck. That was their happy place and our happy place. But since this has happened, there’s no joy anymore.”
Autele and her husband, Elmer Acera, said their pups chased a mongoose onto a neighboring property in August while Acera was feeding their horses when the shooting happened.
“As I was walking down, I heard a gunshot and then a dog yell,” Acera said. “And then a few seconds later, I heard another gunshot and another dog yelp. And then I immediately thought, ‘oh no, I hope it’s not them.’”
Acera said he ran to the neighboring property to find his animals dead on the ground. He said his neighbor told him the dogs were messing with his horses, so he shot them.
“They have been around horses before, and their breed is not aggressive,” Autele said.
According to criminal defense lawyer Victor Bakke, people can defend themselves and their pets from other animals using reasonable force.
“They would be allowed to use force in a reasonable amount necessary to address the danger presented by the dogs,” Bakke said. “So they could hit them with a stick, kick them to get away. But pulling out a gun and shooting the dogs, unless there was a strong reason to believe that the dogs were likely to injure or kill the horse seriously, would be an abuse of force.”
The family said the man who shot their dogs is a parolee, and they were called to give a statement to the Hawaii Paroling Authority.
Documents showed that man was taken into custody the same day for violating his parole. However, the couple said they hope he would be charged for killing their family pets.
“I don’t want this case just shoved under a desk because they’re just dogs,” Acera said. “They’re not just dogs. They were our family.”
Bakke said the man could face a felony for unjustifiably shooting the dogs.
Copyright 2022 KHNL/KGMB via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2022-09-03T20:39:46+00:00 | uppermichiganssource.com | https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2022/09/03/pet-owners-seek-justice-after-dogs-shot-killed-by-neighbor-they-were-our-family/ |
E_Webb (1), Seager (4). LOB_Los Angeles 6, Texas 11. 2B_Ohtani (13), Wallach (2), Seager (14), Heim (15). HR_Renfroe (12), Neto (6), Lowe (8), Seager (8). SB_Ohtani (10). SF_Ward (5). S_Neto (1).
White pitched to 3 batters in the 7th, Burke pitched to 6 batters in the 9th.
HBP_Barría (Jung), Herget (Jung).
Umpires_Home, Lance Barrett; First, Doug Eddings; Second, Alfonso Marquez; Third, Ramon De Jesus.
T_2:55. A_25,832 (40,000). | 2023-06-14T04:08:09+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/sports/article/l-a-angels-7-texas-3-18151179.php |
Las Vegas may see first 100-degree day of 2023 this weekend
Published: Apr. 26, 2023 at 1:21 PM PDT|Updated: 28 minutes ago
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Whether you’re ready or not, the triple digits are coming.
On average, the first 100-degree day of the year in Las Vegas is typically May 24.
However, in the past, Las Vegas’ earliest 100-degree day on record was on May 1, 1947.
If Las Vegas reaches 100 degrees this Sunday, April 30, as expected, it would set a new record for the earliest the city has seen triple-digit temperatures.
The latest Las Vegas waited to see its first 100-day of the year was on June 30, 1965.
Copyright 2023 KVVU. All rights reserved. | 2023-04-26T20:49:44+00:00 | fox5vegas.com | https://www.fox5vegas.com/2023/04/26/las-vegas-may-see-first-100-degree-day-2023-this-weekend/ |
New Orleans residents will receive a $10 credit to invest in commercial real estate using the new investing app
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rhove, the Coinbase of real estate, announced today that it has partnered with Forward Together New Orleans, The Mayor's Fund (FTNO) and The Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance (GNOHA) to promote economic inclusion through real estate investing in local developments. FTNO will provide a grant to fund credits that 2,000 local residents can use to invest in commercial real estate using the Rhove app. Residents can redeem now at Rhove.com/nola.
Rhove's mission is to expand access and opportunity for everyone to invest in and own the places they live, work, and play. In May, Rhove received qualification from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and is launching its revolutionary platform that enables anyone to invest in real estate for as little as $1 per share.
"Historically, commercial real estate investing has only been accessible to wealthy individuals and institutions," said Calvin Cooper, Founder and CEO of Rhove. "As we grapple with rising inflation and our growing housing crisis, we realize that it is now more important than ever to provide access to investment opportunities that help people save money and build wealth. When cranes go up in our cities, everyone should be able to view that as an opportunity to benefit financially. It's time for a more inclusive development model—one where no one is excluded from the value of investing in their community."
The FTNO grant is an expansion of the FTNO Universal Basic Investment Credit (UBIC) program. The objective of the UBIC is to implement strategies that expand intergenerational wealth creation and alleviate disparities that have contributed to wealth gaps.
"The people of New Orleans want and deserve more dynamic opportunities to participate in ownership of local real estate developments in their neighborhoods and should not be limited to the role of passive observer." said Shaun Randolph, Executive Director of Forward Together New Orleans. "The Mayor's Fund is in the business of piloting innovative and novel concepts like this partnership with Rhove as part of our 2022 inclusive economic development effort and we are excited to help New Orleans become the first City in the country to roll out such a comprehensive community ownership initiative. "
To expand access and opportunity for New Orleanians, Rhove and FTNO partnered with GNOHA to select 1,000 recipients for the grant, including seniors, veterans, low-wage workers, low-income families, and those with disabilities. These recipients were invited to invest in commercial real estate with Rhove and received technology assistance from GNOHA.
"This is more than a financial incentive for New Orleanians—it's a multifaceted investment opportunity," said Andreanecia Morris, Executive Director of HousingNOLA. "By breaking down the social and economic barriers that prevented residents from investing in these kinds of opportunities in the past, we are opening new doors for our community. We are excited to continue working to discover how we can create additional opportunities for New Orleanians to invest back into their communities."
The 2,000 New Orleans residents who sign up at Rhove.com/nola will automatically receive a $5 credit to invest in commercial real estate when they create their account and an additional $5 to invest from Rhove. $5 of the total $10 investment credit can immediately be used on any property listed in the Rhove app. The remaining $5 can be used to invest in local developments once Rhove lists a property located in New Orleans. Credits will not be redeemable for cash and residents must invest a minimum of $1.
"We're actively in conversation with property owners in New Orleans so we can create an opportunity for residents to invest in their community," said Cooper. "To us, this is more than a financial imperative—it's about citizenship and social responsibility. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to invest directly in their communities, and we're excited to pave the way for a new democratized era of real estate investment and development. This is just the beginning."
For more information and a list of properties on Rhove, download the Rhove iOS app via Apple App store or visit www.rhove.com.
Built by Tokr Labs, Rhove is real estate investing for everyone. Founded with the goal of democratizing real estate investing, Rhove is empowering everyday people to invest in and own the places in which they live, work, and play for as little as $1 per share. Together, with investors and property owners, Rhove is building community and creating a new era of open finance for real estate investing. For more information, download the Rhove iOS app or visit www.rhove.com.
Forward Together New Orleans (FTNO) is a 501(c)(3) organization that launched in 2018 to make New Orleans a fairer, more inclusive city for all. The objective of FTNO is to collaborate with each mayoral administration and move New Orleans forward for generations to come.For more information, visit www.ftno.org.
The Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance (GNOHA) is a collaborative of non-profit housing builders and community development corporations working to rebuild the housing stock available in the city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city's infrastructure. Since its creation in 2007, GNOHA has sought to create change in the Greater New Orleans community through public policy advocacy and public education. The collaborative advocates for the preservation and production of affordable housing for people within the Greater New Orleans metropolitan region and places a special emphasis on the needs of the most vulnerable in society - seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, low-wage workers and low-income families. For more information, visit www.gnoha.org.
Contact: Rhove@powerdigitalmarketinginc.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Rhove | 2022-08-11T13:57:42+00:00 | kcrg.com | https://www.kcrg.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/rhove-partners-with-forward-together-new-orleans-greater-new-orleans-housing-alliance-make-real-estate-equity-available-all/ |
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran has begun an online coffee company, with the profits going to benefit disaster relief, first responders, and U.S. veterans and troops overseas, including those providing relief and other assistance in Ukraine.
Richard Turner, who spent 15 years as an attack-helicopter pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, founded Bulwark Coffee Co. in 2021. He had intended to officially begin operations Sept. 11, 2022, with a soft opening on Memorial Day.
But that timetable was brought forward because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the company officially beginning April 1.
“With the Ukraine issue happening right now, with the Russian invasion, I personally have a lot of special-operations buddies of mine who I served with in the latter part of my career … they’re currently over there right now doing first aid and doing hostage-rescue operations,” Turner said.
“We went into full scramble mode,” he said about the early launch.
Bulwark supports a team of about five U.S. veterans in Ukraine, while also donating through several nongovernmental organizations, such as the Ukraine NGO Coordination Network and Save Our Allies.
Bulwark Coffee Co. is an ecommerce company operating as a direct-to-consumer, subscription-based coffee retailer. The website is bulwark-coffee.com.
“We are a digital native company,” Turner said. “We have no brick-and mortar stores, and we don’t even roast our own coffee.”
The company contracts with other coffee roasters — including Wander Coffee in Fort Collins and Corvus Coffee Roasters in Denver.
Turner recently completed his MBA through the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. He said he was looking for a way to support first responders and veterans.
“I’ve always had this passion of starting a company of my own that could give back, a philanthropic company,” he said.
He said there’s a tendency to “take first responders for granted, and our veterans as well, but there’s not very many channels whereby you can support your first responders. A lot of companies will give 1% or half of 1% to a charitable cause, but there wasn’t a philanthropic organization as a whole that was operating as a for-profit. So that was sort of the inspiration for me to start something, to see if it was actually possible.”
Turner drew inspiration from Newman’s Own, founded by actor Paul Newman, which donates 100% of profits to charitable causes, operating through the Newman’s Own Foundation.
Turner has adopted a similar structure, with Bulwark Coffee Co. donating profits to the newly formed Bulwark Foundation. The foundation focuses on supporting:
- Law enforcement.
- Fire and emergency medical services.
- Military veterans.
- Disaster relief.
Donations can fund mental-health resources, equipment, equine therapy, scholarships and more. Buyers can subscribe or make one-time purchases, designating what beneficiary they want to support. Direct donations to the foundation are also accepted.
The Bulwark Foundation recently announced a campaign to raise $5 million to support veteran operators delivering aid to trapped Ukrainians.
“Ukrainians are in desperate need, and we have the skillset to address many of their needs, but we’re lacking resources,” Turner said in announcing the campaign. “We need money to buy supplies in Poland. We’ve delivered everything we could buy ourselves,” voiced one veteran who has been assisting Ukrainians since Russia’s invasion.
Bulwark derives its name from what Turner described as “a community of defense or encouragement in a time of need.”
“Our goal was to strengthen the community, not only on the consumer side, but also afford, on the production side, opportunities for them to show their support for first responders and veterans and their families,” he said.
He added that Wander and Corvus are providing “an incredible discount, because that’s their way of giving back as well.”
Turner projects that Bulwark will generate $185,000 in revenue in 2022, climbing to $1.3 million in 2023. The company will retain about 5% of revenue for working capital, donating the bulk of the margin — about 30% of revenue — to the foundation, which in turn will support the designated causes.
Costs are kept low because of automation, including fulfillment and inventory management.
Thus far, Turner said he has about $10,000 of his own funds invested in the venture, with reserves of “about 10 times that.”
The company consists of Turner and “one other special-operations veteran,” he said.
This article was first published by BizWest, an independent news organization, and is published under a license agreement. © 2022 BizWest Media LLC. | 2022-05-13T01:51:55+00:00 | dailycamera.com | https://www.dailycamera.com/2022/05/12/marine-corps-veteran-begins-bulwark-coffee-to-support-first-responders-veterans/ |
The up-and-down nature of the proposed Lee County Medical Center could become part of the health care conversation in southwest Georgia if proposed changes are made to the state’s certificate of need laws.
ATLANTA — Georgia’s decades-old certificate of need law governing hospitals and health care services has never achieved its intended purpose and should be reformed or scrapped altogether, witnesses told a state Senate study committee Tuesday.
Congress passed the CON law in 1979 requiring applicants wishing to build a new hospital or provide new medical services to demonstrate a need in their community. But the federal law was repealed in 1986 because it wasn’t meeting its goal of reducing the costs of health care by avoiding duplication, Thomas Stratmann, a senior research fellow and economics professor at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, testified as the Senate Study Committee on Certificate of Need Reform opening hearings on the CON issue.
The Albany Museum of Art's Teen Art Board held a fundraiser to support teen art days held each month at the museum. The exhibition featured paintings and drawing done by the middle and high school students over the previous school year and served as the end of the year event for the art board. Click for more.PHOTOS: Teen Art Board highlights student art at Albany Museum of Art | 2023-06-13T19:57:05+00:00 | albanyherald.com | https://www.albanyherald.com/news/state-senate-con-study-committee-begins-work/article_ca6f25ac-0a13-11ee-881f-a39ba2007b30.html |
PLEASANT PRAIRIE – A more than $2 million headache between Fiduciary Real Estate Development and the Village of Pleasant Prairie reached its conclusion this week.
Included in$45 million in general obligation promissory notes the Village Board approved during Monday’s meeting was $2.5 million for Fiduciary, the developers of tax incremental financing district No. 8, which generally sits west of JCPenney and Target along Hwy 50.
The district includes the Seasons at River View apartment complex, 10906 Seasons Place.
Issues arose because the project’s original development agreement had incorrectly sourced funding for certain public improvement work, allegedly due to a mistake by former Village Administrator Nathan Thiel.
“It was even stated by staff at the Jan. 9 board meeting that Fiduciary was, ‘misled by the former village administrator,’” said Fiduciary Vice President of Development Tony DeRosa during the June 9 board meeting.
People are also reading…
As village staff described it, there are several funding “buckets” that projects can draw from. The error meant that work on 77th Street and the development’s Ring Road water and sewer could not be funded from the original “bucket.”
The development agreement would have to be amended to correct the mistake, although the overall cost of the project would remain unchanged.
The amendment met resistance during the June 9 board meeting, with Trustee Mike Pollocoff saying he could not approve any bonds until the village had received proper documentation and itemization of work completed.
Fiduciary representatives expressed their frustrations during a lengthy discussion that followed.
“They’re entitled to payment,” Pollocoff said afterwards. “But I can’t support releasing the bonds to them until then. They’re frustrated, but I’m frustrated too.”
During the June 26 meeting, the amendment was approved, moving $2.5 million into funding from G.O. promissory notes, which were than approved during the July 10 meeting. | 2023-07-13T19:37:33+00:00 | kenoshanews.com | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/village-promissory-notes-includes-2-5-million-for-developer-of-pleasant-prairie-project/article_6888c118-20f7-11ee-be39-5b057819d5e2.html |
HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) — The search for a 25-year-old woman in Alabama has come to an end after authorities say she returned home, ending a two-day search.
Carlethia “Carlee” Russell called police Thursday night, reporting that she had seen a toddler walking along I-459 in Hoover, Alabama, a city just outside of Birmingham. She then called a family member to tell them she was stopping to check on the child, police said.
“The family member lost contact with the caller, but the line remained open,” Lt. Daniel Lowe of the Hoover Police said at a news conference on Friday.
Police found Russell’s car and some of her belongings near the scene, but were unable to find her or the child. There had also been no reports of a missing child that night.
A witness, meanwhile, had reported seeing a man and a gray vehicle near the area where Russell reported seeing the toddler, Lowe said.
Russell’s parents, Talitha and Carlos Russell, told Nexstar’s WIAT they believed that Russell was intentionally lured out of her car and abducted after spotting a toddler walking alongside the edge of the interstate.
“The phone call that she last had with one of our relatives, they heard her scream,” Talitha Russell told WIAT.
Dozens of authorities and community members had been searching for Russell since Thursday night. Over $50,000 in rewards was offered by Crime Stoppers, the Birmingham Association of Realtors, an anonymous source, and individual donations.
Police say Russell returned to the Hoover home she shares with her parents around 10:45 p.m. Saturday. She arrived alone and was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
Additional details were not immediately released. | 2023-07-16T15:02:53+00:00 | wdtn.com | https://www.wdtn.com/news/alabama-woman-who-disappeared-after-reporting-child-along-interstate-found/ |
NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jakubowitz Law announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of shareholders of Olaplex Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: OLPX).
To receive updates on the lawsuit, fill out the form:
https://claimyourloss.com/securities/olaplex-holdings-loss-submission-form/?id=34213&from=4
This lawsuit is on behalf of persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired Olaplex common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the Company's initial public offering conducted on or around September 30, 2021.
Shareholders interested in acting as a lead plaintiff representing the class of wronged shareholders have until January 17, 2023 to petition the court. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
According to a filed complaint, Olaplex Holdings, Inc. issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) macroeconomic pressures and competition in the haircare market were more robust than the Company had represented to investors; (ii) accordingly, the Company was unlikely to maintain its sales and revenue momentum; and (iii) as a result, it was unlikely that the Company would be able to achieve the financial and operational growth projected in the offering documents; and (iv) as a result, the offering documents were materially false and/or misleading and failed to state information required to be stated therein.
Jakubowitz Law is vigorous in pursuit of justice for shareholders who have been the victim of securities fraud. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
JAKUBOWITZ LAW
1140 Avenue of the Americas
9th Floor
New York, New York 10036
T: (212) 867-4490
F: (212) 537-5887
View original content:
SOURCE Jakubowitz Law | 2022-12-02T12:05:42+00:00 | wafb.com | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/12/02/olpx-shareholder-alert-jakubowitz-law-reminds-olaplex-shareholders-lead-plaintiff-deadline-january-17-2023/ |
CAIRO (AP) — An Iranian lawmaker said Sunday that Iran’s government is “paying attention to the people’s real demands,” state media reported, a day after a top official suggested that the country’s morality police whose conduct helped trigger months of protests has been shut down.
The role of the morality police, which enforces veiling laws, came under scrutiny after a detainee, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, died in its custody in mid-September. Amini had been held for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress codes. Her death unleashed a wave of unrest that has grown into calls for the downfall of Iran’s clerical rulers.
Iran’s chief prosecutor Mohamed Jafar Montazeri said on Saturday the morality police “had been closed,” the semi-official news agency ISNA reported. The agency did not provide details, and state media hasn’t reported such a purported decision.
In a report carried by ISNA on Sunday, lawmaker Nezamoddin Mousavi signaled a less confrontational approach toward the protests.
“Both the administration and parliament insisted that paying attention to the people’s demand that is mainly economic is the best way for achieving stability and confronting the riots,” he said, following a closed meeting with several senior Iranian officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi.
Mousavi did not address the reported closure of the morality police.
The Associated Press has been unable to confirm the current status of the force, established in 2005 with the task of arresting people who violate the country’s Islamic dress code.
Since September, there has been a reported decline in the number of morality police officers across Iranian cities and an increase in women walking in public without headscarves, contrary to Iranian law.
Montazeri, the chief prosecutor, provided no further details about the future of the mortality police or if its closure was nationwide and permanent. However he added that Iran’s judiciary will ‘‘continue to monitor behavior at the community level.’’
In a report by ISNA on Friday, Montazeri was quoted as saying that the government was reviewing the mandatory hijab law. “We are working fast on the issue of hijab and we are doing our best to come up with a thoughtful solution to deal with this phenomenon that hurts everyone’s heart,” said Montazeri, without offering details.
Saturday’s announcement could signal an attempt to appease the public and find a way to end the protests in which, according to rights groups, at least 470 people were killed. More than 18,000 people have been arrested in the protests and the violent security force crackdown that followed, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group monitoring the demonstrations.
Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said Montazeri’s statement about closing the morality police could be an attempt to pacify domestic unrest without making real concessions to protesters.
‘‘The secular middle class loathes the organization (morality police) for restricting personal freedoms,” said Alfoneh. On the other hand, the “underprivileged and socially conservative class resents how they conveniently keep away from enforcing the hijab legislation” in wealthier areas of Iran’s cities.
When asked about Montazeri’s statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, gave no direct answer. ‘‘Be sure that in Iran, within the framework of democracy and freedom, which very clearly exists in Iran, everything is going very well,’’ Amirabdollahian said, speaking during a visit to Belgrade, Serbia.
The anti-government demonstrations, now in their third month, have shown no sign of stopping despite a violent crackdown. Protesters saying they are fed up after decades of social and political repression, including a strict dress code imposed on women. Young women continue to play a leading role in the protests, stripping off the mandatory Islamic headscarf to express their rejection of clerical rule.
After the outbreak of the protests, the Iranian government hadn’t appeared willing to heed the protesters’ demands. It has continued to crack down on protesters, including sentencing at least seven arrested protesters to death. Authorities continue to blame the unrest on hostile foreign powers, without providing evidence.
But in recent days, Iranian state media platforms seemed to be adopting a more conciliatory tone, expressing a desire to engage with the problems of the Iranian people. | 2022-12-04T20:46:02+00:00 | krqe.com | https://www.krqe.com/news/national/iran-morality-police-status-unclear-after-closure-comment/ |
MARLBORO, N.J., Nov. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jonathan L. Hornik, Esq. and Private Lender Law (privatelenderlaw.com) announced a joint venture/integration partnership with the Toronto-based loan management platform, Mortgage Automator.
Private Lender Law, the practice group of LaRocca Hornik Rosen & Greenberg (LHR&G), is the largest full-service law firm serving the private lending industry—offering clients everything from loan closings and foreclosure/workout advice, to licensing and regulatory review. This unparalleled legal service within the industry has equated to over $30 billion in loan closings to date.
"For us, Mortgage Automator represents a game-changer for our private lender clients," said Private Lender Law founder, Jonathan Hornik. "By leveraging their expertise and technology, our firm will now have the capability to provide our already industry-leading nationwide closing services even quicker, along with other enhanced execution capabilities and a premium focus on accuracy."
Mortgage Automator has built a connection to directly link their clients to Private Lender
Law, so Mortgage Automator clients can now instantaneously deliver loan files to Private Lender Law with a push of a button. Loan documentation preparation will happen simultaneously with the transfer of the file.
By digitizing and automating lending processes, the loan origination and servicing platform provides a seamless connection between all parties involved in private lending transactions: lenders, brokers, lawyers, investors, and more.
With over $10B funded through the system, Mortgage Automator is equipped with a convenient interface and step-by-step processes that are adjustable to the unique needs of the user. It recognizes the many differences in the business processes of each lender and provides them with the flexibility of a platform built by mortgage professionals with decades of experience in the private mortgage industry.
"While we had proven ourselves in the Canadian market, we were focused on winning over the U.S.-based industry as well," said Joseph Fooks, Mortgage Automator Co-Founder. "That momentous turning point for our team came in 2021 when we won Innovator of the Year at the Pitbull Conference. The perfect next step for Mortgage Automator in the U.S. is to connect with the top U.S. law firm in the private lending space, Private Lender Law, led by Jon Hornik, Esq. and his entire team."
With an extensive legal database of nationwide closing documents, partnering with Private Lender Law became the optimal next phase for Mortgage Automator. "I think the key here is that Mortgage Automator will now populate Private Lender Law's extensive loan documents, nationwide—becoming the sole pipeline and prep tool for our clients," Hornik said. "What this essentially means is the world's quickest closing law firm in the country is now even faster."
As far as what the future holds for this strategic partnership, Hornik summed it up best saying, "Stay tuned for a powerhouse partnership of technology and legal know-how that is going to take this private lending industry by storm."
For more information, visit www.privatelenderlaw.com and www.mortgageautomator.com
View original content:
SOURCE Private Lender Law | 2022-11-04T20:53:39+00:00 | wcjb.com | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/11/04/private-lender-law-mortgage-automator-announce-joint-venture-now-poised-reshape-commercial-lending-industry/ |
Join the Valley Credit Union team and United States Marine Corps Reserve for the 75th annual Toys for Tots collection.
Join in on the fun Saturday, November 26th at Valley Credit Union's King Avenue Branch from 11AM - 2PM.
Drop-off unwrapped, new and unused toys for boys & girls of all ages - with a stronger need for ages 7 and up.
Event Details:
Billings-MT.ToysForTots.org
Facebook.com/BillingsToysForTots | 2022-11-22T01:11:53+00:00 | ktvq.com | https://www.ktvq.com/community/big-sky-blend/every-child-deserves-a-little-christmas-toys-for-tots-event |
Former President and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center brings a unique combination of business and scientific leadership, with exceptional experience in immuno-oncology, translational research and precision medicine
TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Oct. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) today announced that Craig B. Thompson, M.D., has been elected to the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Dr. Thompson has also been appointed to serve on the Technology Committee of the Regeneron Board. Dr. Thompson is a renowned healthcare business leader with exceptional senior executive experience and scientific expertise in multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology. Regeneron's Board of Directors has been expanded from 12 to 13 members with the addition of Dr. Thompson.
Dr. Thompson most recently served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and continues to oversee the Craig Thompson Lab at MSK studying cellular metabolism and its role in disease. Dr. Thompson has been heavily involved in research throughout his career, particularly in the cutting-edge fields of immunotherapy and precision medicine. Under his leadership, MSK has led the world in cancer care, with physicians pioneering the use of novel immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T cell therapies, as well as elevating the role of tumor sequencing in cancer care selection. During Dr. Thompson's tenure, MSK underwent tremendous growth and transformation through the expansion of the cancer care center and opening of new facilities, including the Center for Molecular Oncology, the Josie Robertson Surgery Center and The David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care.
"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Thompson to our Board," said P. Roy Vagelos, M.D., Chairman of the Regeneron Board of Directors. "Craig's distinguished career and physician-scientist background will bolster Regeneron's mission of using the power of science to bring innovative medicines to people in need. Dr. Thompson shares our ethos of keeping patients at the heart of all we do, as evidenced by his accomplishments at Memorial Sloan Kettering, which tackles some of the most challenging health conditions in the world."
"Joining Regeneron is an exciting opportunity to support another dimension of patient care," said Dr. Thompson. "Inventing new medicines is an incredibly challenging business, and I have deep respect for Regeneron's team of scientific, clinical, commercial and manufacturing leaders as they endeavor to change people's lives for the better. The company's track record is remarkable, and I look forward to contributing to this team's continued success."
Prior to his time at MSK, Dr. Thompson made significant contributions to cancer research as a physician and clinical investigator. For instance, his study on genes that control programmed cell death and malfunction of those genes received acclaim from across the scientific community. At the Sloan Kettering Institute, the Craig Thompson Lab has made many important discoveries about the role metabolic changes play in the progression of cancer.
Dr. Thompson received his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees from Dartmouth (summa cum laude and with Honors, respectively) and his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He trained in internal medicine at Harvard Medical School's Brigham Hospital and Boston's University Hospital. Dr. Thompson completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and holds a Professorship at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences.
Dr. Thompson is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). With his addition to the Board, Regeneron now has eight Directors who are members of the NAS, reflecting the company's commitment to pursuing the highest levels of scientific research to deliver breakthrough medicines to patients.
About Regeneron
Regeneron is a leading biotechnology company that invents, develops and commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led for nearly 35 years by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to numerous FDA-approved treatments and product candidates in development, almost all of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, pain, hematologic conditions, infectious diseases and rare diseases.
Regeneron is accelerating and improving the traditional drug development process through our proprietary VelociSuite® technologies, such as VelocImmune®, which uses unique genetically humanized mice to produce optimized fully human antibodies and bispecific antibodies, and through ambitious research initiatives such as the Regeneron Genetics Center, which is conducting one of the largest genetics sequencing efforts in the world.
For more information, please visit www.Regeneron.com or follow @Regeneron on Twitter.
Regeneron Media Relations
Alexandra Bowie
Tel: +1 914-847-3407
Alexandra.bowie@regeneron.com
Regeneron Investor Relations
Vesna Tosic
Tel: +1 914-847-5443
vesna.tosic@regeneron.com
View original content:
SOURCE Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2022-10-03T12:34:21+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/10/03/regeneron-elects-dr-craig-b-thompson-board-directors/ |
Updated May 8, 2022 at 9:56 PM ET
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — Fast winds fanned the flames of wildfires burning across northeast New Mexico on Sunday, grounding firefighting aircraft and complicating work for firefighters as they sought to protect more communities from danger.
"It's been a challenging day. The winds have picked up; they haven't let up," fire spokesperson Todd Abel said Sunday evening.
The rural area's largest town — Las Vegas, N.M., population 13,000 — sits on the eastern edge of the fire area and appeared safe for now thanks to fire lines dug with bulldozers and other preparations over the past week. But the northern and southern edges of the blaze were still proving tricky for firefighters to contain, particularly given winds as fast as 50 miles per hour, Abel said.
The fire's perimeter stretched more than 60 miles from Las Vegas, N.M., on the southeast flank to near Holbrook about 50 miles south of the Colorado line. The National Interagency Fire Center said early Sunday that more than 20,000 structures remained threatened by the fire, which has destroyed about 300 residences over the last two weeks. The fire center said full containment wasn't anticipated until the end of July.
The ferocious winds were expected to continue with little break Sunday night and at least into Monday. Strong, gusty winds are in many ways firefighters' worst nightmare, especially in conditions so hot and dry as the crews in the Southwest have been battling since early April.
In addition to fanning and spreading the flames, such winds ground airtankers and light planes that can drop water directly on the fire or lay down retardant ahead of its path to allow bulldozers and ground crews to dig firebreaks in places where there's no highways or roads that can help stop the progression of the flames.
In extreme conditions, like the ones in New Mexico, even the helicopters that typically can get up in the air — at least during the early morning hours before winds start to pick up in the afternoon — are grounded. That means they're unable to gather intelligence about the overnight developments critical to making new attack plans or placing new orders for firefighters, engines and more aircraft from across the region where demand grows exponentially as summer nears and the more traditional fire season begins.
Aircraft were able to fly early Sunday but were grounded by early afternoon, Abel said.
"It's not good, obviously; it takes away a tool in our toolbox, but we're not stopping," said fire spokesperson Ryan Berlin.
Firefighters prepared to protect homes if needed in several other rural communities along the state highway that connects Las Vegas to Taos, a small community popular for outdoor recreation activities like skiing. Officials repeatedly urged people to evacuate if they have been told to do so.
"It's a dogfight out there folks," fire spokesperson Bill Morse said Sunday evening.
As of early Sunday, the biggest blaze northeast of Santa Fe had grown to an area more than twice the size of Philadelphia. Thousands of residents have been forced to flee their homes.
For now, the city of Las Vegas appears to be safe, said Berlin. Some residents of the area were able to return to their homes on Saturday, and some shops and restaurants had reopened.
"We even started to repopulate a section of town already," he said. "Our concern right now is on the southwest portion of the fire which the wind is helping us out, sort of, because it's blowing the flames back into the fire."
But Wendy Mason with the New Mexico Forestry Division warned that "by no means" is anyone "out of potential danger."
"Just because the winds are coming from one direction doesn't mean they can't change direction so it's better to be prepared and have residents ready to go," she said.
Nationwide, close to 2,000 square miles have burned so far this year, with 2018 being the last time this much fire had been reported at this point, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. And predictions for the rest of the spring do not bode well for the West, where long-term drought and warmer temperatures brought on by climate change have combined to worsen the threat of wildfire.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2022-05-09T03:31:15+00:00 | mainepublic.org | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-05-08/strong-swirling-winds-complicate-new-mexicos-wildfire-fight |
- Romeo stockholders should contact Alliance Advisors for assistance by calling toll-free at (855) 643-7453 or by emailing nkla@allianceadvisors.com
- Romeo stockholders must tender their shares by midnight, Eastern Time, at the end of the day Monday, September 26, 2022, unless the deadline is extended
- If less than a majority of the outstanding shares of Romeo's common stock are tendered, the Offer cannot be completed by Nikola
- The Offer represents an approximately 34% premium based on Nikola's and Romeo's closing share price on July 29, 2022
PHOENIX, Sept. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nikola Corporation (Nasdaq: NKLA), a provider of zero-emissions transportation and energy infrastructure solutions, today reminds all Romeo Power, Inc.'s (NYSE: RMO) stockholders to tender their shares into the exchange offer (the "Offer") to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of Romeo by September 26, 2022 at midnight Eastern Time. On August 1, 2022, Nikola and Romeo jointly announced they had entered into a definitive agreement for this all-stock transaction.
The deadline to tender shares is midnight, Eastern Time, at the end of the day on September 26, 2022, unless extended. If less than a majority of the outstanding shares of Romeo common stock are tendered, the Offer cannot be completed by Nikola.
HOW ROMEO STOCKHOLDERS CAN TENDER THEIR SHARES
- Stockholders should contact Alliance Advisors with any questions or to request documents and assistance at (855) 643-7453 (Romeo stockholders call toll-free) or (973) 873-7700 (bankers and brokers call collect), or email at nkla@allianceadvisors.com.
- Stockholders who own shares of Romeo common stock through a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee, can tender their shares by instructing such broker or other nominee promptly to allow sufficient time to tender before the deadline on September 26, 2022. The process for tendering shares differs depending on where they are held, so stockholders should contact their broker or nominee by phone or email.
Romeo has posted an FAQ in response to questions from stockholders. The FAQ can be found on Romeo's Investor Relations page.
Nikola Corporation is a designer and manufacturer of zero-emission battery-electric and hydrogen-electric vehicles, electric vehicle drivetrains, vehicle components, energy storage systems, and hydrogen station infrastructure. Founded in 2015, Nikola Corporation is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
This communication is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell shares. On August 29, 2022, Nikola Corporation ("Nikola") filed a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (including a Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, a related Letter of Transmittal and other exchange offer documents (collectively, the "Registration Statement")) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and may file additional amendments thereto, and Nikola and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nikola filed a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO with the SEC and has and may file additional amendments thereto. In addition, on August 29, 2022, Romeo Power, Inc. ("Romeo") filed a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 with the SEC and has and may file amendments thereto. Nikola and Romeo may also file other documents with the SEC related to the transaction. This document is not a substitute for the Registration Statement, the Tender Offer Statement, the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement or any other document that Nikola or Romeo may file with the SEC related to the transaction (collectively, the "Exchange Offer Materials"). THE EXCHANGE OFFER MATERIALS CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. ROMEO STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THESE DOCUMENTS (AS THEY MAY BE AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME) CAREFULLY BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT HOLDERS OF ROMEO COMMON STOCK SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION REGARDING EXCHANGING THEIR COMMON STOCK. The Exchange Offer Materials are available to all Romeo stockholders at no expense to them. The Exchange Offer Materials are available for free on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Nikola are also available free of charge by contacting Investor Relations, Nikola Corporation, 4141 E Broadway Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85040. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Romeo are also available free of charge by contacting Investor Relations, Corporate Secretary, Romeo Power, Inc., 5560 Katella Avenue, Cypress, California 90630.
In addition to the Exchange Offer Materials, Nikola and Romeo file annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC. You may read any reports or other information filed by Nikola and Romeo at www.sec.gov.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws, including statements relating to the exchange offer, the proposed merger, the anticipated benefits of the transaction, and Nikola's expectations regarding the closing of the merger. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited: risks related to the ability of Nikola to consummate the proposed transaction on a timely basis or at all; the satisfaction of the conditions precedent to consummation of the proposed transaction, including having a sufficient number of Romeo's shares being validly tendered into the exchange offer to meet the minimum condition; the ability of Romeo and Nikola to receive the required regulatory approvals for the proposed acquisition of Romeo by Nikola; the occurrence of events that may give rise to a right of one or both of the parties to terminate the merger agreement; Nikola's ability to successfully integrate Romeo's battery pack production into its business; Nikola's ability to realize expected synergies; the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction, including the possibility that the expected benefits from the proposed transaction will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period; the risk that disruption from the proposed transaction may make it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; the potential negative effects of the announcement or the consummation of the proposed transaction on the market price of Nikola's common stock or on its business or operating results; the risk of litigation or regulatory actions related to the proposed transaction; the effect of the announcement or pendency of the transaction on Romeo's business relationships, operating results, and business generally; risks relating to significant transaction costs or known or unknown liabilities; risks associated with third party contracts containing consent or other provisions that may be triggered by the proposed transaction; and the ability of the parties to retain and hire key personnel. There can be no assurance that the proposed transaction or any other matters described above will in fact be consummated in the manner described or at all.
For additional information regarding factors that may cause actual results to vary materially from those stated in forward-looking statements, see the reports of Nikola and Romeo on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K filed with or furnished to the SEC from time to time. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof and Nikola disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by law.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Nikola Corporation | 2022-09-23T13:35:59+00:00 | kxii.com | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/09/23/nikola-reminds-romeo-power-stockholders-tender-shares-exchange-offer-ahead-september-26-deadline/ |
CY23 Sweepstakes
Below is a list of the CY2023 Sweepstakes. Individual sweepstakes may be clicked into for additional information and rules around entry.
February 2023
Member Appreciation Week: Gift Card Giveaway | 2023-02-07T21:47:29+00:00 | iowapublicradio.org | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/cy23-sweepstakes |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.